The great hall was filled with students and visitors, with the aroma of a variety of foods filling the air as the welcoming event continued. Tables were adorned with colorful tablecloths and filled with tempting dishes.

Rarity walked with her mother, who watched with interest. Cookie, with her elegant demeanor and critical gaze, seemed to be assessing every detail.

"Mother, look, there are more booths already. Shall we go?" the seamstress asked with a smile.

"Sure, that Pinkie Pie girl's booth wasn't bad, but that doesn't mean the rest are the same," she replied.

"Hey, Mom, sorry for leaving for a moment," Sweetie Belle said, approaching.

"Oh, dear, where did you go? We came back with Rarity and you were gone," Cookie said with a serious but concerned look.

"I ran into the Crusaders after walking with Pinkie," the younger explained.

"Okay, but next time at least send a message," her mother said.

The younger girl nodded.

"Since we're all three, let's check out the other stalls," Rarity suggested.

Elsewhere, but close enough to the food stalls, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight saw the lady accompanying the dressmaker and the younger girl.

"You know, I know we avoid talking about the subject related to Belle, but I can't help but see her mom," Twilight commented.

"Me too," Sunset added without taking her eyes off her. "From the few times we saw her in the past, I had forgotten quite..."

"...impressive she looks," the blue-haired girl finished, with a curious expression. "She seems to be observing everything with a critical eye."

Sunset nodded.

"Hey, girls, what are you doing?" Applejack asked, approaching.

"Hey, AJ," Twilight greeted.

"Are you... better now?" Sunset tried to find the right words.

"Yeah, sort of," she replied, leaning against the wall and looking at the two beside her with a slight smile.

"As for your question..." the blue-haired girl said unsurely, pointing with her hand at the woman walking with her daughters.

"Oh... Mrs. Belle," Applejack commented, somewhat nervously, crossing her arms.

"Not that we want to get into it, but just looking at her... she does have an air of authority," Sunset observed.

"Do you think that has an impact on Belle?" Twilight asked thoughtfully, adjusting her glasses.

"What do you mean?" the blonde questioned.

"Sometimes, family expectations can be pretty high," continued, moving her hands to emphasize her point.

Applejack looked at her a little confused, scratching her head.

"I think what Twilight is trying to say is if Belle has some sort of expectations to live up to in the family. Maybe because she's the oldest," Sunset explained.

Twilight nodded, her expression serious.

"Ah... I see," said the farmer, turning to look at the dressmaker's mother. "Belle was never required to meet the expectations of her family, or rather, Mrs. Belle... she is a bit strict, though."

Sunset and Twilight nodded, but were surprised that, despite the time, she still remembered some things related to the dressmaker.

"Uh..." Applejack said, and the two looked at her confused when they saw that she was facing the wall.

"What are you doing?" asked Rainbow, approaching with Fluttershy, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," replied the farmer without taking her eyes off the wall.

The girls looked at each other still confused until Twilight happened to look ahead. She saw that Rarity's mother was a little closer, looking at the table with food facing them, but the lady was more interested in analyzing what was on the plates than in seeing who was watching her. However, a certain seamstress did not miss the girls' gaze, especially the farmer's behavior. Rarity shook her head and, after tasting the dish, the three women walked away.

"Tell me, is she gone already?" the farmer asked in a nervous voice.

Rainbow, who had her arms crossed, answered, but not before rolling her eyes. "If you mean Belle or her mother, they didn't even notice you."

"Fine," the farmer said relieved, turning around and meeting the gazes of her friends. "Nothing's wrong, girls."

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked a little worried, frowning.

"I thought you were feeling better now, but I thought it was something else," Twilight commented, glancing sideways at the multicolored haired girl who was looking at the angry blonde.

"Why are you acting like that? She's just Belle's mom," Rainbow said in a slightly annoyed voice.

"I already said it's nothing," insisted.

The sportswoman let out a sigh. "If you say so."

Applejack looked at her with a frown. "And you're just going to stick with that?"

"You're telling me everything's fine, what are you expecting?" Rainbow replied.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe a 'hey, I can tell you're not okay, do you want to talk about it'?" said sarcastically.

"Oh, make up your mind, woman," exclaimed impatiently, raising his hands.

"Girls!"

"I'm just asking," Applejack insisted, waving a hand.

"Girls!"

Rainbow was going to say something else until she felt someone tug on her hand to make her look to her side. Fluttershy took it to draw attention to her, who looked at her with a slight frown. The sportswoman sighed a little. "Let's leave this topic here," she suggested a little more calmly. The pink-haired girl gave her a smile and gently squeezed her hand before letting go.

Sunset and Twilight sighed in relief that it didn't go any further. Applejack, for her part, shook her head.

"I just remembered what we came for," the multicolored haired girl remembered, looking at the girls seriously.

"Did something happen?" Twilight asked, somewhat worried.

"Yeah... the Shadowbolts made it to the next round," she informed, looking at them seriously. "We're facing Central University."

Applejack and Sunset looked at each other.

"Okay, that's to be expected," Applejack commented, trying to stay calm, putting her hands in her pockets. "We'll win today and be one step away from getting there."

The red-haired girl seemed a bit nervous, but she tried to hide it. "Yeah, we'll just face others who couldn't beat the first team they faced, everything will be fine," said, adjusting her jacket.

Twilight, noticing her friend's behavior, thought of some idea to ease the tension.

"We can do it," Rainbow stated with determination. "They're just losers," added, with a half smile.

"I got it," the girl with glasses suddenly exclaimed. "We're in the middle of a food display, and that should definitely calm some nerves."

"Ha, nerves," the athlete said, crossing her arms again and smiling half-smiling. "Come on, Twilight, who are we?"

"We should go, remember that Pinkie is around here, so it wouldn't be right if we didn't try one of her samples," Fluttershy suggested.

"That's true," Applejack nodded.

"Okay, let's go," Sunset said, starting to walk away. Some looked at each other in confusion, but followed her.

The five of them began to try different delicacies. Pinkie was at one of the food tables, accompanied by a group of students, both younger and older, who were there to help serve.

"Mmm, these tacos are amazing!" exclaimed Rainbow, tasting a Mexican-style beef taco. "Where did you get them, Pinkie?"

"Oh, those were brought by the students from the cooking club! The younger ones came up with the idea of serving international food."

"What a great idea they had!" Applejack commented, looking at one of the students who responded with a shy smile.

"Look at these dumplings," Twilight said, holding up a small Chinese bite.

"There are a variety of foods from different countries!" Fluttershy was trying some fresh salad. "This salad is delicious and light. Do you know if they have anything with local ingredients?"

"Sure!" Pinkie replied excitedly. "That table over there has food prepared by the local cooking club. They have some traditional recipes that are amazing."

Meanwhile, some of the younger students were running around the tables, enjoying the event. Apple Bloom was trying to persuade a group of students to give her a second bite of apple pie.

"Come on, please! Just one more," Apple Bloom begged with a smile. "It's for my sister, you know? She deserves it."

"You're trying to get pie for yourself, aren't you?" Spike joked as he took a bite of chocolate cake. "Because I saw you devour the first one completely."

"Well, I can't help but like it a lot!" she said with a mischievous laugh.

"You missed this by insisting," Scootaloo commented, taking a bite.

Sweetie Belle arrived with her mother and Rarity after walking.

"Oh! Hi, girls!"

"Hey, Sweetie Belle! Enjoying the event?" the green-haired boy greeted.

"Yeah! There's so much delicious food!" she replied with a bright smile. "And we've already tried a lot of yummy things. My mom even approved of some of them."

Spike smiled. "That's great. What about you, Rarity? Have you tried anything interesting?"

The seamstress, who was with her mother in a conversation about the dishes they had tried, looked at the boy and girls. "Yes, Spike, we've tried some wonderful things. It's a lovely event."

"I'm glad to hear it!" he exclaimed. "Have you seen Pinkie yet? She's over there with the others."

Rarity looked in the direction Spike was pointing and saw the party girl chatting with the group. Although she felt a little nervous, she decided to approach.

"Mother, do you mind if I go check on Pinkie for a moment?" asked.

Cookie, who was looking at something on her phone, raised her head and nodded. "Go ahead, dear. Just don't take too long."

Rarity approached the party girl, though she was still a little nervous at the sight of the others. "Hey, Pinkie Pie, it looks like you have more samples," said with a smile, though she felt the stares of the others.

"Yeah. Wanna try something savory?" she offered, waving her hands toward the plates.

The girls looked at her with some curiosity.

"Everything okay, Rarity?" Pinkie asked.

"Yeah, everything okay," she said, trying to sound convincing. "Just..." said, nodding and indirectly pointing at the girls.

Pinkie glanced at her friends and then back at the dressmaker. "Relax, just ignore them... you'll see that everything will be back to normal soon," she encouraged optimistically.

Rarity smiled, feeling the optimism of the party rub off on her. "Yeah, I'm hopeful."

The girls couldn't hear the conversation because of the noise. "Hey, how about we try another table?" Fluttershy suggested, feeling the need to give the dressmaker and her friend some space.

The hours passed and it was time for the Wonderbolts' game.

Cookie looked at the time on her watch, frowning as she realized she was late. "Sorry, girls, but it's time for me to go."

"Okay, mother," Rarity said with a smile.

"Yes, and next week we'll be able to enjoy the activities for a longer time," the youngest Belle commented.

"That's right," Cookie nodded. "When I get back to work, we'll convince my boss to give us the whole day to come," she said with a smile.

"See you next week, Mrs. Belle," Pinkie said in her enthusiastic voice.

"Bye," Apple Bloom and Scootaloo said goodbye, waving goodbye.

"Bye, little ones and Pinkie Pie," Cookie said before turning around, walking towards the exit.

"Girls, I see you, we're going to drop her off," the seamstress said, starting to walk with Sweetie Belle behind her mother.

"Don't run away," Pinkie warned, feigning seriousness.

"I'll try not to," she replied with a laugh.

On the stage, Fluttershy and Twilight were ready to make an announcement. The pink-haired girl took the microphone with a shy smile, pursing her lips before speaking.

"Hello, everyone," she said quietly, but loud enough to be heard. "I hope you're enjoying the third day of the welcome event."

Twilight, at her side, added, "We're glad to see so much participation and energy. Now, it's time for everyone to head to the court for the Wonderbolts' long-awaited make-up match."

The pink-haired girl nodded. "That's right. Please follow the volunteers' directions to get to the court in an orderly fashion."

"Thank you and enjoy the game," the blue-haired girl concluded, lowering the microphone.

The students began to move towards the court, guided by the volunteers. Pinkie, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom hurried to join the crowd, eager to watch the game.

Rarity walked with her mother and sister to the car in the parking lot.

"See you at home, darlings," Cookie said with a slight smile.

"Bye, Mother," Rarity waved.

"Bye, Mom. I hope you had fun," the younger girl said with a smile.

The woman let out a snicker. "I wouldn't say it was fun, but I did like what you guys presented and spending time with you."

"Yeah, you did enjoy it," the seamstress said with a smile.

It wasn't sarcasm; despite Cookie's serious expression, her daughters notice when their mom likes or dislikes something, and on this occasion, they noticed that she did have a good time.

After another goodbye, Cookie got into her vehicle, started it, and left for work.

The Belle sisters headed to the back entrance of the school. Sweetie Belle heard that she received a notification. "Look, it seems the recreational game has already been announced," she said excitedly.

"Mmm..." the seamstress said, without much interest.

"Come on, Pinkie said not to run away," said her sister.

"Fine, but first I'm going to make a stop and go to the field," said Rarity.

The conversation over, they headed to the field, though only the younger one, since the seamstress went somewhere else.

As Twilight walked Sunset to the bathroom.

"How are you?" the blue haired girl asked.

"I'm doing fine," Sunset said smiling nervously as she splashed water on her face.

A few seconds later Fluttershy walked through the door. "Hey, girls, I didn't know I'd find you here," she then noticed the red haired girl's unusual expression. "Sunset, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine... Okay, no."

"She got nervous about the game," Twilight explained.

"Oh, Rainbow was just heading to the locker room," said not realizing the effect it would have.

"Ahh..." the red haired girl said turning on the water and splashing more water on her face.

"But don't worry, Sunset, I'm sure everything will be okay," Fluttershy said trying to reassure her.

"I'm not usually like this," Sunset admitted, raising her eyebrows.

"Sometimes our emotions get the better of us no matter how strong your attitude is," Twilight said. "Just breathe, you'll feel better."

"You're right, everything will be fine. We'll just face others who lost, who may not be as strong," she said, inhaling and exhaling.

At that moment, the door opened, revealing a girl with wavy hair. It felt strange to be so close, seeing that they usually see each other from afar and the seamstress tries to avoid the girls.

Rarity turned on the faucet to wash her hands. While she did that, Fluttershy and Sunset exchanged a glance, and Twilight moved away from the wall, looking at her out of the corner of her eye. No one said anything, only the sound of the water could be heard. The seamstress was only focused on washing herself, but she felt somewhat uncomfortable with that silence. After finishing, she went to the towel dispenser.

As she headed for the door, she stopped. She didn't know whether to look at them or not, so she just opened her mouth.

"I heard about the game."

The girls looked up.

"I hope they manage to win. They've proven themselves," Rarity said, giving them a look and then walking out the door.

"That... That was..." Fluttershy was trying to find the words.

"Short but encouraging?" Twilight said.

"I don't know if that was the word I was looking for," the pink-haired girl said, looking at the blue-haired girl and then back at the red-haired girl. "It could be considered moral support."

"Maybe..." Sunset said, remaining silent. "But it was something," she added, almost forming a smile.

The sun was already high. The crowd of students and spectators filled the stands, creating a buzz of excitement and anticipation. In the locker room, the Wondercolts were getting ready for the match.

Rainbow made sure the entire team was ready. "Come on, girls, it's time to win!"

Applejack, beside her, spoke up. "That's right! No moping around, we're going to get through this phase and win!"

Sunset entered the locker room, calmer. "I'm ready," she said with a determined smile. "We're going to win this match."

"Yeaah..."

The team walked out onto the field, receiving a standing ovation from the audience. The rest of the students were in the stands.

"They'll do it this time," Spike commented from beside the blue-haired girl.

"The great and powerful Trixie predicts that they'll win," she said from beside Starlight, on a step above.

Twilight, who was downstairs, gasped. "The probability of success, based on the teams that lost, is approximately..."

"Less statistics and more cheers," Pinkie interrupted, putting on her pom-poms.

On the court, each player was taking their places. The multicolored haired girl waited up front for the referee.

"Look, it's Rainbow Crash," a girl commented.

The athlete looked where the voice came from. "Lightning Dust. I should have guessed you'd be on Central's team," she said with a half-smile.

"I'm not surprised to see you. I already knew you were a loser," Dust replied.

"Ha, and you're here for a reason," Rainbow said with a smirk.

Lightning frowned. "You'll see, Rainbow Crash," said before walking off to her position.

The referee walked up to the center and blew the whistle, starting the game.

"Let's go, Wondercolts!" the party girl cheered, waving her pom-poms and pacing back and forth.

Fluttershy and Twilight laughed a little, and when they looked back at the party girl, she was gone.

The game continued, with both teams fighting. But the Wondercolts managed to maintain an advantage, thanks to coordination and teamwork. Rainbow made an impressive play, dodging Dust and two defenders, and shooting hard towards the goal, scoring a goal that made the stands erupt in joy.

Rarity was at the other end, next to her sister and the Crusaders, who for some reason wanted to sit with her in the stands. She saw the party girl approach this part, starting to cheer, and the others did too.

"Come on, AJ!" exclaimed Apple Bloom.

"Get ahead of that Dust!" shouted Scootaloo.

"That!" cheered Sweetie Belle.

"Come on, Rarity, your turn," said Pinkie.

Her sister looked at her with a smile, waiting for her to say something encouraging. The seamstress tried to find some kind of support. "Up..." said unsure.

"Come on, Rarity, you can do better," the party girl said with a smile.

"You can do it, sister!" said the youngest Belle.

"Yes, Rarity," Apple Bloom nodded. The magenta-haired girl nodded as well.

"Come over to me," the party girl said. Rarity stepped down from her step and approached, and Pinkie hugged her from the side.

"1... 2... 3... You can do it!"

The cheerful girl looked at her so they could try it at the same time. The seamstress wasn't sure, but then nodded.

"You can do it!" they shouted.

The Crusaders nodded and followed the shout.

Time was running out and the scoreboard showed a clear advantage for the Wondercolts. The final whistle rang around the court, signaling their victory. The girls hugged each other and celebrated.

"We did it, girls. We're the best!" said Rainbow, looking at her friends with a smile from ear to ear.

"Yeah, and this is just the beginning," replied Sunset, feeling proud and part of the team.

Applejack nodded. "That's right, we have a lot more ahead of us! But for now, let's enjoy this victory."

And so, the Wondercolts approached their friends and the students who had been cheering them on.

Big Mac and other students helped bring the coolers with the cider back to the court to hand out the bottles to the older students. Rarity watched as they celebrated. Some drank, some didn't.

She walked a little and saw the farmer's brother. "Big Mac?"

"Yep," the eldest Apple said, looking at who was calling him and looking a little surprised.

"It's been... a while," said a little nervously.

Big Mac nodded. "Nice to see you."

Rarity was relieved to see that he didn't seem tense about the past. "Nice to see you again, too," said with a smile.

Pinkie, beside him, gave him a thumbs up and then took a sip from her bottle.

"Do you think we'll ever get to enjoy that stuff you two drink?" Scootaloo asked curiously, looking at the others. "Dash likes it a lot."

"The Apples won't let me try it," Apple Bloom said, crossing her arms.

"My family won't let me either," Sweetie Belle said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm curious to know what it tastes like."

The party girl smirked and handed him her bottle.

"Really?" Sweetie Belle said, brightly.

"Pinkie," Rarity said, a little serious and frowning.

"A sip won't hurt them, and besides, they might as well try it here," Pinkie said, winking. The seamstress raised an eyebrow, letting it pass.

Sweetie Belle took a sip and immediately made a face of disgust. "Ugh! How can they drink this? I think I'm going to wash my mouth out."

At the sight of their friend, the two younger girls gave up the idea of trying it and followed the youngest Belle into the bathroom.

"I told you so," said, laughing at the end.

"Good, that'll stop her from being curious," Rarity said with a smile.

"Yep," Big Mac said.

"I'll give her a candy to take the taste away," Pinkie said, following the three.

The seamstress looked at the eldest Apple. "Hey, Big Mac, I know this is really late, but I wanted to thank you for all the support in the past. It really meant a lot to me."

He smiled. "We'll always be there to help, Rarity. It's what we Apples do."

As they toasted with cider, with the exception of two, Applejack noticed that the seamstress was talking to her brother, Big Mac. Although the conversation seemed friendly, Rarity's attitude made her seem a little nervous. Soon, she walked away and sat alone on one of the bleachers.

The girls noticed that the older brother was heading their way. Rainbow nudged Applejack to talk to him.

"Big Mac," she began, moving closer to her brother.

"Yep," replied, looking at the girls and then at her sister.

"I saw you talked to... Well, you know," she continued, a little uncomfortable.

"Yep," confirmed, understanding who she was referring to.

"Did something happen?" Applejack asked, trying to understand the situation.

Big Mac raised an eyebrow, confused. "Something like what?"

"Like I'm trying to manipulate you or ask for something in return," the sportswoman commented.

"She looked nervous," Twilight added.

"Yeah, she did. Did she talk about anything in particular?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

Big Mac was starting to frown, analyzing his sister and her friends' behavior a bit. "Nope."

"No?" they asked.

"So I was..."

"Girls, after we talked, I offered her a bottle of cider, but she declined, saying she didn't feel comfortable drinking something she knew you wouldn't approve of," he explained, a little annoyed.

"Is that what she said?" the farm girl asked, surprised.

"That's unexpected," Sunset said, with a surprised expression.

"Care about our comfort?" Twilight wondered.

"Well, maybe..."

Big Mac interrupted Dash in the middle of the conversation, understanding the topic of conversation. "Girls, I'll say something and I hope you understand..." he said, with a serious expression.

The girls nodded at the older man's serious expression.

"Applejack told me about the rumors and misinterpretations that some take as the truth... And you're acting just like them, as if everything Rarity did was related to what happened in the past. Maybe you're interpreting things in a way that doesn't reflect reality."

The girls looked at each other, confused. Big Mac continued, "You should open your eyes and realize that things aren't always as they seem."

With that said, he walked away, leaving the girls in thought. They began to exchange glances full of doubt.

"About what he said," Fluttershy began, still somewhat doubtful.

Rainbow frowned and showed an angry expression. "You know what my answer is," she said, walking away from the group and heading to another part of the stands.

"I don't know what to think," Applejack said, equally confused, and walked off in another direction.

Only Twilight, Sunset, and Fluttershy were left, who looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

"Starlight told me something, but... with what happened before... I don't know," Twilight said confused, and walked away in search of clarity.

"Yesterday was unexpected and the bathroom thing was something, but it's still hard to open my eyes," Sunset said, walking away as well.

Fluttershy watched the two walk away and, not understanding what they meant by some of the things they mentioned, sighed a little. "I..." she was going to say something, but was interrupted by Trixie's voice.

"What happened to the others?" she asked, watching the girls disperse.

"Big Mac told us something that left us thinking," explained.

"It must have been something important if he left them like that," said Starlight, who was next to her gray-haired friend.

"Y-yeah..." said Fluttershy, somewhat downcast, she could see the dressmaker sitting alone in the distance.

"Want to come?" Trixie suggested, pointing to the part of the bleachers where the dressmaker is.

"I felt like going to the bathroom," the pink haired girl made up, heading towards the exit.

"Hmm... What did Big Mac say?" the grey haired girl wondered, leaning towards her friend.

"I get the idea," Starlight said.

Rarity was sitting alone on a step of the bleachers, watching the crowd celebrate the recent victory. She felt someone sit down next to her and turned to see Lyra and Bon Bon, with Trixie and Starlight standing in front of her.

"Why so alone?" Starlight asked.

"I'm not much of a talker," replied, trying to sound casual.

Actually, she was waiting for the party girl, after her she wouldn't have anyone else to talk to, not counting the four girls around her.

"You know, you don't seem like the type to like solitude," Bon Bon commented, leaning towards her a little.

"You can't believe something about someone and it's actually what you don't expect," the seamstress said, forcing a smile.

"So you like being alone?" Trixie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rarity just nodded, even though she knew she was lying. Her biggest fear had always been being alone. She thought of the dark days after she distanced herself from her friends, when she only had her family for support.

"So you don't go to parties or drink either?" Lyra asked, offering her a half-full bottle.

The seamstress hesitated a bit and looked around surreptitiously before accepting the bottle. "Actually, I do drink from time to time. When I was out of town, I went to pubs, danced, and did everything else."

"At least you had fun while studying online," Bon Bon said, smiling.

"You weren't that Twilight," Trixie joked, getting a nudge from her friend.

"I had some free time after catching up on university," Rarity said, taking a sip of cider. "Wow, it's good!"

"Yeah, the Apples have their thing," Starlight commented, smiling.

The seamstress smiled, remembering the times she saw the Apple family at work. "Something tells me they do it with a lot of love."

The four of them nodded. Rarity allowed herself to relax a bit, enjoying the company.

Elsewhere, Applejack was returning to the stands after trying to clear her thoughts, though without coming to any conclusion. She saw Apple Bloom with Big Mac, both of them looking at the coolers in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"The thing is, Big Mac was going to give the remaining ration to other students, but it's not there," Apple Bloom explained.

"What do you mean it's not there? That's weird," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Someone most likely took it out," Big Mac said.

Applejack frowned, knowing full well who could have done it. "Dash," muttered angrily, walking over to find the jock.

In another area of the stands, Rainbow was with Gilda and another student, toasting.

"It's just that we girls are amazing... Not 20% cooler than me, but..."

"We'll beat the other losers," Gilda said.

"You read my mind," said, taking another sip from the bottle.

"Dash!" Applejack called to the athlete in an angry voice.

"Is something wrong?" asked Rainbow, looking at her from her position.

"You took out another cider ration again!" accused the blonde.

"What are you talking about?" asked the multicolored haired girl, looking at the bottle and then at the farmer.

"Don't act like it, I know you and you've taken rations from me many times," said, pointing at her with her finger.

"I know I haven't asked you for permission before, but this time..." she tried to say.

"You did it again like always!" said Applejack, interrupting her.

"Can you even listen?" Rainbow complained.

"No need..."

Gilda rolled her eyes at the scene and spoke up. "Hey farm girl, it wasn't Dash who took that ration from you."

"So what was it?" she said still in an annoyed voice.

"It was us," the other girl said.

"We saw Rainbow looking lost in her thoughts and thought that drinking a little more and talking would help," Gilda said.

"You see," Rainbow said, looking at the blonde a little annoyed. "I already thought it was weird that she had enough to be able to drink two bottles," she said looking at her friends.

The farm girl made a face. "Fine, but next time ask permission," said looking at the two girls and left that part of the stands.

The athlete frowned when she didn't receive at least a 'I was wrong, okay' from the blonde before leaving.

After the celebration on the court, some students helped clean up. When everything was ready, they said goodbye and headed home.

The weekend passed with an air of reflection. Big Mac's words echoed in the girls' minds. Some were a little hesitant as their emotions were conflicted, while another felt nostalgic for moments shared in the past since their return, but they didn't dare to follow in Pinkie Pie's footsteps. One in particular still held resentment for what the dressmaker did and refused to give her the chance.

Monday arrived, bringing with it the start of the second week of the welcome event. Fluttershy was riding in the car with her family, somewhat distracted, but listening to what they were saying.

"We're sure going to have an amazing time," her mom said, smiling as she looked out the window.

"I hope we don't have to work," her brother added.

Fluttershy just smiled and nodded, looking out the window as she nervously played with her fingers.

Once they arrived and parked the car, they headed to the great hall.

"Mom, Dad, and Zephyr, I have some information to give and then I'll meet you again," she said, pointing towards the stage.

"We'll wait for you," her dad replied, patting her on the shoulder affectionately.

"See you later, Flutters," her brother said.

After saying goodbye, she walked around the side to enter the stage from the back. As she walked up, she saw her bespectacled friend, who seemed lost in thought, her gaze fixed on the ground.

"Hello, Twilight," she said softly, touching her arm.

The girl seemed to come back to reality at the sound of her voice. "Fluttershy, hello," she greeted, raising her head and smiling weakly.

Fluttershy sat down next to her.

"How was your weekend?" Twilight asked with her head down.

The pink-haired girl understood what she meant. "I've been thinking a lot about what she said to us..." she admitted.

"Yes," Twilight said in an uncertain tone, nodding slowly.

Fluttershy thought about it for a bit before speaking. "Have you ever felt like talking to her like Pinkie did?"

"I don't have a concrete answer to that," Twilight said, looking at her.

"She's given us our space and she doesn't push us like she used to and Friday was a nice gesture," the pink-haired girl said with a smile.

The blue-haired girl nodded. "Open your eyes..."

"Open your eyes?"

"It's ironic, isn't it?" Twilight said, laughing humorlessly. "Us trying to convince the others of the misconception of what happened that day at lunch..."

"...And us possibly doing the same to Belle," the pink haired girl said.

Twilight nodded, staying silent for a few seconds. "What will the others... and you too think about giving her another chance?" she wondered.

"I don't know if it's okay, but we could keep our opinions about giving her a chance private for now," Fluttershy suggested.

"That... could be an option," the bespectacled girl said, straightening up a bit. "It would avoid conflicts in the group for the time being."

"Though with Rainbow it's obvious what she thinks," the pink haired girl said, a little sadly.

"Yes. She was the one on the receiving end of Belle's act, so it makes sense that she's still resentful," the blue haired girl said. "If things really aren't as they seem, Dash would be the hardest to convince."

The pink haired girl nodded. "Do you think that if in the future we go back to how we were before... Applejack and Belle... they could become friends?" asked with a mix of curiosity and hope.

"Uff... I haven't heard of a person and their ex becoming friends," replied thoughtfully.

"Only the future will tell, and with us too," Fluttershy said with a slight smile.

Twilight nodded, smiling back.

With the conversation over, they both stood up to take the microphones and start today's day.

"Good morning, everyone!" Twilight began with a smile. "We hope you had a great weekend."

"Today we have several family activities prepared for you to enjoy and spend some quality time together," Fluttershy continued with her soft and kind tone. "First, we'll let the families mingle a bit."

"And in a few minutes, please head over to the court area," the blue-haired girl added. "There you can participate in games."

"We hope you enjoy the day and have lots of fun!" the animal lover concluded.

With that, the families began to move around and prepare for the day's activities.

In the audience area, a lady was watching the two girls on stage, scrutinizing them a bit.

"Rarity?"

"Yes, mother," replied.

"Aren't those some of the girls you used to hang out with?" the lady asked, pointing towards the two girls.

Rarity watched as the two girls walked out of sight. "They are," she said, a little sadly.

"I see. You're making an effort to get their friendship back with them," her dad said, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Some of them," the dressmaker said with a sad smile.

"You know, sister, sooner or later things will be like they were," Sweetie Belle said with an encouraging smile.

"All in good time, daughter," her dad added, giving her a warm smile. Rarity felt happy for her family's support.

From a distance, Applejack was watching the Belle family, a little nervously.

"Family, could you do me a favor?" she said with a tight smile. "First, Big Mac, I'm still thinking about what you told us."

Her brother smiled.

"The Belles are here, and well, you know the story. We could try to... uh... avoid them, at least for now," said, showing a forced smile.

Apple Bloom put a hand to her forehead. "Are you serious, Applejack?"

"By the Belles, do you mean that Rarity girl?" Granny Smith asked. The blonde nodded. "I didn't know she was back."

"But she was, Granny," the younger one said.

The older lady nodded. "And as for what you said, I thought you were over that, young lady."

"I'm over it. Who says I wasn't?" Applejack replied, shaking her head and smiling nervously.

"Your attitude says so!" Apple Bloom pointed out.

Big Mac nodded with his arms crossed.

"So, is it a no or a yes?" the farm girl asked, trying to change the subject.

The three Apples sighed, shaking their heads a little, but ended up agreeing to the request.

A cheerful voice was heard behind them. "Hello, Apple family!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, approaching with a big smile, followed by her sisters.

Applejack turned and smiled. "Pinkie, Maud, Marble, and Limestone."

Maud, with her characteristic expression, greeted with a simple "Hello."

Marble hid a little behind Maud, mumbling a shy "Mmm hmm."

Limestone, with her arms crossed and a slightly grumpy expression, said, "Pinkie insisted that we come, so here we are."

"Since Mom and Dad couldn't make it, I brought my sisters," she explained.

Granny Smith approached with a smile. "It's good to see you all. It's been a while since we've had the Pies around here!"

Big Mac nodded, greeting each of the Pie sisters with a nod. "Yep."

"So nice to see you all together!" Apple Bloom said, hugging Maud excitedly.

"Can you imagine the Pies and the Apples teaming up to compete?" the party girl said with a smile.

The Apples laughed a little. Pinkie noticed something in the blonde's expression. "Hey, AJ! Everything okay? You seem a little tense."

Applejack sighed, trying not to worry too much. "Yeah, everything okay, Pinkie. Just things on my mind..."

"Don't worry, cousin! We're here to help you relax and enjoy the event," Pinkie said, patting her on the back.

"Thanks, Pinkie."

Although something told her that wasn't what had her so tense. "Psss," the party girl heard. She looked over and saw that it was Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom discreetly pointed in a direction. Pinkie followed her gaze and saw the Belles. She put the threads together and deduced that that was what really had the farmer like that.

"So, family, how about we hang out with the others a bit?" suggested.

"Where do you want to go?" Granny Smith asked.

"I was thinking of starting over there," she said, pointing in the direction where Rarity's family was.

"How about Dash's family, or the Shys, or I know, Twilight's family? There are a lot of them," Applejack said, giving a push.

The Pie sisters didn't ask, so they started walking. Pinkie stayed behind and saw that she wasn't the only one, as the youngest Apple stayed behind as well. Once they were a little far away, the youngest saw the party girl.

"She asked us to avoid the Belles," she revealed, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm, and you agreed?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes."

"I see," she said, somewhat thoughtfully.

"Shall we begin the mission?" Apple Bloom said, cheerfully.

"Can't we just go and say hello and ask what happened after Mrs. Belle found out about AJ and Rarity," Pinkie said quietly.

"So how do we get the information out?" Apple Bloom asked.

"We'll talk first, and then after a talk, we'll wait for the right moment," said, determined. "Now! Let's go say hello to the other families."

The two of them began to walk, following their family.

The Shy family walked around the hall, enjoying the festive atmosphere. Suddenly, Fluttershy's mother noticed a familiar family.

"Look, Fluttershy! It's Rainbow's family!" exclaimed, pointing towards them.

The family approached, and the pink-haired girl's mother stepped forward to say hello.

"Rainbow Dash!" said excitedly, gently squeezing Rainbow's cheeks. "Look how much you've changed! I like your new look."

Rainbow smiled, though slightly awkwardly, as she replied, "Thank you, Mrs. Shy," trying to break free.

"Hello, Windy," Fluttershy's mother said.

"Hello, we haven't seen each other for almost a year," Rainbow's mother said.

"Yeah, it seems our daughters have been so busy with college, we weren't lucky enough to see each other last time at the family outing," Mr. Shy commented.

"I hope we can get together next time," Bow added.

The parents of both families continued to chat.

Zephyr, with his usual confidence, approached Rainbow with a smile. "Hey, Dash. Have you noticed how good I look? What do you say…"

"Zephyr… Not going to happen." interrupted.

Zephyr wasn't discouraged and continued, "Come on, Dash. I know you have feelings for me deep down."

Scootaloo laughed.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and turned to Fluttershy. "How was your weekend?"

The pink haired girl smiled shyly. "It's been quiet. Though thinking a little about what you already know…"

The athlete made a face before she could say anything, and heard the farmer's voice.

"Hey girls," she greeted.

"I thought you were coming with Pinkie," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah, after talking to Sunset's family, she got separated from us," the farmer explained.

"Apple Bloom, how about we go find Sweetie Belle?" the magenta haired girl suggested.

"Can I go?" Apple Bloom asked her family.

"Don't get into any mischief," said Grandma Smith.

Meanwhile, Pinkie was arriving with her sisters to greet the dressmaker's family.

"Hello, Belle family," greeted Maud in her signature tone, not showing much emotion.

Marble nodded shyly, hiding behind Maud a bit.

"There was no other way," said Limestone, crossing her arms.

Cookie nodded. "It's nice to see you," said, tilting her head slightly.

Rarity, somewhat surprised, smiled at the sight of the party girl's sisters. "Maud, Marble, Limestone... It's been so long!" She extended a hand to Maud, who shook it firmly but without changing her expression.

Pinkie jumped up and down excitedly. "Yes! Too long! We have so much catching up to do!" She jumped in place, her curls bouncing with each movement.

Maud, in her monotone, added, "It's good to see you, Rarity," as she placed a hand on her sister Marble's shoulder to encourage her to say hello.

"Hello," Sweetie Belle greeted, smiling widely.

Limestone watched the seamstress and her sister with a mix of curiosity and seriousness, raising an eyebrow.

Hondo leaned forward a little. "How has my daughter been at university?" he asked with interest.

Pinkie, in her usual cheerful tone, replied, "Rarity is full of surprises and her elegance turns many heads."

The seamstress shook her head slightly, smiling.

Mrs. Belle, keeping her serious tone, turned to Pinkie and her sisters. "Why don't we go for a walk and you tell us what's become of you?" she suggested, gesturing toward the road.

"That sounds wonderful! What do you girls think?" asked, looking at her sisters.

Maud nodded. "Okay."

Marble nodded shyly.

Limestone, still with her arms crossed, said, "I suppose we could say a few things."

Rarity added, "It'll be a good chance to catch up and enjoy the event."

"Great!" Pinkie exclaimed, clearly excited, as they began walking together.

Two younger girls approached the family.

"Apple Bloom, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle said, and the three began to chat animatedly.

Hondo smiled as he saw his daughters, especially Rarity, who seemed to be making progress with reconciliation. He looked around a little and met the gaze of another girl in the distance, managing to recognize her.

"Daughter?" he called with a slight frown.

"Yes, daddy?" Rarity replied, stopping.

"Isn't that girl...?"

Rarity followed his gaze and saw the blonde who quickly looked away. "Yeah, that's the same AJ you know," he said with narrowed eyes.

Hondo's eyes widened. "Wow, I didn't think I'd see her again. And what's the reason for that behavior?"

"She's been acting like that ever since she saw Mother last week," she explained as he crossed his arms. "I told her everything was okay but apparently she's still stubborn."

"But your Mother isn't like that anymore... She supports you, just like the other stuff," her Dad said.

Rarity stood firm. "Dad, no," she said shaking her head.

"Rarity, you need to give yourself a chance," Hondo said with a sad look. "Everyone thinks that."

"I don't," she replied with a serious look. "I don't want to do that anymore... I don't want to disappoint Mother with my studies."

Her Dad looked at her with an understanding look. "I understand. I know you'll live up to her expectations," he said with a smile, giving him a light squeeze on the shoulder.

The seamstress smiled and continued walking.

"You noticed, didn't you?" Pinkie said beside her in detective mode.

"Yes," he answered in a sad tone.

"My cousin acted like that and told me a part I didn't know about their relationship,"said quietly.

"And we want to know what happened," Sweetie Belle added, looking at her father curiously.

"Ah, that's what they mean," Hondo said seeing that they weren't on the same page. "What part of their relationship are they referring to?"

"We know that's something in the past, but we're still curious," Pinkie said, lowering her voice.

"What happened after Mrs. Cookie found out?" Apple Bloom whispered.

"I could tell you, but tell you while everyone else is around?" Hondo said watching as students and family members walked by. "Besides, I don't want to leave my family alone."

Pinkie was thinking of an idea for how to tell it. "Got it! How about telling it in a subtle way, like in code?"

"In code?" Hondo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Using code names to replace names. For example..." she began, lowering his voice. "My cousin would be Peasant, Rarity can call her Diamondhead, and if you count Mrs. Cookie, um... Senior Diamond."

"That's a great idea," Sweetie Belle said brightly. "Although we might not understand anything," added with a smile. The other two nodded.

"Relax, Crusader, if they don't understand, I'll tell them the encrypted message," the party girl said, dismissing it with a wink.

"Well, after my is... I mean, Senior Diamond..."

Pinkie nodded.

Hondo smiled and continued in code as best he could. "When Senior Diamond found out about Diamondhead..."

Three years ago: Ending Spring :Spring; Days Later
Hondo was in the kitchen making himself and his wife a coffee, who was waiting for him on the couch, as it was her turn to use the television. Once ready, he took the cups and walked to the living room.

As he sat back down, he noticed Cookie's worried and distracted expression.

"What's wrong, honey? You've been acting more serious than usual this week," Hondo said, concerned.

Cookie looked at Hondo seriously before taking a breath and speaking. "Hondo, I need to talk to you about something I saw."

Her husband sat down next to her, noticing the seriousness in her tone.

"Sure, what's wrong?" Hondo asked, waiting.

Cookie sighed before continuing, choosing her words carefully. "I saw Rarity making out with Applejack."

Hondo was speechless for a moment, shocked by the revelation. After a brief silence, his expression softened. "Rarity and Applejack? That's... a surprise."

"Yes, it is. And I can't say that I approve of that relationship."

Hondo nodded, showing understanding towards his wife's feelings. However, he also felt the need to be honest about his own feelings.

"I understand your concerns, sweetheart. But we must remember that Rarity is our daughter, and the most important thing is that she is happy and safe."

Cookie looked at her husband, surprised by his response. "What if... what if this isn't the right thing for her? I know my daughter, she's never been interested in girls."

"Honey, love doesn't always go the way we expect it to."

Cookie was silent for a moment. "I'm still not sure."

"Did you do something?" he asked, concerned.

"I wanted to give her time to reflect. I didn't want her to go through with something that could just be a phase or an impulse," Cookie said, frowning. "That's why I asked for her cell phone."

Hondo looked down for a moment before looking back up. "I hope you didn't lock her up."

"Oh, Hondo, I'm not the evil stepmother," Cookie said, looking at him. "She's upstairs. She doesn't dare come out if I'm around." She let out a sigh. "I've heard her cell phone ringing with calls from Applejack non-stop."

"She might not dare face you to talk about her feelings," Hondo deduced.

"It's possible."

"You have to understand that if this is what makes Rarity happy, we need to be there to support her, no matter what," Hondo said, comforting his wife.

Cookie mused silently and didn't respond right away. Her husband walked over to her and hugged her. She hugged him back.

"And then that night I talked to Diamante," Hondo continued, looking at Pinkie and the others. "At first, she didn't dare look me in the face."

"What did you tell her, Dad?" Sweetie Belle asked, leaning forward.

Hondo remembered the conversation clearly. "I told her that I was fine with her liking a girl. That there was nothing wrong with that and that her happiness was the most important thing to me. I explained that her mother just needed time to process it."

Pinkie nodded understandingly. "That must have been a relief to her."

"Yeah," she continued and let out a laugh. "Then, with a smile, she showed me something she always used to hide when we entered her room. It was a picture of her and a country girl in a green frame that she put on her bedroom dresser."

"She had one too?!" Pinkie exclaimed with a smile. "A certain blonde had one too, but it was white."

"I remember seeing her a couple of times," Apple Bloom said with a smile that changed to a sad one. "I also remember when... let's focus."

Her friends and the party girl looked at her wanting to know more, but decided to continue listening to Hondo.

"Do you know if the two of you, I mean mother and daughter, talked before coming to an agreement?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes and no... days later, when we had lunch or dinner, Diamondhead avoided looking at her, but sometimes she tried to talk, but fear won over her," Hondo continued.

"But why didn't she go out to see her if she was on vacation?" Scootaloo asked curiously.

"Diamond, when she thinks she did something wrong, she tends to punish herself," Hondo said sadly.

Sweetie Belle lowered her head sadly; that happened to her sister too in the three years.

"But at some point they saw each other, right?" said Scootaloo.

Hondo nodded. "With Rose, we talked to Diamondhead making her see that she wasn't wrong and not to punish herself by locking herself away, so one day she left home in desperation."

Pinkie snapped her fingers. "Grandma Smith!" she said at the same time as Apple Bloom.

"Thank you, Mr. Hondo, I think we have enough information to continue with the events," said the party girl, thanking her.

"You're welcome and thank you for being there for my daughter," said Hondo with a smile.

Pinkie smiled at him and then began walking with the Crusaders.

"I'll see you later, dad. It's time to continue with the mission," said Sweetie Belle before following her friends and the party girl.

As they walked, Pinkie had a question.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle, I was wondering, what happened to your aunt?"

"Afterwards, Rarity was allowed to take care of the house, so Aunt Roseluck only came often, but now it would be difficult for her to come," answered.

"Why?" asked Scootaloo.

"She also left town some time after we left. She got married, has a family already, and is working, so if she comes it would be difficult," explained.

"I understand, getting permission from work, plus the plane ticket and lodging," Pinkie said.

Sweetie Belle nodded.

They continued walking, heading towards the area where some families were gathered. Pinkie waved her hand.

"Grandma Smith!" she exclaimed, pointing to an older woman who was chatting with the Shys and Dash's family.

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah, there she is!"

They approached the group and met Granny Smith.

"Hello again, Granny Smith!" Pinkie greeted enthusiastically. "Can we talk for a moment?"

Granny Smith, with a kind expression, replied. "Sure! What's going on?"

"We're on a mission to find out the loopholes in AJ's past relationship with you-know-who," Apple Bloom said.

"As far as we know, Peasant and Diamondhead were estranged for a while since Diamondhead's mom found out about their relationship," Pinkie explained.

"Peasant and Diamondhead?" Granny Smith asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Granny, those are the code names for Rarity and my sister," Apple Bloom said quietly.

"We want to know more about how Peasant Girl lived through those days," Scootaloo explained. "Could you tell us a little bit?"

"I thought this was in the past, but seeing AJ's behavior..." Granny Smith said.

"That's a yes," Scootaloo said, shaking a fist in celebration.

"Wait, don't forget to use code names. Some people here might hear things, and we've already covered what happens when someone overhears," Pinkie said, looking around.

Granny Smith nodded, looking at the girls curiously. "Well, when she didn't hear anything when she tried to contact them, she was down and worried."

"Appl... Country Girl was afraid that if the lady... found out she was trying to see Diamondhead, she might ban her from entering," she continued. "She didn't want to cause any more trouble for you-know-who, so she just kept waiting and trying to contact her without success."

"That explains it!" said the party girl. "So, while Diamondhead was isolating herself, Country Girl was in a state of uncertainty."

Granny Smith nodded. "Exactly. Country Girl was very worried, but she didn't know how to get close without causing more trouble."

"As far as we know, Diamondhead went looking for Country Girl after she was 'locked in,'" Scootaloo said.

Granny Smith nodded. "Yeah, she did."

Sweetie Belle leaned in a little. "What happened when Diamondhead tried to meet Country Girl?"

"It was nice, but..."

At the farm, Applejack was working picking apples. Her sad expression reflected her concern, as she hadn't heard from Rarity in days and her calls hadn't been answered.

At that moment, she had her cell phone in her hand with the incoming call hoping that the seamstress would pick up, but again she got no answer.

"How are you doing, Applejack?" Granny Smith asked as she stepped out into the yard.

The farmer put the cell phone in her pants pocket. "I'll be back, Granny Smith. I was just... trying... something," said in a dejected voice.

Granny Smith, trying to cheer up her granddaughter, walked over. "Applejack, you'll hear from her soon," she said, trying to be positive.

The blonde sighed, looking at the ground. "I want to know how she is, Grandma. What if she listened to her mom?"

Before Granny Smith could answer, there was a knock on the door. The elderly woman headed into the house to open it, as they were in the backyard.

Opening the door, she was met by Rarity, who looked tired and agitated.

"Hello, Rarity. We finally hear from you," she said, surprised to see her. "Things seem to have happened."

"Hello, Granny Smith. Tell me Applejack is home," Rarity asked, trying to catch her breath.

"Yeah, she's in the backyard picking apples."

When they reached the yard, the old lady called out to her granddaughter. "Applejack, you have company."

From the stairs, she answered in a dejected voice. "I don't want to see anyone."

"Jackie..."

The farm girl's eyes widened at the voice. She turned around carefully and saw her. Without a second thought, she jumped off the stairs and ran to Rarity. When they met, they hugged each other as if they hadn't seen each other in years.

"Rarity... you're here," said, still hugging her.

The seamstress, with tears in her eyes, replied, "I missed you so much. I came to talk about my mom."

The two of them moved away a little, but without breaking the hug. The farmer lowered her gaze, expecting the worst.

"I don't care if my mother tries to stop us from being together. I'll never leave you, Applejack."

The farmer's eyes lit up and she smiled at what she had said, feeling immense relief at having Rarity in her arms. "For a moment I thought you would leave me."

"Never."

They both slowly approached until they reached each other's lips.

Granny Smith, watching the scene, smiled tenderly. "It seems that love always finds a way."

After a few seconds, they separated.

"Yeah... I couldn't leave my little apple," said Rarity, touching the blonde's nose with her own.

"And I couldn't let them take my marshmallow away from me," said the farmer.

Granny Smith raised an eyebrow at how the mood was getting too lovey-dovey.

"You know, if you're going to get naughty, I'll just go take a stroll around the block," said as she entered the house.

The two blushed a little as they watched the older lady leave. They heard the front door close.

"Uhh... hahaha... Looks like we have the house to ourselves," Rarity joked. She then looked at the blonde, who had a half smile on her face.

"Are you considering it?" asked with a bit of surprise.

"Why not? We have Granny Smith's blessing," Applejack said in a playful tone of voice. "Only if my sweet maid wants it."

"Mmm... I don't know," Rarity said, wrapping her arms around the farm girl's neck. "I could check again to see if your mattress is softer than mine."

"Let me tell you, yours isn't bad, but mine beats it," said, raising an eyebrow and giving a mischievous half-smile.

"Is there anyone else home?" asked, still in a flirtatious tone.

"No, just us."

"We should take a tour to check if there's no one upstairs," the seamstress said, releasing the farm girl.

"That's a great idea. Let's start the tour, which ends in my room," said, ending with a giggle. She took Rarity by the hand and the two of them entered the house and went up to the second floor.

"They hugged each other like they hadn't seen each other in a while. Then they got all lovey-dovey, so I left, but I don't know if those two naughty girls did it," Granny Smith finished.

Pinkie laughed a little, covering her mouth. "Knowing how they were, I'd bet it did."

"What do you mean naughty?" Sweetie Belle asked, intrigued, frowning.

"Did they break something?" Apple Bloom asked, curious, tilting her head to the side.

"Or did they hear things?" Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Granny Smith and Pinkie looked at each other a little, searching for a way to respond without being too explicit.

"Uhh..." the party girl began, searching for the right word.

"Let's just say they heard something," Granny Smith commented, waving her hand to downplay the importance.

"Intense stuff," the party girl joked, laughing again and winking.

The Crusaders looked at each other a little confused, trying to figure out the meaning of Pinkie and Granny Smith's words.

The party girl, noticing the confusion, decided to change the subject. "Well, the important thing is that they found each other," said, patting Sweetie Belle on the back. "Now we know more about what happened."

"Do you know anything else?" Scootaloo asked, raising a hand.

"From what I remember, they wanted to make up for lost time and one of them went to Diamondhead's house," Granny Smith recalled, nodding her head.

"Now comes the part I said!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed excitedly, raising her hands in the air.

She saw some people around her looking at her for raising her voice, so she blushed slightly.

"Oops... But this time we should go somewhere else since I might miss the code names," suggested, lowering her voice and looking at her friends.

"Great idea," Scootaloo said.

"Okay! Let's go to the lair," Pinkie said, pointing to no specific place, with a wide smile.

The Crusaders and Granny Smith looked at her somewhat confused.

"To the locker room, I thought you'd understand me?" the party girl clarified, lowering her shoulders with a sigh.

"Okay, Crusader to the lair," Apple Bloom ordered, putting her hands on her hips with determination.

"Come back in a few minutes, it's almost time for the activities to start," Granny reminded, raising a hand in farewell.

"Yes, Granny, and thanks for filling in the story," the youngest Apple thanked, before starting to walk with the others, waving at them.

"Now what is Apple Bloom up to with her friends?" Applejack wondered, walking over with Rainbow and Fluttershy as she watched them walk away.

"You could say she's solving a case," Granny Smith replied, smiling.

"Those girls still have quite the imagination," Rainbow commented, watching them walk away.

"They're still young to be playing detective," Fluttershy added, in her typical soft voice, smiling slightly.

"I don't know what Pinkie's doing playing detective, though," the recorder said, but waved it off. "Shall we go outside?" she suggested, looking at her familiar and the two girls.

In the locker room, the Crusaders and the party girl had already arrived, so they settled into the chairs provided, Pinkie sitting cross-legged with a smile.

"Okay, time to end the story," Apple Bloom said, resting her hands on her knees and looking at her friend.

"Let me remember," the youngest Belle murmured, with a finger on her chin and looking up thoughtfully. "I got it, I went out with Mom and Dad without Rarity."

"Without Rarity?" Scootaloo asked, leaning forward.

"Sometimes we have another outing that's just with me," explained, shrugging.

"Like sister outings? Only this time it would be parents and just the youngest," Pinkie said, leaning in a little and smiling.

"I guess that would be the description," Sweetie Belle nodded.

"So, how does that challenge you had continue or end?" Scootaloo asked, eagerly.

"Like I said, I went out with my parents and apparently Mom and Dad had another talk with Mom regarding Rarity..."

A couple of days later, Rarity and Applejack were at the Belle's house, enjoying the tranquility of the backyard. There were a couple of comfortable sun loungers, where they were both lying down, talking and laughing, trying to make up for lost time. Aunt watched them with a smile, happy to see her niece happy again.

Meanwhile, at the entrance, Cookie, Hondo, and Sweetie Belle arrived at the house after spending the day outside. Upon entering, they saw Roseluck entering through the backyard.

"Hello, Rose," Hondo greeted.

She tensed up upon seeing them. "Hello. I thought you'd be a little later," said, trying to hide her nervousness.

Hondo gave Cookie a sympathetic look, who sighed before nodding.

"Is Rarity in her room?" she asked.

"No, she's in the yard."

"We need to talk to Rarity," the mother of the house said in a serious tone, starting to walk towards the yard.

Roseluck put a hand on her sister's shoulder and whispered, "Wait... first promise you won't make a scene."

Cookie looked at her sister, confused. "Is she here?"

The red-haired one didn't say anything, so Cookie assumed the blonde was with her daughter. Without further ado, she opened the door and stepped out into the yard. Sweetie Belle, curious not to miss anything, followed her parents.

Rarity was now sitting with Applejack on the lounge chair, both playing with their fingers almost intertwined.

"Rarity."

The dressmaker stood up upon hearing and seeing her mother. The farm girl, noticing Cookie's firm gaze, slowly stood up, preparing to leave.

"Applejack, I need..." Cookie began.

"No, mom," the dressmaker interrupted determinedly. "I won't let you talk without hearing me out first."

The rest of the Belles were shocked to see Rarity take such a firm stance. Cookie's eyes widened, impressed.

"I don't care what you think about my relationship with Applejack. I'm not going to leave her, no matter if you accept her or not."

Cookie saw the determination in her daughter's eyes.

"Rarity, I need you to understand that this doesn't just affect you," said, trying to remain calm.

"I don't need you to understand everything right away, Mom," she replied. "What I need is for you to accept me as I am and also that Applejack is part of my life and that I'm not going to separate from her. She's the most beautiful thing that's ever happened to me."

The blonde, moved by her girlfriend's words, approached and took her hand, intertwining them tenderly and smiling at her.

Roseluck, observing the scene, approached her sister. "Cookie, I think we should listen to Rarity. She's sure of her feelings."

Applejack looked up. "Mrs. Cookie, I know this isn't easy for you, but I want you to know that I care deeply about your daughter. I'm here to make her happy and take care of her."

Cookie looked at the farmer with surprise and seriousness, then looked back at her daughter, but before speaking she sighed. "Rarity, although I can't promise that I'll understand this right away, I want you to know that you're my daughter and, although I still think this may be a phase, I hope that you're sure of your decision."

Rarity, firmly and with tears in her eyes, nodded. "I am... She's worth it," she said, looking at the blonde who looked back at her and smiled at her.

Cookie sighed with a serious expression, took out the cell phone she had taken from her and handed it to her with a resigned gesture. "I hope you're right."

Hondo smiled, seeing that despite the resistance, his wife was willing to accept their daughter's relationship. Sweetie Belle and Roseluck exchanged smiles, happy to see Rarity stand up to her mother for love.

Present
"Wow! It was like when Rainbow once stood up to Professor Spitfire and everyone was shocked since she's just as strict," Scootaloo said.

"It was..." Apple Bloom started, but the party girl beat her to it.

"It was like something out of a novel!" she exclaimed.

Apple Bloom looked at her a little incredulously. "What I was going to say is that she was brave to stand up to her mother, someone who always seems to have a lot of authority in the house. No offense, of course."

The three of them found it curious that Sweetie Belle didn't say anything. They looked at her and noticed that she had a sad expression.

"What's wrong, Sweetie Belle?" the magenta-haired girl asked.

"Yeah, it's like what you told us was sad," Pinkie said confused.

"And it's not?" she said, still with the same expression.

"What are you talking about?" Apple Bloom asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I admired at the time how Rarity stood up to Mom, but..." Sweetie Belle sighed before continuing. "What good did it do? I don't want to sound mean," she said, looking at the red-haired and magenta-haired girls. "Applejack is now with Rainbow... My sister stood up to Mom because of her love for AJ, but looking back on things now... it seems like it was all for nothing."

The three looked at each other in understanding.

"I understand," Pinkie said, remembering when the former couple was together.

"Don't think about it like that..." Apple Bloom said, searching for her words. "If it weren't for my sister, Rarity might never have discovered her tastes."

"That's true, she wouldn't have stood up to be accepted either," Scootaloo added with a smile.

"It's possible that without my cousin, Rarity would still be hiding her tastes today in fear of how Mrs. Cookie would respond," Pinkie said.

Sweetie Belle nodded, a slight smile on her face. "I guess they're right. Even though things didn't turn out the way we expected, at least my sister had the courage to be honest with herself and Mom."

Pinkie stood up from her chair, walked over, and gave her a hug. "And that's something you should always remember." The Crusaders joined in the hug, giving her support.

Well, girls, it's time to get back. Activities are about to start," the party girl spoke again, breaking the hug.

The four of them headed for the door.

"Mom's probably wondering where I got myself into," Sweetie Belle said.

"And I'm in for a lecture from Limestone for leaving them alone," she commented.

"I'm a bit of a rebel, so I don't get anything," Scootaloo said.

They all laughed at that. Pinkie opened the door and they went out to meet their respective families and start the activities.

Author's Note

• I said I would upload it after I got there, but I wasn't in much of a mood. Plus I have a bit of a cold.

• I think it's obvious what happened in the second flashback (half-smile emoji). I'm seeing if I can make and upload a racy scene (if you know what I mean).

• Let's see if the girls manage to see the reality of things. Do you think it will be sooner or later?