The party had ended and the few ponies that had stayed to help her clean up were leaving. Only Applejack remained and she wore a tired grin on her face. Rarity, similarly weary, only grinned back and put the last few dishes away as the country mare tussled with her saddlebags.

"Mighty fine, party, doncha think?" Applejack's voice tingled with sarcasm and humor.

"Yes. It was quite the night. Let's be realistic, though. Most of it was fine. I had a rather nice time." Rarity spoke softly, closing the cupboard and turning to face her friend.

Applejack only chuckled. Even though they had their differences, the pair were very comfortable with one another and had learned the intricacies of each other's behaviors. Applejack had been to every birthday Rarity could remember and the pair held a great amount of respect for one another. More than relative interests had brought them closer together. "Ah'm sorry about Pinkie, Rarity. She … well, she ain't playing with a full deck."

"There's no need to excuse her behavior. She's like a child in an adult's body. She doesn't mean to be nasty. She simply navigates the streams of conversation with little delicacy. It's just the way she is." A soft sigh escaped the unicorn that betrayed her emotions. The show of drama could have been easily written off as her persona; it would be understood and possibly even expected by Rarity, but it had stung and cast her mind into a gloomy place.

AJ smiled gently, seeing through Rarity's words. "Well, I brought ya something else, Rarity. Something kind of special that ya might want to keep on hoof in case Pinkie decides tah' throw ya another party." Applejack chuckled and flipped her saddlebag open, bringing out a bottle of hard apple cider. She sat the bottle on the kitchen table and smiled. "Looks like you could use a drink, sugar cube."

Rarity smirked, her eyes falling on the bottle. It wasn't fine wine, but it would improve her mood. She watched as Applejack fetched a pair of tiny glasses from her saddlebag and Rarity had no choice but to object. "Applejack, let's make a compromise," the unicorn spoke, her eyes showing a latent disgust at the thought of drinking out of anything that had been buried in Applejack's saddlebags. "I'll supply the glasses and then we'll enjoy your wonderful gift."

Applejack only rolled her eyes, used to such trivialities from the snooty unicorn. It was charming in a way and AJ had grown to enjoy it. "Fine. Have it your way." The orange earth pony watched Rarity produce a pair of wine glasses, levitating them with her magic to the table. AJ cocked a smirk and shook her head. "Ain't there nothing you can do without bein' fancy?"

"Taking pride in one's appearance could do a world of good for almost anypony, Applejack." A wry grin took her features, "you could do with a few lessons, yourself, darling."

"Yeah, yeah." AJ popped the cork with her teeth and began pouring each of them a full glass until Rarity cleared her throat, reminding AJ that 'a lady never poured a full glass of alcohol'. She simply rolled her eyes and stopped each glass at half full. That was enough to raise Rarity's spirits anyway. A full glass would, most likely, knock her unconscious.

"Let's take these to my veranda. It is a glorious night and the fresh air would do wonders for both of us. The smell of frosting is still rather thick. I'll have to air the whole building tomorrow."

Rarity and AJ went upstairs and through the unicorn's bedroom to sit on the veranda. The pair reclined in comfortable lounge chairs, complete with ornate umbrellas, and sipped their drinks. The air was clear and the night sky was dotted with thousands of blinking stars. Rarity had begun thinking again about her age and waited for the sweet liquid to elevate her mood. She couldn't stifle the sigh that escaped. She was contemplating asking Applejack about how she felt about growing older through use of innuendo but the earth mare beat her to the punch and was far more direct.

"Getting old's not much fun, huh?" Applejack wasn't born in a barn, contrary to popular belief, and was quick as a whip. She knew Rarity all too well and decided to circumvent the funny way the uptight mare had of beating around the bush and simply get to the root of the issue.

Rarity, blushing slightly, was relieved that Applejack's direct nature had interceded for her and sighed again. "It's just not fair, Applejack. Why do we have to get old and ugly? Why can't we just stay young forever?"

Applejack took a drink from her glass, making a face at the thin glass and hoping her sturdy hooves didn't crack the delicate material. She set the glass down gently and adjusted her hat as she thought. "I reckon it's just part of life. We're s'posed tah' get old. It's as natural as apples growin' on trees. I mean, it'd be easier to pick'em if they grew outta the dirt like taters, but I'd be awful upset if I saw an apple comin' outta the dirt. Some things are the way they are because it's the way they're s'posed tah' be."

Rarity rolled her eyes to the heavens and floated her drink closer, taking an unlady-like drink. "It's just not fair. I might as well be an old maid or Granny Smith. The flower of my youth has shed its petals."

AJ couldn't help but laugh in response, earning a glare from Rarity. "Sorry, Rare. Do ya really think yer that bad? It's not like yer sixty or somethin'."

"I might as well be sixty. It's not as if I can age backwards." The unicorn was finding little comfort but it felt good to talk about her issues. "I know you don't really care about your appearance, but how have you been faring with aging?"

Applejack cast a hard look in Rarity's direction."Well thanks." Her words were thick with sarcasm but she let the slight roll down her back. "Like Ah said, it's natural. Someday, Ah'll be old and ridin' in a rocker. It don't make sense tah' fight against it cause it's gonna happen. We cain't fight off time. All we can do is make the most of what we have each day. As long as ya can do that, it don't matter what tomorrow brings."

Rarity smiled softly and turned to regard her friend. Her words had made sense in a very humble kind of way. It wasn't the location of the fountain of youth but, for the moment, it made her feel a little better. "Thanks, Applejack."

AJ quaffed her remaining cider and stood up, glancing at the moon for a reference of time. "Ah should be gettin' back to the farm, Rare. Ah hope ya had a good birthday."

Rarity sat up and hugged her friend, nodding gently. "Any time I get to see you is a good time. Have a safe trip. Thanks."

Applejack turned and began to walk away when Rarity's voice caused her to pause at the sliding door to the bedroom.

"If you do ever decide to try a little foundation or dye for that sun-bleached mane of yours, I'll do it for free. I do enjoy a challenge." Rarity grinned, poking fun at her oldest friend.

Applejack smirked and nodded. "If'n Ah ever decide to get all gussied up, you'll have the honors. Ah'll try not to use up all yer supplies." With that, the country mare showed herself out, leaving her friend to herself.

Rarity sighed again and checked to make sure Applejack was out of sight before chugging the last few drinks of her cider. She blew the burning sensation from her throat and looked into the sky again. She was thirty years old now. She didn't want to be, but it was a fact. Maybe Applejack was correct and she should just take life one day at a time, but that seemed so unplanned. Applejack was pretty in a plain sort of way and her country accent won her some points but the lack of coat and skin care was apparent to Rarity. Applejack had never put effort into maintaining her looks and it showed. Rarity could see the places where wrinkles would begin to stand out on the orange mare and her pores were probably the size of saucers. Taking life a day at a time was fine if you wanted to look your age but, fashionably, looking your age ceased to be a good thing around twenty one.

Rarity's mind began to drift toward the dark again and she commenced thinking of other beauty regimens she could implement when she fell asleep in her chair, the cider finally kicking in at what seemed all at once.