Chapter Twenty-One
Starburst was lucky to not lose sight of her. She had never expected to witness a quarrel between partners. Was this meant to happen? Was this meant to be her next trial?
...Was this her fault?
It's difficult to know what to look for. It's difficult to figure out where the problem lies. The only thing at this point was to find a lead with SweeTango. At least she's the only pony she had kept ties with, and to always believe in herself just like Applejack said. Thinking about it made her lose focus on where the upset pony ran off to...until she slowed down to hear her sobs from the back side of the barn.
"SweeTango…" she began. "I'm so sorry for what happened. This has to be my fault for interfering..."
"Starburst…" she sniffled. "No, it's not your fault. It's mine for letting you hear us fight. I don't know what could have went wrong. Was I in the wrong? Was there something I couldn't see but he could?"
"But you had every reason to be upset! You wanted to open with him together, but he instead put you asleep on purpose. Why would he do that?"
"I don't know…" the sad mare wiped her eyes. "Perhaps he was trying to prove a point? But...I can't figure out what that could be. Maybe...I'm just a terrible partner and he doesn't want anything to do with me."
"That's not true! There's no way he would have rebelled if that was the case! You shouldn't give up!"
"I appreciate you for trying to help, Starburst, but…there's no point in fixing things. With the way things are, he doesn't need me. He has things covered. I should just leave the event altogether so I wouldn't be in the way."
'I want to help him!'
That voice again…
'Zestar Apple is my partner...I would never want to part from him!'
"...You don't want to leave him." The ashen mare replied. SweeTango perked up to her answer.
"...What?"
"You and Zestar Apple have been working together for so long that you're practically attached at the hip. You both know the ins and outs of your business, so why throw it all away because of your fight?"
"How...did you know that?"
"It's strange, but at crucial times of need, I know what your heart is saying."
"My heart…? But how would you know? Why would you put so much confidence in it?"
"You've told me before that once I find where I fit, I need to shine brightest in that field," The pony smiles. "And that field is, I would never want you to give up."
The orange pony never expected to hear her own words being used against her. She never expected that Starburst would go so far to help another pony in need. They only met yesterday. She was surprised they were able to hit it off so well. Starburst had every opportunity to fend for herself, but instead stayed by her side. Even though they had known each other for a short time, she had cheered right up.
...That's what true friendship is.
"...Thank you," she smiled. "You'd really do anything just to come through for me, huh?"
"Anything for a friend," the white pony smiled. "Now think. What would be the reason why Zestar Apple was upset with you?"
"He seemed really adamant about the overall sales," she said. "He mentioned that his new items sold more than any other item."
"Maybe that was why he was against the ideas in your notebook."
SweeTango began flipping through it on a whim.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right." As she was flipping through, she stopped at a page with writing that wasn't her own. "Wait a minute...What's this? Cinna-twists? Mascarpone Berry Bars? Jelly Jams? ...Apple Blasts?"
"What's wrong?"
The orange mare went back to compare each recipe with the new ones written.
"These recipes...They're exactly the same."
"Really?"
"This is Zestar's writing. He only changed the name to promote these products."
"So he did consider your ideas! But why would he change the name?"
Something clicked in SweeTango's head.
"...I know why," she began. "And I've really been a jerk for not realizing it."
"What do you mean?"
"I've learned a lot from my family's field, so it was easy to conjure recipes and figure out the best pairings. But that was supposed to be Zestar's job, and I took it away from him…"
"I'm sure you were only doing what a marketing pony would do, right?"
"Yes, but my job is to present it. I can easily make anything sound palatable, but it can't be brought to life without him…"
The white pony puts a hoof on her shoulder.
"That means there's still time to make amends," she smiled. "I'll go with you!"
"What in tarnation is goin on over there!?"
The two ponies head around to the front of the barn only to find the Apple family noticing a huge crowd gathered in one area.
"Applejack!" Starburst called. "What's wrong?"
"Either there's a vendor with products that's sellin like hot cakes, or that's the biggest angry mob I've ever seen happen at the Golden Apple Harvest!"
"They certainly don't sound angry…" Granny said.
"Eeeyup!" The brother colt nodded.
"I wanna check it out!" Apple Bloom said eagerly.
"No way, Apple Bloom," Applejack stopped her. "Who's to say it's not the second choice I said?"
"Why do I feel like it might be…?" SweeTango worries. "Our stand is centered over there! Zestar might be in trouble!"
"If that's the case, then Big Mac and I will help clear a path through the crowd." The orange mare turned to Starburst. "You're coming too, right?"
"I agreed to stick with SweeTango till this gets resolved," she answered. "She and Zestar had a fight and she wants to make up."
"Then there's no more time to waste. Let's get going!"
The four ponies quickly hurried to the crowded site without another word.