A Harmony To Be Treasured (Closed: River)

[Hippo]

Applejack theatrically spectated the rehearsal of the devil's fiddle-playing. As Ra-Ra illustrated in a strange version of interpretive dance that included the playing of a musical instrument, Applejack could allow herself to fulfil the role she was playing. Though it was all scripted and acted out for presentation purposes, she had fun being able to use the natural moxie she had within her, once the instrumental part of the song had finished.

 

Applejack raised an eyebrow and tilted her hat back. She smirked before she rebutted. "When Discord finished, Jackie said, 'Well, you're pretty good, D-cord. But sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it's done!'" Applejack stepped up to center stage where dancers and extra musicians filled out behind her to support her performance. Between each line in the verse, she strummed magical sound waves from her fiddle.

 

"'Fire on the mountain, run girls, run!

Discord's in the house of the Rising Sun.

Chicken in a bread pan pickin' out dough.

Granny, does your dog bite? No foal, no.'"

 

Applejack began her fiddle solo. It was improvised a little, but many of the strums her ones she had made several times before. As she played, she danced and swayed and moved with the percussion and guitars behind her. On the last note of her fiddle solo, she strummed dramatically away from herself and looked back with the confidence of a hero that had won the battle.

[SteelEagle]

 

Applejack was absolutely radiant when she allowed her innate, inborn charisma and talent to shine through an exterior built to withstand the rigors of work. She was a natural. She could do so much more if she wanted to, and it was a credit to her love of family and land that she had little desire to do more than she was now. She didn't need any help from Rara once she got into her role. That boded well for the performance, well for Applejack, and well for Rara. She was, in that moment, a very bright star shining in Rara's eyes. She just had to make sure they ended the song well, and not be the fool.

 

Rara took center stage with a twirl, her eyes a'twinklin' as she did so with menace even as her face was twisted with a frown. "Discord bowed his head 'cause he knew that he'd been beat by the filly's moves," she did with another twirl and bow, and as she did so she motioned to a prop that had been placed there with magic when she had the attention of the crowd.  "And he laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Jackie's hooves!" She said, an elegant motion ceding the floor to the victor, the heroine of the moment. 

[Hippo]

"Jackie said, 'Discord, just come back if you ever wanna try again, cause I told you once, you son of a beast, I'm the best there's ever been.' And she played...

 

"'Fire on the mountain, run girls, run!
Discord's in the house of the Rising Sun.
Chicken in a bread pan pickin' out dough.
Granny, does your dog bite? No foal, no.'"

 

Applejack played her fiddle to the outro, giving the lead back to Coloratura to close the song. She danced as she moved her bow violently back and forth across her violin. She was having a good time, something she never predicted could happen when she thinks about her future as a music performer. But when she finds herself in these moments, it feels much better than she could have predicted, especially with a recording artist to help perfect the stage setup. It was thrilling, not only because she was able to sing her heart out, but also because she was looking over the edge of a cliff, anxiously pondering what the next step could be. Applejack couldn't possibly tour full-time again and break the promise she made to herself and her family, could she?

[SteelEagle]

 

The song came to an end with a flourish, as the backup musicians jammed out through the outro and then just for fun. Rara could barely contain her smile, and then that barely became impossible as she saw Applejack finish the song with the sort of love and panache that only came when you started to lose yourself to the music and performance. For all of her pretense to start the day, it looked as if Applejack still had a lot of that old performer in her just screaming to get out. Rara didn't know just how strong that voice inside her really was, but she was very much willing to delve deep and find out. But for today, it would be enough. No need to push too far.

 

She put her own violin away and eventually motioned for the others to stop. At the end of the session, everypony was pleased, with a round of clapping all around. Stagehands went to inspect props and equipment and musicians either simply moved out for their other jobs or stayed to the side, gently playing their instruments for fun. Rara bounded up to her favorite Apple and put a hoof on the side of her neck. "Applejack, you were fantastic up there! Why, if I didn't know any better I would say you haven't missed a beat. You haven't been playing any secret concerts I should know about, right?" She asked with a chuckle. "Well, what do you wanna do now? We have time for now."

[Hippo]

"Heh. No. Although I do play the fiddle in front of Winona from time to time when Apple Bloom is trying to teach her how to dance. When I'm playing for and in front of ponies I care about, it generally makes me better at doing whatever singin' and instrumentin' I'm doing." She paused and looked at Coloratura with a soft smile.

 

Applejack gently put the fiddle in it's case and fastened all the buckles that kept it safe. As she was carefully checking the tuning of her guitar before putting it away, she answered the question of what she wanted to do next. "Woo wee. I'm pretty famished right now, could go for something to eat. You know how easy it is for me to work up an appetite. Maybe we could go out and get something, give ourselves a change of scenery."

[SteelEagle]

 

The goofy, exhilarating high that Rara always experienced after a performance went well only rarely entered into the world of practice and preparation, but she couldn't help it. It helped that Applejack had been everything as advertised and then some twice over on a Sunday when push came to shove. When everything worked as you imagined it, well then, just about nothing could bring her down. Except for the hunger pains that she had also ignored across the meandering moments of the day before the performance had begun. With that in mind, a hearty lunch was by no means out of the equation.

 

"Oh, yeah. That would probably be a very good idea. I forgot to prepare myself as I should have- totally famished as well. we've been cooped up here at the ranch for a while, I suppose. Maybe we can head towards civilization a bit. There are a few small places to eat near the train station. Nothing that'll knock your fetlocks loose and clear but I think you'll like it. Anything in particular you want, Jackie?"

[Hippo]

"You know this town better than I do. Although, I imagine you probably don't go to many places without paparazzi ponies following you around. Tell ya what, let's just go to a place that isn't out in the open, like maybe a place that would give us a private dining room, and ah won't be too hard to please with the food. I generally wouldn't prefer such an environment, but I'm also not generally around a super-famous pop star with crazy obsessed fans." Applejack teased. "And hey, maybe I'll be your personal bodyguard." She walked inside. "Just lemma wash up and then we can leave."

[SteelEagle]

 

Her heart leaping in her throat notwithstanding the idea of taking Applejack to someplace with a private dining room, Coloratura had to admit the overall agenda had appeal. A nice long meal with candlelight and the proper lighting certainly pressed the right buttons. Of course, this was Mustangia and even the outer edges of it had the character of the old mustangs more than anything else, even with her compound bringing a small oasis of Manehattan into the deal. "Well, in Manehattan you'd be right," she said as she started to get herself ready for the walk to teh nearest restaurant, not too far from the train station they had arrived at. "Most of Equestria, I'd think so too. Luckily, this is Mustangia. No doubt a bunch of paparazzis followed me here but after a few days they tend to leave. There is always some other celebrity to harass, after all," she said as she looked herself over in a mirror. Light clothing for a warm day, well suited.

 

"I think we'll be pretty safe. I know most of the store-owners in the area in any case, sure I can get them to work with us," she said as she played around with a necklace. It was an older one with a blue ruby held inside of a gold and dark blue tinged gold piece. Too flashy? Not flashy enough? She wasn't trying to show off too much, even if the necklace did cost six thousand bits. Satisfied with her outfit in any case, she fidgeted a bit here and there while she waited for the Apple mare to finish washing up. "Have anything nice to wear?"

[Hippo]

Applejack paused. "Uh. Oh, no, not really. Should I wear something nice? I wasn't sure because normally I wouldn't wear anything, but I also don't want to be outta place if we're going somewhere that you might dress up for. In any case, what do you suggest? Any outfits you can lend me? I know you probably got more clothes than a tree has leaves." Applejack wasn't expecting the rest of the evening to be that eventful, outside the usual antics that two mares out on the town can have. Though she wouldn't normally prepare an outfit for the same occasion in Ponyville, she knew that this wasn't her hometown, and Coloratura had different expectations and lifestyle choices. She figured the least thing she could do is try to match whatever aesthetic her host was trying to display.

[SteelEagle]

 

 

"You don't have to dress up or anything if you don't want to. Like I said, we should be good for most of the restaurants in the area. I usually just wear a hat or something if it is a bit sunny, but there isn't much use in dressing up. There aren't enough ponies around to blend in so if the papparazi wanna get you, they'll get you. And if you wanna dress to impress...well, rest assured, you're plenty impressive enough," Rara said, allowing that last sentence to escape even as she grasped at the trailing edge of the words to stuff it back down into a deep, dark hole. She was too late, and decided to just not comment any further on it rather than dig herself a freshly marked grave. Keeping her expression the same and allowing the awkward comments to die, she trotted into one of the bathrooms.

 

"If you did want to dress up, the first closet in my room has some outfits you may like. So, uhh, if you want. No pressure, I'm just gonna freshen up" she said with a smile as she trotted into the bathroom. Once the door was locked she collapsed onto the floor like a total fool. She considered diving into the toilet or shower drain and hiding out of sheer embarassment or even launching herself out of the narrow window heading outside, glass or no. She wanted to run, hide, die. Her stupid, stupid, stupid mouth saying stupid things was going to lead her to stupid places doing stupid...she took a deep breath and calmed herself down, going through the motions of freshening up.

 

It was going to be okay. friends complimented other friends all the time, right? Applejack probably didn't even notice it. And if she did notice it, she probably thought, "wow what a nice friend being so flattering" not, "oh wow is Rara hitting on me for land's sakes". So, yeah. Everything was going to be fine, just fine.
She freshened up, cleaning herself up well and giving herself a nice confidence boosting wink in the mirror before trotting back out, ready and raring to go.

[Hippo]

Applejack felt Coloratura was laying it on a little thick with the compliments of her figure. It wasn't anything Applejack wasn't used to, and typically the small amount of cat-calling that would occur in Ponyville bounced off Applejack like it was nothing. And even her friends would compliment her quite vigorously, and Rarity on occasion would say something about Applejack's finesse, even though it would only happen if the unicorn caught her right after a shower and not during any other time in the day in which she was just minutes passed throwing hay bales. Still, Applejack was amazed at how close Ra-Ra seemed to be getting. It was in some ways very similar to what Applejack remembered about her when she was a filly. Ra-Ra was very easy to get along with. She had a shy barrier, but once it was broken through, the filly would become your best friend within a few hours of common bond.

 

Applejack went to one of her host's many closets and begin searching through it to see if there was anything that caught her eye. And in fact there was. Something about it was familiar. It looked like the outfit the Countess had worn during the weekend she visited Ponyville for the Helping Hooves Music Festival. Suddenly, Applejack was transported into what she would look like if she had worn it. After that moment of realization, she shook her head and looked for another. The next one actually looked rather casual, and after pulling it out, Applejack decided immediately she was going to wear it. It was nice, not too much, casual, but also spiffy. She could have looked for more, but there was no point in wasting all night trying to find something to wear, especially if Applejack wouldn't have worn anything except for her hat, had she been going out under any other circumstance.

 

After a few moments of sliding on the outfit, Applejack fit her hat back on and looked at herself in the mirror for three tenths of a second and walked out into the common room to wait on Coloratura.

 

[SteelEagle]

 

Coloratura was happy to have her moment of weakness and close-call with deep embarrassment behind her. She didn't do it very well. She so very often found herself in command of the situation and of herself. On the stage she commanded attention and she had learned to rule the ebbs and flows of others alongside her. In the media and in her life she approached her duties and friendships with engagement and energy, always happy, always pleased, and always aware of where she was and how she was coming across. She didn't know how she was coming across now and she sure as sun didn't feel like she was in command of the situation. 
But guess what? That was okay. Once she had reoriented herself she just made peace with the fact that her feelings were tilting her into the part of the fool a bit much and as long as she didn't start becoming a poor friend and worse host, it would turn out okay.

 

Her confidence was high as she trotted out of her bathroom and in quick order discovered Applejack, ready herself for a nice night on the town. She had chosen a very flattering top, a nice warm denim number that was a ready companion in the cold nights that could sometimes imperil one on a Mustangia night. Rara would admit that she was a little shocked that the piece even fit Applejack, but she chalked it up to Applejack's considerably stockier form filling out the sections that Rara's longer barrel and limbs slid into naturally. "Well, that does look good on you. You look like a proper Mustang now, Apples," Rara said with an easy laugh as she bounded by the mare and picked up her own ensemble for the night, a light blue and white sweater that was certainly more showy than Applejack's. It still contained a wonderfully firm layer against the skin, but she did not spare her desire for something fetching in pursuit of something functional.  

 

She threw it on quickly, and soon looked at Applejack with sparkling joy. "Well, these two mares are ready for a night out on the town! Or, well, whatever you wish to call that collection of businesses next to the train station," she said as she started her trot downstairs. Once there she spoke loud and clearly, ensuring nopony would miss it. "Okay everypony, after you're done with any last cleanup tasks you're done for the evening! Get some shuteye," she said as she looked back at Apples, "we work hard, and now we play hard! And eat hard. Especially that."

[Hippo]

As expected, Coloratura was the better dressed mare. And Applejack was fine with that. It was inevitable and she was willing to lose the wardrobe battle, especially knowing a gal like her would understand anyway. She listened as she addressed her team of dancers and stagehooves. "Yeeeehaw!" Applejack agreed as Coloratura announced the end of the workday and the departing of the two's quest for a relaxing evening meal. It seemed contrary to all the diet restrictions she had explained she was on earlier, but Applejack assumed Rara had a cheat meal in play, or that she was just being fun. Either way, the mare's insistence on playing and eating hard was likely the truest words Applejack had heard her say all week. "Let's go get it!" Applejack walked out of the complex and waited for Coloratura to lead the way, since she knew where they were headed.

[SteelEagle]

 

As Rara strolled, her sweater gently moving with the short breeze that blew from time to time, her hooves gently flying over the path that wound its way through the estate and towards the station. She carried a well-worn faux-leather saddlebag over her shoulder, containing a bit satchel and a small notebook. Her eyes exuded a mixture of curiosity and eagerness, absorbing the sights and sounds of the landscape around her in equality with how it took in Applejack. She occasionally paused to admire a particularly vibrant flower or to observe the playful antics of a pair of squirrels darting among the few trees that lined the edge of the estate. She was in no great rush; the company was beyond pleasant.
"Stars above, a sparkling dance;
In night's enchanting, wide expanse.
Mustang life, serene and true;
With skies of endless azure hue," she whispered for just the two of them as she looked over her Mustangia paradise. "I always think of Cerbat's poetry whenever I return home. I love Manehattan, don't get me wrong, but I feel like I could never truly say goodbye to this place."

Approaching the train station, they would see a copse of a few businesses tending to the needs of the travelers and the well-to do estate she owned. It looked much like the main street of a western town, if somewhat more service focused and less busy as no train was in.

[Hippo]

Applejack liked all of the parts of Coloratura's personality and commentary that she could relate with the most, particularly the bit about the amount of love she has for her homeland. "That's how I feel too, about Sweet Apple Acres. Don't mind being away for a little bit, but whenever I'm away, the plan is always to go back home." She could have also mentioned she never got a full night's rest outside of Ponyville, but she didn't want to burden the singer with her minor inconveniences. Applejack was silent for a moment as the two paced towards the row of restaurant destinations before chuckling out loud and then explaining why. "Heh heh. I imagine you'll need to find a good stallion who either lives here or is willing to move permanently to your place. 'Cuz even though you travel a lot, you make no mistake about where home is."

[SteelEagle]

 

"Well, sometimes life forces a compromise on you. I am a Mustang at heart, but a songstress by trade and that trade takes me far and away from her. I've done it often enough and long enough that while I could never truly say goodbye to this place, I also don't feel as though I need to live here to really...feel it. When a place embeds itself in your bones, it travels with you. Home is where the heart is," she said as they continued their lazy gait towards their destination. Rara had spent much of her life traveling Equestria; she could live and do so comfortably just about anywhere, and felt at ease. Homesickness was a trauma long since defeated, especially once she understood that home was only as far away as you allowed it to be. Home was often the ponies you associated with it, the breezes and the songs, the cultures and the taste of the air. She often returned, but she carried those memories and those ties with her across the world. Mustangia never left her behind, and she likewise carried it with her no matter what.

 

"Stallion?" She offered, followed by a small pause as they drew closer in. "Oh, yes. Well, maybe, perhaps not. I've had a few stallions in the past and I think I don't enjoy the taste very much. I've sent that meal back to the kitchen," she added with a dry chortle as she looked out over the shops and restaurants. It was strange seeting what seemed like the main street of a mid-sized upscale village and farmer's town rolled into one, and then surrounded by Mustangia open ground and a train but such was the standard of many such train stops across the Strand. "Oooh, how about some soup and heavy grains? That'd fill me right up. What about you?"