“Ah’m sorry, what?” Applejack asked, shooing a sullen Apple Bloom out the door.

“I can’t be with somepony who’s going to hold me back, darling. I’m officially moving to Canterlot. I would love to bring you with me, as my plus one, but you don’t appreciate my work.”

“Ah appreciate it more than anything!” Applejack snapped. “Who’re you takin’ then, if it ain’t me?”

“Why, Sweetie Belle, of course. Since my parents...well, since the accident, I’ve become her sole caregiver. I can’t just leave her here while I go off to Canterlot. We’re already packed. I’m sorry it had to end this way.” Rarity ushered Applejack out the door and slammed the door shut.

“Well Ah’ll be damned,” Applejack whispered under her breath.

“Is Sweetie Belle really leavin’?” Apple Bloom asked, her eyes sad.

“‘Fraid so,” Applejack said, taking one last look at the dressmaker’s home. She gave her sister a nudge and the two headed back to the farm, each of them with a heavy heart.

~XoXo~

Rarity adjusted the last of the living room furniture and smiled, turning to cheer up her sister.

“Come now, Sweetie Belle, this is a new start for both of us! You might even find your cutie mark here!”

“I don’t wanna find it here, I wanna find it with the Crusaders!”

“Then start up the Canterlot branch. I know this isn’t ideal, darling, but it’s where I work now. I couldn’t just leave you behind,” Rarity nuzzled her sister and nudged her. “Now go off to your room or something. I don’t want you wandering the city alone. I’m going to set up my studio and then we’ll go out for coco.” Rarity watched to make sure Sweetie Belle went to her room before turning to the only mostly empty room left in the house. It was easily the largest of the two bedrooms, but the boxes stacked in the corner made it look smaller. Rarity sighed and set to work, starting with the actual bed portion of her bedroom.

After several hours of rearranging, Rarity felt satisfied. Her sewing machine was set up, as was the rest of her sewing stuff. Her bed was by the window, and Opal was purring as she napped in the sun streaming in from the window. There was plenty of remaining space for when Rarity actually got into her work. Outside, the sun was beginning to set. There was still time to take Sweetie Belle out to a cafe for coco, but Rarity could hear the filly snoring in the living room.

She considered dropping by the castle, to say hello to Twilight, there on official duty, but the white unicorn decided against it. Twilight would be busy. She didn’t need the added stress of being a host right now. Instead, Rarity set to writing an elaborate thank you letter to her friend, thanking her a million times over for the living arrangement. She would send it out in the mail tomorrow, when she’d gotten some rest. She would also start her newest order for Hoity Toity. The unicorn curled into bed and sighed. There was so much work that needed to get done, and so little time in which to do it. Rarity blinked twice, her eyelids to heavy to stay open. She closed her eyes and, before long, was fast asleep.

~XoXo~

“Sweetie Belle, did you take my golden horseshoes?” Rarity called across the house.

“I needed them!” Sweetie Belle called back. “I went out with some friends last night,”

“I need them back!” Rarity shouted, walking towards Sweetie Belle’s room. She knocked twice on the door before opening it. “Where did you even go last night? It was freezing!”

“We went to the karaoke bar,” Sweetie Belle shrugged, holding the horseshoes above her head in her light green magical hold. Rarity took the shoes and sighed.

“Again? One can only visit a karaoke pub so often, Sweetie Belle.”

“It’s where I got my cutie mark, and it’s where I met Falsetto,” Sweetie Belle shrugged. “We go there a lot. Sue me. Whaddya need the shoes for?” The teenage filly smirked and nudged her sister, and Rarity rolled her eyes.

“If you must know, I’m meeting Cross Hatch.” Rarity wasn’t particularly looking forward to the meeting, but Twilight had been kind enough to set them up a few months ago. The least Rarity could do was continue seeing the stallion. The unicorn slipped the shoes on and told Sweetie Belle to behave before leaving the house. Rarity knew that Falsetto would most likely be showing up at the house before too long, but there was nothing she could do about that. Her sister had a coltfriend, and Rarity had to live with the knowledge.

Canterlot Cafe was fairly empty when Rarity arrived. She described Cross Hatch to a waiter, but was told he had not yet arrived. She decided to wait out front, and that’s where she was when she showed up.

The orange earth pony looked so out of place in Canterlot. A teenage filly that could only be Apple Bloom was trailing along behind, complaining loudly.

“Ah wanna see Sweetie Belle! She told me to visit whenever I could.”

“Ah told you, we’ll see if we can find her after we visit Twilight. She wants to see you too.” The other mare, Applejack, retorted. Rarity checked to make sure Cross Hatch wasn’t approaching before calling out:

“I can take her to see Sweetie Belle,” the second the words left her mouth, Rarity regretted speaking. The orange mare locked eyes with the unicorn and Rarity’s stomach fluttered.

“Rares,” Applejack said, removing her hat and nodding once.

“Rarity!” Apple Bloom said excitedly. Rarity noticed that the filly had earned a cutie mark of her own. An apple with windows and a door. Apple Bloom must have seen Rarity looking, because she smiled proudly and said: “Interior decoratin’.”

“Sweetie Belle earned hers a few years back. I’ll let her show you herself. What brings you to Canterlot?” She asked her ex-marefriend.

“Twilight invited us. She hasn’t seen much of us since Granny passed, so she wanted to check in. She’s been busy here lately, and hasn’t been home.” Rarity felt a pang of sadness pass through her. Granny Smith had always been so kind to her, back when she lived in Ponyville. Rarity was about to offer her condolences when a stallion trotted up beside her.

“There you are, Rarity, dear. Who are these...er...lovely ponies? They don’t appear to be from around here.” Rarity looked over to see Cross Hatch, his green eyes staring intently at the Ponyville ponies.

“Cross, darling, this is my old friend, Applejack, and her sister, Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom is one of Sweetie Belle’s old friends. They’re here to visit with Princess Twilight. Applejack, Apple Bloom, this is my coltfriend, Cross Hatch.”

“Coltfriend?” The Apples said together, confusion crossing their eyes for a moment. Rarity nodded and turned to face the stallion in question.

“Would you mind if I took them to my home, so Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle can catch up?”

“By all means, Rarity, please, take the whole day. You don’t get out much these days. Have fun with your friends!” He placed a swift, unwanted kiss on Rarity’s lips and said goodbye to the Apples. He trotted off towards the bar, his black and brown tail swishing in the wind.

Rarity was left facing an awkward silence. She cleared her throat and told the Ponyville ponies to follow her. They made their way back to Rarity’s home and Rarity made sure to make plenty of noise before opening the door. She’d made the mistake of coming home quietly once before, and had no plans of doing so ever again.

“I thought you had a date?” Sweetie Belle asked when Rarity walked inside. Her mane was slightly ruffled.

“I ran into some old friends,” Rarity said as Falsetto came out of the back room, his black mane ruffled the way Sweetie Belle’s was. Apple Bloom squealed and barreled into Sweetie Belle, who squealed when she saw who had just tackled her. The unicorn filly began introducing her old friend to Falsetto.

“This was mighty kind of you,” Applejack said. “But Ah really should go see Twi,” Rarity looked into Applejack’s green eyes, her heart palpitating.

“We could go to dinner afterwards,” Rarity suggested, eager to speak to Applejack again. It had been years since they’d last come in contact, but all the weeks with Cross Hatch had been...well, Rarity could only say that Applejack was much preferable to the stallion she claimed to love.

“Ah don’t think that’s a good idea, Rares,” Applejack said, her eyes darting sideways. “Ah mean, there’s somepony who wouldn’t like that too much.” Rarity understood Applejack’s words and was lost for words. Of course Applejack had found somepony else. It had been years. Applejack was a desirable mare. Rarity tried to smile.

“Oh. Of course. I just assumed...I’m sorry.”

“Ah’ll come back to pick up Apple Bloom when Ah get finished visiting Twilight.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Rarity said quickly. “Apple Bloom is more than welcome to spend the night. And there’s always the guest bedroom if you need a place to stay the night.”

“Twilight has a room for us. The others are already there, so Ah should go.”

“Others?”

“Fluttershy, Rainbow, Pinkie?” Applejack said as if it should be obvious. “She’s been so busy she hasn’t been able to visit home and see us, remember?” Rarity thought about last week. That must have been the reason Twilight was so down. She hadn’t seen the others in ages. Rarity suddenly felt very blessed that she could go visit Twilight whenever the alicorn was in Canterlot.

“The offer is still extended to Apple Bloom,” Rarity said, her heart dropping as she realised that, if Applejack declined the offer, she wouldn’t see the orange mare again. The mare she loved. The mare she had walked away from, simply because she didn’t care much for fashion.

“If she wants, she can stay,” Applejack shrugged. “Apple Bloom! Do you wanna stay the night here with Sweetie Belle and Rarity?” Apple Bloom looked to Rarity and the fillies squealed in delight. Rarity was pleased to see that Falsetto had taken his leave.

“Can you send Scootaloo down too?” Apple Bloom asked, and Sweetie Belle’s eyes lit up.

“That’s up to Rainbow more than it is me, but if she says it’s fine Ah’ll send her over.” She looked to Rarity for confirmation and the unicorn nodded.

“That’s fine,” she said. Applejack nodded.

“Then Ah guess Ah’ll be off,” Applejack said. “Thank you kindly for the hospitality,” and with that, Applejack was gone. She would be back in the morning, to collect her sister, but then she’d really be gone. Rarity excused herself to her room and stared out the window, watching Applejack walk down the street. She watched the mare until she turned the corner and vanished from sight.

Out in the living room, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were comparing cutie mark stories. Neither of them could know the emotional toll Applejack’s arrival had taken on Rarity. The unicorn thought of the orange mare at least once a day, and each time, she thought of how foalish she had been to let Applejack go. She loved the farmpony more than she thought, and seeing her now, knowing that she didn’t want to try again, that was painful.

“I’m ruined,” the mare whispered. It was true. Rarity was ruined, and Applejack was to blame. She had a job that she’d lost passion for, a grown up sister that she barely knew, a coltfriend she cared nothing for, and she hadn’t seen anypony aside from Twilight in years.

Had she been happy before she’d seen Applejack again? She hadn’t been unhappy, that was for sure. She was content with her less-than-stellar life, but that was because she hadn’t known what she was missing out on.

“Rarity, can I take Apple Bloom out to meet the others when Scootaloo gets here?” Sweetie Belle asked. Rarity, who was still looking out the window, saw the orange and magenta pegasus making her way down the street on a scooter.

“She’s outside, dear. Be back an hour after dark!” Rarity replied. The teenagers, giggling loudly, left the house and Rarity could hear the squealing as the three Crusaders reunited. They were happy. Not content. Genuinely happy. Sighing, Rarity pulled out a pen and paper and began her letter.

My dearest Applejack,

I admit, seeing you was a bit shocking, but you helped me to realise the truth. I am not happy with my life. Content and happy is not the same thing. I am going to be taking the steps needed to become happy with who I am, starting with breaking up with that stallion you met today.

I suppose I should thank you. Sure, you are not my marefriend any longer, and, I am sad to say, will never be again. Whoever you’re with now must be very happy. He or she is lucky to be with you. I was a fool to let you go, but that is past. I cannot change my past, but I can, however, morph my future. I wish you the best, darling, and I would hope you wish me the same good fortune.

I want to apologise for walking out on you all those years ago. I am aware this changes nothing between us, but it’s better if I put it out there. I don’t want you thinking that I never cared. You were the start of who I am today, and you are the start of the me I am going to become.

I miss you, you know. We won’t have what we used to have, but we could at least be friends again. I would like that very much. Maybe after I quit this job of mine, we can go out for tea. As friends. I’ll even bring Sweetie Belle and her coltfriend.

Yours,

Rarity

Author's Notes:

So...yeah. This was written after a long and thoughtful process (I wrote it forever ago and just now edited it and tweaked it a bit so it was less shitty). Can't believe it's been two years since I met Baloney-Head (aka Toni-Baloney) here, but it has. Damn, that's crazy. Anyway, Toni, I know this isn't as good as the one you wrote me, but hey, I tried! Happy 2 years, bestie, and an amazing third year to come!