Entering her shop, humid from the light rain, Rarity dropped her bags on the spot and kicked the door behind her, closing it without ceremony. With another successful fashion show in Canterlot and another contract signed with an influential distributor, she should be a pleased mare. However she didn't have the heart to cheer. Every time she went to Canterlot, it was with the secret hope of meeting him.
Him, her prince, her knight in shining armour, a true gentlecolt that would know how to behave and how to make her heart race. The stallion that would be strong but gentle, the one that wouldn't look down on others and would protect the weak. The one that would run to save her from a dragon, a mad king or any mortal danger. After so many travels to Equestria's capital, she was starting to question her chances of really finding her soul mate. Not that she never met any pony matching her criteria, she could actually name two.
But like anything, they were both taken; one married to a princess and the second to a mare who had more delicacy and presence than Rarity could ever dream of. Rarity was quite pretty, she could compete with most with ease, but she was outclassed against Cadance and Fleur de Lis. From her point of view both were simply at a completely different level of beauty and grace. No matter the dress or the makeup, she could never reach them and knowing it wasn't helping her feel any better.
When she met Shining Armor and Fancypants, she finally had proof that her dreamed stallion could exist, that the horrible experience she lived at the Grand Galloping Gala wasn't all that there was of the nobility. But as her visits to Canterlot multiplied, she had to admit that the Gala was the norm and not an exception. As she met new ponies of that select club, her list of worthy stallions didn't grow at all, still containing only two unreachable names.
She had hoped that saving Equestria a few times, which in itself was quite unique, and designing the dresses for a royal wedding would give her enough prestige to be a potential candidate in the views of some noble stallions. But the fact that she ended up saving the nation twice didn't help, as it was a feat that most pretenders could never hope to accomplish. In addition, the few interested in her person were anything but gentle or well mannered. The things some of them proposed made her shiver in disgust.
She should be happy, at her age her business was becoming bigger and more popular than most designer in Equestria would dream to ever achieve in their whole life. She was soon reaching the point where she would need to hire more ponies if she would expect to meet the demand and money was far from being a problem, at least for the next few decades. But what was the point of happiness if not to share it with a special somepony? There was no doubt in her mind that she would trade all that fame for him.
She looked at her bags, containing the patterns for her next contract. Working would usually get her mind off of her heart's problem, but she didn't feel like it right now. She walked up to the nearest window and peaked outside; the light rain was now denser. For a rare time, she just couldn't stay inside. She grabbed her saddle-umbrella and a few towels and headed outside. She had decided where to go.
Twilight, while a good friend, was totally oblivious of the matter of the heart. Pinkie Pie was out of the question; the last thing she needed right now was a song or a cupcake. As for Rainbow Dash, she was probably high in the sky overviewing the rain patterns and Fluttershy's cottage was too far to walk to in this rain. So only Applejack remained, a pony that took a long time for Rarity to begin to understand. The two ponies had a passion for hard work, which over time and hardship, drew them closer.
She was sure the orange mare was outside right now, bucking trees or whatever else a farm required. The towels would be useful because Applejack wasn't known to take care of her person. With time, she started to enjoy the company of the farm pony. Not that Rarity would ever understand her lack of personal care or rudeness, but she learned that Applejack was a pony of very refined taste. The food she cooked for the royal wedding was worthy of that event and even the princesses commented publicly how delightful it was. She smiled remembering how the honest pony stood her ground, refusing to share the recipes of some of her best dishes with the royal cooks.
Applejack would probably be unable to share her point of view on romance, but she would lend a friendly ear. She would understand and listen, being the dependable friend she was. In the end, she would give her honest opinion and while no doubt being different from Rarity's, it would give her a different point of view. Right now, Rarity wasn't asking for more than that.
Deep in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed that she had almost reached Sweet Apple Acres. Raising her head, she noticed the rain outside her umbrella was now as heavy as it could be. She took a mental note to ask Rainbow Dash what was going on as she couldn't remember rain over Ponyville being that violent. She was about to turn back and head back home, thinking that even Applejack would not work in such weather when she saw an orange blur at a distance, most likely carrying a bucket full of apples.
Rarity shook her head; what a silly pony! The best she could expect is to catch a cold, good thing she brought those towels. She was about to shout her friend's name when the ground gave under her hooves.
Her fall was quick, a second at best which from her surprise appeared to last much longer. She crashed hard on her right flank at the bottom of the newly formed pit. Seeing stars from the impact, she looked around to find her bearing. The hole wasn't that big or deep, maybe the height of two ponies on top of each other. How terrible, all that mud messing her mane and tail. Rainbow Dash would hear about that! No doubt that the heavy rain was responsible for that small sinkhole.
She tried to get up only to fall back on her side, panting heavily. One of her legs was crushed under a boulder and she had no idea how she didn't notice the sharp pain before. Now that it reached her brain, there was nothing else. She tried to scream, but only ended up coughing the water she inhaled. She was shaking from the neural shock and the cold rain.
She focused on the rock trapping her leg and tried to levitate it with her magic, however as soon as it lifted off, her leg moved, sending a spark of sharp pain up her flank. She lost her concentration and the stone fell back on her leg. She almost passed out of the resulting pain from her limb being crushed once again. She let out a scream of pain and distress as her head dropped in the mud.
Having a hard time to open her eyes, she coughed some mud. It wasn't that liquid a moment ago and as the rain poured on it, Rarity could see the water level slowly rising. She had a hard time to accept that after all her adventures, facing all those monsters and dangers, it would be the rain that would be the end of her.
She rested her head down, trying to keep her mouth out of the mud, hoping that her mind would clear just enough to find a solution. She felt weak and broken, her strength slowly drained as the heat of her body was diffused in the cold water. She was about to pass out when she thought she heard a mute bang. At that moment she thought it was the thunder, even if she couldn't hear the rain anymore. Her consciousness drifted away.
She didn't feel her leg being freed or her body being picked up. Her next memory was the rain batting on her back while something warm was moving under her. Her heartbeat started to synchronize with the other she could feel pulse next to her chest. It was a strong determined beat, one that nothing could stop. She tried to open her eyes but could only see a sea of blond shades. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the strong muscles carrying her. Muscles that could carry a mountain and at that very moment, she felt secure. She gave in to the darkness once more, but this time it was warm, welcoming and had a strange scent of apples.
She was in a dark cold dungeon made of grey stones. Humidity was dripping from the walls and the small cell smelled of things she would rather forget. She could see outside, between hard steel bars that blocked the small glassless window. There were fires and dark smoke on the horizon as a war was waged between good and evil forces. However, she was unable to distinguish more than shapes fighting each other.
She looked around, finding no way to escape. The door was heavy and strong, made of hard wood and reinforced with metal stripes. She looked down to see she was wearing a damaged dress that in a better moment, in another time, would have been worthy of a princess.
It wasn't the first time Rarity had that dream. It was recurring, at least once a month and would repeat itself before going to Canterlot or coming back from it. No doubt it was her brain colliding with what her heart ached for. She knew what would happen, as it happened before and would happen again. A knight would break the door open and come to her rescue. But just as they would meet, something would explode behind her and the wall would collapse, pulling her down the tower to her death. The moment she would impact with the floor bellow, she would wake up in sweat and would forget all the details of the knight's face, as if she never saw it.
She hated and liked that dream. She couldn't stand it as she knew what would happen and couldn't do anything to prevent it. However, she didn't mind it because every time she hoped to remember any traits of her white knight.
Like clockwork, the door exploded in shards as her saviour kicked the door hard. The knight was as always tall and strong, but one could notice the care for details in the gold and silver armour. His shining helm decorated with brilliant feathers was fully covering his head. The way he walked showed not only delicateness and care, but strength and power. He sheathed his long and brilliant sword in the scabbard fixed on his back.
After eying the imprisoned princess for a moment, he lowered his head and raised a hoof to remove his full helm. Rarity's heart beat faster, as always as the moment of discovery was nearly at hoof. The moment she waited for, that instant she would know her knight in shining armour. The little part of her mind that was still conscious reminded her of what would happen next, but she couldn't care less as once again she would have the chance of seeing his face.
She readied herself for the incoming explosion, but surprisingly it didn't happen. The dream continued and the knight removed his helm. Raising his head, Rarity was stunned by the sight.
"Applejack!" she screamed while trying to sit on her bed. As she did, a flash of pain forced her to lie back down. The memory of today's events rushed back to her mind. Looking around, she could see that she was in a hospital room similar to the one Rainbow Dash had stayed after breaking her wing.
A brown pony standing next to the neighboring bed looked at her, closed the small pad he was holding and put it back at the foot of the bed. As he walked toward her own bed, she noticed he was wearing a doctor coat. Was it the same doctor that treated Rainbow Dash? She couldn't say.
"Ah! Miss Rarity, happy to see you finally woke up," he said with a smile as he examined her from different angles.
"What happened?" She asked, slightly confused.
The doctor stopped and stared at her. "I was actually hoping you could tell me that."
"I... huh... I think fell down," she explained.
He nodded. "That's what miss Applejack told us too. But why were you outside in such a heavy weather?"
Rarity doubted that her love problems were a good excuse to give to a health professional so she just shrugged with a weak smile. After a moment, the doctor rolled his eyes and went to the door. "Nurse!" he asked to a pony outside of Rarity's sight. "She's awake. Could you go get Miss Applejack?" He walked back to her bed.
"How long was I out?"
The doctor picked the pad from the foot of her own bed and wrote something in it. "Almost a day."
"Ah!" she answered, automatically thinking of the time she lost on her work. "Wait, why is Applejack here?"
The doctor raised his head from the papers. "She brought you here yesterday and stayed in the waiting room for you to wake up. She wouldn't accept to leave," he explained. "I think some of your friends passed to see you too, but we kept you under sedative while we weren't sure of your condition."
Just as he finished with the paperwork, Applejack entered the room, her Stetson in her right hoof. "Hey there sugarcube!" she said while walking to Rarity's bed.
"Applejack! You... You saved my life!" Rarity said with the emotions caught in her throat.
The farm pony put her hat back on her head. "Oh come on, that's nothing."
"Nothing? You carried me from Sweet Apple Acres up to here, in that storm? It's like what? Five kilometers? " She asked surprised.
"Seven and a half," replied the doctor. Seeing the two ponies staring at him, he shrugged and left the room.
Applejack sat down beside the bed. "You know I would have done it for anypony," she let out as if it wasn't a big deal. "Besides, I would like to know what you were doing out there in that storm."
Rarity looked away ashamed that her emotions got the best of her and made her walk under such heavy rain. "Nothing! And what were you doing, working in that same weather?"
"I wasn't working!" she lied. Rarity wasn't duped for a second and her raised eyebrow was a clear sign. "Well, I was finishing my work. You know, can't let the tools out in the rain," she explained. Pushing her hat back, she continued. "Now that you know why I happen to be often in the rain, will you tell me why you walked up to my old farm?"
The white mare looked down. "I... I needed somepony to talk to."
"Well, there are plenty of ponies that live closer to your home," Applejack interrupted her.
Rarity sighed. "I needed one that could listen."
"Oh!" the orange one let out in surprise. "Well, I have all the time needed as the rain is still going strong, and you sure can't go anywhere," she said while pointing at Rarity's leg which was held firmly in a white cast. Rarity wondered how she missed it before, maybe the color.
"I guess you're right."
Applejack was waiting in Princess Celestia's antechamber. She had to remind herself once more why she was there. The last week had passed so quickly, she actually had a hard time to believe so much time had passed since that rainy day.
After a while of talking about this and that, Rarity finally came to her real problem. She had explained the whole thing to Applejack, who sat there silently listening to the whole story. The fashion designer gave her all the details about the Grand Galloping Gala and all the subsequent shows in Canterlot. She listed all the stallions that showed some rude behavior against her and how of all her researches, the only two candidates that were true gentlecolts were out of her reach. How at that very moment, she was ready to close that chapter of her life and give up that childhood dream.
The farm pony nodded as she had listened to the whole story, only asking a few questions here and there to better understand. Applejack was no stranger to love problems, but she managed to control it better than her unicorn friend. Her work, her farm and her family were enough in her life for now. She knew that one day, a stallion would enter her life and make it complete. That special part in her heart was ready for him, although she often tried to forget its presence. And like Rarity, it had been ready and empty for a long time.
Rarity explained everything, but omitted the strange dream she had just before waking up. She wasn't sure what to make out of it or even how to correctly explain it. She was troubled by it and she didn't need to trouble her friend with it.
The stubborn dress maker forced Applejack to bring her some work materials, claiming that using her magic wouldn't impede her recovery. After making sure Rarity had everything she needed, Applejack left the hospital and walked straight to the town's library. She had an idea, a crazy one.
Applejack hated the look on her friend's face and while she discussed about her heartache, she couldn't help feeling the same. Empathy was the fancy word for that feeling she remembered herself. She had to bring a smile back to her face, no matter the cost. She even wondered if she wasn't turning a bit into Pinkie Pie, but quickly pushed that idea away. The pink pony would simply throw a party, while her plan was a bit more complex and more permanent.
She asked Twilight for a personal audience with Princess Celestia. The unicorn quickly pointed out that she, like any pony, could request an audience. Applejack had sighed in frustration, as she had explained that it would take months to get a public meeting and that her request was personal and should be only for the princess' ears.
Twilight's curiosity had pushed her to ask more questions, but when Applejack had answered that it was about a friend and that it was personal, the purple one had suddenly stopped her inquiries and agreed to send a letter to the Princess right away. Applejack was quite surprised how Twilight had learned so much about friendship in the last few years. Of course, she had made her swear that she would tell her everything when the situation was to be resolved.
To her surprise, Applejack's request was accepted within minutes, but due to the Princess' busy schedule, it would take a week before being able to meet her. She didn't mind the time, as it would give her the chance to find out what to say. However, as she looked at the Princess' personal room's doors, she found out that she still had no idea. The truth had always been her best ally, so she settled for that, hoping to find some inspiration for the words as she would face her. Saying she was uncomfortable would have been an understatement, she just didn't like asking for help and what she wanted to ask was big.
She jumped in surprise as the doors opened, a guard coming out of the royal apartments. "Her Majesty is ready to meet you," he said while eyeing the farm pony. Applejack had wondered if she should have dressed up a bit more, but had decided against it. She pushed her Stetson down, now was too late to regret that choice.
She walked inside the Princess' room while the guard closed the doors behind her, leaving her alone with the Equestrian ruler. Celestia was behind a large wooden desk, putting a finishing touch on some official paper. Dropping the quill she was holding with her magic, she grabbed the official parchment and moved it on top of a large pile of similar documents. Her work done, she raised her head and smiled at the orange pony that was somewhat trying to disappear in the decor.
"Welcome Honest Applejack," she greeted her while standing up and walking toward a silver tea set. She grabbed the steaming teapot and poured herself a cup. "Would you mind some tea?"
Applejack was anything but at ease. Somehow, the presence of the princess never made her feel in her element. Was it all the fancy talk and decor? She couldn't say but at that moment she could understand a part of Fluttershy's personality. She could talk to a crowd of town folks but would have a hard time breathing while being in the same room as her Majesty. She suddenly realized that she had kept her trusted hat on her head. She quickly took it off and bowed down to display the appropriated respect. "Huh... Oh, no thanks your Highness, and just Applejack if you don't mind," she said, not really happy with the title. It wasn't the first time she heard that since she somehow became linked to the Elements of Harmony, but she never liked it. Titles weren't for a simple farm pony like her.
Celestia smile radiated brightly. "Only if you call me Celestia."
The farm pony had a hard time to stay in place and while she had never been one to stick to protocol, she really didn't like the idea of calling the princess by her name. She could feel sweat running down the back of her neck. "As you wish... huh... Celestia," she finally managed to say.
The princess walked up to Applejack with the tea cup floating near her. Without ceremony she sat down and sipped from her cup. "My student told me I sometime have to be a bit more direct," she explained calmly. She lowered her head to her guest's level. "What are you afraid of?" she asked noticing how the pony was sweating.
"No-no-no-nothing!"
Celestia raised an eyebrow at the bad lie. "You're as bad a liar as Twilight told me in her friendship reports," He raised her head back up. "Tell me, what am I supposed to do to make you feel at ease?"
"You're surely busy your Highness," she said nervously, quickly forgetting her agreement she had about titles. "I could always come back later!" Applejack said while turning around, only to find the door to be sealed by a golden aura.
Celestia smiled while her horn was glowing of a golden hue. "Twilight told me it wouldn't be easy. In the last few years, she truly learned a lot about her friends. I have my whole afternoon reserved for you."
While the farm pony was sticking to the sealed doorway, the princess took her time to eat some cake and read a newspaper. After a while, she started asking question about the apple industry, how the season was going so far or some of the difficulty of the Equestrian food distribution networks, lots of random questions that Applejack knew the answers to by heart. While odd, they did serve their purpose at making her more at ease.
It took two hours for Applejack to calm down and open up. After another half hour of talking about nothing and everything, she finally managed to come to the topic she was here for.
"Actually, I'm here for a friend," she managed to say.
Celestia nodded. "That's a good thing."
"But it might sound stupid... or unimportant," Applejack tried to apologize.
"For a friend, nothing is stupid. Please, go on," the princess calmly said.
Applejack took a deep breath. "It's Rarity, you see. She always wanted her special somepony... huh... to be a noble. But now she wants to give up her dream and..."
Celestia raised a hoof. "Please, slow down. It's probably better if you begin from the start."
After a moment collecting her thoughts, Applejack managed to explain in a surprisingly coherent way what Rarity's wish was ever since she was a filly. How she ended up in the hospital and how the friend that rescued her couldn't accept the pain of in her friend's heart anymore or simply that she was ready to give up on her dream.
"And you see, I thought..."
"That since I'm the ruler of Equestria, I know all the nobles and which one would be fit for her," the princess summed up.
"Huh... Yes! That's... That's exactly it," Applejack said, somewhat surprised that the princess understood it all without asking any questions.
Celestia stared at the orange mare while thinking about the situation. She hummed as a smile showed up on her face. "I might be able to help you but you may have to do something for me."
Applejack was surprised by the answer. "I... huh... Anything for a friend your Maje... I mean Celestia."
"I will need to check a few things first, so for tonight you can sleep in the castle," the princess explained.
"But I need to go back to work so that..." Applejack started but quick stopped when Celestia stared at her. "What you say is best."
Celestia smiled. "Trust me; I'm pretty sure I know the pony for Rarity."
The Moon was high in the sky when Celestia entered the special chamber reserved for her sister. Not even the guards were allowed to enter Luna's work place and in other times, the princess of the Sun wouldn't have disturbed her. She stood there in front of the doors, waiting for the princess of the night to raise her sight from numerous star-charts placed all over her desk. That position somewhat remind her of the situation she had with Applejack a few hours ago. It didn't take long for Luna to notice her.
"Tia?" She said, surprised by her presence. "You're not often awake at night. Is something wrong? Has a new monster appeared? A new threat?" She asked, her body ready for any danger.
Celestia raised a hoof in hope of stopping the flow of questions. "No Lu, all is fine. But I'm a bit hurt to think that I wouldn't come to see you... Just to see you," she explained.
Luna didn't buy it. "I know your sleep cycle is sacred to you," she said while pushing the star-charts away. "If you didn't talk to me when I raised the Moon, it means it's somewhat personal that other ponies shouldn't hear about."
The white princess smiled and agreed. "You know me too well."
"You got my curiosity," the dark mare replied while putting a hoof under her chin.
"I need your talent," Celestia simply replied.
Luna frowned at the request. "My talent? I'm a mare of many..." she stopped as she understood what her sister meant. "Really?" She asked confused. "Didn't you tell me that in this epoch it was seen as an invasion of... How did you say it... of privacy?"
"I did, but this time it is to help some ponies," she explained. "I see no other way."
"Who?" Luna asked, seriously surprised that some ponies were that important to her sister. Maybe time really had changed her.
"The Element of Generosity and if I'm right, maybe the Element of Honesty too."
"Oh." Luna said while trying to digest the information given and the one not provided. "Oh!" She exclaimed herself as she understood. "Are you sure?"
Celestia nodded. "I'm sure about Honesty, although she would probably be the last to be aware of it."
"As always," Luna replied with a large smile.
The princess of the Sun laughed. "Yes, some things never change. Honesty only works with others and being honest with yourself is one of the hardest skills one can develop. However, I need you to validate my theory with Generosity."
Luna thought about it for a short moment. "Alright, I will help you, but at one condition." Celestia was surprised by the request and while no other pony could have seen it on her face, her sister didn't miss the expression. "Oh, don't be like that! It's very simple; I want all the details."
Early in the morning, just after Celestia had raised the Sun, a royal guard came to fetch Applejack from the castle's visitor apartments. This time, she didn't have to wait for Celestia as Applejack was given sign to enter right away. The princess was waiting for her in the middle of the room with a weird expression of happiness.
"Your Majesty," Applejack said while bowing down. If Celestia was annoyed by the protocol, she didn't show it.
She nodded. "Applejack, I spent the night going over some data about nobles and high ranking figures of the army," but as she said that, it sounded weird to the farm pony's ears. The princess wouldn't lie, would she?
If she did really spend the whole night awake, she showed no trace of it, thought the orange mare while standing back up.
"I have a good and a great news," Celestia continued. "I did find what I believe could be the perfect noble for Rarity."
Applejack was surprised by the news and gave no effort to hide it. "That's awesome! Huh... your Majesty."
"Now is time to talk about the matter of your payment," Celestia said with a serious look. The farm pony quickly lost her smile and swallow hard. "Don't be apprehensive, you might even enjoy it," she said while taking a pause long enough for Applejack to settle down. "I want to dub you Knight of Canterlot."
It actually took a good twenty seconds for Applejack to process what the princess had just told her. As her brain worked out the fancy sentence, her face displayed a series of emotions, but the moment she understood, her eyes went wide. "You can't be serious!" she shouted, forgetting all sense of protocol.
"I'm as serious as I can be," Celestia replied with a weird smile as she raised a hoof to prevent Applejack from arguing. "Let me explain first. As you may know, most nobles' titles are inherited. This means, that the nobles existing right now are not the ones who initially received them." She sat down. "Nobility was once a reward for heroic action. However, a few hundred years ago I stopped giving titles as I felt the existing nobles were nothing like the original ponies who received them. With enough time, the number of nobles alive around Equestria decreased, slowly but surely."
She smiled. "You might find that ironic coming from me, but nobility is a drain on Equestria's resources and for most of them, they give nothing in return to the population." She sighed. "Sadly, it has an opposite effect when it comes to legislation. Just to remind you, the house of nobles can veto my laws and as there are fewer ponies seated, it is easier for them to reach majority."
"And that's just it. The nobles have petitioned, asking I should start to give titles of nobility again; otherwise they threatened to veto all the laws and reforms until I comply with their request. Something about being less and less representative of the population," she explained while having a hard time from rolling her eyes.
Applejack frowned. "But... Why me? Aren't you afraid that this... title would be passed down my family?"
The princess smiled. "In nobility, there is one exception. There is no knight alive right now, because it is the only noble title that is not inherited. Knighthood is purely meritorious."
The farm pony shocked her head. "I still don't understand, why me?"
"Nobles are picky and they will start make trouble if I don't bring a pony worthy of the title," she said with playful smile.
Applejack looked anything but convinced. "Princess?"
"Is it not true that you saved Equestria twice, helped in the rescue of Canterlot from an invasion and in restoring the Crystal Empire?" She asked with an official tone.
"Huh... yeah, but all my friends did the same. Why not them?"
"Aren't your family the main provider of food for Canterlot and the nearby towns? Aren't you the sole producer of zap apple and its derived products? You shouldn't be surprised how much business weight your family really possess and how much that actually impresses the nobility," she explained as if it was obvious. "As for your friends, Twilight was already de facto member of the royalty the moment her brother married Cadance. Rainbow Dash might be a good candidate the moment she will join the army as a member of the Wonderbolts, but that's probably not going to happen for a few more years. Rarity already has enough relations with the nobility that giving her a title could be seen as interference from me. Besides, she would no doubt gain that nobility if or when she will marry one." She smiled. "I'm sure you would agree with me that both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy would make terrible nobles," she explained.
"As do I!" Applejack countered.
"There's a bonus, nobles are automatically allowed a seat at the council of the Equestrian Producer and Distributor Association. Most nobles don't really care for that kind of power, but it could be something that would help your family get better deals and contracts."
"I... huh... what?" she asked confused. "But... I..."
"I'm sorry Applejack; it's my price for helping you. You should trust me, I truly believe you won't regret this."
"I..." the farm pony hummed while thinking about it. She felt forced and didn't like it. "May I ask my family for advice first?"
Celestia laughed. "Of course, I don't need your answer right away. You should also ask Twilight, I'm sure she has a book or two about knights."
A week after meeting the princess, after listening to advises and opinions of the extended Apple family, coming from every corner of Equestria, she finally accepted the royal offer. She asked Twilight to send a letter to the princess saying she agreed to her terms. The unicorn only got more curious as Applejack didn't give her any explanation after her trip to Canterlot. As she asked her friend what it was all about, the farm pony simply answered that she would know soon enough.
The day after, Spike came in rushing in the library, holding a bundle of invitations for a major event that would take place in Canterlot in a month.
"What is an 'adoubement' Twilight?" he asked. The unicorn raised her head from the massive tome she was reading.
She let a small laugh. "You should know that Spike! With the number of books you read about dragons and knights. It's the fancy term for raising one pony to knighthood."
"Really?" he asked back confused scratching the back of his head while looking at the official invitations. "Then why is Applejack becoming a knight? Does... does this mean she will try to fight me?"
Even after a month Applejack still had a hard time to wrap her mind around the fact she would become one of those fancy nobles. She never really had any love for them, and now she would be one too. Of course, she kept repeating to herself that it was only a title and it wouldn't change her life at all, would it? But anytime she had some doubt, she only needed to remind herself that the princess had promised to help Rarity accomplish her lifelong dream and that was enough for her. She wanted her friend to be happy and if it was what it would take, then so be it. And if it could help the family at the same time...
The family lawyer had checked about those odd laws related to the agriculture association, and found out Celestia was right, although no noble had used the right of seating for well over a century. No doubt that without the princess, they would have never heard about that particular loophole in the association's charts. The ponies seating at that selected group basically had their say in all the food production of Equestria as they were the ones making the rules and regulations.
She was a bit disappointed that after all that preparation time, Celestia gave her no sign of who she choose for Rarity. For all Applejack knew, that stallion might not even want a mare or may even have one already. She did trust the Princess and she was sure she wouldn't break their agreement, but some information would have been welcome.
The day had come and here she was, looking at herself in a mirror ten times the size the one she used in her bathroom. She frowned as she looked at what the royal stylist had done with her mane. Airbrush, a pony with decades of experience in the castle's service was still working on the finishing touches, adding small silver ribbons and golden sparkles to her mane which had been knitted into a bun on the back of her head.
"Aren't you afraid all this work will be messed up once I put on my hat?" Applejack asked while pointing a hoof at the silver and gold helmet resting on the nearby table.
"Madam, you can trust me, it's not my first time. Your mane will look exactly as it is right now when you will remove your helm in front of the princesses," Airbrush explained with pride.
Applejack wondered how that feat was even possible but she had to admit she was no expert in manedressing. Her plating rang like bells when she put her hoof down. Celestia and Luna took a lot of time to explain her how the event would proceed, after all it was the first knighthood of Equestria in centuries and they wanted it to be perfect.
Over the last month the farm pony had traveled to Canterlot many times for the royal blacksmith to produce her armour. The princesses were very clear, it was meant to be a ceremonial suit and they even provided the blueprint, claiming it came from some legendary artisan that lived over a millennium ago. The silver plates were polished near mirror level and the gold engravings were depicting some heroic battles against mythical monsters. While she could recognize a good craftsmanship, or in this case one of the qualities she never saw before, she was not comfortable in her metallic suit. After all, she was used to be naked and even if once in a while she accepted to wear Rarity's dresses, it didn't mean she actually enjoyed it. But the blacksmith took his time to adjust it as best as he could and claimed it was an honour working on such rare opportunity.
Her thoughts went back to her friends who right now were waiting in the biggest ball room of the castle. They hadn't seen her new armour and she hoped they wouldn't mind it. In her mind, she was still wondering why she was to become a knight while her friends were not. The news of the event went around Equestria and nobles from every corner of the country came to witness it. She would have felt awful if the ceremony had revolved only around her, but after Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis and Sombra, the Equestrian army also had some promotions and medals to distribute. So for the first hour of the ceremony, the army would be the main attraction.
When the news broke out in Ponyville, everypony had congratulated her. All her friends took the news of her accolade pretty well. However, Applejack secretly wished one of her friend would try to convince her it was a bad idea. But they all had been supportive and sworn they wouldn't miss it for the world. Only one word from any of them and she would have given up on the idea, but even Rainbow Dash's cheers when she heard the news were sincere... and loud. She shoved that idea away, she wouldn't have back down! She gave her word to the princess and the engagement from an Apple was sacred. She just secretly wished that one of her friends would have told her how a bad idea it was.
Her family expressed no objections at all and even planned a huge party the day she would come back from Canterlot. Somehow, she felt that Pinkie Pie was no stranger to the idea, but she was surprised to learn that all the hotel spaces available in Ponyville were reserved. Even during the Summer Celebration when Celestia had come to Ponyville, not that many Apple members came to visit the small town. She sighed, unlike Rainbow Dash, she never really enjoyed being the center of attention.
"Don't be like that, you deserve it," a deep harsh voice said behind her. Looking back, her sight met an old and tall grey stallion wearing a more modern ceremonial suit. A long row of medals was proudly displayed on his chest and his posture and musculature was proof that he wasn't one to stay behind the lines. Seeing the question in her eyes, "I'm General Ironback, Miss Applejack."
"Sir," she asked back confused. "What do you mean?"
He laughed. "It's not the first time I see a pony having that look, wondering what they did to deserve all the protocol and fancy stuff."
Applejack frowned. "Sorry, but aren't you supposed to be at the ceremony? There's lot of soldiers who are receiving some awards."
The general displayed a sincere smile. "I don't like sitting on my flank for too long and I wanted to meet you, so I slipped away. Not that any of those pompous nobles would miss an old fart like me. I have a kind of agreement with them, I stay as far away and they don't get their noses in my job."
He walked in front of her, leaving enough space for the stylist to resume her work. "I was happy when I heard they were making a knight out of a pony. It's an honourable title that has been lost for too long. However, I was furious when I learned it wasn't awarded to a soldier. The name Applejack didn't ring me any bell, so I just assumed it was another of those nobles' ploy to gain some prestige," he explained without a trace of happiness.
"I'm sorry, I..." Applejack started to apologize but was cut by the general's hoof.
"Then I started asking questions around and got a wide range of silly answers. Applejack? Who's that? Oh, she was the cook at the royal wedding last year. She's a farm pony from a little town. I think they produce that cider we get once a year. But then I managed to get a specific captain to spill the beans. You were that 'cook' that kicked more changelings' flank then any of the trained platoons that were in place to protect the city," he said staring at her.
"Well, you see..." she tried to explain, while trying to disappear in her armour.
"I was there you know, at the wedding," he let out. "I saw you do your thing. Let me tell you, if I had twenty like you in my battalion, the changelings wouldn't have thought of coming close to this city." His smiled came back. "I actually have to thank you. The show you gave to the royal guards was a wake-up call for the higher brass. I've been trying to toughen up the army's training for decades, being at peace doesn't mean our army has to be weak or out of shape."
"I... huh... thanks?"
He laughed. "Trust me, the Princess choose well, you deserve it."
It was that moment the royal herald opened the door. "Miss Applejack?" he asked in an official manner. "You're next."
With a nod from Airbrush, Applejack got up and grabbed her helm and put it on, careful to not mess up the complex work of art the stylist had created. As she walked out of the room, she noticed the general had saluted her. She was happy the hat hid her blush.
Rarity was sitting with her friends in the first row, facing Celestial's right. They were all wearing dresses she had designed for the occasion and she was happy to say that she did an amazing job. After she had learned the news about Applejack, she went straight to her design table hoping to outdo herself once more. She would gladly claim that she did her best work so far and from the look her friends were receiving from the crowd, more than one would agree with her.
But she had a secret reason to dive so intensively into her work other than the fact that she had been limited in her movement for almost three weeks due to her broken leg. No, she became more obsessed about her work because she was desperately trying to forget. A month ago, she had decided to give up her wish of finding a worthy stallion. She was ready for that. She knew she had to turn the page. But then... then her stupid recurring dream came back in force. Every two or three nights she would wake up in sweat, her heart racing. She couldn't get rid of how heroic Applejack appeared the moment she would come to save her. The more she fought against that silly dream, the more it came back. She simply couldn't understand why her childhood dream was somehow corrupted by her friend's presence.
Falling asleep very late at night after a long day of hard work had the advantage of giving her a dreamless night, so she worked like she never did before. She had the feeling there was a message hidden in there somewhere, but she didn't have the courage to seek it out.
However, this last month of hard work had an unpleasant side effect as after almost an hour of applauding every soldiers that got caught by the changeling horde while the city was invaded, Rarity had to rally some extra effort not to yawn. Not that she didn't like the military, only that the last few events that hit Equestria ended up with that government organization displaying an impressive ineptitude. Of course, she would never express that kind of opinion in public as she still found the officers to be quite attractive in uniform, even if she did more for the country in the last three years then most of them would ever do in their whole life.
They were all here for a friend, it was all that mattered. However, the heat generated by a room full of ponies ended up being too much as he eyes slowly closed. She wasn't sleeping, was she? She was only resting her eyes a moment.
That very short moment was cut short when somepony hit her in the side. Opening her eyes, she noticed Twilight had told her something, but she couldn't make any sense of it. Had she really fallen asleep? She was about to ask her purple friend why she disturbed her when Twilight pointed at something on her right.
Turning around to see what was worth a hoof in the ribs, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of an armoured pony walking down the carpet. At first, her heart raced as if she had sprinted and she couldn't understand why. It took her the time for that pony to walk half the distance toward Celestia to finally consciously recognize the armour design she had seen in her dream.
She swallowed hard as she started to sweat. There was no proof that Applejack was under that armour and for all she knew it was another soldier. In addition, there was definitely no way that the silver and gold armour was the same she dreamed of since her fillyhood, it had to be a coincidence. But while her brain kept coming up with arguments, her heart didn't slow down one bit.
For some reason her body had a hard time to stay in place. She wanted to run away, to run to her parents, to scream but her sight was locked on that pony almost against her will. Was her heart trying to tell her something she desperately didn't want to hear?
Her tension kept rising as the pony got closer to Celestia and Luna, sitting side by side on the ceremonial throne. Being on the first row, the armoured pony was just a few hooves away from Rarity when it stopped and bowed in respect to the princesses.
After what felt like an eternity, the future knight stood up and removed her helm. For Rarity, time stood still as the sunlight somehow found a way to sparkle on every bits of golden dust and silver ribbons in one of the prettiest manedresses she had ever seen. She had stopped breathing and her heart felt frozen in time. She had once said that Applejack had an innate beauty and grace that she was sometimes jealous of, but at that very moment she couldn't take her eyes off her orange friend.
But no matter how long a moment can be for somepony, time always takes back its right as her heart resumed its race, beating faster and stronger than she remember it ever beating. She exhaled the breath that she kept for who knew how long, but under that pressure, it sounded like a very loud "Ack!". All her friends and the princesses stared at her as they heard the sound over the noise of a thousand ponies applauding the knight.
For Rarity, she didn't even notice the strange noise she let out or that her friends were concerned about her well-being. She gave in to her instinct and promptly ran away as fast as she could.
Seeing her fleeing, all her friends got up wondering what was going on. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were about run after her when Pinkie Pie blocked their paths. Twilight was about to ask her what was going on when Pinkie simply shook her head in negation. The unicorn frowned and sat down, knowing Pinkie enough that she wouldn't explain a thing but she had a good reason, even if she didn't know it herself.
But another pony had noticed Rarity escape, and while she ignored why she was running away, Applejack ran after her. Something was very wrong as her friend was obviously in distress and the ceremony be damned if she wasn't going to help her.
Luna got closer to Celestia and whispered in her ear, "Do you think it was a bad idea to replicate the armour from her dream?"
"No Lu, I think it was perfect," Celestia answered back. "Now let's just hope they can listen to each other's heart."
Applejack was running in the castle trying to find Rarity, but somehow the heavy armour slowed her down enough that she had lost her. Asking the staff, they gave her the direction the running white unicorn had taken. Some inquired why she was crying but Applejack had no answer.
The farm pony finally found Rarity crying beside a water fountain in the inner gardens. She was lying on her side, not caring at all that her fine dress was getting dirty from the grass and the mud. She was rolled up on herself, somehow trying to disappear from the world, from herself, but mostly from the emotions that had betrayed her.
"Rarity?" Applejack asked softly as she carefully got closer to her. "What's wrong?" Applejack felt broken as she saw her friend look so miserable. She would turn the castle to dust if it would bring her smile back.
Rarity raised her head, tears rolling down her face and wetting her dress and hooves. She looked at Applejack but failed to say anything. Her mouth opened and closed a few times but no intelligible sound came out of it. Seeing she couldn't control herself, she hid her head back under her hooves.
It was as if pieces of shattered glasses had found their way to Applejack's heart, her friend appeared in deep pain and she had no idea what to do to help. She came closer to Rarity and as carefully as she could, raised the white unicorn's face to look at her in the eyes. "Please, what's wrong?"
Rarity just stared at that symbol of beauty and strength as her tears flowed on Applejack hoof. After another eternity, both looking into each other's eyes, Rarity managed to open her mouth to talk, "I..."
Applejack couldn't explain what took control of her. One moment she was a rational mare and the next her body was acting on its own. She leaned forward and tenderly pressed her lips against Rarity's. Realizing what she had done, she pulled back. Her eyes were wide in surprise and she was blushing hard. "I-I-I... I don't... I don't know what took me... I... I'm sorry... I..."
She suddenly realized that Rarity had stopped crying but she couldn't say if she was surprised or about to be very mad at her. Her large eyes were sparkling, but no doubt it was the mist coming from the fountain. Her white friend was simply staring at her as if she had found some earth shattering secret. Applejack was about to take a step back as she felt the situation becoming more awkward by the second, but she was stopped as Rarity leaped forward and kissed her passionately, her hooves wrapped around Applejack's neck.
Once again, Applejack's body acted on instinct and she held and tilted Rarity's body back, answering to the warm kiss. Both mares' hearts were beating as one, at a speed that would put Rainbow Dash to shame. After what felt like ages, they broke their kiss and once more stared in each other's eyes.
"You're a silly pony, you know that?" Rarity asked with a shaking smile as she was now crying for joy.
Applejack blushed again but couldn't manage to look away. "I think I heard that before." After a moment of silence, "I... I think we will have a lot to talk about," the farm pony finally said.
"Yes... No doubt," Rarity answered. "But for now... maybe we should go back to the ceremony?"
A large sincere smile showed up on the orange pony. "Yes... I think they are waiting for us..." She offered her a hoof. "My lady?"
Rarity grabbed it to get back on her hooves while keeping her sight on Applejack. She answered with a smile of pure bliss, "Yes... My knight."
