Applejack cleared her throat.
"Well," she said, not knowing where to begin, "I guess it all began ten years ago after the battle. Why, When you left for Canterlot, Twilight, we was just heartbroken. We almost didn't even know what ta do! So we did the one thing that we did know how ta do - try to go on with our lives as normal. As you can imagine, that didn't quite work out. For long, anyways.
"Sweet Apple Acres thrived as usual, and the Pony folk kept givin' us good business. Over time, as you may reckon, we all grew up. Applebloom discovered that her true talent was cookin' up potions and stew and all of that, and earned her cutie mark! She's usually around Zecora nowadays… Oh, and Granny Smith? She's still livin'!" Applejack chuckled. It seemed as though the strong-willed old mare would live forever.
"As for Big Macintosh, he went off to start a family of his own."
"With who?" Twilight interrupted.
"Shh!" Rainbow Dash interjected Twilight's interruption. "Just let her finish her story!"
"Anyways," Applejack continued, "By that time, the Apple Family's business had grown to be bigger than ever before! It was time that we expanded out of Ponyville, with me leadin' the operation!"
"Where did you expand to?" Twilight interrupted once more, feeling a little rude for her aloud curiosity.
"Why, the place that I reckoned we could get a high price paid for our Famous Apple Family Pies - Canterlot! And Business was boomin'! And it was all because I could turn our good down-home Apple products into hoity-toity cakes and such that them Fancy Pony Folks would like."
"That's strange.." Twilight mused.
"What?" Applejack asked.
"The fact that you brought your business to Canterlot and I never even noticed.."
Applejack shrugged dismissively. "Remember?" she frowned. "You was too busy."
Twilight hung her head a little, conscious of the others, especially Rarity, glaring at her.
"Anyways, that's where ma story ends." Applejack concluded her monologue and settled down into her seat, guiltily hiding her honest eyes behind her worn cowgirl hat. She had enough money to pay for a new one now, but she could not part from her old one that had been through as many hard Zap Apple Harvests as she had.
"That can't be the end of the story!" Twilight argued. Though she had not seen Applejack for a decade now, she could still tell when her friend was fibbing - and she was now!
"Oh, it's not over Twilight, darling." Rarity elegantly picked herself off of the cushion where she had been sitting previously and marched herself over to the front of the room where all eyes, naturally, would be on her. "There is much, much more to the story." she sneered under her breath, but yet, just loud enough that they could all faintly make it out.
"A lot more went on after Applejack came to Canterlot." Rarity revealed, all of the ponies focused on what she was saying, except, of course, for Applejack.
"Well, how do you know? Where do you fit into the story?" Twilight Sparkle questioned.
"I was in Canterlot, too, Twilight!" She said this as if it was as obvious as night or day. "This can't come by as too much of a surprise! How could you ever think I would not be in Canterlot? You knew from the day I met you that I'd always dreamed of living there, and so I did. I moved away from Ponyville the second that Filthy Rich saw my potential and financed my business!"
"Filthy Rich? As in Diamond Tiara's father!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in wonder.
"Eeyup - ah, I mean, yes. Indeed."
Twilight and Pinkie exchanged glances. What an odd thing for Rarity to say…
"Well," Rarity continued, "I opened up Madame Rarity's - The most glamorous and talked about boutique in Canterlot!"
Twilight Sparkle once again found herself wondering why she had never seen Rarity's boutique, especially if it was "the most talked about." She had never heard anything of it!
"Can we get to the part that we actually care about?" Rainbow Dash demanded. "You know - let's get to the good stuff!"
Rarity scoffed.
"Well, one day I was having a banner hung outside of my boutique introducing my new Fall Fashions when Applejack came strolling along. I greeted her like friends do, being kind and all, and I offered her inside for a drink or just to catch up. When she saw him, why, that's when she went mad."
The only expression visible on Twilight's face was a blank stare. The other ponies seemed to know what was going on, though.
"That's because you turned my brother into a hoity-toity fancy pants!" Applejack leaped up from her seated position and was nose-to-nose with Rarity in less than two seconds flat.
"WHAT!" Twilight Sparkle cried out with a genuine astonishment. "Big Macintosh.. With RARITY? Big Macintosh … with RARITY? Fancy-pants - WHAT!"
"Is there something wrong?" Rarity snapped.
"No..!" Twilight answered. "It's just-"
"You never thought that someone as elegant as me would ever be with someone as, well, .. different as him?"
Twilight shook her head stupidly, still numb from astonishment.
"Well, Twilight, you can find a Prince Charming in anyone if you look hard enough!"
"If you dress him up enough!" Applejack blurted. A yelling battle suddenly took place between the two. Twilight glanced from Rarity and then back at Applejack. The two ponies were as different as night and day, and yet had managed to be friends for so long. She wasn't going to let them lose something so precious ever again - she had to help them get it back.
"GIRLS!" Fluttershy begged, stopping the fighting once again. Twilight nodded her head to Fluttershy in acknowledgement.
"Applejack!" Twilight Sparkled turned to her honest friend who she had always been able to count on. "Maybe you're jumping to conclusions. Perhaps Big Macintosh really did want a life of glamour." The words sounded absolutely ridiculous coming out of her mouth. They had sounded much better in her head. Applejack gave her a perplexed and doubting look. "Okay, scratch that. Maybe he wanted to be able to fit into Rarity's life. When you love someone enough, you want to change yourself for them; to make them happy. But two ponies in love will always accept each other as they are."
Rarity and Applejack looked at each other with understanding.
"I didn't want him to change to be like me." Rarity confessed, and then paused with a small grin. "Okay, maybe a little. But, really, I liked him just the way he was - big, strong, loving, and a bit of a doofus!"
Twilight expected Applejack to explode again, but she just chuckled. "He is a bit of a doofus, isn't he?" she laughed.
"I meant to tell you that, Applejack, but you just stormed off and I thought that you would never want to associate with me ever again. I'll be sure to let Big Mac know that I like him the way he was. I'm sorry for not trying to confront you." Rarity's apology was genuine and sincere. Twilight noticed that there were tears forming in her eyes. It seemed that her friendships were repairing themselves right before her.
"I forgive ya." Applejack said, and the two ponies hugged, tearing up a little themselves. The two sat down and felt immensely better for have repairing the friendship that they never should have lost.
"So," Twilight inquired, "Who's next?"