Applejack paced between the two planning unicorns apprehensively as she glanced at the levitating decorations. No matter the amount of breath she wasted with pleading, she still felt unheard. Her stubbornness, however, dominated her exhaustion and tried once more to persuade them.
"Twilight, why can't she-" Applejack began, only to watch to her displeasure the student trot off absently to inspect a nonexistent smudge on the window.
"No no no!" Twilight exclaimed, squinting and bringing her body closer till her snout barely reached the glass, "Guys, the windows need to be wiped again! There's steam all over it!" One of the worker ponies approached the window and observed it.
"Uh, Twilight?" the pony droned, "That's your breath." The lavender pony stood back and surveyed the fog disappear. After showing a sheepish grin, she apologized and returned her focus back on her clipboard. Applejack attempted to get her attention again.
"Twili-"
"See Rarity about it," she interrupted, straightening the curtains. Applejack inwardly groaned as she peered over to the designer and back to Twilight.
"Ah'd rather not, Twi," she whispered, watching Rarity comparing two snips of ribbon. To Applejack, they were both blue. To Rarity, however, they were cerulean and indigo, and the right shade of blue must be chosen correctly for tomorrow's Summer Sun Celebration. These decorations were all in the hoofs of Rarity and if they are not flattering to the eye for all the ponies the next evening then her career and life as a designer will be ruined. Tarnished. Shattered. Applejack swore that she saw Rarity's left eye begin to twitch: a strong warning sign to stay at east fifty hooves away from her.
"AJ, I'm busing right now," Twilight informed, "Try to figure it out on your own."
"Ah promise Ah won't be long, Twi. I jus' wanna talk 'bout Pinkie Pie bakin' with me. Ya see, I think she should do somethin' else 'cause-"
"No, Derpy, don't stick the flowers in the vents!" Twilight exclaimed, galloping towards the gray pegasus. Applejack had no other choice.
"Rarity," she spat out, staring at two floating rocks in front of her sight, "Ah need tuh talk tuh ya 'bout Pinkie Pie workin' with me and-" Once more, she was silenced by an enraged moan of the contemplating unicorn.
"What is it, Applejack?" she roared, dropping the crystals. "Can't you see that I am busy?" Rarity grew more furious as the southern pony rolled her eyes.
"Can't ya jus' pick one an' get it over with?"
"Pick one and get it over…Are you mad?" Levitating both of the jewels, she shoved them in Applejack's face. "I know that you don't care about complexities of embellishment and what brings pleasure to the eye or the significance of using crystals to adorn the colors of fabric, but I can recognize such and take it to extreme importance. Especially for the royal siblings and the other influential ponies that shall be attending for the Summer Sun celebration. Now this is sovorsky crystal and this is amethyst. Now sovorsky matches all tints because of its simplistic and trademark transparent nature. Against the indigo ribbon, it magnifies the fabric's texture and hue, does it not?"
"Beg yer pardon?"
"However, the amethyst brings out the tones of the blue and truly makes it pop." Applejack flinched slightly at the unstable appearance in the unicorn's eyes.
"Just pick one," she offered sternly, immediately regretting her suggestion after seeing frustration grow in Rarity's face.
"Artists do not just pick willy-nilly without thought. I don't just pick accessories. I mean, why don't you just…pick apples?"
"That's what Ah do. Every day," Applejack pointed out, "Anyway, is there anythin' else that Pinkie can do? 'Nother task maybe?"
"And why do you not want to work with her, darling?"
'Cause she's a bit…well…hyper." A gasp flew out of Rarity's mouth.
"Hyper? I-I never noticed it."
"Is that so?" Applejack questioned, looking into her fidgety eyes, "An' why did ya assign her tuh bake with me again?"
"Oh c'mon Rarity!" Pinkie Pie whined, tilting her head, "Twilight sent me to you so that you can give me a task to do for the Summer Sun Celebration!" The rose-colored mare leaned forward and pouted.
"For being the main organizer, she's not doing much organizing," Rarity mumbled rubbing her temples. "Pinkie Pie, I'm sorry but there are no tasks for you to do. Didn't you do something last year? Why don't you do what you did last year to busy yourself?"
"I threw a party for Twilight!" Pinkie chirped, "Because she was new here last year, remember? She had no friends and didn't know anybody, remember that Rarity? But I can't throw her a party now, silly filly. She has plenty of friends! So that's when I realized that I had nothing to do for the Summer Sun Celebration and if I have nothing to do for the Summer Sun Celebration then I'll be bored and I don't like being bored, Rarity, it's too boring!"
"Pinkie, I don't have a task for you."
"But I really want a task, Rarity!" Pinkie yelled, bouncing up and down, "I really really want one! I really really really really really really really really really-"
Rarity watched the bouncing mare in silence as she constructed a plan. The decorations were taken care of, so was the music and the entertainment and the waiters and the catering and the-
Wait a minute.
"Applejack," Rarity murmured.
"…Really really really really really really really really really really-" Now it was Rarity's turn to shout.
"PINKIE!"
"Yes?" Pinkie responded, stopping mid-air.
"You like desserts, yes?"
"Oh yes, very much so! I like cakes and cupcakes and crepes and éclairs and cookies and pudding and-" She was brought to a halt with a hoof.
"Then I have the perfect task for you…"
"Rarity, Ah have worked fine by mahself for years now. Ah don't need Pinkie's help. Ah-"
"I have emeralds!" Rarity gasped, sprinting to her shop, leaving behind Applejack.
How did Ah end up with two of the most finicky, craziest ponies as my supervisors?
………………
It wasn't that Applejack disliked Pinkie Pie, it was quite the contrary. She treasured her friendship with Pinkie and enjoyed her time around her. However, she never knew how to talk to her or figure her out. Chuckling to herself, she found the irony in the fact that two of the most social ponies in Ponyville hadn't had much conversation. Setting up the baking supplies on the kitchen counter, she peered out the window to check on the familiar fruit on the porch. The apples shined their scarlet radiance, calming the pony's nerves. There was nothing to worry about she told herself. The question was not how to liven up her visit with discussion, but how to calm her down with surrounding pastries.
Suddenly, a knock on the front door was heard.
"Ah got it, Ah got it!" Applejack announced, running towards the entry way. Swinging the door open, Pinkie stood behind the threshold with a demure smile.
The orange mare noted her friend's change of behavior and unusual tranquility. In fact, she seemed almost…calm.
"Uh…howdy," Applejack greeted after a long moment of stillness, sending Pinkie into a fit of giggles.
"You're funny!" she snorted, bouncing inside. "'Howdy'. I love the way you talk!"
"Well, thanks! Ah appreciate-"
"I've never been inside your house before!"
It seems like nopony is letting' me finish my sentences today…Applejack thought to herself, following Pinkie.
"I mean, I've been inside your barn before! Remember that? For my birthday party and Gummy's after-birthday birthday party? That was a fun day! And this'll be a fun day, right? Of course it'll be a fun day! We're making desserts!" Leaping down the hallways, a room caught her sight as she happily entered it.
"Ah see ya found mah room!" Applejack proclaim proudly. She took pride in her room. Abundance in space, a large bed with burgundy sheets resting in the center, facing her dresser. The dresser was an antique, a family prize. Ever since she was a young filly, Applejack studied the precise woodwork and glossy porcelain knobs in awe. She watched Pinkie wonder around, dissecting the numerous amount of awards on the walls from apple growing competitions and athletic events.
"Ooo! What's this?" Pinkie asked, digging her head behind her dresser. She popped up with a poster in her mouth and dropped it to the ground to have a better look. "Why do you have a picture of Soarin from the Wonderbolts?" Applejack quickly snatched it away from her.
"Uh…w-why don't we start bakin', huh?"
……………….
"Pinkie!" Applejack screamed in the kitchen, "Ah thought Ah told ya not tuh eat anymore batter!"
"Buff iffs good!" Pinkie defended, spitting out pieces of apple. Applejack shot her an annoyed expression.
"We're not gonna have enough dessert for the celebration tomorrow at this rate!"
"Oh right! Sorry!" Pinkie giggled, stirring the milk in. An orange glow reflected from her fur, causing her to peer out the window. "Ooo, look at the sunset!" Applejack smirked to herself seeing her friend delaying her mixing until it came to a complete stop from being distracted by the sunset.
"This is why Ah love tuh prepare dinner every evenin'," Applejack commented, "The sunset 'ere is amazing', isn't it?" Expecting a cheerful response, Applejack found much to her surprise her perky companion beginning to frown. Her hair slightly drooped as she turned her gaze to her bowl.
"Yeah, it is," she replied, calculating her moves. "Applejack?"
"Yes, sugarcube?" Furrowing her eyebrows, she reached for Pinkie's hoof. Something in her gut told her that Pinkie needed another pony's touch.
"Do you ever wonder how your life would have been if you stayed with your relatives in Manehatten?"
"Ya mean the Oranges?" Applejack inquired, watching Pinkie's head nod up and down. She took a moment before answering. "It crosses mah mind at times. Ah think that Ah would have more jewels and wealth and status. Fancy dinners every night an' pampered every mornin'. After a hard day's work here, Ah admit Ah wouldn't mind a nice massage from one of them fancy smancy spas that Rarity drags Fluttershy to. None of them mud masks though, no sir! An' Ah do wish that Ah wouldn't hafta worry about the months that make it harder for the apples to grow. I mean, we have our good harvesting times and our bad. But at the end of mah apple-buckin', teeth-grittin', sun-burnin' day, it means the world tuh me." Applejack leaned in closer. "What's on your mind?"
"I thought of my sisters back at home. And my parents." Pinkie glanced at the cowpony. "I miss them. I wonder how my life would have been if I stayed at the rock farm. Am I a bad pony for leaving them?"
"No," Applejack said, rubbing her hoof on Pinkie's forearm in support, "Ya grew up, that's all." Pinkie grinned and look out the window again. "Ah must say, Pinkie, Ah never seen ya like this."
"I-I've never talked about this with anypony."
"Why? I-if ya don't mind me askin'."
"Well, you're my only friend who grew up on a farm like me. It's kinda hard to talk to anypony about this without having to explain it to them. And I trust you. I was really excited to be assigned a task this year. And I was really, really excited to find out it was baking. And I was really, really, really excited to find out I'd be working with you."
"Ah'm glad Ah'm workin' with ya, too," Applejack concurred, stirring in pleasure.
"Oh and Applejack?"
"Yes, sugarcube?"
"Can I just have a tweensie weensie bit more cake batter?" Applejack hesitated for a short amount of time then nodded.
"Sure, why not," she allowed, watching her glob a spoonful onto her extended tongue in delight.
