Tuesday's activities continued with a series of cultural events that kept all the students engaged. The day began with folk and modern dance performances, where various groups showed off their talents and creativity in the central part of the large hall, using the space to accommodate the number of people dancing. With each performance, the energy of the audience grew, creating a vibrant and festive atmosphere.

During the afternoon, Flash Sentry and his band took the stage to show off more of the music club's talent. In a highlight, Flash invited the Mane Six to join them on stage to sing. The girls, always surprised by the blue-haired guitarist's invitation, enthusiastically accepted and together they delivered a memorable performance.

In the midst of the activities, the girls took the opportunity to have some conversations about what had happened and what they would do in the next few hours. At one point, five of them had a conversation regarding the party girl and the dressmaker. Meanwhile, Rainbow and Fluttershy got together to try to reconnect as before. Meanwhile, Applejack tried to act normal and avoid Rarity as she had decided, but that attitude did not go unnoticed by the seamstress.

To end the day, the Wondercolts' second match in the losers' round took place, while the Shadowbolts won the third match and awaited the finals. The team led by Rainbow Dash took the field determined to keep their winning streak going. It was an intense match, full of fast and exciting plays that kept everyone on the edge of their seats. Finally, the Wondercolts managed another victory and were preparing for the last match before the finals.

The next day, the second performance of the play began. Despite having been performed last week, the drama club had the opportunity to show a different play this time. The great hall was filled with students eager to see the performance. The lights dimmed and the curtain rose, revealing a decorated stage. The club students, now more confident and comfortable than in the first performance, put on a great show.

After the performance, Trixie, who had been eagerly awaiting her moment, prepared to perform her trick. This time, she was accompanied by her followers, Snips and Snails. Instead of making someone disappear, they decided to perform a classic but always impressive trick: the 'sword box' trick. Trixie placed Snails in a box which she then closed and secured. With great theatricality, she began inserting long swords through the box.

When she finally opened the box again, Snails emerged unharmed, prompting enthusiastic applause from the audience. Although it was a classic trick, the magician's skill and charisma made the performance leave everyone in awe.

A few hours passed, and the girls dispersed. Fluttershy, in particular, was sitting alone in the courtyard, taking a moment to relax despite the partly cloudy sky. She watched as a bird flew from tree to tree, which made her remember the animal shelter.

"Hey, Fluttershy," Rainbow greeted, approaching with a bag slung over her shoulder.

The pink-haired girl turned around and noticed her friend's hair was wet. "Hey, Rainbow," replied with a smile.

"Are you cooling off?" she asked, sitting down next to her.

"Yeah, being in the Great Hall can be a little stuffy, so I came here to get some air," Fluttershy explained.

Rainbow nodded, understanding. "Me too."

"I hope your way of cooling off this time wasn't like last time," Fluttershy commented, pointing at her friend's wet hair and part of her white shirt.

"No, I only got my head wet this time. If it had been like last time, I would have been soaked from head to toe," she replied with a smile.

"I still don't understand how you got so wet in your uniform," Fluttershy said, thinking back to when the multi-colored haired girl returned to the field soaked.

"Anyone would think I went to the showers, but I actually went somewhere else to cool off and calm down a bit," she commented, with an air of mystery.

"I thought about showers, but you already gave me the answer," the pink haired girl said, cracking a smile at her friend's gesture. "Didn't the teacher scold you for getting your uniform wet? Maybe getting that kind of clothing wet could ruin it."

"Actually, they're made to withstand quite a bit of wear and tear," Rainbow explained with a shrug. "Which reminds me..." she began to open her sports bag with difficulty. "Wait a minute," said as she used her strength to unzip the zipper.

"Now look. I know you've already seen it, but I wanted to show you the closest thing to what a real soccer player's jersey would be like," said, handing her the blue and yellow shirt.

The animal lover took it curiously. "You're already a real player, though," commented with a warm smile.

"Thanks, ha... I think only my parents have told me that," Rainbow said, returning the smile.

Fluttershy looked closely at the shirt, feeling the softness of the texture. Her gaze shifted to the side. "You said they're made for anything?"

"Yeah, why the question?" replied, arching an eyebrow.

"The clouds are getting grayer," said, looking at the sky. The sportswoman also looked up, following her gaze.

"Nah, a little rain on my clothes won't hurt, it'll relax me," said nonchalantly, with a light laugh.

The pink haired girl nodded, trusting the multicolored haired girl's words, and looked at the sports shirt again. "Oh, oh," exclaimed upon noticing something, with a surprised expression.

"What's wrong now?" asked, not so worried, thinking it was something minor.

"I think you used too much force when opening your bag," said, handing the shirt back to her and pointing to a specific spot with a worried grimace.

Rainbow noticed that a part of it was coming unstitched. "you must be fucking kidding me," said with frustration.

"What's wrong?" Applejack asked, arriving with Sunset and Twilight.

The multicolored haired girl showed them the shirt, pointing at the rip with a dejected expression. "Oh," Twilight said, surprised.

"Now what do I do? The game is just a few minutes away," Rainbow said, concern evident on her face.

"What about your other shirt?" Sunset asked, searching for a solution as she crossed her arms.

"I wore it yesterday and it's already dirty," replied, frowning.

The girls tried to think of a solution, looking around for ideas.

"What did I miss?" Pinkie asked, coming over with a curious expression as she noticed the girls' concern.

"Dash's shirt came undone for the game," the farmer explained, a tone of concern in her voice.

"And I can't think of anything," Rainbow said, feeling frustrated as she leaned back.

"Ahhh..." the party girl exclaimed, excited. They all looked at her, intrigued by her enthusiastic expression. "Who do we know that knows how to sew?"

"Oh no, I'm not going with her," the multicolored haired girl said, taking the hint.

"Are you going to wear your dirty clothes?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I could make the effort," said with a forced smile.

"We should think of another option," Applejack suggested, wanting to avoid anything involving the seamstress. The multicolored haired girl nodded in agreement.

"I don't want this to come to an argument, but I don't see any other options," Fluttershy said in a soft voice, trying to mediate the situation.

"Ugh, okay. But let's all go," Rainbow said, resigned.

"Does anyone know where she was last?" the pink haired girl asked, as she stood up.

"I'm sure she's still in the great hall," Pinkie said, pointing the way to the door.

The six of them walked through the school until they found the dressmaker. When they arrived, they found Rarity talking to Starlight and Trixie.

"Rarity, we need your help," the party girl commented, trying to contain her excitement as she jumped a little.

"We need?" asked, turning around and seeing the others behind her.

"Hello and goodbye," Starlight said, as did Trixie, both quickly waving goodbye.

"With what exactly?" the dressmaker asked, intrigued.

The sporty girl, reluctantly, showed her her torn shirt.

"I see."

"You help us?" the party girl asked with a hopeful smile.

"Okay, that's easy," said, calmly. "Do you know where the sewing room is?"

"How do you not know?" Sunset questioned, somewhat incredulous.

"Aren't you in a club?" Twilight added, somewhat confused.

"I'm still new and I don't know where it is," replied with a slight smile.

After walking around and making a couple of stops, they headed to the sewing room. As they entered, one of the girls turned on the light, and Rarity looked around longingly.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat.

The seamstress reacted quickly. "I already do, I just have to make sure the thread color is the same as the shirt," she said, beginning to search through the threads.

The girls watched her curiously, noticing that she was somewhat disoriented, moving from side to side as she searched for the right thread.

Finally, Rarity found the right colored thread. She threaded the needle and began sewing, concentrating on the task. The girls looked at her without saying anything.

"So, are you going to join the club?" Fluttershy asked, breaking the silence.

Her friends looked at her for a moment and the animal lover just shrugged.

Twilight hesitated a bit before speaking. "Maybe you were surprised by what they showed at the event," said, trying to keep up the conversation.

The hyperactive girl was surprised by the attempt to converse, while Rarity was surprised by her desire to converse.

"Actually, I don't think I'll sign up. Besides, I was with Sweetie Belle that time they exhibited the clubs."

"Oh, why not?" the party girl asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

Rarity was silent for a few seconds, her hands stopping at her needlework. "Well... I've lost interest in sewing," said, trying to sound disinterested.

The others adopted confused expressions. Rainbow, who was sipping a drink, nearly choked upon hearing that. "Don't go with that, Belle," said with a frown after wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her jacket.

Applejack looked at her a bit incredulously. "Weren't you the one who helped with the costumes for the theater?"

"It wouldn't make a difference if I had participated," muttered in an almost sad voice, but she was starting to lose patience when the girls started a flurry of comments.

"That doesn't make sense, you'd obviously be involved," Sunset insisted, frowning as she crossed her arms.

"It's your thing," Pinkie continued.

"That's what always defines you," Fluttershy added, her voice soft but firm.

"Exactly, and why wouldn't you be? You're..." Twilight tried to say, but was interrupted.

"I don't want to start from scratch!" Rarity exclaimed, raising her voice in desperation and anger.

Then, she walked over handing the shirt to the nearest girl, who was Applejack. For a few seconds, they exchanged glances; the seamstress with an angry look and the farmer with a surprised look. It was as if the roles had been reversed.

She walked out the door, leaving the others a little surprised by what had happened.

"What was that?" the pink haired girl asked, breaking the silence.

"She must have lied," the sporty girl commented, still confused.

"No, she wasn't lying," the farm girl said, her eyes narrowing as she thought about what had just happened. "Some of it was true," thought.

"How do you know?" Fluttershy asked.

"You know I can tell when people hide things or don't tell the truth," replied, looking at her friend and then towards the door. "But Belle, in a way, didn't lie."

"She's good at noticing that, but not Rarity's sincerity in her regret?" Pinkie thought in disbelief.

"Still, it was weird. Normally it would be us who would leave or be angry," the multicolored haired girl said.

For a few minutes no one said anything and the cheerful girl was about to leave the room when a voice stopped her.

"Pinkie," Twilight called softly.

"If it's because of how things are with Rarity and yes, I did say her name here in the conversation. And if it's because I started getting closer to her..." said, preparing to defend herself.

"We know you're giving her a chance," Fluttershy said, calmly.

"And... you know... it's your life," Rainbow added, trying hard to sound natural, while crossing her arms.

"I'm glad about that, girls, but why are you stopping me?" asked, somewhat confused.

"It seems that this made her angry," the shy girl said, referring to the recent incident.

"I think you should give her some space to get over it," Sunset suggested.

"Exactly, she might be fine with you, but right now Belle needs some time alone," Twilight added, nodding her head.

"S- sometimes... you need to breathe," said the multicolored haired girl looking at the floor

The party girl sighed. "I understand, I just want to make sure she's okay," she replied, looking down.

"She will be, just give her time," the redhead said.

"Yeah, Pinkie. Sometimes, we all need a little space," Fluttershy added, giving her a comforting smile.

Pinkie nodded, though her expression showed she was still worried. "Okay, I'll wait a bit before I go get her."

Appeljack didn't say anything during the conversation, thinking internally as he looked at the sewn part of the shirt. Once he snapped out of his thoughts, he pulled out his cell phone and noticed the time. "Girls, the game is about to start," said, walking over to Rainbow to hand her the shirt.

Sunset, Applejack, and Rainbow all adjusted the sports bags they were carrying. Without saying anything else, the six of them left the room.

As the girls headed towards the field for the game, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash found themselves walking together, with the others a little further ahead.

"Fluttershy"

"Yes, Rainbow, is something wrong?"

"It's not bad per se. Just when you said about giving space... it made me think of us," she explained.

Fluttershy looked at her thoughtfully. "The space I mentioned."

"Well, I noticed something funny," Rainbow said with a smirk. "We said we were going to hang out every other day to have fun and not invade your space, but if you notice, we talk almost every day. Not a lot, but we don't skip days."

"I didn't realize," admitted in surprise, remembering days ago. "It's true, we've been talking a lot."

Rainbow doubtfully commented on what was on her mind. "I'll admit that I was about to not participate with you in family games thinking about giving you your space, but in the end I decided to play with you and your family."

"I'm glad you changed your mind," said with a smile.

"And I'm glad we're moving forward," added. "All that's left is the texting and one other thing," she added quietly.

The pink-haired girl nodded. "In due time, but you can try a text."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I'll do it now," said, taking out her phone and searching for the contact. Fluttershy, seeing her friend's intention, took out her phone as well.

The athlete began to type the message, hesitated a bit, looked at her friend, who nodded. "Okay," muttered to herself, finally sending the message with a sigh. "Wow, really, that was hard for me?!"

Fluttershy laughed as she replied. The message was simple: [Hey Flutters, how are you feeling?] and the reply was: [Happy that you wrote to me.]

Rainbow smiled as she finished reading. "I'll try to be more expressive next time," commented as she shook her phone.

"And I'll reply to you for anything," added, with a knowing look.

The two friends continued walking, feeling more connected.

A little further back, Sunset and Twilight walked behind Applejack and Pinkie, who was excitedly talking about something with her familiar.

"I was doing a little research on the conversation with Belle," Sunset began.

"Yeah, the last thing that happened was unexpected," Twilight agreed. "Like Rainbow said, normally we'd be the ones to storm out of the place... Which sounds bad at the same time."

The red-haired girl nodded. "Did you notice that maybe we were a little pushy about the sewing thing?"

The glasses-wearing girl nodded, thinking about the start of the conversation. "Maybe I kept going because I didn't want to leave Fluttershy hanging," she thought. "I think that made her upset, and the funny thing is that it was something she normally likes to talk about."

"But she doesn't like it anymore? It still doesn't make sense," Sunset commented.

"It's true, we know Belle has a passion for design, but the intense reaction she had leaves a lot to think about."

"Applejack said she wasn't lying; she knew Belle better," the red-haired girl said. "Which leads me to believe that... we don't know what she's like now."

"What happened in those years away from the city," the blue-haired girl said without waiting for an answer.

Sunset fell into thought.

"It seems like the words are resonating with us," Twilight commented, observing her friend's thoughtful expression.

"What?" she asked confused, raising an eyebrow.

"That we're all considering what AJ's brother told us about seeing clearly, and normally we would avoid the subject of Belle, but here we're talking about what happened," she explained.

"Am I considering this without realizing it?" Sunset thought in surprise. "But... Sunset, think things through," she said to herself.

She looked at her friend, who seemed equally thoughtful.

"It's like Fluttershy said. Maybe we should keep our opinions to ourselves about what we think," the red-haired girl said.

"You're right... For the moment, let's keep it that way," Twilight agreed, nodding slightly.

Once they realized the conversation had come to an end, they continued walking with their friends towards the court

The match was progressing with intensity. The students did not lose their enthusiasm for the rain, which was light. However, the drops began to fall harder, soaking the players and spectators alike.

From the stands, some students began to murmur, looking at the sky that was getting darker and darker. Among them, Principal Celestia and Principal Luna watched the weather development closely.

"This doesn't look good," Luna commented, crossing her arms as she felt the raindrops hit her face. "If it keeps up like this, we could have a problem for the last match on Friday."

Celestia nodded, keeping her gaze fixed on the field. "You're right. If the forecast holds true, the weather could get worse just in time for the big match."

At that moment, Professor Spitfire approached the two sisters. "Chancellor, Principal," she greeted with a quick gesture, shaking her soaked cap. "The rain is starting to affect the visibility of the players. There have already been a few slips."

Celestia frowned. “We don’t want to risk the students’ safety. Professor Spitfire, what is your recommendation?”

“Considering that the welcome event closes with the last match, we could move the final match up to tomorrow,” she suggested, looking at the field where the players continued to fight. “It will be a necessary precaution if we want to prevent the conditions from getting even worse.”

Luna nodded, considering the suggestion. “That will give us time to adjust for any unforeseen events and make sure everything is in order.”

Celestia looked at Spitfire and then at Luna, before making a decision. “Alright. We’ll move the match up to tomorrow. I’ll call Crystal Prep to see if they can. We’ll make the announcement at the end of this game. We’ll make sure everyone is informed and prepared.”

“Understood,” Spitfire replied, before turning and heading to the edge of the court to watch the match end. Seeing how they had won the previous two matches, she was confident that the Wondercolts would win against Baltimare.

As the raindrops continued to fall, the sisters exchanged a glance. They knew that even though the weather was unpredictable, they were doing their best to protect their students and ensure the success of the event.

The minutes passed, and as expected, the Wondercolts took the victory. All the students, including both teams, were called to the great hall to receive the announcement.

In the great hall, the students gathered after the exciting match. On the stage, Twilight and Fluttershy prepared to make the announcement, exchanging glances of nervousness and determination. They knew that the students could take what they were about to report well or badly.

Twilight spoke first, her clear voice echoing through the hall.

"Good afternoon, everyone. We know that you have been enjoying the welcome activities, and we want to thank you for your participation and enthusiasm over these two weeks," said with a smile, looking out at the crowd of students that filled the place.

Fluttershy sighed before continuing.

"However, due to the weather conditions we've been experiencing, we've had to make some adjustments to the schedule," she explained, her calm tone helping to keep the audience's attention.

The blue-haired girl nodded and added, "To ensure that everyone can safely enjoy the closing event, we've decided to move up the last day. Now, please receive our principal, who will give you more details about this change."

Attention turned to Principal Celestia, who stepped onto the stage in her usual calm manner.

"Thank you, Twilight and Fluttershy," she began, a smile directed at both of them. She then addressed the students in a firm but reassuring tone. "As you mentioned, we've decided to move up the last day of the event, which includes the final match that would have been on Friday, but we're moving it up to tomorrow, Thursday, due to the possibility of the weather worsening. Our priority is the safety of all of you, and we believe this is the best decision to ensure that you can enjoy the match and the closing of the event without worry."

Celestia paused to allow the information to sink in. The students wore different expressions and murmured amongst themselves as they processed the news.

"We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. See you tomorrow for an exciting close to our welcome event!"

With that, the students began preparing to gather their things and head back to their homes, some commenting amongst themselves about the unexpected change in plans.

The girls bundled up against the still-falling rain as they walked to the parking lot. Rainbow Dash was the first to break the silence.

"What a change of plans! Moving the game up is crazy, but I guess it's better than playing in a storm," she commented, shaking the water out of her soaked hair.

Applejack nodded, adjusting her hat to protect herself from the falling drops. "I'm not thrilled with the idea of changing the date, but it makes sense. With this rain, the field would be a mess on Friday."

"This makes everything more exciting! A surprise game!" Pinkie Pie said, with her usual enthusiasm.

Fluttershy, who always preferred calm, looked a little worried. "I hope everyone is okay with the change. I know some of you were looking forward to Friday's game, and this might be a little disappointing for you."

"I understand your concern, but I think everyone will understand. In the end, it's better to be safe and enjoy the game without worrying about bad weather," Sunset said to ease the situation.

"And it also gives us more time to mentally prepare. I think Celestia and Luna made the right decision, even if we have to adjust quickly," Twilight added.

The athlete huffed, crossing her arms. "Well, I just hope it's not too boring tomorrow. I want action! No drizzle to ruin our game!"

Applejack put her arm around Rainbow's shoulders. "Don't worry, Dash. I'm sure tomorrow will be just as exciting."

As the girls pulled into the parking lot, the conversation changed tone, with a slight air of anticipation in the air.

"Just make sure you're well rested and ready for tomorrow," Sunset concluded, heading toward her bike. "I think I'll ask Sunburst for permission to borrow his car or I'll ask my parents."

"That's a good idea; I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you," Fluttershy said worriedly.

"Text me when you get home," Twilight suggested.

"I will," she replied, climbing onto the bike and putting on her helmet.

"Be careful, Sunset. See you tomorrow," Applejack said.

"Bye, and remember the text," Pinkie added.

"You're more careful than me. See you tomorrow," Rainbow said.

With that farewell, Sunset started her bike and headed home as the girls scattered to their vehicles. Fluttershy climbed into Twilight's car alongside Spike; Rainbow Dash left with her sister Scootaloo; and Pinkie climbed into the Apples' truck.

"Is something wrong, cousin Pinkie?" Apple Bloom asked from the backseat, noticing the uncharacteristic silence of the lively girl.

"Everything's fine, just..." she hesitated a moment, looking out the window.

Applejack cast a quick glance at her cousin, waiting for her to continue.

"When I went to get my things, I wanted to check on Rarity," Pinkie admitted.

"Is she okay?" Apple Bloom asked, curious. "When I said goodbye to Sweetie Belle, she seemed fine, if a little pensive."

The farm girl fell silent, clearly thinking about the situation.

"That's what I mean," continued. "We had a conversation with the girls where Rarity was present, and it didn't end well."

"Did she go somewhere at the university afterward?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yes, but from what I understand, she was at the game and then at the announcement. I wanted to check on her, but Sweetie Belle told me she was fine, just a little reserved. I was afraid to get any closer and decided to come join you," she explained.

"But was the conversation so bad that she got like that?" Apple Bloom insisted.

"Not exactly... she just mentioned something that got us thinking, but it's none of our business," Applejack interjected, her tone firm.

Pinkie frowned, clearly frustrated. "Applejack, you could be a little more empathetic, despite how things are."

"I'm empathetic, Pinkie, but it's something that concerns her, not us," replied, her voice reflecting an attempt to remain neutral.

"Aren't you just a little curious about what Rarity went through outside of town to make her say she's no longer interested in design?" the party girl persisted.

"She's no longer interested?" Apple Bloom asked, surprised.

"That's what she told us," Pinkie confirmed, before turning her gaze back to the blonde.

Applejack fell silent, processing. "Rarity is part of my past. I need to focus on my present, but... I won't deny that I was surprised by what she said."

Pinkie sighed, frustrated.

"I'm sure she's just going through a phase of denial. And you don't need to distance yourself from her because of that." the farmer said.

"I don't think it's a phase," Pinkie replied seriously.

Applejack didn't answer, but started the truck, which the party girl took as a sign to continue.

"Remember at the beginning of the year when we used to watch her from afar?" she asked, with a meaningful glance at her cousin.

"It's still the beginning of the academic year," Apple Bloom chimed in.

"True. What I mean is, remember how funny it was to see her in sports, and find out she has other classes that have nothing to do with design?" the party girl continued.

Applejack glanced at her sideways before turning her attention back to the road.

"What if Rarity wasn't studying something she was really passionate about?" Pinkie said.

"Rarity studying something that didn't have to do with design?" Apple Bloom asked, incredulous. "That sounds impossible. What reason would she have to study anything else?"

"Exactly," said, leaving the question hanging in the air.

The farmer, although she didn't say anything, was left with the seed of doubt about the possible reasons why the seamstress could have decided not to follow her dream.

Belle Family House

Rarity and Sweetie Belle had already arrived home, and minutes later, their parents did the same. However, Hondo wanted to do some shopping, so Sweetie Belle decided to accompany him while Cookie and Rarity stayed home waiting.

Cookie came out of her room on the first floor. As she walked around the house a bit, she saw her daughter looking at the door of another room with a sad look. Seeing her, she decided to approach her.

Cookie walked up to her daughter and touched her shoulder. "Are you finally going to come in?"

"Not yet."

"You should try it sometime," suggested softly, looking at the door.

"If I did, the first thing I'd have to do would be to clean the dust. The other day I took out a needle and thread and saw the dirt, but I left right away before I changed my mind."

"Sometimes we need to take some distance, but that doesn't mean we can't go back to the way things were. It's your thing." her mother commented.

"A lot of people tell me that... And others don't understand what I want," Rarity murmured, her head down.

"What is it, daughter?"

"Have you ever been told that you have to be 'this' because it's obviously your thing?" Rarity asked, taking one last look at the door.

Cookie put her arm around her daughter and led her into the living room. "Ha," she blurted out unintentionally. "Sorry... It's kind of like what I thought of you and your tastes, but over the years, you three made me see things differently."

The two of them arrived and sat down on the couch.

"I know I was very negative about your tastes in girls and thought that it was just a phase that would pass, and I was wrong. It's your decision, and I'll be happy seeing you with the right guy or girl," Cookie said with a smile.

"Thanks..." replied. "It's weird that your own mom 'ships' you with someone," thought playfully.

"I remember that girl... What was her name?" Cookie asked thoughtfully.

"Aurelia? Suri? M-"

"I'm not talking about your passing relationships," interrupted and clarified. "That blonde girl you fought to be with."

"Ah... Her name is Applejack," Rarity said, trying to hide her discomfort.

Since her mother didn't specify at first who she was referring to, the seamstress thought she was talking about girls she had dated without anything serious, as well as some men.

"That girl is the one I'm referring to," Cookie stated. "Maybe I was too hard on her, and I realize that she loved you very much. And you loved her, despite how things ended."

"I know that our relationship didn't work out the way I wanted, but that's how things turned out," Rarity replied with a shrug. "And now she..."

"Wherever she is, she must be doing her thing, like each one of us," Cookie said.

"What I had to do to keep Mom from seeing that cowgirl," thought with annoyance. "Yeah, maybe she's already living her life."

"That's why you should too, and not just in your romantic life..." Cookie added, looking at her daughter. "If you don't want to pursue design anymore, that's fine. You need to move on, and that's why I expect the best from you in your studies," she added with a smile.

Rarity gave her a sad smile.

"Also remember that no one decides for you what you want to be; it's your life," she said, taking her daughter's hands and looking at her. This time, Rarity smiled, but not sadly.

Before either of them could say anything else, the kitchen door could be heard. Sweetie Belle and Hondo appeared, and Hondo was the first to speak.

"We got here and..."

"I got the candy this time," said the younger girl.

"What did you get, dear?" Cookie asked with a smile.

"Chocolate cupcakes and apple pie!" exclaimed excitedly.

"Sounds delicious!" commented Rarity, trying to cheer herself up a bit.

Hondo set the bags down on the table and joined in the conversation. "We thought we could have a little family night. What do you think?"

"Sounds like an excellent idea," agreed Cookie. "It'll be a nice way to spend time together on this rainy day."

The seamstress nodded. "Yeah, I think we could use it."

"So, let's get to work!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle, running into the kitchen to start unpacking the candy.

"Rarity," said Cookie, approaching her eldest daughter while Sweetie Belle and Hondo were busy in the kitchen. "Remember, we'll always be here for you, no matter what."

Rarity smiled and hugged her mother. "I know, Mother. Thank you for understanding me and for being by my side."

Cookie returned the hug warmly. "You are a talented person. Don't let anything or anyone make you doubt that."

Sunset's Family House

In the quiet of her room, Sunset watched the rain fall softly against the window. The drops slid down the glass. The conversation she had with Twilight came back to her mind, especially Big Mac's words about seeing things clearly.

With a sigh, Sunset turned away from the window and walked over to her desk. She pulled out a worn notebook, one she used for some ideas that were always on her mind over the years. She sat down in the chair and, after a moment of hesitation, began to write:

[Rarity Belle's Strengths]

The words flowed from her pencil as she remembered what Rarity had been like when she first met her.

[She was kind and totally different from what I imagined. I was surprised to see her with Fluttershy when we were waiting for her. After the seven of us met, she was the first to suggest having a meeting so we could get to know each other better.]

Sunset wrote about Rarity's passion for design, how she was always full of ideas, and how her creativity seemed to have no limits. She recalled the times when Rarity had helped her friends, especially Fluttershy, to become more confident.

"But then..."

She paused, biting her lip as she thought about the last time they saw the seamstress, which caused the gap that had formed between Rarity and the rest of the girls. It hadn't just been a misunderstanding, but on purpose. She wrote about that day, starting with that tension on the seamstress's part. Something happened that made her seem distant, and the fact that AJ was with Rainbow Dash was a choice, but why was she showing that tension with everyone else?

"What really happened for her to do that?"

Sunset wrote about how, when confronted after finding out what she did, the dressmaker refused to tell the truth, until she gave herself away in an oversight, followed by disillusionment and disappointment on the part of the girls. This led to everyone thinking that, in reality, the person they had met was nothing more than a facade, and that the real Rarity was someone selfish and manipulative, interested only in her appearance.

"Which leads to the present..."

She decided to divide the notebook into two columns: one for the Rarity she had known and one for the current one.

[Creative, elegant, determined, generous, dramatic, proud, vain.] plus what she showed last time. [selfishness and manipulation] Versus the present. [insistent, bipolar, vain...]

As she wrote, she realized that her own perception of Rarity was influenced by the past. Recognizing this, she began to fill in the two columns, comparing aspects of the dressmaker's personality in the past with recent behaviors, without being influenced by what happened in the past.

Sunset also added how Rarity had shown regret, and the fact of giving them space, something she appreciated a little when she didn't insist again. She also added the dressmaker's willingness to defend someone who was once her friend and the moral support she gave her in the bathroom. That understanding she had with Applejack through her gaze, it was as if they had communicated without saying anything, an action that avoided another moment in which the farmer would have hidden and caused an argument. This led her to the dressmaker's family. Some may think it is a facade behind an image, but in reality they are a united family.

She also added those flawed aspects of the dressmaker such as drama and vanity for having to look perfect. As she went on, she realized that while some things had changed, others remained the same. However, those similarities were few.

Finally, Sunset put the pencil aside and leaned back in her chair, observing the columns she had created. Her thoughts revolved around a conclusion she didn't want to accept: perhaps she was misjudging the seamstress, and what happened today led her to wonder if she really knew the Rarity of now.

She thought about the seamstress's words, the first attempt at conversation where she said something unexpected, something that had been a fundamental part of her identity. Those words had surprised everyone.

Is Rarity struggling with something deeper? Or has her tastes simply changed?

What happened in those years of absence?

Could she consider giving her another chance, like Pinkie Pie is doing?

She closed the notebook and put it away on her desk, feeling a mix of confusion and curiosity. She knew that, in order to forgive, she would first have to try to let go of the resentment she felt a little and observe the seamstress's current behavior, seeing the change she had had.

She looked out the window from the chair. The rain was still as strong as when she was in high school. Luckily, the road wasn't too slippery and he was able to get home safely, sending a message to the girls as soon as he arrived.

He looked at the closed notebook again. He would have to see how things would go from here; the future would tell whether the situation would improve or not.

With one last look at the window, he set about preparing everything for tomorrow and let the night pass for the dawn to come.

Thursday arrived, and the rain continued to fall gently on the university, creating small puddles on the paths. Although it was not strong enough to cancel the event, Chancellor Celestia decided to wait until it subsided. She announced to the gathered students that in the meantime, they could help rearrange some things in the great hall, where there was still a mess from the previous days' activities.

They were all helping out, scattered around the hall. Applejack was putting some decorations away in a box, but as she did so, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone walk by. She turned her head and found the dressmaker. She remembered a little of the conversation with the party girl.

Rarity was standing next to Bon Bon, helping her stack some chairs in a corner. As they worked, Bon Bon was quietly telling her something, which caused the dressmaker to smile slightly. However, at one point, the dressmaker felt someone's gaze, and as she looked up, she met the green eyes of the farm girl across the hall.

Applejack tried to look away so she wouldn't think about what happened the day before, but she froze, caught in the silent exchange with Rarity. Her eyes reflected a mix of incomprehension and doubt, while the seamstress, surprised at first, frowned slightly, maintaining eye contact. Bon Bon continued talking, oblivious to the tension that had arisen between the two.

Finally, the seamstress looked away, returning to what she was doing, while the farmer decided to leave the room to get some air in some way that didn't involve going out into the rain.

After a while, Rainbow Dash, who couldn't stand being inactive for too long, approached some of her friends who were nearby with a proposal in mind.

"Girls, how about we go to the music room and practice a little, so we can kill time while we wait for the rain to pass?" she suggested, grinning from ear to ear. "It'll be better than being here doing nothing."

Pinkie Pie immediately jumped up, excited by the idea. "Yeah! A little rehearsal will lift everyone's spirits!"

Sunset and Twilight agreed, but first they had to find Fluttershy and Applejack, who were probably in the Great Hall or somewhere else in the college.

"You guys go ahead, we're going to find Fluttershy," Twilight said.

"Okay, let's go Pinkie," Rainbow said before turning around to head to the music room with the party girl following her.

Sunset and Twilight, after taking a walk around the Great Hall, deduced that Fluttershy wasn't there, so Twilight texted her that they were going to the music room to play and that if she saw Applejack, she should tell her the same.

Elsewhere, in the locker aisles, Applejack was approaching her locker, pulling out an apple. Eating an apple always helped her relax her mind.

As she continued to eat, she saw a few students pulling things out of their locker or just walking around. A few minutes later she heard the voice of her red-haired friend

"Applejack," said, walking over to Twilight.

"Hey, girls, what are you doing here?" asked after swallowing the last piece of apple.

"Dash thought we could play a little while we pass the time," Twilight explained.

"It's a great idea," Applejack replied. "I'll follow right after."

"Okay, see you later," Sunset said, starting to walk with the glasses-wearing girl.

"What were you saying earlier?" Applejack heard Twilight ask the red-haired girl as they walked away.

"Don't kill me, but I thought a little about yesterday," Sunset replied.

She couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, as the voices became increasingly fainter and something told her that it was a certain girl with wavy hair.

"Haven't you been curious about what happened outside the city?..." she remembered what Pinkie told her.

She would deny that she was curious. Again a thought crossed her mind. She took out her cell phone and, once again, went to Instagram. She sighed and went to the search bar, looking for Rarity. When she followed her before, she didn't block her, she just unfollowed her.

Finding what would be her profile, she began to scroll down little by little. She wanted to look for any trace of her designing a dress.

She scrolled down and down. There were only photos with her family, others of her and others next to clothes she would buy, but none where anything designed was seen. She thought that maybe she would publish that somewhere else.

She continued scrolling down, remembering some photos and noticing the order. "Hmm... there would be some pictures here," said thoughtfully.

She swiped again, noticing that some of the pictures were gone. "She must have deleted them or archived them. Of course she would, I did too."

The farmer paused at a specific part, remembering that that part would be...

Three Years Ago: Summer

Days after Rarity's confrontation with her mother, Applejack was nervous. They had agreed to meet at the park, but she still had doubts about whether Rarity would show up. She was a little afraid that she wouldn't come. She arrived at the agreed place and sat on a bench, looking around. She felt like the minutes were passing very slowly, and that made her a little desperate. Finally, she saw her girlfriend walking towards her.

"Rarity, you did come! I knew you would, but I'm glad to see you," Applejack said, sighing in relief.

The seamstress smiled and approached the blonde, and a little on tiptoe, gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Of course I would, I'm here," said to reassure her.

The farmer smiled and nodded more relaxed.

"Shall we settle in?" asked the seamstress.

"Shall we settle in?" repeated, not understanding.

"Yeah, look," Rarity commented, holding up a basket.

Applejack smirked. "So a picnic..."

"I thought it would be ideal to relax after what we've been through," the seamstress explained.

"I like the idea."

They spread a blanket on the grass and took some things out of the basket.

"How do you feel after... you know, your mom thing?"

"It's been hard, even I was surprised to talk to her like that, but I feel like I did the right thing," Rarity admitted, looking at the horizon.

"You were brave to face your mom. You surprise me more and more, your bravery, the fact that you never give up, even with me, those are some things I like about you," Applejack said, looking at her.

The seamstress lowered her head a little, blushing slightly as she looked at her a little. "But if she objected, we'd still see each other... we'd be like Romeo and Juliet," commented, laughing a little. The farmer also laughed a little.

The seamstress put on an almost serious expression. "I've told you several times... that I used to go out with boys on casual dates."

"Are you trying to make me jealous?" Applejack joked, giving her a push.

"You don't save yourself when I see some guys or girls giving you the eye either," said, raising an amused eyebrow.

"It's natural talent," she joked again. "But I don't have anyone else in mind to think about other than you."

Rarity smiled at her words and continued talking. "I always kept my heart closed to everyone, maybe I was afraid to open it; maybe that's why I went out with boys. Besides, I'd never fallen in love with anyone until I met you," confessed, looking into her eyes. "You were always the one I was waiting for, with you I'm not afraid to open my heart..."

Applejack looked at her with a sparkle in her eyes.

"...Applejack, you're my other half," said, making a shape with her left hand. The blonde, with her right hand, formed the same figure and then brought her hands together, forming a heart.

"I'm not usually one to talk about my feelings. I admit that I don't show how I feel sometimes, either when I break down over something sad or in other situations, keeping my heart closed. But with you... sometimes it's different. I don't know how you do it, but you manage to make my heart open, even if it's just a little bit," Applejack commented without taking her eyes off her.

The two slowly approached each other to give each other a sweet kiss without breaking the heart shape. Once separated and looking into each other's eyes for a moment longer, they decided to start the picnic.

While the curly-haired girl took something else out of the basket, Applejack stared at the hand still with half the heart. She moved it a little until it stopped on the dressmaker's chest. "A nice necklace to wear," murmured.

"Did you say something?" asked curiously.

"Nothing..." the farmer answered with a half smile. "I think I had an idea and I'm sure you'll like it."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "You're not thinking about going home after our date, are you?" said in a playful tone.

Applejack let out a laugh. "Seriously, sometimes I wonder who of us has the hotter mind."

"That's up for debate, sweetie," said, blushing.

"As Granny Smith says, hormones at this age really do affect us," Applejack commented.

"She's so right," agreed, returning to her natural tone. "So, that's not what you were thinking."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I won't tell you yet, just wait."

"Okay, maybe you'll tell me and I won't realize you already told me," Rarity said, opening the basket again.

"I hope you think that," the blonde thought. "Now I need to see what the heart would look like, but what else could I add to it?"

She looked at her again and noticed the seamstress taking something else out of the basket.

"I went to a fair with Sweetie Belle the other day and we won, so she picked out a bear and I picked out this target that reminded me of you," Rarity said, holding out her arm.

"Me?" Applejack asked, taking the stuffed animal. "Why?"

"You're kind of like a cowgirl when I see you on horses or those mechanical bulls," Rarity said.

The farmer frowned slightly. "Mmm... no, I don't really like the sound of it."

"Why not? It's a term of endearment," the seamstress said, raising an eyebrow.

"It just makes me feel like a cliché. I don't want to be seen as the 'cowgirl' just because I'm wearing a hat and boots, even though I'm not wearing them now."

Rarity gently took Applejack's hand. "I didn't know you were bothered by that stuff. From now on, you'll just be Jackie or Little Apple."

"Thanks, Rare," said, smiling back. "It's nice to talk about these things."

"Our dislikes? Like the fact that I don't like going on field trips or when you end up completely muddy from it or from your job," Rarity mentioned.

"Not your style, young lady," the blonde sneered a little.

"Funny," said, looking at her clothes. "You know how long it takes me to find something that's fashionable and doesn't have any flaws. Imagine if it got dirty... it would be a disgrace."

The farm girl rolled her eyes a little. "Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen it."

"I noticed the sarcasm there, farm girl."

"You know I don't like that side of you," Applejack commented, getting a little serious.

"Sometimes, your thoughtlessness bothers me too," Rarity said, narrowing her eyes.

"Rarity..."

"Are we going to fight over our differences again?" the dressmaker asked, raising an eyebrow, a little serious.

"I hope not," replied, somewhat worried.

Rarity changed her expression to a smile. "That's nice," said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Applejack sighed. "Still, you have to admit that you've enjoyed some of those outings. Otherwise, you wouldn't have mentioned when I get on the horses."

"Mmm... I won't admit it out loud," Rarity said without thinking.

"You already did," said, laughing at the girl's carelessness.

"I'll just say that there were a few that weren't bad," commented, then looked at the stuffed animal in the farmer's hands. "Though I must say, the stuffed animal looks good on you."

"If you say so."

The seamstress looked at her closely. "You're right, you don't look like a cowgirl. All you're missing is a rope and a blouse."

Applejack laughed. "Yeah, I think the shirt I'm wearing gives me that change."

"I like it, it's similar to the one you wore before, which was long sleeved," the seamstress said.

"As the heat is getting stronger, I looked for a shirt that would go with me, and I found this one, which is similar to the last one," explained Applejack.

"It makes you look good," said Rarity. "And that calls for a picture."

"You know I'm not much of a photo guy."

"It's not just that, Jackie. Now that my family knows about us, there's no reason to keep it from others," said Rarity, standing behind the blonde and extending her arms around her neck.

"Do you want a picture to post?" asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, it will be the first of many," said the seamstress as she looked for a good position. "Perfect," thought.

"This isn't the first," commented, remembering other occasions when they took pictures.

"I'm not going to post old pictures I have in the galleries. Those are in memories," Rarity clarified. "Now, get ready, sweetie."

"Okay, I'm going to put my best face forward," commented, making different faces. The seamstress laughed.

"You don't have to force a smile. You can be casual."

Applejack nodded and, after Rarity found a better pose, she took the selfie.

The seamstress was going through her Instagram profile thinking about what to describe in the post.

"What did you put?"

"Open it and see," she replied, pointing at the blonde's phone. Applejack took it out when she heard a notification, which was a mention in the app. When she opened it, she saw the photo and the description: [#SideBySide. Always in my heart.]

She smiled as she finished reading. "I think it could be with my initial on the necklace, so you'll always have me in your heart," thought as she looked at her.

"Did you like it?"

"Yes, very much," replied the farmer, blushing a little.

"I think we can start eating now," said Rarity. "I won't hide you from my parents anymore."

"Parents?" Applejack murmured.

The conversation over, they continued with the picnic. Once they had eaten and shared more conversations, they put away their things, walked around the park for a bit, and at one point, Applejack pulled a rose from the bush and gave it to Rarity, who accepted it like the previous times. As they walked, the farmer remembered the picnic a little and asked her girlfriend to follow her.

"Where are we going?" she asked, curious.

"I felt the need to come and have you accompany me," Applejack explained, leading her with her intertwined hands to a quiet and somewhat sad place.

Once inside, they stopped in front of some tombstones with the names Bright Mac and Pear Blutter on them.

"They're your... Sorry, AJ, it's obvious if I asked," said with a sad expression.

"It's okay, Rarity. Yes, they are. When you mentioned your parents, I thought of them," said, looking at the tombstones.

Rarity bent down to take something out of the basket. "They're the ones I put at the picnic, but they're plastic," said, taking out a rose and placing it down.

"It doesn't matter, they'll last longer this way," said, lowering her head, not quite sure if she should ask the next question. "Do you... do you have anyone here?"

The seamstress looked at the other tombstones a bit. "I'm not sure if there's anyone here that I really know. I think they might be my grandparents, although I've never met them in person. But I've seen them in Mom's photo album when they were holding me as a baby," said, a little sadly. "It's strange, because even though I don't have direct memories of them, in some ways it's better not to have those memories, but not of the other, since you can't remember lived moments."

"Yeah... Sometimes it seems like it would be easier not to remember to avoid the constant pain. But where are those happy moments?" Applejack said in a nostalgic tone.

Rarity hugged her partner. "It's nice to remember those moments despite the pain. You know I'll always be here to listen to you when you talk about your parents."

Applejack hugged her partner back. "Thanks, Rare. I think they would have liked you a lot and would have gladly accepted you as my partner."

The two held hands. With a last sigh, Applejack looked at the tombstone and then at the seamstress. Together they left the cemetery.

Present
"Parents... I should go visit you one of these days; I haven't done so in two months," Applejack said to herself, remembering when she left the cemetery. "All things nice aside, Belle was understanding... After that, I dropped her off at her house; luckily, this time it was Mr. Hondo who opened the door, always kind and thanking me for protecting his daughter, and me replying that I would never let her be hurt..." Applejack opened her eyes a little. "Is that why I was hiding from him? Somehow, when we broke up, I hurt her by breaking my word," sighed a little. "The subconscious is annoying."

She shook her head and looked at the screen again. "What else do you have?"

"Hey, Applejack," a voice startled her.

"I wasn't watching anything!" exclaimed, blocking the phone, and saw who was in front of her. "Fluttershy, ah, what are you doing here?" The pink haired girl put on a confused expression at the recent words, but then changed it to answer.

"I saw Twilight's message saying that we could play while waiting for the rain to calm down," commented with a smile.

"Oh..." murmured, trying not to show her nervousness.

"Were you watching some video? You seemed very focused," Fluttershy said curiously.

"Uhh, yeah, well... I was..." said, looking for some excuse, looking at her phone and then at her friend.

"Is everything okay?"

The farmer sighed and unlocked the phone. "Don't tell Rainbow," asked, passing her phone to her. Fluttershy put on a confused expression until she saw the screen.

"Is that Belle?"

"Yeah, I didn't believe what she said about losing interest in sewing. It was her dream to be recognized," explained.

"Yeah, it was unexpected yesterday," the pink haired girl said, sliding the screen to see the photos. "There are a lot of photos with her family."

"She's always been very close to her family," Applejack said, remembering.

"And she still is. You could see it in the games," added with a smile.

"Yeah," Applejack said.

"Hmm..." the pink-haired girl said.

"What's wrong?" the farmer asked.

"These are out of town, I don't recognize any places," commented, showing some photos, and Applejack looked at them.

"What's up with that? She's been away for a while."

"Yeah, I thought she'd meet more people as friends or a partner and upload it," Fluttershy said curiously.

The farmer raised an eyebrow and looked back at the screen.

"Looks like she didn't make any friends," the pink-haired girl commented with a sad look.

"Was she alone without hanging out with anyone?" Applejack thought, lowering her gaze a little and remembering the times the dressmaker told her about her fears, including loneliness.

"Maybe she didn't want to upload them," Fluttershy said, thinking of a positive possibility.

The farmer nodded. "It would be better to think about that possibility."

"And that's why you thought of looking for her now?"

"Eh?"

"You said you looked for her to confirm what she said about the designs," said the pink-haired girl.

Applejack hesitated a bit before answering. "To tell you the truth... I had the urge to look her up the other day," admitted. "Don't tell Dash that either," requested.

Fluttershy nodded, though not quite sure she would hide this from her best friend. "Okay, maybe you think she might get jealous over this."

"Jealous? No, Rainbow has never shown jealousy and neither have I. I was more saying that because I already had an argument about me still clinging to the past... It might be a possibility, but I think it's just because of how things ended and nothing more. Also, if I tell her this, she might think I'm giving Belle a second chance and I should be on her side," she explained.

"Applejack, I'm not saying that siding with your partner is right or wrong, but you should also consider your own decisions despite not agreeing with someone you care about," she advised. "I care about Rainbow too and I don't know what she'd think if I told her what I think about Belle."

"This is complicated. I decided not to get involved with Belle, but Fluttershy is right; in a way... I have to take into account what I think. But... I don't know exactly what I think of Belle. But if something were to happen in the future, and I doubt it will, I could come to an agreement with Belle, an agreement that things won't be tense between us... but I can't force things to be one way," thought. "We'll see what happens," was all he said.

Fluttershy smiled at him and they headed to the music room.

Once there, they began to prepare their instruments, settling into their usual positions.

"So, ready to go, girls?" asked Rainbow, tuning her guitar. "Let's make this day not so gray after all."

With a nod, the girls began to play together, letting the music flow freely.

Between songs, the girls began to chat. Twilight and Sunset were discussing possible strategies for the upcoming test.

"I think if we go over chapter five again, we'll be more than prepared," Twilight commented, adjusting her glasses.

"I agree, but we should also go over the theory from chapter seven; you never know what he might ask," Sunset replied.

Pinkie, on the other hand, was excitedly talking about a new recipe she wanted to try out.

"And if we added marshmallows inside, they might explode with flavor when you bite into them!" she said excitedly, waving her hands in the air as if she was creating the recipe in her mind.

"That sounds delicious, Pinkie. We should try it out for the next trials!" Fluttershy replied, smiling softly.

"I ask that we not think about the trials just yet," Pinkie said with a hint of dramatic sadness.

"Oops," the pink-haired girl muttered, smiling at Pinkie's reaction.

As they talked, Rainbow Dash began to play some random notes on her guitar, letting her fingers move aimlessly over the strings. Suddenly, a melody emerged from the notes she played, catching Fluttershy's attention.

"Wait, Rainbow..." said, stopping the conversation with the party girl. "Those notes you just played, can you repeat them?"

The multi-colored haired girl looked at her curiously, but without question, she repeated the notes she had played. The soft, melodic sound echoed through the room.

"That sounds... nice," Fluttershy said with a shy smile. "Could you try playing some variations?"

Rainbow, willing to please her friend, nodded.

"Sure, whatever you want, Flutters."

As she explored different variations of the melody, Fluttershy watched her with a growing smile. There was something about that melody that made her feel calm.

The music filled the room again.

The other girls watched the interaction between Rainbow and Fluttershy, noticing the difference in the atmosphere. Pinkie leaned over to Twilight and whispered.

"I think things are looking up, Twi."

The bespectacled girl smiled at her friends.

"Yeah, and that's not the only thing... If you notice, there's no talk at all about what happened with the food."

"You're right, no one seems to say anything anymore," Applejack said, still wearing her bass.

"Your strategy worked," Sunset said with a satisfied smile.

Without stopping the tune, Rainbow looked at Fluttershy and, with a mischievous smile, changed the tempo of the song.

"How about we add a little more energy to it?"

The animal lover laughed softly and nodded.

"Sounds good to me."

The four of them listened attentively, enjoying the musical moment.

"That sounds great!" Pinkie exclaimed. "What will it sound like if we add a synthesizer?" asked, excited by the idea.

"Let's try it out," Sunset said, as she walked over to the synthesizer on the side of the room. Together with Applejack, they pulled it over. Thanks to the wide variety of instruments available at the university, they had access to them.

"Rainbow, play it again," Applejack asked, remembering the melody her partner had created earlier. The idea was to use the synthesizer to mimic guitar notes and experiment with different combinations and sounds.

Rainbow played the notes again. Fluttershy, along with Pinkie, approached and the animal lover asked the party girl to try out some new note combinations on the synthesizer. Thanks to her advanced music classes at the university and Sunset, Pinkie was familiar with the setup of the equipment, although they sometimes got a little tangled up.

The girls also began to enter some notes with their respective instruments, and the room filled with the music of the impromptu session. However, the door swung open and a blue-haired boy appeared with a serious expression.

"Girls, sorry to interrupt. First, you're sounding better and better. Second, I have news about the match," Flash said, drawing everyone's attention. "I'm not sure if the news is good or bad, but the Shadowbolts are here."

The girls looked at each other with determination, especially Rainbow, Applejack, and Sunset.

"They're here, huh?" Rainbow said, forming a fist and resting it on her open hand.

"We've won these matches considering it training, so we have a chance of beating them," Applejack added confidently.

"Is there anything else?" Twilight asked, with a worried tone.

"What about the rain?" Fluttershy asked.

"Chancellor Celestia is going to make an important announcement about the match regarding that," Flash replied. "We should go to the great hall immediately."

Without hesitation, the girls left their instruments and quickly headed towards the great hall, following Flash.

Already in the great hall, Rainbow, Applejack, and Sunset were preparing to go to the locker room, as well as other students like Bon Bon and Lyra. The rest of the team that approached were about to leave when their trainer, Spitfire, appeared, who seemed to have fallen, as her pants were stained with wet dirt.

"Stop right there, Wondercolts!" she exclaimed with her characteristic firm tone.

"Professor, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, worried.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking. As for you Wondercolts, you'll need to pay attention to what the principal has to say," she replied, shaking some dirt off her knees.

"We were told that the Shadowbolts are already here," Sunset commented, looking at her trainer.

"That's true," Spitfire confirmed, nodding to the side of the hall.

They all looked in the direction the trainer was pointing. There stood the Shadowbolts, in their dark tracksuits, staring back with cocky, mocking grins.

The Wondercolts glared at them with defiant eyes, but could not continue their staring match as the sound of the microphone drew their attention.

Chancellor Celestia adjusted the microphone and looked around at everyone in the great hall, her expression calm but serious.

"Good afternoon, students. I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is an important announcement to make regarding today's match," she began. "As you know, the rain has stopped, but after reviewing the field conditions, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold the match."

A murmur of disappointment ran through the room, especially among the Wondercolts.

"Why can't we play? The rain has stopped!" the athlete exclaimed, crossing her arms.

Coach Spitfire shook her head.

"That's what I was hoping for too, Dash, but I just got back from the field and I can tell you that it's too slippery to play safely. And that, girls, is why my knees are covered in dirt," She said, pointing at his dirty pants.

"But what about waiting for the field to dry out?" the redhead asked, trying to come up with a solution.

Spitfire sighed and shook her head again. "I checked the weather, and there's more rain forecast for later, and that will last until tomorrow, so they wouldn't be able to play tomorrow either. We can't risk the field getting any worse."

Chancellor Celestia spoke again.

"According to Crystal Prep's rules and schedules, if the game can't be played today or tomorrow due to the weather, we'll have to wait until January for the final," she announced, causing a surprised reaction in the room. "I know this is frustrating for many of you, but I want you to look on the bright side: you'll have more time to train and better prepare for the game."

There was a silence as the students digested the news, and although some murmured in disagreement, most understood the situation among those with the multicolored hair who considered what she said about training.

"I'm sorry to hear the news, but as you can see we've had a great welcome event these past two weeks, it was an unforgettable moment," Celestia continued with a smile. "I'll see you next week, as the streets will probably be too wet for you to come and I don't want to risk you. Thank you for your understanding."

With those words, the chancellor left the microphone, ending the announcement.

"If the final match is called off because the Shadowbolts are here?" asked Applejack, who hadn't said anything until that point.

"They weren't sure the field would be like this, so they weren't expecting this either," replied Spitfire.

At that moment, three of the Shadowbolts approached.

"Train all you want, you won't beat us," said Captain Indigo, with a cocky smile.

"You won't have much luck like in the losers' round," added Sour Sweet, with her typical sarcastic tone.

"They went through a rough patch, since they were just losers," concluded Sugarcoat with brutal honesty.

Both the Wondercolts and the students standing nearby frowned.

"See you in January, Dash," said the captain before turning around with the two. "I can't wait to see your defeated faces again."

Once they were gone, the Wondercolts began to exchange glances.

"He who lets his guard down..." said Lyra with a smile.

"...will eventually be caught off guard," Bon Bon finished.

Rainbow smirked. "Listen..." she began. "They can say whatever they want, but they're not Wondercolts. We're going to train and we're going to shut those words up," she continued with determination.

"We're going to kick their asses," Gilda said, motivating the team.

"Yes!" the Wondercolts responded energetically.

"But we won't push ourselves too hard. We've already been through that stage, but we'll train enough to make them regret it," the multi-colored haired girl said with renewed confidence.

Her friends smiled at the athlete's words. For a moment, they thought she would be discouraged by the announcement, but her competitive spirit was still intact.

"That's what I wanted to hear. We'll have a tough training session, but I won't let you overexert yourselves. So, starting next week, we'll start training," the coach said with a serious expression. "There will only be exceptions during midterms, but we'll move on from there."

The team nodded in encouragement for training to come and prove the Shadowbolts wrong.

Slowly, the students were leaving the great hall, and the rest of the girls began to walk down the halls.

"Dash, that was impressive," Sunset began, smiling in admiration. "Not just how you handled the headmistress's announcement, but how you motivated the team. We really needed to hear that."

"Yeah, when the Shadowbolts started talking, I thought you were going to let yourself get carried away in frustration, but you kept your cool," Twilight added with a smile. "That's not easy."

Rainbow smiled, but it was noticeable that she was still a little tense about the situation. "Thanks, girls. Honestly, it wasn't easy. The Shadowbolts know how to get on our nerves, but we can't let that get to us. We have to stay strong and focused."

Applejack nodded and put her arms around Rainbow's shoulders. "That's what I like about you, Dash. You know how to keep the team together and focused. And while I don't always agree with all of your decisions, I know that you always have the best interest of the team in mind."

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "I'm sure you'll succeed."

"When January comes, they'll be so surprised at what we can do, they won't even know what hit them," the athlete said.

Fluttershy, who had been silent, looked up at her best friend. "It's good that you didn't get carried away. But... are you okay? I know it's frustrating, but you have to take care of your mental health too."

Rainbow stopped in front of her friend and put her hands on the pink-haired girl's shoulders. "I admit, this affects me and I'm frustrated, but I'd rather not put my emotions on display. But trust that I'll be okay," said with a wink.

The animal lover smiled. "Sometimes hiding how bad you feel doesn't do any good, but I'm glad you recognize that you're not. That's one way to let out frustration."

The farmer thought for a bit about the fact that the multicolored haired girl might not be feeling well.

"Yeah, maybe," Rainbow said, letting out a sigh as she thought about what she said. She then saw the blonde approach her. "I know what you're going to say, and it's okay... I'm going for the outing."

Applejack was a little surprised. "I didn't really have any outings in mind, except the one I told you about at the beginning of the year."

"So what were you going to tell me?" asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That we could all go out to liven things up, but now that you mention going out, it's okay," replied. "We could go..."

"My turn," Rainbow said.

"What do you mean, your turn?" asked, sighing.

"Remember, last weekend we went out and you chose."

"But... ugh, I don't want to get into an argument. How about this?" Applejack suggested, holding up a hand. "Rock, paper, scissors."

"Rock, paper, scissors?"

"Yeah," confirmed, bracing herself. "So we'll see where we go depending on who wins," she said with a confident smile.

"Fine," Rainbow agreed, positioning her hand.

The girls watched the interaction, and thankfully, there was no tension this time. Pinkie saw out of the corner of her eye a certain curly-haired girl walk past her sister in the opposite direction from where they were.

"Can you girls go without me this time?" asked the three, as Applejack and Rainbow were still playing the game.

"Okay," Sunset said.

"Fine, but is there a specific reason?" Fluttershy asked. "The streets are too wet to walk."

"Don't worry, I'll take an Uber," Pinkie said nonchalantly. "I just want to see how things are in the city, and what better way than taking an Uber."

The three weren't convinced by those words, but they preferred not to insist, thinking she had her reasons.

"Okay, but be careful if you don't take an Uber," Twilight said.

"I'll be careful. And tell Applejack why I won't go with her," she said with a smile. "And say goodbye to Rainbow. Bye, girls," he said before turning around and walking off in the opposite direction.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle were already near the front door, about to leave, when they heard a cheerful voice they immediately recognized.

"Hey, Rarity, Sweetie Belle!"

Rarity stopped, surprised, and turned to see the party girl approaching with her usual energy. "Pinkie Pie? What are you doing here? I thought you'd already left."

"I wanted to talk to you for a bit," replied with a smile.

Rarity understood what she meant and put on an almost neutral expression. Sweetie Belle, noticing this, decided to step back a bit. "I'm going to check out those prizes that have caught my attention so much," said, giving them space.

"Sorry for my behavior earlier," Rarity said, her voice softer. "I felt a little stifled by your comments."

"I wanted to apologize too," Pinkie admitted. "Maybe we went a little too far in invading something so personal of yours. I just thought that's something you like, so I didn't think you'd be upset when we brought it up."

"It's okay, Pinkie Pie, but I wouldn't like to go any further into the subject."

"Okay, I won't," the party girl said, though deep down she wanted to know more to verify if her suspicions were true.

"Thank you. Then... we should say goodbye now. Come on, Sweetie Belle," said to her sister.

"Actually, I could walk you and Sweetie Belle," said with a smile. "I want to make sure you get home safely."

Rarity smiled softly. "I appreciate the company, Pinkie Pie, but you don't have to worry so much. We're fine."

"I know, but I like to worry about my friends," said with a bright smile. "Besides, I already ordered an Uber on the way over, so we can go together."

The seamstress glanced at her sister, who nodded slightly, indicating that she had no problem with Pinkie tagging along. "It's okay, if it makes you feel better," she replied, her voice soft and grateful.

The three of them headed out the door, and thankfully, the rain that had been forecast hadn't started yet.

The Uber arrived shortly after, and the three of them climbed into the car. Pinkie sat in the front seat, while Rarity and Sweetie Belle settled in the back. As the car moved forward, Sweetie Belle watched the streets go by, and the party girl took the opportunity to glance at the fashionista through the rearview mirror.

"Rarity, is everything okay? You've been a little pensive."

Rarity looked away at the window for a moment before answering. "I'm fine. It's just... been a rough few days, and it doesn't help that your cousin looks at me in a way that makes me uncomfortable."

"Did Applejack give you a look?" asked, curious.

"Yeah, and the funny thing is that these past two days she's been acting almost like she used to when she saw my parents," Rarity said, crossing her arms. "And now she comes with that look..."

Sweetie Belle didn't say anything because she knew the possible reason for the farmer's actions because of her parents, but with Rarity it might be because of the tension in the group.

"I thought the reason was because of... you know, the girls, but avoiding me in such an unsubtle way?"

"AJ can sometimes act one way and then another. But don't worry, it's just a matter of time, just like with the others," Pinkie said, trying not to go into details about her familiar.

She remembered how the day before she had told her that the dressmaker was part of her past and that she should focus on the present. But, the mention of the look got her thinking. Maybe Applejack was starting to worry about the dressmaker, or was it something else?

"You're right," Rarity said with a smile, thinking about the future. "I have to let things flow."

Sweetie Belle and Pinkie smiled. The rest of the walk was silent, but it wasn't awkward.

The Uber finally arrived at the first destination, the Belle sisters' house. The car stopped in front of the house, and the two of them got out. Pinkie got out as well, asking the driver to wait a few minutes.

"Bye, Pinkie," Sweetie Belle said goodbye before walking through the door, leaving Rarity outside. The seamstress watched her out of the corner of her eye and had a feeling that the party girl wanted to talk about what she had mentioned earlier.

"Pinkie Pie, you want to try to talk about what I said, don't you?"

"It's just... what you said was so unexpected," replied, somewhat anxiously. "You love design, how is it possible that you don't like it anymore?"

Rarity sighed. "It's not that I don't like it anymore, but..." She looked at the palm of her hand before closing it into a fist. "Did I mention that when I left I was angry? Well, in those years of absence... something happened to me when I regretted what I did."

Pinkie watched Rarity's wistful look and gesture, waiting for her to continue.

"I couldn't keep up with the design, and that's when Mom suggested something to study."

"Hmm, I was right," Pinkie thought. "Wait, 'Mom'?"

"What's up with that?"

"I noticed how formal you are with your mom last time compared to the past, and now you've called her properly."

"That... also has to do with my decision to study what she does. I only call her that when she's not in front of me, though I seem to be getting used to it," Rarity explained, her tone somewhat sad.

"No," Pinkie said, frowning.

"No?"

"You can't get used to it if you're actually doing it for a specific reason. She's your mom, so you might want to consider going back to calling her like you used to. You can't call her that for life," the party girl said.

"Relax, I have a deadline to call her back like before."

"Mmm, okay. I don't know what that led to, but it's okay that you don't want to say more about why you quit designing," Pinkie agreed.

"Actually, I didn't quit. I just do some minimal things, that's all, nothing big or..." she added without finishing, again looking at the palm of her hand.

The party girl noticed the same gesture on the seamstress, she remained curious.

"That's the only thing I'll say on the subject."

"I'll settle with that for the moment," Pinkie said. "I think the Uber has waited for me long enough."

"Wait..." Rarity said, searching for something in her bag. She pulled out her wallet and some bills. "I should pay my share of the Uber."

"Relax, Rarity, I can cover it for you," offered with a smile.

The seamstress wasn't completely convinced, but ended up 'giving in'. "You're a great friend, Pinkie," said as she hugged the party girl, who was always willing to receive a hug from a friend. "You can tell the girls that I'm sorry for raising my voice to them," she whispered in her ear.

"I'll tell them, and don't worry. If they ask why, I'll think of something," Pinkie said before breaking the hug. "Bye, Rarity."

"Thanks... Although I doubt they'll ask," quietly muttered the last part. "Bye, Pinkie," she said goodbye before entering the house.

The party girl returned to the Uber, which quickly began to move. As she thought about what they had talked about, she had in mind to make another summary of the facts. She had just confirmed her suspicions about Rarity and her choice of studies. The specific reason would be discovered in time, but for now, she would focus on supporting the seamstress and making the others see that they could trust her.

When the Uber arrived at their destination, Pinkie began to reach into her coat pocket to pull out her wallet and pay, but she felt something else. It was a pair of bills that she remembered not putting there. It didn't take long for her to realize who had put them there and she shook her head. "Always so thoughtful," commented with a smile.

Author's Note

• Hey, my dear readers. I know I said I'd upload this sooner, but wait, you're right. ;) Keep in mind that this was meant for chapter 17, but I split it up so it wouldn't be as long as I usually do lately. Now, I hope you like it.

• As I mentioned before you started the chapter, this was part of chapter 17. At first, I wanted the welcome event chapters to last three chapters, but then I extended them to four to show certain developments and flashbacks. However, when I was about to finish the event, I checked the pages I used, so I decided to split them up.

• You know, I almost got disoriented with the seasons, but luckily I realized it in time. There's only one modification, which is when Rarity's dad tells what happened; I changed it in late spring. It's just a slight modification of the memory, nothing more.

• From here I'm looking at how to arrange the following flashbacks, since we're close to some important events.

• Clarification: Parentheses ( ) are used for calls, while brackets [ ] indicate when a character writes something, whether in a notebook, cell phone, etc.

• I don't know if you noticed, but I mentioned Applejack and Rarity's song. Although it has another name, I know it better as 'Side by Side'