A Delicate Balance

by JapaneseTeeth

Rating: Everyone
Tags: Romance, Slice of Life
Length: 289,001 words

What happens when you realize that your feelings for one of your friends aren't quite the same as your feelings for the rest of them? Do you just prefer some friends for others, or is it a sign of something deeper? What do you do with those feelings? Hide them? Admit them? And how will the rest of your friends react when they find out?

Twilight is going to have to do her best to find the answers, because they're anything but obvious.

------

Yes, this is a story about romance, but I'm trying to use it to explore the relationships between the characters and see how they'd really react if romantic feelings ever did crop up, and how such a development would impact the cast as a whole.

Now with a TvTropes page!

There's also a dramatic reading in progress on youtube, here.

And also an updated verison of the cover, courtesy of Novel Idea.

Published Jun 12, 2012 on fimfiction.net
Last Updated Oct 13, 2014

The Sun Rising

“Dear Princess Celestia,

"I need your help!  Something weird is going on with me and my friends and I really need some advice.”

No.  That's too desperate.  Calm down, Twilight.  Don't freak out.  There hasn't been any disaster yet.  I don't want to sound crazy.  Be rational.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

"In the course of my interaction with my circle of friends, I have noticed a rather alarming trend in our communications.  I seem to have—”

Arggghh! No! that's too detached.  I can't treat my friends like an experiment!  The whole reason I'm writing this is because I want to do it right.  Okay, middle of the road this time.  Not too emotional, not too objective.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

"I really hate to bother you like this but I think I might be messing up my friendship with my friends—"

No.  That's redundant. “Friendship with my friends”, ugh.  Let's try this again.  I think I have the right idea here. I just need to relax.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

"I really hate to bother you like this, but I'm having some real trouble with my friends.  Well, my friends are all doing fine, and I'm fine too, but I think I might have messed up our friendship somehow.  It's not like we had a fight or anything, though.  We're all getting along just fine.  Almost too well, in some cases.  Or in one case, as the case may be...”

Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime,

Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.

—The Sun Rising,

John Donne

The library was silent save for the scratching of a quill on paper and the occasional frustrated grunt.  Twilight stood in front of her desk, which was strewn with crumpled scrolls.  The failed drafts were illuminated by the few stray beams of sunlight that squeezed through the gaps in the curtains.  Her schedule allotted sufficient time for four drafts, five if she hurried.  At the moment draft number seventeen was in progress.  She glanced at the clock, so quickly that she barely registered the time it showed, then back at the most recent draft.  The movement of the quill ceased as she weighed the prospect of throwing her schedule off even further against her desire to perfect her message.  With a sigh, she crumpled the paper into yet another ball, tossed it to the side, and slid a new one to the center of the desk.  It had to be perfect.

“Twilight?”

“Huh!?”  Twilight spun around, her tail knocking almost everything off the desk.  She winced at the ugly sound of everything falling, but something else immediately dominated her attention.  Rarity stood in the library doorway.

“Are you alright?”  She eyed Twilight's mane with concern.  The edges were beginning to curl a bit, and several stray sprigs of hair poked out at odd angles.  Aside from being decidedly dowdy (although in their teenage years it might have passed for the fashion of the day), it was a telltale sign of mental instability.  Rarity remembered what had happened the last time Twilight's hair curled on its own and shuddered.  Fortunately, this breakdown still seemed to be in the early stages.

“I'm fine!”  Twilight said a little too enthusiastically.  “Perfectly fine!  Just a bit tired.”

“I see.” Rarity smiled and nodded.  Out of all the ponies she knew, Twilight was... not quite the worst liar.  That would be Applejack, but Twilight was gaining ground.  “Are you quite sure you're alright?  This doesn't really seem like you.”  Rarity indicated the scrunched-up scrolls that now littered the floor.

“Oh, that. I — uh... just a moment.”  Twilight turned towards the desk, pulling a drawer open.  She waved her head at the papers, scooping them all up with her magic and crushing them as she kicked the drawer halfway shut.  She glared at it and began to push it the rest of the way with her magic.  The papers crunched in protest as the drawer slid into place. “There we go! Now, what—”  The drawer popped back open, and the papers flew everywhere.  Twilight groaned and snatched them out of the air and into the wastebasket. She took a deep breath and turned back to her visitor.  “Now, what brings you here so early in the morning?”

“Twilight, it's almost lunchtime.”

“Huh?”  She glanced at the clock.  “Oh, no!  How in Equestria did I miss that!?  Now I really need to rearrange my schedule!”  A quick levitation later half a dozen calendars and day planners covered the desk.  The purple unicorn darted back and forth, flipping the pages and jabbing at them with her quill. “I don't suppose you could come back later?”

“I suppose...,”  Rarity said.  Half of her wanted to back slowly out of the room and hightail it back to her shop.  She had several outstanding orders to fulfill, and chances were that whatever Twilight was worrying about wasn't nearly as big of a problem as she thought.  On the other hoof, if Twilight thought something was going to be a problem, it would probably turn into a problem in short order, no matter how insignificant it seemed at the start.  And then there was the matter of the fact that disastrous consequences aside, something was clearly bothering Twilight, who was now pacing back in forth in front of the desk muttering to herself. Even if it was nothing, that nothing seemed to be eating away at her.  Even if it meant that Carousel Boutique wouldn't be making a profit today, Rarity felt that she had to at least try to snap her friend out of it.  Oh bother, this was going to be a long day.

“...Not.” Rarity took a step forward and put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, stopping the nervous pacing.  “Twilight, something is very clearly bothering you.  You're acting all jittery, you have bags under your eyes, you're obsessing over your schedule again, and what's more your mane is a mess.  The last time I saw you like this, you accidentally brainwashed the entire town.  Now please, tell me what it is that's on your mind!”

Twilight's cheerful facade deflated completely.  Her entire body slumped and she began to rub her forehead.  Rarity bit her lip, afraid that she had been a little too forceful.

“It's—it's rather difficult to explain,” Twilight mumbled.  “I mean, I spent all night trying to figure out how to write it down.”

“Well, I suppose if you really don't want to tell me, you don't have to,”  Rarity offered.  Maybe Twilight would be able to solve this on her own.  Rarity had a deadline bearing down on her, and she wasn’t quite as far along with her work as she had planned.

“No, it's okay.” Twilight answered.  “I've been thinking about this for a while, and I really wanted to tell somepony.  I was going to write a letter to Celestia asking about it, but I had to wait until Spike was out of town.  I kinda wanted to keep it private because, well, it involves us.  Our friends, I mean.”

“I see.”

“But since it's something that could affect you, I guess it would be better if I talked to you about it.”

“It could affect me?”  Rarity raised an eyebrow.  She didn't like the sound of this.

“Well, not you in particular, but all of you.”

“All of who?”

“All of my friends.  My close friends, at least.”

Rarity swallowed.

“T—Twilight, can you please stop dancing around the issue and just tell me what it is that's worrying you?”

“I want to!  That's why I couldn't get the letter written.  I don't know how to put it into words.”  She sighed.  “Maybe I should just show you.  That's how I noticed it, after all.”

She focused her telekinesis on a large binder sitting on a nearby shelf.  It scraped ominously as it slid across the wood and into the air.

“What is that?” Rarity asked.

“These are my schedules for the past few months.”  Twilight opened the binder and held it in front of Rarity, slowly turning the pages.  “Do you notice anything odd?”

Rarity stared at the pages as they passed through her vision.  Twilight was moving them slowly, but they were so densely packed that Rarity could barely skim the information they contained.  If anything surprised her, it was that the schedule actually contained entries other than “enter activities in schedule”.

“Uh, I think you might be spending a bit too much time on scheduling, but I can't really see anything else.”

“Okay, how about the color coded schedules?”  Twilight replaced the binder and pulled out another nearly identical one from the same shelf.

“You took the time to make a separated color-coded schedule?”  Rarity couldn't help but sound incredulous.

“You're the one who had a couch specially made for fainting.”

Rarity just half-smiled as Twilight held out the second schedule book.

“Okay, the purple is my studying time, the green spaces are miscellaneous chores like getting food and whatnot, the shaded spaces are sleeping—”

Rarity cleared her throat in a “get to the point” manner.

“—and these other colors are the time I spend with my friends.  The white spaces are the time I spent with you, like yesterday when we went to the spa.  The blue spaces are helping Rainbow Dash train, the pink spaces are when I was with Pinkie at Sugarcube Corner, et cetera.”  She began to flip through the pages again.  “Now do you see it?”

“Um, I don't really...” Rarity watched the pages turn.  Every one of them was scattered with various colors.  She couldn't see anything particularly out of the ordinary other than the fact that Twilight had gone to such trouble to put it together.  “Wait, is that—?”  Something was changing, but she couldn't quite put her hoof on it.  Something to do with the way the colors were grouped.  No, wait.  It was the ratio of color to color. It was changing.  On the first few pages the blocks were splattered evenly across the pages, but now... “That's an awful lot of orange. It seems that lately you've been spending an inordinate amount of time with... I'm going to guess Applejack.”

Twilight nodded.

“And this is a problem because?”

“Because it's unfair to everypony else!” Twilight cried out in frustration.

“Yes, but now that you've realized that there's a problem, surely it won't be difficult to remedy the situation.  If you think you spend too much time with Applejack and not enough time with your other friends, isn't the obvious solution to just schedule things differently?  You know, spend more time with your other friends?  Not that you neglect Applejack, of course.”

“That won't help!  I, well...”  She stared at the floor.  “I actually noticed that I was spending more time with Applejack a few weeks ago.  That's the whole problem.  I noticed that the time I spent with my friends was getting skewed, so I decided that I'd try to balance things out, and...”  Her voice trailed off.

“And?”

“It didn't work.  At all.” Twilight took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure.  “I tried.  I really did.  But I just kept... I don't know.  I kept forgetting, and it just kept ending up that way.  If I look back through all my records it's so obvious, but when I'm out and about, and ponies ask me if I have anything going on that afternoon, or if I have plans, or if I'm busy, somehow I just keep messing it up.  Remember when you invited me to go to on that shopping trip with you last week and I said that I couldn't because I had to reorganize the library?”

“Yes, I recall asking you to come along.”

“Well, I declined because I honestly thought that it would take me all day to do it.  I wasn't trying to lie my way out of it or anything.”  Twilight looked up at Rarity, tears shimmering at the corners of her eyes.  “I wanted to go with you, I really did, but I just didn't think I had the time.”

“And that's perfectly fine.”

“That's not it!  Soon after you left, like maybe half an hour later, I met Applejack and she asked me if I wanted to help her harvest the south field.  Even though everything was the same I still said 'yes' for some reason!  It's not like I like her more than I like you, because I like you a lot and you're one of my best friends, but every time I do something like this it feels like I'm playing favorites, and—”

“Wait, stop this ranting for just a moment, please!” Rarity's voice was sharp, a bit sharper than she intended.  Still, it had the desired effect.  Twilight's rant-momentum stopped dead.  Keeping her neurosis from snowballing was the primary measure in preventing a total breakdown. “I understand why something like that might worry you, but really, it isn't a big deal.”

“What do you mean?”

“First of all, a shipping incident meant that the stores I visited that day were out of stock in all the most fashionable items, and what they did have was far too expensive, so you didn't miss much.  It was more or less a waste of time.   More importantly, my invitation and Applejack's request were hardly the same thing.  I asked you to accompany me on a purely recreational outing, so it is only natural that you would place a higher priority on reorganization.  Applejack, on the other hoof, had a practical request for assistance.  You, being a good friend—” Rarity put extra emphasis on the words. “—would naturally want to help her out, even if it meant that your own plans had to be pushed back.”

“I know that. But—but that's not how I made the decision!”  Twilight wailed.  “I didn't really think about it at all.  For some reason when Applejack asked me about it, suddenly neatening up the library just didn't seem like a problem.  It didn't have anything to do with whether she needed my help or not.  Just look at this!”  She flipped a few pages in the schedule book.  “Look!  Just yesterday Pinkie Pie asked me if I could help her decorate the cupcakes for Truffle Shuffle's birthday party this afternoon.  I said I couldn't because I had some reports to write up and I needed the extra time because Spike's in Canterlot.  And then Applejack asked me if I wanted to come over to the farm to sample the first batch of cider and I said 'Yes'!”

“I just don't get it!  It's not that I dislike Pinkie Pie or anything. I mean, yeah, dealing with her can be a bit frustrating after a while, but that's true of anypony!  I didn't have any real reason not to help her.  She needed my help more than Applejack did, but I still blew her off.  How could I do something like that?”  Twilight put her forelegs to her head and curled herself into a ball.  “Friends aren't supposed to do things like that!  I'm not supposed to have favorites!  I'm a terrible friend!”

Rarity bit her lip.  She was beginning to worry.  Not that Twilight was a bad friend, of course; the fact that her apparent favoritism bothered her so much was proof that she was actually quite a good friend.  Yet, Twilight's worries weren't quite as baseless as she had first assumed.  It was certainly uncharacteristic of Twilight to worm her way out of a request for help in favor of a social outing.  Of course, that didn't change the fact that Twilight was overreacting.

“Twilight, you are most definitely not a terrible friend.”  She patted the purple unicorn on the head.  “Everypony slips up, no matter how hard they try.  Believe me, I know.  Need I remind you of my unfortunate lapse in judgment during the Best Young Fliers competition?  Compared to that foolishness, this barely means anything.  If you were a bad friend, you wouldn't even care about who you spent your time with.  So, please, forget any notions of that.  At worst, you're a good friend who just needs to pay more attention to her priorities.”

“Thank you for saying that, but it still bothers me,”  Twilight said with a groan. “I still shouldn't have favorites like this!”

“Twilight, it's only natural that you'd spend more time with some friends rather than others.  It doesn't mean that you like some more than others.  I probably spend more time with you or with Fluttershy than I do with, I don't know, let's say Rainbow Dash.  I hardly dislike her at all; she's a very dear friend to me.  But we simply don't have as much in common.  She's always off flying and crashing and exercising and doing all sorts of things that I don't have any interest in.  And I spend my time working on developing new fashions or investigating the ones that are out there, and I hardly think that Rainbow Dash would be the least bit interested in those activities.  It hardly means that we dislike each other.  We just don't share as many interests.  I still make it a point to see the occasional airshow with her.”

“But I don't really share any interests with Applejack,” Twilight answered.  “We have almost nothing in common!  She likes exercising, and working around the farm and stuff like that.  And me, I spend all my time inside, reading and studying.  I study magic; she doesn't even do any magic.  Well, I guess she does Earth Pony magic, but that's so different from what I study that it doesn't really matter.”

“That is a bit odd,” Rarity said.  “Do you think you can explain why you enjoy spending so much time with Applejack? I'd like to know how you feel when you're talking to her.”

“It's just... different somehow.”  Twilight trotted over to her table and slumped down beside it.  “I don't know how to explain it.  Whenever I'm with her I just feel like I'm enjoying myself more, even if we're doing something that I'd usually hate.  Like when I helped her plant their new field.  It was so boring and haphazard and disorganized and it was hot out and I should have been miserable!  But she was there the whole time and well, it just wasn't as bad as it should have been.”

“I see.”  Rarity narrowed her eyes.  A thought passed through her mind, and she dismissed it.  Surely it couldn't be that.  Then again... “Tell me more,” she said.

“It wasn't like she was helping me work or anything; she had her own work to do.  We just talked.  It wasn't even about things that I really care about.  She was talking about farming and how you have to fertilize the ground properly and all sorts of stuff that I wouldn't really have any use for.  But I listened to all of it.  She cared so much that I couldn't help but pay attention.  It made the time fly by so quickly.  Just having her there made it bearable.  I didn't even notice the sun, or how thirsty I was, or— What are you looking at me like that for?”

Rarity's glance had softened, and her eyes relaxed.  Her lips curled into a small, knowing smirk.  Her suspicions weren't quite confirmed, but they were certainly strengthened.  Twilight being Twilight, the telltale signs were a bit atypical, but they were certainly present.

“Twilight, what do you think about Applejack?”  she asked.  “Not about yesterday in particular, but in general.  I'd like to know what you think of her.”

“Well, she's honest, obviously.  You know, because it's her element.  But she's still so nice that she's never mean about it.  She always has really good advice about things because she's so down to earth.  And she's such such a good worker.  She's way more reliable than I am.  Sometimes I wish I was more like her and I didn't have all these stupid little hangups about my checklists and stuff.  And she's so strong!  When she's dragging around those hay bales I can hardly believe that she's able to do that, but she does it so easily.  It's so impressive, sometimes I think that I could just watch her working all day."

“Interesting.  What do you think about her voice?”

“Well, she has that unique accent, and it makes her fun to listen to sometimes.  And sometimes she uses those quaint idioms and it's kind of cute, actually.  Maybe that's why I like talking with her so much.  I really like the sound of her voice.  It's so smooth, but it also has a bit of strength to it—”

“What about her coat?”

“Her coat?  Well, I'm usually not a big fan of orange, but her coat is really more of a goldish color.  It goes really well with her mane.  They're both golden, but there's still a nice contrast there.  It really matches well with her cutie mark and— wait, why are you asking me about Applejack's coat?  What does that have to do with anything?”

Rarity's smirk had grown into a broad smile.  She sat at the table, across from Twilight, and put a hoof on her friend's shoulder.

“Twilight, I think I may know what's going on here.”

“You do?”

“Well, I'm not entirely sure—”

“Can you tell me!?”  Twilight grabbed Rarity and shook her excitedly.  “This has been bugging me for weeks!”

“Yes, of course.”  Rarity twisted herself out of Twilight's grasp. “You'll just have to bear with me here, because this may seem a bit strange.”

“I don't care!  Tell me!”

“If you insist.”  Rarity took a deep breath, preparing herself for the inevitable reaction.  “Twilight, I believe that you might have a crush on Applejack.”

“Huh?” Twilight's jaw dropped.  Her eyes stared forward at nothing as she made a failed attempt to force coherent words out of her mouth.

“Now, I understand that it may sound a bit—”

“What!?”  Twilight finally managed to get a word out as she leaped to her hooves.  It was choked and strained, but it was there.  The purple unicorn's entire body began to tremble.  The edges of her mane began to curl. “How can— why would you say that!?”

“Twilight, please calm down!”  Rarity shoved Twilight back into a sitting position and began to smooth out the curls in Twilight's mane.  “I know it shocked you a bit, but I must ask that you just hear me out.”

“Okay, fine!” Twilight said.  She was still fidgeting, rubbing her hooves together and twitching, but at least she didn't seem in imminent danger of a breakdown.

“Now then.”  Rarity sat down.  This situation had to be handled carefully. “I fully understand if you choose not to believe me and, well, I don't want to sound egotistical, but I've been on the receiving end of a fair amount of romantic attention.  I've grown quite adept at recognizing the signs of that sort of thing and to be honest, you seem to be displaying several of them.”

“Signs, like—like what?”  Twilight's voice cracked.  Even her vocal cords were shivering.

“Well, you've subconsciously re-arranged your entire schedule for the sake of spending more time with her, you find enjoyment in her mere presence regardless of how much you'd dislike the situation otherwise, you find her conversation utterly engaging even when you couldn't care less about the subject matter, when I asked you to describe her you didn't give me a single negative attribute-”

“But- but that can't be!”  Twilight croaked.  “I know that you probably know more about that kind of thing than I do, but this is ridiculous!  I've been friends with Applejack for so long now.  Just friends.  Good friends, but just friends!  Friends aren't supposed to get crushes on each other!  Everything was going along just fine, and now you're telling me that I'm in love with-”

“Now just hold on a moment!” Rarity interrupted.  “I never mentioned anything about being in love!”

“But you just said—”

“I said that you probably had a crush.  That's entirely different.  Being 'in love' is a much more... dedicated state.  What you're experiencing may just be infatuation.”

“Infatuation?”

“A passing fancy,” Rarity explained.  “While I have no doubt that you do care deeply for Applejack, as you do for all your friends, this sudden spat of affection may be entirely temporary.  Crushes are quite fickle, and sometimes happen almost at random.  Just think of Spike.  He developed a crush on me within mere moments of my introduction, based entirely on my appearance.” Rarity paused to flip her mane with her hoof.  “  Of course, it's not quite the same situation, but I think it shows how arbitrary infatuation can be.  Perhaps the same thing happened with Applejack."

“So there's really that much of a difference between love and just having a crush?”

“You could say that.  Love is a very tricky subject.  It can mean a lot of different things.  For instance, you've repeatedly told me that you love studying, but that hardly means that you have a romantic desire for your books.  Or I'm sure that you most definitely love your brother, but that is not a romantic interest either.”  She lowered her voice. “Although I must admit that the way you acted before his wedding was a bit suspicious.”

“So the difference between loving somepony and having a crush on them is how you feel about them?”  Twilight cocked her head to the side.  “I'm not sure I'm following you.”

“It's not quite like that,”  Rarity said.  She didn't fully understand the subject herself.  “Love isn't really a feeling, exactly.  It's more of...,” She searched for the right word, couldn't find it, and settled for the closest thing she could think of. “...an attitude, I suppose.  I most assuredly love my little sister very much, but that hardly means that her presence always makes me happy.  She can be quite the hooffull sometimes, you know.”

“I sure do,” Twilight said, smiling slightly for the first time that day.

“More than anything, it's that I resolved to do my best to care about her even when I don't really feel like it.  But we're rather getting off the topic at hoof here.  While I'm absolutely sure that you do love Applejack after a fashion, you aren't necessarily in love with her.  And even then I certainly cannot be sure.  I can only tell you what I think it looks like.”

“So what should I do then?”

“That is up to you.”  Rarity pointed at Twilight.  “I may be able to know a crush when I see one, but I don't really know much about how to deal with having one.”

“You mean you've never had a crush on another pony before?”

“Well, I did have a bit of a crush on Prince Blueblood.  Of course, then I found out that he was a boorish snob, and that ended things quite quickly.  It's actually quite a superb example of how capricious that sort of affection can be.  It sprang up without even meeting him, and it vanished just as suddenly.”

“So you think that it might just go away on its own?”  Twilight asked.

“It may.”  Rarity shrugged. “I truly have no idea.”

“You don't know what I should do, then?”  Twilight said with a sigh.

“I can't tell you what to do,” Rarity said. “Whether it's just love or infatuation, it's different for everypony.  However, I can tell you what I think you should do.”

“Yes?”  Twilight whipped a notepad and quill out from under the table.

“Keeping in mind that this is only my opinion on the matter, I think that you should spend more time with Applejack.  Not that you should neglect your other friends, of course, but you ought to see if you can figure out whether this is a simple infatuation or something more.  Go to her cider sampling this afternoon.  Talk to her.  Consider exactly why you enjoy your time spent with her.  Maybe you simply have more in common with her than you think.  If it's just a simple crush it'll eventually go away.  Maybe she'll do something particularly uncouth, and it will vanish completely.  If not, we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“We?”

“Of course.  Not that I'm going to be chaperoning or anything.  I just want you to know that if you ever want to discuss the matter further, you come talk to me about about it.  It doesn't matter where or when.  You're my friend and if you need my help, I want to be there to give it.  Even if I might be a bit grumpy.”

“Thanks.”  Twilight trotted around the table and gave Rarity a hug.  “I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't dropped by.”

“You're welcome, dear,”  Rarity said, returning the gesture. She was no expert in physiology, but she could tell that Twilight was finally relaxing.  “Don't you worry.  I'm sure that you'll get this figured out.  Just remember that this is ultimately between you and Applejack.  I don't have all the answers.”

“You have more of them than I do.”

“Don't think too highly of me, Twilight,”  Rarity said with a chuckle.  “I'm just a friend giving you a bit of advice.  Only you know how you feel, after all.”

“I guess you're right.”  Twilight rubbed her forehead.  “I'll just have to figure it out.  I'm sorry that you had to see me like this.  It's just a new thing to me.” She shook her head, trying to clear it.  “What brings you here, anyway?  I'd hate to waste any more of your time.”

“If it helps you out, it isn't a waste, Twilight.  But since you asked, I was just dropping by to pick up that book of dress patterns that I mentioned a few days ago.”

“Oh yes, of course.  I have it right here.”  Twilight pulled an enormous book from under the desk.  The glitter on its cover shimmered brightly.  “It sure is a big one.”

“Indeed,”  Rarity said.  She lifted the book off the table.  Even with her telekinesis it was so massive that she nearly dropped it.  “Unless you have any other questions, I should probably be on my way.  I have quite a number of projects that I ought to be working on.”

“Of course, of course.” Twilight nodded.  “Thank you so much for your help, Rarity.  I'm sorry that I was so—”  She made funny face and wiggled her hooves a bit.

“Think nothing of it.  If you feel the need to talk, you know where to find me.” Rarity trotted towards the door.  As she was halfway out, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder.  “And Twilight, just remember that you are a good friend, and a much smarter pony than I am.  I'm completely sure that you'll be able to get through this.”

“Oh, and Rarity...”

“Yes?”

“Please don't tell Applejack about this.  I don't want to make this any more awkward than it already is.”

“Very well.” Rarity nodded. “Your secret is safe with me.”  The door closed behind her with a click.

Twilight sighed.  What have I gotten myself into? she thought.  She forced herself to stand up and trotted to her desk.  All of the calendars and planners still lay open.  Applejack's cider sampling was at two, which left Twilight two hours and seventeen minutes.  If she reserved forty-five minutes for lunch, half an hour to get rid of her failed drafts and finish cleaning the library, and an hour to get started on those reports that she was supposed to be writing, it left her two minutes to walk to Sweet Apple Acres.

A lump began to form in her throat as she looked at the two-hour orange block she had allotted.  Even if Rarity was right and she should take the time to work out exactly how she felt about Applejack, two hours still felt like too much.  She lofted a small brush to herself and blotted out the last hour with an aggressively pink ink.  Cider tasting would obviously be more fun than helping to chaperone a colt's birthday party, but there was no helping it.  Even if against all odds she loved Applejack, her time still needed to be allotted properly.  Everything needed to be in order.

Love's Alchemy

This is absurd. I know Rarity knows far more about these things than I do, but I can't really be- no. No. Even she wasn't sure. It was just her hypothesis after all. Applejack is a just a very good friend, just like Rarity, or Rainbow Dash, or Pinkie Pie. I shouldn't be this nervous! There's no reason for it. I've visited Sweet Apple Acres dozens of times and this shouldn't be any different. Sure, my legs feel like jelly for some reason, but that's no cause for concern. It’s probably just because I didn’t get much sleep last night.  Like Rarity said, these feelings come and go, so I shouldn't put too much stock in them. I just have to act natural, how in the world am I supposed to act natural now!? Do I just act the same way I did before Rarity pointed out how I felt? How can I act like that now that I'm actively thinking about how I should act when all my previous actions were defined by the fact that I just did everything without thinking about it!? Maybe I just need to clear my head before I get to- Oh. I'm here already. Okay, Twilight, just try to act the same as you always do. Applejack has been your friend for years now. Nothing needs to change. No reason to make this more awkward than it needs to be.

Some that have deeper digg'd love's mine than I,

Say, where his centric happiness doth lie.

I have loved, and got, and told,

But should I love, get, tell, till I were old,

I should not find that hidden mystery.

--John Donne,

Love's Alchemy

Twilight raised a hoof to knock on the door, then lowered it and took a a few long, heavy breaths. She raised her hoof again. This time she didn't lower it, or knock on the door, but began to futz around with her mane, ensuring that no stray sprigs of hair stuck out. Sure, out of all her friends, Applejack was the least likely to notice or care about such things, but better safe than sorry. And while she was at it, she crouched down and examined her reflection in the doorknob, checking that none of her lunch was wedged between her teeth. She shook her head. Worrying about this stuff was exactly what she didn't want to do. She quickly knocked on the door before her brain could give her anything else to worry about.

“Come in!”

Even though Applejack had always answered every knock that way, on this particular occasion Twilight hesitated. She didn't have a reason, other than the fear of proving Rarity's assessment of the situation entirely correct. Not that Applejack would make a bad Very Special Somepony of course, but it was just too weird to think about and it would wreak havoc on ...everything. She smacked herself in the forehead. Thinking about that eventuality was silly. She didn't even know if that was how she felt and in all probability her head was just messing with her. She opened the door and immediately noticed two things.

1. She was staring directly at Applejack's flank.

2. Said flank was moving towards her at a rapid pace.

It slammed into her, shoving her backwards. Applejack, in turn, was being shoved backwards by an enormous cider barrel. The two ponies and the barrel smashed into the fence, coming to an abrupt halt. Apple Bloom emerged from the doorway, rubbing her head sheepishly.

“Sorry about that, AJ, I lost my grip.”

Twilight couldn't move, partially due to the shock of suddenly being placed in such close proximity to Applejack's body, and partially due to the fact that Applejack was mostly on top of her. She immediately became aware that for the past week she had avoided initiating any physical contact with Applejack. The sudden realization bothered her a bit.

“You okay, Twilight?” Applejack climbed off.

“I-I'm fine,” Twilight stammered, trying not to stammer and failing miserably. Her throat went dry for some reason.

“You sure? You look kinda flustered...” Applejack leaned in and put her forehead against Twilight's, carefully avoiding the horn. “You're pretty hot, too.”

“Huh?” Twilight stared straight into Applejack's eyes. So green...

“Your forehead. It feels really hot. You have a fever or something?”

“No no no.” Twilight backed away, bumping against the fence. “I'm just having a bit of a hectic day is all.” She said the words about twice as quickly as she should have, but luckily Applejack had never been good at picking out lies of omission.

“Oh, okay.” She brightened up. “Well, now you can relax a bit. Just kick back and drink some cider. Just let me get this barrel back into the house...”

Applejack circled around the barrel and gave it a firm shove with her head, pushing it forward. Muscles that Twilight had never noticed before sprang into action. She suddenly became aware that when Applejack had barreled into her, her heart rate had blasted upwards. Perfectly understandable; it had been a sudden impact after all. But now she realized that even though the shock had worn off, her heart still beat like it was making up for lost time. How strange, she thought. Physiology shouldn't do stuff like that.

“Sorry for the delay.” Applejack wiped several large beads of sweat off of her forehead as she shoved the barrel back into place. “Big Macintosh was supposed to help me with these, but Granny Smith dragged him into town to carry her groceries.”

“No, no, it's no problem at all,” Twilight said. “I'm sure the wait will be worth it.”

“Don't go getting ahead of yourself there, Twi.” Applejack chuckled. “We're still testing some new recipes, so some of them might be a bit wonky. I got some of them out on the table already, so just grab one and start testing.”

“Don't mind if I do.” Twilight said, nodding. The litany of second guessing still filled her mind, and a distraction was welcome. No substitute for Sweet Apple Acres' cider, after all, even if they were still experimenting with the formula. She lifted the nearest cup to her lips and took a long swig. She barely even had time to taste it before sheer reflex forced her to spew it out. Cider, or whatever liquid it was that masqueraded as cider, splattered across the table as she coughed. She took a deep breath and looked up. Her throat tightened. Applejack stood across the table, her coat glistening with apple juice and a tiny bit of saliva.

“Applejack, I'm so sorry!” Twilight began to flail her legs helplessly while she searched for a napkin. She settled for a rag that hung off the edge of the table, flung it over a hoof and began to dab at Applejack's face. Then she froze as she became aware of the gusto with which she had begun to rub her friend's cheek.

“Uh, don't worry about it,” Applejack murmured, grabbing a rag of her own. “I shoulda warned you about that. Apple Bloom was here with her friends yesterday, and they decided that they'd make their own cider. I think you can guess how that worked out.” She sighed and twisted her hat, wringing out a few drops of whatever it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders had put in there. “Uh, Twilight, you can stop rubbing my head.”

“Oh, right.” Twilight drew back so fast that one might have thought that Applejack was on fire. “Sorry.”

“Nah it's okay,” Applejack said. “I just feel bad that you actually drank that stuff. Sorry ‘bout that.”

“It's fine, it's fine!” Twilight answered. “It wasn't that bad, really.” She looked into the cup. Whatever was in there sure wasn't cider. Too green, and Twilight could see what looked like bits of leaves and bark, and possibly something swimming. She looked away towards something that didn't make her gag. Her gaze settled on Applejack. Applejack's mane was still plastered against her neck by the moisture. It looked good that way. Twilight took a deep breath. She could feel her heart speeding up for no reason again.

“Here, why don't you wash your mouth out.” Applejack held out a cup of water.

“Thanks.” Twilight accepted it with eagerness; the taste in her mouth grew more rancid by the moment. She took a long swig, realizing too late that she had inexplicably picked it up with her hooves rather than her telekinesis. As soon as the comprehension struck, she bobbled the glass, spilling most of the water over herself. “Oops.”

“Ha, at least it ain't just me who's all wet!” Applejack said with a chuckle. “My sister sure makes some strong stuff, doesn't she? Let's get you dried off a bit.” She softly pressed a towel against Twilight's neck. “You sure that you're okay? You seem a bit...jittery. What's going on that's so hectic anyway?”

“You know, the usual things,” Twilight said. “Reorganizing the library, getting my reports in, writing a letter-” She stopped and was suddenly very aware of the fact that Applejack was rubbing her face. “I'm just busy.”

“If you say so.” Applejack shrugged. “You should probably try to relax a little, though. Too much stress can make you sick, you know. Just sit back and try some of the good cider.” She held up a cup. “And use your horn this time, okay?”

“Yes, of course.” Twilight gingerly floated the cup to herself, taking care to not spill it again. Her heart was still going at double speed and all of her limbs felt a bit rubbery. Even her telekinesis wobbled a little as she gingerly took a sip. “This is delicious!”

“It ought to be. Big Macintosh mixed that one.” Applejack patted Twilight on the head. “I dunno what's on your mind, but you just do your best to forget about it now, alright?”

“Okay.” Twilight took a deep breath and tried not to think about Applejack's green, green eyes, or how a sopping wet mane suited Applejack surprisingly well. “I'll try.”

Rarity had always prided herself on her ability to work under pressure. Today hadn't been the worst crunch she'd ever been through; filling Hoity Toity's dress order had been so bad that her mane had nearly started to fall out. Even so, finishing a dozen dresses in a day and a half had been a tall order. Fortunately, everything fell into place. Sweetie Belle was out of town on a class trip. Her fabric orders were all in on time. Twilight's issue seemed to be solved with little more than a conversation. No customers breathed down her neck. Opal behaved, for once. The fabric folded just as she wanted it to. The thread didn't tangle. The sewing machine didn't jam. With seven out of twelve dresses completed, Rarity decided to reward herself by treating herself to a nicer lunch than reheating last night’s alfalfa casserole. At the moment, she sat at the cafe in the town square, debating whether she wanted daisies or daffodils in her sandwich. As always, she was dieting, but one couldn't eat plain old grass all the time.

“I believe I will have the daisies,” she said. “With a hyacinth bouquet on the side.”

“Sure thing. It'll be out in a minute,” the waiter grunted before heading back inside.

Rarity took a deep breath. It was such a nice day. Pity she had to spend most of it inside working on those dresses. That pleat on dress number nine would be a pain. She shook her head. Now that she finally had a break, she wanted to spend that time thinking of something other than fashion.

“Rarity?”

She looked up to see Twilight trotting toward her. This wasn't quite the distraction she had imagined, but at least it would push the dresses to the back of her mind.

“Twilight, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to go to Sweet Apple Acres and try the cider.”

“I was! Well, I did. I was just there a couple of minutes ago. The cider was very good.”

“Yes, but why aren't you still there? I saw your schedule. You have another hour to go!”

“Technically right now it's forty-seven minutes-”

“You know what I mean. I was under the impression that you would spend more time with Applejack to you know...” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “To figure out your feelings about her.”

“Yes, that was the plan.”

“Why didn't you?”

“Well, I just felt bad about leaving all of that work to Pinkie, so I told Mrs. Cake that I'd drop by to help with the cupcakes. I mean, now that I have an idea of what's going on I can start trying to get things back to normal. You know, by balancing my schedule out more.”

“Of course...” Rarity said with a sigh. It certainly wasn't the course of action she would have taken, but she didn't operate on Twilight-logic. And Twilight-logic dictated that maintaining the time-allocation equilibrium had high priority. “How did it go, anyway? Talking with Applejack, I mean.”

Twilight responded by slumping down next to the table. Rarity cringed.

“I was an idiot!” Twilight put both hooves to her forehead. “It was like I completely forgot how I used to talk to her. I kept trying to think of how I used to interact with her, but it didn't work! I just sort of sat there and mumbled about how awesome the cider was. She probably thinks that I completely lost it! What if she thinks I'm crazy now?”

“Twilight, Applejack has known you for long enough that she isn't going to let one weird conversation determine what she thinks of you. Especially since she's seen you in far worse states of mind.”

“She has!?”

“Remember that incident with your Smarty Pants doll?”

“Oh.” Twilight's ears drooped. “I can't believe I forgot about that. What if she still thinks that I'm about to crack again? Maybe she invited me to try cider to placate me so that when I finally snap I'll-”

“Twilight!” The purple unicorn's head snapped up. She found Rarity staring incredulously at her.

"You're right, you're right,” Twilight said with a sigh. “It just feels like I screwed it up. I tried so hard to treat her like I usually do.”

“Maybe you just tried too hard.” Rarity shrugged. “After all, aren't you at your most natural when you aren't trying to act a certain way?”

“I guess so, but after you pointed out that...” her voice dropped to a whisper, “...you know, I can't stop thinking about how I should act around her. What should I do?”

“First of all, don't worry about it so much. Applejack has always thought very highly of you, despite your... quirks, and I don't see that changing any time soon. Second, if you're really serious about making room for all your friends in your schedule, you should probably hurry along to help Pinkie Pie with those cupcakes.”

“Ah, you're right!” Twilight sprang to her feet. “I really should get going. My schedule is messed up enough as it is. Thanks again for listening to all of this.”

“No problem at all, Twilight. Now get going before Pinkie wonders what's taking you so long.”

“Okay, I'll see you later!” Twilight spun around trotted towards Sugarcube Corner.

Rarity sighed in relief. She had every intention of being available, should Twilight want to talk, but she couldn't help but be relieved that Twilight was, for the moment, out of her mane. She only had so much brainpower to spare, and her attempts to comprehend Twilight's train of thought used up more of it than she wanted.

“Daisy sandwich with a Hyacinth bouquet?”

“Ah, yes.”

The waiter nodded and set the plate on the table. Rarity stared at the sandwich for a long moment, clearing her head. Surely Twilight was just overthinking things. Applejack wouldn't be so petty, she thought. I've known Applejack for even longer than Twilight has, after all.

She lifted one of the flowers with her telekinesis and began to pluck the petals off with her teeth, one by one. Maybe Twilight's stress had rubbed off on her. She shook her head and turned her attention to her sandwich. Twilight is the smartest pony you know, she said to herself. She'll be just fine.

Pinkie ceased bouncing just long enough to snatch the cupcake pan from the oven and insert a new one in its place. She looked at the counter. No more cupcake pans. The one in the oven was the last. Well, technically the one before it should have been last, but a whole pan's worth of cupcakes had gone AWOL.  Pinkie knew that you couldn’t go eating the merchandise willy-nilly, but really, what else could she do?  You had to taste at least one cupcake from the batch of batter to make sure the mix was right. There went one cupcake.  And of course she had to test at least one from each tray to make sure they weren’t burned.  And once she took a bite out of a cupcake, it obviously couldn’t be used, and there was no sense in letting it go to waste.  There went the other half dozen cupcakes.  In any case, if Twilight wanted to actually have some fun today, she'd have to show up soon, or Pinkie would be forced to take matters into her own hooves. Well, not forced, really. She'd take on the challenge quite voluntarily. The only part of the cupcake process she liked more than the decoration phase was the eating phase, and she had kinda sorta already jumped the gun on that.  Besides, if she ate anything else today, Mrs. Cake would probably dock her pay again.

On the other hoof, she could derive some quality entertainment from watching Twilight obsess over getting the frosting ratios exactly right. And she'd use lots of cool words, to boot. Words like “proportion” and “quotient” and “correlation”. Pinkie didn't quite understand what all of them meant or how they had anything to do with cupcakes, but they sure sounded cool. She liked using them. They made her sound smart. That was the idea, at least. In reality, they probably made her look even more loopy to everypony else, but she felt smarter at least. If she felt particularly inventive she'd throw a few of her own syllables into the mix, or maybe combine a few of the words to make her own. “Propelation” was probably her favorite so far. It almost sounded like it could be an actual word.

She sighed. Now she had gotten herself into a mood to see Twilight fuss over the cupcakes, and it wasn't likely to happen. The clock hands pointed to a time four and a half minutes after when Twilight said she would arrive. Twilight was nothing if not punctual, and if she hadn't shown up by now, it meant something else had come up. She'd have to do it herself then. What a pity, she thought, Twilight is missing out. She stopped. Her ear had inexplicably gone limp, and her eyes twitched. Her legs stopped wobbling just in time for her to pirouette out of the way as Twilight burst in the door.

“Sorry I'm late! I had some stuff to do, and then I had some other stuff, and I ran into somepony and-”

“No time for that! Time for cupcakes!” Pinkie grabbed Twilight and dragged her towards the trays of cupcakes that were cooling on the counter. “So glad you could make it! You're way way better at some of these designs than I am!” She held up a sheet of surprisingly detailed images. “I could never make this butterfly here with just my hooves. Believe me, I tried once and it didn't really look like a butterfly. Well, it did look like a butterfly, but not like the one on the paper. The one I made was really fat. Like, so fat that it almost looked more like a bird than a butterfly because it was so big. Although that was probably because I smudged the head and it ended up looking like a beak which was okay because it was for Fluttershy's birthday and I wanted to make butterfly cupcakes because that's her cutie mark but a bird is fine too because she likes birds.” She paused, half to take a breath, and half because this was the point where Twilight typically told her “Be quiet, I'm trying to focus!”

Twilight didn't say anything. She stared blankly at one of the cupcakes, specifically the one sitting next to the one she had started decorating.

“Ooh, I've always wanted to be able to do that!” Pinkie squealed. “Whenever I try to frost the cupcakes without looking Mrs. Cake always gets mad at me for wasting the frosting and makes me clean the table. There were a few times I actually got it on the cupcake, but it didn't really look like anything and I had to do it again. But I did get to eat the messed up cupcake because we couldn't sell it, so it wasn't a total loss. In fact, I should do that more often. Or maybe not, because Mr. Cake says that I eat enough merchandise already, and Twilight that's totally not a butterfly.”

“Huh?” Twilight blinked a few times and looked at the cupcake. It most certainly did not bear the likeness of a butterfly.

“It is a pretty good apple, though. Looks just like Applejack's cutie mark. When her birthday rolls around I should have you make a couple more of those.”

“Oh, so it is.” Twilight chuckled weakly. “I guess I'll just have to be more careful about the next one.”

She pushed the cupcake away from her and began to work on the next one, this time being slightly more careful to keep to the design. Pinkie narrowed her eyes as she watched silently. Her gaze shifted slowly from Twilight to the cupcake, which actually looked like a butterfly this time, and then back to Twilight.

“Hmmm....”

“Um, do you want something?” Twilight tried to smile, and got about halfway there.

"It's quiet,” Pinkie said to no one in particular. “Too quiet.” She looked back at the cupcake. Twilight's decoration resembled the design, more or less.  That was weird.  Twilight never had an “or less” when she decorated cupcakes.  She never had a “more” either.  A Twilight-decorated cupcake was indistinguishable from the pattern. Well, other than the fact that it consisted of frosting on a cupcake instead of ink on paper.   “Are you done with that one?”

“Uh...” Twilight looked down at the cupcake. “I guess so.”

“Twilight, are you okay? You aren't really being yourself. It's like you're being...” She switched into deep thought mode for a moment. “...somepony else. Who isn't you.”

“What are you talking about, Pinkie?” Twilight asked with an awkward laugh. “I'm perfectly fine.”

“Oh come on, you've never finished a cupcake that fast before!” Pinkie held up the confection with one hoof and pointed at it with the other. “This is totally not like what you usually do. You're usually way more persnickety about it.” She began to giggle. “Persnickety. I love that word! It just sounds so funny! I wish I could use it more. Persnickety! Persnickety!” She shook her head and put on her attempt at a serious face. “But seriously, you're always so serious about the cupcakes. Like even more serious than Mr. and Mrs. Cake! And they're pretty serious about cake! I mean, it's like in their name and everything. But anyway, you're totally being all weird, and last time you were all weird, we snuck into the Canterlot Archives and you sent yourself back in time. Which was pretty cool, now that I think about it, but still when you're weird, weird stuff happens and even though I like weird stuff I don't like this kind of weird stuff.”

“Oh, it's nothing. I'm just having a...well, it isn't quite a bad day. It's just been a bit stressful.”

“Reeeeeeaaaaaalllllly?” Pinkie leaned in so close that she almost fell over.

“Well, I...uh...”

Pinkie leaned in even closer, balancing on her forelegs.  “Reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaalllllyyyyyyy?”

“Um...” Twilight took a step back. Pinkie followed, somehow scuttling forward on front legs. Twilight swallowed. Pinkie could sense Twilight's resolve weakening. Whatever Twilight was hiding, she didn't want to be hiding.

“Well?” Pinkie smiled expectantly.

Twilight sighed.

“Okay,” she said in a low voice. “But you have to promise not to tell Applejack about any of this, alright? Not a word.”

Pinkie silently pantomimed a series of actions as Twilight watched on in confusion.

“Pinkie, what are you doing?”

“Come on, Twilight! You should know how it goes.” She began to repeat the motions. “First I zipped my mouth up, then locked it with a key, then dug a hole, then buried the key, then built a house on top of the hole, then-”

“You moved into the house on top of the hole. I remember now.”

“Yup, and now I mow the lawn in front of the house too! That way nopony knows that there was even a hole there!” She reared up onto her hind legs and wobbled forward while making a buzzing sound. After a few steps she lost her balance and went back to all fours. “It's not a very big lawn, though. So what's this secret of yours?”

Twilight put a leg around Pinkie and pulled her in close.

“It's kind of awkward, so try not to freak out, okay?” she whispered.

“Okie Dokie Lokie.”

“I have a bit of...a thing for Applejack.”

“A thing? Well, that's boring. I have lots of things!”

“No, not a literal thing!” Twilight shook her head. “I'm talking about a metaphorical thing. It's really hard for me to just come out and say it, okay?”

“To say what?”

“That I have a crush on Applejack!” She clamped her hooves over her mouth. Hopefully the Cakes hadn't heard that.

“Oooooohhhh.” Pinkie nodded knowingly, even though she hadn't really grasped the full implications. “Don't worry, I won't tell her.”

“Thanks, it would be really really awkward, and I don't want to rock the boat.”

“Well, you should rock the boat more, then! It's really fun. You just have to make sure that you don't tip the boat over completely. It's never fun when that happens. Well, sometimes it is, but most of the time it kinda sucks because the water is too cold.”

“That's not what I mean.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “I just don't want to put Applejack in a weird situation.” She took a step forward and put her hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. “And while we're at it, I just want you to know that even though I have this infatuation with Applejack, it doesn't mean that I dislike you or anything, okay?”

Pinkie just tilted her head a little.  “Well, duh.” Pinkie decided it was her turn to roll her eyes. “Just because you like Applejack doesn't mean that you have to dislike anypony else. I average like half a dozen new friends every month or so. If I had to stop liking somepony whenever I started liking somepony else I'd have to hate like half the ponies in Ponyville by now. Besides, if you didn't like me at least a little you wouldn't keep coming out here to help me with the cupcakes all the time. I mean, seriously, would you even be here if you didn't like me? I'm sure somepony smart like you could easily come up with something else to do if you didn't want to be here.”

“Ugh, you're right. I just don't want to screw this up.”

“I'm sure you'll work it out. You have a pretty big brain after all.” Pinkie rapped on Twilight's head with her hoof. “If you can make five friends in like a day and a half, you can totally figure out how to pull this off!”

“Pull what off?”

“Asking Applejack out, obviously. I mean, yeah, it'll be a bit strange at first, but I'm sure that she'd-”

“Wait, WHAT?” Twilight clamped her mouth shut, again afraid that she might have protested a bit too loudly. “I mean, why in Equestria would you think that I would try something like that?”

“Well, that's what you do when you have a crush on somepony, isn't it? I mean what's the point of having a crush at all if you aren't going to do anything with it? I have to admit that Spike is a bit of a special case, but really, there's enough of an age gap with him that he has to wait a while to have a good shot, and he’ll need to get a job or something, because I’m pretty sure that Rarity would be a pretty high maintenance marefriend. Also, he’s a dragon, so there’s that too.  But you're pretty much the same age as AJ, and you’re a pony too, so you should be fine. Unless you're secretly like really old and you used a spell to make yourself young again. You aren't secretly old, are you?”

“No! And I'm not going to try to ask Applejack out on a date, either! I'm perfectly fine just being friends with her. I'm not going to risk screwing that up over some infatuation that might just go away on its own!”

“Phooey.” Pinkie snorted. “That's so boring! You should at least think about it! You two would make a totally adorable couple, too! Especially if she let you wear her hat. It would look sooooo cute on you! Or maybe you could-”

Pinkie once again dodged out of the way of the door as Mr. Cake's head popped into the room.

“Are you almost done with the cupcakes?” He asked urgently. “Truffle Shuffle's party at the schoolhouse is starting in about fifteen minutes and we need to load them onto the cart.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Cake!” Pinkie saluted, military style. “We'll get those cupcakes done in no time, right Twilight?”

“O-of course!”

“Good! We wouldn't want to be late with the-” A crash echoed through the room and Mr. Cake spun around. “No! Pumpkin! Don't chew on that! Dear, can you keep her out of the- Pound, stay away from that wedding cake!” He ducked out of the room even faster than he had entered.

“Okay, Twilight. I know that this whole thing is probably freaking you out a bit, but we gotta get these cupcakes done. You have about a dozen to go. You think you can do it?”

“Easily!” Twilight stamped her hoof for emphasis, and then cast a sideways glance at her completed butterfly cupcake. “I don't suppose I have time to do some touching up on that one? The left wing is too big.”

“Now that's the Twilight I know and love!” Pinkie said with a grin. “But no. I know it bugs you, but you're gonna have to rush these. Don't worry about it so much. I'm pretty sure Truffle Shuffle won't care what shape the frosting is in as long it's on there.  You gotta learn not to sweat the small stuff and just focus on the big stuff.”

Twilight felt lighter and lighter with each step towards the library. Now that the luxury of being distracted by a small herd of sugar-addled fillies and colts had vanished, her thoughts rushed back into place. Had she really let Pinkie in on the secret? Sure, Pinkie could keep a secret, but she had seemed frighteningly enthusiastic about the prospect of the relationship actually going somewhere. Twilight decided to chalk it up to the fact that Pinkie had similarly boundless enthusiasm for just about anything that piqued her interest. Obviously she couldn't be serious.

She shook her head as she ambled into the library. Even if she could, however briefly, entertain the thought of attempting to go on a genuine date, the consequences would be calamitous. Such an occurrence would utterly wreck the relationships she had spent the past few years building. The moment that she and Applejack began an exclusive relationship would spell the end of her circle of friends as she knew it. They wouldn't be a group of six friends anymore. There would be two, and there would be four. It was the very definition of exclusivity; she would choose Applejack over her other friends, and an insurmountable wall would sit between the couple and the rest of the group. It was unthinkable.

And that was the best case scenario. The alternative terrified her so much that she tried to avoid so much as thinking about it. If Applejack turned her down, there would be no recovery. Even if Applejack let her down easily, their friendship as it stood would be over. Any further interaction would be trapped in a mire of discomfort and awkwardness. The Pony Pet Playdates would be unbearable; even the ponies who were off to the side of the whole debacle would have to tread lightly if both herself and Applejack were around. Every eventuality ended with disaster.

She groaned and slammed the library door behind her. Why did it have to be Applejack? Why couldn't it be somepony who wasn't already a very close friend? It could have just as easily have been somepony else. It could have been somepony that she actually shared some interests with, like Cheerilee. If she had gotten a crush on Cheerilee, everything would be so much easier. They'd have so much to talk about, like books. Cheerilee liked books. It made so much more sense than what had actually happened.

For first time in a long while, she flopped into her bed without brushing her teeth. It wasn't due to fatigue; although keeping Pinkie from making the party an even bigger mess than it already was had certainly taken a lot out of her. More to the point, every moment she remained awake would be dominated by a train of thought that went absolutely nowhere. Better to just rest and hope that her dreams would give her some respite. It had been a long day, and Twilight had just enough presence of mind to know that you didn't tackle something of this magnitude without a good night's sleep. Maybe in the morning things would be clearer.

The Dream

I don't know why I was so worried about doing this again.  Sure, the last cider tasting was a bit awkward, but looking back on it, it shouldn't have bothered me so much.  When Rarity said that I might have a thing for Applejack, it just freaked me out a little.  After all, I only had a few hours to try to come to terms with it, and I guess it just wasn't enough time to figure things out.  I had a bit of time to think about it a little, and everything is going alright now.  It probably helps that all my other friends are here as well.  It doesn't feel nearly as strange as it did when it was just Applejack and me in here alone.  And it's so great that Celestia could be here too!  I never would have thought that she would have- oops!  Spilled my cider...I guess I'm still a bit of a klutz.  Now my mane is going to be all sticky.  Applejack is getting a napkin for me.  She's so sweet, always looking for ways to help out.  And now she's even helping me clean  up my mane so I don't have to do it!  She's so helpful, and...uh...now she's...scratching my head for some reason.   That's odd.  I mean, it feels kinda good and all, but it's still kinda...oh.  This isn't like her, she usually isn't quite this...touchy-feely.  Ah, wait, what is she...oooohhh.  I don't- how should I- I can't think of anything to say!  Get some words out, Twilight!  You have to say something!  She's getting closer!  You can't just let her-  Wow.  That-that was amazing-

Whoa.  What just happened...Oh no.  No.  No no no no nononononono!  Did I just- that she-

Dear love, for nothing less than thee

Would I have broke this happy dream;

It was a theme

For reason, much too strong for fantasy.

--The Dream,

John Donne

The only time of day when Carousel Boutique possessed even a semblance of serenity was, in fact, at night.  Downstairs, Opalescence curled herself up on the bolt of fabric that would display her shed hairs most visibly in the morning light.  Upstairs, Rarity had fallen so deeply into her slumber that  her ladylike persona had crumbled completely.  She snored so loudly the bed shook a little.  For once, she didn't care.

Sure the week had only been seven days long, but she had compressed at least fifteen days worth of work into that time.  First there had been that dress order from Canterlot, then the Cutecenera dress, then the bridesmaids' dresses...the interminable barrage of orders had just about killed her.  And go figure, the universe couldn't leave well enough alone, and had capped the whole thing off by sending Twilight into an absolute tizzy at the worst possible time.  Not that Rarity intended to be anything but helpful and supportive, but she couldn't help but wish that Twilight's epiphany would have happened at just about any other time.

In the end, even Rarity couldn't say how she had managed.  After downing enough cups of coffee to make Pinkie Pie nervous, all the needles and fabric and dress forms had blurred together, and when the caffeine wore off she found herself staring at a completed set of dresses.  For the first time that week, she found herself without an outstanding order or panicked purple pony sitting at her doorstep.  She celebrated her newfound freedom from stress by toppling into bed and resolving to stay there as long as possible.

As the clock quietly struck four in the morning, Rarity was immersed in an entirely pleasant dream.  Fancypants had just given her latest fashion show a rave review, and her doctor had informed her that she had a genetic abnormality in her metabolism that allowed her to eat as much chocolate as she wanted without getting fat.  Even better, Opalescence had somehow miraculously taught herself to handle Carousel Boutique's financial paperwork.  “On the up and up” hardly did justice to how swimmingly the day had gone.  Which made the rude awakening all the more unwelcome.

She rolled over and buried her head face first in the pillow in a vain attempt to salvage the dream, but the cause was lost.  Somepony was knocking on her door, and she had a vague idea who that pony might be.  With a painful degree of reluctance, she crawled out of bed, peeled off her eye mask, and peered out the window.  She sighed, her suspicions confirmed.  She fully remembered informing Twilight that she would always be available to talk, no matter where or when, but she hadn't expected Twilight to take it quite so literally.  At the moment, she rather regretted not tagging an “except in the middle of the night” clause onto the end of her offer.  But that ship had sailed.  She had offered herself as an adviser, and she had no intention of doing anything but holding up her end of the bargain.  She sighed, ran a brush through her mane to make herself somewhat presentable, and headed down the stairs.

A blast of cold night air struck her in the face as she opened the front door. Twilight stood just outside, trotting in place. Her gaze darted nervously around the empty street, as if she feared that someone would see her. She showed no sign that she was aware that Rarity stood at the door. Rarity cleared her throat. Twilight twitched and finally noticed that the door was open.

“Rarity! I really have to talk to you about something; I-”

“Just come inside,” Rarity cut in. “It's too cold out here.” She turned and retreated into the boutique before Twilight could refuse the offer. The purple unicorn shrugged and followed Rarity inside. The fashionista was already disappearing into the kitchen.

Rarity flipped the lamp on and squinted at the sudden light. She turned away and began to dig into the cabinet in search of her teapot. If she had to be awake this early, she might as well warm herself up. Right now, everything in the world was colder than her bed. She filled the pot and set it on the stove with a clang.

“So, what brings you here so early in the morning?” she inquired, trying to sound as chipper as possible. Her face was already starting to ache with the effort of not grimacing from exhaustion. For a moment, she rather envied Twilight's apparent ability to function when heavily sleep deprived. Sure, Twilight looked a bit disheveled, but that was obviously due to stress rather than an actual lack of sleep.

“Well, it's about Applejack...”

“I figured,” Rarity grumbled under her breath, wondering what could possibly have happened that couldn't have waited until the sun came up. In the back of her mind she could tell that a snide comment wasn't entirely appropriate, but she was too tired to help herself. “If you find yourself bothering her this late at night, it's only natural that she might be a bit ornery.”

“It's not like it happened just now!” Twilight wailed, completely missing Rarity's insinuation. “Well, it did, but it didn't have anything to do with talking to Applejack. Although I guess it kinda did, but not really.”

“Twilight--” Rarity could feel herself speaking with an unusual frankness. “I would find that difficult to follow at the best of times, and at the moment I'm rather burnt out and tired and have no idea what you're talking about. Just what happened between you two that you couldn't have waited until morning to tell me? I was under the impression that you'd been doing better this past week. You didn't seem too uptight when you talked to her during the Pony Pet Playdate, after all.”

“That's different. It's easier when everypony else is around too. Besides, it didn't exactly happen between the two of us. It mostly has to do with me. Not that she isn't involved, but--”

“Twilight, please,” Rarity groaned, her half-open eye twitching.

“I-uh...I sort of had a dream about her.”

“Oh.” Rarity's eyes snapped open. “Oh my. That's quite a development. I don't suppose it would be too forward to ask exactly what your dream was about?”

“It's just- I don't know how it happened! I thought things were starting to go back to normal, but then this happened, and-” She paused, noting Rarity's glare, which said “Get on with it” more effectively than if she had spoken the actual words. “Okay, I dreamed that I was at another one of Applejack's cider tastings. It was sort of like the one I went to last week, only this time everyone else was there. Princess Celestia was there too for some reason. I'm not sure why, but I didn't really notice how odd that was. In any case, everything was going fine and we were all having a good time.

“But then I spilled some cider on myself, and Applejack was helping me clean it up with this napkin. It wasn't too bad; I mean, it was a bit weird to have her dabbing at my mane, but I figured that if it were anypony else it wouldn't have mattered, but then she just sort of started rubbing my head. Like, for no reason. But I didn't mind it too much, because it felt kinda good. Then she sort of scooted over really close to me and put her foreleg around me.”

“Uh huh.” Rarity nodded, unsure if she wanted to hear more. Curiosity got the better of her. “Then what?”

“Well, she leaned in close, and...” Twilight's voice lapsed in a murmur.

“And what?”

“She kissed me.” Twilight's voice was barely above a whisper.

“Oh.” Rarity could only stare for a moment. “Dare I ask what happened next?”

“I woke up! It just shocked me so much...”

“So, you dreamed that Applejack kissed you. That's quite something.” Rarity bit her lip. The rational part of her brain knew that the specifics weren't really important, but the curious part of her brain couldn't help but pry a bit more. “Was it just a kiss or the cheek, or a...more fancy kiss, or-”

“On the lips,” Twilight whispered. “Nothing fancy, though. She just sort of pulled me in and pressed our faces together. It was just so weird. I mean, it wasn't bad or anything. It was really soft, and warm, and why on earth am I thinking about this so much!? I couldn't get back to sleep because I couldn't get it out of my head! Why would I have a dream like that about one of my best friends!?”

“Well, I would assume that it goes with the territory of being infatuated with somepony,” Rarity said. “I realize it's a bit weird to think of her like that but-”

“That's the problem! I mean, yeah, before I was thinking about her a lot, but it was always just regular friend stuff. Like how I had stuff to talk to her about, or how she could totally take better care of Angel than I could, or how she could help me with the cupcakes because she's a better baker than I am. You know, typical friend stuff. But kissing? That's not something regular friends do. That's something that you do with a colfriend or marefriend. But not with a friend friend. That kind of kissing is just for a Very Special Somepony, and Applejack isn't that! Ugghhh.”  She flopped onto the table, burying her head in her forelegs. Rarity regarded her friend for a long moment before noting that the teapot had started to whistle. She poured two cups as she mulled over how to respond.

“Here, have some tea.” She slid one of the cups to Twilight. “Careful, it's hot.”

“Thanks.”

Rarity watched Twilight attempt to take a sip and recoil from the heat. A thought crossed her mind. Her first inclination was to dismiss it. It was silly and Twilight would almost certainly not want to hear it. But then again, now that she thought about it, it didn't seem quite as absurd as it should have.

“Twilight, do you think that Applejack would make a good marefriend for you?”

Twilight gurgled as she fought to not spit her tea across the table.

“What!?” She managed to cough the word out as she choked down the tea. “W-what are you talking about!?”

“Well, you said yourself that only a very special somepony would do something like that,” Rarity said. “I mean, if you're thinking about her that way, even if it is just subconscious-”

“I thought that you said that it was just a crush! Some sort of temporary infatuation!”

“I said it might just be an infatuation. And I stand by that. You shouldn't put too much stock in your dreams, anyway. You know as well as I do that most of the time they don't make any sense whatsoever. You were there yesterday when Pinkie told us about her dream, remember? About how she was floating on a balloon that was really a giant donut when the diamond dogs began to shoot magic beams at her that turned whatever they hit into chocolate? You can't take them too seriously.”

“But that's Pinkie. It makes sense for her to have dreams about random stuff like that. And my dream wasn't anywhere near that crazy. It seemed so real, for a moment I almost didn't realize that it had been a dream. Well, that sea serpent from the Everfree Forest was there, wearing a rainbow clown wig, but other than that it was just like real life!”

“Which brings us back to my question.” Rarity rapped a hoof on the table. “Speaking purely hypothetically, of course, do you think that Applejack would be a good match for you?”

“I don't know! And it doesn't matter anyway. There's no way that it could happen.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Isn't it obvious? If she was my very special somepony, it means that by definition all my other friends aren't special ponies!”

“Well, if you want to be technical about it, that isn't necessarily true. She would be your very special somepony, which means all your other friends can still be special, just not as much.”

“That's just as bad!” Twilight groaned.

“Okay, let's tackle this from a different angle.” Rarity rubbed her forehead with a hoof. “Let's just assume for a second that Applejack could somehow be your very special somepony without affecting any of your other friendships, and that all of us are perfectly alright with it and aren't belittled in any way. Are you still with me?”

“I suppose...” Twilight mumbled.

“Well, if it were the case that it would have no negative effects on any of your other friends, would you want Applejack to be your very special somepony?”

“I-I don't know. I've never really thought about her like that. I don't know why she wouldn't be a good very special somepony. I'm sure that if anypony-”

“I'm not talking about anypony, Twilight. I'm talking about you.” Rarity thrust a hoof in Twilight's direction. “Would you want Applejack to be your Very Special Somepony? Yes or no?”

“I-uh-er... I-” Twilight's tongue stumbled around in her mouth as her brain tried to tell it what word to form. “I-I... I suppose so.” She slumped on the table, coming dangerously close to upsetting the teacups. “What am I supposed to do? How could I let this happen?”

Rarity restrained her urge to shout “Aha! I knew it!” The last thing she wanted was to substantiate Twilight's assumption that this was a big deal. The first thing she wanted was to ensure Twilight that there was no reason to get worked up over her sudden epiphany.

“Twilight, you didn't let anything happen. You can't always control things like this, and you most certainly haven't done anything wrong in admitting how you feel. If anything, being honest about it will make this whole ordeal easier on you.” Rarity patted Twilight's shoulder as she thought over what she would say next. As much as she wanted to be supportive, the second thing she wanted was to go back to bed. “And while we're on the subject of things that will make this easier, you should probably go back to sleep. The middle of the night is the worst possible time to concern yourself with stressful matters. Why don't you sleep on it and consider the matter with a clear head.”

“But what if I have another dream?”

“I don't think there's anything you can do to prevent it if it happens again, but then again it is just a dream. I know the... content might have shocked you a bit, but I really don't think it's anything to worry about. If you think that way about Applejack, there's no point in denying it. Besides, can you really honestly say that the idea of actually getting together with her has never crossed your mind?”

“Well, Pinkie did say that we would make a cute couple.”

“Now that I think about it, I suppose you two would go quite well together. Normally, I think your respective colors might clash a bit, but in this case- wait.” Rarity's teacup stopped halfway to her mouth. “Pinkie knows about this?”

“Yeah, I blurted it to her while I was helping her decorate cupcakes. I made her promise not to tell anypony. You know how she is about promises.”

“That would explain why I haven't heard about it.” Rarity nodded and took a sip of her tea. “Although it does explain why she started giggling uncontrollably when you and Applejack had to share a hot tub during our spa visit.”

“Ugh, don't remind me of that! It's why this whole thing is so terrible. That shouldn't have been awkward at all, but I could hardly even look at her. How can I be her friend if I'm always thinking about her-”

Rarity cleared her throat. There was likely a lot more she could say, but she wasn't in a mood to say it well, and even if she did, Twilight was in no position to process any advice correctly anyway.

“You need to just relax a bit. Go home, get some rest, and then we can talk it over when we aren't in danger of fainting from exhaustion.”

“But I'm wide awake.”

“Well, I'm not.” Rarity leaned in close so Twilight could clearly see the bags under her eyes.“Or at least, I shouldn't be. I've had a long week and I need my beauty sleep. Unlike some ponies I actually have to rest to regain my composure.”

“Okay, I get the hint. We can talk about it later. How about lunch?”

“Lunch would be wonderful.”

“I suppose I better get going, then. Thanks for the tea. It was delicious. Oh, and sorry about waking you up. I just didn't know what to do.”

“Don't worry about it, dear. I did tell you to come by any time after all. Although I admit that I would greatly appreciate it if next time you think over whether the issue could possibly wait a bit.”

“Duly noted,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “I'll try not to come by in the middle of the night unless it's an emergency. I'll see you tomorrow. Or later today, I guess. It is after midnight, isn't it?”

Rarity just glared.

“I'll let myself out.” Twilight began to back out of the kitchen. “Thanks again for listening to me.”

“Aw shucks. That was an awful throw.” Applejack glared unhappily at her horseshoe. It had slipped as she made her throw, and it was pure luck that it had landed in the sand pit.

“Ha, let me show you how it's really done!” Rainbow Dash snatched up her own shoe and hurled towards the pole. It landed right at the foot of it, only a few hair's breadths away from touching it. “There we go.”

“Lucky shot,” Applejack grumbled. “You mind if I ask you a question?”

“What, you want to know how I got so awesome? Sorry, that's my secret.”

“I'm bein' serious!”

“Sure, sure, ask away.”

“Well, I've been hangin' out a bit with Twilight this week-” She paused to throw the horseshoe. It bounced off the pole with a clank. “-and she's been acting kinda weird lately. You think there's anything up with her?”

“Twilight acting weird? She's probably just stressed because she's been studying too much or something.” She tossed another shoe. It bounced off the edge of the box and landed on the grass. “Oh, horseapples, that was awful.”

“Studyin', huh? That's exactly what Twilight said when I asked her about it. You ain't hidin' anything, are you?”

“Oh no. You saw through our conspiracy,” Rainbow Dash deadpanned. “Twilight has been replaced by a changeling and I'm covering for her. I can't believe you saw through her brilliant ruse.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “But really, I feel like something is botherin' her and she doesn't want to tell me.” She picked up her final horseshoe and tossed it. Rainbow Dash watched unhappily as it caught the pole perfectly and slid down to the dirt. “Hah, now that's how you're supposed to throw it! That ain't luck, that's skill!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rainbow Dash clenched her final horseshoe between her teeth. With the flick of her neck, she sent it sailing through the air. It landed in the sand with a dull thud. “I guess you win this one.”

“Ha, that's what, six in a row?”

“I'm having an off day, okay? It happens.”

“You sure you don't wanna go best out of 13?”

“I'll pass.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Unless you want another iron pony competition, I think I might as well go train some more.”

“Yeah, I don't think so. Especially after what happened last time. But really, you think that Twilight is okay? I still feel like she hasn't been quite herself lately.”

“Maybe she developed Egghead Syndrome.”

“Egghead Syndrome?”

“Yeah, I heard you get it if you spend too much time inside around musty old books.”

“If that were a real thing, she'd probably have got it a long time ago.” Applejack chuckled. “Maybe it's nothing. She did try to drink that cider stuff that my sister and her friends made. That stuff would make anypony sick for a few days.”

“Yuck, if she drank that, maybe I really should check on her.” Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue in disgust. “If I run into her, I'll see how she's doing. You still up for helping me train this afternoon?”

“Of course.”

“Alright, I'll meet you out at the track then and make sure you remember the oil can for the catapult. Later!” Rainbow Dash took to the air and headed into town.

“Daisy sandwich?”

“That's mine.” Twilight licked her lips as the waiter set the plate on the table.

“Then the garden salad is yours.” He set the other plate down in front of Rarity. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

“Thank you. That will be all.” Rarity waved him away. When he had moved out of earshot, she leaned in. “Now that we're both fully awake, is there anything else you would like to discuss?”

“Well, I was thinking about what you said last night. Mostly the stuff about how I have to just be honest about how I feel. And even though I know that I feel like-”

“What was it you were doing last night, anyway?” Both Rarity and Twilight turned to find Pinkie Pie sitting at the table's third chair, which until roughly four seconds ago been unoccupied.

“Pinkie, what are you doing?” Rarity said in a huff as she returned to her seat, having jumped out of it at the sight of Pinkie’s sudden appearance. “It's quite rude to intrude on a private conversation like this.”

“Sorry, I just heard Twilight talking about last night, and I was curious because last night I was going downstairs to get some chocolate milk and I saw that the lights were on in the library, which isn't that weird because Twilight is always up late. But then she went outside, which is really weird because she never goes outside at night.” She wiggled, somehow causing her chair to wobble towards Twilight. “So you were at Rarity's, huh? Why would you go to the boutique in the middle of the night? Did you need an emergency dress or something? If you ever need one, I have one hidden under your spare bed.”

“No, it wasn't anything like that. It's-” Twilight leaned in and whispered. “It's about Applejack.”

“Oooooohhhhh!” Pinkie winked at her, and immediately began to stare into space, doing her best to look like that philosopher pony statue she had seen at Canterlot. “Hmmmmm...” Her eyes turned to Rarity, the rest of her body completely prone. Then her gaze shifted to Twilight. Then back to Rarity. Her eyes narrowed.

“She knows about it, okay!?” Twilight blurted.

“Knows about what?” Pinkie asked. Twilight couldn't tell if Pinkie was feigning ignorance for the sake of the secret, or if she was just that oblivious.

“About my...thing for Applejack,” she muttered. “I actually told her about it the morning of the day I told you. She's been giving me advice on how to handle the situation.”

“Ooh ooh, can I try?” Pinkie raised a hoof and waited for Twilight to acknowledge her.

“Can you try what?”

“Giving you advice!”

“You? Giving advice on relationships?” Rarity's voice sat halfway across the gap between frustrated incredulity and an attempt not to laugh. “What, pray tell, do you know about such things? I've known you for years, and I cannot remember you getting ever being in any situations which would give you any insight into such matters.”

“Well, neither have you,” Pinkie retorted. “I mean, sure you might have read a lot of books about relationships, or romance, or princesses learning to better appreciate their new gardener, but that's totally different from what's going on! Applejack totally isn't Twilight's gardener!”

“No, but I have been the subject of romantic advances before. I have firsthoof experience.”

“And I don't!?” Pinkie glared at Rarity for a moment with an especially beady eye. Rarity swallowed and leaned back. Then with a twitch, Pinkie snapped back to her previous grin. “You're right, actually. I don't. Well, there was this colt who had a crush on me way back in my blank flank days, but I'm pretty sure I scared him off when he actually tried to talk to me, and that’s not really very helpful.”

“Exactly. I don't mean to belittle your... appeal, but I don't think it's an unfound assumption that I've likely received more attention of that sort than you have.”

“Well duh.” Pinkie rolled her eyes. “But that doesn't mean that you can give better advice than I can.” She switched back into philosopher mode for a moment before smiling widely and clapping her hooves together. “I know what we can do! I'll be Twilight's adviser, and you can be Applejack's adviser! Then after we advise them we can compare notes! Although that might be tough, because my hoofwriting is pretty hard to read, but I could explain them to you.”

“Why would I be advising Applejack? She doesn't even know what's going on.”

“Cause she's the one that Twilight has a crush on, and you know all about what that's like.”

“That is true, but I hardly think Applejack would appreciate me attempting to run her love life.”

“But you're telling Twilight what to do, aren't you?”

“That's because she asked me for advice.” Rarity sighed with exasperation. “But really, she simply wondered if I could tell her anything to better inform her own decision. I'm hardly trying to coerce her into doing things.”

“So if she says it's okay, I can give her advice too?”

Rarity sighed.

“I suppose so.”

Pinkie turned her attention to Twilight, who was nibbling at her sandwich.

“Hey Twilight, can I give you advice about Applejack? Can I? Can I? Pleaaasseee?”

Twilight swallowed her mouthful.

“You might as well,” she muttered. “I need all the help I can get.”

Pinkie grinned and winked at Rarity. The white unicorn rolled her eyes.

“Let's hear it, then,” she said.

Pinkie nodded, cleared her throat, and took a deep breath as she prepared to stun her friends with her brilliant insight.

“I think you should ask her out!”

Both unicorns released a synchronized groan as they smacked their faces on the table.

“Pinkie, that's exactly what you told me before. That doesn't help me at all.”

“Well, you obviously didn't listen to me last time, so I figured I'd say it again.” Pinkie shrugged and snatched one of Twilight's hay fries.

“I'm not sure how that sort of advice is exactly useful in this situation,” Rarity said, smacking Pinkie's hoof away as it moved dangerously close to her salad.

“What do you mean? Why wouldn't it be useful?”

“Because I'm trying to figure out whether or not I should even consider the possibility of telling her about how I feel. Going and just asking her out would be jumping the gun. I don't want to do anything until I figure out whether it would be a good idea.”

“Well, you're never going to find out if it would be good or not until you actually do it,” Pinkie said. “It's like when I get a box of chocolates from Bon Bon's shop and it doesn't have the label in it. I don't know if I'll get one of the yummy caramel ones or one of the icky coconut ones until I actually eat them!”

“I'm sure if you examined them closely enough you would be able to tell.” Twilight began to tap her hoof on the table to punctuate each point. “Between the spell, the weight, and the fact that Bon Bon always uses the same molds for a given filling, it shouldn't be that difficult. Not to mention that you could just ask her not to put any coconut candies in the box.”

“Ugggghhhhh.” Pinkie shook her head. “First of all, not having any coconut in the box totally makes it boring because there aren't any surprises. Second of all, Bon Bon charges extra for special orders. Third of all, that totally wasn't the point of my... what do you call that again?”

“An analogy.”

“Right, that! I'm just saying that you won't know how cute of a couple you and Applejack would make until you're actually a couple. Spoiler alert: it would be really really cute. Especially if you wore her hat.”

“But what if we don't? What if I decided to do that, and she turned me down?”

Pinkie opened her mouth to respond, froze for a moment, closed her mouth, and then deflated slightly.

“If Applejack doesn't feel the same way, it could completely ruin our friendship,” Twilight continued, her lip starting to wobble. “I don't know what I'd do if that happened! I don't think I want to take that risk.”

“You see now why this is such a sticky situation?” Rarity said. “Twilight has to consider all the aspects of the situation before acting. Measure twice, cut once.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Pinkie grumbled. “I still think it's boring though.” She turned back to Twilight. “You don't want to be boring, do you? Life isn't any fun if you take forever to do anything. Sometimes you just need to go and do something crazy! Like just go and join a pie eating contest for no reason!”

“I guess I can see what you're saying...” Twilight gazed pensively at her half-eaten sandwich.

“Twilight, just think about this for a moment!” Rarity put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “This is far too important to just rush into. I'll reluctantly admit that Pinkie does have a point, though. Sooner or later, you ought to do something. But even in that case I think the matter merits proper deliberation-” She cast an eye in Pinkie’s direction. “...not a clumsy, hastily made decision.  This is far more important than a pie eating contest.”  She turned her attention back to Twilight.  “But ultimately, the choice is yours, of course. I trust your intellect enough to know that you'll make the right decision.”

“Yeah, what are you gonna do? Huh? Huh!?” Pinkie started bouncing in place, her face dangerously close to Twilight's. “Are you gonna tell her? Are you?”

“I don't know!” Twilight flailed her forelegs for a moment before pressing her hooves to the sides of her head as if she was trying to keep it from splitting in half. “I really appreciate the effort you two are making to help me out, but I just don't know!” She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. “I'm sorry, I'm just not sure what to think. Both of you have some really good points, but I'm really tired after last night and I don't think I'm up to making that decision right now.”

“What did happen last night, anyway?” Pinkie asked. “You never did tell me why you were over at Rarity's in the middle of the night. If it wasn't a dress emergency, what was it?”

“Promise not to say a word of this to anypony?”

“Sure thing!” Pinkie bounded off of her seat and began her customary pantomime. “I even added another step! After I move into the house on top of the hole and mow the lawn, I take the clippings and make a mulch pile! Now what was it you were doing at Rarity's house?”

Twilight braced herself. As soon as the explanation left her mouth, Pinkie would probably gasp loud enough to make her headache even worse.

“I-I had a dream about Applejack. I dreamed that...I kissed her.”

As expected, Twilight heard a gasp. Not as expected, it wasn't a Pinkie gasp; it wasn't nearly melodramatic enough. Still, it sounded familiar. She bit her lip and slowly turned around, hoping that it wasn't who she thought it was. A frustrated groan escaped her mouth as she realized that her guess was correct. Rainbow Dash hovered just behind her. The enormous grin plastered across the pegasus' face told Twilight that she had most definitely heard everything.

“Wow, Twilight, I never would've pegged AJ as your type.”

“Ugghhh...” Twilight crossed her forelegs on the table and buried her face in them. “I'm sorry, I can't do this now. I need to clear my head.” She leaped out of her seat and bolted down the road towards the library, leaving her three friends to stare at her as she disappeared around the corner. It was Pinkie who broke the silence.

“So...can I have the rest of her sandwich?”

Rarity just sighed and shook her head.

“Alright, last one.” Spike plucked the book out of Owlowiscious’ talons and slid it into place at the top of the shelf. “Awesome! All of the cookbooks are now sorted by cooking style, arranged alphabetically. Classic Equestrian, Gustav's Guide to Griffon-style Grilling, Baking with Mulia. I really need to get Twilight to actually read these sometime; she's gotta be sick of eating out all the time. Anyway, nice job, dude.”

He raised a claw at the owl in expectation of a celebratory gesture, only to be left hanging as Owlowiscious hooted once before fluttering over to his perch and immediately falling asleep.

“Oh, right. You can’t high five because you can’t fly with only one wing. Oh well. Thanks anyway. I wonder if I can get a snack before Twilight gets back from lunch-”

“Arrgggh!”

Spike wobbled precariously on top of the ladder as Twilight burst through the door.

“Whoa!” Spike flailed his arms, in an attempt to get a grip on something. He latched his claws onto one of the books, which slowly began to slide from its place on the shelf. “Ahhhh!” The ladder toppled, bringing the dragon and the books on the shelf along with it. He groaned. As a dragon, he was more than durable enough to be uninjured, but the prospect of reordering everything was quite unpleasant. He shoved the books out of his mind for the moment and turned his attention to Twilight, who was stomping her way up the stairs. “Are you okay, Twilight?”

“I'm fine, I'm just tired,” she snapped. “I didn't sleep well last night. I'm going to go take a nap. Make sure nopony bothers me, okay?” She disappeared into her room and slammed the door without even waiting for a response.

“Huh, that's weird.” Spike glanced at the pile of books on the floor, which Twilight had completely disregarded. Sure, Twilight didn't get angry every time the books got scattered; if she did she would have snapped years ago, because no book made it more than a week without getting knocked out of place at least once. But even so, those occurrences usually merited a “Spike, can you help me reshelve these?” or at the very least a frustrated grunt. This time, Twilight hadn't even acknowledged the books. If not for the fact that Spike had bailed out right in front of her face, he'd be tempted to think that she hadn't even seen it. It was the fourth book spill this week, and for the fourth time Twilight paid it the same amount of attention she usually paid to her wardrobe: none whatsoever. Spike had been tempted to send Celestia a letter about Twilight's odd behavior; ever since he had returned from Canterlot she had seemed...on edge. As if she were aware of some impending disaster that sat far enough in the future that it didn't merit a psychotic break. Not yet, at least. Still, it wouldn't be the first time she was stressed. Maybe he could give her another few days. He was about to get back to restocking the shelves when he heard a loud knock on the door.

“Hey, Twilight, you in there? Open up!”

Spike scurried over the door and opened it just enough to see Rainbow Dash hovering just outside, a few inches above the ground.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash. What brings you here?”

“I gotta talk to Twilight about something.”

“Well, she's taking a nap. Can you come back later?”

“A nap!? Why is she taking a nap now of all times?”

“I don't know.” Spike shrugged. “You're the one who naps like four times a day. You tell me.”

“I only nap because I train so much.” Rainbow Dash said in a huff. “It's not like Twilight does half a dozen cloud slaloms every morning for a warm up! She just... sits and reads. It's not like she has extra egghead muscles or something that would make her tired. Besides, she's never really needed much sleep anyway. Are you sure I can't talk to her? It's kinda important.”

“Nope, she told me not to let anyone bother her. I guess she couldn't sleep last night or something. What do you need to talk to her about anyway?”

“I-uh, well, it's...stuff.”

“Uh-huh...”

“Ugh, fine. I guess I'll come back later.” She landed and trotted away, making her dejection as blatant as possible in a transparent effort to get in.

“Okay, see you later then!” Spike closed the door behind her, oblivious to her attempted guilt trip. “That went well. I didn' think it would be so easy to get her to go away. I wonder what she wanted to talk abo-”

The entire library trembled as a very familiar thud sounded from the top of the stairs. Spike groaned and put a claw to his forehead.

Rainbow Dash rubbed her forehead. She could perform a sonic rainboom while accelerating upwards, but she still hadn't quite figured out how to burst through Twilight's window without catching something on the windowframe. It was like threading a needle, only failure to keep from touching the edge resulted in a crash landing and a headache. At least she could reliably hit the window. It certainly hurt less than faceplanting on the side of the library..

The pegasus looked up. She had about half a dozen different reasons to believe that Twilight would freak out at the sudden entrance, running the gamut from the horror of having Rainbow Dash discover her dark secret, to the typical reactionary anger at the fact that, once again, the window would have to be repaired. But Twilight wasn't freaking out. Rather, she was curled up on her bed, her head buried under her pillow, the rest of her body trembling. Rainbow Dash took a cautious step towards the bed.

“Twilight? You okay?” No response. The pegasus took another step forward and reached out a hoof. “Are you awake? Twilight?” She leaned in and jabbed Twilight right in the cutie mark.

“Aaaahh!” Twilight nearly did a full backflip before landing awkwardly on the bed. “Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here!?”

“I-uh, just thought I'd drop by see how you were doing. You know, after that thing at lunch. Rarity filled me in.”

“Ugh, this is so embarrassing!” Twilight rolled onto her back and talked to the ceiling. “You weren't supposed to find out like that! You aren't mad at me, are you?”

“Mad? Why would I be mad?”

“Well, you're one of my friends, and I ended up caring more about somepony else and then I didn't tell you about it!”

“Oh, is that it? Eh, that doesn't bug me. If you've got a thing for AJ, that's totally cool. I mean, sure it would have been kinda weird if you were like actually going out with her or something and tried to hide it, but if you just have a thing for her, I don't mind. I mean, if I had that kind of dream about like, Fluttershy or somepony, it would be really awkward. Not that I had a dream about Fluttershy or anything.”

“Thanks.” Twilight closed her eyes. “I'm glad you don't mind.”

“So...are you going to go for it?”

“Huh?” Twilight's head swiveled to look at the pegasus, who stared at her with one eyebrow raised in an expression of naughty inquisitiveness.

“Applejack. Are you gonna ask her out?”

“Why does everypony assume I'm thinking of making a move on Applejack?” Twilight sat up and glared at Rainbow Dash. “Right now I just want her to be a friend! Why would I want things to be different?”

“I just thought that if you had those feelings about her you'd, you know, do something with them.”

“You've been hanging out with Pinkie too much.”

“Oh come on, Twilight. You totally have the hots for her. Yeah, I didn't really notice it, but now that I think about it you're really being kinda obvious about it.”

“I am!?”

“Yeah, actually, I was talking with Applejack about it this morning. Come to think about it, I was actually coming to see how you were doing when I stumbled into your-”

“Applejack noticed!?” Twilight practically leaped off the bed, grabbed Rainbow Dash's shoulders, and began to shake her. “What did she say? Is she suspicious?” Twilight's eyes widened as she inhaled sharply. “She knows, doesn't she? Oh nononononono, what am I gonna do!?”

“You can start by chilling out!” Rainbow Dash pried herself out of Twilight's grip. “She doesn't know about your crush, she just thinks you've been a bit high strung lately. And I kinda think she might have been onto something. You're kind of a mess.”

“I'm sorry, I just don't know what to do! I just want everything to go back to the way is was, but it's impossible. It's like the harder I try to just act normal, the more difficult it is. It's so stupid!” She groaned and flopped over on the bed, burying her head in the pillow.

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to respond, and realized she didn't really know what to say. She stepped forward and patted Twilight on the back. For a long moment, both ponies were still. Then Twilight stirred and spoke, her voice muffled slightly.

“I'm going to tell her.”

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash's ears twitched as if unsure of what they had just heard.

“It's not fair.”

“What's not fair?”

“It's not fair to her. To Applejack.”  Twilight sat up. “It's not fair that almost everypony else knows, and she doesn't. It's not fair that we all have to hide my secret from her. It's not fair that I can't talk to her, that I can't be normal around her, and she doesn't know why. And it isn't fair that all my feelings toward her have changed, and I'm trying to hide it from her.”  She slammed her hoof down on the bed. “I know it might completely mess everything up between us, but it just feels wrong to hide it from her. It's like I'm lying, and I can't do it. Not to Applejack. I don't know how I'll do it or how long it will take me, but I have to tell her.” She thrust a triumphant hoof into the air.

“Whoa...” Rainbow Dash could only stare. She could hardly even remember the last time she had seen Twilight so dead set on anything. Her friends had told her about the unbeatable determination that Twilight had dredged up to drag her friends out of Discord's influence, but being the last one rescued, Rainbow Dash had never seen it herself. Looking at Twilight now, she finally had an idea of what they had been talking about. If Twilight had declared her intent to master the Sonic Rainboom, for a split second Rainbow Dash would have believed her. Then she deflated.

“Oh, who am I kidding?” Twilight's resolve vanished as she hunkered down against the bed, trying to make herself as small as possible. “I don't know anything about this stuff! How am I going to tell her without messing everything up? I don't know how to do it properly.”

“Well, first, you gotta stop freaking out. Believe me, that does not end well. Whatever happens, happens, you know?”

“That's not very reassuring. What if something happens that I don't want to happen?”

“Worry about it then. If nothing actually happened yet, who cares?” Rainbow Dash waved a dismissive hoof in the air. “I try not to think about what happens when I crash unless I actually crash. Yeah, crash landings suck, but I'd rather wipe out in the middle of some awesome trick than just sit around.”

“Then what am I supposed to think about?”

“Think about how awesome the trick is gonna be when you pull it off.” Rainbow Dash jumped into the air and did a quick backflip. “That's the whole reason I fly, after all. Don't think about the bad stuff that might happen, and focus on the good stuff. Not that you don't prepare for it. It's not like I go straight to the Sonic Rainboom after all. You have to be ready for it.”

“You're right.” Twilight hopped off the bed. “I just have to think positively! Try not to think about how messing this up might completely ruin our-”

“Stop that.” Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a solid tap on the head with her hoof. “From now on, you think about three things.”

“Three things, got it.” Twilight whipped a notebook out from under her bed.

“First, think about how awesome it'll be if you do it right. Second, think of things you can do to make it easier to do it right. Third...uh...”

“Well, what's the third thing?”

“The third thing I usually think of is 'how would the Wonderbolts do it?', but that doesn't really help you much.”

“Actually, the basic idea might be quite helpful.” Twilight finished scribbling the third point on her notepad. “In fact, that might be just the solution to my problem!”

“Of-of course!” Rainbow Dash nodded emphatically. “Um...how?”

“Well, the best way to learn how to do something is to look at how the professionals do it, right?”

“I guess...”

“Thank you, Rainbow Dash. You've actually been really helpful.”

“That's what I'm here for, obviously.” She fluttered into the air and crossed her forelegs and continued to nod. “You ever got any other questions, just come right to me! Or like, send your owl up with a message or something.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” Twilight bounded towards the stairs. “I'll let you know if I have any more questions.”

“Okay, I guess I'll see you later then.” Rainbow Dash hopped out the window, stopping on the sill to look back over her shoulder. “And don't worry, I won't tell anypony else.”

“Thanks!” Twilight called after her, but Rainbow Dash was already gone. The unicorn took a deep breath. “Okay, Twilight you know how to do this. You can figure this out. It's time to do some research.”

The Undertaking, Part 1

I should have thought of this sooner.  Really, I feel a bit foolish for never really realizing that I could approach this issue in the same manner as everything else.  All my life, whenever I realized my own ignorance of a subject, I always sought the knowledge of those more familiar with the subject matter than myself.  I don't know why I didn't realize that I could approach the issue of romance in the same way.  I wouldn't want to belittle the contributions of my friends, of course.  Their advice has been invaluable in getting me this far.  But things have reached a point where I have to kick everything up a notch and consult those who have some real experience in these matters.  With help from some ponies who know how to handle these situations, I'll definitely be able to know the right way to tell Applejack about my crush on her.

I hope.

I have done one braver thing

Than all the Worthies did;

And yet a braver thence doth spring,

Which is, to keep that hid.

—The Undertaking,

John Donne

Fluttershy didn't sleep in very often.  She took the concept of “early to bed, early to rise” to heart.  The sunrise was far too beautiful to miss.  She greatly preferred waking to beams of golden light seeping through the curtains, as opposed to waking to the harsh buzz of an alarm clock.  Today, she didn't wake to either of those sounds.  She slept like a log through the sunrise, as one of Angel's cousins had come down with quite the stomach bug in the middle of the night after eating some bad carrots.  She didn't have to sleep through the alarm because she had fallen into bed without bothering to set it.  Three hours of tending to a highly feverish bunny with intestinal issues would exhaust anypony, and she had already been through a long day of contending with a half dozen birds suffering from various degrees of premature molting, a bear with a bad back, and several particularly ornery chickens.

This morning, Fluttershy awoke to a loud thud just outside her window.  Her first inclination was to go back to sleep, but even though she had only been awake for a matter of seconds, she had the presence of mind to realize that she wasn't tired enough to go back to sleep.  She yawned and headed downstairs to find Angel in front of the stove, frying a pan of hash browns.  He looked up from his cookery just long enough to point in the direction of the door. Fluttershy peeked out of her front window to see a large cardboard box, slightly compacted and crinkled by its rough landing on her doorstep..

“That's odd. I don't remember ordering anything,” she murmured as she ambled out the door. She checked the address label. Both the name and the address belonged to her. She scratched her head for a moment. May as well see what's inside it, she thought. She gave it a shove towards her door, and immediately gave up hope of getting inside before opening it. The box weighed much more than she would have expected. She sighed, and set about peeling open the mass of packing tape holding the box together.

After ten minutes of tearing at the packing and another five minutes of picking bits of tape out of her mane, the box finally stood open. Satisfied with her victory over the parcel, she flipped the cardboard flaps aside and gazed upon the contents of the parcel. Books. So many books. She lifted one off the top and read the title.

“The Stallion's Handbook, Volume 1: How to Win the Mare of Your Dreams.” She frowned. Why would someone send her such a book? She set it aside and looked at the next one. “How to Introduce Yourself to Mares More Beautiful than You Ever Dreamed No Matter What You Look Like.” She moved on to the next book. “101 Greatest Pickup Lines? Love Confessions for Eggheads? Stallions are from Mars, Mares are from Venus?”

Fluttershy took a step back. She didn't get it. She couldn't imagine that anypony, let alone herself, would ever actually want this particular collection of sordid literature. The box practically oozed a vague sense of smarminess.  The mere fact that it sat on her doorstep where anypony walking by could see it made her a bit uneasy. Unfortunately, the only other place she could put it was inside her house, and she wasn't too keen on having those books inside either. Her quandary was interrupted by Angel poking her in the leg. She looked down. He pointed at his chef's hat, and then back at the front door, pantomiming the act of shoving a large amount of food into his mouth.

“Oh, no, Angel. I have to find something to do with this box first. I can't leave it sitting out here.”

Angel glared at the box, hopped onto it, and stuck his head inside. After a long moment he withdrew it and slowly turned to face Fluttershy. His expression remained exactly the same aside from a raised eyebrow.

“Don't look at me like that! I don't know why they're here. They aren't mine. Well, they technically are because my name is on the box, but I didn't order them or anything?”

Angel stroked his chin for a moment, and turned his attention to the shipping label. Almost immediately, he let out an exasperated sigh and gestured for Fluttershy to come closer. She took a step forward.

“What is it, Angel?”

With a single fluid motion, the bunny seized the edge of the packing label, tore it off, and held it up for Fluttershy to inspect. As she gave it a closer look, it became evident that it was not, in fact, a packing label. It was an envelope with a wad of gum squished against the back of it.

“Oh, it's just a letter.” She furrowed her brow. “Who's this for then?”

She examined the real packing label. Between the bits of gum that still stuck to it, she could make out the address that the box was supposed to go to.

“Huh? What on earth would Twilight want with books like this?”

Twilight paced back and forth listlessly, her eyes darting back and forth between the numerous charts and graphs that hung on every available surface, as well as a few surfaces that were already in use but could stand to do double duty. In between the charts, her eyes wandered to the clock. Even taking the idiosyncrasies of the Ponyville Post Office into account, her order should have arrived by now. She intended to implement her plan that afternoon, and if she wanted to move out of the planning stages on schedule and keep the whole projected timeline from getting thrown off. She had tried to make the most of the extra time by tweaking her preparations, but after quintuple-checking everything she was finally starting to think that until she got her materials, the only thing she could do was wait and try to randomize her pacing enough that she wouldn't wear a rut into the floor again.

She jumped out of her meticulously-maintained non-pattern at the sound of gentle knock on the door, amplified by the silence within the library.

“Who is it?” Twilight barked. She cringed at the sound of her voice; her crankiness at not having her package yet was quite evident.

“Um...it's Fluttershy.” The voice barely made it through the door. “If you're busy, I guess I can come back later—”

“No no, it's fine!” Twilight called out. She forced herself to smile and opened the door, just wide enough to poke her head out. “Good morning!” she said, trying to sound happier than she felt. “What brings you here on this fine morning?”

“Um, well, the post office accidentally delivered some of your mail to my cottage,” Fluttershy mumbled. “I thought I should bring it over for you. I'm sorry for opening it; at first I thought it was mine, and-”

“Huh?” Twilight blinked a few times and noticed the cart that sat behind her pegasus friend. More specifically, she noticed the battered-looking box that sat on it. “It's here! It's here!” She bounded past Fluttershy and onto the cart next to the box. “I've been waiting all morning for this!”

“Like I was saying, I'm sorry that I-”

“You can tell me about it inside!” Twilight grinned, this time for real. She clapped her hooves together a few times and lifted the box into the air. “I've been meaning to talk to you about this for a while anyway.  Now I don't have to take the time to find you.”

She scurried inside and let the box down with a thump in the middle of the room. Fluttershy followed slowly behind. The pegasi let out a small gasp as she saw the sheer volume of charts that wallpapered the room. Twilight was too busy rooting through her box to notice Fluttershy’s surprise.

“Good, good...” Her head bounced back and forth as she checked each book off of her checklist and levitated them onto the table. “Perfect! They're all here! This is great! I'm so glad they finally got here. I was afraid they weren't going to make it.”

“Um, Twilight?”

“Huh?” The unicorn spun around, as if she had just noticed that Fluttershy was there. “Oh, right, what was it you were saying?”

“Well, the box got dropped off at my house by accident, and I thought it was mine because one of my letters had gotten stuck to the box, so I opened it and looked at some of your books. I hope you don't mind.”

“No, no, that's quite alright. I was going to tell you about all this anyway. It's only fair.”

“What's only fair?”

“Well, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash know already, and I wouldn't want to leave anypony out.”

“Have you told Applejack, then?  Or haven’t you gotten around to telling her yet?”

“That's— It's complicated. Let me explain everything first. Why don't you sit down?”

Fluttershy complied, gently pushing a mound of Twilight's checklists to the side to make room next to the table. Twilight cleared her throat.

“About a week ago, I realized that I- well, I have...special feelings for somepony. I didn't quite understand it at first because I'd never had those kinds of feelings before, but I talked to Rarity about it, and once she explained it to me, I couldn't help but notice it. I couldn't get it out of my head.”

“Special feelings?”

“I realized that I had a crush on somepony.” Twilight's tongue felt a bit heavier. After having three other friends in on the secret, she had expected that telling the fourth would be easier. Nope. “I've been freaking out all week trying to figure out what to do. You could probably figure out who it is just by watching me.”

“Really?” Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “I never really noticed anything.”

“You didn't?” Twilight suppressed a sigh. She had hoped that Fluttershy would have picked up on it on her own, sparing her the effort of having to explain all the details. “Are you sure? I mean, if you had to guess who I had a crush on, who would you say?”

“Um...Cheerilee?”

“Cheerilee? No! Why would you say that?”

“Well, you both read a lot, and she comes by the library a lot, and since you're always studying and she's a teacher...”

“That's because she's always getting books to use at the school. She has me order them for her because I get a discount.” Twilight rubbed her forehead with a hoof. Fluttershy's logic wasn't entirely erroneous, but she still seemed to have totally missed the numerous cues from the past week. “Why don't you try again?”

“Hmmm.” Fluttershy thought for a moment. “Is it Big Macintosh? A lot of the single mares in town seem to like him. That's what I heard, at least.”

“No, not him either.” Close but not quite, Twilight thought.

“Can I have one more guess?”

“Sure.” Twilight bit her lip, hoping this time Fluttershy would get it. She had underestimated how tough it would be to force herself to explain it again when she didn't have any other motivation outside of a vague sense of duty towards her friends.

“It-it isn't me, is it?”

“What!? No! Of course not!” Twilight blurted before Fluttershy had finished speaking. Just as immediately, she realized that her reaction had been a bit too strong. She clamped her mouth shut, but the words were already out. “I mean, not that I don't like you or anything! Just, you know, not like that.” She began to chuckle awkwardly and to her great relief, Fluttershy began to laugh along with her. Unfortunately, the distraction only lasted about a minute, and the laughter trailed off. Twilight silently cursed Fluttershy's ability to stay on topic.

“So...who is it? If you don't mind telling me, I mean.”

The question made Twilight cringe, and Fluttershy's sensitive disclaimer did nothing to calm her nerves.  The universe had dropped the opportunity to explain things right in her lap, and she was frustrated at herself for trying to disregard it. She couldn't, in good conscience, keep this from her friend.

“It's-it's Applejack.”  Her tongue bumbled the name a bit as it came out of her mouth, but it still hung clearly in the air.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy's eyes widened.

“I know, I know, it doesn't make much sense because we don't have much in common. I don't really get it either.”

“Actually, I think I can see that.”

“I know, right. Out of all the ponies in town, you'd think- wait, what?”

“I can see why you might like her. I mean, you both work really hard, and you're both really dedicated to what it is you do.”

“That's not saying much. Rarity is dedicated to her shop, Rainbow Dash is dedicated to training, and Pinkie is dedicated to throwing parties. You're dedicated to taking care of your animals, and I didn't get a crush on you!”

“Well, that's true, but I think you two both have quite a bit in common.”

“Like what?”

“Um...uh...neither of you care much about your personal appearance?”

“See what I mean?” Twilight grumbled. “At first I thought that if it was going to be that random it might just go away, so I tried to just ignore it until things just went back to normal, but something made me realize that it wasn't going to happen and I needed to do something about it.”

“What was that?”

Twilight wanted to smack herself upside the head. She hadn't intended to bring that up, and now she had walked right into it.  Still, no sense in dancing around it. “I had a dream about her.”

“Oh my.”

“Yeah, that's what Rarity said. It really sort of scared me. I had never had a dream like that before, let alone about one of my friends.”

“Me neither.” Fluttershy stared at her hooves.  Twilight ignored the lack of eye contact.

“After that, I realized I had to do something about it. And at first, I had no idea how to go about it, but then I realized the obvious solution.”

“What's that?”

“Books, of course!” Twilight beamed as she pointed a hoof at the stack of newly ordered tomes on the table. “If I don't know how to tell Applejack how I feel, I need to learn how! And what better way to learn than from studying up on it?”

“Well, you could just talk to somepony who-”

“This is going to be perfect!” Twilight rubbed her hooves together in excitement. She had spent days prepping for this, and the prospect of getting things underway made her giddy. “I can't wait to get started!”

“What exactly are you going to do?” Fluttershy scratched her head as she eyed the books. “Are you just going to read them before you tell her about your crush?”

“No no no, it's far more complex than that. See, my plan is carefully crafted to achieve optimal results. I need to ensure that my chances of getting a favorable response from Applejack are at maximum when I finally tell her. If they aren't-” Twilight shivered and her eyes crossed for a moment. She didn't like to think about that. “Well, the whole point of this plan is to keep that from happening. I've thoroughly analyzed most of my conversations with Applejack over the past week, and I'm quite sure that I've isolated most of the trends in our interactions. Using this information, I can normalize our conversation and eliminate most of the awkwardness.”

“That...sounds like quite a plan.”

“Using these books, I'll know how to make her more positively disposed towards me so when I finally confess to her she'll be more likely to be happy about it. It might take some time, but I'll do anything to make this work out.”

“Um, that's certainly an interesting way of going about things...”

“I know, I know! It's going to be tough, but I know with all of you helping me out, I think I'll be able to do it. Thank you so much for bringing the books by.” She smiled and patted Fluttershy's head. As subtly as she could manage, she leaned into the pegasus, gently prodding her towards the door. “I'd love to have you hang around and talk a bit, but I should really start reading these. I'll talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay...” Fluttershy murmured, as she found herself on the doorstep.

“Well, I'll see you around then! Thanks again for bringing the books over.” Twilight disappeared into the library, the door clapping shut behind her with a bang.

“I still can't believe that you told Rainbow Dash about Twilight's crush! I thought you promised that you'd keep it quiet!” Pinkie bounced along behind Rarity, who proceeded forward at a pace between a walk and a trot. She had an urge to burst into a full gallop, but she knew that it would be futile. If she had to listen to Pinkie's rambling, she might as well not exhaust herself beforehand in a fruitless attempt to avoid it.

“I mean, Rainbow Dash was all like 'so what was that about' and you were like 'Twilight has a crush on Applejack' and I was like—” Pinkie gasped so loudly that she forced herself into the air for a few seconds. “—because I totally couldn't believe that you would just tell her like that! I don't even know what to think now because you might go and tell everypony about how many corn cakes I ate, or how I broke Mrs. Cake's curling iron, or how Legacy of Nightmare Moon is my favorite Daring Do book! It's a good thing that it was just a regular old promise and not a Pinkie Promise, because if it was a Pinkie Promise I'd have to—”

“Pinkie, please!” Rarity stomped the ground in frustration. “First of all, everypony already knows about the corn cakes. Second, Legacy of Nightmare Moon is drivel. Third, I didn't actually break my promise in any case. It was plainly obvious that Rainbow Dash already knew about Twilight's feelings. All I did was explain the circumstances. Would you rather have let her horribly misinterpret the situation?”

“Nooooo....” Pinkie stopped bouncing long enough to mull the thought over. “That would probably have been bad. Really bad.”

“Indeed it would have been.” Rarity nodded sagely. “In fact, I feel compelled to point out that it was Rainbow Dash's little discussion with Twilight that resulted in Twilight's decision to take action. I'm sure that you must appreciate that, what with how enthusiastic you were about getting them to get together.”

“Well, yeah. They'd be great together!” Pinkie resumed her bouncing, and Rarity resumed her slow trot. “Do you think Applejack would let Twilight would wear her hat? How adorable would that be?”

“It would be absolutely precious.” Rarity rolled her eyes, but her mind was filled with an image of Applejack playfully ruffling Twilight's mane before draping the hat over her head. Pinkie had a point.

“If they get hitched, are you going to do the wedding dresses? Wouldn't that be fun? Ooh ooh! Maybe I'll get to bake the wedding cake for them! Fluttershy can do the music and Rainbow Dash can do...  something. We'll work on that. We've got plenty of time to plan for it.”

“I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself. Twilight hasn't even gotten around to even telling Applejack yet. Even supposing that Applejack reciprocates, it could still quite a while before they're even close to that point.” She blinked. The mental image of hat-sharing had already been replaced with potential wedding dress designs. Applejack needed something sweeping and dramatic; Twilight needed something more smooth and subtle. “Although I have to admit, if things do get to that point, I would certainly be willing to step in and take care of it. Free of charge, of course.”

“Just admit it, you totally want them to get together.”

“I will admit to nothing other than hoping that they'll both be happy with whatever happens. Now I must kindly ask that you stop pestering me about it. I'm starting to get a headache, and if we keep discussing this, we will only end up inadvertently letting somepony else in on the secret. You don't want that, do you?”

“Of course not! I promised Twilight that I wouldn't tell anypony about her crush on Applejack! I even did the whole house building thing. But come on, there isn't even anypony around to hear us anyway.”

“What about her?” Rarity thrust a hoof at Fluttershy. The unicorn's face immediately paled. She could have sworn that the street had been empty a few seconds earlier.

“Aw, I should have known that was going to happen.” Pinkie said, putting a hoof to her face.

“Um, are you two talking about Twilight?”

“Of course not!” Rarity's eyes bounced in every conceivable direction except towards Fluttershy.

“It's alright, she already told me about Applejack.”

“Oh.” Rarity sighed in relief. “So she talked to you about it already?”

“Yes. I stopped by the library this morning to drop off her books. They were accidentally delivered to my cottage.”

“Don't you think Twilight and Applejack would be adorable together!?” Pinkie shoved her face between Rarity and Fluttershy. “Just imagine Twilight wearing Applejack's hat!”

“I...I'm not sure.  I guess it would be sort of cute...”

Rarity groaned and shoved Pinkie to the side. “Ignore her, dear. She's a little bit too gung-ho about this whole thing. I trust Twilight explained her plan to you?”

Fluttershy nodded slowly.

“I personally think she's overdoing it a bit, but I suppose it's her choice to pursue things however she chooses.”

“Yes, I'm not sure that I like her plan...” Fluttershy murmured, staring at the ground by Rarity's hooves. “I think maybe she should take things a bit slower.”

“Normally I'd agree with you, but she's been dragging her hooves all week.” Rarity flicked her mane with a hoof. “I might not approve of the method, but at least she's actually making some effort to address the issue.”

“Oh, I see.” Fluttershy nodded. “You're right, I guess. It's just a little strange to think of Twilight feeling that way about somepony.”

“I know, right?” Pinkie bounced up and landed next to Fluttershy, throwing a foreleg around her shoulders. “When she told me about it it totally knocked my socks off! Well, it would have if I had been wearing socks. You can't wear socks when you bake. It gets fuzz in the frosting and then you have to clean the socks.”

“Um, I should probably get going.” Fluttershy slid out from under Pinkie's grip. “Angel gets a bit cranky if he doesn't get fed, and I'm already a bit late. I'll see you later.”

“Goodbye then!” Rarity waved at the pegasus as she trotted away down the street. “She took the news surprisingly well.” she said to no one in particular.

“Of course she did!” Pinkie giggled. “She's probably just so happy about it that she doesn't know how to express it. I'll go get my party cannon.” She started to bounce away.

“That won't be necessary.” Rarity halted Pinkie mid-bounce, grabbing her tail with her telekinesis. “Let's leave her alone for now. She just needs some time to think everything over..”

Fluttershy's cart squeaked as she parked it in its usual space behind her cottage. As if on cue, Angel hopped out of the window and began to unhook the harness. Fluttershy slid out of it and walked slowly into the house. With a sigh she flopped onto her sofa. Every part of her body felt unnaturally heavy, especially her head.

Twilight has a crush on Applejack, Fluttershy thought. How odd. Why Applejack, I wonder. I know I said that they do have some stuff in common, but Twilight is kind of right. They really are pretty different. I wonder why Twilight would like her so much more than any other pony. Maybe it means that Twilight likes Applejack more that she likes me. She was certainly very adamant that she didn't have feelings for me. Maybe I did something wrong. No, I shouldn't think about it like that. She just likes Applejack more. I guess that makes sense. Applejack is so much stronger and more reliable than I am, after all. But what about everypony else? Why wouldn't she like Rainbow Dash or Rarity like that? What is it about Applejack that makes Twilight like her so much more...?

Angel hopped into the room, dragging a bit of harness in need of repair behind him. He rolled his eyes. Apparently Fluttershy's late wakeup hadn't been late enough. She was already asleep, snoring softly in an almost musical way. Angel sighed. He was going to have to get his own lunch.

Applejack trotted down the street, her saddlebags sagging under the weight of her purchases. Should've gone and checked on her before I picked up the stuff for dinner, she thought.  She turned down a side street that lead her away from the marketplace and towards the library. For the past week, Twilight had only gotten more and more high-strung, as if some invisible force was constantly winding her tighter and tighter. Then two days ago, the unicorn had vanished altogether. Applejack has asked around, but only received the standard “I'm not sure; come to think of it I haven't seen her” response. The only exceptions were her immediate circle of friends and they were, if anything, even less helpful. Rarity waved it off with some comment about Twilight being “busy with some things”, Rainbow Dash had tried to change the subject and discuss her new training routine, and Pinkie had just started giggling uncontrollably. It was time for Applejack to take the matter into her own hooves.

As she approached the library door, she noted the hastily scribbled noted pinned to it.

“Studying in progress. Please do not disturb except in case of emergencies.”

Applejack sighed. Sure, it was hardly the first time that Twilight had sequestered herself in the library to work on something, but the signs weren't good. If Pinkie was to be believed, the last time Twilight had locked herself in the library overnight, the next day had seen her travel to Canterlot to break into the library's restricted wing with the intent of casting a powerful time manipulation spell. Granted, Pinkie being Pinkie, it was likely an exaggeration (especially the bit about the guard simply letting Twilight in after catching her), but there had to be a grain of truth in there someplace. Who knew what Twilight was plotting in that tree of hers? She knocked on the door.  The upper half swung open, revealing the top of Spike's head.

“Good morning, Applejack.”

“Hey, Spike.” She arched her neck over the bottom section of the door so she could make eye contact with the dragon. “Is Twilight around? I've been meanin' to talk to her.”

“Well, she is, but she's sleeping now.”

“What's she doin' sleepin'? It's the middle of the day.”

“She was up all last night working on something. Lots of charts and graphs and stuff. I'm not quite sure what all that was for.”

“I see.” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you know when she'll be awake?”

“I have no idea,” Spike said with a shrug. “I gave up trying to keep track of her sleep schedule a long time ago. She'll probably be back to normal tomorrow. Well, as normal as Twilight gets, anyway.”

“So I guess I'm not gonna be able to see her now?”

“Nope, she told me not to let anypony bother her. Although if you're looking for a book, I can give you some recommendations. I just finished reorganizing the cooking section. We have a copy of The Apple Lover's Cookbook, if you want it.”

“Nah, that's okay. Already got a couple. One of my cousins wrote the thing, after all.”

“Oh, right. Well, can I find anything else for you?”

“No thanks. I'll just drop by later and see if Twilight is up.”

“Alright, see you later then. I gotta get back to cleaning anyway. Bye.” The door closed with a click. Applejack shook her head. Half of her wanted to buck the door down and barge into Twilight's room anyway. The other half, the part with common sense, stopped her. Twilight would come around sooner or later. She forced herself to turn away from the door, only to find Rainbow Dash barreling towards her at a far greater speed than any pegasus had any business going at ground level. “Whoa!”

“Sorry about that, AJ!” Rainbow Dash planted her hooves in the dirt and ground to a halt, leaving a gouge in the dirt behind her. “Just dropping by to pick up the next Daring Do book. I just finished Temple of Nightmare Moon.”

“You still shouldn't fly through the streets like that. You'll run somepony over.”

“But it ended on a cliffhanger!”

“That still doesn't mean that you get to do that. Why don't you just fly a little higher or- oh, it doesn't really matter.”

“Yeah, if I fly higher I'll probably bust a hole in somepony's roof or something.”

“I woulda thought that there's more stuff for you to crash into down here, but whatever.” She took a step back, putting herself in front of the library door. “While you're here, you got a minute? I got a question for you.”

“Sure, just make it quick.” Rainbow Dash hovered back and forth as if looking for a way around her friend. Applejack shuffled across the doorstep to match her. “I want to find out if Daring Do stopped the ritual in time.”

“You sure you don't have any idea what's goin' on with Twilight? She's been acting weird all week and now she's hidin' in the library.”

“Uh...nope. Just her regular studying stuff.” She pointed at the note on the library door. “See? Studying.  She does that stuff all the time. Oh, that reminds me, yesterday I came up with this idea for an awesome new move, but I need to get some serious speed up for it, so if we hooked up a big slingshot—”

“Oh, no. I ain't doin' this again.” AJ stomped her hoof. “Every time I try to ask you about Twilight you go and start talkin' about your giant slingshot idea. I just want to figure out what's goin' on with Twilight. You obviously know something about what's going on that I don't, so stop trying to hide it.”

“Sorry, I can't say. Even if I wanted to tell you, Pinkie would sneak into my house and fill my bed with taffy or something. Oh, and don't tell her that I mentioned that, okay?  You know how she is with the whole ‘secret’ thing.”

“Just what is it that has Twilight so worked up that she can tell you and Pinkie about it, but can't tell me?”

“Uh,I just said I can't tell you.” Rainbow Dash patted Applejack's head, knocking her hat askew. “If it makes you feel any better, I just sort of stumbled into it by accident. Don't worry, though, Twilight is working things out. I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to talk to her tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow, huh? You sure?” Applejack shoved her hat back into position. Rainbow Dash was still hiding... pretty much everything, but at least now she was upfront about it. “'Cause I'm starting to get a little worried about her.”

“Well, don't.” Rainbow Dash suppressed a chuckle. “I think everything's going to be fine.”

“Fine. If you say so.”

“Well, I do say so, so there.” Rainbow Dash took to the air again. “Anyway, you got time to help me set up that slingshot?”

“I guess I might as well. It's Big Macintosh's turn to make dinner.” She nodded at her bulging saddlebags. “I just gotta run this stuff back to the farm first.”

“Okay, I'm gonna pick up my book and then I'll meet you out in the training field. See you later.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Applejack stepped away from the door. For a moment, she briefly considered rushing into the library when Spike answered Rainbow Dash's knocking, but she dismissed the idea. She could wait one more day.  Even Rainbow Dash deserved that much credit.

The Undertaking, Part 2

Alright, Twilight! You've been prepping all day for this. You know the material inside and out. You know the conversation and have all the possible routes mapped out. Sure, you've never tried to elicit romantic attention from anypony in your life, but you've studied up. Applejack is going to be head over flank for you in no time at all! You know what you have to do to make this plan work.

Now you just have to do it.

So, if I now should utter this,

Others— because no more

Such stuff to work upon, there is—

Would love but as before.

—The Undertaking,

John Donne

Applejack trotted down main street. Rainbow Dash had said that Twilight would be back to normal tomorrow, and now it was tomorrow. If Twilight hadn't recovered from whatever it was that had been bothering her, she definitely needed to get some legitimate help before she tried to disaster-proof the town again or take some other extreme measure that would likely result in more harm than good. She was still a bit hazy on exactly what kind of help she could provide, but she had to do something. Get Twilight out of that musty old library, first and foremost. Drag her out by the tail if she had to. Keeping herself cooped up in there twenty-seven hours a day couldn't have be good for anypony. Applejack remembered hearing about some sort of mold that could do weird things to a pony's mind. Maybe some of the older books in the library had that stuff growing on it, and the spores had gone to Twilight's head.

She halted in the middle of the street as she thought of what she would do in the event that her mold hypothesis had some truth to it. Common farm molds she knew; one or two showed up in the orchard and had to be fought off every year or so. But psycho-pony book mold, not so much. Maybe she could ask Zecora about it. That zebra knew everything that could be known about obscure plants; there was a good chance that mold fell under her area of expertise.

A sudden voice came from above.  “Hey, Applejack, you okay?”

“Huh?” Applejack looked up to see Rainbow Dash hovering above her.

“You were just kinda zoned out there. Staring into space like this.” The pegasus let her jaw go slack and focused her gaze on nothing in particular. “Somepony is gonna run into you if you just stand there like that.”

“Oh, right, yeah. I was just... thinkin'.”

“Well, you should probably do that someplace where you aren't blocking up the street.” Rainbow Dash gestured at the line of carts that had already formed behind the farm pony. “Like at the library or something. Twilight wanted to talk to you.”

“Ah, right.” Applejack waved apologetically as she trotted out of the way. “Twilight wanted to talk to me about something?”

“Yup, just like I said yesterday!” Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs and gave an “I told you so” nod. “I just ran into her over at the library and she said she needed your help with something.”

Applejack smiled. “Well, I guess I better get over there then.” She took off down the road, just under a gallop.

“Oh, and if you see Rarity, tell her she was totally right about Legacy of Nightmare Moon!” Rainbow Dash called after her. “And that that dragon guy was a stupid villain!”

Applejack ignored the call, mostly because it was irrelevant, and partially because she thought that the character in question was actually sort of cool, and she wasn't about to be drawn into another debate on the subject, especially not with Rainbow Dash. Besides, at the moment checking up on Twilight took priority over convincing Rainbow Dash that the idea of a dragon absorbing Nightmare Moon's powers was cool enough to make up for the fact that the book was a bit more mature than it's predecessors.

In a matter of moments she found herself at the library. The door stood wide open. It practically invited her in. Well, she was never one to turn down an invitation. She poked her head in the open door. Twilight sat at one of the library tables, slowly flipping the pages of a book with her magic. She didn't seem to be reading them; her eyes simply pointed at the crease between the pages. Unless all the text was written around the binding, her mind seemed to be elsewhere. Applejack tapped on the doorframe with her hoof. Twilight nearly jumped out of her chair.

“Wha!? Who's--Applejack!” Twilight beamed. Her face reminded Applejack of her family's faces when she had disembarked from the train after her failed venture in Dodge. “I'm so glad you could make it!”

“Yeah, I ran into Rainbow Dash and she told me that you needed my help for somethin', so I thought I'd drop by.” She bit her lip for a moment. She wanted to stop her explanation there, but she couldn't quite bring herself to keep her concerns to herself. “Not to mention that you've been acting kinda weird the past few days, and I wanted to make sure you were doin' okay. I came by yesterday, but you had the place all closed up. Although I guess you're doin' okay now. What is it you needed help with, anyway?”

“Oh, right.” Twilight rapped her hoof on a particularly massive tome on the table, big enough that if it were put on the floor it could have served as a table itself. It surprised Applejack a bit that the table hadn't collapsed under the book's weight, which had to be considerable. “I need to get this onto that shelf.” She pointed at an almost-entirely-empty shelf, the third up from the floor, just above head level. “Can you get it up there?”

“Uh, okay...” Applejack tilted her head to the side. “Can't you just use your telekiwhatsis? That's probably easier than having me mess with it.”

“I can't!” Twilight blurted, as if she had been waiting for an opportunity to say so. “I, uh, I sprained my...horn. Yeah.” She touched the tip of her horn with a hoof and made an exaggerated wince.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “But you were just turnin' the pages in that book when I came in. And I don't even think you can sprain a horn like that. I mean, I don't know a whole bunch about unicorn magic stuff, but I'm pretty sure your horn doesn't have any muscles in it.”

“Well, it's not technically correct, but there's still no way I could move something that heavy all on my own. But you...” She turned her face away from Applejack and looked at the orange pony out of the corner of her eye. “You're so much stronger than I am. I could never pick up that book!” She waved a hoof in front of Applejack's face. “See? It's so puny and weak. But your legs are so powerful from all of that work. All the applebucking, hauling those heavy carts of stuff around, herding your animals; I'm sure it would be so easy for you to move this for poor, wimpy, little me!”

“Alright, fine, I'll move this big old book for you.” Applejack considered rolling her eyes, but thought better of it. After the way Twilight had acted all week, this was no time to second guess her. For the moment, Applejack could humor her. “It goes on this shelf over here, right?”

Twilight nodded and Applejack turned her attention to the massive book. A Compendious Dictionary of the Equestrian Language. She put a forehoof against the corner of the book and pushed. It didn't move in the slightest. She pushed harder. The table wobbled. Her initial guestimation was that the thing weighed about as much as one-and-a-half cider barrels. Or in laypony's terms, really really heavy. And unlike a cider barrel, it obviously wouldn't roll. She'd have to use brute force.

She gave the tome a hefty shove, finally getting one of the corners to slide off edge of the table. It hit the floor hard enough to leave a small dent. Twilight winced. Applejack just groaned and shoved her head under it, straining her neck in an effort to lift the book onto her back. After a few moments of struggling, the extensive volume balanced precariously across her shoulders. All four legs wobbled as she attempted to shuffle in the direction of the bookshelf. The book swayed dangerously.

“Uh, Twilight?” she weezed.

“Yes, Applejack?” Twilight looked up from her book.

“I know you hurt your horn or whatever–” Applejack had to struggle to get the words out; if she had to guess she'd say that the weight of the lexicon on her back was squishing her lungs a bit. “-- but would you mind helpin' me balance this thing? Cause other wise it's gonna fall off and bust a hole in your floor.”

“Of course, of course!” Twilight daintily put a hoof on the corner of the book. “That better?”

“Not really,” Applejack grunted. Twilight's touch was so light that it did precisely nothing. “Whatever, just make sure it doesn't fall off, okay?”

“Sure thing!” Twilight nodded.

Applejack began shuffling towards the bookshelf. Each step felt like it shortened her legs a little bit, and if she hadn't known anything about physiology, she'd have suspected that the back of her skull was being flattened. She groaned as she made her agonizingly slow progress across the room. “Almost...there...” Her legs trembled as she came to a stop at her destination. She lowered her head a bit, wiggling her body in an attempt to slide the edge of the enormous book onto the shelf. With a loud groan, she heaved the book up. It teetered on the edge for a moment before slamming into place.

“I hope you like havin' that book there, because it ain't goin' anywhere any time soon.” Applejack's back crackled like a string of firecrackers as she straightened her neck. Good thing she didn't have to do any applebucking today. Everything ached. Even her tail felt strained, and she hadn't even used it for anything. “There anything else you need help with, Twi— Twi?”

She glanced around the library. Twilight seemed to have vanished. Applejack stretched her neck once more before giving the library a second scan, this one more thorough. “Twilight? Where'd you— oh.” The unicorn's tail protruded out from under the table. Applejack shook her head and crouched down to see Twilight cowering against the table leg. “What are you doin' under there?”

“There's a bee!” Twilight waved a hoof at a far corner of the library. Applejack looked; if she squinted she could just barely make out the tiny insect buzzing around one of the cases.”

“Uh, yeah. That's a bee, all right. What about it?”

“Can you get rid of it?” Twilight spoke with unnatural urgency. “I don't want it to sting me!”

“Twilight, it's just one bee.”

“Yes, and that means it has a stinger!”

“Fine, I'll get rid of it.” Applejack couldn't resist rolling her eyes this time. She never would have thought that Twilight would get so worked up over one bug. Maybe that incident with the beehive during Twilight's first Winter Wrap Up had given her a fear of bees or something. She trotted over to the window and opened it. “Get out! Shoo!” She waved a hoof at the bee, which was already heading straight for the flowers outside the library. “There you go. Bee's gone.” Applejack shut the window and turned around. “So, how are-”

“Thank you so much!” Twilight's eyes were the size of dinner plates, and they were staring directly at Applejack. Applejack imagined that Twilight must have had a similar expression when she met Princess Celestia for the first time. “You're so much braver than I am! You weren't afraid of that bee at all!”

“Well, it's just a bee. It's not like a sting is gonna kill me or anythin'. When I'm out applebucking, sometimes there's a bees' nest in the tree. I'm used to getting' stung by now.”

“That's so cool!” Twilight squeaked.

“It's not, really.” Applejack tilted her head to the side. “Are you okay, sugarcube? You just seem a bit...weird today. I mean, you usually wouldn't be that scared of a bee...”

“I know, I know, I've just been under a lot of stress during the last few days.” She flopped dramatically against the table, shaking her hoof at the air. “It's so hard! I don't even know if I'll be able to keep up with everything!”

“Keep up with what?”

“Stuff! Lots of it! Ugh!”

“Don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure out how to deal with it.” Applejack patted Twilight's head. It felt unnaturally warm. Maybe she was coming down with something. “Are you sure that you're okay?”

“I'm fine!”

“You sure? There haven't been any little nasty moldy patches on any of your books or anything?”

“Of course not! Every book in this library is absolutely pristine.”

“If you say so.” Applejack shrugged. Out of all of her friends, the one most likely to clean obsessively... was probably Rarity, but Twilight was definitely a close second. “I don't suppose you need help with anything else?”

“Actually, can you help me make lunch? I've always wanted to learn how to cook, and Pinkie tells me that you're a great cook! Like one of the best in town!”

“I-- I suppose that I'm not bad at preparin' food.” Applejack scratched her head, confused by the sudden change of topic. Twilight had never shown any interest in cooking before, but there was no reason not to indulge her. Maybe it would give her something other than her studying to think about. She needed a hobby that didn't involve books. “I guess I could give you a crash course. What is it that you wanted to learn to cook?”

“A sandwich!”

Applejack stared for a long moment before answering. “A sandwich.”

“Yes.”

Applejack briefly considered the idea that Twilight was just messing with her. Even Twilight had to know how to make a sandwich. How could she not know how to make a sandwich? “You do realize that doesn't actually require any real cookin' right?”

“Well, I don't know know anything about cooking, so I thought I'd start with the basics.”

“Twilight, makin' a sandwich isn't the basics, that's like... the basics of the basics. It ain't even cookin'.”

“I know, but I just want to make sure that I do it right!” She pressed her forehooves together in a gesture of supplication. “Can you show me the right way to make one? Pleeeeaaase?”

“Okay okay, I'll show you how to make a sandwich.” Applejack shook her head and headed to the kitchen. “You already got all the ingredients, right?”

“Of course!” Twilight darted past Applejack into the kitchen and gestured dramatically at the counter. A variety of ingredients were laid out neatly along its length; any ingredient anypony could possibly want for a sandwich was accounted for. “Shall we begin?”

“Uh, sure.” Applejack shoved the weirdness of Twilight having an entire deli bar in her kitchen to the back of her mind. “First, you take your two slices of bread.”

“Bread, got it.” Twilight placed two slices of rye on the counter in front of her, taking pains to ensure that they were lined up properly. “Now what?”

“Then you take your condiments; you know, mustard or mayonnaise or whatever, and put it on the bread.”

“Step two. Condiments.” Twilight scratched the words onto a notepad that she had produced from somewhere and proceeded to carefully apply a generous helping of mayo to her bread.

“Then you put your vegetables on it. Lettuce, tomato, fennel, maybe some flowers. You know.”

Twilight nodded and dumped a pile of daisies onto the sandwich.

“Then the cheese.”

Twilight added a slice of provolone.

“And then you finish it up with the other slice of bread. If you're in a fancy mood, you can stick a toothpick in there with an olive on it.”

“Perfect!” Twilight eyed the toothpick closely to make sure it was perfectly perpendicular to the bread. “Thank you so much! I never could have done it without you!”

“Really?” Applejack could feel her patience being chipped away. “You couldn't make a sandwich without my help? I know you're smarter than that! I can understand that you might need my help with that book or whatever, and I can kinda see why you might not want to mess with bees, but somepony as smart as you should be able to figure out how to make a sandwich on her own!”

Twilight took a step back. “But—but I just wanted to make sure I got it right.”

“You don't always need somepony tellin' you how to do everythin', Twilight! Yeah, I get that sometimes you need help to get somethin' figured out, but sometimes you can just go and do it yourself. Sure, you'll probably mess somethin' up sometimes, but that's okay. You just gotta make sure to get it right when you try again.”

“I—I'm sorry...” Twilight babbled. “I just didn't want to mess things up.”

“Aw, you don't have to apologize.” Applejack ruffled Twilight's mane. “You just gotta try stuff for yourself sometimes before askin' for help.”

“You're right,” Twilight said with a sigh. “I should be able to make a sandwich. I guess I should let you get out of here. I'm sure you've got better stuff to do than help me with stuff I should be able to do myself.”

“Actually, I don't really have much goin' on today. Big Macintosh is doin' the harvestin', and there's no point in startin' up quality control until he gets a big pile of apples harvested, so I don't have to be back on the farm till lunchtime.”

“Oh, I see. Well, I don't really have anything I need help with, so there's no reason for you to hang around here.”

Applejack shook her head. “Nah, you've been holed up in here for so long I thought I'd just hang out for a bit. You haven't come by the farm since you tried that cider. It didn't make you sick or anything, did it?”

“No no, nothing like that! I'd just hate to keep you from doing whatever else it is you could be doing! Besides you're totally right! I should be doing stuff myself rather than bugging you about it!”

“Come on, Twilight. Just because I'm hangin' around doesn't mean that I'm gonna be helpin' you with everything.”

“Well, Rarity says that the best way to avoid temptation is to remove it entirely!”

“Soooo you're going to boot me out because you're afraid you're going to ask me for stuff?”

“I just don't want to be using you as a crutch. Besides, I hear that Rainbow Dash has a new trick she wanted to try out. Something about a giant slingshot.”

“Twilight, I”—She thought better of her protest. When it came to Twilight, you couldn't force the issue—“I should probably get going. You don't mind if I drop by tomorrow, do you?”

“Of course not.”

“Well, I'll see you later then.” Applejack tipped her hat at Twilight and headed out the door.  No sooner had it closed behind her than she found Rainbow Dash sidling up to her. “So how did things go with Twilight?” the pegasus asked. “She back to normal?”

“Nah, just a different kind of weird.” She took a few steps away from the door just in case Twilight had left a window open. “At first she seemed kinda normal, but then things got all strange. She said she needed my help to make a sandwich the right way.”

“A sandwich?”

“Yeah, she wanted step-by-step instructions on how to make a sandwich. A sandwich! Even my sister can figure out how to make a sandwich by herself.”

“That... definitely isn't like her.” Rainbow Dash tapped her chin with her hoof. “What do you think's going on?”

“I have no clue?” Applejack sighed. “It's like every time I think I got a grip on what's goin' on, she goes and does something bizarre. I mean, at first I thought she had just gone and bit off more than she could chew, but now I got no idea what's goin' on in her head. She sounded like she was done hidin' in there, but now she wants her space again.”

“So what're you gonna do?”

“I dunno. For now I'm just gonna leave her alone. I don't want to bug her too much. Maybe go get some food. Helping her make that sandwich made me hungry.”

“Alright, see you later!” Rainbow Dash hovered for a long moment, waving at Applejack as she trotted back towards Sweet Apple Acres.

“A sandwich!? That was your super awesome plan? Ask Applejack to help you make a sandwich!?” Rainbow Dash couldn't help but facehoof at Twilight's account of the morning's escapades. Sure, it wasn't like Dash had any experience in these matters (outside of that one time in flight school; she still couldn't look Thunder Lane in the eye), but even she knew that feigning the inability to make the simplest foodstuff available couldn't be the best course of action. “Why that of all things?”

“The book said that most mares find it attractive when you're willing to show vulnerability and act extremely appreciative if they give you any assistance because it keeps them from feeling intimidated.”

“Isn't pretending to not be able to make a sandwich a bit much, though? That's not” — She made hoof quotes in the air. —“'showing vulnerability.' That's just being lame.”

“I know it may have been a bit extreme, but I don't want drag this out any longer than I have to. When you talked to Applejack, did she seem any more positively disposed towards me?”

“Not really, if anything she thinks you're really starting to lose it.”

Twilight turned back the line graph she had been working on. She sighed and added a downward trend to the end of it. “I guess that advice was a load of horsefeathers. I'll have to move on to plan B.”

“You have a plan B?”

“I've actually put together plans going all the way through N. Although I doubt I'll have to go past plan G.”

“You have a plan—you know what? I’m not even going to think about that. What's plan B?”

“First, I switch resources.” Twilight tossed the book onto a pile in the corner and selected another one. “Since being vulnerable didn't work, I'll have to try another method. This book says that mares are often attracted to confidence and stability. Next time I see her, I'll have to emphasize that!”

“Yeah, you're a shining example of stability all right.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

“Thanks!”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “No, I mean—Okay, listen, you spent all day trying to look like you needed her help, right? Isn't that gonna make it a bit of a problem if you want her to think that you're confident after all that stuff?”

“You're right, that might be a problem.” Twilight scrunched up her face in concentration. “Not to mention that when I tried to be vulnerable, I totally messed it up. I have to make sure that when I try to be confident, I have to look up how to do it properly.”

“Well, I can totally teach you a thing or two about that!” Rainbow Dash did a flip. “If you're actually awesome, you don't even have to worry about acting confident!”

“How long would that take?”

“Give me...” Rainbow Dash tapped her chin as she tried to mentally calculate the time she’d need.  She promptly gave up and guesstimated.  “Three days!  Three days, and I guarantee you’ll be at least thirty percent more awesome!”

“Sorry, but I don’t have time for that.”  She gestured at her calendar. “I’m on a strict timetable.  If I don't have to actually become awesome, I'll have to find a way to expedite the process.” She tapped her chin with her hoof for a moment before thrusting a foreleg into the air. “I've got it! I'll see you later, Rainbow Dash! I have somepony to talk to!” Without waiting for a response she galloped out the door.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I don't even want to know, do I?”

“I just don't get it, Angel. I mean, I know that Applejack is a great pony, but so are a lot of other ponies in town. Do you think she ever considered them? I mean, when I asked her if it was me, she knew right away that it wasn't me; like she didn't even have to think about it. Do you think it's like that for everypony who isn't Applejack? That Twilight just sort of knew she didn't like them that way? What if she considered them all? Why wouldn't she consider me at all?”

Angel yawned in response. Fluttershy ignored it and continued. It didn't really matter that he didn't care enough to pay any attention; she needed to talk to someone, and she preferred talking to someone who wouldn't talk back.

“I mean, not that I would want her to have a crush on me or anything. That would be too strange. But why does she have to have a crush on anypony at all? Was there something wrong with the way that things were before she—” Her monologue was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. She peeked out the window and squeaked in shock as she saw the top of Twilight's head.

“Fluttershy? Are you in there? I have a question for you.”

“Um, no! I mean— yes! I'll be right there!” She dashed to the door, tripping over her own legs as she went. She stopped in front of the door and stopped to untangle her limbs. “Just a moment!” For a long moment, the door-handle refused to cooperate with her hooves as she attempted to turn it. With a pop, the door sprang open.

“Good afternoon!” Twilight looked and sounded deceptively normal. Under normal circumstances, Fluttershy wouldn't have even suspected that it was all a carefully constructed facade meant to hide the fact that Twilight sat on the verge of insanity due to an unrequited crush. Either that or Twilight had legitimately pulled a surprising quality of composure out of thin air since yesterday.

“Um, how are you doing, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.

“Okay, I guess. I've been better. Phase one of my plan didn't quite go as expected.”

“Oh, I'm sorry.”

“Don't worry about it.” Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. “I accounted for the possibility. In fact, that's why I'm here.”

“So this is about your”—She lowered her voice, even though there was nopony around to overhear it—“your crush?” She hoped that her disappointment wasn't too evident, Twilight's romance issues were the last thing she wanted to talk about.

“Yes and no. I don't want to bother you by asking for more advice about it. It's just that my plan B involves acting confident and assertive around Applejack. I know you went to that assertiveness seminar a while back, and I was wondering if you still had any of those materials.”

“Oh, you mean the Iron Will thing?”

“Yeah, that!” Twilight nodded enthusiastically.

“I—I think it's...” She bit her lip. She never had gotten around to discarding it; mainly because she didn't want to think about it too hard. Her assertiveness phase was a period of her life that she was none too proud of. Then again, surely Twilight was intelligent enough to know how far to take Iron Will's advice. It couldn't possibly affect Twilight in the same way that it had affected herself. “I think I still have it somewhere; let me go look.”

She scrambled upstairs and fumbled around in her cabinet for the book. Why did Twilight have to come by because of this? Why couldn't she have just come back to pick up Owlowiscious' food pellets? Well, other than the fact that it wasn't a Tuesday, and Twilight only picked up Owlowiscious' food on Tuesdays, but she could have at least pretended to make it a social visit. It felt like Twilight couldn't think about anything but Applejack.

Fluttershy shook the thought from her head as she yanked the book out from the pile of junk it was buried under. It had only been what, two days? Of course Twilight's mind would be occupied; this was a big deal for her. Once this whole crush thing blew over, everything would go back to normal. Twilight might be focused on it now, but she couldn't keep obsessing forever. Could she? Fluttershy sighed and headed back down the stairs. She always hated it when “wait and see” was the only course of action.

“Here you go.” She held the book out and Twilight levitated it into her saddlebag.

“Thank you so much for the help! I don't know what I'd do without you!” She spun around and began to head out the door. “I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.”

“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy reached out after her friend.

“Yes?” The unicorn looked back over her shoulder.

“I—uh, while you're here, I just wanted to let you know that I'm teaching some of my birds some new music for the Hearts and Hooves Day festival that's coming up. We're going to be rehearsing tomorrow and I thought you might want to come by and listen to it. If you have time, I mean.”

“Oh, I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I'd love to drop by, but I don't think I'll be able to make it. I have to put plan B into motion and—” Twilight switched into thinking mode for a moment. “Actually, I may be able to see it.”

“Really?” Fluttershy tried not to sound too excited.

“Yes, unless something else comes up, I'll definitely be there!” Twilight emphasized the last word with a stomp.

“Great! So I'll see you tomorrow then?”

“Of course! Thanks again for the book. Come to think of it, I should really get to studying it. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Yes, of course.” Fluttershy nodded enthusiastically. “I'm already looking forward to it!”

Fluttershy's hoof drifted back and forth in time with the music as she listened to the chorus of birds chirping harmoniously in the afternoon sun. So beautiful. If only it could last forever. She knew it wouldn't. It never did. It would only be a matter of time until—she cringed as her bluebird's pitch went loudly and aggressively flat.

“Shh!” She held up a hoof and song vanished. “You really need to watch that note, okay Mr. Bluebird? You're just singing the harmony line, so you don't have to be so loud. Alright, let's do it again from the beginning of the second movement. One, two, three, four...” The song resumed, this time entirely in tune.

“Fluttershy, that music sounds wonderful!”

“Really?” Fluttershy's spirits rose as she recognized the voice as Twilight’s. Then they sagged a bit as she realized that Twilight wasn't the only pony coming down the path. Applejack followed along behind her.

“Of course!” Twilight smiled. “You know I always enjoy your birds' songs.”

“Oh, thank you.” Fluttershy nodded politely, as she always did when receiving a compliment. “I see you brought Applejack with you.”

“Yes, I thought she might enjoy the music as well!” Twilight patted Applejack's head, despite the latter's weak effort to move out of the way. “Don't you like it, Applejack?”

“Yeah, it's real nice.” Applejack smiled and readjusted her hat. Unlike Twilight's, her smile was quite obviously there only because the occasion called for it. As she spoke she began to edge back in the direction from which she had come. “I'd love to stay and listen to a few more songs, but it's my turn to harvest the east field and I really need to get back to the—”

“No, stay for a couple more!” Twilight disappeared in a purple burst and reappeared on the other side of Applejack. “You can't go already!”

“If you have other things to do, you don't have to stay,” Fluttershy mumbled. Against her typical selflessness, she sort of hoped that Applejack really did have other things to attend to. Not that she had anything against Applejack, of course. She had been looking forward to having a nice talk with Twilight. “I mean, this is only a rehearsal after all. If you come to the Hearts and Hooves Day concert you'll be able to hear the whole thing anyway.”

“Yeah, I think I'll do that. Not that I don't want to hear your rehearsal or anything, but I'm already starting to get a bit behind in all the stuff I had to do today and I think I need to—”

“No!” Twilight interrupted. “You can stay! I'm sure Big Macintosh can handle—”

“Twilight, please!” Applejack said, stomping her hoof. Fluttershy reflexively took a step back, shocked by the the unexpected jump in volume. “I don't know what it is that's gotten into you today, but it's drivin' me nuts!” She spun around and glared at Twilight. “First you drag me out of bed on the one day I get to sleep in a bit, then you go draggin' me around town everywhere! It's like every time I see you you're just gettin' weirder and weirder! I have no clue what it is you're tryin' to pull, but it's really starting to get on my nerves. I get that you want to do stuff today, but it just ain't gonna work. I hate to say it, I really do, but I wish you'd knock it off because today I got other stuff to do that's more important than hangin' out with you!”

Twilight stood still as statue for a long moment as the words sunk in. Then she wilted like a flower in a drought.

“I—I just remembered, I have to... I have to go.” Without so much as a backward glance she turned and galloped back down the path towards the library.

“Twilight, wait!” Applejack called after her. “I didn't—” It was too late. The unicorn was already out of earshot. “Oh horsefeathers, I didn't mean it like that.” She groaned and turned to Fluttershy. “I'm sorry you had to watch that. It's just that Twilight's been acting kinda weird all week, and yesterday and today she's just gone right off the deep end. She's been draggin' me around with her all morning, and I guess it just hit the breaking point.”

“Oh, so she's been like that all day?” Fluttershy didn't care much about the backstory; she was too shaken by Applejack's sudden outburst. Still, she felt like she ought to ask the question.

“You have no idea,” Applejack answered with a snort. “She came by early this morning and dragged me out to have breakfast at the cafe. Apparently she had like the entire day planned out. I think after listening to your rehearsal she wanted to take me to go to the Wonderbolt exhibition, and after that she wanted to take me to the spa, and after that she wanted to go to dinner—ugh. Then when I tried to tell her that I was busy and maybe we could do stuff some other time, she just sorta shoved me out the door.

“And it's not just today either. She's been actin' weird all week. Everythin' was goin' fine and dandy and then suddenly she just started avoidin' me, and now she suddenly wants to hang out all the time.” Applejack dug at the ground with her hoof. “I don't know what's gotten into her! I know she's gone off the deep end before, but never like this. You don't have any idea why she's actin' up, do you?”

“I—I couldn't say.” Fluttershy spoke carefully; as much as she wanted to explain everything, she couldn't bring herself to betray Twilight's trust. It was true enough that even if she knew about Twilight's feelings, she couldn't quite trace Twilight's exact train of thought. “I think she's just been under a lot of pressure lately.”

“That's what everypony says.” Applejack rubbed her head. “I ain't ever seen it get this bad, though. Sometimes it feels like I'm the only pony who thinks somethin' might be really wrong with her.” She sighed. “I'm not goin' crazy too, am I?”

“Oh, no.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I think you might be right about Twilight. She has been acting rather strange.”

“Good to know I'm not totally losin' it.” She paused, waiting for Fluttershy to say something. When she didn't, Applejack continued. “So, uh, I really do have lots of stuff to do, so I should probably get going. I'm real sorry that I messed up your rehearsal. I didn't ruin your day or anythin', did I?”

“Of course not.”

“Alright then, I'll make a point to come to your concert on Hearts and Hooves day, okay? Let me know if you find out anything about Twilight.”

Fluttershy nodded limply. “See you later.” She felt her eyes getting heavier as she watched Applejack gallop away. With a sigh she turned her attention back to her birds, which still sat attentively on the branches of a nearby tree. They still needed a bit more fine tuning, but she wasn't in the mood. “I think that will be all for today. We'll practice again tomorrow.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Everything felt tight, her eyes, her throat, every last muscle felt like they were winding themselves up. Even her brain refused to run smoothly. Was she angry? Sad? Disappointed? All the feelings squeezed themselves together into seething mass. With a labored groan, she lashed out at the tree with her all the frustration she could cram into it. The tree quivered slightly as her hoof tapped lightly tapped the bark.

Why do things have to be like this? Why couldn't everything have just stayed the same?

Rarity squinted at the curls of fabric pinned to her dressform. She hated it when this happened. Some abstract element of the design was undeniably, unquestionably off, and yet even if her life was on the line she would be hard pressed to put a hoof on any particular aspect that needed to be changed. The dilemma wasn't so much a question of what to fix, so much as whether she ought to run with the design as it stood despite the too-subtle-for-her-eyes flaws or scrap the whole thing and rework it from scratch. On one hoof, getting this design out of the way would clear up her schedule, and the problem in question hadn't quite pronounced itself enough that a pony not deeply into the fashion scene would notice. On the other hoof, she didn't really have any other pressing matters, and the idea of putting out anything less than perfect made her want to tear her mane out. Not literally of course; she would never intentionally damage her mane in that fashion.

“Hey, Rarity!”

She snapped out of her concentration at the sound of Rainbow Dash's voice.

“Yes?” She rolled the dressform to the side and addressed her visitor. Under normal circumstances her response would be a bit snippy, but at the moment she appreciated the distraction. “What can I do for you today? It isn't often I see you drop my boutique.”

“Yeah, it's kind of an odd situation.” Rainbow Dash took a careful step toward Rarity, eying the rows of dresses as if she feared one of them would leap off the wall onto her.

“And what odd situation would that be?” Rarity's good mood waned slightly at the realization that Rainbow Dash quite obviously had an ulterior motive.

“Twilight kinda sorta had another freak out.”

“Again?” Rarity put a hoof to her forehead. “And she was making so much progress. Do you have any idea what happened?”

“Nope.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “All I know is that Pinkie says Twilight came into Sugarcube Corner and bought out their entire stock of chocolate granola bars. You remember the last thing that caused Twilight to go on a granola binge?”

“Do I ever.” Rarity shivered. “You think it has something to do with” —She lowered her voice— “her crush on Applejack?”

“You think?” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Why do you think I came over here?”

“What do you expect me to do about it?” Rarity narrowed her eyes. She briefly started to wish that she had an outstanding order to use as an excuse.

“We just figured that you're the first one who talked to Twilight about this whole thing, and since you're...uh...” Rainbow Dash searched for the proper way to word it, and promptly gave up. “She's kinda being a drama queen about the whole thing, and—”

“You think that I'm a drama queen, and as such I'm the best equipped to deal with the situation?”

Rainbow Dash nodded matter-of-factly. “Pretty much.”

Rarity glared at the pegasus for a moment. Normally, she'd inadvertently prove Rainbow Dash's assessment correct, but at the moment Twilight's imminent breakdown was a more pressing issue. “Putting aside your remarks on my more histrionic tendencies, I suppose you have a point. Would you be so kind as to watch the shop while I'm gone?”

“Watch the shop!? What if somepony comes in?”

“Just take a note and tell them to come back tomorrow if they have questions.” Rarity stopped halfway out the door. “Oh, and if I'm not back in an hour, make sure you feed Opalescence. Her food is in the cupboard under the sink. Also”— Rarity's face went dark. —“don't even think about messing with any of my dressmaking supplies. I'll know.”

“Wait, but what if—” It was too late. Rarity had already slammed the door shut behind her.

Rainbow Dash groaned and flopped down on the counter. “Horsefeathers.”

As Rarity approached the library, she could already tell that something was dreadfully wrong. First off all, rather than the usual hoofwritten sign with a brief explanation for the temporary closure, the library door bore the giant printed “CLOSED” sign that Twilight had found behind one of the bookshelves when she had first moved in. This was perhaps the third time that Twilight had ever actually used it. Second, Spike was slumped on the doorstep, completely unamused by whatever it was that Pinkie was doing. If Pinkie couldn't cheer somepony up either something was terribly wrong, or the target of Pinkie's attention was a particularly cynical donkey. And Spike was most definitely not a cynical donkey. Third, and certainly not least, were the occasional not-quite-a-scream-but-not-quite-a-sob noises coming from the upper window of the library.

Pinkie perked up as she saw the white unicorn approaching. “Rarity! I'm so glad that you made it! I was in the kitchen at Sugarcube Corner icing this cake, and then I heard Twilight out in the front of the store and I was like 'I should go say “Hi!”' so I did. And when I went out and she was buying our entire stock of triple-chocolate-fudge-chunk granola bars. As soon as she saw me, she went” —Pinkie gasped so hard that she inflated herself slightly—“and then ran out of the store. You remember what happened last time she—”

Rarity sighed and stuffed her hoof into Pinkie's mouth. Normally, she wouldn't even consider doing something so crude, but Pinkie's babbling was the last thing she wanted to hear. “Yes, I'm well aware. Rainbow Dash was so kind as to fill me in.” She removed her hoof and wiped it on a patch of grass before turning her attention to Spike.

“Is that really what happened?”

The dragon nodded. “I was baking some cookies when she came home with that giant bag. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she just sort of groaned, grabbed some books and a plate of cookies and locked herself in her room. I dunno what she's doing in there.”

Rarity glanced up at the window. “Brooding, most likely.”

“Brewing?” Pinkie cocked her head to the side. “I didn't know that Twilight made her own—”

“Brooding! With a 'd'! Wallowing in her—whatever it is that one wallows in in this circumstance!”

“Don't you know what she's supposed to wallow in?” Pinkie asked. “I thought you were our wallowing expert. That's why I had Rainbow Dash go get you.”

“That's what I figured.” Rarity grumbled. “I suppose now that I'm here I ought to put that expertise to work.”

“What should we do?” Pinkie dashed behind Spike and gave him a shake. “Should I have Spike record everything and send it to Celestia? What do I do? Should I put a mattress under here in case Twilight tries to escape by jumping out the window? Or maybe I should dig a pit so she can't run away.”

“Neither of those will be necessary.” She stopped and thoughtfully tapped her chin. “Although if I can't get through to her, writing a letter to Celestia might not be an entirely bad idea. I don't know if she'd listen to anyone else. Hopefully it won't get to that point. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck!” Pinkie waved with gusto as if she was seeing Rarity off on a trip.

Rarity strode resolutely through to the library door. The normalcy of the room hit her like a boulder. No charts, no graphs, no haphazard stacks of advice books, nothing at all out of the ordinary aside from the plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on the table. Rarity took one before heading up the stairs. She'd need the chocolate.

“Twilight? Are you in there?” She pressed her ear against the door. The only sound she could hear was some quiet rustling, and nothing else. She rapped on the door with her hoof. “Twilight, it's me. Rarity. Can you tell me what happened?”

Twilight made a vaguely unhappy sound that didn't quite form into words. Rarity decided to try again.

“Twilight, I just want to help you. Can we talk? Please? I know it might be painful, but I can't bear to see you like this. Do you mind if I come in?”

Twilight made another indistinct noise. It sounded not unlike “uh-huh”, but Rarity wanted to be sure.

“What did you say? I couldn't hear you. Is it alright if I come in and talk?”

“Come in.” The words cracked halfway through, and they were barely loud enough to make it through the door, but they were definitely there.

Rarity pushed the door open. Twilight was curled up against the headboard of her bed, staring at her book through red-rimmed eyes, her hooves shivering as she tried to hold the tome steady. A faint purple glow illuminated the room as she floated a granola bar off the massive pile on her end table and into her mouth.

“Hello,” she mumbled around a mouthful of granola.

Rarity sighed. Might as well cut to the chase.

“So, how are you feeling?”

Twilight didn't even bother looking up from her book. “Terrible.”

“I can see that.” Rarity bent down a little to look at the title of the book. “If you've reduced yourself to reading the Perdita Drake series, something must be gravely wrong. Care to tell me why you feel so terrible?”

“Take a guess.”

“Something to do with Applejack, obviously.”

Twilight nodded sullenly.

“I don't suppose you could tell me what happened?” Rarity asked.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don't want to think about it.” She hid her face behind the book.

“Twilight, you're going to have to face this eventually. You can't just hide in here for the rest of your life.”

“Yes, I can.”

“What about food?”

“Spike can get it.”

“Okay, what about your friendship reports? You can hardly write them unless you go out an interact with the other ponies.”

“They can visit.”

Rarity frowned. Her patience reserves were draining more quickly than she had anticipated. Whatever supposed trauma Twilight had suffered, it could not possibly merit this sort of reaction. She snorted, and with a flick of her horn snatched the book from Twilight's grip.

“Hey!”

“Twilight, I did not leave my shop in Rainbow Dash's hooves just to watch you wallow in your own misery!” She gave the stack of books next to the table a hefty shove, scattering them across the floor. “First off, you are far too refined to read that sort of drivel. Second, you can't gorge yourself on these.” She waved a hoof at the pile of granola bars. “Even if they are technically health food, they'll still make you fat and utterly ruin your complexion. But most importantly, I said that I was going to stick with you until you figured this whole mess out, and you obviously haven't.” She plopped herself down on the end of the bed. “As such, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what happened!”

“What happened? I messed everything up, that's what happened!” Twilight sank into her covers until everything but the top half of her face had disappeared. “I'm such an idiot. I spent so much time trying to figure out how to make Applejack like me more, and it never even crossed my mind that I was just annoying her the whole time!” She sank further into the blankets. “The only reason I was so meticulous was so I wouldn't mess up our friendship, and I ended up not even treating her like a friend! I—I just...I ruined everything!”

Twilight rolled over and buried her face in her pillow. The bed trembled as muffled sobs wracked Twilight's body. Rarity sighed and slid herself over until she was close enough to reach out and gently place a hoof on Twilight's back. She opened her mouth to speak and immediately thought better of it. At that moment, Twilight didn't need advice. She just needed a friend.

Rarity didn't know quite how long she sat there, gingerly stroking Twilight's mane as she bawled into her mattress. The thing that told Rarity that any time at all had passed was the sound of Twilight's sobs slowly fading into a whimper, and finally into silence. Satisfied that the bulk of the caterwauling was over, she gently prodded her friend into motion.

“Did you get it all out of your system?”

Twilight groaned as she turned herself over. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “A little.” She rubbed her forehead with both hooves. “Ugh, I feel so stupid. I went through all that trouble and just made everything worse. I should have just told her everything when I realized how I felt. I don't know what to do! Applejack probably thinks I'm an idiot. Or just a jerk. Or both, even! How am I supposed to even talk to her after this?”

“Twilight, just think about this for a moment—”

“I've been thinking about it! That's all I've been doing!”

“Okay, think about it from Applejack's perspective, then.”

“Applejack's perspective?”

“Yes. Look at it from her point of view. As far as she knows, you've only really been acting strange for what, a few days? I can't claim to know what she's feeling, of course, but if I had to guess I'd say that she's probably worried about you.”

“I guess she might be.” Twilight stared at the floor. “But she just seemed so angry...”

“Really, you think Applejack is the type of pony to hold a grudge?” Rarity put a foreleg around her. “I may not have seen exactly what happened, but if you think about it a bit, was it really so bad that Applejack is going to disregard years of friendship just because you annoyed her a bit? Why, if that was all it took to get on her bad side, she'd have run me out of town years ago.”

Twilight managed a weak chuckle. “I guess that's true. Especially after that sleepover.”

“Exactly! I'm quite sure that you didn't manage to annoy her worse today than I did then.”

“That's all well and good, but what am I supposed to do now? All of my plans went horribly wrong. What am I going to say to her next time I see her?”

“That's a good question.” Rarity stopped to think for a moment. “Well, what was it that lead to this whole predicament? You said it yourself before.”

“Well, she got mad at me because I was too busy trying to get on her good side. If I would have just told her everything, if I wouldn't have bothered with all the scheming—I still can't believe I was so stupid. I should have just treated her like a friend rather than as—I don't know, a project, an experiment, whatever.” Twilight banged her head against the headboard in frustration. “Ow...”

“You don't have to beat yourself up over it.” She gave Twilight a gentle shake. “It's not too late to treat her as a friend, you know.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight blinked a few times and glanced inquisitively at Rarity.

Rarity couldn't help but smirk. As smart as Twilight was, sometimes she could be unquestionably dense. “Use your head, Twilight. What is it that you said that you should have done at the start?”

Twilight's eyes widened as the realization struck. “I should have told her.”

“Is there any reason you can't tell her now?”

“I can't just dump this on her after bothering her so much! I'd have to—” Twilight's excuse withered as Rarity gave her a sharp “You have got to be kidding me” glare. “No. There isn't. She deserves to know. How am I supposed to do it, though? Do I try to prepare again? That's what got me in this mess to start with. Should I just go and tell her now? I mean, I don't want to hide it any more, but I don't want to just blabber on about it.” She put on her best set of puppy dog eyes. “Could you tell me how I should say it? You know so much more about it than I do!”

“Twilight, there are some things that you need to use your own words for. In the end, this is between you and Applejack, and she shouldn't hear what you have to say in any words but your own. It can't come from me, and it certainly can't come from a book. Because there's one incredibly important thing that you have over anypony else: you and you alone know how much you care about her. I hate to sound sappy, but when you tell her, you need to speak from the heart.” She tapped Twilight's chest with a hoof. “I cannot do that, and neither can anypony else. Forget the books, forget what other ponies might say. Think about Applejack, and tell her everything that she deserves to hear. Nothing more, and nothing less.”

“You're right.” Twilight's lip began to tremble. With a sudden burst of energy, she threw her forelegs around Rarity and squeezed. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm sorry for bothering you so much. I know it must be such a hassle...”

“Think nothing of it, dear.” Rarity smiled, and returned Twilight's hug. Even though it had in fact been something of a hassle, at the moment she wasn't at all sorry that she had put the time in. “It's what friends are for after all.”

“Hey guys!” Spike kicked the door open, his claws occupied by an enormous jug almost as big as he was. “Pinkie said that you guys couldn't have that many cookies without milk, so I—oh.” He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the two ponies embracing on the bed. His tongue fumbled for a few seconds as his brain tried to process the scene. “I, uh, sorry to interrupt. I'll be back later.”

“Wait, wait. It's nothing like that.” Rarity scrambled off the bed. “Twilight was simply in need of some moral support. And now, I suspect that she's likely in need of some cookies and milk.”

“Yeah, some cookies and milk sound really good right now.” Twilight tossed her cover aside and clambered out. “These granola bars on the other hand...” She waved a hoof at the pile. “I don't suppose you'd want some of them...”

“I suppose I could take a few off your hooves. Spike, be a dear and fetch me a bag, please.”

“Will do!” The dragon nodded enthusiastically and bounded out of the room.

“Thanks again, Rarity.” Twilight smiled. It was small, but genuine. “I really don't know what I'd do without you. It just feels like I'm doing everything wrong sometimes.”

“I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually. There's a first time for everything, after all. I remember the first time I ever had a crush on somepony. I never really talk about it much, but—” She clamped her mouth shut as Spike re-entered the room, bearing a large sack. He wouldn't want to hear that.

“How many of them did you want?” he asked.

“Oh, I don't know. Let's say half. Is that alright, Twilight?”

“Sure. I sure don't need that many. I don't know what I was thinking.” She chuckled at the size of the pile. Even though half the bars were now in Rarity's bag, it was far larger than it needed to be. “Especially now that I have all of Spike's cookies.” She turned to the dragon. “They're delicious, by the way.”

“Of course they are. I got the recipe from Mrs. Cake, after all.” He suddenly put a hand to his face. “I forgot the cups. Be right back.” Once again, he scurried out of the room.

“Well, I ought to head back to my shop.” Rarity said as she watched the dragon go. “If I don't get back there soon, Rainbow Dash may knock the whole thing down. And again, if you ever need somepony to talk to, I'll be there. Just remember, just tell her what's in your heart.”

“Thank you.” Twilight nodded. “Goodbye.”

Rarity started out the door and stopped halfway through. “Actually, I do have one last piece of advice. Hearts and Hooves Day is this weekend, you know. Just something to take into consideration.”

“I'll make sure I remember that. See you later.”

“Goodbye.” Rarity waved. “And good luck.” She disappeared out the bedroom door just as Spike returned with the cups.

“See you later, Rarity!” He waved enthusiastically with his free claw before turning his attention to Twilight. “Feeling better now?”

“Yes, definitely.” Twilight smiled as she took one of the cups and patted Spike on the head. “Thank you for making the cookies, I needed that. Why don't you go see if Pinkie is still outside? You made an awful lot of cookies and we'll need some help eating them all.”

“Sure thing!” Once again, he bounded out the door.

With a long sigh, Twilight flopped back on the bed. For the first time in weeks, she felt relaxed.

A few more days. In a few more days it'll be over and I won't have to hide anything anymore. It doesn't matter how Applejack responds. The important thing is that she'll know, just like she should. She deserves that much, at least. After all, crush or no crush, she's still my friend.

Love's Usury

This is it.  No excuses, no stalling.  Before the sun goes down today, I'm going to tell her.

Do thy will then, then subject and degree,

And fruit of love, Love, I submit to thee;

Spare me till then, I'll bear it, though she be

One that loves me.

—Love's Usury,

John Donne

Twilight chewed nervously on her lip as she tried to keep an eye on Applejack.  The farm pony stood on the far end of the Ponyville town square, her head bobbing slowly in time with the sound of Fluttershy's avian chorus.  Twilight could barely hear the music.  Too many other thoughts occupied her mind.  How should she greet Applejack?  Should she try to keep it natural and go with a simple “Hello”?  But then again, she couldn't ignore the fact that last time she had talked to Applejack, she had driven her to explode out of frustration.  Should she lead with an apology?  Certainly Applejack would appreciate the honesty and would welcome an explanation for the bizarre behavior.  Of course she would.  She'd have a chuckle at Twilight's clumsy attempts at romance, give her a hug, invite her back to Sweet Apple Acres to talk about their feelings; about how she really appreciated Twilight's honesty.  Then she'd say that it was real lucky that Twilight brought it up, because she'd been meaning to tell Twilight something for the longest time, but could never quite get up the courage to do it—

Twilight violently shook her head and gave herself a bonk on the forehead.  Be realistic, Twilight. She told herself.  Don't get your hopes up too high.  Applejack is a good friend, but that doesn't mean that she'll return your feelings.  She's the element of honesty after all; if she doesn't feel that way, she won't hesitate to say so.  Yes, she'll be kind about it, but—

She shuddered.  The only consolation in that eventuality was the sense of closure.  At the very least, she wouldn't have to hide it.  A “no” would be better than no answer at all, wouldn't it.  Then again, she wasn't even sure what question she wanted to ask.  Was there a question at all?  Would she just admit her feelings and leave it at that?  Was that all she wanted?  She felt a lump forming in her throat.  She wanted so much more than that.  Her eyes scanned the square.  The real question was whether she dared go that far.  The weight of the prospect made her tremble.

With a start, she realized that even the ground trembled.  Her thoughts crashed back to reality as she noticed that Fluttershy's concert had reached it's conclusion, and the crowd had begun to applaud.  She began to stomp her hooves along with the rest of them, doing her best to look like she had been paying attention.  The crowd began to disperse.  She swallowed.  Just as she had guessed, Applejack was making her way through the throng towards Fluttershy, intent on congratulating her for a job well done.  Twilight took a deep breath and began her approach.

By the time she reached Fluttershy, Applejack was already there.

“I especially liked that third song,” the orange pony was saying.  “It had a really nice rhythm to it.”

“Thank you.” Fluttershy bowed her head slightly as she accepted the compliment.  “I thought you would like that one.  I'm glad you were able to make it.  After— well, you know.”

“Hey, I said I'd be here, so no way was I gonna miss it.”

“Hello!”  Twilight tried to sound chipper.  “The concert was lovely, Fluttershy.”

“I'm glad you enjoyed it,” the pegasus answered.  Her eyes darted back and forth between Twilight and Applejack.  “I should probably get going.  I have to uh, take the birds home. See you later.”  She scurried out of the square, her birds fluttering along behind her.

Twilight and Applejack stood for a long, silent moment, each of them trying to will the other to say something.  Twilight cracked first.

“So... fancy seeing you here.”  Twilight chuckled awkwardly.

“Yeah.”  Applejack dug at a rock with her hoof.  “Well, I told Fluttershy that I'd be here.  You know, after our little, uh... thing.  I'm real sorry about that.  I was just gettin' a bit ornery 'cause I had so much stuff to do. I didn't mean to be so harsh with you, and I've been meanin' to apologize—”

“Apology accepted!” Twilight clamped her mouth shut as she realized that she had jumped the gun. “Er, I mean, I should be the one apologizing. I should have noticed that I was bothering you and not tried to push it. I just wasn't thinking. I'm so sorry for annoying you so much.”

“Oh, don't worry about it. We all got our little moments after all. Still, you seemed like you took it really hard. Are you sure that you're okay?”

“Um, actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about that.” Twilight took a deep breath. One more sentence and she'd hit the point of no return. “See, the reason I was acting so weird is that—”

“Applejack! Hey, Applejack!”

Twilight's eye twitched as she turned to see Apple Bloom galloping across the town square. She skidded to a halt perfectly in front of Applejack. The filly took a half a moment to catch her breath before continuing.

“Big Macintosh said that Granny Smith mislabeled a bunch of the apple barrels, and he needs your help to sort through 'em all. Also, I was trying to teach Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo how to make caramel apples, but somethin' went wrong and the pan is stuck to the stove somehow. Oh, and the front door is squeaking somethin' fierce, so you might want to oil it a bit.” She paused to inhale, doubtlessly in preparation of listing more chores that needed to be done. Applejack preempted it by shoving a hoof in her sister's mouth.

“Okay, I get the picture,” she said. “I got a lot of work to do back at the farm. And you do too, I reckon. Y'all get yourself back to the house and start cleanin', okay?”

Apple Bloom nodded sullenly and trotted away.

"Sorry, Twilight, looks like I need to get going. Is it okay if we talk about this later? I should probably get back to Sweet Apple Acres before Big Macintosh drives himself crazy.”

“Well, I really” —Twilight's brain snapped back to the last time she had talked to Applejack— “That's fine. I'll drop by later this evening, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan, then. I'll see you later, Twilight.”

“Bye.” Twilight felt a mixture of relief and frustration wash over her as she watched Applejack disappear into the distance. “So close...” She sighed and began the trek back to the library. Or she would have, if she hadn't been interrupted by a familiar pink form erupting out of a nearby bush.

“Hey!”

“Waaahhh!” Twilight stumbled backward just in time to avoid getting headbutted in the face by Pinkie Pie.

“So how'd it go!? Did you tell her!? Huh? Huh!? HUH!?” Pinkie punctuated each “huh” by leaning in a bit closer.

“No.” Twilight snorted and backed away. “I was going to, but Apple Bloom showed up at the worst possible moment to tell Applejack that some stuff came up on the farm, so now I have to wait until tonight.”

“Oh, that's too bad. You aren't going to freak out again, are you?” Pinkie began to scoot closer again. “Because Sugarcube Corner is totally running low on granola bars. Maybe you could binge on oatmeal cookies instead. I'm pretty sure we have some of them lying around.”

“No, no, It's fine,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I've been bottling all this up for weeks now; a few more hours won't make much difference. I just wish I could have gotten it over with. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with myself.”

“Oh, oh! I know what you could do!” Pinkie raised a hoof as if she were a student waiting for Twilight to call on her.

Twilight rolled her eyes, not quite sure she wanted to hear the suggestion. The last thing she needed was more advice. Too much advice had gotten her into this mess. Then again, if anypony knew how to kill time... “Well, what is it?”

“Chocolate!” Pinkie thrust a triumphant hoof into the air as if she was declaring that she had discovered the cure for Pony Pox.

“Pinkie, I'm not going to spend my whole day eating chocolate.”

“No no no, you don't eat the chocolate, Applejack does!”

Twilight cocked her head to the side. “Um, my whole problem is that Applejack is busy. The last thing I want to do bother her even more.”

“That's not what I mean.” It was Pinkie's turn to shake her head. “Come on, Twilight, you know all that boring history stuff about Hearts and Hooves day, but you don't know about this? That's what you do on Hearts and Hooves day! You buy your Special Somepony a box of chocolates!”

“But she isn't yet.” Twilight lowered her voice. “As much as I'd like that, wouldn't I be getting ahead of myself a little?”

“Well, it's also something you can give to somepony that you want to be your Very Special Somepony. I mean, that's what you want, so you might as well do it the traditional way. And Applejack would totally like getting a box of chocolates. What pony doesn't like chocolate?  Well, I’m sure there’s somepony out there who doesn’t like chocolate, but it’s probably not Applejack.  I mean, I’m sure you could pull out some of those complicated math things with all the letters and squiggly lines and stuff to figure out exactly how likely it is that Applejack doesn’t like chocolate, but I bet it’s a teeny weeny itsy bitsy chance.”

Twilight thought for a long moment. Pinkie was right. She couldn't think of anypony she knew who didn't like chocolate. The closest she could come up with was Rarity, but her aversion to chocolate was less due to her enjoyment and more due to the havoc it wreaked on her figure.

“Buying Applejack a box of chocolates, huh? Is that really what ponies do when they confess to each other?”

“Yep.” Pinkie nodded. “Applejack would probably be all about that. She's pretty traditional, you know.” She whipped a foreleg around Twilight's shoulders and pulled her in close. “You didn't hear it from me, but Bon Bon's candy shop has a Hearts and Hooves Day special going. Well, I guess you did hear it from me, but I'll let you take credit for it, okay?”

“Chocolate, huh? I guess it can't hurt...”

Twilight poked her head through the doorway of Bon Bon's Chocolate Shoppe. As she heard the ding of the bell that hung above the door, she had to fight the urge to retreat and gallop full tilt back to the library. With far more effort than the action should have taken, she forced herself to walk the whole way into the store. Surprisingly, the store seemed to be mostly empty. If buying chocolates was traditional, where was everypony?”

“Hey, Twilight, what's going on?”

Twilight turned around to see Lyra sitting at one of the tables in front of the window, harp in hoof.

“Oh, uh, good afternoon.” Twilight sighed in relief. She had half expected to run into Applejack. The sheer irony would have crushed her. “What are you doing sitting inside on such a fine day?”

“Well, it's Hearts and Hooves Day, and I thought I'd come by and try to spend at least a little bit of time with Bon Bon today. It's only right that you outta spend the day with somepony you care about, you know?” She plucked one of the strings on the harp and cringed at the dissonance. She tweaked one of the knobs with her telekinesis and plucked the string again. “That's more like it. Pity she's always so busy today, though.”

“You don't look real busy to me.” Twilight nodded her head at the lack of any other ponies in the shop.

“Yeah, that's cause most ponies pick up their chocolates ahead of time. The only customers she actually gets today are the ponies who forgot what today was.” She drew her hoof along all the strings of the harp. Harmonious, but just a bit off. “And most of them came in this morning. Bon Bon's busy because she hasn't had any time to clean up after yesterday's rush and has to do it now. I'd help but” —Lyra chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head— “last time I tried to help with stuff in the back room I ended up making it take even longer.” She adjusted another tuning knob on the lyre. “Why'd you come over here, anyway?”

“Oh, right...” Twilight took a moment to consider how she could say as little as possible. “I'm just here to pick up some chocolate.”

“Well, it is a chocolate shop,” Lyra said. Twilight couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic. “You buying it for anypony in particular?” The mint unicorn smirked and raised one eyebrow. “Somepony special?”

“I, uh—” Twilight suddenly felt her face getting uncomfortably warm.

“Yup, I thought so.” Lyra giggled. “Who's the lucky one?”

“I'd rather not say.” Twilight mumbled. “I don't know how she's going to react, and I'd rather keep it private until I find out how she feels.”

“Oh, so this is your first confession, huh?”

Twilight nodded sheepishly.

“Well, only one thing to do about that!” Lyra hopped out of her chair. “HEY BON BON!”

“What is it now, Lyra?” came an irritated sounding voice from behind the counter. A moment later, Bon Bon stomped out of the back room. Her coat and apron were spattered with chocolate and powdered sugar, and the state of her mane would have caused Rarity to faint. Both of her eyes had pronounced bags beneath them. “I'm almost done cleaning out the—” She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Twilight. She immediately cleared her throat, adjusted her apron, straightened her mane, and put on a rather refined accent. “Welcome to the Ponyville Chocolate Shoppe! How may I help you?”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but Lyra answered for her.

"Our friend here is getting ready to confess her love to somepony for the first time! I think that she needs one of your specialty boxes for that, doesn't she?”

“Of course, of course!” Bon Bon smiled more widely than Twilight had ever seen her smile before. “I'll go put one together! Just a moment.” She immediately began to dart back and forth behind the counter, snatching a careful selection of candies from the display cases.

Twilight turned back to Lyra. “What's the specialty box?

“Oh, that.” Lyra blushed slightly. “It's the box of chocolates I gave Bon Bon the first time I asked her to be my Very Special Somepony. Whenever somepony comes in to get chocolates for a confession, Bon Bon gives them that set. Says it gives them a bigger chance of getting a yes.”

“Does it work?”

Lyra beamed. “It certainly worked for me.”

"Does it ever work for anypony else?”

“I dunno,” Lyra said with a shrug. “I don't really keep tabs on it. Haven't gotten any complaints yet, so we must be doing something right.”

“I see.” Twilight bit her lip for a moment, debating whether to ask the question that currently dominated her mind. “Lyra, do you mind if I ask you a... personal question?”

“Sure, why not?” Lyra nodded. “I might not answer it, but you can sure ask!”

“Before you, uh, asked Bon Bon to be your Very Special Somepony... were you friends before that?”

“Ooohhhh...” Lyra smiled knowingly, and Twilight immediately realized that she knew exactly why the question had come up. “If it helps, yeah, we were friends. Inseparable ever since we were little itty-bitty blank flanks.”

Twilight sighed; Lyra already seemed have realized what was going on, so there was no reason not to ask another. “So, what made you realize that you wanted to... upgrade your relationship? Was it difficult?”

“I don't really know what caused it.” Lyra stroked the lyre once more, and nodded in satisfaction. She began to pluck at the strings, filling the shop with a gentle melody. “One day I just sort of realized that we were spending more time together than with anypony else, and that that was exactly how I wanted things. So I just told her that I thought of her as more than just a friend and things just kinda rolled from there. I mean, it was tough getting the nerve up, but I couldn't not tell her, you know?”

“Yeah, I know how that feels.”

“Sure it kinda freaked me out to think that she might not feel that way, but sometimes you just have to take the risk.”

“How did you do it? Weren't you scared of losing her?”

“A little, but when I really thought about it, I realized I didn't have anything to worry about.” She cast her eyes towards Bon Bon for a moment. “We had known each other for so long and been through enough together that I knew even if she didn't want romance, she would still be my friend. Even if she didn't care about me that way she still cared about me. That answer your question?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. Yes, that helps a lot. Thank you.”

“Least I could do.”

“And here you go!” Bon Bon gingerly placed a box on the counter. Red and heart-shaped, bound with a pink ribbon.

“Oh, thank you so much!” Twilight admired it for a moment before carefully placing it in her saddlebag. “How much do I owe you?”

“For you, this one is on the house.”

“Really?” Twilight stared at Bon Bon for a long moment. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.” Bon Bon nodded. “It's a special occasion, after all. You've never confessed your love to somepony before, have you?”

Twilight shook her head.

“In that case, I hope you'll never have to again,” Bon Bon said. “Take it. You shouldn't have to worry about anything else.”

“I understand.” Twilight didn't quite understand it all, but she understood enough. “Thank you.”

“Good luck!” Lyra called after her as she vanished out the door. As soon as the door closed, she turned to Bon Bon. “So, who do you think the lucky mare is? I was gonna guess Cheerilee, but it sounds like Twilight's got the hots for one of her friends.”

“Cheerilee?” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Why in Celestia's name would you say Cheerilee?”

“Well, she goes to the library a lot—”

“Of course she does, she's a teacher!”

“Oh, right. Well, they're... both purple?”

Bon Bon just stared at her.

“What?” Lyra ceased plucking her lyre for a moment. “I know now that it's somepony else. I bet it's Rainbow Dash! I know that if I was going to ask her out, I'd be real nervous about it. She probably wouldn't make much effort to let you down softly.”

“I swear, sometimes I do not understand how your mind works,” Bon Bon said, shaking her head. “Do you really think somepony like Twilight would have feelings for somepony as crazy as Rainbow Dash? I think it's much more likely that she has her sights set on one of her less wild friends. Like Fluttershy, or that pony who's name I can never remember; the one who runs the boutique.”

“That's Rarity, Bon Bon. I don't get why you have so much trouble remembering her name.”

“Yes, yes, her.”

“That would be so boring though...” Lyra smiled mischievously. “Wanna make a bet on it? Loser has to clean the house.”

Bon Bon snorted. “First, I will not turn anypony's romantic endeavors into a spectator sport, and second, your version of 'cleaning the house' involves nothing more than sweeping all the dust under the couch.”

“Alright, alright, I get the picture. Are you sure you don't want my help cleaning up in the back?”

“I'm quite alright, dear. It's almost done.” She leaned in close to Lyra. “I could use some nice music to ease my headache a bit, though.”

“I'll play all your favorites then.”

“Thanks.” Bon Bon gave Lyra a peck on the cheek and returned to her cleaning.

As she trotted back to the library, Twilight's mind was currently divided into three sections, all of which seemed to be doing their level best to impede the others.

Section One was ecstatic. Lyra and Bon Bon were living proof that upgrading a relationship from “friend” to “marefriend” was possible. Twilight hadn't read much material that dealt with the subject of romance, but what little of it she had read had given her the idea that when one tried to date a friend, nothing could possibly follow but sheer and unmitigated disaster. But now she possessed evidence to the contrary. Section One of her brain wanted to trade in her horn for wings and take to the sky in celebration. There was no reason to expect anything other than success.

Section Two wanted nothing more than to give Section One a slap upside its metaphorical head. Lyra and Bon Bon's situation was anything but typical, and it wasn't all that analogous to her own situation anyway. Lyra and Bon Bon had been the best of friends since long before Twilight had even met Applejack; they had always shared something of a special bond with each other, and only each other. It wasn't like Twilight's position; they hadn't built a special relationship out of an otherwise equal circle of friends. And just because they had successfully made the transition from “friends” to “more than friends” didn't mean that she had any guarantee of success. And for that matter, trading in her horn for wings would be an utterly stupid decision. She had a cutie mark for magic after all, and the horn was rather important for that.

Section Three ignored the debate of Sections One and Two to repeatedly insist that somehow everypony in town had manifested the ability to see the box of chocolates in her saddlebag and knew exactly who it was intended for. Naturally, their first response would be to run right to Applejack and inform her of everything. Section Three obviously wasn't much for logic, and as such figured that there was no reason to decide between a horn and wings when you could just have both.

Twilight groaned. The effort of keeping her mind from tearing itself to pieces was giving her a headache. She needed some peace and quiet to get everything sorted out. As she turned the corner she immediately realized that she wasn't going to get that peace and quiet as soon as she wanted. Rainbow Dash was fluttering around the library. As the pegasus noticed Twilight's presence, she ceased her circling and glided toward her.

“Hey, Twilight! Today's the big day, huh?”

“Shhhh!” Twilight dragged Rainbow Dash out of the air with her magic and stuffed a hoof in the pegasi's mouth. “Just because I'm telling her doesn't mean I want everypony in town to find out! Let's get inside.” She darted into the library, towing Rainbow Dash behind her.

“Okay, okay, I get it. You want secrecy. ” Rainbow Dash wrenched her tail out of Twilight's grasp. “So, Pinkie tells me that your first attempt got stopped cold by Apple Bloom. What you doing now, formulating plan B? Or plan N, given that it's you.”

“No no no. No more plans! That's what messed me up before. I want to talk to Applejack, not give her a speech.” Twilight took a seat at the library table. “Right now I'm just trying to relax a little before I meet her tonight. Maybe take a nap. I couldn't sleep at all last night.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and patted Twilight on the head. “Yeah, that's probably a good idea. It's tough to be awesome when you're all tired. Why do you think I nap so much?”

“I knew there had to be some reason for that...” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“But seriously.” Rainbow Dash threw a foreleg around Twilight. “I know how much jittery nerves can mess you up. You're feeling pretty nervous, huh?”

“Obviously.”

“Well, I can't really tell you to just stop being nervous, because I've tried that and it doesn't work. But here's the next best thing. Just try to forget about everything that's freaking you out and just do whatever it is you'd normally do. Like go to the market or write a friendship report or study Equestrian history or something.”

“I don't know if that'll work. I don't know what to do.”

“Okay, I'll tell you what. I'll stick around and make you forget all about Applejack.”

“Uh, Rainbow Dash, that's a bit—”

“You get your Battlecloud set, and I'll go get us some lunch, and we'll just hang out for a while. Sound good?”

Twilight smiled. “Yeah, I'd like that.”

“Awesome. I bet you I can be back with the food before you even find the game. Ready, set, GO!” She barreled out the door, leaving Twilight to chuckle to herself.

Twilight took a deep breath. She was feeling better already.

Twilight's eye twitched. This was a mystery on par with the Pinkie Sense. Achieving victory in Battlecloud was a purely luck-based endeavor. Either you guessed the location of your opponent's pieces, or you didn't. And yet—

“Welp, I win again!” Rainbow Dash did a celebratory flip into the air. “That's what, seventeen games in a row?”

“How!?” Twilight flailed her forelegs in the air. “There's no strategy! It's just calling out numbers until you hit something! You can't win that many games in a row.”

Rainbow Dash let herself drop back onto her chair. “Are you accusing me of cheating? I know I fudged the rules a bit during the Iron Pony competition, but come on. It's not like there's a prize or anything.”

“No, no, I'm not saying you're cheating.” Twilight shook her head. “It's just weird is all; statistically speaking I should have won at least a few games by now.”

“Well, I guess I'm just too cool for statistics, then.” Rainbow Dash smugly crossed her forelegs. “Seriously, Twilight, you should know by now you can't boil everything down to numbers. That's probably the whole reason why I keep beating you.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you're so persnickety about everything that I can usually guess where you put all your pieces. You always try to space them out evenly, so once I hit one it's easier to figure out where the others are.”

“Oh.” Twilight looked down at her side of the board. The pieces were indeed lined up rather neatly.

“See, this is why the egghead approach doesn't always work.” The pegasus chuckled. “Sometimes you have to focus less on the rules of the game and more on the pony you're dealing with. Now do you want to go for best of thirty-seven?”

“No, I think I've had enough Battlecloud for one day. Besides, it's just about time for me to head over to Sweet Apple Acres.”

Rainbow Dash checked the clock. “Yeah, I guess it is, isn't it? Time sure flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?”

“Yes, it really does.” Twilight took a deep breath. “I'll just get all this cleaned up and then be on my—” She was interrupted by Rainbow Dash dropping her saddlebags onto her back.

“Cleanup can wait. You get going before your nerves kick in again.” The pegasus shoved Twilight towards the door.

“Hey! Wait just a minute! I'm not ready yet!” Twilight tried to dig her hooves into the floor. “Stop it! I don't want to— Whoa!” She spun out Rainbow Dash's grasp just in time to avoid being smacked in the face by the library's front door. Rarity stuck her head into the room with a melodramatic gasp.

“Twilight, are you alright?”

“I'm fine.” Twilight shot a brief glare at Rainbow Dash.

“Thank goodness.” Rarity sighed in relief. “I thought I'd drop by to make sure you would be on time for your... appointment, and as I came up to the door I heard shouting. I was afraid you were, ah, having another little episode.”

“Nah, Twilight's cool,” Rainbow Dash said. “I've been keeping her busy.”

“So I see.” Rarity noted the game sitting on the table amidst the remains of a half-eaten dinner. “How are you feeling?”

“Kind of numb, actually.” Twilight sat in middle of the floor. “It's like I almost can't believe what I'm doing. There's just so much...stuff that it's going to change. And I don't know if I want it to.”

“Sometimes change is inevitable, dear.” Rarity gave Twilight a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Your feelings changed a bit, and you had to do something about it. At least now you have some say in how things will be different.”

“It's not just me, though. It's... everything. I mean, how will Applejack feel when she hears that you knew before she did? What if she's angry at you because you kept it a secret? It would be all my fault for dragging you into this! What if—”

Rainbow Dash cut her off, stuffing a hoof in the purple unicorn's mouth. “Will you cut it out? If AJ has problems with us, we'll deal with it ourselves, okay? I helped you out because you're my friend, and I wanted to. That's not your fault, so quit worrying about it.”

“As strange as it is to say, Rainbow Dash is right, dear,” Rarity said. “I advised you because I wanted to make all of this go as smoothly as possible. You cannot bear any of the blame for the hypothetical side effects of your confession. I wouldn't be able to consider myself your friend if I wasn't willing to involve myself. Now you go, and you tell her how you feel, and forget about us for the time being. I know you can do it, Twilight.”

“But—”

“Oh no, you don't,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “No buts. You're as ready as you're ever gonna be. Now go for it!” Once again she shoved Twilight to the door. This time the unicorn put up no resistance and found herself on the doorstep. She steeled herself to step out into the evening, but Rarity's voice stopped her.

“Oh, and Twilight...”

Twilight looked back over her shoulder. “Yes?”

“Just remember that however Applejack reacts, we will still be here for you. Understand?”

Twilight smiled, nodded, and galloped out the door.

Twilight had barely gotten out of view of the library when she suddenly became aware of another presence on the street. She stopped for a moment, and heard the sound of a delicate throat being cleared.

“Fluttershy? Is that you?”

“Yes, it's me.” The pegasus fluttered out from the shrubbery that she had been standing behind. “I just...uh, how did things go with Applejack?”

“I actually haven't told her yet. Something came up and she had to go.” Twilight chuckled nervously. “I'm actually going to go talk to her right now.”

“Oh, I see,” Fluttershy said, so quietly that Twilight barely heard it. “I was just coming over to see how you were doing. I guess I'll let you go about your business.”

“Well, I'm glad to know you cared enough to check up on me,” Twilight said. “I'll let you know how it goes.”

“Um, Twilight...” The unicorn looked back to see Fluttershy staring at her, chewing on her lip as if she were testing the words with her tongue before letting them out of her mouth. “Good luck.”

Twilight smiled. “Thank you.” She took a deep breath and resumed her hasty trot towards the farm. She needed to get there before what was left of her composure crumbled completely.

All four of Twilight's knees wobbled as she trotted along the path toward Sweet Apple Acres. Even though there was only one item in her saddlebags, they felt like they weighed a ton. The farmhouse loomed over her, silhouetted by the setting sun. Never in a million years would she have guessed that such a homey and friendly place could look so imposing. Her hoof shook as she raised it up and banged on the door. The top half of the door swung open and Apple Bloom poked her head out.

"Good evenin', Twilight! What brings you by here?"

"I, uh, I just wanted to talk to your sister." Twilight did her best to sound nonchalant and failed miserably. Fortunately Apple Bloom didn't seem to notice. "Is she here?"

"Sure, I'll go get her." The filly spun around and bounded up the stairs, leaving Twilight standing awkwardly at the door, wondering whether it would be acceptable for her to let herself in. A few weeks ago she would have thought nothing of it, but at the moment there was an inexplicable belief in her head that doing so would somehow inexplicably displease Applejack in some vague manner. Sure, if she wanted to be purely rational there was no real reason to not to go inside, but at the same time she had no reason to risk it. She might as well wait outside; it was a beautiful evening anyway.

"Twilight, what are you doin’ standing out there?" The unicorn jumped as Applejack poked her head out. "Come on in!"

"T-thanks.." She babbled as she began to fumble around with the latch.

“You can use your telekinesis, Twi,” Applejack said with a chuckle.

“Oh, right.” The latch glowed violet for a moment and popped open.

Applejack nodded towards the interior of the house. “Well, you gonna come in?”

Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat and followed Applejack inside.

“So, what's this thing you wanted to talk to me about?” the earth pony asked. “You've been actin' a bit weird for the past few weeks. I was startin' to get worried about you.”

"Yes, that's part of why I wanted to talk to you about it." Twilight's neck seemed to be trying its best to keep her from making eye contact, but she forced herself to look right at Applejack. "Do you mind if we go somewhere a bit more... private?"

“Uh, sure, I guess.” A momentary look of what Twilight identified as confusion crossed Applejack's face. “We can go out back. It's still pretty nice out.”

“Alright.” Twilight breathed deeply as she followed Applejack into the back yard.

“So, you mind tellin' me what's goin' on?”

"Well, it's..." Twilight's throat had gone so dry that she could barely talk. "You promise that you'll hear me out, at least?"

“Of course.”

"Alright then." Twilight swallowed, and forced herself to look in Applejack's eyes as she began to speak. "Well, I'm not really sure how to say this, so I'm just going to start at the beginning. I—I always tried to make sure that I spent some time with everypony every week; you know, helping Pinkie bake things, being Rarity's dress model, I guess you know that already. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't neglecting any of my friends. It was great. Then, something happened. I don't know what it was or even when it really started.

"I didn't even notice it at first, but I just started to look forward to coming out here more than any of the other things. It's not that visiting everyone else was a chore, or that I didn't enjoy it or anything. I still enjoy going to Sugarcube Corner, or Fluttershy’s cottage, or whatever, but somehow I just kept ending up out here more often and I just couldn't put my hoof on why.”

Applejack tilted her head.  Twilight could all but see her starting to put the pieces together.  She forced herself to continue before Applejack could react.

“It was starting to drive me crazy. I felt like something was wrong, like I was neglecting my friends. It didn't feel right. It wasn't fair to have a favorite place to go. I didn't know why it was happening, and it scared me. It scared me so much. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Then I just got lucky. I felt like I had to talk to somepony about it, just to get it off my back, and Rarity just happened to be there. I talked things over with her, and she helped me figure it out.

“She helped me realize that as much as I wanted to treat all my friends the same, I couldn't do it any more. Something had changed. It isn't that I like anypony else less than I did. I—I didn't know what it was. I felt like I had barely figured out what it meant to just have friends, and I thought that there was something wrong with me. They're all still my friends, but something was different. Something was different about you.”

Applejack's eyes widened. Twilight tried to keep her voice even.  Her eyes clamped shut, not daring to risk seeing what her friend would do when she heard the truth.

“Applejack, I—” Twilight took a deep breath and forced the words out. “I think I'm in love with you.” She didn’t dare look Applejack in the eyes long enough to see her reaction. She stared down at her hooves. “I don't understand how or why it happened, and I'm still not sure what it even means, really. I know I should have told you sooner. I was just so afraid of what you might say. I didn't want to risk ruining our friendship. I wanted everything to stay the same, and I tried so hard to bury the whole thing, but I couldn't, and every day I kept hiding it, it just got worse and worse.

“I'm so sorry. I tried so hard to do everything right, but I ended up getting everything completely wrong. I ended up telling them; Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy. I should have come straight to you. I was being an idiot, but I didn't know what to do. I needed them. If it weren't for them I don't know if I'd even have gotten the nerve to be here now. I'm sorry that I had to drag them all into this when it should have just been between me and you and I'm sorry that I made them keep it a secret from you. That's why I had to explain everything. I couldn't keep trying to hide it. It wasn't fair to hide it from you when it affects you more than anypony else.”

Twilight's voice began to falter. She could feel tears beginning to well up in the corners of her eyes. “I—I care about you so much, and I couldn't... You're one of my best friends, and I wasn't treating you like one. I'm so sorry and I just hope you can forgive me for handling everything so badly...”

Twilight paused for a moment and wiped away the tears that had started to slip down her cheeks. She had said everything she could think of. All that remained was damage control.

“So, I, uh... brought you these...” She drew the box of chocolates out of her saddlebag. As heavy as it had felt, it looked so small now that it hung in the air. “I mean, it's Hearts and Hooves Day after all, and I thought I couldn't tell you all this without giving you something. I know it's not much but I want you to have it.” Twilight couldn't even bring herself to watch Applejack accept the box.

“I needed you to know how I felt. I hoped so much that by some miracle you'd feel the same way, and that maybe —I can't believe I'm even saying this— that maybe you could... be my Very Special Somepony. I know that it'll probably never happen, but I just want to be honest with you. I want you to be my Very Special Somepony, I really do. It took so long to admit that to myself that I can't pretend that I don't. But—but I understand if you don't. After this, after hitting you with everything all at once... I don't want you to say yes if you don't want to. If you don't want to talk to me anymore or see me again, I'll stay away. I just hope that at the very least, you'll still be my friend in spite of how badly I messed everything up.”

Twilight kept her eyes closed.  She wasn’t ready to open them.  Once she did, everything would change.  No matter what look crossed Applejack’s face, things could never be the same between them again.  This was the last moment of their old friendship. The world was silent except for breeze-rustled leaves in the distance.

“Twilight...”

Twilight summoned up every last shred of courage she hadn't already used up and opened her eyes. Applejack, against all odds, was smiling.  It was a small smile, not one of unabashed glee, but one of reassurance and comfort. Twilight felt her face nearly burst into flames as the farm pony gently placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Twilight...I— That's so much to take in...” Applejack blinked a few times and shook her head, as if trying to clear it of all unnecessary thoughts, as well as shaking the pronounced flush from her cheeks. “I want you to listen to me, okay?”

Twilight nodded dumbly.

“I'm always gonna be your friend, alright? Nothin' is ever gonna change that. As awkward as this is, I'm never gonna hate you over somethin' like this. Ever. You remember that, okay?”

Twilight managed another nod.

“Good. I'm just glad that you were willin' to tell me about how you feel, even if it did take you a while. I guess it must have been real hard for you to say it all and it means so much to me that you care enough about me to tell me everything.”

Twilight sniffed loudly, and cleared her throat. “Thank you. I was so afraid that I'd ruined everything.” She forced her trembling lips into a small smile. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as she had thought. “So, I, uh, I hate to press, but I still don't know...well, what we're supposed to do now.”

“What do you mean?” Applejack tilted her head.

“Well, it's...I mean, you know how you feel”—Twilight dug at the ground with a hoof— “but I don't know how you feel. I mean, I know that it's a bit sudden, but I was just uh, wondering if, well, you know...”

“You want to know if I'll be your Very Special Somepony.”

“Yes.” Twilight sighed. “That's pretty much it.” She bit her lip, hardly daring to hope for anything. She consoled herself with the thought that whatever the answer, at the very least she would have a sense of closure. Friend or marefriend, at least she'd know that much.

“Twilight...” Applejack scratched her head nervously. For a moment, she couldn’t bear to look her friend in the eyes, and turned her gaze earthward. “The truth is, well... I don't know. I've never really liked anypony in that way either. I just don't really know what to do.”

Twilight took a small step forward. “Are— are you sure?”

“No! That's the whole problem. I ain’t sure of anything now.” Applejack began to massage her temple with her hoof. “I mean, just think for a second about how confused you were when you tried to figure out how you felt about me. I can't figure out all that stuff in just a couple minutes.” She paused, and noted Twilight's slightly crestfallen expression.  When she spoke again, there was a note of concern in her voice. “Twilight, I ain't sayin' 'No', but I ain't sayin' 'Yes' either. I just need some time to mull it over, alright?” She raised a hoof up and put it against Twilight's cheek, meeting her eyes. “I promise I will give you an answer, but right now I just can't.  I really wish that I could, but...”  Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of something else to say.

“I...I understand.” Twilight bobbed her head in weak acknowledgment.

“We're gonna be okay, Twilight. I know things will probably be different between us from here on out, but whatever happens it doesn't mean I'm not gonna care about you a whole bunch, okay? We'll get this figured out.”

“Thank you,” Twilight squeaked, barely able to get the words out. “You don't know how much it means to me that you're even willing to consider—”

“AAAAPPPLJAAACK!” Granny Smith's voice screeched out of an upstairs window. “Time to put Apple Bloom to bed!”

“Okay, Granny, I'll be right there!” Applejack shouted back. “Sorry about that, Twilight.  If you want to keep talkin’ things over, I’ll have her all tucked in right quick.”

“No, no. It's nothing. I should probably get going anyway. I think we both need a bit of time to think. I'd hate to be any more of a burden on you than I already have been. So...uh, I guess I'll see you tomorrow or some other time, if it wouldn't be too weird.”

“That's fine by me,” Applejack answered, doing her best to sound normal. “And before you go...” She made a gesture at Twilight and led her back into the house. “I can't let you go back empty-hooved after you brought me those chocolates. I don't really have any candy stuff here, but you can take some candy apples and a few apple tarts.” She deposited the food in Twilight's saddlebags. “You don't have to be afraid of droppin' by. I really do like it when you're hangin' around and you don't have to be afraid of comin' over just because of this.”

“Well, I guess I'll have to visit sometime then,” Twilight said. “Thank you again for being so understanding.”

“Think nothin' of it. What kinda friend would I be if I didn't?” She leaned in and gave Twilight a hug.  The unicorn shivered, and Applejack hugged tighter. “And I will give you an answer. The best one I can come up with. I promise.” She released Twilight from the embrace. “You have a good night now, you hear?"

"I'll try. Good night, Applejack.” With reluctance, she turned away and trotted out the door, feeling a little lighter with every step.

Confined Love

No. No.  This isn't how things are supposed to happen.  I was supposed to get some kind of closure!  I didn't work up the nerve to tell her everything just to end up even more uncertain!  I thought that I'd finally be able to find out exactly where I stand with her.  Ugh, I don't know if I can take much more of this.  Though, I guess it really is unfair to expect her to give me a straight answer that quickly.  Especially after I took so long to work through everything.  Still, I just wish I knew something.

Who e'er rigg'd fair ships to lie in harbours,

And not to seek lands, or not to deal with all?

Or built fair houses, set trees, and arbours,

Only to lock up, or else to let them fall?

—Confined Love,

John Donne

Rarity furrowed her brow with such intensity that if she were aware of her own expression, she would have worried that the furrows might become permanent. “Pinkie, for the last time, we are not throwing a  'Congratulations On Telling Applejack Your Feelings' party!”  She telekinetically snatched the rolls of streamers from Pinkie's grasp and tossed them up to Rainbow Dash, who hovered near one of the library’s high windows, keeping an eye on the road for any sign of Twilight.

“Aww, why not?”  Pinkie plopped down, crossed her forelegs, and began to sulk.  “I could totally get everything together in like ten minutes.  I even have an extra cake we could use!”

“We cannot have the party because we do not know if the situation merits it.  Think for a moment, Pinkie.  What happens if Applejack doesn't give Twilight a favorable response?  Do you really think she would feel at all happy if she were rejected and came home to a giant 'Congratulations' banner?  Her poor head would explode.”

“Oh, right.” Pinkie scratched her head for a moment, like she saw smart ponies doing when they were deep in thought.  “Well, if it didn't go well, a party would be a totally awesome way to cheer her up!”  She stood and began bouncing up, trying to grab her party implements out of Rainbow Dash's grasp.  “I could make a cake that says 'Condolences' and everything.”

Rarity sighed.  “Pinkie, you're completely missing the point.  If Twilight gets turned down, she isn't going to feel like partying.  If anything she'll probably send us out and go back to moping.”

“Why are we even here if she's just going to kick us out anyway?”

“Because if the worst happens, she'll need the support.  I told her that I would be there for her if she needed it, and I intend on following through.”

Pinkie snorted.  “I still think that we should have a party.  She should be able to think about something fun!”

“You guys are such downers,” Rainbow Dash grumbled from her lookout post.  “Maybe Applejack said 'Yes'.”

“Ooh! Can I have a party if they're a couple now?”

“I suppose.”  Rarity rolled her eyes. “I doubt I'd be able to stop you in any case.”

“Great!” Pinkie rubbed her hooves together in anticipation.  “If I go really fast I could totally put together a custom cake to celebrate the occasion.  Let's see, it needs be appropriate for the occasion, so I can shape it like...like a book!  A book with Applejack's hat sitting on top of it!  Wouldn't that be just perfect!?”

“Yes, yes, it would be very nice,” Rarity admitted.  “Do you really think you have the time to throw something like that together on such short notice?”

“I hate to break it to you guys, but I don't think it's gonna be a problem.”  Pinkie and Rarity looked up at Rainbow Dash, who was hovering next to a high window.  “Twilight's coming down the road,” the pegasus continued. “Looks like she's alone.”

Twilight's thoughts were disturbingly muddled.  Applejack's answer (or non-answer, as the case happened to be) floated around in her head, turning everything it touched into a confused slurry.  Some of that made sense; she didn't know whether to be happy or sad, depressed or relieved.  It even extended to her body.  She felt so light that her hooves barely tapped the ground as she trotted along, yet at the same time she felt as if she had swallowed a bowling ball.  What really annoyed her was the way that the uncertainty was leeching out of the relevant part of her mind and messing everything else up.  Was she hungry or tired?  If she picked up a book, would she want a comedy or a historical epic?  When tomorrow rolled around she got back to work on her studies, or work on piecing her schedule back together?  No matter what question she asked, her brain refused to answer.  It would take time for everything to settle.

She opened the library door and immediately found herself face to face with Pinkie Pie.

“Hey Twilight!  Do you want a cupcake?  I've got both chocolate and—”

Rarity nodded, and Rainbow Dash grabbed Pinkie's tail and towed her away.  Rarity nervously approached Twilight, and tried her best to sound like she didn't already know the answer to the question she was asking.  “So, how did things go with Applejack?  I, uh, can't help but notice that she didn't accompany you back here...”

“It went...” Twilight searched the morass of thoughts in her head for an adequate word. “...alright.”  She slumped onto a seat at the table, due to either fatigue or a need to steady herself.  She wasn't sure which.

“Only 'alright'?  I didn't realize that 'alright' was a potential result.  I don't suppose you'd mind filling me in on Applejack's answer...You know, whether she was, ah, receptive to your proposal.”

“That's just it.  She doesn't know.”

“She doesn't know!?” Rarity inhaled so sharply that she almost fell over.  Behind her, both Pinkie and Rainbow Dash's eyes nearly exploded from their sockets.  “How can she not know!?  The entire reason you went over there was to tell her!  You've been stressing about this for weeks!  What happened?  Did something else come up?  Did you get cold hooves?  I've got half a mind to drag you back out there myself and not budge until you take care of things!”

“Huh?” Twilight tilted her head, confused at her friends' confusion.  Then something in her mind finally clicked. “Oh!  No no no, that's not what I mean!  I told her.  I told her everything.  What I meant was that she didn't know how to respond to it.”

“Oh.  I see.” Rarity breathed a sigh of relief.  “That makes so much more sense.”

“Don't scare me like that!” Pinkie glared at Twilight so hard that her eyes came halfway out of her face. “I thought that you had freaked out again and not told her, and then you'd be all depressed again and then I'd have to go get like a bazillion cupcakes to cheer you up and then you'd be happy for a little bit until the sugar wears off and then it would be even worse—”

Rarity cleared her throat and Rainbow Dash once again dragged Pinkie out of the way before landing next to Twilight. “So, what did Applejack say? It couldn't have been that bad.”

“Well, the first thing she told me was that we would still be friends. She wasn't angry about it or anything.” Twilight massaged her temples, trying to stave off the inevitable headache. “But when I asked if she'd...you know, she just said that it was too much for her and she needed some time to think about it. It's so frustrating that I didn't get an answer, but I can't be mad at her for that. I mean, it took me weeks to figure out how I felt. I can't blame her for not being able to get her feelings out so quickly. It's not quite the answer I was hoping for, but at least I know she doesn't hate me now.”

“Obviously that's not the answer you wanted.” Rainbow Dash chuckled and ruffled Twilight's hair. “What was the answer you wanted?” She affected an exaggerated drawl. “'Oh, Twilight, Ah thought you'd never ask! Ah've dreamed of this day ever since ah met yah!'”

Twilight glowered. “It would've been nice, yes.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head and put a foreleg around Twilight's shoulders. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but this is real life, not one of those books Rarity is always reading.”

“Hey!” It was Rarity's turn to glower. Rainbow Dash ignored her.

“But seriously, at least she didn't say 'No'. You've still got a chance, right?”

“I guess so...” She sighed. “But there's still a chance that she might turn me down, too. Even if we are still friends, it just won't be the same.”

“Twilight, dear...” Rarity pried Rainbow Dash's leg from around the purple unicorn. “Things have already been different between you ever since you realized that you had feelings for her. In fact, things were probably starting to change before you were even aware of them. But you know as well as I do that change doesn't have to be a bad thing. Even if she doesn't share your romantic inclinations, I'm sure things will be fine between the two of you.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie chimed in. “Besides, the way that you're friends with other ponies changes all the time anyway. It would be totally boring if it didn't! I mean, look at us, even. You told us how you felt about Applejack, and now we're all helping you out with it. It's almost like we're even better friends now!”

“Thanks.” Twilight smiled. “It's just that I thought I'd have the answers I needed by now. I guess it's not that simple.”

“Romance is never simple, Twilight,” Rarity said with a chuckle. “Rainbow Dash was right about that, at least. Life isn't as simple as a book, after all. You can never really know how things are going to turn out.”

“Which is why you just gotta go for it!” Pinkie punched the air for emphasis. “Although I guess you kinda already did. Well, that just means you can just relax now, right?”

“Relax?” Twilight spoke as if she didn't recognize the word.

“Yeah, Twilight. Relax.” Rainbow Dash patted her on the head. “You already did everything that you could do. Chill out a bit.”

“But I don't know what I'm supposed to do...”

“That's exactly it, Twilight,” Rarity said. “You don't have to do anything. The matter is on Applejack’s hooves now. All you can do now is wait for her answer and trust her to do what's best for the both of you. You've been so high-strung for the past few weeks that you deserve to not have to worry about any of that. Make yourself some tea, curl up in bed, read a nice book, and try to push this whole matter as far out of your mind as possible. It's Applejack's turn to do the thinking. As for us...” She nodded at Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. “We should probably get going. Now that we know everything went well, there isn't really anything for us to do here except help you second-guess yourself, and that's the last thing you need.”

Twilight nodded. “You're right. This is something I should try to handle myself anyway.” She watched her friends head out the door, or in Pinkie's case, get shoved in the general direction by the other two. “And before you go, I just want to thank you all again for helping me get through all of this. I don't know if I'd have been able to do it without you.”

“You're welcome, Twilight,” Rarity said with a nod. “Get a good night's sleep tonight, okay?”

“Okay.” Twilight returned the nod. “Goodnight.”

Applejack crept slowly up the stairs, the chocolate box between her teeth. The last thing she needed was for the prying eyes of her family to focus on it and start asking questions. She couldn't lie to them, obviously. Even if she wanted to, she doubted that she possessed the capacity. That and she couldn't explain anything to them until she had some vague idea of her own feelings.

She stopped at the top of the stairs and took a quick stock of her family's surroundings. The light outside told her that Big Macintosh was still out closing up the barn, and the sound of running water in the bathroom told her that Apple Bloom was brushing her teeth. That just left Granny, and out of all her family members, Applejack was least apprehensive about telling her, mainly because she probably wouldn't remember any of it by morning. She made a break for her room, and made it.

She deposited the chocolates in her dresser drawer and tried to push the issue from her mind. She had other responsibilities at the moment, like getting her sister to actually go to bed on time. Applejack emerged from her room just as Apple Bloom exited the bathroom.

“You all cleaned up, Apple Bloom?”

The filly nodded. “Yup.”

“Brush your teeth?”

Apple Bloom responded by exhaling a minty fresh breath at Applejack's face.

“Use the little filly's room?”

“Yup.”

“Alright, time to hop in bed then.” Applejack shooed her sister towards her room and almost mechanically began to tuck her in. “You have a good day today? You didn't give anypony love poison this year, did you?”

“Nope, I learned my lesson. No way am I tryin' to set up anypony again. That don't end well. We just made another card for Miss Cheerilee and left it at that.”

“Well, I'm sure she appreciated you guys not tryin' to set her up with anypony.” Applejack chuckled as she finished fluffing Apple Bloom's pillow. “Big Macintosh probably does too.”

“Yeah, Cutie Mark Crusaders Matchmakers didn't really work out.” Apple Bloom snuggled against her blanket. “We should leave that stuff for grown-up ponies like you.”

“Like me!?” Applejack's face suddenly felt uncomfortably warm. The thought crossed her mind that maybe Apple Bloom knew more than she let on. “Why would you think I know anything about all of that?”

“I dunno.” Apple Bloom shrugged. “I just figured that when you get older you know more about it.”

“Yeah, it's not that simple. I don't know much more about it than you do. I ain't got any”—she stopped herself—“I ain't got much experience with those kinds of things.”

“Why not?”

Applejack chuckled. “Even if I thought I could come up with a decent answer to that, it'd take so long to explain it that you'd be up past your bedtime. Now it's time for you to go to sleep.” She leaned over and gave her sister a kiss on the forehead. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Applejack ambled downstairs and cycled through her evening ritual. Put away the dishes, check to make sure the windows were closed, make sure Granny Smith hadn't wandered out of the house, sweep the kitchen, and all the other usual end-of-the-day chores. She was in the middle of wiping the table off when Big Macintosh returned.

“Hey, Big Mac. You have a good day today?”

“Eeyup.”

“No love poison this time around?”

“Nope. Got a couple more cards, though.”

“Well, obviously. You've probably got cards from like half the mares in town by now.” As far as she knew, it wasn't an exaggeration. Her brother had gotten dozens of cards over the years. It was almost a pity that he was too cripplingly shy to even consider giving a response beyond a nervous nod and a courteous word of thanks. Sure, after last year's debacle, she had caught him hanging around Cheerilee a few times —she had even seen them going out for lunch once— but even that seemed an uphill battle for him. Applejack bit her lip as she watched him wipe his hooves on the mat, wondering if she should ask the question that was nibbling at the back of her head. “I guess you aren't, uh, following up on any of them?”

“Nope.”

“Um, if you don't mind me asking...” She tried to keep her face from flushing, even though she knew he probably wouldn't notice anyway. “...why don't you? I mean, I'm sure you've gotten some attention from some really nice mares. How do you know that you don't want to, uh, pursue any of them?”

“I dunno.” He stared off into space for a moment. Applejack wondered if he was really in as deep in thought as he looked like he was. “I guess it's mainly that I don't know them very well.”

“So if you knew them better, you might want to go out with them?”

He nodded. “I'd want a very special somepony that I could be friends with. What's the point of it if you don't enjoy spending time with them?”

“Ah, I see.” She decided not to press the matter. She felt lucky to get that much out of him, and if she followed up he might suspect something. “Thanks. I think I'll be headin' to bed now. Goodnight.”

She returned to her room, closed the door silently behind her, and opened the drawer. The box of chocolates was still there, staring up at her, daring her to open it up. For the first time, she noticed the card bound to the box by the ribbons that held it shut. She swallowed as she slid it out. It was a Hearts and Hooves Day card; doubtlessly it had come with the chocolates. There were no words on it, just a stylized image of two ponies nuzzling inside a large, red heart. She took a deep breath and opened it up. Her throat tightened as she read the words Twilight had written in it.

“For my friend.”

She held the card against her chest for a moment before placing it gently back into the drawer. Whatever she and Twilight were now, they were still friends. She'd have to remember that. For tonight, that was enough. This matter was too important to make at the end of a long day, and if she wanted to give Twilight a meaningful answer, she'd need to sleep on it.

She glanced back into the drawer. One chocolate before bed couldn't hurt.

Twilight knew from many long, arduous experiences that the harder she tried to not think about something, the harder it became to think about anything else. Tonight was no different. Not that she hadn't put up a valiant effort. She already knew that sleep was out of the question, but that hardly mattered. She had survived her fair share of late night study sessions, and this would be no different. It was just as well, really. She hated to admit it, but she hadn't exactly prioritized her studies over her new-found romantic pursuits and now had to play catch-up. If it served as a mental distraction, that was a nice bonus.

Unfortunately for her, it didn't last very long. Maybe the particular studies she had been neglecting were of under-average difficulty. Maybe her romantic difficulties were so trying that they made her schoolwork seem simple by comparison. Maybe her head was just too fatigued to realize the utter lack of effort that she was putting into it. Whatever the case, Twilight had somehow finished all of her work in record time and now she needed another distraction.

Maybe she could feed Owlowiscious. She checked his bowl. Full. Spike must have fed him already. Oh well, surely she could find other things to do. Like put that massive crate of How-To books she had ordered up on the shelves. Sure, they hadn't really helped her much, but maybe somepony else could use them. She telekinetically dragged the box out from behind the shelves where she had stashed it, and it slid out far easier than it should have. Spike had been quite industrious. A quick survey of the shelves confirmed it; everything was already in place. He had even taken the time to update the card catalog.

She glanced over to where he was sleep. If not for the risk of waking him up she'd have given him a kiss on the forehead, or at least ruffled his spines or something. She made a mental note to thank him for all of his hard work in the morning. Come to think of it, she should do something with him soon. Perhaps maybe take him out for lunch sometime and give him a nice big garnet or something as a reward for his hard work. Ever since that whole Applejack thing started, she felt like she had hardly talked to him.

She yawned. Fatigue was beginning to overtake the crazy swirls of random emotion that had ruled her brain for the past few hours. Without the stress keeping the cogs spinning, her thoughts were starting to grind to a halt. Even without some non-Applejack-related matter to keep her occupied, she'd probably nod off within the hour. Her bed was calling. She curled up as if giving herself a hug. As sleep claimed her, a final thought drifted through her head.

I wonder if Applejack is thinking of me right now. . .

Applejack had assumed that a good night's sleep would have given her a clear head with which to approach the Twilight situation. And it would have, if not for the fact that the whole “good night's sleep” thing had been an utter failure. She had gone to bed at the usual time, and spent the next three hours staring wide eyed at the ceiling, trying to think of anything but what Twilight had told her. It was, of course, an utterly futile effort.

Every time she closed her eyes she could only see Twilight's face. The unicorn's speech echoed in her ears, over and over. She must have listened to it a dozen times. It had grown more and more fractured and disjointed as she tried to force it out of her head and push herself into a dream. The phrases jumbled together, filtering themselves through her subconscious.

“Something was different about you. . . I think I'm in love with you. . . I didn't want to ruin our friendship. . . I want you to be my Very Special Somepony. . . It was starting to drive me crazy. . . I'm in love with you. . . I want you. . . I was so afraid of what you might say...”

Applejack very nearly screamed in frustration. In fact, she would have, if not for the presence of mind to remember that her family members were all sleeping in the adjacent rooms. She had settled for a prolonged groan into her pillow and a midnight (or more like three in the morning, but close enough) cup of tea. She could still scarcely believe it. A day ago, Twilight had simply been a friend. A friend who was having a bit of a stress-related freakout, but a friend nonetheless. Now everything was upside down.

She opened the drawer. The box of chocolates and card proved that everything had happened. She could still taste the caramel residue sticking to her teeth. She flipped the card open once again, and silently mouthed the words to herself.

“For my friend.”

She crawled back into bed.

That's right. She's still my friend. That won't change. I promised her that much.

She closed her eyes and finally drifted off to sleep.

Twilight awoke to two annoyances. The first was the sun. In her haste to get into bed, she had neglected to pull the curtains shut, and now a big, fat, sunbeam was focused right on her eyelids. The second was the sound of a distant rapping on the library door. She eased herself out of bed. The good news was that all the tension from the past few weeks was gone. The bad news was that all of her legs felt like jelly as a result. She looked at the clock. Then she blinked and looked again to make sure her eyes weren't lying. It had probably been years since she had slept that late. She shook the sleepiness out of her eyes and wobbled downstairs to find Pinkie engaged in a losing battle with her self-control over a large plate of cookies on the table.

“Good morning, Twilight!” She waved. “Spike let me in. You don't mind if I have some of these cookies, do you?”

“Of course not.”

“Awesome!” Pinkie scooped up half a dozen of them and shoveled them into her mouth. “Thmks!”

“So what brings you by this fine morn—, er, afternoon?”

Pinkie swallowed her mouthful and held up a large, pink box with far too many ribbons binding it shut. “I brought you some cupcakes! You know, to celebrate! Or console, maybe. I'm still not entirely sure whether what happened last night was good or bad. I kinda thought you'd be up for cupcakes either way.”

“Well, I might not have gotten the answer I had hoped for, but that was a long shot to begin with.” Twilight started gingerly untying one of the ribbons with her magic. “But I did manage to tell her, and as far as I can tell, she didn't react too badly, so I suppose we can say that it went well.”

“Then it's a celebration!” Pinkie pulled a large, multicolored chest out of her tail, and punched a large red button that sat on the front of the chest where the lock would normally be. The lid popped open, releasing an enormous explosion of confetti and a triumphant fanfare. Pinkie leaped to her hooves and began to bounce back and forth in time with the music, which cut off rather abruptly, leaving her dancing with no backup. “Aw...” She smacked the chest, which released a few more notes before going silent. “Guess I musta forgotten to wind it all the way before I brought it over here. Sorry about that. I wanted to do a full song, but I didn't have time to put one together.”

“No, no, that's quite alright.” Twilight chuckled. “I appreciate the effort. Can you help me open this?” She gestured at the cupcake box. “You kinda put a lot of stuff on it.”

“Sure, no problem!” Pinkie grabbed one of the yellow ribbons in her teeth and yanked it. Every other ribbon on the box spontaneously popped free. “There you go.”

“Thanks.” Twilight looked into the box and made a noise somewhere between a gasp, a laugh, and a groan. “Pinkie, isn't putting me and Applejack's cutie marks on the cupcakes going overboard a little?”

“Why? I thought it was fitting.”

Twilight opened her mouth to explain, but was distracted by Spike suddenly emerging from the kitchen, wearing his frilliest apron.

“Good morning, Twilight. Or afternoon now, I guess,” he said. “What was the deal with that music?”

“We're celebrating!” Pinkie waved him over. “Come have a cupcake!”

“Cool!” He scurried over to the box. “What are we celebrating?”

“We're celebrating the fact that Twilight finally told Applejack that she loves her!”

“Oh, okay, that sounds— wait, you what?” He froze mid-reach. His head slowly turned to face Twilight, the whites of his eyes twice as large as normal. “Y-you and Applejack?”

“Uh, yes...” Twilight flushed and chuckled nervously. “I kinda have a bit of a crush on her.”

“Yeah, and after weeks of freaking out about it, she finally got around to telling her last night!” Pinkie resumed her bouncing. “Isn't that great!?”

“That's why you were acting so weird!?” The dragon's face showed nothing but shock and a little bit of offense. “You were all worked up because of that!? Why wouldn't you tell me!?”

Twilight's awkward smirk shifted to clear discomfort. “You didn't know?”

“No, of course I didn't! I thought you were just worried about some sort of assignment or something. I can't believe you didn't tell me what was going on!” He snorted and stomped into the kitchen. A moment later, he reemerged, stomped over to the box, retrieved a cupcake, and returned to the kitchen.

“Spike, wait!” Twilight called after him, but was answered only by a door slam. “Ugh, I can't believe this.”

“Yeah, he took one of the vanilla cupcakes,” Pinkie observed. “I always pegged him as a chocolate guy.”

“Not that! I can't believe that I never told him. I thought he'd have figured it out or heard us talking about it or something.” She groaned. “Now I feel like an idiot again. I've totally been ignoring him. And he's been working so hard lately, too.”

“Sooooo, time for me to get going, then?” Pinkie asked with a sigh. “I'm guessing you're going to want to patch things up with him.”

“Yes, that would probably be best. He's totally right anyway. I left him out of the loop and I owe him an apology and an explanation. I'd like to get things smoothed out as soon as possible.”

“Alright, I guess I'll be on my way then.” Pinkie balanced the musical trunk on her back and headed for the door.

“See you later. Thanks for the cupcakes. You're right, I really needed a pick-me-up.”

“I thought so.” Pinkie said with a smile and a nod. “See you later!”

Applejack gave tree number forty-seven (also known as Stockton; all the trees had their own names, but Big Macintosh had always said that it made the paperwork neater to do it by number) a solid buck and watched the apples tumble into her baskets with a satisfying patter. At least something was going well today; if she kept this up she'd be done with this field within the hour and she could get a head start on tomorrow's work. But that was a cold comfort. As she towed the baskets from the tree and loaded them onto her cart, her thoughts were elsewhere. She wanted to give Twilight an answer, of course. Anything else would do her friend a great disservice. The problem was that she had no idea where to even begin.

She could hardly even remember the last time she had ever received any romantic attention. If she went back to her school days as a filly, she could recall a vague memory of somepony nervously offering her a Hearts and Hooves Day card before losing their nerves and scuttling away. Who it had been, she had no idea. She had been flattered, of course, but nothing else had come of it, and since then the most romantic pursuit she had made was deciding to give Rarity's book recommendations a try. The thought had crossed her mind that some day things would fall into place and she'd stumble across a nice stallion and raise the next generation of the Apple Family, but even then she wasn't exactly making an effort. Taking care of the farm kept her busy enough.

Applejack towed the apple cart to tree number forty-eight (also known as Bogart). This was why she enjoyed working the farm so much. There wasn't any problem that couldn't be solved with good, old-fashioned hard work. None of that annoying thinking stuff. At times it was almost cathartic. She channeled all her frustration into her back legs and kicked the tree as hard as she could manage. Once again the apples tumbled into their baskets. But this time, there was an additional noise: a surprised squeak. Applejack ambled around to the other side of the tree and suppressed a smirk. One of the baskets, instead of apples, contained Fluttershy.

“You okay, Fluttershy?” Applejack said, trying not to laugh.

“Yes, I'm just a bit startled is all.” The pegasus tried to extricate herself from the basket and failed. “I, uh, I seem to be stuck.”

“You sure do, sugarcube.” Applejack grabbed Fluttershy's forelegs and began to pull. “What were you doin' up in one of my trees anyway?”

“I was just checking on the birds and warning them not to build nests in the apple trees until after you harvested them all.” Fluttershy came free of the basket with a pop. “I didn't realize you'd started harvesting already.”

“Eh, it's alright. Just tell me next time, okay.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said with a nod. “So, uh, how are you doing today?”

“Honestly, I'm not quite sure.” She began to retrieve the apple baskets and drag them toward the cart.

“Why is that?” Fluttershy picked up the least full basket and hovered slowly behind Applejack.

“Well, it's— You know about that whole thing with Twilight, don't you?”

“Oh.” Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, I know all about that. So she finally told you?”

“Yeah, she came by last night and told me everything.” Applejack groaned as she poured a basket of apples into the cart. “Then she asked if I'd be her very special somepony.”

“Oh my.”

“'Oh my' is right. I have no idea what I'm gonna tell her.” Applejack finished depositing her basket and took a seat on the ground. “I mean, Twilight's a great friend and all, but I dunno if I'm ready for somethin' like that, especially with her.”

Fluttershy poured her own basket into the cart, watching the half-dozen apples roll into the pile. “Why don't you just tell her that you aren't ready then? I'm sure somepony like Twilight would understand.”

“That's just the thing.” Applejack took a seat on a soft-looking patch of grass. “I don't want to tell her 'No' when there's a chance that it might work. I mean, Twilight is a really nice, carin', and smart pony, and I really do enjoy spendin' time with her. I wasn't really payin' attention to it before when she was always comin' by, but lookin' back on it, it was really nice to have her around. She was always real helpful and it was just fun havin' her there, even if we were doin' stuff that's usually real borin'. My first thought when she asked was that it was crazy, but now that I think about, Twilight would actually make a pretty good marefriend, and I don't want to turn her down just cause I was surprised, you know?”

“I guess,” Fluttershy mumbled. “But if you don't think you're ready for that, maybe it's still best that you don't. I mean, you still can if you wanted to, of course, but it's a pretty big step, isn't it?”

“Yeah, it really is.” Applejack plucked an apple out of the cart and took a bite. “I like Twilight a whole lot, but I don't know if I want to make things all romantic just because she wants to for some reason. I'm still not even sure why all this happened. If she just suddenly got a crush on me outta nowhere, what would happen if we decide to do the whole couple thing and then her crush goes away? I don't think that'd be pleasant for either of us. I just wish I knew if it would work out. I'm real flattered that she likes me like that, but then again it just seems so out of nowhere. I mean, it's just like I can only think 'Why me and not somepony else?'

“We just don't have all that much in common or anything. I could understand it if she had a thing for, I dunno, Cheerilee. She's more into books and smart pony stuff like that. Twilight's one of the most intelligent ponies I know. I mean, she's Princess Celestia's personal student! Why on earth would she be interested in me, of all ponies?”

“I don't know.” Fluttershy shrugged. “Oh, um, not that I think you wouldn't make a great marefriend or anything. I just, uh...I understand what you mean.”

“It's okay, I know what you meant.” Applejack said with a smirk. “This whole thing is so complicated it's drivin' me nuts. Twilight's a great pony and I'm really kinda honored that she'd want me to be her very special somepony, but I just don't know if we're all that compatible in that way.”

“Well, in that case, maybe it's good that you're taking it slow. You wouldn't want to get yourself caught up in something that might end up hurting both of you.”

“I know that, but at the same time I don't want to miss out on something that could be really great just cause it caught me off-guard.” She sighed. “I wish I could just take some more time to think about it, but I don't want to leave Twilight hangin' just because I can't make up my mind. Especially after everything she's been through already.” She stood up and tossed the apple core over her shoulder. “Oh well, I guess I still got a bit of time to give it some thought. I should probably get back to work anyway. Just because I got stuff to think about doesn't mean I can slack off.”

“Yes, I should probably go back to checking on the birds as well.” Fluttershy took to the air. “Are you going to be over in that field?” She pointed. “I wouldn't want to get in your way again.”

“Nope, that one isn't gonna get harvested until next week. You sure you don't wanna finish up this field first? I'd hate to knock any of your feathered friends out of the trees.”

“No, I was almost finished with this field anyway, and there didn't seem to be any birds, so you shouldn't have to worry about that, at least.” She fluttered over to Applejack and patted her on the head. “Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do the right thing.”

“Thanks.” Applejack adjusted her hat, and headed for tree number forty-nine.

“Really? I can order anything I want?” Spike's mouth watered as he stared at the menu in his claws.

“Anything you want,” Twilight answered. “Consider it part of my apology for neglecting you for the past few weeks.”

“Alright!” He grinned and flipped right to the dessert section and motioned for the waiter. “I'd like the Super Size Banana-Split Sundae. Go heavy on all the toppings, especially the fudge. You wouldn't happen to have crushed spinels, do you?”

“I'm afraid not,” the waiter answered.

“Eh, just as well. I brought some topaz bits along just in case.” He handed the pony his menu. “Thanks.”

The waiter turned his attention to Twilight. “And you, miss?”

“I'll just have a daisy sandwich and water. That's all.”

The waiter nodded and headed back inside.

“But really Spike, I'm so sorry for not telling you earlier. I was so worried about that whole thing with Applejack that I've been ignoring you. You've been working so hard lately, and I haven't been paying any attention. I just wanted you to know that I really do appreciate all the hard work you've been putting in at the library.  And while I’m at it, I’m sorry that we couldn’t go out to lunch yesterday.  I was just still trying to get my thoughts in order.”

“Don't worry about it.” Spike waved a dismissive claw. “I do feel a bit left out because you told, well, pretty much all of your friends about it and didn't even think about mentioning it to me, but I guess it's okay. I mean, I knew you were really freaked out about something, I just didn't know exactly what it was. And honestly, you don't exactly handle stress all that well, so it doesn't really surprise me that you weren't thinking all that clearly about it. After what happened last time, I think if all you did was ignore me a bit, I think you did alright. So apology accepted.”

“Thanks.” Twilight sighed in relief. “After everything that's happened, if you got mad at me I don't know what I'd do.”

“Don't worry about it.” Spike cleared his throat. “But really, you and Applejack? I don't think I'd ever have seen that one coming. There are a couple other ponies I would have thought you'd be more interested in. Like, uh, let's see—”

“Let me guess, Cheerilee?”

“Well, I was going to say the Mayor, but yeah, Cheerilee makes even more sense. Hmmmm...” He stroked his chin for a moment. “So if you and Applejack start going out, does that mean you'll get a discount on Sweet Apple Acres' baked goods? Because they have this really awesome pie that—”

“Spike!” Twilight glared at him.

“What?” Spike held up his hands. “I'm just trying to look on the bright side. If you two are a thing now, doesn't it mean that you're going to be hanging around the farm a lot? I just want to figure out how this is going to affect me.”

“I really haven't thought that far ahead.” Twilight rested her chin on her forelegs. “I don't even know if we'll even be a couple. All I did was tell her how I felt, and now it's up to her to decide what happens now.”

“Do you have any idea when she was going to get back to you on that?”

“No, unfortunately.” Twilight sighed. “I kinda wish I had asked her about that, but I figured she had enough on her mind already. At first I thought she would have gotten back to me yesterday, but I guess she needed some more time.”

“Well, that stinks. At least you're doing pretty well.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Twilight narrowed her eyes.

“I'm just saying that it's gotta be pretty stressful to be in your situation, you know? Just putting yourself out there and not knowing when Applejack's actually going to give you an answer, having to sit by and do nothing with your entire friendship on the line, not knowing when you'll even be able to talk to her again, having that uncertainty hanging over your head all the— awesome, my ice cream is here!” Spike licked his lips as the waiter set an enormous bowl on the table, filled with a pile of ice cream as big as his head.

“Yeah...” Twilight mumbled to herself. “I've been trying not to think about that.”

“And for you, miss.” Twilight didn't even notice her sandwich being placed on the table.

“Oh, come on, Twilight.” Spike's voice was muffled by the copious amounts of ice cream in his mouth. “It's not that bad. Applejack isn't the type of pony to keep you waiting for too long. Oh, almost forgot the topaz.”

Twilight tried to focus on her sandwich. Anything to keep the doubts from creeping back into her head. She had been doing pretty well at having a normal day thus far, and she would fight to keep it that way. At least she had smoothed things over with Spike. That had to count for something. She forced herself to take a bite. It was surprisingly tasty. Maybe things would be alright. She just had to make sure the pressure didn't get to her. At the moment, she had nothing to worry about. The sun was out, the air was warm, the breeze was cool, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was too nice to fret over anything. Twilight let her gaze wander into the street and recognized a familiar face.

“Hey, Rarity!” Twilight waved.

“Oh, hello, Twilight!” Rarity bounded over to the table and took a seat in one of the extra chairs. “How are you doing, dear? Are you feeling alright?”

“I'm doing a bit better than I thought I would be. I managed to get through yesterday, I actually got a good night's sleep last night, and I haven't had a nervous breakdown yet.”

“Well, good for you,” Rarity said, half-seriously. “I know it can't be easy for you.”

“It isn't, but it's a different kind of difficult, I guess. It's really frustrating to have gone through all that trouble to confess to her and then not get an answer. I just feel so powerless. It's like I feel like I should be doing something, but there's nothing I can do.”

“That's just the nature of relationships, I suppose. It was inevitable that at some point the weight of it would be on Applejack's shoulders. This is between the both of you after all.”

“I know, I just wish that I could get it all over with. I can only keep my composure for so long. I mean, what if she takes as long as I did to figure everything out? Even if she goes twice as fast, that's like two whole weeks without any answer! And it's not like I'll be able to talk to her or anything in the meantime. I don't know if I could go for that long without being able to talk to her. And it's not like we could all go out as a group or anything either. Like when we have our next Pony Pet Playdate it'll be even more awkward than it's already been! How on earth are we even supposed to talk to each other with this hanging over our heads. I mean, it’s already been a whole day and a half!  Maybe I should just go back over there and—”

“No, bad Twilight!” Rarity gave Twilight a playful rap on the forehead. “Stop that. I realize it must be infuriating, but one day is not all that long. You know as well as I do that Applejack fully intends to give you an answer as soon as she thinks she can. You trust her to give you an honest answer, don't you?”

Twilight rubbed the spot on her head where Rarity had bonked her. “Yes, yes, you're right. She promised that she’d give me the best answer she could.  I just wish I could do something other than wait. It's like waiting to get your grade on a test back. You know there's nothing else you can do, but you can't help but worry about it.”

“Well, in that case, the only thing you can do is try to direct your attention elsewhere.”

“I know; I've been trying my best, but I'm running out of stuff to keep myself occupied.  I spent yesterday cleaning the library and teaching myself how to make a souffle, but I can only make so many of them before it starts to get boring.”

“I see.” Rarity tapped her chin with her hoof. “Why don't you come by my boutique and help me out? I'm working on some new designs, and you could model them for me. Dressforms are all well and good, but it's always better to have a real pony try them on. Then I can see how the fabric flows when you walk and such. There's nothing more frustrating than creating a beautiful design only to realize that when somepony is actually wearing it makes them look like a frog when they walk. Well, aside from my sister visiting the shop, but she's in school at the moment and will probably busy with homework all afternoon.  In any case, it's always nice to have somepony else's opinion on the design.”

“I don't know.” Twilight scratched her head. “I don't really have that much fashion sense, you know. I don't know if I'd really be all that helpful.”

“That's not the point, Twilight.” Rarity shook her head and chuckled at her friend's obliviousness. “I just want to give you something to do while you wait. I know what I'm doing; if you give me bad advice I can just ignore it. Maybe I could even teach you a thing or two about dresses. If you don't have any fashion sense, I'll have to give you some.” She turned her attention to Spike, whose face was buried in the ice cream bowl, slurping up the melted remnants of his sundae. “Spike, would you like to come with us?”

He withdrew his face from the bowl and whipped his tongue out, licking up the layer of ice cream that coated his face. “Of course, Rarity! I can be your pincushion any day!”

“It's settled, then!” Rarity clapped her hooves together. “As soon as you two finish your lunch, you can meet me at the boutique and we'll get started.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Twilight said. “I'll see you there.” With a smile, she turned back to her sandwich.

“Alright, Apple Bloom. What's the first thing you do when you're preparin' to buck a tree?”

“Ummmmm...” The filly's face contorted as she tried to make herself look deep in thought. “Oh, I know! You kick it! Like really hard!”

“Nope!” Applejack shook her head. “First thing you do is check your list to make sure you're buckin' the right trees.” She pointed at a checklist hanging from the side of the apple cart. “If you're not in the right field, the apples might not be ready yet. And if they're not ready yet, we can't use 'em for anything.”

“Okay, check to make sure you're in the right field, got it!”

“Good.” Applejack nodded. “What's the next step?”

“You kick the tree really hard!”

“Oh, really?” Applejack shook her head. “Tell me, what would happen if you went and bucked that tree right there?”

“All the apples would fall down, of course!” Apple Bloom said, her voice thick with incredulity that her sister would ask her something so obvious.

“And where would they land?”

“Duh! They'd land in the—” Apple Bloom thrust a hoof at the foot of the tree, and promptly noticed that there was nothing there but dirt there. “Oh. Baskets. Right.”

“Yup. You gotta remember to put the baskets out, or you'll end up wasting a bunch of time pickin' up all the apples.” She gave Apple Bloom a gentle shove in the direction of the cart. “Now go get the baskets.”

“Right away!” Apple Bloom hustled over to the tree and began arranging the baskets between the roots.

“Good job spacing the baskets,” Applejack said. “Gotta make sure that you can catch all the apples. You know what to do now?”

“Do I get to kick the tree?”

“Get buckin'!”

“Awesome! Watch this, sis! You won't ever see anypony else buck a tree this well!” Apple Bloom rushed at the tree. As she approached she planted her front hooves in the dirt skidding to a stop just short of the tree, swinging her body around. With a loud grunt, she drove both hind legs into the trunk. The tree shuddered slightly, and released perhaps half a dozen apples, one of which landed square on the top of Apple Bloom's head. “Ouch!” She rubbed the sore spot. “Well, that didn't go quite like I wanted.”

“You made a great effort,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “You're still just a filly. One you get a bit bigger you'll be knockin' apples all over the place.”

“I doubt it,” Apple Bloom snorted. “I was practicin' all day yesterday and it didn't do anything. Maybe I'm just not good at applebucking.”

“Well, this is the first year you're really tryin' it, after all.” Applejack patted her sister on the head. “Nopony gets it right away. You shoulda seen me the first time I tried applebuckin'. I'm pretty sure I missed the tree altogether.”

“Really? You used to be bad at it?”

“I wouldn't say bad. I'd just never done it before. When you're tryin' something new you can't expect to get it totally right. You just gotta be willin' to learn when you mess up rather than givin' up.”

“Did Big Macintosh have a tough time learnin' to applebuck?”

Applejack smiled. “When he was teachin' me how to buck apples, he told me about his first try.”

“Did he miss the tree, too?”

“Nope, just the opposite problem, actually.”

Apple Bloom tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“You know that weird lookin' tree in the corner of the south field?”

“You mean the one with the big dent in it?”

“Yup. Who do you think put that dent there?”

Apple Bloom thought for a moment before beginning to giggle. “You mean Big Mac did that?”

“He said he's lucky that the tree didn't keel right over.” Applejack ruffled her sister's mane. “At least you can say that you didn't almost kill the tree. I know it might be tough now, but if you stick with it I'm sure you'll get it figured out.”

“You got that right!” said a voice from above. Applejack and Apple Bloom looked up to see Rainbow Dash lounging on a cloud a short distance above their heads. “The first time I tried the Buccaneer Blaze, I just about embedded myself in the side of a mountain. Practice makes perfect, you know.”

“Hey Rainbow Dash!” Apple Bloom waved back. “What brings you by?”

“Oh, I just thought I'd drop by to see how you were doing.” She winked. “Just wanted to see if you make any progress in your little thing with Twilight after she—” She stopped herself as she noticed that Applejack was violently shaking her head and pointing at her little sister. It was too late.

“What happened with Twilight?” the filly asked. “Did it have something to do with when she came by the night before last?”

Applejack's eye twitched as she shot a glare up at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus smiled sheepishly and avoided making eye contact. Applejack groaned and turned her attention to her sister.

“Yeah, it did have somethin' to do with Twilight. I don't want to hide anythin' from anypony, but it's...really personal. I dunno if I should tell you now.”

“Why can't you tell me?” Apple Bloom asked. “Did you and Twilight have a fight or something? What happened? Is there anything I can do? I can totally handle it.”

“Listen...” Applejack put a hoof on Apple Bloom's shoulder. “I ain't gonna lie. I'm not sure if I should tell you this, but it's somethin' that might end up affectin' you, so I'm going to try to explain. But first, I need you to promise me that you won't go tellin' anypony. And I mean any pony. No tellin' Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo, no tellin' your teacher, no tellin' Big Macintosh or Granny Smith, you don't tell anypony about this unless I give you the okay first, got it?”

Apple Bloom nodded with as much solemnity as she could muster.

“You better be serious, cause if you tell anypony, I'll tell Pinkie that you went and broke a promise, and I know you don't want that. So do you promise to keep this quiet?”

“I promise.”

“Okay.” Applejack cleared her throat. “Well, when Twilight came by, she told me that she had a crush on me.”

“A crush?” Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “What's that?”

“You don't know what a crush is!?” Rainbow Dash guffawed loudly from her cloud. “I know you're just a filly, but you've seriously never had a crush before? I'd have thought that at least somepony in your class would have gotten hit with one.”

“You be quiet!” Applejack called up. “I'll get to you in a minute. Just let me explain it myself, okay?” She turned back to Apple Bloom. “A crush, huh? It's kinda hard to explain. Basically, it's when you suddenly start to care a whole lot about a certain pony, and want to spend a lot of time with them. And it makes you feel kinda weird, like you start to be afraid that they might not like you, or that they might not want to spend time with you and you start to try really hard to make sure they like you and want to be around you.”

Apple Bloom blinked a few times as her brain processed the information. “So that's how Twilight feels about you?”

“I guess so. So she confessed it to me and asked if I'd be her very special somepony.”

“Are you gonna do it?”

“I'm not sure yet, that's why I don't want you to tell anypony about it. I don't want to make a big deal about it until I have this figured out, and I definitely don’t want to get Twilight worried by lettin’ everypony know about it.”

“Well, I think you should do it. I think Twilight's a really nice pony and she'd probably make a really good very special somepony for you.”

“Thanks, I'll keep that in mind,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “I just wish it were that simple. Anyway, I gotta talk to Rainbow Dash for a bit, so why don't you head back to the house and get started on your homework? We can get back to this tomorrow. And remember, don't tell anypony, okay?”

“Okay. See you later.” Apple Bloom nodded and galloped off towards the house.

Satisfied that her sister was out of earshot, Applejack turned to Rainbow Dash, who was occupying herself by bouncing a clump of cloud on her forehead.

“You really gotta work on filterin' the stuff between your brain and your mouth, you know that?”

“Sorry about that.” Rainbow Dash rolled off her cloud and glided to the ground. “I just got so excited that Twilight told you that I kinda forgot that she only told you. Don't worry, I didn't tell anypony else.”

“Good. That's the last thing I need on my mind. What are you doin' here anyway?”

“I just thought I'd come by and see how you're holding up. I was gonna check on Twilight to make sure that she wasn't freaking out, but turns out Pinkie and Rarity have her covered.”

“So she's doin' alright?” Applejack asked the question in a tone of voice that implied she didn't quite want to know the answer.

“She's... okay. She hasn't had a nervous breakdown yet, at least.  She did pretty well yesterday, although I think her anxiety might be staring to set in,” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. “But that's not what I came out here for.  We're still cool, right? I mean, I kinda wanted to tell you about stuff, but, you know...”

Applejack sighed, half in relief, half in frustration. “Well, I can't say I'm happy that y'all kept all this a secret and left me out of the loop, but I guess it was best that Twilight got to tell me everythin' on her own terms, so I can't be too mad about it. I'm just glad to hear I didn't go and drive her nuts.”

“Not yet, anyway.”

Applejack glowered at the remark. “So did you come out here just to make snide comments, or were you actually gonna do somethin' useful?”

“Relax, AJ.” Rainbow Dash threw a foreleg around Applejack. “Like I said, I'm just here to see how you're doing. I know you don't freak out quite as much as Twilight, but I mean, come on, after getting a bomb like that dropped on you, you gotta be a bit shaken up, right?”

“You got that right.” Applejack groaned and sat down, leaning against the side of the wagon. What she really wanted was to get back to work, but if her friend had gone to the trouble of coming out to the farm, the least she could do was give her a few minutes. “I thought about it all day yesterday and all morning today, and I still got no idea what I'm goin' to do. I don't want to keep Twilight waitin' any longer than I have to, but I don't want to rush things either. She deserves a real answer, and I can't figure one out.”

“So you haven't come up with anything yet?”

“What part of 'I don't have even a tiny clue' don't you understand?”

“Okay, Let me think of what we can do here...” Rainbow Dash paced back and forth for a moment before stopping to stomp her hoof. “Alright, the question you need to answer is whether you think Twilight would make a good marefriend for you, right?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Okay, let's do this Twilight-style!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. She could have used the time to get ahead on her bucking. “I swear, Rainbow Dash, if you're goin' to have me makin' a big old chart or something, we're pretty much done here. All that stuff just makes me more confused.”

“No no no!” The pegasus shook her head. “Maybe not quite that Twilight-ish. I mean that you should just try to approach it from a more... what's that word Twilight is always using for stuff like this? Relational? Nah, that doesn't sound right.”

“I think 'rational' is the word you're lookin' for.”

“Right, that! We have to be rational!”

“Dash, do you even know what that means?” Applejack asked, her waning patience evident in her voice.

“Of course, it means we have to be smart about it!”

Applejack resisted the urge to make a snide remark about the impossibility of Dash approaching anything in that manner, instead opting for a more neutral response. “And how exactly are you gonna do that?”

“It's simple.” Rainbow Dash held her head up. “You want to know if Twilight would make a good very special somepony, right?”

“Again, yes,” Applejack grunted. She felt like the conversation was already going in circles.

“So you just gotta think of what you think a good very special somepony would be like, and then see if Twilight fits that description. So if you could pick what you wanted the perfect marefriend to be like, what would you choose?”

“I dunno; I never really thought about any romantic stuff before.”

“Are you serious?” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “You've never thought about what kind of pony you'd want to end up with? I mean, come on!” She lowered her voice a bit. “Even I think about that kind of stuff sometimes.”

“Really?” Applejack raised an eyebrow. Out of all her friends, she would never have thought that Rainbow Dash would have any interest in romance. “Why don't you tell me what your idea of the perfect pony is? Cause I really got no idea of that kind of thing.”

“Ugh, fine.” Rainbow Dash plopped down on her hindquarters. “Promise not to tell anypony?”

“Of course.”

“Well, he'd have to be awesome, obviously. It would be totally boring if he was boring. And he'd gotta be a really awesome flier, too. Somepony who could keep up with me and help me train and stuff.”

Applejack nodded. “I'm with you so far.”

“But he'd have to be kinda laid back too, you know? You can't be crazy all the time. So it would need to be somepony who knows how to chill a bit and just hang out when he isn't being all awesome and stuff. And also, I, uh... kinda have a thing for blue manes.” She crossed her forelegs and nodded in satisfaction with her description.

“So, basically your idea of the perfect very special somepony is... Soarin.” She wanted to smack herself in the face. She should have known that Rainbow Dash would have zeroed in on one of the Wonderbolts.

Rainbow Dash leaped to her hooves “Hey, there are tons of awesome, blue-maned ponies who are great fliers out there! Probably. And we're not talking about me anyway. It's totally your turn to say what you want your very special somepony to be like.”

“Hmmm...” Applejack closed her eyes to think for a moment. She had never even attempted to quantify her romantic interests before. Where was she even supposed to start? “Well, first of all, I'd want them to be somepony I enjoy spending time with.”

“Awesome!” The pegasus patted her on the back. “That's a great start. What else?”

“I guess I'd want them to be real dedicated and responsible. And to care a lot about family, I suppose. And it would be good if they'd be able to help out around the farm.”

“Okay, that last one is a bit specific, but I guess the farm is a pretty big part of your life, huh?”

“You think?” Applejack's voice was thick with sarcasm.

“Well, I don't want to go and tell you what to do...” Rainbow Dash gently nudged Applejack in the side. “...but it sounds to me like Twilight matches up pretty well with your idea of a great marefriend.”

“Really?” Applejack asked. Sure, Twilight fit some of the criteria, but that was true of a lot of ponies in the town. “I don't know if you've noticed, but Twilight isn't exactly a farm pony.”

“Okay, so she doesn't fit that particular thing exactly, but think of everything else. Twilight is like crazy dedicated to her egghead stuff, and she's usually totally on top of things. Have you seen all of her checklists? She's gotta be pretty responsible to keep up with all that stuff. And I know her family doesn't live around here, but I think she cares quite a bit about them. I mean, she obviously cares a ton about her big brother, just like you, and she's practically raising Spike. He's pretty much family to her.”

“I guess you're right,” Applejack admitted. “But still, Twilight is a city pony. She barely even goes outside, let alone workin' the farm.”

“Really, Applejack? Really? Are you just trying to wiggle your way out of this or something? You know as well as I do that Twilight is totally smart enough to figure out a way to help out at Sweet Apple Acres.” Rainbow Dash shook her head in mock resignation. “Remember back when you tried to harvest the whole thing yourself, and she whipped up that spell that harvested a whole field at once? Or that time when she singlehoofedly got the winter wrap up back on track? I bet if you let her look at your schedules for a few hours, she'd get your productivity bumped up a ton.”

“I suppose...” Applejack never liked to admit when Rainbow Dash had a point, but she was actually making a surprising amount of sense. Either that or Applejack herself was starting to lose it to the point where Rainbow Dash sounded downright astute. She hoped it was the former.

“And even if she is useless on the farm, she totally fits all that other stuff that you said. You enjoy spending time with Twilight, don't you? You certainly weren't complaining when she started hanging out here more often.”

“Well, yeah...”

“See, four out of five pretty good, right? And I mean, come on. Isn't the fact that you enjoy her company way more important than whether or not she knows how to buck trees, anyway?”

“When you put it that way—”

“Great!” Rainbow Dash gave Applejack an emphatic shape. “Now that you've got that all figured out, you can go talk to Twilight and give her your answer!”

“Wait just a minute!” Applejack wrested herself free of the pegasus' grip. “I can't go ahead with this just because of that! Twilight might sorta fit that description, but so do a lot of other ponies! Like, oh, I don't know, Rarity. She fits all the stuff I said just as much as Twilight does. What the hay, even you fit it pretty well, and no offense, but I don't think that would work out particularly well. You ain't comin' on to me too, are you?”

“Well, uh...” Rainbow Dash shrunk back and turned her face away from Applejack. “Actually, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about...”

Applejack's pupils shrunk so much they were barely visible. “Uh, Rainbow Dash...?”

“I— I wanted to tell you earlier, but...” Her voice was so soft Applejack could barely hear it. “...but I...I...” With a loud snort, Rainbow Dash rolled onto her back and began to laugh, kicking her legs in the air. “Bwahaha, you thought I was actually confessing to you!”

“Wait, you— ARGHH!” Applejack slammed her hoof into the dirt. “What they hay were you thinkin', tryin' to pull that on me!? I swear if you do that again, I'm gonna buck all these trees usin' your head as a batterin' ram!”

“I'm sorry!” Rainbow Dash managed between gasps of laughter. “It was the perfect setup! I couldn't not do it!”

“You really had me goin' there for a second.” Applejack pressed a hoof against her chest, where her heart was still pounding rapidly. “If you had been serious, I think I mighta just keeled over. Were you tryin' to kill me or somethin'?”

“Nah, just trying to lighten things up a little. But seriously, if it was me and not Twilight puttin' you through this, what would you tell me? Be honest now. I'll know if you're trying to pull a fast one.”

“To be honest, I'd probably turn you down. Not that you aren't a great friend and all, but I just don't think it would work out. No offense, but I think I'd prefer you and I just being friends.”

“What if it was Rarity? Or Fluttershy? Or Pinkie?”

“I dunno; I guess I just like havin' them as friends, too.”

“But why?” Rainbow Dash tapped Applejack on the forehead. “Why are you actually thinking so hard about it when it's Twilight who asked the question. Is there something special about her?”

“Yeah, there is. She's the one who's actually confessed! If Pinkie went and confessed to me, well, I dunno. Maybe I'd give that some thought, too. I can't really say what I'd do in a situation that didn't actually happen.”

“Okay, let's try something different.” Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her forehead. “This is gonna sound kinda weird, but what do you think about Twilight, you know, physically?”

“Physically? I guess she's not in bad shape. She's a bit on a shrimpy side, but I considerin' that she spends so much time in the library I think she's doing pretty well—”

“No no no.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “That's not what I mean. What I'm asking is if you... if you find Twilight attractive.”

“Attractive?”

“Yeah, you know, have you ever looked at her and thought that she was pretty? And I don't mean like complimenting her on her hair or something. I wanna know if she ever, uh, turned your head, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh.” Applejack looked down at a rock and scratched nervously at her head. “I, uh, well I guess that she's pretty...”

“Is there anything specific about her? Everypony has something that they pay a bit of extra attention to. You know, like that mane thing I mentioned before. Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell anypony.”

Applejack swallowed. Rainbow Dash could just make out a slight blush on her cheeks. “Uh, well...I dunno. I guess that Twilight, uh, her...it's just weird!” Applejack said. “It's just a bit...specific, I guess. It just feels weird to talk about it.”

“I'm just trying to help you, Applejack. Come on, you can tell me. I won't breathe a word of it to anypony.”

“Ugh, fine.” Applejack said with a groan. “It's... it's her...” The last word was so quiet as to be inaudible.

“Sorry, I didn't get that.”

“It's...her neck.”

“Her neck?” Rainbow Dash couldn't hide the bewilderment in her voice.

“Yeah, it's weird, I know,” Applejack mumbled. “I don't know when it was, but there was some day I was talking to her about something and I just noticed the curves there, and the way her mane sort of hangs around it; I just think it's really cute.  I know, it’s odd.”

“Okay, that's not too strange. When you said it was specific I thought that maybe you were thinking of her back left hoof, or that you had a thing for her nostrils or something.”

“Are you goin' somewhere with this?” Applejack asked. “I really do have work I should be doin'.”

“I'm just trying to help you figure out how you feel about Twilight, that's all.”

“I'm not sure how good of a job you're doin', cause now I'm even more confused. Just tell me what you think I should do.”

“Personally, I think you should go for it. You gave me all sorts of reasons why she'd be a good marefriend for you, and no reasons why she wouldn't, so you might as well give it a shot.”

“I know that.” Applejack dug at the ground. “I just don't wanna mess this up for either of us. Twilight risked a lot by being willing to tell me, and I don't want to let her down by messin' this up. The last thing I want to do is go and get her hopes up by tellin' her 'Yes' and then have the whole thing fall apart down the road.”

“Well, before I head out, I'm gonna give you the same piece of advice I gave Twilight: don't worry too much about how things could go wrong. I'm not the best flier in Equestria because I worry about crashing all the time. Sometimes you just gotta go for it, and if things go bad, things go bad. Sure, you might crash and burn, but you might not. If you want to go for it, you should.”

“But I don't know if I want to go for it.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I really can't help you with that. But when you do figure out what you want to do, just do it.” She turned away and started to flutter into the air.

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack called after her.

“Yeah?” She looked back over her shoulder.

“I'm still not quite sure what I'm gonna do, but I do think I know how I can figure it out. Can you give Twilight a message for me?”

Rainbow Dash descended back to earth. “Sure thing. What is it?”

“I need you to tell her to meet me on the stargazing hill tonight at sunset.” She took a deep breath. “And I need you to tell her that I'll give her an answer tonight.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Of course. She'll be there.” She made to take off.

“Oh, and Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for coming to talk to me.”

“You're welcome.” Rainbow Dash leaped into the air, and a moment later was gone.

Applejack closed her eyes and leaned against the apple cart. She had given herself an ultimatum. No more waffling. She shook the thoughts out of her head and towed the cart towards the next tree. She only needed one more thing to make a decision. She needed to talk to Twilight.

The Harbinger (to the Progress)

Alright, Twilight.  You wanted an answer, and now you're going to get one.

Thy soul, dear virgin, whose this tribute is,

Moved from this mortal sphere to lively bliss ;

And yet moves still, and still aspires to see

The world's last day, thy glory's full degree,

Like as those stars which thou o'erlookest far,

Are in their place, and yet still moved are.

—The Harbinger (to the Progress)

John Donne

Twilight did her best to listen to the crunch of the gravel beneath her hooves.  Anything to keep her mind on the earth rather than the veritable army of snakes writhing around in the pit of her stomach.  A few hours ago, when Rainbow Dash had erupted through the door of Rarity's boutique to deliver the news that a response was on its way, they had been butterflies.  But as her namesake hour approached, some perverse metamorphosis had taken place, and now she was a chilly breeze away from breaking into a full body shiver.  She tried to focus on the movement of her legs.  She feared if she didn't, they would rebel and carry her back to the library.

It was stupid.  She had waited for two days for an answer, and now that it was within reach, she found herself wanting nothing more than to run away.  Sure, Twilight thought, it could very well end perfectly, and Applejack would tell her that she had known from the start that they were in love and just didn't know how to say it and she was so happy that the two of them could be together and Twilight focused back on her hooves again because the possibility of that actually happening was so minute that it didn't bear considering.

The opposite possibility immediately jumped to mind. Twilight’s mind was dominated by the image of  Applejack telling her that she just wasn't interested in her that way and this whole thing was just unbearably awkward and even though they were still friends maybe they should spend some time apart until this whole thing blew over and Twilight tried to listen to the gravel crunching beneath her because it drowned out the voice of the Applejack in her head.  She knew that a flat rejection was only barely more likely to happen than Applejack proposing to her on the spot, but the fact that it was even a possibility at all made her want to turn tail and flee.

She lifted her gaze. In the distance should could already make out Applejack's silhouette against the fading light of the sunset.. Her heart beat faster and faster as she approached, Applejack's features slowly fading into view. She was seated atop the hill, her eyes fixed on the sky. Twilight tried to slow her breathing as she made her way closer, each step feeling harder and harder as she made her way up the hill. Before she knew it, she was standing beside Applejack. Well, not quite beside; she stood a bit behind and a few steps away.

She couldn't bring herself to step closer or speak up. Applejack had called her here; it wouldn't feel right to speak the first words. She stood silently, trying not to stare at Applejack, whose eyes were focused on the moon as it ascended from the horizon into the rapidly darkening skies. After a long moment, Applejack spoke, her gaze still tied to the sky.

“Twilight, do you remember when we first met?”

“O-of course,” Twilight answered, startled by the suddenness of Applejack’s words. “I came to your farm to check out the food you had prepared for the Summer Sun Celebration. You introduced me to your entire family, and I ended up eating way too much. It was all delicious.”

“Yeah, I guess that was when we were formally introduced,” Applejack said. “I dunno if that's when we really met, though. I mean, that was when we first talked, but I didn't really know you; you were just some really persnickety pony that Celestia sent over to make sure the food was okay.”

“Well, that's understandable.” Twilight wasn't sure what to think. “I wasn't really in a mood to make friends when I first came to town, after all.”

“When do you think we really met?” Applejack asked. “When you thought of me as somethin' other than just that farm pony who had to do the caterin'?”

“It's hard to say. That whole night is a bit of a blur.” Twilight turned her gaze to moon as well. Maybe it held the answer that Applejack wanted. She didn't see anything that she hadn't seen before. “I guess I first realized there might be more to you when we first headed into the Everfree forest. I was going to go after the Elements of Harmony on my own, and you told me that you'd never let any friend of yours go into the forest alone. That's the first time I can ever remember anypony ever calling me their friend.”

“Is that so? Somepony else musta called you their friend before that. Pinkie probably called you her friend like half a dozen times when she met you.”

“I know, but it was different. It wasn't just that you called me your friend, it was that you decided to come with me. Until that moment, I had planned to do things myself, and when you said that, I realized that you all cared enough about me to risk yourselves by coming along. That was when I knew I wouldn't have to do it alone.”

“I guess that's true.”

“But when I realized you were my friend, you personally, that was later. When that cliff collapsed and you caught me on the edge. You saved my life.”

“Yeah, I did, didn't I?”

“But it was so much more than that!” Twilight took a step toward Applejack. “I couldn't really put my hoof on it then, but thinking about it now, it means so much. I could see it in your eyes. You didn't save me because you needed me to work the elements, or out of some sense of duty, you saved me because... because you cared. Because you cared about me. That's why I was able to trust you when you told me to let go. I didn't even know what to think; that some pony I had only known for a day would risk her life to save me.”

Twilight bit her lip. She could have said so much more, but it wasn't the time.

“It's so weird.” Applejack's voice wavered slightly. “I remember coming out here as a filly to look at the moon.” Twilight turned her gaze upward. The moon seemed to  take up the whole sky, its cool rays beginning to replace the warm light of the sunset. “I always thought that it was kinda cool that Nightmare Moon's face was on it,” Applejack continued. “When it disappeared after she freed herself, it just seemed so wrong. It all seemed so empty, like part of the world had gone and broke. But now—” She finally turned to face Twilight. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, and she had a damp patch on each cheek. “But now I can't help but think of you. I didn't really ever notice it until now, but every time I look at it, it reminds me of everythin' we went through that night. It reminds me of when we first became friends.”

It was Applejack's turn to take a step toward Twilight. Twilight opened her mouth to answer, and realized that she didn't know what to say.

“When I think about it all, it just hits me sometimes, you know?” Applejack continued. “That our friendship started out with us savin' Equestria? Sometimes it's hard for me to even believe that it was us that did all that stuff. It makes me think of what things might have been like if we had met normally. Like if you just had to move into Ponyville for some regular reason, and the first time we met had been bumpin' into each other at the market, or you comin' by the farm during cider season.

“Or how you'd have met everypony else. Pinkie would've given you the whole welcome wagon treatment as soon as you moved in. You'd probably have seen Rainbow Dash pullin' a stunt or she'd crash into the library or somethin'. You'd most likely have met Rarity when you needed to get one of your saddles patched up. Fluttershy... heh, you probably wouldn't even realize that she lived here if you didn't happen to bump into her someplace. It would probably be weeks before the two of you ever really talked. Can you imagine what things would be like if it had happened that way?”

Twilight thought for a moment. There were far too many memories to sort through. “It's hard,” she answered. “We'd have missed out on so much.”

“We would have, wouldn't we? Rarity's fashion show, the Grand Galloping Gala, the Best Young Fliers competition... It really is kinda tough to imagine what it would have been like to not have done any of that. I mean, where would we be now?” She sniffed back a few tears and stood silent for a long moment.

“Applejack...” Twilight didn't know what to say, but felt she had to say something.

Applejack suddenly cleared her throat and wiped her face with a foreleg. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I didn't mean to go and ramble on like that. I've just been out here doin' some thinkin'. This is where I come whenever I need to clear out my head and just think about things. You're probably just waitin' to hear my answer, aren't you?”

Twilight nodded.

“I shoulda figured. It is what I had you come out here for, after all.” She took a deep breath. “Well, the truth is...”

Twilight braced herself for the worst and hoped for the best.

“The truth is I don't know yet.”

Twilight wanted to blurt out at least half a dozen words all at once. They tangled themselves together in her throat and came out as a choked “Eh?”

“Just let me explain!” Applejack babbled, before Twilight could say any more. “I ain't tryin' to stall or anythin', and I am goin' to give you an answer tonight. I promised I was goin' to tell you, and I am. It's just, I've been thinkin' about this ever since you told me about your feelings, and about you and me, and what it might be like if we were, you know, together. I wanted so much to just be able to tell you something, anything, but I realized that I just couldn't. Not on my own. I just couldn't make a decision without talkin' to you about it again.”

“Oh...” Twilight tried to slow her breathing. “You had me scared for a moment there.”

“Sorry about that.” Applejack managed a weak chuckle. “I really do want to get this sorted out. And I gotta admit, it isn't just for your sake either. I'm still tryin' to get to the bottom of how I feel about all this. How I feel about you. And I didn't think I could figure that out without havin' you here. I needed to talk to you again now that I know about how you feel about me and had a bit of time to think about everything.”

“I... I understand.” Twilight did her best to sound less anxious than she felt. “Is there anything in particular that you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Well, I've been thinkin' about what might happen between us if I said 'yes'. You know, tryin' to figure out if I'd be a good very special somepony for you, and if you'd be a good very special somepony for me. I'd just never really thought about any romantic stuff before, and I didn't even know where to start. And if nothing else, I want you to know this...” She swallowed and forced herself to meet Twilight's eyes. “I think you'd be a great very special somepony. And not just for me, I mean for anypony. You're smart, dedicated, and nice, and there's no doubt in my head that anypony would be lucky to have you as their marefriend.”

Twilight fought back a premature smile. “You-you mean that you—”

“But even then I wasn't sure.” Twilight's face fell a little. Applejack couldn't bear to look her in the eyes anymore and looked back at the moon. “You've got everything that I could want in a very special somepony. You're one of my best friends, and the times we've spent together are some of the happiest times in my life. It all feels like it should fit. My head is tellin' me that I should just go with it, but I just feel like I can't. Not yet. There's still some things that're buggin' me about it, and I just can't go through with it until I get some answers.”

Twilight's mind spun. Everything she wanted felt so close, but it still felt like if she so much as breathed wrong it would all go to pieces. Everything was collapsing back onto her. If she gave the right answer, it could all fall into place. But if she didn't...

“Applejack...” Her voice shook. “You can ask me anything. You know that. Just tell me what it is you need to know.”

“Twilight, the main thing I have to know if this is gonna work is...” —she faced Twilight once again— “Why me? Why us? Out of all the ponies you know, why do you care so much about me? There have got to be other ponies in town that make a better fit for you than I do. What is it that makes me so special? I just can't think of any reason that you'd care so much about me.”

“Applejack, why wouldn't I care so much about you?” Twilight had to force herself not bound forward and snatch up her friend in an embrace. “You're strong, and brave, and helpful, and considerate, and...” —Twilight blushed— “...and beautiful, and I love spending time with you. That's been the hardest part of the past few weeks; not being able to talk to you because I was too preoccupied. I admire you, Applejack. You're such a hard worker and sometimes I wish I could do what you do. I don't really know what else to say. I just know that I want to be closer to you.”

Applejack dug at the ground. Her face had grown more flush with each of Twilight's words and now her face was nearly glowing. “Wow, Twilight, that's...I don't even know what to say. I never knew you thought so much of me. But what about everypony else? What about Fluttershy, or Pinkie, or Rarity, or Rainbow Dash? I can't be the only pony you feel that way about.”

“Of course I care about the rest of our friends! Just because I have feelings for you doesn't mean that I  like any of them any less.”

“But what makes me so different? Why did you get a crush on me and not them? What makes me a better very special somepony than them?” Applejack tried to hold back the tears that were starting to leak from the corners of her eyes.

“I...” Twilight searched her mind for something to say. All she could find was the truth. “I don't know. I've been asking myself that question ever since I first realized how I felt. All I know is that I like being with you. It doesn't matter what we're doing; even if it's something that I'd usually find boring, I enjoy it when I'm doing it with you.

“With everypony else, there's some point where I just have to have some time for myself. I care about all of them, but I just couldn't be around them all the time.  I can only spend so much time with them before we'd start to grate on each other. I'd get too tired to keep hanging out with Pinkie or Rainbow Dash, and with Rarity or Fluttershy I just can't stay interested in everything they do. It just isn't a good fit for me; taking care of animals, or making dresses, or baking, or flying. But it's different with you. I feel like no matter what we did, or where we went, I'd still enjoy it, as long as you were with me.

“I don't know why that is, but” —she searched for words— “But does it really even matter? Part of the reason I stalled so long in telling you was that I was looking for some explanation for how I felt. I only managed to get up the courage to tell you everything when I realized that I didn't need to understand everything. I just knew that I wanted us to be together, and that you deserved to know that.” She took another step forward and gently placed a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. “I know I don't understand everything, but even so, I still think it could work.”

Applejack smiled. “You've been talkin' to Rainbow Dash, haven't you?” She chuckled weakly. “Never thought I'd see the day when anypony would take romantic advice from her.”

“It is pretty weird, isn't it?” Twilight said. “But I don't know if I'd even be here without her. She just gave me that kick I needed to actually do something. If not for her I might still be sitting in the library worrying about what I was going to say next time I talked to you.”

“Yeah, she went and gave me the same advice. What was it again? 'I'm not the most awesome flier in Equestria because I worry about crashin''?

“That certainly sounds like her.” Twilight forced herself to laugh a bit. Everything inside her seemed to be twisted, all her emotion was being wrung out of her and before long she would be too numb to take another thing. She could already feel the churning of her subconscious threatening to overflow into her limbs. Applejack's uncertainty was entirely understandable; Twilight knew that. She had been there; she knew pain of wanting to step forward knowing that the floor might fall out from under her. She was there now, and she couldn't stand to be there much longer. As much as she knew Applejack wasn't trying to stall, it still felt like it. “But...It doesn't answer my question.” She stared Applejack right in the eyes. It wasn't comfortable.

“I don't want to keep dragging everything out,” Twilight continued. “I don't know how much more of it I can handle. I know that neither of us really understands it all, but I still want to try. I want to be your very special somepony, Applejack. I want us to be together. All I want to know is if you want that too.”

“I-I..” Applejack bit her lip, the weight of Twilight's words hitting her like bricks. “I just...I don't know if I want that.”

“Why!?” Twilight wanted to scream. “Why not!?”

“Because I don't want to hurt you, alright!?” Applejack practically shouted the words.“Twilight, I don't know if I can do it. It's just... sometimes I feel like you're too good for me.”

“Huh?” Twilight's frustration melted into confusion. “What are you talking about? If anything, it's the other way around.”

“Twilight, sometimes you just don't realize how extraordinary you are.” Applejack took a deep breath. “I mean, just think about yourself for a minute. You're the most powerful unicorn in Ponyville; maybe in the entire country. You're Princess Celestia's personal student. The Princess! Your brother is head of the Royal Guard, and he's married to another Princess! You're practically royalty already! You went and saved all of Equestria, what, like three times?”

Twilight was dumbfounded. She didn't know what to say, and mumbled the first thing that came to her mind. “But...but that was all of us...”

“Yeah, we were all there, but come on, Twilight. You were the one who saved us all from Discord's whole brain-fryin' thing, and you were the only pony who realized that Princess Cadance was actin' up. And yeah, even though we all defeated Nightmare Moon as a group, you were the one who brought us all together. You were the spark that made everything else work. And me, I'm just a farm pony who just so happened to be in the right place at the right time. I do try to work hard and take care of my family, but there are hundreds of ponies just like that.” She paused to collect her thoughts, which bounced around the inside of her head like leaves in the wind.

“Twilight, what it comes down to is that I’m not sure if I can be the kind of very special somepony that you deserve. I know it sounds stupid, and it probably is, but I don't want us to get together only for everything to fall apart down the line. I don't know if I'm capable of havin' a relationship like that, and I don't want to tell you that we'll be together and then go and have to break it off if it doesn't work. You deserve better than that.”

“Applejack, I don't care about any of that.”

“You don't?” Applejack swallowed.

“No! It doesn't matter whether I know the princess, or who saved who, or whether you work on a farm. It's about you, Applejack. If you wanted to know why I cared so much about you, maybe that's just it. It's because you're you. I don't care how many other hard-working farm ponies are out there. You aren't any of them. You're the one who first showed me genuine friendship, you’ve given me some of the best times of my life, and there's no other pony I'd rather spend my time with.  Maybe there is a chance of things going wrong, but for once I’m going to try not to worry about that.  I know that it’s a risk, and I want to take it.”

“Even though I have no idea what I'm doin'?”

Twilight couldn't help but chuckle. “I have no idea what I'm doing either. Just the fact that we were together...well, we'd be together. That's all I care about. If I want us to be together, and you want us to be together, that's all I need. I can't say that I'd be the best marefriend for you either, but I promise that I'll do all that I can. That's all I could ever ask of you.  That you try.” She took a final step forward, her face so close to Applejack's that all she could see were her eyes. “All I want to know is whether or not you're willing to take that chance. I just can't take not knowing where we stand. I need an answer. Will you be my very special somepony?”

Applejack swallowed. “Twilight, you know that I'd never want to hurt you, but we're treadin' on some new territory here.  I know it all looks real good on paper; that we’ve been real good friends.  But I just don’t know if bein’ your very special somepony is... I just don’t know if I want our friendship to be like that.  Don’t get me wrong; I care about you a whole lot, and I like spendin’ time with you.  But all that stuff you just said about how you just like spendin’ time with me no matter what we’re doin’, I gotta be honest, I’m not sure if I feel like that.  I mean, you’re talkin’ about us becomin’ something more than just friends, when I was perfectly fine with how our friendship was. It’s not that I know I don’t feel like you do, it’s just that I don’t know.  I haven’t had a chance to get that figured out.”

Twilight’s lip began to quiver.

“So here’s the answer that I’m gonna give you.  I care about you, Twilight, a whole lot.  But I’m not sure yet if I feel the same way about you that you feel about me.  But even then, I’m willin’ to give it a shot.  I don’t want to miss out on something that could be real amazing for both of us, so I want to try.  We can be together for a bit, and see if things work out.  I can’t promise that it will, but I can promise you that I’ll do my best. ”  She stared back into Twilight's eyes, and saw herself reflected there. “And if that's enough for you; if you're willing to put up with all my misgivings about this whole deal, then...” —She was shaking so hard that she had to fight to get her tongue to form the words— “My answer is yes.”

For just a moment, the entire world was silent.

“R-really?” Twilight could barely get the words out.

“Sure as sugar, Twilight.”

“I...I—” Words failed her. She threw herself forward, capturing Applejack in a tight embrace, clamping her eyes shut to keep herself from soaking her new marefriend's mane with tears of joy. The rest of the world vanished, and all that remained was the softness of Applejack's mane and the warm weight of her embrace. Twilight didn't know how long the two of them stood there, and she couldn't have cared less. It wasn't until her legs filled with pins and needles that she finally took a step back. The two ponies shared another equally long moment in each others' eyes.

Twilight finally untangled her tongue enough to speak. “Applejack, you don't know how much this means to me!” She began to trot in place, her joy permeating her limbs so thoroughly that she couldn't keep them still. “I've never felt so happy before!”

“Glad to hear it, sugarcube.” Applejack could feel her face burning. “I've never felt anything like this either.” Her smile was small, but strong. She couldn't have assumed any other expression if her life depended on it. “So...uh...what now?”

Twilight's fevered movement ceased. “I don't know. I didn't think quite that far ahead.” Her brain began to whirl. “What is it that couples are supposed to do, anyway? Very special someponies go on dates, right? I have to get one planned as soon as possible! Is tomorrow okay for you, or is that too short notice? What kind of place do you want to—”

Applejack silenced her with a gentle touch to the lips. “I guess that's one of the things we gotta figure out. But yeah, I'd be honored to go out on a date with you tomorrow.  I think it would make a great start.  I don't care where; that isn't important. I'm more wonderin' about what we oughta do now.”

“You're right.” She shook her head. “I guess we should just try to savor the moment. I mean, we could just keep spending time together, but we've already been doing that. It's like I almost can't believe that it's happening, and I want to do something very-special-someponyish to prove to myself that it's real.”

“Okay, then.” Applejack smiled, took her hat, and draped it over Twilight's head. “How's that?”

Twilight reached up and touched the brim of the hat. She couldn't recall ever seeing anypony but Applejack wearing it. “But-but Applejack...it's your hat! You've had since before I even met you. I can't just take it.”

“Nah, it's okay.” Applejack chuckled. “To tell you the truth, I actually have a bunch of these hats.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. They never last all that long workin' on the farm. They usually only last like a month or two before they got caught in a machine, or accidentally set on fire by Apple Bloom or something. But that hat...” She flicked the brim with her hoof. “That hat is special. I was wearin' that hat two days ago when you first told me everything. I don't want it to get messed up, so I'm givin' it to you. You take care of it, okay?”

“Of course. I just wish I had something to give you.”

“Twilight, you already gave me that box of chocolates, remember? They're delicious, by the way.”

“I know, but it's just not the same. I feel like I need to give you something special. Something that isn't so generic. Something that only I could give you.”

“Well,” Applejack mumbled. “I guess I have an idea.”

“Really?”  Twilight’s eyes brightened. “What is it?”

“It’s... uh...” Applejack’s tongue bobbled the words. “I...nevermind.”

“Come on, Applejack!  I need to give you something. You’re my very special somepony now.  You can ask me for anything.  Just tell me what it is you want.”

“I want you to kiss me.”  The words shot out of Applejack’s mouth with far more speed and intensity than she had intended.

Twilight inhaled sharply, her eyes wide as dinner plates. “Y-you mean...?”

“It's something that very special someponies do, isn't it?” Her face felt so warm that she could have fried an egg on it.  She stomped her hoof impatiently. “And I guarantee you there's no other pony I'd take one from.”

“You mean...” Twilight barely managed to speak. “Like a real kiss...?”

Applejack nodded and took a step forward. So did Twilight. She was close enough that she could feel Applejack's breath against her cheeks. She closed her eyes, pursed her lips, and leaned forward...only to bump noses. She opened her eyes to see Applejack smiling awkwardly.

“Heh, woops,” Applejack said. “I guess we gotta try again.”

The two ponies brought their faces together once more. Twilight tilted her head a bit to the left. And once again bumped noses with Applejack, who had tilted her head in the same direction. She snickered.

“Try tiltin' your head the other way. Third time's the charm.”

Again they leaned towards each other. This time their lips met.

Twilight had had the highest of expectations. So many times, she had played this scene over and over in her head. The softness of Applejack's lips, the faint scent of apples on her breath, the subtle sweetness on her tongue...her mind had run wild. They would slowly draw each other into a gentle embrace, holding each other tighter and tighter until no force on earth could tear them apart.

It was nothing like that.

As their lips touched, all Twilight felt was heat. A heavy warmth so intense that it flooded her, spilling past her lips and filling her whole body, from the tips of her ears, to the end of her tail. For a moment, she could feel nothing else, the sheer force threatening to all but throw her back.  Then she felt it. Through the weight, she could feel Applejack's lips pressed against her own, and the hot pulse of Applejack's blood flowing through them. She could feel Applejack's heartbeat, pounding in perfect synchronicity with her own.

As the thoughts finished crashing through her head, the kiss ended. She found herself staring at Applejack. Even though the kiss had been anything but physically grueling, she found herself breathing heavily and drenched with cold sweat.

“Wow...”

“You're tellin' me.” Applejack was breathing just as hard. “That was... quite something.”

“So,uh... am I a good kisser, then?” Even though the heat had faded, her face was still flushed.

“Well, I... uh... I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I certainly enjoyed it.”

“Heh, I'm in the same boat, I guess,” Twilight said. “So what should we do now? I feel like anything else would be a bit of a letdown after... that.”

“Well, how about we head back into town? I'm sure everypony is waitin' to hear how things turned out. After this afternoon, Rainbow Dash is probably gonna come after me if she doesn't find out what happened.”

“Yes, let's do that.” Twilight nodded. “They're probably all waiting for me at the library. They really helped me out, after all. Without them I don't think I'd be here. They deserve to hear that all their advice paid off.” She snickered. “Besides, Pinkie is probably bouncing off the walls. We need to tell her what happens before she makes a huge mess of the library. Why don't we get going?” She gently nuzzled Applejack again for a moment, and the two ponies started down the path back towards the town.

“I bet Pinkie already knows,” Applejack said with a laugh. “That Pinkie Sense of hers probably has a sign for 'two of my friends were kissin''. Like her tail curls up or something. Either that or she was watchin' our whole conversation through a telescope.”

Twilight smiled at the thought. “That would certainly be quite something.” She was silent for a moment. “It's so strange.”

“What's strange? Pinkie watchin' us through a telescope?”

“No.” Twilight chuckled. “This is just the first time that they're more anxious about this whole thing than I am. When Rainbow Dash delivered your message, Rarity was just as nervous as I was.”

“Well, let's go tell 'em so they don't have to be so nervous anymore.”

“Yes, let's do that.”

Side by side, the two ponies headed down the hill.

Break of Day

I can't believe that she actually said “Yes”! I knew that she wouldn't disown me or anything, but the idea that she'd actually be willing to go out with me... I still can hardly believe it.  Part of me is still waiting for the other horseshoe to drop, for an alarm clock to go off and wake me up.  It would be unbearable. But no, this can't be a dream. It makes too much sense to be a dream.  There's no sea serpent in a rainbow wig, no giant donut balloons, no Diamond Dogs with lasers, no giant lightbulb laying waste to the town, nothing that would be in a dream.  It's real.  It happened. Applejack is my very special somepony.

Stay, O sweet, and do not rise ;

The light that shines comes from thine eyes ;

The day breaks not, it is my heart,

Because that you and I must part.

—Break of Day,

John Donne

“Come on, Pinkie!  Let me have a turn!” Spike said as he ascended the steps to the balcony where Twilight's biggest and best telescope was set up. Conveniently enough, it also happened to be the one balcony with a clear view of the hill where Twilight and Applejack were currently... not doing much.  For as long as Pinkie had had her eyes glued to the eyepiece, neither of them had really done anything.  Well, Applejack had turned around really suddenly at one point, but other than that they were just talking.  Which was all well and good for them, but it wasn't really interesting to watch.

“Yeah, they're not really doing much, though.”  She backed away from the telescope.  Spike scurried the rest of the way up and stood on his tiptoes, managing to just about, but not quite, get his eyes to the telescope.

“Uh, Pinkie.  A little help please?”

“Sure!”  A second later Spike found himself upside down, and rather high in the air.  He would have worried about his landing, but by the time he managed to process the fact that Pinkie had launched him ceilingward, he had already landed on her back.  “How's that?”

“Much better.”  He put his eye to the telescope and found himself staring at a rather dark blur containing two other blurs, one slightly lighter, and one much lighter.  He adjusted the focus. The slightly lighter blur turned into Twilight, and the much lighter blur turned into Applejack.

“Let me know if something happens, okay?” Pinkie said.  “I don't want to miss anything.”

“Roger!” Spike gave a thumbs up.

“I still don't know why you insist on spying on them.”  Rarity looked up from the Battlecloud board.

“Because I want to know what happens. Duh.” Pinkie shook her head in an “I thought you were smarter than that” manner.  “I gotta know when they're on their way over so I know to get everything ready for the party!”

Rarity rolled her eyes.  “Aren't you being a bit optimistic?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You said 'they',” Rarity answered.  “How do you know that they'll be returning here together?  If Applejack chooses not to go through with this, do you really think that she'd accompany Twilight?”

“You're just being a pessisisimisist!” Pinkie snorted. “Why wouldn't Applejack want to be Twilight's very special somepony?  They're both real good friends and they hang out all the time anyway!  All they need to do is buy each other flowers for no reason, call each other mushy nicknames, and like once a month dress up really fancy and eat at a restaurant that costs too much.  Besides, they'd be—”

“Adorable, I know.”  Rarity turned her attention back to the game, which she was currently losing. “You do realize there's more to a relationship than just doing occasional 'couple things' and looking cute together, right?”

“Well, yeah, there's other stuff, but Applejack and Twilight are probably on top of all that.”  Pinkie looked to Rainbow Dash, who was currently defeating Rarity in their fifth straight game of Battlecloud.  “Isn't that right, Rainbow Dash?  When you were talking to Applejack wasn't she like totally into it?  You said that she said that she thought that Twilight would be a great marefriend for her!”

“Sure sounded like it.” Rainbow Dash continued to stare at her half of the game, only paying maybe half-attention to Pinkie. “I just had to give her a little nudge to actually go for it.”

“See?” Pinkie squealed. “They were practically an item already! They just didn't know it yet.”

“Really? You think that they were that close already?” Fluttershy said, her shaky voice barely obvious. “I didn't realize...”

“Pinkie is just exaggerating, dear.” Rarity wrinkled her nose as she plucked one of her clouds off of the game board. “Even assuming that Applejack is indeed positively disposed to the idea, that's no guarantee that she'll leap right into a relationship. She's far too levelheaded to rush into something of that nature.”

“You really think so?” Fluttershy asked. “That's good, I guess. I would hate to see them get hurt by trying to take things too fast. Maybe they should take it slowly to make sure that they don't mess things up.”

“Yeah, because Twilight hasn't been taking things slowly enough already.” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “You can only mull something over for so long before you gotta actually do something.”

Fluttershy fidgeted. “So do you think they'll go through with it? I think it might be a bit... hasty for Applejack to say 'yes' already.”

“Of course she will!” Pinkie called from her perch on the balcony. “I'm telling you, it's too cute for her to pass up! Think of the hat! The hat!”

“Oh, okay... Um, what do you think, Rainbow Dash?”

“Well, I don't think that it's a sure shot or anything, but I think there's a pretty good chance of them hooking up. Twilight is totally into it, and Applejack had a tough time coming up with reasons why it wouldn't work. She seemed a bit scared when it comes to actually going through with it, but I think Applejack is probably gonna give it a shot.” She turned back to her game. “Sky seven.”

“And there goes my cumulus.” Rarity sighed as she removed the last piece from her side of the board. “If you ask me, I think Twilight has an even chance of getting the answer she wants. Applejack could certainly see the merit in such a relationship, but she's no fan of changing the status quo. It's entirely possible that she might want to put things on hold for the moment. Then again, she might not. I truly have no idea. What do you think?”

“Um, well...” Fluttershy took a moment to find the right words.  “I was thinking that she might want to think about it for more than a day or two, but if the rest of you think that she might not...” Her voice trailed off.

“Well, whatever happens, I'm sure that they'll be fine.” Rainbow Dash reached out to pat Fluttershy on the head. “Twilight is like the smartest pony in Equestria, and Applejack is definitely the most reliable pony I know. Even if she does turn Twilight down for some reason, she'll stick with her. She'd never leave Twi in the lurch like that.”

“You really think so?”

“Yup. I doubt it'll come to that, though. They'd totally stick together. Isn't that right, Pinkie?”

“It sure is!” Pinkie nodded so hard that Spike almost fell off of her back. “I might not know much about all that lovey dovey stuff, but I know that Twilight and Applejack would totally make each other happy, and that's what's really important. Well, that and the fact that if they join forces they'd totally be unstoppable! I mean, with Twilight's brain and Applejack's power, they could probably take over Ponyville if they wanted to! They could take all the pie for themselves!” She gasped, again very nearly dislodging Spike. “I should go check up on my secret pie stash!”

“Whoa! Hold still!” Spike managed to maintain his position by latching onto Pinkie's ears. “I can't see anything. And you don't even have a secret pie stash, anyway.”

“You're right!” Pinkie gasped again, this time keeping it reserved enough that Spike didn't go anywhere. “I have a cake stash, a cupcake stash, a chocolate stash, and a second cupcake stash, but I don't have a pie stash. I really need to get that together. Maybe I could build a secret pie compartment under my bed...”

“Why are you so worried about it, anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Sure, they don't really know what they're doing, but come on, does anypony really get this whole romance thing? They'll be fine.”

“Well, I guess I just don't want them to get hurt.”

Rarity smiled warmly. “Fluttershy, none of us want them to get hurt, but there's only so much we can do. At this point all we can really do is trust them to figure it out. Are you sure that there isn't anything else that's been bothering you?”

“Um...well...” Fluttershy briefly considered vocalizing the thought that had flickered to the forefront of her mind. Then she thought better of it. “...It's nothing.”

“Are you sure? You have been a bit taciturn lately. Moreso than usual at least.”

Fluttershy sighed. She knew Rarity probably had no intent of pressuring anything out of her, but that fact didn't stop Fluttershy from feeling the pressure anyway. She bit her lip as she searched for the answer that required her to say as little as possible. “It's nothing important,” she said. “It's just that ever since she started paying so much attention to Applejack I haven't really talked to her much. She hasn't really had the time.”

“Oh, that's it?” Rainbow Dash said. “Twilight's not gonna dump you just because she has the hots for Applejack. Sure, she might be kinda preoccupied at the moment, but what did you expect? It's kind of a big deal for her. Once she gets everything hashed out with Applejack I'm sure she'll totally hang out with you again. Anyway, you want to take me on in Battlecloud? I think Rarity is starting to get sick of losing.”

“No, that's alright. I usually lose in Battlecloud even when I'm not playing against you.”

“I still don't get it,” Rarity grumbled. “How on earth can you dominate so thoroughly at a luck based game!?”

“It's all about knowing your opponent.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Hey Spike, is there anything interesting going on?”

“Nope, not yet. They're just talking.” He adjusted the focus once again. “Wait, it looks like Applejack is doing something.”

“...but if I put the secret compartment in my closet, I'd have room for eight pies, even though it would be harder to get—” Pinkie's ears perked up. “Did you say that Applejack is doing something?”

“Yeah, it looks like she's taking off her hat and—” Spike didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before once again finding himself spiraling through the air. This time it was Rainbow Dash who caught him.

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE” Pinkie squealed and clapped her hooves as she stared through the telescope. “I was right! Applejack gave Twilight her hat! It's so cuuuute!♥ ”

“You know, you coulda asked,” Spike said as Rainbow Dash lowered him to the floor.

Rarity shook her head. “Pinkie, you could at least pretend to give them some semblance of privacy. Couple or not, they deserve a bit of—”

“Shhhh!” Pinkie waved an impatient hoof at Rarity. “They're going to kiss!”

“WHAT!?” The only pony in Ponyville with the ability to teleport was Twilight, but Rarity came close to simulating the effect. The word still hung in the air when Rarity bodyslammed Pinkie away from the telescope. “Oh my! They really are kissing!” She began to canter in place.

“What kind of kiss?” Rainbow Dash asked, lasciviously wagging an eyebrow.

“Nothing particularly fancy.” The canter slowed to a trot. “They seem to be keeping it simple.”

“Aw, that's boring,” Rainbow Dash snorted. “Still, good for them. After all that waffling I guess I gave them the push they needed to make it official.”

“Official?” Fluttershy gasped. “Can they do that so quickly?”

“Okay, so it's not like official official,” Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. “Although knowing Twilight she might have some paperwork lined up.”

“Yeah, but Applejack would never stand for that!” Pinkie bounced frantically around the library, expelling streamers and confetti from her mane. “She hates paperwork! Although I doubt she'd break up with Twilight over that. She'd probably just have Big Macintosh fill it out for her. Apparently he's actually pretty good at that stuff. Like when I had to do my taxes last year, he—”

Rainbow Dash silenced her with a hoof in the mouth. “Will you just be quiet and focus on setting up the party or whatever it is you're doing?” Pinkie nodded and went back to bouncing, this time humming to herself in lieu of speech.

“Do we really know that they're together?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, it would be kind of embarrassing if we have a party and it turns out that they aren't.”

“I'm pretty sure they wouldn't kiss if they weren't getting together.”

“I don't know.” Fluttershy pawed at the floor. “I mean, not all kisses have to be romantic. I sometimes give my animals a goodnight kiss.”

“That was no goodnight kiss,” Rarity said. “And given how they seem to be nuzzling at the moment it seems that Rainbow Dash is right!” She squealed in excitement. “They did it. They actually did it! I can hardly believe it.”

“Why can't you believe it?” Fluttershy tilted her head.

“Well, I suppose I can believe it, it's just that after watching Twilight hem and haw for weeks it's just so satisfying to see her finally get what she wants. I'm sure they'll make a lovely pair.”

“Oh, okay.” Fluttershy nodded. “I guess you're right. The two of them really would—”

“No time for that!” Pinkie interrupted. “We have to get everything set up before they get back! Fluttershy, you and Rainbow Dash get on hanging the banners and balloons! Rarity, you keep on lookout. Spike, you get the punch out of the fridge! I'll finish frosting the cake!”

“Cake?” Rainbow Dash scratched her head. “What ca— oh.” A cake that hadn't been there thirty seconds before now sat in the middle of the room on a table that hadn't been there thirty seconds ago. Pinkie was, astoundingly, not bouncing. She stood still as a statue, except for the slight movement of her pipping bag as she traced a pattern in the frosting. Rainbow Dash stepped closer. She had never seen Pinkie Pie move so slowly.

Without warning, Pinkie's head spun 180 degrees, the piping bag dropping onto the table with a splat. “What are you waiting for!?”

“EEYAAHH!” Rainbow Dash leaped backward into the air. “Okay okay! The banner! I'll get right on it!”

Spike tried and failed to stifle a laugh. “That's great, Pinkie! You've been hanging out with Owlowiscious, haven't you?”

“Yeah.” Pinkie smiled and nodded. “He plays Gummy in checkers every other Thursday.” Her brow suddenly furrowed. “Punch! Refrigerator! MOVE!”

“Will do!” He saluted and scurried into the kitchen.

“Rarity, what's our estimated ETA on the incoming couple?”

“They definitely seem to be walking in this direction. I'd estimate that they'll get here in about ten minutes.”

“You hear that, girls? We have ten minutes to get this set up, and unless they break up and then get together again, we're only going to be able to do this once! So let's make it count!”

“This is so cool!” Each of Twilight's steps shivered with nervous energy. “I never even dreamed that something like this could happen! Well, I kinda did, but I never thought it actually would happen!” Applejack couldn't help but smile. The happy fidgeting called to mind how Apple Bloom acted when she found a full stocking waiting for her on Hearth’s Warming Eve. She could feel Twilight's unbridled joy rubbing off on her.

“I know, it caught me totally off guard, too,” she said. “When you had said that you wanted to talk to me about something, I never woulda guessed it would be something like this. Never even crossed my mind that anypony would want to go out with me, let alone you.”

“Really?”

“Really. When you gave me that Hearts and Hooves Day card, it was the first time I'd gotten one in years.”

“Really?” This time the word was more emphatic. “How could somepony as great as you not get any cards!?”

“I dunno.” Applejack shrugged. “Maybe it's cause I spend so much time on the farm, or cause I don't really care much about prettifyin' myself. I guess I just don't stand out all that much next to pretty ponies like Rarity or Fluttershy.”

“But you're way prettier than they are!” Twilight stared incredulously at Applejack. “I mean, not that Fluttershy and Rarity aren't pretty or anything...”

Applejack chuckled. “I appreciate that, Twilight, though I suspect you might be a mite biased. But seriously, I was mostly just surprised that it was you of all ponies. I mean, I thought that I had you all figured out, and then whole thing happened. My mind is still spinnin'.”

“So's mine,” Twilight said. “I'm so glad it worked out, though!”

“Yeah.” Applejack paused as Twilight stopped to nuzzle her. It made her heart beat a little faster. “So, what do you think that everypony else is gonna think?”

“Oh, I'm sure they'll be happy for us. They've all been totally supportive up to this point, haven't they? It wouldn't make sense to keep giving us advice if they didn't want us to succeed.”

“I know that. Of course they're gonna be supportive. They'd hardly be friends if they weren't. I was talkin' more about what they'll do when they hear that we're together. You know, the looks on their faces and such. Pinkie'll probably smile so hard that the top of her head might pop off.”

“Well, we're about to find out.”

Applejack stopped, rather surprised to find that  they were already standing in front of the library. What with their leisurely pace, and the fact that Twilight had stopped every couple steps to cuddle, she had thought it would have taken longer to make the trek. The time had careened past her.

“That's odd.” Twilight tapped her chin. “When I left, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were waiting in the library.” The only light in the library windows was the moonlight glinting off the glass.

“Were they plannin' to wait for you?”

“I thought they were. At the very least, Rarity said she wanted to be there for me in case you, uh, turned me down.” She blushed. “In any case, Spike should still be around. I'm sure he'll want to hear about it!” She giggled. “I just can't wait to tell somepony!”

Twilight reached for the doorhandle. Applejack wasn't one for thinking about things more than was necessary, but she was more than capable of processing a vast amount of information in a very short span of time if she absolutely had to. This was one of those times. In approximately a third of a second, she noted that 1) there was a faint, familiar, and suppressed giggle coming from inside the library and 2) the giggle belonged to Pinkie Pie. Her brain cross-referenced those two points of data with her knowledge of Pinkie's previous behavior. Given the situation, there was only one possible conclusion.

Granted, Applejack wasn't consciously aware of her train of thought. From her perspective, she heard a giggle, and a moment later a thought popped into her head: I have to get out of the way.

She snatched up Twilight and threw herself to the side just in time.

“SURPRISE!!!!”

The sheer force of the light, confetti, and cheering that exploded out of the doorway dazed Applejack. The blast had only grazed them. She didn't want to think of what would have happened if they had taken the full brunt of its power.  As the stars faded from her eyes, a pink blur began to come into focus, and a jaunty-sounding tune poured out of a gramophone that had materialized on the doorstep.

“Dada da dum dum dum!

Congratulations, congratulations,

to you and to you!

All your hopes and dreams

are just now coming true!

At first it was really kind of tough

but you both pushed right on through,

and now you're both together

each as happy as a kangaroo!

You found a special somepony

that you just had to woo,

and it worked out oh so very well

better than you ever knew!

And now nothing will ever tear you apart,

not even a big old angry grue!

You two make an awesome couple

and we're happy for you too,

WHOOHOO!”

The music continued bouncing along for a few seconds before it faded. As the tune vanished, the air seemed even quieter than it had been. Twilight rubbed her head. “What just happened?”

Applejack blinked, and the pink blur clarified itself into one of her friends, striking a dramatic pose. “Pinkie Pie happened.” She sprang to her feet and began to help Twilight up. “Told ya she already knew what happened.”

No sooner was Twilight on her feet then both Applejack and Twilight found themselves being squeezed.

“I'm so so so so so so so so happy for you two!” Pinkie squealed, giving both ponies a shake.

“T-t-t-t-h-ank you!” Twilight managed. “I'm happy, too!”

“Pinkie, you really ought to leave them some space to breathe.” Rarity chuckled and began to peel the pink pony off of the happy couple.

“Yeah, congrats!” Rainbow Dash resisted the urge to pounce on them herself and settled for a couple tight loops in the air. “It's so cool that you guys worked things out.”

“Indeed, it really is wonderful that the two of you are together.” Rarity grinned, stars practically visible in her eyes. Then she blinked, and the stars were gone. “Unless we've horribly misread the situation, in which case you have my deepest and most sincere apologies.”

“No no, you pretty much got it right.” Applejack was suddenly aware of the heat of her blood pulsing through her cheeks. “Twilight's my very special somepony now.”

“EEEEEEEE!” The stars burst back into Rarity's eyes.

“Come in, come in!” Pinkie resumed her bouncing. “We have cake!” She waved everypony into the library.

“Cake, really? Thank you!” Twilight cantered lightly through the door, and was greeted with the sight of Spike standing next to an enormous cake, clapping enthusiastically.

“Whoohoo! You finally did it! How's it feel, Twilight?”

“It feels wonderful!” Twilight said. “Doesn't it, Applejack?”

“Yeah, it sure does.” In truth, Applejack didn't feel much of anything at the moment besides the constant twinge running through her body. The full weight of the situation hadn't quite hit her yet. She knew that she was happy, of course, but she knew it like she knew that a bushel had four pecks in it, or that two plus two was... four? Yeah, she was pretty sure it was four. In any case, the actual happiness still simmered beneath the surface, waiting to boil over. “I think this is the start of something real great.” She searched for something more to say, but was interrupted, but a gentle poke on her shoulder. She turned to see Fluttershy glancing sheepishly in her direction.

“Um, I just wanted to tell you that I'm happy for the both of you,” she said in her typical, barely-audible voice. “I hope you two are very happy together.”

“Well, thanks, Fluttershy. That means a lot.”

“It sure does!” Twilight's head bobbed. “I know I've probably said this all a bunch of times already, but I really don't think I could have done this without your help.”

“Yeah, I guess I should thank y'all too,” Applejack's face flushed. She could practically feel the weight of all her friends looking at her. There was something different in their eyes. And it wasn't just the stars and hearts. “You know, for helpin' Twilight out. And for helpin' me out too, I guess. I know you guys weren't really advisin' me for a long time or anything, but without you I'd probably still be tryin' to think of what to do.”

“You're very welcome,” Rarity said, beaming. “So....” She leaned in, an enormous smile on her face. “...how exactly did things go? I'm quite curious about how things played out. It must be quite a story!”

“Well...” Applejack turned towards Twilight. “You wanna try to tell 'em, or should I?”

“Go right ahead. I don't even know what I'd say.”

“Alright then. There isn't really a whole lot to tell. I just wanted to talk to her for a bit before I made up my mind. So we talked for a little while about how we felt about everything and it helped me realize that even if it was real sudden and I wasn't quite sure about what to do, it was worth takin' a chance on. So I thought I'd just say yes and see how things went.” She threw a foreleg around Twilight and drew her close. “And right now I think that's it's gonna turn into something real great.”

“Did you kiss!?” Pinkie sprang to the front of the group. The massive smile on her face told Applejack that she already knew the answer. “Did you? Did you?”

“I...uh...” Applejack's blood was pulsing so hard through her face that she could hear her heartbeat thumping along through her ears. The answer was only one syllable, but her tongue treated it as if it were some laboriously convoluted technical term. She didn't even attempt to answer, instead nudging Twilight.

Twilight smiled wider than Applejack had ever seen her smile before. “Yes. Yes we did.”

“Ooh ooh! Can you kiss again? Huh? Huh? HUH!?” Pinkie was leaning so far forward that Applejack was closer to kissing her than anyone else. Applejack took a step back.

“You mean now?”

Pinkie nodded like a bobblehead.

Applejack swallowed. She certainly wasn't opposed to a second kiss, but the situation was just plain off. Everypony watching with wide eyes, Pinkie staring intently, Rainbow Dash on the verge of breaking into a giggle, Fluttershy chewing nervously on her lip... And yet she couldn't bring herself to say “No”...

“No no no, that will not be necessary!” Rarity shoved Pinkie out of Applejack's personal space. “We're here to celebrate their relationship, not make a spectacle of it.”

Pinkie's ears drooped for a moment before perking right back up. “Of course! They haven't had any cake or punch yet! What kind of a party host am I? You're gonna love it! It's chocolate with a special buttercream frosting!”

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief as the attention shifted away from her and towards the massive cake. Even though she had about as much knowledge of matching colors as Rarity did about replacing a broken wagon axle, she wouldn't have ever thought that a purple cake with orange icing could look anything other than horrible, but for whatever reason, it actually seemed fitting. She smiled and turned to Twilight.

“Well, how about we get some of that cake?”

Twilight returned the smile. “I'd love to.”

Twilight smiled. The cake was moist, soft, and delicious, the punch had just the right balance of tang and sweetness, and Pinkie's music selection was impeccable. But most importantly, they were together. All of them.

That had been her final fear, the one splinter in her thoughts that Applejack's answer hadn't destroyed. Knowing that Applejack reciprocated her feelings had lifted most of the weight off of her shoulders, but the load wouldn't be gone completely until she saw her friends. It's stupid, she thought. They've been advising me the whole way, and they wouldn't do that if they didn't want things to work out. It wouldn't make sense. Then again, none of this romance stuff really made sense. It was irrelevant now, in any case. Everypony was just as supportive as she had reason to believe they'd be.

Everything had finally fallen into place.

“So we thought tomorrow the two of us would go out to dinner someplace nice,” Applejack said. “Just seemed like a good place to start. I mean, if we're gonna be a couple, a date's a good place to start, don't you think?”

“That sounds wonderful.” Rarity nodded sagely. “If I might be so bold as to make a recommendation, there's a simply marvelous cafe on Stirrup Street that has a simply divine alfalfa salad.”

“Sounds good to me,” Applejack answered. “What do you think, Twilight?”

“Of course! That's great. Wherever you want to go!”

Applejack chuckled at Twilight's enthusiasm. “Sounds like we've got a date then.”

“Yes, yes we do!” Twilight suppressed a happy squeal. “I'll come by to pick you up at...I don't know...how about six? Is that good for you?”

“Any time is fine, Twilight.” She paused to scratch her head. “Although I think I oughta come to pick you up. You live pretty close to the place, and there's no reason for you to have to walk all the way out to Sweet Apple Acres and then back into town.”

“Are you sure? I'd hate to have to make you walk further and—” Twilight found herself silenced by Applejack's hoof gently poking her nose.

“It's fine, Twilight. I usually end up makin' half a dozen runs into town every day. One more won't make a lick of difference. All you gotta do is be ready to go. I don't intend on bein' late.” She gave Twilight a poke. “You know what that's like don't you?”

“I sure do.”

The group shared a laugh. As it died down, Applejack cast an eye at the clock and sighed.

“Well, as much as I'd love to stick around here, I really need to head home. Gotta put Apple Bloom to bed and all. Can't leave my brother to do everything, no matter how much I'd rather stay.”

“Oh come on!” Pinkie would have jumped over the table if she hadn't already been sitting next to Applejack. “You can't go already! We only ate half the cake!”

“I'm sure Twilight has room in her icebox for the rest of it. I don't want to get fat or anything. Twilight wouldn't like that. Right, Twilight?”

“Oh, I don't know...” Twilight grinned. “It's not like I'd dump you if you got a bit of a pudge or anything.”

“Twilight, you ain't helpin' my case here.” She slid her crumb-laden plate away from her. “But seriously, I doubt I got any room for more cake anyway. Not that it wasn't real tasty. But really, I should be gettin' on my way.”

“Well, in that case, I suppose we ought to start cleaning up.” Rarity clapped her hooves. “We are the ones who made the mess after all. Rainbow Dash, if you would kindly collect the balloons. Fluttershy, you can take the punch bowl. Spike and Pinkie can assist me in taking the plates back to the kitchen.” She lifted the cake pan with her magic and carried it toward the kitchen. Spike deftly stacked the plates and followed her.

“Come on, Pinkie.” He balanced the plates precariously in one claw and waved at her to come over.

“What?” She tilted her head. “Rarity got the cake, and you got all the plates. There's nothing for me to do.”

Rarity poked her head out of the kitchen. “Well, I'm sure I can find something for you to do in here. Come on.”

“Nah, I can start cleaning up out here.”

Rarity's eye twitched. She grunted. A blue glow enveloped Pinkie's tail and dragged her across the floor towards the kitchen.

“Hey! What are you--” The exclamation was only halfway out when it was blocked by the kitchen door slamming shut. Pinkie snorted. “What was that about? I was going to pack up my music machine!”

“You can do that later.” Pinkie turned around to see that Rainbow Dash was hovering behind her. Apparently the two pegasi had set a new flight speed record for clearing balloons and then hiding in the kitchen.

“But I thought we were supposed to clean up!”

“Well, we are going to help clean up,” Fluttershy said, staring at the purple balloon she held between her hooves. “But first we should, you know, let them have some time with each other.”

“Huh?” Pinkie tilted her head again.  “They were with each other during the whole party!”

“I think what she means is that we should just leave them alone for a bit,” Spike explained as he collected the extra frosting from the edges of the plates. “Rarity wanted them to have a little moment together or something.” He popped the wad of sugar into his mouth.

“Exactly, they ought to have a bit of privacy before they go their separate ways for the night.” Rarity patted Pinkie's head. “You can pack up that crazy contraption of yours later.”

“Ooooh.” Pinkie crossed her forelegs and nodded. “I wonder if they're going to kiss again!” She scurried over to the door and pressed her eyeball against one of the larger cracks in the woodwork.

“Oh, no you don't.” Rainbow Dash shoved her away from the door. “She said privacy. As in, 'not having one of your friends poking her eye through the door to spy on you'. You don't need to know what's going on in there. That's their business.”

“Fine, fine,” Pinkie grumbled. “Can somepony pass me some more cake?”

It took Twilight an embarrassingly long moment to realize that she and Applejack were alone in the room. “So, I guess I should see you out?”

“Sure, if you want.” The two ponies trotted reluctantly towards the door. Applejack stopped just short of actually opening it. “I feel like I oughta say something romantic, but I can't think of anything that'd sound right, so I'm just gonna say that I'm real happy this happened. It's gonna be one crazy ride, but if you're with me I'm sure it'll all turn out well. I'm really lookin' forward to our date tomorrow. Remember, I'll be by at six. You have a good night and get yourself some sleep, okay? It's been a long day for the both of us. I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep tight, sugarcube.”

She put a hoof on the doorhandle, and began to turn it. The handle only made it halfway around before Applejack found Twilight's hoof on top of her own. She turned back to look the unicorn in the eyes.

“Um...Applejack...”

Applejack swallowed. Twilight's eyes had never looked so big.

“Yeah, Twilight?”

“Aren't you going to...uh...kiss me goodbye?”

Applejack smiled, her cheeks tingling. “Oh, uh...of course. What kinda very special somepony would I be if I didn't?” She closed her eyes, pursed her lips, and leaned forward... and bumped noses with Twilight. She couldn't help but have a laugh. “Don't worry, Twilight, I'm sure we'll get that down eventually.”

“Of course we will.”

Applejack leaned forward again. This time their lips met. Applejack could feel herself starting to sweat. Her head snapped back as if she had kissed a hot coal. Maybe she'd get used to that eventually, but it would sure take a long time.

“Well, I'd best be goin',” she mumbled, reluctant to break the silence. “I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Twilight.”

“Goodnight, Applejack.”

She tore herself away from Twilight's eyes and trotted out the door.

The click of the door latch had scarcely vanished from the air as Pinkie burst out of the kitchen.

“Is it okay to come out now? She's gone, right?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, she just left.” Without Applejack there to distract her, Twilight finally had the presence of mind to check the clock. “Oh, wow. It's a lot later than I thought. I really need to start cleaning up so I can get to bed. I need to make sure I'm well rested for tomorrow.”

“That won't be necessary, Twilight.” Rarity stepped between Twilight and the mess. “We will be more than happy to take care of this. We...well, Pinkie is the one who made the mess, so it's only fair that we clean up.”

“I didn't make the whole mess!” Pinkie said. “But she's right about the other stuff. We can clean up.”

“Are you sure? Do you know where all the cleaning supplies are?”

“I got that, Twilight.” Spike gave her a thumbs up. “You just leave it to us.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash leaped over Twilight's head. “You go hit the sack and have some nice, sweet dreams, okay?”

“Well, if you're okay with doing all that for me, I guess I'll head for bed then.” She started up the stairs. “And again, I just want to thank all of you. Without you, I—”

“We know, dear,” Rarity interrupted. “Now go get your beauty sleep!”

“Alright, Alright. Goodnight, everypony!”

“Goodnight, Twilight.” Fluttershy waved at Twilight as she disappeared into her room.

“Alright, guys!” Spike cracked his knuckles. “The cleaning stuff is in the basement. Let's get this done as quick as we can. It's past my bedtime.”

Spike had once gotten a simple kiss on the cheek from Rarity and for a week had steadfastly refused to wash his face. Twilight had never understood that. Sure, it was a nice sign of affection, but as far as the physical element went, it was just a bit of lipstick. It was unhygienic, and even Twilight could tell that it looked utterly ridiculous to walk around with a frame on your face. The affection shown by the gesture was the important thing, not the physical remains of the gesture itself.

Or at least that was what she told herself as she stared at her toothbrush. Brush your teeth, Twilight. You don't want cavities. Applejack doesn't even wear lipstick anyway; there’s nothing on your face to preserve. It didn't work.

She could still feel it, Applejack's foreleg around her shoulders, their noses bumping together, the gentle touch on her cheeks...she could still feel Applejack's lips pressed against her own. Tomorrow she'd undoubtedly kiss Applejack again. She hoped. If Applejack would kiss her goodnight why wouldn't she? It only made sense. But still, she couldn't quite bring herself to lose that touch. The cool, minty bite of the toothpaste had nothing on the pulse of Applejack's heartbeat. It was the first time her life she had ever felt it, and she had to savor it.

She flopped into bed. Her teeth wouldn't fall out overnight.

She closed her eyes. In a flash, the entire day roared past. Unbelievable. Applejack had said yes. They were going on a date tomorrow. All of her closest friends fully supported it. Everything had gone perfectly. Too perfectly? An ugly, bleak thought drifted into her mind. What if she opened her eyes tomorrow morning only to find everything was in her head? She threw her blanket off.

Her magic cast long shadows through the room as she dragged a trunk out from under the bed. Nopony would know it to look at it, but outside of the royal treasure vaults in Canterlot, there wasn't a securer place in Equestria. Twilight had spent many long hours researching every magical ward and protection spell that she could find, pouring them onto the box. A Sonic Rainboom wouldn't even scratch the surface, and all the Pinkie Sense in the world couldn't see into it. Celestia herself would have her work cut out for her if she wanted to get it open. There was only one pony in Equestria who could get into it with anything resembling ease, and that was Twilight herself. She kneeled down and gently slid her horn into the hole where the trunk's lock had once been. Half a dozen subtly complex spells later, the latch sprung open.

There wasn't much in the trunk. Any thief who went to the trouble of getting it open would be sorely disappointed. A photograph of a diminutive Twilight sitting on her big brother's head at the Summer Sun Celebration. An acceptance letter bearing the names Twilight Sparkle and Celestia. A photograph of Twilight showing off the brand new magic stars on her behind, while a tiny dragon sat on her back. A well-used, heavily annotated and underlined copy of A Beginner's Guide to Magic. A group picture of Twilight, Spike, and five other ponies in front of the library. A golden ticket stub from the Grand Galloping Gala. And finally, the most recent addition, a not-quite-old, not-quite-new cowpony hat.

She reached out and gently touched the edge to make sure it was really there. She smiled. As she brushed the fabric, her heart beat a little faster. She could still feel it. She closed the trunk, shoved it back into place, and flopped back into bed. When she opened her eyes, everything would still be there.

Applejack's head swam as she sauntered towards her home. Three days ago, she hadn't had a single romantic inclination, and now she had a very special somepony. I have a very special somepony. She couldn't get over how utterly weird that sounded. And it was Twilight, of all ponies. A week ago if somepony had told her that she'd have kissed Twilight and put a date on her schedule, Applejack would have laughed her hat off because Twilight was a good friend, but not that kind of good friend.

She reached for the door handle and stopped her hoof halfway. There was a very good chance of running into one of her family members. She had to explain things to them. Keeping this hidden simply wasn't an option. Even if she wanted to, it wouldn't happen. She'd probably crack and confess the whole thing before they even realized that she was trying to hide something. They'd find out in short order, no matter what she tried. Might as well organize her thoughts as best she could and tell them as soon as possible. Get it out in the open.

She opened the door. Big Macintosh stood at the counter, washing the dishes. “Hey, Applejack,” he said. He didn't even have to look up. “Where've you been?”

“I was, uh...” She paused for a moment. As much as she wanted to explain everything, she didn't have the words. Figuring out where her own thoughts were was tough enough. Explaining it would be impossible. “...takin' care of some personal matters.”

“Personal?” Big Macintosh looked over his shoulder and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Somethin' to do with your friends?”

“Listen, I know your probably real curious, but can I hold off on explainin' it now? I'm real tired, and I don't really know what to tell you at the moment. Is it okay if I wait til tomorrow?”

He thought for a moment, then nodded. “Eeyup.”

“Thanks. You put Apple Bloom to bed yet?”

“She's getting' ready for bed now.”

“Alright, I'll put her to bed and then get some sleep myself.” She headed up the stairs. “Goodnight, Big Mac.”

“Goodnight.”

She took a deep breath and knocked on Apple Bloom's door. “You ready for bed?”

“Yeah!” The door popped open and Apple Bloom stuck her head out. “I already took my bath and brushed my teeth and everything. See?” She grinned, showing all her teeth.

“Looks good to me. Into bed!” Applejack started to tuck her sister in. “You have a good day at school?”

“Yeah, I actually got an A-minus on my math quiz!”

“Good job. That's better than I ever got.” Applejack chuckled.

“So where were you all afternoon?”

Applejack smiled nervously and tried not to look suspicious. “Just takin' care of some business with my friends.”

“Oh.” Apple Bloom digested the answer for a moment. Then her eyes widened. “Does this have somethin' to do with Twilight?”

“It...uh...” Applejack bit her lip. Apple Bloom didn't have the patience that her brother did.

“It does, doesn't it!?” Apple Bloom leaned forward and grinned. “Are you goin' out with her now? Is she your very special somepony now? Did you ki—”

Applejack stuffed her hoof into Apple Bloom's mouth. “Shhhh! Listen, I'll explain everything tomorrow, alright? Can you wait that long?” She removed her hoof.

“I guess...” Apple Bloom sighed. “...if I have to.”

Applejack groaned. She could already tell that Apple Bloom didn't get some kind of answer, she'd be up all night. “Okay, I'll give you the quick version now, and explain everything tomorrow. You just gotta promise me that you won't tell anypony until I give you the okay, and you gotta go to sleep now and wait till tomorrow to ask questions, okay?”

Apple Bloom nodded, smiling wide with anticipation. “So are you and Twilight a couple now?”

“Yeah, we are.”

“Wow! That's so cool!”

“It sure is.” Applejack smiled. “We talked for a bit and I thought I'd go with it.”

“So, did you kiss!?”

“What did I say about questions?”

“Oh, right.” Apple Bloom deflated slightly.

Applejack ruffled her sister's mane, and lowered her voice. “But between you and me, yeah, we did.”

Apple Bloom inhaled sharply, and bit down on the edge of her blanket to keep herself from squealing in excitement.

“Now go to sleep. I'll fill you in on the rest of it tomorrow, okay? Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Applejack flicked the lamp out and backed slowly out of the Apple Bloom's room, and sauntered down the hallway into her own. The door had barely clicked shut behind her before she collapsed onto the bed.

“What am I doin'?”

She stared at the ceiling. I don't believe it. I wasn't even thinkin'  anything about romance, and now I went and jumped right into it. Maybe I shoulda thought about it for a few more days. I didn't want to make things any harder for Twilight than they need to be, but even so... maybe it would have been better to think things over before I decided to go for it. Make sure it was really what I wanted.  This isn’t something that you’re supposed to do on a whim.  What if it all goes wrong because I was too impatient to think it over a bit? What if I end up hurtin’ her somehow?

She took a deep breath and rolled over. Her eyes settled on the open window, or rather, the full moon that hung behind the glass, pouring cool light into the room. She smiled, and raised her hoof to her lips.

You know what you're doin', Applejack, she thought. You got yourself into a relationship with a pony you care about very much, and who cares about you just as much. More, probably. You're datin' your best friend, after all. It might be confusin’, but you know that you enjoy bein' with her, and you want to be the best special somepony that you can be for her. Just remember that. You care about her more than anypony else, and that's what matters.

Community

So much to do!  So much to do!  I have to figure out what to wear for our date, how much money to bring along, and I have to get everything out of the way so I won't be distracted when we go out!  I'm already nearly behind on my friendship reports!  If I don't get another one written soon there will only be one left in my buffer!  I know that Princess Celestia said I don't have to follow any specific schedule, but if I don't get at least one written every two weeks, I feel like I'm being so lazy.  I can't let this get in the way of my studies.  Maybe I can write a friendship report about this!  I'm sure being a very special somepony must have something to do with friendship.  Besides, I should really let Celestia know what's going on.  I should probably write a letter to my family, too, while I'm at it.  I wonder what they'll think about all of this.

Good we must love, and must hate ill,

For ill is ill, and good good still ;

But there are things indifferent,

Which we may neither hate, nor love,

But one, and then another prove,

As we shall find our fancy bent.

—Community,

John Donne

This particular morning, Applejack used up several more gallons of water than she normally did. She hated to be wasteful, but other thoughts pushed that concern out of her head.  She was barely aware of the faucet's flowing as she stared into the mirror. There was no way this wasn’t gonna be awkward.  Or least no way that wouldn't be awkward for her. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to see what would happen.

Apple Bloom had been happy enough about the whole thing, but it was pretty obvious that once she got out of the house, half the town would know all about it before lunch. Granny Smith could go anywhichway. There wasn’t any good reason for her to dislike it, but most of the time her reactions weren’t really tied to what was actually going on, so there was no telling what she’d do.  It could be anything from tears of joy to a heart attack. Big Macintosh... he was a mystery, too. Her mind jumped back to the time she had gotten a Hearts and Hooves Day card. She couldn't remember who had given it to her, but she could vaguely recall that Big Macintosh had gone to talk to them after school that day.  Whoever the card-giver was, they hadn't followed up.

She glared at her reflection and shook her head. Big Macintosh knew Twilight really well. He couldn't possibly have anything against her. He probably didn't have anything against the mysterious card-giver either; he was most likely just checking up on them, like a big brother should do. Even back then he’d been abnormally stocky, so the secret admirer had probably just suffered some inadvertent intimidation.  No way would Big Macintosh intentionally scare anypony off. Especially not Twilight. If anything he’d probably just say “Eeyup” and that would be the end of it.

A knock on the door caused her to jump. Big Macintosh’s voice sounded from the other side.  “Applejack, are you okay in there?”

“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.  I'll be down in a minute.”  She splashed her face.  The cold slap on her cheeks sent a shiver through her entire body.  She took a deep breath and turned the faucet off.  “Just get it out there, Applejack. It ain't gonna be that bad.”  She adjusted her latest hat, and headed towards the kitchen.

Apple Bloom fidgeted in her seat, making occasional grabs at the stack of muffins on the table.  Granny Smith was occupied by smacking Apple Bloom's hooves away from the muffins.  Big Macintosh stood by the stove, his attention dominated by a pancake sizzling on a massive griddle.  Apple Bloom’s eyes caught a view of her sister, and lit up.  Her abnormally toothy grin told Applejack that she remembered everything from last night.  Applejack gave up the hope that this would be a normal breakfast.

“Good mornin', Applejack,” Granny chirped in an all-too-cheerful-for-this-early-in-the-morning manner.

“Mornin', Granny.  What's for breakfast?”

“Pancakes,” Big Macintosh announced as he placed a massive stack of them at the center of the table.

“Sounds good.”  She took her seat and tried not to think about how she had to act natural.  Maybe Big Macintosh didn't care enough to bring it up.  Apple Bloom wiggled excitedly in her chair, her stare threatening to bore a hole in Applejack's head.  Applejack almost wanted her sister to ask; it would save her the trouble of having to broach the subject herself.

Apple Bloom winked at her. Applejack immediately regretted her previous thought. It would have been so much easier to bring it up in the way that she wanted. She wanted to backpedal, but there was nowhere to go.

“So, Applejack, where were you last night? You didn't come back until real late.”

“Oh, that.” She managed to fake a chuckle. Best to get it over with. “I suppose I should tell all of you about what's goin' on.” She cleared her throat. “I...uh...y'all know Twilight Sparkle, right?”

“Eeyup.”

“That purple unicorn?” Granny Smith made her “thinking hard” face. “Of course.”

Apple Bloom just nodded manically.

“Well, I'm...we're kinda goin' out now. You know, like a couple.” She paused. Big Macintosh and Granny Smith were looking at her. Just looking. It wasn't even a stare. At least a stare would have told her that they were surprised. She wasn't even sure that they had heard her. “A few days ago she told me that she wanted us to go out, so I thought about it for a bit, and last night I went and talked to her for a while and I decided that I'd give it a try. So then we went back to the, uh, the library, and” —she noticed her brother raise an eyebrow— “the rest of our friends were waiting there and they had a little party for us. So...yeah, we're kind of a thing now.”

For a distressingly long moment, the only responses she got were long, blank stares. Then Big Macintosh smiled.

“Congratulations, Applejack.”

“My little filly is finally growin' up!” Granny hopped out of her seat with surprising agility and began to ruffle Applejack's mane. “Y'all make each other happy, y'hear?”

“Okay, Granny.” Applejack smiled as she prodded her grandmother back to her seat. “I'm gonna do my best to make this whole thing work. I'm just happy y'all seem so happy about it.”

“Why wouldn't we be happy for you?” Big Macintosh asked. He patted Applejack on the back, nearly knocking her out of her chair. “Twilight is a good pony.”

“Now, if your brother would find somepony to settle down with...” Granny Smith cast a beady eye in Big Macintosh's direction. Even though he was already red, his cheeks grew a little redder. “Really, don't you think it's about time for you to find a special somepony of your own?”

Applejack chuckled, genuinely this time. She wasn't one to pass up a chance to poke fun at her brother, and even with the matter out in the open, she'd rather not have to field a bunch of questions about it. “I'm sure there's somepony in town you'd get along with real well. You just gotta get out and actually meet 'em. Maybe you could get Pinkie to set you up on a blind date or something.”

“Or you could find somepony and go on a double date with Applejack and Twilight!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “Although that might be kinda weird because the three of you already know each other real well, so that might be awkward if it was some random pony...” The gears in her head clunked for a moment. “Oh, I know! You could ask Miss Cheerilee to go with you! She already knows Twilight, so it wouldn't be awkward!”

“I don't know about that, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said. “After what happened last year, it might be a bit weird. Wouldn't it, Big Mac?”

“I suppose.” Big Macintosh somehow turned even more red. “Why don't you eat? The pancakes are gonna get cold.”

“Fine by me!” Apple Bloom watched intently as her brother began to divvy out the food. Within seconds she lost interest and turned her attention to her sister. “What are you and Twilight gonna do now? Are you gonna get married? Are you gonna—”

“Whoa, simmer down, there, sis,” Applejack said. “You're getting' a bit ahead here. We ain't takin' things that quick. All we got planned now is a date for this evening. After that we're gonna just take things as they come. Although knowin' Twilight she'll probably have everything all planned out.”

“The date is tonight?” Big Macintosh asked.

“Yeah, is that a problem?”

“Weren't you going to harvest the northwest field?”

“Oh, horseapples.” Applejack put a hoof to her forehead. “I totally forgot about that. I was so worked up over Twilight that it totally slipped my mind. Maybe I should try to reschedule.”

“Nah.” Big Macintosh shook his head. “I'll take care of it.”

“You sure?”

“Of course he's sure!” Apple Bloom interrupted. “This is your first date, after all. You can't go changin' it around now!”

“So you're tellin' me that two days ago you didn't even know what a crush is, and now you're suddenly an expert on datin'?” Applejack watched Apple Bloom scrunch up her face in response. “You're right, though. I don't wanna go and mess up Twilight's schedule unless I can't help it. You sure you can handle all that, Big Mac?”

“Eeyup.”

“Okay, then. I guess I better start on these.” She began to fill her plate with pancakes. “I got a lot of work to do today before I go out on that date.”

“Date?” Granny Smith blinked a few times and tilted her head. “Date with who?”

“Dear Princess Celestia, it is my great pleasure to inform you that my relationships with my friends are as strong as ever. In fact, in one case, our friendship has developed into something entirely new. I trust you remember Applejack, the element of honesty. As of last night, she is now officially my very special somepony.” She turned to Spike, who was scratching away at a parchment. “Does that sound good to you? Or is that jumping into it too quickly? Maybe I should ease her into it a bit more.”

“Well, it's certainly better than the last draft,” Spike grumbled. “That one went on way too long. It took you forever just to get to the bit where you told Applejack how you felt.”

“I don't know; it still just seems a bit wrong to me.” Twilight glanced over Spike's shoulder and scanned the words. “I mean, of course she'd remember Applejack! I've already written a bunch of other letters about her after all. I really should find a better way to phrase that.”

“If you're going to do another draft, can I at least have a bit of a break first?” Spike's claw crackled as he flexed it. “I've written like four drafts of this letter, plus all those friendship reports you had to catch up on. My claws are about to fall off.”

“Oh! I'm sorry. Of course you can take a break. I'll get back to work on my polymorph spell practice. I've been slacking off on that a bit anyway. Why don't you grab a snack while you're at it?”

“Alright!” He tossed the quill over his shoulder and headed towards the kitchen. “I've still got like half a cake in the icebox.”

Twilight took a seat at a back table, the one furthest from all the distractions of the rest of the library. There were still a few books stacked on it. She had no idea how long it had been since she had opened them. The situation with Applejack had turned the whole world upside down, and for a while she had nearly lost track of which way was up. But now everything seemed to be sliding back into place. Before long, she'd have everything back on schedule, but now Applejack would be a part of it. Things would be back to normal, only now it would be a new and different normal. Twilight blew the layer of dust off of her book and opened it to just the right page. She smiled. She could already tell she was going to like the new normal.

Fluttershy paced in a tight triangle, from the kitchen counter, to the window, to her sofa, and back to the counter.  Each step wobbled a bit, as if her joints were loose.

“I know I should be happy for them. I guess I am. No, I know I am. They're both really good ponies, and they'll definitely make each other happy, and that's what really matters, even if I don't get to spend as much time with them. It's not like they'll move out of Ponyville or anything just because they're going out now. Although I suppose they might move away eventually. I would miss them both so much if that happened. But it would be okay, I guess. As long as they're happy together. It would be terrible if I tried to butt into their relationship. What do you think, Angel?”

Angel's ear, which had only been half-listening, twitched. Fluttershy had been rambling in a similar fashion for the past half hour. Angel was usually forgiving; he had long since grown used to her idiosyncrasies. Unfortunately, that understanding only went as far as his patience lasted, which wasn't wasn't very long, especially when he was hungry. Fluttershy had started on his lunch, but her little digression had distracted her and his sandwich sat half-finished on the counter. He cleared his throat and rolled his eyes in the direction of his food.

“You're right, I shouldn't worry about it so much.” Fluttershy sat at the table, completely ignoring the sandwich. “It's like Rainbow Dash said. They just got together so of course they'll be thinking about it a lot. I need to give them some time to get used to it. Maybe after a week or two they'll start getting sick of each other and it won't work out, and then—” She shook her head and attempted to slap herself on the cheek. What she actually did was prod herself gently. “No, I shouldn't say that. It would make both of them so sad if that happened. They should definitely stay together. Maybe they could just spend a little less time together is all.”

She rubbed her hooves together. “I don't know what to do, though. I don't want to interrupt them or anything, but I feel like they're starting to slip away. What should I do, Angel?”

He shrugged. In reality he could think of a couple different things, but Fluttershy probably wouldn't do any of them even if he could adequately explain them. Finding a solution was easy. Finding a solution that would work for Fluttershy, not so much. And to make matters worse, his hunger was starting to affect his ability to think. He pantomimed eating a sandwich.

“That's it, Angel!” Fluttershy snatched him up and squeezed. “I should go over to Twilight's for lunch! She has a date with Applejack for this evening, so she probably wouldn't be eating lunch with her! Twilight would never do something so redundant. I should make some sandwiches and take them over. She's probably been working hard all morning, and this way she won't have to cook!”

Fluttershy darted back over to the counter. “Oh, right.” She smiled sheepishly as she regarded the lettuce-and-carrot sandwich she had neglected to complete. “I guess I should finish your lunch before I go.”

He nodded satisfactorily. It had been a rather roundabout way of getting to the point, but at least now she was actually doing something. All the rambling in the world wouldn't get her anywhere.

Pinkie wanted to be bouncing. It wasn't that she was too fidgety and impatient to sit still... well, it kind of was. Sitting still was usually boring, but that wasn't the whole reason. At least a little bit of her perpetual jitters came from the fact that she had somehow been stuck with a disproportionate amount of energy. Maybe she was born with it, or maybe she had spent her pre-cutie mark years repressing it and was still working off all the excess she had stored up. Whatever the case, she couldn't deny that the energy was there, and she couldn't just not use it for anything. That would be lazy.

She groaned. Sooner or later she'd have to figure out a more efficient way to reload her new and improved Party Cannon Mark 2: Son of Party Cannon, one that didn't require her to reset every single one of the surprisingly numerous components individually and that could be done while bouncing. Re-rolling the streamers alone took forever. Maybe even five-ever. It was totally worth it, though. She had been saving it for a special occasion, and this was like the most special occasion EVER. Well, not quite ever, but still pretty special. It wasn't every day that two of her best friends started going out. And they were so adorable together, too!

Pinkie closed her eyes for a second and conjured up the image of Applejack gently placing her prized hat upon Twilight's head. So. Cute. Sure, Pinkie's memory of the event involved soft lighting, sparkles, a few floating ♥’s, and a string quartet in the background, but the important part wasn't that far off.

She couldn't wait to see how their first date would go. Well, could wait. She had to. She'd been friends with Twilight long enough to know that her schedule wasn't going to change. It was more that she didn't want to wait, and didn't know quite what to do with herself in the meantime. Except that she did; she could fix up the party cannon, which was what she was doing right now. Yup, everything had worked out.

The only thing left to do was to remember the name of that restaurant where they would be having dinner. She pulled her head out of the cannon's bore with a pop and noted that she also needed to redesign the thing so that reloading didn't require her to risk getting blasted in the face. As she filed the note to herself in an imaginary set of file cabinets, she quickly flipped through the imaginary rolodex where she stored her knowledge of everypony's birthdays and mentally inserted a new section for anniversaries. She turned her mental attention to her not-actually-there desk and started shuffling through it looking for the restaurant Rarity had recommended. It was nowhere to be found. Apparently Rarity had never mentioned the name of the place while Pinkie was in earshot. Pinkie groaned, turned out the imaginary lights in her imaginary office, and returned to the real world.

She'd have to ferret the information out of Rarity somehow. And she had thought that resetting the Party Cannon was a pain in the rump...

Apple Bloom eyed the clock as the hands ticked agonizingly slowly towards recess. She had been so anxious to tell Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle what was going on that she had sabotaged her own effort to get to school on time. Two-thirds of the way to the schoolhouse, she had realized that she didn't have her books, her homework, or her lunch. By the time she had recovered them, school was already in session and she had a tardy mark on the attendance sheet.

She did her best to focus on whatever it was Cheerilee was attempting to teach. It had something to do with numbers, so it was probably math, or maybe history. It didn't really matter. Her priorities at the moment weren't exactly geared towards absorbing information. It was obviously more important that she thought of the best, most effective way to break the news to her friends. Then the bell rang, and she instantly forgot those plans as she scurried towards them.

“Hey, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo said. “What happened to you this morni—”

“No time for that! I've got some really awesome news for you!”

“Really, what is it?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Did you figure out how to build that slide into the side of the clubhouse?”

“Nope. Well, yeah, I did, but it'll cost a bunch, so I gotta figure out somethin' else. But that's not what I was gonna tell you about.” She waved her companions to come closer. They leaned in. “My sister is goin' out with Twilight!”

“Really!?” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo's voices melded together.

“Yup! They officially became very special someponies last night. Pinkie Pie threw a party for them and everything!” She leaned in closer and dropped her voice to a whisper. “They even kissed!”

Both her friends inhaled sharply.

“They must be really serious about it,” Sweetie Belle whispered. “I wonder if Rarity knows about it.”

“I'm pretty sure she does,” Apple Bloom said. “Rarity was probably at Pinkie's party. I don't think Pinkie would have a party for them without inviting their other friends.”

Scootaloo scratched her head. “Wow, I never realized that they were quite that close.”

“Me neither.” Apple Bloom shrugged. “It was kinda sudden. Like a few days ago Twilight showed up and a few days later they were a couple.”

“Sooo... what are they doing now that they're together?”

“I dunno.” Apple Bloom shrugged again. “Typical very special somepony stuff, I guess.”

“What exactly is 'very special somepony stuff', anyway?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I mean, there's kissing, I guess, but other than that what kind of stuff do very special someponies do?”

“Uh...” Apple Bloom thought for a moment. “Well, they're going on a date tonight. That's a very special somepony thing, isn't it? Dressin' up all fancy and eatin' expensive food.”

“I guess...” Scootaloo said. “But that sounds kinda boring. I mean, getting all dressed up is really annoying. If you're gonna go out to eat, why would you need to be all fancy about it?”

“Rarity says that it's all about 'romantic gestures',” Sweetie Belle offered. “Stuff like giving each other flowers and jewelry and things like that.”

“Eh, that doesn't sound all that great, either.” Scootaloo paused long enough to stick out her tongue. “I don't see what's so awesome about having to get dressed up and buying each other boring flowers. If somepony is gonna give me something, I'd want something cool, like a comic book or candy. But spending that much on a plant or a shiny rock? Bleh.”

“Maybe some ponies like that kind of stuff,” Sweetie Belle said with a shrug. “I know Rarity would be really happy if somepony gave her a really big gem or something.”

“Hmmm...” Apple Bloom tapped on her chin. “I dunno, when I was talkin' to Applejack about it, I got the idea that she cared more about just spendin' time with Twilight more than anythin' else. Maybe that's the important part of being a very special somepony.”

“But you don't have to be a couple to do that,” Scootaloo snorted. “We spend a ton of time together, and I'm pretty sure we're not very special someponies or anything.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” Apple Bloom sighed. “I should ask Big Macintosh about it. He probably knows all about that stuff.”

“It's okay if you don't get it.” Sweetie Belle patted Apple Bloom on the head. “As long as they're happy, it doesn't really matter.”

Fluttershy lifted up a hoof to knock on the library door, and then lowered it. It was the fourth time she had done that. After the second attempt she had actually turned away and taken a few steps before reconsidering and making another attempt. She bit her lip and raised and lowered her hoof again. Her eyes darted up and down the street, and she took a faltering step away from the door.

From his perch on her back, Angel groaned an if-you-want-to-get-it-done-you-have-to-do-it-yourself groan, and hopped off her back.

“Angel, where are you go—”

He raised his back leg, gave the library door three solid thumps, and scurried into the bushes under the window.

“No, Angel, don't—” Fluttershy took a step after him, but her progress was stalled by the creak of the door.

She spun back around to see the door half-open. “Um, hello, Spike.”

“Hey, Fluttershy. What's up?”

“I, uh, I was just... um... what did I come over here for...?”

From his hiding place in the bush, Angel shook his head. He darted out from the bush and gave Fluttershy's saddlebag a tug.

“Oh, right.” She cleared her throat. “I just thought that Twilight might be busy trying to catch up on her work, so I brought some sandwiches over. Unless you already ate, of course.”

“Nah, Twilight's in work mode.” Spike stepped into the library and waved for Fluttershy to follow him. “I'm pretty sure she has a spell to turn her stomach off or something, because she hasn't eaten anything all day. If she doesn't want them, I'll eat them.”

“Oh, okay.” She sauntered over to the table and began to unload her saddlebags.

“Hey, Twilight, Fluttershy is here!”

“Really?” Twilight poked her head out of her room. “Fluttershy! It's so nice to see you!”

“It is?” Fluttershy allowed herself a smile.

“Of course, I really needed somepony to talk to. Just give me a moment here.”

“Okay.” Fluttershy took her seat at the table. Maybe she'd finally be able to spend a bit of time with Twilight. It felt like months since they had a real conversation that didn't involve Applejack in some way. “I'm glad that you feel that way, because—”

“Which one of these dresses do you think would be better for my date tonight?” Twilight emerged from her room, two dresses hovering next to her. “I mean, I really like this one...” She held out a plain yellow dress. “It's really comfortable and I never really cared much about frills. But then again...” Twilight brought up the other dress, a longer, sky blue one with shimmering silver trim. “...I think that one might be a bit too plain. Rarity says that the Mon Cher Restaurant is really fancy, and this dress is definitely fancier. Do you think it's a better fit? I really really really want to look my best tonight!

“Oh...uh...” Fluttershy's eyes darted back and forth between the two dresses. “I don't know, what do you think, Spike?”

“I have no idea. She's asked me like five times already.” He began to dig through Fluttershy's saddlebags. “What kind of sandwiches did you bring?”

“Um, a few asparagus and a few daisy.”

Spike sniffed the bag and wrinkled his nose. “Eh, think I'll pass. Never been a big fan of asparagus.”

“Come on, Fluttershy, I need an answer!” Twilight telekinetically shoved the dresses in Fluttershy's direction. “My date is in...” She looked at the clock. “Less than five hours! And I still don't know what to wear!”

“I really don't know...” Fluttershy took a step back; the dresses were so close that she felt smothered. “Why don't you take a little break for a bit and eat something while I, uh, think about it a little.”

“I guess you're right.” Twilight hung the two dresses on one of her bookshelves and took a seat at the table. “I just need everything to be perfect. Applejack deserves that much, don't you think?”

Fluttershy gave Twilight a sandwich. The unicorn had such a wide smile on her face that the top of her head was in danger of popping off. Fluttershy stared quietly into her bag for a long moment as she searched for something relevant to say.

“So, how has your day been so far?” she asked.

“Busy. I've kinda been neglecting my studies.” Twilight's smile became uneven for a moment as she scratched her head. “For the last few days, I've spent almost all my time thinking about what to do about Applejack. I have a lot of stuff to catch up on. It's so tough to focus, though.” She clapped her hooves. “I'm just so excited about tonight! I've never even been on a date before! Have you ever been on one?”

Fluttershy could feel her cheeks lighting up as she shook her head. “Um, no.”

“I see.” Twilight slumped in her seat. “I should have known.” The phrase hung uncomfortably in the air for a distressingly long moment. “Uh, not that anypony wouldn't want to go on a date with you or anything! You just...you know...don't really seem like the uh, the dating type.” There was another awkward moment of silence. Twilight sighed and took a bite of her sandwich.

“You're right, though.” Fluttershy's cheeks blushed so hard that they started to hurt. “I'm not really...that type.”

There was a third moment of silence, longer than the first two combined. “This is a really good sandwich,” Twilight said.

“Thank you. I got the bread fresh from the bakery this morning and grew the asparagus myself.”

“Well, it's delicious. I haven't had such a nice sandwich in a long time.”

“I don't know why not.” Spike unceremoniously kicked the kitchen door open and emerged carrying at least one of every food item in the refrigerator. “I thought that Applejack taught you how to make sandwiches. I bet you could make like the best sandwich ever.”

Fluttershy gave Spike a confused glance. “Applejack taught her how to make a sandwich?”

“You mean you didn't hear about that? For some reason Twilight thought that if she acted like she had no clue what she was doing, Applejack would like her more, so she pretended to not know how to make a sandwich.”

“Spike, how do you know that?” Twilight shot him a glare, which he ignored. “You weren't around when that happened.”

“Rainbow Dash told me.” He dumped his pile of food on the table. “It was hilarious! You should really ask her about it, Fluttershy. She even did voices and everything!” His voice switched into a falsetto. “'Oh Applejack, I accidentally put the bread in the middle of the sandwich instead of the outside! Can you help me!?' 'Of course ah can help ya Twalat! Y'all just gotta turn it insahd out!”

Spike paused. Both ponies were staring at him. Fluttershy had tilted her head slightly in befuddlement. Twilight's brow was furrowed, and her eyes were shooting daggers in Spike's direction. He shrugged.

“It's funnier when she does it.” He snorted and began to busy himself stacking his various edibles on a slice of bread.

“I have to admit the sandwich thing wasn't my finest moment,” Twilight said with a sigh. “I feel so dumb. I went to all that trouble trying to get Applejack to like me when she already did. I should've just told her, but I felt like I couldn't. I know it was stupid, but I was just scared of what she was going to do. Has that ever happened to you? When you have something that you really need to say, but you can't bring yourself to say it?”

Fluttershy's eyes were glued to her sandwich. If she looked up, Twilight would be able to see the blush. “Yes,” she mumbled, just loud enough for Twilight to hear. “All the time.”

“Isn't it so terrible? I'm so happy that I finally got the courage to talk to Applejack about it! I still can't believe that we're actually going on a date!” She squeaked happily and took another bite.

“Well, I'm glad that you got all that worked out.” She watched Twilight chew for a moment. Of course the date would be the first thing on Twilight's mind. Maybe once Twilight had said everything she had to say about it, they could move onto something more typical. “So, since you've fallen behind, is there anything that I could help you with? You know, helping dust the shelves or anything?”

“No, no, Spike has all of that covered.” She patted the dragon on the head. “He's been very industrious.”

“You bet. I had to find something to do while Twilight was freaking out.” He carefully balanced a second slice of bread atop his precarious stack of food. “She had enough stuff to worry about.”

“And you did an excellent job.” Twilight gently ruffled his spines. “Thanks again for that. Oh, I know what you can help me with!”

“You do?”

“Can you help me do my mane?” Twilight flicked the edge of her hair. “I want to get it fixed up really nice.”

“Um, I suppose I could, but I don't know much about mane styling.” Fluttershy mumbled. “Besides, don't you have a spell or something you could do for that?”

“I do have one or two mane styling spells, but I wanted to do something special! I can't just go with one of my usual styles because it's—”

“Your first date, we know.” Spike interrupted. “That's like the fifth time you've brought it up. I thought you said you were going to stop worrying about it so you could actually get stuff done.”

“It's easier said than done, Spike. I just haven't been able to think about anything else!”

“I see.” Fluttershy couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with Twilight, so she watched Spike as he attempted to pick up his gigantic sandwich and bite into it without losing the contents. “But isn't it... I mean, isn't it important that you keep up to date on your studies and things? Not that you're being a bad student or anything.”

“It certainly is,” Twilight said with a solemn nod. “I'd never intentionally neglect my magic practice or my letters to Celestia, but at the same time… I don't know, I feel like this is just as important. Maybe even more. I mean, it's a big step for me, getting into a relationship with somepony. My entire life is going to be different after this and I really need to get it right! Although when I really think about it, it almost fits into my studies anyway.”

“It does?” Fluttershy turned her eyes to Twilight. Twilight just smiled.

“The reason I came to Ponyville in the first place was to learn more about friendship. And this whole thing with Applejack... it almost feels like I'm right on the edge of taking our friendship further. Like I've discovered a whole new type of friendship! It's hard to explain, but spending time with Applejack is just different somehow.”

“Oh,” was all Fluttershy could say. “I didn't realize that.”

“I didn't realize it at first either. At first I was terrified that that it was going to mess everything up. I had all these special feelings for Applejack, and I thought it would make me a bad friend to the rest of you! But you've all been so supportive that I realized I can't let that get in my way.” Twilight reached out and put her hoof on top of Fluttershy's. “I really have to thank you again for being there for me. You really don't know how much it means.”

Fluttershy drew her hoof out from under Twilight's and stared at it for a moment. “You're welcome.”

“And thanks for the sandwich, too. It was delicious!”

“You're welcome,” Fluttershy said again, not sure how else to respond. “Oh!” She jumped in her seat as Spike released an enormous belch.

“Excuse me.” Spike leaned back in his chair and pushed his now-empty plate away. “That was good!” He rested his claws on his stomach. “Aren't you going to eat anything, Fluttershy?”

“Huh, me?”

“Yeah, didn't you say that you came over here for lunch?” Twilight asked. “Or did you eat before you came over?”

“What, no, I uh...I'm fine. I can wait until I get home. I brought the food for you after all—”

“No, no, no, it's fine! I have plenty of stuff in the fridge for you to choose from. What would you like?”

“I... uh... it doesn't matter...” She couldn't bring herself to turn down Twilight's hospitality. “What do you have?”

“Well, a few days ago Mr. Cake brought over some vegetable stew. It was Pinkie's turn to make dinner and well, she got the ratios right, but the quantity horribly wrong.  Mrs. Cake says they’ll be eating it for months if they don’t give it away.”

“Pinkie made it?” Fluttershy couldn't keep the incredulity out of her voice.

“Yeah, I was a bit wary of it too, but it's actually really good. I guess she actually followed the recipe properly. Well, aside from making way too much of it. Spike, would you mind getting a bowl of stew for Fluttershy?”

“Sure thing, Twilight.” He sprang up, collected the dishes, and headed for the kitchen.

“While you eat, I'm going to go and see if I can finish up some of my studying, and when you're done you can help me pick a dress out and fix up my mane, okay? Sound like a good plan?”

“Yes.” Fluttershy nodded weakly. “That certainly is a plan.”

“Great! Don't feel like you have to rush your meal or anything. We have plenty of time.” She hopped out of her seat and began to half-trot, half-bounce towards her study table.

“Um, Twilight?”

“Yes?” She looked back over her shoulder.

“I, uh, I think you should wear the blue dress. I really like the trim.”

Twilight glanced at the dresses and nodded. “I don't know what I'd do without you.”

“Okay, that should just about do it!” Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs in satisfaction. She hated to brag, but... okay, she kinda did like to brag. This was totally the best obstacle course she'd put together in a long time. Half a dozen spinning clouds, a spring cloud, and a slalom, followed by a zigzag of cloud rings. “If I got all the distances right, I should be able to do this in thirty-eight seconds, easy.”

She alighted on her takeoff cloud and began to stretch her wings. Last time she had put this particular set of obstacles together, she had scored forty point thirty-three seconds. After all the work she had put into tightening her turning radius, shaving off two seconds would be no problem. The joints in her wings popped. She took her stance, tightening her limbs like springs.

“Three...two...one...”

Rainbow Dash turned into a blue blur with a prismatic afterimage. She banked towards the first spinning cloud. She’d do four loops around each; at this speed, it would be enough to get them going. She held tight to the cloud, the tip of her pinion a hair's breadth away from it. One...two...three...four! As she came out of the last loop, she let her momentum carry her. At the last possible moment, she splayed her wings, spinning around back-first into her bounce cloud. For a half a moment she savored the spongy feel of the cloud against her wings. Then she focused her eyes back on the sky and blasted upwards. Next up were the slalom posts. Start going left. It'll put you in position for the first ring. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right. Perfect. Not so much as a graze. She leaned into her turn, racing for the first ring, counting down as she threaded her way through them. Six to go...five...four...three...tw--OW!

Her left wingtip exploded. Or at least it felt like it. She knew in a moment what had actually happened. She had clipped the edge of a ring. Odd. She hadn't made that mistake in years. She had centered herself perfectly. The ring must have drifted out of—

Rainbow Dash's thoughts were interrupted by a tree.

“Rainbow Dash, are you alright?”

The pegasus groaned, turned herself right side up, and poked her head out of the leaves. Apple Bloom stood at the base of the tree, surrounded by an assortment of baskets. “I'm fine.” She shimmied down to a wide branch and settled on it. “I think...” She inspected the tip of her wing. “Yeah, it's nothing I can't just walk off. I was running an obstacle course and one of the rings must have drifted off course. It's been years since that happened last.”

“Really? Were you just not payin' attention?”

“No!” Rainbow Dash bristled. “I was totally paying attention! It's just that usually when I do rings, I have your sister tie them down for me so they don't float around so much. I haven't used free-floating rings for so long that I just forgot how much they move around. That's all. It caught me off guard.”

“So, you just weren't payin' attention.”

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes. “Well, fine, if you want to put it that way. If you try doing something you haven't done in a long time you're obviously not gonna get it perfect. Once I get used to it I'll totally break my record! I bet that if I had made it, I would've gotten under thirty-seven seconds!”

“Is that good?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Of course it's good! Spitfire can run that course in thirty-five point four seconds! I don't know if I can do the spinners as quick as she can, but I can totally make up for it on the slalom! And rings, if they stay put. Don't worry, I'll totally beat that record, though. Just gotta get back in the swing of things.”

“Applejack helped you train a lot, huh?”

“Yeah, on occasion. Usually she times me, or helps me figure out new launch methods.”

“Like that giant slingshot?”

“Right.” Rainbow Dash lounged against the tree trunk. “Guess I'll have to keep up on my own now, though. What with her hooking up with Twilight she probably won't have as much time to help me out. I guess I'll manage, though. How's she doing, anyway?”

“She's doin' alright, I guess.” Apple Bloom shrugged. “She told us all about it this mornin' at breakfast and after that I haven't seen her much. She said she had to get all her work out of the way so she'd be able to get to the date on time.”

“Heh, Twilight's already starting to rub off on her. She doesn't have a big checklist, does she?”

“I don't think so...”

“Well, that's good. Maybe she can get Twilight not to worry about her schedule so much. She really needs to learn how to quit thinking so much and just do stuff. You wouldn't believe how long she was dragging her hooves telling your sister that she liked her. In fact, you tell Applejack that sometime this week she needs to just show up at the library and take Twilight out to lunch or something.”

“Okay.” Apple Bloom giggled. “I'll try to remember to tell her if I get the chance. And... uh... can I ask you a question about somethin'?”

“Well, you already asked a couple questions, but sure, go ahead.”

“I was just wonderin', what's the big deal with goin' on dates and everythin'? Is just hangin' out not good enough or what? What makes a couple of very special someponies so different from regular old friends?”

“Oh. I was hoping you'd ask to see some of my sweet maneuvers. Uh...” She turned her gaze to the sky. “Yeah, I don't really know.”

“You don't know!?” Apple Bloom stomped her hooves. “But you're a grown up pony! You should know all about this stuff!”

“Just because I'm older doesn't mean I know anything about all those romantic things. I think it's just that some ponies have a different sort of... thing with each other. Like they like spending time with each other so much that they want to make it special somehow... by getting dressed up and eating fancy food, I guess? I don't really see why you'd want to do that, but hey, if they enjoy it...” She shrugged. “What are you doing out here anyway? Don't you have crusading to do or something?”

“I came right home after school to get my homework done quick ‘cause Applejack was going to help me with my apple buckin'. Thing is, we made that plan before the whole Twilight thing, so she's inside gettin' ready for her date now. Scootaloo is still workin' on her homework, and Sweetie Belle is over at Rarity's, so I figured I might as well get some practicin' in, even if Applejack isn't helpin' me.” She looked sheepishly at the cluster of baskets under the tree, which contained roughly half a dozen apples. “It's not goin' so well.”

Rainbow Dash craned her neck to get a look at the baskets. “Well, you've got some apples in there. You look like you're doing pretty well to me.”

“Uh, actually you knocked most of those out of the tree when you crashed. I only knocked like three of them down by myself.”

“Oh.” She bit her lip for a moment. “Eh, I'm sure you'll figure it out real quick. I mean, Big Macintosh and Applejack are two of the strongest ponies in town, so I'm sure you'll be able to knock those apples right out once you grow a bit more. Unless they somehow got all muscle genes, but I don't think genetics work like that. I dunno, you'd have to ask Twilight. I wouldn't sweat it though. It took me months to figure out how to do the Buccaneer Blaze without faceplanting into the ground at the end of it.”

“Really?” Apple Blooms ears perked up.

“Yeah, even somepony as awesome as me has to practice. How do you think I got so cool in the first place?” She crossed her forelegs and nodded once. “Speaking of which, I should probably get back to it. I gotta relearn how to compensate for the shifting rings. Tell AJ I said hello.”

“Sure thing, Rainbow Dash.”

“Cool, see you later.” Rainbow Dash flipped off the branch and took to the sky.

Rarity gently drew a swath of purple cloth through the sewing machine, keeping one eye on the needle, and one eye on her sister. Everything would be fine as long as Sweetie Belle didn't move from her current position (the center of the floor, as far away from everything else as she could possibly be) or touch anything at all. Neglecting the cloth would at worst require her to resew the hemline, and she had sewn so many that her body practically performed the necessary movements automatically. Neglecting to keep an eye on Sweetie Belle, on the other hoof, would result in utter chaos and the rest of the day spent repairing the damage.

The sewing machine clacked. Rarity refocused her sewing-oriented eye on the bobbin, which was now empty. “Oh my, I suppose I ought to get more thread.”

“I'll get it!” Sweetie Belle began to scurry towards one of the cabinets.

“NO!” Rarity leaped over the sewing machine and pinned her sister's tail to the floor with her magic. “That will not be necessary. I am using a very special kind of thread, after all.” She opened a cabinet, one across the room from Sweetie Belle. “Maybe you could tell me about your day at school. Did you have a test or anything?”

“Nope, not today.” Suddenly her eyes lit up. “Oh, I did hear something really cool, though!”

“Oh, really?” Rarity tried her best to sound enthusiastic as she re-threaded the sewing machine. “What happened?”

“Well, you probably know about it already?”

“I do?” Rarity looked up from the machine. “And what would that be?”

“According to Apple Bloom, Applejack and Twilight are very special someponies now! They had a party last night and everything! Weren't you there?”

“Of course I was!” Rarity raised her head. “In fact, I'll have you know that I played an important role in getting them together.”

Sweetie Belle gasped. “You did?”

Rarity cleared her throat and assumed a slightly-more-dignified-than-usual pose. “Yes, I did. Now, don't go spreading this around, but I was actually the first pony to hear about it.”

“Really?”

Rarity nodded. “In fact, I was the first pony to realize that there might be something between them. I was visiting the library, and Twilight was in the midst of an emotional crisis. So we talked for a bit, and I realized that the root of the problem was the development of romantic feelings for Applejack. So I brought it to her attention, and it was that conversation which motivated her to pursue her feelings.”

“So they're going out because of you?” There was a note of admiration in Sweetie Belle's voice. Rarity did not fail to notice it.

“I suppose you could say that.” Rarity flicked the end of her mane before sitting back down at the sewing machine.

“That's so cool! I can't wait to tell Apple Bloom and Scootaloo!”

“If you must.” Rarity shrugged. Maybe it would get her sister out of the shop before she inadvertently broke something.

“Okay, I'll see you later, then!”

Rarity released a silent sigh of relief as Sweetie Belle dashed for the door. The sigh turned to a gasp as she noticed as pink blur just outside the window. “Watch out!”

Sweetie Belle stopped just short enough to avoid being slammed in the face by the door as Pinkie burst through it. The bell above the door dinged sharply once as it flew off its hook, and then dinged several more times as it bounced along the floor before coming to rest on a pile of fabric scraps.

“Hey, Rarity!” Pinkie chirped. “I have a question for you!”

“Pinkie, how many times to I have to tell you to open the door slowly like a normal pony!” Rarity snatched up the bell. “If you break the bell, I'll have you pay for a new one.”

“Nah, I'll just make a new one for you,” Pinkie said, waving a dismissive hoof.

“Pinkie, I realize that I seldom give you enough credit, but I'm quite sure you don't know much about bellmaking. Nor do I believe that you have access to the materials necessary to do so. Unless you've somehow constructed a foundry in Sugarcube Corner.”

“I'd just make it out of sugar. Then if you got hungry and didn't have any food, you could eat the bell! What flavor do you want it? Strawberry? Or if you can't decide, it could be tutti-frutti!”

“I'm just fine with my current bell, thank you.” Rarity snorted as she returned the bell to its hook above the door. “Sweetie Belle, why don't you run along. You have more interesting things to do than hang around here.”

“Okay! Goodbye, Rarity.” Sweetie Belle waved and scampered out the door. Rarity closed the door gently behind her. At least she wouldn't have to put up with both Pinkie Pie and her sister simultaneously. Her nerves probably couldn't take that particular combination.

“So, Pinkie...” Rarity eyed her cautiously, like a rubber band that was about to snap. “What brings you here?”

“Well, I... uh...” Her eyes rotated independently of each other for a moment as she jumped back into her imaginary office to consult her imaginary secretary.

“What was it I came over here for again?”

Her mental secretary, who was of course, herself with her hair in a bun and a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, shook her head. “I didn't have the name of the restaurant where Twilight and Applejack are going on their date anywhere in my files, so you had to get it from somewhere.”

“Oh right.” Pinkie said silently to herself. Her eyes screwed back into position and refocused on Rarity, who was staring in her direction.

“Um, are you feeling alright?” she asked.

“Of course, why?”

“Well, you just sort of... stopped for a moment, and your eyes went quite... askew.”

“Oh, that.” Pinkie waggled a hoof. “I was just trying to remember why I came over here.”

“And did you remember?”

“Yup! I wanted to get the name of that restaurant you suggested to Twilight and Applejack so I can see how their date goes!”

“Really.”

“Yeah! I've been following this ever since I heard about Twilight, and I want to see what happens now that they're officially together! The only problem is that yesterday during the party I was too busy eating the cake and I didn't hear the name of the place, so I came here to get it!” She grinned and turned her ear towards Rarity and waited.

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “What, you expect me to just tell you?”

Pinkie squinted for a moment before breaking into a wide smile. “This is a trick question, isn't it? I love those! Like if somebody says 'I am telling a lie', are they really? I'm still not sure exactly what the answer is, so I just say that the answer is 'Yope', because that's like saying both 'yes' and 'nope' at the same time!”

“Pinkie...”

“Or maybe it's like one of those questions where there is an answer, but it's something really weird that you wouldn't have thought of. Like if Applejack has a basket with six apples in it, and six ponies each get one apple, but the basket still has one apple in it somehow. How can that be? And then it turns out that—”

“Pinkie!” Rarity stomped her hoof. The sharp click snapped Pinkie to attention.

“Huh?”

“It is not a trick question,” Rarity said. “I will not tell where they will be dining. I fail to see how it is any of your business.”

“But how am I supposed to see how well their date goes if I don't know where it is!?”

Rarity half-grunted, half-sighed. “You be patient and ask one of them about it the next day like a normal pony.”

“But I'm not a normal pony.”

“No, that's...” Rarity's eye twitched. “What I mean is that the whole point of a couple going on a date is to make it a special occasion. To spend time with each other. Just each other.”

“I wasn't going to like sit at their table or anything!” Pinkie protested. “Even I know that would be rude! I'd get my own table.”

“That's not the point.” Rarity put a foreleg over Pinkie's shoulder. “Pinkie, romance is a very private thing. The very thing that separates it from regular friendship is...” She thought for a moment. “...a sense of exclusivity. It's their first real night out with each other as a couple. I believe that it merits a degree of privacy. Being their friend doesn't give you the right to insert yourself into their relationship whenever you please.”

“Hmph.” Pinkie wriggled out of Rarity's grip and plopped herself down on the floor. “That's no fun.”

“They aren't about fun for you.” Rarity fought to keep her annoyance out of her voice. “It's for Twilight and Applejack to enjoy. If you want to have fun yourself... I don't know, build a festivity bomb or play with the Cake twins or something. Maybe take Gummy on a walk.”

“Sooooooo....you aren't going to tell me?”

“No. And while we're at it, I want you to promise me that you won't pester the two of them.” She glared at Pinkie with as much intensity as she could muster. “It's their first date, and I don't want you tagging along. So you're going to promise me that you won't be following, spying on, watching, or trailing them. Can you do that? Promise me that you'll wait until tomorrow before bothering them about it.”

“Do I have to?” Pinkie sounded not unlike a child being told to clean their room.

“Yes, you do.” Rarity sounded not unlike a parent telling a child to clean their room.

“Fine, I promise.”

Rarity's eyes narrowed. “Do you Pinkie Promise?”

Pinkie's jaw wobbled for a moment as she tried to force a response out. “I... I Pinkie Promise.”

“Good!” Rarity's glare instantly flipped into a grin. She spun around and strode back to her sewing machine. “Is there anything I can do for you while you're here?”

Pinkie thought for a moment. “Do you know anything about artillery?”

“Artillery?” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “No. No, I do not.”

“Oh well.” Pinkie sighed. “I'll figure something out. See you later, Rarity.”

“Goodbye!” Rarity waved after her. For a brief moment she considered the implications of Pinkie's parting question, and immediately decided she'd rather not know. She pressed her hoof against the sewing machine pedal, and it hummed to life. She chuckled to herself, thinking of the enormous bullet that Applejack and Twilight had unknowingly dodged. I don't know what they'd do without me.

To any outside observer, Scootaloo was surprisingly focused on her math homework. If one truly looked closely, one would notice that the paper itself didn't actually contain any information other than Scootaloo's name.  It wasn't because she couldn't do the math problems; there weren't that many, and they weren’t that difficult. Nor was it because she didn't want to do the math problems; it sure beat having to write an essay. No, at the moment her studies were neglected because her mind was currently dedicated to something else.

What was the big deal? Sure, Apple Bloom was totally excited that her sister had a very special somepony now. The Apple Family was always real close, after all. But did it really mean that she couldn't talk about anything else for the rest of the day? It had been fun and interesting for maybe as long as their lunchtime had lasted, but after that she had thought they'd go back to their same old crusader stuff.

Nope.

The subject of the day was locked, and every conceivable aspect of the issue would be explored in depth. How did they get together? Where would they go on their date? What would they wear? How many dates would they have to go on before they got married (that's how it works, right?) ? What would they name their kids? Could they even have kids?

They had gotten bogged down at that point. They knew that you needed a mare if you wanted a foal; none of them had ever heard of a stallion having one, but that was the extent of their knowledge of the issue. Apple Bloom was rather adamant that you had to have a stallion for some reason, but wasn't exactly sure why. Sweetie Belle thought that since Twilight had spells for pretty much everything else, she probably had a spell for that. She even turned Applejack into a stallion that one time. If they needed a stallion that badly for whatever reason, she could do that. Apple Bloom was quick to remind her that it was just Big Macintosh with an extra coat of paint, and even if they didn't know exactly what you needed the stallion for, swapping out Applejack for Big Macintosh probably wasn't going to work.

Scootaloo just wondered why they were worrying so much about it.

Sweetie Belle had retorted that just because she hadn’t actually cast the spell didn't mean that it was impossible; Twilight must have gotten the idea somehow. If there was anypony who could make a spell that could do that, it would be Twilight.  She could make a spell to do anything. Fortunately for Scootaloo, that had diverted them into the idea getting Twilight to make a do-your-homework-instantly spell and that had promptly started an argument over whether said spell would count as cheating. Unfortunately, they had only got that far before school bell interrupted them and sent them back to class.

Scootaloo had spent the rest of the day thinking the question over. She had constructed a fairly complex argument that if you could create a spell to do your homework, you must have known how to do it, so you must have already known the material anyway. She couldn't wait to explain it to them. Sweetie Belle had been adamant that if you didn't physically write down the answers yourself, it didn't count, and it wasn't every day that Scootaloo managed to come out on the top of a verbal sparring match.

She never got the chance. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were sitting near each other. By the time she had reached them, they were already back to talking about how amazing Twilight and Applejack's impending date was going to be. Sweetie Belle couldn't wait to tell Rarity about it, and Apple Bloom wanted to get right back home to help her sister get ready.

Scootaloo sighed. Crusading was no fun on her own. Hopefully the novelty of the situation would wear off soon, and they could get back to hanging out like they always did.

“It's just a date. What's so great about that?”

“Applejack, are you almost done in there?” Apple Bloom pounded on her sister's bedroom door. “You gotta get goin'!”

“I know! I'll be down in a minute. Just wait for me in the kitchen, okay?”

“Okay!” Apple Bloom bounced down the stairs and into the kitchen, where her brother and grandmother were preparing dinner. “She'll be right down!” She scurried over to Big Macintosh and poked him in the side. “Isn't it exciting?”

Big Macintosh nodded. “Eeyup.” He returned to stirring the massive pot of soup that sat on the stove. She prodded him again.

“Do you think her date is going to go well?”

“Eeyup.”

“Have you ever been on a date before?”

Big Macintosh stopped stirring, standing still as a statue for a moment. “...Eeyup.”

“Really!? With who?”

He slowly turned his head to face her. “Your teacher.”

“Miss Cheerilee? Oh, you're just talking about that whole thing from Hearts and Hooves Day last year, aren't you? I already knew about that.”

“Eeyup!” Big Macintosh began to nod with uncommon enthusiasm.

Apple Bloom allowed herself a smirk. Big Macintosh was an even worse liar than Applejack. She could feel the heat radiating out of his face. “Or was there some other time? You went on a date with her after the whole thing with the Love Poison, didn't you!? How did it go?”

Big Macintosh's ears twitched. “It went fine.”

“Are you going to go on another date with her!?”

“Maybe.” He snorted and thrust a hoof toward the stairs. “Applejack is comin' down.”

Apple Bloom spun around to see her sister descending the staircase, clad in an earthy brown and green gown. “Applejack, you look great!”

“Do I, now?” She took the stairs slowly, keeping an eye on the hem of her dress. “I feel a bit ridiculous-lookin', what with the braids and whatnot.” She flicked one of the knots of hair that now framed her face. “I don't know much about what's stylish, but I'm pretty sure they aren't really popular now.”

“Braids are always in style!” Granny crowed. “When I was your age all the fillies wore their manes like that! Y'all need a bonnet though. Nopony appreciates a good bonnet anymore.”

“So I don't look too weird?”

“Nah, you look real pretty!” Apple Bloom said. “I don't think I've ever seen you wear lipstick before.”

“I don't think I ever have worn lipstick before.” Applejack said as she reached the bottom of the stairs. “I kinda feel like a clown with all this stuff on my face. I think I might have overdone it a bit.”

“I doubt Twilight would care,” Big Macintosh said with a smile. “Have a nice time.”

“I sure hope I do.”

“Of course you will!” Apple Bloom scurried behind her sister and gave her a shove towards the door. “Now get goin'! You don't wanna be late!”

Granny Smith waved after her. “Y'all have a great time now, y'hear!”

A moment later Applejack found herself outside on the doorstep, the door slamming shut behind her. She turned back and yelled at the door.

“No need to be so pushy, Apple Bloom!” She shook her head. It was too late for that. “I'll see y'all later. Have a nice night.” She sighed, and lowered her voice so only she could hear it. “You're gonna have a good time. Now get goin'. Twilight is waitin' for you.”

She took a deep breath and took a shaky step towards town.

Love's Diet

It's almost time!  Did I remember everything?  Maybe I should have worn the yellow dress.  Applejack has never liked getting all dressed up.  What if she's wearing something plain?  It'll look like I'm showing her up!  But then if she gets herself all dressed up for my sake, it would look like I'm not taking it seriously!  I should have discussed this with her ahead of time!  It's our first date. It needs to be perfect.

To what a cumbersome unwieldiness

And burdenous corpulence my love had grown,

But that I did, to make it less,

And keep it in proportion,

Give it a diet, made it feed upon

That which love worst endures, discretion.

--Love's Diet,

John Donne

Applejack trotted along more quickly than one was supposed to when wearing such an elegant dress.  Never in her life had she felt more conspicuous. Despite Rarity's best efforts, Ponyville had never been a fashion hub, and any mare making her way through town in a dress worthy of the Grand Galloping Gala stuck out like a sore hoof.  That went double if there was nopony with her.  A pair of glitzed up ponies might catch one’s eye, but nopony would think more about it.  But a mare gallivantin' down Mane Street all on her own?  There had to be a story there, and there were more than a few nosy ponies in Ponyville.

And her story wasn't just any story.  Most mares would just be a curiosity, but in her case it would be different.  She had a reputation, one that revolved around being willing to get her hooves dirty.  In fact, she didn't even consider gettin' her hooves dirty to really even be gettin' her hooves dirty.  Her hooves belonged in the dirt.  Gettin' her hooves all nice and shiny was what bugged her. Wearin' a dress in one of Rarity's fashion shows, for instance.  That certainly hadn't been her favorite thing.  What on earth would everypony say if they saw her strollin' down the way in a getup that most ponies would save for the most special of special occasions?  Sure her first date ever was a special occasion, but everypony else didn't need to know that.  With any luck she could get to the library without anypony noticing her.

“Applejack, is that you?”  She clenched her teeth as if she had just stepped on a particularly large nail.  Then she put on her most neutrally natural face and turned to see who had called to her.

“Good afternoon, Cheerilee. How are you doin' this fine day?” Applejack didn't wait for an answer. If she could get a quick word in she could preempt any questions about her attire. “Apple Bloom hasn't been givin' you any trouble has she?”

“No, no, not at all.” Cheerilee shook her head. “She's been quite the little angel lately. Her grades have even been up this semester, especially in math.”

“They oughta be after all the time me and my brother spent helpin' her with it. Although if it's math, it was probably Big Macintosh's doin'. I don't know a variable from a... an integer, I guess. That's a math thing, right?”

“Yes, it is,” Cheerilee said with a chuckle. “How is your brother doing, by the way?”

“Oh, he's doin' fine. He's been a bit busy for the past few days. I haven't been able to help out with stuff quite as much because of...” Applejack bit her tongue. “...reasons.”

“Of course, there's always something going on, isn't there?” She gestured at Applejack's ensemble. “You obviously have something big going on tonight.”

Applejack silently cursed Cheerilee's ability to segue back into the unwanted subject.

“I shoulda figured you'd wonder what was with my getup.”

“I must admit I am rather curious,” Cheerilee said. “I wouldn't want to pry, but it's not every day that I see you dressed like this.”

“Yeah, it's kind of a special occasion.” Suddenly the dress felt much heavier and tighter. “Don't go spreadin' it around or anything, but I'm actually goin' on a date tonight.”

“Oh!” Cheerilee broke into a wide grin. “Well, in that case, I suppose I should let you go about your way, then. I'd hate to make you late. I hope you have a lovely evening. And say hello to your brother for me when you get home.”

“I'll be sure to do that.” Applejack nodded, glad that the Cheerilee was so willing to drop the issue. “You have a nice night, too.”

She breathed a sigh of relief and trotted down the street towards the library. Within moments she was aware of the sound of hooves following her along, so closely that they could only belong to Cheerilee. So they were heading in the same direction, nothing wrong with that. Any moment now, Cheerilee would turn down a side road or something.

Except she didn't. Applejack could hear each step, continuing to follow her. She bit her lip. The library was only a few blocks away. Cheerilee had said she didn't want to pry, and she had never struck Applejack as much of a liar. Why on earth was she still back there?

“Uh, Cheerilee?” Applejack looked back. The awkward smile on Cheerilee's face told her that she felt the oddness of the situation just as much as Applejack did. “Is there any particular reason you're followin' me?”

“I'm not following you. I guess we just happen to be going in the same direction.”

“Where are you goin' anyway?” Applejack asked.

“I was just on my way to drop off some books at the library.” Cheerilee nodded at her saddlebags. “I actually told Twilight that I'd drop them off a few days ago, but some things came up. It's kind of strange. Last time I was this late getting a book back to her she wouldn't stop pestering me about it. Something must be on her mind.” Applejack swallowed, and briefly hoped that Cheerilee wouldn't put the pieces together. “I wonder what it could— Ohhhhhhh!” Cheerilee smiled. “So... you...”

Applejack sighed. “Yeah, I'm goin' on a date with Twilight tonight. Our first, actually. I'm tryin' to not make a big thing of it.”

“Well, in that case, the books can wait! I couldn't possibly take any more of your time. You get on your way. I'll drop this off later.”

“Ah, if you want I could drop them off for you. You know, since I'm gonna be over there anyway.”

“No, no, no! I couldn't possibly ask you to do something like that. You shouldn't be doing errands for me on an occasion like this. There's only one thing that I want you do to.”

“And that is?”

“Show Twilight such a nice time that she doesn't remember that my books are overdue! Now you get going. You wouldn't want to keep your lovely marefriend waiting!”

“No, no I wouldn't. I suppose I'll be on my way then.” She once again resumed her trot down the road.

“Have a nice night!” Cheerilee called after her. “And tell Big Macintosh that I said 'hello!'”

Applejack shook her head at herself. It's only a matter of time before other ponies realize that you're goin' out with Twilight. You gotta get used to that idea or you'll go crazy real fast. Why's it such a big deal that the other ponies know about it, anyway? It ain't like I'm embarrassed to be seen with Twilight or anything. I gotta stop worrying about that stuff.

She stopped in front of the library door and took a deep breath. At the last second, she clamped her mouth shut. Her usual greeting was to shout “HEY TWILIGHT, I'M HERE!”, but that didn't seem quite right for occasion. She let the breath out silently and knocked on the door.

A moment later it swung open, revealing Spike.

“Oh, there you are, Applejack! Twilight just finished getting ready to go.” He stepped back and gestured for her to step into the doorway. “Twilight, Applejack is here!”

The door at the top of the stairs opened, and Twilight stepped out. Applejack swallowed as she watched Twilight's graceful descent. The trail of her cerulean dress flowed down the steps behind her, the silver trim shimmering in the library's warm light. The unicorn's mane was tightly bound into an elegant Chignon knot; not a single hair was out of place. Applejack felt her blood pulsing through her face, threatening to make her sweat.

“Good evening, Applejack,” she said. “You look wonderful. I really like what you've done with your mane.”

“Aw, really?” Applejack flicked at one of her braids. “I was afraid they'd seem a bit too old fashioned.”

“Not at all. They really suit you.”

Applejack's face grew hotter. Her ears threatened to burst into flame. “You're lookin' real pretty yourself tonight.” She had to admit that even though the tight bun was hardly her favorite hairstyle, Twilight couldn't be described as anything but stunning. Twilight rarely put effort into her appearance, but when she did the result was remarkable.

“Thanks.” Twilight blushed furiously. “Fluttershy and I worked on my mane all afternoon. We probably went through half a dozen different styles before settling on this one.”

“Really? That makes me feel a bit silly for complainin' about havin' to sit still while Granny braided my hair.”

“Well, I think it was completely worth it.”

“Ahem.” Spike poked his head between the two of them. “I hate to interrupt your little fashion review, but you guys have a reservation to make.”

“He's right, we better get goin'.” Applejack nodded towards the door. “Shall we?”

“Of course.” Twilight turned to Spike. “You've got the house to yourself this evening, so just kick back and relax. You deserve it after today.”

“Sure thing!” Spike saluted and grinned widely.

“And don't go emptying the fridge again! You can have a snack, but I don't want you gorging yourself on ice cream again.”

“Fine.” Spike's face fell. “I'll save some for you. Have a nice night.”

“Good, I'll see you later.” Twilight trotted to Applejack and paused long enough to give her a peck on the cheek. “Shall we be on our way, then?”

Applejack nodded dumbly, and the two mares strode out the door side by side.

Spike sighed and closed the door. He heard a sound behind him and turned.

“Looks like it's just you and me tonight, Owlowiscious. You want to go catch a movie or something? Not like we've got anything else to do.”

“Hoo.”

“Fine, it was just a suggestion. If you don’t want to do that, I guess I’ll go over to Fluttershy's and visit Peewee. You wanna come?”

Owlowiscious flapped off of his perch and landed on Spike's head. “Hoo.”

“Well, let's get over there before Fluttershy puts him to bed.”

Applejack found herself standing in front of the Mon Chère Restaurant, Twilight at her side. Her nerves had only frayed worse and worse with each step. Not because of Twilight, of course; her company was nothing but enjoyable. It was the restaurant. The doorway alone was more ornate than anything on Sweet Apple Acres. She could have taken every aesthetic consideration on the entire farm and crammed them all into one place and the restaurant’s door would still have been several orders of a magnitude more elaborate. Did she even belong in a place like this? She was an oats and apples type of pony, not a some-sort-of-weird-vegetable-with-an-unpronounceable-name kind of pony. Memories of her time spent in Manehattan drifted into her thoughts. She had decided a long time ago that she was no fan of the upper crust. But if that was what Twilight wanted...

She took a step forward, intending to hold the door open for her companion, only to find the door already held open by waistcoat-clad stallion with a slicked-back mane. He bowed cordially, and motioned for them to come inside. Applejack paused just long enough for Twilight to move, then followed a step behind her. As she stepped through the door, her throat tightened. It was as if all the opulence of the Grand Galloping Gala had been condensed into a single, smallish building. Everything was gilding, ornamentation, and lace. Even the light was golden. And she was only in the entryway.

“So, uh, do we talk to him, or what?” Applejack gestured in the direction of a gray-maned pony who stood behind a rather gaudy counter built into the wall.

Twilight giggled. “Applejack, that's the coat-check pony.” She pointed at the sign above the window.

“Heh heh, so he is.” She followed Twilight down the entryway. They turned a corner and the hall opened into the dining room. A third jacket-clad pony stood at a carved mahogany podium. He bobbed his head graciously at the couple as they approached.

“Good evening, ladies,” he said. “Do you have a reservation?”

Applejack instinctively nodded emphatically. “We sure do! Ya'll think we'd be here if we didn't?”

The Maitre'D raised an eyebrow. Applejack clamped her mouth shut and decided not to open it again until the two of them were at their table. Twilight chuckled nervously and stepped in front of her.

“Yes, we do have a reservation,” she said. “It should be under 'Sparkle.'”

“Of course.” The stallion nodded and flipped through the pages of his guest list. “Ah, here it is. You'll be dining out on the terrace this evening. Quite lovely this time of year.” He nodded at a passing waiter. “Please take these two lovely mares to table eleven.”

Applejack followed Twilight, who followed the waiter. As they ascended the stairs to the rooftop patio, she caught a glimpse of Twilight's face. She had stars in her eyes; the unicorn was obviously fighting the urge to gawk. Applejack sighed internally. The restaurant was impressive, to be sure, but so much of it seemed so unnecessary. As long as the food was good, what did it matter that the plate was imported from Saddle Arabia and had a silver edge? And why were the plates so small? And why were there so many? They could save an hour of dishwashing time by just dumping all the grub on one plate. Everything smelled real nice, though. That's a good sign, she thought. No point in goin' out to eat if the food's not gonna be any good. I just hope there's enough of it.

The scent took her mind back to Manehattan, to that fancy banquet that her Aunt and Uncle had taken her to. The food had been good enough, but each plate had only had maybe a bite and a half on it. If it hadn't been for the dessert buffet afterward she'd probably have starved. The smell faded, and she realized that they had reached the terrace. It was every bit as reserved as the inside dining room was gaudy. The gilding and glitz had given way to ivy-covered trellises, ceramic flowerpots, and the murmur of conversation hidden behind the sound of a gentle harp. Applejack closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the music.

“Come on, Applejack.” Her eyes snapped open as Twilight poked her. “We still have to get to our table.”

“O-oh, right.” They followed the waiter to a table and took their seats on the purple velvet cushions.

“I will return to take your orders momentarily.” The waiter placed a menu in front of each of the mares. “I would recommend the asparagus gratin. It goes quite well with sparkling cider.” He paused for a moment, as if waiting for questions. When there were none, he turned and strode away.

“You looked like you zoned out a bit there, Applejack.”

Applejack craned her neck slightly to look at Twilight between the arms of the candelabra. “Yeah, sorry about that. It's just a lot to take in all at once. This is the first time in years that I've been to such a fancy kinda place. There's just so much stuff all happenin' at once, you know?”

“It is pretty overwhelming, isn't it?” Twilight said. “That's part of why I had Rarity reserve us an outside table. Well, that and it's just too nice of an evening to spend inside.”

“It sure is.” Applejack looked into the distance. The sun was just touching down on the horizon, painting the sky a vivid violet. “I definitely like it better out here.  On evenings like this sometimes I like to go out into one of the fields and just kick back and relax after a hard day’s work.”

“That does sound quite nice.”

“That's cause it is,” Applejack said. “There ain't nothin' like leanin' up against a tree, takin' a big bite of an apple, and watchin' the sunset. Not that this place isn't real nice. Everythings so... uh... shiny.”

Twilight held a hoof to her mouth to stifle her chuckle. “You don't really come to places like this very often, do you?”

“I'm pretty sure the last time I was at someplace like this was when I was a filly visiting my Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehattan. That was the year I got my cutie mark, actually.”

“Oh, your cutie mark? Come to think of it, I don't think you've ever told me the story behind it. I know it has something to do with Rainbow Dash's first sonic rainboom, but that's really all I know.”

“Really?” Applejack blinked. “I coulda sworn I'd told you that story.” She studied Twilight's intent expression. The unicorn seemed genuinely intrigued. If she had heard the story before, she sure didn't seem to mind listening to it again. “Well, when I was real little, I went to Manehattan for a week or so to visit some relatives. I was right at that age when you start worryin' about cutie marks and such, and I thought maybe spendin' some time in the city would help me get things figured out.”

“I guess that's where your sister gets it from,” Twilight said. “Did you enjoy your time in Manehattan?”

“It was real cool for a day or two, seein' the city and all, but it didn't take very long before I started gettin' homesick. My aunt and uncle were real nice, but they were pretty highfalutin' too. Whenever we went anywhere I had to spend a bunch of time gettin' all dolled up in fancy clothes, and I had to act all dignified and such. At first it was kinda fun pretendin' to be a princess or businesspony, but it got hard real fast. It felt like I was tryin' to be somepony else. I had to act like I enjoyed sittin' in a banquet hall and talkin' about stocks and fashion and fancy boats, when what I really wanted to be doin' was helpin' Big Macintosh carry the apples back into the barn, or helpin' Granny Smith sort them, or playin' with Apple Bloom.

Applejack began to fidget with her napkin. “I just couldn't take it any more. I told my aunt and uncle that I wasn't feelin' good and went up to my room. I don't really know what I was thinkin' of doin', so I just went to the window to see if could maybe see my house. That was right when Rainbow Dash did her first Sonic Rainboom. Left a big old rainbow right across the sky, pointin' right toward Ponyville. The next morning I was on the train back home.

“I remember comin’ down the road to the farm.  As soon as I saw my family waitin' for me in front of the barn I just started runnin'. That was when I knew that Sweet Apple Acres was where I was supposed to be. I realized that I just wasn't cut out for livin' fancy. It just ain't me, you know? Getting' dressed up all the time and eatin' food with unpronounceable names.” She looked down at the menu. “I mean, I dunno what an 'Insalata Caprese' is, or why it oughtta cost fifty bits.”

Twilight gave an uneven smile. “I... uh, I'm sorry, Applejack. If I had known that you didn't like these kinds of places I would have asked Rarity to recommend someplace else.”

“Huh? Wait, no!” Applejack shook her head violently. “I don't mind bein' here or anything. It's fun to get all dressed up sometimes, like when we went to the Grand Galloping Gala, or to your brother's wedding. It's just something that I like to save for, uh, special occasions. Like, well, goin' on our first date.”

“Whew, you had me scared there!” Twilight drew a hoof across her forehead. “I wanted to get us off to a good start, and I thought I had ruined it right off the bat.”

“Nah, it's me who should be sorry.” Applejack massaged the side of her head. “I didn't mean to kill the mood or anything. It's just that... you know what, don't worry about it. I do feel a bit outta my league here, but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy myself. I mean, I'm here with you, and that's the important thing, isn't it?”

“It sure is.” Twilight nodded. “Maybe next time we go out, I'll let you pick the place.”

“Are you ready to order?” Both Applejack and Twilight jumped in their seats as the waiter materialized next to the table. “Or would you like a few more minutes to decide?”

“Uh...” Applejack looked at her menu, then at Twilight, then back to her menu, then back at Twilight. Twilight shrugged. “I think we need a few more minutes.”

“Very well. I will return shortly.”

Twilight held up her menu. “I guess it's time to find out if this place is as good as Rarity says it is.”

Applejack nodded and held up her own menu. “Yeah, I am gettin' powerful hungry.”

“Peewee sure is excited today!” Spike watched as the tiny bird hopped off of its perch and onto his claw. The baby phoenix squawked and began to clamor along Spike's arm. “You aren't giving Fluttershy too much trouble, are you? You're being a good little phoenix, right?”

“Oh, he's been quite well behaved,” Fluttershy said. “I wish all of my animals were so cooperative.”

Peewee took a long hop and landed on Spike's head. The dragon chuckled. “That's good. I really wish I could help out more, but I just don’t have enough time to take care of a baby phoenix. That, and raising one is a bit of a problem when you live in a” —as if on cue, Peewee hiccuped, bursting into flames for a moment— “...library.” He deposited the phoenix back on its perch and began cleaning the soot from his spines.

“You and Twilight do seem to have been especially busy lately,” Fluttershy said softly. “Especially Twilight.”

“Yeah, ever since that whole thing with Applejack started, she's been going crazy. Seriously, for as long as I've known her, she's never slacked off on her studies. She's trying to get back into it now, but she has a lot of catching up to do.” Spike chuckled as he watched Peewee gnaw on a birdseed stick.

“She really thinks about Applejack a lot, then?”

“You have no idea.” Spike shook his head. “I mean, I know that sometimes when I'm around Rarity I get a bit... distracted, but that's only when she's actually there. Twilight's always had a bit of a one-track mind. You remember that whole mess when she tried to figure out how the Pinkie Sense worked?”

Fluttershy grimaced. “Twilight... tried to analyze the Pinkie Sense?”

“Remember that time you got attacked by the Hydra at Froggy Bottom Bog?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Twilight spent that entire day trying to prove that the Pinkie Sense wasn't real. At the end of the day she gave up on that, but she spent like a week afterward trying to explain how it works.”

“Why did she stop?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don't know. She says it's because she had other things to study that Celestia actually assigned, but I think it's because she couldn't figure it out.”

“So, um...” Fluttershy turned the question over a few times in her head before asking it. “So, do you think that Twilight could ever lose interest in Applejack?”

“I, um...” Spike scratched his head. “I doubt she'd ever stop caring about her completely. I've never seen her so obsessed with anything since, well... ever.”

“Really?” Flutershy's voice nearly cracked.

“Well, I mean, it's not like she's always going to be going on about Applejack twenty-four seven. Once she remembers that she has a magic cutie mark rather than an Applejack cutie mark, she'll probably ease up a bit.” He narrowed his eyes. “Why do you ask?”

“There's... no reason.” She grew quieter with each word. “I was just curious.”

“Curious. Right.” Spike leaned in. “Are you sure? You've been acting kinda weird.”

“Weird?” Fluttershy's eyes darted around the room. “I haven't been acting weird.”

“But all afternoon when you were helping Twilight get ready, you just seemed kinda strange.” Spike tapped his claws on his chin. “It was like you almost weren't even talking to her. You were just... sitting there and listening to her.”

“I do that a lot.” She rubbed her hooves together. “Is there something wrong with listening?”

“Well, no, but you were really quiet, even for you.”

“Some days I just feel... quieter than others.” It wasn't quite a lie, it just wasn't the whole truth.

“Okaaaaay...” Spike scratched his head. “Maybe I'm just seeing things. I totally didn't realize that Twilight even had a crush until she told me, so I guess I'm trying not to miss anything else.”

“Yes, I'm fine, really—” Fluttershy paused as she felt something thwapping her on the back. She looked back to see Angel kicking her flank. Satisfied that he had her attention, he fixed her with a glare and crossed his forelegs. She swallowed and turned back to Spike. “Actually, there is something...”

“There is?”

Fluttershy bit her lip. Even in the best circumstance she preferred to keep to herself. But even so, maybe Angel was right. She should probably talk to someone who was actually capable of a vocal response. “Yes.” She clamped her mouth shut for a long moment.

“So, are you going to tell me what it is?”

“I— I guess I could. But you have to promise not to tell Twilight about it, okay?”

Spike nodded. “I swear on my spines!”

“Okay, well then, I—, wait, your spines?”

“Yeah, it's part of my dragon code. Although now that I think about it, 'spines' does sound kinda weird. I'll have to think about it some more.” He cleared his throat. “But don’t worry; I can keep a secret..”

“Okay.” Fluttershy swallowed. “It's just that I had a really terrible thought. About Twilight and Applejack. It was just for a moment, and as soon as I had it I knew that it was awful, but it just popped into my head.” Her lips began to wobble. “I— I wanted Applejack and Twilight not to go out with each other!” She collapsed to the floor and curled up as if the world was about to cave in on her.

“You... you did?”

Fluttershy uncurled just enough to glance up at Spike with glistening eyes. “I know it's a horrible thing to say, and I wish I had never thought of it! It's just that ever since she got this crush on Applejack it just feels like she's... I'm not really sure how to say it. Like she doesn't care about me as much anymore.”

“That's ridiculous!” Spike said with a snort. “What on earth would make you think that?”

“Well, since this whole crush happened, I just haven't really been able to talk to her. Whenever I try to, she's always talking about Applejack. And that's fine, and I'm really glad that Applejack makes her so happy, but... she always used to ask me little things about my day or how my animals were doing. I know that my life isn't really that interesting, but it was just nice that she asked. And I... this all sounds so selfish! She's been driving herself crazy over this and everypony else is so supportive! But me... all I can think about is how she thinks Applejack is a better friend than I am!” She buried her face in her forelegs and sniffed. “S-she's completely right. I'm a terrible friend.”

Spike reached out and patted her on the head. “Fluttershy, I'm sure Twilight thinks you're a great friend. She's just really excited that Applejack didn't turn her down. I'm sure that once she gets used to that, everything will go back to normal. And if you were a terrible friend, you wouldn't have spent all afternoon helping her style her mane. It's not like you were trying to break them up.”

“Of course not!” Fluttershy gasped. “I- I felt awful just thinking about it. I could never actually do something like that!”

“See, you're doing just fine, then!” Spike gave her a thumbs up.

“But everypony else is so happy for her! I-I’m happy for her too... I want them to be together, but It’s... I just can't get it out of my head. She's one of my best friends, and I feel like I'm losing her!”

“Twilight would never do that.” Spike snatched a tissue box off of a shelf and gave it to Fluttershy. “Not on purpose at least. I'm sure she still cares about you a lot. She's just a bit out of it at the moment.”

“I know that. At least, I... I think I know that. I just wish I could talk to her again like I used to.”

“Well, what's stopping you? I bet if you told Twilight about how you feel she'd love to talk to you about your animals or whatever. You could tell her all about Peewee or something.”

“I can't tell her! She's been so anxious that I couldn't possibly give her something else to worry about. Besides...” Fluttershy curled up again. “It's... I shouldn't bother her with it.”

“Really, Fluttershy?” Spike shook his head. “You've known Twilight for as long as I-, Okay, maybe not quite as long as I have, but you've known her for years. There's no way she'd be happy knowing she’s making one of her friends unhappy. You should tell her.”

“But... but I...” Her words degenerated into a squeak.

Spike sighed. “Will you at least think about telling her?

Fluttershy nodded. “I think... I think I can do that.”

“Good. Seriously, you shouldn't worry about it too much. Just because she's going out with Applejack doesn't have anything to do with whether you're her friend. I mean, just because I have a crush on Rarity doesn't mean I don't like spending time with you or Pinkie, or everypony else, you know?”

“You're right.” Fluttershy uncurled herself. “I'll think about it.” She stared at the floor for a moment as she tried to think of something to say. “So, it's, uh, time to feed the chickens. If I hold off for too long, they get a bit snippy...”

“You want some help with that? I can carry the feedbag for you.”

“No, no, that's fine.” Fluttershy briefly remembered the last time he had helped. She never would have believed that chickens disliked dragons so much. “You can just wait here and spend some time with Peewee.”

“Okay!” Spike turned his attention to the phoenix, coaxing it back onto his claws.

Fluttershy took a few steps towards the back door, and found Angel blocking her way. He gave her a thumbs up and nodded in satisfaction. She smiled. Maybe Spike was right.

“So Fluttershy is on the stage, upside down, flailing her legs in the air and barking like a dog.”

“And she just up and let you do all this stuff to her?” Applejack tried to wrap her head around the fact that such a thing could actually happen.

“Yeah, she really didn't want to be a model any longer, and didn't have the nerve to tell Photo Finish that she wanted to quit. Anyway, obviously the crowd didn't like it. They're snooty enough about ponies who are trying to be elegant, so when Fluttershy started flopping around they weren't happy. They were getting ready to boo her off the stage, when somepony started cheering.”

“It was Rarity, wasn't it?”

“Yep.” Twilight nodded. “She couldn't bear to see Fluttershy get embarrassed and tried to salvage it. So she started clapping and yelling something about how Fluttershy was revolutionizing the way modeling was done; trying to pass it off as avant-garde. Apparently, the other ponies were so impressed by Rarity’s dress that they decided she was right and started cheering.”

“See, I'll never get all that stuff.” Applejack shook her head. “I just don't know how anypony could start likin' or hatin' something just because somepony else says so. If I'm gonna care about something, it's gonna be because I care about it, not cause somepony tells me I should.”

“I don't get it either.” Twilight shrugged. “I've never understood all the fashion stuff. I mean, looking your best is all well and good, but sometimes it looks like they're just seeing who can get away with the most. At least Rarity doesn't go so far overboard.”

“Yeah, she's a bit prissy sometimes, but compared to some of those getups, she's bein' downright simple. What happened after the show?”

“Well, Rarity went back to see Fluttershy backstage after the whole debacle. Turns out that she was totally jealous of all the attention Fluttershy was getting, but she still couldn't bear to see her fail. And Fluttershy didn't even like modeling, for obvious reasons, but she was sticking with it because she thought she'd let Rarity down if she quit.”

“Oh wow, so they were both makin' themselves unhappy because they thought the other one wanted it?”

“Pretty much.” Twilight chuckled. “If they would've just spoken up, they would have saved themselves a lot of trouble.” She shook her head. “I know what that's like. I'm still kicking myself for not coming to you first. It would have saved me so much anxiety and stress...”

“Well, I can't blame you for that.” Applejack poked at the remnant of her meal. “Sometimes it can be real tough to say the stuff you're thinkin', even when you know it would be better to speak up.”

“I know, right? I'm so glad everypony else was around to give me a shove. If not for that I'd probably still be cooped up in the library. It's so scary trying to tell somepony something when you don't know how they'll react.”

“Yeah, that's sure true,” Applejack mumbled.

“But it's so much better when you do anyway!” Twilight tapped her hoof on the table. “Like when you told me about your cutie mark and everything. Now I know that we should save the fancy restaurant for really super special occasions. I wouldn't want to be dragging you out here all the time if you didn't like it.”

“It's actually wasn't too bad,” Applejack answered. “The food was real good. Don't know if it was quite fifty-bits good, but it's tasty enough, and they gave me a decent amount to boot. Still not sure what all these are for, though.” She gestured at the half-dozen odd pieces of silverware that she had elected not to use. There was a sneaking suspicion that it was a bit of a “foh-paw” or whatever that thing was called, but Twilight didn't seem to care, so Applejack decided she didn't either. “I like the music, too.”

“The music?” Twilight tilted her head. “I never knew you liked classical harp music.”

“I know, it's weird, isn't it? Back when I was in school we were doin' this music thing for the end of the year program. They brought in this professional harpist to come in and play while we accompanied her on kazoos.”

“Kazoos?”

“I guess they couldn't think of any other instruments for a bunch of foals to play. It sounded pretty terrible, to be honest. But during the rehearsals we got to listen to her play a lot. Maybe it was just because I was still feeling really good because I had just gotten my cutie mark, but I really liked listening to it.” She closed her eyes. “I actually remember her playing this song. It was always my favorite. Never could remember what the name of it was, though.” She sighed as the notes faded, and were replaced by another set.

“I'm sure you could ask if you wanted to know it that badly.”

“Nah, it's not that important. As long as I can remember how it goes, I think I'll be okay. The important thing is that I enjoyed myself tonight.”

“You don't know how happy I am to hear that!”

“Ahem.” Both mares turned to see the waiter standing beside the table. “Would the two of you be interested in dessert? We have a delightful crème brulee, chocolate ganache cake, and a delectable tiramisu.”

“Hmmmm.” Twilight tapped her chin. “Would you like any dessert, Applejack?”

“I guess I could go for something sweet.”

Twilight turned back to the waiter. “What would you recommend?”

“Personally, I have a taste for the tiramisu. It is our most popular desert.”

“Two of those, then.”

The waiter nodded and went on his way.

“Twilight, do you even know what tiramisu is?”

Twilight smiled and shook her head. “No idea!”

“Perfect!” Spike stood triumphantly as he surveyed the library, which for once didn't look like a disaster zone. “It's so much easier to keep this place clean when Twilight isn't grabbing books left and right.”

“Hoo.”

“I know, right? Sometimes she pulls books off the shelves faster than I can put them back up.”

“Hoo, hoo.”

“Of course I could!  Just because Twilight is usually here doesn’t mean I need her help.”

“Hoo?”

“Oh, come on.  I've been basically doing it all myself for the past few days! And whenever Twilight is out of town I take care of all sorts of stuff.”

“Hoo.”

“It can't be that bad. I mean, Twilight manages to take care of it while doing all of her studying. She's good at multitasking, but not that good. Maybe I should ask her if I could give it a shot. You know, give her a bit more time to spend with AJ. Or Fluttershy for that matter.”

“HOO!”

“I know! I didn't say I would tell her. Doesn't mean I can't drop some hints though. Besides, I owe Fluttershy for taking care of Peewee”

“Hoo, hoo?”

“Nah, you can stay up and wait for her if you want. I'm gonna go take a nice hot bubble bath and then hit the sack. Twilight is probably going to be talking about the date all day tomorrow anyway, so she can fill me in then.” Spike yawned and began to climb the stairs. “Goodnight.”

Applejack suppressed a belch. She wasn't a fancy pony, but she knew that it wasn't the time for that, no matter how good the food had been. She settled for a sip of water.

“So, uh...” She eyed the slip of paper that the waiter had left in the center of the table. “What do I owe you?”

“What?” Twilight snatched up the paper with her telekinesis. “You don't owe me anything. This is completely on me!”

“Twilight, I appreciate the offer, but you really don't have to pay for me. I mean, this place is real expensive and I wouldn't want you to use up all your bits on it.”

“No, no, no.” Twilight punctuated each word with a shake of her head. “It was my idea to come here, and I won't have you pay for that. Really, don't worry about it.”

“Are you sure, sugarcube? I feel like I'd be takin' advantage of you if I let you pay for everything. Can I at least cover the tip?”

“Nope.” Twilight rummaged through her purse. “I'm the one who asked you out, so I'm the one who pays. That's how these things work.”

“Alright, you win,” Applejack said. “I'll just have to take you out sometime this week to make it even.”

“You don't have to do that!”

“Maybe not, but I want to.” Applejack reached across the table and put her hoof on Twilight's. “If we want this whole thing to work out, we both gotta do stuff, right?”

“Yes, I think you're right.” Twilight put her other hoof on top of Applejack's. “But I'm still paying for tonight, okay?”

Applejack smiled. “If you insist.”

Steam poured out of the bathroom as Spike emerged, clad in an oversized bathrobe. “Ahhhhh!” He headed towards the stairs and stopped. His eyes darted back and forth between the bedroom door and the kitchen. Surely he would have time for a quick snack before going to bed. He took a few steps and heard a knock on the door.

“Hello?” A familiar voice rang through the door. “Twilight, are you back yet?”

Spike opened the door. “Hey, Cheerilee! What are you doing here so late?”

“Oh, I just came back to return some books. I was going to drop them off earlier, but I met Applejack on my way over here and realized that Twilight was... otherwise occupied. I assume she isn't back yet?”

“Nope.” Spike shook his head. “I can take care of them for you if you want, though. I've been pretty much taking care of things lately.”

“That's what I thought,” Cheerilee said as she put the books on the table. She noted Spike's garb. “I didn't wake you up, did I?”

“Nope.” He set about re-cataloging the books.

“Good. I know how Twilight hates it when books get returned late, so I thought I'd come by to check and the lights were on.” She watched Spike zip up and down the shelves, replacing the books. “You really are on top of everything, aren't you?”

“I sure hope so. Is there anything else I can get for you? Do you need more books?”

“No. Not now at least. I'll have to check my curriculum before I know what I'll need next.” She glanced at the clock. “I suppose I should get going. I'd hate to keep you up. Goodnight, Spike.”

“Goodnight, Cheerilee.”

She opened the door and took half a step out.

“Oh my.”

Applejack followed a step behind Twilight as they made their way back to the library. So that was how a date was. It wasn't too bad. She had expected herself to fidget her way through it, fiddling with her braids, readjusting her dress, or worrying about what fork to use. No doubt she had done all three of those over the course of the night, but her attention had been elsewhere. Her attention had been on Twilight.

“Didn't you have an amazing time tonight?” Twilight asked.

“As a matter of fact I did have a pretty good time. Even if I had to spend all afternoon gettin' my hair ready.”

“Tell me about it!” Twilight chuckled. “Fluttershy probably won't ever want to help anypony with their mane again after today.

“Maybe next time we'll go someplace where we don't have to worry about all that stuff.”

“That's up to you, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Her mind began to sort through all the restaurants in town, searching for one that would be a worthy follow up. “I'll be sure to get right on that.”

“Don't worry about it too much. Wherever you choose to go, I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time.”

“Y-yeah, of course.” Applejack bumped into Twilight and realized that the two of them had already reached the library. “So, uh, I guess this is where I head home.”

“I suppose it is,” Twilight said. “Well, I had a wonderful time. I look forward to seeing what you have planned.”

“I'll be sure it's something good.” Applejack swallowed. “Goodnight, Twilight.” She began to turn, but Twilight stopped her, putting her hoof on her cheek.

“Aren't you going to kiss me goodnight?”

“O-of course!” Applejack went in for the kiss. They bumped noses and giggled.

“Don't worry, Applejack, we'll get it right eventually.” They tried again, and this time their lips met, just in time for the library door to swing open.

“Oh my.”

They froze mid-kiss. Cheerilee stood in the doorway, blushing slightly and grinning like a loon. She raised one eyebrow. “Oh, don't mind me. I was just dropping some books off. I hope you have a lovely night.” She winked at the lip-locked ponies before scurrying away.

Twilight and Applejack stood still for a moment before letting the kiss go.

“I guess the cat's out of the bag now,” Twilight said, her cheeks nearly glowing.

“Yeah, it sure is.” Applejack breathed deeply. “I-uh, I better be on my way. Wouldn't want Granny to wait up for me!”

“Of course, of course. I wouldn't want to keep you too long.”

“I had a real good time tonight, Twilight. Even if it wasn't quite my thing. I'll see you again tomorrow, okay?”

“I'm sure we'll cross paths.” Twilight nodded. “Goodnight, Applejack.”

“Goodnight, Twilight.”

The unicorn gave her a final warm smile before retreating into the library.

Applejack let out a long sigh. She hadn't particularly enjoyed the gratuitous fanciness, but against all odds Twilight's presence had made it bearable. She actually found herself looking forward to next time. I'm responsible for next time, aren't I? I better start workin’ on that. As she started to trot back towards Sweet Apple Acres, she could still feel the heat of Twilight's lips on her own. Maybe this whole thing is gonna work out after all.

Bon Bon took a sip of her tea and flipped the page of her questionable romance novel as she sat in her bed. It was, of course, absolute rubbish. It was the story of a lowly gardener who inexplicably won the love of a princess. This was despite having only two conversations with her over the course of the story that weren't composed entirely of romantic cliches. Their perfect passion brought peace to the kingdom, ended the famine, brought the Princesses' ailing father back to full health, and caused a variety of other side effects that made less and less sense the more one thought about it. That was the point; you weren't supposed to think about it. The whole reason Bon Bon owned the thing was that it was perfect for fooling her brain into not thinking.

In fact, reading it  required so little brainpower that she was able to calculate exactly what was going on downstairs: the squeak of the front door opening, the bang as it slammed shut, the thump of Lyra shoving her harp case back into the closet, the clip-clop of her wife ascending the stairs—

“Hey, Bon Bon!” Lyra burst into the room.

“Good evening, Lyra,” Bon Bon said without looking up from her book. “How did work go?”

“It worked! It worked! It totally worked!”

“What worked?”

“The box of chocolates!”

Bon Bon looked up from the book. “What box of chocolates?”

“They had me playing the background music for their outdoor dining area!” Lyra hopped onto the bed. “You'll never guess who I saw!”

Bon Bon put the book on the nightstand. “Who?”

“Guess!”

Bon Bon scowled. “Who?”

“Twilight Sparkle!”

“Really?” Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. “Was she... with somepony?”

Lyra wagged her head up and down.

“Who?”

“Well, don't go spreading it around town or anything, but she was sharing a table with Applejack!”

“Really? I never would have expected Applejack to go to such a fancy restaurant.”

“I know, right?” Lyra bounced exceptionally high and landed on her back, shaking the bed. “At first I didn't even realize that it was her. If I see Twilight tomorrow, I oughtta congratulate her on working things out. They looked like they were having a really good time.”

“If you do, give her my congratulations as well.”

“Sure thing, Bonnie.”

Bon Bon returned her attention to her book.. “So, did you want something to eat? Your sandwich from lunch is still in the icebox, and there's still some of that casserole left. Lyra?”

“Sngnrblbbl!”

Bon Bon lowered the book to see Lyra snoring soundly. She rolled her eyes, and gently drew the blanket over her partner's body. “Goodnight, dear.”

On the Progress of the Soul

I don't believe it.  I did it.  I really did it.  We're together.  Now I just need to make sure we stay that way.

Who could not lack, what'er this world could give,

Because she was the form, that made it live;

Nor could complain that this world was unfit

To be stay'd in, then when she was in it;

—On the Progress of the Soul,

John Donne

The library was silent save for the scratching of a quill on paper, and the occasional yawn. Twilight sat in front of her desk, which was strewn with crumpled spreadsheets. The rejected budgets were illuminated by the few stray shafts of moonlight that poured in through the window.  Her schedule allowed sufficient time for four drafts, five if she hurried.  At the moment her ninth attempt was in progress.  She glanced at the clock, noted that it was far later than it was supposed to be, and turned back to the most recent budget attempt.  The movement of the quill ceased as she weighed the prospect of losing even more sleep against her desire to fully balance her budget.  With a sigh, she crumpled the paper into yet another ball, tossed it to the side, and slid a new one to the center of the desk.  It had to be perfect.

“Twilight?”

“Huh?”  Twilight looked over her shoulder to see Spike descending the stairs from the bedroom.  “Spike, what are you doing up?”

“What are you doing up?” He yawned. “I know you pull all-nighters and everything, but you don't even have anything due.  You should get some sleep.”

“I know, but I've been trying to get my finances figured out all evening and I can't get it to balance!”

“Really? You spend a lot of time on a lot of stuff, but I've never seen you spend so long on your budget before.”

“That's because up until now, our expenses have always been more or less constant.  However, since I started going out with Applejack, they've been thrown off slightly.  Look at this.”  She held the binder in front of Spike.  “First there was our date, which cost me over a hundred bits, then there were those roses I bought her, which cost another thirty bits.  Then another five bits for that card I left her yesterday!  If you add everything up, I've spent over two hundred bits on her this week alone!  And that's not even counting all the advice books, the new dress, and all of the hair care products I bought to get ready for the date.”

Spike took the binder and examined it.  It didn't make any sense.  He turned it upside down, and it remained exactly as comprehensible, which was to say not at all.  He handed the book back to Twilight. “Sooooo... why don't you just cut back a little?”

“No!” Twilight barked it as if Spike had just suggested she saw her horn off.  “That's out of the question. If I'm going to make this relationship work, I'm going to have put my money where my mouth is!”

"I didn't say you had to cut back on  Applejack...”

“I know I need to reduce expenses somewhere, but I don't know where!”  She groaned. “I've been skimping on our food budget already, and I can't stop paying for maintenance on my equipment either.  I guess I could cancel some of my magic journal subscriptions, but it would make finding sources for my research papers really tough.  I guess I could switch to bargain brand cleaning materials, but that doesn't save us all that much.”

“Wow, I never realized that we were so tight on cash.”

“We aren't, really.  I have a fair bit saved up for emergencies, so we aren't going to starve or anything.  It's just that being a student doesn't exactly pay a lot.  You have no need to worry, Spike.  I'm sure I'll figure something out.”

“Oh, I know!” Spike raised his claw. “I have an idea!”

“You do?  What is it?”

“I could get a job,” he said. “I know I eat a lot of the food, so I could work somewhere and help pay for myself.  Like at Sweet Apple Acres or something.”

“Thank you for the offer, Spike.” Twilight ruffled his spines. “But I don't think that will be necessary.  I need my number one assistant, after all.  Besides, you work hard enough around here already.  Speaking of which, you should get back to sleep.  But really, don't worry. I'll come up with something.”

“If you say so, Twilight.” He yawned again. “Don't stay up too late.”

Twilight smiled. “I won't.”  She watched him as he retreated back into his room.  No way he could get a job at the farm.  Not only had he been integral in keeping the library running while she had been occupied with her romantic endeavors, but given his previous attempts at working on the farm his offer likely wouldn't be appreciated.  However, he had given her an idea.  She closed the binder.  I should probably get to sleep, she thought. I'm going to have a busy day tomorrow.

Apple Bloom grunted as she slammed her hooves into the trunk of the tree.  A paltry four apples dropped into the baskets.

“Aw, I'm never gonna be good at applebuckin'”  She stomped her hooves. “How am I supposed to get an applebuckin' cutie mark if I can't knock any apples off the trees?”

Applejack resisted the urge to be visibly amused by her sibling's consternation.  “You're doin' fine, Apple Bloom.  You're still just a filly after all.  That and all the power from a good kick comes from your haunches. You're tryin' to kick with your knees.  You'll get it figured out eventually. Nothing's ever easy when you're first gettin’ started.  You just gotta stick with it.”

“I guess...” Apple Bloom kicked at a pebble.  “I'm just sick of bein' stuck in the 'gettin’ started' part of it. How long are you stuck there anyway?”

“Believe me, everypony wishes they didn't have to slog through the tough bits of learnin' how to do something.  When I was your age I wished I could jump past all that stuff, too.  Sometimes I still do.”

“Yeah, right. You already got past most of it.”

“That's only 'cause I'm so much older than you. By the time you're my age, you'll be the same way.” Applejack noted the length of the shadows. “You can go run along now. I have some stuff I gotta take care of.”

“Is it date stuff?”

“No! Well, kind of. Twilight said that she was gonna drop by soon, and I wanna be there to meet her is all.”

Apple Bloom smirked. “Okay then. If it's for Twilight I guess I can let you go. I got a crusader meeting soon anyway. See you later.” She turned and galloped down the hill.

Applejack called after her, “We'll practice some more tomorrow, okay!?”

Apple Bloom slowed her gallop to a trot. The meeting wasn't that soon. She had about fifteen minutes to kill before Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo would even show up. That was such an annoying amount of time. Too long to go to the clubhouse and wait, not long enough to run back to the house. She decided to take the long way, and cut around the front of the house. Maybe Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle would come early, and she could catch them as they came up the walk.

She didn't see either of them. She did, however, see somepony else.

“Hey, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy jumped as Apple Bloom emerged from behind one of the apple trees that lined the path. “Oh, uh, hello, Apple Bloom. Is Applejack around? I was wondering if she could help me with the annual badger survey.”

“She's home, but I think she's busy. Twilight was gonna come over or somethin' and she's gettin’ ready.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy moved her head so her hair fell across her face. “I'll come back later then.”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Nah, I doubt that Twilight was comin' over for anything important. Applejack wouldn't mind if you dropped in for a bit.”

“No, no. I wouldn't want to get in between them or anything. I mean, I do have some things I've been meaning to talk to Twilight about, but—”

“Then why don't you just go talk to 'em both? It'll solve both problems at once!”

“I wish I could, but...” Fluttershy pawed at the ground. “I couldn't. It's just... I really need to talk to Twilight when she's by herself. It kinda has to do with your sister and it would just be awkward to try to talk about it with her right there.”

“Somethin's goin' on with Applejack?” Apple Bloom scratched her head. “I didn't think there was anything weird goin' on with her.”

“Well, there isn't. Not really.” Fluttershy lowered her head even more. “It's really more my problem than anything else. It's just that I want to spend some time with Twilight, but she’s been spending most of her time with your sister. Not that that’s bad or anything; I just wanted to talk to Twilight about it and maybe see if we could... hang out or... actually, it’s nothing important.  Not really...”

“So you wanna spend more time with Twilight?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re kinda scared that Twilight doesn’t want to spend time with you anymore?

“A little bit, I guess.”

“So you want to try to make sure that she likes you and wants to spend time with you?”

“Um, I suppose you could put it like that.”

“Hmmm...” Apple Bloom hummed as she processed the information. “Ooooohhhh!” She winked at Fluttershy. “I see.”

“If you don't mind, could you not tell Applejack or Twilight about it?” Fluttershy said. “I'd much rather talk to them about it myself.”

“Sure thing, Fluttershy!” Apple Bloom winked again. “Your secret is safe with me. I'll see you later!” She took off towards the clubhouse, leaving Fluttershy standing alone and confused.

Twilight sat on a bench in the town square, perusing the latest edition of the weekly paper. Specifically, she had opened to the “help wanted” pages, most of which were now marked with Xs and circles. It was mostly Xs. She had a full checklist of variables that needed to be considered, and distressingly enough, almost none of the listings met them all.

She slid her hoof down the page. A kitchen job at the local cafe? That required previous cooking experience. X. Administrative position at the post office? That was a full time commitment. X. A part time job as a clerk in the Mayor's office, with flexible hours?  She had seen the Mayor's organizational style (or rather the lack thereof) and wasn't about to get herself involved. Straightening out that mess would be a twenty-seven-hour-a-day job. She put an especially large X next to that one.

The listings ended, and Twilight began to review the meager possibilities that she had circled. Her choices boiled down to three or four various waitress jobs, a few foalsitting requests, and being a janitor at the spa. None of those options held much appeal. She skimmed the pages again, hoping that somewhere there somepony had listed a request for someone willing to work part time in a bookstore. No such luck. Maybe she could strike up a deal with one of her friends. Surely Rarity could use an assistant to take care of her inventory, or perhaps the Cakes could use another hand in Sugarcube corner to help with the finances. Or perhaps Fluttershy needed some help with... Twilight recalled the last time she had helped Fluttershy with the animals. Snakes, a beehive, and skunks all factored rather heavily in the memory. Twilight put a mental X next to that one as well.

“Hey, Twilight!” Twilight jumped at the sound of a  semi-familiar and needlessly bubbly voice that was far too close to her ear. She hurriedly fumbled the paper closed.

“H-hello, Lyra.” The mint unicorn was grinning wider than Twilight had ever seen. “How are you doing today?”

“I'm doing fine. What about you?” With the last word, Lyra craned her neck forward. “Anything... interesting going on?”

“Uh, what are you...” A light flipped on in Twilight's head. “You know, don't you?”

Lyra's head bobbed up and down. “Congratulations!”

“I, uh— thank you?” Twilight wasn't quite sure of the proper response.

“I saw you and Applejack at the restaurant last week!”

Twilight didn't want to suspect Lyra of spying, but she did have a bit of a reputation for being... eccentric. A bit of that suspicion slipped into her voice. “You did?”

“Yeah! I've been one of their musicians for a few months now. I'm lucky I was playing an easy section of music when I saw you two. I just about snapped half the strings on my harp when I realized that the pony with you was Applejack. Never would've guessed that she was the one you set your sights on.”

“Never heard that before...” Twilight mumbled. “Who did you think it was?”

“I dunno. Maybe Cheerilee.”

“Of course,” Twilight said flatly.

“What?” Lyra took a seat upright on the bench next to Twilight. “I just didn't think you'd go for somepony who's so rough-and-tumble.”

“Well, I wouldn't have thought of you ever going for somepony as serious as Bon Bon,” Twilight said.

“Touche.” Lyra chuckled. “She is a bit no-nonsense sometimes. It's a miracle that she puts up with me like she does. But hey, opposites attract, right?”

“I suppose they do, sometimes. It certainly took me off guard.” Twilight allowed herself a smile. “Although what really surprised me is that she was so willing to give the relationship a try. I guess the chocolates really helped. I suppose I should thank you and Bon Bon for that.”

“You're welcome. Bon Bon's happy for you too, you know. More than she lets on.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, she does run a chocolate shop, after all. She sees a lot of couples come through to buy candy for each other.” She leaned over to Twilight and whispered. “You didn't hear it from me, but part of the reason she started her shop was because she likes the romance of it. She can be a bit of a grouch sometimes, but she's a big softie at heart.”

Twilight couldn't help but smirk at the idea. “Don't worry, I won't tell anypony.”

“Good, Bon Bon probably wouldn't be too happy about that.” Lyra leaned back on the bench. “So what were you so interested in? I was like right there and you didn't even see me.”

“Oh, that. I was just looking at job listings.”

“Job listings? I thought you already had a job. You work at the library, don’t you?”

“Well, yes and no,” Twilight said, attempting to nod and shake her head at the same time. “Part of the deal I made when I came to Ponyville was that I would maintain the library in exchange for being allowed to live there free of charge. I do get a small salary for it, and I get a stipend from Celestia to help pay for living expenses and research materials, but other than that I don't really have any source of income.”

“Oh. I didn't realize that you lived so... frugally.” She spoke with a hint of apology in her voice.

“It's not like that!” Twilight suppressed a giggle as she noted Lyra's sudden discomfort. “Spike and I aren't living on the verge of starvation or anything. It's just that this relationship with Applejack has been a bit of a drain on my finances and I think it would be prudent to earn a little extra spending money.”

“Yeah, bouquets are expensive, aren't they?” Lyra let her head flop back, her eyes glued to the sky.

“I only wish there was better work available. There's nothing in here that I'm not completely underqualified or overqualified for. I guess I can't really be choosy. Have you ever worked as a waitress before? Is that easier or tougher than foalsitting?”

“I worked at an Equestrian House of Pancakes for a month or two back in high school. It wasn't too bad, but you'd probably be the only adult in the place other than the manager. Foalsitting depends on the foal. Bon Bon did some foalsitting in college and wasn't a fan.”

“Well, that just leaves working as a janitor at the spa.”

“Ew!” Lyra recoiled.

“What's wrong with that? Ponies go to the spa to get clean, don't they?”

“Well, yeah, but where does all the stuff that gets washed off go? And who's got to clean it all up? Lotus and Aloe certainly don't do it themselves.”

Twilight was still for a moment, and then shuddered. “Yuck! Maybe I should just ask Rarity if I could work with her at the boutique. I'd really hate to resort to that, though.”

Lyra cocked her head. “What's wrong with working at the boutique? Sounds way better than any of the other options you mentioned.”

“It's not working at the boutique, it's that I'd have to bug Rarity for the job. It would be imposing on her, and it sort of feels like cheating to just go to one of my friends rather than finding a job myself. Sometimes I just feel like I've been mooching off of the princess, and I really wanted to try to get a job on my own.”

“Heh, that's right. Sometimes I almost forget that you're the princesses' personal student.”

“Thanks, I guess.” Twilight flushed slightly. “I do try to fit in.”

“Well, you're doing a good job of it. You might as well have been born he— OOOH!” She sprang upright and clapped her hooves. “I just thought of something!”

“I-I see,” Twilight said, taken slightly aback.

“I can't promise anything, but I just might have a job offer for you.”

“Really?”

“Yep!” Lyra nodded so quickly it looked like her head was vibrating. “Should I look into it for you? It shouldn't take long.”

“You'd do that for me?”

“Sure. Bon Bon helped get your whole romance thing started; no reason I can’t help out a bit. I'll just run off and check on that for you and see if it'll work. What say we meet at the Bon Bon's shop in... two hours? Is that good?”

“That works for me. Let's see, two hours from now is—” Twilight looked at the clock tower. “AHHH! I'm late! I was going to stop by the farm to see Applejack!” Twilight's limbs turned into a blur as she shoved the newspaper into her saddlebags. “I gotta go!” She attempted to leap off the bench, tangled her legs together, and flopped to the ground.

“Whoa, slow down there a bit. I'm sure Applejack won't mind if you're a minute or two late. You don't want to seem too clingy, you know?”

“Clingy?”

“Yeah, no matter how much you love somepony, you don't wanna smother them. But yeah, you don't wanna be late either. You better get going.”

“Yes, of course! I'll see you later! And thanks for doing this for me!”

“You're welcome!” Lyra called. Twilight was already halfway across the square. Lyra shook her head. “Can't believe I used to be that crazy.”

Apple Bloom didn’t really know why she had bolted to the clubhouse. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were nowhere to be seen, so Apple Bloom simply circled it, murmuring to herself about Fluttershy. What would her sister think? Applejack wasn't really the jealous type, but she probably wouldn't be too big on sharing Twilight, either. Then again, Twilight probably wouldn't want that much attention, anyway. If Apple Bloom believed what her sister said (and of course she did), then Twilight had nearly driven herself bonkers just worrying about one very special somepony. If she had two of them to keep up with, she'd probably go off the deep end.

“Um, Apple Bloom? What are you doing?”

She ground to a halt. Scootaloo had arrived.

“Scootaloo, you're never gonna believe this!”

“You got your cutie mark!?”

“Don't I wish.” She wiggled her flank, which was still pure yellow.

“Did you think of some way for us to get our cutie marks?”

“Nope.”

Scootaloo thought for a moment. “You figured out how to put that slide on the clubhouse?”

“Nope. I'm still workin' on it, though.”

“Well, what is it, then!?” Scootaloo's wings buzzed in anticipation.

Apple Bloom shook her head “I'm not tellin' you until Sweetie Belle comes.”

“Not cool.” Scootaloo plunked her bottom down and crossed her forelegs. “Getting me all excited like that.”

“Sorry, it's just that it's a bit of a secret and I don't wanna have to say it more than I have to. Anyway, I was thinkin' about the slide. Rather than knockin' a wall out of the clubhouse, we could put some steps up to a higher branch and put the slide—”

“Hey, Sweetie Belle's here!” Scootaloo spun around. “Hey, Sweetie! Apple Bloom says that she has something cool to tell us!”

“Really?” Sweetie's eyes sparkled. “What is it?”

Apple Bloom gestured for them to come closer. “Now you can't go and tell Twilight or Applejack about this, okay?” She drew in a preparatory breath before blurting it out. “Fluttershy has a crush on Twilight!”

Sweetie Belle gasped. Scootaloo said “Huh.”

“Well, she didn't say that specifically, but I could tell.” Apple Bloom nodded with mock sagacity.

“That's it?” Scootaloo sounded like she had been promised ice cream, but only been given brussels sprouts.

“I don't believe it!” Sweetie Belle trotted in place. “What are they going to do?”

“I dunno.” Apple Bloom shrugged. “I guess they could try to share Twilight, but that would be kinda awkward.”

“Can you even do that?” Sweetie Belle asked. “It doesn't sound like it would work very well. Like when they went on a date they wouldn't be able to sit across from each other. And how would Twilight kiss two ponies at once? She'd probably figure out a way to do it, but it would be tough to get it right.”

“Maybe Applejack and Fluttershy could take turns,” Apple Bloom said. “Like Twilight spends every other day with one of them.”

“Nah.” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “I doubt anypony would go for that. Rarity says that one of the things that makes being a very special somepony different from being a friend is escu—, exlu—... somethin' you don't have with other ponies. Besides, what if Twilight doesn't have a crush on Fluttershy?”

“Well, my sister didn't have a crush on Twilight, and they worked things out. I don't think it has to go both ways. Scootaloo, what do you think?”

“I, uh, I'm not sure. Maybe Fluttershy could... get a crush on somepony else?”

“Ooh! That would sure solve the problem!” Apple Bloom thrust a hoof into the air. “If she has a crush on a different pony, then it won't matter if Twilight is my sister's very special somepony! Come on, we gotta figure out what pony we should try to give her a crush on!”

“That’s a great idea!” Sweetie Belle's grin nearly split her face in half. “Let's go! We gotta find a good pony for her!” She rushed up the ramp, followed closely by Apple Bloom. Scootaloo trudged behind them, the corners of her face downturned.

“Not this again...” she grumbled.

Applejack didn't mind in the least that Twilight had dropped by. Neither did she mind that Twilight had stayed for a bit longer than anticipated; in fact she rather enjoyed their talk. She did mind that she had a fair bit of work she had to get done today, and every passing moment meant less and less daylight to do it in. Yet she still couldn't bring herself to ask Twilight to leave. Twilight was obviously enjoying herself far too much for Applejack to rain on her parade. So what if she had to push herself a bit harder to fit everything in? It would be a hassle, but nothing she couldn't handle...

“Hey, Applejack.” Big Macintosh poked his head in the door. “I hate to interrupt, but I thought you were gonna help me load up the apple cart.”

“I'll be right with you, Mac,” she said. He nodded and withdrew his head. “I'm sorry, Twilight, I'd really love to stay and talk some more, but I really do have to go help him out.”

“No, no, it's fine. I understand.” Twilight looked at the clock, which had advanced far further than either of them had thought. “I'd hate to get in your way. I have my own work to do anyway. I'll see you later. Bye, Applejack!” She gave Applejack a quick peck on the cheek and departed.

Applejack sighed as she flipped her hat onto her head. This had been Twilight's fifth visit so far that week. Each one had cost her at least half an hour of valuable work time, and they were gradually getting longer. Today, Twilight had hung around for nearly an hour.  If Big Macintosh hadn't shown up, it could have been even longer. She muttered to herself as she made her way to the barn. “I really gotta tell her to start comin' by after I have all my work done.”

“Quit floating away!” Rainbow Dash grabbed the chunk of cumulus that had attempted to return to the sky and shoved it back into the mound of cloud that sat at the base of her platform. This time it stayed in place. She took to the air for a moment to survey her work, and her attention was immediately grabbed by an orange and purple shape moving down the path. “Hey, Scootaloo!” She glided towards the filly, who was trudging lethargically along. “What's up?”

“Not a lot.” Scootaloo didn't even look up. That's weird, thought Rainbow Dash. She's usually happy when I start talking to her.

“You look kinda gloomy,” she said. “Is something wrong? You didn't have a fight with your crusader pals, did you?”

“Not really. We just got out of a meeting.”

“Then what are you so down for? You're usually all pumped up after your meetings. You know, your whole 'Cutie Mark Crusaders Pastry Chefs!' or whatever. Don't you have some cakes to bake or an ice sculpture to carve or something?”

“Not this time. We did come up with a plan, but I honestly think it's kinda boring.”

“Well, if that's boring, why don't you help me out for a bit?”

Scootaloo's ears perked up. “Really?”

“Sure, I'm working on a new launch method, and it hasn't exactly been working. See, I've been trying to put together a bounce cushion, so I can—” She gestured at the cloud pile and realized that half of it had dissipated. “Oh horseapples. I was going to jump off that platform and bounce into the air, but it keeps floating away. Can you hold these in place while I get ready to jump on it?”

“Of course!”

“Great!” Rainbow Dash flipped into the air and began shoving the clouds towards Scootaloo. “So what's this boring plan that your friends are dragging you into?”

“Well, I'm supposed to be lookin' for somepony to help out with it.” Scootaloo took a cloud and pressed it into the pile.

“Maybe I could help out.” Rainbow Dash grabbed the last cloud. “What's the plan?”

“I doubt you'd want to help out. Actually, if you knew what the plan was you probably wouldn't be able to do much, anyway.”

“What? Why? Go back to the beginning and tell me what the hay is going on.”

“Well, I found out that Fluttershy has a crush on Twilight, and—”

Rainbow Dash tried to say “WHAT!” and gasp at the same time, and made a rather indistinct but obviously shocked sound.

“Are you okay?” Scootaloo asked as she watched Rainbow Dash struggle to string a coherent sentence together.

“I'm fine!” Rainbow Dash managed. “I just, uh, there was this— there was a bug, and it flew up my nose!”

Scootaloo stuck out her tongue. “Ew.”

“Yeah, it's nasty, I know.  That’s why I blew it out. Now what were you saying about Fluttershy?”

“Well, apparently she has a crush on Twilight. But since Twilight's already Applejack's very special somepony, that wouldn't work out. So now Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom think we need to find somepony else for Fluttershy to have a crush on. And this time we have to do it without using any of those love potions or anything, 'cause that didn't end well. I don't suppose you'd be willing to do it?”

“Uh, I think I'll pass on that. And come to think of it, I have something really important to take care of that I just remembered. Let's just try this out once real quick and then I should really get going.”

“Aw, really?” Scootaloo's ears drooped.

“Don't worry, we can try it again tomorrow or something. You got all the clouds in place?” Rainbow Dash landed on the platform.

“Yeah.”

“Alright, see you later then! Oh, and don't tell anypony else about Fluttershy, okay? I doubt she'd like that. Bye!” She waved once and jumped off the platform. The cloud pillow squished for a moment under her before throwing her into the air.

Scootaloo sighed as she watched Rainbow Dash vanish into the distance. “I wonder what that was about.”

Twilight poked her head through the doorway of Bon Bon's Chocolate Shoppe. The bell above the door dinged, and the few ponies in the shop turned to see who had entered. Twilight took a few steps in and felt Bon Bon's narrow gaze follow her. She turned away and tried to make herself inconspicuous by surveying the selection of chocolates that sat on the table, but she could still feel Bon Bon's eyes boring a hole in the back of her head. Hadn't Lyra said that Bon Bon was happy for her? What had she done to deserve the glare?

“Lyra, Twilight is here!” Bon Bon said. Twilight didn't turn around, but she could somehow feel that Bon Bon's eyes were no longer on her.

“Twilight!” Lyra bounded out of one of the side rooms. “I have great news for you!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! You can have that job I was telling you about! Well, if you want it, anyway. Which you should. It's way better than any of those other things you were looking at.”

“Well, I guess I'll consider it, then.” Twilight tried not to sound surprised by Lyra's enthusiasm. “If I would take this job, where would I be working?”

Lyra grinned, threw her forelegs in the air and spun around. “Here!”

“...And then nothing went wrong at all!” Pinkie banged her head on one of the boutique's walls out of frustration. “All they did was sit and talk. There weren't any hilarious misunderstandings, Rainbow Dash never crashed into their table, it didn't accidentally start raining, and neither of them mistakenly ordered a durian without being warned about the smell!” She flopped onto her back and waggled her legs in the air. “It was boring.”

“Maybe it was boring to you.” Rarity looked up from the pattern she was sketching. “But Twilight and Applejack seemed to have enjoyed themselves. I made sure to check in with Twilight so she could give me a status update on how the relationship is proceeding, and she had quite a nice time.”

“Yeah, if by 'nice' you mean 'dull',” Pinkie grumbled. “The first date is never supposed to go that smoothly! Somepony should have released some chickens into the restaurant or something.”

Rarity smacked her pencil down on the table and stared at Pinkie. “Why on earth would you want something like that to happen? I would have thought you'd be glad that they had a good time.”

“Well, I am!” She rolled herself back onto her hooves. “But think about it. Sure they might have had a good time that night, but what about every other time it comes up? What about the memories!? What are they gonna say when somepony asks about their first date? 'Hey Twilight, what was your first date like?' 'It's was fine. Nothing interesting happened.' What kind of a memory is that? At least if I had crashed the date with my party cannon they'd be able to laugh about it later!”

“Pinkie, think of it like this: if nothing interesting happened, it means that you didn't miss anything. How would you have felt if something like that happened, and you weren't there to see it?”

Pinkie gasped. “That would have been terrible! I wonder if I can find a way to tag along next time!”

“No! No tagging.” Rarity shook her head. “The next time they go on a date, you do exactly what it was you did last time, and let them enjoy it the way they want to enjoy it. If they decide they want it to be boring, then so be it.”

“Are you sure? I bet if they did something more interesting they'd totally enjoy it! Like maybe on their next date, I could—” She never finished the sentence. Rainbow Dash crashed through the boutique's front window and landed amongst Rarity's fabric rolls.

Rarity shook her head and decided that the damage was the least of her worries. “Rainbow Dash, how nice of you to drop in. Would you please tell Pinkie that she can't go mucking about with Twilight and Applejack's relationship?”

“Forget that!” Rainbow Dash leaped to her feet and gasped for breath. “We have a way bigger problem on our hooves.”

"Really?" Rarity raised an eyebrow. "And what, may I ask, is this problem?"

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and braced herself for the reaction. "Fluttershy has a crush on Twilight!"

Go and Catch a Falling Star

It’s so nice that things are starting to go smoothly.  This entire relationship has just been so stressful. I can hardly believe that things are actually starting to fall into place.  It’s amazing.

Teach me to hear mermaids singing,

Or to keep off envy's stinging,

And find

What wind

Serves to advance an honest mind.

--Go and Catch a Falling Star,

John Donne

“WHAT!?” Rarity's mane very nearly uncurled. “Rainbow Dash, I swear if this is another one of your pranks—”

“It's not!” Pinkie interrupted. “If this was a prank Rainbow Dash would totally let me in on it!” She shoved herself against Rainbow Dash. “Right?”

“It's not a prank!”  The pegasus shoved Pinkie away. “I'm being totally serious!”

“This is not good at all!” Rarity put her hooves against the sides of her head. “It is nothing short of a disaster!  It's... it's... it's a love triangle!”

Pinkie gasped so hard she lifted herself off the ground.  “Wait a minute.” She landed. “What's so terrible about that?”

“Pinkie, do you know nothing of romance?” Rarity put her hooves on Pinkie's shoulders and shook her. “The love triangle is the worst possible situation that can ever befall a relationship, particularly in circumstances like this one where the parties involved are all already good friends.”

“Wouldn't that make it easier though?” Rainbow asked. “If they're all friends?”

“Not at all!  The precise reason that love triangles are so nefarious is that they are nearly impossible to resolve in a fashion that will make everyone happy!  Inevitably, one of the ponies involved will find themselves alone at the end of it.  Which is bad enough in cases where they aren't particularly close, but when they are...” She shuddered.

“Aw, and it was just starting to get interesting.” Pinkie sighed. “Is it really all that bad if they know each other?

“Think about the possible results, Pinkie!” Rarity rapped her on the forehead. “Think of how Twilight has been so uptight for the past weeks.  How would she react if she were to find out that Fluttershy has the same feelings for her that she had for Applejack? Even worse, she obviously cannot reciprocate those feelings, as she's already in a relationship! Not only would Fluttershy be miserable, but Twilight would also feel awful because Fluttershy is, and Applejack would likely not be very happy herself, given the situation.”

“And then none of us would be happy because they're all sad!” Pinkie gasped again. “This is going to be a complete disaster!”

“I gotta go tell Twilight!” Rainbow Dash readied herself for takeoff, but Rarity hauled her back to the ground. “Hey!”

“We can't go rushing into this, Rainbow Dash. If we go and dump this on Twilight it will only make the situation worse.  We cannot tell her about any of this until we have some sort of idea of what to do.”

“Can I go get Fluttershy, then?” Pinkie asked. “She already knows, so we don't have to keep it a secret from her.”

“No, no, no!” Rarity shook her head so violently it was in danger of popping off. “You of all ponies should know that Fluttershy is rather... delicate. Putting aside the fact that she likely would not appreciate our meddling, we owe it to her to actually think the matter over before attempting to fix it.”

“Yeah, but what are we supposed to do?” Rainbow Dash wrenched her tail out of Rarity's grip, fraying the ends a bit in the process. “We can't just sit by and do nothing! You know what happens when Fluttershy bottles up her feelings.  Remember what happened the first time we went to the Grand Galloping Gala?”

“Yes, but first of all we should find out exactly what sort of feelings she's bottling up,” Rarity said. “What exactly did Fluttershy tell you?”

“Huh? She didn't tell me anything.”

“She didn't?” Rarity furrowed her brow. “Then how, exactly, did you hear about this crush?”

“Scootaloo told me.”

“Oh,”Rarity said flatly. “Then where did Scootaloo hear about it?”

“I'm pretty sure one of the other crusaders told her.”

“And where did they find out about it?”

“I...” Rainbow Dash bit her lip. “...don't know.”

“What exactly did Scootaloo tell you?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “She just said that the crusaders had heard Fluttershy had a thing for Twilight, so they were going to try to fix the situation by finding somepony else for Fluttershy.”

“So what you're telling me is that you heard about this from Scootaloo, who heard about it from one of her friends, who got her information from Discord-knows-where?”

“Well, when you put it like that it sounds dumb...”

“That's because it is!” Pinkie bonked Rainbow Dash on the head. “You had me scared there!”

“Ouch!” Rainbow Dash rubbed at the rapidly forming lump on her cranium. “Okay, so I may not have thought it over very well before coming over. But I don't want anything bad to happen to Fluttershy either. That's the whole reason I’m here! I get that the crusaders might have exaggerated things a bit, but it doesn't mean they were just making stuff up!  They must have gotten the idea from somewhere.”

“Yeah, if they were making stuff up they totally need to make it more interesting.” Pinkie shook her head. “Any made up story needs to include at least one monkey. Or at least a lemur or something.”

“Alright, so there may be a bit of truth somewhere in there, but I have no intention of doing anything until we find out a bit more.” Rarity groaned. “I think I'm going to have to have a talk with my sister.”

Twilight blinked a few times. She hadn't really had any idea what Lyra had in mind, but it surprised her nonetheless. “You got me a job at Bon Bon's shop?”

“Yep!” Lyra nodded. “Bon Bon has been working herself ragged lately, but she's always been a bit resistant to hiring any outside help.”

“She likes to do everything herself, doesn't she?”

“Nah.” Lyra shook her head. “It's just that last time she tried to hire an assistant... let's just say it didn't turn out so well. I try to help out sometimes, but I do more harm than good, so she doesn’t let me do much around the shop. I managed to convince her that you could actually help.”

“Well, I'll do what I can.” Twilight swallowed. She had comprehensive knowledge of a lot of things. Chocolate-making wasn't one of them. She made a mental note to comb the library for any books on the subject.

“You'll be fine!” Lyra patted Twilight's head. “As long as you don't do anything stupid, at least. But you wouldn't be the princess' personal student if you were an idiot!”

“Thanks,” Twilight said, not sure just how thankful she should actually feel. “Are you sure that Bon Bon is okay with this? I'd hate to impose...”

“It's no problem at all. She might seem a bit...” Lyra paused for a distressingly long moment. “...rough, but I'm sure she'll appreciate you once she realizes how helpful you'll be!”

“Yes, helpful. Of course.” Twilight mumbled. “So, when do I start?”

“As soon as possible.” The voice came from behind Twilight. She turned around and found Bon Bon standing there, staring at her through tired eyes. “When is the earliest that you can start?”

“I... uh... I'm not sure. I would have to check my schedule.”

“I see,” Bon Bon said. Twilight got the feeling that Bon Bon was mentally taking a note. Unable to confirm schedule or something along those lines. “And how long, exactly, will it take you figure out your schedule?”

“It shouldn't take long. Maybe a day or two at most. Is that okay? I could probably start tomorrow if you really need the help.”

“That will not be necessary.” Bon Bon sniffed. “I've run this shop on my own for several years now. I believe I will be able to handle it for another two days.”

“Yes, of course! I promise I'll get back to you as soon as possible!”

“Very well. Now if you'll excuse me, I do have work to do. Please let me know when you have your time sorted out, so I will have some idea of what I have to work with.” She flicked her tail and headed into the back room.

“She doesn't seem too enthusiastic about me working here,” Twilight said with a sigh.

“She just got caught off guard.” Lyra patted Twilight on the back. “I just told her about it this afternoon, after all. Once you actually start working she'll realize just how helpful you are, right?”

Twilight felt a lump forming in her throat. “I certainly hope so.”

Scootaloo sighed as she ambled back into the clubhouse. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had already returned. They sat at the table, crossing names off of a long checklist.

“Hey, Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom waved. “Did you find anypony?”

“No.” She slumped down next to the table. “Well, I did run into Rainbow Dash.”

“Do you think that she'd work?” Sweetie Belle asked. “She's known Fluttershy for a long time, hasn't she?”

“I don't think she'd be up for it.” Scootaloo said. “She's... busy.”

Apple Bloom scratched Rainbow Dash's name from the list. “Well, crud. We still haven't found anypony for the plan.”

“You and Sweetie Belle couldn't find anypony?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Well, at first we thought we'd try usin' Big Macintosh again, but we couldn't find him.”

“And then I did find him,” Sweetie Belle said. “Thing is, I found him at that cafe in town with Miss Cheerilee.”

“What, really?” Scootaloo's eyes bulged a bit. “Miss Cheerilee?”

“I'm not sure how that happened,” Apple Bloom said with a shrug. “I mean, after Hearts and Hooves Day last year I didn't think that they'd be very special someponies, but I guess it worked out after all.”

“Unfortunately, that puts us back at square one.” Sweetie Belle held up the list. “We went through almost everypony we know and we couldn't find any that Fluttershy would want to spend much time with.”

“You really talked to everypony?” Scootaloo eyed the list, which spilled off the table and onto the floor. Even if Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were so enthusiastic about the plan, she couldn't quite believe that they had personally examined every pony whose name was on there.

“Well, not everypony,” Sweetie Belle said. “Some we could just cross right off because they probably wouldn't get along well with Fluttershy. Like Ruby's mom, or that big pegasus who says 'yeah' all the time. Rarity always told me that I have to be careful when Fluttershy gets involved in our crusading plans, so we're being extra cautious about making sure we try to give her a crush on a pony that she'd like.”

“That's it!” Apple Bloom leaped onto the table.

“What's it?” Scootaloo asked.

“Rarity! We can try to give Fluttershy a crush on Rarity!”

Sweetie Belle stared at Apple Bloom. “What? My sister? Why her?”

“Well, Rarity already knows Fluttershy well enough to know how to treat her, and they go out to the spa every week, so they must enjoy hanging out.”

“But... they're already friends!” Scootaloo said. “How are we supposed to get that to work?”

Apple Bloom thought for a moment.“Well, Twilight and Applejack were already friends, and it worked out fine for them.”

“Yeah, but last time we used one of our siblings for this, it didn’t really work out.  Not for a really long time, anyway.”

“Well, it’s not like we’re tryin’ to make them very special someponies or anythin’. They just gotta hang out a bit more.” Apple Bloom hopped off the table. “Sweetie Belle, do you know where your sister is?”

“Probably at the boutique. Let's go!”

Scootaloo shook her head as she watched them leave. She grunted to herself. “This is so dumb...”

Spike adjusted his oversized toque, and returned to stirring the enormous pot that sat before him. “This is going to be awesome! I don't know why I never thought of making gemstone stew before.” He dipped a finger into the broth and licked it. “Hm, needs more sand.” He scooped a handful out of a nearby bowl and poured it into the stew. “Much better. Wish I had few more rubies, but oh well—”

He stopped stirring as he heard the familiar sound of a hoof knocking on the library door. “Come in!” The door creaked at it opened.

“Um, hello? Anyone here?”

“I’m in the kitchen!”

Fluttershy poked her head into the room. “Good afternoon, Spike. Is Twilight around?”

“Nope, haven't seen her since this morning.” Spike resumed stirring. “Said she had some important things to take care of.”

“So she's visiting Applejack, then.”

“Well, that was probably one of the things she had to do. I don't think that was the only thing, though. Let me guess, you finally wanted to talk to her about... you know.”

“Yes, I've been thinking about it for a while and I thought—” Angel hopped on top of Fluttershy's head and cleared his throat. “I mean, Angel convinced me that it would be best for me to tell her about it.”

“Well, good luck with that. I've been trying to give her hints that she should hang out with you, but she never really caught on.” He dipped his ladle into the stewpot. “You want to try some of this? It's really good.”

“Um, no, that's alright. Do you have any idea when she'll be back?”

“She said she'd be back in time for dinner, but other than that I don't know. She'll probably be back pretty soon.”

“Would you mind if I just wait here then?”

“Not at all. Make yourself right at home. Would you like a drink or anything?”

“No, I'm fine.” She left the dragon to look after his stew and took a seat at the table.  She flipped through one of the books that sat on it. She could read the words, but they didn't seem to fit together in a way that made any sense. The title read Inherency Versus Learned Capacity: A Comparison of Innate and Practiced Abilities. That cleared up absolutely nothing. She was still trying to figure out what it meant when the door opened behind her.

“Oh, hello Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “What brings you here?”

Fluttershy turned around and forced herself to look Twilight in the eyes.

“I... uh...” Her tongue felt numb.  She could barely form the words.  “I... I need to talk to you about something.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “So, what is our goal?” She pointed at Rainbow Dash.

“To find the cutie mark crusaders before they put their plan into motion.”

“Right.” Rarity pointed at Pinkie Pie. “What do you do when you find them?”

“Lure them back here with cake!”

“No!” Rarity put a hoof to her face. “Well, kind of. Just bring them back here. You don't need to offer them cake. In fact, I don't want to see any cake in my boutique. The frosting could stain something.”

“How about candy then? Could I use that?”

“Don't lure them with anything!” Rarity tried to keep her eye from twitching. “As hard as it is to believe , you are an adult, Pinkie. You don't need to offer them anything. Just tell them that we have to talk to them and bring them here.”

“But if we don't give them anything, they aren't going to want to do our bidding later!”

“Our bidding?” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “What bidding? If we need their help with a prank or something they'd probably help anyway. Besides, Scootaloo does pretty much everything I ask her to. And some stuff I don't ask her to do. Let's just get moving already! If they get to Twilight or Fluttershy before we do, bad stuff is going to happen. I'll do a flyover of Sweet Apple Acres and the outskirts of town.” She spun around and blasted out of the shop.

“I'll go see if they're at any of the restaurants!” Pinkie said. “I’ll check out the ice cream shop first. I heard they have a really good cookie dough Sunday and I... I mean, the crusaders probably really want to try it!” She bounced out hole that Rainbow Dash had left in the window.

“I suppose that leaves me look through the shops on main street,” Rarity grumbled as she selected a hat. “Oh well. I can check the latest fashions while I'm out. And find somepony to fix my window.”

She opened the door and found three small faces staring up at her with over-eager smiles.

“Hey, sis!”

Rainbow Dash savored the feeling of the cool breeze on her face as she cruised along. Her pride had taken quite the hit when Rarity had pointed out the well-it-seems-obvious-now fact that Scootaloo might have gotten the facts mixed up. And that “might have” meant “had probably.” Now those three fillies were a ticking time bomb; if they ran into Fluttershy things would go bad very quickly.

She wheeled in the air. Nopony near Fluttershy's cottage. The Cutie Mark Crusaders weren't there, which was a good sign. Fluttershy, however, was nowhere to be seen. That was a bad sign; if she was in town the chances of her encountering the butt-stamp brigade went up considerably. Hopefully Pinkie and Rarity could intercept them.

They weren't in the Everfree Forest, either. The path into the woods was devoid of hoofprints. That was a tremendous relief. If they had gone in there again, Fluttershy's maybe-crush would be the least of everypony's problems. Searching would be bad enough, but this time of year the poison joke would be popping up everywhere, and Rainbow Dash had no desire to put up with that again.

Might as well check Sweet Apple Acres again; maybe they went back there. She buzzed to the clubhouse. It was closed up, and the lights off. Guess I should check the orchard. She flew higher, and tried to pick out which of the shapes below her might be ponies. “Nah, that's Winona.... that's an apple basket... Hey! Is that—” She dropped closer and groaned. “Nope, just a chicken. Where the hay are they!?”

“Rainbow Dash?”

She looked down to see Applejack emerge from under one of the trees.

“Oh, hey.” Rainbow Dash tried to sound nonchalant.

“You lookin' for somepony?”

Dash landed next to her. “You haven't seen Apple Bloom, have you? She was... uh... she wanted my help setting up one of her plans.”

“Nope, she went into town with her friends a little bit ago.”

“Oh. I guess I'll have to try to catch her then—” Rainbow Dash made to take off.

“Hey, can you wait just a sec? I got somethin' I want to ask you about.”

“Uh, sure.” Rainbow Dash sat. She hadn't been too enthused at the prospect of dealing with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Rarity and Pinkie could deal with them.  At this point, they were more likely to find them first anyway. “What's up?”

“It's about Twilight.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “What about Twilight?”

“It's...” Applejack booted a nearby tree, sending a rain of apples into her baskets. “Twilight's just been comin' by the farm an awful lot lately is all. Which is great, obviously. I like havin' her around.”

“Okay, what's the problem then?”

“Well, she keeps poppin' in at the middle of the day when I'm tryin' to get stuff done.” Applejack hooked a basket with her tail and started dragging it towards her cart. “It's not that I don't like it when she comes around, but whenever she does it's like any work I'm tryin' to do just kinda stops. I just wish she'd wait until after I got my stuff done before she drops in. What am I supposed to do?” She dumped her basket into the back of the cart.

“Uh, you could just tell her that, and ask her to come by later, I guess.” Rainbow Dash scratched her head. Applejack was usually all about the simple, straightforward solution.

“I know that that's what I gotta do, I just don't know how to do it without soundin'... greedy. I mean, Twilight's already doin' more than her fair share of relationship stuff. She gave me like three different bunches of flowers this week! I'm already startin' to feel like I'm slackin' off.”

“Wow, three things of flowers, huh?”

“Yeah.” Applejack shook her head as she proceed to the next tree. “Don't get me wrong, they were delicious and everything, but she doesn't need to bring me something every time she comes over.”

“You ate the flowers?”

“Uh, yeah.” Applejack stared incredulously at Rainbow Dash. “That's what you do with flowers.”

“You aren't supposed to eat a bouquet! Even I know that.” Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her forehead. “When your very special somepony gives you flowers, you're supposed to find a fancy vase and put them in there and then leave it on the table or something.  When was the last time you saw roses in the snack section of the market?”

“But I don't have enough room in the kitchen for that many flowers.”

“Okay then, why don't you just tell Twilight to stop bringing stuff over. I'm sure she'll understand.”

“I kinda wish I could, but I don't know how to tell her all this stuff without soundin' like I'm makin' excuses. Twilight's doin' all this real nice stuff for me and goin' out of her way to do it. If I go and tell her to come by at some other time or something it sounds like I'm just takin' advantage of her. I mean, how would you feel if you were tryin' your hardest to make somepony happy by visitin' them and givin' them stuff and all they said was 'Hey, can you try to come by at a more convenient time and stop bringin' stuff here?' I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like that.” She bucked the next tree extra hard.

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “But even then, if I was doing that I'd want to know that I actually was making the other pony happy. If Twilight really wants to make you happy, I think she'll listen.”

“I suppose so.” Applejack sighed.

“Well, I gotta get going,” Rainbow Dash saluted. “See you later!”

“Wait!”

Rainbow Dash stopped. “Yeah?”

“You have any idea what I could for Twilight? She's been doin' so much nice stuff for me lately, and I really want to do something for her. I was thinkin' about takin' her out this Friday. You have any idea what we could do?”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “I don't think it really matters. Plan something that you'd like doing with her, and as long as you try to make her happy, I think she will be. Gotta fly!” She took a few steps forward and launched into the air.

Applejack watched Rainbow Dash disappear into a cloud. “Something I'd like doin' with her, huh?”

“Hello, Sweetie Belle.” Rarity was unsure whether to grin or frown. The two expressions canceled each other out and her face remained exactly the same, just as she wanted. “What have you girls been up to on this fine afternoon?”

“Y'know, just crusadin' stuff,” Apple Bloom answered. “We had a meetin'.”

“A meeting, you say? Were you coming up with more plans with which to get your cutie marks?” All three fillies' heads bobbed, although Scootaloo's was notably less enthusiastic. Rarity sighed. “I suppose you are in need of some material for this plan of yours. Making superhero capes?”

“Uh, actually we were just comin' by to talk to you,” Apple Bloom said.

“Me?” Rarity drew back in mock surprise. “Why would you ever want to talk to me?”

“No reason in particular,” said Sweetie Belle. “We just happened to be around and thought we'd drop in.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes. Sweetie wasn't a good liar, but she wasn't a bad one either. There was no way to tell whether they were really just dropping by, or if they intended to rope her into their ill-conceived scheme. “Is that so?”

The head bobbing resumed. “Yup!” Sweetie Belle nodded especially vigorously. “Although since we're here, we were wondering if you could do us a favor!”

“A favor?” Rarity fought to keep the suspicion off of her face.

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom shoved her way forward. “Fluttershy told us that... uh... she needs... um...” Apple Bloom screwed up her face in deep thought for a moment. Rarity tried not to chuckle at the obvious lack of planning that had gone into this endeavor.

“A dress!” Sweetie exclaimed. “I'm pretty sure I heard her talking about how she needed a new dress for... somethin'. You should go find her and talk to her about it. And maybe some other stuff, too. Just hang out a bit. You know, if you have time.”

“Are you sure? Fluttershy usually comes to the boutique if she needs something that badly. Besides, I have matters to attend to here.” Rarity nodded in the direction of the window that Rainbow Dash had smashed through. “Such as this. A certain pegasus, I’m sure you know who, had a poor landing not too long ago, and I must repair the damage before the next rain. If it's so important that Fluttershy needs a dress, I'm sure that she will come by of her own accord.”

“But she's... uh... busy!” Apple Bloom said. “Too busy to come by. Doing stuff with with her animals or something. Oh, I know! We could watch the shop while you're gone! We could fix the window and run the register and clean up the—”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” Rarity shook her head. “I prefer to leave such things to professionals. Besides, if Fluttershy is really so busy, I could hardly take up more of her time. As a matter of fact, it would be quite easier for her to simply tell me what she needs the dress for. I already have her measurements from past projects, after all. There really isn't any reason for her to spend time coming down here. Why don't you go find her and ask what type of dress she requires? It would save the both of us plenty of time.”

“Um, I think you should go talk to her,” Sweetie Belle said. “She needs the dress for something important and she'd probably want to talk to her about it.”

“Something important? I wasn't aware that Fluttershy had anything particularly unusual coming up. She didn't mention it while we were at the spa...”

“She needs it for a date!” Apple Bloom blurted. She clamped her mouth shut too late to keep the words in. Sweetie Belle's eyes bulged and Scootaloo winced.

“A date? With whom?”

“I... uh... Rainbow Dash!” Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo visibly cringed. Rarity fought to keep from snorting.

“So, Fluttershy needs a new dress because she's going on a date with Rainbow Dash?”

They nodded some more, this time slowly and forced.

“Even though Rainbow Dash was just in here not ten minutes ago, and didn't mention any such thing?”

More nodding.

“Are you sure?”

The fillies looked at each other, not sure whether they were supposed to nod again.

“I'll take that as a no. In fact, Rainbow Dash did have something to say about Fluttershy that makes the idea of the two of them going on a date quite unlikely.”

“S-she did?” Scootaloo's voice wavered.

“Yes. As a matter of fact, she seems to be under the impression that Fluttershy has feelings for a certain other pony. Might you know where she got that idea?” Her eyes darted to Scootaloo for a moment. The filly had been suspiciously quiet.

“Uh...” Scootaloo's eyes looked at everything except Rarity. “I...um...I may have mentioned it to her...”

“Scootaloo, you weren't supposed to tell anypony about that!” Apple Bloom said in shock. “It's supposed to be a secret!”

Rarity tweaked Apple Bloom's bow. “If it's a secret, how exactly did Scootaloo learn about it?” Apple Bloom's face scrunched. “That's what I thought,” Rarity continued. “And how exactly did you find out about this?”

“Fluttershy told me.”

“Precisely what did she say?” Rarity asked. “I find it rather hard to believe that she would confide something so personal to a filly before discussing it with any of her close friends.”

“Well, she was talkin' to me about how she wanted to spend more time with Twilight. I asked her if it was because she was afraid of Twilight not wanting to be her friend anymore. Then I asked if she wanted to get Twilight to like her more. Then I asked if she wanted Twilight to want to spend more time with her. And she said 'Yes' to everything! That's what a crush is, isn't it? When you really want to spend time with somepony else?”

“Apple Bloom...” Rarity sighed. “That is only one part of a crush. Merely wanting to spend time with somepony does not necessarily mean that anything romantic is going on.”

“What's romance got to do with it?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“That's a rather major part of what a crush is,” Rarity said. “At its core, having a crush on somepony is basically wishing that they would be your very special somepony. Most of the time it means you go out of your way to make a good impression on them so they'd be amenable to the idea.”

A collective lightbulb went on in their heads. “Ooooooooh!”

“...Which is why the three of you shouldn't meddle in such things. After last year's Heart and Hooves Day incident, I would have thought you’d know better. What part were you trying to make me play in your plan?”

“We thought that if we gave Fluttershy a crush on somepony else, she wouldn't worry so much about about Twilight.” Sweetie Belle mumbled. “We figured that since you're already such good friends with her already, you'd be a good choice. Although now that we know about the whole romance thing it's kinda awkward.”

“You three do seem to have a tendency to set up your siblings,” Rarity said with a chuckle. “Next thing I know you'll probably be trying to get Rainbow Dash to ask the Mayor on a date.” She ruffled Scootaloo's mane. “She's practically like your sister, after all.”

“Sooo...” Apple Bloom sidled up to Rarity. “You aren't going to tell Applejack about this, are you?”

“We'll see. Normally I would, but seeing as you haven't actually done anything yet, it may not be necessary. However, I expect all of you to keep quiet. You are not to tell anypony about any of this, understood?”

The three fillies nodded once again.

“Good. Now get back to your crusading; preferably with a plan that does not involve meddling in the personal lives of other ponies. Perhaps give your clubhouse a more fashionable coat of paint. A nice blue, maybe.”

“Okay, Rarity!” Sweetie Belle said as she retreated out of the boutique. “We'll see you later!”

“And if you see Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie, tell them I want to talk to them, okay?”

“Sure thing!” The fillies disappeared out the door and scurried away, glad to have escaped the encounter without punishment.

Rarity shook her head as she watched them go. Doubtless there was some sort of situation regarding Fluttershy, but nothing so disastrous as she had first assumed. She allowed other matters to start climbing back to the forefront of her mind. She had a new number one priority. Rainbow Dash owed her a window.

“It’s so great that you’re giving Twilight a shot at working here.” Lyra said as she swept along the front of the counter. “I know you've never really wanted to hire any help, especially after what happened last time. It really means a lot to her.”

“I know.” Bon Bon slid a tray of brittle into the display case with a thump.

“I'm honestly a bit surprised you actually agreed to it! I mean, whenever I suggested any other pony you always shot it down before I even finished suggesting them.”

“And if it had been anypony else I would have.”

Lyra grinned. “So you made an exception for Twilight?”

“If somepony can get Winter Wrap Up done on time, they ought to be capable of being a help around the shop rather than a hindrance.”

“Right, I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she wanted the job so she'd be able to buy stuff for her very special somepony, right?” She leaned over the counter and poked Bon Bon. “Riiiight?”

“It may have entered my mind.” Bon Bon stuck her nose in the air. “But my primary motivation was finding a hired hoof that can use a broom without making the shop more of a mess than it already is.”

Lyra put on a shocked face. “You mean you're giving Twilight the broom duties? That was like the one thing you let me help out with!”

“Well, she has to start somewhere. I'm obviously not going to let her do anything important until she proves herself capable of handling the simpler tasks.”

Lyra rolled her eyes. “Bonnie, Twilight is Princess Celestia's personal protege. She can totally handle sweeping the shop. I bet she could even make some pretty chocolate designs for you!”

“Nopony touches the chocolate until they prove themselves!” Bon Bon glared at Lyra. “She gets broom duty.”

“Fine.” Lyra frowned for a moment. Then she grinned. “Wait, does this mean I get a promotion?”

Bon Bon smirked. “I suppose I can trust you to take some of the chocolates out of the molds...”

“Really?”

“...but do not get hair on them or you go back to window cleaning!”

“Yeah, yeah, keep my mane out of the merchandise. I know how it works.” She gave Bon Bon a peck on the cheek as she proceeded to the kitchen. “It isn't first time you've let me help out, even if it has been a while.”

“Just make sure you watch your tail, I wouldn't want any—” The bell above the door dinged and Bon Bon put on her proprietor face. “Welcome to the Ponyville Chocolate oh it's you.” Her wide smile turned back into a frown as she saw that Pinkie Pie had rung the bell.

“Hey, Bon Bon!” She bounced towards the plate of free samples. “You haven't seen the Cutie Mark Crusaders, have you?”

“Fortunately, no, I have not.” Bon Bon stepped out from behind the counter and stood between Pinkie Pie and the chocolate counter.

“What about Fluttershy? Have you seen her?” She snatched a hoofful of candy from the sample plate and began to munch.

“No. And samples are limited to one per pony.” Bon Bon swiped the plate out from under Pinkie's nose.

“Are you suuuurreeee?” Pinkie mumbled through a mouthful of chocolate.

“Yes, I am sure. Today has been rather slow.” She lowered her voice and muttered to herself. “And I was rather hoping it would stay that way.”

“What about Twilight? Have you seen her?”

“She was, in fact, here. But she currently is not. If you needed her for something, you will have to look elsewhere.”

“Okaaaay...”

“Do you have any other reason for stopping by other than to eat all of my samples? If not, I have work I must return to.”

“Nope!” Pinkie stood stock still. “So I heard that you have some new peanut butter cups. Do you have any? Oooh! And those buttercream things. And the chocolate covered bananas!”

Bon Bon sighed and called into the kitchen. “Lyra, how would you like to try your hoof at working the register?”

“Of course, I can talk, Fluttershy!” Twilight said. “You had pretty good timing, actually. I just got back from the chocolate shop.”

“The chocolate shop?”

“Yes, if all goes well I'm going to be working there. Part time, of course.” Twilight tossed her saddlebags into a corner. “I needed a little bit more spending money. You know, to help me pay for dates and such. I never realized that a relationship could be so draining! Financially, at least. But anyway, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Um, it's actually about you and Applejack.”

“It is?” A multitude of questions popped into Twilight's head. Maybe she had a suggestion for their next date.

“Yes. I know that I should have come to talk to you about this sooner, but I just felt so awful about it that I just put it off. I guess I should apologize in advance for leaving it until now. I just felt that I had to tell you.”

“Eh?” Twilight's face kept the same smile. Inside her head, it felt like a trapdoor had opened and her brain had fallen into her stomach. “What do you have to feel awful about?”

“Uh, well, it's that when you... I mean, I--” Fluttershy fiddled with her hooves. “I can't think of any way to say it without sounding like a terrible friend.”

“Fluttershy, I'm not sure what you're trying to tell me, but you're not a terrible friend.” She put her hooves on Fluttershy's shoulders. “You've been nothing but supportive of this whole thing with Applejack, even though it basically drove me crazy.”

“T-that's just it!” Fluttershy's voice wobbled. “I haven't been supportive! I-I've been trying to, but... but... ever since it started” —she sniffed— “I feel like I've barely even talked to you. I mean I have, but whenever we talk it's always about Applejack.” She rubbed her eyes. “It's so stupid. I know how much you care about her, and how happy she makes you, and it hasn't even been all that long. I want you two to be happy! Or at least, I should want you to be happy. But even though I care about both of you I couldn't help but think... I- I thought...”

Twilight's throat was dry. She could barely force the words out. “Thought what?”

“I... I thought that it would be better if you and Applejack weren't a couple!” She buried her face in her forelegs. “I know it's such an awful thing to think, and I’m sorry that I ever thought it! It's just that no matter how much I want to be happy for you, I just... I feel like I'm losing you, Twilight. It's terribly selfish, but I just want to know that I'm still your friend. I know I've never been all that helpful and that most of the time I've just been a load on you, but the fact that you were my friend anyway means a lot to me. I don't want to lose that!” She curled up in a whimpering, sniffling ball.

Twilight stared, her jaw hanging slack. Her tongue wagged uselessly, trying to form a word. Unable to think of anything, she took a step forward and gave Fluttershy a hug. Twilight dug into her memories of the past week, sorting through every conversation she could remember. The blood drained out of her face as the realization dawned. “No, Fluttershy. You didn't do anything wrong. It's me who's been a lousy friend. I'm so sorry. If I would have realized...” She sighed. “I should have been paying more attention.”

“What?” Fluttershy looked up. Her eyes were already red around the edges. “But I'm the one who... who thought—”

“You only thought that because I was so caught up in everything. Just because I have a very special somepony now doesn't mean that you aren't still my friend.” She groaned. “I'm such an idiot. I was afraid of this from the start; that if I started going out with her the rest of you would feel slighted. But then when Rarity and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie found out about it they were all so happy about it. I guess I just sort of figured you'd be happy about it too.”

“I-I am happy about it,” Fluttershy mumbled. “I just... I want to stay friends, that's all. I could never ask you to stop spending time with Applejack, or to not talk about her or anything. I don't want you to be unhappy just because of me.”

“Well, I don't want you to be unhappy because of me, either,” Twilight said. “I'm so sorry that I wasn't thinking of you. If I would have realized I never would have acted that way.”

“So you still want to be my friend? Even after I—”

“Of course!” Twilight grabbed Fluttershy and squeezed her. “And hopefully I'll be a better friend than I have been for the past few weeks. I can't believe I didn't notice what was going on!”

“It's okay,” Fluttershy said. “I'm just glad you don't dislike me. I was so scared to tell you about it, because it just sounded so bad, but I couldn't keep hiding it. I had to say something.”

“And I'm really glad that you did! I know how hard it can be to speak up, so I really have to thank you for telling me.” Twilight released Fluttershy and sat down. “If you hadn't it would have taken me forever to realize that something was wrong, and by then things would only be more awkward.”

“Yes, that would have been difficult.” Fluttershy finally smiled.

“Or somepony else might have figured it out before I did! That would have been a bizarre situation, if everyone knew except for me.”

“That's why I really wanted to come right to you. I thought of maybe talking it over with somepony else, but I already knew that I'd have to talk to you eventually.” Fluttershy wiped her eyes. “I did talk to Angel and Spike about it, but they just told me to talk to you.”

“Well, that explains a lot,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “All week he's been suggesting that I visit your cottage to organize all of your paperwork. I thought he just wanted to get me out of the library so he could do one of his cooking experiments. Although, come to think of it, I am more or less free this afternoon.”

“You are?”

“Well, I do have one or two little things, but nothing that can't wait until later.  And once I start that other job I don’t know how much time I’ll have. I'd love to come by and help you out with... whatever it is you need help with. We can catch up a bit. I haven't really been paying attention to much the past few weeks, and I want to fix that.”

“Well...” Fluttershy thought for a moment. “I was going to do the badger survey with Applejack today, but she was busy. I know you usually don't work with animals, but you could help me organize the records.”

“Sounds like a plan, then!” She got up and poked her head into the kitchen. “Spike, I'm going out to Fluttershy's cottage for a while. I'll see you later.”

“See you later, Twilight! You wanna try some of my gem stew?”

“No, I think I'll be fine. Maybe when I get back. Bye!” She ducked out, and a moment later Spike heard the door slam behind them.

“About time they got that figured out.”

Rainbow Dash had abandoned her patrol around the outskirts. After circling the town four times it was quite evident that the cutie mark crusaders were nowhere to be found. She was having just as much luck in the town; she flew up and down nearly every street and saw neither hide nor hair of those fillies. Or Pinkie or Rarity, for that matter. Where was everypony?

A speck of pink caught her eye, and she dived closer. Sure enough, Pinkie was bouncing merrily down main-street, a box protruding from her saddlebags. Rainbow Dash shook her head. Leave it to Pinkie to go shopping while we have a crisis to take care of. “Hey, Pinkie!” she called as she dropped to street level. “I don't suppose you found the cutie mark crusaders anywhere?”

“Nope! I did find candy, though. Want some?”

“No!” Rainbow Dash planted herself in front of Pinkie. “You're supposed to be looking for the cutie mark crusaders! What were you doing at” —she read the label on the box— “Bon Bon's shop!?”

“Buying chocolate. Duh! That's all she sells.”

“But why were you buying chocolate when you were supposed to doing something else?”

“Well, I thought that since kids like chocolate, they might be in there,” Pinkie answered. “Figured I'd take care of my candy needs while I was around.”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to yell, but it wouldn't be good to draw attention. She gritted her teeth instead. “Did you look for them anywhere else?”

“Yup! I looked at the cafe, at the restaurants, at the joke shop, the hat shop, the quill and sofa shop, the fruit stands at the market, the strawberries are really good by the way, the vegetable stands at the market, the muffin shop, the—”

“Okay, I get it,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Is there any place you didn't look?”

“Well, I was about to go to Sugarcube corner to drop off my chocolate.”

“They must be there, then!” Rainbow Dash stomped for emphasis. “I've already checked practically everywhere else.”

“Yeah, they must have gone there to make a cake for Fluttershy and Twilight!”

“Um...” Rainbow Dash thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure, let's go with that. Now let's go!” She braced herself to take off, only to find Pinkie suddenly sitting on top of her. “What are you doing?”

“It's faster this way.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. There was no time to argue. “Fine.” She leaped into the air and soared forward. She rounded the corner and immediately landed, screeching to a halt in front of the Carousel Boutique. Rarity stood in front of it, directing two stallions who were busying themselves with a large sheet of glass.

“Yes, yes, just like that!” Rarity said. “It looks exquisite!”

“Rarity, what the hay are you doing!?” Rainbow Dash snorted. “You were the one making a huge deal out of this, and you haven't even left the shop? What, did you just send me and Pinkie out so we'd leave you alone or something?”

“Not at all!” Rarity spun around. “It might be true that I haven't left the shop, but that's only because our problem came straight to me!”

“What are you talking about, Rarity?” Pinkie narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to tell me that Fluttershy suddenly showed up and told you about everything?”

“No, no, no.” Rarity shook her head. “Mere moments after you two departed, the cutie mark crusaders appeared on my doorstep. I had a bit of a discussion with them and convinced them not to go through with their plan.”

“That's a relief,” Rainbow Dash said. “Did you find out whether they were right about Fluttershy?”

“I'm quite sure they grossly misinterpreted the situation. Fluttershy might very well have talked to Apple Bloom, but to say that she has a crush on Twilight would be quite a stretch, although I would have to speak to Fluttershy myself to be entirely sure.”

“So no love triangle, then?” Pinkie asked.

“It appears not.” Rarity chuckled. “You would hardly believe the things they came up with to convince me to take part in their plan. They actually tried to tell me that Rainbow Dash—” One of the glass-moving ponies cleared his throat. Rarity looked back to see that the window was once again intact. “Lovely,” she said. “You can send the bill to her.” She pointed at Rainbow Dash.

“What!? Why me!?”

“You're the one who smashed through it! If you had just taken a moment to think things through before flying over here you wouldn't have broken the window. Or if you had just used the door, for that matter.” Rarity scowled. “Don't worry so much, my pegasi insurance will cover most of it. Although I should note that your mere presence in town raised my premiums...”

“Fine,” she grumbled.

“So are you gonna tell us!?” Pinkie asked.

“Tell you what?” Rarity said.

“What the Cutie Mark Crusaders' plan was! They probably had something hilarious planned.”

Rarity giggled. “You have no idea. Why don't you two come into the Boutique? I'll tell you all about it.”

“This is ridiculous! What in tar-nation am I supposed to do!?” Applejack smashed her hooves into one of the apple trees as she grumbled to herself. “Why the hay did Twilight have to go and make our first date someplace so fancy? I'm never gonna be able to top that. Maybe I should ask Rarity... if anypony would know how to set up a good date, she would.” She sighed as she dumped the apples into the cart.

“Then again, she'd probably send me to some frilly, frou-frou thing again and I don't think Twilight is real big on that sort of stuff. She might like it better than me, but that doesn’t mean she’d want to do it again.” She checked to make sure she had bucked all the trees, sighed in satisfaction, and slipped into the cart harness. “'Course, if I take her someplace cheap it'll look like I don't care. I can't do that to Twilight. She deserves better than that.”

The cart creaked as she started to tow it towards the barn. “I gotta be overthinkin' this. I just gotta think of something that we'd both like doin'. Twilight isn't gonna care as long as she has a good time. It's the thought that really counts, right?”

“Right!” said a voice from behind her.

“Gah!” Applejack nearly jumped out of the harness. She looked back to see Cheerilee walking alongside her. “What are you doin' here?”

“Oh, Big Macintosh is just giving me a tour of the orchard. He says it's very nice this time of year.”

“It sure is.” Applejack nodded. “The weather is especially nice and—” She narrowed her eyes and looked back at her brother, who was following a few steps behind Cheerilee. “Wait a sec. Is that why you wanted me to sub in for you today? 'Cause you were takin' Cheerilee out to lunch?”

Big Macintosh didn't say anything, though the redness of his face deepened.

“Y'know, you coulda just told me. I'd still have helped you out. Celestia knows you gotta get off the farm more often.” He looked at the ground and stepped behind the cart, out of Applejack's line of sight. Cheerilee snickered. Applejack shook her head. “So what's up with you two anyway? Tryin' to get any info outta my brother is like tryin' to get a diamond away from Rarity.”

“Well, after that incident last Hearts and Hooves Day, we decided to go out to lunch. You know, just to mess with your sister and her friends a bit. As it turns out, we had a rather good time, decided to have lunch together again next month, and well, we've been doing that ever since.”

“Sooooo.... does that mean that you two are... uh...”

Cheerilee grinned, knowing exactly what Applejack meant. “No, it's nothing that serious.” She waggled an eyebrow. “Not yet, at least. Twilight is lucky that you don't take things as slowly as your brother."

“I dunno, sometimes I think it might have been better to take things a bit slower.”

“Really? Did something happen between you and Twilight?”

“Nah, I'm just still new to this whole 'couple' thing, and I don't really know what the hay I'm doin'. I mean, the date last week went great and everything, but it set the bar so high I got no clue what I'm supposed to do to top it.”

“Eh, just show her a good time.” Cheerilee shrugged. “It probably won't matter what you do as long as you enjoy yourselves.”

“Yeah, I get that, but I don't want her to think I'm bein' cheap about it. She's invested a lot into this relationship, and it's not fair if I don't.”

“Well, I'm no expert on romance, but I would think that how much you enjoy the date is a lot more important than how much you spend on it.” She leaned in close. “Just between you and me, I got taken on my fair share of dates back in my younger days. The one I remember most fondly was this pegasus I met while I was doing my semester in Canterlot. He was a bit goofy and awkward, but he knew how to have a good time. A few days before I headed back to Ponyville, he asked me if I wanted to fly with him. I hopped on his back, and he took off. Didn't cost him a bit, but it was the most fun I'd had in years. You've never lived until you've seen Canterlot from the air.”

“That's real sweet and all, and flyin' around Canterlot sounds like it would be fun, but in case you haven't noticed, I don't have wings.”

Cheerilee chuckled. “I know that. It wasn't just the flying that made it fun. It was that he wasn't trying to impress me or anything. He took me on a flight because he thought I'd enjoy it, and I did. It wasn't like the other times when stallions would try to get on my good side by dragging me to fancy restaurants or to Wonderbolts shows, or things like that. Not that it wasn't quite an experience seeing the Wonderbolts perform.”

“You just had stallions stumblin' over each other to get to you, didn't you?”

“No, no, I wasn't that popular,” Cheerilee said, blushing. “I had a few ponies try to get my attention, but they were hardly fighting over me. I guess Canterlot ponies are just a bit more prone to flaunting their wealth.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Truth be told, that's part of why I enjoy spending time with your brother so much. He never really puts on any pretense.”

“So I should just do something Twilight would like, and just ignore how much it might cost?”

“I may not know Twilight quite as well as you do, but I don't think she's the type to care about that.”

“That's what everypony says.” Applejack chuckled mirthlessly. “Guess I should actually listen.”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh's voice said from behind the cart.

Applejack looked towards the sunset. “I think I actually might have a plan...”

“...Twenty-seven!” Twilight checked a final box on her list of badgers. “That's all of them!”

“Good,” Fluttershy said. She turned towards the family of badgers and nodded at them. “Thank you for your time. You can go back to your burrow now.”

“So, now what?” Twilight asked as she watched the badgers return to their home. “Do we just report what we found to the Mayor or something?”

“Well, first, I have to examine how the population has changed since last year so we know how many resources they'll use up.”

“I see. I suppose that's why it's so important to do these surveys each year.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes. Then we have to identify all of the badger dens in or near Ponyville and compare them to planned building projects to make sure they don't interfere with each other. We wouldn't want anypony to build on top of a badger den and cause a collapse. Fortunately they don't dig in town all that--”

“Look out!” Twilight dove forward, tackling Fluttershy into the badger den and out of the way of a rickety, wheeled contraption. It barreled past them, moving faster than such a piece of junk had any right to move. It slammed into the side of the ditch and collapsed into a pile of splinters. A single wheel rolled away from the wreck, coming to a stop at Twilight's hooves.

“Ugghhh....” Apple Bloom's helmeted head popped out of the wreckage. “I guess tryin' to get go-kart racin' cutie marks wasn't a good idea.”

“That's what I told you!” Sweetie Belle's voice said somewhere from inside the ruined cart. “Why did you have to go so fast, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo extricated herself from the rubble. “It wasn't my fault! I had to go faster to get us over that hill. Then on the way back down the brakes gave out.”

“Are you girls okay?” Fluttershy leaped up, sending Twilight flying. She flittered over to the three fillies and began examining them for any injuries.

“We're fine.” Apple Bloom grumbled. “Maybe we should've used more glue.”

“Or picked a more solid box to build the cart out of.” Sweetie Belle clamored out of the contraption and poked at one of the boards that had survived the crash. It crumbled at her touch.

“Or maybe the three of you should have spend a bit more time planning this out,” Twilight said as she watched the Cutie Mark Crusaders survey the damage. “That thing looks like you just threw it together. If you would have come to me sooner I could have given you some books on how to construct something more durable.”

“We were kind of in a rush,” Scootaloo answered. “We spent most of the day working on our plan to get Rarity to—”

Apple Bloom shoved a hoof into Scootaloo's mouth. “Uh... give us some... paint. For the kart.”

“Really,” Twilight said. It wasn't a question. She had long since learned to be extra skeptical when the CMC were claiming anything. She looked to Fluttershy, whose expression was also quite incredulous.

“Yep!” Sweetie Belle nodded vigorously.

“Girls...” Fluttershy cleared her throat. “What really happened?”

Apple Bloom poked at the dirt with her hoof. “Um, you know that stuff I was talkin' to you about earlier today?”

“Yes, I was actually talking to Twilight about that not too long ago.”

“Well, it turns out we mighta... misunderstood you a little.  We kinda thought that... uh... you had a crush on Twilight.  It's okay, though! Rarity explained what was really goin’ on!”

“Oh.” Fluttershy flushed, and lowered her head enough that her hair fell across her face. “You didn't tell anypony else, did you?”

“I...uh...” Scootaloo scratched her head. “I might have mentioned it to Rainbow Dash.”

“O-okay,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“You know, you shouldn't go talking about things like that,” Twilight said in her most stern voice. “Especially when you don't fully understand the situation.”

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” Sweetie Belle said. “My sister already gave us a speech about that. We're all pretty sure that we aren't going to get romance cutie marks.”

Apple Bloom hung her head. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told anypony.”

“It's... It's okay.” Fluttershy sighed. “Just don't do anything like that again.” She pointed at the broken cart. “And clean that up before you go.”

“Sure thing!” Scootaloo saluted. “Alright, let's get this mess out of here. And we should probably put those wheels back in the barn before Applejack realizes we took them.”

The fillies busied themselves with the wreck, and Twilight and Fluttershy began back down the path.

“So, do you think Rainbow Dash told anypony else?” Fluttershy swallowed. “I had kind of hoped to solve everything without everyone finding out, and if they thought that I felt like that...”

“Did you actually tell Apple Bloom everything that you told me?”

“Well, no. All I said was that I wished I would be able to spend more time with you.  I guess she took it the wrong way. I wonder what Rainbow Dash is going to think.  What if she tells everypony?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Twilight said. “Even if she does, I’m sure everypony will realize that it was just the crusaders exaggerating things.  Even if they take it at face value, I’m sure they’ll be careful.  They wouldn’t go spreading rumors about things like that before talking to you about it first.  And that’s assuming that they’ll believe what they hear.”

“Do you really think they’d handle it that well?”

“Of course. They aren't stupid, after all.”

Sweetest Love, I do not go...

Ugh, I have so much to think about.  Not only do I have to figure out how my new job is going to affect my schedule, but I have to be careful not to neglect any of my friends. And not to neglect Applejack, of course.  That would be the worst thing I could do.  We're finally starting to get things figured out. I can't let everything get messed up now.

When thou sigh'st, thou sigh'st not wind,

But sigh'st my soul away;

When thou weep'st, unkindly kind,

My life's blood doth decay.

It cannot be

That thou lov'st me, as thou say'st,

If in thine my life thou waste,

That art the best of me.

--Sweetest Love, I do not go,

John Donne

Spike rolled over in his sleep.  The gemstone stew had turned out a little too well.  Even after spending all night digesting the stuff, his stomach was still full of it.  He turned his head the wrong way, and got an eyeful of early morning sun.  He groaned and rolled in the other direction, the liquified gemstones sloshing around in his gut.  It felt as heavy as one would expect after eating a boulder-sized geode’s worth of gems.  He sighed. The weight was just another excuse not to get out of bed.  He buried his head in his blanket and began to drift back to sleep.

“Spike, time to get up!”  Twilight tweaked his spines.  He responded by burrowing deeper into his blankets.  She started to poke him.  “Come on, Spike! Get out of bed!  I need you for something.”

“Mrnh.” He grunted as he sat up.  “What is it?  Couldn't this have waited until later?”

“It's not that early, Spike.” She chuckled. “I need you to send this letter.”  She held up an unrolled scroll.  “I was going to have you send it last night, but after hanging out with Fluttershy I didn't have time to write it. By the time I was finished you had already gone to bed.”

“And it couldn't have waited another hour or so?” Spike grumbled as he clamored out of his bed. “You didn't forget to send a report, did you?”

“Nope.  It's something rather important that I need to send to Princess Celestia.  But before I send it, I want you to read it. It is about you, after all.”

“About me?”

“Yes.  Remember how I was working on our budget?”

“Yeah...”

“Well, I believe I found a way to fix it, but it will require your approval.”

“My approval?” He stared at her as if she had just sprouted wings. “What do you need my approval for?”

“Just read the letter.” She held it out. “I know I should probably explain it to you myself, but I spent like two hours last night trying to figure out the right way to say everything, and that letter probably sums it up better than I would if I tried to tell you.”

“Alright, alright, give me the letter.”  His years of service as Twilight's scribe had taken a toll on her ability to write legibly.  He squinted and began to read. “'Dear Princess Celestia, I am very happy to inform you that Applejack and I went on our first date earlier this week.  Rarity suggested that we go to the—”

“You can skip that part,” Twilight said with an awkward smile. “I wanted to keep her up-to-date, you know?”

“Okay, then...” His eyes darted down a few paragraphs. “Let's see...'However, despite the fact that our date was a resounding success, I have learned the hard way that there's more to romantic relationships than just making your very special somepony happy.  You also have to be sure that you do not neglect your other friendships.'” Spike looked up. “This is about Fluttershy, isn't it?”

“You can skip that, too. Go down to the part about the library. It's in the last few paragraphs.”

Spike rolled his eyes, which he was having difficulty keeping open. “Fine...uh...'I have also learned...' yadda yadda yadda... 'being in a relationship also results in a burdens on one's finances and one's time...' okay...” His eyes suddenly snapped open and then darted back and forth, rereading the same line to make sure he hadn't misread. “'In light of the additional demands that this relationship makes on me, I believe it would be most prudent to relinquish my responsibilities as Ponyville's resident librarian, and turn these responsibilities over to...'” Spike looked Twilight in the eyes. “Me?”

Twilight nodded.

“You want me to take over the library!? I-- Uh...wow...” He sat.  “I don't know what to say.  I mean, do you really think I could do it?”

“Well, you've basically been doing all the library stuff for the past few weeks anyway.  I'm sure you could handle it.  Besides, it's not like I'm moving out of the library or anything. I'll still be around if you need help.  Of course, you will have to make a few adjustments.  If you decide to take the job, you'll get all the wages for it, but obviously it means you'll have to start chipping in to pay for food and I won't need to give you an allowance, either.  You'll also have to use that money to buy supplies and such.  I'll help you with it, of course, but part of why I wanted to do this is so that I'll be able to earn a few extra bits by working at Bon Bon's shop.  I may not be around quite as much as usual.”

“O-okay...” Spike stared at the letter, trying to process the information. “I... I guess I could try...”

“You don't have to answer right away.” Twilight patted him on the head. “It's a big step for you, and I think you should give it some thought before you decide whether you want to do it or not.  If you don't think you want to try it, that's okay. I'll be able to find the time.”

“But I thought you were in a hurry...”

“The only reason I was really rushing is because I wanted you to have time to think about it, that's all. You just let me know what you want to do, okay?”

He nodded. “Alright.  I'll get back to you as soon as I can.  It's just... I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to try to run the library...”

“Well, for what it's worth, I think you can do it.” Twilight put a foreleg around Spike's shoulders. “You've been doing a great job so far, and I have no reason to believe you'd stop now.”

Her ears perked up as she heard a knock on the door.

“I wonder who that could be?”

She scurried down the stairs, leaving Spike holding the letter.  His claws trembled as he rolled it up.  The library suddenly felt much bigger.

Applejack stood at the library's door, wondering whether she should knock again. What if she had woken Twilight up? Probably not; it wasn't that early in the morning. Then again, it might be early for Twilight. Applejack lived on farm time, after all. Wake up with the sun and all that. Most ponies weren't in quite that much of a rush, but it didn't really matter given that she didn't usually leave the farm before noon. Come to think of it, the streets had looked rather empty compared to when she usually went into town. Maybe she should just come back later and hope that Twilight had slept through the knocks—

“Good morning, Applejack!”

She froze for a moment as Twilight gave her a peck on the cheek. “G-good morning, Twilight. I didn't wake you up or anything, did I?”

“No, I was already up. What brings you by? I usually don't see you around town at this time of day. Don't you usually have work to do on the farm?”

“Um, yeah. Yeah, I do. Usually, at least. Big Macintosh is takin' care of it for me today.” Applejack blinked a few times as she tried to remember what she had come over for. “I wanted to talk to you about something. Or, well, more that I wanted to ask you about something.”

“Okay. What is it?”

“Well, you've been doin' all this stuff for me all week, and bringin' me gifts and whatnot, and I thought it was about time that I did something for you. So I thought I'd, uh, take you out on a date. Is tomorrow night okay? I mean, if you have something else to do I could do it some other time—”

“That should be fine.” Twilight started to nod, but stopped halfway as she remembered something. “Although I should probably check with Bon Bon.”

“Bon Bon?” Applejack asked, confused. “What's she got to do with anything?”

“Oh, right, I guess I never told you about that.” Twilight cleared her throat. “I'm going to start working at Bon Bon's shop so I can get a little extra money. You know, so I can keep up with all the bouquets and everything.”

“Ah, you don't have to do that.” Applejack tried to sound bashful. “There's no need to go to all that trouble. You don't have to go buyin' presents for me all the time just 'cause we're together now.”

“It's no problem at all.” Twilight waved hoof as if to dismiss Applejack’s concern. “I give you things because I want to!”

“Well, thanks for that.” Applejack smiled. Now wasn't the time to worry about that. “What do you think Bon Bon will say? She's always seemed a bit... persnickety to me.”

“I'll have to ask her. I start work in” —Twilight glanced at the clock tower— “about half an hour. Worst case scenario, we'll have to do it on a different day. Where do you want to go?”

A bit of mischief crept into Applejack's smile. “That's gonna be a surprise.”

“Well, I'm sure it'll be great,” Twilight said, mildly surprised by Applejack's sudden smirk. “Where exactly should I meet you?”

“I was just plannin' on pickin' you up tomorrow evening, if that's okay with you.”

“Of course. I'll let you know if anything comes up.”

“Great!” Applejack nodded. “Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I guess I oughta let you get to work. And I got stuff to do back at the farm, so I should probably be goin'. I'll try to drop by later, okay?” She darted forward and kissed Twilight's cheek. “Bye, Twilight.”

“Goodbye, Applejack.”

They stood for a moment, gazing at each other. Then Applejack turned and trotted down the road. Twilight was still for a moment, then went back into the library. Only then did she touch her cheek where Applejack had kissed her.

Bon Bon yawned and adjusted her hairnet as she stepped into the kitchen of her shop. Lyra didn't know how lucky she was. Not everypony could sleep in as late she could. And not everypony who got to sleep in so late had a partner who was gentle enough to slip out of bed without waking her up. Lyra didn't appreciate how much skill it took to do that every morning, especially when you were tangled up in the blankets. Bon Bon was even willing to forgo the customary kiss on the forehead before heading down to the shop if it meant letting Lyra sleep. Besides, a sleeping Lyra wouldn't poke her head into the kitchen and throw off Bon Bon's delicate chocolate-making rhythm.

Now when she stayed out in the storefront, practicing her harp... that was different. It didn't matter what Lyra played, whether she did practice scales or full movements or simply tuned the strings; any sound out of the harp became a beautiful song. Chocolate-making turned into a dance. The music was a far greater contribution than any number of assistants would be.

Bon Bon sighed, and hoped that Twilight’s efforts wouldn’t drown out the sound of the harp.

“They said that I needed a new dress?” Fluttershy asked.

Rarity nodded. “And then they had the gall to claim that the reason you needed the dress was because you were going on a date.”

“A date!?” Fluttershy gasped. If Rarity hadn't already assured her that the rumors had been confined, she would have been rather worried.

“Oh, that's not the half of it!” Rainbow Dash twirled in the air before landing next to Fluttershy. “Wait till you hear who they said you were going out with!”

“Yes,” Rarity continued, mildly irked by Rainbow's interuption. “They said that you were—”

“Wait!” Rainbow interrupted. “Let her take a guess first. I'm curious.”

“I, um...” Fluttershy had no idea, and tried to think of a name that wouldn't embarrass her. “Big Macintosh?”

“Nope!” Rainbow shook her head. “Say, why would you guess that?” She narrowed her eyes and nudged Fluttershy with her elbow. “You don't have your eyes set on Big Mac, do you? I hear he's been taken.”

“No, not at all!” Fluttershy pulled away from Rainbow Dash. “I just guessed him because last time the crusaders tried to set somepony up on a date they used him. Big Macintosh is nice, but he's a bit hard to talk to.”

“See?” Rarity sniffed. “Fluttershy knows how to make a reasonable guess rather than simply jumping to the most extreme conclusion.”

Rainbow Dash zipped over to Rarity, hovering over her. “Hey, I came to you before I did anything, didn't I? It's not like I went off and tried to solve everything myself.”

“That's true, but if you had given the matter a few moments of thought, you might not have even had to do that.”

“Yeah yeah.” Rainbow Dash spun back towards Fluttershy, eager to get the attention away from herself. “Take another guess!”

“Um...Cheerilee?”

“Now you're just being lazy,” Rainbow said with a sigh.

“For heaven's sake, Rainbow Dash, stop bothering her.” Rarity threw a ribbon into the air with her magic. It wrapped around Dash's wings and sent her plummeting to the floor. She turned her attention to the other pegasus. “Apple Bloom actually tried to tell me, with a straight face mind you, that you were going on a date with Rainbow Dash.”

“Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy gasped.

“I know, isn't that crazy!?” Rainbow Dash laughed as she untangled her wings. “I mean, can you imagine? That would be nuts.”

“Rainbow!” Rarity glared needles at her and nodded in Fluttershy's direction. “She's standing right there, you know!”

“What? You think she'd actually be interested that way in somepony like me? I'm way too crazy for her. I'm sure if she ever wanted to go on a date with somepony it wouldn't be me.” Rainbow Dash patted herself on the chest for emphasis. “I'm not saying there's anything weird about wanting to go on a date with her. I mean, think about it, she's one of the nicest ponies in town and she was even a model for a while! I'm surprised she doesn't get more attention. Anypony in town would be lucky to go out with her. I'd be lucky to go on a date with her!”

Rarity snorted and bit her lip to keep herself from giggling.

“Er, it's not like I want to go on a date with her. Well, I mean, I'm not, like, totally opposed to the idea, or anything. She's just... dateable. Like you could go on a date with her even if you weren't interested in her in... that... way... Because I’m not. I mean, she’s a good friend but... uh...” She looked at her friends. Rarity was tearing up with the effort of not laughing, and Fluttershy was blushing so furiously her head looked like a tomato. “Oh, you know what I mean!”

Fluttershy coughed, and did her best to ignore the fact that Rainbow Dash was still in the room. “So, Rarity, what happened then?”

“Well, long story short, their ruse with the dress was an attempt to get me to go talk to you. Thinking that you had a crush on Twilight, they somehow came to the conclusion that the best course of action would be to simply give you a crush on someone else. Being unaware that crushes generally involve romantic feelings, they decided that I would be suitable for their plan.”

“They tried to set us up?”

“I doubt they intended it to seem that way. I believe their reasoning was that since we're already good friends it would be trivial to transfer your affections from her to me.” She sighed. “If only things were as simple as they believe them to be.”

“Yes.” Fluttershy shared the sigh. “I wish these things weren't so complicated.”

Rainbow Dash sniffed. “Eh, it's only as complicated as you make it.”

Twilight stood at attention in Bon Bon's chocolate shop. She wondered if this was how Shining Armor had felt on his first day at boot camp. Probably not. He had been prepared for it.

Bon Bon paced slowly and deliberately in front of Twilight, who wasn't sure whether to stare straight ahead like a recruit or if the situation was informal enough that she could move her head. She decided not to risk it. She'd never started a new job, but certainly it would be better to appear too serious about it than not serious enough. She could feel Bon Bon sizing her up.

“Well, you arrived on time,” Bon Bon said. She nodded, but Twilight couldn't see it.

“I try my best to be punctual.”

“Good,” Bon Bon said flatly. “Hopefully you can keep it up.”

“I intend to.”

“Well, if you intend to work here, I expect you to follow the rules.”

Twilight nodded with conviction. “Of course.”

Bon Bon cleared her throat. Twilight took it as a cue to look at her.

“The first and most important rule,” Bon Bon began, “—is that you listen to my directions and follow them. If you are ever unsure of something, you must ask me before you do anything. This is my shop, and I have the final say on what goes on here.”

Twilight continued to nod. She had a heavy urge to add a “Yes, ma'am,” but refrained. Bon Bon was too young for that.

“The second rule is that you do not go into the kitchen under any circumstances, unless I give you permission.”

“Any circumstances?” Twilight asked hesitantly.

“Well, if there is a fire and the shop is in danger of burning down otherwise, you have my permission to put the fire out. But only in extreme circumstances. In the day-to-day operation of the shop, you are not to go back there. Since I opened this shop, I have only allowed four ponies to go into the kitchen. Myself, Lyra, the health inspector...” The obvious question hung in the air. Twilight resisted the urge to ask it. Bon Bon answered it anyway. “The fourth pony is the reason that nopony is allowed in the kitchen.”

“Stay out of the kitchen, got it.”

“The next rule,” Bon Bon continued, “is that whenever somepony enters the shop you must greet them in the most cheerful manner you can. Like this.” She smiled widely and her voice manifested a trill. “Welcome to the Ponyville Chocolate Shoppe!” The smile vanished. “Now you try.”

Twilight cleared her throat. “Welcome to the Ponyville Chocolate Shoppe!”

“Hmmm...” Bon Bon narrowed her eyes. “Not bad, not bad. That will suffice. Now then, since you are just starting your job today, we'll be starting you off with the simplest duties.” She sauntered over to a door behind the counter and opened it, revealing a broom and mop bucket. “The first order of business is to ensure that the store is clean. I'm sure that you will have no difficulty at all sweeping and mopping.”

“No problem at all.” Twilight tried to sound enthusiastic.

“Good. And then you can clean the tables and wipe the windows,” Bon Bon said. “If all goes well we'll talk about the possibility of you running the register while I'm in the kitchen.”

“Really?” Twilight's ears perked up.

“Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. For today, if anypony comes in to buy anything, simply knock on the kitchen door. Normally, I would be out here to take orders, but one of your friends came by yesterday and cleaned out my supply of peanut butter cups. Now then, if you have any questions, knock on the door and ask me. But do not come into the kitchen.”

“Alright,” Twilight said as she watched Bon Bon head through the door.. “Bon Bon?”

She looked back over her shoulder. “Yes?”

“Thank you for giving me a chance to work here.”

“You're welcome.” Bon Bon smiled. It was small, but there. “Please don't make me regret it.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “I won't.”

Applejack reached for the front door of Sugarcube Corner, hoping that Pinkie wouldn't be the pony behind the counter. Not that there was anything wrong with Pinkie, but today was going to be busy, and Applejack didn't have the time or patience to put up with the inevitable questions. Mr. and Mrs. Cake wouldn't be inclined to pry. They might even have some useful advice.

As she opened the door she got blasted in the face by a burst of polka music. She took a step in and sighed in relief. Pinkie was there, but sitting off to the side keeping the Cake twins occupied with her ability to play half a dozen instrument simultaneously. Mrs. Cake stood behind the counter, setting out a tray of cupcakes. Applejack stepped quickly across the room, trying not to draw Pinkie's attention.

“Good morning, Applejack!” Mrs. Cake chirped, thankfully not loud enough for Pinkie to hear.

“Good morning, Mrs. Cake,” Applejack answered. “How are you doin' today?”

“Quite well. The twins were acting up a bit, but Pinkie has been doing an admirable job taking care of them. They seem to enjoy her... unique musical taste.” She put the last cupcake on the stand. “What brings you by now? I thought you weren't going to deliver my shipment until tomorrow.”

“I'm not here to deliver anything, actually. I wanted to put in an order so I can pick it up when I do come by to drop off your apples. I need you to make a dozen cupcakes.”

“Of course. What type of cupcakes would you like, and how would you like them decorated?”

“Well, I... uh...” Applejack lowered her voice, even though Pinkie probably couldn't hear her. “What kind of cupcake does Twilight like?”

“Oooohhh!” Mrs. Cake's mouth curled into a wry smile. “Vanilla cream it is, then. What about the decorations?”

“Um, I don't really know, now that I think about it. Maybe some books or something? Ugh, I shoulda thought about that before I came over here.” She sighed. “I don't suppose you got any idea?”

“Why don't I just put your cutie marks on them? Assuming that this is for a date, of course.”

“Yeah, I think that'll work. I'm takin' her out tomorrow and wanted to do something special.”

“Well, I'll be sure you get our best work, then!” Mrs. Cake said.

“Thanks. I'll pick 'em up when I bring your apple order tomorrow.” She stood at the counter for a moment. “Uh, you mind if I ask you a question?”

“Of course, dear.”

“It's kinda personal, though.”

“Well, I guess in that case I won't know until you ask, so go right ahead!”

“It's just... I was just wonderin' how you and Mr. Cake met. What was it like when you two first got together?”

Mrs. Cake nodded knowingly. “You've been thinking about that a lot lately, haven't you?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, we first met at a baking contest. Our first conversation was an argument over who would walk away with the prize. Not a real argument, of course. Carrot was quite the flirt in those days, and it was plain that we both knew our way around the kitchen.”

“Really? Who ended up winnin'?”

“We both did. He won the cake contest, and I won the cupcake contest. Afterwards we congratulated each other, and the rest is history.”

“So it was pretty much love at first sight? I wish it were that easy for me. I love spendin' time with Twilight, but it's tough findin' stuff that we have in common. You really got lucky.”

“Well, everypony's different, I suppose,” Mrs. Cake said. “It's not like every couple just stumbles onto common ground. I'm sure you'll be able to make it work.”

“Hopefully this date is gonna help with that. It'll be good to have some time set aside just for talkin' when I don't have other stuff on my mind. Thanks for everything. I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodbye, Applejack!”

Applejack nodded, turned around, and found her nose mere inches from Pinkie Pie's.

“Whoa!” She stumbled backwards against the counter. “Pinkie, why do you have to do stuff like that?”

“So you're going on a date with Twilight? Where are you taking her? Another fancy restaurant? A rodeo? A Daring Do convention? A Carnival?”

“No, no, not a chance, and there aren't even any carnivals around here!” Applejack shook her head. “Why do you need to know anyway? So you can go and hide in a bush or something to watch?”

“A bush, huh? Hmmm....that narrows it down a bit.”

“Pinkie.”

“I'm just curious!” Pinkie put her forehooves on her hips. “I just want to make sure you're doing something really fun!”

“I think I got something down that we're gonna enjoy doin'. And that's all I'm gonna say.”

“Did you order a cake?” Pinkie asked.

“I just said I wasn't gonna say anything else!” She groaned. “But no, I'm not getting a cake. Just some cupcakes. Don't tell Twilight.”

“Well, you gotta bring something cool! Ooh! I know! I know!” Pinkie started to hop. “You could rent a bouncy castle!”

“I am not rentin' a bouncy castle!” She put a hoof on Pinkie's head to stop the bouncing. “Twilight isn't a filly. Besides, I kinda want to get away from all the big fancy stuff. We don't have to go doin' all that to have a good time.”

“But she's your very special somepony!” Pinkie put an uncomfortable amount of emphasis on the second-to-last word.

“I know that!” Applejack said, more defensively than she would have liked. “But it's just... I don't think that her bein' my very special somepony means we have to keep doin' fancy-shmancy stuff. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm real flattered that Twilight thinks I'm worth buyin' flowers and fancy dinners for, but I don't know if I need all that stuff.”

Pinkie gasped so loud that Applejack had to hold her hat down to keep it from being sucked off her head. “But but but but but-”

“Oh hush!” She shoved a hoof into Pinkie's mouth to stop the babbling. “It's not that I don't want to do stuff with Twilight. That's why I'm takin' her out on the date to start with. But the reason I want to take her out is because I like spendin' time with her and I don't think I need to fancy it up. That's all good for special occasions, like our first date, but I don't wanna do it all the time. It just feels weird is all. I don't want Twilight to think that she has to keep getting' me flowers to show that she cares. She might be my very special somepony, but she's still my friend too, and neither of those things are gonna change just ‘cause she stops givin’ me flowers.”

Pinkie Pie pondered Applejack's words for a moment. “Well, yeah, but bouncy castles are awesome!”

“Okay, I'll give you that. They are pretty cool. It's still not the best thing to take on a date, though. Maybe for her birthday.” She glanced at the clock. “Okay, I gotta get back to the farm. Big Mac is coverin' for me, and I got stuff to do. Don't tell Twilight anything about the date, okay? I want it to be a surprise.”

“If my lips had a zipper, I'd zip my lips!” Pinkie pantomimed the act. “Surprises are so much better when you don't know they're coming.”

Applejack chuckled to herself as she walked towards the door. “They sure are.”

Spike groaned. He wasn't exactly as knowledgeable about dragon biology as a dragon should be, but he was reasonably sure that dragons didn't shrink. Or at least they didn't shrink unless they had undergone a freakish growth spurt first. The broom had felt unusually long in his claws, he had nearly gotten vertigo climbing to dust the top shelves, and every sound seemed to echo. He dropped the last book back into place on the shelf and the thump bounced from wall to wall.

“Hoo?”

“WAHH!” Spike almost fell off of the ladder. He regained his grip and turned around to see Owlowisius hovering behind him. “Dude, you gotta warn me before you do that! What are you doing up now anyway? You usually don't wake up until the sun goes down.”

“Hoo hoo.”

Spike shook his head. “Yeah, I hate it when that happens. I guess you haven't heard yet, but Twilight wants me to take over all the library stuff.”

“Hoo.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He climbed down the ladder. “I didn't think I'd actually get to do it any time soon. Now I'm not even all that sure I want to.”

“Hoo. Hoo hoo?”

“That's true I guess, but it wasn't that bad because Twilight was still there to bail me out if I screwed something up.”

“Hoo.”

“I know that, but if I decide to do it, I want to prove that I can do it myself. I don't want to say that I'm going to do it and then have to back out because I can't.”

“Hoo hoo.”

“Maybe you're right. We'll see. If I do take over the library, you'll help me out, right?”

“Hoo.”

“Great!” Spike gave the owl a thumbs-up. “I guess I could give it a try. Maybe if I'm running the place myself I won't have to spend so much time on the checklists. I mean, we only need one, right?”

“Hoo!”

Spike chuckled. “I couldn't have said it better myself!” The library was already starting to feel a bit smaller.

Lyra yawned as she made her way down the stairs. Her harp case balanced on her back, and her breakfast, a chunk of cornbread she had found in the back of the fridge, hovered in front of her face. It was bit crumbly from sitting in there for so long, but it was still edible. Probably. There was no mold on it, and that made it preferable to the trouble of cooking anything. Then again, waiting until lunch would also have been preferable to cooking anything. The list of things Lyra felt like doing immediately after waking up was very short, and cooking wasn't on it. In fact, the only things on it were eating, practicing her harp, and wishing Bon Bon a good morning.

She sniffed the cold morning air. Lemony. Bon Bon must be trying a new recipe or something, she thought. It didn't smell very tasty though. Still, it couldn't be as bad as that attempt at making chocolate covered pickles. That had truly been the nadir of their attempts to draw in business. She stepped into the shop and immediately noticed that the floor was a good deal shinier than usual, and then that her view of the floor was entirely unobstructed. She blinked.

“Good morning, Lyra!”

Lyra turned to see Twilight standing on the other side of the room, next to a mop bucket. All the tables and chairs were stacked up behind her. “Good morning, Twilight,” she said, trying and failing to imitate Twilight's level of enthusiasm. “I see you've been busy.”

“I sure have,” Twilight said with a nod. “First, I swept and mopped the floor, but then I realized that I forgot to clean off the tables first. So I wiped them down, but then I realized that a bunch of the dust from the tables got all over the floor, so I decided to mop it again. Then I noticed that the floor under the table legs was dirty and I hadn't gotten under there when I was mopping the first two times, so I moved all the tables out of the way and mopped again. And now I'm waiting for the floor to dry so I can put the tables back.”

“Well, I can certainly say that I've never seen the floor this clean before.” Lyra looked down. Her reflection stared back up at her.

“Thank you!” Twilight beamed. “I really wanted to make a good first impression!”

“I'm sure Bon Bon will...uh... appreciate it.” Lyra took a bite of her cornbread. “Although I don't think you need to mop the floor three times every day...”

“Of course, of course. It's just that I don't usually do the cleaning in the library, so I haven't quite got the process ironed out. Now I know to mop the floor after I clean the tables.”

“Well, I'm sure somepony as smart as you will have it all figured out in no time.” She watched as Twilight ducked down, producing a dustpan and broom out of nowhere to brush up Lyra's cornbread crumbs. “Whoops, sorry about that.” She crammed the last bit of her breakfast into her mouth.

“No, no, it's fine!” Twilight almost looked like she was bowing as she meticulously cleaned the floor at Lyra's hooves. “It's not like I have a whole lot to do other than clean, so I might as well try to do it really well.”

“It looks like you've been doing a good job so far,” Lyra said as she set down her harp case. “You want some help putting all the tables back?”

“Um, I guess.” Twilight's eyes darted back and forth as if she was afraid somepony would see her. “It's my job to do that, but if you say it's okay to help—”

Lyra chuckled. “It's fine, Twilight. Bon Bon isn't going to fire you because I helped you put the sample tables back.” She grabbed one of the tables with her telekinesis and started to tow it across the floor. The table-legs squawked as it dragged along.

“Uh, let me help you with that.” Twilight lifted the other corner of the table and set it in position. A few minutes later, all the tables were back where they had been, and Twilight busied herself meticulously organizing the display boxes of chocolates. “I don't suppose you have anything that I could do?” she asked. “Other than cleaning, there really isn't that much other than to water the plants.” She pointed at the flowerpots that sat in the shop's bay window.

“I don't think you even need to bother with that.” Lyra shook her head. “I let Bon Bon take care of those.”

“Oh, are they special to her or something?”

“Nah, it's just one of those weird earth pony things.” She shrugged. “She went out of town for a week to go to a chocolatiers' convention, so I had to take care of them. They survived, but they looked kinda... well, you probably know.”

Twilight nodded. “The plants in the library are like that.”

“Yup, they looked nice enough, but as soon as she got back and watered them, then suddenly, BOOM, flowers everywhere. After seeing that I just let her deal with it. Speaking of which, where is Bon Bon, anyway? Kitchen?”

“Yes, she's been in there almost all morning,” Twilight said. “After she gave me my initial directions the only time I've seen her is when somepony comes in to buy something.”

“You didn't go into the kitchen, did you?” Lyra bit her lip. Although she already knew the answer; if Twilight had barged in there, she wouldn't still be around to clean the shop.

“Of course not. She was very clear on that. I didn't even want to open the door. I just knocked.”

“Good. Bon Bon is a bit...territorial, when it comes to her kitchen. Can't say I blame her, though.”

“Really?” Twilight tilted her head. “Why?”

“Uh...” Lyra's eyes darted back and forth as she debated exactly how detailed the explanation should be. “All I'm going to say is that when she started out with the shop, things didn't exactly go smoothly, and she's very protective of her business. I wish I could tell you more, but I don't think she'd appreciate it. You'd have to ask her. And you probably shouldn't do that until she gets to know you a bit better. Right now she still thinks you're a bit of an outsider.”

The two unicorns were silent for a moment, neither one sure what to say.

“So, uh, I'm gonna pop into the kitchen and see what Bon Bon's up to,” Lyra said.“Why don't you... uh... wipe the windows? It can't hurt.”

“Yeah, I think I'll do that.” Twilight snatched up a dust rag and turned her attention to the window as Lyra went into the kitchen. For a moment, there was silence, then a sudden yelp and a loud thud. A minute later, Lyra stumbled out of the kitchen. Chocolate was splattered across her face, the central shape in the middle of her cheek looking suspiciously like a spoon. “Lyra, are you okay?”

“I'm fine!” Lyra said with a giggle. “I know it's a bad idea to sneak up on Bon Bon and tickle her while she's stirring the chocolate, but I just can't help it!” She started licking the chocolate off of her cheek. “She says that when you're done with the floor and the windows you can clean off the glass display counter. Don't open it, though. Bon Bon does not like it when you get hair on the chocolates.”

Twilight saluted. “Will do. That counter will be so clean you won't even be able to see it!”

“I don't know about that,” Lyra said with a grin. “I used to clean that for her and I swear Bon Bon can see smudges that are invisible to anypony else.” She flipped her harp case open. “You don't mind if I play, do you?”

“Of course not. I remember the music from the restaurant. It was beautiful.”

“Well, you aren't getting that now.” Lyra drew the instrument out and took a seat. “You're getting a bunch of warm-up exercises, and then you get to listen to me thresh some new music that I don't know all that well.”

“I'm sure it can't be that bad,” Twilight said. “You probably sound great even when you're practicing.”

Lyra smiled. “I guess so. That's what Bon Bon always tells me.”

Applejack burst into the barn, gasping for breath. “Sorry I'm late, Mac. I ran into Pinkie on my way back.”

Big Macintosh looked up from his clipboard. “It's okay.”

“No, it ain't. I already owe you a couple hours worth of work for coverin' for me when Twilight comes over. I don't want that hangin' over my head anymore. You gotta take Cheerilee out to lunch soon so we can even it out.” She looked over his shoulder at the clipboard. “What are we doin' today, anyway?”

“Cart needs a new axle, and the west field needs to be bucked.” He flipped a page on the clipboard. “Gotta plow the corn field, too. Plow needs to be fixed, though.”

“Well, you want to do the cart, or the plow?” Applejack asked. Big Macintosh just shrugged. “Well, if you don't care I'll get to work on that cart then get the buckin' done. If I finish before you, I'll come by and help finish up the corn field.”

Big Macintosh nodded and sauntered towards the door. “I'll go get Apple Bloom.”

“Apple Bloom, what do you need her for?”

“She wanted to help you fix the cart.”

“Guess that makes sense. I'll probably need her help to fix it up, anyhow.” Applejack turned her attention back to the cart.  The first thought to pop into her head was how much fun it might be if Twilight were helping her. Nah, she thought to herself with a giggle. We want to fix the cart. Besides, I need to spend some quality time with Apple Bloom.  Get my mind off all this datin’ stuff.

“Lyra, does this look good to you?” Twilight pointed at the fastidiously-organized broom closet. She tapped one of the mop handles so that it was now parallel with the others. “I cleaned all the mops, knocked the dust out of the broom, rinsed and folded all the rags, and alphabetized all the cleaning products.”

Lyra looked up from the mess of sheet music that covered her table. Her horn glowed for a moment and the closet door slammed shut. She grinned. “There, looks good to me.”

Twilight shrugged. “I suppose that works too.”

“Lyra!” Bon Bon poked her head out of the kitchen. “Would you kindly take the finished chocolates and put them in the display case?”

“Sure thing, Bon Bon.” She popped up and headed to the kitchen.

“Now then...” Bon Bon turned to Twilight, who immediately stood at attention. “You've swept and mopped the floor?”

“Yes.”

“Cleaned the windows?”

“Yes.”

“The tables?”

“Yes.”

“The counter?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Bon Bon's eyes meandered around the room, from the floor, to the windows, to the tables, to the counter. She squinted, and Twilight started to sweat, wondering if she should have ran home really quick and grabbed the spectrometer to make sure there was nothing on the counter. “Well.” Bon Bon looked up. “I find that you have performed...” Twilight held her breath. “...quite satisfactorily.”

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome. I hope you can maintain this level of competence. I will see you tomorrow at the same time?”

“Definitely.” Twilight nodded for emphasis.

“Good. You may go.”

“I'll see you tomorrow, then. Goodbye, Bon Bon.”

As Twilight headed out the door, Lyra emerged from the kitchen, several trays of chocolate hovering around her. “See you later, Twilight!”

“You too, Lyra!” The bell on the door dinged as Twilight disappeared through it.

Lyra turned to Bon Bon. “I told you she'd do a good job.”

Bon Bon allowed herself as small smile. “I must admit, she did quite well. Perhaps this won't be as bothersome as I thought.”

Lyra rolled her eyes as she put the chocolate trays into the case. “Well, duh.”

“Alright, now give me the wrench!”

Applejack looked over the dozen wrenches that sat on top of the tool chest. As far as she could tell, they were all exactly the same. She shrugged, grabbed one at random, and slid it under the cart to her sister. “There you go, Apple Bloom. You almost got the new axle on there?”

“Just about!” Apple Bloom answered. Applejack stood awkwardly next to the cart, waiting for something to do. She had helped get the thing up on blocks so her sister could slide under it and actually get to work. Once that was done, Apple Bloom had basically taken over the project, and Applejack had been reduced to simply giving her tools and materials.

“Maybe we'll have some time to practice applebuckin' if we get this done quick enough. You up for it?”

“Sure!” The wrench came sliding out from under the cart. “That one is a half inch! I need a five-eighths!”

“Uh, okay...” Applejack squinted at the wrenches, trying to read the grease-encrusted numbers stamped on them. She picked one. “I think this is it.”

“Yup, that's it.” The cart creaked as Apple Bloom resumed her repairs. “Big Macintosh said that you're goin' on a date with Twilight tomorrow.”

“Well, that's 'cause I am.”

“Where're you goin'?”

“That's a secret. You want me to start puttin' the wheels back on?”

“Sure. Why's it a secret?”

“Because I want it to be a surprise, and I don't want you tellin' Twilight.” Applejack rolled one of the cart wheels into position and started to line it up with the axle.

“I won't tell her, I promise!”

“Maybe not, but you'll probably tell your crusader friends. The last thing I need is the three of y'all parachutin' in or something. I've been puttin' a lot of work into this, and I'm not gonna risk it gettin' messed up.”

“What makes you think I'd do any of that?” Apple Bloom said in an artificially-innocent voice. “I'd never try to meddle in somepony's personal stuff like that when I don't know anything about how that stuff works.”

“Really, now.” Applejack frowned as she attached the wheel. When Apple Bloom was that emphatic, it usually meant something was up. Applejack decided she didn't want to know, and focused her attention on the other wheel. “What have you guys been doin' lately anyway?”

“Nothin' much. We tried to build a go-kart yesterday, but it didn't work all that well. This afternoon we're gonna try to make one that won't fall apart if we crash into somethin'.”

“So that's where those old boxes went.”Applejack chuckled at the thought of the crusaders trying to build anything usable. Sure, if it were Apple Bloom on her own, the product might be serviceable, but working as a team... at least the result was sure to fail in an amusing fashion. She grunted as the second wheel clicked into place. “Wheels are on. I think we're good to go.” She gave the wheel a test spin. “You got the axle bolted down?”

“Sure do!” Apple Bloom stuck her head out from under the cart. “Hey, Applejack. Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course. What is it?” Applejack wiped her forehead with a rag and took a drink from her water jug.

“Are you and Twilight gonna get married?”

Applejack sprayed her drink against the side of the cart. “W-w-what? Why are you askin' about that?”

“Well, that's what happens, isn't it? After you've had a very special somepony for a while, you get married. Is that what you and Twilight are doin'?”

“I- uh—” Applejack stuttered, her face getting as red as her cutie mark. “I don't know!”

“You don't know?”

“No! We've only been goin' out for a few weeks. It's way too early to even start thinkin' about that! Wait until next year and ask me about it then.” She took a deep breath and changed the subject. “So, how about we go practice that applebuckin'? You head out to the field and I'll be out there in a few minutes. Gotta go get the baskets.”

“Okay!” Apple Bloom darted out of the barn.

Applejack sighed, and realized that her legs were shaking. Gettin' married...that's crazy. She took another drink and leaned against the cart to steady herself. Although if we stick together for that long... is that really where we're headed? A chill ran down her spine. She shook it off, grabbed a stack of baskets, and resolved not to think about it until later.

“Spike, I'm home!” Twilight walked into the library and looked around. She hadn't been the only one who had spent the day cleaning. The library was immaculate, aside from the desk in the corner where the card catalogue sat. Half the drawers were open, the cards scattered everywhere. Spike balanced on a stool next to the cabinet, his arms stuffed into the drawers. “Uh... I see you're busy...”

“Yeah.” Something inside the drawer clicked. “Ha! Got it!” He slid the drawer in and out. “Now I just gotta figure how to put all these back in.”

“Um, why exactly are you messing with the card catalogue? You've never done that before.”

“Well, I just figure that... I... uh...” He hopped off the stool and looked Twilight in the eyes. “I want to try taking over the library. I know it'll probably be more work than I think it's going to be, but I want to give it a shot.”

“That's great, Spike.” She patted him on the head. “I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job. Just don't be afraid to ask for help if you need anything. I'm not expecting you to suddenly take care of everything all by yourself, okay?”

“Okay.” He looked back at the card catalogue. “I guess I can start by asking you how to organize this thing.”

“Of course,” Twilight said.

“And also, if I'm going to run the library, you're going to have to put the books back on the shelves when you're done with them!  No more leaving piles of books all over the floor!”

Twilight chuckled. “Okay. I'll try to remember to do that.”

“Great!” Spike beamed. Then his stomach rumbled.

“Let's get some dinner.” Twilight gently nudged Spike towards the kitchen. “Then you can send that letter to Celestia.”

“Yeah, about that... I already sent it.”

“You're really taking the initiative, Spike. I'm sure you'll do just fine.” Twilight smiled, and ruffled his spines. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll get everything figured out."

A Lecture Upon the Shadow

So many things happened today.  Bon Bon didn't fire me after my first day, so I must have done alright, even if she doesn't seem to want me around.  Spike is taking over the library, so I don't have to worry about that anymore... well, I still probably will for a while. I need to make sure he knows what he's doing, but he's done alright so far.  It won't be long before he gets the hang of it.  I hope. No, he'll be okay.  Then Applejack came by... I wonder what she's planning for the date.  She certainly wouldn't want to go to another fancy restaurant.  Not unless she goes to Rarity for ideas, at least.  I'm sure whatever she does, I'll enjoy myself.  I'll be with her, after all.

Stand still, and I will read to thee

A lecture, love, in love's philosophy.

These three hours that we have spent,

Walking here, two shadows went

Along with us, which we ourselves produc'd.

But, now the sun is just above our head,

We do those shadows tread,

And to brave clearness all things are reduc'd.

So whilst our infant loves did grow,

Disguises did, and shadows, flow

From us, and our cares; but now 'tis not so.

That love has not attain'd the high'st degree,

Which is still diligent lest others see.

—A Lecture Upon the Shadow,

John Donne

Princess Celestia was enjoying her evening spot of tea on the balcony when the scroll popped into the air next to her.  Naturally, it appeared in the one moment when her head was turned the other direction, and she only noticed that it had arrived when it landed with a plop on her slice of cake. She sighed as she plucked the letter out of the frosting.  It was how her whole day had gone, really.  Her beautiful sunrise had been mostly blocked out by clouds. Then she had had to spend three hours humoring a bad-tempered griffon ambassador, four hours mediating a resoundingly pointless dispute between some donkeys and a pack of Diamond Dogs over the precise location of a mine entrance, and wasted another hour getting the proper paperwork in order to make her ruling official. And then she had spent the rest of the day stuck in a meeting whose dominant subject had been whether the new carpet in the throne room should be Mulberry or Phlox.  And to top it off, when she had finally escaped from the banality, she had discovered that Luna had stolen her last donut.

She smiled as she unrolled the letter, and for the first time that day the smile was genuine.  It was always a bright spot in her day to receive a message from her prized pupil.  As of late, the letters had been particularly intriguing.  As she read Twilight's words, her smile grew wider.  The unicorn seemed to have things well in hand.  Her newfound romance hadn't clouded her judgment.  It was truly a fine friendship report.  She continued to read, and her expression changed to one of mild bemusement as Twilight's language took a sudden turn for the formal.  “Hmm...that's quite interesting.”

“What is interesting, sister?” Luna stepped out onto the balcony.

“The latest report from Twilight.”

“Ah. I must admit I have been rather remiss in reading them. I fear I am several weeks behind.”

Celestia gently rerolled the letter. “You ought to catch up, then.  Her life has recently become a bit more... complicated, though in a good way.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“If you must know, she has taken on a romantic pursuit.”

“Really?” Luna barely concealed her excitement. “With who?  Wait, do not tell me. I wish to hazard a guess!”

“Guess away.”

“Hmmm...” Luna screwed up her face in thought. “Is it perhaps... that teacher whose name escapes me? She seemed quite bookish when I talked to her last Nightmare Night.  A suitable match, I would think.”

“Guess again.” Celestia shook her head. “I’m no expert on romance, but I know it is not so simple as sharing an interest in books.”

“Then maybe it is that handsome red stallion, the brother to the Element of Honesty. He always seems to be quite popular with the mares. Perhaps Twilight has fallen for his charms.”

“It isn't him, either.” Celestia smirked. “You're getting closer though, although probably not in the way you think.”

“What, exactly, is that supposed to mean?”

“The pony who has captured Twilight's interest is Applejack, the Element of Honesty.”

Luna's eyes widened. “I would not have expected that.”

“I didn't see that one coming either.” Celestia chuckled as she passed the letter to Luna. “But it's true.  I'll let you read the letters and find out the rest for yourself.  I must admit, it never crossed my mind that Twilight might have a crush on anypony.  She was always so studious, I suppose I assumed she reserved all that passion for books.” She took a bite of cake, and followed it with a sip of tea. “Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. I sent her to Ponyville so she'd grow closer to other ponies.  It's only natural that she might have grown closer to one of them than I anticipated.”

“You do not sound as enthusiastic as I would have expected.  Are you not happy that Twilight has found love?”

“Of course I am. It's just...”  She sighed. “Romance is one of the few things I don't believe I can advise her on.  Every time a new letter arrives, a small part of me is afraid that she'll ask for help, and I won't be able to give it.”

“Ha! Is that it?” Luna guffawed.  “Twilight is no foal.  If this is any indication,” she held up the letter, “she has the matter well in hoof.  Her friends are more than capable of advising her.”

“I don't think they have any more knowledge of romance than I do.”

“But they know one another well. They are friends, after all.”  Luna rolled up the letter to read later. “If you cannot advise her, they can.  If she asks, that is what you can tell her.”

“It would be the first time I wouldn’t give her an answer.”

“Just as well.  She ought to know that as old and experienced as you are, you are still a pony, same as her.  Her world will not fall to pieces because you do not know all.” Luna grinned. “Although if she ever learns the truth about your propensity for certain baked goods, or your love for those tawdry romance novels—”

Celestia silenced her with a venomous glare.

“Um, romance aside,” Luna said cautiously, “it appears that Twilight intends to give Spike her role as Ponyville's librarian.”

“Yes, that was a surprise as well. Although that is something I should have seen coming. I can't imagine Spike giving up his role as Twilight's assistant any time soon, but it isn't surprising that he’d want more responsibility. I just didn't think it would be so soon.”

“Do you believe that he is capable of doing so?”

“Twilight would know that better than I do. I may have raised Spike after he hatched, but Twilight is the one who trained him for his current position. If she believes that he can do it, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.”

“Well, you are more familiar with both Twilight and Spike than I am. If you see fit to approve of her idea, so be it.”

“Approval has nothing to do with it.” Celestia took another sip of tea. “Even if I thought it was a bad idea, I would tell her to go ahead. Just because I'm her teacher doesn't mean that I get the final say on every aspect of her life.”

“Of course.” Luna stared pensively into the sky for a moment. “What if you did not approve of her romantic endeavors?”

“I would tell her what I thought, but ultimately leave the decision up to her.”

“Knowing how much Twilight thinks of you, I'm not sure there would be a great deal of difference between giving her advice, and giving her orders.”

“Then I guess it's a good thing I don't have to worry about that at the moment.” Her horn began to glow, and the sun drifted towards the horizon. “I have no reason to disapprove of Applejack.” She smiled as she watched the sun disappear behind a mountain range in the distance. “That's all I have to do today. I'll leave the rest to you.” She began to walk back inside.

“Of course. Have a nice evening, sister.”

“I will.” Celestia looked back over her shoulder. “Though my evening would be better if somepony hadn't taken my last donut. I would appreciate it if I wake up tomorrow to find a fresh box of them.”

Luna chuckled awkwardly and turned away from her sister. “I will certainly keep that in mind.”

Applejack rolled back and forth in her bed. Two things kept her up. The first was that one rogue spring in the mattress that always jabbed her in the back. The second was the way Apple Bloom's question kept bouncing around her head. Sure, she was going out with Twilight, but getting married? When she had agreed to give the romance a shot, marriage had been the last thing on her mind. Now it was the only thing on her mind. She had never seriously considered the possibility. Come to think of it, she had never really considered any of the possibilities. Maybe she should have.

What did she even want out of this relationship, anyway? She certainly hadn't gone into it with intent of getting married. But what were the alternatives? Staying right where they were? That wouldn't work. You couldn't just be very special someponies forever. You either had to bump things up to the next level, or else... Or else what? Break up? That was every bit as far from her mind as a wedding had been. She groaned and buried her face in her pillow. There was too much stuff to think about now.

You gave Apple Bloom the right answer, she thought to herself. You've only been goin' out for a few days, really. It's too early to be thinkin' about that stuff. You gotta go on more than one date before you start worryin' about it. Don't get ahead of yourself. Just make sure that tomorrow's date goes well.

She rolled back onto her back and grunted. She really, really needed to fix that spring.

Twilight mentally double checked her double-check checklist for the third time. It had been difficult enough to resist the urge to do some organizing before she headed to her new job. That was Spike's job now and she couldn't do it for him. Of course, it didn't stop her from making sure he'd know exactly what all needed to be done in the library. He had to be sure to check the list of overdue books, reshelve the books that had been returned, check to make sure each book was shelved in the proper section, double check the list of overdue books, water the plants, double check that none of the adult fiction had accidentally been shelved in the foals' section, check the books' condition to see if any needed to be replaced— she gasped. She had forgotten to add “triple check the list of overdue books” to the list.

She looked back over her shoulder. If she ran, she might have enough time to get back to the library to fix the list before running back to the chocolate shop. She stopped herself mid-turn. Spike was smart enough to figure it out on his own. The world wouldn't stop turning if he accidentally skipped a book. It might slow down, or bump a little, but it wouldn't stop. Besides, her chances of actually making it to the library and back in —she checked the clock tower— five minutes were slim to none. Any brownie points she had gotten from Bon Bon yesterday would fly out the window if she was late on day two.

She rounded the corner. Sure enough, Bon Bon was waiting, wiping the outside of the glass door. Twilight began to wrack her brain to think if she had cleaned the door yesterday. Either she had, but hadn't done a good job, or she had missed it. Neither option reflected well on her.

“Good morning, Bon Bon!” she said, trying to sound more cheerful than she felt. “I didn't forget to clean the door yesterday, did I?”

“No, you did not,” Bon Bon said. “As a matter of fact, you may have made it too clean.”

“Too clean?”

“Lyra told me that yesterday afternoon, Berry Punch came by to pick up some cordial cherries, and failed to realize that the door was, in fact, closed.” She took a step back and pointed at a face-shaped smear on the glass.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I guess today I could leave it a little... less clean?”

“You clean it the same way you did yesterday. If somepony is too oblivious to watch where they are walking, that's their problem.”

“Alright.”

“Now you come with me.” Bon Bon nodded at Twilight to follow her. They went around to the back of the shop, where a large cart full of boxes sat. “I'll need you to move all these boxes into the storeroom. Arrange them on the empty shelf according to the shipping numbers, and compare them against this” —she held up a shipping manifest— “to make sure that all of the boxes are accounted for. I'm sure that with your—” she waggled a hoof in the direction of Twilight's horn.

“Telekinesis?”

“Yes, that. I'm sure with your telekinesis it should not be a problem. Will it?”

“Of course not.”

“Good. When you are finished with these, you can return to cleaning the entranceway. I will be in the kitchen. And please be careful with the boxes. Any damage is coming out of your paycheck.”

“I'll see to it that everything is just fine!” Twilight saluted. “Just leave it to me.”

Applejack had planned to make a beeline straight for Sugarcube Corner to pick up her cupcakes and get back to the farm as quickly as possible, but her plans had changed. Sure, she knew that the chocolate shop and Sugarcube Corner were on the same street, but it wasn't until she caught a glimpse of Twilight through the front window that she truly noticed. There was no reason not to stop by and say hello.

She poked her head into the shop.

“Welcome to the Ponyville Chocolate Shoppe!” Twilight chirped, a wide smile on her face. “Oh, Applejack!” The smile turned genuine. “It's so nice to see you. What brings you by?”

“I was just... in the neighborhood. Thought I'd stop in to say hello.”

“Hello!”

Applejack turned to see Lyra waving at her. “Oh, hey. Good morning. Twilight's doin' good job so far, isn't she?”

“Of course she is,” Lyra said, nodding. “I've never seen the stock room so neat before. And the floor is probably so clean you could eat off it. You probably wouldn't want to do that, though.”

Applejack looked down. The floor was so shiny that she almost felt guilty for walking on it. “You weren't kiddin'.”

“I wanted to make a good impression,” Twilight said. “After spending so much time reorganizing the library, organizing and categorizing a few dozen boxes of chocolate was trivially easy.”

“I shoulda figured that.” Applejack chuckled. “If there's anything Twilight's good at, it's organizin' stuff.”

“You're telling me!” Lyra said. “You should see the janitor closet. I've been to doctor's offices that aren't that neat.” She giggled. “But seriously, I guess I should congratulate the two of you. So.... yeah. Congratulations. You probably didn't come here to listen to me, so I'll let you two talk for a bit.”

“Thanks, Lyra.” Applejack turned to Twilight, but barely got a chance to open her mouth. The door behind the counter swung open, and Bon Bon emerged.

“Welcome to the Ponyville Chocolate Shoppe!” she said. Her wide smile wavered a bit as she recognized Applejack. “What can I do for you on this fine day?”

“Uh...” Applejack crossed her forelegs. “Well, I wasn't plannin' on buyin' anything—”

“Oh.”

“—but while I'm here, I might as well.” She stepped up to the counter and perused the rows of confections, most of which had fancy names that she didn’t want to try to pronounce. “Um, you have any variety packs?”

“Of course.” Bon Bon indicated a stack of boxes on the counter. “This is a selection of all our most popular candies.”

“Um, I guess I'll take one of those, then. How much do I owe you?”

“Normally, it would be fifteen bits, but you get an employee relationship discount.” Bon Bon pushed a box toward Applejack. “For you it's only ten.”

“Well, thanks! I didn't think that just goin' out with Twilight would be enough to get that.” She stuck the box into her saddlebags and left the bits on the counter. “There you go.”  She turned back to Twilight. “Uh, well, I was just droppin' by to say hello, and I did that, so I guess I should get goin'. I'd love to stay and chat, but you've probably got some work to do.”

“Indeed she does,” Bon Bon said.

“Well, I'll let you get to it, then.” Applejack started for the door, but stopped mid-step. She quickly moved forward, planting a kiss on Twilight's lips. “You have a nice day, okay? I'll be around to pick you up around six-ish.”

“O-okay,” Twilight mumbled. “See you later.”

The bell above the door rang as Applejack headed out.

Lyra giggled. “That was so sweet!”

“That it was,” Bon Bon said. “I wouldn't have guessed that Applejack would be so... openly affectionate.”

“I wasn't talking about that!” Lyra said. “I was talking about you giving her a discount. You never give discounts.”

“Yes, thank you for that.” Twilight smiled. “I didn't realize that working here would have those kinds of perks.”

“Consider it a bonus for the extra care that you took in the stockroom. Unlike somepony” —she narrowed her eyes at Lyra— “you know better than to stack the boxes upside down.”

“I only did that once!” Lyra snorted. “At least I didn't use the boxes to build a fort.”

“A fort?” Twilight tilted her head.

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Do not ask.”

Applejack all but skipped down the road back to the farm. At first she had been a bit apprehensive at the idea of dropping in to see Twilight, but it had been worth it. She still wasn't sure what had possessed her to give Twilight such a big kiss. She had just intended to go in for a quick touch on the cheek, and had gotten caught up in the moment.

A week ago she had almost been afraid to so much as give Twilight a hug. She couldn't think of anything that felt weirder; they had been friends, just friends, for so long that sometimes it was a bit hard to remember that they were something more now. You didn't kiss your friends, not like that, not like she had kissed Twilight. But she had done it. Not because Twilight had reminded her or because that was what she was supposed to do, but because in that moment, she had wanted to.

It had been oddly liberating. For some inexplicable reason, the fact that her relationship with Twilight had become common knowledge had made her a bit... wary. She wasn't embarrassed or anything, there was no reason for that. It was just that with that tidbit of gossip drifting around town, she could've sworn that sometimes ponies looked at her a bit differently.

But now she didn't care. If they wanted to give her weird looks, fine. What did it matter? So she had a very special somepony. She was hardly the only pony in town who did. It would be news in the gossip circles for a week or so and then something else would take over. The fact that she and Twilight were together wouldn't be news anymore, it would just be a fact.

The previous night's anxiety seemed almost laughable. She still didn't have any idea what was coming a year down the road, but did that really matter? Nopony knew where things were headed.  Today, at least, was going wonderfully. Twilight was doing well at her new job; that was no surprise. The cupcakes Applejack had ordered had turned out great, and better yet, she hadn't been forced to deal with Pinkie when she picked them up. And the weather looked perfect. Then again... she paused.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which probably meant that Rainbow Dash had forgotten to put the clouds up. If the pegasi had skipped a shower again, it meant they'd have to make up for lost time. And if previous experience was anything to go by, they'd catch up on their rain quota when it was most inconvenient for everypony else. This time of day, there was always at least one cloud hanging around, and Rainbow Dash would be lounging on top of it.

She scanned the sky again, and her eyes locked on a dark blob hanging just above the fields where Rainbow Dash usually practiced. Applejack picked up her pace. As she closed the distance, she could see a multi-colored tail dangling beneath it. She could even hear Rainbow Dash's distinctive snore. Either Pinkie and Rainbow Dash had gone to an awful lot of trouble to set up a prank with a miniscule chance of a payoff, or there was a certain pegasus napping on the cloud. Applejack craned her neck, caught the tip of the tail between her teeth, and tugged.

“Ow!” Rainbow Dash's head poked over the side of the cloud. “Why did you do th—” She blinked a few times and recognized who had roused her. “Oh. Hey, Applejack. What's up? You finally decided to start helping me out with my practicing again? Help me build that giant slingshot?”

“Uh, no.”

“Really?” Rainbow Dash sniffed. “It's been weeks since you last gave me a hoof with that stuff.”

“I know,” Applejack said. “I've just been real busy lately. I'll start helpin' you out with your flyin' tricks again, I promise. I just have to get things with Twilight figured out first.”

“Don't worry about it,” Rainbow Dash said. “I got Scootaloo helping me out now. She's got a bit to learn about it, but I'm sure she'll get it figured out pretty quick. Besides,” —she raised her eyebrow— “I'm sure you and Twilight have more important things to do.”

“Uh, you could say that, I guess. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm takin' her out on a date tonight.”

“Really.” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Where to?”

“I ain't tellin' you. I want it to be a surprise. All I'm gonna say is that it's gonna be outside. I wanted to check with you ahead of time to make sure it isn't gonna rain and ruin the mood. You don't have any big storm scheduled or anything, do you?”

“Well, we are a bit overdue for some rain...”

“Oh, horseapples.” Applejack kicked at a rock.

“...but I think we can push that off for another day. It's not too dry yet, and I'm pretty sure that like half my cloud-pushers are out with feather flu anyway.”

Applejack grinned. “Thanks, Dash. I guess I owe you one.”

“You can pay me back by giving Scootaloo a few pointers on helping put my obstacle course together. She's been wanting to hang out lately, so I figure I might as well use that time to teach her some of my sweet moves.”

“Sweet moves? She can't even fly on her own yet.”

“Yet,” Dash said. The amount of conviction in her voice caught Applejack off guard. “But anyway, you and Twilight have fun doing... whatever it is you're doing. Just check in with me earlier next time. I can't go throwing off the weather schedule every time you want to go outside.”

“Sure thing. Thanks, Dash.”

“You're welcome.” Dash flopped back on her cloud and almost immediately began to snore.

“Does my hair look okay? I want to make sure I don't have any split ends!”

“Do you really think Applejack cares about that stuff?” Spike looked up from his ruby pot pie to roll his eyes at Twilight. “As long as you don't show up with an afro, I think you'll be fine. It's not like she's going to drag you to a fancy restaurant or anything.”

“I know, I know.” Twilight skittered in and out of the kitchen. “I just want everything to go well!”

“You already took Applejack to the cushiest place in town and it wasn't a disaster. Why wouldn't it go well?”

Twilight paused to think of a reason, and couldn't. “You're right. It'll be fine. I'm sure Applejack thought of something fun for us to do.”

“Of course she did.” Spike shoved the pie into the oven. “There! Now, what was the deal with the card catalogue again?”

Twilight sighed. “It's an organized record of all the books in the library by title, author, subject, and category! Each book has its own card, so you'll have to go through and check each of them to make sure the information is up to date, and that the cards are organized properly. If the catalogue doesn't accurately reflect the contents of the library, it's useless.”

“Do I even want to know the last time we checked it?”

“Uh...” Twilight glanced at the pile of cards on the table. “Probably before we came to Ponyville. I started on it a while back, but I only got about halfway through before Rainbow Dash crashed into the library and mixed them all up. I could never get the motivation back to fix them all up.”

“So that was the plan, huh? Leave that until I take over?” he snorted. “Thanks.”

“It was never that big of a deal before. Most of the time one of us was in here to tell everypony where things are. But now that I'm going to be out more, it's something we should take care of. Unless you want to sit in here all day to tell everyone where the books are.”

“Fine, I'll get to work on it while you're out. You have to help me with it, though.”

“Of course. I'm not just going to leave you to do everything on your own. When I get back, I'll-” She was interrupted by a knock on the door. “That must be Applejack! Is my hair alright?”

“Your hair is fine.” Spike shoved her towards the door. “Get going. You don't want to keep her waiting.”

“Right!” Twilight threw the door open, and to her relief, Applejack was every bit as informal as usual.

“Hey, Twilight! You ready to go?”

“I sure am!”

“Well, let's get on our way, then,” Applejack said, a wide smile on her face. “Just gotta take care of one thing first.”

“Huh?” Twilight barely had time to blink before Applejack had wrapped a wide bandanna around her eyes. “What's this for?”

“I said I wanted it to be a surprise, remember?”

“Oh, right!” Twilight nodded. She didn't bother trying to open her eyes. If Applejack wanted to surprise her, that was great. “Let's go!” She took a step towards where she thought the door was.

“Whoa, there.” Applejack stopped her. “You just about walked right into a wall. Why don't you latch onto my tail? I'll make sure you won't run into anything.”

“Okay.” She felt the tip of Applejack's tail brush against her muzzle, and grabbed hold of it. “Mrt's mgo!”

Applejack led her out of the library.

Twilight tried to keep a picture of Ponyville in her head, but after the first few turns she lost count of whether they had taken two or three lefts, and how far down the street they had walked. Within a few minutes, she had no clue where she was going. Her only clue was the crunch of the gravel path under her hooves. Suddenly the gravel turned to grass. She sniffed. It was familiar. Then the path began to go uphill.

“Almost there!” Applejack said. The ascent began to level off, and Applejack began to slow down. “Alright, Twilight. We're here!”

Twilight peeled the blindfold off of her eyes, and blinked a few times as they adjusted to the light. The scene dropped into focus. She found herself standing on top of a familiar hill. A red and white checkered blanket was spread neatly before her, a large picnic basket, a small cider barrel, and several boxes sitting on it. In the distance, the sun had just begun to set, framed between two distant mountains. The fading light smeared a colorful collage over the scene.

“Applejack, this is beautiful!”

“I thought you'd like it.” Applejack beamed, almost as brightly as the sun. “It's nothing fancy, but I figured that—”

“I love it!” Twilight smiled. “This is the same hill where we...uh...”

“It sure is. Stars aren't the only nice view you can get from here.” Applejack sat on the blanket, and gestured for Twilight to do the same. “I like to come out here after a long day and just sit and watch the sunset and enjoy the breeze. I just thought it would be nice to show you.” She opened the picnic basket. “I made some sandwiches. I hope you like fennel. Or cabbage. I got some of that, too.”

“Sounds good.” Twilight nodded. “Good thing you made them. You remember how much trouble I had making a sandwich, don't you?”

“Huh?”

“You know, when I pretended not to know how to make a sandwich?”

“Oh, that!” Applejack chuckled. “Yeah, I thought you had just about lost your mind there. I mean, I know I cook more than you do, but a sandwich is...well, it isn't that hard to make one.”

“You're not that far off. I was really acting ridiculous. I mean, I totally should've known that it would do more harm than good.”

“Well, stuff like this has a way of makin' ponies act... different.” She paused, and stared at Twilight for a long moment, wondering if she should mention the kiss in the chocolate shop. “But anyway, why don't we get this here grub out before the sun goes down all the way?” She flipped the picnic basket open, taking each thing out as she listed them. “I got the sandwiches, some potato salad, carrots.” She tapped the barrel. “Got some cider...” She tapped the box. “And I got some cupcakes.”

“That sounds lovely.”

“Oh...” Applejack fished one last thing out of the basket. “And we got those chocolates.”

“Right, I had almost forgotten about those...” Twilight chuckled awkwardly, a hint of blush on her cheeks. “Sorry about that. I didn't think Bon Bon would try to get you to buy something.”

“Aw, don't worry about that. I mean, it is a shop, after all. I know what it's like when you're tryin' to get some work done, but somepony shows up and just takes up your time without buyin' anything. Besides, Bon Bon makes real good chocolates. I still have a few of the ones you gave me. I wanted to save 'em.”

“You do?”

“Yep. I still got your card stashed in my drawer. And I'm plannin' on keepin' it there.” She turned her attention to the plate of sandwiches. “So... uh... you want cabbage or fennel?”

“I don't care. I'm sure either one will be delicious.”

“Ugh, no wonder Twilight put off organizing this thing for so long!” Spike reached into the card catalogue's N drawer and pulled out a clawful. Only two out of the two dozen cards actually began with N. He sighed and added them to the pile of cards at the table. The only viable option at this point was to empty the thing completely and re-sort every single card. He hadn't even gotten a paycheck yet and he already wanted a raise.

Suddenly the door flew open and Pinkie Pie poked her head in. “Hey, Twilight, you here? I need to borrow your copy of Colonel Schleswig's Daunting Text of Magical Frivolity and Practical Japery!” She trotted in and noticed Spike half-buried in a pile of catalogue cards. “Hey, Spike! Is Twilight here? I need her copy of—”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you.” He extricated himself from the pile. “She's out right now.”

Pinkie gasped. “I totally forgot! She has a date! Forget Colonel Schleswig's Daunting Text of Magical Frivolity and Practical Japery! I need a telescope!”

“A telescope?”

“Yeah! I asked Rainbow Dash if she wanted to help me sneak a whoopie cushion into Rarity's bed, but she said that Applejack had asked her to make sure that the sky was clear. And that means that Applejack and Twilight are probably outside someplace, which means I can probably see them!”

“You want to spy on them?” Spike's eyes narrowed. “I'm pretty sure Applejack and Twilight wouldn't want anypony bothering them.”

“That's what the telescope is for! If I have a telescope, I can watch them from here without bugging them at all! And I can eat popcorn while I watch and it won't matter how loud my chewing is.” She grinned and leaned in disturbingly close to Spike. “So can I borrow one of Twilight's telescopes? I know she has like fifteen of them so can I borrow one pleasepleaseplease?”

“Uh... I don't think Twilight would like it if I let you use her stuff...”

“PLLLEEEEAAASEEEE!?” Pinkie's stared at him so hard that he swore her eyes popped out of her head a little. He turned his head to avoid her gaze, and his eyes settled on the card catalogue.

“Okay, I'll let you borrow one of her spares-”

“Awesome!” Pinkie did a celebratory bounce. And then three more, just for good measure.

“But there are two conditions!” The bouncing stopped. “One, the telescope stays in the library.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “I can do that.”

“Two, before you get the telescope, you have to sort at least a hundred cards into the right drawers.”

“Hmmm....” Pinkie tapped her chin with a hoof. “Okay!”

“Great!” Spike rubbed his claws together. “Just look each card and put it into the drawer of the letter it starts with. And do it library style. If the title starts with 'A', 'an', or 'the', ignore those and use the next word, okay?”

“Got it!” Pinkie saluted. “I'll have it done in a jiffy. I think. I'm not sure how long a jiffy actually is.”

“Good.” Spike smiled. Maybe sorting the catalogue wouldn't be so bad after all.

“It really isn't that bad,” Twilight said. “Yes, Bon Bon seems a bit rough sometimes, but as long you stick to her rules things are fine. She certainly appreciates a job well done. That and my only jobs so far are cleaning the entryway and stacking boxes in the storeroom.”

“No wonder it's so easy for you. Cleanin' and organizin' is like half of what you do in the library, isn't it?” Applejack took a bite of her sandwich.

“Yeah, pretty much. At least in the chocolate shop I don't have to worry about Rainbow Dash crashing in and knocking everything off the shelves.” She popped the last bite of her own sandwich into her mouth.

Applejack chuckled. “I bet that if that happened, Bon Bon would have a heart attack.”

“I don't even want to think about that! Mainly because I'd have to clean it all.”

“Eh, it isn't that bad.” Applejack shrugged. “At least not if you got pegasus insurance. If Dash ever does have a crash landing in the shop, just give me a call. I've got plenty of experience with fixin' stuff like that. Can't even count how many times I've had to rebuild the barn.”

“How many times has your barn gotten wrecked, anyway?”

“I just said I couldn't count 'em!”

“Oh come on!” Twilight laughed. “It can’t possibly be that many!”

“What, you really want me to list ‘em all?”

“Uh...sure. Why not?”

Applejack scrunched her face as she tried to remember. “Let's see, first time I can remember is when it burned down; that was before you came to town, back when I was just a filly. Don't even think I had my cutie mark yet. It really freaked me out; I try not to think about that very much. Then a few years later it got struck by lightning and was so messed up we had to demolish it. That was the first time I got to help with the buildin'. Had no clue what I was doin', which is probably why that barn collapsed durin' a windstorm a year or two after that.”

“Wow, you really have gone through a lot of barns.”

“You're tellin' me. Lemme think, the next barn lasted a pretty good while, till the parasprites got it.”

Twilight blushed slightly. “Sorry about that.”

“Eh, it's okay.” Applejack said. “Kept them from eatin' our orchards, so I'll count it as a win. Barns are easier to replace than trees. That barn got messed up by a storm, so I had Rainbow Dash demolish it for me. Then the barn we had after that got termites, so we had to build another one. That one got about halfway together before that gaggle of Pinkie Pies knocked it down again, so we had to build it twice.”

Twilight nodded. “I remember that.”

“That barn must have had some serious bad luck or something, ‘cause it was only a few months before I accidentally wrecked it with fruit bats durin' our family reunion. So then we built that barn.” She pointed at it. “And it's been holdin' strong so far. It's probably got a good few years left in it.” She paused for a moment as she tried to remember what she had originally been talking about. “But yeah, if Bon Bon's shop gets knocked down, I could probably fix it up right quick, although it might look kinda barn-ish.”

“I'm sure she'd appreciate it if it ever came to that. If the initial shock didn't make her explode. But really, things have been going well. Better than I thought at first.”

“Don't get ahead of yourself, Twi,” Applejack said. “You've only been workin' there for two days, after all. Once you settle in, it won't be so fun any more. Cleanin' the floor probably gets more boring every time you gotta do it. And that goes double what with how much you have to clean the library.”

“Actually, I might not have to clean the library quite as much. Starting this week, Spike is the official Ponyville Librarian.”

“Really?” Applejack stopped, her cider mug halfway to her mouth. “How'd that happen?”

“Once I decided to start working at Bon Bon's shop, I realized that I wouldn't have as much time to take care of matters in the library.”

“Ah, so you let Spike do it for you?”

“Yes. He's been doing most of the work anyway, and it's about time he got some more responsibility. I got the official approval from Princess Celestia this morning. One week from now, the official title transfers to him.”

“Good for him then!” Applejack said. “I just hope he's better at doin' library stuff than he is at workin' the farm.”

“If there's anything he's good at, it's this. He's been my assistant for his whole life, after all. He can do it.”

“I see.” Applejack nodded, and stuffed the rest of her sandwich into her mouth, chewing slowly as she thought about the best way to phrase her question. “So, uh... are you sure you're okay with all this?”

“All what?” Twilight asked.

“Changin' so much stuff just cause of me. I mean, didn't you say that you took this job so you could pay for our dates and stuff? Or am I just rememberin' wrong?”

“No, no, that was most definitely a factor. Granted, I had always intended to branch out a bit from book-related pursuits, but our relationship was the thing that motivated me to finally do it. I suppose I should thank you for that.”

“So I guess that means you don't mind?”

“Mind?” Twilight tilted her head, her confusion evident. “Why would I mind?”

“Um, it's... it feels weird that you're doin' all this stuff for me. It's not that I don't like it or anything, but we've only been goin' out for what, like two weeks?”

“This is the sixteenth day,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Right.” Applejack paused for a minute as she counted up the days. “I was just thinkin' that it's a bit early to go changin' everything up just for my sake. There's no reason for you to go to all that trouble.”

“It's no trouble at all! I'm doing it because I want to be able to do things for you.”

“Yeah, I get that. But, well, you don't need to go and do all that stuff. All those things ain't necessary.”

“Really?” There was a hint of apprehension in Twilight's voice. “I mean, if you don't like it...”

“No, no, if you want to do it, it's fine!” Applejack bit her lip. She should never have brought it up. “I'm just sayin' that I liked you just fine before you started buyin' me flowers and whatever. I'm not gonna start gettin' second thoughts just because you don't bring me chocolates every week. That's not why I decided to give this whole relationship a chance.”

“Are you sure you don't mind?” Twilight asked hesitantly. “I wouldn't want to make things awkward for you...”

“It's fine.” The words came out sharper than Applejack intended. “You just keep doin' what you want to. Forget I brought it up.” She tried to think of something else to talk about. “So I, uh, I got some cupcakes special ordered from Sugarcube corner.” She pushed the box towards Twilight. “And I got those chocolates I bought today, if you want them.”

“Ooh, what kind of cupcakes?” The enthusiasm in Twilight's voice made it clear that she was glad for the change of subject.

“Vanilla cream. Mrs. Cake said they were your favorite.”

“They sure are!” Twilight opened the box. “Oh, that's so cute!”

“Heh.” Applejack blushed slightly. “That was Mrs. Cake's idea, too. You want your own cutie mark, or one of mine?”

Twilight grinned and drew a cupcake out of the box, three red apples traced elegantly in the frosting. “I think I'll take this one. It looks much tastier than the others.”

“Ugh, this is so boring!” Pinkie snorted. “I told Applejack that she needed to get a bouncy castle! All they've been doing is just sitting there! Not so much as a trampoline! Ooh! They have cupcakes, though. That's definitely a step in the right direction. Eat enough of them and you don't need a bouncy castle because you can bounce on your own!” She hopped up and down to emphasize her point, even though no one was listening to her. “Although even then you'd need a whole lot more than a dozen. Unless you were a filly, but they aren't.”

Spike emerged from the kitchen. “Hey, Pinkie, you want any cookies?”

She looked up from the telescope. “Of course! Wait. How much time do I have left?”

“You have another...” Spike looked at the hourglass that sat on the table. “...Seventeen minutes. Then you have to sort another two dozen cards.”

“If I'm not using the telescope, does the timer keep going? I want cookies, but I think their date is almost over, and if I stop to eat cookies and run out of time, I might not have enough time to sort the cards to see the end of it!”

“That's okay, I'll stop the clock.” Spike took the hourglass and laid it sideways on the table. “I've got chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and quartz chunk. You probably don't want the quartz chunk though. Twilight had one once and chipped a tooth. They're on another plate.”

“Chocolate chip, duh!” She skipped down the stairs, and stopped dead as she saw the plate of cookies on the table. Her face went white as a sheet and she gasped as if she had seen a ghost, or maybe a zombie. Zombies were scarier than ghosts. “D-did you put both the chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies on the same plate!?”

“Um, yes.”

Pinkie reared up and flailed her forelegs. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

Spike just stared. “What's the big deal?”

“You never put oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies on the same plate! If you eat one, you don't know which one you're getting and you always always always pick the wrong one! Do you know how awful it feels to take a bite of what you think is going to be a sweet and ooey-gooey-chewy chocolate chip cookie and realize that it has raisins? It's one of the greatest disappointments in life, right up there next to not getting into the Wonderbolt Academy or being sent back to magic kindergarten!”

Spike blinked. “That bad, huh?”

“Well, maybe not that bad. But it's still pretty bad.”

“Can't you just like, smell the difference or something?” Spike asked. “Raisins and chocolate smell different, don't they?”

“That's just what they want you to think!”

“What who want you to think?”

“The cookies! They want to trick you into eating the wrong ones!”

“Why would the cookies care?” Spike scratched his head. “Don't they want to be eaten?”

“Exactly! That's the problem!” Pinkie stomped her hooves. “The oatmeal raisin cookies want to be eaten, so they try to smell like the chocolate chip cookies! Sometimes they even smell more like the chocolate chip cookies more than the real chocolate chip cookies. They're very devious.”

“Yeah...”

“But the chocolate chip cookies know that, so they start trying to smell more, too! Unfortunately, the Oatmeal Raisin Confederacy tries to counteract it! They infiltrate the ranks of the Chocolate Chip Alliance and leave raisin smell everywhere so you'll think that the the chocolate chip cookies are the imposters! But they know that you know that they do that, so they leave some of the raisin smell on themselves so when you pick up a cookie that you think is a chocolate chip cookie that smells like raisins, but it's actually a genuine oatmeal raisin cookie! Watch!”

She leaned in close to the cookie bowl and began to sniff. “Hmmm... see?” She picked up a cookie, and balanced it on her hoof. “It smells just like chocolate!”

“So, does that mean it's....”

“I have no idea!” Pinkie declared. “It's my theory that right now, this cookie is neither chocolate chip nor oatmeal raisin! It currently exists in an unknown state, which will only be determined when I take a bite. At that point, it will turn into whatever cookie I didn’t want. I call it 'Haflinger's Cookie'.” She took a bite, and her face scrunched. “See? Raisin!”

“Huh, that's quite something. Maybe Twilight has a machine that can analyze the cookies and tell you what kind they are. Or maybe a spell.”

“Or you could just keep the cookies on separate plates next time.” Pinkie grabbed a second cookie and tossed it into her mouth. “Much better!” She bounced back up the stairs. “I better get back to the telescope! I don't want to miss anything!”

“Why do you care so much about watching their dates, anyway?”

“Because I need to make sure they're having fun! If they aren't enjoying themselves, what's the point? Having a very special somepony is supposed to make you happy! Gotta make sure they're keeping up.”

“And how are they doing?”

“Well, they're smiling, that's a good sign. I still think they should have rented a bouncy castle, though. Those make everything better.”

“That's good to hear!” Spike chuckled as he shoved a gemstone cookie into his mouth. He checked the hourglass. “What would you do if they weren't having a good time?”

“I'd... uh...?” Pinkie tapped her chin with her hoof. “A party?”

“Um, I'm not sure how that would work.”

“Hmm....” Pinkie scratched her head. “I'll have to think about that. A problem you can't solve with a party is... really bad. Oh well, they look happy enough already. I'm sure they'll be fine. Ooh, Twilight is feeding Applejack a cupcake with her telekiwhatsis! That's so cuuuute!”

“I bet it is.” Spike's eyes darted to the pile of cards on the desk, then to the hourglass. “Eleven minutes and counting.”

Applejack and Twilight trotted down the hill. The darkness had encroached just enough to force them away from their picnic. The new moon wasn't bright enough to light the hilltop. They ambled in the general direction of the library.

“...So it turns out Big Macintosh and Cheerilee have been havin' lunch together every month since then,” Applejack said.

“Does that mean that they're a couple or... is it just a ‘friend’ thing?”

“I'm not entirely sure myself.” Applejack shrugged. “Either way I'm happy for him. Goodness knows he doesn't get himself off the farm enough. Maybe I should have him take the apple cart to the market more often. Would be good for business anyhow. He's always got mares linin' up when he does.”

“I dunno if Cheerilee would like that, though,” Twilight said with a chuckle.

“Knowin' her, she'd probably think it was funny. I can just see her teasin' him about it. She'd probably even fix his hair up for him so he'd bring in more bits.”

“I guess I could see that. She can get a bit goofy.”

“You're tellin' me. Not to mention that Mac would never actually go doin' anything untoward to anypony, and Cheerilee knows it. He gets flustered just talkin' to mares. When they start flirtin' with him, it's really something. You wouldn't think he could get more red, but he manages.”

Twilight giggled. “Poor Macintosh!”

“Yeah, there are probably only like half a dozen mares around his own age that he isn't awkward around. I mean, there's me, Cheerilee, and he knows Carrot Top pretty well since she's been our neighbor since forever. I think he’s gettin' a bit more comfortable around you too, since you've been droppin' by so often, but other than that he's a bit shy around pretty much everyone. Sure it's not that bad most of the time, but any time they start givin' him any... special attention, he gets giddy.”

“Well, in that case, maybe he and Cheerilee should start going out for real.”

“I agree that they'd probably make a cute couple, and I'm all for getting' him out and about more, but how's that gonna help him get less awkward around everypony else?”

“Well, if everypony knows that he's going out with Cheerilee, maybe they'll stop giving him 'special attention' and just talk to him normally once they know he's taken.”

“Uh, I might not be any expert on this kinda thing, but I don't think it's that easy. If they think he's gonna be a very special somepony, they might go and try harder to get him. Or at least that's what Rarity thinks. Then again, Rarity's always been a bit—” She paused as she realized that Twilight's attention had drifted. “Twilight?”

“Okay, don't look now, but I think we're being watched.”

“Bein' watched? By who?”

“If I had to guess I'd say Pinkie.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Well, I looked over at the library, and I could see a reflection on one of the top balconies. Somepony set up a telescope. And I don't think Spike would go to that much trouble.”

“Huh, you're right.” Applejack craned her neck and squinted at the library.

“Don't look!” Twilight grabbed Applejack's head and turned it. “We don't want her to know we know that she's watching!”

“Uh, why?”

“I...I don't know. It just sort of seems like we wouldn't want her to know.”

“Huh, well, I got a reason. Let's have some fun with this.” She raised an eyebrow and nodded for Twilight to follow her into a nearby alley. “Follow me.”

Twilight gave Applejack a puzzled glance, but followed nonetheless. “Applejack, there's nothing back here.” She was right, other than an empty trash can and some cardboard boxes, the alleyway was completely deserted.

“We know that, but Pinkie doesn't.”

Twilight thought for a moment. “Ooooohh!”

“Exactly. Why don't you shoot out some flashin' lights or something. Maybe confuse her a bit.”

Twilight suppressed a laugh. Her horn lit up like a disco ball, spraying a burst of multicolored light into the alley.

“Ooh, that's pretty!” Applejack chuckled. “Can you do an apple?”

“Of course!” An illusory apple appeared above Twilight's head and drifted out of the alley, hanging in the air for a moment before bursting into a cloud of smoke. “Come on, let's take the other way back to the library. Pinkie's not gonna have any idea what that was about!”

The two of them trotted down the alley, giggling as they went.

Spike scurried around the library, sweeping up the crumbs that Pinkie had left everywhere. The library was supposed to be clean and organized. That and he had a sneaking suspicion that Twilight wouldn't be too happy about the fact that Pinkie had been spying. The telescope was back in its case, which was back in the closet. All the dishes were washed. The various cookie varieties had been painstakingly sorted out onto different plates. The cookie sheets were cleaned. Pinkie had been sent home, despite her rambling about flashing lights and a giant floating apple. That had caused Spike to briefly wonder if the raisins had fermented or something before he put them into the cookies, but ultimately he chalked it up to Pinkie being Pinkie. He had sent her out the back way so she wouldn't run into Twilight on her way out the door. At first he had thought that she had been cutting it close by hanging around so long, but in retrospect he shouldn't have worried. Twilight and Applejack had stopped on the doorstep to talk, and had been there for —he checked the hourglass— almost twenty minutes. Their muffled voices were still going outside the door.

He stopped to take one last look around the library, mentally checking off everything that was in its place. He blinked. I've only been librarian for like a day, and I'm already thinking like Twilight. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. His claws stopped halfway to his face. Whoa, I’m even starting to turn purple!  Wait a second... He shook his head. Maybe there was something weird in the cookies. Or maybe he just needed to get more sleep. He hadn't gotten much last night. Or maybe he was just starting to go crazy from listening to Pinkie Pie for the past two hours.

The door swung open, and Twilight took a half step in. “I'll see you tomorrow, then. Goodnight, Applejack,” she said. She stepped inside, closed the door, and noticed the dragon standing in the middle of the room, staring blankly at nothing in particular. “Spike, are you okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, I'm fine!” He shook his head. “How'd your date go?”

“I had a fine time,” Twilight said. “Applejack set up a nice picnic for us up on the hill so we could watch the sunset. It was lovely.”

“That sounds nice.”

“It was. How was your evening?”

“Eh, kinda boring. I organized the card catalogue and made some cookies. Want one?” He pointed at the plates.

“No, I'm fine. Applejack brought cupcakes.” She patted Spike on the head. “Are you sure you're okay? You look a bit out of it.”

“I'm just tired.” He gave an exaggerated yawn. “In fact, I should probably go to bed. Goodnight!” He started up the stairs.

“That's probably a good idea.” Twilight grinned. “Dealing with Pinkie would make anyone tired.”

Spike froze mid-step. After a long moment, he slowly turned around. A wide and obviously fake smile was plastered on his face. “Pinkie? What makes you think she was here?”

“Well, I could see the telescope on the balcony. I doubt you were doing astronomical studies, and since Pinkie has used the telescope to spy on us before...”

Spike bit his lip and nodded. “I see...”

“Also, it smells like frosting in here. Unless you frosted a cake while I was gone, it's pretty obvious Pinkie was here.”

Spike sighed. “Sorry. I should've told you. I guess you don't want her watching you on your dates, huh?”

“Well, I was actually more worried about her damaging my telescope, but yes, I would prefer you not enable her. I'll let it slide this time, though. You've been working really hard lately, and you've been doing a great job.”

“Uh, yeah.” Spike nodded. “Next time I'll tell her to talk to you about the telescope.”

“Great. Now you get some rest. You look like you're about to fall asleep on your feet.”

“Yeah, I think I'm going to do that.” He yawned again. “Goodnight, Twilight.”

“Goodnight, Spike.” She smiled as she watched him go up the stairs. He had gotten a surprising amount of work done. The stack of cards on the table was much smaller than she had expected it to be. “Oh, Spike, where would I be without you?” She turned her attention to the two plates of cookies that sat on the counter and took a long whiff. “Mmmmm! Chocolate! I guess one cookie couldn't hurt.” She popped one into her mouth. She began to chew, and her snout puckered. “Bleah! Raisins!”

Lyra yawned as she laid her head back against Bon Bon's chest. The bed was more than big enough for them to lay next to each other, but she preferred invading Bon Bon's side of the bed. It was so much warmer and softer. She edged her head in between Bon Bon's face and the book that Bon Bon was reading.

“Are you mad at me?” she asked.

“Of course not.” Bon Bon craned her head around Lyra so she could continue reading. “Why would I be?”

“Well, you know. Getting Twilight to work in your shop.”

“Oh, that. I am... a bit miffed that you made the offer without consulting me first, but I would hardly be angry at you over such a minor thing.”

“Is it really that minor of a thing, though? I mean, it is your shop, after all.”

“It is. But it turned out well enough. Certainly better than last time, though that is not saying much.”

Lyra cuddled a bit tighter. “So you think Twilight is doing okay?”

“She is, though she's also only been working for all of two days. There is more than enough time for her to make a mistake. But as of now, she has been surprisingly helpful. I just hope she continues to be a help rather than a hindrance.”

Lyra smiled. “I'm glad I didn't screw things up too badly.”

“Not at all.” Bon Bon lowered her book. “Though I must ask, why did you offer her the job so quickly? I know you can be impulsive at times, but you know how important the shop is to me. Why did you do that?”

“Well, at first I was just going to talk to her. You know, see how she was doing. And then she mentioned the job. I know I should've asked you first, but... well, remember when she dropped by the shop?”

Bon Bon nodded.

“Well, just seeing her being all giddy about Applejack and everything... I know it sounds stupid but she reminded me of... of me, back when we first started going out. Back when I thought I had to bend myself over backwards to make it work between us.  I know it’s not quite the same, but I just thought that, well, when I was in that position, I needed all the help I could get if I wanted it to work.  I just figured that I could make it easier for her. I know I was being an idiot, but I couldn’t help it.”

Bon Bon chuckled. “You may be an idiot, but you're a very sweet and well-meaning idiot, and most importantly, you're my idiot, and I love you. You know what really makes you sound foolish?”

“Most of what I say?”

“First, if you would have just told me that to start with, I would have no reason to be even the slightest bit angry at you. Second...” Bon Bon kissed Lyra on the forehead, taking care to avoid her horn. “...you most certainly did not need any help to win me over.”

Lyra smiled. “How long do you think it'll take Twilight and Applejack to figure it out?”

Bon Bon smiled. “Hopefully not as long as it took us.”

The Paradox

It just doesn't make sense.  Well, it kind of does, I guess.  I mean, I've been giving Applejack a lot of stuff lately, but I thought that she'd like it.  I only did it because that's what very special someponies are supposed to do, isn't it?  Although if it bothers her that much, I guess I should at least tone it down a little bit.  But on the other hoof, she told me to keep it up if I thought I should... but now I don't know!  Ugh, if Applejack doesn't like it I can't keep doing it, but what if it causes her to think that I don't care any more... why does this have to be so complicated!?

No Lover saith, I love, nor any other

Can judge a perfect Lover;

– The Paradox,

John Donne

Rarity's box of imported Saddle Arabian tea leaves normally sat in the back corner of a locked cabinet in her kitchen.  It was only on the most special of special occasions that Rarity brewed any of it.  Even after Celestia's meeting with the Saddle Arabian ambassadors, the difficulty of the trade routes ensured that very little of the stuff ever made it to Equestria, and most of that which did was purchased in bulk by a few specialty restaurants that were scattered around the country.  The remainder, naturally went almost entirely to the upper crusts of Canterlot and Manehattan; nopony else could afford it.  She had been lucky enough to receive it as a gift from Princess Celestia as part of her reward for helping to solve that whole Discord incident. Needless to say, Rarity didn't break out the Saddle Arabian tea for just anything.

Today was one of the exceptions.  The past two weeks had been... there were no words.  She'd rather have spent that time in Tartarus playing fetch with Cerberus than go through that again.  Never again, she told herself.  Never ever ever ever take four wedding orders at once.

It hadn't seemed too bad at the start; sure it meant doing four custom wedding gowns and four sets of bridesmaid's dresses, but that wasn't impossible.  That was eight designs, and once the wedding dresses themselves were set, the bridesmaids' dresses were often trivially easy to finish.  Then it turned out that two of the four weddings were what she liked to call mare-pairs.

Under normal circumstances, that made it fun; the dresses had to be distinct, yet complement each other.  It was the ultimate challenge for a fashionista.  Of course, in this circumstance, it meant that there were now twelve designs to produce.  Then it turned out one of the mares had gone overboard with the wedding party, and had eleven bridesmaids and two best mares.  Then another one of the mares was one of those kinds of brides and had been less than happy with nearly everything Rarity produced.  All things considered, she had gone through nineteen different designs and stitched over forty dresses.

She rather thought that surviving that gauntlet merited breaking out the tea.

The tea kettle whistled. She whisked it off the stove and poured a cup of water, preparing to dip the infuser.  The doorbell rang, and a cold chill ran down her spine.  She had not planned on having customers today.  Surely anypony could have clearly seen the “CLOSED” sign that hung on her door.  Which meant that it was probably a personal visit. Perhaps Sweetie Belle.  She shuddered.  She'd almost rather deal with a customer.  She peeked out of the kitchen. The shape at the door was too tall to be her sister.

“We're closed!” she called.

“Rarity?” A muffled voice responded. “Are you in there? I have to talk to you!”

“Twilight?” Rarity perked up.  It had been too long since Twilight had given her an update.  She could put off her three-day nap for a bit if it meant that she could get some juicy tidbits out of the conversation. “Come in, come in!” She sprang up to answer the door. “What is it you needed to discuss, dear? Something concerning Applejack, no doubt?”

“Um, yes, actually.” Twilight stared for a moment too long at Rarity's mane, which was rather disarrayed. Rarity began to set about fixing it, and immediately gave up. It was too much effort, and she wasn't planning on leaving the house anytime soon anyway. She nodded at Twilight to follow her into the kitchen. “Uh, Rarity, are you okay?”

“I'm perfectly alright. These last few days have been a bit... stressful, but that's all behind me. You simply must tell me how everything has gone since I last talked to you! I must admit that my business has rather dominated my attention lately.”

“E...everything?”

“Of course! I have been assisting you with this from the very beginning! It's only natural that I would want to keep up-to-date on your relationship. I must ensure that everything is going smoothly. At the very least give me a summary!” She took a seat at the table, gestured at Twilight to do the same, and plopped the tea-ball into her cup. “Would you like some tea? It's imported from Saddle Arabia.”

“Uh, no that's fine. I had some of that tea at one of Celestia's banquet's once and it was a bit too bitter for me.”

“Very well, would you like anything else?”

“No, I'm alright.” She took a seat.

“Great! Now tell me what's been going on.”

“Okay...” Twilight tapped her hooves on the table. “It hasn't been too eventful. Applejack and I had a date on the farm. She had set up a picnic on the hill so we could watch the sunset. It was quite nice.”

“That does sound very lovely.” Rarity took a sip of the tea and puckered for a moment. The tea was quite an acquired taste.

“We've had lunch a few times since then, but we haven't had time to go on another real date. Applejack is busy getting ready for the upcoming Zap Apple harvest, and I've been busy getting Spike up to speed in the library. You know, now that he's the official Ponyville Librarian.”

“Is he now!? Little Spikey-wikey is growing up, isn't he?” She sipped her tea again. “I'll have to drop by the library sometime to offer my congratulations. Now then, these lunches with Applejack. Where exactly have you been having them?”

“Well, we had lunch at the cafe twice, once she came by the library after I got off work and we had some soup, and a few times I went out to Sweet Apple Acres for a late lunch and we had leftovers.”

“Hmmm...” Rarity rubbed her chin. “How are things on the gift front? Have you been continuing with the flowers and such?”

“That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh, so you're having difficulty with the gifts. Are you running out of ideas? Or is it a financial difficulty? If you're having trouble affording things I may be able to assist you. Perhaps loan you some bits, or find you a good deal on some gems, perhaps.”

“No, no, it's nothing like that!” Twilight shook her head. “Well, I did start working part time at Bon Bon's chocolate shop to get a little extra money, but that's not really a problem. The real issue is that—”

“Bon Bon's chocolate shop?” Rarity nearly choked on her tea. “Well, that's quite something. I didn't think she was hiring.”

“Uh, you keep track of whether or not Bon Bon is looking for ponies to work at her shop?”

“Bon Bon is never looking for ponies to work at her shop. How on earth did you manage that?”

“Well, I was looking for work in the paper when I ran into Lyra.”

“Ah.” Rarity nodded. “That would explain things. She does seem to be Bon Bon's one weakness. Please, continue.”

“She offered to see if she could get me a job at the shop, and well, she managed. How do you know about them anyway?”

“Well, Bon Bon opened her shop not long after I first opened my boutique. I was quite occupied with my own work, so I couldn't really pay much attention to the goings on elsewhere in the town, but from what I understand, she ran into some difficulties.”

“What about Lyra?”

“I was able to speak with her while we were in Canterlot for your brother's wedding. Though how much of that was actually herself and how much was that horrible changeling's brainwashing, I'm not sure. I still cannot believe that she knew Princess Cadance well enough to be a bridesmaid. Apparently they attended a class together in Canterlot or something of that sort.”

“Um, yes, Cadance did say that she worked as a teaching assistant in Canterlot for a few years...”

“That would indeed explain it.” Rarity nodded. “Now then, if cost is not the problem and you have no shortage of ideas, exactly what is wrong?”

“Well, I think I may have... maybe gone just a bit overboard with giving her things.”

“Overboard?” Rarity blinked as she tried to register what the actual problem was. “With gifts?”

“Yes. I think I might be smothering her.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, it was just something she mentioned on that date at the farm...”

Rarity's eyes narrowed. “What did she say, exactly?”

“I don't remember precisely what she said. Something about how it made her feel weird that I was giving her so much. I think she might feel like I'm trying to... I don't know, keep her happy by buying her stuff.”

“Are you?”

“No! I just bought her that stuff because I wanted to! And because, well, that's what a very special somepony is supposed to do, isn't it?”

“Yes, gifts are standard procedure for couples. I would think even Applejack would know that. She has no reason to assume that you are trying to bribe her!”

“I wouldn't quite say that,” Twilight said sullenly. “At first I thought it it was strange, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. When Applejack first agreed to start going out with me, she wasn't quite as... enthusiastic about it as I was. I always knew that; she pretty much told me that she wasn't sure how she felt about it. I've just been trying not to think about it.”

“Ah, so you think she believes that you are only giving her gifts to keep her interested?”

“I guess you could say that.” Twilight rubbed her hooves together. “I know it's probably just me being paranoid again, but even though Applejack seems happy, sometimes... well, it feels like she's just humoring me.” Twilight stared at her hooves. She wasn't tearing up yet, but Rarity could tell she was mere moments away. “What should I do?”

“First of all, have something to drink.” Rarity poured a second cup of water, and dipped the tea infuser into it. “It will help calm you down a bit. Second, just think about things for a moment. Applejack is the most... forthright pony that either of us know. I cannot imagine that she would hide such a thing from you. Here.” She slid the cup of tea towards Twilight.

“But that's your imported—”

“That doesn't matter. You need tea.”

Twilight reluctantly picked up the cup and took a cautious sip. “Huh, this is actually better than I remembered. I guess it's an acquired taste.”

“All good things are,” Rarity said. “I'm sure Applejack will come to appreciate your gestures. Granted, she was never one to care too much for special treatment, so I suppose it isn't a total oddity that she doesn't put much stock in gifts. She's... very content with the simpler things in life.”

“But what am I supposed to do?” Twilight stared into her tea. “I mean, on the one hoof, she told me to keep doing what I wanted to and not to worry about what she thought, but on the other hoof, if she's uncomfortable getting stuff from me, I don't want to bother her!”

“Well, what have you been doing already?”

“I've still been dropping by to see her every day, and I still bring her things. You know, flowers, a fruit basket, a card... I've been trying to tone it down a little and not bring things every day any more, but I don't want her to think that I don't care as much...”

“That is quite a conundrum.” Rarity tapped her chin with her hoof. “For the time being I would recommend you just keep doing what you're doing. Things may be a bit awkward now, but they are steady, and it would be better to keep them that way. I wouldn't make any big changes until you get a better idea of how Applejack really feels.”

“But how am I supposed to find out?”

Rarity placed her hoof on Twilight's. “You just leave that to me, dear.”

“What!? You can't tell her!”

“I never said I would. I'll just stop by the farm to chat, and perhaps see if I can gauge her thoughts on the matter. Maybe she'll be more forthcoming when she isn't speaking to you directly. For now, just try to not let the pressure get to you. The stress really does a number on your mane.” She reached out and patted down a few stray hairs that were starting to curl. “We'll figure this out, I promise.”

Twilight looked up and smiled. “Thanks.”

“Think nothing of it. I have been here for you since the beginning, after all.”

Rarity yawned. Perhaps she should have taken a brief catnap before her excursion to Sweet Apple Acres. She shook her head. Twilight was in need of assistance, and that took priority over her need for sleep. For the moment, at least. Besides, as busy as Applejack was, the conversation surely wouldn't last long. As she approached the house, Apple Bloom burst out of the door, clad in a bunny suit and dragging a watering can behind her.

“Hey, Rarity!” She paused to wave. “How are you doin'? I haven't see you in a while.”

“I'm doing... adequately. Rather tired. Do you know where your sister is?”

“Sure do! She's out back paintin' the cider press.”

“I see. Thank you for your— did you say painting the cider press?”

“I sure did!” Apple Bloom nodded and bounded off.

Rarity rubbed the side of her head. Her fatigue must have affected her hearing. She really needed that nap. She proceeded around the back side of the barn and to her surprise discovered that her hearing was fine. The wheel of the cider press had been totally covered in a colorful, though somewhat uneven and drippy, plaid.  Applejack crouched near the base, a paintbrush clenched between her teeth, adding a few final red stripes.

“That's... quite the pattern,” Rarity said. She focused her eyes on Applejack; the cider press was a such a mess of red, purple, and green that it hurt her already tired eyes. “I never realized that you cared much for aesthetics when it comes to your equipment.”

“I don't,” Applejack said, spitting the brush into the paint tray. “It's those darn zap apples.” She nodded at the nearby trees, which were shivering and occasionally sparking. “Zap apple cider just doesn't taste right unless you've got the wheel colored just so.”

“'Just so' means looking like...that?”

“Hey, I know all of nothing about matchin' colors and I know it looks awful. But that's how it's gotta be, or all the cider ends up tastin' like pickles, and nopony wants that.”

“I suppose sometimes sacrifices must be made.” Rarity took a few steps to the side, so the wheel would be out of her vision as she talked to Applejack.

“What have you been up to, anyhow?” Applejack asked. “I haven't really seen you around much.”

“Oh, this and that. I've been rather busy with special orders. It’s a good thing I'm used to working under pressure.”

“That bad, huh?”

“I believe a comparison to the amount of business you have during cider season would be in order.”

“You got a mile-long line of ponies waitin' outside your shop? I think I'd have noticed something like that.”

“Alright, so perhaps wasn't quite like that, but I was still busier than I have been in years.”

“If it was really that crazy, shouldn't you be relaxin' or something rather than draggin' yourself all the way out here?”  She noted the bags under Rarity’s eyes. “You look a bit... tired.

“Oh, I am, just a little.” Rarity flicked the tip of her mane. “I thought that it would be nice to get a bit of fresh air before resting. I've been cooped up in my boutique for so long that I'd all but forgotten what the sun was like. A nice stroll through your orchards was just what I needed.” She yawned and took a few faltering steps towards Applejack. “Besides, I am in rather dire need of some conversation.”

“So you came to me?” Applejack asked. “Why me of all ponies?”

“Well, Rainbow Dash is probably off floating on a cloud someplace, and I couldn't possibly subject my poor head to Pinkie Pie's antics, so you were the logical choice.”

“What about Fluttershy? She's quiet. Lots of fresh air around her cottage, too.”

“I...uh... You might think that, but...um... it's quite heavy with fur and such from all those animals of hers. Always kicking up dust.”

“What about Twilight, then? There sure isn't any dust in that library of hers.”

“Oh, Twilight, yes. Well, you know Twilight. She's always quite busy with something or other. I'd hate to disturb her.”

“What, and I'm not busy?” She nodded at the cider press. “I kinda am.”

“Well, yes, but I hardly knew that before I came over here.” Rarity assumed her best pouty face. “I just wanted to talk! Is that so wrong?”

“Nah, it's... fine.  It’s just that... are you sure you don’t want to take your nap and then come back to talk?  You look like you’re havin’ a tough time just standin’ up, let alone havin’ a real conversation.”

“How absurd!” Rarity said with as much indignation as she could muster. “And after I came all the way out here, just to talk to you!”

“Fine, fine.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “I was just about ready for a break anyhow. What kinda conversation did you have in mind?”

“An excellent question, Applejack. I must admit I am rather curious about how things are going between Twilight and yourself. I haven't had the opportunity to catch up on how your relationship has been going; though I hear that you took her on quite a nice date.”

“Um, yeah, I did.” She furrowed her brow at the bluntness of the question. “We had a picnic. We're... doin' fine. I got no complaints.”

“Are you sure?” Rarity leaned in. “You don't sound particularly enthusiastic. Is something...amiss?”

“What? No! In fact, I'll have you know that I'm actually startin' to enjoy myself.”

“You mean you weren't before!?” Rarity asked with mock alarm.

“Of course I was.  I’m just just enjoyin’ it more now.  I guess romance is a bit of a... what’s that you’re always callin’ it?  An acquired taste.”

“Acquired taste, of course.” Rarity nodded. “I know all about those. Are you sure you’ve... uh... acquired it?”

“Um, I’m pretty sure,” Applejack said, furrowing her eyebrows. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s just that,” Rarity yawned again,“sometimes it isn’t quite that easy.”

“Just ‘cause it isn’t easy doesn’t mean I can’t do it. I’ve done plenty of other hard stuff, you know?”

“Yes, yes... very hard stuff.” Rarity blinked a few times, each blink lasting slightly longer. Suddenly she shook her head. “Of course you can do the very hard stuff.  But that doesn’t make this any... easier.”

“I know! I just said that it was very hard!” Applejack shook her head. “I mean, it hasn’t been all sunshine and flowers or anything, but I think we’ve been doin’ alright.”

“Only ‘alright?’” Rarity said.  “What exactly is keeping from being... um... better than... alright?”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Why are you so curious about me and Twilight all of a sudden?”

“I am just trying to be a good friend! That’s all.” Rarity’s eyelids started to droop.  She opened them, the effort evident on her face. “Is that really so strange?  I only want to be sure that the two of you are happy.” She yawned again. “If there is anything keeping you from being happy, I want to be able to do something about it.”

Applejack put a hoof to her forehead. “Listen, Rarity. I'm just gonna be honest with you. I've been wantin' to tell somepony about this, and it may as well be you. Just promise you won't tell Twilight, okay? I want to tell her all this stuff myself.”

Rarity nodded. “Of course.”

“And don’t fall asleep while I’m tellin’ you this, ‘cause I’m not sayin’ it again.”

“I’ll... do my best.”

“When we first started goin' out, I wasn't all that excited about it. I wasn't totally against the idea of it or anything, it's just that I wasn't quite as gung-ho about the whole thing as Twilight was.  It just felt weird to me. Like whenever I'd go to kiss her. It just felt like I had to force myself to do it. But lately, I've been gettin' kinda used to it. It still feels kinda weird, but I'm almost startin' to enjoy it.” Applejack's cheeks flushed. “I... I kinda look forward to seein' her just so I can give her a little kiss, you know?”

Rarity would have squealed about at the cuteness of the sentiment, but she was too tired to. “So everything is going perfectly then? It would be quite unprecedented for two ponies with so little experience in romance to do so well.”

“Well, I can't say it's perfect.”

“Then what rough spots are there?” Rarity forced herself to smile. This was exactly where she wanted the conversation to be. “Perhaps I can help you... smooth them over.”

“It's not an enormous deal or anything. Twilight's a great marefriend and everything, it's just that she... she overdoes it a bit sometimes.”

“Really. In what way?”

“It's like, she always goes out of her way to do stuff. Buyin' presents for me or droppin' by the farm to talk or hang out or whatever, even when she doesn't really need to.”

“So you feel...smothered, perhaps?”

“A little bit, I guess. I mean, it's kinda aggravatin' to have so many flowers sittin' around the kitchen, specially since I'm apparently not supposed to eat those. And Twilight has a habit of visitin' right when I got work I have to—”

“You mean you were eating the flowers Twilight gave you?” Rarity's eye twitched.

“What? I figured that's what you do with flowers! Sure makes more sense than leavin' them sittin' all over the place. They were pretty tasty, too.”

“T-tasty...” Rarity shook her head; Applejack's faux pas wasn't the reason she had come. “So then the problem is that Twilight is... perhaps that she's trying to earn your affection by doing all these things?”

“Nah, that’d be crazy.  You really must be tired if you’re thinkin’ like that,” Applejack said. “Twilight might be a bit... too enthusiastic, but I don't think she's tryin' to buy me off or anything like that. Sure, we might not know too much about all this romance stuff, but she knows you can't get it to work that way.”

“Is that so? Then what, exactly, is the issue here?”

“It's not so much that she's doin' all this stuff for me. I might not think that she really needs to, but if she wants to, I can't bring myself to turn it down. No, the thing that kinda bugs me is all the trouble she's goin' to. I mean, if she wants to bring me flowers, great! But she's turnin' her life upside down. Did you know that she went and got a job workin' at Bon Bon's shop just so she can take me out more?”

“Yes, I had heard. I was quite surprised.”

“It's crazy. I'm not even askin' her to do anything and I still feel like I'm imposin' on her. She's changin' so much stuff up that she doesn't need to. The last thing I want is for the relationship to be a burden on her. I know she's just doing it because she thinks it'll make the relationship better, but I just don't know. I know things change when you go from bein' friends to bein' very special someponies, but I don't think it needs to be that big of a change. I liked spendin' time with Twilight just fine before things went all romantic. I don't want her tryin' to make things special all the time. I like her just as much when she's just bein' herself.”

Rarity stared into space for a long moment.

“Rarity?”

“Huh!?” She shuddered and shook her head. “Yes, of course. That is perfectly... understandable?”

“I know, it doesn't really make sense, but I'm not quite sure how else to say it. I like bein' Twilight's very special somepony, but that doesn't mean our friendship has to change, does it?”

Rarity pondered the question for a moment, trying to make sense of it. “I would rather think that change is inevitable when it comes to things like this,” she said carefully. “Though changes can be good or bad, of course. Have you discussed this with Twilight?”

“I tried to bring it up once, but I kinda messed it up. Made it sound like I didn't appreciate everything she was doin' for me. After a minute or two I told her to just keep doin' whatever she wanted and I'd be happy as long as she was.”

“But are you happy?”

“Of course I'm happy. Like I said, I'm enjoyin' things more than I thought I would at first. It's just... it could be better, you know?”

“I understand.” She sighed and rubbed the side of her head. “I wish I could offer you some advice, but it seems there really isn't much I can do. The problem seems to be entirely between you and Twilight.” She suppressed another yawn. “There's really nothing to do other than to take it up with her.”

“Yeah, I know that. I just don't wanna do it. I don't wanna make her think she's bein' annoying. I really don't want to talk about it again until I know what to say.”

“Well, when you think you have it figured out, feel free to use me as... an editor, perhaps.” Rarity put a hoof on her chest. “I will be perfectly happy to do whatever I can to ensure that things work out between you two.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

“Hey, Applejack!” Apple Bloom's bunny-eared head popped out of one of the windows of the house. “You want some lemonade?”

“Sure thing!” Applejack called. She turned back to Rarity. “Well, I'm gonna grab a drink and get back to work. I'll let you know if I get anything figured out.”

“I'll be waiting,” Rarity said. “I think this air has done me good. If you need me, I'll most likely be sleeping. Oh, and Applejack...”

“Yeah?”

“Would you mind putting a few jars of Zap Apple Jam aside for me? I don't think I'm up to standing in line for hours. I'll pay you extra.”

“I don't usually reserve any, but if you've been workin' half as hard as you say you have, I think I can make an exception. You go get some rest. You, uh, sound like you could really use it.”

“Thank you. I'll see later, Applejack.”

“See you, Rarity. Have a nice nap!”  She watched as Rarity stumbled into the distance. “What the hay was all that about?”

Rarity tried to ignore the benches that lined the road back to her house. The temptation to stop for a quick rest increased with every step. She resisted. If she sat, it would be impossible to keep her eyes open. She'd blink, forget to open her eyes, and wake up two hours later when somepony decided to poke her and ask if she was okay. No, she needed to hold on until she reached her bed. Then she could doze for a day or two while she thought about how to advise Twilight.

The situation was nothing short of bizarre. Relationship issues were supposed to be more blatant than this. Somepony was supposed to be lazy, or smothering, or detached, or something that could be solved by bonking one of the paramours on the head and saying “stop doing that.” But of course this situation couldn't have been that convenient. Rarity was quite hard-pressed to say that either of them was doing (or not doing) anything wrong. Twilight was a bit enthusiastic of course, but it seemed clear that she had only the best in mind. Nothing wrong with wanting to display one's affection in a tangible fashion.

Of course, Applejack's position made perfect sense as well. She'd never been one to impose on anypony, so of course she wouldn't want Twilight bending over backwards to please her. Applejack hated being a burden as much as Rarity hated split ends in her mane. Twilight obviously didn't see it that way, but that was the conundrum. Perhaps she could lock Applejack and Twilight into a room and let them out only when they had ironed things out. Or perhaps she could get some rest so her rapidly degrading thoughts wouldn't think that locking the couple in a room was actually a plausible solution to the problem.

Her head was beginning to ache just thinking about it. She tried to push the matter out of her head. In five minutes she would be curled up in bed. Once she had gotten her beauty sleep, then she could tackle the problem. She turned the corner, and her heart all but dropped into her stomach.

Pinkie stood next to the Boutique's front door. The pink pony waved. “Hey, Rarity!”

Rarity groaned, wondering why the universe had decided to do this to her. It felt as if Discord had engineered the entire situation with the express purpose of giving her a headache.

“Hello, Pinkie,” she said, doing her best to sound like she was happy to see her. “To what do I owe the...” The word stuck in her throat for a moment. “...pleasure?”

“I was just wondering if you had a telescope I could borrow. Twilight won't let me use hers anymore.”

“A tele— ugh.” Rarity rubbed her forehead. “No, I do not have a telescope. You'll have to look elsewhere. Perhaps Rainbow Dash has one. Now you'll excuse me...” She stepped around Pinkie. Pinkie simply jumped up, and somehow came down right in front of her.

“I already asked her. She doesn't have one.”

“Then ask Cheerilee. I know she's taken Sweetie Belle's class stargazing before. She probably has a telescope.” She tried to step around Pinkie, but Pinkie shuffled sideways, keeping herself between Rarity and the door.

“Tried that too. She says it's school property and she can't lend it out. Are you sure you don't have a telescope?”

Rarity's eye twitched. Pinkie had no right to be so chipper. “Actually, now that I think about it, I remember finding one under a ream of gold silk last night.”

“Really!?”

“No! I do not own a telescope! I have never owned a telescope!” She stomped her hooves, and immediately regretted it as the shockwaves hit her skull. “Just what do you need a telescope for anyway?”

“So I can watch Twilight and Applejack's next date without bothering them, duh! If I can't find a telescope, I'll have to either hide in the bushes or make my own telescope out of a bunch of magnifying glasses. And last time I did that I accidentally ended up building a heat ray.”

“A heat ray?” Rarity could only stare. “How do you end up accidentally— You know what? It doesn't matter. Have you considered the possibility of just not spying on them and asking how it went afterward? You know, like a normal pony?”

“But I am a normal pony!” Pinkie giggled. “But seriously, I have to watch in real time, so if something happens, I can fix it!”

“By doing what? If Applejack and Twilight look like they're getting into a fight over the tip, are you going to catapult a rubber chicken at them or something? Or would you prefer to parachute in while wearing one of your absurd costumes?”

“Of course not!” Pinkie shook her head, seemingly disappointed at Rarity's lack of comprehension. “That kind of situation definitely merits a bungee cord and a box of donuts.”

“A box of— Pinkie, you can't—”

“A box of Pinkie? I'm not in a box!”

“Pinkie, please! I already have quite a headache, and you are not helping at all. What makes you think that you have a right to intrude on Twilight and Applejack in such a manner?”

“Well, if I had a telescope, I wouldn't have to intrude.”

“You're missing the point! The two of them deserve some privacy; you cannot keep spying on them like this!”

Pinkie snorted. “What's got your tail in a twist? I just want to make sure that they're happy! That's what you're doing, isn't it?”

“Yes, but I do not spy on them. And I only involve myself when one of them asks me to! I most definitely do not go butting in with no regard for whether I am wanted! How happy do you think they would be if they could never share a moment together without having to worry about you swooping in on your ridiculous flying contraption playing a tuba?”

Pinkie thought for a moment. “The tuba is too heavy to fly with, so I'd probably use an accordion, but I see what you mean.”

“Good. You keep that in mind. Now will you please move? I am in rather dire need of a nap.”

“Sure!” Pinkie bounced out of the way. “Oh, Rarity?”

“Yes?”

“You wouldn't happen to have a spare set of banjo strings, would you?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “No. No, I do not. See you tomorrow.” She vanished into the boutique and slammed the door behind her.

Despite her utterly fatigued state, Rarity still had the presence of mind to fix up her hair before allowing herself to sleep. It was a favor to herself in nine or ten hours; if she skipped it she'd find a bird's nest on her head when she woke up. Naturally, that was unacceptable, no matter how tired one was. Satisfied that every strand was treated with hairspray and pinned in place, Rarity carefully slid herself into bed, and drew her sleep mask delicately over her eyes.

Then she heard a knock on the door.

She buried her head deeper into the pillow, hoping that the sound was simply in her head. There was another knock. She waited. There were more knocks. She sighed. It was almost certainly Twilight; nopony else knocked so precisely. Applejack would knock louder, Rainbow Dash would knock faster, Fluttershy's knocks wouldn't be audible, and Pinkie would just have let herself in already. Sweetie Belle didn't knock, she yelled.

The knocks continued. Rarity groaned. Why, oh why hadn't she told Twilight to wait until tomorrow to come back? She peeled the sleep mask from her face and rolled out of bed. No reason to leave Twilight waiting. The front door squealed as she opened it.

“Good afternoon, Rarity!” Twilight said. She blinked a few times and noticed the bags under Rarity's eyes. “I didn't wake you up, did I?”

“No. Not technically.” Rarity tried to unfurrow her brow, but it didn't work. “Why, exactly, are you here?”

“Um, I saw you coming back from the farm, and I thought you might have found out something useful. Did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Find out anything useful.”

“Oh, uh, yes.”  She stared at Twilight through half-closed eyes.

“Well, what is it?”

“That you are thinking about this far too hard!”

“Huh, what's that supposed to mean? What did Applejack say?”

“She didn’t want me to tell you.”

“What? Why not? What should I do?”

“I have no idea,” Rarity said flatly.  “But that’s what she said.”

“How is that supposed to help me!?  The whole point of you talking to her was to help me get information! If you can’t tell me what she said, what am I supposed to do?”

“Ask her yourself.”

“But... but what if she thinks things aren't working out? What if... it doesn't work out?”

Rarity shrugged. “Then at least you'll get the breakup over with.”

“B-breakup!? What are you talking about? What’s gotten into you?”

“I’m sorry, Twilight.” Rarity shook her head. “You shouldn’t have to worry about that.  It’s just that Applejack would rather you hear what she said from herself. I know I offered to help, I just can’t right now.  I promised Applejack I wouldn’t say anything, and if I don’t get into bed soon, I’m going to fall asleep on the floor.”

“I know, I know. I’m just not sure what to do.”

“Well, it’s your relationship! You have to figure it out yourself at some point.” Rarity yawned. “Maybe that point is now.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I really must get my beauty sleep before my face falls off.”

“I understand.” Twilight sighed. “Sleep well, then.”

“I will.” Rarity slammed the door.

Twilight swallowed. She hadn't planned on having a heart-to-heart with Applejack today, but if that was what it took to put her fears to rest... She headed for the library. Once she figured exactly how to word her concerns in a way that would— she stopped cold and shook her head. That kind of overthinking is what got me so confused in the first place. This time I'm just going to wing it. She took a deep breath and trotted towards the farm.

A Burnt Ship

I should have waited. It's probably not a good time for her. I'm not even sure what I'm asking her. This is such a bad idea, but it's too late to turn back now.

Out of a fired ship, which by no way

But drowning could be rescued from the flame,

--A Burnt Ship,

John Donne

Applejack looked out the window and blinked, trying to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. No, she had been right; a familiar purple shape was approaching in the distance. She smiled and adjusted her hat. Twilight had already dropped by once today, but it was hardly surprising to see her again. Maybe she was bringing another card or something. Applejack tried to think of a place she could put another one. The shelf over the sink was already full, and her windowsill was already covered with flowers. She could put it on the end table in her room, but there wasn't much room on there, either.

She squinted at Twilight. She didn't seem to have any saddlebags or anything. That made things easier, if she was just visiting to chat. But what was so urgent that she needed to trot so quickly? Twilight usually didn't seem like she was in such a rush. Applejack's mind bounced back to that afternoon, when Rarity had unexpectedly shown up. She sighed. Maybe this wouldn't be such a fun visit. Only one way to find out.

She put on her biggest smile and waved. “Hey, Twilight!”

“Good afternoon, Applejack!” Twilight called back as she slowed her canter and began to walk up the path to the house. “How are you?”

“Just about the same as I was when you came by before,” Applejack answered. “Been gettin' ready for Zap Apples.” She gestured for Twilight to come inside. “They'll be poppin' up any day now.”

“Ah. That explains the paint job...” Twilight nodded at the walls, which were coated in bright polka dots.

“Yeah, some years the signs start showin' up early. Granny heard some timberwolves last night, so now we're tryin' to get everything set up ahead of time so when the zap apples show up we can focus on harvestin’ them.”  She tapped the table, which was covered by rows of jam jars.  “And processin’ them.”

“Sounds like a good plan.”

“Well, that's why we're doin' it.” Applejack took a seat at the table and gestured for Twilight to join her. “So, uh, what brings you by again? If you wanted to have dinner you'll have to come back later. My eatin' schedule is all messed up. Had a real late lunch, so I won't be ready for more grub for a while.”

“I thought you were always ready to eat,” Twilight said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah, I usually am. I just got done havin' a snack, though.” She shrugged. “Is that even what you're here for?”

“Um, no.” Twilight shook her head. “Actually, I just came out here to talk.”

Applejack felt her muscles involuntarily tighten at the hint of seriousness in Twilight's voice. She was beginning to understand all those jokes and stories that began with “and then she said she needed to talk.” She took a deep breath. There was probably nothing to worry about besides some awkwardness. Probably. “What did you want to talk about?”

“It's just... well...” Applejack tried not to smile as she listened to Twilight stumble over the words, “I've just been thinking about... us.”

Applejack nodded. “So have I.”

“Something has just been bothering me, and I... I just wanted to get it figured out. It's not a big deal or anything. At least, I don't think it's a big deal.” Twilight rubbed her hooves together. “But even if it's not, I just want to make sure it doesn't turn into one.”

“I know what you mean.” Applejack nodded. “I've been doin' a lot of thinkin' myself. It would be real good to make sure we're both thinkin' the same way or things could get rough. What've you been thinkin'?”

“Well, I... you just mentioned something on our date, and I know you said it didn't matter, but it's just been bugging me. I tried to just forget about it, but I couldn't. I thought it would be good to just ask about it.”

“Ah.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Does this have something to do with Rarity? She showed up a little while ago and was all kinds of curious about us.”

Twilight bit her lip. Her eyes darted away from Applejack's for a moment. “Was she really?”

“Yeah, she was. I know she's a bit more into romance than you or me, but even so it was kinda weird. She's usually way more tactful about that kind of stuff. I mean, it coulda just been 'cause she was really tired, but even so...” She narrowed her eyes. “Did you put her up to that?”

“I... uh...” Twilight sighed and hung her head. “Yes and no. I was talking to her, you know, asking her for advice. She wanted to find out a bit more about what you thought before she gave me any advice on what to do.”

“Well, that's a big old waste of time,” Applejack snapped, a bit more harshly than she had intended. She let her expression soften. “If you want to find out what I think about something, you just gotta ask. No need to go beatin' around the bush like that. I'm not gonna lie to you.”

“I know, I know.” Twilight's ears drooped as she forced herself to look at Applejack. “It's just that, well, after what you said on our date, I thought it would be too weird to bring it up again. I mean, it felt like we had things figured out, and I didn't want to bring it up. Not if you were fine with it.”

“Well, it's obviously not fine with you, so you might as well ask anyway.”

“O-okay.” Twilight swallowed. “It's just... what you said about all the gifts and things I was doing for you, it made me wonder. I know you said that I should just keep doing it, but... I don't know what to do. I just couldn't help but try think of why. And, well, the only thing I could think of why it might bother you is that...” Twilight's voice was strained; as if it hurt to force the words out. “That maybe you thought I was trying to... to...”

“You were tryin' to what?”

Twilight looked down at her hooves. “...that I was trying to... I don't know quite how to say it. That I was doing so much for you because you wouldn't be interested in our relationship if I didn't.”

Applejack stared blankly at Twilight. “Huh?”

“I know that you weren't as... enthusiastic as I was about getting together at first. I was afraid that you might think that I was doing everything for you to... to make it worthwhile for you. Like I was trying to buy you off or something because you wouldn't want to be in this relationship otherwise. I know it's dumb, but I couldn't get it out of my head that you were just... putting up with me.”

“Wow.” Applejack turned the words over in her mind. “Twilight, I gotta tell you...”

Twilight leaned forward, a mix of expectation and apprehension on her face.

“...you were right.” Applejack stared into Twilight's eyes as Twilight tried not to flinch. “That really is dumb. You oughta know that I know you better than that. There's no way I'd be able to think that you'd try to buy my affection.” She snorted. “Seriously, that's just crazy. Even you wouldn't think somethin' like that.”

“Oh,” Twilight said. “Well, I'm really glad to hear that. I mean, obviously I had no intention of trying to do that, but it's good to know that we're on the same page. It's been driving me crazy!”

“Well, it shouldn't have been. You got no reason to buy me off. Besides, if you're aimin' to get on my good side, it would take a lot more than some flowers and the occasional card.”

“Really.” The sudden flatness in Twilight's voice told Applejack that she hadn't phrased that quite right. “Y-you don't like the flowers?” Applejack bit her lip as Twilight continued, her voice shaking. “Or the cards?”

“I, uh...” Applejack spoke carefully. “I like what they mean, I guess. I like the fact that you bought them for me.”

“But what do you actually think of them?”

“Well... uh...” Applejack leaned back. Twilight leaned forward.

“Come on, Applejack. I just want to understand how you feel.”

“Okay, okay!” Applejack sighed. “I just wanna be honest with you. I don't really need any of the flowers and such. I like that you care enough about me to want to give me stuff, but I really have no idea what I'm supposed to do with all this!” She waved at the windowsill, which was cluttered with vases. “I got a regular garden growin' over there. I already have enough plants to take care of without havin' to remember to water a bunch of flowers. I got no use for that stuff.”

“That's what was bothering you?” Twilight's voice had no discernible tone. “You didn't have any use for my gifts?”

“That's part of it, yeah.” Applejack scratched her head. “When I was growin' up we never really spent much on... extra stuff like this. There was always somethin' else that the bits would be better spent on. New plow, materials to patch up holes in the roof, apple carts to fix, barns to build.”

“So that's it? You don't like it because it isn't practical for you?”

“That's not it either. Not all of it, anyway. The reason it feels weird is because I'm worryin' that it's impractical for you.”

“For me?”

“It's... well, it's hard to explain. I really appreciate that you think I'm worth spendin' all those bits on, but at the same time I don't know how much I like the fact that it's makin' so much trouble for you.”

“Trouble? What trouble? It's no trouble at all!”

“You can go sayin' that all you want, Twilight, but it just ain't true!” She stomped her hoof. “It is trouble. Sure, it might not be a whole lot, and you might be totally willing to go through all of it, but it's still there. You can't tell me that you haven't been puttin' in a ton of work. You ordered like a gazillion books just to get ready to talk to me and you said yourself that you were bendin' over backwards before you even told me anything!”

“Well, yes, but that was then,” Twilight said. “This is now. I'm not consulting all those books anymore! Not as much, anyway. And I did not order a gazillion books. I only ordered about two dozen. A ‘gazillion’ isn't even a real number.”

“I know that! I was just— you know what, it's not important whether a gazillion is a real number or not. What is important is that you're still pushin' yourself too much. I mean, think about it for a minute. It might not seem like you're goin' to much trouble for flowers and whatever, but you totally turned your life upside down! You got Spike to take over the library for you, and you went and got a whole new job just so you could afford to get me stuff that I don't really need!”

Twilight stared, dumbfounded. “Y-you don't like that I'm... that I'm doing so much for you?”

“You want me to be honest?”

“Of course.”

Applejack took a deep breath. “No, I don't like it. You're doin' it because you want to be able to give me stuff and take me out on dates or whatever. I get that. And I like the fact that you're willin' to do that for my sake. But it just bugs me that you're puttin' yourself through so much toil ‘cause of it!”

Twilight's mouth moved silently, trying to form a word. “I-I just do it because I want to do something nice for you!”

“I know, and I appreciate that. But...” Applejack paused to think of whether or not to say what she was thinking. “It's just... you might want to think for a moment about whether or not I'd want you to do any of that stuff.”

“Really,” Twilight said. “Is there anything I've been doing that you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Actually, yeah, there is. Now don't get me wrong, it's great when you come by, but... well, sometimes it can be kinda inconvenient.”

“Inconvenient?”

“Yeah, inconvenient. I'll be tryin' to get something done, like helpin' Apple Bloom with her homework or buckin' trees or bakin' or somesuch, and when you show up I gotta stop so we can talk. I mean, I like talkin' to you and everything, I really do. I really like it that you visit so often, but sometimes it can just be tough to get anything done when I gotta stop what I'm doin' and put it on hold til we're done. It ain't like you gotta stop visitin' or anything, just do it after I'm done with my work for the day, or maybe tell me ahead of time so I can plan to have a break for lunch or something.”

“So basically, you only want me to come by when it's convenient for you?”

“Well, you don't have to put it like that,” Applejack said defensively. “I'm just sayin' it would be nice you took a bit more time to figure out when it would be good to drop by, that's all. I mean, I try not to pop in at the library when I know you're studyin', and I don't show up while you're workin' at the chocolate shop. I got a lot of work to do on the farm, and I can't keep puttin' it off whenever you show up.”

“Alright, so I guess I have to work around your schedule then.”  Twilight snorted. “It’s not like I haven’t completely overhauled my schedule already.”

Applejack cringed. “See, this is why I decided not to bring it up. I'm just makin' myself sound ungrateful.”

“Yeah, you kind of are.”

“I know that, Twilight. I just thought it would be better to get all this out in the open. I know that you're doin' your best to make this work, but—”

“Yeah, I am!” Twilight slammed her hoof on the table, rattling the jam jars. “And apparently, that isn’t good enough for you!”

“Now wait just a minute—”

“I've been doing everything I can think of because I want you to know that I care! Because I want you to know that I want you to be happy! You know what, you're right! I have been working my flank off! I could barely sleep because I was too worried about what I was going to say to you! I completely overhauled my budget, my schedule, my personal life and it's all for you. And... and you...”

“And I haven't done anything.” Applejack said flatly. “Is that it?”

Twilight's eyes widened for a split second before turning harsh. “Yes. That's right. I've done so much! I've worked so hard...” Tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes. “...and it feels like I’m the only one who’s doing anything!”

“I’ve told you a thousand times already, you don’t need to do anything.”  Applejack tried to keep her voice level. “And you’re just not listenin’ to a word I say!”

“I'm driving myself crazy for you, Applejack!  The gifts, the fancy dates, the new job... and you don't care about any of it!”

“I don't care about it because all that fancy shmancy stuff is a big ol' waste of time!”

Twilight took a step back as if she had just been kicked in the face. The room was silent. Both ponies were on the verge of speaking when Apple Bloom clattered down the stairs. Halfway down, the foot of her bunny suit snagged on an edge and she tumbled the rest of the way. Twilight and Applejack stared. Half a second later, Apple Bloom sprang to her feet, none the worse for wear.

“Granny Smith patched up the holes in my bunny costume!” she said. “She wants to know if you got anything that needs mendin', and—” She noticed Twilight. “Oh, hey Twilight. I'm not interruptin' anything, am I?”

“No, I was just on my way out.” Twilight sighed, and her whole body seemed to droop. “I'll talk to you later, Applejack.” She turned around and walked out the door.

“Twilight, wait just a—” The door slammed shut. Applejack stomped her hoof. “Oh, horseapples.”

“Uh, are you guys okay?” Apple Bloom asked. “Did somethin' happen?”

Applejack groaned and shook her head. “Just me bein' an idiot.” She looked over her sister. “You okay? You took quite a tumble there.”

“I'm fine.” Apple Bloom said. She looked at the rump of her outfit. “Aww, I tore it. Granny just fixed it up, too!”

“Well, you shouldn't be wearin' that thing around the house for no reason. Now go take it back to Granny and have her sew it up. And then put it back in the drawer until it's time to actually use it.”

“Alright.” Apple Bloom began to hop back up the stairs. She got about halfway and looked back. “You and Twilight aren't breakin' up, are you?”

“I don’t think so.  Not if I got anything to say about it, at least.” She waved her hoof at her sister. “Now get on up there. Careful this time.” She watched as Apple Bloom disappeared up the stairwell. Applejack turned her gaze out the window. Twilight was already gone.

Twilight resisted the urge to turn back and run back to the farm. As much as she wanted to burst back into the kitchen and say that she hadn't meant any of it... she couldn't. For the first time in weeks, she didn't want to talk to Applejack. She stared at the ground as she walked along. She had expected to feel something. Anger, sadness, regret... maybe she felt some of them, but she couldn't tell. Maybe it was a little of everything at once. As much she wanted to apologize for turning the conversation into a fight, she couldn't help but think that she was right. At least partly. After all the effort she had put in, Applejack ought to appreciate it a little. Sure, in retrospect Applejack might have had a point about how far she had gone and she knew that Applejack was never big on stuff like flowers, but to say that it was a waste of time was almost certainly overstating it.

She trotted sullenly towards the library. Should she try to explain to Spike what had happened? It wasn't like they had broken up or anything; it needn’t concern him. He had enough to worry about. Then again, he'd probably realize that something was wrong anyway. She needed to tell him something. Maybe she should just go back to the farm. Sort all this out before she had to discuss it with any—

Whump.

“Oh, hey Twilight!” said Pinkie Pie's voice. “Um, I know I smell like frosting, but can you get your face out of my tail? It's not very comfortable.”

Twilight took a step back and plucked the strands of pink hair off her snout. She sneezed and rubbed her nose. When she opened her eyes, Pinkie’s face was distressingly close to her own.

“You okay?” Pinkie asked. “You look really droopy!”

“It-it's nothing.”  She tried to step around Pinkie, but Pinkie somehow managed to stay in front of her.

“It is totally not nothing!” Pinkie shook her head wildly. “And if it's not nothing, that means that it's definitely something!”

“It’s nothing that concerns you, then.”  Twilight darted around Pinkie and cantered down the road. She turned back.  Pinkie was nowhere to be seen.  Twilight sighed in relief.  Then she turned forward and found Pinkie’s face once again hovering in front of her own.

“Did you get fired from the chocolate shop?  If you did, it’s nothing to be ashamed of, because—”

“No!”  Twilight shouted.  There was a flash of purple sparkles, and she found herself in a nearby back alley. She shook her head and muttered to herself. “I’m sorry, Pinkie, but right now I’m just not in the mood for—”

“Is it Princess Celestia!?”  Pinkie chirped as she popped out of a nearby trashcan. “Did she give you a bad grade?”

“No!  It has nothing to do with her!”

“Hmmm....”  Pinkie scratched her head for a moment. “Ooh! I know what it is!” She gasped, inhaling a few of her hairs in the process. She coughed and turned her attention back to Twilight. “Sorry about that!” She cleared her throat. “It's something to do with Applejack, isn't it?”

“...You could say that,” Twilight grudgingly admitted.

“Really? What happened? Did something happen to her?” She whipped her hooves up to hold her mane back and gasped again. “Did you have a fight!?”

“Pinkie, shhh!” She pulled Pinkie close. “Don't tell anypony, okay?”

Pinkie nodded.

"Promise?

Pinkie nodded again, very solemnly.

“We...” Twilight began. “I don't know if it really counts as a fight. It was more like a... heated discussion? Maybe an argument. I don't think it was a fight, though.  Although it might have been.”

“Well, why did you have a... heated discussion that was maybe an argument? I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to have those.”

“It's... it's hard to explain.” Twilight looked up and down the street. “Why don't we go back to the library and I'll explain there. It's not something I really want to talk about where anypony could hear.”

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie spun around and began to pronk down the road to the library.

Twilight shook her head and shuffled along after her.

Applejack stood in her room staring blankly at the stack of cards that sat on her beside table. Sure, there were a ton of better things that Twilight could have spent her bits on, but was that really worth starting an argument over? So she had some unnecessary vases of flowers in the kitchen. That wasn't a big deal. And Twilight certainly didn't seem to mind working for the extra money it had taken to buy them. Did it really count as imposing on her when for all appearances she seemed to be having fun with it? Had any of her complaints had any point? Maybe the one about Twilight showing up in the middle of the day, but even that could definitely have waited for some other time. Some other time that wasn't the worst possible moment to bring up the subject.

A loud knock on her door broke the silence, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She took a few deep breaths. “What is it?”

“Um, Applejack?” Apple Bloom's voice was barely audible through the heavy wooden door.

Applejack tried not to sound as exasperated as she felt. “Hey, Apple Bloom. What is it?”

The door creaked as Apple Bloom slowly pushed it open and poked her head in. “Um, I was just wonderin' was goin' on with you and Twilight. Are you okay? You looked really sad when you came up the stairs.”

Applejack smiled weakly. “C'mere.” She sat on the bed and gestured for Apple Bloom to join her. Apple Bloom hopped up next to her. “Listen, I'm not gonna lie to you. Me and Twilight had a bit of a... a fight I guess.”

“A fight? About what?”

“Nothin' you need to know about. All I'm gonna say is that I got a bit mad and said some things I shouldn't have.”

“Are you still mad at her?”

“To be honest, I don't know.  A little, maybe.” Applejack sighed and put her foreleg around her sister. “She said some stuff that was kinda uncalled for. I don't think she meant to say anything nasty, but it still hurt a bit.”

“You think she's still mad at you?”

“I got no idea. Wouldn't surprise me, though. Twilight's got just as much reason to be angry as I do. I said some things that were downright mean. I didn't want to make her angry or anything, but I was real frustrated and my mouth started goin' faster than my brain did. By the time I realized that I had said something awful, it was too late and she was on her way home.” She sighed and gave her sister a squeeze. “Let me tell you somethin', when you're old enough to get a very special somepony, you gotta remember to stop and think before you start talkin'. Runnin' your mouth is just gonna get you into trouble.”

“Uh...” Apple Bloom cocked her head. “You didn't set up this whole thing just so you could give me that lesson, did you?”

“Nope.” Applejack ruffled her sister's mane. “It's just something I realized that I'd rather tell you about now rather than have you learn it the hard way. I don't want you to ever feel how I'm feelin' right now.”

“O-okay. So what're you gonna do now?”

“I wish I knew. I gotta do something, but I don't know what. I can't think straight.”

“Well, I think you should go talk to her and say you're sorry,” Apple Bloom said, as if that settled the matter.

“I wish it was that easy,” Applejack said with a sigh. “You're right, though. I do have to talk things out with her. Although I really need to think things through a bit first.” She hopped off the bed. “In the meantime, though, I think I really need to find something else to occupy my mind. Just thinkin' about it is makin' my head hurt. Come on, why don't we go and make sure we got all the zap apple stuff set up?”

“You sure you're okay?” Apple Bloom asked as she followed her sister out of the room.

“I reckon I am. It's not pleasant, but I'll get it figured out. Now come on. Zap Apples are gonna pop up any day now, and we have to be ready.”

“Alright,” Apple Bloom said. “I'll go out to the barn!”

“Okay. I'll be there in a couple minutes. And Apple Bloom...”

“Yeah?”

“Don't tell anypony about what happened, okay? It's none of their business.”

Apple Bloom nodded and trotted down the stairs.

Applejack sighed and gurmbled to herself. “Don't worry yourself; you'll get it figured out.”

“—and then she said that it was all just a waste of time!” Twilight flailed her limbs. “The nerve! Can you believe that?”

“Hmmm...” Pinkie tapped her chin with her hoof. “Actually, yeah, I can believe that. Applejack can be sorta blunt sometimes.”

“I know that!” Twilight said with with a groan. “I just can't believe she doesn't appreciate everything I've done for her! I'm doing everything that a very special somepony is supposed to do, and she doesn't care about any of it!”

“I'm sure she cares about some of it.”

“You know what I mean! Applejack might not care much about flowers or cards, and I know I'm going to a lot of trouble, but you'd think that she'd focus more on the fact that I'm doing it all for her!” Twilight sighed. “I mean, it's the thought that counts, right?”

“Yeah, the thought is really really important!” Pinkie nodded like a bobblehead. “You just want Applejack to be happy, right? Can't go wrong with that!”

“Exactly! You get it, why can't she?”

“Yep! It sure is weird that she isn't having fun with all the stuff you gave her.” Pinkie paused for a moment. “Although I guess I can see why she might not think flowers are all that fun. All they do is sit there. They don't do anything funny or cool or useful. They don't really do much of anything.”

“I, uh...” Twilight blinked. “Okay, I guess she never did care much about stuff that’s just for decoration.”

“That's right.” Pinkie continued to nod. “Come to think of it, she probably wouldn't care much about the cards either, cause it's not like you wrote any of them.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense too, now that I think about it.”

“But you're totally right about everything else, though,” Pinkie said. “You'd think somepony like Applejack would be able to appreciate hard work, even if you are doing it so you can buy stuff that she doesn't really want or need. I mean, even if you're wasting your time, she should totally care about the fact that you're wasting all that time because of her!”

“Exactly! I— wait, what? You think I'm wasting my time, too?”

“Come on, Twilight, think about it. Isn't the point of buying her gifts and whatever to make her happy?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Is all the stuff you're doing making her happy?”

“Not really.”

“Then why are you still doing it?”

“I— uh...” Twilight froze for a moment.

“Twilight?” Pinkie waved a hoof in front of Twilight's face. “Anypony home?”

“ARRRGHH!” Pinkie jumped backward as Twilight released a frustrated scream. As the shout abated, Twilight flopped forward, her forehead landing on the table with a solid thud. “I'm such an idiot!”

“Twilight?” Spike poked his head out of the kitchen. “Are you alright?” He turned to Pinkie. “What happened to her? You didn't give her one of my crushed quartz cupcakes, did you?”

“No, she's just being an idiot, apparently.” Pinkie shrugged. “I'm not sure why being an idiot would make her bang her head on the table though. I'm an idiot sometimes and I don't bang my head on the table. Sometimes I knock on doors with my head if my hooves are full, though.”

Spike patted Twilight on the head. “Why would you say you're an idiot? You're like the smartest pony in town!”

“I'm an idiot because I somehow convinced myself that I had actually put some thought into things!” Twilight lifted her head just enough to look at Spike. “This whole time I've been going on about how 'it's the thought that counts' when I haven't been putting any thought into it at all!” She thumped her head on the table a second time and emitted a long, low groan.

“What are you talking about, Twilight?” Spike scratched his head. “What haven't you been putting any thought into?”

“She had a not-fight with Applejack,” Pinkie said. “She just had an epi-pone, er, efiphan? No, that's not it either. An epipepifany? Um, a realization that the problem is because she wasn't thinking about it enough.”

“Oh. What do you mean you haven't been thinking about it enough? You haven't been thinking about much else lately.”

“That just makes it worse! I was thinking about all the wrong things! I should have been thinking about what would make Applejack happy! Not I what I thought I was supposed to be giving her! So what if most very special someponies would like getting flowers? Applejack isn't most ponies! Why on earth couldn't I see that!?” She let her head drop to the table again, but this time Pinkie slid a pillow under her. It squished as she put her head down. Her voice was barely audible through the feathers. “I'm a terrible special somepony.”

“No you aren't!” Pinkie grabbed Twilight's horn and lifted her head off the pillow. “You're just new at it! Most ponies aren't that great at stuff they've never done before. Remember when Spike tried to help out on the farm?”

“Hey!” Spike glowered at Pinkie. “I didn't mess things up that badly.” Both ponies gave him sideways glances. “Okay, so maybe I did. At least I tried.”

“See? Spike's got it!” Pinkie said. “You tried, messed it up, and now you know that you messed up so you won't do it again. It happens to everypony. How do you think I learned how to bake the best cakes ever?”

“Since when have you ever had trouble baking?” Twilight asked sullenly.

“Yeah, I don't tell many ponies about it, but the first time I tried to make a cake on my own it didn't really turn out that well. I figured that since cakes are great because they're sweet, and if sugar is what makes the cakes sweet, and salt isn't sweet, the cake would be totally awesome if I replaced the salt with sugar. And also replaced the flour with sugar, because flour really doesn't taste like much of anything. Mr. Cake had to use a power sander to clean the pan after I baked it.”

Twilight chuckled weakly. “Yeah, that is pretty bad.”

“The second cake didn't go much better,” Pinkie said. “I didn't realize that you were supposed to frost the cake after you bake it. But I actually put the flour in, so it was a step in the right direction.”

“So what you're saying is that this argument is sort of like your first cake?”

“I guess you could say that. You might have messed it up a bit this time, but now you know how not to do it! Once you and Applejack get everything figured out, everything will be even better!”

“That's easy enough to say, but... I don't know. What if Applejack is still mad at me?”

“I'm sure if you say sorry, it'll all be fine!” Pinkie patted Twilight on the back.

Twilight sighed. “I sure hope it's that easy.”

“You think the zap apples are coming soon?” Apple Bloom bounced excitedly behind her sister as she dragged another basket underneath one of the trees. “Do you? I can almost smell the Zap Apple Jam already!”

“You'd have to ask Granny to be sure; she's the only one who knows all the signs. Big Macintosh is well on his way to learnin' 'em, though.”

“Don't you know any of them?”

“I know some. Want me to tell you about one?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay. See that tree?” Applejack pointed.

“Yeah, I see it.”

“Go give it a buck.”

“You sure?” Apple Bloom tilted her head. “There's no apples on it.”

“Just go kick it.”

“Okay, then.” Apple Bloom scurried over to the tree, wound up and kicked it as hard as she could. The tree shivered for a moment before a pulse of crackling energy poured down the trunk. “Whoa!” Apple Bloom squealed as the shock hit her, blasting away from the tree. She flopped on her back in front of her sister.

“You okay, Apple Bloom?”

“Yeah, I just feel a bit... tingly.”

“Good, that means that Zap Apples will be along in a day or two. If you don't get that tingle after you get zapped it means you got like a week to go.”

“R-right...” Apple Bloom shakily made her way to her hooves. “I, uh, I think I did enough getting' ready for today. You mind if I go back to the clubhouse and see if Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are around?”

“Sure. You already did more than your fair share of stuff. I'll see you later. And remember, not a word about what happened with Twilight, okay?”

“Okay.” Apple Bloom nodded and stumbled off towards the clubhouse.

Applejack sighed and began to stack the extra baskets.

“Um, Applejack?”

She turned around. Half of Fluttershy's face was peeking out from behind a tree.

“Fluttershy? What are you doin' back there?”

“I'm sorry. One of my squirrels ran away because he didn't want to take his medicine.” She shrank back, so that only her eye and the curl of her hair was visible. “I couldn't help but overhear. I won't tell anypony. I didn't mean to eavesdrop.”

“No, no, it's okay.” Applejack gestured for Fluttershy to come out. “I need to talk to somepony about it anyway.”

“O-okay.” Fluttershy slowly stepped out from behind the tree. “So what happened?”

“Well, me and Twilight were talkin', and it kinda turned into an argument. The short version is that I feel like I'm bein' a burden on her 'cause she's always spendin' bits on gifts for me. Problem is she's doin' entirely 'cause she wants to, so I couldn't think of a way to tell her how I felt about it without soundin' like I didn't care about what she was doin'.”

“That sounds reasonable.”

Applejack took a few steps towards Fluttershy and sat down.  “That's what I thought, too. At least at first.  I mean, I got no reason for her to do all that stuff, right?  Problem is, things got a bit heated, and I ended up yellin' that I thought it was all a waste of time.”

Fluttershy's eyes widened as she walked over to Applejack. “Oh my.”

“Tell me about it. I just feel like such a jerk. I should never have said any of that.”

“Well, um, you could just tell her that, I guess.”

“I know that! If it wasn't for the fact that I promised my sister we'd spend some time together this afternoon, I mighta very well have gone down to Twilight's to apologize already!”

“Uh, in that case, maybe you should do that, then.”

“I want to, but...”

“But what?”

“But I... I know this probably sounds kinda bad, but I really do think I kinda have a point. As sorry as I am that I blew up on Twilight like that, I'm still not comfortable with what she's doin'. I still think that there’s no reason for her work so hard for my sake, I’m just sorry for how I said it. But the fact that I messed up and said it in a mean way doesn’t make it any less true.”

“So you really do think she’s wasting her time?”

“Well, kind of. It’s nice that she’s thinkin’ of me, and I like to know that she cares, but...” She sighed. “She doesn’t need to go throwin’ bits around willy-nilly for me to know that.  Just talkin’ to her is enough. I just don’t wanna see her put so much time into something that she doesn’t need to worry about.”

“I see, I guess.  But if she likes doing it, I mean, couldn’t you just go with it anyway?  It’s not like it’s causing you too many problems or anything.”

“I wish I could just stop carin' about it, but I just can't. I don't want to go and sweep this whole thing under the rug. I tried that already, and it obviously didn't work. I gotta think of the right way to say everything before I try to apologize or else we'll end up right back where we started. I want to solve the problem, not just push it off.”

“Um, can you tell me why you're uncomfortable with her giving you so many gifts?” Fluttershy scratched her head. “I'm not sure why that's such a bad thing.”

“It's not a bad thing. It's just... when I was growin' up, things were real... practical. We used all of our bits for useful stuff; food, farm equipment, stuff like that. It's just tough to wrap my head around the idea of somepony spendin' so many bits on something that doesn't have any real use. She could be usin' that money for books, or cleanin' supplies, or food, or whatever it is that libraries need! But instead she's spendin' it all on me! I'm usin' up a big chunk of her resources for no good reason!”

“Sort of like a leech?” Fluttershy asked as she sat down next to Applejack. “Although it's not really like a leech because you aren't really benefiting from the situation. It's still sort of the same idea, though.”

“I don't want to be a leech! That's the whole problem!”

“Of course you shouldn't be a leech. Relationships should be symbiotic.”

“Symbowhat?”

“Never mind.” Fluttershy kicked at a dirt clod. “Does Twilight know that you feel like you're being a leech?”

“...No. I just told her that I thought it was pointless.” She shook her head. “That was a regular stroke of genius there. She probably thinks I'm an ungrateful jerk. And she wouldn't be all wrong, either.”

“I don't think Twilight would be that bitter,” Fluttershy said as she patted Applejack on the shoulder. “I'm sure that if you explain why you feel that way, she'll be perfectly understanding. Maybe you should go tell her. Would now be a good time? ”

“I doubt it'll be that easy. She looked really mad,” Applejack said with a sigh. “I think it would be better to give her some space. We both gotta cool down a bit. Besides, it's just about time for dinner, and I gotta get back to the house for that.”

“Dinner?” Fluttershy asked. “Is it that late already?”

“Yeah, it's probably... I dunno, a quarter after six.”

“Oh my! I need to find that squirrel so I can get the food ready for my animals! You don't mind if I go, do you?”

“No, it's fine. We all got stuff we gotta do.” Applejack smiled. “I'm glad we could talk a bit though. I'm still not entirely sure what to say to Twilight, but I got a better idea now than I did before you showed up.”

“Um, you're welcome, I guess. I really hope things between you and Twilight turn out well.” She hung her head. “It's never fun when my friends don't get along.”

“Don't worry, Fluttershy. I plan on doin' my level best to patch things up. Now go take care of your animals. They probably need you more than I do. I'll get things fixed up, I promise.  And good luck findin’ that squirrel. ”

“Okay, then.” She smiled. “See you later, Applejack.”

Applejack sighed as she watched Fluttershy trot away. “I hope so, at least.”

“Come on, Twilight, you gotta eat something.” Spike waved a sandwich in Twilight's face. “I can practically hear your stomach growling.”

Twilight didn't even bother lifting her head from the table. “I'm not hungry.”

“Yes, you are. You just don't want to eat because you feel bad about this whole Applejack thing.” Spike shoved the fruitbowl towards her. “I bet you'd feel better if you ate something.”

“I doubt it. I've been totally ignoring everything that Applejack actually wanted. And then when she tried to set me straight, I blew up at her! I don't think that eating some grapes is going to make me feel better.”

“How about an orange then?” Spike said. “Or maybe a banana!”

“I don't think so, Spike.”

“Okay then.” He grinned. “How about an apple?”

“Spike.”

“Sorry.” He put the apple back in the bowl. “Seriously, if this is bothering you so much, why don't you just go apologize already?”

“I want to, but I don't know if I have it in me right now. I just need to think it over, and right now I just can't. It's like my brain just won't work.”

“That's probably because it needs food. How about some of my famous nachos? They're your favorite!”

Twilight stared at the bowl for a moment. “Thanks, but I think I'll pass.” She stood up. “I'm going to bed. Maybe if I sleep on it, I'll be able to figure out what to do.”

“Sleep?” Spike's eyes darted to the window. “It's not even dark out yet.”

“Then I'll close the blinds.” She started up the stairs. “Goodnight, Spike.”

“Goodnight, Twilight.” Spike watched as she vanished into her room. He sighed. “I thought for sure the nachos would cheer her up.” He shrugged. “Oh well. At least she’s not eating a whole boxful of chocolate granola bars again.”

Applejack stared at the ceiling. Never in her life had she been so completely and totally awake. It wasn't fair. If she had had the same clarity of mind during her conversation with Twilight that she had right now, none of this would have happened. Her eyes drifted to the clock. 2:34 A.M. and she wasn't even a bit sleepy. She sat up. Her attention turned to the stack of cards on her nightstand. They sure weren't something worth starting a fight over.

She opened the drawer. There was another card in there. This one she cared about. She gently lifted it out of the drawer and opened it.

“I'm sorry, Twilight.” she whispered. She placed the card back in its place and closed the drawer. “And I'm gonna make this right.”

Love's Growth

I don’t believe it. How could I have let this happen? Our conversation was supposed to resolve our problems, not cause more!  How am I supposed to fix this?  What if... what if I—  No.  I’m not going to even consider that. There has to be a way to make things right.

If, as in water stirr'd more circles be

Produced by one, love such additions take,

Those like so many spheres but one heaven make,

For they are all concentric unto thee ;

And though each spring do add to love new heat,

As princes do in times of action get

New taxes, and remit them not in peace,

No winter shall abate this spring’s increase.

—Love's Growth,

John Donne

Twilight rolled over. She had spent most of her night readjusting herself, attempting to find a comfortable position. She had never found one. She wasn't even sure that she had ever really fallen asleep. If not for the rays of sun poking their way through the not-quite-closed curtains, she wouldn't have even believed that it was morning. Obviously getting any more rest was out of the question. She sighed and rolled out of bed.

She stooped down. Her treasure chest squealed as she dragged it out from under her bed. Her heart started thumping a bit faster as she began to undo the spells that held it shut. Half of her didn't want to look into it. Some part of her brain couldn't let go of the idea that Applejack had taken such offense at the previous day's quarrel that she had snuck into Twilight's room, and reclaimed her hat. It was absurd, of course, but she needed to prove to herself that it was still there. She opened it, and let out a small sigh of relief. She ran her hoof along the brim of the hat, reassuring herself that it was really there.

I can't let this go on any longer. She thought. Sometime today, I have to talk to Applejack again.

A few minutes later she was on her way downstairs. Spike was still curled up in his bed, snoring loudly. Twilight sighed as she looked at the clock. She barely had enough time to eat before she had to be at Bon Bon's shop, let alone having the time to talk to Applejack, and anyway—

She froze. What if Applejack wants me to quit? I can't just up and stop working at the shop. Bon Bon is just starting to get used to having me around! What would she think if I walk out on her now? She shook the thoughts out of her head. She had no idea what Applejack would say, so it was too early to worry about it. Maybe she could even get some advice. Lyra and Bon Bon had been together since before she had even come to Ponyville. Twilight couldn't imagine the two of them spending so much time together without having a tiff at some point. There had to be a secret to getting through it. I just hope it isn't too l— what's that?

Twilight squinted against the brightness pouring in the front windows. There was something on the floor in front of the doorway. She bent down to look at it. It was an envelope, crinkled a bit in one corner. She picked it up and gasped as she saw the apple-shaped stamp that held it shut. Her body trembled as she peeled off the stamp and opened the envelope.

There was a letter inside. Even before she unfolded it, she recognized Applejack's writing, blocky and heavy enough that it imprinted the paper. She bit her lip, not sure that she wanted to know what was written on it. Then again, not knowing was worse. She unfolded the letter and began to read.

Twilight,

This is probably a real dumb thing for me to do, but I couldn't get to sleep after what happened yesterday. I had to do something, and I didn't want to wake you up. I guess I should have just waited until tomorrow to talk to you in person, but I just didn't want to wait. I can't stand to think that I made you sad.

So first of all, I want to apologize. I said some stuff I shouldn't have and I'm sorry for that. I was just being a blockhead. I don't think I really understood what you were trying to tell me, and I didn't really know how to say what I wanted to. I never wanted to hurt you, but I did anyway, and that's been eating away at me. I've been thinking a lot about it, and I think I have a better idea of what I was really trying to say. I want to talk to you again tomorrow, so I can apologize to you face to face. Maybe we can finally talk our way through this.

You can drop by the farm whenever you feel like it. I know I made a big deal about you showing up in the middle of things, but this is more important. You come by whenever you have time and I'll do my best to make time for you. Or you want me to meet you someplace, just let me know and I'll show up. I want to fix things up between us. I want to really understand what you were trying to tell me, and I want you to understand what I was trying to tell you. I'm so sorry for what I said and I hope that you can forgive me.

Applejack

P.S. I hope you slept better than I did, which was not at all.

Twilight's lip quivered as she read. As she reached the end, she spun around and went back up to her room, taking the steps two at a time. When she came back down the stairs, the letter was neatly folded and safely stored in her treasure chest. She knew where she was going as soon as she finished up at the chocolate shop.

Applejack wanted to smack herself in the head. What had she been thinking? Was she really so impatient that she couldn't have waited a few hours and told Twilight everything face to face? A letter? Really? That was the best she could do? She couldn't even remember what she had written. Probably something stupid. She should have known better than to try something like that when she was only half- awake.

It was too late to go back, now. If she wanted that letter back she'd have to sneak into the library, probably while wearing some manner of stealth suit. Even though she had gotten less sleep than usual, she could tell that that was a no-go. First of all, she didn't own any stealth suits, and second, breaking into the library would damage their relationship more than their little disagreement ever had. Whatever it was she had written in that letter couldn't possibly have been worse than getting caught climbing through a window. It wasn't as if she had written a scathing attack full of words she normally reserved for when she stubbed her hoof. If anything she had probably gone too far in the other direction.

She snorted. If she could have just waited. She couldn't go and show up at the library now. Not when the letter had told Twilight to meet her at the farm. She glanced out the window, half expecting to see Twilight coming up the road. She shook her head. Twilight had to go to work; she'd never quit a job so suddenly. Or maybe she would. It wasn't out of the question that Bon Bon would give her a day off to— No, that wouldn't happen. She didn't know Bon Bon very well, but she didn't seem like the type to give vacation time for personal matters. Then again, it was still entirely possible that Lyra would convince her...

She sighed. Even though the words of the letter were a bit hazy, she remembered telling Twilight that she could come whenever it was convenient for her. There was no telling when that would be. She'd just have to be ready at any time, then. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Now, what was it I was doin' again?” She opened her eyes and found herself looking at a crusty skillet, a batter-coated mixing bowl, and a stack of plates. “Right. Dishes.”

Fluttershy sighed as she towed a cart towards her cottage. She knew it wasn't any heavier than usual; she had bought twenty-seven bags of birdseed, same as always. But even so it felt like she was dragging a mountain behind her.

It wasn't her fault. She knew that. She certainly hadn't done anything to sabotage Twilight and Applejack's relationship. Nothing Applejack had said implied that she held anypony other than herself and Twilight responsible for their argument. Fluttershy shook her head. No matter how many times she told herself that, it didn't stick. For a moment, just a moment, she had thought that things would be so much more convenient if her friends weren't together. Even though that had been two weeks ago, she had never actually said it out loud, and she had immediately regretted it, she couldn't help but think that some obscure force of nature had sensed it.

Still, Applejack seemed to be ready to sort things out, so perhaps it wouldn't end so badly. Fluttershy struggled against the weight of the cart as she tried to haul it up the bridge. If only I could have said something more useful to Applejack, if I could help them reconcile... I could help make up for—

“You need help with that?”

Fluttershy stopped straining against the incline for a moment. Her momentum vanished, and her cart dragged her down the bridge. She looked back over her shoulder. Pinkie's head protruded from over the top of the cart.

“I, uh...” Fluttershy was too despondent to be surprised. “Yes, some help would be nice.”

“Great! Let's get going!” Pinkie put her head against the back of the wagon and started to push. Fluttershy took a few steps forward and the cart moved a bit easier. A minute later the bridge was entirely behind her.

“Thank you, Pinkie.”

“No problem!” Pinkie bounce over the cart and came down in front of Fluttershy. “Are you okay? You look a bit droopy.”

“Oh, I do?”

“Yup! Your eyes are droopy, your ears are droopy, even your mane is droopy!” Pinkie flicked the curl of hair that hung in front of Fluttershy's face. “You must really need some sugar!”

“Uh, well, I guess I'm just a bit tired.”

“You don't look tired,” Pinkie said. “You just look...” —she tried to think of a word other than 'droopy'— “...languid.”

“I look... languid?” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. The word didn't sound right coming out of Pinkie's mouth.

“Yeah! Twilight told me that word!” Pinkie beamed for a split second before putting on her serious face. “But really, you don't look very happy.”

“I don't?” Fluttershy mumbled, just loud enough for Pinkie to hear.

“You don't sound happy, either.” She leaned in. “Did something happen to you? Usually feeding your parrots and parakeets and flamingos and whatever makes you really happy.”

“No, nothing happened...” she lowered her voice, “...to me.”

“Did something happen to one of your animals? Is Angel sick? Because I told him not to eat that entire tub of frosting in the bakery!”

“No, it's nothing like that!”

“Did something happen to your cottage then? Rainbow Dash crashed through your roof, didn't she?”

“No... it doesn't have anything to do with Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy fought the impulse to make a dash for her cottage; if Rainbow Dash couldn't escape from Pinkie, what chance did she have? “It's just... Well, I'd rather not say.”

“Aw...” Pinkie sighed. “Oh well, I hope you start feeling less droopy. Maybe I'll stop by later with some cupcakes. It's hard to feel sad when there are cupcakes.” She turned and began to bounce away. Then she stopped mid-bounce and looked back at Fluttershy. “Um... this thing that happened that you'd rather not talk about... can you at least tell me if it has something to do with... um... some of our friends?”

“Um, well...” Fluttershy's eyes widened. “Wait, are you talking about Applejack and Twilight's... um...”

“Their heated argument that may or may not have been a fight?”

“Y-yes, that. You know about it, too?”

“Yeah, I was talking to Twilight about it yesterday.” Pinkie suddenly narrowed her eyes and looked sideways at Fluttershy. “Waaaaait a minute. How do you know about their maybe-a-fight?”

“I, uh...” Fluttershy looked at the ground. “I was talking to Applejack about it.”

“Oh, okay.” The smile returned to Pinkie's face, and a split second later her eyes bugged out. “Is that why you're sad!? Is Applejack going to break up with Twilight?”

“Oh, no!” Fluttershy shook her head. “Not at all. She was sad that they had fought and wanted to sort things out.”

“That's great!” Pinkie said. “That's the same thing Twilight said.” She grinned widely. “Wait a second.” The grin vanished. “If Applejack was fine when you talked to her, why aren't you happy about it?”

“I-it's not like I'm happy that they were fighting or anything!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Well, duh. You're too nice to ever be happy about that. And you could never be sad that Applejack wants to fix things up!” She scratched her head. “Why do you feel bad then?”

“It's just... well... I feel like I should have done more.”

“Done more? Like what? I guess you could have brought her a cake...”

“No, not like that.” Fluttershy started a slow walk towards her cottage. “I just sort of ran into her while I was looking for one of my squirrels and we started talking.”

“Well, that's great! I bet she needed somebody to talk to and help her figure out what's going on!”

“But I didn't really help her with anything. I just sat there and let her talk to me about what happened.”

“Okay,” Pinkie said. “So, uh, what's the problem?”

“I should have been able to do something! Like, I don't know, give her some advice or maybe comfort her or... do anything useful.”

“That's silly!” Pinkie said. “If all she needed was somepony to talk to, you don't need to do anything else. You'd be surprised how much stuff you don't have to do to make somepony else happy. Believe me, there have been like a gazillion times where I did a bunch of stuff to make somepony happy and it turned out that I could've done something way easier!”

“A gazillion?”

“Okay, well maybe not a gazillion, but it's happened quite a few times.” She threw a foreleg around Fluttershy's shoulders. “But if Applejack's happy, what's the problem? You were there when she needed you and now things are all peachy keen! Or appley keen, I guess.”

“But... I feel like I do need to help her out somehow...”

“Why?”

“Because... I think I owe them that much.”

“Owe them?” Pinkie tilted her head. “Why would you owe them anything?”

“Well, it's just... when Applejack and Twilight first got together...” Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to look Pinkie in the eyes, “I... I wasn't as happy about it as all of you. I was afraid that if they were together they wouldn't have time for me anymore. It was so bad that for a moment I actually thought it might be better if they weren't together.”

“Ooooooohhhh!” Pinkie nodded sagely. “You're trying to make up for that!”

“I guess you could say that. All of you have been so happy for them, and you're always giving them advice about what to do, and I... I want to be able to help them too. I want to show them that I really am happy for them!”

“Come on, Fluttershy, I'm sure they both know that already! I bet if you went up to Applejack right now she'd thank you for listening to her!”

“That's true...” Fluttershy admitted. “But even so, I wish I could actually do something for them.”

“Do what?”

“I don't know. I wanted to give Applejack some advice yesterday, but I wasn't sure what to tell her. I don't know anything about romance!”

“Come on, Fluttershy...” Pinkie rolled her eyes. “You don't need to know anything about romance to give advice about it! I don't know anything about that stuff, and I still managed to help Twilight out!”

“But... how?”

“Well, it's not like romance is all that different from friendship. I'm not sure exactly how different or what the difference is, but both of them are all about two ponies getting along with each other. Even if you don't know anything about dating, or flowers, or how to play a tuba, it doesn't matter because you do know Twilight and Applejack!”

“What does knowing how to play a tuba have to do with romance?”

“Exactly!” Pinkie said with an unnecessary degree of enunciation. She crossed her forelegs and nodded, clearly satisfied by her own answer.

“Uh, I'm not sure I see what you mean.”

“I'm just saying that if you want somepony to be happy, it's more important to know them than to know anything else.” She patted Fluttershy on the head. “If they ever need your help I'm sure you'll be able to find something to tell them.”

“I suppose so,” Fluttershy said with a sigh. “I just wish I could have helped this time...”

“Well, I'm sure you can think of something to do! If you can't think of anything, try baking a cake. Can't go wrong with cake!”

“Cake?”

Pinkie nodded. “Especially if it's chocolate!”

“But what does that—”

“Ahem!” Fluttershy looked down to see Angel sitting in front of her, arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently. He drew a pocketwatch out of his tail, pointed at it, and patted his stomach.

“Angel! You’re supposed to be waiting at the cottage.  Why are you out here?”

Angel snorted and pointed at the clock tower.

“Oh my! It's almost feeding time, isn't it?”

Angel nodded.

“Um, I should probably get moving,” Fluttershy said, slowly starting to pull the cart. “My animals are waiting.”

“Alright, if you need any baking ingredients, I'll be at Sugarcube Corner! I'll make sure to save you some frosting!” She spun around and bounced away down the path.

Fluttershy just shook her head and pushed the thoughts of her friends out of her head. My animals need my help more than Applejack does. Applejack never needs my help.

Lyra stifled a yawn as she walked down the stairs. Never again would she eat two-week-old alfalfa casserole before going to bed. Unless there was nothing else in the fridge, and she was hungry. She poked her head into the storefront. As usual, Twilight was cleaning the counter. Not as usual, Twilight seemed to be unduly interested in making sure a small patch of glass in the corner was completely and utterly free of a single dust particle. Lyra noted the frown on Twilight's face. It was almost enough to make her feel sorry for any dust that got in her way.

“Um, Twilight? If you keep polishing that spot, you're going to wear a hole through the glass.”

“Huh!?” Twilight's head snapped up. “Oh, hi, Lyra.” She put on a blatantly fake smile. “How are you this morning?” she asked. She sounded so artificially chipper that Lyra wondered if she was being sarcastic.

“I'm okay. A bit tired.” Lyra gave Twilight a sideways glance. “I'd ask how you are, but uh... I think it's pretty clear.”

Twilight released a hefty sigh, and her cheerful facade disintegrated into a frown. “I guess acting like everything is fine doesn't work as well on you as it does on Bon Bon.”

“Nah, I don't think it worked on Bon Bon either,” Lyra said. “She just didn't want to say anything. She wouldn't think that it's any of her business. Uh, not that it's any of my business either...”

“You're not going to be able to concentrate on anything until you find out what's going on, are you?”

“Probably not,” Lyra said with a chuckle. “But if you don't want to talk about it, I'll live. I'm not gonna pretend I'm not interested, because I am. But it's a personal thing and it's fine if you don't want to talk about it.”

“No, no, it's fine,” Twilight said. “As a matter of fact, it probably makes more sense to talk to you about it. You know, since you're actually in a relationship.”

“Oh, well, don't expect too much out of me.” Lyra scratched the back of her head nervously. “I wouldn't exactly consider myself an expert on relationships. I've only ever been in one, after all.”

“Well, yes, but the one you're in is working,” Twilight said. “You've been together for... uh...”

“Eight years, if you want the 'official' number.”

“You've been together for eight years! You must be doing something right!” Twilight dropped the dust rag and put her forehooves on Lyra's shoulders. “You must know something that I don't!”

“Uh, I guess...” she said, pulling her neck back so her face wasn't so close to Twilight's. “Maybe I picked something up over the years. So, uh, what's going on with Applejack? Did you two have a fight or something?”

“I suppose you could say that.” Twilight looked at the floor.

“So is that what's got you down?”

“Yes! Well, no, not really. Kind of.” Twilight shook her head. “I mean, yes, we had an argument, and yes, that's part of it. But the real reason is because I realized that I've been an idiot!”

“Uh, in what way are you being an idiot?” Lyra tilted her head. She had never considered Twilight anything less than a genius. A socially awkward genius, but a genius nonetheless.

“Well, it's kind of complicated, but the short version is that I thought was being considerate when I was being anything but. I was buying Applejack all sorts of gifts and stuff because well, that's what you do when you're dating somepony.”

Lyra nodded. “Okay, I'm with you so far.”

“As it turns out, Applejack didn't like getting showered with gifts. We tried to talk about it, but things got heated. The whole thing was just foolish. I could tell that she didn't want me doing anything, but I just plowed ahead anyway even though it obviously made her uncomfortable!”

“I see... At least I think I see,” Lyra mused. “Did she ever explain why she didn't like the gifts?”

Twilight shook her head. “She tried to explain it, but I just got hung up on the fact that she wasn't being appreciative. I mean, I do think she was being too blunt about how she felt, but it doesn't change the fact that I wasn't really thinking about what she actually wanted.” She released a frustrated groan and banged her head against the counter with a loud thud. “How could I start a fight over something so stupid?”

“Because nopony is perfect,” Lyra said. “What's going on with you two right now? Have you talked again or anything?”

“Not in person. But she slid a note under my door last night that said she was sorry and wanted to talk things out.”

“Well, that's a step in the right direction!” Lyra nodded. “What's the problem then? Are you just not sure how to say it?”

“That's... part of it, I guess. But what really bothers me is that we had this fight at all! It's such a minor thing, neither of us should have been so mad about it.” She put a hoof to her head. “How are we supposed to have a working relationship if we can get so angry at each other over something like this?”

“Ah.” Lyra grinned, and gestured for Twilight to come closer. “Let me tell you a little secret about relationships.” Twilight leaned in closer, her ear nearly touching Lyra's lips. Lyra's eyes darted back and forth, scanning the room in an exaggerated fashion. She whispered. “Everypony fights.”

“Huh?” Twilight stepped back. “That's it?”

“Okay, so it's not really a secret.” Lyra shrugged.

“What's that even supposed to mean?”

“What it means is that regardless of how much any two ponies love each other, they're still going to have occasional squabbles. It's a natural part of being in a relationship. No matter how close you get, you still aren't the same pony. You're gonna butt heads on some things. If you got into this whole thing thinking that it was going to be smooth sailing from here on out, you're going to be disappointed.”

“That's your advice!?” Twilight asked harshly. “That's it? 'It happens. Get used to it.' How is that supposed to help me!?”

“Relax!” Lyra put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “I wasn't finished yet. Fights do happen, and you do have to get used to it, but that's not the whole story.”

“Then what is the whole story?”

“Listen, Twilight. I'm no expert on romance, but if there's one piece of advice that I think I can give you, it's this. If you want a good relationship that's going to last, it's not about knowing how to avoid fights, but knowing how to deal with them when they come up. Don't get me wrong, you don't want to fight, and you should try to avoid them, but it's not always going to work.”

“Knowing how to deal with fights?”

“Yup! I don't doubt for a second that you care a lot about Applejack, but no amount of affection is going to make the two of you to agree on everything. You're going to disagree on things, and you're going to get mad at each other sometimes. And honestly, I think that's okay. Being mad at somepony hardly means that you want to hurt them or anything. And that's just what's important, being able to disagree without hurting each other.

“There's a learning curve, obviously. It's pretty steep, and you're just getting started. It's not fun, it's not easy, and it's not what anypony wants when they think of romance. But it's a part of the process, and it's not going anywhere. But honestly...” she smiled, “...you seem to have it well in hoof.”

“I-I do? But I have no idea what I'm doing!”

Lyra shrugged. “Most ponies don't. But as far as I can tell, you're on the right track. Applejack wants to talk things out with you, and you're totally willing to do it.” She smiled. “Everypony always talks about love and affection and romance and all that stuff. Those things are definitely important, but I always feel like they're leaving something out.”

“Really?” Twilight cocked her head. “What are they leaving out?”

“Patience,” Lyra said. “Being willing to put up with each other until we learn how to really deal with our shortcomings. Making things work is all about getting to know your very special somepony as best you can. You have to learn where you need to compromise.  Figure out where you’re willing to budge, and where you have to stand your ground.”

Twilight nodded.  “Of course.”

“You have to try to understand them, and try to help them understand you. But above all, you gotta remember that, well, sometimes the two of you will mess up, and when you do it doesn't mean that you care for each other any less. It's hard, but at the same time, it's easy, because if you've found the right pony, they're working for it just as much as you.”

Twilight stared at Lyra for a moment, the words sitting on her like a ton of bricks. “Wow.”

“I, uh...” Lyra began to stammer. “It's not like I've accomplished all that or anything. Believe me, Bon Bon and I are still working on it. I mean, just a few days ago we had an argument over whose turn it was to do the dishes. I'm hardly like a... um... like a relationship guru or anything. It's just a suggestion, is all.”

“Well, I think you know what you're talking about. You clearly understand romance better than I do.”

Lyra chuckled. “That's only because I had years to figure it out. You're probably already way ahead of where Bon Bon and I were after a few weeks. Seriously, I'm sure you two will be fine.”

“Thank you, Lyra.” Twilight smiled. “This whole thing just feels so overwhelming sometimes. It's hard to believe that anypony can get it to work.”

“Well, relationships aren't really that different from anything else you have to work on, I guess,” Lyra said with a shrug. “Sometimes you just have to figure it out as you go. And speaking of work, you should probably clean that again.” She pointed to the face-shaped blotch on the display counter.

Twilight chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah, I probably should. I doubt that Bon Bon would want my snout imprinted on her display.”

“I don't think so either. Anyway, I should probably get to practicing. Not that I wouldn't answer any more questions or anything if you have them.”

“No, I think you've given me plenty to think about,” Twilight said. “Besides, I'm a bit behind on my cleaning.” She gestured at the counter. Aside from a small patch at the end, it was still murky with dust. “But again, thank you. I'm really glad I was able to talk to you about it. I mean, not that my friends aren't helpful or anything, but it's nice to be able to talk to somepony who's actually been there, you know?”

Lyra smiled as she took a seat at one of the tables. “Think nothing of it. It's just, well, despite the bumps along the road, my relationship with Bon Bon is one of the best things to ever happen to me. I just want it to turn out just as well for you.”

Twilight returned the smile. “I'll do my best not to let you down.”

“I know, Angel. I'll get your lunch soon,” Fluttershy said. “I just have to finish unloading this birdseed first. I can't leave it out here! It might rain, and then the seeds might start sprouting. And then I'd have to buy more, and I wouldn't be able to afford your special imported radishes. Go back inside and nibble on some lettuce while I wait.”

Angel snorted and pointed at his stomach.

“I know you're hungry, Angel, but you'll only have to wait for a little bit. The birds need their food too, after all.”

He frowned and slapped his back paw on the ground.

“Angel.” Fluttershy's eyes narrowed. “Go inside and wait for me.”

Angel sighed, and obeyed. Apparently he was in no mood to subject himself to the stare today. Fluttershy watched as he vanished into the cottage and turned her attention back to the cart. She grabbed the corner of one of the birdseed sacks between her teeth and tugged. It wouldn't budge. She sighed and pulled again, harder. It stuck for a moment and then tumbled down, landing squarely on Fluttershy. She squeaked as the sudden weight forced her to the ground.

“Need some help?”

Fluttershy looked up to see Rainbow Dash hovering above her. “Um, that would be nice. Unless you have something else to do.”

“Not really. Scootaloo was going to drop by and practice with me, but she's still in school, so I'm just waiting for her.”

“But...” Fluttershy glanced at the clock tower. “It's not even lunch time yet. School doesn't let out for a few more hours. Surely you have something better to do than help me out.”

“Well, there's no major weather systems on the schedule, I slept in this morning, so I don't need a nap, and I just ate a big brunch, so I won't be able to practice for a few hours even if I wanted to.  I’d get cramps.” She landed beside Fluttershy.  “Now let's get this show on the road!” She grabbed the bag off of Fluttershy and effortlessly threw it over her shoulder. “What's eating you, anyway? Normally even you can carry these things.”

“Oh, it's nothing.”

“Right, so there's no particular reason that you're acting all droopy?”

“Droopy?” Fluttershy's ear twitched. “Were you talking to Pinkie?”

“I might have bumped into her. She said that you looked a bit down.”

Fluttershy sighed. “I guess I am. A little bit.”

“So, care to tell me why?” Rainbow Dash dumped the sack unceremoniously in Fluttershy's shed. “I'll take care of all this stuff. You just sit there and tell me what's on your mind.”

“I guess I might as well...”

“That's it?” Rainbow Dash gave Fluttershy a sideways glance. “Really? Just because you had one thought, and then couldn't think of any advice for Applejack? You feel bad because of that?”

Fluttershy just nodded as she watched Rainbow Dash deposit the last bag into the shed.

“What makes you think that you need to give them any advice?” Rainbow Dash said. “You don't know any more about that stuff than they do! What are you gonna tell them?”

“Um, I don't know,” Fluttershy mumbled. “It's not like it stopped anypony else from helping.”

“Yeah, and look where that got them.” Rainbow Dash flipped into the air and landed next to Fluttershy with a dramatic flourish. “No point in trying to give them advice when you have no clue what to say.”

“But... didn't you tell them what to do?”

“I didn't tell them what to do so much as just telling them to get on with it. I mean, even if I don't know anything about all that lovey-dovey stuff I can tell that if you never do anything none of that matters. It's like when I'm trying out some awesome new trick. It's way easier to do something wrong and end up with your face in a tree when you're thinking too hard about how to do it.”

“I-I suppose...”

“Besides, it isn't like you have to be their adviser or anything.”

“Then how am I supposed to help?”

“You can be moral support!”

“Moral...” Fluttershy turned the words over in her mind, “...support?”

“Yeah! You're great at that!”

“Um, what exactly does being 'moral support' mean?”

Rainbow Dash put threw her leg around Fluttershy's shoulders. “You remember when I was in the Best Young Fliers' competition and wanted you to be my cheering section?”

“Y-yes...”

“You remember how nervous I was going into it?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Well, I know it might not seem like much, but if you hadn't been willing to come along, I... uh...” She leaned in close and dropped her voice to a whisper. “I don't know if I would have been able to even enter the contest.”

“Really?” Fluttershy's eyes widened. “But I don't know anything about stunt flying.”

“That's my point. When you're going through something really nerve wracking and tough, sometimes just having a friend there is all you need. Sure, you might not know what anything about flying or romance or whatever, but who cares? I sure don't. And Applejack probably wouldn't care either. She knows you're there for her if she ever needs somepony to talk to.”

“You really think so?”

“Yeah. If you don't believe me, go ask her yourself.”

“I-uh...” Fluttershy shook her head. “I think you're right.”

“That's what I thought. Listen, if you want to be a good friend to AJ and Twilight, just keep doing what you're doing. Think too hard about it and you'll end up flying into a cliff. I think you can manage that.”

“Yes, I think I can,” Fluttershy said with a nod.

“Great!” Rainbow Dash patted her on the head and began to hover. “Now that you got that figured out, I better get going.”

“Why? I thought you didn't have anything to do this afternoon?”

“I don't, but you do. And I don't think I want to be around when you deal with that.” She pointed over Fluttershy's shoulder. Fluttershy turned around to see Angel standing behind her, impatiently tapping his foot. “See you later, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash rocketed upward and vanished into a cloud.

Spike perused the wall of books, taking note of the numbered tags on their spines. Or the lack thereof, in most cases. He called out to the main section of the library. “Hey, Twilight, do the Social Science books go under 300 or 400?”

“Yes,” came the reply.

Spike groaned and put a claw to his forehead. He stuck his head out from behind the stacks. “That doesn't help! I need to know where to put everything.”

Twilight just stuck her nose deeper into her book.

“Twilight!”

“Spike, Can't you see I'm trying to read!?”

“Really?” Spike raised an especially skeptical eyebrow.

“Yes, really!”

“Even though the book is upside down?”

“I- Uh...” Twilight looked at the book that she held in front of her face. “...oh.”

“Besides, you usually don't get engrossed in a cookbook.”

Twilight flipped the book over and looked at the cover. Mastering the Art of Fancy Cooking. “Oh.”

“Unless you want to make crepes for dinner or something,” Spike said. “I'd be all for that. Or maybe some macaroons. Macaroons with powdered topaz, that would be really good.”

“Uh, yeah, it would,” Twilight mumbled. “Or at least, it would be if I could digest them. What was it you wanted to ask me?”

“Is the designation for social sciences 300 or 400?”

“Social... uh... that goes under 300.”

“Okay then!” Spike turned around and disappeared back into the rows of bookcases. A moment later a frustrated cry shook the shelves.

“Spike!” Twilight sprang up and rushed to his rescue. As she rounded the corner, she saw Spike standing in front of the book case, claws in the air and grasping uselessly at some intangible thing he wanted to destroy. “Are you alright!?”

“I'm fine,” he growled. “I just realized that I accidentally switched the social science section with the regular science section. It's going to take me a week to put everything where it's supposed to be!”

“Why don't you take a break, Spike?” Twilight nudged him away from the books. “I know the library is technically your responsibility now, but you don't need to spend all your time on it.”

Spike responded to her statement with a stare.

She stared back. “What?”

Spike shrugged. “Nothing, I was just remembering the time you stayed up until three in the morning trying to organize everything so that there were the same number of books on each shelf.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” She gave Spike a shove. “Yes, that was pretty silly of me, but I have more important things to worry about.”

“Applejack?”

“Who else?” Twilight said as she took her seat at the table. “I've been thinking all day about what I'm going to say to her.”

“And...?”

“I think I need to worry less about that and more about listening to her. I just want to get it over with!”

“Then why haven't you gone to talk to her already?”

“I figure that showing up at a convenient time is the least I can do after I blew up at her. I think I'm going to head over there after dinner.”

“After dinner, right,” Spike said. “What are we having for dinner anyway?”

Twilight grinned. “I could go for some nachos.”

“No word from Twilight?”

Applejack looked up from the pile of dishes in the sink to find her brother standing behind her. His expression was mostly the same as it always was, but his eyes told her he was concerned.

“Nope, haven't heard from her yet. Probably takin' her sweet time thinkin' things through.” She glanced out the window. The sun was beginning its slow descent toward the horizon. “Though I think she's probably thought about it enough by now.”

“I'm sure she'll come.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm sure she wants to fix things up just as much as I do. I just don't know when. If she doesn't show up soon I might go down to the library myself!”

“You won't have to.”

“You're right. Twilight is probably going to at least send me a note back or something. I probably won't have to head down there.”

“No, I mean you won't have to.” Big Macintosh pointed past Applejack to the window. Applejack's eyes bulged as she saw Twilight trotting up the path. “I'll do the dishes.” Macintosh gave Applejack a gentle push towards the door. “You have more important things to do.”

Applejack nodded and rushed out the door. It wasn't until the door slammed shut behind her that she realized that she had no idea what to say. She and Twilight both stopped. They were close enough to talk, but it still felt far away.

Applejack forced herself to break the silence. “Hey, Twilight.”

“Hey, Applejack.” Twilight smiled weakly.

“So I, uh, I guess you got my note?”

“I did.”

Applejack picked at the ground with her hoof; waiting to see if Twilight would say anything else. She didn't. Applejack braced herself, and forced more words out of her mouth.

“I'm sorry! I wasn't thinkin' about what I was sayin' and I acted like a jerk. It was just mean for me to say all the stuff you did for me was a waste, and I should never have said it.” She couldn't bring herself to look Twilight in the eyes. “I'm sorry for all of that. Can you ever forgive me for bein' so hard-headed about everything?”

“Of course!” Twilight blurted out before Applejack had even finished speaking. She paused, realizing just how loud her proclamation had been. “I mean, of course I forgive you. How could I not? I was just as bad! Worse, probably. I just... I kept saying that I was doing it for you, but I wasn't. If I had been, I would have realized that none of it was making you happy. I got angry at you for something that was my fault in the first place. And because of that, I'm the one who should apologize. I was thinking about myself instead of you, and I'm so, so sorry for that! I never wanted to hurt you, and I—”

Applejack interrupted her with a tight embrace. She whispered into Twilight's ear. “It's fine, Twi. I forgive you.”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but decided not to, preferring to savor the moment. She wasn't quite sure how long it lasted, but it was with extreme reluctance that she allowed Applejack to release her.

“Whew!” Applejack trotted in place, enjoying the sudden lightness that had flooded her body. “It feels so good to have that taken care of! I was afraid that after I blew up at you that I'd messed everything up.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, never! I couldn't let things end that easily.” She sighed. “But still, I think we need to talk things out. And this time I need to listen to what you're saying. If I would've been listening from the start...”

“Don't be so hard on yourself. I wasn't actin' my greatest either. And you were... well, to be honest you really weren't listenin' that great, but it's not like you were doin' it on purpose. It was an honest mistake.”

“An honest mistake that hurt both of us! I'm not going to let that happen again.” She put a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. “I realized that if this is going to work, we need to understand each other better. We got mad at each other because even though we've been friends for years, we still don't understand each other as well as we should. So, well, I think that sorting this out is a good place to start.”

Applejack scratched her head. “So, uh, how do we go about doin' that?”

“Well, I guess we start by just being honest with each other.”

Applejack smiled. “I reckon I can do that.”

“To start with, you still think that all the gifts and stuff are... kinda pointless, don't you?”

“We're bein' totally honest, right?”

“Of course.”

“Yeah, I kinda do.”

“Do you think you can say why?” Twilight asked. “It's just, I'm not sure why it's such a problem. I know you don't like it, but... ”

“...you want to know why I don't like gettin' gifts?”

Twilight nodded.

“It's not like I've got anything against ponies givin' me stuff. It's just, well, when I was growin' up, we kinda did gifts a bit different. The family didn't really have a huge budget for buyin' each other stuff. It wasn't like we were poor or anything, but we just didn't like spendin' our bits on stuff that we couldn't use around the farm. We'd save it for a rainy day. You know, in case a cart axle breaks or if we have a bad crop or something.”

“Or if your barn has to be rebuilt.”

“Exactly. We always tried to not spend too much on extra stuff because we always had to put the money back into the farm to keep everything up to snuff. So when I was a filly, I didn't get many gifts, but when I did, they were always real special things. Personal things. My aunt would knit me a sweater, or Big Macintosh would take me and Apple Bloom to go see a rodeo, or Granny Smith would give me some sort of family heirloom; like her favorite frying pan or something.”

Twilight nodded. “Okay, I can understand that.”

“Sure they were few and far between, but they were all special. That's why it feels so weird to see you spendin' so much money on stuff like flowers that don't really mean much of anything on their own. I mean, it's a nice gesture, but there isn't much of a reason for it. I mean, unless the flowers mean something special to you, but if that's how it is, I wish that you'd have told me. But if not... I guess I just don't see the point of you throwin' away all your bits on something that neither of us really care much about. I don't need all that. I know that you care about me.

“Although now that I think about it, things were probably real different for you. You probably don't think about gifts the same way, do you?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, not at all. We gave each other things all the time. I mean, my father was a specialist in Arcane Astronomy, so he had to sleep most of the day because he had to spend so much time at the observatory.”

“Arcane Astronomy? Is that even a thing?”

“Yes, it's the the study of magical astronomical phenomena. Remember the Secretariat Comet?”

“Of course.  How could I forget?”

“My father was actually on the team that first confirmed its magical properties! Before they studied it, the magical effects of the comet were considered a myth! In fact, he also first analyzed the nucleus of the Count Fleet comet, and discovered the Whirlaway nebula! He wrote quite an interesting paper about the nature of Whirlaway radiation and its effects on weather patterns. It's really an under-appreciated field of work—”

“Uh, Twilight—”

“Sorry. Anyway, because of his job, he didn't get to be around a whole lot.”

“Well, that's sure unfortunate.”

“Yeah, it really is. It really bothered him that he couldn't be around us as much as he wanted to be, so he'd always get stuff for us. It wasn't like he was trying to buy us off or anything, he was just doing what he could for us. He always said that he gave us toys to play with because he couldn't be there to play with us himself.” Twilight stared into space, as if she could see her past hanging in the air in front of her. “I still remember when he first gave me my Smarty Pants doll.”

“Smarty Pants. Right.” Applejack bit her lip, wondering if she should mention that the very same doll currently resided on a shelf in her brother's room. She decided now wasn't the time.

“Come to think of it, it's kinda been like that ever since,” Twilight said. “I mean, after Shining Armor left to go to basic training, we'd always send little things to each other. It was never much; I remember I used to scour the newspaper looking for coupons for his favorite ice cream shop. I must have sent him dozens of them. Never occurred to me that he probably didn't get ice cream during training. Even back then I didn't really think things through, I guess.”

Applejack chuckled. “I'm sure he appreciated it anyway.”

“I sure hope so,” Twilight said. “It was the same way when I left the house to live in the dorms at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. My parents were always sending me cards. Nothing major, just little notes to tell me how proud they were and how they were thinking of me even though I wasn't around. I guess that's always how I thought of it. You never really had to think much about what the gift was. All that mattered was letting somepony know that you were thinking of them when you couldn’t be with them yourself. I suppose that's what I was trying to do...” Twilight shook her head and resisted the urge to smack herself in the forehead. “Which was dumb, because I see you every day!”

“It's not that dumb, at least not now that I know why you were so dead set on givin' me so much.” Applejack put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “But you're right that it's kinda pointless to do that when we spend so much time together. I already know you're thinkin' about me all the time. You don't have to remind me of that.”

“I'll try to resist the urge, then,” Twilight said, letting a smile creep back onto her face. “You don't mind if I keep my job at Bon Bon's shop, do you? I'd hate to quit on her, especially when she's just getting used to having me around. And even if I'm not buying lots of stuff for you it wouldn't hurt to have some extra bits on hand. Besides...” She grinned. “If it wasn't for that job, I don't know if we would have resolved this so easily.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Let's just say that talking to somepony who's actually been in a relationship helped me get a bit of perspective.”

“Ah, of course. Well, you know, if you like workin' there, I got nothing against it. I just didn't want you drivin' yourself nuts for no reason. If you want to keep your job, it's fine by me.”

“Great! I wasn't looking forward to explaining to Bon Bon why I couldn't work there anymore.”

“Yeah, that wouldn't be any fun.”

“So, uh...” Twilight poked at a dirt clod with her hoof. “What about that other thing you mentioned?”

“Huh? What other thing?”

“Well, you were saying how it was annoying for me to show up in the middle of the day...”

“Oh, right, that. It's not that I want you to plan your life around me or anything, it's just that with life on the farm, a lot of times work has to come before pleasure. I'd love to just spend all day talkin' to you, but a lot of times there's stuff that needs doin'. I can't just stop doin' my work when you come by. It's not like I don't want to see you, but I have a lot of other responsibilities to take care of. Workin' in the library and all, you understand that, right?”

“Of course,” Twilight said. “It seems so obvious now. I wouldn't want to get in your way.” She shrugged. “Sometimes I forget that not everypony has a schedule that's as flexible as mine is. I'm sorry for being a bother. I just wanted to spend time with you and didn't realize how troublesome it could be.”

“Well, don't get too worried about it. At worst it's just a mite inconvenient. I don't ever want you to feel unwelcome. Just keep in mind that I might not always be able talk as much as I'd like.”

“I'll do my best to remember that.”

“Thanks, Twilight. And I'm sorry for making such a big thing over it.”

“It's okay,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Great!” Applejack said. “So, uh, I got plenty of time now, if you want to talk for a bit. Why don't we head out to the stargazin' hill and you can tell me a bit more about what your pop does? I never knew that Arcade Astrology was even a thing.”

Twilight giggled. “It's 'arcane astronomy'. But yes, I'd like that. I know it's only been a day or so, but not being able to talk... I was starting to miss you.”

“Same here.” Applejack returned Twilight's smile and nodded towards the hill. “Shall we?”

Twilight began to trot towards the hill. “Of course.”

The next morning, Rarity rolled out of bed, feeling relaxed and refreshed for the first time in weeks. The paradise was immediately shattered by the sound of an angry yowl from the kitchen. Rarity descended the stairs to find Opal clawing angrily at the cat food canister.

“I just fed you,” she checked the clock, “eight hours ago! Oh.” She began to pry off the top of the canister, but was distracted by a purple shape outside her store. She rushed to the storefront and poked her head out. “Twilight! How are you on this most fine morning?”

“Good morning, Rarity,” Twilight said. “I was just on my way to work.”

“Of course, of course. I wouldn't want to keep you. But before you go running off, could you at least tell me how your little discussion with Applejack went?”

“Oh, that. It was... an experience to say the least.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “A good experience?”

“Uh...” Twilight chose her words carefully. “I think it was good that I had this experience. It's complicated. I'll explain later. But everything is great between Applejack and I, at least.”

“Great.” Rarity sighed in relief. “That's all I needed to hear. You'd best be going now. Wouldn't want to be late.”

“No, I wouldn't. See you later!” Twilight waved goodbye and continued on down the street.

“An experience, huh?” Rarity mumbled to herself as she retreated back to the kitchen. “That doesn't sound—”

Opal interrupted her with a particularly loud growl.

“Fine, Opal! I'll be with you in a moment.” Rarity sighed as she opened the canister and began to shovel food into Opal's bowl. “You just don’t realize how important it is to have patience, do you?”

That Time and Absence Proves Rather Helps than Hurts to Loves

This is nearly unbelievable.  To think that we’d still be together after so long. I suppose I should have known.  Applejack’s always been there for me; no reason it would be different now.  But still, it’s just crazy to think that we’ve been together for nearly a year...

Absence, hear thou my protestation

Against thy strength,

Distance and length:

Do what thou canst for alteration,

For hearts of truest mettle

Absence doth join and Time doth settle.

—That Time and Absence Proves Rather Helps than Hurts to Loves,

John Donne

“So tell me again why we can't go camping with Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash?” Sweetie Belle glared at her sister. Or she would have, if Rarity wasn't hidden from view behind a stack of fabric rolls. Sweetie’s face scrunched up as she tried to burn a hole through the material with the strength of her gaze. Luckily for Rarity, eyebeams were not Sweetie Belle's special talent.

Rarity gave an exasperated sigh. “Which reason would you like? There are so many to choose from.”

“Uh, all of them!”

Rarity poked her head out from behind her work station. Her mane was starting to look a bit crinkled, and the bags under her eyes were a little bigger than usual. “Well, for starters there's the fact that I'm quite busy.”

“But you're always busy!” Sweetie Belle grumbled. “That's never stopped you before!”

“There are different types of 'busy.' If it was a simple fitting job I would gladly put it on hold, but this is different! Twilight and Applejack's first anniversary is coming up, and I told them I'd make them new dresses. That is one deadline that I will not miss.”

“Then why didn't you start on it earlier?” Sweetie asked. “You're the one who's always telling me not to put off doing my homework!”

“Because I had other work due with even more imminent deadlines! I did not put this off because I was off trying to build my own hot air balloon, like somepony else I could mention.”

“We'll get it to lift off eventually! We just didn't use the right kind of fabric for the balloony part.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you suuuuuure you can't bring me along?”

“Yes!” Rarity's eye twitched. “Even if I had the time, this isn't a casual outing. Do you even know what they're actually doing?”

“I, uh...” Sweetie Belle shuffled through her thoughts and couldn't find the answer. “Camping?”

“In a sense yes, but this isn't like that camping trip that you dragged me along on.” Rarity trotted over to her design wall and started to peruse the several dozen design variations she had pinned to it. “Cheerilee specifically asked Rainbow Dash to take the pegasi in your class Cloud Camping. As in camping in the clouds. Unless you've been hiding your wings all these years, I don't think you'd even be able to stay at the campsite. You'd fall right through!”

“Well, what about that spell that Twilight used when you all went to Rainbow Dash's flying contest!? Couldn't you use that on me so I could go?”

An exceptionally loud “NO!” tried to leap out of Rarity's mouth, but she swallowed it down. “No, dear, I'm afraid not,” she said through gritted teeth. “I don't have the magical skill to cast that spell, and I'm sure Twilight has far better things to do than cast it for you. Like preparing for her anniversary date. Which, coincidentally enough, I must also prepare for.” She gestured at the half-completed ensembles draped over her dressforms.

Sweetie Belle crossed her forelegs and pouted. “How come the pegasi get to go on a special camping trip?”

“Because it's important that they learn about weather manipulation firsthoof, and not just from books. You'd probably find it quite boring, not being able to actually take part.”

“Lucky. What about the rest of us?”

“Well, I've heard that the earth ponies are going to visit Sweet Apple Acres so Granny Smith and Big Macintosh can talk about how earth pony magic influences the Zap Apple harvest.”

“But what about me?”

Rarity plucked a sketch off of the wall. “I believe that Twilight was planning to take all the unicorns on a trip to Canterlot to visit Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and—”

“We're going to Canterlot!?” Sweetie Belle's eyes lit up. “That's so much better than sitting on some clouds!”

“For once, we agree,” Rarity mumbled as she unrolled a length of fabric. “I'd much prefer traveling to Canterlot to going camping. In fact, why don't you go find Scootaloo and tell her about it?”

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle sprang to her hooves. “See you later, Rarity!” She spun around and galloped out the door.

Rarity sighed happily and finally turned her full attention to her projects. “Now then, Applejack really ought to have a matching hat...”

Scootaloo bounced up and down on her cloud, which currently hovered over Rainbow Dash’s training grounds. “So what are we going to do on the camping trip!? Are you going to show us some cool moves?”

“That's gonna be a surprise,” Rainbow Dash called back. “Are all the pylons lined up?”

Scootaloo's wings buzzed. Her cloud hung in the air for a moment, and then began to drift forward. As the cloud floated towards the row of vapor columns that Rainbow Dash had set up, she spun around and powered herself in the other direction. The cloud coasted to a stop. She squinted down the row. “The third one from the end needs to go to the left a little!”

“Your left or my left?”

“Uh...” Scootaloo pointed. “That way.”

“Got it!” Rainbow Dash gave one of the clouds a shove. “You have all the spinners together?”

“Of course. I put together a bounce pad too!”

“Awesome! Long range hoofbump!” She thrust a hoof at Scootaloo, who returned the gesture. “Did you go and do my laundry, too?”

“Nope.” Scootaloo shook her head. “I could if you wanted me to!”

“Nah, that's okay.” Rainbow Dash darted over to Scootaloo's cloud and landed next to her. “You've done more than enough. It would have taken me all afternoon to set this up on my own. Even with Applejack helping it would've taken forever.”

Scootaloo's eyes lit up. “I'm a better helper than Applejack!?”

“Well, for this anyway. You can actually, you know, move the clouds around without me having to condense them first. ”

“Can I be your assistant on the camping trip?”

“I don't know about that. Cheerilee says I'm not supposed to give any of the students special treatment. But hey, if I need a volunteer for something...”

“Cool!” Scootaloo saluted. “I'll do my best.”

“Thanks, kid.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Seriously, if it wasn't for you I don't know how I'd have managed. Ever since Applejack and Twilight started going out, she barely has time to help me train anymore!” She tapped her chin. “It's crazy; I never thought they'd be together for this long.”

“You didn't think Twilight and Applejack would stay together!?” Scootaloo said with a gasp.

“That's not what I meant!” Rainbow Dash shook her head violently. “When they first got together I just sorta thought 'Yeah, cool. They're an awesome couple' and left it at that. I never really thought much about where they'd be like a year later. I guess it just hit me how long it's really been.”

“It is kinda weird that it's been a year.”

“You're telling me! It's almost like I'm just getting used to it. I used to have to work to remember that they were a thing, you know? Now it's just normal.”

“Does that mean you're used to having me as your training assistant?”

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. “You're definitely getting there.” She ruffled Scootaloo's mane. “Real close.”

“So if I'm gonna be your assistant, you have to tell me what we're doing on the camping trip. You know, so I'll be able to help!”

“Well, first we're gonna—” The realization struck Dash. “Nice try. You'll just have to wait and see like everypony else! But trust me, me and Thunderlane have got some pretty awesome stuff planned! You're gonna love it.”

“Thunderlane is coming along?”

“Well, yeah. I might be awesome, but there's no way I can handle that many of you at once. Besides, somepony's gotta take care of the colts, right? Thunderlane's brother is in your class, isn't he? That's why Cheerilee wanted him to come along. What was that colt's name again?”

Scootaloo looked away. “W-whose name?”

“Thunderlane's brother.”

“Oh, him. Yeah, uh, I think he might be in my class. Um... let me think. His name was... Rumble. I think, at least. I don't really know.”

“You don't, huh?” Rainbow Dash allowed herself a sly smile. “Because Thunderlane and I were discussing the plans for the trip, and he said that Rumble has a bit of a thing with one of the fillies in his class. You wouldn't happen to know who that is, would you?”

“N-no!” Scootaloo did her best to keep her cheeks from flushing. “Why would I know anything about that?”

“Well, he's in your class, and Cheerilee said that you two worked really well together when she assigned you a group project—”

“Oh, that!” Scootaloo forced a laugh. “That was nothing. I mean, it was nice that we got an 'A' on it, but it doesn't mean I know him all that well or anything.”

“Yeah. Right.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

“Yeah! I mean we talk sometimes, but... uh... that's... Oh look! It's Sweetie Belle! You didn't need me for anything else right now, did you?”

“Nope, I think I'm pretty much set up right now. See you the day after tomorrow.”

Scootaloo prepared to hop off the cloud, but stopped. “But what about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow I have to make sure the sky is clear for Twilight and Applejack's anniversary date.”

“Oh, right. Well, see you later!” She sighed in relief and hopped off the cloud, landing on another clump of vapor below her and gliding down to where Sweetie Belle was trotting down the path.

Rainbow Dash snickered. “I hope I wasn't that obvious when I was a filly.”

“Hi-yah!” Apple Bloom shouted. Her rear hooves thumped against the tree trunk. Big Macintosh had told her that yelling as she bucked the trees just wasted energy, but she didn't believe him. He just didn't like talking, even if it wasn't actual words. Rainbow Dash had the right idea. When she had been talking about her karate moves she said that doing a yell helped a pony focus, or gather more juju or whatever. Apple Bloom poked her snout over the edge of the basket.

Yeah, shouting definitely helped.

Her basket was nearly full. She grinned. That tree had been a particularly thick-trunked one too. Another week or so and she'd be able to get a full basket. Maybe by next year's harvest she'd have caught up to Applejack and would be able to knock every single apple off the tree.

Her grin faded a little. Applejack was supposed to be training her today. But nope, she was having dinner at the library tonight. Apple Bloom snorted and kicked the tree, filling another basket. Her only consolation was that Applejack had promised to bring some of Spike's famous nachos back to the house.

“Nice one, Apple Bloom!”

She looked up to see Sweetie Belle. “Oh, hey,” she said.

Sweetie clapped her hooves. “You'll be bucking whole trees in no time!” She looked back over her shoulder. “Unlike Scootaloo! She can't even keep up with me any more!”

“I can, too!” Scootaloo gasped as she finally caught up. “I was helping Rainbow Dash all afternoon! If I was well-rested, I could totally out-buck both of you combined!”

“I doubt it,” Apple Bloom said with a snort. “I've been practicin'!”

“Yeah, Apple Bloom has been training!” Sweetie Belle said. “And she has Applejack helping her! There's no way you could outbuck her!”

“Actually, I've been trainin' on my own lately.” Apple Bloom shoved the full basket to the side. “Applejack's been too busy with her lovey-dovey stuff, so she hasn't been teachin' me half as often as she used to.”

“What about Big Macintosh?” Scootaloo asked.

“He's been helpin' me about as much as he always did. Which ain't that much. It's nice spendin' some time with him, but he doesn't really have many pointers. He's always like 'you just gotta keep at it, and you'll get it down.' It's not what you'd really call helpful.”

“What, is he busy taking Miss Cheerilee out or something?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Nah, he's actually been pretty good about it. He never did teach me as much as AJ did. He always said she'd do a better job of explainin' stuff to me. Which she might be, if she was actually here.” She bucked the tree with one leg. She got a third of a basket. “And lately, even he's been busy. Apparently Miss Cheerilee wanted him to put somethin' together for school. A field trip here on the farm or somethin'.”

“Yeah, my sister was telling me about that!” Sweetie Belle said. “She said that Twilight is going to take all the unicorns in the class to visit Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot!”

“And Rainbow Dash is gonna take all the pegasi cloud camping so she can teach us about weather and stuff!” Scootaloo thrust a hoof into the air. “It's gonna be awesome!”

“That ain't fair!” Apple Bloom stomped her hooves. “How come everypony else gets to do the cool stuff and I get stuck on this stupid farm!”

“Uh, are you okay?” Scootaloo cocked her head to the side. “You seem a bit... grumpy.”

“Grumpy? I ain't grumpy!”

“Uh, you kind of are,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Okay, maybe I'm a little grumpy.” Apple Bloom slumped down against the tree trunk, as if the weight of all the effort she had put into her practice had hit her at once. “It's just that nothin's been fair lately! I haven't been able to hang out with Applejack or Big Macintosh as much, we haven’t crusaded in like a week, and now everypony else gets to go do cool stuff!”

“Come on!” Scootaloo took a seat beside Apple Bloom. “Sweet Apple Acres is pretty cool! I mean, it's not like there's anything in the clouds anyway!”

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “And we'll probably just have to listen to Twilight talk about boring magic stuff for hours! I'll probably fall asleep or something.”

“I guess.” Apple Bloom sighed. “But at least you get to go someplace else. We're not even leavin' Ponyville! Sweet Apple Acres is great, but I live here. Why would I want to go on a field trip to my own home? And I'll have to put up with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, too!” She shuddered. “That's not gonna be any fun.”

Sweetie Belle thought for a moment. “Yeah, that doesn't sound like much fun.”

For a rare moment, the three fillies were silent.

“WHO CARES!?” Scootaloo sprang to her hooves. “You're right! We haven't been crusading enough lately! Why don't we go and try to get our cutie marks in... uh...”

“Floristry!” Sweetie Belle suggested.

“Yeah! There are all sorts of flowers and stuff around Fluttershy's cottage!” Scootaloo said. “Why don't we head down there and just have some fun?”

“Well, I was gonna practice some more...” Apple Bloom's eyes wandered towards the tree she had been bucking. Most of the apples were gone. “Sure! Let's go.” Apple Bloom stood. “I got better things to do than kick a tree.”

“Oh my.” Fluttershy watched out her window as the Cutie Mark Crusaders manhandled the rose bush outside her kitchen. The bush would be fine; that wasn’t what she was worried about. The problem was that like all other rose bushes, this one had a built-in defense mechanism, and that it was only a matter of time before the CMC encountered it. She opened one of her cabinets and began to search for her first-aid kit.

“OUCH!” It was loud enough that the window rattled. Fluttershy shook her head and began to take a bandage out of the box. A moment later, Apple Bloom tottered through the door, supported by the other two crusaders.

“Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked.

“No!” Apple Bloom stuck out her hoof, revealing a large thorn lodged in the central groove.

“That looks like it hurts.” Fluttershy examined the injury. Short of punching the bush, she wasn't entirely sure how anypony could get a thorn lodged so deeply.

“That's 'cause it does!” Apple Bloom bawled.

“I see...” Fluttershy eyed the trio. She had pricked herself on that rosebush a lot of times trying to get Angel out when he hid beneath it to sulk. The thorn was stuck quite deep in Apple Bloom's hoof, but there was no way it hurt that much. Especially for a rough-and-tumble filly like Apple Bloom. “Girls?” She eyed the two unscathed— slightly less scathed fillies. “Could you please wait outside while I get Apple Bloom fixed up?”

They nodded and bounded out the door. Fluttershy sighed in relief. Her furniture was safe for another day. Or another twenty minutes, at least. She turned her attention back to Apple Bloom.

“Hold still, okay? It's probably going to hurt when I pull the thorn out.”

Apple Bloom nodded sullenly and gritted her teeth. Fluttershy leaned forward, and as fast as she could manage, plucked the thorn from Apple Bloom’s hoof.

“OW!”

“It's okay, Apple Bloom,” Fluttershy said, rubbing the ear that had been next to Apple Bloom's mouth. “It's out. Let me just clean it up.” Fluttershy took a clean towel from her cabinet and dabbed at the filly’s hoof. “So, what else is wrong?”

“What do you mean?” Apple Bloom sniffed. “I stepped on a giant thorn. That's it. I'm fine.”

“Really?” Fluttershy made a sideways glance at Apple Bloom's face. Tears were still gathering in the corners of her eyes. “You don't look fine. You're too tough to be so sad just because you got pricked by a rose bush.”

“It's... uh... nothin'...” She couldn't look Fluttershy in the eyes.

“Nothing?”

Apple Bloom sighed. Her sister's element had rubbed off on her. “I guess I am feelin' a bit down.”

“Do you mind telling me why?”

“I dunno. A bunch of stuff I guess. I haven't been able to hang out with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle as much, 'cause Scootaloo is spendin' more time with Rainbow Dash, and Rarity is actually startin' to teach Sweetie Belle how to sew. Applejack was supposed to be teachin' me how to buck apples, but ever since she and Twilight got together she hasn't had as much time. It's not fair.”

“So you want to spend more time with your sister?”

“Yeah. That's part of it, I guess. It's more that sometimes I get the feelin' that she's only helpin' me at all because she's supposed to.”

“Really?” Fluttershy put the towel aside and began to wrap a bandage around Apple Bloom’s hoof. “That doesn’t sound like her.”

“Like I used to always help AJ collect all the rotten apples that fell off the trees early, but a while back she asked if it would be okay if Twilight helped out too. It was okay for a while, but after a few times it wasn't any fun anymore. I felt like I was gettin' in the way of the two of them, so I just left them alone.”

“Well, it's only natural that Twilight and Applejack would want to spend a bit more time together-”

“I know that! I just wish that when she's with Twilight, it wouldn't come out of our time. I mean, she's my sister.”  Apple Bloom attempted to cross her forelegs, but Fluttershy held on to her hoof.

“She may be, but unfortunately, that doesn't mean she can still spend as much time with you as she used to. There's nothing wrong with her wanting to spend time with Twilight. I mean, she isn't ignoring you or anything, is she?”

“...No. Not on purpose anyway,” Apple Bloom admitted. “She still tries to make time for me. It just doesn't work out enough. It's not fair.”

“So, um, would you say that you're maybe a little bit jealous of Twilight?”

“I... maybe just a little bit. Does that make me a bad sister?”

“I don't think so,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “Have you talked to her about it at all?"

“No. That would be weird.”

“I think you should anyway.” Fluttershy finished tying the bandage. “She might just not realize what's going on.”

“You think so?”  Apple Bloom stood and took a few light steps on her newly bandaged hoof.

“Well, back when Applejack and Twilight first started going out, I was worried that they wouldn't have time for me anymore either. But once I told Twilight how I felt, she made sure that we had some time. I think if you talk to Applejack, she'll try to make more time for you.”

“Wasn't it kinda... awkward to talk to her about that, though?”

“A little bit, yes. But it was worth it. I'm sure she'll understand.”

“I-I'll think about it, I guess.” Apple Bloom looked at her hoof, which was now wrapped tightly. “Uh, I should get goin'. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are probably wonderin' what's taken so long. Thanks for the advice, though.”

Fluttershy nodded as she watched Apple Bloom trot away. “You're welcome! And please stop playing around in my rosebushes!”

Pinkie Pie held out a hoof. “Spoon!”

“Spoon!” A clawed hand pressed it into her inexplicable grip.

A moment later— “Spatula!”

“Spatula!”

“Pastry bag!” she said.

“Pastry bag!”

“Mid-sized Number Three Frosting Applicator Tip!”

“Mid-sized Number... uh... what number was it again?” Spike asked.

“Three.”

“Here.”

“Perfect!” Pinkie stepped back from the cake,  which utterly dominated Sugarcube Corner’s even-more-messy-than-usual kitchen.  Sure, Twilight and Applejack hadn’t requested one quite this big, but if it was worth baking it was worth over-baking.  Besides, the bigger the cake, the more room Pinkie had to work her magic. “That looks just like Twilight and Applejack, doesn't it?”

Spike hopped up on a stool to get a good look at Pinkie's work.  The technical aspects were... better than Pinkie usually managed.  The content, however—  “Uh, it sure does look like them...”

“I know! It's perfect!”

“I don't know about that...”

“Why? What's wrong with it?” Pinkie asked.

“Well, you got Applejack's hat right, and I love the detail in Twilight's mane, but... I don't think I've ever seen them doing... that.”

“You've never seen them kiss before?” Pinkie tilted her head. “Have you, like, never been in the same room with the two of them? They always kiss each other hello!”

“They sure do. But I don't think I've ever seen them get that... into it. You know, they're usually not that... grabby.”

“It's artistic license!” Pinkie said. “Or like, symbolic or something. I just thought I'd change it up a little to make it more memorable.”

“Oh, it's memorable all right.”

“I'll ask somepony else then.” Pinkie spun around and yelled into the foyer. “Hey, Mrs. Cake!”

Mrs. Cake poked her head into the kitchen. “Yes, Pinkie? We're rather busy dealing with the twins.”

“It'll only take a second! Can you just look at this cake frosting and tell me if I got it right? Spike thinks I need to do it over.”

“I suppose so. Carrot can handle the twins for a moment.” She stepped into the kitchen, stepping around the frosting splotches that covered the floor and trying not to think of how long it would take to clean up.  She glanced at the cake and instantly wished she had decided to deal with the kids instead. “Oh my.”

“Isn't it cool!?”

“Um, I'm not sure it's quite appropriate for an anniversary party,” Mrs. Cake said carefully, “especially if others will be eating it. Having them kissing is fine, but not with such... gusto.”

“What's gusto?” Pinkie tilted her head. “Is that like spunk?”

“I suppose so.” Mrs. Cake shuddered. “The art itself is quite good, but you really need to decorate the cake with something more... mild. Perhaps a simple hug.”

“A hug!? But that's boring!  Anypony can hug!”  Pinkie balanced on her back legs so she could put her hooves on her hips, and promptly tottered backward.  Spike darted forward, propping her up before she fell into the gigantic mixing bowl.

“I'm sure Twilight and Applejack won't mind.” Mrs. Cake turned to Spike. “Make sure she does a nice job, okay?”  She leaned in and whispered. “And please try to keep Pinkie from getting any more frosting on the ceiling.”

“Yes, Ma'am!” Spike saluted.

“Great. Now, I must really help my husband out. The twins are quite a hoofful, you know.” She spun around and sped out of the kitchen.

“Awww.” Pinkie sighed. “I worked all morning on that! This would be so much faster if Twilight were here!” She remembered who her assistant was. “Uh, not that you haven't been helpful.”

“It's fine. This sure beats doing inventory.” He groaned. “I had to sort through the botany section today. Cakes are way more interesting. Besides, it's not like Twilight should help out with her own cake.”

“That's totally true! I gotta make sure this is the best cake ever! Except for a birthday cake. Or maybe their wedding cake, if they ever get married.”

“M-married?”  Spike’s eyes widened.

“Well, yeah. That's what you do after you date for a while, isn't it?”

“I-I guess so. I just never really thought about it.” Spike didn't sweat often. He was sweating now.  And not just because it was now his responsibility to keep the kitchen intact. “You really think Twilight is going to get married?”

“Probably. It's not like she's just going to keep dating Applejack forever. That would be boring. I mean, they're probably not going to get hitched any time soon, but who knows?”

“R-right.” Spike stared blankly at the frosting tub. “Soon.”

“Say, do you think we should scrape the frosting off of the top of the cake, or should we just put another layer down over it?”

Spike shivered as he snapped out of his thoughts. “F-frosting?”

“Yeah, you're right.” Pinkie nodded. “It's definitely better to have more frosting. I'll put another layer down.”

Cheerilee shuffled through one of the stacks of papers that littered her desk, searching for the report card that she could have sworn was in her hoof not thirty seconds ago.  She gave up and decided to finish her thoughts from memory.

“So in summary, Apple Bloom has been applying herself a lot more this semester. She's been paying better attention in class, her math grades are up by five full points, and most surprisingly, her science fair project didn't cause any damage to the schoolhouse this year!”

“Eeyup. I disabled the rocket,” Big Macintosh said.

“And thank you for that! After last year's volcano incident I don't think I have the budget to patch another hole in the roof. I bet you were behind her math grades too, weren't you?”

“I helped with her homework.”

“I should've known.” Cheerilee's eyelashes fluttered as she leaned further across the desk. “It's so wonderful that you've made the time to help your sister. You'll make a wonderful father some day.”

Somehow, Big Macintosh managed to blush. He cleared his throat.

“Sorry, sorry.” Cheerilee leaned back. “I suppose this is why Applejack normally handles Apple Bloom's school conferences. It's a bit tough to remember that you're here as her guardian rather than as my... you know.”

Macintosh smiled. “Yes. Applejack wanted to come, but she's busy. Her anniversary is coming up. I told her that I would take care of it. No reason to give her something else to worry about. She can use today to get ready.”

“That's right!” Cheerilee gasped. “That means that our anniversary is coming up! I almost forgot!”

“Don't worry.” Big Macintosh raised one eyebrow, the rest of his face remaining exactly the same. “I have something planned.”

“Really? Are we going out to dinner? A movie? A picnic? Ooh, I heard that there's going to be a concert held in town hall soon.”

Big Mac cleared his throat and tapped one of the papers on Cheerilee's desk.

“Oh, there it is! I guess I got carried away again. Like I was saying, Apple Bloom is doing quite well this semester. Her writing seems to have gotten a bit messier lately, and she still has difficulty getting to class on time. Though I'm sure the latter is more the fault of her friends than of your family. Still, you might want to give her a little talking to about the importance of being punctual.”

“I will.”

“Good. Well, I don't believe I have anything to discuss. At least not about Apple Bloom.” Cheerilee looked at the clock. “Mr. and Mrs. Rich are due to come by and I have quite a lot to say to them. I'll drop by the farm to see you after I finish up, okay?” She leaned over the desk and gave him a peck on the cheek. “See you later, Mac. Tell your family I said hello!”

“I'll do that. Bye, Cheerilee. See you later.” He nodded and walked out the door.

Cheerilee sighed and slumped back in her chair as she watched him go. “I hope Filthy Rich is half as sensible as he is,” she muttered.

Bon Bon stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth, her face contorted in concentration as she hunched over a row of caramel-apple chocolates, all in the shape of hearts. Half of them were complete, with elegant apple patterns traced in delicate lines of colored white chocolate. The other half were... in progress. What business did Twilight have getting such a pointy cutie mark? Why couldn't she have just gotten a crystal ball, or something else that would be easy to imprint onto a tiny piece of chocolate? Bon Bon shook her head and reminded herself of how much she was getting paid.

“Bon Bon! I did it!”

The chocolate bag Bon Bon grasped between her hooves made an unappetizing squelching noise as it squirted its contents everywhere. She sighed, resisted the urge to kick something —all of her implements were too expensive to risk breaking— and turned to Lyra, who had just burst into the kitchen.

“Did what?” Bon Bon asked, trying not to sound frustrated.

“I convinced my boss at the restaurant to let me play the song that Twilight requested for their anniversary!”  Lyra struck a triumphant pose in the kitchen door.  Bon Bon silently hoped that Lyra wouldn’t proceed any further in; she had cleaned most of it already and Lyra wasn’t generally careful about tracking dirt in.

“Really.”

“Yeah, he says that since I've been working for so long I deserve a bit more freedom in determining what I play. Which is so much better than just playing the list of house music. Not to mention that if I play by myself I get more tips!” Lyra stepped into the room, for once making an effort to keep her tail and mane from getting into the cooking equipment that lined the walls. “What are you up to? Normally you aren't still working this late.”

“I'm working on some orders,” Bon Bon said, gesturing towards the tray of chocolates. “Just wanted to get them finished.”

“Ah, for Applejack and Twilight's anniversary!” Lyra sniffed loudly.  “They smell great! Which one of them made the order?”

“Both of them, actually. Applejack came in this morning to order some chocolates with Twilight's cutie mark on them. Then this afternoon Twilight came in. She wasn't sure what to order so I subtly suggested that she purchase the same kind of chocolates that Applejack requested, only with Applejack's cutie mark. I thought it would be a nice touch.”

“That's great! And I'll be there to see the looks on their faces when they realize they got each other like the exact same box of chocolates.”

“You'll have to tell me all about it,” Bon Bon said.

Lyra giggled. “I guess that explains why you’re working late. It wouldn’t have been much of a surprise if Twilight saw you making them. But why didn’t you at least make her side of the order? She obviously knew about it.”

“Because I’d rather not have her hovering. You know how she can be.”  Bon Bon scooped more semi-molten chocolate into her decoration bag.  “She’d probably end up wanting to do it herself.”

“And she hasn’t earned her way into the kitchen yet?” Lyra chuckled as she surveyed the room.  Long and narrow, and so crammed with chocolatiering paraphernalia that it was tough to even walk through it without knocking something over.

“No,” Bon Bon said bluntly.

“I figured,” Lyra said with a shrug.  “I’m still kinda surprised you’ve started letting her put chocolates in the case and run the register.  She’d probably be great with decorating chocolates though.  Pinkie says she’s a great cupcake decorator!”

Bon Bon’s glare nearly shoved Lyra out of the kitchen.  “Are you suggesting that I take business advice from Pinkie Pie?”

“I-uh...” Lyra took a step back, and jostled a stack of bowls. “Mrs. Cake also says she’s a great decorator. Very meticulous.”

“We’ll see,” Bon Bon said, turning her attention back to the tray of chocolates.  “I will admit that she’s actually been quite helpful so far.”

Lyra grinned. “I told you she would be.”

“I suppose you’re right.” She pushed the over-coated chocolate towards Lyra. “Do you want this? I obviously can't use it.”

“Sure!” Lyra popped it into her mouth. “Mmm. That's good. Appley.”

“Well, it is made with Sweet Apple Acres' apple caramel. It ought to be good. High quality chocolate, too.” She delicately picked up the frosting bag. “Now then, I really should finish these up. I'm still recovering from the Hearts and Hooves day rush, and I really want to get it over with.”

Lyra carefully turned around and stepped out the door. “Of course, of course. I have to go practice Twilight's request anyway.” She looked back over her shoulder. “Oh, and by the way, my boss also got me a reservation tomorrow night. You free?”

Bon Bon smiled for the first time that day. “I think I can find the time.”

Celestia stared blankly at her letter. It wasn't really a letter; not yet. Right now it was just a greeting.  On a normal day, she would have no trouble filling the rest of the page, but tonight the words refused to come.

The door behind her squeaked softly as Luna nudged it open. “Sister, you are late in bringing the sun down. It is nearly time for me to bring up the moon.”

“I'm sorry, Luna. I was finishing something up. Or trying to, at any rate.”

“Really? What could possibly be keeping you so occupied?”

“Nothing that should be giving me this much trouble. Just writing a congratulatory note to Twilight and Applejack. They've been a couple for nearly a year now.”

“Has it been a year already?” Luna asked. “It hardly seems like it has been so long. We ought to send them something. I believe the customary first year anniversary gift is a cheese wheel, correct?”

Celestia stared incredulously at her sister. “Luna, nopony does that anymore.”

Luna sighed. “I suppose it's one of those things that's changed over the years.”

“What are you talking about? That tradition was obsolete even in Discord's time. It's been hundreds of years since anypony gave anypony else a cheese wheel for their anniversary.”

“Well, that's a shame. What gift are you supposed to give them?”

“Normally, you don't give them anything except your congratulations,” Celestia said. “Those in the relationship give gifts to each other. If they've been together for a truly extraordinary length of time, their close friends or family might celebrate with them, but one doesn't typically send them gifts on an occasion such as this one.”

Luna stared at Celestia through narrowed eyes for a long moment. “As soon as I raise the moon, I'm going to go see the head chef and have him get a cheese wheel out of the larder.”

“Suit yourself,” Celestia said. She put her quill back in the inkwell. She obviously wasn't going to think of anything to write. “Perhaps you can think of something you want to add to the letter. I suppose I should go lower the sun now; it's already a bit late.” She strode out of the room.

Luna shrugged, and approached Celestia's desk, craning her neck over the letter. “'Dearest Twilight and Applejack,'” she read. “Huh, I would have thought she'd have gotten further than that. Oh well. I wonder if the two of them would prefer Cheddar or Gouda.”

A Fever

So this is what an anniversary feels like!  It’s so great to know that we’ve been able to keep things going so smoothly.

These burning fits but meteors be,

Whose matter in thee is soon spent.

— A Fever,

John Donne

Spike blinked. His eyes stung, not only due to fatigue, but also due to the fact that because his life was not a cartoon, propping his eyes open with toothpicks was actually quite painful. He felt ripped off. It worked for Pinkie.  But at least he was still awake. Unfortunately, he was still staring at the same page of library records that he had first pulled out an hour ago. It looked exactly the same now as it had then.

“Hoo!”

“Huh?” Spike sluggishly lifted his head to see Owlowiscious hovering above him, a pot of coffee clutched in his talons. “Oh, thanks. I'm about due for a refill.” He held up his coffee mug, which had “#1ASSISTAN” emblazoned on the side. It had been a birthday gift from Pinkie Pie. True to form, she hadn't read the fine print on the order form that specified a ten-character limit on the personalization.

The coffee didn't pour; it oozed. It was just the way he liked it. A lot of things had changed over the past year, and his newfound appreciation for coffee was certainly a change for the better. He didn't know how Twilight managed to pull so many all-nighters without the stuff.

“Thanks,” Spike said, and took a bite out of the coffee. “I can't believe how many overdue books are on this list! Roseluck alone has like half a dozen books out! Vegetable Literacy, The Salty Botanist, The Flower Recipe Book... she's a florist! What does she need all of these for!? She should know all this stuff already.”

“Hoo?”

“Well, I obviously can't go now. She's probably sleeping. I'll drop by her shop tomorrow. Hopefully she's done with at least some of them.”

Owlowiscious perched on Spike's head. “Hoo hoo. Hoo?”

“No! She'll probably get the jitters just from having to pay the fees. Threatening to burn her flower bed would just give her a panic attack.” He scooped the rest of the coffee out of the mug with his claw and popped it into his mouth. “Besides, I'm a librarian, not a loan shark. I don't do those sorts of intimidation tactics.” He rubbed his head. “Ugh, the caffeine just isn't doing it. I need some sugar.”

He pushed his chair back and headed into the kitchen, where the remainder of Twilight's cake sat. He grabbed a spoon and scooped up one of the piles of frosting that his friends, minus Pinkie, of course, had scraped off of their slices of cake. After Pinkie's numerous attempts at frosting portraiture, the various strata of icing were almost as thick as the cake itself.

Owlowiscious perched on the counter. “Hoo? Hoo hoo.”

“Well, I need to keep my energy up somehow. And Twilight says that coffee will stunt my growth if I drink too much.”

Owlowiscious made a disapproving sound. “Hoo hoo.”

“Not if I brush my teeth.” He shoveled more frosting onto his plate.

“Hoo hoo hoo!”

Spike rolled his eyes. “I know. But what Twilight doesn't know won't hurt her.” He lifted a spoonful of sugary goop to his mouth. He stopped halfway as he felt a sudden presence.

“Good evening, Spike,” said a familiar voice.

Owlowiscious put a wing over his face.

“Hi, Twilight!” Spike spun to face her, hiding the spoonful of sugar behind his back. “How was dinner?”

“Dinner was wonderful,” Twilight said. “I managed to convince Lyra to play that piece that Applejack likes so much. 'Five Variations on a Fancy Song.' She really liked the scrapbook, too! Thank you so much for helping me put it together.”

“You're welcome!” Spike grinned. “Anything to help you out!”

“And she gave me these! Two box seat tickets to the Canterlot Theatre production of Waiting for Gidran!”

“That's, uh... nice, I guess.” Spike had heard the title before, but that was all he remembered.

“I've always wanted to see it!” Twilight gushed. “And the best part is that she said she'd go with me.”

“Oh, that's nice.” Spike mentally sighed in relief. At least she wouldn't drag him along.

“And then we spent a while talking over dessert.” She eyed the gigantic mass of cake and frosting that hid her kitchen table. “Although in retrospect I guess it wasn't necessary. We'll need to eat the rest of that before it gets stale. What are you still doing up, anyway?”

“Tabulating overdue book fees.” He yawned. “There are a lot of them this time.”

“Well, if I were you I'd just go to bed. Nopony is going to check anything out tonight. Tomorrow I'll help you finish up. How does that sound?”

“Sure, why not.  I’m half asleep right now anyway.”

“Great!” Twilight said with a smile. “I'm going to head upstairs. It'll take me a while to get out of my dress without tearing anything. I needed Rarity's help to put it on. Goodnight, Spike, Owlowiscious.”

“Goodnight, Twilight,” Spike said as he watched her leave. As the door swung shut, Spike sighed in relief and scraped the frosting back onto the cake. “I guess I won't need this.”

“Hoo!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I got lucky.” He sighed. “I'm just glad she'll help me out tomorrow. You'd think after a year I'd have figured out how to handle everything myself.”

“Hoo hoo.”

“I know that!” Spike snapped. “I was the assistant. But now I'm supposed to be doing it myself! Twilight isn't going to be around to help me out forever, you know?”

“Hoo. Hoo hoo.”

“Yes, and I appreciate it a lot, really. It's just... I don't even know.” Spike rubbed his forehead. “I think I'm just going to go to bed. I'm too tired to think.” His feet dragged as he walked out of the kitchen. “Goodnight, Owlowiscious.”

“Hoo.”

Apple Bloom had never had such a good day. She had finally done it! She had finally managed to buck every single apple off of the tree. Then she had done it again! And then she had gone and harvested every last apple that was ready to be harvested. And since she still felt fresh as a daisy even after that, she had gone and set up the cider press and made a couple dozen barrels. She had been so wrapped up in singlehoofedly doing pretty much all the work on the farm that she hadn't even noticed that she had gotten her cutie mark. It was, naturally, an apple, as expected. But it wasn't just any apple; it was of the rare and beautiful Golden Diamond variety. So of course, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had been ecstatic and thrown her a party. In their brand new balloon. The view was incredible.

“Rise 'n shine!” Apple Bloom's bed rocked as her sister gave it a shake. “Time to get up!”

Apple Bloom peeked out from under the covers just long enough to look at the clock. “No it ain't. I got fifteen more minutes.”

“Not this morning you don't!” Applejack grabbed Apple Bloom's blanket and whipped it off. “Big Mac says that you were late to school a dozen times this semester. You gotta make more of an effort to get there on time. Breakfast is in five minutes. Big Mac is makin' pancakes.” Her hoofsteps receded down the hallway.

Apple Bloom buried her face into the pillow, and curled into a shivering ball. It wasn't her fault that she was late all the time; she just got distracted when she ran into Sweetie and Scootaloo. Waking her up wasn't going to help anything. If anything it would just make her more likely to fall asleep in class. Especially math. Staying awake in math was way harder than doing the actual work. And it was really embarrassing when you started snoring while the rest of the class was practicing their multiplication tables.

She groaned and got out of bed, reluctantly dragging herself through her normal morning routine. Mornings were awful. Everything was cold. The air was cold, the floor was freezing, and the water in the sink took way too long to warm up. Normally she'd have waited for it to start steaming, but she could tell that if she took more than a few minutes, Applejack would be practically banging down the door. She suffered through a cold face rinse and stumbled down the stairs.

“Good mornin', Apple Bloom!” Applejack said exuberantly.

“It's a mornin' all right,” Apple Bloom muttered as she slumped into her seat at the table. “Dunno if it's any good, though.”

“Yeah, it's tough gettin' up early, but you'll get used to it after a few days. Won't she, Mac?”

“Eeyu— ” Big Mac noted Apple Bloom’s disgruntled expression. “You'll get used to it. Eventually.”

“I bet.” Apple Bloom snorted and stuffed a whole pancake into her mouth.

“Come on, Apple Bloom. It ain't that bad. Granny Smith has already been up for an hour now,” Applejack said. “Then again, she went to bed at like seven-thirty, and she naps most of the day. Maybe you should try gettin' to bed earlier.”

Apple Bloom snorted. “Please pass the syrup.”

“Fine, we'll talk about it later. I never liked gettin' dragged out of bed either, you know.” Applejack slid some pancakes onto her own plate. “Just make sure you get to school on time, okay?”

“And don't take too long talking,” Big Macintosh added. “Get to school and then you can talk.”

“Fine.” Apple Bloom drained her orange juice and grabbed her book bag from beside the door. “See you later.” Without another word she stomped out the door.

“Bye, Apple Blo—” Apple Bloom slammed the door. Applejack shook her head. “What's eatin' her?”

Big Macintosh shrugged. “Must not be a morning pony.”

Twilight and Applejack sat in the shade of the apple cart. At first they had attempted to hold their picnic in the shade of one of the many apple trees, but there was too much of a breeze. It poked holes between the leaves, letting just a little too much sunlight onto their red and white checkered blanket. A half-eaten plate of daisy sandwiches sat between them.

“Maybe it's just because you woke her up early,” Twilight said. “I know that Spike can be a bit grouchy when I get him out of bed early.”

“Nah, I don't think that's it. I've had to wake Apple Bloom up early for stuff before, and she's never been that much of a grump. I think something's botherin' her that's makin' her a bit surly.” She popped the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth.

“Like what? Is she having trouble with her friends?”

Applejack swallowed. “Not that I know of. Although I think she might be a bit jealous that they get to go on overnight trips while she just gets to come here.” She shrugged. “I guess I can't blame her too much. She loves Sweet Apple Acres and all, but it's not exactly a special occasion. Doesn't help that she won't get to be with her friends for it either. She'll probably be bored out of her skull.”

“I'm sure it can't be that bad,” Twilight said. “I'm sure that you have plenty left to teach her that she hasn't heard already.”

“Well, it's true that we haven't taught her everything yet, but most of the stuff we haven't gotten to is pretty boring.” Applejack sighed and stood up. “We already went over most of the practical things, so all that's really left is the magical theory stuff.” She gave a nearby tree a kick, dropping two apples. “Trust me, it ain't something that she's gonna want to sit through.”

“But earth magic theory is fascinating!”

“For you, maybe.” Applejack chuckled and tossed one of the apples to Twilight. “But you aren't most fillies. She doesn't have that much interest in theories about anything. She likes gettin' her hooves dirty. You know that.”

“Well yes, practical application is generally more enjoyable than the theoretical studies, but studying the magical mechanics behind physical phenomena can teach you plenty that you would never consider otherwise.” Twilight took a bite of the apple.

“That's all well and good, but I'm pretty sure Apple Bloom doesn't have that much of an attention span. Besides, no matter how interesting we make it, it just ain't the same as goin' campin' or whatever.”

Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof as she thought. “Well, if it's any consolation, you can tell her Sweetie Belle is probably going to be really bored during the tour of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. The teachers know the material, but a lot of them aren't exactly engaging public speakers.”

“But I'm sure you found it all fascinatin', right?” Applejack said with a smirk.

“Well yes, but like you said, I'm not most ponies. But yes, I remember my first tour of the school quite fondly. Some of the other foals in the group were having trouble staying awake, though. But who knows? Maybe they've changed things since then. I still have to contact the school office to finalize our itinerary.”

“Huh?” Applejack started to wrap up the remaining sandwiches. “School office? Can't you just ask Princess Celestia? You know, since she was your personal teacher and all.”

“Theoretically I could, but I'd rather not abuse my connections. Besides, just because the school is named for her doesn't mean that she handles everything. She overlooks things, but the only class she teaches regularly is 'Introduction to Magical Studies'.”  She giggled. “Can you imagine how busy she’d be if she had to teach every class?”

“Right, I guess I forgot that you're a special case.” Applejack slid the sandwich plate into her picnic basket. “So how's Spike doin'? He seemed to have things under control when I picked up that book for Apple Bloom.”

“He does fine most of the time,” Twilight said. “Sometimes things sneak up on him, though. Mostly the stuff you don't have to deal with on a regular basis. Like this morning I had to help him sort through all the overdue fees.”

“Are there that many ponies who forgot to bring their books back?”

Twilight shrugged. “The library has been getting busier and busier ever since Spike took it over. He must be doing something right. I think it might be because he's a bit better at bringing in books that appeal to more ponies.”

“He ordered popular stuff instead of those magical analysis books you'd always get?” Applejack asked.  Twilight frowned, and Applejack chuckled. “You're still bitter that he donated all those vintage magic encyclopedias to the Canterlot Museum, aren't you?”

“They may have been a bit outdated, but they were still worth keeping around!”

“A bit outdated?” Applejack asked with a smirk. “I don't know much about magic, but I'm pretty sure those things were out of date before your grandpa got his cutie mark.”

“Yes, yes, I know.” Twilight sighed. “The museum probably has more use for them than I do, anyway. It was just nice to have something like that lying around.  Every library should have some really old books.”

“They're probably safer in the museum anyway,” Applejack said. “Don't have to worry about Rainbow Dash crashin' into them.”

Off in the distance, the clock tower chimed.

“Well, I should probably get going,” Twilight said. “Bon Bon wanted me back at the shop. Same time tomorrow?”

“Sure thing. Might want to have lunch inside though. I think RD's got some rain scheduled tomorrow.” Applejack gave Twilight a peck on the cheek. Then she picked up the picnic basket and sauntered towards the house. “I'll see you later, Twi.”

“You too, Applejack. Good luck with Apple Bloom.”

“Don't you worry about her. I'll get something figured out. Goodbye!”

“Bye!”

Twilight gave a final wave and headed back into town.

Big Macintosh stood in the kitchen, packing up the remnants of the lunch that he had just shared with Granny. The house was so much quieter when Applejack was out with Twilight. He enjoyed it. It gave him time to think. Not that he didn't enjoy his sister's company, but after working with her all morning it was nice to collect his thoughts. He had already collected most of them, and he was just about ready to get back to work.

As if on cue, Applejack pranced inside.

“You look happy,” he said.

“That's 'cause I am!” Applejack dropped the picnic basket on the table. “It's a nice day, the apples are lookin' beautiful, and I had a great talk with Twilight over lunch. You remember how awkward we used to be?”

Big Macintosh smiled and nodded. “Eeyup.”

“It's so silly. Hard to believe we ever had so much trouble talkin' like this. Everything is just goin' so well now!”

“What about Apple Bloom?”

“Ah, right. Well, I think I got that figured out.” Applejack took a seat at the table, across from her brother. “You know that travelin' minotaur rodeo that came to town a few days ago?”

Macintosh nodded. “Apple Bloom wanted to go see it.”

“Well, I got two tickets for their show tonight. I figure it'll cheer her up a bit.”

“Why didn't you tell her this morning?”

Applejack shrugged. “She has enough trouble stayin' focused without her thinkin' about that all day. Besides, she's gotta learn how to deal with bein' grumpy. I'm not always gonna be able to cheer her up. I figure I can get my share of the apple sortin' done this afternoon while she does her homework, then we can head out to the rodeo.”

“Uh, about that...” Big Macintosh raised an eyebrow. “You said that you'd take care of my share of it. Remember? Because I harvested your part of the east field. Cheerilee and I are going out tonight.”

Applejack's face fell. “Ah crud. I did say that, didn't I? And it's too late for you to reschedule, isn't it?”

“I could talk to Cheerilee—”

“No, no, this is my problem.” Applejack rubbed her forehead. “I don't want to get in between you two. I just have to figure out how to get that done and still get Apple Bloom to that rodeo tonight.” She sighed. “I guess I should get goin'. I got a lot of work to do.”

A bead of sweat ran down Twilight's brow. She hadn't studied this hard for anything since her snowplow license examination. She had lost a few nights' worth of sleep over that one. Fortunately there wasn't a lot of content to memorize, but she had to know it exactly.

“Small box is fifteen bits. Medium box is twenty-two bits. Large box is thirty bits. Pure chocolate is ten bits per pound. Truffles are twenty-five bits a pound. Chocolate-covered strawberries are nine bits for a dozen, sixteen bits for two dozen. Peanut brittle is— AHH!”

She spun around as she heard the door slam behind her. Spike stumbled into the library, balancing a stack of books that was taller than he was. He zig-zagged across the room, trying to keep himself from toppling over. He made it as far as the desk, at which point the books crashed down like an avalanche.

“Spike! I was using that!” Twilight pointed at the corner of her study sheet, which was now buried under a pile of botanical almanacs.

“Sorry.” Spike shook his head and started to rearrange the books. “I just got back from Roseluck's house. Apparently some Poison Joke seeds got mixed in with her rose bushes. She was looking for a way to get rid of it without turning green or growing an extra tail or something. She didn't find anything.”

“Well, I wouldn't think she would,” Twilight said as she dug her papers out from under the books. “Poison joke doesn't occur naturally in Equestria. It's only known to grow in the Everfree Forest, so nopony has really studied it. Did you recommend that Super-Naturals remedy book?”

“I did, but that only says how to cure it once you get hit with it, not how to prevent getting affected to start with. She doesn't want to set hoof in her garden until she finds some way to immunize herself.”

“Why don't you take her to see Zecora?”

“You honestly think that Roseluck would go into the Everfree Forest voluntarily?” Spike asked. “It's surprising enough that she ever comes out of her house. I offered to take her out there myself.”

“And?”

“She said she'd go, but I really doubt she’s actually going to. Something will probably mysteriously come up and she'll be busy. If she can't she'll either have to wait for Zecora to come into town, or else break out her hazmat suit.”

Twilight shook her head. “Why does she even have that thing?”

“I think her brother used to work at an extreme hot sauce company or something.”  He shrugged. “Apparently some of that stuff is so hot it can make your coat fall out.”

“Huh.” Twilight nodded. “I never knew that.”

“Yeah, me neither. Anyway, what are you so busy with?” He stared at Twilight, who was already back to reading her packet. “Snowplow license renewal? You don't need that for months yet.”

“Bon Bon is going to let me run the register all by myself, and wants to make sure that I have all the prices down. I wouldn't want to cost her money.”

“Of course.” Spike rolled his eyes. “You don't want me to help you study, do you? I was going to take a nap.”

“I think I'll be fine on my own,” She said as Spike walked towards his room. “You must be exhausted after carrying all those books back here.”

“It's not the books that tired me out. It was dealing with Roseluck. Seriously, when I asked her about her overdue books you'd have thought that she was under attack by parasprites or something. It took me half an hour just to get her to stop hyperventilating. And then I mentioned the Everfree forest...” His eye twitched.

“No wonder you're tired.”

“Yeah.” Spike headed up the steps. “Wake me when it's time for dinner, okay?”

“Sure thing, Spike.”

He yawned, and disappeared into his room. Twilight chuckled to herself and returned to her studies. “Let's see, cordial cherries are—”

The library door whipped open again. Twilight sighed and turned around, half expecting to see an on-the-verge-of-fainting Roseluck clutching a book that Spike had forgotten. Instead, she saw Applejack. “Oh, hello!” Twilight's face lit up. Applejack's didn't. “What brings you by?”

“I, uh...” Applejack dug at the floor for a moment before looking Twilight in the eyes. “I didn't wanna spring this on you on such short notice, but I have a favor to ask.”

Apple Bloom sighed. It wasn't fair. Everypony always told her that lying was bad, and you should never do it. She had thought that Cheerilee knew that. You were supposed to say things the way they were. But apparently, that didn't apply to math homework. Sure, Cheerilee had told them they'd only have half a dozen math problems, but she hadn't said anything about each problem having sections a, b, c, d, e, and f. That wasn't one problem, that was six problems pretending to be one problem.

“You do the stuff in the parentheses first, right?”

“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh nodded. “Parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction.”

“Right.” Apple Bloom re-read the problem. “The laundry pony makes forty bars of laundry soap every week, and sells them for ten bits each. Before she could sell them, mice ate eight of the bars of soap. If she keeps the mice from eating any more of the soap, how many bits will she be able to make after six weeks?” She looked up at her brother. “What kinda mice eat soap anyway? And why would she only make forty bars?  Even I know you’re supposed to have extra product around in case something like this happens! And how am I supposed to know how many bits she'll make? What if she doesn't sell 'em all, or if somepony haggles her down?”

“You're overthinking it,” Macintosh said. “If you spent half the time working that you did complaining, you'd be done.”

“I know, I know, but it's just so boring. What do I need to know this for, anyway?”

“Knowing how many apples you need to sell, how much you need to sell them for, how much money you need to set aside for supplies, things like that.”

“Okay, fine.” Apple Bloom took a deep breath as she tried to think of a way around her brother's answer. “But why can't I learn that stuff by doin' it rather than readin' about it? It'd be more fun and I'd actually be helpin'”

“Last time we tried that, we had to give Bon Bon half a cart of apples for free.”

“Oh, right...” Apple Bloom blushed and went back to her work.

“Hey, Apple Bloom!” Applejack strode into the kitchen, a wide smile on her face. “How's the homework comin'?”

“Same as always. It ain't.”

“Well, you better finish it up. We got something we gotta do after dinner.”

“Really?” Apple Bloom raised a suspicious eyebrow. Her sister was clearly hiding something. “I didn't think we had anything important goin' on.”

“Is that so?” Applejack took a seat next to her sister. “I heard that there's some sorta rodeo thing in town tonight. Couple of minotaurs ridin' goats around and racin' and stuff.” She reached into her hat. “I may have managed to grab a couple tickets.”

“You did!?” Apple Bloom's eyes lit up like lightbulbs. “Really?”

“Sure did! Got 'em right here!” Applejack slapped the tickets down on the table. “Right after dinner, we're gonna head out. Only if you've got your homework done, of course. You think you can get it finished up before dinner?”

“I sure can!”

“Great. Big Macintosh can check it for you. Now then, I gotta go get some work done so I'll be ready for tonight. I'll see you later, okay?” Applejack patted Apple Bloom on the head, and nodded at her brother. “Make sure she doesn't skip anything, okay?”

“Eeyup.”

“I really do hate to do this to you,” Applejack said as she swung the barn door open. “I tried to get as much of it done this afternoon, but unfortunately I didn't get too far.”

“It doesn't look so bad.” Twilight surveyed the barn. The apple cart was parked against the wall, half-full of apples. Against the far wall were an absurdly large number of baskets, also filled with apples. Stacked next to the cart were a slightly less-absurd number of empty baskets. “It's only, what, a dozen baskets worth?”

“I hate to break it to you, but it's probably twice that. Maybe more.” Applejack sighed. “Are you sure you really wanna do this? I mean, I could do it after I get back from the rodeo.”

Twilight shook her head. “No way! It'll already be late when you get back, and if you spend any more time doing this, you won't get to bed until like two in the morning! I'll be perfectly fine! I needed to spend some time somewhere that isn't the library or the chocolate shop.”

“Well, I really appreciate it. I haven't gotten to hang out with Apple Bloom in I don't even know how long. You know how this goes, right?”

“Of course. Good apples go over there with the others, bruised or rotten ones go on the compost heap behind the barn.”

“I knew you'd be on top of things.” Applejack kissed Twilight on the cheek. “I better get goin'. If I don't get out of here I'm gonna start helpin' you and then I'll be stuck here till we're done.”

“I'll try to get everything done before you get back,” Twilight said as she levitated two of the baskets into position.

“Good luck. That cart's more full than it looks.” She started out the door. “If it gets too late, feel free to head home. No point in keepin' you here all night. See you later.”

“Wait.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Aren't you going to give me a goodnight kiss?”

“Uh, Twilight?” Applejack raised her own eyebrow, in confusion. “I just did. Like five seconds ago.”

“Oh. I guess you did. I must be more tired than I thought.”

“Well, here's another one.” Applejack trotted back into the barn and pecked Twilight on the cheek. “That oughta hold you over. If I don't see you when I get back, goodnight! See you tomorrow!”

“B-bye.” Twilight said, blushing furiously. Applejack waved at her one last time before sliding the barn door shut. In the distance Twilight could hear Applejack calling for her sister. She shook her head and turned her attention to the baskets. Maybe they could distract her from the lump in her throat.

“And what about when then they made that pyramid! And then that tiny minotaur dove off the top and then landed on the goat!” Apple Bloom leaped into the air and came down on her sister's back. “That was so cool!”

“Yeah, it was pretty fun to watch.” Applejack grunted as she shoved her sister off. She took a moment to straighten the foam pair of horns that sat on Apple Bloom's head. “I don't even think that I could've done some of those rope tricks. Probably 'cause I don't have any fingers.” She rubbed her eyes. She hadn't expected things to go as long as they had. Thank Celestia they were almost back to the house.

She glanced at the barn; the light was still on. “Apple Bloom, why don't you head back to the house and tell Big Macintosh about everything? I got something to take care of.”

“Okay!” Apple Bloom galloped towards the house.

Applejack slowly pushed the barn door open. Twilight sat in the middle of the floor amidst a scattering of baskets. To her credit, the apple cart was nearly empty.

“Good. Good. Good. Good. Bruised. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Rotten. Good Good-”

“Hey, Twilight!”

“Ah!” Twilight jumped as she realized she was no longer alone in the barn. “Oh, hello, Applejack! How was the show?”

“Suprisingly entertainin'. I'll tell you a bit more tomorrow. I'm pretty tuckered out.” She looked at the apple baskets. “You got quite a bit done.”

“Yeah, it took me a bit to get the rhythm down, but I figured it out.”

“Well, you made a big dent in my work. You can get back home and I'll finish up the rest tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Twilight stood up with a surprising abruptness. “Are you sure you don't want to hang around, and uh... finish stuff up?”

“Nah.” Applejack shook her head. “Just watchin' those Minotaurs flippin' around and whatnot tired me out. I've gotta hit the sack if I'm gonna get anything done tomorrow. Same goes for you. You gotta be well rested to prove to Bon Bon that you're ready to work the register yourself. I'd hate for you to mess that up 'cause you were stuck here.”

“I... I guess you're right,” Twilight said with an odd resignation. “I suppose I'll see you tomorrow. Although before, I go, I just... uh...”

“You just whOA!” Applejack found herself flat on her back on a pile of hay as Twilight lunged forward. In a flash, Twilight's mouth was pressed against hers. Her heart pounded. They had kissed before, of course, but this was a kiss. For an eternally long moment, she couldn't hear anything but blood pulsing in her ears or feel anything other than the heat from Twilight's body.

She gasped as Twilight finally released her. The unicorn was breathing heavily. “I... I should go. See you at lunch tomorrow.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked quickly out the door.

“Goodnight, Twilight!” Applejack called after her. She flopped back onto the hay. All of her limbs felt like rubber. What little energy was left in her body had been sucked out. Everything was full of pins and needles. “What the hay was that about?”

“Mmmm cake...” Spike mumbled, and rolled over in his bed. “Sapphires.... frosting.... Ah! No! Not the card catalogue!”

He jolted out of his slumber as the library door slammed. He rubbed his eyes just in time to see Twilight trot past him. “Twilight?” He squinted at the clock, but couldn't make out the numbers. “What time is it?”

“Late. Go back to sleep, Spike.”

“Okay.” He yawned, turned back over, and hoped that he would dream about food, and not about the library.

Applejack stumbled into the kitchen with a yawn. “Is that cinnamon-apple oatmeal I smell?”

“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh nodded. “Your bowl's on the table. How was the rodeo?”

“A lot of fun, actually. Never thought I'd see half a dozen minotaurs makin' an upside down pyramid on top of a goat.”

“I'm glad you had a good time,” Macintosh said, stirring the pot.

“Yeah, Apple Bloom really enjoyed herself. It was nice finally gettin' to spend a bit of time with her. I still gotta help out with her applebuckin'. She says she can almost get all the apples of a tree with one kick. You think she's gotten that far yet?”

“I dunno.” He shrugged. “She's definitely improving, but I don't know how much.”

“Well, if she doesn't have much homework today, maybe she can show me. There are probably a couple trees left for her to practice on.” She began to shovel brown sugar into her bowl.

Big Macintosh nodded again. “Just as long as you get the sortin' done. How far did Twilight get last night?”

“Huh? Twilight?” Applejack stared at her brother, the events of last night replaying in her mind. She felt her ears starting to get warm.

“You had her sortin' out apples while you were at the rodeo, didn't you?”

“Oh, yeah, right. I did.”

“Well, how many apples did she get sorted?”

“A lot,” Applejack said. “I can finish it. Won't take long.”

“That's good. How's Twilight doing, anyway? I haven't talked to her in a while.”

“She's doin'…. Okay, I guess,” Applejack said absently. She was more focused on trying to keep her heartbeat from speeding up.

“Is something wrong?” Big Macintosh asked.

“Not like, wrong wrong,” Applejack said. “She was just actin' a little strange is all.”

“Strange? What kind of strange?”

“She was... just... it's nothing you need to worry about.” She shoved an overly large spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth.

Big Macintosh just shrugged. “Well, I'm going to go get Apple Bloom up. Keep an eye on the oatmeal.”

“Okay,” Applejack mumbled between mouthfuls. Even with all the sweetness, she could still feel her lips tingling.

Spike clamored out of bed. He had dreamed about food, but they had all been salads. It was hardly ideal. Still, it beat dreams about getting dumped into the Canterlot Library and being forced to re-organize everything. And it certainly beat waking up in the morning. The only thing that kept him going at the moment was the smell of breakfast wafting out of the kitchen. He headed downstairs.

“Twilight?” She didn't seem to be anywhere. He looked into the kitchen. “Anypony home?”

The only thing he saw was a covered tray with a note taped to it. He picked it off and began to read.

Here's scrambled eggs for breakfast. I have things to do. See you later.

— Twilight

P.S. Don't forget to fill out your reimbursement forms.

Spike turned the note over, checking to see if he had missed anything. It was unusually terse. Even for a regular pony, it was quite brief. For Twilight... this was the first time in years that she had actually managed to limit her message to a single piece of paper. Whatever was bothering her really must be a pressing matter.

He shrugged. She hadn't woken him up, so there probably wasn't anything he could do about it. It was probably something to do with Applejack. Lately, he hadn't thought too much about that. When he did, it was only a matter of time before his mind wandered towards where they might be in, oh, a year or so. And that got him thinking about where he would be in a year, and he didn't have any idea.

So instead of thinking about that, he thought about breakfast. He took the cover off of the plate and inhaled. The eggs were still warm. Twilight must not have been gone long. His first bite was halfway to his mouth when somepony knocked on the door. Spike sighed. He opened the door, and Applejack poked her head into the library.

“Morning, Spike,” She said. “How are you doin'?”

“I'm fine,” he answered, trying to suppress a yawn. “What are you doing here?”

“Just lookin' for Twilight. I gotta talk to her about... something. Is she here?”

“Nope. She left right before I got up. Says she had something to do.” He held up Twilight's note.

Applejack took it, and examined it from every angle.  “That's it?”

“I know, right? Whatever it was, it must have been something really important. You have any idea what it might be?”

“Uh, maybe it's...” Applejack stared into space, as if she were watching something completely different in her head. “...something. Well, if she comes back, tell her I gotta talk to her, okay? I'll be at the farm.”

“Sure thing, Applejack. See you later.” He waved as she trotted off. “'It's something.' Of course it's something!” he mumbled to himself as he returned to the kitchen. “I wish I knew what that something was. Hope they didn't have another fight. I don't think I could take Twilight being mopey again.” He shrugged and turned his attention back to his eggs. “Crud, they're cold.”

Twilight passed the front door of the Carousel Boutique for the dozenth time that morning. She had been up and down the full length of the street enough times that more than a few ponies were curious. Unfortunately, the note taped to the Boutique's door remained exactly where it had been, aside from a loose corner that fluttered in the breeze.

I am out on business today and will return this evening. Please slip any order forms under the door. Carousel Boutique apologizes for any inconvenience.

At first she had clung to the hope that it was one of those days where Rarity simply wanted to relax and had closed the boutique to give herself a holiday. Unfortunately, there was no indication that the note was anything but truthful. The windows were dark, and there was no scent of tea or scones. The shop was silent; Sweetie Belle obviously hadn't dropped by to visit, and as far as Twilight could tell, Opal was nowhere to be found. Rarity was probably browsing the Canterlot Fabric Outlet.

Twilight bit her lip and trotted in place in front of Rarity's door. She had to talk to somepony.

“Twilight, are you okay? If you need a bathroom that badly, I'm sure Bon Bon would let you use the one at the shop.”

“Huh?” Twilight froze for a second, then turned around.

“Well, you were doing your little potty dance thing,” Lyra said. She took a few stationary steps in imitation of Twilight. “Weren't you?”

“No, no, I'm fine.” Twilight sighed. “It's just... I really needed to talk to Rarity about something.” She looked to the clock tower. “I guess I'm not going to get the chance this morning. What are you doing up already? You usually aren't even awake when I get to work.”

“Bon Bon ran out of cherries.” Lyra held up the bag. “I did her a favor. She has enough to do without worrying about that.”

“I didn't mess up the inventory, did I?”

“Not at all,” Lyra said. “She just miscounted. It happens. What are you so worked up about, anyway?”

“Oh, it's nothing.”

“Sure doesn't look like nothing,” Lyra said as she bumped Twilight with her shoulder. “Come on, what happened?”

“Nothing.” She hung her head. “That's kinda the problem, I guess.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, last night, Applejack kissed me...”

“And this is a problem why?” Lyra scratched her head. “I mean, it's been like a year! Isn't that kind of a regular thing by now?”

“That's the whole problem!” Twilight groaned and started trotting towars the chocolate shop.

“What is?” Lyra followed a few steps behind Twilight. “How is getting kissed a problem?”

“It's not that she kissed me, it's that... When you first started going out with Bon Bon, you got sort of a... a feeling, right? It wasn't just me?”

“Sure did,” Lyra said, a nostalgic glint in her eyes.

“Well, when Applejack and I first got together, it was like that. Just talking to her... it felt like... it gave me a rush, I guess. Whenever she kissed me, it was like my whole body turned into a gelatinous substance.”

“That's... not quite how I'd phrase it, but I know what you mean. Does the whole wobbly legs thing make it tough to walk or something?” Lyra asked.

“No. Well, yes, but that's not the problem.” Twilight looked up and down the street. Applejack was nowhere to be seen. Twilight brought her voice to a whisper anyway. “It's that I haven't felt it.”

“You haven't?”

“No! I hadn't really thought about it much before, but I realized last night that I haven't felt anything in months! Applejack kissed me! She kissed me, and... and I didn't even notice! Just brushing up against her used to almost knock me off my hooves. I used to get giddy just at the prospect of talking to her.”

“Yeaaahhh...” Lyra nodded. “I might just be dumb, but I'm not seeing exactly what the problem is.”

“The problem is that everything is normal! When we first started going out, it was so new and exciting! Whenever we were together everything just felt... I don't even know how to describe it. But after last night... that's when I realized that all those feelings are gone. Our relationship used to be so special. But now it feels like just one more part of my life.” Twilight reared up and flailed her forelegs. “It's routine!”

“I see.”

“And that's not the worst part. What if it means...” Twilight checked her surroundings again, and whispered so softly that Lyra could barely hear her. “What if it means that my romantic feelings for Applejack are... are... going away?” The last two words barely made it out of her mouth.

“Why would you think that!?”

“Because I don't get that... that feeling anymore!” Twilight's voice shook. “And it got me thinking. Back when I first realized that I was... interested in Applejack, I talked to Rarity about it. And she told me that it was probably just a crush. She talked about how those things can just appear out of nowhere... and how they could go away just as quickly! What if that's what's happening? What if the whole thing was just a phase, and I'm moving out of it?” She began to breathe more quickly. “I can't do that to Applejack! We were finally starting to get things figured out.”

“First of all, calm down.” Lyra said with a smirk as she patted Twilight on the back. “I seriously doubt that things are that bad.”

Twilight gave her a surprisingly desperate glance. “Really?”

“Well, I think the problem is... well...” Her voice trailed off.

“Is what!?”

“On second thought, I don't know if I can explain it,” Lyra said. “I know that Bon Bon and I have been together for longer than you and Applejack have, but in the grand scheme of things, we're far from having everything figured out. I think I know what the problem is, but I don't think I understand it well enough myself to tell you what to do.”

“I see,” Twilight said, completely deflated. “Well, thanks anyway.”

“I didn't say I wouldn't help!” Lyra said indignantly. “I might not be able to give you any pointers myself, but I can point you in the right direction.”

“What do you mean?”

“I'll just have you talk to the pony who helped me get through my problems.”

“Your... problems?” Twilight spoke as if she didn't understand the words.

“What, you didn't think that Bon Bon and I figured everything out ourselves, did you?” Lyra chuckled. “It's not like I've never had my doubts, and I needed plenty of help getting over them. The pony that helped me can totally explain this better than I ever could.”

“Another pony?” Twilight bit her lip. “I'm not sure I want to bring anypony else into this. It would just be awkward.”

“Don't worry.” Lyra winked. “I think that it's somepony you’ll be comfortable with. But for now, we better get moving. Relationship or no relationship, Bon Bon wants you at the shop on time.”

“Ha! That's six bushels!” Apple Bloom put a giant checkmark on her side of the clipboard. “Now I only gotta get” —she looked at Applejack's side of the board; it was covered with tally marks— “like three dozen more to beat you, I guess.” She sighed and deflated slightly. And then perked up almost immediately. “Wait a sec! You got a head start cause you've been out here all day! How many apples did you sell since I got out of school?”

“Well, countin' these” —Applejack pointed at the large sack of apples that Carrot Top was hauling away from the apple cart— “I'd say maybe two dozen, give or take.”

“Two dozen!?” Apple Bloom gasped. “But we didn't even have that many apples in the cart, did we?”

“'Course we did!” Applejack said with a grin. “Cart holds thousands of apples. Then again, most of those are bulk orders that we have for pickup. Small wonder I ended up sellin' more than you.”

“How are we supposed to have a contest if you get to do all the bulk orders?” Apple Bloom asked, scowling at her sister. “It ain't fair!”

“Well, the whole contest thing was your idea.” Applejack ruffled her sister's bow. “If you're gonna try to compete with somepony, you gotta make sure the rules are fair or it isn't gonna be much of a match. Like, remember how Rainbow Dash challenged me to that Iron Pony competition? When we were settin' that up—”

“Hey, Twilight! Want some apples!?”

“Huh?” Applejack looked up and sure enough, Twilight was ambling down the street. Oddly enough, she didn't really seem to have even registered that Apple Bloom was calling to her. She trotted straight forward with a rather blank look in her eyes. Apple Bloom trotted into the street, balancing an apple on her head.

“Twilight! You want to buy some fresh, juicy—  Whoa!”

Applejack shook her head as she watched the inevitable collision of her oblivious marefriend and her over-enthusiastic sibling. The apple that Apple Bloom had been balancing went flying. Applejack caught it and placed it delicately back in the cart, before turning her attention to the aftermath of the collision. “You two alright?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Apple Bloom sheepishly got up and dusted herself off with her tail. Then she retreated cautiously back to the cart, wary of any other oncoming pedestrians.

“What about you, Twilight? You okay?”

“Yes! Fine!” Twilight sprang upright. She plastered a gigantic smile onto her face. “Don't I look fine?”

“Uh, not really,” Applejack said. “You look more like you're tryin' to look fine, and it ain't quite workin'. Is something buggin' you?”

“I, uh, well...” She glanced at Apple Bloom and lowered her voice. “I was just... thinking about what happened last night.”

“Heh, yeah.” Applejack couldn't resist putting on a slightly salacious grin. “I gotta say I wasn't expectin' that.”

“Huh? What happened last night?” Apple Bloom asked.

Applejack chuckled and tried to take some of the lasciviousness out of her face. “Nothin' that concerns you.”

“Oh, stuff about apple sortin'?” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and busied herself with polishing a few apples for when another customer came by.

“So, uh, what about last night?” Applejack said quietly, not wanting to draw her sister's attention. “What... uh... what brought that on?”

“Well, it was just... because... I thought that...” Twilight groaned. “I don't know. I wish I could tell you what was going through my head, but to be honest I'm not sure myself. I really need to talk it over with somepony.”

“If that's how things are, then I'm more than willin' to talk about it! I mean, I'll have to get Big Mac down here to keep an eye on the cart, but—”

“No, no, you don't have to do that. I was actually just going to see somepony when I ran into Apple Bloom.” She swallowed. “I know this is going to sound really weird, but I feel like it would be best to talk it over with somepony who... isn't you. I need to talk with somepony who really knows what they're talking about.”

“Are you sayin' I don't know what I'm talkin' about?” Applejack asked with a smirk.

“Yes, NO!” Twilight shook her head violently. “That's not what I meant at all!”

“I know that,” Applejack said. She giggled. A year ago she would have been worried, but by now she almost liked it when Twilight put her hoof in her mouth. She was so cute when she backpedaled. “What did you actually mean?”

“I want to talk to somepony who's actually got some experience with relationships,” Twilight said. “Just to get some perspective. I know that we should talk about it, but I'm not even sure what I'd say. I'm sorry.”

“You don't worry yourself about that, okay?” Applejack said. “I under... well, I don't really understand, but I can wait a bit if you think it'll help you get everything figured out. Just don't leave me in the dark for too long, okay?”

Twilight nodded. “Believe me, I don't want to hide anything. It's just that I think the whole thing might just be in my head and I don't want to get you dragged into it if it's nothing. As soon as I get my thoughts straight, I'll tell you everything, okay?”

“Alright then, you know where to find me.” She smiled and kissed Twilight on the cheek. “You better get going. Wouldn't want to keep whoever it is waitin'.”

“No, I wouldn't. I'll talk to you later, then. See you later, Applejack.” Twilight paused, then turned away and trotted down the road.

“Bye.” Applejack waved after her. She wondered what could be bothering her so much. Sure, Twilight had jumped on her out of nowhere, but it sure hadn't been a bad thing. Maybe it was just Twilight's nerves getting the better of her. That happened quite a bit. Applejack decided not to think about it too much. “Hey, Apple Bloom, we got another group of customers comin' down the road! Quit polishin' and get to sellin'.”

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

What am I going to do? What if Rarity was right all along and this was just some passing infatuation? Could I have mistaken a mere crush for something deeper? I've been leading Applejack on! And we were so happy! Our anniversary was wonderful. No, no, this has to be something more than just a crush. A crush couldn't possibly last this long. Applejack and I have been having a wonderful time with each other. It can't just end like that.

But then again, I just don't feel like I used to. All the sensations I had when I was with her, I could feel them in my bones. Where did that feeling go!?

But we by a love so much refin'd,

That ourselves know not what it is,

—A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,

John Donne

Mrs. Cake eyed the confection that sat on the counter. It could be most charitably described as a lump which appeared to be comprised of anything and everything involving chocolate and sugar... It somehow managed to be gooey and crunchy at the same time. She reached out and slowly began to rotate the plate. The item didn't get any more comprehensible. Chocolate and sugary goo oozed out of what appeared to be some sort of fried tangle of dough. There was only one pony who could be responsible for this.

“Um, Pinkie? What is this?”

“That's the ultimate s'more!” Pinkie declared as she bounced out from behind the counter. “I came up with the idea last night and I just had to do it!”

“Yes, but what is it?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“Well, first you get a funnel cake and put a layer of marshmallow fluff on it!” Pinkie pantomimed the action. “Then you put a couple of chocolate bars on it, and cover them with a layer of graham crackers!”

“I do think I see a few graham crackers in there...”

“Yup! It gives it some texture so it isn't so goopy!” Pinke said, nodding enthusiastically. “Then you add marshmallows and chocolate marshmallow fudge! And you take another funnel cake with marshmallow fluff topping and put it on top! Then you bake it at 275 for about ten minutes to melt the chocolate and make the funnel cakes nice and crispy.”

“That sounds quite...”

“Delicious!? I know! That's why I made it.” Pinkie twirled. “But first you have to drizzle some chocolate syrup on top!” She pulled a bottle out of her mane and began to garnish the giant lump of sugar. “Here! Try some. Maybe we can sell it in the shop!”  Pinkie stabbed the confection with a fork and tore off a chunk, holding it out to Mrs. Cake.

Mrs. Cake stared apprehensively at the forkful of tooth-rot, shrugged, and popped it into her mouth. “Hmmm... that's actually rather tasty!”

“Does that mean we can sell them!?”

“Perhaps. I'll have to discuss it with my husband, though.” She narrowed her eyes at the s'more. “And we'll have to work on the presentation. Right now it's a little too gloopy.”

“Too gloopy!?” Pinkie Pie crossed her forelegs and sniffed. “What's wrong with gloopy? You know what else is gloopy? Pudding! And everypony likes pudding! Hmmmm, maybe I should try putting pudding in the s'more.”

“Well, I suppose I'll let you experiment then,” Mrs. Cake said. “Just make sure you write down your recipes so you don't forget them.”

“Yes, Ma'am!” Pinkie saluted so hard she almost knocked herself into a counter. “You want to help me with it? You could help me get the marshmallow fluff off the spoon and onto the funnel cakes! And out of my mane.” Pinkie flicked her tail up, revealing a massive blob of marshmallow stuck to it.

“Oh.” Mrs. Cake took a step back from the sticky blob. “Um, as much as I would love to help you, I have to... um...”

“Dear!” Mr. Cake poked his head into the kitchen. Pumpkin sat on his head, chewing on his ear. Pound was buzzing back and forth on a short leash that was wrapped around Mr. Cake's hoof. “Twilight is here. She wants to talk to you.”

“Awwww.” Pinkie's sugar-caked ears drooped slightly. But not too much. “I guess I'm on my own then.”

Mrs. Cake tried to not look too relieved. “I guess you are. Try not to make a—” She gave the kitchen one final overview. “Try not to make more of a mess.”

“Roger!” Pinkie nodded emphatically. The tip of her mane landed square in a patch of marshmallow on the floor. As she brought her head back up, her mane stretched like a rubber band. Then it snapped free. “Whoa!” She stumbled backward and crashed into the counter, making each and every one of the bowls that sat on it start wobbling.

Mrs. Cake spun around and trotted out of the kitchen. The door closed behind her just in time to muffle the inevitable crash. She winced at the sound of half a dozen sticky-goop-filled bowls hitting the floor. She shook off the dread of cleaning it up. She could make Pinkie do that. She turned to Twilight, who was standing just in the door. She seemed inordinately interested in the floor.

“Twilight! Come in!” Mrs. Cake waved her in, and Twilight moved mechanically forward. “Lyra mentioned that you wanted to talk to me about something?”

Twilight only nodded.

“Are you alright? Is something bothering you?”

Twilight took a deep breath, and spoke in a low voice. “It's a long story...”

Pinkie poked her nose out of the kitchen. Twilight visiting Sugarcube Corner and not stopping in the kitchen to say hello? That could only mean one thing: hijinks! Or at least it would if Twilight was the type of pony who ever took part in hijinks on her own. Twilight wasn't big on hijinks unless somepony else put her up to it. But why wouldn't she want Pinkie to know she was there?

All Pinkie could think of was that Twilight didn't want to risk a hug. That was sensible, given the layers of ingredients that Pinkie was coated in. But then again Twilight could have just taken a shower afterward, or else just used her magic sparkly thing to keep Pinkie away. It wasn't like she hadn't done that before. It was quite the conundrum.

“Of course!” She zipped back into the kitchen and began to flip through the “kittens wearing silly hats” calendar that hung above the stove. “Or not. Guess it's not my birthday.” She tapped her chin with a sugary hoof. Then she smacked herself in the forehead. “Duh!”

“Almost... almost...” Rarity squinted at the bow she had just pinned onto the dress. “Not quite.” She nudged it a bit and smiled. “There we go! Perfectly straight!” She took a step back and admired her work. She had spent the morning on the train to and from Canterlot to pick up the specialized fabric she needed to make a new hem. An unfortunate sewing machine malfunction had mutilated the last bit of it she had in the shop. Fortunately, she had made up almost all the lost time on the hat. Through some immaculate stroke of luck, one of her rejected designs from the previous week had matched the dress perfectly. Replace the rubies with emeralds, and it fit as if it had been made specifically to go with the dress.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was more than enough time to make a pot of tea before they arrived to pick it up. But first she needed a bit of fresh air. She sauntered over to the window and gently swung it open. Then the bush below the window erupted in a flurry of leaves, sugar, and pink hair.

“Hey Rarity!”

“Gah!” Rarity jumped backward, very nearly toppling her mannequin over. “Pinkie!” she gasped, clutching her chest. “Don't do that! Why are you in my bush, anyway? Were you waiting for me to open the window so you could jump through?”

“Well, last time I came through the window without waiting for you to open it, you got really mad, and I had to pay for a new window!” Pinkie said matter-of-factly. She rested her hooves on the windowsill and leaned in. “So I figured I'd let you open it!”

“Why couldn't you just use the door!?” Rarity thrust a hoof at it. “Do you have some sort of aversion to entering the boutique in the proper fashion?”

“I was going to come through the door, but there was a giant 'closed' sign on it!”

“Pinkie, I returned at half past noon!” Rarity said with a groan. “The boutique has been open all afternoon!”

“Really?”

“Yes! I—” Rarity paused, as Pinkie had vanished from the window. Rarity turned, and saw Pinkie zipping around to the front of the boutique. The pink shape in the front window stopped in front of the door, then turned around and zipped back to the window.

“So, I guess it is open,” Pinkie said. “Guess I should check the front door more often. So can I come in?”

“Why didn't you use the door? You were just there!”

“Because I was already over here! Duh!”

“But you weren't! You were... nevermind.” Rarity shook her head. She had gotten this far without a headache, and there was no reason to give herself one by trying to track Pinkie's train of thought. That thing had gone off the rails a long time ago. “Why are you poking your head in my window, anyway?”

“Because I thought the door was closed, remember?”

Rarity's eye twitched so hard that the twinge covered half her face. “Yes, but why did you visit my boutique?”

“I was bored,” Pinkie said. “And I just finished cleaning the kitchen, so I had to get out of there.”

“So you came... here?” Rarity asked with a hint of annoyance. “Wouldn't... anywhere else have been preferable? Why my boutique?”

“Because you're here!” Pinkie said.

“But why did you want to talk to me?” Rarity said through gritted teeth.

“I, uh... Good question. Let me think for a second.” Pinkie knew the info was in her head somewhere. She just had to dig it out. Time to visit her office again. She closed her eyes, and a door materialized in front of her. It was heavy wood, and old fashioned, with a frosted glass window. Printed on the window was “Pinkie Pie: Private Eye!” She wasn't a private eye, of course, but it seemed like the kind of thing you should put on your office door to make it look cooler. She opened it and stepped inside.

Her imaginary secretary sat at the desk, shifting through several stacks of paper, occasionally pausing to pound them with a gigantic red stamp. As Pinkie imagined the door slamming shut, she also imagined the secretary looking up.

“What can I do for you?” She asked.

“What did I need to talk to Rarity about again?” Pinkie asked.

“Really? Can't you ever remember why you visit Rarity?” The secretary rolled her eyes. “Twilight was acting weird, remember? Find out why!”

“Oh, right,” Pinkie said. “Thanks. By the way, you should really consider letting your hair down. A bun doesn't look good on me. I mean you.”

“I tried, but it gets too poofy.”

“Maybe you should borrow Rarity's straightener,” Pinkie said, and returned to reality.

“Pinkie, are you alright?” Rarity looked quite concerned.

“Yeah, I'm fine!” Pinkie chirped. “Not sure if Twilight is, though. She showed up at Sugarcube Corner and didn't even say 'Hello'! Or 'Hi'! Or any other traditional greeting! Twilight always says something!”

“So you're coming to see me because you think I might have some idea what's going on? You think it's something that has to do with Applejack, don't you?” Rarity said as she retrieved a broom and dustpan from her closet. “I can't think of any other reason why you'd come to me.”

“No! Well, maybe. I don't know! That's why I'm here.” She grinned. “So, do you think that it is something with Applejack?”

“To be perfectly honest, I have absolutely no idea. Do you have any reason to think that it's a relationship issue? Just because she's going out with Applejack hardly means that the relationship is the cause of all of her problems.” She swept up the leaves that Pinkie had dropped in through the window. “Just last week she nearly had a nervous breakdown when Bon Bon said she could work the register.”

“Well, yeah, but who was it that helped her get over that!?”

Rarity pondered the question for a moment. “Yes, she went to Applejack. Which of course begs the question of why she wouldn't go to Applejack now.” Rarity sighed. It always felt weird when Pinkie Pie had a stroke of legitimate brilliance. “It seems that you're right. If the issue wasn't something to do with romance, she'd probably have gone to Applejack.”

“Unless Applejack doesn't know anything about it either!” Pinkie suggested. “Like if Twilight wanted to know about baking!”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Pinkie, Applejack knows all about baking! And even if she didn't, she'd ask you about it!”

“Oh, right.” Pinkie tapped her chin. “She would usually go to her friends first.”

“Precisely. Which means that she must be seeking advice about a subject none of us have the capacity to advise her on,” Rarity said. “Although if it is a relationship issue it's rather odd that she never came to visit me! I have been advising her from the very start, and thought that my advice to her had been quite useful!”

Pinkie cocked her head. “But you haven't even gone on a date in months!”

“That has nothing to do with anything!” Rarity barked, feeling a blush burning her cheeks. “I've been occupied by my business lately, that is all! Besides, I know both Applejack and Twilight well enough that my advice can be just as much, if not more useful than anypony else's! There is no reason at all that she should not come to me!”

“Hmmm....” Pinkie squinted to make herself look deep in thought. “Maybe she didn't think you were helpful?”

“N-not helpful!” Rarity sputtered.  She grabbed Pinkie by the shoulders and shook her, rustling the leaves of the bush. “Why would she ever think that I was not helpful!?”

“I dunno, maybe because her thingamabob with Applejack has lasted months longer than any relationship you've been in?” Pinkie leaned on the windowsill, sticking nearly her entire upper body into the room. “Or maybe some of the other advice you gave her didn't work. Or maybe something horrible is going on that she doesn't want to tell any of us about. Or—”

“Pinkie, just stop,” Rarity interrupted, shoving Pinkie back out the window. “I understand that at this point I may not exactly have vast experience, but every single piece of advice I have given her is completely relevant to her needs! While I'm sure she has her reasons, I can assure you that it not due to the quality of my advice!” She glared hard at Pinkie, who was unfazed. “Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go make myself some tea, and then take a nap. As for you, I suggest you go clean that... gunk out of your mane. Leave it in there any longer and it might be permanent.” She flicked her tail at Pinkie and stomped into the kitchen.

Pinkie watched her slam the door. “Or she might have just seen that the boutique was closed.”

“So now I'm not sure what to do,” Twilight wailed. “If Rarity was right, and all those feelings can come and go, what if they're gone? I can't just leave Applejack like that! But I don't want to keep leading her on, either. What am I supposed to do!?”

“First of all, have a cookie.” Mrs. Cake put a plate on the table. Pinkie had vacated the premises, so they had taken their conversation into the kitchen, at the small table in the back corner, which was seemingly the only place in the entire room that Pinkie hadn't coated in sugar.

“A cookie?” Twilight wrinkled her nose at the plate. “What kind?”

“Peanut butter chocolate chip.”

Twilight sighed, and stuffed one into her mouth. “Now what?” she tried to say. The cookie turned it into “Mnw wmt?”

“Now, you stop worrying, because you're going to be just fine,” Mrs. Cake said, gently patting Twilight on the head. For a second, Twilight felt like she had shrunk back into a filly. She resisted the urge to check to make sure her cutie mark was still there. “Just to make sure I've got it, you're worried that your crush on Applejack has run its course, right?”

Twilight nodded sullenly.

“Well, it probably has. But—”

Twilight nearly choked on her cookie. “What!?”

“But,” Mrs. Cake smiled warmly, and Twilight felt the pang of fear draining out of her, “Fortunately, a real relationship is so much more than just a silly little crush. I've seen the way you and Applejack act around each other. The two of you have something much better, and much stronger than just a crush. In fact, if you were still just infatuated with her, I'd be a bit worried about you two.”

“R-really?” Twilight said, and took a swig of the milk Mrs. Cake had set out.

“Well, I'm sure you've probably come across it somewhere before, but I've heard it said that getting a crush on somepony, it's like a spark.”

“A spark?”

Mrs. Cake nodded. “It's bright and sudden, but most of the time they burn out quickly. Some catch and flare up, but it doesn't always last long. A few flames and then it goes out. But sometimes, it starts a real fire. The flames might not last long, but the embers go on smoldering for a long time.”

“So... Applejack and I are like a couple of burning logs?”

“Well, yes. Sort of,” Mrs. Cake said. “When two ponies have been together for a while, things change a bit. They get used to each other and don't have all those little tingles and they aren't nervous when they talk to each other and they aren't stumbling around worried about what their very special somepony is thinking.”

“I am worried!” Twilight gasped.

“Well, yes,” Mrs. Cake admitted.

“I'm not just worried, I'm having a crisis! I'm—”

“Twilight, eat a cookie.”

Twilight stopped and shoved another cookie into her mouth.  She began to chew reluctantly, then began to munch on it in earnest.

“Now then, there's no need to be so dramatic. You might be worried about how things will go, but that's natural.”

“You just said it wasn't natural,” Twilight muttered through a mouthful of cookie.

Mrs. Cake shook her head. “Yes and no. Think for a moment. What are you worried about? What's the worst that could happen?”

“My feelings for Applejack are gone, and I either break up with her and ruin our friendship forever, or I try to make it work anyway and she ends up miserable because I tried to force it.”

“So the worst case scenario is that you make Applejack sad?”

Twilight nodded sullenly.

Mrs. Cake smiled. “I'm quite sure you still love her just as much as you ever did.”

“Really?”

“Of course.” Mrs. Cake nodded. “Maybe even more! If you didn't, you wouldn't be so worried about hurting her. Think about how it felt when you first got together? What worried you then?”

Twilight sighed as the realization struck her. “I was afraid of looking like an idiot in front of her. That was it.” She groaned. “That was why I always felt so... flustered around her. I was just nervous because I was afraid that I might screw things up. And now I finally got comfortable with her and that freaked me out! I got worried because I didn't have any reason to be worried!” Twilight banged her head on the table. She looked up to see Mrs. Cake stifling a giggle. “I know, I know. Have a cookie.”

“You just don't know how much the two of you have matured in the past year,” Mrs. Cake said. “You've outgrown the anxiety and you don't see your relationship as a novelty anymore. And you shouldn't. If you were still giggling over each other like a couple of schoolfillies after a year, you'd be in trouble. Of course a kiss isn’t going to feel the same! But you don’t need that feeling, because you have something better.  A real long-term relationship has to be built on something more than infatuation. And I'm quite sure that you have it.”

Twilight nodded solemnly. “Yes. I still love her more than anypony else, and there's nopony else I'd rather be with! If I don't get butterflies in my stomach any more, it doesn't matter as long as we care about each other.”

“That's the spirit!” Mrs. Cake clapped her hooves. “I knew that you were scared that the flames were dying out, but the embers are still burning!” She suddenly leaned towards Twilight and waggled one eyebrow. “That's where the fire burns hottest, you know.”

“I, uh... I see.” Twilight leaned back. She had never seen Mrs. Cake make such a...suggestive expression. But despite that, she could already feel herself beginning to relax. “Thank you. I really needed that. It's just... it's all new to me, you know?”

“It was all new to Carrot and I when we first started going out,” Mrs. Cake said. “It was hard, but we figured it out. And I'm sure that somepony as smart as you can figure it out too. You just have to remember one thing.”

“Right.” Twilight’s ears perked up.

“Love isn't a feeling; it's something you do. The way you feel doesn't really have anything to do with how much you love somepony. You just... love them, whether or not they make your heart beat faster.”

Twilight nodded. Speaking of feelings, right now she had one in the pit of her stomach. The same weight she had felt all those years ago, sitting in magic class when she had finally got it. All the theories, all the studying, it had clicked. All the pieces had come together. Everything fit.

“I'll remember that,” she said.

“Good.” Mrs. Cake said with a sage nod. “Why don't you pack up the rest of these cookies for Spike? I'm sure he'd appreciate it.”

Twilight took a sip of milk. “I'm sure he would.”

Rainbow Dash followed Applejack from tree to tree, towing a cloud behind her. Apple trees could be really finicky if they didn't have just the right amount of water. Or at least that's what Applejack had told her. Rainbow Dash didn't really know much about it. She probably should have, given how often she had listened to Applejack go on and on about them, but she tended to tune out whenever Applejack started one of her spiels. Fortunately, Applejack wasn't talking about apples at the moment, so Rainbow Dash was at least half-listening.

“So did Twilight do a decent job with the apples?” Rainbow Dash asked. She wasn't very interested in the answer, but she felt obligated to ask.

“Yeah, she did just fine.” Applejack tapped on one of the trees with her hoof. “Give this one three hops.”

“Roger!” Rainbow Dash pushed the cloud over the three and bounced on it three times. “So she didn't try to use a spell and create like a monster made of apples or anything?”

“Nah, Twilight did fine,” Applejack said.

“Then why are you even telling me about this?” Rainbow Dash snorted.

“It's not the apple-sorting, it's what happened after,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes at Rainbow's obvious impatience. “She was gettin' ready to head home, when she... uh...” Applejack immediately doubted the wisdom of bringing it up, but it was too late.

“When she what?” Rainbow Dash peered over the edge of her cloud. “Don't leave me hanging!”

Applejack sighed. “She kissed me?”

“That's it? Lame. You've been going out with her for like forever! What's the big deal if she kisses you?”

“Well, that's cause... ” Applejack muttered as she started toward the next tree. She knew that she could probably just drop the conversation there, but something in the back of her mind forced her to keep going. Sometimes she didn't like being the element of Honesty. “...it wasn't just a kiss.”

“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What else was it?” She shoved the cloud down so it was just above Applejack's head. “You can't just say that and leave it!”

“It's nothing like that! It was just a really big kiss.” She tapped on another tree trunk. “Like I was just gonna give her a little goodnight kiss, and next thing I know I'm layin' in a pile of hay and she's on top of me and her tongue is halfway down my throat.”

“Then what?” Rainbow Dash hung her head over the cloud and put her upside down face inches from Applejack's. “Don't worry, I won't tell Apple Bloom about it!”

“Then she got off me and went home!”

“What?” Rainbow Dash squawked. “Most ponies would be worried if they didn't get to that after so long!” She crossed her forelegs and sat on the cloud. “I thought it was going to be something juicier!”

“You mean to tell me that you expected Twilight to get all touchy-feely? Not all ponies are that... physical in a relationship. Besides, it's not just that she did that, it's that today she didn't want to talk about it. I mean, she didn't seem too anxious about it, but something's obviously on her mind. She said it was something I couldn't really help with and she wanted to talk it over with somepony else.”

“So you think you're the problem?”

“Well, who else would it be? If it wasn't me, why wouldn't she tell me about it?”

“Really? This again?” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Applejack, pretty much all the issues you two have have been Twilight freaking out about something that turns out to actually not be a big deal. She probably just realized she was going nuts and wanted to check with somepony else before bugging you about it.”

“I sure hope you're right,” Applejack said. “This one only needs a little water.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and bounced once on the cloud. “I'm sure it's nothing. Next time you see her she'll probably tell you that nothing is wrong. If you don't stop worrying about it you'll turn into her!”

“Well, they do say that when you've been together a while you start resemblin' each other.”

“Right! You don't wanna turn into an egghead, do you?” Rainbow Dash knocked on Applejack's head. “Don't worry about Twilight. She'll figure everything out.”

“Yeah, you're right. I got other things to deal with.” She nodded towards the next patch of trees. “Come on. These trees look like they really need some water.”

Fluttershy trotted along, a pet food recipe book balanced on her back. She had forgotten that she even had it; if Owlowiscious hadn't stopped by to leave a note on her door, she never would have remembered that she had checked it out. Naturally, she had made a beeline to the library. She'd rather not have to pay the overdue book fee. Not because she couldn't spare the bits; she had more than enough lying around for that.

She just wanted to avoid the awkwardness. Spike being Spike, he'd probably waive it. That was all well and good, but she just wouldn't feel comfortable getting a favor like that. She'd insist on paying it, and he would wave her off and eventually hide the jar where he kept the fees. That meant she'd have to borrow a catsuit from Rainbow Dash and sneak into the library to put the bits into the jar. It was a huge hassle. Much easier to turn the book in on time.

She knocked on the library door and waited. A moment later, Spike opened the door.

“Hey, Fluttershy. What's up?”

“I just came by to drop off this book.” She gave it to Spike. “I wouldn't want to be late.”

“Oh, it's no problem.” Spike waved Fluttershy into the library. “I'd never charge you!”

“Why not?” Fluttershy asked as she followed him inside.

“Because I know if you're late, it's because you just forgot and not because you're trying to game the system or anything. Now if Rainbow Dash was late, I'd have to charge her, or she'd never bring anything back.” He opened the book and stamped the card. “Have anything else you wanted to pick up?”

“No, that's it. Thanks for having Owlowiscious leave that note. I might have forgotten otherwise.”

“No problem. I'm just glad to hear that it's working. I really gotta cut down on the number of late books. Keeping track of all the fees is a pain. See you later.” He disappeared behind the shelves, but almost immediately emerged. “Oh, and if you see Twilight, can you tell her that dinner is almost ready? I've got an alfalfa casserole in the oven for her.”

“Oh, okay.” She nodded. “Bye.”

She trotted out the door, and immediately bonked heads with Twilight. The two ponies stumbled away from each other, rubbing their foreheads.  Twilight’s saddlebag tumbled to the ground.

“I'm so sorry, Twilight!” Fluttershy gasped. “Are you alright!?”

“I'm fine!” Twilight said with a smile. “I'm feeling great!”

“Oh, that's good.”

“It sure is!”

“So, I guess you're having a good day?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight looked unusually exuberant.

“Well, it didn't start off that way, but now it is,” Twilight said, as she picked up her saddlebag.

“Really? What do you mean?”

“I thought I was having relationship issues. Again.” Twilight sighed. “Turns out it was just me being a worrywart.”

“That's wonderful! Not you being a worrywart, I mean. It's wonderful that things are going well.”

“Thanks,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “I know what you mean.”

Fluttershy nodded, and noticed the edge of what looked like a magazine poking out of Twilight's saddlebag. “What's that?”

“Huh? Oh, that's nothing.” Twilight shoved it into the bag. “Well, not nothing. It's just... something I'm looking into. We can talk about it at lunch tomorrow, okay? Is twelve-thirty still a good time?”

“Oh, alright. That's fine. Uh, speaking of which, Spike wanted me to tell you that your dinner is almost ready.”

“Ah, okay. I guess I better get going then.” Twilight hurried inside. “See you tomorrow!”

“Bye.” Fluttershy waved as Twilight closed the door. Then she began to think. She could have sworn that that magazine in Twilight's bag was a... No, it couldn't be. She shrugged. Twilight had said they'd talk about it tomorrow. She could wait for a day. No reason to worry about it now; at the moment she needed to get home. Angel would be getting hungry.

Twilight locked the door to her room. Normally, this chunk of time would be set aside for studying, and only a disaster of the highest caliber had even the remotest possibility of pushing it aside. Today, she would make an exception. She needed to think. An idea had popped into her head, and she couldn't dismiss it, not without giving it due consideration. That was why she had been late for dinner; she had to pick up some reference information, and it wasn't the kind of thing she could find in the library.

Two books sat on her bed. One of them was her personal financial records for the past year, the ones that listed how much money she had stored up in her savings. The other book was a DeBuck's Jewelry Catalog. She took a deep breath and opened it. Hopefully something in the book would be within her price range.

The Calm

This could either be the best or worst idea that I've ever had.

Our storm is past, and that storm's tyrannous rage,

A stupid calm, but nothing it, doth 'suage.

—The Calm,

John Donne

Fluttershy trotted towards the cafe where she was scheduled to have lunch with Twilight. She was a few minutes early, but that didn't matter. Twilight always showed up at least fifteen minutes ahead of time. Which was nice; it meant that Twilight could claim whatever table she wanted before the lunch rush showed up. Sure enough, Twilight was already seated in the corner. Only this time, instead of examining the menu, she was engrossed in that magazine that she had had in her bag yesterday. Occasionally, Twilight looked up to glance back and forth, as if she were nervous that somepony would see her.

As Fluttershy approached, she saw Twilight notice her, and immediately close the magazine and slip it under the table. Then she waved for Fluttershy to join her.

“Good afternoon, Twilight,” Fluttershy said as she took her seat. As usual, Twilight had gotten one of the tables with an umbrella that gave them both just the right amount of shade. She felt an urge to ask about the magazine, but resisted it. “How are you doing?”

“I'm doing fine,” Twilight said, smiling widely. “I've been doing a bit of thinking.”

“Really? About what?”

“Well...” Twilight's eyes darted back and forth down the street, and then she leaned across the table and whispered. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said quietly.

Twilight silently put the magazine back on the table and slid it towards Fluttershy.

“A jewelry catalog?” Fluttershy asked. She tried to think of any upcoming occasion that would require jewelry and couldn't think of anything. “Why would you-?”

Twilight wordlessly flipped the catalog open and tapped a certain page.

“Oh, they're having a special on engagement jewelry. That's ni—” Then the word hit her like Rainbow Dash flying into a wall. “E-e-e-e-engagement!? You're going to ask Applejack to—”

“SHHH!” Twilight shoved a hoof into Fluttershy's mouth.

“Hmmf?”

Twilight removed her hoof. Fluttershy gasped again, and asked her question again, this time in a low voice.

“You're going to ask Applejack to marry you?”

“I don't know!” Twilight said. “That's what I was thinking about. I mean, the idea just sort of popped into my head yesterday and I haven't been able to think about anything else.” She snatched the magazine back and hid it under the table. “But even so, I'm not sure what to actually do. I mean, I've never really thought about the idea seriously before.”

“So you're thinking about it seriously now?”

“Yeah, I guess. I mean, our relationship has to go somewhere, right? We can't just keep dating forever. If we stay together, sooner or later we'll end up taking the plunge!” She shivered. “I just don't know whether it should be sooner or later.”

“Um, maybe you should—”

Fluttershy stopped as the the waiter appeared next to the table. “Are you ready to order?” he asked.

“I'll have a daisy sandwich and a glass of water, please,” Fluttershy said.

“I'll have this!” Twilight jabbed a hoof at the menu despite the fact that she hadn't taken a single look at it.

“The bean sprout soup. An excellent choice.” The waiter scribbled the orders on his pad and strode away.

“Bean sprouts?” Fluttershy asked. “Twilight, you hate bean sprouts.”

“What about bean sprouts?”

“That's what you just ordered.”

Twilight looked down at the menu, where her hoof was still pressed firmly to the soup section. “Oh, horseapples.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I'm just trying to figure out how I want to go about this. Should I start planning for it now? Part of me wants to, but I think that might be going too fast. We've only been a couple for a year. It hasn't really been that long.”

“That's true...”

“But on the other hoof, we were already really good friends for years before that. Even before we started dating we were pretty close.” She slumped down in her chair. “But I don't know how she'd react to that. What if she wants to take things slower? I don't want to put her on the spot or anything.”

“That's true, too,” Fluttershy said.

“And what if she says 'no'? What would that even mean?” Twilight slumped forward onto the table. “If she didn't want to get married, does that mean that we'd be broken up? Or does it just mean that we'd just keep dating?”

“You would know that better than I would,” Fluttershy said. “Besides, I'm sure that if Applejack would turn you down she would give you a good reason.”

“So you think she might turn me down if I asked her?”

“That's not what I meant!” Fluttershy held up her hooves. “I'm just saying that if she did, not that she would, she'd tell you why. I don't know why she wouldn't say 'yes' though.”

Twilight perked up, and a grin popped onto her face. “You think she'd say 'yes'!?”

“I don't know!” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “The only pony who knows that is Applejack. You'd have to ask her.”

“But I don't know if I'm even ready to ask her! I don't even know if we've been together long enough that that question should even be on the radar!  I mean, at what point in a relationship are you supposed to start even considering that?”

“Um, if you aren’t even sure of whether you should be thinking about it, isn't it a bit early to be looking for engagement jewelry?”

“Well, uh, I'm not really looking yet,” Twilight said indignantly. “I'm just... getting a feel for what it would require if I would ask. It's not like I'm deciding what sort of gem I'm going to buy her, I'm just trying to get a feel for how much it might cost me if I was seriously going to think about asking her. Hypothetically. There's a lot to take into account!”

“There is?”

“Of course!” Twilight slapped the magazine down on the table, and began to flip through the pages. “I want to pick something good, obviously. This isn't something I could skimp on. But at the same time, I don't want to go overboard and use up my life savings on it, either. Applejack wouldn't want that. She wouldn’t want to wear some giant, gaudy jewel anyway. I'd need to find one that shows how much I care about her, but wouldn't be going overboard.” She sighed. “And then I'd need to find one that would actually look good on her!”

“Um, maybe you could ask Rarity. I'm sure she'd be able to give you some pointers.”

“No!” Twilight shook her head violently. “We can't tell her! The minute she hears that I'm even considering the idea of proposing she'll go into wedding planner mode and start designing dresses, picking out invitations, picking the music. I don't want to deal with that right now.”

“Well, I won't tell her about it.”

“Thanks.” Twilight rested her head on the table. “I wish I knew what to do.”

Fluttershy was silent, then she shrugged. “I wish I knew what to tell you. Maybe you could ask somepony else.”

“I was thinking about asking Lyra, seeing as she's been through this whole thing before, but I don't think I will. At least not yet. I feel like this is something I need to figure out on my own. This is between Applejack and I, and it would just feel weird to bring other ponies into it.” She smiled. “I think I'll be okay. It's not like it's a pressing issue or anything. I can afford to wait and see how things go. What I really needed was just to get this off my back.”

“Well, I hope you get it figured out. Are you sure that you'll be okay?”

“Yes, I'll be fine.” Twilight rolled up the magazine and tapped it on the table. “I just need to talk to Applejack. Not about this, but just about us. Maybe I can get some idea of how she might feel about where we're headed. Figure out whether I should even be thinking about this now or just forget it for a few months.”

“In the meantime...” she paused just long enough for the waiter to leave their food on the table, “...let's just enjoy our lunch.”

“Wow,” Fluttershy said as she watched the waiter walk away. “Did you plan that?”

“No, I guess I just got lucky with the timing.” Twilight giggled. “Let's eat.”  She looked down at her lunch, and found a bowl of sickly-looking bean sprouts staring back at her.  “Or not."

Applejack felt both normal and a little bit strange. More specifically, she felt mostly normal, and her awareness of that normality struck her as just a little weird. Applejack had a handy rule of hoof for that: the more Twilight tried to convince her that something wasn't a problem, the more likely that it actually was. And it was obvious that something was bothering her. But despite her head telling her that she should be worried, her stomach, which by all rights should be filled with butterflies, hadn't gotten the message.

Even if something was bothering Twilight, there was no reason to worry. Twilight worried sometimes, but she always got her head on straight eventually. Their relationship wouldn't fail because Twilight had an anxiety attack. Applejack wouldn't let it. They'd talk, and work it out. She'd help Twilight get over whatever it was, and that would be that. In any case, there was nothing she could do at the moment besides wait to see if Twilight would figure it out herself, or if she'd need a nudge. In the meantime, she had decided to finally fix that hole in the roof of the barn.

She held the last board in place, and began to feel around for her nails. She looked back over her shoulder. The can of nails sat just on the edge of the platform that she was standing on and, naturally enough, was just barely out of reach.

“Aw, c'mon.” She stretched as far as she could manage while still holding the board in place. The tip of her hoof brushed the edge of the can. It wobbled for a second before toppling over the edge. “Oh, ponyfeath—” She stopped herself as the can suddenly floated back up, surrounded by a faint, purple glow. Applejack poked her head over the edge of the platform. Twilight was standing at the base of Applejack's ladder. “Hey, Twilight!” Applejack waved with her free hoof. “How are you doin?”

“Much better than I was yesterday,” Twilight said as she started to ascend the ladder. “Do you need some help?”

“I don't need help,” Applejack said with a smile, “but I'd sure appreciate it. If you could hold this hunk of wood up while I nail it in...”

Twilight nodded and took hold of the board with her telekinesis. “I'm sorry about yesterday,” she said. “I just had some... insecurities to get over.”

“And did you get over 'em?” Applejack plucked a nail out of the can and poked it into the wood.

“I guess you could say that.” Twilight shrugged. “Turned out I didn't really have any insecurities to start with.”

“Huh?” Applejack picked up the hammer.

“It's hard to explain. I guess I just had a moment of doubt. You know, about us. I just started thinking about how different things are between us now than they were when we first started going out. It took Mrs. Cake giving me a lecture about it to realize the change was a good thing.”

Applejack pounded the nail in and put the hammer down. “Well, for what it's worth, I like things the way they are now.” She positioned another nail. “Much less awkward.”

“Yeah, well for some weird reason I got it in my head that we had lost something because I wasn't all nervous and flustered about it.”

“But?” Applejack paused before hitting the next nail.

“But we didn't, obviously. Like you said, things are better now. I just feel kinda stupid for not catching on.”

Applejack chuckled as she added another nail. “I knew you'd get it figured out. You coulda told me, though. I would have helped you out.”

Twilight sighed. “Well, hindsight is 20/20, after all. It was just a bit embarrassing, you know? I didn't want you to think I was doubting you.”

“Nah, I know you're not like that. Everypony has times when they feel like something is wrong. I mean, even I'm not sure of myself sometimes.”

“Really? You have doubts about us, too?”

Applejack sighed. “I ain't proud of it, but yeah, I guess. Every now and then it just hits me how totally out-of-the-blue the whole thing was, and I worry a bit that I went along with it just because I didn't want to make you sad.”

“And...?”

Applejack smiled to herself. Normally she'd take a few minutes to think of a suitable response, but this was one thing she had thought about so often that the answer was already engraved in her mind. “And then I actually talk to you and realize that that's a dumb thing to be worried about, 'cause you make me happy, too.” She pounded the final nail into place. “I know I care about you, and that's all I need.” Applejack began to climb down.

“I wish I could deal with things so easily.” Twilight shook her head. “Thanks for putting up with all my... idiosyncracies.”

“'Puttin' up with', nothing.” Applejack snorted. “I just said, I like bein' with you.” She swiped her hat across her forehead and gave Twilight a kiss. “Sorry, I'd cuddle a bit, but I'm kinda sweaty and dirty right now. Spendin' the day in a barn tends to do that. Why don't we head back to the house? You can grab some lemonade or something while I get cleaned up. Then we can talk a bit more.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“So are you sure you're alright?” Applejack asked. “You still look a bit... jittery.”

“I'm fine,” Twilight said. “It just got me thinking about how much things have changed in the past year, and where we might be a year from now.”

“A year from now, huh? Who knows? Maybe we'll be— OW!” Applejack pulled her hat down, protecting her eyes from the sudden brightness as she stepped out of the barn. “I really should've brought a pair of sunglasses.”

Twilight chuckled. “So maybe we'll be what?” She mentally steeled herself. If she was going to attempt it, might as well be now. “Married?”

Applejack made a noise that wasn't quite a word, but if it would have been, it would have been something like “Wuh?”

“Well, a lot can happen in a year, you know?” She prodded Applejack in the shoulder. “Do you think a year would be too soon?”

“I, uh, wow.” Applejack scratched her head. “No, it's just that I never really thought much about it. I just sorta took it day by day. I just... I got nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Not a thing.” Applejack shook her head. “The way I figure, there's too much that can change in a year, you know? I mean, if so much changed this year, who knows how much is gonna be different a year from now? Maybe by then it'll be a real possibility. What the hay, maybe we'll even have taken the plunge. For right now, I couldn't tell you.”

“It's future Applejack's problem then?” Twilight said with a smirk.

“Well, not really. Future Applejack is me, after all. I'd just need to give it some thought before I'd know. But right now, I'm happy with how things are goin'.”

Twilight smiled. “That's all I needed to hear. Now where's this lemonade?”

Twilight yawned. She had slept beautifully. It was miraculous how effective a simple talk could be. All the questions that had been weighing so heavily on her mind had evaporated. As of this morning the only thing she had to worry about was breakfast. Which would be waffles, because waffles were the best breakfast. As she rolled out of bed, a glossy piece of paper caught her eye. Maybe she had one more itty bitty little thing to worry about.

She shoved the corner of the magazine the rest of the way into her saddlebag. She'd need to return that to Lyra, both because Lyra needed it to pick out an anniversary gift for Bon Bon, and because if anypony else saw it, they'd probably jump to conclusions. The last thing she wanted was whispering around town. Especially not now that she had decided to put off so much as thinking about weddings for at least another few months.

She devoured her waffles, put on her saddlebags, and trotted out the door. Her mind was so occupied with her customary mental review of Bon Bon's price list that she didn't even notice the flap of her saddlebag catch on one of the bushes outside her door, revealing the corner of the magazine within. Fortunately for her, only one other pony so much as noticed that she even wore saddlebags. Unfortunately for her, the one pony who did notice was Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy trotted along the road, scanning the various bushes and shrubs for any sign of her missing chicken. The cutie mark crusaders’ foray into the art of the Potato Gun had left a conveniently chicken-sized hole in her pen. And once again, Elizabeak had decided to do some exploring. One would have thought that after her run-in with the cockatrice she would have realized the wisdom of not wandering off whenever there was a gap in the fence. At least this time, the chicken had the sense to wander toward the town rather than away from it.

“Elizabeak? Where are you?”

“Not here!” came a voice from behind her. Fluttershy spun around to stare at the bush from which the call had issued. As she had recognized the voice, it didn't come as any surprise at all to a see a large, poofy, pink tail protruding from the foliage. One of the branches slid to the side, and two large eyes became visible.

“Pinkie, why are you hiding in there?” She paused as she noticed Pinkie Pie's hat. “And why do you have a bird's nest tied to your head?”

“I'm waiting for Applejack, and for stealth reasons!”

“Waiting for Applejack?”

“Yep!” Pinkie nodded so hard that the giant fake parrot in her nest-hat whipped around and nearly smacked her in the face.

“Why do you need to be stealthy?”

“So Applejack doesn't see me and I can pop out when she comes by! That's what my headpiece is for!”

“Um, I'm not sure how much that would help.” Fluttershy poked the fake parrot. “This type of bird isn't native to this area.”

“But you have one!” Pinkie said.

“Yes, but I take care of it. It couldn't live on its own in the wild!” Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Maybe next time you should use a fake pigeon, or maybe a cardinal. Both of them live around here. If you're trying to sneak up on Applejack, you should use a disguise that won't draw her attention.” Fluttershy paused, and processed what she just said. “Why don't you want Applejack to see you? Are you trying to scare her or something?”

“Of course not!” Pinkie shook her head, dislodging the bird. She caught it and put it back on her head. “Why would I want to scare her?”

“Well, if you aren't trying to scare her, why were you going to jump out? If you wanted to talk to her, couldn't you just go to her house? Why hide here and try to ambush her?”

“I couldn't go to her house because I need to talk to her about secrets. I couldn't talk to her where somepony else might hear us! It's something super duper important! I think. Maybe.  This way nopony else will know I was here!” She slid a hoof under the bird's nest and scratched her head. “Besides this is totally more fun than just standing around and waiting.”

“There's something important you need to talk to Applejack about?” Fluttershy had a hunch, and decided to make a guess. “Is it about Twilight?”

Pinkie leaped straight up out of the bush as she gasped. “How did you know!?” She grabbed Fluttershy and yanked.

“Pinkie, what are you—” Fluttershy found herself in the midst of the bush. Pinkie had cleared out a surprisingly large amount of shrubbery. At the very least, it wasn't nearly as prickly or uncomfortable as she would have guessed.

“What do you know!?” Pinkie said, pulling a lamp out of her tail and shining it in Fluttershy's face. “Where were you on the night of last Tuesday!?”

“I-I was at home reading a book!”

“What book?”

“Daring Do and the Shrine of the Silver Monkey.”

“Silver Monkey, huh?” Pinkie squinted at Fluttershy for a moment before shrugging and stowing the lamp back wherever she had gotten it from. “That's okay, I guess. If you had been reading Daring Do and the Gardens of Equestria, then we'd have had a problem. That book is so overrated!”

“So, uh, what did you have to talk to Applejack about?”

“Can you keep a secret?”

“Of course.”

“Good!” Pinkie's eyes darted back and forth, even though they couldn't see anything outside the bush. Then she pulled Fluttershy even closer and whispered, “Twilight and Applejack are getting married!”

“What?” Fluttershy could only stare at Pinkie.

“You know, married! Having a wedding! Trading vows! Taking the plunge! Tying the knot!”

“Really?” Fluttershy knew that Twilight had been planning to get a feel for Applejack's thoughts on the matter, but unless Applejack had been incredibly gung-ho about the idea, it was a bit soon for them to have reached that point. Their relationship hadn't exactly been rushed this far, after all. There was, however, an obvious alternative. “Pinkie, are you sure?”

“Sure, I'm sure!” Pinkie said indignantly. “Mostly.”

“Um, how did you find out that they're getting married? Did one of them tell you?”

“Well, no,” Pinkie admitted.

“Did you overhear one of them talking about it?”

“Not exactly.”

“Did they say anything that even hinted that they might be getting married.”

“Uh..... no.”

Fluttershy didn't get frustrated often, but she was getting there now. “Then where did you get the idea from?”

“Well, this morning I saw Twilight going out, and she had a jewelry catalog in her saddlebag! And it was the special Hearts and Hooves day edition!”

“That doesn't mean that they're going to get married.” Fluttershy shook her head. “Applejack might not even know about it!”

“Well yeah, but Twilight wouldn't be looking at it if she wasn't going to ask! And if she's going to ask there's no way that Applejack would ever say no! So they have to be getting married soon!”

Fluttershy could feel her head starting to hurt from the effort of following Pinkie's train of thought. “Or maybe she was just looking for an anniversary gift,” she said. “There are other sorts of jewelry besides engagement rings, you know.”

“They already had their anniversary. If Twilight is only just now getting around to buying a gift, she'd be freaking out a lot more! When I saw Twilight she looks pretty normal and not-freaking-out.”

Fluttershy tried to scratch her head, but there wasn't enough room inside the bush to do so. She settled for sighing. She needed a way to get Pinkie onto another train of thought without letting her know she had talked to Twilight about that very same subject. “If Twilight was going to propose to Applejack,” she said cautiously, “don't you think she'd be worried about that?”

“Of course!”

“But you said that she wasn't worried.”

“I sure did!” Pinkie nodded. “Wait, so that means she's not? Then why would she have that catalog?”

“Maybe... um...” Fluttershy tried to think of a plausible explanation. “Maybe the mailpony delivered it to her house by mistake and she was just dropping it off at the right house.”

“But that's so boring!” Pinkie said. “It would be way more dramatic if Twilight was planning to propose!”

“Well, that's too bad, I guess,” Fluttershy said. “Um, why exactly were you going to jump out at Applejack anyway? If Twilight was going to propose, wouldn't it be better if it were a surprise? You wouldn't want to ruin it by telling her what Twilight was going to do.”

“But what if it was after Twilight asked?”

“Then Applejack would already know, so there wouldn't be any reason to surprise her with it. It doesn't make sense. And I still don't know why you were waiting here to ambush her rather than stopping by her house or something.”

“I wanted to talk in a secluded area where nopony else would see us.”  Pinkie sighed. “And I wanted an excuse to pop out of the bush,” she admitted. “You have any other ideas? It'll be a waste of a day if I don't jump out at somepony, and I need some sort of reason to jump out or everypony will think I'm crazy!”

“Well, we can't have that,” Fluttershy said, refraining from making the obvious remark. “Is anypony's birthday coming up?”

“The next pony to have a birthday is Roseluck, and she doesn't like surprise parties. Last time we threw one for her she fainted. Besides, I don't have a cake ready. Today isn't a holiday, is it?”

Fluttershy shook her head, rustling the bush. “No.”

“You sure? What if it's one of those more random ones? Like Arbor Day!”

“I don't think it's arbor day,” Fluttershy said.

“Flag day?”

“I don't think so.”

“April Foal's Day?”

“It's not April.”

“Ugh. I guess I'll have to make up my own holiday again.” She sighed. “You should probably get going. Unless you want to help me brainstorm another holiday to celebrate.”

“Um, okay...” Fluttershy began to back out of the bush, but then paused. “What do you mean, 'again'?”

“Last year I made up a holiday called 'Bobunk' so I had an excuse to use up all of our extra fudge to make a cake! It celebrated the not-very-valuable contributions that cats make to our society! Opal was the guest of honor!”

“Oh my, that's quite a—” Fluttershy didn't know what to say to that, but she didn't have to.

“What are you two doin'?” Applejack's voice said. Fluttershy and Pinkie poked their heads out of the bush to see the farm pony standing in the road, eying them with curiosity. “I was just headin' into town, and I saw your tails stickin' out. I ain't gonna ask why Pinkie's in there, but you don't usually make a habit of standin' around in bushes, Fluttershy.”

“I, uh... Pinkie was just telling me about Bobunk.”

“Oh, that.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “I still can't believe Mayor Mare let her rent out the whole Town Hall for that. It took a week to get all that fudge out of Opal's fur. Rarity just about had a coronary. Anyway, I was gonna drop by the shop and say hi to Twilight, so I'm just gonna be on my way. You keep hangin' out in your bush.” She waved and turned back down the path.

“Wait!” Pinkie called after her. “I have a question!”

Fluttershy cringed. Even Pinkie should have more tact than to bring up the subject of marriage to Applejack point-blank.

“Yeah?” Applejack said.

“Would 'Festivus' be a good name for a holiday?”

Fluttershy tried to keep her sigh of relief from being too noticeable.

“Uh, sure, I guess,” Applejack said with a shrug. “Let me know if you come up with anything. See you later.”

“Well, I had better be on my way, too.” Fluttershy clamored out of the bush. “I have a chicken to find.”

“Oh, Elizabeak is fine!” Pinkie chirped. “She got into Bon Bon's storeroom somehow and Lyra was looking for you so you could go get her!”

“Why didn't you tell me that earlier?”

“You didn't ask.”

Fluttershy mentally kicked herself. With Pinkie Pie, you always ask. “Thank you, Pinkie,” she said. Then she trotted off after Applejack.

“There's a what in the storage room?” Twilight asked.

“A chicken,” Bon Bon said, her voice more fatigued than it should have been so early in the day. “Don't ask me how it got in there. I don't know.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Well, I'm quite sure it's one of Fluttershy's chickens, so I sent Lyra to go find her. Celestia only knows where she disappeared to. She's been gone for over half an hour now!”

“Maybe she just couldn't find Fluttershy,” Twilight suggested as she returned to her sweeping.

“I doubt it. Knowing her, she hasn't even gotten to Fluttershy's house yet. Probably took a detour to pick up a bagel at the cafe or stopped to talk to Carrot Top or something.” She groaned. “I should have sent you to find her. You'd know where to find her, and you wouldn't get so distracted.”

“Do you want me to go look for her?”

“No, no, it's much more useful for you to stay here. If you go off after Lyra I won't have anypony to run the register while I make my next batch of pralines. Although I do briefly require your assistance for a moment.”

“Yes, Ma'am!” Twilight said as she carefully leaned the broom against the wall.

“I told you, don't call me ma'am! I'm barely any older than you are!”

“Sorry.”

“Now, I have to get some boxes of nuts out of the storage room, but I'd rather not let that chicken escape, especially not if Lyra somehow did find Fluttershy and sent her over here. I need you to pick up the chicken with your telekinesis so it doesn't escape while I get my ingredients. Then you can put it in the janitor’s closet so it won’t eat any of my stock.  Can you do that?”

“Of course.” Twilight nodded. “Weren't you there when I performed for those Saddle Arabian diplomats?”

“I was too busy putting my shop back in order after Trixie decided that she needed a statue of herself made entirely of chocolate. She must have made me remake the thing half a dozen times! Apparently she couldn't grasp that while I may be a gifted chocolatier, I am no sculptor. Even Lyra is better at that than I am.”

“That couldn't have been easy.”

“It wasn't,” Bon Bon said. “Now, I'm just going to open the door slowly, and you pick up the chicken. All I need is a box of semi-sweet.” She put a hoof on the doorhandle. “Are you ready?”

Twilight rapped her hoof on the ground. “Ready!”

Bon Bon swung the door open, and nothing happened. The chicken was nowhere to be seen or heard. Twilight slowly stepped into the room, scanning for the rogue chicken.  If Bon Bon hadn’t told her about it, she wouldn’t have even known that a bird was in there. It was probably scared, she thought, trapped in an unfamiliar place. It was probably cowering behind a box. Twilight did her best clucking sound in a futile bid to lure the chicken out of hiding.

“Was that supposed to be a chicken?” Bon Bon asked. “It sounded more like a duck.”

“Well, I'm not Fluttershy! I'm not really well versed in bird calls.”

“I realize that, but I would think anypony could tell the difference between a cluck and a quack! It can't be that difficult.”

Twilight wrinkled her nose. “The sounds are pretty similar you know. They both start and end with hard consonants!”

“So? The rest of the word is completely different, and that's not even considering the tone.”

Twilight looked back over her shoulder, trying not to glower at her boss. “Well, if you'd rather make the sound, you could—”

“BWAAAAWK!”

Twilight's head spun back to the storage room just in time to catch a glimpse of Elizabeak, who had not been hiding, but rather lying in wait.

“AHHHH!” She stumbled backward as a mass of flailing feathers smacked her in the face.

“I've got it!” Bon Bon leaped toward Elizabeak, but the bird flapped its wings, gaining just enough lift to sail over her head.

Twilight leaped to her feet and spun around, charging in the direction the chicken had escaped. Unfortunately, Bon Bon was still in the way. The two mares crashed against the counter.

“She's getting away!” Twilight gasped.

“I can see that!” Bon Bon retorted, from underneath Twilight. “Why couldn't you grab her?”

“Sorry, I wasn't expecting to get attacked.” She began to untangle herself from Bon Bon's limbs. “At least the door is still closed, so she can't get out of the store.

The bell above the door rang.

“Whoa! What the hay is goin' on in here!?”

Twilight rolled over and saw an upside-down Applejack. “Lasso the chicken!”

“Right!” Without missing a beat, Applejack whipped out a lasso, and hurled the loop at Elizabeak, who was halfway through the door. “No you don't!” She yanked the rope, and the angry mass of feathers at the end whipped back through the door. And then it hit her square in the face. “AGHH!” She blundered into one of the tables, sending the vase of flowers that rested on it skidding across the floor. Then Applejack stumbled the other way, and backed into the wall, causing the picture hung on it to fall and land squarely on her head.

Elizabeak thrashed wildly, squawking like a rusty hinge as she tried to wriggle free of the lasso.

“Elizabeak!” The movement ceased instantly. Fluttershy stood in the doorway, looking surprisingly intimidating. “What have I told you about running around town? You can't just go running into random shops!”

The chicken hung her head, thoroughly chastened.

Fluttershy turned to Bon Bon, who was surveying the damage. “I'm so sorry! The Cutie Mark Crusaders knocked a hole in my fence, and I didn't realize it until this morning. If I would have known I would have come sooner! If you want I can help you clean up!”

“No, no, that won't be necessary,” Bon Bon said with a sigh. “My stock room is more or less undamaged, and all we need to do now is clean the store again.” She brushed at her mane. “Twilight usually does a thorough cleaning three times a day, anyway.”

“Well, in that case, I should take Elizabeak back to the chicken coop.” Fluttershy freed Elizabeak from the lasso. “I'm sorry about the trouble, really. If I hadn’t been caught by Pinkie Pie on my way over I would have been here sooner!” She turned and headed out the door.

“Pinkie Pie?” Bon Bon asked flatly. “What's she doing now?”

“She's tryin' to come up with a new holiday for some reason,” Applejack said. “I'd try to stay away from her if you could. She might ask you to make up some chocolates for it.”

“I think not!” Bon Bon snapped. “Not after she used up all of my fudge for that ‘Bobunk’ nonsense.  Besides, I'm busy enough as it is.” She stomped over to where Applejack had collided with the wall and picked up the picture that she had knocked off the wall.

“I'm sorry about that,” Applejack said, “It's not broken, is it? If it is I can get you a new frame.”

“No, no, it's fine.” Bon Bon placed it delicately back on the wall, and Applejack got a good look at it. Framed in a cheaply-made pink wooden heart was an image of Lyra and Bon Bon standing in front of the famous APPLEWOOD sign. Lyra had a suitably gigantic grin plastered on her face, and one of her forelegs slung over Bon Bon's shoulder, pulling her close. Bon Bon had a small smile and a slight blush.

“I’ve always liked that picture,” Twilight said.

“Thank you,” Bon Bon said. She stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she carefully straightened the picture. “It's from our honeymoon. We went to Las Pegasus.”

“Should've known from the sign,” Applejack said, staring at the picture. “I hear it's really nice out there. Never been there myself, but I got a second cousin out in Applewood. He says the weather is great.”

“Yes, we had quite a nice time,” Bon Bon said. “Though it was a rather short trip, unfortunately. I had too much work to spend too much time away from the store. Speaking of which, I really must get back to work. Twilight, can you handle things out here?”

“Of course.” Twilight saluted.

“Then do it.” She waggled a hoof at Twilight and Applejack. “Now you two have your little sweetheart moment, and please try to make it quick.” She spun around and stomped into the kitchen.

“Well, I should probably let you get back to work.” Applejack shook her head, and went to work setting the table back up. “Good thing that vase is made of plastic.”

“Yeah, fake flowers, too.” She chuckled as she put them back in the vase. “Maybe I should have just given you these. You wouldn't have to water them or anything.”

“If I want to see flowers I'll just come here to see you,” Applejack said with a grin. “See you later, Twilight.”

Bon Bon watched through a crack in the door as they had their customary kiss before Applejack rang the bell on her way out the door. She smiled. They'd do just fine.

Lyra sighed as she walked along the street. Bon Bon was never going to let her hear the end of this. She had been out of the shop for nearly an hour trying futilely to track down Fluttershy, who had apparently vanished. Fluttershy's cottage was empty, and any and all attempts to get any information out of that rabbit of hers met with failure. The pegasus apparently wasn't in town either; Lyra had been through the marketplace twice already, and Fluttershy hadn't been at any of the outdoor cafes either. She's probably looking for her chicken, she thought. If I were Fluttershy, where would I look for a lost—

“Ow!” She stumbled backward and looked up to see that she had walked right into Fluttershy. “Sorry about that! I was just looking for you, actually. I need you to come by the shop and pick up your,” she noticed that Elizabeak was perched on Fluttershy's back, “chicken.”

“Oh yes, I just picked her up,” Fluttershy said. “I'm so sorry for the trouble. There was a hole in my fence.”

“Well, I guess that means I don't have to look for you any more, then. There wasn't too much damage in the shop, was there?”

“Um, a few tables got knocked over, but Twilight and Applejack were cleaning that up.”

“Oh, Applejack was there, huh?” Lyra smirked. “I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Some days she's in there just as much as Twilight is. I swear, Bon Bon has a soft spot for those two. She wouldn't let anypony else loiter like that. Anyway, I better get back and help them clean up. Bon Bon probably won't be happy that I wasted so much time trying to find you.”

“I'm sorry,” Fluttershy said. “Next time I'll try to be easier to find.”

“Don't be,” Lyra said, shaking her head. “It's just that sometimes when Bon Bon sends me on errands I get a bit... distracted. Then again, if it wouldn't have been for one of those distractions, Twilight and Applejack might not have ended up where they are, so who knows? See you later, Fluttershy.”

“Bye,” Fluttershy said as Lyra trotted away.

Applejack rolled over in her bed. Then she rolled back the other way. Then she flipped over onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow. Then she pulled the pillow out from under her head and put it on top of her head. It didn't help. She grunted and sat up. She had an urge to smack herself in the head, but she didn't think that would help. It was so dumb. Yesterday she had been totally fine. Why was it that her brain decided that now was the time she needed to think about what she and Twilight had discussed yesterday?

After their conversation, she had shoved the whole “marriage” thing into the part of her mind where she stored the things that she didn't need to think about much in day to day life. They mutually decided that it wasn't a pressing issue, after all. But something had dragged it back to the forefront of her mind. It was that picture.

Maybe she had just caught it at a weird angle, or maybe her eyes had just been playing tricks on her brain, but she could have sworn that for just a moment, she had seen herself and Twilight inside the frame. In and of itself, that wasn't too weird. All couples probably shared those moments. But that had been their honeymoon. They were married in that picture, and Applejack could still see herself in it.

It's just a picture, she told herself. They were just standing there; no reason to think that it means anything. You don't have to be hitched to go to Las Pegasus. She groaned. That didn't help. It wasn't the picture, it was just the idea... that could be us. For the first time, the weight of her own words hit her. A lot can change in a year, she thought. She had just thrown it out there to make the conversation a bit more comfortable, but it was true. Maybe in a year they would be married...

A chill ran down her spine, and she couldn't tell whether it was fear or anticipation. It seemed like such an insane idea, but if that wasn't where they were headed, where were they headed? What were their options, really? Stay together or break up. She had no reason to break up with Twilight so the alternative was... what? Keep dating? If they were gonna stick together indefinitely, was there any reason not to make it official? Applejack couldn't think of anything.

She stood and began to stumble downstairs. Her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth and she needed a drink. Chances were there were plenty of reasons that it was too early to think about tying the knot, and she just couldn't think of them because she was too tired. Besides, even though Twilight had been the one to bring it up, there's no way she'd ever be up for it until she had gone through and addressed every single problem that could possibly arise. That alone would probably take another year at least. Then another thought crossed Applejack's mind.

What if I don't want to wait that long?

“No no no, no good thinkin' about that.” Applejack poured herself a glass of water and downed it in one gulp. “We just ain't ready for that.” She put the the glass in the sink and turned to go up the stairs.

A gleam of moonlight caught her eye, reflecting off the glass of a picture frame on the far wall. She smiled. It was the goofy picture she had taken with Twilight when the circus had come through a few weeks back. Their faces stuck through a goofy-looking cutout of two clowns riding a bicycle backwards. It wasn't all that different from Lyra and Bon Bon's picture.

But still, getting married… it seemed so final, so permanent.  Sure, they were a couple now, but it didn’t always quite feel that way.  It wasn’t like Lyra and Bon Bon, or Mr. and Mrs. Cake, where if you saw one of them without the other you’d wonder why.  For the most part, she and Twilight still lived their own lives, they just spent more time together, and used the time to do things that couples would do.  They weren’t joined at the hip or anything.

But if they got married, that line would blur.  Being in each other’s company would become the regular state of things.  They’d share everything; they’d live together, eat together… sleep-

She shook her head.  She was getting ahead of herself.  When they had started going out, she had never even considered the idea that one day it might become irrevocably permanent.  When they had started going out, hadn’t she told Twilight that she was just seeing where things would go?  But then again, that had been over a year ago.  What did she want now?

Applejack rapped herself gently on the forehead. Now wasn't the time. She could think about it later, when she was awake.

No Man Is An Island

Applejack will be fine without me. It’s only a week, after all. I shouldn’t worry about her, anyway. She’s one of the toughest ponies I know.  I really should be worrying more about myself.  I mean, this is the first time we’ve been apart since we started going out.  But really, I should be fine.  My schedule is packed. I won’t even have time to miss her! Probably.

No man is an island,

Entire of itself,

Every man is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

--No Man Is An Island,

John Donne

Applejack yawned and sat up. She had actually slept well last night, though it was mainly because she was just too tired for her anxiety to keep her up. Normally she did pretty well with stress, but there had been an awful lot to worry about lately. There was always farm stuff; sales that needed to be made up, apples to sell, holes to patch. Then there were all the favors she inevitably ended up doing for everypony. She'd already spent an afternoon foalsitting for the Cakes, two days helping Fluttershy with the annual beaver census, and put countless hours into helping fix up the town hall to the point where stepping on the wrong board wouldn't result in a trip to the basement. Furthermore, in some inexplicable lapse of reason, she had agreed to be Rarity's dress model for a day, and had offered to help Carrot Top repair her gazebo. She hadn't even had time to practice for the upcoming rodeo.

And that was just the usual set of concerns. But this week she also had to contend with the fact that the Ponyville school was having its usual set of overnight school trips, and this year the earth pony fillies and colts were coming to Sweet Apple Acres. The responsibility of teaching the foals didn't worry her too much. Big Macintosh and Cheerilee were handling the bulk of that; if anything she only had to worry about them grossing out the class by making kissy faces at each other.

No, the main problem would be Apple Bloom. The filly was still bitter over the fact that her friends would be off having adventures while she was stuck at home listening to her siblings and teacher prattle on about things she had heard a dozen times before. And without her friends, she'd be spending all of her time at home, so she'd probably be grouchy even at the best of times.

To make matters worse, Twilight wouldn't be around either. She'd be off enjoying herself in Canterlot, going on and on about the history of unicorn magic. She'll be havin' a ball while I'm stuck here havin' to deal with Apple Bloom. I gotta find some way to cheer her up a bit. She shivered as she shoved the covers back. And why did Twilight have to bring up that stuff about gettin' married? We were doin' just fine not worryin' about any of that. And I can't even talk to her about it now.

She swung her legs out of bed and suppressed another yawn. It was going to be a long week. Then she heard a familiar shout in the distance. It was growing louder. She groaned, and braced herself behind the bed.

Half a second later her window was blown out of its frame. The shards of glass crashed to the floor, followed a millisecond later by Rainbow Dash. Applejack poked her head out from her hiding place, and saw Rainbow Dash's bottom half sticking over the edge of the bed. One of Rainbow's legs twitched.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine,” Rainbow grunted and flipped herself right side up. “Sorry about the window. With Scootaloo gone on her trip, I figured I could go back to doing my workouts in the morning. Guess I'm a bit rusty, though. It's been forever since I exercised right after waking up.” She stretched her wings, causing the joints to pop. Then she glanced at the gaping hole in Applejack's wall. “Next time I'll stay a bit further out. Good thing you got pegasus insurance, huh?”

“Yeah,” Applejack said flatly. “It ain't like the fact that you live in town made the premiums shoot sky-high or anything. And I still gotta go through the trouble of installin' it.”

“Huh, somepony woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Rainbow Dash said.

“That's 'cause I had to hide behind it from a crazy pegasus crashin' through my window!” Applejack stomped her hoof.  Then her frown softened. “Ugh, I'm sorry, it's just been a crazy few days, and it's only gonna get worse from here. I've been real busy, and now I've got both that school trip and a cranky Apple Bloom to deal with.”

“Oh, right. I forgot you guys were doing that.”

“Yeah, Cheerilee figured that we'd be able to handle it.” Applejack sighed as she slowly began pushing the larger chunks of debris into a pile. “Why aren't you goin' with the pegasi group anyway? I thought you were goin' along.”

“There was a change of plans; rather than going cloud camping they're taking everypony to a flight camp.” Dash said. “Something run by the weatherponies.  Thunderlane and Cloudchaser are both going, and they'll be able to handle the class just fine.” She scratched her head, shaking out a few pieces of glass. “That, and honestly a lot of it is just sitting around listening to them talking about weather-control procedure. It's really kinda boring.  I spend enough time on weather work.  Cheerilee figured that I probably wouldn't want to go through that.”

“She's probably right.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “It's for the best anyway. Scootaloo could use a little time on her own. Don't get me wrong, it's a ton of fun hanging out with her, but she can get a bit... clingy.”

“She sure can.” Applejack forced a chuckle out of herself. “Honestly, it'll probably be good for the crusaders to spend some time apart, though. I mean, they really gotta hang out with at least a few fillies beside each other. It's great that they're such good friends, but when it comes to gettin' along with the rest of the class they don't really do themselves any favors by never talkin’ to anypony else. Apple Bloom kinda got shafted, though. She'll have to put up with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon the whole time.”

“I thought Cheerilee was keeping an eye on them.”

“She is, but she can't be everywhere, especially not out of school. Those two fillies aren't idiots; they'll be little angels until Cheerilee's busy with something else. I will say they've been a bit better since Cheerilee talked to their parents, though. I'll make sure they don't bug her while we're doin' the field trip, but I can't go hoverin' around her all the time.”

“Just tell 'em that you'll have your brother squish their heads!” Rainbow Dash said, grinding her hoof into the floor. “Or better yet, have Mac tell them. They'll stay away after that.”

“First off, Big Mac wouldn't do that,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “Second, the last thing I want is Apple Bloom thinkin' it's alright to solve her issues by buckin' them in the face. She gets herself into enough mischief already without gettin' into fights.” She groaned. “Still, Apple Bloom's probably not gonna be happy this week, and it's up to me to make sure she has a good time. It's a tall order.”

“Yeah, I can see how that might be tough on you, especially if you have to entertain Cheerilee's class while you're at it.”

“Yeah, and on top of that, Twilight's gonna be gone all week, which is buggin' me because... uh... reasons.”

“Reasons?” Rainbow Dash cocked her neck. “She's not having another breakdown, is she?”

“No, no. I think it might be my turn, actually. I just have a lot to worry about is all.”

“I dunno...” Rainbow Dash leaned closer, “Something's bothering you, isn't it?”

“Yeah, no!” Applejack mentally slapped her brain for working so slowly in the morning. “Maybe. I don't even know.”

“Come on, Applejack,” Rainbow Dash threw a foreleg around Applejack's shoulders. “You know you can tell me anything.  Anything at all.”

“I ain't tellin' you a thing until I get some breakfast. I just got up like two minutes ago. I gotta finish wakin' up.” She pried Rainbow Dash off of her. “Tell you what, I'm gonna go get some food. You clean up in here and fix my window, and this afternoon I'll help you train, just like we used to.”

Rainbow Dash tapped her chin with her hoof. “It has been a while since you helped me train, hasn't it?”

“It sure has. I kinda miss it.”

“Well, I think I can do that,” Rainbow Dash said. “Broom is still in the hall closet, right?”

“Eeyup,” Applejack plucked her hat off of her bedpost and put it on her head. “Well, I gotta go wake Apple Bloom up. Wish me luck. I'll need it.”

“Good luck. I'll see you this afternoon.”

The train car rumbled along towards Canterlot. Unlike the dozen-odd fillies and colts who bounded and bounced around the windows in an attempt to absorb as much of the scenery as possible, Twilight sat in the corner seat, her snout buried in one of her many day planners. Whatever it was that was written on the pages had been crossed out and rewritten so many times that Twilight was the only pony capable of deciphering it.

“Hey Twilight, whatcha doin'?”

“Huh?” Twilight looked up to see a small, gray-lavender filly with a yellow mane poking her head over the the top of the seat. “Oh, hello, Dinky. I'm just finalizing the itinerary for our excursion.”

“What?” Dinky raised an eyebrow.

“She's figuring out when we're going to do what once we get to Canterlot,” said a purple unicorn standing in the aisle. “She scheduled the whole thing after a—” she spun around, “No standing on the seats! And no jumping!” She turned back to Twilight. “Have you figured it out yet? I would've thought you'd have gotten everything set up before we left!”

“Don't worry, Sparkler. Everything important is taken care of already,” Twilight said. “Food and lodging are both set up. But the activities... Celestia gave me a schedule of when everything will be available, and I want to fit in as much as possible! We only have a few days, and I want everypony to get the most out of it. I mean, I wanted to take them to sit in on a high-level magical artifact lab, but they only have that twice a week, and we'd have to skip either the Traditional Mage Clothing exhibit or the Magical Flora Greenhouse. I think I'm going to take them to the greenhouse. The Everfree Forest has a lot of magic plants, and it would be good for them to recognize how dangerous it is.”

“So what all are we doing!?” Dinky exclaimed, bouncing up and down on her perch on Twilight's headrest.

“Well, first we're—”

“Hold on a sec,” Sparkler interrupted. “And get off of there.” She levitated Dinky off the headrest and onto the seat next to Twilight, then turned her attention to the rest of the train car. “Hey, everypony! Who wants to hear what we're going to be doing this week!?”

A chorus of “I do, I do!”'s rocked the train.

“Well, if you all sit still and be quiet, Twilight will tell you.”

The bouncing ceased almost instantly. The group was more focused than they ever were in class.

Sparkler waved a hoof at Twilight. “It's all yours.”

Twilight cleared her throat. “Yes, I have a very fun and educational selection of events for you!” she said. “The train is planned to arrive in Canterlot at ten o'clock, which means that we should be there no later than eleven. This gives us half an hour to travel to our lodging in the dormitories at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, half an hour to get settled in. At noon we'll have lunch at the cafeteria and at twelve thirty we leave for the Arcane Zoo of Canterlot, and ought to arrive by no later than twelve-forty-five. Once we are there, we have fifteen minutes to get to the manticore enclosure, where I've arranged for a presentation by Equestria's foremost arcane biologist at one o'clock At one forty-five, we depart to the...”

Sparkler shook her head. Leave it to Twilight to have everything planned down to fifteen minute intervals. It took a whole interval just for Twilight to get through the schedule..

“...and then, after the Arcane Astronomy presentation at the Canterlot Observatory is over at one in the morning, we will travel back to the dormitory. There will be half an hour for preparations, and lights out will be promptly at one forty five! Then tomorrow—”

“I think we'll leave tomorrow a surprise,” Sparkler said. “We wouldn't want to spoil things. Now, please go back to your seats. And no jumping around!”

The class all leaped to their hooves and promptly ignored Sparkler's request. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Twilight. “Isn't that schedule a bit... dense for them? I mean, I know you want to cram in as much as possible, but you might be laying it on a bit thick.”

“I know it's a bit busy, but it's only a few days. They can handle it,” Twilight said as she closed the ledger. “Although I admit, I do want to keep myself occupied as well.”

“Keep yourself occupied?” Sparkler asked. “Is something going on back in Ponyville?”

“No, no, it's nothing.” Twilight laid the book on the seat next to her and turned her gaze to the window just in time to see an apple orchard whiz past. “I'm just already starting to get a little homesick.”

“So she finally said the 'M' word, huh?” Rainbow Dash lounged back on an especially poofy chunk of cumulus as she waited for Applejack to lasso a final cloud. “I guess it was gonna come up eventually. What's the big deal, anyway? You must've known it was going to come up eventually.”

“Well, yeah, I knew it, but I didn't really know it.”

“Okay, you lost me.”

Applejack sighed. “What I mean is that I always kinda had it in the back of my head someplace that it might happen if we started datin', but talkin' to Twilight about it made me realize that it's something that could actually happen. It's like when you're a filly and all the adult ponies tell you about how when you're old enough you won't have to go to school anymore. You know that they're right and eventually you're gonna be done with all that, but it's not until you're at your graduation, wearin' that silly hat that it sinks in.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, I know how that feels.” Rainbow Dash nodded sagely. “I mean, I always knew that I'd make it into the Wonderbolt Academy and do really well, but actually getting that letter was something else!”

“Yeah, well, that's kinda how it is now, except I'm only partway there.” Applejack tugged on the lasso, maneuvering the cloud into position. “I never really gave it a whole lot of thought before, and then all of a sudden it seems like it's loomin' over me.”

“I thought you and Twilight agreed to stop thinking about later.” Rainbow Dash stood on the cloud and began to stretch. “Why are you worrying about it so much when neither of you think you're ready for it?”

“That's what's so confusin' about it. I don't know if we're... or at least if I'm ready, because I've never really thought about it before.”

“What's so hard about it? You like spending time with her, right?”

“It ain't that simple and you know it,” Applejack said, glaring up at Rainbow Dash. “There's a pretty big difference between hangin' out a lot and goin' on dates, and spendin' all your time together. Don't get me wrong, I love Twilight, but makin' her a permanent part of just about everything that I do... that's a pretty big thing, you know? I gotta figure out whether that's something we'd want.”

Rainbow Dash poked her head over the edge of the cloud.  “If it's like that, then this is a great time to figure it out.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, since Twilight is out of town, it's a good opportunity to see how you feel about not having her around. You'll be able to see how your life is different now that she's not here. If you miss her and want her to come back, great! If not... well, you've got some issues to work out.”

“I guess life is goin' back to what it was like before she moved to Ponyville, isn't it? At least sort of. Come to think of it, this will be the first time that she's been out of town for so long since we started goin' out...”

“Well, you know what they say,” Rainbow Dash fluttered down from the cloud and landed next to Applejack. “Absence makes you... uh... do something. I don't remember exactly how it goes, but you know what I mean. Now that you two aren't together you'll get a better feel for how much your relationship actually changes things. It'll be good for the two of you.”

“But what am I supposed to do now?”

“You don't need to do anything.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Except maybe relax a little. Seriously, if anything you've been spending too much time with Twilight lately. She's turning you into a worrywart.”

“Sorry.” Applejack shook her head. “It's just that I really gotta start takin' this seriously, and I really want to get it right.” She took a deep breath. “I wonder if this is what Twilight feels like all the time.”

“Wouldn't surprise me,” Rainbow Dash said. “Now, how about we get this show on the road? I'm gonna do a warmup lap around the field, and then I'm gonna do a run through the course. I'm trying to get it under forty seconds. I'm at forty-two point one right now.”

Applejack nodded, and retrieved the stopwatch from under her hat. “Yeah, I'll quit complainin' about it, at least for now. Maybe I'm just overthinkin' things. I'll just go through the week, and we'll see how it goes.”

“That's the spirit!” Rainbow Dash leaped into the air and did a flip. “Now you better watch, because I'm feeling really fast today!”

“Alright then, good luck!”

“Thanks!” Rainbow Dash shot off into the sky.

Applejack watched vacantly as she curved through the air. I wonder what Twilight is doing right now, she thought.

“And this is the Star Swirl the Bearded Wing,” Twilight said, flourishing her hoof at the large, barred doorway.

“Bearded Wing?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I didn't know that you could even grow a beard on your wing.” The group of students burst into subdued giggles. “And wasn't Star Swirl a unicorn?”

“It's not 'bearded wing', Sweetie Belle,” Sparkler said wearily. “It means 'the wing of the library named after Star Swirl the Bearded.”

“Ooooooh.”

Twilight cleared her throat and continued her recitation. “Star Swirl the Bearded is one of the most important unicorns in the history of Equestria. Not only was he the mentor of Clover the Clever, but he is considered the father of modern magical studies. He invented over two hundred spells, and was one of the first unicorns to attempt to analyze the mechanics of basic telekinesis. And most importantly, his studies are the basis of the Mana Particle Theory, which defines current magical studies. This theory is instrumental in understanding the interactions between unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony magic, as well as studying magical flora and fauna, such as those we saw at the Zoo.” She took a deep breath in preparation of the next paragraph.

“Like a manticore!?” Dinky exclaimed.

“Yes, like a manticore,”

“Or a dragon!?” said Sweetie Belle.

“Yes, dragons are also magical creatures,” Twilight answered.

“Or an Ursa Major!” Snips and Snails called out in unison.

“Yes, yes, that too,” Twilight said. “Those are all good examples of magical fauna. Who can give me an example of magical flora?”

“Huh?” The class gave her a series of confused glances.

“'Flora' means 'plant life',” Sparkler clarified. “Does anypony know any magical plants?”

The responses came back in a rush.

“Poison joke!”

“Heart's desire!”

“That weird-smelling stuff that my brother puts in his brownies!”

“Yes, yes, those are all very good examples!” Twilight said, holding up a hoof in an attempt to quiet the group. “And without Star Swirl's studies we wouldn't know anything about how any of that magic works. That's why this section of the library was named for him.” She turned to the door. “As you can see, the Star Swirl the Bearded Wing—”

There were stifled giggles from the class. Sparkler cleared her throat and glared at them, and it subsided. Mostly.

“As I was saying, as you can see, this wing is not open to public access. Only authorized members of the faculty and certain high-level students,” she smiled proudly, “myself included, are allowed access. This is because the books in this section contain information concerning some of the most powerful and dangerous spells in Equestria.”

“Like what?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Well, there are temporal manipulation spells, for one.”

The class responded with puzzled looks.

“Time travel,” Sparkler clarified. The students gasped.

“Well, in theory anyway,” Twilight said. “In practice it's more like 'time wasting'. The metamorphosis spells are far more interesting and useful.”

“You have spells that make butterflies?” asked Dinky.

“Well, not that specifically,” Twilight said. “They encompass any spells that change one object into something else. Like turning a seed into a flower, or an apple into an orange.”

“Why would you want to turn an apple into an orange?” Dinky scratched her head. “Wouldn't it be easier to just buy an orange rather than getting an apple and turning it into an orange? And besides, apples are better than oranges anyway.”

“I, uh... well, that particular application isn't so useful, but the theory behind it is. And turning an apple into an orange is just the standard example. It doesn't have anything to do with which fruit is better.”

“I bet Applejack wouldn't be happy if you went and turned all of her apples into oranges,” Sweetie Belle said. “She'd probably get mad at you if you did that.”

“But I don't do that!” Twilight answered. “I have no reason to.”

“She wouldn't wanna do that anyway,” said Snips. “Applejack would dump her if she did.”

“Wait, what?” Twilight could sense the control of the situation slipping away.

“Yeah, Sweetie Belle says that you and Applejack are very special someponies,” Snails drawled.

“What!? No! I mean, well, yes, but I, uh...”

“That's none of your business!” Sparkler shoved Twilight out of the way and stomped her hoof. “Whether or not she has a very special somepony or not has nothing to do with you. Now, do any of you have any good questions for her?”

Several fillies and colts raised their hooves.

“Questions about the Star Swirl the Bearded Wing?”

They giggled, but put their hooves down.

“Good.” She turned to Twilight. “Now, Miss Sparkle, where is our next stop?”

“Uh...” Twilight fumbled through the pages of her schedule. “We'll be sitting in on an entry-level magical analysis lab.” She gasped. “And it starts in three minutes! We have to get going! Come on, everypony.”

Sparkler shook her head and chuckled to herself. Twilight definitely had her mind on something back in Ponyville. Or rather, on somepony.

Applejack knocked on the library door. Despite knowing that Twilight was miles away, she half-expected her to fling the door open and greet her with a smile and a kiss. Instead the door was opened by a diminutive dragon with a tired frown on his face.

“Good afternoon, Spike,” she said, trying to remain cheerful. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“This thing.” Spike stepped back and pointed into the library's entrance way. An abnormally large round package, wrapped in brown paper, sat on the floor.

“What the hay is that thing?” she asked as she stepped into the library. Even though Twilight was no longer around to obsessively reorganize it, it had managed to stay relatively neat. Well, aside from the giant thing that sat in the middle of the floor.

“I was hoping you knew,” Spike said with a shrug. “It arrived this morning. Special delivery from Canterlot. It was insured and everything. I had to sign like four different things before they'd leave it here.”

Applejack trotted in a slow circle around the object, a puzzled look on her face. “And they didn't say what it is?”

Spike shook his head. “Nope. All I know is that it's got your name on it.”

He pointed to an envelope pasted to the top of the package.

“Didn't you look at it?”

“Are you kidding? That envelope has a royal seal on it.” He flipped the envelope over and pointed to the faintly glimmering sigil stamped across the opening. “Opening one of those not addressed to you can get you fined like a thousand bits.”

“Aw, I'm sure Twilight wouldn't mind if you opened it.”

“She probably wouldn't, but I'm not gonna risk it. Yeah, Twilight might be able to get me out of it, but it would take a ton of paperwork, and I'd rather not bother. Besides, it's your package anyway.” He held the envelope out to Applejack. “You open it?”

“I, uh... are you sure I won't get carted off to jail or anything?”

“That's your name on it, isn't it?”

Applejack looked over the envelope. Sure enough, it had “Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, of the Ponyville Apples” written in unnecessarily elegant calligraphy across it. She shrugged and gingerly tore the envelope open, and pulled out the letter within. She had seen the royal letterhead before, but this was the first time that she had ever held a piece of it. The fact that it had been addressed partially to her made it even more surreal. Twilight was probably used to stuff like this, but for a run-of-the-mill farm pony...

“So, what's it say?” Spike asked.

Applejack cleared her throat and began to read. “'From the desk of Princess Luna of Equestria. Dearest Twilight Sparkle and Most Honorable Applejack'. Huh, most honorable? Never got that before.” She shrugged and continued. “I wish to give you my most sincere and joyous Congratulations in Celebration of your first Anniversary.”

“Well, that was nice of her,” Spike said.

“Yeah, it is,” Applejack said. “Never thought I'd be gettin' a letter from a princess.” She kept reading. “'It is the Hope of both Myself and my Sister that this is only the First of many happy Years together. In Honor of this Occasion, We gladly proffer the traditional Gift...'” Applejack's voice trailed off. She blinked, rereading the sentence.

“Well, what is it?” Spike asked

“...of a Cheese Wheel!?” Applejack's eyes darted from the letter to the cheese-wheel shaped package on the ground, and back to the letter. “'Enclosed is a one-hundred-pound Wheel of the finest smoked Gouda which Canterlot has to offer. The Chefs tell Me that this particular Cheese goes well together with Apples, and as such I thought it appropriate. I apologize for the Delay in the Shipment, as I wanted to be sure that I picked only the very best Cheese for your Enjoyment. Regards, Luna, Princess of Equestria.'”

Applejack lowered the letter, and spent a long moment staring at the Royal Gift. “A cheese wheel? What the hey am I supposed to do with a hundred-pound cheese wheel!?”

“Well, you can start by getting it out of the library,” Spike said. “I was going to sweep the floor today.”

“You mind if I leave it here for like another hour or two? I gotta be back at the farm in like fifteen minutes to talk to Apple Bloom's class about earth pony magic.”

Spike groaned. “Fine, I'll just sweep around it. Not like any dust is gonna get under it anyway.”

“Don't worry, Spike, as soon as we're done, Big Mac and I will come get it.”

“Alright, that works, I guess,” He said with a sigh. “Good luck with your presentation.”

“Thanks,” Applejack said as she stepped out the door. “I'll need it.”

“...And because of the resonance principle, the more time somepony spends around certain types of plants, the more their personal magic aura matches it. This has many practical applications.” Big Macintosh stepped back. The entire gaggle of fillies and colts sat in rapt attention, mainly because none of them had ever heard him use so many words all at once. “My sister will demonstrate.”

“Right!” Applejack cleared her throat and stepped forward. “Like my brother said, while it doesn't look like much, earth pony magic can be right useful. For instance, this tree here.” She took a few steps toward one of the many apple trees in the orchard. “Since I spend so much time around apple trees, my magic aura matches these trees. That lets me do stuff like this!” She gave the tree a tap with her back hoof, and a rain of apples dropped into the baskets that surrounded it. “Normally, you'd need a lot more power to knock all the apples off of a tree, but when your magic is in sync with the tree, you can exert a bit of influence over it.”

Twist raised a hoof. “You mean like making treeth grow really fatht?”

“Well, that's certainly possible. An earth pony that trains a lot can make a tree go from seed to sapling in a day. 'Course, we don't usually do that here on Sweet Apple Acres. It's much less work to just use that energy to make the trees we already got more productive than they would be otherwise. If we ever need new trees we usually have a bunch of 'em that we grow over more time.”

Diamond Tiara snorted. “Yeah, like it really matters. Anypony can plant a tree!”

“Is that so, now?” Applejack narrowed her eyes. She could see why her sister was none too fond of the little pink filly, but it wouldn't be appropriate to get in a fight with a student. “Just cause it ain't flashy doesn't make it any less useful.”

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, speaking half to Silver Spoon and half to nopony in particular. “She's probably just saying that because she knows that her farming magic doesn't really do squat.”

“Diamond Tiara!” Cheerilee took a step forward, but Big Macintosh stopped her.

“Actually, a few years ago, the researches at Canterlot did a study on that,” he said. “The average earth pony yield was one hundred seventy percent higher than the maximum unicorn or pegasus yield.”

“Well, yeah,” Silver Spoon blustered, “But that's just like, boring numbers and stuff!”

“Yeah!” Diamond Tiara turned back to Applejack, “I think she's just makin' stuff up because she knows that her marefriend could do all that stuff better than she could!”

A gasp ran through the class. Even Big Macintosh's eye twitched slightly.

Apple Bloom leaped to the front of the group and shoved her face against Diamond Tiara's. “You take that back! You don't know nothin' about anythin'!”

“Whoa, there.” Applejack put a foreleg around Apple Bloom and dragged her back. “No need to get into a fight. Can you do me a favor, Apple Bloom?” she said through gritted teeth.

Apple Bloom nodded.

“I want you to run to the storage shed and bring back some apple seeds.” Applejack grinned. “There's a hill out in the north field that could use a tree.”

“... And those are the basic mechanics behind the standard transmutation spell!” Twilight turned away from the massive chalkboard at the front of the classroom. She wasn't quite expecting applause, as that was hardly appropriate for a classroom, but the flat glares of the class, half of which who were looking out of the window rather than at the mass of charts and diagrams on the chalkboard, weren't quite what she wanted. She cleared her throat. “Can anypony tell me why it's so important to understand magical particle theory?”

She sighed as she saw that nopony raised a hoof.

“Come on, this is important!” She turned to Sparkler, who at least kind of looked like she had been paying attention. Sparkler shook her head, and approached the front of the borrowed classroom.

“Twilight, I think you might have gone over their heads a bit,” she whispered. “I went through magic school, and I didn't even catch everything you just said. They aren't going to get advanced mana theory at this age.”

“Yeah, I think you're right,” Twilight said, noting one of the fillies in the back row who was starting to nod off. “How am I supposed to keep them interested?”

“I have an idea.” Sparkler reached into the saddlebag under her chair and pulled out an apple. “Hey, everypony! Who wants to see Miss Sparkle turn an apple into an orange!?”

A sudden chorus of “I do, I do, I do!” rang out from the young unicorns, who suddenly seemed a lot more awake.

“Um, okay then.” Twilight took a moment to ensure that the apple was in the center of the desk at the front of the room. “Now, everypony needs to be very very quiet while I do this. If I get distracted, my aim might be off, and I wouldn't want to turn one of you into an orange by mistake.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She hadn't done this particular spell in quite a while, but it was comparatively simple.

A blossom of violet sparkles bloomed around her horn, eliciting gasps from her audience. She opened her eyes and reached out with her magic, feeling out the shape of the apple's aura. Applejack wouldn't approve of this, she thought. There was a flash, and an orange sat on the desk.

“Cool!”

“That was awesome!”

“Turn it into a pear, now!”

“Can I eat it!?”

“Shhhh!” Sparkler made a lip-zipping motion. “Thank you for that demonstration, Miss Sparkle.”

“You're welcome,” Twilight answered. She turned back to her audience. “To answer your question, yes, the orange is edible. Apples and oranges have rather similar magical natures, which means that performing a permanent transmutation is possible. If I had changed something different into an orange, such as a rock or a frog, it wouldn't be. Those objects have magical auras that are sufficiently different that they would resist the spell. Once the initial amount of energy put into the spell subsides, their own auras would go back to normal and they would revert to their natural forms. This is why food must be grown rather than magically made from inanimate objects.”

She glanced at the clock. “And with that, it's time to take a brief break to use the facilities and prepare for our next activity. You'll be going to sit in on an introductory magic class lead by Princess Celestia herself!”

“Won't you be coming along, Twilight?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Not for this, no,” Twilight answered. “I have to go make some preparations for another activity. Speaking of which, I should probably be on my way. Can you handle things, Sparkler?”

“Yes, I'll be fine. You run along.”

“Thanks.” She addressed the class for a final time. “I'll see you all later.” With that, she slipped on her saddlebags and headed out the door.

“Watch closely, everypony!” Applejack said to the assembled fillies and colts. “Especially you.” She glared at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon out of the corner of her eye. “I don't do this very often.” She held up a seed. “Okay, y'all see this?” The class nodded. “Good, 'cause it ain't gonna be a seed for very long.”

She drove her hoof into the earth at the crest of the hill and scooped it out. She allowed the seed to drop into the hole, and shoved the dirt back on top of it. “Okay, here we go.” She closed her eyes and focused her attention on her hooves, absorbing the feel of the grass and earth beneath them. With each breath she could feel the breeze swaying the blades of grass beneath her. Her thoughts went lower, into the thin roots, then into the soil. She could feel it all, where the rocks were, the paths that the roots of the seeds would take. Her mind found the seed, and she pressed her hooves gently against the ground, sending out an imperceptible ripple. She smiled as the seed responded. The shell began to come apart.

“What's she doing?” Silver Spoon asked. Applejack had been motionless for nearly half a minute.

Diamond Tiara giggled. “Maybe she fell asleep.”

“Hey, look!” Apple Boom thrust a hoof at the mound of dirt where Applejack had buried the seed. The earth shuttered for a moment, and then a narrow shoot burst out, straining itself slowly but surely towards the sky.

“W-what?” Diamond Tiara stared as the shoot grew, sprouting leaves as it went.

The growth began to slow, coming to a gradual halt with the highest leaves of the new sapling hanging right above Applejack's head. Applejack's eyes snapped open. She blinked a few times. “Whew, it's been forever since I did that last.” She shook her head. “As y'all can see, this here tree has undergone about five years of growin' in a little under a minute. There aren't any known unicorn spells that are capable of reproducin' this effect, because those types of spells can't resonate properly with the plant. They can simulate the effect, but as soon as the spell runs out of magic, it goes poof and the tree goes back to bein' a seed. And now I'll let my brother here explain the finer points of the magic, as I've got other stuff I have to take care of. See y'all later!”

She turned toward the house and began to walk slowly toward it.

Apple Bloom turned to her rivals, smiled, and stuck out her tongue.

Twilight sighed in relief, savoring the absence of any groups of small children following her around. It was only the first day and she already felt like the energy had been drained out of her. She didn't know how Cheerilee did it. Fortunately, her own personal agenda for the day had a pick-me-up built into it. She turned down a familiar side street. How long had it been since she had been through here on her own? Years, probably.

She stopped in front of a rather nondescript but wholly recognizable house, and knocked on the door. The sound of rustling paper could be heard from within. She smiled to herself. “It's alright,” she called. “It's just me, you don't have to clean everything up.”

The sound stopped, and the door swung open, revealing a blue unicorn stallion. “Twiley!” He grinned and caught her up in a hug.

“Good to see you too, Dad,” Twilight said, smiling.

He let her go and stuck his head back into the house. “Hey, Twilight! Twiley's here!” He turned his attention back to his daughter. “Come on in! Uh, excuse the mess. I've been working on some equations.”

Twilight followed him inside. A lot of things had changed since she had moved out of the house. The perpetual whirlwind of paper wasn't one of them. The only thing different about that was that now she had at least sort of an idea of what the numbers scribbled all over them meant. They headed into the kitchen. It had always been the one clean-ish room in the house, besides Twilight's room, of course. Twilight Velvet, a pale lavender unicorn with a purple and white striped mane, stood at the counter, stirring a pot of soup.

“It's so good to see you, Twiley!” she chirped.  “Although I wish your father would have taken a little time to clean.  It isn’t like we didn’t know you were coming, after all. Isn’t that right, Night Light?”

Twilight’s father shrugged.

“It's good to be back,” Twilight said, taking a seat at the table. “How have you been doing?”

“Oh, just about the same as always,” Night Light answered. “I'm still compiling information about the Affirmed Pulsar. We have about another month and a half to go before we formally write up an analysis. It's too early to tell, but we're theorizing that pulsar activity might have been part of the reason that the Secretariat Comet had such pronounced effects.”

“Is that so? Interesting.”

He nodded. “It sure is! Hopefully all those schoolkids you're bringing by tonight think so, too. How's the trip been so far?”

“Busy, but I think they're enjoying it, mostly. We went to the zoo this afternoon. Did you know that they have a parasprite exhibit now?”

“Yes, I'd heard,” her mother said. “There was a bit of a kerfluffle over it. Ponies getting worried that if the parasprites got loose they'd cause too much damage.”

“Well, they did do a number on Ponyville a few years back,” Twilight said. “Although I think that since then they've been coming up with new ways to contain them.”

“Yeah, yeah, parasprites,” Night Light said, nodding. “I remember you telling us about that. Any other disasters hit Ponyville lately?”

“Nothing recently,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “A few timberwolves got into town once, but we cleared them out pretty quickly.”

“Really, how'd you manage that?” Her mother asked.

“Well, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy lured them to the town square with a giant stick cake, and then Applejack bucked them all apart. Rainbow Dash used a tornado to suck up the pieces and put them in a specialized net that Rarity and I put together and then Zecora took it back to the forest.”

“Sounds like an adventure,” Night Light said.

“Not really. After the whole Discord incident, that seems more like a chore than anything else.”

“So Applejack beat up all the timberwolves by herself?” Twilight's mother took a sip of her stew, stuck out her tongue, and added some salt. “That's pretty impressive.”

“Yeah, it really is,” Twilight said, a hint of pride in her voice. “She'd probably say she was just doing her job, though.”

“How's Applejack doing, anyway?” asked Night Light. “She wasn't mad that you were leaving to go hang out here, was she?”

“No, not at all.” Twilight chuckled. “The only pony she's mad at is herself for volunteering to help out with Cheerilee's earth pony magic lessons. She'll do fine, though. We’re busy as always, but we find the time.”

“You two should find the time to come visit us!” Twilight Velvet said. She turned and began to set the table, putting a big bowl of salad on the table. “We'd really like to meet her!”

“Uh, you have met her. Remember Shining's wedding? She was there. And you met her again when you visited the Ponyville Library.”

“Well, we met her, but we didn't really meet her.” Night Light plucked a lettuce leaf out of the salad and began to munch. “We only ever talked to her for a few minutes.”

“Yes, and that was before the two of you started going out.” Twilight's mother lifted the pot of soup off of the stove and floated it to the table. “Now that you two are getting more serious, we really ought to get to know her a bit better. From what you've told us about her, she seems like a very good match for you.”

“Y-yes, I suppose so,” Twilight mumbled. “When I get back to Ponyville, maybe we can schedule something.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Night Light licked his lips as he sniffed the soup. “Now how about we get some food in us, and then we can go over our plan for your visit to the observatory tonight.”

Twilight nodded. “Sounds good. I'm hungry anyway.”

Applejack tried not to yawn as she stacked the last of the apple baskets. Today had been long, and tomorrow would probably be even longer. If she admitted to herself that she was tired now, she'd keel right over, and she couldn't do that. She still had work to do. She needed something to distract her from her heavy eyelids.

“You were so cool this afternoon, Applejack!” Apple Bloom jumped onto her sister's back, eliciting a grunt. “You just poked the ground and that tree just popped right up! Diamond Tiara had the stupidest look on her face when she saw that!”

“Yeah, well you looked kinda goofy yourself stickin' your tongue out at her,” Applejack said. She leaned to the side, and Apple Bloom rolled off of her. “I thought we taught you not to do that to other ponies.”

“I know, I know,” Apple Bloom sighed and hung her head. “Diamond Tiara was just bein' such a jerk I couldn't help it.”

Applejack smiled slightly. “I gotta say it did feel pretty good shuttin' her up. Cheerilee gave her a long talking-to after the lesson. Talked to her parents afterward, too. They weren't too happy about her behavior either. Hopefully she'll be better behaved tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow!? You mean they're lettin' her come along!?” Apple Bloom stomped all four hooves. “Why aren't they punishin' her!?”

Applejack chuckled. “I'm pretty sure that the trip is the punishment. We're goin' to the Everfree Forest, Apple Bloom. You really think that somepony like Diamond Tiara is gonna want to go in there? You should've seen her face when her dad said that she was goin' on the trip. It was priceless.”

“Huh, that's right. She's scared of the forest, isn't she?”

“I guess so,” Applejack said with a shrug. “Don't be too hard on her, though. You gotta be the better pony, even if she's a jerk.”

“Fine,” Apple Bloom grumbled. “Now how long is it gonna be before I can do that thing with the seed?”

“I got no idea. Could be a few weeks, could be years. Though the more time you spend around the trees, the easier it comes. That's why you gotta do your chores. But right now, you should go start gettin' ready for bed. You got a long day tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Apple Bloom nodded, and made for the house.

As she watched her little sister go, Applejack allowed herself a yawn. “I wonder if Twilight is this sleepy.”

“Come on, Lyra!” Bon Bon called from the kitchen. “You know that the nuts are supposed to go in a separate section of the closet from the baking chocolate!”

“They do?” Lyra poked her head over the counter, which she was currently occupied with cleaning. “Since when?”

“Since Twilight took over doing the inventory. Seriously, I never realized how much of a mess our storage room was until she organized it. Maybe I should get her to help me reorganize the kitchen.”

“Eh!?” Lyra dropped the rag she had been using. “The kitchen? Really? You never let anypony in there! You don't even like having me in there too much. It's like your zone.”

Bon Bon stuck her head out. “Well, Twilight has more than proved herself capable of handling the responsibility over the past year. Besides, it is not like I'll let her do any of the actual cooking. You're still my only assistant for that.”

“So you admit I was right?” Lyra waggled an eyebrow at Bon Bon as she came around the counter.

“What are you talking about?”

“You don't remember?” Lyra grinned and lightly tousled Bon Bon's mane. “When I first tried to convince you to hire her, you acted like I was trying to get you to shave your head.”

“Yes, yes, I remember.” Bon Bon sighed and began to fix her hair. “And yes, you were right. Twilight has been quite helpful.” She eyed the to-do list taped to the counter and noted that only about a third of the items were checked off. “She's especially adept at cleaning in an expedient manner. If she were still here she'd probably have finished every item on that list. Twice.”

“Okay, okay, I get the hint.” Lyra chuckled and picked up a feather duster. “How do you think she's doing right now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, this is the first time they've been apart since they started going out, isn't it? It can't be easy.”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “I'm quite sure they're just fine. Neither Twilight nor Applejack strike me as the codependent type.”

“Well, I'm not particularly dependent either, but when I had to go back to Canterlot to finish up my classes, after we had first started going out. I mean, I knew I'd miss you, but I missed you. The first few days I was back, I actually ended up crying. Me! And you know I, like, never cry.” She blushed slightly. “I realized that when you weren't around, something was missing.”

“I remember that,” Bon Bon said. “It... I wasn't feeling my best either.”

“You were bawling, weren't you?”

“I was not!” Bon Bon smiled and tweaked Lyra's horn. “Though I will admit to shedding a few tears. But just a few. Really, I think those two are far more well-adjusted than we were back then. Still, I suppose you're right. They'll probably miss each other quite a bit, even if it is only one week.”

“Yeah, that's not nearly as bad as a whole semester. I never want to have to go through that again. Worst semester ever, and not just because of that one annoying professor.” She kissed Bon Bon on the nose. “I'll get back to cleaning now.”

Applejack's back popped as she stretched herself. As much as she would have liked to marinate herself in the bathtub for another hour or so, it was high time to actually sleep. As long as today had been, tomorrow would be longer. She could sorta deal with all the students on her home turf, but tomorrow she'd have to help keep them in line in the Everfree forest. That couldn't possibly end well. She'd have to keep one eye on the class and one eye wandering through the forest watching for timberwolves, dragons, Ursas, patches of poison joke, anything that could cause trouble. By the end of the day, she wouldn't be able to look straight ahead. She'd probably have a weird hankering for muffins, too.

She shivered as she stepped out of the tub and began to towel off. The bath hadn't helped as much as she had hoped. Her head still felt every bit as cluttered as it had when she got in. She needed somepony to talk things over with, to get everything out of her head so she could think through it. Granny Smith was right out; she was still a bit foggy on the fact that Cheerilee's class was on the farm to learn and not to help out with chores. Big Macintosh wouldn't be much help either; he was a great listener, but he didn't really give a lot of feedback.

She needed Twilight. Sure, she could probably track down one of her friends, but it just wouldn't be the same. Nopony else really got it. It wasn't just conversation, not just filling each other in on the events of the day. It was decompression. It was perspective, bouncing thoughts off of each other and working through the issues of the day, no matter how small. It was therapeutic, sorting through her thoughts and putting them in words. She had never realized how much it helped to have a sympathetic ear.

Applejack buried her face in her towel. What was Twilight up to right now? She had said something about going to her father's observatory. Was that tonight? Twilight had scheduled so many things that they all started to blur together. Maybe when Twilight got back she could give the whole story. And she'd have plenty of stuff to tell Twilight about. She was already looking forward to that conversation.

She looked out the window. The moon was full. Maybe Twilight was looking up at it right now, through some sort of enormous telescope. Maybe Twilight was thinking about her right now. Applejack breathed out slowly, and some of the day's stress lifted from her shoulders.

“Goodnight, Twi.”

“You okay, Twilight? You look a bit droopy.”

“Huh?” Twilight stared blankly at the wall as Sparkler's words meandered from her ears to her brain. “Oh, right. Yeah, I’m just tired is all.” She yawned. “I guess I underestimated how tiring today would be. I mean, I'm no stranger to late nights, but I guess there's a pretty big difference between staying up to study, and staying up with a bunch of students.”

She nodded toward the class. At the moment they had finally begun to slow down a bit. The late night was definitely getting to them, and at the moment they were quite distracted, taking turns at the big telescope.

“Well, the good news is that as soon as we get back to the dorms we can go to sleep. The kids look like they're about to fall asleep on their hooves. I don't think we'll have much trouble getting them to go to bed. At least not tonight.”

“Y-yeah,” Twilight rubbed her forehead and let out a long sigh. “I could really use the rest right about now.”

“Is that all?” Sparkler asked, a wry smile on her face.

“What do you mean?”

“You miss her, don't you?”

“W-what!?” Twilight shook her head. “I don't miss her! I mean, well, I do, but... I... uh... it's....”

“Relax,” Sparkler said as she put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “I'm not trying to be a smart-alec or anything. If you miss her, that's fine. I remember back in school when my coltfriend went on vacation with his family for two weeks, and I just about had a meltdown over it. And we'd only been going out for like a month. I'd say that you're handling things pretty well, really.”

“Thanks. I just didn't think I'd feel like this on the first day, you know? Between all the trip stuff and visiting my family, I didn't think I'd really start missing her that much until I was a few days in.” Twilight rubbed her eyes. “The rest of this week is going to be tough.”

“Well, this is sure better than realizing you don't miss her at all. Then you'd have a problem.”

“I suppose,” Twilight admitted. “It's still no fun, though. I wish I could at least send her a letter or something, but chances are it wouldn't get there until I was back anyway.”

“Well, in that case, you'd better just keep distracting yourself with trip stuff.” Sparkler nodded toward the clock. “Speaking of which, it's just about time for us to be heading out. It looks like your dad is just about done showing everypony the telescope.”

“This is so cool!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “That one constellation totally looks like a lollipop!”

“Yeah,” Snails drawled. “And there was another one that looked like a carrot.” He paused. “Now I'm hungry.”

Sparkler cleared her throat. “Alright, everypony! It's getting really late, so we need to get back to the dorm and get ready for tomorrow! Why don't you all thank Mr. Night Light for showing all of you the telescope?”

The chorus of gratitude was surprisingly loud for it being so late at night. Sparkler began herding the fillies and colts toward the exit. Twilight waded through the mob and made her way to her father.

“Thanks, Dad,” she said. “They loved your presentation! You probably convinced a few of them to start studying astronomy.”

Night Light grinned. “It's nothing, Twiley. You know I love telling ponies about how great the stars are. Although before you go, you might want to take a look through the telescope.” He winked at her.

“Um, okay...” She trotted over and put her face to the eyepiece.

“Recognize it? I know I taught you all the constellations, but it's been a while.”

Twilight stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she searched the stars for a pattern. Then she smiled.

“The Great Northern Apple.”

“Now you can go back to Ponyville and tell Applejack that she has a constellation named after her!”

“Oh, Dad, that's so hokey!” Twilight chuckled. “She'll love it.” She looked over at the students, who were already starting to file out of the room. “I should probably get going. Tell mom I said goodnight, okay?”

“Of course.” He smiled as he watched her trot along after the class, a renewed vigor in her steps. “Goodnight, Twilight.”

The Blossom

Any minute now, I’ll be back.  I’ll finally get to see Applejack again!  I might have some difficulty picking her out of the crowd but… who am I kidding? It doesn’t matter if every pony in Ponyville is standing on that platform.  She’ll still be the first pony I see.

LITTLE think'st thou, poor flower,

Whom I've watch'd six or seven days,

And seen thy birth, and seen what every hour

Gave to thy growth, thee to this height to raise,

-- The Blossom,

John Donne

“Thank you again for taking the time to talk to the class, Princess Celestia,” Twilight said, bowing slightly. “And thank you for making time for lunch.” She nodded at the simple, yet exquisite meal that sat on the table between the two ponies. The midday breeze swept over the balcony at just the right speed to be pleasant without disturbing the table.

“Think nothing of it, Twilight,” Celestia answered with a smile. “I'm quite grateful to have the opportunity to do something a bit different. I trust that the class enjoyed my presentation? It has been quite a long time since I've taught a full class of that age group.” She took a bite of a crumpet.

“They certainly did,” Twilight answered. “In fact, I think that you inspired a few of them to be magical analysts, even though they don't entirely understand what magical analysts actually do.”

Celestia smiled widely. “I'm glad that I am still able to inspire passion in my students.”

Twilight couldn't help but ask the question. “Your students?”

“I consider anypony who comes to my school to learn to be one of my students, no matter how brief the visit may be.”

“Of course, of course.”

“So,” Celestia sipped her tea, “I assume that you are looking forward to heading back to Ponyville? Dealing with so many fillies and colts must have been exhausting.”

Twilight nodded. “It'll be good to be home. I can't wait to tell Applejack about the trip! I know she doesn't care too much about most magical minutiae, but I'm sure she'd love to hear about that golden apple tree in the royal garden! I wonder if she ever took the time to see it last time she was here.”

Celestia took another bite as she watched Twilight's thoughts drift further and further from lunch.

“And I really want to hear about how her week went as well. I helped her and Big Macintosh organize the notes for their presentation, and I really want to know if the kids enjoyed it.” She sighed and stared into her teacup. “It'll be nice to talk to her again. I thought of using Spike to send her a letter, but it wouldn't be the same.”

“I trust the two of you are doing well?”

“I...uh... yes.” Twilight giggled awkwardly. “Things are going very well. I actually missed her a lot more than I thought I would. I mean, it was only a few days, but I just really want to see her again. I feel like I haven't talked with her in forever. It almost feels like... like something is missing.”

“Well, they do say that absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Celestia said. “It’s good to hear that the two of you are happy together. I've found your occasional reports on the matter quite illuminating.”

“Oh, those aren't the half of it!” Twilight said. “If you want, I could send more.”

“No, no. That won't be necessary.” Celestia shook her head. “In fact, it isn't necessary for you to send me any more reports on that particular subject.”

“Really? Why?” Twilight tilted her head. “Isn't a romantic relationship just a different type of friendship? At least in a certain way.”

“I suppose one could say that,” Celestia said softly, “But it is also quite different. As much as I enjoy hearing about everything that you've learned, at the same time it feels... intrusive.”

“What do you mean?”

“Twilight, your relationship with Applejack is very different from those you have with the rest of your friends, more than you may realize. The two of you share a bond that you don't have with anypony else. Such closeness is so intensely personal that even I have no right to pry into it. I may advise, and I may watch the two of you from afar, but I cannot ask that you share your personal moments with me. It is something that is between the two of you.”

Twilight nodded. “I... I see. I never really thought about it like that...”

Celestia allowed herself a chuckle. “It's just as well. I'm sure that you and Applejack will learn far more about romance from each other than you ever could from me. My notions of romance may be what you'd call... a bit outdated. I-”

“Sister!” A booming voice sounded from the hallway that led out to the balcony, nearly making Twilight jump out of her seat. “Has Twilight departed yet?”

Celestia just sighed, “For example...” She called back. “She's still here, Luna. What is it that you want?”

The Princess of the Night stomped onto the balcony and yawned before addressing Twilight. “Greetings, Twilight Sparkle! We simply wished to ask whether you had received our gift before your departure from Ponyville.”

“Huh? Gift? I don't know about any gift.” Twilight looked to Celestia. “What's she talking about?”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Luna sent you and Applejack an anniversary present-”

“Which apparently was not delivered in time, even though I sent it express,” Luna snorted. “But no matter, I'm sure that Applejack received it in your absence. In any case, know that I offer the two of you my highest congratulations on a year of togetherness.” She patted Twilight on the back with such gusto that it almost knocked her off of her chair. “May you have many more happy years with each other!”

“T-thanks!” Twilight gasped.

“You are most welcome!”

Celestia narrowed her eyes at her sister. “Luna, don't you have work to do?”

“Fine, we shall return to our duties. Perish the thought that we might want to deliver our message in person.” She laughed to herself. “It was good to see you, Twilight. Perhaps, on your next visit, we can engage in a more lengthy conversation. I bid you adieu!” With an exaggerated flourish, Luna vanished inside.

“So, uh, Luna sent us an anniversary gift?” Twilight asked. “That's... unusual.”

“It's a rather antiquated custom that Luna is determined to bring back. You'll know what I'm talking about when you get home. I'd hate to spoil the surprise.”

Applejack didn't take naps very often. There was always work to be done, and even when there wasn't, she still felt like there were better things she could be doing with that time. As such, she only ever paused for a few winks when she was too fatigued to actually function. Today was one of those days. She hadn't gotten a good night's sleep all week. Last night had been kinda restful, but it hardly made up for the rest of the week, and she had learned the hard way that working through sleep deprivation was hardly the brightest idea. As such, she felt entirely justified in stretching out under a tree, putting her hat over her face, and basking in the facts that Twilight would be coming home this afternoon and neither of them would have to deal with a bunch of over-energetic students anymore.

She un-tensed her muscles and began to drift off.

“Hey, Applejack!” Her hat flew off of her head, and she found herself staring at her sister's upside-down face. “Can you start teachin' me to do that superfast tree-growin' thing? Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle would think it was so cool if I could just grow trees whenever I wanted!”

“Apple Bloom, I really wish I could, but now ain't really a good time. I got a headache and I really gotta unwind a little bit. Besides, that ain't something you can pick up in a few days. It takes years just to get your magic aura acclimated to the trees, and once you got that, it takes a year or two to consciously manipulate it.”

“Years!?”

“Yeah, years. It ain't something that you can rush.”

“How am I supposed to tell when my magic whatever is ready?”

Applejack yawned. “Well, it starts with stuff like apples fallin' off the trees easier when you buck 'em. That's why it's so important that you buck the trees a lot. It helps you build muscle, and it gets your magic to match the tree's.”

“So I should go back to buckin' trees then? That's your answer to everythin'!” Apple Bloom snorted and sat herself down next to Applejack. “I was buckin' trees all mornin'!” She groaned. “I wish Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were back. Ponyville is just borin' without them around.”

“I know how that feels,” Applejack said, smiling. “Why don't you get ready for when they get back? Clean up your clubhouse and think up what stuff you want to tell them? You could draw pictures of it or something.”

Apple Bloom's ears perked up. “Yeah! I could draw pictures so they could see how silly Diamond Tiara looked after she got into that poison joke! They'd get a kick out of that!”

“That's a great idea,” Applejack said, suppressing a yawn. “Why don't you get on that? Maybe after I get a bit of rest we can see how your magic aura is developin' before Twilight and Sweetie Belle get back.” She blinked at the pinpoints of light that weaved their way through the leaves onto her face. “Also, can I have my hat, please?”

“Oh, sorry.” Apple Bloom stuck Applejack's hat back in place. “I'm gonna go to the clubhouse! See you later!”

“Come back and wake me up in like an hour or so, okay?” There was no response but the sound of Apple Bloom's hoofbeats fading into the distance. Applejack shrugged. Now wasn't the time to think about it. Now was the time to sleep.

“Where are they!?” Apple Bloom scurried up and down the train platform, her eyes glued to the schedule. “They were supposed to be here three minutes ago!”

“Relax.” Applejack stopped the movement by putting a hoof on her sister's head. “You're buggin' everypony.” She nodded at the cluster of various family members who waited on the platform to pick up their students. “You gotta learn some patience. Isn't that right, Rarity?”

“It certainly is.” Rarity nodded. “A pony ought to be able to maintain their dignity at all times, even when waiting.”

Apple Bloom snorted and grudgingly sat next to her sister. “But dignity is borin'. Besides, they're supposed to be here already!”

“The train schedule's never been all that accurate, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said. “They're almost always a few minutes later.” She thought for a moment. “Or early. Never on time, though.”

“That's dumb,” Apple Bloom hopped upright. “I'm gonna go see if I can see the train.”

“You would think that they'd have that figured out by now.” Rarity grumbled, as she watched Apple Bloom trot off. “I really do have things I need to get done back at the shop.”

“Yeah, I know how that is,” Applejack said. “There's all sorts of stuff I gotta do back at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Well, yes, but you don't strictly have to be here.” Rarity grinned. “It isn't as though Twilight requires a chaperone to greet her.”

“That's true and all, but I still gotta be here,” Applejack said defensively. “I mean, Apple Bloom was gonna be here to see Sweetie Belle, and somepony's gotta keep an eye on her!”

“And you couldn't convince your brother to watch her?” Rarity nodded at Big Macintosh, who stood next to Cheerilee at the other end of the platform. Apple Bloom was perched on his back, acting as a lookout. “Please, Applejack. You're here because you miss Twilight. You don't need to make excuses to me. Not that you could convince me in any case.”

“Okay, okay, fine! I'm here 'cause I wanna see Twilight. It's been a long week, you know.”

“I thought I said you didn't have to make excuses,” Rarity patted Applejack on the shoulder. “Of course you miss Twilight! Why wouldn't you? It must have been quite a trying experience, having to go through so much time without her!”

“I get it, Rarity,” Applejack said tersely. “You don't need to go makin' fun of me over it.”

“I'm being serious, Applejack.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Who do you think I am? Rainbow Dash?” Rarity cleared her throat and flicked her mane. “With as close as you two are, of course it would be painful to be apart.”

“W-we're not that close!”

Rarity chuckled and rolled her eyes. “You aren't fooling anyone, dear. Why you have such an insistence on downplaying your obvious affection, I will never understand. How do you feel, really?”

“You're not gonna leave me be, are you?”

Rarity shook her head.

“Fine, then!” Applejack grunted. “I miss her, alright? I miss her a whole lot.” She rubbed her forehead with her hoof. “Way more than I ever thought I was goin' to. I mean, I knew that I wouldn't like it when she was gone, but I didn't think it was gonna hit me so hard. It just felt like something was missin'. I couldn't focus on anything! Even the stuff that Twilight usually doesn't have anything to do with. Just knowin' that she wasn't around messed me up.” She stomped her hoof. “It's so frustratin'!”

Rarity raised her eyebrow. “And?”

“And I wouldn't have it any other way.” Applejack smiled. “I might feel a bit lousy when she's gone, but when she gets back...” Her smile widened.

“I never thought I'd see the day when Applejack would let her well-being hang upon another pony!” Rarity said with a dramatic flourish. “Only romance could bring about such a thing!”

“Oh, hush!” Applejack gave Rarity a playful shove. “There's no need to go makin' such a big thing out of it.”

“But it is a big thing, Applejack,” Rarity answered, noting the slight blush on her friend's face. “And it's a good thing. You need to stop pussyfooting around and just admit that Twilight's a bigger part of your life than you thought!”

“I... uh...”

Rarity giggled at Applejack's sudden befuddlement. “So what are you planning to do once she gets back?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Well, you've been apart for nearly a week. You must have something special planned. A nice dinner, perhaps?”

“I don't have anything planned. I thought we'd just... talk. Or something.”

Rarity sighed. “I suppose that will have to do.” She nodded into the distance. “It appears your train has come in. Try to be subtle about your show of affection. We wouldn't want the fillies and colts to start going on about cooties.” She winked and trotted off down the platform to where the other class pickups were starting to gather.

Applejack took a deep breath. That was just like Rarity, always having to make every little thing into a big, romantic gesture. It wasn't like Twilight had been gone for months or anything. It had only been a week. She bit her lip. Then why was she so disproportionately anxious to see Twilight step off the train?

The train's brakes squealed as it ground to a halt. Applejack felt her heart begin to speed up. For some reason, she half-expected Twilight to be glowing when the door opened. The conductor stepped off, glanced up and down the train's length, and nodded. The doors opened and a flood of fillies and colts burst onto the platform in a cacophony of screeches. Applejack swallowed as she waited for the area to clear. Twilight had to be there somewhere. She tried to think of what she would say when she finally saw Twilight. Nothing came to mind.

The last student funneled out of the train. Applejack watched anxiously. It was only a split second, but the door was empty. Twilight was nowhere to be seen. Applejack's heart skipped at least half a dozen beats. Then a familiar, purple shape stumbled out. Her mane was a bit crinkled around the edges, but it was unmistakable. Applejack felt frozen as she watched Twilight yawn and then search the platform.

Their eyes met, and they both smiled. Then Applejack apparently skipped a few seconds, because next thing she knew, they were locked in an embrace. Maybe at the moment, words weren't necessary.

Applejack took a sip of tea. It soothed her throat. She had spent —she looked at the clock— over five hours talking to Twilight, and her voice was starting to give out. Not that it mattered. Twilight had to hear this story.

“So then Zecora mixed up a basin of her poison joke remedy for Diamond Tiara to soak it, but the filly went and got stuck in it! Took Zecora four sticks of butter to get her out.”

“Really?” Twilight said with a laugh. “I bet she's never going to live that down!”

“I know, right? Apple Bloom had a field day with it. I got my work cut out for me makin' sure that she doesn't rub it in too hard. I keep tryin' to tell her that antagonizin' Diamond Tiara is just gonna make it worse, but I don't think it's totally sunk in yet.”

“Well, she's a smart filly, I'm sure she'll get it.  Eventually.”

Applejack laughed. “Yeah, but she sure doesn't make it easy on me.” She stuck a crumpet into her mouth. “Your turn. What else did you do on your trip?”

“Well, I stopped in to visit my parents. My dad was organizing the observatory visit I told you about.”

“Oh, that's good. How are they doin'?”

“They're doing just fine,” Twilight answered. “Honestly, I think they're finally used to the fact that Shining and I both live out of town now. My dad doesn't have to worry about me dropping by and cleaning up all the papers he's working on, and my mom is free to focus on her writing.”

“So your mom's a writer, then?”

Twilight nodded, a wry smile on her face.

“So what kinda stuff does she write?”

“You promise to keep it a secret?”

“Huh?” Applejack raised an eyebrow. Why would Twilight want to hide something like that? “Um, okay, I guess I can keep it a secret.”

Twilight grinned and whispered. “I assume you've heard of the Daring Do books?”

“Wha—?” Applejack nearly choked on the word. “Your mom wrote all that!? You realize that if Rainbow Dash finds out, she'll go nuts, right?”

“That's why I want you to keep it secret,” Twilight said. “My mom likes writing, but she doesn't really like all the attention that comes with it, so she tries to keep it quiet.”

Applejack shook her head. She was starting to feel a little dizzy. “Wow, I never would've expected that. This is just crazy.”

“What's crazy?”

“It's just, your whole family. You're Princess Celestia's personal student and the Element of Magic, your brother's the captain of the guard and married a princess, your dad is like the top stallion in his field, and now it turns out that your mom wrote one of the most popular book series out there.” She sunk down on her chair. “It's all a bit intimidatin', you know? And to think that I'm probably gonna meet 'em eventually.”

“Yeah, about that... My parents want to take us out to dinner.”

“Eh?” Applejack's mind was immediately invaded by images of gaudiness, fancy clothes, top hats, and portion sizes that wouldn't even suffice for a snack.

“It's nothing big,” Twilight continued. “They want to take the train into Ponyville and take us to a cafe for supper is all. More tea?”

Applejack nodded dumbly. Twilight began to pour.

“They said that since we've been going out for so long that it's high time they got to know you a little better.”

“I see.” Applejack stared at the teacup, making no effort to drink from it. “That's, uh... it'll be an experience.”

“You don't have to be nervous about it, Applejack,” Twilight said. “My parents might sound intimidating, but I assure you that they aren't. My mother is as nice as Fluttershy, and my father can be sort of a goofball, really. They remembered you from Shining's wedding and were looking forward to seeing you again.”

“Right, yeah, I remember talkin' to them a little,” Applejack said absently. “They seemed nice enough. Wasn't much of a conversation though. Just givin' them congratulations and all.”

“Are you okay, Applejack?” Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Is there something about my parents that's bothering you?”

“No, it's... I dunno, exactly.” She stalled by taking a long, slow sip of tea. “I got nothing against meetin' your parents, it's just that...” She sighed. “I'm not sure how to say it. You mind if I think on it a bit and we can talk about it tomorrow?”

“I suppose so.” Twilight nodded. “We have more than enough other things to talk about, anyway.”

“We do,” Applejack said, her voice perking up a bit. She looked at the clock. “But it's gettin' a bit late, isn't it? I'd hate to keep you up.”

“Honestly,” Twilight reached across the table and put her hoof on Applejack's, “I'd rather keep talking. I've got nothing planned tomorrow, so unless you've got something...”

Applejack smiled, “Nope, I got the day off tomorrow.”

“In that case,” Twilight said, “It's your turn to tell me something about something that happened while I was gone.”

“Alright.” Applejack grinned. “You know that one hill in the north field that didn't have a tree?”

Twilight was impressed. Bon Bon's shop was every bit as clean as it had been before her departure. For a bit, she had been nervous that things would crumble without her around to clean and organize everything. She immediately felt a bit of embarrassment at her own conceit; Bon Bon had kept the shop in good order since before Twilight had ever moved to Ponyville. There was no reason she'd be able to keep it anything less than pristine with Twilight gone. And sure enough, the shop was perfectly in order.

She couldn't say the same thing about Lyra. Lyra's mane was even more disheveled than usual and she had bags under her eyes large enough to carry a week's worth of groceries. Twilight watched as she stumbled down the stairs, as if her limbs didn't quite want to listen to her.

“Lyra, are you okay?”

“You!” Lyra stood bolt upright and thrust a hoof at Twilight. “You're back!”

“Um, yes I am. What happened to you?”

“Bon Bon expected me to pick up all your slack! That's what happened!” Lyra's eye twitched. “How!? How do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Cleaning everything in the shop three times a day! It takes me like two hours to clean everything once and even then Bon Bon can't even tell that I cleaned anything.” She put her hooves on Twilight's shoulders and shook her. “Is there some sort of magical dust that only certain ponies can see or something? I don't get it!”

“I, uh...”

“Lyra, you have never spent two hours cleaning anything!” Bon Bon barked, sticking her head out of the kitchen. “You clean for about five minutes and then get distracted by something. If you would just focus, you'd be able to finish everything in like half an hour!”

“Okay, so maybe I don't always focus quite as much as I could,” Lyra admitted with a chuckle. “But that doesn't matter any more because Twilight is back!”

Bon Bon sighed, and rolled her eyes. “Lyra, please help Twilight clean today. I'm sure she's had a long week dealing with all the kids.” She disappeared into the kitchen before Lyra could protest.

“Aw, phooey,” Lyra snorted. Then she almost immediately perked up. “Oh well. Now that you're back it should go pretty quick. How was the trip?”

“Good,” Twilight said as she opened the broom closet. “Tiring.” She looked into the closet. “I suppose Bon Bon didn't bother having you organize the cleaning supplies?”

Lyra shook her head. “Sorry about that. By the time I was finished, I was too sick of cleaning to put them back neatly,” She noted Twilight's frown. “So, uh, I'm guessing that the trip wasn't just tiring because of the students?”

“What do you mean?”

“I'm just saying, it was the first time that you and Applejack were apart for more than a day or two.”

“Yeah, it was tough. I think we both missed each other more than we thought we were going to.”

“Bet it's good to be back, huh?” Lyra pulled a broom out of the closet. “You two have fun catching up with each other?”

Twilight smiled. “You could say that. Also, you need to sweep in a logical pattern, not just randomly. Otherwise you'll miss a section of the floor.”

“Oh, right.”

“Lyra, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure. Why not?”

“Well,” Twilight glanced over her shoulder in a needlessly suspicious fashion, and lowered her voice. “When you and Bon Bon got engaged, how did you... go about it?”

Lyra stifled a giggle. “So you're already thinking about that, are you?”

“S-sort of.  Not really.”  Twilight’s cheeks were suddenly very hot. “It’s just for future reference.”

“Well, I'm sorry, but I can't really help.”

“What?”

Lyra stopped her sweeping, which wasn't really doing much good anyway. For a moment she stared at the meager dust pile at her hooves. Then she turned to Twilight. “Because I never got the chance,” she said, a mischievous grin on her face. “Bon Bon asked me.”

“Really?” Twilight blinked. She tried to form a mental image of Bon Bon proposing, but it wouldn't come together.

Lyra nodded. “If you want to know about how to do that, you'd better ask her about it. She's the only one of us who managed to build up the courage.”

Applejack yawned as she flipped through an ancient photo album. She had gone back half a dozen generations, and hadn't found anyone who was even remotely close to a famous author, or a captain of the guard, or a highly regarded astronomer, or the personal protege of a princess. Sure, Granny Smith had helped found Ponyville, but practically nopony, least of all Granny herself, really made a big deal out of it. Aside from that, she had a great uncle who had invented the cider press, and a second cousin-in-law who had done a few minor movie roles. Now that she thought about it, she was probably the most notable member of the family, what with the whole Element of Honesty thing. She didn't know how to feel about that. As a matter of fact, she didn't feel all that different.

Maybe she could—

Whatever thought she was in the midst of was knocked out of her head by the sound of something blasting through the window. She instinctively covered her head as a cascade of glass landed in the middle of the room, along with something else that made a loud splat. She opened her eyes. At least this time it hadn't been Rainbow Dash. It had been a watermelon. It didn't take a genius to know who was behind this.

“Apple Bloom!”

Her sister's head poked through the gap where the window had been a minute earlier. “Um, sorry about that, Applejack. We didn't know it would shoot so far.”

“But why would you aim it at the house? If you have to aim at something, why couldn't you make a target and leave it out in a field or something?”

“Yeah, that... might have been a good idea.” Apple Bloom mumbled. “We'll do that next time.” She deflated slightly. “How long am I grounded for?”

“You know what, I'm a bit too tired to be really mad at you, so if y'all can get a new window and fix it, that'll be it, okay?” She yawned. “I really don't wanna use up all my energy yellin' at you.”

“Thanks, Applejack!” Apple Bloom wiped the sweat from her forehead. She yelled over her shoulder. “It's okay! She's not mad as long as we fix the window!” She turned back to Applejack. “Where were you last night, anyway? You were still out when I went to bed.”

“I was just catchin' up with Twilight. Just like you've been hangin' out with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle ever since they got back.”

“Except you get to do it all night, because you're grown up and don't have a bedtime, right?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Something like that.” Applejack closed the photo album. “You guys better get workin'. Big Macintosh probably won't be so unhappy if you guys are already workin' on getting the hole fixed when he gets back.” She glanced at the clock. “As for me, I got a date to make, so I'll see you later.”

“You aren't gonna be out all night again, are you?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I promise I'll be back to tuck you in, okay?” Applejack tousled her sister's hair. “And that window had better be fixed up by the time I get back!” She started to walk off, but at the last moment looked back over her shoulder. “And I want the same window back in there. No gettin’ creative.”

Twilight sat at the cafe, leafing through the menu. There really wasn't much of a point to it, as she generally ordered the same thing every time she was here, but it was something to do while she waited for Applejack. As she absentmindedly scanned the appetizer section, she thought about Applejack. Or rather, she thought about that thing that Applejack hadn't wanted to talk about last night. Surely my parents can't be that intimidating. Maybe I shouldn't have told her that my mom wrote the Daring Do books. It might have been a bit much.

“Hey, Twilight.”

She lowered the menu and found that Applejack had already taken a seat across the table.

“Wah!” Twilight slammed the menu down. “Why do you always sneak up on me!?”

“I dunno,” Applejack said. Twilight noticed a mysterious glint in her eye. “Maybe the same reason you're always readin' the menu. You probably know that thing by memory by now.”

“No, I don't!” Twilight said, shaking her head violently. “I just sort of started reading it by reflex. I wasn't even thinking about it.”

“I dunno how you manage it. Readin' one thing while thinkin' another,” Applejack said. “I could never manage that. I like workin' through one thing at a time.” She tapped her chin. “Although I do like thinkin' through stuff while I work. But that's not quite the same. I don't really have to think much about how to buck a tree or whatever.”

“I doubt I'd be able to think like that,” Twilight tried to imagine performing magical analysis while catching apples in a basket. “It would be too tough for me to concentrate.”

“Everypony has their own way of thinkin' things through, I guess,” Applejack said with a shrug. “Speakin' of which, I've been thinkin' about last night.”

Twilight grinned. “So have I.”

“In particular, I was thinkin' about that whole thing with meetin' your parents.”

“Oh, right,” Twilight said, trying her best to sound like she hadn't just been thinking about it. “You really don't need to be nervous about it. They're really sociable.”

“It's not that, so much.” A melancholy expression flickered across Applejack's face for a moment. “It's just that, your family is doin' all this really important stuff, and—”

“Applejack, I don't care about that!” Twilight interrupted. “We've been over this a thousand times. I like that you're so down-to-earth!”

“It ain't that either.” Applejack sighed. “It's just that... I wish you could've met my parents.”

“Oh.” Twilight felt a chill wash over her. She couldn't remember the last time that Applejack had mentioned her parents.

“Did I ever tell you about my parents, Twilight?” Applejack's voice was flat.

“You've mentioned them once or twice,” Twilight said, choosing her words carefully. “They passed away when you were young, right?”

Applejack nodded. “Yeah. I was just a bit older than Apple Bloom is now.” She looked wistfully into the air. “You would've liked 'em. They would've liked you too, though they'd probably have thought it was weird that I got together with somepony so bookish.”

“I wish I could meet them, too,” Twilight said. She reached across the table and took Applejack's hoof. “Why don't you tell me a little about them? I know you don't talk about it much, but I'd like to know more about them. If you're okay with that, of course.”

“I guess it's about time I told you a bit more,”

“Are you sure?”

“It's fine, Twilight,” Applejack said. “I came to terms with it a long time ago. Honestly, the main reason I don't talk about it much is because I don't even know my parents as well as I'd like. I mean, I remember them, but I was just a filly, and I didn't really know them. Not the way that I know Big Macintosh or Granny or Apple Bloom or you. I just wasn't old enough to pick everything up. But I do remember that they were kind, hard workers, and that they loved all of us a whole lot.” Twilight noticed tears gathering at the corners of Applejack's eyes. “My dad was the one who first taught me how to buck apples properly, and my mom was a great cook. To this day Granny says she can't bake an apple pie so well.”

“They sound great.” Twilight couldn't think of anything else to say.

Applejack nodded and continued, her voice sounding strained. “It was when I was still a filly; it was maybe about a year after I got my cutie mark. There was some sort of particularly nasty sickness going around, and...” She swallowed. “My mother went first. My father caught it a few weeks later. He was workin' himself ragged, tryin' to keep the cider season goin' so we'd have all the money we'd need. A month later he was gone, too.” A tear ran down her cheek and she flicked it away.

“I-I'm sorry,” Twilight mumbled, as she clutched Applejack's hoof with her own.

“It's okay, Twi. It's sad, but I'm just glad I can remember them, even if it's only just a bit. I don't think I really understood it all until later. I mean, I was sad; I just about bawled my eyes out. But I was just a kid; my memories of them are all crazy. Like my dad buckin' a whole field with one kick, or my mom makin' a dozen pies outta one apple.” She allowed herself a smile. “I know it's not quite how they really were, but I like to think that I remembered all the important bits.”

Twilight nodded. “I think you remembered what you needed to.”

“Thanks. Big Mac took it harder than me. He was way closer to them than I ever had the chance to be. Apple Bloom... I'm not sure whether she had it hardest or easiest. She was so young that she didn't really even know what was goin' on; she never had to go through that pain, never felt like something was missin'. But then on the other hoof, she missed out on ever gettin' to know mom and dad. Sometimes I just wish she would've at least had a chance to meet them.”

“Well, for what it's worth, I think that you did a fine job showing her,” Twilight said, putting a hoof to Applejack's face. “Kind, hardworking, and loved their family, right?”

Applejack smiled. “Since when were you so cheesy, Twilight?”

“Since Luna had that giant cheese wheel delivered to the library, I guess.”

Applejack's smile broke into a laugh. “Twi, that's a terrible joke! Have you been hanging out with Pinkie or something?”

Twilight shared in Applejack's giggling. “I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. Are you sure you're okay? I don't want to make things awkward.”

“Nah, it's fine. It's not a pleasant subject, but it's something that I have to face every now and again. I just figured that if I was gonna be meetin' your parents, I should at least try to tell you a bit about mine, even if I don't remember them all that well.”

“Well, they sound wonderful.”

“They were,” Applejack said. “I know that much. After we finish eatin', how would you like to go back to the farm, and I could show you some pictures and tell you a bit more about them?”

“I'd like that,” Twilight said. “If you're going to meet my parents, it's the least I could do.”

“Ta-da!” Rarity shoved a mirror into position, allowing Applejack to finally get a good look at herself. Her mane had been braided into a slightly-tighter-than-usual ponytail, and her body was wrapped in a simple (by Rarity's standards, at least) red evening gown. “I think you look quite dashing!” Rarity watched as Applejack stared at herself, turning slowly back and forth as she analyzed her new outfit. “Well? What do you think?”

“It looks real good, Rarity.” She stepped closer to the mirror. “But are you sure that it's... fancy enough?”

“Fancy... enough?” Rarity sounded like she had never heard the words before. “You... Applejack, think that it's not fancy enough!?” She took a step towards Applejack, bringing her hoof down hard enough to rattle the spools on the nearby shelves. In the background, Pinkie Pie giggled.

“I just want to make a good impression on Twilight's parents, that's all!”

“That doesn't mean that it's an appropriate situation in which to wear your most elaborate garments.”

“What do you mean?”

“There is a whole spectrum of fashion formality, Applejack. Just because a dress may be perfectly appropriate for the Grand Galloping Gala doesn't mean that you ought to wear it on a casual outing to a cafe. It would be so out of place that it would look like you were wearing a costume!”

“Yeah, and if you're going to be wearing a costume, it needs to be something better than a dress!” Pinkie chimed in as she popped out of one of Rarity's fabric rolls. “It should be like, a clown! No, no, a bear! You could dress up as that bear that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy housecavesat for!”

Rarity put a hoof to her forehead. “Pinkie...”

“Oooh oooh! Even better, you could wear this!” Pinkie reached into one of Rarity's cabinets and whipped out a gigantic, purple, mascot-style costume head. “See! You could wear my Twilight costume!”

“Uh...” Applejack stared. The gigantic head bore a slight resemblance to Twilight; the color was right and it looked like the mane was an imitation of Twilight’s. Then again, the whole thing was so gigantic and bulbous that it looked more like a shoddily-made Twilight bobblehead. “I think I'll pass. I want to make a good impression. If I showed up dressed like Twilight, I don't think they'd think real highly of me.”

Pinkie tapped her chin. “I guess you could dress up as me...”

“Or, she could wear something appropriate,” Rarity said flatly. “Such as the dress that she's already wearing.”

“Yeah, I think I'm gonna trust Rarity's judgment on this one,” Applejack said. “I like it, Rarity. Thanks for puttin' it together on such short notice.”

“Think nothing of it, dear. Anything I could do to help you along.” She flicked the curl of her mane with characteristic flair. “Speaking of which, if you ever have... further need of my skills, know I am more than willing to oblige.” She winked.

Applejack swallowed. “F-further need?”

“She means that she'll make your wedding dress!” Pinkie chimed in.

“I got it, Pinkie!” Applejack said, glaring at Pinkie.

“What, it's gonna happen eventually, isn't it?” Pinkie asked, utterly unintimidated.

“I-it's way too early to be thinkin' about that, alright?” Applejack mumbled. “I should be goin'. I have to, uh, get ready or something. Thanks again, Rarity.” She all but spun out of the dress. Rarity caught it and folded it neatly before sliding it into a waiting bag.

“And I hope you have a lovely time,”

“Yeah, me too.” Applejack snatched up the bag and hurried out the door.

Rarity turned to Pinkie and gave her a mild glare. “Laying it on a bit thick, don't you think?”

“Hmm... I guess you're right. I should've told her to dress up like herself! It would be the easiest costume ever!”

Rarity shook her head. “Why did you even come here?”

Twilight stood in front of the mirror, combing her mane for the fifth time. “I'm impressed, Spike. You did a wonderful job maintaining the library while I was gone.”

“You've already told me that like a dozen times since you got back,” Spike said. Then he puffed out his chest. “Although I will say that I'm proud of how things went. Overdue book returns are down by fifteen percent!”  He neglected to mention that if one did the math, that only amounted to one less late book than usual.

“And I'm glad to hear it. Gives me one less thing to put on my checklist.”

“Which leaves you with about four hundred others!”

“Ha ha.” Twilight ruffled his spines. “Maybe I should start giving you more responsibilities. Like cleaning the bathroom.”

“Uh, I think I better stick with just managing the library,” Spike said. “Wouldn't want to overwork myself!”

“Are you sure?” Twilight gave Spike a sideways glance. “I do have four hundred other things to worry about, after all.”

“What, like brushing your mane? If you keep that up, it's going to fall out.” He ducked as Twilight playfully swung her hairbrush at him. “Why are you combing it so much, anyway? Usually you only comb your mane like two or three times, tops.”

“I just want to look nice tonight, that's all.”

“Why? They're your parents. I know for a fact that they aren't going to care if your mane is a bit scruffy. And Applejack doesn't even pay attention to that stuff anyway.”

“I guess you're right.” She brushed her mane a final time and forced herself to leave the brush on the dresser. “I look okay, right?”

“You look fine. Even if you didn't, nopony is going to care what you look like as long as you show up.”

“I dunno, even Applejack might be a bit miffed if I followed Pinkie's advice.”

Spike shrugged. “True, but at least your dad would think it was hilarious.”

Twilight chuckled. “He probably would.” She glanced at the clock. “I should get going. I was going to go over to Applejack's early before we go meet my parents at the train station.”

“Yeah, you should totally get going,” Spike nodded. “You wouldn't want to be late.”

“You're right. I'll see you later.” Twilight began to walk out the door. “Have a good evening while I'm gone.”

“Oh, I will.” Spike grinned widely as he closed the door behind her. Then her voice came through the window.

“And limit yourself to one slice of cake! I don't want you getting sick again.”

Spike sighed and his whole body went a little limp. “Awww phooey.”

The Triple Fool

This is so weird. Usually I’m the one who’s freaking out.  Applejack is usually so confident.  I mean, I know it must be tough; she wants my parents to like her, and since her parents aren’t around any more the entire thing is just awkward… I wish there was some way to make this easier for her.  My parents sure aren’t going to make it easy.

I am two fools, I know—

For loving, and for saying so

In whining poetry

--The Triple Fool,

John Donne

Twilight tried futilely to suppress a smile.  Despite her best assurances, Applejack had spent most of their pre-date conversation growing more and more tense. At the moment, she was so wound up that she could barely walk. At this rate, it would take them twenty minutes before they got to the restaurant where her parents were doubtlessly waiting.  Her dad had probably gone right ahead and ordered an appetizer or something.

“Applejack, you know you can relax a bit, right?”

“What are you talkin’ about?” Applejack stared straight ahead and sounded almost as if she were speaking automatically. “I’m totally relaxed. What makes you think I’m not?”

“Well, you’re walking like a wind-up toy,” Twilight said. “Normally, I’d think it was just because you aren’t used to wearing dresses, but we’ve been on enough dates that you should have that figured out by now.  You’re still scared of meeting my parents, aren’t you?”

“Scared, no.” Applejack shook her head. “Nervous?  Yeah.  Just a bit.”

“Well, you don’t need to be.”

“You can keep tellin’ me that, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”  She scratched her head, which had a notable lack of hat. “It’s just… your parents are Canterlot ponies is all. They’re all classy and whatnot, and I’m just a Ponyville farm mare.  It’s like two totally different worlds.”

Twilight sidestepped and pressed herself against Applejack. “I’m a Canterlot pony, and I like you just fine.”

“Yeah, but you barely count.  You lived in the Canterlot Library for most of it.”

“I did not! I just… uh…” Twilight playfully poked Applejack in the shoulder. “Okay, I concede that point, but my parents are barely what you’d consider Canterlot ponies anyway.  They’re actually originally from Manehattan.  And not the upper crust part, either. ”

“Really?”  Applejack’s walk became natural for a moment. “I never knew that.  How’d they end up in Canterlot?”

“My dad got an internship at the royal observatory.  It’s incredibly difficult to get a position there, so they decided that it would be worth the move.”

“Isn’t it a mite expensive to live there?”

“Yeah, from what they tell me, they were strapped for bits for a while.  Then around the time Shining Armor was born, the first Daring Do book got published, and things started to turn around. A month later, my dad was officially hired as a research assistant after interning there for a year and a half. Now he’s the head of the observatory.”

“I see.” Applejack nodded. “Your parents really earned their success didn’t they?”

“Sure, I guess.”

Applejack began to trot forward, an undeniable energy showing in each step. “Let’s go meet your parents, then. I get the feeling I’m gonna like them.”

“This is gonna be great!” Pinkie bobbed up and down for a moment and then pressed her face against the window.  Through a striking stroke of luck, it just so happened that Twilight’s parents were seated at the cafe directly across the street from Sugarcube Corner, and Pinkie’s room provided an ideal vantage point.  Whether the stroke of luck was good or bad depended on which side of the window you were on.

“Quit moving around so much. Your mane is blocking my view.” Rainbow Dash shoved Pinkie’s hair out of her binoculars’ field of vision. “Where are they? Twilight is never late.”

Pinkie responded with an exaggerated gasp.  “Maybe they eloped!”

“Huh?” Rainbow lowered the binoculars and gave Pinkie a sideways glance.

“Inviting her parents down here was just a front!” Pinkie mused. “They wanted to throw us off so that they could skip town and none of us would notice!”

“What, and Twilight tricked her parents?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“No, they’re probably in on it! Twilight called them in to distract us while she and Applejack sneak onto a train for Las Pegasus!  They’re probably on their way right now!”

“Wow.” Rainbow Dash continued to stare. “There’s so much wrong with that I don’t even know where to start.”

“Like what?” Pinkie retorted. “It’s a perfect plan!”

“Like, why would they elope? It’s not like anypony is gonna try to stop them if they wanted to get married.  And the entire town knows that they’re a couple! They’ve got nothing to hide.”

“Okaaaayy…” Pinkie narrowed her eyes. “Maybe they just did it because they thought it would be fun!”

“Do you know Applejack and Twilight? Even if Twilight would elope, she’d still spend like a year planning it.  And do you honestly think that Applejack would up and leave her family to run off with Twilight?  I mean, Twilight can go a bit crazy, but not that kind of crazy.  They’re just not the kind of ponies who would do something like that. I mean, if it were you and me, then it might make some… uh… sense.”

It was Pinkie’s turn to stare. “Rainbow Dash, is there something you aren’t telling me?”

“What? No?” Rainbow waved her hooves in front of her face. “I just meant that, uh… Hey, there they are!” She thrust a hoof toward the window.  “Let’s see if Twilight’s dad tries to wind her up!”

Applejack approached the table cautiously.  The fact that Twilight walked beside her made the walk easier, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was stepping into a trap.  Twilight’s mother was hidden behind an upright menu, and her father sat stoically, tapping his hooves together.  As he saw Twilight and Applejack, he nodded towards the seats across the table.

“Mom, Dad!” Twilight bounded forward and gave each of her parents a quick hug. “It’s so good to see you! How was your train ride?”

“Fine,” said her father.

“Well, I suppose I should properly introduce you,” Twilight said.  “Mom, Dad, this is Applejack.  You remember her from Shining Armor’s wedding.  Applejack, this is my father, Nightlight.” He nodded, his face remaining the same. “And this is my mother, Twilight Velvet.”

Twilight Velvet lowered the menu, revealing that her face was as emotionless as her husband’s.   Applejack felt like she had just swallowed a stone.

“Take a seat,” Nightlight said flatly. He waved a hoof at the two open seats.

“Uh, are you two okay?” Twilight asked as she and Applejack slipped into their spots. “Did something happen on your way over?  Why are you being so-”

“Twilight, please.” Nightlight held up a hoof. “Just a moment.”  He turned his attention to Applejack and gave her a stare that would turn a grape into a raisin. “Now then, Applejack, was it?”

Applejack nodded dumbly.  Twilight had assured her that her parents were easygoing. Twilight clearly had an odd idea of what “easygoing” meant.

“I only have one question for you,” Nightlight continued. “What are your intentions with my daughter?”

“I-intentions? I don’t have any intentions!”

“Then why, pray tell, are you in a relationship with her?  Are you simply going along with her out of pity? Or do you have some sort of ulterior motive!?”

“W-what?” Applejack’s tongue momentarily knotted itself.  “It’s… I’m goin’ out with her because I like her! I don’t have any ulterior motive!  I just wanna make her happy!” She turned to Twilight. “You know that, right?  What’s he talkin’ about?”

“I have no idea!” Twilight answered indignantly. “Come on, Dad, what are you-”  She turned back to her father to find that he was making quite an unusual face.  His lips were puffed out, as if he was trying to keep his face from exploding.  Then he threw his head back and let out a loud guffaw.

“Hahaha! You should’ve seen the look on your face!” He banged one hoof on the table and poked his wife with the other. “Did you see her expression! It was priceless!”

“Dad! Why did you do that!?” Twilight glared at him. “Do you know how nervous she was about meeting you!?”

“I, uh, I’m sorry, Applejack.” He grinned widely. “I’ve always wanted to freak out my kids’ very special someponies.  Thing is, Cadance was a princess, so obviously I couldn’t mess with her too much, and from what I hear you and Twilight look to be pretty close, so I didn’t think I’d get another chance.”

Twilight put a hoof to her forehead. “Dad…”  Then she suddenly looked up. “Wait, what do you mean, you thought you’d never get another chance?”

Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. She knew as well as anypony that every family had its own rhythm, and she wanted to try to listen a bit before trying to jump in.

“Well, it’s not like you’re going to be going out with anypony else, is it?” Twilight Velvet said. Like her husband, she was now smiling.  “At least that’s the idea I got.”

“The idea you got from what?” Twilight asked.

“Well, just listening to you go on and on about Applejack while you were visiting, for one,” Velvet said. “Oh, and also Spike’s been keeping us up to date.”

“Really.”

“Oh, yes.” Nightlight nodded. “In fact, we just got a letter from Spike a few days ago.  He says that when you got back, you and Applejack were up all night…” His grin widened, and he winked. “Catching up with each other, shall we say?”

“Eh.” Twilight’s words didn’t even make it out of her mouth.  She just mumbled a few sounds, then turned to look at Applejack.  They both saw that the other was blushing.  “W-w-what are you saying!?”

Nightlight ignored her and turned to Applejack.  She swallowed.

“You haven’t been keeping Twilight from her studies, have you?” He winked again. “You know, with your feminine charms?”

“I… I don’t have any feminine charms,” she mumbled.

“Ha!” He chuckled. “Twilight sure knows how to pick her mares.  But seriously, if she’s anything like she was when she was still at school, she could use the distractions, if you know what I mean.”

“Dear.” Velvet jabbed him in the side. “You can stop embarrassing her now.  Look at her! The poor mare looks like a tomato.”

“Or an apple,” he said.

Velvet gave him a look of mixed disgust and ire.  He withered a bit, but didn’t quite lose his smirk.  Velvet shook her head.  “I apologize for my husband. He just got off of a long day of dealing with new interns, and he tends to be a bit loopy after he spends so much time having to be the smart one in the room.  I spent most of the train ride trying to get him to be serious again. Apparently it didn’t quite take.”

“I, uh, it’s okay. I’m just glad that he wasn’t being serious.”

“But really, it’s very nice to finally meet you, Applejack,” Velvet continued. “Twilight talks about you all the time when she visits. I almost feel like I know you already.”

“Oh, does she, now?” Applejack nudged Twilight playfully.

“All the time,” Twilight’s mother said. “She’s always going on about how strong you are, and how you’re such a hard worker, and how nice you are, and how you take such good care of your family, and how you’re the prettiest pony in town.  Really, the way she talks about you, one would think that you were some sort of superhero.”

“Is that so?” Applejack said with a chuckle. “I think she might be exaggeratin’ a bit. I mean, I do my best around town and whatnot, but I’m not that great.”

“I didn’t exaggerate anything!” Twilight crossed her forelegs. “I meant what I said.”

“Oh come on, Twilight.  The prettiest pony in town?  There’s no way.  Even assumin’ that I could even get called ‘pretty’ at all, there’s no way I could be at the top of the list.”

“I can’t think of any other pony who would top the list,” Twilight said indignantly.

“Well, Fluttershy was a successful model, and you do realize that Rarity lives in this town too, right?” She leaned against Twilight. “I mean, sure, you blow them both out of the water, but there’s no way I’m number one with ponies like them around.”

“Me, seriously?  I’m one of those ponies that you like for their brain, not for their looks.”

“I like you for both.” Applejack flicked the edge of Twilight’s mane.

“You need to get your eyes checked,” Twilight said with mock humility. “You clean up far better than I do.”

“Even if that were true, I need to ‘clean up’. You look fine just with your everyday look!  I have to… uh…” Applejack bit her lip as she realized that Twilight’s parents were watching intently, wide grins on their faces.

Velvet suppressed a laugh. “Aren’t they adorable?”

Nightlight nodded in assent. “They sure are.  It’s really quite impressive.  Most couples wouldn’t be able to have that sort of conversation without sounding sickeningly sweet.”

“Well, that’s our daughter for you!” Velvet said clapping her forehooves once.

Applejack chuckled nervously.  “Well, if you want to hear that kinda stuff, you should hear my brother and his marefriend.  They can get pretty sappy.”

“Oh, yes, Twilight mentioned your brother a few times,” Nightlight said. “Mainly about how she’d visit the farm to see you and he’d have to tell her where you were.”

“Y-yes, that sure does sound like something that happens,” Applejack mumbled.

Velvet shook her head. “I’m sorry, we’re making this quite awkward for you, aren’t we?”

Applejack’s first impulse was to shake her head, but her element of honesty won out. “Yeah, a bit.”

“In that case, why don’t we just start the conversation over from our introductions,” Velvet suggested. “We can skip over all of Nightlight’s playing around and get right to talking.”

“I think we’d both like that,” Twilight said. Applejack nodded vigorously.

“Sorry about making things so weird,” Nightlight said. “Let’s see if I can get out of ‘embarrassing dad’ mode.” He cleared his throat. “So, Applejack, Twilight tells me you work on a farm.  What’s that like? I’ve lived in cities for pretty much my entire life.  I’d love to hear what it’s like to live in the country.”

Applejack smiled, and finally felt like she wasn’t at a loss for words.

Rainbow Dash scratched her head.  “You know, I bet if we could hear what they were saying, it would be a lot funnier.”

“You could always do what I do when I can’t hear what somepony is saying,” Pinkie suggested.

“And that is?”

“Imagine them saying whatever you want!  Like for the last ten minutes, I’ve been pretending that Twilight wants to grow an afro, but Applejack doesn’t want her to!  Twilight’s dad supports her decision, but Twilight’s mom thinks she should get a mohawk instead! Personally, I agree with Twilight’s dad. Afros are way funnier.”

“You really think that Twilight would ever get an afro?” Rainbow Dash asked. Even having known her for years, Pinkie’s train of thought pretty much teleported from station to station. “Why would she do that?”

“Because it would be funny?”

“Right, Twilight would give herself a ridiculous mane cut because it would be funny.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I just don’t see it.  Now, if she wanted to make herself look cooler… she could just do a bit of trimming and she could have my signature cut!” Rainbow Dash flicked the tip of her mane.

“I thought you cut your mane yourself.”

“I do! It makes it unique!”

“I should have suspected as much.”

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie turned around to see Rarity standing in the doorway to Pinkie’s room.

“I understand why you might want to keep your mane short, but you needn’t do it yourself. I’d be more than willing to handle it for you.  No reason it needs to be so crudely done.”

“Last time I let you do anything with my mane, you had me stuck in that chair for an hour while you gave me a complete makeover.  I am not doing that again.”  Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“I just finished up a rather large order, and I thought I would celebrate with one of Sugarcube Corner’s triple-chocolate fudge brownies,” Rarity answered.  “Then Mrs. Cake mentioned that the two of you were up here, and naturally I was a bit suspicious.”

“Suspicious!?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head. “Of what?”

“Of the fact that Twilight and Applejack happen to be having their date across the street, and that your window offers you a perfect view.”

“What, so you think we’re spying on her!?”  Rainbow Dash jumped into the air and hovered inches from Rarity’s face.  “Why would you think that!?”

“Your binoculars, for one.” Rarity said, tapping the object that hung from Rainbow Dash’s neck. “Not to mention the fact that as I walked up the street I could clearly see the two of you looking out the window.”

“Uh…” Rainbow Dash looked away. “It was Pinkie’s idea.”

“Hey!” Pinkie gasped. “We weren’t watching Twilight and Applejack! We were watching the… uh… the waiter!”

Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her forehead.

“And why, exactly, were you watching the waiter?” Rarity asked.  “If anything that’s even more odd.”

“Because… we… we had a bet on… how many tables he could serve in an hour?”  Pinkie looked at Rarity, who was staring flatly at her, then to Rainbow Dash, who was shaking her head.  “Ugh, fine.  I can’t always come up with something good off the top of my head.”

“Pinkie, we’ve been over this before,” Rarity said. “You simply cannot keep spying on Twilight and Applejack.”

“But they’re meeting Twilight’s parents!” Pinkie protested. “It’s like a special occasion!”

“Be that as it may, that doesn’t give you the right to watch everything they do.  They deserve at least some privacy.  You can’t go poking your nose into their business at every opportunity!”

“Is that why you keep interrogating Twilight every time she gets back from a date?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“In those cases she voluntarily gives me information. I don’t have to follow her around and watch her private moments through binoculars!” She sniffed. “Besides, I have a precedent for this sort of thing. When Twilight first realized her feelings, I was the one she asked about it. Ever since then, she’s come to me whenever she’s unsure of what to do!”

“Yeah, and when was the last time that was?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I… uh… well, naturally it isn’t as often as it used to be.”

“It’s been like, months, hasn’t it?” Pinkie said.

“It has not!” Rarity snorted. “As a matter of fact, just yesterday I happened to bump into Applejack, and she was more than grateful to take me up on my offer of a new dress for her date tonight!”

“Bump into her?” Pinkie scratched her head. “But you were following her around for like half an hour, waiting for a good time to ask her about it!”

“I-I was not!”

“Yeah you were! I was trying to tell you about the ultimate s’more when you saw Applejack at the market, and you snuck after her and overheard that she was going to meet Twilight’s parents, and then you started following her trying to find the right time to offer to get her a dress!”

“So that’s how it is.” Rainbow Dash’s wings whipped, and she zipped into the air and came down next to Rarity, with one foreleg over the unicorn’s shoulder.  “And after you give us so much grief for poking into their relationship. Not cool.”

“I am doing it with the intent of helping them!” Rarity said in a huff. “Not merely to satisfy my curiosity.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged.  “I dunno. I kinda think they’re way past the point where they’d need any help from us.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“I’m just saying, they’ve been going out now for longer than you ever have.  I mean, what kind of advice are you going to give them about romance stuff?”

Rarity opened her mouth to answer, but couldn’t.

“Yeah, I thought so.”

Rarity bit her lip, and changed the subject. “In any case, regardless of my efforts to assist them, I think we can agree that peeking at them while they’re on a date is quite improper.”

“Eh, we really haven’t been watching them that closely anyway,” Pinkie said, waving her hoof dismissively.

“Pinkie, I saw the two of you looking out the window!”

“Actually, she’s right,” Rainbow Dash said.  “After the first few minutes, we realized that it was really kinda boring, so we’ve mostly just been playing Settlers of Catria and just checking on occasion to see if anything interesting is happening.”

“Really.”

“Yeah! I’ve already got three cities!” Pinkie pointed at the game, a complicated-looking set of cardboard and wooden pieces sitting on the floor surrounded by stacks of cards. “If anyone rolls an eight I get like five wheat cards!”

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself, Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash barked. “I have like half a dozen development cards!”  She turned to Rarity.  “You want to join when we’re done with this game?  It’s more fun if you have more than just two ponies.”

“I… Oh, it’s not like I have anything else to do.”  She sat next to Pinkie. “How exactly does this game work? It looks rather complicated.”

“Eh, it’s not that bad. Even Rainbow Dash figured it out!” Pinkie said. She rolled the dice. “Eight! Give me wheat!”

Rainbow Dash glared at Pinkie. “Thanks.  But seriously, it looks kinda tough at first, but you’ll figure it out just fine.  Just watch for a bit and you’ll get it.”

“...So me, my grandma, and Big Macintosh are all holed up at the entrance to the orchard, and this big old swarm of parasprites is comin’ right on down the path.”  Applejack waved her hooves.  “We braced ourselves, gettin’ ready to take out as many of them as we could before they hit the orchard.”

“Then what happened?” Nightlight asked.

“The parasprites came down the path…” She paused dramatically.  “And then went right past the orchard entrance and went right to the barn.  They ate the whole thing.”

“They ate the barn?” Velvet gasped.

“Yeah.  Because of Twilight’s anti-food spell, they weren’t really interested in the orchard.” Applejack shrugged. “Loved the barn, though.”

“You caused the parasprites to eat Applejack’s barn!?” Nightlight said to Twilight. “I thought you learned your lesson about messing with magical animals after that time we took you to the Canterlot Zoo!”

“Well, it’s not that big of a deal,” Applejack said. “That barn was probably going to collapse or something soon anyway and… wait a minute, what happened at the Canterlot Zoo?”

“When Twilight got her cutie mark, we took her to the zoo to celebrate,” Velvet said.  “Then she apparently decided that it would be really cool if the monkeys had wings.” She shuddered. “We were lucky that the spell only lasted for half a minute.  Still, it gave me a good idea for my books.”

“You mean you inspired the Flying Monkey Corps!?” Applejack stared at Twilight. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about that?”

“I didn’t really even think of it that way.” Twilight scratched her head. “I guess I never really put it together.  Don’t tell Rainbow Dash.  She’ll try to convince me to use that spell again.”

“Oh, is Rainbow Dash that pony you were telling me about that you got hooked?” Velvet asked.

“Yeah, she was laid up in the hospital with a broken wing, so I suggested it.  I figured she’d appreciate the adventure. The fact that Daring Do is a pegasus didn’t hurt either.”

Velvet grinned. “I knew I was right to make her a pegasus! My editor wanted a unicorn protagonist because I was unicorn, but I wanted to try something different.  Make it more of a vicarious experience.  Does Rainbow Dash know that I wrote those books?”

“I doubt it,” Applejack said with a chuckle.  “If she did, she’d probably fly right to Canterlot to try to get your autograph.”

“Yeah, I’ve been trying to keep it a secret,” Twilight said. “I know you’ve never been big on the whole fame thing, and Rainbow Dash isn’t always the best at keeping things on the down-low.”

“Well, I appreciate that,” Velvet said. “Although I wouldn’t be averse to meeting her at some point.  It’s always nice to meet fans.”

Twilight shrugged. “Maybe we could arrange something for her birthday.  If we got Pinkie to help plan, I can guarantee that nopony else would find out.”

“Is Pinkie the one who interrupted the Grand Galloping Gala that one year?” Nightlight asked.

“You were at the Gala?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t see you anywhere.”

“We weren’t.” Velvet shook her head. “My publisher got us tickets one year. It was… not our type of event.”

“And by that, she means ‘mind numbingly boring’.” Nightlight clarified.  “Though from the sound of it, when you were there it was anything but boring.”

“It was… quite a night,” Twilight admitted.

“Of course it would be,” Nightlight continued. “Really, it seems like wherever you guys go, crazy stuff happens!  Barns get wrecked, the Gala goes crazy, giant cosmic bears come into town, Spike grows into a giant, whole towns get brainwashed, changelings invade…” He scratched his head. “At this rate, when you two get married, the wedding will probably be crashed by aliens or something!”

“Waitwaitwait.” Twilight shook her head. “Isn’t that getting a bit ahead of things!?”  She looked to Applejack for support. The only reason Applejack hadn’t made a similar outburst was that she had been mid-drink, and was now sputtering.

“Y-yeah!” Applejack managed. “That’s goin’ way too fast!”

Velvet tilted her head curiously “But the idea must have surely crossed your minds at some point.  Haven’t you even considered the idea?”

“W-we talked about it a bit…” Twilight mumbled.

Applejack nodded. “We did.  We just thought that… we decided we needed to think about it a bit more.”  She tried to think of something else to say, and looked to Twilight for help.

“It’s just such a big step,” Twilight said. “Before we even consider the idea we really need to… uh… mull it over.”

Nightlight chuckled. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think you two are more ready than you think.   Still, if you think you should take it slow, then take it slow.”

“Yes, that isn’t something you want to rush into,” Velvet added. “Needless to say, when we made the leap we weren’t quite as prepared as we thought we were.  Things worked out, but a little more forethought certainly wouldn’t have hurt.  Not that Twilight ever has trouble with thinking things through.”

“I think you two are far more sensible than we ever were,” Nightlight said with a laugh. Then he winked. “I’ll keep an eye out for my invitation.”

Applejack and Twilight sat stock still, as they tried to make an adequate response. Then Applejack spoke.

“So, uh, would you still like that tour of the farm?  The orchard is really beautiful this time of year.”

“We’d enjoy that very much,” Velvet said.

Nightlight nodded, then frowned. “But I wanted to get some dessert first.”

Velvet shook her head and poked her husband’s stomach. “You don’t need dessert, dear.”

Rainbow Dash rolled the dice. “Five!”

“AGH!” Rarity groaned. “More wheat!  Why must it always be wheat!?”

“Well, if it’s any help I can take one off your hooves.” Rainbow Dash flipped over a card that sat in front of her. “Here comes the soldier!”

“Oooooh!” Pinkie gasped. “Are you going to shut down her wheat production?”

“Of course.” Rainbow Dash reached towards the board and moved one of the pieces. “Alright, I get to steal one of your cards now!”

“Fine, take one. Not as if I don’t have wheat to spare.” She held out her cards. “Go ahead.”

“Don’t mind if I do!” Rainbow Dash plucked a card out of Rarity’s grip.  She looked at it. “Oh come on!”

Pinkie shook her head. “All those wheat and you get the one brick!”

“I was going to use that,” Rarity grumbled. “Say, are Applejack and Twilight still at the cafe?”

Pinkie peeked out the window. “Either they’re gone, or Twilight and Applejack disappeared, and Twilight’s parents got old really suddenly and changed the colors of their coats and manes.”

Rainbow Dash glanced at the clock. “Huh, I wonder where they went.  It’s too early for them to be done with their visit.”

“Maybe they’re downstairs getting dessert!”  Pinkie sprang to her feet. “I’ll go check!”

“Pinkie, wait a moment-” Rarity sighed as Pinkie rushed past her. “It’s your turn!” She turned to Rainbow Dash. “So, where do you think they went?”

“I dunno,” Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. “Maybe they decided to go out for ice cream or something.  Who cares? What do you think they were talking about?”

It was Rarity’s turn to shrug. “Mostly likely simply giving proper introductions, getting to know each other better. Applejack probably told them about what it’s like to live on the farm. That sort of thing.”

“Eh.” Rainbow Dash blew her bangs out of her eyes. “That’s boring.”

“Well, what do you think they’re discussing?”

“I bet Twilight’s parents want to know when the wedding’s gonna be.”

“Why would you think that?” Rarity asked. “Do you really think that Twilight’s parents are the type to bring up that sort of thing the first time they meet their daughter’s very special somepony?”

“Have you met Twilight’s parents?” Rainbow Dash stared incredulously at Rarity. “You remember when they came over to meet us during the reception?  Yeah, they’d totally bring up that sort of thing.”

“You… may have a point,” Rarity conceded.

“Besides, it’s about time they got on with it.”

“What do you mean?  They’ve only been going out for a year.  Wouldn’t that be moving a bit quickly?”

“They’ve only been going out for a year,” Rainbow Dash said, idly shuffling the cards in her hooves. “They’ve been really good friends for years before that.  It’s not like they just met a year ago.  I think a kick in the behind would be pretty helpful, honestly.  Seriously they spend like forever agonizing over everything. If they would just go for it once in a while...”

“Well, neither Twilight nor Applejack are very impulsive ponies.  Better safe than sorry, after all.  They may be taking their time getting there, but at least it ensures that once they do, they’ll be ready.”

“So you do think they’ll get married?”

Rarity flicked the tip of her mane.  “Well, of course. It’s merely a question of when, really.”

“A question of when what?”  Pinkie Pie’s upside-down face suddenly filled Rarity’s field of vision.

“A question of when you were going to come back and finish your turn. I have wheat to get rid of.”

“Oh, okay!”  She took her seat. “Applejack and Twilight aren’t downstairs, by the way. There’s a cake, though.” She licked her lips. “Well, there was a cake.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Just roll the dice, Pinkie.”

“You sure picked a good hill for your stargazing,” Nightlight said as he watched the last rays of the sunset fade into the darkening sky. “It’s on the edge of town, so there’s less light pollution, and there aren’t any trees or mountains to block the view.  I wish I had my telescope.”

“And you have a great view of the whole orchard,” Velvet added. “I can see why you come here so often. It’s beautiful.”

“And you say you watched the meteor show from here?  That must have been amazing.” Nightlight sighed wistfully. “I got to monitor it from the Canterlot Observatory, but it’s just not quite the same.  Not that it isn’t very nice now, of course.  I wish I had somewhere like this.”

“Yeah, I come out here whenever I need to think,” Applejack said.  “It’s good for clearin’ your head.  Not to mention it’s where Twilight and I first decided to start goin’ out.”

“Oh, is it?” Velvet asked with a smile.

Twilight nodded. “Applejack said that she wanted to meet me here to...uh… give me her answer.  I barely made it out here, my knees were shaking so hard!”

“What, you think I had it easy?” Applejack said with a laugh.  “I was a nervous wreck. I had no clue what I was even gonna say to you.  I knew I needed to talk to you again before I decided anything, but I really didn’t have any idea how things were going to go.”

Twilight smiled and leaned against Applejack. “For what it’s worth, I think you made the right choice.”

Applejack returned the smile and gently rubbed her cheek against Twilight’s. “So do I.”

“AWWWWWWW!” Nightlight grinned like a loon.

Velvet jabbed him in the side. “Dear, they were having a moment!”

“They’re young. They’ve got time to have plenty of ‘moments’,” he scoffed. “When we head back to Canterlot tomorrow, they’ll have all the time in the world for that.”

“Speaking of which, it’s probably high time we headed back to the library,” Velvet said, slowly pushing her husband in the direction of the path. “Maybe we can catch Spike before he goes to bed.”

“We can find our way back to the house,” Nightlight said. Then he winked. “Don’t worry about curfew, Twilight. You can stay out as late as you want.”

Twilight blushed slightly. “Um, I think I’ll be heading back too.  I’m pretty tired.”

Applejack nodded.  “Yeah, I gotta go put Apple Bloom to bed soon, anyway.” She pawed at the ground for a moment. “Well, it was real great meetin’ the two of you.  You’ll have to visit again sometime.”

“We certainly will!” Velvet said with a smile.

“Maybe it’ll be for the wedding,” Nightlight added, a smirk on his face.

“And now we should be going.” Velvet gave Nightlight a shove.  “It was lovely meeting you, Applejack. We’re both glad to see that our daughter found somepony like you.”

“T-thanks.”

Nightlight waved at the couple. “We’ll see you back at the house, Twilight.” He nodded at Velvet and the two of them headed down the path.

As they disappeared from view, Applejack let out a long sigh of relief.

“What’s that for?” Twilight said, giving Applejack a gentle poke. “It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

“For a bit at the beginning I thought your dad was gonna chew me out.” She laughed and swiped a hoof across her forehead. “I like them, though.  They’re fun. Takes a bit of getting used to, though.”

“Yeah, he can be like that. I think they liked you.”

“That’s good to know.” Applejack sat on the grass, careful to keep the hem of her dress out of the dirt. “I’m glad I made a good impression.”

Twilight sat next to her. “So are you feeling a bit better now?”

“Oh, definitely.  Really, once we got passed all that introducin’ and got to the plain old talkin’ I was in the clear.  You’ve got great parents, Twilight.”  She sighed, and stared up at the moon. “It’s just…”

“Hm?”

“It’s nothing.”

“You’re thinking about your parents, aren’t you?”

Applejack nodded. “I was just thinkin’ about what my parents would’ve thought about you.”

Twilight put a foreleg around Applejack’s shoulders and pulled her close. “Do you think they would’ve liked me?”

“I’m sure they would’ve.  Might have taken a bit of time to get used to you, though.  They’d think it was real strange that I went out with somepony so… bookish.  They’d probably expect me to go for somepony who’d be more up for life on the farm, not somepony who’d rather be in a library studying.  They wouldn’t know what to make of it.”

Twilight cocked her head. “You don’t think they’d approve?”

“What? No. I think they’d be fine with you.  They just… I think it would take some time for them to understand you, that’s all.  Our family just hasn’t had a lot of eggheads in it.”

“Yeah, I understand that.  My parents were kinda surprised when I first told them about you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, they assumed I was dating Cheerilee. You know, because she’s a teacher, and I’m a nerd, and all that.”

Applejack chuckled.  “They sure wouldn’t be the first ponies to think of it that way.  Though I’m sure my brother appreciates it that you left her alone.  I know I sure prefer it this way.” She paused long enough for Twilight to smile pleasantly. “If she’s datin’ Big Macintosh, it means they’ll handle all of Apple Bloom’s school stuff and I don’t have to deal with it as much.”

Twilight shook with stifled laughter. “So the real reason you went out with me was a roundabout way to leave Cheerilee free for Big Mac?”

“You caught me!” Applejack said with mock seriousness. “Speakin’ of Apple Bloom, it’s about time for her to go to bed, so I should probably get goin’.”  She stood. “You still up for lunch tomorrow?”

“I’ll meet you at the library after I see my parents off at the train station. I’m already looking forward to it.”

She leaned forward, and the two of them pressed their lips together for a long moment.

“I’m already lookin’ forward to it,” Applejack said.  “Goodnight, Twilight.  See you tomorrow.”

Twilight yawned as she opened the door to the library. Even though it was hardly late (especially not by her standards), she felt just about ready to tumble into bed.  Then she stepped into the room and realized that she probably wouldn’t get that chance for a while yet.  Spike was sitting at the table, shuffling a deck of cards.

“Hey, Twilight!” Spike waved. “Your parents were just telling me how everything went.”

“Back already?” Nightlight emerged from the kitchen, a large plate of nachos hovering in front of him.  “When you said that you would be coming along in a few minutes, I thought you were just being modest.  You sure you don’t want to double back to the farm?”

Twilight glared at him, then wagged her head in Spike’s direction. Spike scratched his head. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

“It’s nothing.” Twilight said, continuing to glare daggers at her father, who was trying not to smile too widely.

“Oh, you’re back!” Twilight’s mother followed Nightlight out of the kitchen. “Just in time to join our poker game!”  She turned to Nightlight. “I told you that we needed enough food for four!”  She set the two bowls she was carrying on the table. One was filled with popcorn, and smelled delicious.  The second was filled with… something red with green specks, and Twilight didn’t want to risk smelling it.

“What is that?” she asked.

“That is your father’s attempt at making his own salsa.”  Velvet delicately pushed the bowl towards Nightlight. “I wouldn’t suggest trying it, not after seeing how many peppers he put in there.”

“Well, I think it’s delicious.” Spike dipped a chip in and popped it into his mouth.

“You breathe fire, Spike, of course a pepper isn’t going to bother you,” Twilight shook her head.  “I think I’ll pass.  Anyway, everything went just fine with Applejack. We had a great time.”

“Of course you did,” Spike rolled his eyes. “I know Applejack well enough to know that you guys were going to be fine.”  He shuffled the cards a final time. “You want in on the game?”

“Uh…”

“Come on, Twilight!” Velvet darted behind her and shoved her toward the table. “It’s been years since we all played anything.”

“And if you don’t, I’ll show Applejack all of your embarrassing baby pictures!” Nightlight chimed in.

“Fine, fine, I’ll play!” Twilight took a seat at the table. “But for the record, Applejack wouldn’t care about my baby pictures.”

“What about that one where you dressed up as a Vampire Carrot for Nightmare Night?” Spike giggled. “That one was a classic.”

“She probably wouldn’t even realize that it’s supposed to be embarrassing.” Twilight shrugged. “I bet she dressed up as an Apple for Nightmare Night at some point.”

“Well, if your father shows her those pictures, and she sticks with you, then you’ll know she’s a keeper,” Velvet said.  “But seriously, going by our conversation, she’d probably just offer to show you some of her own pictures.”

“Thanks, but I already know she’s a keeper,” Twilight said, popping a nacho into her mouth.

“Then why haven’t you bought a ring yet?”

“Dad! We’ve been over this.  I don’t want to rush into things, okay?”  She sighed. “It’s just too weird to think about it now.  Can we please just start the game already?”

“Fine fine, we spent the whole night with Applejack, after all,” Nightlight shrugged and began to deal the cards. “We can talk about something else now. Like improvements to my salsa recipe.”

Twilight groaned. “Fine. Just give me my cards.”

“How’d things go with Twilight’s parents?” Apple Bloom asked as Applejack shooed her toward the bed.  “Did they like you? Did you like them?  Did they show you embarrasin’ pictures of Twilight from when she was a baby like Granny Smith does every time somepony visits?”

“Everything went fine, not that it’s any of your business.  You brushed your teeth real good, right?”

“Of course!” Apple Bloom bounced once on the bed before settling under the covers. “What were they like?”

“They were really nice. I like ‘em.  You’d probably like ‘em to.  They’re a lot of fun, really. Kinda makes me wonder how Twilight turned out to be so into studyin’.  And Twilight’s pretty sure that they liked me, too, so all things considered I think things went well.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, it is. I even got to take ‘em on a tour of Sweet Apple Acres.  They thought your clubhouse was really cool.”

“Really!?”

Applejack nodded as she tucked Apple Bloom in. “Yup.  Twilight’s dad thinks you need a telescope, though.  He even said he might have an extra one lying around that you could use.”

“That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, it is pretty nice of him.  If he does give you a free telescope, you be sure to thank him, okay?”

“Okay!” Apple Bloom nodded enthusiastically. “It’s almost like Twilight’s family is gonna be part of ours!”

“Uh…” Applejack bit her lip. “Well, I dunno if I’d go quite that far…”

“Why not?”

“It’s… complicated,” Applejack said.  “I’m not sure I’d be totally able to explain it.” She was silent for a moment, then patted Apple Bloom on the head. “It’s time for you to sleep now, okay?  Goodnight.”

“Goodnight!”

Applejack closed the door behind her and sighed contentedly.  Today had put a lot of fears to rest. Twilight had a great family, that much was sure.  Twilight’s family is gonna be part of ours, huh?  That wouldn’t be too bad.

A Jet Ring Sent, Part 1

Well, my parents seem to like Applejack just fine. That’s one more hurdle out of the way. I don’t even know how I’d have managed if they didn’t get along.  Wish my dad wouldn’t have been so hard on her, though.  And why does he have to keep talking about getting married?  We went over that, and we decided it was too soon for that.  Isn’t it?

Marriage rings are not of this stuff;

Oh, why should ought less precious, or less tough

Figure our loves

-- A Jet Ring Sent,

John Donne

“Every single time!” Spike groaned as he plucked a single, solitary cookie out of the pack.  “I guess I’ll have to pick up some more.”

Twilight looked up from her studies.  “You should’ve known better than to call my dad’s bluff when you only had a pair of threes.”

“I thought he was bluffing.” Spike popped the cookie into his mouth.  “And I didn’t think he’d actually take them all with him!”

“Really?  I thought it was obvious.”

“I thought your mom would make him leave them behind.”  He sighed. “That was my last peanut butter cookie.”

“Well, you can try to win it back from him next time he visits.  I’m sure you’ll figure out his tells eventually.” Twilight stood and began to browse the shelves. “I know we have a couple books on game theory and probability that would probably help you out.”

“Yeah, I’ll… uh… read up on that.”  He rolled his eyes.

“You’ll have more than enough time,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “He said that next time he’d be in town would be for my wedding, which won’t be--”

“Waitwaitwait!” Spike dropped the empty cookie box. “Wedding? What wedding?  Are you and Applejack getting married?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Calm down, Spike!” Twilight got up from her desk and put a reassuring hoof on Spike’s shoulder. “We aren’t planning on getting married any time soon.  That’s what I was trying to say.  Believe me, if we ever start planning, you’ll be the first to know.  Why are you so worked up about it, anyway?”

“I… uh…” Spike stared at the empty box by his feet. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. If it was nothing you wouldn’t have reacted like that.” She sat down next to him. “Are you worried about something?”

“Uh… well… it’s just… if you two do eventually get married, what happens to me?”

“Huh?” Twilight blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you two already spend most of your free, non-study time together.  If she ends up moving in or something, what am I going to do?  I’d keep getting between the two of you.”

“Spike, if you’re worried that I’m going to forget about you, I won’t.  You’re family, and I’m sure Applejack would understand that.  I’m not quite sure what we’d do, but I’m not going to abandon you.” She put her foreleg around Spike and squeezed.

“Th-thanks.”

“Besides, Applejack likes you.  She’s not going to mind having you around.” She paused. “Even if you did kinda make a mess of the farm that one time.”

“Hey, I’ve come a long way since then!”  Spike gestured around the library. “I’ve been running this place for a year now.  I mean, it’s sure not a farm, but now I think I can handle cleaning the library without getting the mop stuck to the ceiling.”

“You have been doing a great job minding the place while I’m out.” Twilight winked. “You think you’d be able to handle the place on your own if Applejack and I would get our own place?”

“You’re going to get your own place?

“I’m not moving out, Spike!” She tweaked the spine on the top of his head.  “I said I’d tell you if I was planning anything like that.  Besides, even if we would get married, it wouldn’t mean that I’d be going anywhere.  And like I said, I don’t have anything planned at the moment.  If I do, I’ll tell you, okay?  I know that this affects you too, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He picked up the empty box and tossed it into the garbage.  “I just want to stay on top of things.  And besides, I know I’m not going anywhere. I am your number one assistant, after all.”

“Yes, you are.”  Twilight smiled and then glanced at the clock. “Okay, Spike, I’ve got to head out to work now.  If I have time afterward maybe I can swing by Sugarcube Corner and pick up some cookies for you.”

Spike’s eyes lit up. “That would be awesome!”

“But only if you sweep up while I’m gone.”

“Eh, that’s no problem at all.  Your dad left crumbs everywhere, so I was planning to clean anyway.  I’ll see you this afternoon.”  He waved as Twilight headed out the door. “Bye!”

“Bye!”

He grinned as the door closed behind her.  He went to a nearby cabinet and retrieved his gigantic chef’s hat.  Time to see if he could improve on Nightlight’s salsa recipe.

“I told you once, I told you a dozen times, I don’t know when he’s gonna send the telescope!”  Applejack chuckled. When Apple Bloom got something stuck in her head, it took a real jolt to get it loose.  She could think of a few things that would get her sister onto a different track, but she wasn’t quite sure that she wanted to bring them up. It would be better if she could get Apple Bloom fixated on her applebucking, but at the moment that didn’t seem likely. “He’ll probably bring it with him next time he visits Twilight.”

“When’s that gonna be?”  Apple Bloom wound up to buck a tree, but was paying so little attention that she missed the trunk completely.

“I just said, I don’t have any idea!”  She gave Apple Bloom a nudge so that she was actually next to the tree. “Don’t worry about the telescope right now. Just focus on your buckin’.”

“I think it might be best to make a platform on the roof of the clubhouse for it,” Apple Bloom continued, “but it would be a lot less work to just point it out the window. But then it might get blocked by a branch or something.”

“Apple Bloom, pay attention!” Applejack poked her sister’s flank. “I know you’re excited about the whole telescope thing, but you’ve got to focus!  I thought you wanted to learn how to do applebuckin’ properly.”

“Sorry, it’s just that it’s cool that Twilight’s dad is doin’ something like that for me.”

“It is really nice of him, isn’t it?  You be sure to thank him.”

“Of course!” Apple Bloom nodded. “Maybe when you and Twilight get hitched he’ll be around more!”

“Wait just a second! Where’d you get that idea from?”

Apple Bloom gave Applejack a quizzical glance. “What idea?”

“That Twilight and I are thinkin’ about gettin’ married.”

“Well, isn’t that what you do when you’ve been goin’ out a long time?”

Applejack turned away. “Well yeah- no! Sort of. It’s kinda complicated.”

“What’s so complicated about it? Either you do it or you don’t, right?”

“It’s not that easy.” Applejack felt herself beginning to sweat. “I don’t know if we’re gonna get hitched any time soon.”

“Why not?”

“We talked about it a little bit,” Applejack said, trying to think of how to phrase things so as not to give Apple Bloom the wrong idea. “We just both ended up thinkin’ that we’re not gonna jump into that yet.”

“But… why?”

“I just told you,” Applejack said, exasperated.

“No, I mean why’d you decide to put it off?  What’s keepin’ you two from doin’ it?”

“I, uh…” Applejack paused for just a bit too long as she tried to think of something.

“If y’all don’t have any reasons, then you should just go and get married already.”

“I told you, it’s not that easy!” Applejack snapped. Apple Bloom stared at her, taken aback by her sudden outburst.  “Sorry, it’s just that I’m not quite sure how to explain it to you.  I- I got my reasons.”

Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Applejack cleared her throat. “Alright, why don’t you try buckin’ the tree again? And this time make sure you actually hit it.  You’re never gonna get your magic aura right if you don’t practice.”

“Right!” Apple Bloom saluted. “I’m gonna see if I can get every apple off the tree!”

Applejack sighed in relief.  Leave it to a filly to drill her with questions. Not even Twilight’s dad had pressed the matter so hard.

“Applejack should consider herself lucky,” Lyra said as she watched Twilight dust mop the shop floor.  “When I went to go meet Bon Bon’s parents… Eagh!”

Twilight looked up.  “What, did they not like you or something?”

“It’s not quite like that…” Lyra mumbled. “It’s more that… well, her dad’s kind of terrifying.”

Twilight ceased her cleaning regimen.  “Terrifying?  Why? Is he mean?”

“No, just very very intimidating,” Lyra said. “Not on purpose or anything.  He was a star polo player in school, and then he was apparently like an engineer on a train or something, and I’m pretty sure he was a member of the Royal Guard for a few years too.”

“I don’t recall any of the royal guards ever being that scary,”  Twilight said.  “Except when I tried to sneak into the Star Swirl the Bearded Wing.”

“Well, from what I remember he thought it was too boring, so he quit to go work as a lumberjack.”

“Wow.” Twilight blinked. “He certainly lived a varied life.”

“You’re telling me,” Lyra said with a nod. “Apparently he met Bon Bon’s mother while he was working at a cherry farm.  It’s a wonder Bon Bon turned out as well as she did.”

“I guess I can see why that would be intimidating,” Twilight said.  “I know I’d feel some trepidation at meeting him.”

“Oh, that’s got nothing to do with it.” Lyra took a bite of her donut. “It’s that he’s built like a stump.  And you know that weird grindy sound that a cart makes when you drive over a patch of gravel?”

Twilight nodded, mildly confused at what that had to do with anything.

“His voice sounds like that.  It’s pretty scary. He asked me to pass the ketchup, and I was afraid he was going to throw me out of the house if I didn’t get it to him fast enough!”

Twilight scratched her head. “That sounds pretty bad. The worst my dad did was making a few cracks about when we were going to get married.”

“That’s a perfectly legitimate question!” Lyra tapped her hoof on the table. “I’m kinda curious about when you two are going to finally take the leap!”  She waggled her eyebrow.  “You’re kinda dragging your hooves.”

“Why is everypony asking me about that?!”  Twilight spun around and began to focus on the head of the dust mop as she dragged it along the floor.  “We’re not thinking about that!”

“Yeah, and chances are everypony is curious about why.” Lyra chuckled as she shook her head. “I know you think that you probably aren’t ready, but to most ponies… well, let’s just say they can’t really see anything that would hold you back.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“I mean, that you need to take a step back and look at things from somepony else’s perspective.  Looking at the two of you, it’s obvious that you have something good going.  Yeah, you might have only been officially going for what, like a year?”

“A year and a few weeks.”

“So yeah, a year and a bit.  Which might not seem like much to you, but given that you were pretty close beforehand you’ve sort of been on an accelerated track. I’m sure you’re very much familiar with those.  But the point is that the two of you look so comfortable with each other. It’s obvious that you’ve gotten over all the initial hurdles of the relationship, and you’ve gotten used to it.  It isn’t exactly a surprise that they’d think you were ready to take the next step.”

“I-I wasn’t aware that we seemed so… ready for that.”  Twilight watched the dust fall as she shook out the mop.  “I’m just not sure that we actually are.  Just… how do we know when we should start to consider it?”

“You want me to be honest?”

“Of course.”

“I think it’s never too early to start considering it. Well, you don’t want to start fantasizing about your dream wedding after two dates or anything, but I think once you’re over that hump and are comfortable in the relationship, well, it’s time to think about where you might be going.”

“But isn’t that still a bit too quick?”

“Considering it isn’t the same thing as deciding to do it. You can consider it and decide that it isn’t time yet. But what you’re doing is more along the lines of… just sort of doing your thing without considering it at all.  You’re procrastinating.”

“What?!” An angry glare flashed across Twilight’s face. “I don’t do that!”

“Well, there’s no other way to say it!  Have you ever really thought about it?!”

“I, uh, we talked about it a little…”

“I mean seriously considered it.  Like really thought about what would happen?”

“Uh…” Twilight froze for a moment before her face fell. “I guess not.”

“Well, maybe you should give it a bit more thought.  Don’t get me wrong, you don’t want to rush into it, obviously, but really, the longer you think about it, the more ready you’ll be when… uh… you’re ready?” She tapped her chin with her hoof. “You know what I mean.”

“I do.” Twilight nodded. “At least, I think I do.”

“Great!” Lyra winked.  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out just fine.”

“Lyra!” Bon Bon poked her head out of the kitchen. “Get in here!  I need your help with this pot of caramel!”

Lyra sighed and stood up. “Coming, Bon Bon!” She turned to Twilight. “Have fun cleaning.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’m sure I will.”

Twilight stared at the ceiling as she lay in bed.  In theory, it was simple, but when it came to “considering” what it would mean to get married, she didn’t even know where to start.  It couldn’t mean that they’d spend all their time together.  Her own parents certainly didn’t.  But it would mean sharing everything.  Everything.  The fridge.  Twilight had seen the Apple Family fridge.  It was horribly disorganized.  They even put the fruit and vegetables in the same drawer.  Would Applejack understand how important it was to keep them separate?  What about when it came to cleaning the house?  Applejack wasn’t a slob, by any means, but she didn’t exactly have much attention to detail.

Then again, keeping all of the rugs parallel with the wall wouldn’t be such a big deal.  That image faded from her mind in favor of a picture of herself, waiting at the door, welcoming Applejack home after a long day of work.  She liked that picture much more.

Lyra was right. She really did need to consider the matter.

Twilight sighed. She could think of dozens of other ponies that she’d rather discuss this matter with, but it wasn’t something that she wanted to get back to Applejack secondhoof.  And when you wanted secrecy, you wanted Pinkie Pie.  Even if she wasn’t the soundest source of relationship advice.

As always, Pinkie Pie’s room smelled like cake, courtesy of a half-dozen novelty cake-scented air fresheners that Pinkie had probably purchased in bulk from somewhere.  It was slightly less of a mess than usual, which meant that it was still messier than just about any other room in Ponyville that the Cutie Mark Crusaders weren’t in.

“Want a cupcake, Twilight?” Pinkie held out a tray. “I made them this morning.”

“Um, no thank you. I… uh…” she sniffed one of them. “Is that mocha?”

“Sure is!”

“I guess one won’t hurt.”

“I thought so.” Pinkie nodded. “So, why did you come over here? Other than the cupcakes, obviously.”

“Well, there’s something I want to talk to you about.  But you have to promise not to tell anypony else unless I tell you that it’s okay!”

Pinkie nodded, and went through her entire pantomime, which by this point probably involved pitching the key to her mouth-lock into a volcano or something.

“I know you aren’t going to talk, Pinkie. You don’t have to do all that every time.”

“But when else am I going to get to do it?”

“Um…” Twilight ignored the question and moved on. “Okay, anyway, the thing I wanted to talk about is…” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’m starting to really think about asking Applejack to marry me.”

“Okay, there are two things,” Pinkie said, with surprising calmness. “The first thing is that you don’t have to whisper. Mr. and Mrs. Cake had my room soundproofed so my practice parties wouldn’t wake the twins.  Second-” She gasped so hard that it forced her into the air. “You’re getting MAAARRRRRRIIIEEEED! That’s so awesome! Can I make your wedding cake? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease?!”

“Calm down!” Twilight grabbed Pinkie out of the air and put her back on the floor. “I never said that we were getting married now! I’m just starting to think about it!  There isn’t even any wedding or anything planned yet.”

“That’s right, I was getting ahead of myself.” Pinkie took a few deep breaths. Twilight was impressed.  Pinkie had gathered her composure together quite nicely.  “You’re right. It’s too early to be thinking about the wedding.”

“Exactly,” Twilight said, glad that Pinkie recognized the situation for what it was.

“Yeah, before the wedding, you have to have a bachelorette party!  And before that you have to have an engagement party!  And before you can have an engagement party, you have to get engaged!” Pinkie paused for breath.  “At another party!  Let’s see. We’ll need cupcakes, your hot air balloon, and a dozen gallons of gasoline!  Oh, and the ring.  Can’t forget that.  You go to the jewelers, and I’ll go get the-”

“No no no!” Twilight grabbed Pinkie as she headed for the door. “I haven’t even decided whether I’m ready to ask her to marry me! And even if I would be ready I wouldn’t need a hot air balloon for it!”

“Well, not if you want to be boring,” Pinkie snorted and plunked her bottom on the floor, crossing her forelegs. “If you don’t want my help, why are you here anyway?”

“I do want your help.  Just not quite like that.”  Twilight sighed. “I just want to know, what do you think about the idea? I mean, I know you want it to happen, but can you really see us like that?”

“Um, I dunno. I guess I could.” Pinkie shrugged. “I mean, it’s not that different from how you two are right now, is it?”

“I think it kind of is,” Twilight said. “I mean, right now we spend time together during the day, and it’s great. But at the end of the day we both go home to our own houses.  We each have our own places that we can go back to.  If we would get married, we’d both have the same place to go back to.”

“Yeah, you might get sick of each other,” Pinkie said, nodding.

“You think that would happen?!”

“Well, if you put any two ponies real close together for a long time they’ll probably get on each others nerves.  Like when you guys accidentally left me and Rarity out at Dodge Junction, and we had to take that train car back to Ponyville! Normally, Rarity and I get along like pickles and peanut butter, but after a few hours, Rarity was all like ‘Argh, Pinkie why are you singing again?’ and then I said ‘but I only sang this song four times already’ and she said-”

“Okay, okay, I get it!” Twilight rubbed her temples. “That doesn’t answer my question, though.  Do you think that it would work out if Applejack and I would get married?”

“You want an honest answer?”

“Yes.”

“Are you suuuure?”

“Yes, Pinkie.”

“Are you really really really really really-”

“YES!”

“Okay.” Pinkie cleared her throat dramatically. “I have no idea!”

“Ugh!” Twilight’s entire face twitched. “That doesn’t help me at all!”

“However!” Pinkie held up a hoof.  “Wow, I sound so smart when I talk like that! Anyway, however, I don’t think it really matters much what I think about it.  I mean, before you ever told Applejack about how you felt, I wouldn’t have been sure that it would’ve worked out at all, ‘cause you’re an egghead, and she’s… not.”

“Wait a minute.” Twilight thought for a moment, searching her memories.  “Back when I told you that I had feelings for Applejack, you told me to go for it!”

“I did?”  Pinkie innocently looked away from Twilight.  “I, uh, I don’t remember that.”

“I do. I was helping you ice cupcakes for a birthday party and I accidentally drew Applejack’s cutie mark.  You encouraged me to ask her out! Why would you do that if you didn’t think it would work?!”

“Well, I just said that I didn’t know that it would work!  You can’t know how something is gonna happen until it happens. Besides, it worked out, didn’t it?”

“It did,” Twilight admitted.

“Like I said, it doesn’t really matter what I think.” Pinkie grinned. “I think that getting married is kinda like what happened between you and Applejack. Whether it works or not depends on whether you two make it work.  Would you do whatever you could to make it a happy marriage?”

“Of course!”

“What about Applejack?”

Twilight smiled. “Thanks.”

Pinkie shrugged. “I don’t have any idea of what you’d have to actually do though.  You’d have to ask Mr. and Mrs. Cake about that.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Twilight said as she stood.  “Thanks again. I have a lot to think about.”

“This soup is really good, Spike,” Twilight sipped daintily at her spoon.  “You didn’t put any rocks in here, did you?”

“Nah, I tried, but they keep sinking to the bottom. I’d have to grind them up, and I don’t have time for that.”

Twilight peered nervously over the rim of her bowl. “You’re sure you got all the gems out, right?”

“Obviously!” Spike said indignantly, “especially after what happened last time.” He picked up a gem out of the pile next to his plate and dipped it in his bowl before taking a bite.  “I found the recipe in that book that Carrot Top checked out a few days ago. She brought it back this afternoon and said that I had to try making this soup. I think she probably said it so I’d buy some carrots from her, though.”

“Well, it is very good.” Twilight held the spoon to her nose and inhaled deeply.  “It just smells…” she sniffed again, “...like smoke?”

“Ah!” Spike’s eyes widened. “I forgot about the rolls! They’re burning!” He leaped off the chair and hurried into the kitchen.

Twilight shook her head.  Even with all his newfound responsibility, Spike could still be a bit absentminded sometimes.  She chuckled to herself as she recalled a story Applejack had told her.  She had accidentally burnt a pie, causing Granny Smith to lecture her for an hour and a half.  According to Applejack, she had never burned another pie ever again.  If Applejack were here now, there’d probably be a pie on the table right now.

She closed her eyes, and she could almost smell it.  It was a strange thought.  In a year from now, it might very well be Applejack sitting across the table from her.  But then where would Spike sit?  Maybe they could space themselves evenly or something.  It would take some getting used to, and she couldn’t make the table reflectively symmetrical anymore, but she could make it rotationally symmetrical.  Applejack would probably end up throwing off the pattern, but Twilight found herself really not caring.  There were more important things to worry about. Like whether Applejack would like Spike’s cooking.

The sound of Spike kicking the kitchen door open jolted Twilight out of her thoughts. Spike held up a platter of slightly overly-toasty dinner rolls.

“I managed to catch them before they burst into flame!” He turned over one of the rolls, revealing the bottom to be rather charred. “Mostly.  Oh well, the top half is still edible. Just have to put more jelly on it.”  He looked up. “Twilight, are you okay?”

Twilight blinked.  “Huh? Yeah, I’m fine.  I was just thinking about something.” She snatched one of the rolls with her magic and took a large, crunchy bite. “Wow, these are, uh… A little overdone.”

Spike shook his head. “I really need to fix the timer on the stove.”

Twilight was still skipping along as she entered the chocolate shop.  She had spent most of yesterday (and a decent amount of the last night) following Lyra’s advice.  With each passing moment, things were coming together more and more.  Applejack was a reasonable pony.  There was absolutely no reason to believe that the two of them wouldn’t be able to come to an agreement regarding any potential issues.  As a matter of fact, she had already started to consider how to go about popping the question.

As the door swung shut behind her, she found Bon Bon staring at her.

“Good morning,” Bon Bon said, neither angry nor excited. “You look quite happy this morning.”

Twilight nodded energetically. “Well, I was just thinking about what Lyra said yesterday, and-”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Bon Bon said with a sigh.

“Huh?”  Twilight froze in place. “What do you mean?  Was what she said wrong?”

“No, nothing that severe. It’s just that… I don’t want her to give you the wrong impression.”

“What do you mean?”  Twilight cocked her head to the side.  It had never occurred to her to doubt any of Lyra’s advice.  Lyra and Bon Bon were perfectly happy together, after all.

“It’s just that…” Bon Bon sighed. “Why don’t we go back here for a moment?”  She began to walk toward the storage room, beckoning Twilight to follow her.

“In here?” Twilight asked as she stepped inside.

“Yes, I’d rather err on the side of privacy.” Bon Bon closed the door.  “Now then, as I was saying, Lyra isn’t entirely wrong in what she told you-”

“Wait a minute,” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes. “How do you know about that?”

“The kitchen door was open, and you were talking louder than you thought you were.” Relax, Twilight.  I have no intention of telling anypony about anything the two of you said.  That is your own personal business and I’m not such a jerk that I would spread it around town.”

“Whew,” Twilight relaxed. “So, uh, what was it that you wanted to tell me?”

“Listen, Twilight, what Lyra said was, for the most part, true.  However, she is also a hopeless optimist, and may have given you the idea that marriage is quite a bit easier than it actually is. However, I realize that I may be overstepping my bounds, as I am only your employer.  If you would rather-”

“It’s fine,” Twilight blurted. “Er, uh, I don’t mind.  I think I’ll need all the help I can get.  If you had something to add, I’d love to hear it.”

“Very well.” Bon Bon cleared her throat. “From what I heard of your conversation, Lyra is right. It is certainly not too early to begin considering the implications of marriage. But as usual, she neglected to make it clear exactly how much there is to consider.  She makes it sound like just another part of life, like deciding whether to move to a new place, or what type of job to take.  But it is… more than that.”

“More? What do you mean?”

“What I mean is that it’s far too easy to think of getting married as simply sharing your things.  Your house, your refrigerator, your room, your bed, those sorts of things.  But there are some things, not necessarily an actual object or a place, but things that you consider almost a part of yourself.”

“I’m not quite sure what you mean.”

“I suppose I should give you an example.” Bon Bon suddenly glowered at Twilight. “But you cannot breathe a word to anypony else.”

“Of course not!” Twilight raised a hoof.  “Cross my heart, and hope to-”

“That won’t be necessary.” Bon Bon grabbed Twilight’s hoof and put it back on the ground. “You’ve worked here long enough that I can trust you to keep your word without the… theatrics.” She cleared her throat. “When I first opened up this shop, things were… rough.  Lyra was still finishing up her classes in Canterlot, and I was left to run the shop.

“I thought that I wouldn’t be able to do it on my own, so I hired another pony to help.  Needless to say, it didn’t work out.  She lacked the self control necessary to not eat my merchandise.  I will spare you the details, but I was forced to let her go and try to run the shop on my own.  After that, I refused to trust anypony else with it.  It was no problem at first.  Even after Lyra returned, she understood why I needed to keep that place for myself.  That was the one thing that I could never bring myself to share with her.

“I shared everything with her, everything but my chocolate-making.  It was transparently obvious that she hated that and wanted to be part of it somehow, but it took me forever to see it.  One night we had a fight, and some things were said that we both regretted. But when it was over I realized that I needed to be able to trust her with everything.  I couldn’t go on trying to keep such a large part of my life to myself.  Once I realized that I was willing to bring her into that, I finally knew there was nothing left keeping us from spending the rest of our lives together.”

Bon Bon took a deep breath. “If you can only remember one thing, and I know you can, remember that when you ask somepony to marry you, you are not merely asking them to share your home or your time or your belongings. You are telling them that you are willing to share yourself, that you belong to them, and asking if they will belong to you, too.  When you marry, you belong to each other, and if you aren’t willing to do that, you ought to reconsider whether you want to ask.  Do you understand?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.  Now that that’s taken care of, I have several trays of almond bark for you to put behind the counter.” She opened the storage room door and trotted out. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me for anything.”

“How do you like that pie, Spike?”  Applejack asked.  “I just picked those apples this afternoon. It doesn’t get much more fresh than that.”

“It’s awesome!” Spike shoved another bite into his mouth and turned to Twilight. “We should have Applejack over for dinner more often!” He swallowed. “Can I have another piece?”

“You’ve had three already,” Twilight said, sliding the pie to the other side of the table.  It threw off the symmetry a bit, but if Spike ate much more his stomach would throw the symmetry off even more. “We’ll save the rest and eat it tomorrow.”

“Awww.” Spike crossed his arms. “It’s not as good the day after, though.” He turned to Applejack. “We need to eat it now, when it’s still fresh, right?”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Well, it is better right after you bake it…” Spike’s eyes lit up. “But Twilight’s right; if you eat much more pie we’re gonna have to roll you around everywhere.  It might not be the best after spendin’ the night in the fridge, but it’ll still be pretty good.”

“See, Applejack agrees with me!” Twilight smiled smugly.  “You can have more pie tomorrow.”

“Fine,” Spike snorted. “I guess I’ll go get started washing the dishes, then.”  He hopped off his chair, and wobbled back and forth a bit as a result of his newfound girth.

“Actually, you can just leave the dishes by the sink,” Applejack said. “I’ll wash ‘em.  You two did most of the cookin’ after all.”

“Great!  I’ll be able to catch up on my comics before I go to bed.”  He hopped up, and began collecting the empty plates.

“Applejack, you don’t have to do that,” Twilight said. “I can manage the dishes just fine!”

“Nah, it’s no problem at all.” She shook her head. “You two make way less of a mess than Apple Bloom does.  You’re way neater about cookin’, too.  Granny can’t cook anything without usin’ every pan in the house. Takes forever to clean up. Especially if Apple Bloom helps.”

Twilight scratched her head.  “If Apple Bloom helps Granny Smith cook, or helps you clean?”

“Either,” Applejack said. “If she helps with both it takes twice as long.”

“Well, if I help, hopefully it’ll go quicker.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure!” Spike called from the top of the stairs. “Sometimes she makes me wash everything twice!  I think she can see food on the dishes that isn’t visible to dragons or something.”

“That’s only when you’re in a rush, Spike!” She shook her head. “You’d think by now he’d be able to see the film on the glasses.”

“Ha, if you think that’s bad, consider yourself lucky.  Sometimes when Apple Bloom’s doin’ the dishes, she gets distracted and forgets to wash the inside of the cups.  Come on, let’s see how fast we can get this finished up.  Oh, and thanks for invitin’ me over for a real dinner.  Stoppin’ in for lunch is nice, but something about sittin’ down and havin’ a nice meal.  We gotta do this more often.”

Twilight smiled. “Yes, we certainly do.”

Applejack kicked the front door of her house open. “I'm home, everypony!” Then she saw the kitchen, and immediately considered turning around and going back to Twilight's for a bit longer. To say that a tornado had rampaged through the kitchen would have been an insult to tornados; at least they tended to pick up some of the debris and dump it somewhere else. Whatever the hay Apple Bloom had gotten up to, she had at least kept the damage confined to the kitchen.

She examined the large pot that sat on the stove. Her experience told her that the... substance it contained had bubbled over and then been left to bake onto both the sides of the pot as well as the stove top. It wasn't flammable, whatever it was, as the char around the burners hadn't trailed back up to the pot. She carefully lifted the lid and sniffed. Whatever it was that filled the bottom third of the pot, it sure wasn't food.

“Ew.” She immediately replaced the lid. “What on earth did everypony get up to while I was out?”

“Eehh?” The living room door swung open as Granny Smith poked her head into the kitchen. “Oh, Applejack. You're back! Apple Bloom brought 'er friends over for dinner. They wanted to try makin' themselves some soup. They didn't get any cutie marks for it, though.”

“Yeah, I coulda guessed,” Applejack said grimly. “Why didn't you make them clean it up?”

“I did make 'em clean up! And they did.” She scratched her chin. “Mostly.”

Applejack looked again at the mess and tried to imagine what it had looked like before. It wasn't pretty. “Where's Big Macintosh? He'd never let those fillies leave the place lookin' like this.”

“Oh, he's out with Cheerilee. They went to that fancy place in town, I think.”

“What, that was today?” Applejack groaned and pulled her hat over her eyes. “I'm sorry, Granny. If I woulda realized that you were gonna be stuck here with those three fillies I coulda rescheduled or something.”

“No, no. I won't hear of that!” Granny Smith shook her head so hard that Applejack was afraid her head would pop off. “You gotta get out of the house to be with your very special somepony. I can clean this up.”

“Well, I'm helpin',” Applejack said. “You try to clean this up yourself and you'll be here all night. Apple Bloom is gonna hear about this when she gets back from her crusadin'.”

“Eh, don't worry yourself,” Granny said as she hobbled over to the sink. “I already tanned 'er hide good over it. How'd your date with what’s-her-name go?”

“It was fun. Spike can make really good nachos.”

“Spike? He's that... that young lizard, right?”

“He's a dragon, Granny. We didn't do anything particularly interesting, but it was good to just spend a bit of time with her just doin' regular stuff, you know?”

“Hah, you know you got a winner when y'all can do regular stuff and still have a good time!” Granny chuckled. “I remember back your grandpa and I spent near three whole days just peelin' bushels of apples for one of the reunions. It was a ton of fun.”

“I guess I know what you mean. We spent like an hour doin' the dishes. Most fun I've had doin' the dishes in a long time.” She eyed the crusty “soup” that coated the stove. “Wouldn't mind havin' Twilight around while we clean this up. It would go a lot faster and probably be a bit more enjoyable.”

“You oughta bring her around for dinner sometime. I bet Apple Bloom would behave if we had company. And Twilight could get to know the family better.”

“Huh,” Applejack thought for a moment. “That might be a pretty good idea. I think y'all would enjoy havin' her around.”

“We sure would, dearie. It's always nice when she comes around.” She nudged Applejack and winked conspicuously. “I sure wouldn't mind if she spent more time here.”

“Neither would- wait a minute, Granny. What are you implyin'?”

“I ain't implyin' anything,” Granny said with a chortle. “I'm just sayin' it would be nice if Twilight was around more.”

“Alright then,” Applejack reached under the sink and retrieved a sponge and a bottle of dish soap. “Let's get on cleanin' this up.”

It would be nice havin' Twilight around all the time, she thought. If she can turn even the most boring everyday tasks into something not so bad... maybe it's time that we- No. Not time to be thinkin' about that yet. Much as I'd like to…

“Spike! Spiiiike!”

Spike groaned and reluctantly put down his comic book.  He recognized the tenor of Twilight’s voice; the volume and slight scratchiness at the back of her throat only manifest in two situations. Either he was in trouble, or Twilight had something urgent to talk to him about.  He couldn’t remember having damaged anything, and he had cleaned up really well after his latest attempt at making salsa had gone awry.  Even so, he braced himself as he headed downstairs.  There was a pretty good chance that he’d end up spending the day doing chores.

“What is it, Twilight?” He tried to sound chipper, but after a long day of scraping dried tomato off of the stove, it didn’t come easily.  “I was in the middle of reading the new Daring Do comic!  She was playing poker against Cabelleron and was all in, bluffing with a pair of threes!”

“Ooh, that’s a good issue!” Twilight said. “Especially when she-”

“Don’t tell me!” He waved his arms so emphatically he almost fell off of the stairway. “I’ll read it myself!  What is it you wanted me for? I already cleaned the kitchen twice!”

“It’s nothing like that, Spike. I just need to talk to you about something. It shouldn’t take long.” She took a seat next to the table and gestured for Spike to join her.  Sitting on the table was a plate of cookies.  “You know how I told you yesterday that if I was ever considering moving forward with Applejack, I’d tell you?”

Spike nodded dumbly, and went straight for the cookies.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve decided that I’m going to ask Applejack to marry me!”

“Oh, that’s nice.” Then he stopped, a cookie halfway to his mouth. “Wait, what?  You’re getting married already?!  Where am I going to go?!  Is she going to fill the basement with fertilizer?  Is she going to do all the cooking? How am I going to compete with that?!”

“Relax!” Twilight telekinetically grabbed the cookie out of Spike’s claw and shoved it into his mouth. “It’s not like I’ve actually asked her or anything.  And I’m not in any hurry to propose either.”

“Okay, okay,” Spike sighed in relief, blowing a shower of crumbs across the table.  “So what are you going to do?”

“Well, I’m going to ask her eventually. I’ve decided that much.  There’s still a lot to think about, though.  And I have to figure out exactly how I’m going to go about this.”

Spike groaned.  “Not this again!”

“Not what again?”

“When you were first asking her out, it took you like a month to figure out ‘how’ you wanted to do it,” he grumbled. “You aren’t going to fill the whole house with charts again, are you?”

“No, Spike,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “I learned my lesson last time.  All that stuff about trying to figure out how to ensure a good answer?  I’m not going to bother with it. I know there’s a risk, but whatever her answer will be, we’ll be able to work something out.” Twilight’s lip quivered. “Even if she says no.”

“You think Applejack might turn you down?” Spike asked through a mouthful of cookie.  His comic was all but forgotten.  This was way more relevant.

“Well, not exactly.  She wouldn’t dump me just for asking her.  It would be kinda awkward, but I think we could work through it.” She sighed. “I’m not worried so much about getting the answer I want. I mean, I want her to say ‘yes’, obviously, but I can’t concern myself with that.  I need to think of a way to ask her that will show her just how much I want to make her part of my life!” She took a deep breath. “I don’t suppose you have any ideas?”

“I got nothing.” Spike shrugged.  “You’re the one who spent hours studying all this stuff.”

“I thought so.  Didn’t hurt to ask.” Twilight shrugged. “I don’t know when I’ll finally get around to popping the question for real, but I’m going do it!  I just thought you should know.  I mean, it affects you quite a bit, after all.  If you ever want to talk about it, just let me know, okay?”

“Yeah, of course.” Spike scratched his head. “I… I guess I’d have to think about it a bit.  I wasn’t really expecting this to happen so soon.”

“Well, you’ll have more than enough time to think it over.  It’ll probably be a while before I build up the nerve to actually do it.  You wouldn’t happen to know of any reference books that deal with different ways to propose, would you?”

“They’re in the same section as the relationship help- wait a minute. I thought you weren’t going to do that again!”

Twilight chuckled. “I just want to get some ideas of what to do, okay?  If I start going overboard again, you have to set me straight, alright?”

“Oh yeah, I can do that.”

“Great.  You can get back to your comic now.  You’re going to like it, trust me.”

Spike nodded slowly and started up the stairs.  “Yeah, I’m sure I will,” he said absently.  He reached his room and opened the comic to the page where he had left off.  He stared at the page, but didn’t really read it. There were other things on his mind.

A Jet Ring Sent, Part 2

I wonder what Applejack would be thinking if she knew what I was planning.  Would she be surprised?  Scared, maybe?  I wouldn’t think she would be, but we did say we would put it off.  Then again, maybe she isn’t the only one who’s thinking about this...

Be justly proud, and gladly safe, that thou dost dwell with me;

-- A Jet Ring Sent,

John Donne

Applejack stumbled down the street toward the library, not daring to stop lest she fall asleep standing up.  It had happened before.  Occasionally, forcing herself to stay awake had even more adverse effects, but today things hopefully wouldn’t get quite that bad.  She hadn’t ended accidentally suspended herself upside down from a cart harness or given herself a concussion yet, so things had been going relatively well so far.

For the moment she just needed to get that whole pesky “marriage” question out of her head, which was easier said than done. It was like trying to squeeze a fully inflated beachball through a keyhole; she knew that it was difficult because she had seen Pinkie attempt to do it.  But despite the difficulty, she knew it could be done, because she had seen Pinkie succeed.  Somehow.  Whatever the case, until it was out, she wouldn’t be able to get a good night’s sleep.

“I’m gonna have to deflate that beachball,” she mumbled to herself.

“Huh?  Beachball? What are you talking about?”

She looked down to see Spike staring up at her, a puzzled look on his face.  His arms were full of books.

“Oh, nothing. Just talkin’ to myself.”

“About beachballs?”  He cocked his head. “Are you going on vacation or something?”

“No, it’s just… don’t worry about it, Spike.” She decided to change the subject. “So what are you up to today?” She glanced down, and saw how many books he was holding. “Doin’ a repossession, huh?”

“From the Mayor, of all ponies,” Spike said, shaking his head. “She thinks that just because she runs the town, she can keep everything as long as she wants.”

“Bet she’s got some heavy readin’ there, huh?”

“You could say that, I guess.” Spike held up the books.  “Nivernaitian Ethics, Marechiavalli’s The Princess…” He flipped over the last book. “And The Daring Do Graphic Novel Omnibus, Volume 2: Issues 8-16.  Guess she needed a break from all the politics.  What are you doing?”

“I was, uh, just droppin’ by,” she mumbled.  It was true enough.  Left unsaid was the whole I need to put my mind at ease by rememberin’ that just spendin’ time together is more than enough for now part of the equation. Spike didn’t need to know that bit.  “Twilight usually gets off of work just about now, so I figured I’d drop by.”

“Should’ve known,” Spike said, starting to walk again. Applejack trotted along beside him.  “She’ll probably get back in about fifteen minutes or so.  If she gets started cleaning, she’ll refuse to leave until the entire shop is sparkling,” Spike continued. “Hopefully it won’t be too long.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured,” Applejack said.  “You don’t mind if I wait around for her, do you?”

“Of course not!” Spike said as he reached the library steps.  “Our home is your home, pretty much.  I mean, you’re around like all the time now.”

“I, uh, hadn’t realized,” she mumbled as she watched Spike kick the door open. “I haven’t been around that much.”

“Really? I’m pretty sure you’ve been by here at least once every day for like the past month.  Come on in.”

She followed Spike in.  The library really did feel familiar; more so than almost anywhere else in town, except for maybe her own home.  The familiarity level was probably tied with the barn.  The barn would’ve rated a mite higher, if not that it got its counter reset via reconstruction every few years.  Still, the way she found herself seated at the table without even noticing that she had walked across the room gave her an odd sensation.  It felt almost homey.

“You want a snack or anything?” Spike asked. “I have nachos.”

“No thanks. Not that I don’t like your nachos, Spike, but they’re a little spicy for my taste.”

Spike snorted. “You ponies have no tolerance for spicy foods, you know that? Except Pinkie, but I’m not sure that she counts.”  He paused for a moment anxiously drumming his claws together. “Um, can I ask you a question?”

Applejack nodded. “Of course, Spike.”

“Well, uh,” he fidgeted in his chair. “Do you… do you mind having me around? You know, when you and Twilight are having lunch or whatever.  If you’d rather have me go out or something-”

“Is this about that whole mess with your ‘Noble Dragon Code’ or whatever it was?”

“Uh… maybe a little bit. Kinda.”

Applejack shook her head. “Spike, I’ve told you a thousand times, I got no hard feelings about that.”

“Well, it’s not just that,” he mumbled. “It’s just… you’re around a lot now, and… I wouldn’t want to get in the way.”

“If you’re worried about bein’ a third wheel, don’t.  You’ve been givin’ us plenty of space, and if we ever need more we’ll tell you.  But even that doesn’t mean that we’re givin’ you the boot.  You’re Twilight’s family, after all.  Nothing is gonna change that, and I sure wouldn’t dream of tryin’ to.”  She put a hoof on Spike’s shoulder.  “In fact, if you ever feel like you need a bit more time to spend with Twilight, you just let me know, okay?”

“Are you sure? Because I wouldn’t want to-”

“Spike, it’s fine!” She chuckled. “If anypony is intrudin’, it’s me.  Honestly, I kinda like havin’ you around.  Like I said, you’re part of Twilight’s family, and I don’t mind gettin’ to know you better.  That’s part of why I like spendin’ time here, rather than always goin’ out.  That answer your question?”

“Yeah, that just about covers it.” He sat awkwardly at the table for a long, quiet moment. “So, are you sure you don’t want a snack or anything?”

“No, I’m-”

The library’s front door slammed open, and Twilight staggered through.  Her hooves dragged against the floor, like she didn’t have the strength to lift them.  Her mane was frazzled in a certain way that indicated that she had just been through the metaphorical wringer.  And furthermore, her entire body, especially her mane and tail, were covered with powdery, white blotches.  The bags under her eyes twitched.

“I. Hate. Powdered. Sugar!” She stomped both her front hooves, and despite having never been noted for her physical strength, it was hard enough to rattle the bookcases.

“T-Twilight, are you okay?!” Applejack asked with a start.

“Huh?” Twilight looked up, and her scowl immediately softened as she saw her visitor. “Oh, Applejack!  It’s uh… good to see you.”

Applejack sprang to her hooves. “What the hay happened?”  She leaned in and sniffed Twilight’s mane. “How’d you get that stuff all over you?”

Twilight sighed. “You know that thing where you try to open a bag of chips and it rips and goes everywhere?”

Applejack nodded sympathetically. “Yeah, I hate it when that happens.”

“Well, turns out that sugar bags can do the same thing.” She sighed again and rubbed her forehead, succeeding only in smearing the sugar around.  “It also turns out that sugar is pretty much impossible to clean.  I’m pretty sure Bon Bon’s floor is going to be sticky for the next month.”

“Yeah, and so is our floor if you keep moving around!” Spike pointed at the floor around Twilight’s hooves, which already had a sprinkling of sugar on it.  “Why don’t you go take a shower before you sugarcoat the whole house?”

Twilight craned her neck and looked up and down her flanks. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” She turned back to Applejack.  “Sorry about that.  I’d give you a hug, but I’d hate to get you messy too.”

“Eh, I don’t mind, I’m always covered with grime anyway.”

“True, but it’s not sticky.” Twilight shuddered. “Sticky is the worst kind of dirty.”

“Good point, I’ll settle for a kiss.” She pecked Twilight on the cheek, then licked the sugar off her lips. “Mmm.”

Spike snorted. “I swear, if you make some sort of ‘Oh, you’re even sweeter than usual!’ joke, I’m just going to keel over right now.”

Twilight glared at him. “Spike!”

“What? Someone was gonna say it!” He crossed his arms. “Might as well be me.”

Applejack laughed. “You should just be glad that you don’t have to listen to Mac and Cheerilee.  They can get a bit sappy sometimes.”

“I thought they only talked like that when they were under the effect of that love poison,” Twilight said as she trotted slowly towards the bathroom, being careful to dislodge as little sugar as possible.

“They don’t very often. The whole love poison thing is kind of a running joke for them now, I guess. Sometimes they go callin’ each other schmoopy-doo or whatever because they think it’s funny.” She tapped her chin as she thought it over. “Though I suspect sometimes they’re doin’ it just to mess with ponies.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me that Cheerilee would do that.  Your brother doesn’t seem like the type, though.”

“You wouldn’t think so, but he has a mischievous streak,” Applejack said. “He’s just real good at hiding it.”

“I see.  So, uh, what’s the occasion?” She gasped. “It wasn’t my turn to make lunch, was it? Did I forget?!”

“Nah, I just wanted to stop by and talk for a bit.” Applejack resumed her seat at the table, smirking at Twilight’s momentary anxiety. “I can wait till you’re out of the shower. Unless you’d rather I just come back later.”

“No, if you want to wait, that’s fine with me,” Twilight said with a sigh of relief. She stepped into the bathroom, the entrance to which was hidden in an alcove behind a bookcase.  “I won’t be long.  I’d hate to make you wait.”  She shut the door.

Applejack listened for a moment and heard the rush of water as the shower turned on.

Spike shrugged.  “Well, I’d love to hang around, but I have a bunch of books to get back on the shelves.”

“You need any help?”

“Nah, I got it.” Spike began to carry the stack of books towards his desk. He stopped mid-step, “Huh, usually I’m the one asking that.”

Applejack just smiled and let the dragon get on with his work.  She had to admit, she had been skeptical of his ability to manage the entire library on his own. Twilight had insisted that he was capable, but Applejack had suspected that affection was clouding her judgment.  But now it was evident that Twilight had been right.  In fact, the library looked even more organized than usual, probably because Spike actually bothered to put the books back when he was done with them.

Her eyes wandered slowly around the library, and she began to wonder what it was like to live in such a place.  It was basically the opposite of the farmhouse in nearly every way.  Her own home had been designed to be simple and practical, no frills needed.  It was made to be lived in.  The library wasn’t even a building, really. It had grown in its own way, according to tree logic.  And even when it had been transformed into a building, it was intended as a public service.  The living considerations were secondary.  There was little rhyme or reason; shelves lined part of the family room, and a line of uneven stairs curled around the wall, leading into another room that had more stairs and a platform inside it, and also a balcony.  It was a miracle that Twilight could cope with living in such a bizarrely organized space.

And yet, there was something unambiguously homey about it.  It had that vaguely comforting and relaxing quality that any place would eventually gain when someone had dwelled there long enough.  She couldn’t put her hoof on the specifics.  Maybe it was the pictures on the walls, or perhaps the faded scent of past meals.  Then there was the subtle disorganization: the doors left ajar, the clutter on the table that naturally grew when someone used it regularly, and the clothing cast over a chair rather than hung in a closet.  That was what made the place homey, not the shape of the building.

For the first time she began to feel truly at home.  Then she began to wonder if Twilight felt the same way about the farmhouse.

“Applejack!”  Twilight’s voice, muffled by the bathroom door, broke the silence. “Applejack, are you out there?”

“Yeah, I’m here!” she answered, stepping closer to the door. “What is it?”

“I left my towel out on the clothesline.  Can you go grab it for me, please?”

“Sure thing, Twi!” Applejack spun around and galloped out the door.  Then she realized that as far as she could see, there wasn’t any clothesline near the library.  She hung her head and sheepishly head back in.  “Uh, Twilight? Where is your clothesline?”

“Oh, it’s out on the balcony. Upstairs.  The breeze helps them dry faster, and I don’t have to worry about anypony stealing my clothes.”

“Apple Bloom only stole your stuff once, and she ended up gettin’ grounded for a month!  She’s not gonna do it again,” Applejack said indignantly.  “I’ll go grab your towel. Just hang on a sec.”

She trotted up the stairs and into Twilight’s… well, it couldn’t really be called a bedroom.  She sort of had that little nook at the top of the room where her bed was, but the room as a whole was too open, and too filled with other stuff to really be a bedroom.  Around Twilight’s desk there were stacks of books, both scholarly and literary, and some that blurred the distinction.  Owlowiscious was curled up on his perch, sleeping.  Then there was the massive bulletin board, covered with notes about the intricacies of magical theory that Applejack didn’t even pretend to understand, and half a dozen telescopes pointed out various windows.

She chided herself for the distraction and returned to the task at hoof.  The door to the balcony was open, a few towels and scarves swaying in the breeze.  Applejack plucked the largest towel off of the line and went back downstairs.  “I got it!” She knocked on the door.

“Great, bring it in.”

“Oka- wait, what?”

“Bring it in,” Twilight repeated, speaking slightly louder over the sound of the shower. “The door’s open.”

“O-okay,” Applejack mumbled.  Why she had a mild aversion for barging in, she didn’t know.  It wasn’t like a pony taking a shower was any degree of immodest or anything, but it had always struck her as a rather personal and private thing.  You didn’t take showers with somepony else unless there was a severe water shortage or you were trying to share an intimate moment.  And the former hadn’t happened in the hundreds of years since pegasi had taken over weather control.  The latter probably wasn’t what Twilight was intending, but it still felt a bit weird.

“Applejack! You there?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry!”  Applejack pushed the door open.  As she stepped into the steamy room, the noise of the shower ceased.  The shower curtain slid to the side, and Twilight stepped out.  Her mane and tail were plastered tightly against her neck and flank.  The slick sheen of moisture that covered her body accentuated the curves in a way that made Applejack wonder why Rarity didn’t use Twilight as a dress model more often.  “Here you go,” she said, her throat dry despite all the steam.

“Thanks!” Twilight telekinetically snatched the towel out of Applejack’s hoof and wrapped it around her head. “I didn’t want to track water all over the house.  Normally I’d have had Spike bring the laundry in, but I’m not used to showering so early in the day.”  She finished drying her mane, and began to work on her tail. “I hope I don’t have to deal with powdered sugar again for a while. I hate cleaning that stuff.”

“Y-yeah,” Applejack said, trying not to let her attention be drawn to the wrong end of Twilight’s body by the movement of the towel. “How’s the job going, anyway?”

“Oh, it’s going fine,” Twilight answered. “I actually know a thing or two about how to make chocolates.  In theory, anyway.  I’m not quite as good at actually doing it.  You’d think that pouring melted chocolate into a mold would be fairly easy.”

“Bon Bon’s lettin’ you do the chocolates now?  I thought she didn’t like anypony touching her stuff.”

“She doesn’t.” Twilight draped the towel over the shower rod and began to meticulously smooth out the wrinkles.  Applejack thought of how she treated her own towel; tossing them onto the rack and as long as they didn’t fall to the floor it was fine. “She just brings the stuff out front for Lyra and I to put together.” Twilight continued.  “Nothing fancy, just pouring it into molds or making almond bark or whatever.  It keeps us… well, Lyra at least, out of her hair while she works on the fancier stuff.”

“Yeah, that sounds like her.  I bet she gave you a real lecture about how to do it right, didn’t she?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”  Twilight finally let the towel hang.  “She must have gone on for half an hour about how important it was not to get hair in the chocolate.  She ended up making me wear three hairnets.”  She ran a brush through her mane a few times, trying to ensure that she got all the hairs in the right positions. “There we go!”

She turned around and strode out of the bathroom, shivering as she re-acclimated herself to the temperature in the library.   “You coming, Applejack? Or were you planning on taking a shower too?”

“Huh?  No.” Applejack snapped out of her thoughts about how little effort she put into her hair compared to Twilight.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Twilight asked, sitting at the table. “It must’ve been at least kind of important if you waited for me.”

“Well, nothing important important.” Applejack shrugged.  “It’s just, well, I’ve been thinkin’ a bit, and it came to me that it would be neat if you could spend a bit more time on the farm.”

“What?” Twilight examined Applejack’s face. “But I’m on the farm a lot.  I was just over there for lunch yesterday.”

“That’s not quite what I mean, Twilight.”  Applejack paused for a moment as she thought of the best way to say things. “I mean that I think my family would like to get to really know you a bit better.  I know you’re acquainted with Granny and Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom, but that’s just due to happenstance, you know?”

“Oh, I see,” Twilight said, rubbing her chin. “At least, I think I see.  It has been quite a while since I actually had a conversation with one of your family members.”

“Right,” Applejack nodded, happy that Twilight seemed to be amenable to the idea. “I mean, it doesn’t have to be anything major. Maybe next week you can come over for dinner with the family.  Just talk to everypony for a while.  You’ll have a great time.  You’re around the house so much you’re almost part of the family already!” Applejack bit her lip.  She might have overstated her point a bit.  She decided to dial it back a little. “Maybe I could talk to Cheerilee and she could come too.”

“That would be lovely,” Twilight said with a smile. Applejack resisted the temptation to sigh in relief.  “I can see what you mean,” Twilight continued. “I really should get to know your family better.” She grinned mischievously. “I’m sure they have all sorts of good stories about you.”

“Y-yeah, of course.” Applejack hadn’t considered that, but she considered an acceptable loss if it meant she’d be able to see how Twilight got along with her family.  If they ever did get married, in a hypothetical sense of course, Twilight would become part of the family.  It would be good to find out now if that would work out.  But for the time being, things were fine.

“Do you have any idea when you’d want to do it?” Twilight asked. “I want to check with Spike first.”

“That’s fine,” Applejack said. “I don’t really have much of an idea either, to tell you the truth.  I just thought it up now.  I’d have to make sure Granny knows.  Makes it easier when she knows somepony is coming to visit.  Though by the time you actually come she’ll probably have forgotten we were going to have company.”

“I guess you’ll just have to remind her, then,” Twilight said with a laugh.  “I’ll let you know as soon as I talk to Spike about it.  I doubt it’ll be a problem.  It’s not like he needs me around or anything.  He’ll probably be glad to have the place to himself.”

“Well, I’ll ask my family about it tonight, see what we can set up.  It can be tough getting everypony in the same place at the same time,” Applejack glanced at the clock. “Speakin’ of which, I should probably get goin’. I’m supposed to bring Big Macintosh some more bushels for the apple cart at the market.  I could swing by early and see what he thinks about bringin’ Cheerilee along.”

“Great.  I have some catching up to do on some magical analysis.” She smiled and gave Applejack the customary peck on the cheek.  “I’ll see you later, then?”

“Of course.  When I get home I’ll talk to Granny about that dinner and then come over here and let you know what’s up.”

“Sounds like a plan.  See you tonight!”

“Sure thing, Twilight. Have a real good day.”  She turned and stepped unconcernedly out the door.  They had long since passed those stages of awkward goodbyes.  She remembered, not very fondly, the days when she had been almost reluctant to leave without somehow reassuring both herself and Twilight that things were going just fine.  In retrospect the degree of uncertainty had been a bit ridiculous.

Twilight was thinking nearly the same thing.  She didn’t even have to sigh in relief now that she was alone.  In fact, she wasn’t even thinking about that at all.  She was thinking more about how convenient the situation was. She had wanted an opportunity to get a feel for the state of their relationship.  Even if Applejack didn’t see marriage on the horizon, the fact that she wanted to organize that sort of dinner… it was a good sign.  And she really did need to get to know Applejack’s family better.  She couldn’t think only of Applejack after all. If Applejack accepted the proposal, they’d certainly be affected.

Of course, before she did anything, she’d have to make sure Spike didn’t want her to be around for some reason.

“Spike?” she called.  “Spike, are you here?”  The only response she got was an echo.  Spike must have run on an errand.  Oh well, there was no hurry, and while he was gone, she could focus on her studying. But first she’d have to put her towel back on the clothesline.  It would dry a lot faster out there than it would in the foggy bathroom, and the last thing she needed was some sort of mold growing in the house.  She reached telekinetically for the doorhandle, but it didn’t move.

She rattled it to make sure that it was actually locked and not just jammed.  She looked down and saw the hint of fog at the edge of the door.  Her eyes narrowed and she rapped on the door. “Spike?  You aren’t taking another five hour bubble bath, are you?”  She pressed her ear to the door and heard a splash.  Then, after a long pause…

“No,” Spike’s voice said sheepishly.  “Not anymore, anyway.”

“Spike, you have to tell me when you’re going to take over the bathroom like that!  And you can’t keep using up all the hot water.  You’ve got half an hour, and no more, okay?”

“Fine,” he grumbled through the door.  He had assumed that Applejack would’ve kept Twilight occupied for a little longer.  He had rather expected that Twilight would cut his soak short, but he had hoped that he would’ve gotten at least an hour.  Still, he could enjoy what time Twilight was allotting him.  He closed his eyes and leaned back in the tub, submerging everything except for his face, which was entirely hidden except for his snout, which protruded out of the bubbles.

“Oh, Spike, I have a question!”

He grunted, lifted his head out of the tub, and tried not to sound surly.  “Yeah, what is it?”

“Applejack wanted me to have dinner with her family.  She wasn’t sure exactly when, but she thinks it’ll be either this week or next week.  Do you have anything coming up that you need me around for?”

Spike stared at the ceiling. “Nope, nothing comes to mind,” he said.

“You sure you don’t mind?  I’m sure she’d be fine with having you come along.”

“I think I’ll pass,” he answered. Now that Twilight spent so much time out of the house, he found that he was starting to get used to it.  It wasn’t like when they had first come to town, when he had followed her around everywhere and getting time to himself was the exception rather than the rule.

“Because if you want to come, I’m sure it wouldn't bother Applejack.”

“Really, it’s okay!” he said. “Just as long as you bring me some pie when you come back.”

“I think I can do that. And remember, you’ve only got half an hour!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbled, and sunk back into the bath.  Maybe if this dinner went well, Twilight would get the motivation she needed to make the leap.  After all, the only thing left that truly bothered her was the ambiguity of whether or not she could inextricably link her life with Applejack’s.  Meeting the family would probably go a long way in answering that question.

And then… Spike wasn’t quite sure what would happen after that.  Maybe he would get his own room.  Applejack would share a bed with Twilight, and obviously they wouldn’t want him in the room, too.  And it wasn’t like Applejack had a lot of stuff.  He wasn’t quite sure where he’d end up.  Maybe the basement.  Twilight would have to move a bunch of her junk out, though.  And some of it she might actually need.

He pondered for a moment how expensive an expansion to the library would be, then his thoughts wandered to the matter if expanding a tree in that manner were even possible.  Probably not, at least without a lot of trouble.

Maybe he could get his own place.  He could manage it. He was alone a lot of the time anyway.  Having a small apartment somewhere in town couldn’t be that big of a hassle.  Surely it wouldn’t be much tougher than cleaning the library on a regular basis.  It would be mildly inconvenient not to live in the library anymore, though, but the trade-off would be worth it.

Still, it would be kind of awkward to have Twilight and Applejack living in the library without working there, while he ran the place despite living somewhere else.  He shrugged to himself. Weirder things had happened.  Maybe he could even get bonus compensation for the commute.  That would be the ideal situation.  He began to think of his hypothetical bedroom and where he’d put his Power Ponies posters.

“Spike!”  There was a knock on the door. “Time to get out!”

“Wha?” He poked his head out of the tepid water and glanced at the clock. “Already?  I hate that,” he grumbled as he clamored out of the tub.  Something about the heat of the room had apparently slowed his thought processes to a crawl.  He dried himself off (a quick process without fur) and emerged from the bathroom.

“See, you didn’t need a five hour bath,” Twilight said as she retrieved her towel from the bathroom.  “If you need me for anything, I’ll be upstairs.  Oh, and if you happen across Star Swirl’s Annotated Alchemy Almanac, can you please bring it up to me?”

“Yeah, if I run into it I’ll toss it up,” Spike said. Then he yawned. Baths had a tendency to make him tired for some reason.

“Thanks.” Twilight disappeared into her room.  Spike grinned. It probably would be an hour or two before she emerged.  More than enough time to perfect his Crushed Topaz Chili.  He took a step towards the kitchen, but was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening.

“Hey, Spike!” said a chipper, familiar-but-not-too-familiar voice.

“Hi, Apple Bloom,” Spike said as he turned around.  “You looking for Applejack?”

“Nah. Well, yeah, I am, but first I gotta get a book from you.  Cheerilee gave us a science project.  We’ve been talkin’ about the laws of motion and momentum and stuff, so me, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle are goin’ to make a car and a ramp to launch it off of!”

“Oh, so you want a book about how to build a car?” Spike asked. “Yeah, we’ve got plenty of those.”

“No, I can figure that stuff out myself.  I need a book that says how to make an airbag!”

“An… airbag.” Spike nodded.  Considering the last time the Cutie Mark Crusaders had built something like this, an airbag was probably a good idea.  “Um, I might have something like that. Let me check.”  He shoved a ladder against one of the bookshelves and began to climb up.  “You have helmets, right?”

“Of course. If my sister found out I’d been ridin’ around with no helmet, she’d probably bonk my head herself.” Apple Bloom cocked her neck. “Have you seen her? I gotta find out if she has any wheels we can use.  We kinda busted up our old ones.”

“She was here like half an hour ago. I think she went back to your farm to get more apples for Big Macintosh.”  He ran his claw along the row of books, looking for something relevant.

“She was here to see Twilight, wasn’t she?” Apple Bloom asked. Spike thought he caught a hint of a grumble in her voice, but he wasn’t sure.

“Yeah.  She just dropped in to talk.”

“Should’ve known,” Apple Bloom said, this time clearly discontented.  “Sometimes I swear she spends as much time here as she does on Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Really? I haven’t seen her around quite that much.” Spike pulled a promising-looking tome off the shelf. “Nope, that’s about hot air balloons.”

“Okay, so maybe she hasn’t, but it sure feels like it!” Apple Bloom snorted. “I mean, we still spend plenty of time together, but it used to be that whenever I needed her for somethin’ she’d always be hangin’ around the farm.  Now it’s like she’s always off with Twilight doin’ stuff.  And even when she is around, Twilight’s there too. Not that that’s bad.  It’s great that they’re happy and all, but it just feels… different.”

“Different, huh?” Spike coughed as he pulled out another book, this one bringing a lot of dust with it.  “It’s been pretty different around here, too.  Twilight’s out a lot more than she used to be.” His eyes darted towards the top of the stairs to make sure Twilight wasn’t at the door. “It’s nice sometimes, honestly.”

“You mean you don’t like having Twilight around?”

“What?! No!” Spike shook his head so violently he almost fell off of the ladder.  “I just like having some time to myself where I can do my own thing rather than having to help with whatever she’s doing.  Just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s bad.”

“Yeah, I know that,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s just weird seeing Applejack away from Sweet Apple Acres so often.”

“I know what you mean,” Spike muttered as he perused another shelf.  “Twilight used to always be in here, glued to a book.  At least Applejack got her out of the house.  Oh, here we go!”  He dusted off the cover of a book titled Pushcart Safety Manual.  “There should be something about airbags in here.” He began to climb down.  “It really is pretty strange when you think about it.  I mean, Twilight is spending time on Sweet Apple Acres…”

“And Applejack is spendin’ a bunch of time here!” Apple Bloom nodded.  “It is pretty funny, almost like they’re tradin’ chunks of their lives or somethin’.”

“Yeah, I guess you could put it like that.” Spike shrugged.  “Makes sense, though.  I guess relationships have a way of doing that.”

“At least they aren’t as bad as Big Macintosh and Cheerilee were when we accidently gave them that love poison,” Apple Bloom shuddered. “I don’t think I could take listenin’ my sister callin’ Twilight ‘squoogly woogly’ or whatever.”

“Ew,” Spike wrinkled his nose. “Way to look on the bright side.” He hopped up onto his stool and grabbed a stamp off of his desk.  “Okay, you need to bring the book back within a week.  If you need it for longer, come in and get an extension.”  He stamped the inside cover and put the book in Apple Bloom’s saddlebag.  “Anything else?”

“No, that’s it.”  Apple Bloom pursed her lips as she tried to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. “You wouldn’t happen to have a saw we could use, do you?”

“No.” Spike didn’t know whether they had a saw or not, but he wasn’t about to give them one.

“Alright, I’ll see you later, then.  Thanks for the book.”

“You’re welcome,” Spike answered.  “But this time, if you attach rockets to the back of the cart, make sure that it’s pointed away from Ponyville.”

Apple Bloom sniffed. “Y’all are never gonna let us forget that, are you?”

“Well, I don’t think Rarity is ever going to forget a pushcart barreling through her window.”

“Good point.” Apple Bloom had tried to explain many times that it was Sweetie Belle who had chosen the location, but apparently nopony cared about that.  This time she was going to pick the place herself.  “See you later, Spike.”

“Bye.”

She returned his wave and walked out the door. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were still out gathering materials, most likely.  She still had like half an hour to kill before they’d show up at the clubhouse.  Scootaloo would get distracted by running laps around the town on her scooter, likely while towing a full cord of wood behind her.  Then she’d get in trouble for nearly running somepony over.  Sweetie Belle would probably get distracted by… pretty much anything, really.

That wasn’t a problem. It just meant that she could look over the airbag design before they arrived to get in her way.  And maybe scout out some of the supplies she’d need to build it.  As she neared the farm, a thought came to mind.  Maybe it would actually work in her favor that Applejack wasn’t around the farm as much. It gave her more chances to sneak materials out of the maintenance shed.  Spike was right. Sometimes change could be good.

As if on cue, Applejack trotted down the path from the house, waving as she came closer.  “Hey, Apple Bloom!”

“Hey, sis!” Apple Bloom said.  She’d have to leave the scavenging for later.  “What’s up?”

“I was just lookin’ for you,” Applejack answered.  “I just wanted to let you know that next Tuesday, we’re gonna have a big family dinner, and both Twilight and Cheerilee are gonna be there.”

“R-really?” Apple Bloom asked with a mix excitement and surprise.

“I thought that it would be nice for Twilight to get to know the family a bit better.” Her voice suddenly grew concerned.  “You don’t mind, do you?  I know I’ve been spendin’ a lot of time with Twilight lately…”

“Nah, it’s fine.  I like Twilight,” Apple Bloom smiled. “Maybe she can help us with our project!”

“Don’t you go draggin’ my very special somepony into your schemin’!” Applejack said with a chuckle.  “She might be able to help you with your homework, though.  She’s way better at math than I am.”

“That would be good, I guess.”

“So you really don’t mind it?”

“Not really.  It’ll just take some gettin’ used to, I guess.” Apple Bloom shrugged. “Although what’s really gonna be weird is havin’ Miss Cheerilee around. I mean, I know that she and Big Macintosh are a couple, but they’re not quite so… obvious about it, you know?”

“I think it’ll be good for you to spend a bit of time around Cheerilee when she’s not bein’ your teacher.” Applejack ruffled Apple Bloom’s mane.  “Remember how shocked you were when you realized that she didn’t actually live at the school?”

“Ha ha, really funny,” Apple Bloom snorted.

“So, what are you doin’ this afternoon?”  Applejack eyed Apple Bloom’s bag.  “Not gettin’ up to any mischief, are you?”

“We’re doin’ a school project,” Apple Bloom answered with a grin. “We’re studyin’ psychics!”

“Psychics, huh?  You sure you don’t mean ‘physics’?”  She frowned.  “You aren’t gonna try to read my mind, are you?”

“Of course not!” Apple Bloom gave her sister a suspicious glance.  “You aren’t hidin’ somethin’, are you?  Something you don’t want me pokin’ at?”

“No, it’s because I don’t want you pokin’ around inside my head. Might make me go nuts.”  She scratched her head. “Or at least more nuts than you usually make me.”  She refocused her attention on Apple Bloom’s bag.  “So, physics, huh?  You aren’t buildin’ another catapult, are you?”

“Nope!” Apple Bloom said, truthfully.  “We learned our lesson after that incident with the rocket. Miss Cheerilee says that we’re not allowed to do any projects involving catapults.” She thought for a moment. “Would it be cheatin’ if Twilight helps with it?”

“Well, you’d have to ask your teacher about that,” Applejack shrugged.  “I wouldn’t think so, if she’s just helpin’ rather than doin’ the work for you.  You can ask them both when they come over, okay?  Who knows, if Twilight hangs around more, she might be able to help you out with all that stuff.  She loves talkin’ about it.  Well, you better get back to work on your project.  You’re doin’ better, but I still think you could bump your grades up a notch.”

“Yeah, I should probably get on that.” Apple Bloom nodded. “I’m supposed to be meetin’ the others soon anyway, so I’m gonna head to the clubhouse.  I’ll be back for dinner.”  She turned and began to trot through the field toward the clubhouse.

“Just so long as nothin’ busts through any windows!” Applejack called after her.  She watched as Apple Bloom disappeared into the trees.  They were probably planning something, but at this point she really didn’t want to know.  Her mind was occupied with other things.  Like what type of conversation might come up next Tuesday.  What topics would be suitable to discuss with Cheerilee and Twilight that wouldn’t utterly go over the heads of everyone else except Big Macintosh?

She shook her head.  Twilight was really starting to rub off on her.  Nopony else would try to plan out a whole conversation in advance.  And there was really no reason to.  The whole reason that she wanted Twilight to come over was to see whether or not she got along with the family.  Or rather to see how well she got along with them.  She knew Twilight, and she knew her family; there was no danger of a fight or anything.  The real question was simply how much of an odd pony out Twilight would be.

Needless to say, Twilight was not a farm pony, no matter how much Applejack might have rubbed off on her.  It would doubtlessly make for some interesting conversation, however it went.  Applejack smiled.  That might be her favorite part of the relationship.  Besides Twilight herself, of course.  But part of what made her so great was that she was so unlike the family.  With Big Macintosh, with Granny, with Apple Bloom… Applejack always knew what she was getting.  They saw the world the same way.  Twilight… her brain worked in a completely different manner.   Even after years of friendship, every conversation still seemed to have a bit of newness to it.

She turned back towards the house.  Unlike the barn, the house had stood for years.  Of the whole family, only Granny could remember the days before it was built.  It was every bit as much of a constant presence as her family itself.  Another thought shoved itself into her head: Twilight being a part of the family that had dwelled there for generations.  It was an odd image, Twilight’s fresh perspective inserted into years of tradition.  Applejack didn’t know quite what that would look like.  She had come to know that she herself was fully compatible with Twilight, but what about the other ponies in her life besides their mutual friends?

She shook her head again.  If this was how Twilight felt all the time, it was no wonder she was so stressed.  Well, Applejack wouldn’t let herself get caught in that.  There was nothing she could do about how things would work out, so she wasn’t about to worry over it.  Whatever happened would happen.  At the very least, she would finally be able to put to rest that question that had been festering in her mind all day.

Marriage. She still couldn’t help but think of it.  It was still far off on the horizon of course.  Just something that might happen.  But now that she thought about it, next Tuesday might push it over the edge, from something that might happen to something that would, if only far down the line.  Next Tuesday couldn’t come quickly enough.

Elegy III: Change

This should do it.  If there’s anything that’s going to tell me whether or not Applejack might be ready to make things permanent, this is it.  Wait, no, I shouldn’t get my hopes up.  It might not be that easy to figure everything out.  I have to be realistic about this.  And I don’t want to mess up dinner, either.  Forget the analyzing; it hasn’t helped me much and it’ll just make me uncomfortable.  I need to focus on just having a nice dinner with Applejack and her family.

Although thy hand and faith, and good works too,

Have seal'd thy love which nothing should undo,

Yea though thou fall back, that apostasy

Confirm thy love; yet much, much I fear thee.

Women are like the Arts, forc'd unto none,

--Elegy III: Change,

John Donne

“Do I look okay, Spike?”

Spike looked up from his comic.  Twilight had just emerged from the bathroom after spending the past twenty minutes standing in front of the mirror with a comb and jumbo-size bottle of hairspray.

“You look exactly the same as you always do,” he said.  “How can you spend so long doing your hair without actually doing anything?”

“Perfect!” Twilight smiled.

“Huh?”  Spike furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about?  You want to look the same as always?”

“Of course,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “It would be disrespectful to look too disheveled, but I don’t want to be too made up either because it’s such an informal dinner.”

“So, in other words, you could have just saved some time and not bothered with your mane?”

Twilight frowned, then sighed. “Yeah.  I’m overthinking again, aren’t I?”

“Just a little,” Spike rolled his eyes and returned to reading his comic.  Humdrum had just received superpowers as the result of a magic rock from space, and Spike wanted to see what he did before some plot device returned him to normal.   “I put your salad in the fridge so it wouldn’t wilt while you were… doing nothing with your mane.”

“Thanks, Spike.” Twilight playfully ruffled his spines. “Are you sure you don’t want to come along?”

“Are you kidding? I have my evening all planned out already.”

“Do you, now?” Twilight said, trying and failing not to let her skepticism show.

“Yeah!” Spike nodded. “I mean, yeah, the plan consists of ‘Eat lots of chili, then eat lots of ice cream, then read comic books until I fall asleep,’ but it’s still a plan.”

“I guess it is. Technically.” Twilight allowed a bit of mild concern into her voice. “But not too much ice cream, okay?  Remember what happened last time you ate so much at once?”

“Yeah, because you never let me forget it.”  Spike stood up and gave her a shove toward the door. “Now get going!  You don’t want to be late!”

“Wait, I have to get my salad!”

Spike groaned. “What do you need a salad for?  I thought Applejack said you didn’t have to bring anything. It’s not like it’s a potluck or anything.”

“I know,” Twilight said as she went into the kitchen.  “I just wanted to do something nice for them.  Cheerilee said that she’s bringing a dessert.”

“Why?” Spike asked. “Applejack makes like the best pie ever!  Why would she need to bring a dessert?!”

“That’s what I said.” Twilight emerged from the kitchen, balancing a large bowl on her back. “Her argument was that apple pie doesn’t have chocolate in it, and therefore it isn’t a dessert, no matter how good it is.”

“Can’t argue with that logic, I guess,” Spike conceded.  “Well, have a good time. Tell everypony I said hello.”

“Of course, Spike.  I’ll see you tonight.  If you’re still awake when I get back, of course. Don’t wait up.”

“Oh, I won’t,” he answered. “Have a good time.”

Twilight nodded. “I’m pretty sure I will.”

“Apple Bloom, finish puttin’ out all the place settings!  Granny, you check on the casserole.  I’ll finish slicin’ the bread!”

Everything had been planned out perfectly.  The entire prep for the dinner had been organized so efficiently that Twilight would have been proud.  Well, apart from the tremendous oversight that Big Macintosh couldn’t be in two places at once, as he was slotted to both manage the stove and to go pick up Cheerilee.  Naturally, when forced to choose between the two, he had gone with his marefriend.

“Why’d Big Mac have to go get Miss Cheerilee?” Apple Bloom asked as she stumbled towards the table, precariously balancing a stack of plates on top of her head.  “She knows where we live!  She can find her own way.”

“He’s just bein’ polite, Apple Bloom.”  Applejack sniffed at the loaf of bread before plucking a knife out of the holder and beginning to slice.

“Then why aren’t you goin’ to pick up Twilight?  You aren’t bein’ unpolite are you?”

“First off it’s ‘impolite’,” Applejack said, leaving the knife halfway through the loaf.  “Second, she told me not to bother because she wanted me to be able to help out with the food.  If both me and Mac were out, it would mean that you and Granny would have to do everything yourself.  And somethin’ tells me that that wouldn’t end well, would it?”

“Darn tootin’!” Granny said with a nod, only half listening to what her granddaughters were talking about.  She set the casserole on the counter and sniffed it. “Needs a bit more salt.”  She pawed around the various bottles on the spice rack, nabbing one labeled “Black Tartarus Pepper”.  As she popped the cap off, a wisp of smoke hissed from the holes.  “Here we go!”

“Whoa there, Granny.”  Applejack snatched the bottle out of Granny’s grip and replaced it with a saltshaker.  “We don’t want anypony breathin’ flames at the table.  You really oughta get some glasses.”  She stuck the pepper bottle back in the rack. “Dunno why we even have that around here.”  She turned back to Apple Bloom, who now had a stack of cups on her head.  Applejack steadied the wobbling tower of glasses.  “Good thing I decided to stick around.”

“Yeah, that’s probably good,” Apple Bloom admitted as she carefully set the cups down.  “Why didn’t Big Mac hang around?”

“‘Cause Twilight already said it was okay to stay here.  Saves Big Macintosh the trouble of havin’ to ask Cheerilee about it.  Besides, now he owes me a favor. Not a real big favor, but I’ll take it.”

She snatched the casserole away from Granny and set it on the table.  Everything seemed to be in order.  There was no reason to try and impress Twilight of course, but Apple Family Dinners tended to run the gamut from “pleasant” to “unmitigated disaster”, and she’d rather not have Twilight’s first impression be on the latter end of the spectrum.  She just had to hope that Granny hadn’t tried to “season” any more dishes.

“What time is everypony supposed to get here, anyway?” Apple Bloom said, her question emphasized by a convenient rumble of her stomach. “I’m hungry!”

“I told Twilight to come right at six o’clock,” she glanced at the clock, which was at 5:46.  “Which means that she’ll probably show up right about…”  she paused, half expecting a perfectly timed knock on the door.  There wasn’t one. “Huh, I would’ve thought that she’d be here by now. She’s always showin’ up early to everything.”

“Maybe she forgot.”

“Ha! I don’t think so! Though if she did she’s never gonna hear the end of—” Then the knock came. “Ah, I bet that’s her!”

“I’ll get the door!” Granny announced, and began to trot towards the door with the swiftness of a partially-asleep slug.

Twilight knocked again and called, “Hello? Applejack? Anypony there?”

“Just a sec, Twi!” Applejack called. She took the opportunity to glance over the food on the counter to make sure Granny hadn’t dropped her teeth into anything.

Granny finally reached the door and opened it with an agonizing slowness.  “Come on in, dearie!” she said, shuffling to the side to let Twilight through.

“Hey, Twilight!”  Apple Bloom bounced towards her, but Applejack pinned her tail to the floor with a hoof.

“No jumpin’ on her!” Applejack said, noting the large bowl of salad Twilight was carrying.  “Good to see you, Twi.  That is a way bigger salad than I was expectin’.”

“I just wanted to make sure I had enough for everypony,” Twilight said as she put the giant bowl on the table.  “Better too much than not enough.  You can keep the leftovers.”

“Oh, we’re not gonna have leftovers,” Apple Bloom said. “Not if both Applejack and Big Macintosh are eatin’ on it!”  She poked her head over the edge of the table. “Matter of fact, you maybe shoulda brought more.”

“We’ll be fine, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said as she shoved her sister aside so she could get to Twilight. “Though Big Macintosh does go a bit overboard sometimes. You know you’re technically not supposed to show up for like ten more minutes, right?”

“I know, but if I left now, I’d probably run into Pinkie on my way over, and not get here until a quarter after.” She grinned. “Besides, I’m hungry.”

“Aren’t we all?” Applejack said. “As soon as Big Macintosh and Cheerilee get back, we’ll be able to get started.”

“Oh, they were right behind me.  They should get here any—”

“Knock knock!” said Cheerilee’s voice from the other side of the door, which was still partially open.  “We’re here!”

“I’ll get it!” Apple Bloom bounded over Applejack’s back and threw the door open so hard that it slammed against the wall, rattling the pots and Granny Smith’s teeth.  “Hey, Miss Cheerilee!”

“Good evening, Apple Bloom,” Cheerilee said, patting her on the head.  “It’s so good to see you all!”  She held up a large wrapped platter. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought a plate of brownies.”

“Oh, not at all.  Can’t have apple pie all the time.” Applejack winked. “Only most of the time. Why don’t you put it on the counter?”  She glanced at the clock. “Okay, it’s a bit early, but what do you say we dig in?  No reason to kill any more time.”

Big Macintosh nodded emphatically. “Eeyup.”

“That settles it!” Granny announced. “Everypony sit down and we’ll dig in!”

Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.  Just when she thought she had gotten to the point where all the metaphorical wrinkles were worked out of the relationship, some little goofy thing would pop up and remind her that she didn’t have the matter quite as firmly in hoof as she thought.  Of all the complications that could have cropped up, confusion over the seating was the last thing on her mind.

Growing up, the seating pattern had simply been to take whatever spot was closest to you when somepony rang the dinner bell.  For special occasions, like a family reunion, you might make an effort to sit next to somepony that would make for interesting conversation, but past that you didn’t really put any effort into it.

Then there was Twilight’s version.

Apparently somepony way back when had come up with an official set of rules to determine who sat where, starting with the head of the household being the one at the head of the table. That rule made sense, but everything after that seemed a bit arbitrary.  Apparently there was supposed to be a certain order of seating. Applejack couldn’t make heads or tails of it aside from that Big Macintosh was technically supposed to be seated last.

It wasn’t just a quirk of Twilight’s imagination, either; Cheerilee seemed to have some idea of what they were talking about. Of course, there seemed to be some subtle differences, such as whether a pony was supposed to sit next to, or across from, their significant other.  Twilight was quite adamant that couples should be seated across from each other, while Cheerilee insisted that they ought to be side-by-side.  Eventually everyone else had decided that it didn’t really matter either way, and they ended up going with the Apple Family sit-in-the-closest-chair system.  Twilight, naturally ended up across from Cheerilee, and next to Applejack.

The conversation had started off rather simply.  Between requests to pass the whatever, it had been mostly small talk of the “how about this weather?” and “what did you do today?” and “how’s the casserole?” variety.  Which was fine with Applejack.  It meant she didn’t have to listen too closely and could focus on her food.  In fact, she was so focused that it wasn’t until her third helping of casserole that she realized that everyone else had switched their focus to the conversation.

“... and then it exploded because we over-pressurized the air tank,” Apple Bloom was saying.  “So after that, Applejack said that she had vepo power over every project from now on.”

“Vepo power?” Cheerilee cocked her head to the side.  “What’s a vepo?”

“I think she means ‘veto power’,” Twilight explained.  “And I can’t say I blame her. Apparently one of the cart’s axles got driven through one of the barn’s support beams.”

Big Macintosh nodded. “There’s a wheel stuck in the door, too.”

“Oh my,” Cheerilee said, her eyes wide.  “Were any of you hurt?”

“Nah, we were fine,” Apple Bloom said. “Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were hidin’ behind a rock, and I had a helmet on.  I mean, maybe we shoulda done it farther from the barn, but we were fine!”

“Apple Bloom, if a piece of debris can get stuck in the barn wall, it can go through your helmet,” Cheerilee tried to sound more like a concerned parent and less like a stern teacher. “What would’ve happened if it had hit you in the face?”

“I’d...uh…” She frowned. “I’d need a new face, I guess.”

“Well, you can’t get one. You need to take care of the one you’ve got,” Big Macintosh added between bites of dinner roll.

“I was fine!” Apple Bloom grumbled. “I knew what I was doin’!  I had a book and everything!”

“A book, huh?” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Have you ever used an air compressor before?”

“...No.”

“Then I hardly think you qualify as knowing what you’re doing,” Cheerilee said. “While it’s admirable that you want to try new things, you really do need to consider getting some sort of supervision when you do something that’s potentially dangerous.”

“Yeah, well, where am I supposed to find somepony who could do that?  Big Macintosh and Applejack are usually too busy to do that stuff.”

Applejack watched Twilight tap her chin with her hoof. “I suppose that if you let me know ahead of time, I could help out,” Twilight offered. “Ever since Spike took over the library, I’ve had a bit more free time, even with the job at Bon Bon’s shop.”

Applejack decided that now was a good time to try to actually join the conversation.

“You’d really do that, Twilight?  That would be great.” She paused. “Wait, since when do you know anything about makin’ an airbag?”

Twilight chuckled. “I might not have specifically done that, but I know the proper protocol for experimenting in a risk-free manner.”

“Oh.” Apple Bloom stared at her. “What does that mean?”

“It means that she knows how be safe when you’re tryin’ something new,” Applejack said. “Which means not hookin’ an industrial strength air compressor to an old canister and turnin’ it up as high as it goes.”

“I still don’t understand where they got an industrial strength air compressor,” Cheerilee said, shaking her head.

“Same place they got that industrial strength dryin’ machine,” Applejack said wearily.  Then she turned to her sister. “I thought I told you that you weren’t allowed to order stuff outta that Farm Machinery catalogue without askin’.”

“I didn’t order it from the catalogue!” Apple Bloom protested.  “Big Macintosh wouldn’t let me have it, so I got one secondhoof from the flea market!”

Big Macintosh nodded in confirmation.  “Eeyup.  They wanted to get welding stuff, too.”

Applejack stared at her sister.

“What?” Apple Bloom smiled guiltily. “How am I supposed to make a solid frame for the car without bein’ able to weld?”

“You ask somepony else to do it!” Applejack said in exasperation.  “I don’t want you settin’ your mane of fire or burnin’ the barn down or something!”  This wasn’t the kind of impression that she wanted her family to make on Twilight.  Though on the other hoof, it was pretty indicative of a typical Apple Family Dinner.

Twilight sensed Applejack’s momentary discomfort, and began to push things away from Apple Bloom’s misbehavior. “So, Apple Bloom, would you like it if I helped you out with your science project?  If Cheerilee is okay with it, of course.”

“I don’t mind as long as they do the work themselves,” Cheerilee said.  “And I’m sure there’s no danger of them pawning their work off on you.”

Applejack chuckled. “If anything she’ll probably try to make ‘em learn even more stuff.  That sound like a plan, Apple Bloom?”

“Yeah, that would be cool.” She glanced at Twilight with narrowed eyes. “Just as long as Twilight doesn’t start lecturing us about somethin’ boring.”

“Very funny!” Twilight frowned as all the Apple Family members started chuckling. “All I’ll do is make sure you stay on the right track. Mostly.  Sound like a plan?”

“I think that’ll work real well, Twilight.” Applejack put a foreleg around her. “Thanks for helpin’ my sister out.”

“It’s no problem at all.  It’s almost as if Apple Bloom was my little sister.”

Big Macintosh nodded. “Eeyup.”

“Awww.” Cheerilee smiled, then turned to Big Macintosh. “Isn’t that adorable?”

He shrugged. “I guess so.”

Apple Bloom groaned. “You two aren’t gonna get all sappy, are you?”

At the end of the table Granny Smith blinked a few times. “What’s this about welding, now?”

“Uggghhh…” Spike began to sit up and stopped halfway, as his stomach was in the way.  “That was such a bad idea.”  He flopped back onto his pillow.  The plan was that the spiciness of the chili would be offset by the dairy content of the ice cream.  That part had gone flawlessly.  Unfortunately, he hadn’t accounted for the volume, and currently it felt not unlike a ball and chain attached to his gut rather than his leg.  At least he had all evening to digest.  As long as he didn’t move much, it didn’t feel too uncomfortable.

Then there was a knock on the door. He groaned again, hoping that they would go away on their own.  The library’s hours of operation were clearly posted next to the door.  Yet there was more knocking.

“The library is closed!” he called. “Please come back tomorrow.”

“Spike, is that you?”  The voice was familiar.  Very familiar. “Could you open the door, please?”

“Sure thing, Rarity!” he yelled, springing to his feet despite the full stomach. “Uh… just a minute!” He waddled over to the table, where his entire chili pot, now half-empty, sat in the midst of a bunch of empty bowls and cracker crumbs.  He feverishly grabbed a napkin and tried to shove all the crumbs together.  With his other claw he started to stack the bowls.  He had to try to make the place look at least a little neat.

He paused for second to straighten his spines, and answered the door.

“Good evening, Rarity.  What can I do for you?”

“Good evening, Spike? I just came by to drop this off.” She held up a clothing bag. “It’s that dress that Twilight wanted me to mend for her.” She glanced around the library. “Say, where is Twilight?”

“She’s at Applejack’s. Having dinner with the Apple family and Cheerilee.”

“Oh, and you weren’t invited?”

“I was invited!” Spike said. He puffed up his chest, and only succeeded in making himself look a bit chubbier.  “I decided to stay here so I’d have some time to myself.  And so I wouldn’t get in their way, of course.”

“Well, that was very thoughtful of you, Spike.” She patted him gently on the head.

He smiled contentedly. “I do what I can.”

“So where do you want me to leave this dress?” Rarity held up the bag again.

“Twilight said I could leave it in her room.” Spike reached out a claw to take it.

“Um, would you mind if I took it up myself?”  Rarity’s eyes darted up and down the length of the dress.  “I don’t mean to… besmirch you, but I don’t think you would be able to carry it up the stairs without dragging it on the floor.  And I’d rather not fold it, either.  It would wrinkle things horribly.”

“Ah, right.” Spike nodded.  He didn’t see what the big deal was about a few wrinkles, but if Rarity wanted to do it herself, he wasn’t going to get in her way.  A gentlecolt… or gentledragon, rather, would give the lady the benefit of the doubt in her area of expertise. “You can leave it on her bed, then.  Is there anything I can get you? Tea?”

“No thank you,” Rarity said as she started up the stairs to Twilight’s room. “I just finished eating and I am quite full.”

“Well, if you want anything, let me know!”  As Rarity vanished upstairs, Spike groaned.  Of course she would show up just as he had finished gorging himself.  This probably wasn’t quite what Twilight had meant when she told him not to overeat, but she still turned out to have been right.

“Gah!” Rarity’s voice echoed through the library.  Spike ran to the stairs.  Rarity had presumably come across a spider or rat or other manner of vermin and it would be Spike’s job to rescue her.  Granted, her exclamation had been more of surprise than terror, but Spike wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.  He burst into Twilight’s room in the most triumphant pose he could manage with his overly-stuffed body.

“Are you alright, Rarity?!” he gasped.

“Oh, I’m fine, Spike!” she exclaimed, a wide smile on her face.  “Why didn’t you tell me that Twilight was looking at bridal magazines?”

“Bridle magazines?” Spike swallowed nervously. “Uh… I didn’t know about that, myself.  And honestly, I don’t want to.  I mean, if Twilight’s into that stuff, fine, but I’d rather not have to hear about it.”

“Huh?” Rarity stared at him, confused.  Then the realization struck. “Oh.  Not that kind of bridle, Spike.  I’m talking about the other kind of bridal magazine.  You know, the kind that has to do with brides?”  She held up the magazine, the cover of which featured a lanky pegasus sporting a frilly white gown.

“Y-yeah, of course!”  Spike mumbled, trying to act as if the other type of bridle had never crossed his mind.

“So, what’s the story behind these?”  Rarity gestured at the stack of magazines next to the bed.  “She must be seriously considering marriage, if these are any indication.” She opened one of the magazines, and noted the circles around pictures and notes in the margins. “Twilight never writes in her books, even magazines.”

“I, uh… I guess she might be thinking about it,” he said.  He tried to sound uncertain.  Twilight would let him have it if he spilled the beans now, but a flat denial would probably go just as far as confirming Rarity’s decision.  “I mean, they’ve been going out for a while now.”

“You don’t need to play dumb, Spike,” Rarity rolled her eyes. “If Twilight was making the least bit of effort to hide these from you, I doubt she would have left them lying around.  And then there’s this note she wrote to herself reminding to tell you to pick up the most recent catalogue from the local jewelry store.”

“Oh, right.”

“So she is planning on proposing, then?”

Spike decided that the jig was up. “Yeah, she is. You can’t tell anypony, though! She wants to keep it a surprise.”

“She wouldn’t even tell me?” Rarity gasped in mock surprise.  “Why would she try to keep such a thing a secret?!”

“I… I shouldn’t talk about this.  You should ask her yourself.”

“Don’t worry about it, Spike.” She leaned forward, putting her hoof gently under Spike’s chin and raising his head so that he looked right into her eyes. “You can tell me.”

“She was afraid that you’d go crazy and try to plan out everything for her!” Spike stuffed a claw into his mouth to stop the words, but it was too late.

“Oh, Spike!” Rarity guffawed raucously, wagging her hoof at him. “I would never dream of intruding on Twilight’s life in that manner!”

“Whew!” Spike drew his claw across his forehead.

“I mean, I certainly have some suggestions for how she ought to go about popping the question, and I’ll have to make a nice dress for the occasion, and take the time to ensure that the setting is just—”

“Ahem!” Spike cleared his throat. Loudly.

Rarity’s eyes shifted back and forth as she flicked the curl of her mane, and began to follow Spike back downstairs.  “I suppose I’ll have to talk to her myself about it.  Do you know when she’ll be back?”

“No idea.  She told me not to wait up for her.”

“Leaving things open-ended, I see.  Well, I’ll just have to drop by tomorrow, then.  If you’re still awake when she returns, you will let her know that I want to see her, won’t you?  And let her know that I have no intent of telling anyone about her plans. I only want to help.”

He nodded. “Of course.  I’m sure she’ll really appreciate it.”

“Wonderful.  I suppose I should let you get back to” —Rarity glanced at the pile of dinner paraphernalia on the table— “whatever it was you were doing.” She yawned as she opened the front door. “And by the way, I love what you’ve done with the library. Very organized.”

“Thank you!” The young dragon’s eyes gleamed.

“You’re welcome.  Have a lovely evening, Spike.”

“Goodnight, Rarity,” he answered as he watched the door close behind her.  As soon as she vanished, he smacked himself in the forehead. “Oh that was brilliant.  ‘Pig out! It’s fine, Twilight isn’t here!’  Of course Rarity would come by now.”  He sighed and resettled himself with his comic.  “I sure hope Twilight won’t get too mad that Rarity knows what she’s planning.”  Then he shrugged. “Eh, nothing I can do about it now.  I just hope Twilight is gonna be in a good mood when she gets home.”

“So then, Big Macintosh sticks his head in the hole to see if he can see the ball, and he gets stuck!”  Applejack said, grinning ear to ear.  Twilight, Cheerilee, and Apple Bloom broke into giggles, while Big Macintosh just snorted.  Granny Smith also snorted, because she had nodded off.  “And guess what he did see in there?”

“I don’t know, but I’m guessing it’s not pleasant,” Twilight answered with a laugh.  In the past hour or so she had learned more about the Apple Family than she had in all her years living in Ponyville.  She never would’ve guessed that Applejack had been a member of the filly scouts. She didn’t seem like the type.

“It wasn’t… a skunk, was it?” The grin on Cheerilee’s face hinted that she hoped that it was.

“It sure was!” Apple Bloom added.  “It sprayed him right in the face!”

“Hey!”  Applejack gave her sister a playful shove. “I thought I was the one tellin’ the story. You were just a baby when that happened.” She turned back to the rest of the group. “But yeah, there was a whole family of skunks in there.  He stank like a trash heap for like three days.  The first night was so bad he had to sleep in the barn.  We had to give him four tomato juice baths before it started to come off.”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh said with a nod. “We used to tell Apple Bloom that my coat used to be yellow, but all the tomato juice turned me red.  She believed that for years.”

“I did not!” Apple Bloom crossed her forelegs and scowled.  “Well, maybe when I was a baby or somethin’.”

Applejack poked her in the side. “Don’t be lyin’, Apple Bloom, you didn’t realize that we were pullin’ your leg until last year.”

“Hey!” Apple Bloom grumbled.

“Don’t worry, Apple Bloom,” Cheerilee said. “I was even older than you were when I realized that my grandfather didn’t really serve under Commander Hurricane.  You’d have thought the fact that he was an earth pony would have tipped me off.  Everypony has those moments.”

“Hmph,” Apple Bloom snorted.  “Well, while we’re tellin’ embarrassin’ stories, why don’t I tell Applejack how Big Mac sneaked away from the orchard and into the school while we were havin’ recess?”

“You what?”  Applejack glared at her brother. “Is that the real reason you didn’t finish spreading the fertilizer last week?”

“Uh…” Big Macintosh bit his lip. He also might have blushed a bit, but it blended too much with his regular color to be sure. “Uh, does anypony want to play a game?  How about Apples to Apples?”

“Wait just a sec!” Applejack said. “Don’t go—”

“That sounds like fun!” Cheerilee interrupted, an awkward grin on her face. “I haven’t played Apples to Apples in ages!”

“I’ll go get it, then!” Big Macintosh hurriedly trundled out of the room.

Applejack shook her head. “I hope he realizes that I’m goin’ to give him a piece of my mind later," she mumbled.

“Oh, you shouldn’t be so hard on him,” Cheerilee said with a chuckle.  She took a sip of her cider.  “I had had a full day of parent-teacher conferences the day before, and he wanted to cheer me up a bit.”

“Yeah, you can’t get too mad at him for that,” Twilight said.  Then she put her leg around Applejack’s shoulders. “Remember when you dropped by the chocolate shop while you were supposed to be working the apple cart?”

“Shhh!”  Applejack’s cheeks flushed. “Okay, okay, I guess I shouldn’t give him too much trouble over it.  How are the two of you gettin’ on, anyway?  You got anything special comin’ up?”

“Oh, nothing in particular.  I’m busy with end-of-semester work, and I’m sure you know all the things your brother has to do. We do have a nice night out planned for next month, though."  She leaned in and held up a hoof to shield her mouth, even though Apple Bloom had left to help her brother locate the game, and Granny had long since nodded off.  “I’m hoping that he’ll try to surprise me with a certain question.  I doubt he will, though.  You know as well as anypony that he likes to take things slow.”

“Yeah, if you’re thinkin’ he’s gonna take the leap you’re probably gonna be waitin’ a while.”

“Oh, I know,” Cheerilee chuckled. “I shouldn’t be so impatient.  It’s not like we’ve been together for that long anyway.  Now you two, on the other hoof…” She winked.

“What about us?” Twilight asked suspiciously.

“I’m just saying, it’s obviously just a matter of time before you two get hitched!  Or at the very least set a date.  Everypony can see it, you know?”

“E-everypony?”  Applejack’s tongue stumbled over the word.

“What, you haven’t noticed?  Even Granny Smith can see it coming from a long way off.  Isn’t that right, Granny Smith?”

“Eh?”  Granny blinked a few times. “Think about what, now?”

“What do you think about Applejack and Twilight?”

“Oh, them?  They oughta quit beatin’ around the bush and get out the rings,” she mumbled. “They’re takin’ forever.  When I was their age, I’d been hitched for like a year already!”

Cheerilee turned back to Twilight and Applejack.  “See?  You two are in this for the long haul, aren’t you?”

“You could say that,” Twilight said carefully.  “It’s just… we talked it over and we wanted to take our time with it.  That’s all.  Don’t want to jump into anything before we’re ready.  Right, Applejack?”

“Y-yeah, that pretty much sums it up.” Applejack picked up her cider mug and drained it.

“Well, if you’re going to get engaged, I hope that the two of you do it soon!  Although I must admit I have something of an ulterior motive.”

“And what’s that?” Applejack asked.

“I thought that maybe if Big Macintosh saw his little sister getting married he’d be more inclined to… take the initiative to do so himself!” Cheerilee burst into giggles. “I’m sorry. I know I should let you and your brother take your time. I wouldn’t want to rush things.  It’s just that sometimes I think, ‘Well, what’s stopping us?’ You know what I mean?”

Twilight smiled. “Yes, I think I understand what you’re talking about.”

Applejack glanced sideways at her. “Wait, what?”

“Time to start the game!”  Apple Bloom burst into the dining room, and held the game box above her head.  “Who wants to go first?!”

“Okay, finally got everything cleaned up!”  Spike took a deep breath as he shoved the half-full chili pot into the fridge.  “Last thing I need is for Twilight to start complaining about me leaving a mess in the kitchen!”  He sighed. “She’ll probably complain about me taking up half the fridge with chili, though.  Oh well.”

He headed back out to the main room and glanced at the clock.  Still no Twilight.  And it was almost his bedtime, too.  Either her dinner was going smoothly, or it had been a disaster and she had made a beeline for Canterlot rather than heading home.  It was probably the first option.  Or possibly the third option, that Twilight had gotten food poisoning and was in no condition to go anywhere. But that was even more unlikely.  The Apples were too good at cooking for that, and on the off chance that did happen, they would have sent someone to tell him.

There was a knock on the door.

“Hope I didn’t jinx her,” Spike mumbled to himself as he hurried to the door.  Now that he had gotten some time to digest a little, standing wasn’t quite so uncomfortable.  “Who is it?” He called. “If you’re here for the library, we’re closed for the night!”

“It’s us, Spike!  Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo!”

“Oh, come on in!” Spike swung the door open and the two fillies bounded in.  “What’s going on?”

“Do you have any idea where Rarity is?” Sweetie Belle asked.  “I just looked over at the Boutique and it’s all dark and locked up.”

“She was here about an hour ago to drop something off for Twilight, but I haven’t seen her since.” He shrugged. “Sorry.”

“Ugh, this is so annoying!”  Scootaloo stomped her hoof in frustration.  “Applejack torpedoed our car idea after the airbag exploded, so we’re going to upgrade our zipline instead!”

“Oh, that ought to be…” He tried to think of a word to describe the inevitability of faceplanting into a tree. “...fun.”

“Yeah! We wanted to see if Rarity could make us a pillow to stick on the tree at the end of it!” Sweetie Belle said. “I thought she was going to be at her house, but I haven’t seen her.  You have any idea where she could be?”

“Nope?  I’ve got nothing,” Spike said. “Well, I’ve got some extra chili if you want some. It’s kinda spicy, though.”

“I told you he wouldn’t know where she was!” Scootaloo snorted and buzzed her wings in agitation.  “I’m telling you, I saw her back by the jewelry store!”

“Fine, fine!” Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why she’d be there, though. She digs up all her own gems, and pretty much all of her jewelry comes from Canterlot!  Isn’t that right, Spike?”

“Yeah, I help her dig.” Spike thought for a moment. In all likelihood, it had been Rarity at the jewelry store, but he couldn’t exactly explain what she was doing there: scouting on Twilight’s behalf, no doubt.  He tried to come up with a plausible explanation.  “Maybe she needed a new necklace or something to go with a new design, and didn’t have time to order it from Canterlot.”

“I guess she might do that,” Sweetie admitted.  “It would have to be a real emergency, though.”

“Guess it was an emergency, then.” Scootaloo shoved Sweetie towards the door.  “Let’s go find her. We need that pillow.”

“You sure you don’t want any chili?”  Spike shouted after them as they went out the door.

“No thanks! It’s too spicy!”  Scootaloo answered.

“If you see Rarity, let her know we’re looking for her!” Sweetie Belle freed herself from Scootaloo’s shoving.  “Bye!”

“Bye!” Spike waved after them and closed the door.  “A zipline, huh?  Don’t think we have any books about that.  Thank goodness.”

“Hmmmm….” Twilight examined the perfectly straightened and parallel line of cards on the table, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated all of her brainpower on answering the question that lay before her.  Then she snatched up one of the cards. “Star Swirl the Bearded!” she declared triumphantly.

“Oh, come on!” Apple Bloom banged her head on the table. “That doesn’t fit at all!”

“So?  I’m judge this round, and I picked Star Swirl!”

“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh nodded. “That was mine.”

“Twilight, the word was ‘chewy’,” Applejack grumbled.  “What the hay does Star Swirl the Bearded have to do with that?”

“It’s Star Swirl!” Twilight said, holding up the card. “He always wins!”

“But the rules say you’re supposed to pick the thing that matches the word on the green card!”  Applejack held up the rules. “I might not be as up on magical history as you, but I’m pretty sure Star Swirl the Bearded wasn’t chewy.”

“The rules also say that the judge for the round can pick cards based on whatever criteria you want!”  Twilight said with a grin. “Besides, I’m pretty sure you’re winning anyway.”

“She’s right,” Cheerilee said. “Besides, you’re the one who picked ‘Candy Apples’ when the word was ‘principled’.”

“Okay, fine, Big Macintosh can have that one, then.”

“My turn now!” Apple Bloom reached for the cards. “The word is—”

“Wait just a second!” Applejack interrupted.  “First of, it’s my turn. Second of all, it’s already past your bedtime.  You gotta get to bed.”

“Already?”

“Yes, already,” Applejack said. “I was gonna have you go to bed like half an hour ago, but I thought I’d give you some extra time.” She turned to Twilight. “I’m just gonna run upstairs and get her tucked in, okay?  I’ll be back in like ten minutes.  Fifteen tops.” She kissed Twilight on the cheek and started up the steps. “You won’t leave on me, will you?”

“Of course not!” Twilight answered with a laugh.

“Alright, then.  Y’all can keep playin’ without me if you want. Or wake up Granny and have her take my spot until I get back. Come on, Apple Bloom.”  She bounded up the steps, her sister following reluctantly behind her.

Twilight watched until they had disappeared down the hallway. Satisfied that they were gone, she leaned across the table.  “Big Macintosh?”

“Yes?” He answered.

“I… I have something that I need to talk to you and Granny Smith about.”

Twilight pranced triumphantly towards her bedroom. “They said 'yes!'” she crowed as she threw the door open.

“Gah!” Spike woke up with such a jolt that he tumbled out of his bed and landed on the floor with a thud.  “Oh, you’re back.” He took a few deep breaths. “Wait, she said 'yes'?  I didn’t think you were even going to ask her yet!”

“No, no, no.” Twilight shook her head. “I’m not talking about Applejack.  It’s tradition that when you propose to somepony, you should ask their parents for approval first.  I know it’s a bit old fashioned, but given how close Applejack’s family is I thought it would be appropriate.  And since Applejack’s parents… aren’t around, I figured that I would ask Big Macintosh and Granny Smith for their approval.”

“And they approved?”

Twilight smiled widely. “Granny said that she’d be proud to have me as part of the family.  And Big Macintosh told me there’s nopony else that he’d rather have marry his sister.” She tapped her chin with her hoof and chuckled. “Hopefully I didn’t set the bar too high for when Apple Bloom gets old enough to get married.”

“Well, congratulations,” Spike mumbled as he crawled back into bed. “I get you’re excited and all, but can you fill me in on everything tomorrow?”

“Oh, right.” She lowered her voice. “I’m going to go get ready for bed. Goodnight, Spike.”

“Goodnight,” he said as he threw his blanket over his head.

Applejack relaxed on the sofa and listened to the sound of her brother finishing the cleanup in the kitchen.  Things had gone well.  Not that she had expected anything different, but it was nice to know for certain that everypony got along.  Twilight would make a great addition to the Apple Family.  Eventually, at least.  But why eventually?  She had hopped the last barrier.  What was stopping them?  If Twilight proposed tomorrow, was there any reason to say "no"?

The lack of an answer sent a chill down her spine.  It was possible, however unlikely, that a week from now, she wouldn’t be just a Very Special Somepony, she’d be a fiance. That was way too fancy of a word for her.  The gravitas cracked and she began to giggle. If that was the only excuse she had left, she really needed to stop making excuses altogether.

But still, if Twilight asked…

Why was she still looking for problems?  Did she want to say “no”?  She pulled her hat down over her face.  She could worry about that later.  Tonight had been great, and she wasn’t going to rain on her own parade.  Besides, Twilight wasn’t the type to rush.  She’d have plenty of time to figure things out.

An Anatomy of the World

There’s always too much to do.  Studying, working, cleaning, finding the time to spend with Applejack, finding time to spend with Spike, finding time for everypony else, helping the cutie mark crusaders with their projects, figuring out how to ask Applejack that question… and now Rarity needs to talk about something.  Why can’t I just finish something before some new thing comes along?

There is no health; physicians say that we

At best enjoy but a neutrality.

And can there be worse sickness than to know

That we are never well, nor can be so?

--An Anatomy of the World,

John Donne

“This is so weird.”  Twilight’s eyes ping-ponged between her book, her notes, the clock, and Spike.  By her estimate, she had fit approximately fifty-four minutes of studying into the past thirty-eight minutes for a cram ratio of 1.42.  Not her best (that had been achieved during an all-nighter, where she had gotten all the way up to 1.93), but still above average (that average being a mere 1.29).  “What could she possible need to see me so badly about?”

“Who needs to see you?” Spike asked as he placed a fresh inkwell on her desk.

“It’s Rarity,” Twilight answered, gently nudging the inkwell into line with the now-empty one that sat next to her notes.  “She came to the Chocolate Shoppe this morning while I was working and said that it was imperative that we talked today.  She refused to leave until I managed to fit her into my schedule!”  She pulled a large binder off of a nearby shelf and held it up for Spike to read. “Look at how much stuff I had to shuffle around!”

“That’s… a lot of things,” Spike said.  He couldn’t make heads or tails of Twilight’s schedule, which resembled some sort of scientific diagram more than any calendar he had ever seen.

“I know!” Twilight grumbled. “I’m just lucky she caught me today.  I’m supposed to help the cutie mark crusaders with their science project tomorrow, and that’s something I’m not going to wiggle out of!  Seriously, what could Rarity need to talk to me so badly about?”

Spike shrugged. “I dunno, maybe she—” His eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he recalled the events of the previous night.  “I mean, I have no idea. None, whatsoever.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Spike, you’re almost as bad of a liar as Applejack.  What does Rarity want?  You didn’t give Sweetie Belle a book on how to make fireworks or something, did you?”

“No!” Spike said indignantly.  “I get that it wasn’t the best idea to give Apple Bloom that airbag thing, but I know better than to give them explosives!  You think I want to blow a hole in somepony’s roof?”

“Then why would Rarity want to talk to me? I know you know!”  Twilight took a step toward Spike.  He attempted to take a step back, but found himself hovering, held a few inches off the ground by Twilight’s telekinesis.  “I’m not mad at you, Spike. I just want to know what’s going on!”

“Uh, well…” Spike chuckled nervously.  “You know when Rarity came to drop that dress off yesterday?”

“Yes.” Twilight nodded.

“Well, you kinda sorta might have left some of your magazines out.”

“Oh…” Twilight’s eyes widened.  “You mean… she knows?”

Spike nodded.  “Yeah, she figured it out pretty quickly. I tried to talk her out of it, but like you said, I’m kind of a bad liar.”

“Ugh.” Twilight dropped Spike with a thud. “This is going to be a disaster!   She’s going to go and try to plan the entire wedding!  She’s probably already hired a band!  And the proposal… I don’t even know what she’ll try to pull with that!  Although I guess it can’t be worse than whatever it was that Pinkie wanted me to do.  But still, I don’t need her hanging over my head!”

As she paused for breath, there was a loud knock on the door.  “Twilight!” Rarity’s voice called. “Are you there, Twilight?”

“Oh, this is going to be a long afternoon,” Twilight rubbed her forehead.  “Would you do me a favor and make some tea?  I think I’m going to need it.”  She descended the stairs and approached the door with trepidation.  Rarity needed to be let down gently.  Twilight appreciated her ever-so-generous desire to help, but at the moment she didn’t require whatever ridiculous thing Rarity was about to pitch.

“Good afternoon, Rarity,” Twilight said as she opened the door. “So, uh, it seems that you… know about my plans?”

“Indeed I do!” Rarity darted inside. “Don’t worry, I fully intend on keeping the whole matter under wraps.  Now that you’ve resolved to finally propose we have quite a few things to discuss.”

“Yeah…” Twilight watched as Rarity began unloading both of her saddlebags.  “About that…”

“As you’ve no doubt realized, given your rather comprehensive approach to such matters, there are a myriad of factors that would go into the proposal.  The ring, the occasion, the location, and such.”

Twilight held up a hoof. “Rarity…”

“And of course, you’ll want to think ahead.  It’s never too early to start considering the where, when, and how of the ceremony itself.”

“Rarity.”

“It’s best to get started early, obviously, especially with the guest list, which I’m sure will be quite impressive.  The sooner you put that together, the sooner you can begin searching for a venue, a caterer, and—”

“Rarity!”  Twilight all but shouted.

“Huh?” Rarity looked up from the numerous notebooks and cloth swatches she had neatly laid out on the table.  “What is it, Twilight?”

“Well…” Twilight mentally prepared herself.  If she had realized what was going on a bit earlier, she could have rehearsed how to let Rarity down easily.  She’d have to just give it her best shot. “Listen, it’s not that I don’t appreciate your desire to help.  I’m really happy that you’re willing to take the time to do… all this.  But at the same time, it’s just… I think this is something that I can and should do on my own.”  She grinned nervously, hoping a smile would put Rarity at ease.

Rarity simply blinked.  “Ah.” Her eyes meandered over the sales-pitch like set of samples and brochures she had nearly completed setting out on the table.  “Well, even in that case, I still think that I could contribute. After all, I am quite well-versed in all of the various trends surrounding such things.”

Twilight wrinkled her nose.  It might not be as easy as she had hoped.  “I understand that, Rarity, but I’m pretty sure that Applejack doesn’t really care much about those trends.  I’m sure that your magazines or whatever have some good ideas, but I think that I have a much better idea of what Applejack would want.”

Rarity returned Twilight’s narrow gaze. “Yes, but be that as it may, I don’t think it could hurt to gain a bit more information.” She cleared her throat. “You certainly do know what Applejack would want, but you might very well be missing out on something that she would very much enjoy!  If you really are thinking of her it would be best to explore all your available options.”

“I am thinking of her,” Twilight said crossly.  “That’s why I want to trust my own judgment for once.  You remember back when I first realized I was romantically interested in her?  I spent all my time trying to figure out what I thought I should be doing based on what everypony else said, and it was a disaster!  But I’m past that now.  I don’t need anypony else to tell me how to do things!  I’ve spent the past year figuring that out.”  She snorted. “Unless you think that I’m not capable of doing it myself.”

“I hardly think that because you’ve been dating for a year that you suddenly know everything there is to know about romance,” Rarity said. “One must be careful not to get overconfident, after all.”

“I’m not overconfident, just confident.” There was a note of pride in Twilight’s voice.

“Hmph.” Rarity flicked the end of her mane. “Everypony says that, and they’re rarely right.  If you would just listen to me, this could be the greatest proposal ever!  Now why don’t we just look through these samples?”

Twilight’s glare could’ve chilled a glass of cider. “Why do you want me to listen to you so badly?!  This is my relationship, Rarity.  I’ve already told you, I want to do this myself!”

“Twilight, please!” Rarity put on a manufactured look of affront. “There is no reason to be so irritated.  I would’ve thought that you would have appreciated some advice!”

“Advice on what?” Twilight stared incredulously at her.  “Unless you’ve been secretly dating Fluttershy or something for the past year, I’m pretty sure that I know more about this situation than you do!  Why would you know what to do now?”

“Because I have seen, heard, and read about countless approaches to your very situation, made by dozens of other couples!”

“So?” Twilight snorted. “You think I haven’t thought about all of that?  That just made me realize that Applejack and I aren’t one of those couples, and that if I’m going to get help from anypony, it’s going to be from somepony who actually knows what they’re talking about! When was the last time you proposed to anypony?!”

Rarity reeled back like she had just been bucked in the face.

“So that’s what you think, is it?” she said. “That I don’t have anything to offer you simply because I haven’t had the time to pursue a serious relationship in the past year?  I realize that you might have a bit more practical experience in such matters, but that hardly means that I have nothing to contribute!” She gritted her teeth and growled,  “I just want to give you an alternate perspective!”

“If I wanted your perspective I would have asked for it!”  Twilight stomped her hooves.  “Ever since I first realized I loved her I’ve been driving myself crazy!  I was terrified of doing something wrong and ruining everything.  And now that I’m finally sure of myself, the last thing I need is you” —she thrust a hoof at Rarity— “coming around and trying to run my relationship for me because you think I can’t do it myself!”

“Fine, then!” Rarity began snatching her things from the table and jamming them back into her bags.  “I can tell when I’m not wanted.  If you won’t accept my assistance, I suppose I have better things to do with my time!” She slung the bag over her shoulder with surprising haphazardness, and raised her nose with a snort. “When you come around, you know where to find me!”

She stomped out the door and slammed it behind her.  Then she whipped the door open and poked her head back in.  “And I hope you remember that if it weren’t for me, the two of you might not be together at all!”  She slammed the door again, and this time Twilight could see her stamping down the street with as much dignity as she could manage.

“Mpfff…GAH!” Twilight pounded her hooves on the floor in frustration, unable to find any words in her extensive vocabulary that accurately captured her feelings.  She settled for punching at the air.

“Are you okay?”  Spike poked his head in from the kitchen.  “What happened in there?”

“Nothing,” Twilight grumbled.

“That didn’t sound like nothing,” Spike said. “I’m pretty sure that nothing would have been quieter.”

“Spike.”

“Sorry.” He shrugged.  “I just want to know what happened.”

“Rarity just tried to shove our relationship in the direction she wanted, and I told her I didn’t want that.” She shrugged. “I may have gotten a little snippy, but I still don’t think she should be poking her nose into my business..”

Spike opened his mouth to answer, but thought better of it.  He didn’t quite know what to say, and a grumpy Twilight wouldn’t want to listen anyway.  “Well, at least the rest of your evening is free now.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Twilight said, her voice suddenly tired.  “I think I’m going to get back to studying. I need to think about something else right now.”

Spike watched as she lethargically ascended the stairs. Whatever Rarity wanted couldn’t have been that bad.  He shrugged.  It wouldn’t be the first time either Twilight or Rarity had overreacted. Besides, even if one of them had done something mean, they’d come around. They always did.

Rarity sat despondently at her work table, a single lamp casting long shadows across the room.  Her eyes were focused on the folds of fabric before her, but her mind was still in the library lobby.

“I cannot believe her!” She snapped to no one in particular.  “After everything I’ve done for her.  Helping her get a grip on her feelings, listening to her worries, reserving a restaurant for her —multiple times—, designing new dresses specifically for their special occasions… and now she suddenly thinks she’s too good for my advice!  Has she forgotten that without me she wouldn’t have even realized her feelings for Applejack in the first place?! She owes me.”

Opal yawned disinterestedly and licked herself, then resettled in her nest of discarded fabric.

“I mean, yes, perhaps I have gone a bit overboard in the past, but she was so unsure of herself that it was only natural to try to point her in the right direction!”  She stabbed at her material with a needle, angrily and rapidly, not really caring what she was sewing together.  “One doesn’t need a lot of experience to be able to offer a bit of insight, after all!  One doesn’t need to be a chef to tell that food is too salty.”

She flipped the ball of fabric over and began jabbing pins into it.  “Sure, I may have come on a little strong in trying to direct her, but even so she ought to have understood that I was only trying to help her! She didn’t know what she was doing, and she needed a confident hoof to guide her!”

Opal raised her head and glared at Rarity, none too pleased at the noise.

“Granted, she has gained quite a lot of personal experience over the past year, but that hardly makes her an expert on all things romance!  If anything she should be wary of being overconfident!” She snorted and resumed sewing. “If she would let me help her I could ensure that she doesn’t take this whole thing too lightly!  A marriage proposal is one of the most important points of a relationship after all.  Of course, it’s true that it ought to be specifically tailored to the couple involved in the matter, and she would have the best perspective on that, but still, she ought to realize that I could have helped if only she would let me!”

Opal rolled her eyes.

“What?  I realize that she’s probably looked over all the same magazines and catalogues I have, and she’s probably spent hours poring over them and trying to figure out what would be best for her and Applejack, but I… uh…”

She looked down at the tangle of cloth and thread that sat on the table, but her mind was elsewhere, replaying her conversation.  Now that she had the time to listen to herself, it didn’t sound quite the same.

“Oh, who am I kidding?  Twilight is going to do a better job of it than I ever would.  She’s right.”  She slumped down on the desk, carefully avoiding the pins.  The fabric wasn’t as soft as she would’ve liked, but it would suffice for a temporary pillow.

“I could probably even learn a thing or two from her.” She closed her eyes and mentally began to rewatch the relationships that she had pursued.  Or attempted, rather. That was the better word. “At least she had the good sense to fall for a pony who wasn’t… like the ones I’ve dealt with.  Even if I did help her a bit at the beginning, she’s far surpassed me when it comes to romance.”

In the distance she heard the clock tower ring ten o’clock.  “I suppose it’s too late to head back over there now,” she mumbled to herself. “Very well, tomorrow, first chance I get I’ll have to talk to her.  And this time not act like that.”

For the first time she focused her attention on the… item she had been working on. “Oh my.” She held it up.  It looked precisely as one would expect a wad of cloth sewn and pinned with utter inattention to look like: a mess.  “At least it’s only toile. Perhaps I can pass it off as some sort of a loofah or something.  Oh well, for now I suppose I should just focus on getting my beauty sleep.  And think of what to say to Twilight tomorrow.”

She sighed and switched off the lamp.

Twilight felt a little bit better in the morning, but only a little bit.  She had heard the old “never go to bed angry” cliché, but that was easier said than done.  Most of the night had been spent tossing and turning, mentally rehashing the argument and reiterating all the reasons why Rarity shouldn’t have poked her nose into Twilight’s business.  Twilight still hadn’t found a perfect line of reasoning when she fell asleep.

But even so she was feeling milder now.  Her anger had given way to frustration.  As justified as her refusal of Rarity’s “assistance” had been, in retrospect she felt that she had been a bit too curt.  But she would have to worry about that later.  She was supposed to be helping the cutie mark crusaders on their project this afternoon—that would doubtlessly be quite the experience—so right now she had to get her studies done.  She didn’t want that hanging over her head while she was helping three fillies build a pushcart.

No, for the moment she needed to get as much work out of the way as she could.  She reached for her quill.

“Twilight!”  The library door burst open, despite Twilight clearly remembering locking it the night before.  Pinkie Pie bounded in and bounced a few times like a rubber ball. “Twilight, Twilight!”

“What is it, Pinkie?” Twilight grumbled.  Normally, Pinkie’s boundless enthusiasm was infectious, but this early in the morning it was just grating.

“I was just thinking about you proposing to Applejack, and I realized that if you two get married” —she sidled up next to Twilight— “you and I will technically be related!”

“What?!”

“Well, technically we would only be in-laws, but that’s good enough for me!”

“Pinkie…” Twilight rubbed her forehead. “I thought you never found out for sure whether you and Applejack were related.”

“We also didn’t find out that we weren’t related!” Pinkie said, a wide grin on her face. Then the grin vanished.  “Hey, you don’t look very happy for somepony who’s about to ask their very special somepony to marry them!” She gasped. “Applejack didn’t dump you, did she?!”

“No! Nothing like that!” Twilight shook her head violently. “Why would you even think that?!”

“I just wanted to get the worst case scenario out of the way!  So what did get you down?”

“Well, don’t tell anypony, but I just had a bit of an argument with Rarity.”  Twilight slammed her book shut.  Pinkie probably wasn’t going to go anywhere anytime soon.  “She found out what I was planning, and she was trying to insist that I do it her way, even though I clearly told her that I didn’t want any help.  It’s just… for as long as Applejack and I have been going out, I’ve never really been sure that I was doing things right.  And now that I’m finally confident about what I’m doing, she shows up and tries to mess with it?  I don’t think so!”

“Hmmmm…” Pinkie nodded sagely.  “That’s great!”

“Huh?”  Sometimes Twilight could sort of approximate what might be going on in Pinkie’s head. This was not one of those times. “What’s great about that?  It drives me nuts, we had a big fight over it, and now I feel awful!  What are you talking about?”

“I wasn’t talking about that, silly.  Having a fight with your friend is terrible!” Pinkie shook her head. “I was talking about how you said that you finally know what you’re doing now!” She threw a foreleg around Twilight and gave her a shake. “That’s great, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess…” Twilight mumbled as she slid out from under Pinkie’s grasp.

“It’s crazy how fast you figured everything out!” Pinkie said, punctuating her words with a bounce. “You figured out this whole Very Special Somepony thing in only a year!  You’ve been studying magic, like, a bazillion times that long and you still don’t have that down!  And magic is your special talent, even!”  Her eyes widened. “You and Cadance didn’t swap cutie marks, did you?!”

“What? No!” Twilight said, again having lost Pinkie’s train of thought. “First of all, a bazillion isn’t a real number. Second, according to current magical biology theory, swapping cutie marks would be a purely aesthetic change; you’d have to swap the talents themselves for it to make any difference.  Third, I’m not even sure that such a thing is possible!  And fourth, magic and romance are completely different anyway!”

“Really?” Pinkie asked with exaggerated sincerity.  “How?”

“How?!” Both of Twilight’s eyes twitched. “Aside from a few exceptions, such as the Elements of Harmony, the Crystal Heart, and your Pinkie Sense, magic is a set of quantifiable phenomena that can be studied and examined.  But romance, eaugh!  I’ve looked up tons of information, but it’s all useless!  The data is inconsistent, every pattern has dozens of exceptions, and everypony interprets the information differently! There’s no generally accepted theory for it! There’s no consensus!”  She waved her hooved in the air. “Nopony can make heads or tails of it!”

Pinkie Pie furrowed her eyebrows. “Soooo.. you don’t have it figured out?”

“No!” Twilight pounded her hooves on the floor for emphasis.  “Well, not exactly.  It’s complicated.  I figured out how I should handle things with Applejack.  Or at least, I think I have it figured out.” She sat on the floor, suddenly looking exhausted. “I don’t think that there’s any way to be sure.  But I’m as close to sure as I’ll ever be, I guess.  I don’t know what else I could do.”

“Um, Twilight, wasn’t Rarity just trying to help you with that?” She scratched her head.

“She thought she was, at any rate,” Twilight said with a snort.  “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate her desire to help, but she wants to run everything.  You know, what we wear, where we go, what we eat, she’d probably have us speaking with fancy accents if she thought she could get away with it!”  She sighed. “I just wish that she’d realize that it’s my relationship, not hers.”

“I know what you mean!” Pinkie said with a nod. “Like once, I was throwing a birthday party for Rumble once, and he wanted it to be Wonderbolt themed, but Thunderlane was all like ‘No, there should be lightning bolts everywhere’ and I was like ‘but Wonderbolts and thunderbolts are like totally not the same thing, and—”

“I get it, Pinkie!”  Twilight rubbed her forehead. She didn’t usually get headaches this early in the day.  “It’s just… it feels like she doesn’t even trust me to be able to handle my own relationship!  I guess I should be grateful that she wants to help me, but if her idea of helping is to just do everything for me, I think I’ll pass.”

“Yeah, that would be really annoying.  Do you really think that’s what she’s trying to do, though?”

“If the saddlebags of stuff she brought over here yesterday were any indication, yes!” Twilight said. “She probably had it all planned out for me or something.”

“Soooo, you think she was going to do all that because she brought a bunch of stuff?  I mean, I bring stuff everywhere, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to use it.”  She reached into her mane and pulled out a brightly-colored paper mache ball with what looked like a fuse poking out of it. “See?  Party bomb!  I always have it with me when my party cannon is under repairs.  Doesn’t mean I’m going to throw a party, though.”

“That’s true, I guess.” Twilight grabbed the bomb and shoved it back into Pinkie Pie’s mane.  “But Rarity doesn’t usually carry her things around like that.  She doesn’t carry around piles of ‘will-you-marry-me’ plans just in case.  Besides, you know Rarity.  Don’t you think that poking her nose into a relationship is something she would do?”

“It’s something she might do, but I don’t know if it’s something she’d definitely do.”  Pinkie scratched her head.  “It’s hard to tell what some ponies are up to.  I mean, when you saw me today, did you think I would offer you a bowl of oatmeal?”  She held up the still-steaming bowl.

Twilight took it cautiously.  She was quite certain that Pinkie hadn’t had it with her five seconds ago. “Pinkie, where did that come from?”

“I had oatmeal for breakfast but I made too much!  Betcha didn’t see that coming!”

“Well, no, but you do random things all the time!  Rarity doesn’t just show up apropos of nothing with saddlebags full of stuff!”  She sniffed the oatmeal.  A bit too much brown sugar for her taste, but still quite good.

“Okay, so maybe I’m a little more random than some other ponies!” Pinkie rolled her eyes. “The point is that just because you thought Rarity was going to do something doesn’t mean that she was actually going to do the something that you thought she was going to do!”

“Uh…” Twilight wasn’t quite sure exactly what Pinkie had said, but she thought she got the gist of it. “I guess you’re right.  You think I should’ve given Rarity the benefit of the doubt?”

“I don’t know!” Pinkie chirped. “That’s the whole thing.  You don’t always know what’s going on or what everypony is thinking.  But you do know Rarity!”

“So what you’re saying is that even if I’m afraid that Rarity is going overboard, I should remember that she’s my friend and trust that she’ll listen if I tell her I don’t want to follow her plans?”

“Yeah, sure, that works!” Pinkie said. “It was a bit clearer in my head, though.”

Twilight shook her head. “It’s a nice thought, but you know as well as I do how Rarity can be sometimes.  I’d love to think that she isn’t going to be overbearing, but well, it’s not like she hasn’t done it before.”

“Oh, come on!” Pinkie snorted.  “You know she just wants to help!  You can’t get worked up over something she hasn’t even done yet.  Yeah, she might, but you don’t know that she will.  If she does, you can get mad at her then.  But until that happens, you should at least give her a chance!”

“I...I guess…”

“Or I could help you!”  Pinkie said, grinning widely.

“Okay, okay, fine!” Twilight held up her hooves.  “I guess I can give her a chance to explain herself.  I should find out what she was really trying to do.”

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically.  “That’s great!  Let me know if you want any help!  I have like a gazillion balloons we could use!”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure whatever Rarity’s proposal plan is, it won’t involve balloons,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “But like you said, you never really know.  But for now, if you see Rarity, tell her I want to talk, okay?”

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie Pie bounced towards the door.  “And I’ll be back later to pick up my oatmeal bowl!”  She disappeared out the door.

Twilight sighed.  Why couldn’t things ever be simple?  She picked up the oatmeal bowl and walked to the stairs. “Spike!  You want some oatmeal?”

As always, morning in the Apple Family Household was a mad rush.  Always too much to do in too short a time. There was breakfast to make, dishes to clean, homework to check, chores to dole out, and a filly to shove out the door. That last one usually took far more work than it should.

“Apple Bloom, you gotta get to school or you’re gonna be late!”  Applejack hurled her sister’s saddlebags across the room.  They slid to a stop right in front of Apple Bloom, who reluctantly slipped them on.  “You got all your books?”

“Yeah, I got everything. I’m goin’ now.”

“And remember, you gotta come right home after school so Twilight can help you out with your project, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”  She started out the door.

“Remind Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, alright?”

“Yeah, I will!” Apple Bloom answered in frustration. “Can I actually get goin’ now?”

“You have all your homework done?”

“Yes, and if I didn’t it’s not like I’d have time to do it now anyway.”

“Alright, see you this afternoon, then!” Applejack waved as Apple Bloom trotted down the path.  Then she turned to her brother.  “Can you help Granny clean up breakfast?  I gotta run something down to the post office real quick.”  She held up an envelope.

He nodded. “Sure.  How long will it take?”

“Shouldn’t take more than ten minutes.  When I get back I’ll head straight to the barn and get started on fixin’ that hole in the roof that Rainbow Dash made last week.”  She clutched the letter against her chest. “I gotta get goin’. This is kinda important.  Later.”  Without waiting for a response, she darted out the door.

“So you’re finally going to propose?!  That’s awesome!” Lyra grabbed Twilight’s hoof and shook vigorously.  “Congratulations!  Have you decided when you’re going to pop the question?  Where are you going to do it?  How are going to—”

“I don’t know!” Twilight yanked her hoof free.  “I only figured out that I want to do it.  I haven’t quite ironed out exactly how.” She returned to polishing the display case.  “Just making a decision to do it took enough nerve.  Now I have to figure out exactly how to go about it.”

“Oh, it can’t be that bad!”  Lyra returned to her seat at one of the tables, where she had been in the process of tuning her harp.  “I’m sure if you talked to your friends about it, they’d be more than willing to help!”

“Yeah, I know. If anything, they’re too helpful,” Twilight said. She stepped back and examined the counter.  Not quite spotless; she’d have to make at least one more pass.  “Besides, I think I want to do this on my own. Mostly, at least.  Despite what they’d want to plan.”

“Really?” Lyra plucked one of the strings and winced at how flat it sounded. “Wouldn’t getting some help make things easier?”

“You’d think so,” Twilight grumbled, taking out her bad mood on the few remaining specks of dust. “I just think that this far into the relationship, I should be able to put something together myself. Besides, it would feel weird if I told too many ponies.  It would be like everypony but Applejack would be in on it, and it would just be awkward.”

Lyra chuckled. “I guess I should be honored that you told me about it!  Even if it’s just because I don’t talk to Applejack often enough for that to happen.”

“Well, it’s not just that.  I don’t have to worry about you going and trying to reorganize everything for me.” She paused. “Do I?”

“Nah, I’m terrible at planning stuff like this. When I was going to pop the question to Bon Bon, the only idea I could come up with was to hide the ring in a chocolate, and I didn’t know how to do that.  At least not without making a huge mess.” She shrugged. “I’m kinda glad that Bon Bon asked me first. Saved me the trouble of having to think anything up.”

“That’s one way to look at it, I guess…” Twilight blew the last dust bunny off of the countertop.  “I guess that you don’t really have any suggestions of how to approach things?”

“Nope. Nothing that you probably haven’t already thought of.” Lyra drew her hoof across the strings.  Better than before, but still a bit off. “I was pretty much going to go the standard route.  Do my mane up just a little nicer than usual, take her out to a nice dinner, slip the musicians a few extra bits to play her favorite song, you know the drill.”

“So I should ask Bon Bon, then?”

“You could, I guess.” Lyra shrugged as she tightened one of the tuning knobs. “Don’t know how much it would help, though.”

“Why not?”

“Because she didn’t really plan much of anything,” Lyra said.  “She just took me out to dinner at my favorite hay shake stand and just went for it.”

“What?!”  Twilight gasped. “I didn’t think she’d do anything elaborate, but she didn’t do anything?  Like?  Not even taking you out to dinner?”

“She did take me out to dinner,” Lyra said. “Just not a particularly fancy one.”

“But… but… That’s not…”

“Twilight, seriously.” Lyra shook her head. “I know we’re not, like, really good friends or anything, but do you really think I’m the kind of pony who’d want something fancy?  I mean, yeah, when I was thinking of how to propose to Bon Bon, I tried to plan something great, but that’s because I thought she’d enjoy it.”

“You mean… you really…?”

Lyra nodded. “I had a hay shake and an alfalfa hoagie.”  She looked past Twilight and yelled into the kitchen. “Hey, Bon Bon!  When you proposed, did you do anything fancy?”

Bon Bon popped her head out of the kitchen. “Of course not!” she snapped. “If I hadn’t just gotten straight to the point, you’d just have fallen asleep.”

“But…not anything special…”  Twilight stared blankly ahead, trying to wrap her head around the idea.

“Specialness is in the eye of the beholder, Twilight,” Bon Bon said. “One would think that the question itself would make the occasion special enough.”

Twilight blinked a few times, her eyes wide. “I never thought about it quite like that.”

“I thought so.” Bon Bon said. “My only real piece of advice is to remember that the question is all that truly matters. Everything else is just wrapping paper.   You want her to enjoy the night, of course, but you can’t let the spectacle of the thing make you forget that it’s simply about the two of you.”  She disappeared back into the kitchen.

Twilight nodded. “I’ll remember that.” She sighed. “Now if only my other friends could give me such useful advice!”

“Your other friends haven’t been there and done that!” Lyra said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, and you aren’t obsessed with balloons or dressing up all fancy or trying to turn it into an event either,” Twilight grumbled.  “Did you have friends trying to suggest all kinds of ridiculous things?”

“Well, Carrot Top really really wanted us to celebrate with a carrot cake.  That’s about it, though.”

“I wish I had it that easy,” Twilight said.  “Then again, maybe this is one of those times where there aren’t any problems except me thinking too hard.  I really need to just clear my head.”

“In that case you can get back to work!” Bon Bon called from the kitchen.  “I have some five trays of chocolate caramels that need to be put on display!”

“Alright! I’ll be right there!”  She turned back to Lyra. “I really should just think about something else for a while. Things always seem to go wrong when I think about them too much.”

Lyra nodded. “That’s why I try to think as little as possible.”

A short while later, Rarity burst through the door of the chocolate shop.  Lyra, who had finished tuning her harp and now moved on to a combination of practicing and lounging, raised an eyebrow.  Rarity was breathing rather heavily, and her mane, while still meticulously maintained by any normal pony’s standards, was rather unkempt compared to how she usually kept it.

“Is Twilight still here?” she gasped.

“Nope,” Lyra answered as she plucked idly at the strings.  “She got off work about fifteen minutes ago.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have any idea where she went, would you?”

“Sorry.” Lyra shook her head. “She mentioned lunch, and a couple of errands she wanted to run. I have no idea where she went first.”

“Phooey,” Rarity grumbled as she sat at the table opposite Lyra. “I was hoping I would be able to catch her over my lunch break.  I’ll never be able to find her and get back to the shop in time.  I have a fitting scheduled for this afternoon!”  She groaned and then gingerly rested her head on the table.

“So...uh…” Lyra continued to pick at her harp. “What exactly did you need to talk to her about?”

“Oh, nothing.  We just had a bit of a… let’s call it a heated discussion.  I got rather snippy at her and upon reflection, it was quite unwarranted.”

“An argument, then?  Those stink.” Lyra nodded sagely.  Then her eyes widened for a moment before her face was overtaken by a smirk. “Waaaait.  I think I know what you’re talking about!”

“What?!”  Rarity immediately sat up. “You mean she told you about the… uh…” She looked over her shoulder.  “You know.”

“Yeah, she told me about the… thing,” Lyra said cautiously.  The last thing she wanted to do was to inadvertently cause Twilight more stress by spilling the beans.

“Ugh, of course,” Rarity grumbled, more to herself than to Lyra. “She goes off at me for getting involved and then she goes and talks about it to somepony else!  Wait, no…” She rubbed her temples and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Lyra.”

“I, uh, it’s okay,” Lyra answered, still not quite sure if she and Rarity were talking about the same thing.  “I think she only brought it up because I…” she thought carefully about her next words. “I have some experience in that area.”

“Huh?” Rarity put a hoof to her forehead. “Of course!  It only makes sense that she would seek out somepony who’d actually know what they were doing.”

“So I guess this means that you know about Twilight’s…?” Lyra decided to let Rarity fill in the blank.

“Her plan to ask Applejack for her hoof in marriage?” Rarity whispered.  “Yes, though I only found out by accident.  She seemed quite determined not to let me know what was going on.” She put her head back on the table and sighed. “And I suppose she wasn’t entirely off base.  I just wanted it to be special for them.  Is that so wrong?”

“I don’t think so,” Lyra said. “Depending how you go about it.”

“Well, I seem to have gone about it all wrong.  Twilight was right. I need to keep my nose out of it unless she wants my input. Which she certainly won’t now.” She snorted. “I suppose she asked you about it, given your ‘experience in that area’?”

Lyra nodded. “You could say that.”

Rarity sighed. “If you don’t mind, could you satisfy my curiosity and tell me what advice you ended up giving her?”

“Oh, I could.” Lyra grinned. “You wouldn’t want to hear it, though.  Something tells me that we went about things a bit differently than you would have planned.”

“You might as well tell me anyway.”

“Alright then.” Lyra braced herself for some melodramatic response. “We didn’t do anything special. Bon Bon took me out for hay shakes and popped the question on me while we were waiting in line.”

Rarity’s eye twitched, but she remained impressively composed. “Y-you… you didn’t…”

“Nope.” Lyra nodded. “I’ve never been big on ceremony, and Bon Bon knows that.  Besides, I was so happy that she asked that the circumstances didn’t really matter.  I mean, that’s what’s important.  If the circumstances are what decides how you feel about getting proposed to, you should probably turn it down. You’d really be wishy-washy about the whole thing if that’s all it takes to sway you.”

“I… I suppose I can see that.  But that’s not really why I wanted to help. I have no worries about what Applejack’s answer would be, and I don’t think that Twilight will either.” Rarity reflexively flicked her mane. “It’s just… it’s something that, ideally, they’ll only ever do once, and I think that they ought to make it something grand!  Of course, their decision to marry is the most important thing, but it is not the only important thing.  It isn’t as though thinking of one another and wanting the occasion to be memorable are mutually exclusive!”

“You do have a point,” Lyra said, looking thoughtfully into space. “I do kinda wish that Bon Bon and I had a more interesting story, but in a way, the fact that we didn’t really do anything special is what makes it special.”

Rarity couldn’t resist chuckling. “I suppose that’s true.”

“Yes, but that’s just because I’m weird,” Lyra said with a laugh. “It’s not like it’s bad or anything. You just wanted to help Twilight and Applejack celebrate the occasion, right?”

“Yes, exactly!” Rarity nodded, then hung her head. “But I was too pushy, and I made it look like I didn’t trust her to handle her own relationship.  I really need to set the record straight and apologize for imposing on her.  If she happens to come in, you will tell her I want to talk, won’t you?”

“Sure.  Knowing Twilight, I’m sure that once you explain yourself, everything will be fine. She doesn’t strike me as the type to hold a grudge.”

Rarity smiled.  “Thank you, Lyra.  I’m quite sure you’ve given Twilight better advice than I ever could.”

Lyra chuckled. “I like to think that that’s the real reason Twilight hasn’t quit working here.”

“Perhaps it is,” Rarity said. “Celestia knows I certainly haven’t been as helpful as I thought I had been.” She stood.  “And now, I should be on my way.  Though I really feel as though I ought to buy something.  For wasting your time.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.  Any friend of Twilight’s is a friend of mine!  Now Bon Bon, she might take a while to warm up to you.” She waved a hoof at Rarity. “But seriously, don’t feel like you have to buy something just because we talked for a few minutes.  I don’t mind.  And my time isn’t really that valuable anyway.”

“Please, it’s the least I can do,” Rarity said. “That, and it’s been one of those days. I could use some chocolate.”

Lyra grinned. “I’ll ring you up one of our assortments.  Do you like caramel?”

“...And one copy of the Prancipia Mathematica.”

“Check!”  Spike checked off the final box on the scroll, and then rubbed his wrist. “You do realize that you’re just going to help them fix up a derby cart, right?  All you really need is a set of tools and a mechanic’s manual.”

“Spike, this is a school project!” She shoved the large book into her already-stuffed saddlebag. “The entire point is to teach them the principles of motion.  I have to make sure they integrate the theory with the practical application!”

Spike rolled his eyes. “You realize that they won’t even know what that means, right?”

“Which is why I’m helping to teach them!”

“I thought you were helping so they didn’t accidentally burn down the orchard or blow their tails off or something,” Spike said.

Twilight thought for a moment, then nodded. “That too. I’ll need my safety goggles.”

“Already have them!” Spike set the glasses on Twilght’s forehead.  “You want your hard hat too?”

“No, I’m pretty sure Applejack has some of those,” she said as she scanned the checklist one final time. “Besides, I don’t think I’ll need them for anything today.  I don’t plan on letting the crusaders do anything too dangerous.”

“Good luck,” Spike said, shaking his head.  “If you aren’t back by dinnertime, I’ll check at the hospital, okay?”

“Ha ha.” Twilight readjusted the goggles. “I’ll be fine, Spike.  You remember what to do if you see Rarity, right?”

He nodded. “I’ll tell her you want to talk, and invite her to dinner.  Or find out when she has time for a conversation.”

“Right,” Twilight said with a nod. “Let her know that I want to talk things out.  Make it clear that I regret being so harsh to her, and want to give her another chance to explain herself.  Just don’t make it sound too apologetic.  I wouldn’t want her to think that she was totally right.”

“No grovelling, got it.”

“And now, I should be on my way!” Twilight said as she opened the door. “Wouldn’t want to be late on the first day of helping them. It wouldn’t be a very good precedent to set.  I’ll be sure to be back in time for dinner, okay?  Especially if Rarity is going to be here. I wouldn’t want to keep her waiting, either.”

“I’ll make extra nachos!” Spike said, folding his arms and nodding.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. We don’t know if she’s coming or not.”

“I’m making extra nachos because after dealing with those three fillies, you’re going to need it.”

“Good point.  Just don’t make them too spicy.  Rarity doesn’t like that.”

“Oh, I know. I learned my lesson from last time.” He shuddered.

“Good. I’ll see you promptly at six. Hopefully a little earlier.”  She waved and trotted out the door. “Bye!”

“See you later,” Spike said.  Then he turned to the pile of unsorted books on his desk.  “Where the hay do all of these things come from?  I didn’t think anypony checked out this many books!”  He took one from the top of the pile and looked at the stamp in the cover. “Oh, right.  Carrot Top checked out all of those cookbooks. About time we got those back. At least when I have to shelf them, they’ll all be in the same place.  Gives me plenty of time for the nachos!”

He lifted a load of books nearly as tall as himself and began to waddle towards the stacks.  He was halfway through his journey when there was a knock on the door.

“Oh, come on!” he groaned, and dropped the books to the floor.  It was too far to drag them all the way to the shelves or back to the desk before answering the door.

He took a moment to smooth out his spines. “Good afternoon!” he said as he opened the door. Then he saw who had knocked. “R-rarity!”

“Good afternoon, Spike,” she answered. “I don’t suppose Twilight is here?”

Spike shook his head. “You just missed her.”

Rarity’s eye twitched, as if it wanted to frown and Rarity wouldn’t let it.  “I should’ve known,” she said. “Do you know where she went?  I really do need to speak to her.”

“She went out to Sweet Apple Acres to help the Cutie Mark Crusaders with their science project,” he answered.  Then he thought of something to add. “You probably shouldn’t go out there.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t want to intrude on their time.  My tendency to stick my nose into her business is what caused this whole mess in the first place.”

“Actually, I mean that you should literally stay away from them,” Spike said. “When those three get to work, the results can be pretty dangerous.”

“Very true,” Rarity said with a nod. “It’s why they are no longer permitted to do any ‘crusading’ in the boutique.  But back to business.  Do you know when Twilight will be returning?  I want to apologize for my behavior yesterday, and I would like to do so face to face.”

“Yeah, about that… Twilight wanted to talk things out with you.  You know, get to the bottom of things.   If you’re free for dinner tonight, she’d love to have you over.  Unless you already have plans.”

Rarity smiled and flicked her mane. “The only dinner plans I had were to heat up the alfalfa casserole that’s sitting in the back of my fridge.  Tell Twilight that I would be pleased to visit.  May I ask what is on the menu?”

Spike grinned. “Nachos!”

“Oh.” She grimaced.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go light on the spices this time!”

“In that case, it sounds lovely, dear.” Rarity ruffled his spines before heading towards the door. “I’ll bring a dessert.  What time should I come by?”

“Six o’clock,” Spike answered. “Providing Twilight can get away from the crusaders on time.”

“Oh please, since when is Twilight late for anything?”

Spike rolled his eyes.  “Yeah, but she’s working with Sweetie Belle.”

Rarity thought for a moment. “Sweetie does have a tendency to be a bit… clingy, at times.”

“Yeah, and she’s dealing with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, too.  And they’re working on a project involving a zipline, a pushcart, and a compressed air canister.  Probably some sort of catapult, too.” He crossed his arms and nodded confidently. “Even Twilight is going to have some trouble making sure they get everything finished on time.”

“Well, if that happens I suppose you’ll just have to keep me company until she arrives,” she said with a wink.

“I… uh… bluh…” Spike tried to respond somehow, but his tongue tripped over his teeth. “Y-yeah,” he managed.

“In that case, I will see you tonight.  Hopefully this time Twilight and I won’t be at each other’s throats.  You’d better get to work on those nachos of yours.”

He nodded dumbly as he watched her leave.  As the door slammed shut before her, the click of the latch snapped him back to reality.  “Wuh?” He shook his head. “Real smooth, Spike. Better start thinking up stuff to talk about.” He turned to head for the kitchen and almost immediately tripped over the stack of books he had left in the middle of the floor, landing with a thud.  “But first I should probably put these away.”

Every so often, Twilight found herself reminded of the vast gulf between theoretical and practical knowledge.  One could certainly know a fact intellectually, but not comprehend the true impact of the information unless one saw it in action.  Right now, Twilight was in the midst of one of those moments.  She knew intellectually that the Cutie Mark Crusaders tended to be a bit excessive in their approach to most matters, but it wasn’t until she saw the contraption dangling from the the orchard’s tallest tree that she truly recognized what she had gotten herself into.

“Is that a rocket?” she asked.

“No.” Apple Bloom shook her head sadly.  “It was gonna be, but Applejack wouldn’t let us buy any more fireworks after what happened after the Summer Festival. We’re not allowed to build catapults anymore, either.”

“Understandable, after what happened to the gazebo,” Twilight mumbled to herself. “So… what exactly is that thing?  I was under the impression that your project was going to be a pushcart.”

“It was,” Sweetie Belle answered. “At first.  Then we had that… incident with the airbag canister, and Applejack told us we had to do something safer.”

“I see.”

“So then we decided that we’d use the zipline instead!” Scootaloo continued, pointing at the wire in question. “But we didn’t want to waste all the time we spent building the car, so we decided to combine them!  And then add some fins.  For stability!”

“I can see that,” Twilight mumbled.  If she stared at their device long enough, she could make out the shape of a seat, steering wheel, and tires swaying in the wind.  “And why exactly is ziplining any safer than using a cart?”

“It has a harness!” Apple Bloom said.

“This harness, it’s designed for holding a pony, right?”

The cutie mark crusaders nodded enthusiastically.

“And it fits all of you?”

More nodding.

“So the three of you took a zipline harness designed for a single filly, and modified it to support the better part of a push cart, which from what I can see lacks any sort of seat belt, and weighs several times as much as the harness is designed to support?”

They nodded again, but with a good deal less enthusiasm.

“And you’re trying to tell me that riding that is safer than just using the harness for its intended purpose?”

“Uh…” Apple Bloom thought for a moment. “We were gonna put a seat belt on it.  Eventually.”

“I don’t think that would be quite sufficient.” She eyed the airborne pushcart again.  It didn’t appear very stable.  “I might not know a whole lot about ziplining, but I’m pretty sure that ziplines and harnesses are designed to handle a certain amount of weight, and that is definitely over the limit, especially if somepony is going to be riding in it. The best case scenario would be that you’d get stuck in the middle due to the wire not having enough tension.”

“Oh,” Sweetie Belle said. “So… what’s the worst case scenario.”

“Either the harness fails, or the mooring point for the wire comes loose, and…” She made a noise with her tongue as she smacked her hoof on the ground.

“So, we’d go splat?”  Scootaloo asked apprehensively.

“More or less.  I’m sorry to undo your efforts, but I’m afraid that that is far too dangerous to actually use for your project.  After talking with Applejack, she’s approved using the cart normally, provided I supervise and make sure that all of you take the proper precautions.  Like not trying to ride in that thing.”

“Aww, that’s going to take forever!” Apple Bloom kicked unhappily at a dirt clod.

“And that’s why you need to think things through before you act.  If you just charge ahead without thinking things through, you’ll just end up making more work for yourself in the long run.” Then she glanced off into the sky. “Though you don’t want to spend too much time on that either, or you never get anything done. Believe me, I know how that is.”

“So what do we do now?” Sweetie Belle asked. ”

“Well, the first thing I was going to do is help you create an outline for your project so we’ll know exactly what we have to do and what it will take to do it, but right now I think the first order of business is to get the cart off of the zipline before it falls and squishes somepony.”

“That’s no fun!” Scootaloo said with a snort. “I thought we were going to ride the thing down the hill and time it and figure out how fast we were going and stuff!”

“Yes, but that isn’t possible when the cart is up there.” Twilight nodded towards the sky.  The three fillies sheepishly hung their heads.  “Why don’t the three of you go get a ladder and some rope, and we’ll see about getting this thing down.”

The three fillies sighed collectively and headed towards the barn.   Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle to herself as they departed.  And as they went, so did the distraction.  She took a few nervous steps in place and bit her lip.

I wonder if Rarity ever showed up.

She shook her head.  Now wasn’t the time for that.  Yes, it was certainly a hugely important matter.  But it wasn’t the only thing.  She couldn’t let it completely take over every thought.  Right now, it was her job to help the Cutie Mark Crusaders finish their project without injury or property damage.  It wasn’t the time to worry about her own issues.

She turned her attention back to the airborne pushcart.  It would take some planning to get that thing down.

Rarity  slowly trotted back towards the boutique. It was a promising turn of events that Twilight wanted to talk.  But what did Twilight want to tell her?  Maybe it would be a final ultimatum to leave the matter alone.  It would be a bit harsh for Twilight, but not entirely outside the realm of possibility.  Rarity sighed.  She couldn’t worry herself too much about that.  Whatever Twilight wanted was completely out of her control.  She would simply listen, give her apology and see how things went.

As the main matter was out of her hooves, she began to think of what dessert she should bring as a gesture of goodwill.  Something quick and easy that she’d actually have time to put together before she—

“Oof!” she grunted as she collided with somepony, then took a step back and immediately began apologizing. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention! Are you—” She finally realized who she had bumped into.  “Oh, good afternoon, Applejack.”

Applejack readjusted her hat. “Don’t worry about it, Rarity.  I wasn’t really lookin’ where I was goin’ either.  You got something on your mind?”

“I… I do, but it’s… a personal matter.”  Rarity’s eyes darted around the street, trying to think of something else to talk about.  She settled on the small brown paper bag that sat at Applejack’s hooves. “It seems that you dropped something.”

Applejack looked down, gasped, and snatched up the bag.  “Thanks. I wouldn’t want to lose that.  It’s… something I don’t want to lose.”

“Really? What is it?” Rarity asked, her curiosity piqued by Applejack’s reaction.

“It’s, uh, nothing you need to worry yourself about, okay?” Applejack’s voice was surprisingly curt.

“Is that so?” Rarity narrowed her eyes.  As much as she wanted to pry further, it was none of her business. “Oh well, I suppose it doesn’t matter.  I’d love to stay and chat, but I really must be going.  I have things I must take care of.  It was lovely seeing you though, even if only for a moment.”

“Y-yeah, you too,” Applejack said, smiling awkwardly.  “I’ve gotta get back to the farm and take care of some stuff. Sorry I can’t stop to talk.”

“Don’t worry about it.  Business is business,” Rarity said. “Have a nice day.”

“Yeah, you too. See you later.”  Applejack briskly trotted past Rarity, heading for the farm.

Rarity looked back over her shoulder and watched Applejack disappear. “I wonder what that was about.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’ll have time to make some nice pudding before I have to head over to Twilight’s.”

The CMC teetered awkwardly as they emerged from the barn, Sweet Apple Acres’ largest ladder balanced along their backs.  The simple endeavor of walking in a straight line was proving more difficult than they had expected.

“Apple Bloom, you’re going too far to the left!” Sweetie Belle shouted from the back of the formation. “The ladder is gonna fall over!”

“Well, you’re goin’ too far to the right!” Apple Bloom answered.  What little patience she usually had was rapidly evaporating.  They were supposed to be ziplining or carting or maybe even learning something, not dragging ladders around.

“Maybe we could ask Twilight to like, magic it down. It would be a lot faster.” Scootaloo suggested from her position at the middle of the ladder.

“Twilight’s not going to do that!” Sweetie said as she walked sideways, trying to keep the ladder on her back. “She’ll probably tell us that this is something we’ve got to do ourselves.  Besides, it’s not like it took us that long to get it up there.”

“It took us all afternoon!” Apple Bloom groaned. “I knew that puttin’ that up there was a dumb idea!”

“What?” Scootaloo squealed. “You said that you thought it was cool!”

“Well, it was, on paper.  Once we actually started hoistin’ it up we shoulda known it wasn’t gonna work!”  Apple Bloom stomped, shaking their load.

“Come on, guys,” Sweetie said desperately, trying to keep her balance. “Let’s just get the cart down so we can focus on getting this project done! If Twilight’s helping us, we’re practically guaranteed to get an ‘A’!”

Apple Bloom thought for a moment. “That probably wouldn’t hurt.  My science grade could use some help.”

“I think mine’s kind of a lost cause,” Scootaloo said with a sigh.

“But it’ll totally be better than Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon’s project!” Sweetie Belle said.

“That’s ‘cause they never do any projects,” Apple Bloom snorted as she began to trot into a turn.  “They always get Diamond Tiara’s butler to do it.”

“But after last time, Cheerilee said they weren’t allowed to do that any more!”  Sweetie Belle sped up, trying to keep pace.

“Like that’s gonna stop them!” Apple Bloom looked back over her shoulder.  “They’re just gonna find some way to—”

“Apple Bloom, look out!” Scootaloo shouted.

Apple Bloom turned around just in time to realize that she was about to run over her sister.

“Whoa, nelly!” Applejack dove out of the way as the ladder clattered to the ground.  “What are you three doin’?” she said as she stood and brushed herself off.  “I thought Twilight was gonna be helpin’ with your project.”

“She is.  Or at least she’s goin’ to.” Apple Bloom answered as she stooped to pick the ladder back up.

“And what is that for?”

“Oh, this?” Scootaloo smiled innocently. “It’s… not for anything.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Then why are you takin’ it?”

“Uh… Twilight told us to,”  Apple Bloom mumbled.

“So, if I would ask Twilight why she told you to get it, what would she tell me?” Applejack waited for an answer.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both stepped back and nodded at Apple Bloom to be their spokesperson.

“We… might need the ladder to get something out of a tree…”

“To get what out of a tree?”

Apple Bloom braced herself. “... the cart.”

Applejack’s eye twitched as she put the pieces together. “Y’all tried to hang the cart from the zipline, didn’t you?”

The three fillies nodded dejectedly.

Applejack just shook her head and sighed. “You know what? I’m gonna let Twilight deal with it.  I got other stuff to worry about now.  Just be careful, okay?”  She abruptly turned and trotted past them.

The crusaders watched curiously as she headed up the path.

“Huh,” Apple Bloom said. “Normally she’d have gone and given us a lecture or somethin’.”

“Hey, she forgot something!” Sweetie Belle pointed to a paper bag that sat on the ground where Applejack had been standing a minute earlier.

“Maybe it’s her lunch”  Scootaloo trotted over and gave the bag a sniff.  “Nope, doesn’t smell like apples.”

“Let me see,” Apple Bloom pushed her out of the way and began to open the bag.  “Wonder what’s in here.”  She stuck her face into it.  “Huh.  Didn’t expect to see that.”

“Gimme that!”  An orange hoof snatched the bag off of her face. Apple Bloom looked up to see her sister glaring at her. “What do you think you’re doin’?”

“Uh, you dropped it.”

“Yes, I realized that.” She took a deep breath. Apple Bloom recognized it as the type of breath her sister took when she was angry, but trying not to be.  “Listen, Apple Bloom, what’s in this bag ain’t any of your business, okay?  It’s just a present for Twilight and I want it to be a surprise, okay?  None of y’all can mention it to her, okay?  You don’t tell her anything!”

“Sure thing, sis!” Apple Bloom saluted. “Will we?”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo shook their heads vigorously.  “Nope!” they said in unison.

“And you.” She focused her gaze on Apple Bloom. “Don’t tell anypony what’s in this bag, okay?  Fewer ponies know about it, the less chance there is Twilight finds out. And that includes your crusader friends.”

“Awww.” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sighed.

Apple Bloom nodded. “Consider the secret kept!”

“Good.” Applejack took the bag and tucked it under her hat.  “Now that that’s settled, the three of you better get back to work on your school thingy.  I gotta run back to the house real quick, but when I’m done I’ll come by and help you get it down, okay?  Movin’ heavy stuff like that is my kind of work.”  She winked and trotted briskly down the path.

“Wonder what that was about.” Sweetie Belle said as she bent down to pick up her end of the ladder.

“You heard her, it’s a present!” Scootaloo answered, rolling her eyes.  “So, Apple Bloom… you think you could at least give us a hint about what was in there?”

“You heard my sister.  I’m not sayin’ anything.  Last thing I need is to get into trouble now.”  She lifted her end of the ladder onto her back.  “Come on, let’s go get this thing back to Twilight so we can get the cart down and get on to the fun stuff.”  She grinned. “I get to drive first!”

Scootaloo snorted as they slowly began to make their way back to the clubhouse. “We’ll see about that.”

“Almost there!”  Sweetie Belle waved for the group who held the end of the rope to come closer.  As they stepped toward her, the pulley creaked, and the load on the other end of the rope slowly descended.  “Just a few more feet… okay, let go!”

Applejack and Twilight released their grips, and the cart thudded to the ground in a puff of dust.  Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, who were still holding on, were hoisted into the air.

“Whoa!” Applejack jumped out of the way as the two fillies swung toward her.

Sweetie Belle wasn’t quite so fast. A moment later the three fillies lay in a heap next to the remnants of their pushcart.

“I told you to let go!” Sweetie snorted from the bottom of the pile.

Applejack shook her head. “I hope you know what you got yourself into, Twilight,” she said as she watched the crusaders clamoring over each other.  “Those three can be a real hoof-full sometimes.”

“It’s alright,” Twilight said with a smile.  “We’ve already completed the most difficult item on the checklist, so  I should be able to handle them.  Not that I don’t appreciate your help, of course.”

“Hey, if my help means that nopony gets bonked on the head, I got no problem with helpin’. You ever want my help for anything else, just ask.”

“Well, for today, I think I’ll be fine on my own. Though I could probably use your help to get their attention.” She nodded at the three fillies, who were currently arguing about whose fault their collision had been.

“My help? What do you need my—” Applejack’s questions were momentarily silenced and Twilight suddenly leaned against her, gently nuzzling her neck and purring like a kitten.

“Mmmm… so soft…” she murmured.

“Uh…” Applejack blinked a few times to confirm that Twilight really was pressed against her. “Uh, Twi, what are you doin’?”

“Shh.” Twilight put her hoof tenderly against Applejack’s cheek. “Just be quiet, my little apple dumpling.”

“Eww!”

Applejack looked up to see all three crusaders staring at her with varying degrees of disgust.

“They’re getting all sappy!” Scootaloo grumbled, wrinkling her nose.

Twilight immediately stepped away and straightened up.  “Good! Now that I have your attention, we can get back to work!”

Applejack suppressed a chuckle as she watched the crusaders line up.

“So what are we doin’ now?” Apple Bloom asked. “Do we get to ride in the cart now?”

Twilight gave the fillies her most incredulous glare. “You want to ride in that?” She gestured at the object, which resembled a rickety three-wheeled box with a seat more than any sort of vehicle.  The mere weight of their glances caused the steering wheel to fall off with a clunk.

“Maaaaybe we have a little bit of work to do,” Sweetie Belle said.

Twilight nodded sagely. “Yes.  We have to repair the cart and make it safe to ride.  But before that we need to define the parameters of the project, formulate a hypothesis, decide the precise manner of experimentation, and design a suitable method for recording the data.”

Her statement was meant with blank stares.

Applejack cleared her throat. “Uh, Twilight, I don’t think they know what all that means.”

“It means that we need to decide exactly how we’re going to do the project before we actually start doing anything, or we’ll just end up wasting our time.”

“So how long will it be before we actually get to ride?” Apple Bloom asked.  “Tonight, maybe?”

“I’m afraid not,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “We can get started on organizing the project, but today I have things to do at home.  I have to…” Her eyes darted quickly to Applejack and away. “I told Spike I’d be back for dinner.”

“Yeah, we’re havin’ dinner soon, too.” Applejack said. “I’m real hungry, and we’re not gonna wait up for you.”

“Fine,” Scootaloo crossed her forelegs. “Let’s get all this boring ‘planning’ stuff out of the way.”

“It might seem a bit boring, but that’s what’s gonna get y’all a good grade,” Applejack said. “Just ‘cause something isn’t fun doesn’t mean you can skip over it.  You gotta learn how to enjoy doin’ stuff like this.  Now I gotta go start helpin’ get dinner ready. You three behave, okay?”

They smiled in a not-at-all reassuring fashion as Applejack began her trek back towards the house.

“See you later, apple bun!” Twilight called after her with a conspicuous wink.  Then she turned back to her students, who were currently wrinkling their noses at her saccharine tone.  “Now, then.  We’re going to need some notebooks!”

Rarity’s stomach growled.  She hadn’t had much for lunch, and the fact that her nose had been constantly assailed with the scent of her pudding for the past half hour had done nothing but exacerbate her hunger.  She almost wished that she hadn’t decided on chocolate pudding.  If it had been mere vanilla, resisting the temptation to dig in would be so much easier.

At least she didn’t have long to wait.  The library was right around the corner. She could almost smell the nachos.  Now she just had to hope that Twilight was in a forgiving mood.  It was either that, or receive an ultimatum to stay out of the way.  No point in worrying, though.  She’d just say what she needed to, and let things go from there.

She paused on the doorstep to straighten her mane.  One needed to show proper respect after all. She took a deep breath, knocked, and waited for Twilight to answer.

Daybreak

Why did I think that this was a good idea? This dinner is just going to be one big awkward moment!

STAY, O sweet and do not rise!

The light that shines comes from thine eyes;

The day breaks not: it is my heart,

Because that you and I must part.

Stay! or else my joys will die

And perish in their infancy.

--Daybreak,

John Donne

Rarity and Twilight sat not-quite-exactly across the table from each other.  They had already exchanged all the expected pleasantries concerning the state of the weather and at the moment they sat quietly, each trying to build up the nerve to be first to speak.  Spike sat at the third place at the table, ignoring the tension in favor of shovelling a pile of nachos onto his plate.  He could start paying attention when they started talking.  No doubt it would be an interesting conversation.

He was still a bit surprised that Twilight hadn’t sent him to eat upstairs or in the kitchen.  She had said that he could act as a mediator, but he wasn’t sure exactly how to go about that.  He didn’t even know exactly what had caused the whole fight.  The only contribution he could think of consisted of distracting them if they got too worked up.  Either that, or she just wanted him around as comic relief. He’d have to be careful about that, though.  No reason to make things more awkward.

“So…” Rarity said softly as she poked at her plate. “Am I right in assuming that you wish to discuss our little tiff yesterday?”

Twilight nodded.  “I thought it would be good to talk things out,” she said in a voice that didn’t sound like she wanted to be talking about anything.

“Clearing the air, then?” Rarity asked.

“That was the idea,” Twilight said tersely.  Spike wondered if Twilight was thinking twice about whether this had been a good idea.

“Do you mind if I begin, then?” Rarity asked.  “I’ve been thinking about this, and I have something to say.”

“Oh.” Twilight blinked in surprise. “Sure, go ahead.”

“Well, then.” Rarity cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “Twilight, I want to apologize.”

Twilight and Spike both stared at her. Then they turned to each other, then back to her.  Spike shrugged and popped a nacho into his mouth.  Apparently this wouldn’t be as much fun as he thought.  At least he got to see Twilight caught off guard.

“I overstepped my boundaries and didn’t listen when you told me that you didn’t want my help.  And just because I might have helped you get through the early stages of your relationship, doesn’t mean that you want my help now.  Regardless of what I think you should do, it’s ultimately your decision whether or not to listen to me.”  She leaned back in her chair, clearly glad to have that over and done with.

“Well, now that that’s taken care of, who wants jalepeños?!” Spike asked, holding up the bowl.

“Wait.” Twilight held up her hoof. “Just a second.” She turned back to Rarity.  Her eyes narrowed.  “And…?”

“Hm?” Rarity blinked. “And what?”

“Is there anything else you want to say?” Twilight tapped her hooves on the table. “Concerning your insinuations about my ability to handle things myself?”

“What?  Whatever are you talking about?” Rarity said. “I never said anything about that!”

“Well, you didn’t have to say anything, I guess,” Twilight poked at her plate of food. “I got the message.” She stuffed a bite of nachos into her mouth.

“Twilight, I don’t know what I said to upset you, but I’m sorry.  I am not trying to weasel out of apologizing!  If you’re willing to explain why you’re so angry, I’ll do what I can.” She frowned. “But if you’ve decided to be angry regardless of what I say, I see no reason to stay.”

“Hey, what about the nachos?”  Spike said indignantly. “That’s a reason to stay!”

“Okay, fine,” Rarity rolled her eyes. “No reason to stay and continue this conversation.”

“That’s more like it.” Spike said.  “Of course, the nachos don’t really do much if you don’t eat them.”

“You honestly don’t have any idea what I’m talking about?”  Twilight asked in disbelief, ignoring the nachos.

“No!” Rarity gasped. “At least, I don’t think I do.  I realize that you don’t want me interfering with your romantic life, and I admit that I overstepped those bounds, but other than that I don’t know what the problem is.”

“The problem isn’t just you butting in, it’s that you apparently think that I’m incapable of continuing this relationship without you hovering over my shoulder as I do it.”

“What? Wait, wait, wait a moment!” Rarity waggled one hoof in the air as she put the other one too her forehead. “I think I understand where we went wrong.”

“Enlighten me,” Twilight grumbled.

“Well, it seems that you are under the impression that my only motive for… intruding on your personal business is to make you do things the way I want?”

Twilight snorted. “What other reason could you possibly have?”

“I see now…” Rarity sighed. “It seems that I—”

She flinched as Spike chomped down on a clawful of chips with a loud crunch.  He paused, his mouth full, and smiled sheepishly.  “Sorry.”

“Like I was saying,” Rarity continued, “it seems that my… enthusiasm has given you entirely the wrong idea.  You must believe me when I say that I had no intention of forcing you to make your relationship into anything that it isn’t.  Furthermore, I never meant to imply that you weren’t capable of dealing with things on your own.”

“And all that stuff about ‘how could you know what you’re doing after only a year?’  What about that?”

“I…Did I say that?  I don’t think I ever said anything like that.”

“Actually, I think you did,” Spike said. “I couldn’t hear exactly what you were arguing about, but I’m pretty sure I heard something like that.”

“See?” Twilight said. “Even if you didn’t say it, you definitely implied it.”

“Well, I didn’t mean to.” Rarity rubbed her temples with her hooves. “Let me start over and explain myself properly.  Twilight, I want you to know that I have every confidence in your ability to handle this relationship.  It’s just that when I see the two of you planning for special occasions, I just want everything to be perfect.  And especially so in the case of something as momentous as a marriage proposal!”

She sighed, and her whole body seemed to deflate a little. “Unfortunately, sometimes I forget that other ponies often don’t share my idea of perfection.  So when you turned down my offer of help, I… I got a bit defensive, and said some things I shouldn’t have.  I suppose that in a way, you were right. I was too preoccupied with what I could do and didn’t listen, and insulted you as a result.  And for that, I apologize.”

“R-really?” Twilight mumbled.

“Yes. I got so wrapped up in wanting to help that I felt a bit insulted when you refused.  And then… well, I’m sure you remember the rest.”  Rarity avoided Twilight’s eyes, looking instead at her cup of tea.

“Oh, I certainly do,” Twilight said softly. “And I also remember that I… didn’t exactly help things along.  I… uh…” She nervously tapped her hooves together and smiled sheepishly. “I sort of assumed that you were just going to try to take over everything and I never gave you a chance to tell your side of the story.  I guess I had already decided to ignore whatever you said, and I got mad even though you were only trying to help.”

“Well, I did come on a bit strong,” Rarity said. “I can hardly blame you for reacting that way.”

“Even if you don’t blame me, I still messed up.  So I guess I owe you an apology as well.  I should’ve given you the benefit of the doubt rather than jumping on you as soon as you walked through the door.”

“Great! Apologies all around!” Spike announced dramatically. “Now that that’s settled, maybe you should get back to the food before it gets cold!”

“Spike!” Twilight glared at him.

“What? I spent the last two hours in the kitchen.  It’s not like we can just go and reheat the chips. It’ll make them all soggy.”

Twilight shook her head.

“You know, he is right,” Rarity said.  “Why don’t we just put this whole debacle behind us?  I think we can agree that neither of us did a stellar job handling the situation, so why don’t we try it again and not yell at each other this time?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Twilight answered. “I really am sorry, though.  You’re my friend. Even if I am frustrated, I should be able to treat you better than that.”

“Think nothing of it, Twilight.  Nopony can be properly composed all the time.  Believe me, I know.  Now, why don’t we get around to enjoying the meal that Spike has put together for us?”

“Yeah!” Spike nodded.  “If anypony wants more spice, I have a gigantic jar of Black Tartarus Pepper in the kitchen. Want me to go get it?”

Both mares turned to him in tandem. “No!”

Applejack sighed as she surveyed the nails, screws, bolts, hooks, and other miscellaneous things that littered the barn floor instead of sitting in their boxes on the shelf.

“Y’know, if you hadn’t made such a big mess in here, we wouldn’t have to be cleanin’ this up,” Applejack said. “You gotta learn to think ahead more.”

“It wasn’t me!” Apple Bloom groused as she plucked up the nails and dropped them into the box.  “Sweetie Belle decided she was going to try to get the ladder off the hook with her magic and she dropped it!”

“And you didn’t think that you should’ve been ready to catch it in case that happened?”  Applejack asked with a smirk.  “You know, instead of lettin’ all the shelves get knocked over.  Did you think that I wouldn’t notice?”

“No! Of course not!”  Apple Bloom said with an awkward smile.

“Really?”  Applejack gave her a sideway glance.

“Okay, fine! We thought that you wouldn’t see it until tomorrow mornin’ and you’d think that maybe a raccoon did it or somethin’. Sorry.”

“Is that so?  I should make you clean up the whole thing yourself.” She shook her head. “Or at least I would if it weren’t almost your bedtime.  But next time I’m not helpin’.  You gotta clean up your own messes.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Apple Bloom grumbled. “So, uh, about that bag…”

“I told you, that’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“But what for?  It’s not Hearth’s Warming Eve, and I’m pretty sure that it’s not Twilight’s birthday either.  Did Pinkie make up another new holiday or something?”

“What, like I need an excuse to do something nice for my very special somepony?”  Applejack gave her sister a playful shove. “Why are you pokin’ your nose into my business anyway?”

“I’m just curious, that’s all!”

“Well, you don’t let that get the better of you, okay?  Now you get back to the house and start gettin’ ready for bed.” She pushed Apple Bloom towards the door.  “You got a lot of stuff to do tomorrow.  Like actually startin’ to ride in that cart of yours.”

“Right!”  She nodded and darted out the door.

Applejack took a slow breath as she surveyed the barn.  It wouldn’t take more than ten minutes to finish cleaning up, which was fine with her.  It was the first time today she had a chance to relax.  All things considered, today had gone well.  She had managed to complete her personal errands, her farm duties, and help Twilight out with the crusaders to boot.  She was still a bit surprised that Twilight had them so well in hoof.  That was one less thing to worry about.

Right now, she just had to worry about making sure she got all the screws back in the jar.  She smiled as she began to pick them up.  Now she just had to be patient. Tomorrow was only a night away.

“No, that won’t work either,” Twilight said as she dunked another plate into the sink. “I’m supposed to be helping the crusaders more with their project tomorrow.  I don’t suppose you could come by after lunch?”  She retrieved the plate and began to polish it vigorously with a sponge.

Rarity shook her head as she took the dish and began to dry it. “Unfortunately not. I’ve already scheduled fitting sessions with a bridal party.  There’s no way I can reschedule. I won’t be freely available until after I close up shop.”  She thought for a moment as she carefully placed the plate in the drying rack. “Oh, I have an idea! You are able to talk while you work, right?”

Twilight nodded. “As long as I get everything done, Bon Bon doesn’t mind.  And I’m usually there during the slowest part of the day. Unless Hearts and Hooves day is coming around, we usually don’t get more than one or two customers while I’m there.”

“I suppose I should leave all of my samples at home then,” Rarity said with a smirk.

“I don’t think we’ll need those anyway,” Twilight answered, examining a bowl for any traces of cheese. “We just need to bounce some ideas around.  Nothing I can’t do while sweeping or cleaning the display case.  We can always talk later if we have to.”

“Well, I’ll drop by then and see what we can do.  Who knows, maybe Lyra will be able to help as well. Though from what she told me she doesn’t exactly have a great deal of experience in the matter either.” Rarity chuckled. “And if I get in your way Bon Bon can always kick me out.”

“Sure, stop by.  Hopefully I’ll be out front rather than stuck in the back doing inventory.”

“Ugh!” Rarity shuddered and stuck out her tongue. “Doing inventory is truly the bane of any business.  Though I can’t blame Bon Bon for pawning off that duty on you.” She laughed. “Was that the last dish?”

“Yep.” Twilight nodded.  “Are you heading out now?”

“Yes, I think I should be getting home. It’s been a long day, and I’d like to get a head start on my beauty sleep.” Rarity yawned.  “We can continue our conversation tomorrow, this time without exploding at each other.”

“Well, have a good night, then,” Twilight said. “Spike will see you out.”  She waved goodbye as Rarity trotted out of the kitchen and then busied herself with putting away the dry dishes. “It’s good to have that sorted out,” she mumbled to herself.  The whole prospect of proposing to Applejack was daunting enough without being at odds with her friends.

At the very least, it would be nice to have somepony to talk things through with.  Or at least, somepony who wasn’t Pinkie Pie.  It wasn’t easy having a serious conversation with her, even if she did manage to make good points amidst her rambling.  At least when Rarity rambled, she stayed on topic.

She yawned, and decided to go to bed early tonight.  Being needlessly angry was too tiring.

The next morning, Twilight galloped out the door.  She had slept well. Too well.  She hadn’t overslept, but she had come as close to oversleeping as somepony so tightly scheduled was capable of.  Still, if she wanted to stop by the apple cart on her way to work, she had to hurry.  She turned the corner, and saw Applejack parked at her usual spot, dealing with Pinkie.

“I get that, Pinkie,” she was saying.  “I’m just sayin’ that” —her eyes caught sight of Twilight— “We can talk about this later, Pinkie.” She waved. “Hey, Twilight!”

“Good morning!” Twilight grinned widely as she gave Applejack a peck on the cheek. “Sorry, I can’t stay to chat.  I’m in a bit of a rush.”

“Well, you are four whole minutes behind schedule,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “Want an apple for the road?”

“Of course I do.  Unfortunately, you have to stay here.”

Pinkie burst into giggles. “I get it!  Because she’s a—”

“I get it too, Pinkie.” Applejack shook her head. “No need to point it out.  But seriously, Twi, take a couple.” She pulled a basket out of one of the compartments of the cart and began to shovel apples into it. “I’ll give you some extras for Lyra and Bon Bon.”

“Thanks.  I’ll tell them you said hello.”  Twilight carefully balanced the basket on her back. “I’ll see you again this afternoon.  After I finish up helping the crusaders, then we should have some time to spend together. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Awwww!” Pinkie clapped her hooves. “This is so cuuute!”

Applejack snorted. “Pinkie, what are you talkin’ about?”

“You two! You’re totally having a moment!”

“Uh… not really,” Applejack mumbled. “We’re just talkin’.  Not like anything special is goin’ on.”

“Ooooh! I get it.” Pinkie grinned widely and winked. “Yeah, there’s nothing special going on! No specialness here. None whatsoever!” She spun around and pranced down the street. Three steps later she stopped and turned back to Applejack. “Oh, if I buy a bushel of apples, do I get a discount?”

“Pinkie, you already get the family discount, remember?”

“Oh, right. See you later!”  She nodded and ambled away, singing to herself as she went.

Twilight chuckled awkwardly. “Wonder what’s up with her?”

“It’s Pinkie. I got nothing,”  Applejack said with a shrug.  “ I’ll see you tonight.  I’m lookin’ forward to it.”

“So am I.” Twilight smiled.  “I’d better get going.  Business and all that.”

“Yeah, if you keep hangin’ around I’m not gonna sell anything.”  Applejack playfully shooed Twilight down the street.  “You don’t want to get on Bon Bon’s bad side.”

“No, I don’t! See you later!” Twilight waved once, and galloped away.

Twilight had known from the beginning that Lyra would likely get drawn into the conversation fairly quickly.  Lyra could be drawn into any conversation easily; she prefered talking to working, so that was a given.  What Twilight hadn’t expected was for Bon Bon to join in as well.

“Well, as nice as Mon Cher may be, I believe that someplace with personal significance for the two of you would be more appropriate,” Bon Bon said.  She had started out just tossing out occasional observations when she brought chocolates out from the kitchen.  Now she was sitting at the table with Lyra and Rarity. She looked up occasionally to make sure that Twilight was still doing something that might qualify as work.

“It is personally significant!” Rarity said. “It just so happens to be where they went on their first date!  Isn’t that right, Twilight?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, it is. Bon Bon, do you want me to put out the rest of the chocolates?” She listened for an answer and didn’t get one.  “Hello?”

“See? Personally significant,” Rarity said smugly, ignoring everything after the “Yes, it is.”

“And that way they wouldn’t have to cook,” Lyra added.

“Do you really think that Twilight would choose the location of her proposal based on whether she’d have to cook?” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “I don’t think that’s really a factor here.”

“Um, hello?”  Twilight waved her hoof.  “What should I do with these?”

“Just put them in the display case,” Bon Bon said absently.

“Okay then.” Twilight shrugged and got back to work.

“So the restaurant is out, then?”  Rarity grumbled.  “I still think it would be fitting. You know I would be perfectly willing to do the dresses free of charge.”

“Ooh, ooh! I know!” Lyra grinned. “Why not both? They could go and have a nice, expensive dinner or whatever, and then go someplace else for dessert and Twilight could pop the question there!”

“The best of both worlds approach, huh?” Bon Bon nodded in assent. “I suppose that could work.”

“It could, though the logistics could be problematic,” Rarity tapped her chin with her hoof. “Still, I think it would give the occasion the gravitas it deserves without losing the personal touch.  And I seriously doubt that Twilight of all ponies would have the slightest difficulty with keeping everything lined up.”

“See?  I told you that would work.” Lyra looked back over her shoulder. “Isn’t that right, Twilight?”

“It would make for a special evening,” Twilight said. “Usually, we only do one or the other, so doing both would show that it isn’t just another date.  And that way I could—”

“Twilight!” Bon Bon interrupted. “Why are you putting all of the molds in the display case!”

“I asked you what you wanted me to do with them, and you told me to put them in here.”

Lyra giggled, and Rarity shook her head.

“Touché,” Bon Bon said. “Just leave them on the counter and I’ll put them away.”

“I don’t suppose you have any ideas, Twilight?” Lyra asked, a wide grin on her face. “I mean, it is your proposal after all.”

“Everything I could think of was pretty close to what you were talking about,” Twilight said as she stacked the molds carefully on the counter.  “I thought we would have a nice dinner, and then go out to somewhere quiet for the main event.”  She smiled. “And I think I know just the place.”

“So we have a plan, then!” Rarity clapped her hooves in triumph. “See? I told you that I would be helpful.”

“I beg to differ,” Bon Bon said with a smirk. “It sounds like you just came to the same conclusion that she would’ve reached all on her own. If anything, you only made it take longer.”

“‘You’?  What you do you mean, ‘you’?” Lyra poked Bon Bon in the flank with her horn. “You were talking about it as much as we were!”

Bon Bon wrinkled her nose. “Fine, be that way.  I’ll let Rarity have all the unsellable chocolates, then!”

“Awwww,” Lyra pouted. “That’s no fair!”

Twilight tried not to chuckle too loudly. “The plan you came up with might be basically what I had in mind, but I think it’s good that all of you think it’s okay.  It means I’m not too far off the mark.”

“Does this mean I should bring some dress patterns for you to look at?” Rarity asked, her eyes gleaming in anticipation.

“At some point, but not right now.” Twilight said, shaking her head. “It would be kind of hard to keep things confidential if you’re dragging your cloth swatches into the shop, especially since half the town knows I work here. I’m pretty sure word would get back to Applejack pretty quickly.  After you’re finished up at your shop for the day, we can get into the specifics.”

“Yes, my shop.” Rarity nodded. Then her eyes widened and a massive twitch shook her entire body. “My shop! I have have a fitting scheduled in…” Her eyes darted to the clock. “Three minutes!  I’m sorry, Twilight, but I must be going.”

“That’s fine, I’ll see you” —the bell above the door jangled as Rarity galloped out— “...later.”

“I never realized that Rarity was quite that fast,” Lyra said, observing the dust trail that Rarity had kicked up outside the door.

“That’s because unlike somepony I could mention, she actually exercises.” Bon Bon poked Lyra’s stomach, which jiggled slightly. “And I’d bet she doesn’t overindulge in chocolate, either.”

“I live in a chocolate shop! What do you want me to do?!” Lyra grumbled. “Besides, I know you like that I’m pudgy. That’s why you leave all that chocolate lying around.”

Bon Bon just snorted and turned to face Twilight. “Be warned, if the two of you do get married, this is what’s in store for you.  I should warn Applejack not to spoil you with too much apple pie, or you’ll end up in the same situation.”

“See?!” Lyra pointed dramatically at Bon Bon. “She admits that it’s her fault that I’m extra squishy!”

“Yes, it’s purely because I stuff you full of chocolate, and not because you eat it of your own volition and rarely exercise!” She turned her attention back to Twilight, who was standing behind the counter, wiping it off for the fifth time in the absence of any other instructions.  “I think that’s clean now, Twilight.  Just refill the brittle pans and then it will be about time for you to head out.”

“Will do.” Twilight nodded. “And thanks for letting Rarity and me talk through all this stuff.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Bon Bon said dismissively.  “You still work when you’re distracted at least, and Lyra would’ve been distracting you anyway. I figure if you’re going to be talking while you work, you might as well be talking about something important.”

Twilight smiled.  Bon Bon smiled back. For a moment.

“Now get back to work.”

Fluttershy poked her head into the library.  As always, the silence felt almost oppressive, and she felt a bit guilty for breaking it.  “Twilight?” she said softly. “Spike said you wanted to talk to me?”

“Fluttershy!” Twilight galloped out of the stacks and skidded to a stop in front of her.  “It’s great to see you! How have you been?”

“I’ve been fine.  Nothing interesting is going on.”

“Well, that’s great!” Twilight smiled widely. “I feel like we haven’t talked in forever.”

“I don’t think it’s been all that long,” Fluttershy said. “Did you need my help for anything?  Spike sounded a bit urgent.”

“Ah, yes.  I just…” Twilight swallowed. “I have a favor to ask.  I really really don’t want to impose on you or anything, but it’s really important and I’ll owe you forever!”

“A favor? Of course. You don’t need to owe me anything, though.  What did you need?”

“Well, it’s…” Twilight eyes darted back and forth, even though the library was empty.  She leaned in close and whispered into Fluttershy’s ear for half a minute.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “R-really?  You want me to do something so important?”

“Of course!  I trust you to… take care of everything, and I know that you won’t make a big deal out of it.” Twilight smiled. “There’s nopony else that I’d entrust this to.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Definitely.  But obviously, only if you want to. If you’d rather not, I won’t make you.”

“No, I want to help you.” Fluttershy said with a determined nod. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Thank you so much!” Twilight pranced in place in excitement. “Now, here’s what I need you to do…”

The horseshoe clanked as it caught on the pole.  Rainbow Dash did a triumphant flip. “I win this round!  You really let yourself get rusty, Applejack!”  She landed and poked Applejack with her elbow. “Double or nothing on the next one?”  She glided down to the post and began collecting the horseshoes.

“Fine,” Applejack said with a snort. “Not my fault I got better stuff to do than hone my horseshoe throwin’ skills.”  She took one of the shoes and hurled it, landing cleanly on target. “Not that I need to.  Just needed to get warmed up.”

“Great. I was afraid you were going easy on me or something!” Rainbow Dash tossed her shoe.  It landed in the dirt with a thump. “Ah, horseapples.  Oh well, I can’t make it too hard for you, I guess.”

“And just what makes you think you gotta go easy on me?” She took her turn throwing a shoe.

Rainbow Dash watched the throw land. “That’s why,” she said with a grin.  “Are you sure that Twilight’s egghead-ness isn’t rubbing off on you?”

“You kiddin’?  We spend a lot of time together, but it’s not like I stopped bein’ a farm pony just ‘cause I’m goin’ out with her.  Maybe I started rubbin’ off on her?  You ever think of that?”

“Huh, good point.”  Rainbow Dash thought for a moment.  “She has been spending a lot of time on the farm, lately.”

“You got that right,” Applejack said. “I’ll have you know that she’s on the farm right now, helpin’ the crusaders with their science project.”

“I still can’t believe you got her to agree to that,” Rainbow said, shaking her head. “I mean, I can hang out with them sometimes, but trying to get them to work together on something like that?” She shuddered.  “That’s a bit much.”

“Which is why she’s helpin’ and not you.”  She watched quietly as Rainbow Dash took her turn. “So, uh, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” Rainbow grimaced as the horseshoe landed wide of her target.

“Do you think that goin’ out with Twilight has changed me?  I mean, things aren’t the same, obviously, but do you think I changed a lot because of our relationship?”

“Huh, wasn’t expecting that.” Rainbow Dash scratched her head for a moment, then shrugged. “I… I dunno, honestly. I don’t really try to keep track of how my friends have changed unless it’s really really obvious.  I mean, yeah, I guess you’ve changed a little, but it’s not like that’s a bad thing. I mean, if you didn’t it would be even weirder.  It’s like… you’re the same, only different.”  She scratched her head. “Sort of.”

“So your point is that I might’ve changed, but just a bit?”

“My point is that it doesn’t really matter.  As long as we can keep hanging out, and I get a chance to prove that I’m totally more awesome, it’s not really a big deal.”  She shrugged again. “Ponies change.  It happens. Though if you’re gonna start sweating the small stuff like that, maybe Twilight has worn off on you a bit.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Applejack shook her head.  “I can’t get bogged down by that stuff.  There’s no reason it should bother me anyway.  It’s not like there’s anything wrong.”

“Right. Now why don’t you focus on the game.  Otherwise when I beat you you’ll be all ‘Oh, I wasn’t really payin’ attention so it doesn’t count.’”

“Fine, fine.  Even though I don’t need to pay attention to beat you.”

“That’s more like it!” Rainbow Dash waggled her eyebrows before taking her turn.  “So Twilight is helping your sister and her friends, huh?  They wreck the barn yet?”

“Nah, Twilight’s keepin’ them away from anything where they might do any real damage.  To anything besides their clubhouse, at least.”

The air suddenly echoed with the sound of a crash, and a brief shout of dismay.  Applejack dropped the horseshoe she had been holding and galloped towards the sound.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Wonder what they smashed up this time.”

As Applejack came around the barn, she was greeted with the sight of the cutie mark crusaders’ cart pancaked against the trunk of a particularly large and solid apple tree.  As the airbag deflated, she could make out the form of her sister extricating herself from the crash.

“Well, at least we know the airbag works…” Apple Bloom mumbled as she removed her helmet.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were already coming down the hill, followed closely by Twilight.

“Come on, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo shouted. “How on earth did you manage to hit the one tree by the hill?  Why didn’t you turn?”

“The steerin’ didn’t work!” she grumbled as she tossed the helmet aside.

“I told you, we needed to tighten the bolts more!” Sweetie said.

“Aren’t you glad that I had you wear a helmet?” Twilight stepped in between the three fillies. “You’d have gotten hurt without it.”

“I wouldn’t have gotten banged up at all if the steerin’ wheel actually did somethin’ when I turned it!”  She kicked at the helmet.

“I was wondering why you didn’t steer away from the tree,” Twilight said as she examined the wreck.  “I told you that you needed to triple-check everything.  You aren’t hurt, are you?”

“No, the airbag cushioned me pretty well,” Apple Bloom answered.  “The helmet isn’t even dented.”

“Well, the good news is that the structural integrity of the cart is still intact. Most of the damage is cosmetic, and… uh…” Twilight noticed for the first time that Applejack and Rainbow Dash were watching. “Since we can’t really do much more with the cart like this, I think we’re finished for the day. Next time, we’ll fix it up and try again. Why don’t you three tow it back to the barn, and then you can go.”

The crusaders grumbled, but acquiesced.  Twilight watched them for a few seconds, then made a beeline for Applejack.

“Applejack!  I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something!”

“Oh, she wants to talk,” Rainbow Dash said with a grin. “That can’t be good.”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I just have to ask her about something.”

“Suuurrre it’s not.” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow to go with the grin.

“Can we get a moment of alone time, please?” Applejack gave Rainbow Dash a less-than-subtle shove.  “Why don’t you go keep an eye on the crusaders as they put that thing in the barn?”

“Fine,” Dash flicked her mane and fluttered away. “You and your privacy.”

“So, what did you need to talk about, Twilight?” Applejack asked as she watched Rainbow Dash depart.  “My sister wasn’t actin’ up, was she?”

“No, no, she was fine.  I just had something I needed to ask you.” She swallowed. “I was wondering, do you have anything planned for next Friday?”

“She just wanted to take you out to dinner? That’s it?” Rainbow Dash hovered along behind Applejack as she trotted back towards the horseshoe pit. “Why did you need to send me away just for that?”

“Relax, Dash. We just wanted some time to ourselves. It’s a couples thing.”

“A couples thing, huh?” Rainbow Dash said suspiciously. “What are you two planning?”

“Plannin’? What makes you think that we’re plannin’ anything?  Aside from the dinner, I mean. It’s not like we’re tryin’ to keep anything secret.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Rainbow Dash said, her voice thick with sarcasm. “Something is up with you two.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I’m not sure…” Rainbow Dash said, still eyeing Applejack with suspicion. “Call it a hunch.”

“A hunch, huh?” Applejack returned Rainbow Dash’s glance. “If you were Pinkie, that might mean something. You don’t have a twitchy ear or anything, do you?”

“Very funny,” Rainbow Dash discontentedly wrinkled her nose. “I can’t put my hoof on it, but I know that this isn’t just any date.  You’re being all… secretive about it.”

“I didn’t even know that she was goin’ to ask me to dinner.” Applejack reached the horseshoe pit, picked up one of the horseshoes.  “Besides, if we were tryin’ plan something secret, we’d have the sense not to do it in front of you.”

“Good point,” Rainbow Dash snatched up one of the other horseshoes.  “Guess then it’s just Twilight planning something.”  She thought for a moment, and then a smug grin formed on her face. “Maybe she’s gonna propose!”  She hurled the horseshoe backwards over her shoulder. It landed with a clang on the horseshoe stake. “Oh yeah! Did you see that?  Perfect throw!”

“Proposin’? Seriously?” Applejack hadn’t sounded so incredulous since Apple Bloom told her that she had found a sea monster in the swimming hole. “You really think that’s why she wants to go out to eat?”

“Well, why not?”  Rainbow Dash shrugged. “It’s possible, isn’t it?”

“Rainbow Dash, you know as well as anypony just how high-strung Twilight can be, right?”

“Do I ever!” Rainbow Dash nodded vigorously. “Remember when we went to Canterlot that one time and she freaked out because the train was like twenty minutes late?”

“Exactly! If she was plannin’ on something that big, don’t you think she’d have been a mite more jittery?  She probably just wants to do something special.  Just not something that special.”

“I guess I could see that…” Rainbow Dash admitted. “I still think something’s up, though.”

“Trust me, Rainbow Dash, if Twilight was plannin’ on something that big, she’d be havin’ a total freakout right now.”  She turned back to the horseshoe game, and made her throw. It landed outside the box with a dull thud. “Ugh, I really can’t throw today.”

“I can’t believe I actually did it maybe it’s too soon though maybe we should a have a normal dinner this week and I can do the whole proposal thing later but then I might get cold hooves again and just keep pushing it back further and further and I want to just do it and all of my preparation will have been a waste of time but then again that would be a sunk cost fallacy because there’s never any chance of getting that time back whether or not I end up actually proposing…”

Rarity and Spike watched placidly as Twilight wore a circular hole in the carpet in the middle of the library, rambling to herself as she went.

“Does she do this often?” Rarity asked in a low voice.  “Perhaps we should stop her.  This can’t be good for her psyche.”

“In my experience it’s usually better to let her get it out of her system,” Spike answered as he popped a clawful of popcorn into his mouth.  “I remember once she thought that she had accidentally turned in one of the drafts of her research papers rather than the final draft.  She was pacing for like a solid six hours after that. She’s only been going for” —he looked at the clock— “about half an hour.  She’s really improved.”

“I think it’s been quite long enough,” Rarity said.  “I’ve had a painfully long day, and she called me over here to talk, not to watch her make herself dizzy.” She stood.  “Twilight, calm down!”

Twilight continued her circuit, continuing to mumble something about whether or not Applejack would want to dress up.  Rarity sighed, and readied her magic.

“TWILIGHT!”  Mustering as much telekinesis as she could manage, she latched onto Twilight’s tail.  For a moment, Twilight didn’t notice, and continued to trot in place, her hooves scratching what was left of the rug.  Then she paused, noticing that she wasn’t moving forward any more.  She looked around, trying to figure out what was impeding her progress.

“Huh? Rarity, what are you doing?”

“Preventing you from wasting any more time.”  She released Twilight’s tail.  Then briefly took hold of it again to straighten out a few stray hairs.  “Really, if you’re going to go to the trouble of having me come over, I’d rather use the time to actually talk through your… idiosyncrasies.  Would you care to tell me exactly what happened that has you so worked up?”

“Y-yeah.” Twilight tapped her hooves on the floor, but managed to stay in place. “Well, you know how I decided to pop the question to Applejack at the restaurant where she had our first date?  I’m taking her out there this Friday.”

“Congratulations!” Rarity patted Twilight on the back. “That’s wonderful! You’re one step closer to… well, you know.”

“Yes, I know. I’m just not sure if it’s the right step.” Twilight took a long, stuttering breath.  “I don’t know if I picked the right place, or the right time, or the right date.  Like, maybe I should have asked her to go out somewhere else, or maybe I should’ve waited for a more significant day. Like an anniversary or something.  There are so many things that could go wrong!” She dropped to the floor and curled up in a ball. “Maybe I’m not ready?”

“Twilight, you’re totally ready!” Spike said, shaking his head. “You just need to stop overthinking everything.” He sat next to her. “I mean, okay, maybe you’re right and a lot of stuff could go wrong.  But it’s always going to be like that.  Stuff can always go wrong.  But seriously, what if it does?  You really think that Applejack is gonna turn you down because you asked on the wrong day?”

“Spike’s right, Twilight,” Rarity said. “Didn’t you and Bon Bon already talk about this?”

“We did, but it’s just… so much more real now that I actually started the whole process.  I just… I’m not worried so much about things not working out. But I want everything to be as good as I can possibly make it.  For her sake.”

“And that’s admirable, really.  But there’s only so much that you can do.  Think about what Spike said!”

“Yeah, listen to me!” Spike said, a smirk on his face. Rarity rolled her eyes at him and the smirk vanished.

“Let’s say that you decide against this particular venue at this particular time.  When the matter comes up again, do you really think you’ll be any more capable of ensuring that everything goes exactly as you want?”

“I… maybe?”

Rarity glared at her. “Be honest, Twilight.”

“Okay, I’d probably worry about it just as much!” She put her hooves to her forehead. “How am I supposed to keep from freaking myself out?”

“If you want the truth, Twilight…” Rarity put a hoof around Twilight’s shoulders. “I don’t think you can.  I think that no matter how much planning you do, when it comes time to actually go through with it, you’re still going to be nervous and you’ll still second-guess yourself.”

“Well that’s just great,” Twilight snorted. “What am I supposed to do now?”

“You can stop letting every little thing get to you!” Spike said with surprising volume. Both Rarity and Twilight turned their heads to stare at him. “Seriously, you go through this whole ‘Ahhhh I don’t know what to do, I’m going to mess it up!’ thing like every single time that a new relationship issue comes up and it’s really starting to get old!”

Twilight kept staring. “S-spike…”

“And seriously, it makes no sense!  So, you’re nervous. It’s not like that’s ever stopped you before.  I mean, all through school you were a nervous wreck before your tests, but you never let that stop you!  And with Applejack, you’ve been all terrified of getting it wrong, but you totally haven’t!  Okay, so maybe you had one or two little fights, but nothing you couldn’t handle.  By most ponies’ standards you’ve been doing really well!  Now can we please get the moping out of the way and do something?!”

They continued to stare silently at Spike. He bit his lip nervously and took a step back.

Twilight swallowed laboriously.  Then she hung her head, breathing heavily.

“Twilight?” Rarity asked.

Twilight made a sound.  It wasn’t loud enough to be sure whether it was a sob, or a groan, or growl.  Whatever it was, it sounded like it was forcing its way out of her mouth.  Then with a shout, Twilight leapt to her hooves.  Rarity sprawled backwards in surprise.

“AAARGGGHH! HE’S RIGHT!” Twilight shouted.  Her body shook, not with nervous jitters, but with a giddy, nearly uncontained energy.  “This is ridiculous!  I made such a big deal out of wanting to be able to do this myself, and I’m going to do it.  So what if I’m nervous?  I was nervous when I first asked her out, and it turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

“That’s great, Twilight!” Rarity said as she got to her hooves, keeping a safe distance in case Twilight made any more sudden movements. “I was planning on giving you some advice about how I deal with stress, but it looks as if you don’t need that.”

“Actually, I probably do,” Twilight said, her voice suddenly a bit shaky. “I’ll still be nervous. I just have to deal with it better.”

“Why don’t you just do whatever it is you when you have a big test coming up?” Spike asked. “You manage to handle that stress just fine.”

“I handle that stress by studying so that I’m well prepared,” Twilight shook her head. “And previous experience has told me that it doesn’t really work when it comes to romance.”

“In that case, I should be able to help you,” Rarity winked. “Needless to say, I have plenty of experience working under stress with frayed nerves.  It doesn’t matter how many fashion shows I’ve done; my knees always seem to get wobbly as the first dresses go out.”

“Well, how do you get through it?”

“The first step is to refocus your attention.  Stop thinking about the things that are beyond your control, and think about what you can control.”

“Okay,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath.  “Well, I’ve already taken care of the reservations. I know that my schedule is free, and I know Applejack didn’t have anything going on.”

“Good, good.” Rarity nodded. “What else?”

“You offered to take care of the dresses, so I won’t have to worry about that…”

Rarity nodded.

“And Spike is going to keep Pinkie distracted while I’m gone.”

Spike grinned. “She’s going to teach me how to make Maud’s Crushed Quartz Eclairs!”

“In that case,” Rarity said, her voice thick with anticipation, “the only thing left is” —her eyes gleamed— “the ring!”

“Actually, not quite,” Twilight said, “I won’t have a ring.”

“What?!” Rarity’s jaw dropped, and for a moment it looked like she would faint.  “T-twilight! I know that you’re by no means obligated to hold to tradition, but even so, I—”

“Relax, Rarity,” Twilight said, a grin on her face.  “You’re being too literal.”

“W-whatever do you mean?”

“Come on, you know what you do with the ring, don’t you, Rarity?”  Twilight asked, still smirking.  She glanced knowingly at Spike, who stifled a giggle.

“Of course! It’s given to one’s beloved as a symbol of dedication and intent for the relationship to endure!”

“No,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “Well, yes, but that’s not what I asked.  What do you do with it.”

“Well, you give it to the pony you intend to marry and place on their…” She paused for a moment. “Oh.”

“Yeah, it confused me at first, too,” Twilight said. “Earth ponies obviously don’t use horn rings; they have other types of engagement jewelry.”

“Oh, I see,” Rarity let out a sigh of relief. “Don’t do that, Twilight.” She cleared her throat and regained her composure. “I’m assuming that you’ve put plenty of thought into deciding what, exactly, you will be giving her?  You realize you’re cutting it quite close.”

“I’ve done more than just think about it.” Twilight turned and began to ascend the stairs to her room. “Follow me.”

A few minutes later, Rarity watched Twilight drag an old trunk out from under her bed.  After half a minute of some sort of complex spellwork that Rarity couldn’t even begin to understand, the latch popped open.  “I’ve known for months that I was going to ask her eventually,” Twilight said as she lifted the lid.  “It just wasn’t until recently that I resolved to do it sooner rather than later.”

Rarity craned her neck to look into the trunk. Obviously, the majority of the contents were things of sentimental value to Twilight.  But what caught her attention was the upturned, familiar-looking hat.  Tucked into the hat’s opening was a small box, of the sort that jewelry was stored in.

Twilight gently lifted it out and opened it. “Take a look.”

Rarity’s eyes widened.  The radiance was so great that it seemed to glow.  “Twilight, is that a…”

“A Fire Ruby?  Yes, it is.”  She snapped the case closed and gave it to Spike, who began to examine it closely.  “Spike has been helping me age it properly for the past few weeks.  I’ve arranged to have Fluttershy drop it off at the jeweler’s tomorrow to be put in a necklace.  I was briefly thinking of having it put in a bracelet, but I think that would bother her while she walks, and it would bother me because it would throw off her symmetry.”

“Of course.

“So do you think that the Fire Ruby is a good idea?  Do you want to see the type of necklace I was planning to have it put in?”

“Twilight,” Rarity said with a smile. “I don’t think you have any cause to worry.  That ruby is absolutely magnificent, and I can’t possibly imagine Applejack thinking that it’s anything but beautiful.  The only real question I have is how you managed to work yourself up so much when you clearly have everything well in hoof.”

“At least you don’t have to deal with it all the time.” Spike mumbled. He held up the ruby, which he had been examining through a magnifier. “Well, it’s definitely ready for the jeweler.” He handed it back to Twilight. Then he muttered to himself. “Waste of a good snack, though.”

“Thanks, Spike.” She put the precious gem back into the trunk. “I know that I have everything planned out, but that’s part of why it’s so frustrating. I know in my head that there’s no good reason to be worried, but the rest of me apparently didn’t get the memo.”

“Worries tend to be like that,” Rarity said. “The key is to not let them overwhelm you.  Now then, why don’t we go and look through some dress designs.  It’ll be one less thing for both of us to worry about if we can get an idea of what you’d like to wear.  Normally I would be going to bed soon, but I believe your excitement is rubbing off on me!”

“Sounds like a plan!” Twilight smiled as she closed the trunk.  “Let’s get going.”

Spike cleared his throat. “Do you need a pincushion, Rarity?”

“No, I’m afraid not.  We’re simply looking over some designs,” she said, gently tweaking his spines with her hoof. “Though if I’m ever in need of assistance, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

He nodded dumbly.

“Besides, it’s getting late, and you need to get your sleep,” Twilight said as she headed down the stairs. “Goodnight, Spike.”

“Goodnight.” he waved at the two ponies as they went.

Rarity looked back over her shoulder. “You really did do a spectacular job with that fire ruby, Spike.”

“T-thanks!”  He beamed.

Rarity returned the smile, and followed Twilight down the stairs.

The Bait

Okay, here we go. This is it.  Don’t choke, Twilight.  No matter how nervous you are, you can do this.

Come live with me, and be my love,

And we will some new pleasures prove

Of golden sands, and crystal brooks,

With silken lines, and silver hooks.

--The Bait,

John Donne

As always, Applejack looked stunning.  Rarity had truly gone above and beyond.  Then again, as far as Twilight was concerned, Applejack could’ve just wrapped herself in a burlap sack, and she still wouldn’t have looked too bad.  Not that the dress didn’t look beautiful on her. Of course, Twilight wasn’t really thinking about the dress so much as the pony wearing it.

“You okay, Twi?”

“Eh?” Twilight snapped back to reality as she felt Applejack’s hoof on her shoulder.

“You looked like you just zoned out there for a bit.”

“Oh, I was just thinking about how nice you look in that dress,” Twilight answered. Cheesy, but it was true.

“Thanks,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “What with how long it took for Rarity to get me all made up, I had better look good.  Then again, she could take a sack of potatoes and make it presentable.  You look great too, by the way.” She paused and took stock of what she had just said. “Not that you ever look like a sack of potatoes.”

“I sure hope not.  Though Spike tells me I can look kinda frumpy when I come off a long night of studying.”  Twilight’s heart thumped as she tried to remind herself that she did, in fact, look fine.

She hadn’t even bothered to look at herself in the mirror; all that mattered was that the dress kept Applejack from seeing that her legs were wobbling like jelly.  Even though she had been over her checklist at least twice a day for the past week, she couldn’t help but imagine there was something she had forgotten.  She reached up and scratched at the pocket that Rarity had hidden in the frills at her chest, making sure that the necklace was still there.

“Twilight?” Applejack waved her hoof in front of Twilight’s face. “You’re zonin’ out again.”

“Sorry.” Twilight shook the thoughts out of her head. “I was just thinking about something.”

“Oh?”

“It’s nothing you need to worry about,” Twilight said. “You know how I get when something is on my mind.  Let's just enjoy our dinner, okay?”

“Sounds good to me,” Applejack said. “I went light on lunch so I'd be good and hungry. Why don't we get goin'? Wouldn't want to miss our reservation.”

“Right!” Twilight blinked a few times as she mentally confirmed that she had checked in ahead of time. “Let's go!”

Twilight relaxed, if only a little, when they reached the restaurant. She knew that everything was in place, but actually seeing it put her mind to rest a bit.

As she followed the Maître d' to their table, her steps felt a bit more sure. They took their seats, and over Applejack's shoulder, she could see Lyra sitting with the rest of the band. As their eyes met, Lyra winked and began to play. Twilight hoped that she had remembered Applejack's favorite song.

She smiled as Applejack started to hum along.

“You put Lyra up to that, didn't you?” Applejack asked as the song faded and the next one began.

“Mmmmmaybe,” Twilight answered, grateful that her gesture hadn't gone unnoticed.

“I bet you made her practice extra, just to make sure it sounded perfect, didn't you?”

Twilight's eyes darted back and forth. There was a telling pause between when she opened her mouth and when she actually spoke. “...No.”

“I figured.” Applejack chuckled as she began to peruse the menu.

“Are you going to have the alfalfa salad again?” Twilight asked.

“Actually, I think I’m gonna try something new,” Applejack said. “Just in that kinda mood tonight, you know?”

“Oh, y-yes.” Twilight nodded.  If Applejack had to be in an unusual mood, that was the best mood for her to be in.  “I think I might try something new, too.  Can’t keep things the same forever, right?”

“‘Course,” Applejack said without looking up. “Even I can buck tradition sometimes.  Gotta try new things on occasion, or things would get boring.” She paused for a moment, then looked up with a wink.  “Except apples.  I’ll probably never get bored of apples.”

Twilight chuckled. “And I’ll never get tired of books.” She thought for a moment. “Though I do like reading books about new things.”

“Hmmm… I think I’ll go with the Sautéed Asparagus.”

“Asparagus?”

“It’s got cheese on it.  That means it’s gotta be good.” Applejack looked up from the menu. “So, you get my sister ready for the science fair?  She seemed pretty excited about it.”

“Oh yes, they’re all doing quite well,” Twilight said as she settled into her seat. “It took a bit of pushing to get them to actually prepare for it, but once they got going, they seemed to be having a good time.”

“Yeah, I saw them puttin’ together their display table yesterday. Looks pretty good, even though there’s a bit too much glitter for my taste. I’m guessin’ that the graphs were your doin’?”

Twilight nodded. “Well, there has to be an image to help visualize the change in velocity as the cart rolls down the hill.  And then another one that shows how to calculate the velocity of the cart, and another showing all of their data.”

“I remember doin’ the science fair back when I was in school,” Applejack said wistfully. “Take a guess what my project was.”

“I wonder.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Growing an apple tree?”

“Nope!” Applejack smirked. “I wanted to grow an apple tree, but the teacher said I had to do something that wasn’t about apples.  I ended up doin’ a project on water displacement.  With bobbin’ for apples as my visual aid, of course.”

“I should’ve known.”

“Hey, it got me third place.” Applejack shrugged. “Bet that’s not all that impressive compared to what you usually do, though.  Bet you have a whole closet full of first place ribbons back at home.”

“No.” Twilight borrowed Applejack’s lying face for a second. “It’s more like a shelf.”

“Bet it’s a big shelf,” Applejack answered.  “What’s one of your award-winnin’ projects?”

“Well…” Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof as she tried to think of something that might actually sound interesting. “Once I did an experiment to find out if music helps flowers grow faster.”

“And? Do they grow faster?”

“I don’t know. What I did learn is that my parents didn’t appreciate my brother’s records being played ad nauseum.  I ended up making a potato-powered clock instead.”

“A potato-powered clock?  How does that work?”

“Well, the chemical reactions in the potatoes produce—” She paused as she noticed the waiter standing silently by their table.

“Are you ready to order?”

Twilight nodded. “I think so.”

Lyra grinned like a loon.  She had executed her own role in the plan flawlessly.  Twilight had given her a surreptitious nod of approval.  Both she and Applejack seemed to be enjoying themselves.  Pretty impressive, given the circumstances.  If she hadn’t been in on the whole arrangement, she wouldn’t have even known that Twilight was steeling herself to pop the single heaviest question that she would ever ask.

And Applejack seemed enormously comfortable, considering the general fanciness of her surroundings.  Or at least Lyra thought so, judging by the back of Applejack’s head. At the very least when Lyra had caught a glimpse of Applejack’s face, she had seen a smile.  She wondered if Applejack liked surprises.  She was about to get hit with the greatest one of her life.

Lyra tried to remember just how she had felt when she had answered.  She couldn’t even find a memory of the question being asked. The moment had been too much for words.  She could only remember sensations; the quivering of Bon Bon’s voice, the glimmer of the diamond, how short her breaths had been.  Then the next thing she knew, she’d been wearing a ring.

Applejack really had no idea what she was in for.  The vicarious giddiness made Lyra’s hooves tremble. The cellist next to her gave her an elbow nudge.  She took a deep breath, fumbled through her sheet music, and focused her attention on the next song.  It was a pity that she wouldn’t be able to actually see how things played out.

“Really? In one bite? The whole pie?!  Rarity?!”

“I know, I didn’t believe it either at first,” Applejack said, laughing as she scraped together the last bits of Tiramisu with her fork.  “But that’s what Big Macintosh told me, and he wouldn’t make up something like that.  Though if I think about it a bit, it does kinda make sense.  She can put away an awful lot of food when she’s stressed out.”

“I guess that’s true,” Twilight mused. “She did eat four gallons of ice cream that one time.”

“After she lost that spot in the Las Pegasus fashion show?  I’m pretty sure she cleaned out all the ice cream in town after that.”  Applejack wolfed down the rest of her dessert. “I’m more impressed by how she managed to hide in the mud pit for so long without havin’ some sort of nervous breakdown.  I still can’t believe you never heard about that.  Sweetie Belle was goin’ on about it for weeks afterward.”

“I knew that she and Rarity had gotten second place, but I never heard about you and Rarity switching places.” Twilight took a sip of water to wash down her food.  “That must’ve been fun.”

“It really was,” Applejack said. “I don’t get many chances to do a lot of tricky stuff, what with the whole honesty thing.” She grinned. “It’s always fun when I get to fool somepony like that.”

“Remind me to be on my guard when April Foals’ Day rolls around,” Twilight said with a chuckle.  “I know what you mean, though.  It can be fun to… uh”—she cleared her throat—“surprise other ponies by doing something unexpected.”

“Well, I guess I better stay on my hooves then.” Applejack smirked and drained her glass. “That’s okay, though. I like surprises.”

“Good.” Twilight took a deep breath.  She already knew that Applejack liked surprises, but the reassurance was nice, even if Applejack didn’t quite realize the sheer scale of what was coming.  Twilight couldn’t think of anything to say, so she clasped her glass in her hooves and started to chug.

“Why, are you plannin’ something?” Applejack asked, the smirk still on her face.

Twilight felt a twinge in her chest, and she coughed. “W-what?  Why do you ask?”

“You just looked kinda weird for a moment there.  That and you’re holdin’ your glass with your hooves, and you only ever do that when something’s botherin’ you.”

“Huh?” She looked down and realized that Applejack was right.  Then the glass, which was mostly empty, clattered to the table. “Whoops.” She chuckled nervously as she set it upright. “I was just… thinking about our plans for tonight. That’s all.”

Applejack stifled a laugh.  “What are we doin’ tonight, anyway?”

“Once we’re done eating, I thought we could go back to our stargazing hill.” She smiled. “After that… well, that’s the surprise.”

Applejack reacted, but Twilight couldn’t quite figure out what her reaction was.  There was a bit of surprise in Applejack’s smile, but also some other unidentifiable emotions mixed in.  She decided not to make too much of it.  If she thought about it for too long, she wouldn’t be able to think of anything else, and that would ruin the evening.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll like it,” Twilight said, half to Applejack and half to reassure herself.

“Of course,” Applejack said. “I don’t know about you, but I think I’ve just about had my fill.  Why don’t we get the check taken care of and get on our way?”

“O-okay,” Twilight answered. “It’s not like we’ve got much more to do here.”  She took a deep breath.  Almost there, she thought to herself.

Fortunately for Twilight’s sanity, the trip from the restaurant to the hill proceeded in silence.  They had a wordless agreement to soak up the breeze and the last few rays of the sunset.  Most of the townsponies were long gone, leaving their path looking more like a painting than a town.  Not that she paid it much heed.  Her mind was focused on other things..

She glanced at Applejack, and her mind started to spin.  Did Applejack have any idea?  Surely she must have picked up on something.  Twilight couldn’t bring herself to believe that she had managed to act normally.  Or maybe Applejack knew something was up, but didn’t realize the scale.  On the other hoof, maybe Applejack didn’t suspect a thing.  After all, they had talked about this, and agreed to put it off for another time.  Applejack wouldn’t dream of Twilight bringing that up.

Twilight’s steps became shaky.  Maybe it was too soon.  Maybe they weren’t ready.  That was the conclusion they had come to, wasn’t it?  Why had she thought that it was a good idea to go ahead with this? She was confident enough that Applejack wouldn’t turn her down outright, but what if she only got an “I’m not ready” out of the ordeal?  It would be excruciatingly awkward.  What would Applejack think if she had gotten so far ahead of herself?

The gravel stopped crunching beneath her hooves as she stepped off the path and began to trot up the hill.  Rarity’s measurements had been precise; the tips of the grass just barely brushed against the hem of her dress.  Rarity wouldn’t stand the possibility of her dresses dragging along the ground.

“The sunset sure is beautiful, ain’t it?”

Twilight’s stress bubble popped at the sound of Applejack’s voice. She’d worried enough already.  She blinked, and let herself get distracted by the day’s final rays of sunlight.  “It really is,” she said. She couldn’t think of anything else to say.  Or rather, she could think of one thing, but it wouldn’t come out of her mouth so easily.  She settled for putting her hoof around Applejack and watching the sun sink beyond the horizon.

“So, about that surprise.”

Twilight felt a chill run down her spine.  “Y-yes?”

“Just wonderin’ if it’s time yet.”

“I… uh… not yet,” Twilight mumbled, trying to get her thoughts in order.  She leaned against Applejack.  “I just want to enjoy this for a little longer.”

For a few minutes, they did.

Then Applejack spoke. “Remember the first time we came up here?”

“Um… I think,” Twilight mused. “Was it that time we all came up here to watch that meteor shower?”

Applejack chuckled. “You’re being too literal, Twi.  I’m talkin’ about us.  Together.”

“Oh,” Twilight said. “Yes, I remember that.  I’d never been so scared in my life.”

“You were scared?  I barely made it up here,” Applejack said. “I remember as I was comin’ up the hill, and I had no idea what I was gonna tell you, even though it would totally make or break our friendship…”

“I think it made it,” Twilight said.

“Yeah.”

Twilight felt Applejack take a deep breath.

“Twilight, I’ve been doin’ some thinkin’ and there’s somethin I really have to tell you.  You think you can put that surprise of yours off just a bit longer?”

“O-of course,” Twilight answered, taken slightly aback.

“It’s just… bein’ here really takes me back to that night.  And lookin’ back on it, I realized that I had absolutely no idea what I was doin’.  When you asked me to start goin’ out with you, I had no idea what to make of it and absolutely no clue what I was supposed to do.  I’d never even thought that something like that might happen between us.”

Twilight smiled. “It caught me off guard, too.”

“Givin’ you an answer was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.” Applejack trembled slightly. Twilight felt Applejack steady herself.  “And well, to be honest, I didn’t know if sayin’ ‘yes’ was the right decision. What it really came down to was that I just didn’t have any reason not to give the relationship a try.   I mean, you were one of my best friends, and even though I’d never really thought of anything romantic happenin’ between us, I figured I’d give it a try.

“I still feel kinda weird about it all,” Applejack continued with a sigh. “I wasn’t… invested in it the same way you were.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed bein’ with you, but for me it felt like it was just a new part of my life, with everything else just goin’ on like normal.  I know you didn’t think of it like that, but I just didn’t know how else to look at it.” She looked at the ground. “It sounds terrible, doesn’t it?”

“A little,” Twilight said, unsure quite what to think. “But I understand.  I know I blindsided you with everything, and I can’t blame you for not feeling the same way that I did.  I’m just happy that you were willing to give it a chance, even though you didn’t really feel the same way.  And besides, it’s not like you weren’t honest about how you felt. You told me at the beginning that you were just giving it a try.”

“It’s not just that though.” Applejack dug at the ground with her hoof.  “It’s been a year since then!  And even when I got past that whole ‘givin’ it a try’ phase, when I could appreciate the relationship for its own sake, and because I cared about you… I still felt like I was just along for the ride.”

Twilight swallowed. “What do you mean?”

“It’s… I’m not sure how to say it.  It’s just that looking back on everything we’ve been through it just feels like whenever something happened between us, whenever we moved forward, it was always you who wanted more. I was always just sort of content with whatever we had, and I’d just enjoy it until you decided you wanted more out of it.  It’s been like that ever since this relationship started.  You want something more out of the relationship, and I just go along with it.”

Twilight felt herself start to shiver. Even with her body pressed up against Applejack, she felt cold.

“It’s not that I didn’t like how things went, but it’s like I’ve just been gettin’ towed along.  I feel like I haven’t done anything.  I’m just here and the entire thing is all on you.”

“Applejack, you’ve done plenty.” Twilight put a hoof around Applejack, both out of affection, and to steady herself. “You’re making it sound like I have to drag you around everywhere, and that isn’t how it is at all.  At least, that’s not what it feels like to me.  I know you hate being a burden, and you haven’t been!  Not remotely.”

“It’s not that.  At least, not just that,” Applejack said.  Twilight could hear her voice wavering. “It’s that I haven’t… done my part. I mean, it takes two to make a relationship, and sometimes I feel like I just haven’t been holdin’ up my end.  I mean, even tonight, you’re the one who went and planned the dinner and set everything up!”

“So?” Twilight wanted to shake some sense into Applejack, but she settled for just squeezing her tighter.  “What about all the times you made lunch, or took me out to the rodeo, or took me apple-picking?”

“But all that stuff is… just regular day-to-day stuff!  When was the last time I did something special?”

“Who cares?!”

“I do!” Applejack stomped her hooves.  Twilight took a step back, finally releasing her.  Applejack took a few breaths. “I’m sorry, Twilight. It’s just been botherin’ me for a while now.  This is our relationship, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like I’m… I’m…” She groaned in frustration and kicked at a dirt clod. “Ugh! This isn’t how tonight was supposed to go!”  She closed her eyes, and Twilight could see tears squeezing out at the corners.

“Applejack…” she gently put a hoof against Applejack’s cheek. Any thoughts of proposing were slowly but surely being pushed to the back of her mind.  “It’s okay. Really. We can work through this.  I’ll do whatever I can!”

“Thanks, Twilight,” Applejack put her own hoof over Twilight’s.  “You don’t have to do anything. It’s not you, it’s… uh…” Applejack froze, blinked a few times, and covered her face with her hoof. “Wait, no!  That’s not it.  What I’m tryin’ to say is… I… oh, horseapples.”  She sat, and began to rub her temples with her hooves. “I’m just doin’ everything wrong. I guess this is why I never try to do anything special.”

“I… uh…” Twilight just stared.  She still wasn’t entirely sure exactly what it was Applejack was trying to say. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it.

“Okay.” Applejack shook her head, and stood. “Let me try this again without trippin’ myself up.  What I’m tryin’ to say is that honestly, I’ve been havin’ some doubts lately.”

“Doubts?” As Twilight repeated the word, she felt like her heart had dropped out of her chest and straight to the center of the earth.

“Yeah, doubts.  ‘Cause of, well, all that stuff I said. I was thinkin’ about whether or not I did the right thing gettin’ together with you, or whether I did for the right reasons.  I’d never been sure that I was doin’ it just because it was easier than not, or because I was afraid of hurtin’ you, or if it’s something that I really wanted.”

With each word, Twilight felt like she was shrinking.  Her voice cracked a little as she responded. “I see.”

“I’ve given it a ton of thought, Twilight. It’s been weeks, months, since a day went by that I haven’t been thinkin’ about you, about us.  I can’t point to any one moment when it came together, but eventually I came to a realization.  And that’s what I gotta tell you.”

“O-okay,” Twilight could barely get the word out.

Applejack took a deep breath. “I realized…”  She smiled. “I realized that I love you, Twilight.”

Twilight responded with a blank stare.  “Huh?”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, I always did, really, but before it was a different kind of thing.  At first I felt the same thing towards you that I felt towards Rarity, or Pinkie, or any of our friends.  And for the longest time, I wasn’t sure how I felt about you.  I knew things were different between us, but I couldn’t put my hoof on how.  But now I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I love you in a different way than anypony else.

“You’re my best friend, Twilight, but now you’re so much more than that.  At first, I didn’t see what the big deal was.  All bein’ together meant was that we just spent more time together, doin’ the stuff we did before we hooked up.  And also goin’ out to fancy dinners.  But now I know there’s more to it than that.  The more time I spent with you, the more time I wanted to spend with you.  Not because of what we were doin’, but just because it was with you.

“I realized that I wanted to be with you, not because it was easy or convenient or because I didn’t want things to be awkward between us, but because I love you.”  She grabbed Twilight and kissed her, squeezing her tight.  Twilight’s head spun.  She felt crushed, both by Applejack’s embrace, and by the weight of everything she had just heard.

After a short eternity, Applejack released her, and she stumbled backward, barely able to stay on her hooves. She looked up at Applejack, who had a bashful grin on her face. She tried to answer, but the words stumbled over each other on the way out of her mouth. “Applejack… I… w-was that what you wanted to tell me?”

Applejack nodded. “Yeah. I know I didn’t really say it very well, but I’m lucky that I managed to say anything at all.” She reached up and scratched her ear nervously.  “But, well, that’s not everything.”

“It’s not?” Twilight mumbled, her mind a muddle of emotions.

“No. While it feels real good to be able to finally tell you about everything, I don’t think it’s enough.  I could talk until I’m blue in the face about how I feel, but it wouldn’t change the fact that I still feel like I haven’t been the marefriend I should be. I’m done with just testin’ the waters and seein’ how things go.  I finally know what I want.  And I want to be with you, Twilight. Not just as a friend and not just for as long as it suits me.”

She took a long, slow breath.

“I love you.  I know it took me a long time to figure it out, but now I know that, I don’t want what we have to end.  I know it’ll be hard sometimes and that we’re goin’ to have a lot of stuff to work through, but I don’t care.  No matter what comes, I’m ready and willin’ to do whatever it takes to spend the rest of my life with you. And… that’s why…”

Twilight held her breath as she watched Applejack reach into her dress and withdraw a tiny box.

“A-applejack…”

“Twilight.” Applejack sat, and gingerly opened the box, revealing a glittering diamond ring. “Would you do me the honor of marryin’ me?”

The world seemed to stop.  The question echoed like an explosion in Twilight’s mind.  For a moment, she wondered if she had finally lost it completely.  Was she so afraid of asking the question herself that she imagined that Applejack had done it for her?  She closed her eyes.  She felt the grass beneath her hooves, the breeze on her back, and the sound of the clock tower chiming in the distance.  This was real.

She opened her eyes.  Applejack smiled nervously as she waited for an answer.  Twilight tried to think of one. The answer would be “yes”, obviously.  There wasn’t even a possibility of rejection. But a mere “yes”... it just didn’t feel sufficient. It was too short. There had to be some other word, some other phrase, something that could make it clear.  But Twilight’s mind was blank.  She looked Applejack square in the eyes. Both of them had tears beginning to drip down their cheeks.

She nodded.

It was weak at first; she could barely find the strength to bob her head.  But as she did, Applejack smiled, more sincerely than Twilight had ever seen anypony smile.  She nodded vigorously.  And then she found her voice.

“Yes,” she said softly. Then louder. “Yes.” Her legs began to shake. “Yes!” She nearly shouted. “Yes yes yes yes yes yes YES!”  She leaped forward and threw her forelegs around Applejack, sending them both rolling.  When they came to a stop she had already caught Applejack in the longest kiss that either of them had ever had.  She didn’t want to let go, but eventually they had to breathe.

For a time, they remained in their silent embrace, looking into each others’ eyes, soaking up the glow.

“So…” Twilight said, somewhat reluctantly. “I… uh… should we get up?”

“Yeah.” Applejack laughed. “I think I’m supposed to put the ring on you now, right? Isn’t that how it’s supposed to go?”

“Y-yes, I think so.”  Twilight’s legs were wobbly as she stood up.

“Well, in that case” —Applejack looked down at her hooves, which were empty— “We’d better find it.  I kinda dropped it when you bowled me over.”

Twilight gasped. “I’m so sorry!  I should’ve been more careful.”

“Twilight, it’s fine,” Applejack laughed, then pointed. “And it’s right there.”

“Oh.” Twilight sighed, then giggled at herself as she watched Applejack pick it up. It was a simple silver band with a pale blue diamond.  It glimmered in the moonlight, despite the bits of grass stuck to it.. “It’s beautiful.”

“Is this where I make some lame ‘not half as beautiful as you’ joke?” Applejack asked.  Then she blew the dirt and grass away.  “You don’t know how much trouble I had pickin’ this out. Hold still.”

Twilight lowered her head.  As she felt the weight of the ring on her horn she smiled so hard that her cheeks hurt.  She closed her eyes and savored the sensation of the cool metal. It was proof that the evening wasn’t just a figment of her imagination.  “How does it look?”

“You look beautiful.  That doesn’t have much to do with the ring, though.”

“Oh, stop,” Twilight said, giggling.

“Okay,” Applejack made an exaggerated show of closing her mouth, chuckling through her clamped lips.  Twilight joined in, and they both laughed.

As the laughter faded, they found themselves staring quietly at each other.

“So…” Twilight said. “What now?”

Applejack shrugged. “I dunno, I never really thought this far ahead.  After I asked, I thought I’d just sorta wing it.” She scratched her head. “Oh! What about that surprise you had?  I guess I kinda stole your thunder there.  Sorry about that.”

“No, no, it’s completely fine!” Twilight said as she began to rummage around for her own piece of proposal jewelry, hoping that her hug-tackle hadn’t dislodged. “You have no idea.” She grinned as she found the necklace box and held it out. “You actually saved me having to do it myself.”

Applejack’s jaw dropped, and her eyes widened as Twilight opened the case. “W-wait.  You mean you… you were gonna—”

Twilight nodded.  “I actually had a whole lead-up speech memorized, but I couldn’t remember it now if I tried. All I need to say is that I love you, and I want to stay with you for the rest of my life.  I guess I could ask again anyway, even if it’s a bit redundant.”

“Well, the answer is yes!”  Applejack reared up and kicked her front hooves in the air. “Although I guess you probably knew that already.”

“Hold still!” Twilight held up the necklace with her magic. “I’ve been holding onto this thing for weeks now, and I want to see what it looks like on you.”

“Weeks? You’ve been plannin’ this that long?”  Applejack grinned sheepishly as Twilight gently placed the necklace around her neck.

“Less planning, and more trying to get my nerves under control.  I never thought in a million years that you’d ask me!”

“I know, and that’s why I wanted to be the one to ask.  Good thing I decided to go for it.  You don’t mind that I, uh, kinda stole your evening, do you?”

“Of course not!” Twilight shook her head violently. “We’re engaged now, and that’s all I really wanted out of tonight!” She giddily pranced in place. “I don’t know what to do next! Should we go tell everypony? Who should we go to first? Your family? Should we head back to the farm?”

“Hold on just a sec, Twilight.”  Applejack looked down at the necklace that adorned her.  “I just want to admire this for a second.  I never thought I’d ever have a piece of jewelry that I’d actually want to wear.  It’s great, Twilight.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Twilight said, beaming.

“It’s more than just likin’ it, Twilight.”  She took a deep breath. “I can hardly believe that I actually did it.  It’s just… whew, I just feel like I need some time to take it all in.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way.” Twilight rocked back and forth on her hooves, trying to keep the sudden surge of nervous energy under control. “I feel like there’s so much to do now.  I just want to run through town and tell everypony I know!”

“Well, we’ve got plenty of time for that.” Applejack put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I just want to savor it for a bit.”

“You’re right,” Twilight said. She could feel herself starting to relax.  “We’ll never have this moment again, after all.  We should keep it about us.  Besides, once everypony hears about it, things are going to start getting crazy.”

“Yep,” Applejack nodded sagely. “You know what I could go for?  Ice cream.”

“Ice cream?”  Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Where did that come from?”

“No clue,” Applejack said with a shrug.  “But it’s pretty obvious neither of us really thought about what we were gonna do after poppin’ the question, so I figured gettin’ some ice cream is as good as anything.”

Twilight chuckled. “You know what?  Ice cream does sound good.  And Hayburger usually isn’t busy this late. I’m pretty sure nopony will bother us.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Applejack gave Twilight a kiss before heading down the hill. “I’m buyin’’, though. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you paid the tip at the restaurant.”

“Fine, fine. I’m getting the biggest sundae they have, then.”

“If that’s what you want,” Applejack paused long enough for Twilight to catch up to her, and they both walked down the path together.

Twilight felt like she was floating.  There was nothing that could possibly bring her down.  Then a thought struck her.  She burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Applejack asked.

“Rarity is going to kill us when she sees what we did to her dresses.”

The Ecstasy

It doesn’t feel real.  I know that it happened. I know that Applejack turned the whole world around and asked me the question I had so much difficulty asking.  And I answered. I still don’t know how I found the words to answer.  But I did. Somehow, I did.  I gave her the answer I wanted from her.  I know it happened, but I can still barely believe it.

But as all several souls contain

Mixture of things, they know not what,

Love these mix'd souls doth mix again

And makes both one, each this and that.

A single violet transplant,

The strength, the colour, and the size,

(All which before was poor and scant)

Redoubles still, and multiplies.

When love with one another so

Interinanimates two souls,

That abler soul, which thence doth flow,

Defects of loneliness controls.

We then, who are this new soul, know

Of what we are compos'd and made,

For th' atomies of which we grow

Are souls, whom no change can invade.

-- The Ecstasy,

John Donne

Twilight and Applejack were giggling madly as they stumbled through the front door of the library.  Between the excited energy and the sugar rush from the gigantic ice cream sundae they had shared, they barely made it to the sofa before collapsing onto it.  At a lull in their laughter, they heard a sudden rustle from upstairs. The bedroom door popped open and Spike scurried out.

“Twilight!” He scampered down the stairs, coming dangerously close to tripping over his own feet.  “How did it—” He paused as he saw Twilight and Applejack nuzzling. “I guess that means things went well, huh?”

“It went wonderfully, Spike.”

“That’s great! Congratulations!”  He reached the bottom of the stairs, and for the first time noticed the ring on Twilight’s horn. “Wait a second.  Where did that come from?”

“Oh, that little thing?” Applejack chuckled. “I gave her that.”

“Well, it’s really nice,” Spike said.  Then the realization struck. “Wait, you mean that you, that she—”

“Yeah, Applejack beat me to the punch,” Twilight said, a smile on her face. “Not that I mind, obviously.”

“So, what happened?!” Spike asked excitedly. “Did she surprise you at the restaurant?  Was the ring inside a piece of cake? No, she might have swallowed it if that happened.”

“No, no, nothing like that.  We…” Twilight paused.  “You know what?  We’re going to be telling this story a lot in the next few days, aren’t we?”

“Most likely,” Applejack answered.  “There’s my family, all our friends, Bon Bon and Lyra, Cheerilee, the Cakes, lots of townsponies.”

Twilight thought for a minute.  “You know what?  How about we wait?  First thing tomorrow, we can invite everypony over here and tell them all at once.”

“Makin’ it a party, huh?” Applejack smiled and kissed Twilight. “Works for me. Gives us a bit more time to ourselves, right?”

“That too.” Twilight winked. “You should probably get back to bed, Spike. It’s past your bedtime.  We’ll have plenty of time to talk about everything tomorrow.”

“Yeah, it’ll probably be a long day, too.  Once Pinkie starts the party, it’s never going to end.  I’ll probably have to deliver invitations to everybody.” He yawned and started up the stairs. “And really, the last thing I want to do is to listen to you two being all lovey-dovey.  I’ll congratulate you for real tomorrow.  Goodnight.”

“Oh, it certainly is!” Twilight said. “Goodnight, Spike!”

“And then we realized that when I hugged her—”

“It was more of a tackle, really,” Applejack added.

“A tackle-hug?!” Pinkie gasped and hopped up and down on the couch. “Brilliant!”

“Hush, dear.” Rarity grabbed Pinkie and sat her down. “You’ll make the couch sag.”

“So when I tackle-hugged her, I realized that I had knocked the ring out of her hooves.”

“You mean you couldn’t even magic-grab it first?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Oh, please, Dash!” Rarity shook her head. “I’m quite sure that she had other things on her mind than a ring.” She turned back to Twilight and Applejack, a dead serious look on her face. “You did find it, didn’t you?”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Nope.  We went out and bought another one that she’s wearin’ now.  Of course we found it!  It was still in the box and all.  Not exactly a needle in a haystack.” She thought for a moment. “Don’t know what a needle would even be doin’ in a haystack anyway.  But yeah, we found it right away.”

“Well, I for one think you made a wonderful choice,” Rarity said as she examined the ring. “This jewel is exquisite!”

Applejack shrugged. “I just imagined Twilight wearin’ it, and that’s the one I thought looked best.”

“The necklace Twilight picked for you is really pretty too,” Fluttershy added.

“Yeah, it looks just like an apple!” Granny Smith said. “Funny how that worked out, what with her bein’ named ‘Applejack’ and livin’ on an apple orchard.”

“Granny, I think Twilight did that on purpose,” Big Macintosh said.

“Huh?” Granny rubbed at her ear. “What do dolphins have to do with anything?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head.  “Yeah, yeah, the jewelry is nice and all.  When are you two actually getting hitched?”

“We haven’t even been engaged for a day, Rainbow Dash.” Applejack rolled her eyes.  “You really think we’d have all that figured out already?”

“We’re still just letting the fact sink in,” Twilight said, “so obviously we haven’t set a date yet. We’re still trying to figure out who to tell next!  We’ve got plenty of time to figure out all the specifics.  Right now we’re just enjoying it.  Don’t worry, as soon as we start thinking about that, we’ll be sure to let you know.”

“So what are you doing now, then?” Rainbow Dash asked impatiently.  “You’ve gotta have something planned.”

“Well, once we’re done here, we’ll probably start spreading the word to everypony else,” Twilight said. “And then after that I’ll start sending out announcements! I have to write to tell my family about it.  And Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, of course.”

Applejack chuckled. “I never thought that I’d be sendin’ a marriage announcement to a princess.”

“Um, that’s actually two princesses,” Fluttershy said. “Three if you count Cadance.  And a prince, if you count Shining Armor.”

“And I gotta go and let everypony in my family know.  Startin’ with Apple Bloom, of course.”

Rarity gasped. “You haven’t told your sister yet?  Why not?”

“She’s supposed to be havin’ a study session with Scootaloo and your sister this mornin’ to get their math grades up, and I don’t wanna distract her.  They got a test comin’ up.  Besides, It’s kind of a big change, and I just wanna talk to her about it.”

“And give her some of the cake!” Pinkie pointed at the enormous three-tiered “CONGRATULATIONS!” cake that sat on the library table.  Pinkie had taken the liberty of dramatizing the proposal in icing form.  Unfortunately, her initial depiction of the scene was less than accurate, and she had spent most of the story with a palette of frosting making corrections.  “Because there’s a lot of it and Mr. Cake says I’m not allowed to eat the extra!”

“Nachos are done!”  Spike announced as he emerged from the kitchen with a gigantic bowl of cheese and chips.

“Nachos and cake.” Rarity shook her head.  “What sort of marriage announcement has nachos and cake?”

“It’s not an announcement, it’s a party!” Pinkie bounded over to the table.

“I am gettin’ hungry,” Applejack said as she stood. “We haven’t had breakfast yet.  Guess cake and nachos are as good as anything.”

Twilight nodded. “Sounds good to me!  This is a celebration, after all!”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh said. Then he began to trot towards the door.

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash called after him. “Where’re you going?!”

He looked back over his shoulder. “Gettin’ the cider.”

Rainbow Dash licked her lips. “Great!  It’s not a party without cider!”

The next day, Twilight found herself at her desk.  The mad rush of adrenaline that had accompanied the proposal had finally worn off, and after a day spent celebrating, they had to come down to brass tacks. For Twilight, that meant making a checklist, and the first item on it was “send announcements.”  Even though it had been accidental, she could still recall the sting of being left out of the loop when Shining Armor had gotten engaged.  Nopony she knew would go through that.

“...Love, Twiley,” Twilight dictated. “Okay, that takes care of Mom and Dad!  Who’s next?”

“The only names left on the list are the Princesses,” Spike answered as he rolled up the scroll and put a seal on it.  “Are you going to combine those letters, or send them separately?”

“I think I’ll just send them one letter addressed to both of them.  We’ve spent enough time writing letters.”

“You’re telling me.” Spike cracked his knuckles.  “You think they’re going to be surprised at the news?”

“I don’t know.  They might be surprised that it happened so soon, but Celestia probably assumed we would get engaged sooner or later.”

“Well, yeah.” Spike rolled his eyes. “Everypony knew it was probably going to happen eventually.   If they’ve been keeping up with your letters at all, I doubt you’ll catch them off guard.  If anything, they’ll wonder what took you so long.”

“I guess we’ll find out.”

“You think they’ll send you another cheese wheel?” Spike asked as he readied another scroll and a quill.

“I hope not. We’re still trying to figure out what to do with the last one. It’s good cheese, but it’s way more than Applejack and I can eat.”

“Knock knock!” came a familiar voice.  Applejack poked her head through the door. “You get all your letters written yet?”

“Got one more,” Twilight answered.  She stretched as she stood up, and greeted Applejack with a kiss on the cheek. “What about you?”

“Heh, I’m only about half done. I got a lot of relatives to write to.  I’m just takin’ a break at the moment.  Just finished off the Apploosa group.  Gonna tackle the Manehattan group next.”

“Have you talked to Apple Bloom yet?”

Applejack shook her head. “No. That’s actually why I came by now.  I want you to be there when I tell her.  It just feels like something we should do together, you know?”

Twilight nodded. “Of course.  You did say it was like I was becoming part of the family, right?”

“Exactly!  I think it’ll help it sink in a bit more if it’s both of us rather than just me.  Besides, I could use the moral support.”

“Why?” Twilight asked. “You think she won’t take it well?”

Applejack shrugged. “I got no idea. That’s the problem. She might be real happy, she might freak out ‘cause she thinks you’re stealin’ me or something.” She glanced at the clock. “She’s gonna be comin’ home in half an hour or so.”

“It shouldn’t take me that long to finish.  Why don’t you grab a bite to eat while I get this letter done, and then we’ll head back to your place?”

“Sounds good,” Applejack said as she headed back to the kitchen.  “I was so busy with all those letters that all I had for lunch was an apple muffin.”

“Well, we’ve got plenty of cake and nachos left over from this morning,” Twilight said. “And I think I have some casserole in the fridge.  Feel free to grab anything you want.”

“Don’t take any of the stuff with my name on, though,” Spike added. “I mean, I’d love to share, but I don’t think you’d want any of it.  You might break your teeth.”

“Gotcha.  See you in a few, Twilight.” She disappeared into the kitchen.

“So, you gotta go talk to Apple Bloom, huh?” Spike asked. “Any idea what you’re gonna say?”

“Nope.  But I’m going to let Applejack take the lead, anyway. If I have anything to add I’m sure I’ll think of it.  Now, let’s get this letter started. I wouldn’t want to make Applejack wait.” She cleared her throat. “Dear Princess Celestia and Princess Luna…”

“How you feelin’, Twilight?” Applejack asked as they trotted toward Sweet Apple Acres.  “You aren’t nervous about talkin’ to my sister, are you?”

“Actually, I’m feeling pretty good,” Twilight answered. “Honestly, I was more nervous about writing to my parents.  There was just so much I wanted to say to them!  Oh, and I invited them to come and visit. That’s okay, isn’t it?”

“That’s fine.  After all the help you gave Apple Bloom it wouldn’t be fair not to spend a bit of time with your family.  Besides, I’m sorta marryin’ in to your family, so I ought to get to know them better anyway.” She thought for a moment. “Come to think of it, your sister-in-law is a Princess! It’s almost like I’m marryin’ into royalty.”

Twilight chuckled. “I wouldn’t go that far. Just because my family is from Canterlot doesn’t make us royalty.”

“I know, but still.  I’m just a farmer.” She shook her head. “It still boggles me that Princess Celestia is goin’ to get an announcement about me.”

“Yes, you’re just a farmer,” Twilight said with a grin. “A farmer who’s helped save the world how many times now?”

“Okay, okay, I get the point.  I still think it’s a bit crazy, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“You think Apple Bloom is going to be surprised?” Twilight asked.

“I have no clue.  She might be totally dumbfounded, but then again she might just shrug and wonder why we made such a big deal out of it.”

“Are you worried about what you’re going to say?”

“A little bit, I guess.” Applejack shrugged. “But we’re close enough that I have a pretty good idea of how to do this.  As soon as I decided to propose to you, it wasn’t very long before I started thinkin’ about how I’d give her the news.”

“Well, you’re about to find out how it goes.”  Twilight nodded towards the CMC clubhouse.  The three fillies were lined up on the porch, attempting to construct… something.  It involved a copious number of 2-by-4s and lots of rope.

“Hey, Applejack! Twilight!” Sweetie Belle waved.  “How do you like our new rope swing?!”

“Oh, is that what that is?” Applejack asked, trying to figure out what part of the contraption one was meant to swing on. “I thought you had a test comin’ up.”

“It’s… for math!” Scootaloo said, gesturing at the “swing.” “You know.  Like, momentum and stuff.”

“Right,” Applejack just shook her head. They’d been cramming all day. They needed a break.

“I told you to let me draw up some plans first,” Apple Bloom grumbled. “You guys tried to install the thing upside down!”

“Why didn’t you say so before?” Scootaloo responded. “It would’ve saved us hours!”

“Uh, I hate to interrupt,” Applejack said, “but I gotta talk to Apple Bloom about something back at the house. It won’t take long.”

“Okay, be right there.” Apple Bloom turned to her friends. “I’ll be right back. You two can start unhookin’ that thing so we can put it back on right.”

“So… what is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Apple Bloom said.  There was a hint of suspicion in her voice.  When Applejack went and sat her down on the sofa to talk, it usually meant that either something big was going on, or she was in trouble.  As Apple Bloom couldn’t think of anything she had done in the past week or so that would result in punishment, it was probably the first one. And since it wasn’t just Applejack who sat next to her, she could hazard a guess at what they wanted to talk about.

Applejack cleared her throat. “Well, Twilight and I have been goin’ out for quite a while now.”

“Um, yeah. I know that already.”

“Let me finish.  We’ve been goin’ out for a while, so it’s only natural that things changed between us a bit.  I don’t wanna beat around the bush here, so I’m just gonna come right out and say it.” She grinned widely. “We’re gettin’ married!”

Apple Bloom stared at her sister, then blinked.  “Married?”

“Yup.  I popped the question to her last night.”

Twilight nodded and slipped the ring onto her horn.  Apple Bloom could only stare.  Then she grinned.

“That’s great!” She jumped off the couch and started hopping around the living room in small circles.  “It’s like I’m gettin’ another sister!  This is amazing!”

“I’m glad you feel that way,” Applejack said, trying not to let her sigh of relief be too audible.

“I gotta go tell everypony!”  Apple Bloom gasped as she made for the door.

“Wait just a second!”  Applejack grabbed her sister’s tail and pulled her back. “Let me finish.  I’m real glad that you’re happy for us, but I just want to make sure you understand what’s goin’ on.  Things are gonna change a bit.”

“Huh?” Apple Bloom’s ears drooped a little.

“Twilight and I are gonna be spendin’ even more time together as we get ready for the wedding and such, and as unfortunate as it is, it means I may not be able to spend as much time with you as I have been.   Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always be your sister, and I’ll always be there when you need me, but it’s not gonna be like it used to.  I still love you, and I still want to spend as much time with you as I can, but, well, Twilight’s gonna be my wife.  She’s gonna be part of the family, and that means… well… Oh, horseapples. I thought I could figure out a way to say it.”

“So you’re…” Apple Bloom’s lip quivered. “I mean, I know she’s your very special somepony and all, but does that really mean you’ve gotta leave?”

“Leavin’?  Who said anything about leavin’?” Applejack shook her head. “It’s not like I’ll be leavin’ town or anything. I’m just sayin’ that Twilight and I share somethin’ that we don’t share with anypony else. And even though you’re my sister, that includes you.  Not because I don’t love you anymore or anything, but… I’m not sure how to say it.  I guess when you get a bit older and start gettin’ feelings for other ponies you’ll know what I mean.  It’s just that…” she sighed. “Twilight, could you help me out?”

“Apple Bloom,” Twilight said softly. “I just want you to know that I’m not trying to steal your sister from you or anything like that.  But I do love her, and we’re going to start a new life together.  You’ll still be part of both our lives, but it might not be quite the same part that you are now.  You’ll always be her sister —and my sister-in-law too, I guess— but that means things between you might change a bit.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was tryin’ to say,” Applejack said with a nod.  “Things are changin’, Apple Bloom.  Thing is, you’re changin’, too.” She gave Apple Bloom a playful nudge.  “I know you’ll be able to handle me not hoverin’ over your shoulder all the time, right?”

“Of course!” Apple Bloom nodded. “I’ve always been able to handle that,” she added under her breath.

“Good.  If I’m not around to keep an eye on you, it means you gotta be responsible for yourself, okay?  But if you ever got anything you want to talk about, you know that you can always come find me.  I’m always gonna be your sister and nothing is ever gonna change that.” She patted Apple Bloom on the back. “Now get back out there before Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo bust a hole in your clubhouse or something.”

“Sure thing!” She hopped off the couch and made for the door.  Halfway out, she stopped. “Oh! Congratulations!  Can’t forget that.  Bye!”

Applejack finally relaxed as she watched her go. “Whew. That went… alright, I guess. I kinda lost track of what I was sayin’, there.”

“I think she understood,” Twilight said.  “Although, I just realized something.”

“What?”

“Are you free this afternoon?”

“I can make time,” Applejack said. “Why?”

“I need to talk to Spike.  And you should be there too.”

“‘Course I can do that.  Let’s get goin’.”

Spike yawned and stretched as he woke up from his nap.  The house was still quiet.  Applejack and Twilight must not have returned yet.  He rolled out of bed.  It was the first time since last night that he had a moment to himself. He knew it wouldn’t last long, and he wanted to make the most of it.  Five minutes later he was in the kitchen, making himself a “lunch” out of waffles, ice cream, eggs, garlic, chili sauce, and powdered rubies.   Hopefully he could finish and eat it before Twilight and Applejack returned.  There weren’t many ponies who could handle the smell.  Fortunately for him, he was halfway through his bizarre meal before the front door opened.

“What in tarnation is that smell?” he heard Applejack say.

“Spike must be cooking,” came Twilight’s voice.

A moment later Twilight poked her head into the kitchen. She wore a pair of goggles and had a handkerchief pressed over her muzzle.

“Hey, Twilight,” Spike said, looking up from his food. The bowl bubbled ominously. “How’d the talk with Apple Bloom go?”

“It went fine,” Twilight answered. “Spike, what have I told you about making that stuff inside?”

“Well, I can’t do it outside. Last time I tried, Rarity complained that it made all of her laundry smell.”

“True,” Twilight conceded.  “Just… give me some warning next time.” She blinked. “My eyes are burning.  When you’re done eating that thing, would you mind coming upstairs?  Applejack and I want to talk to you about something.”

“Sure thing.”  He made sure to keep smiling, even though he had hoped to have the rest of the day to himself after spending the morning writing letters.  Hopefully it wouldn’t take long.  Just in case it would, he took his time finishing his lunch and cleaning up after himself.  Then he sighed and headed upstairs.

Twilight and Applejack were still wearing their protective gear, even though as far as Spike was concerned, the smell wasn’t really that strong.  Ponies had oversensitive noses.

“You wanted to talk to me?” he asked.

“Yes,” Twilight said. She motioned for him to take a seat.  “It’s about Applejack and I.”

“I thought so,” Spike said.  He couldn’t imagine that Twilight was thinking of anything else at the moment.  “What about you two?”

“Well, that’s actually what I was going to ask you,” she answered. “I know we’ve talked about this a little bit, but I realized I haven’t really gotten your thoughts on everything that’s going on.  This affects you as much as anyone else, and I want to know how you feel about it.”

“Oh.” Spike scratched at his spines. He hadn’t really had much of a chance to think it over; at least not for the past day.  He had been too occupied taking dictation all morning to really process anything, and he had taken a nap as soon as they finished up.  And when he woke up, the engagement had taken a backseat to his stomach.  Still, ever since he had found out that Twilight had planned to propose, the matter had crept into his mind a few times, no matter how little he wanted to think about it.  “Well, I’m happy for you, obviously,” he said.

“Well, we knew that!” Applejack said. “We wanted to know how you feel.  You must have been thinkin’ about what all this means for you.”

“Oh.” A few thoughts sprang to mind, but he couldn’t think of any way to put those thoughts into words.  “What it means for me, huh?”

“I just want to make sure you’re okay with everything,” Twilight said gently. “I mean, things will change, sure, but you’ll always be my number one assistant.  Nothing is going to change that.”

“Yeah, I don’t think Twilight would want me helpin’ her with her research,” Applejack added. “I don’t know the first thing about any of that, and my writin’ is… less than neat.”

Spike smiled and relaxed a little.  He hadn’t believed for a moment that Twilight would fire him, but it felt good to hear her say it.  “As long as I have job security, I don’t have too much to worry about,” he said.

“No, no you don’t,” Twilight said, smiling.

Spike nodded.  Then a thought popped into his head.  One that had occasionally drifted through, but now felt heavy and immediate.  “I guess I should start looking for my own place, huh?”

Twilight and Applejack shared a wide-eyed glance.

“Uh, Spike,” Applejack said carefully, “just ‘cause we’re gettin’ married doesn’t mean that I’m tryin’ to boot you out.  I could never take your place as Twilight’s research assistant, and I’d never want to.  You’ve got no reason to go anywhere.  I’m not about to throw you out of your own house!”

“I know that!” Spike said indignantly. “But let’s face it, even you’re fine with having me around I’m still going to be a bit of a third wheel.”

“What’s wrong with a third wheel?” Applejack asked. “I mean, it’s good to have an extra wheel in case one breaks.”

“No, that’s…” He wasn’t sure whether Applejack was genuinely confused or just stretching the metaphor. “It’s a figure of speech.  I’m just saying that even if you say that it’s okay for me to stay, it’s still going to be awkward.  You two are going to need your space.  Besides, think about it.  I’ve been doing a lot of stuff on my own lately.  I’ve been running the library by myself, making my own food, cleaning, sometimes I even do the laundry!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, obviously thinking about Spike’s last foray into laundering. “You filled the entire basement with soap suds!”

“Only once!” Spike retorted. “I’m just saying that I think if I really needed to, I’d be able to live on my own. I know I’d still have a lot of things to learn, but I think I could do it.  It’s not that I don’t like living here. It’s pretty great.  And I’m sure not going to stop helping with your research, but I mean… well, I don’t have to live here to do that.”

Twilight was silent.  Applejack was also silent, though her silence somehow felt more awkward.

“I mean, not that I’m planning on moving out any time soon,” Spike added hurriedly. “I haven’t been out apartment hunting or anything.  It’s just the first thing that popped into my head.  I don’t want to leave. It’s just, you know, with the two of you being together, I’m not sure where I’d fit.”

“Spike, you always have a place here,” Twilight said. Then she smiled. “I just want to make sure you know that.  This is your home for as long as you want to stay here.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“Good.” She put a hoof on his shoulder. “Is there anything else you’ve been thinking about?”

“Honestly, I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything.  It’s been kinda crazy lately, and I’m pretty sure my brain can’t absorb everything as quickly as yours can.”

“Heh, I know what that’s like,” Applejack added.

“Well, if there’s ever anything you feel like you need to talk to us about, you can.  You know that, right?”

“Of course.  I don’t need you to tell me that.”  He held up a claw as if he were a filly scout. “If I ever have some issue about the nature of my existence, you’ll be the first ponies I come to!”

“Great,” Twilight said. “You have anything to add, Applejack?”

“Yeah, I just wanna say that you can come and talk to me, too. I know we’ve never really spent the kind of time together that you and Twilight have, but even so I care about you a whole bunch.  The last thing I want is to make you feel unwelcome in your own home.”

“Don’t worry, Applejack,” Spike said with a dismissive wave of his claw. “I’ll be fine.  You two should be able to spend time with each other without having to worry about me.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Spike.” Twilight smiled warmly and patted him on the head. “We’ve got a bunch of other ponies to go talk to, so we’ll give you some time for yourself.  You’ve earned it after helping me with all those letters this morning.”

“Thanks!” Spike nodded proudly, glad that his work was being recognized.

“Though I do want you to open some windows,” Twilight added as she walked out the door.  “That smell is making my nose run.”

Spike sighed as he watched them go. “I swear, there’s something wrong with your noses.”

The bell above the door of the chocolate shop gave a ding as Twilight and Applejack stepped through the door.  Twilight opened her mouth to greet her employer, but didn’t get the chance.

“Congratulations!” Lyra seemingly dropped out of the air between Applejack and Twilight, catching them both in a massive hug.

“So I guess you heard?” Applejack said with a chuckle.  “I told Twilight that we should tell my sister last.”

“It was Pinkie Pie, actually,” Bon Bon said.  She rolled her eyes. “Lyra, let go of them. You’ll hurt somepony like that.”

Lyra released them and addressed Twilight. “What happened? You went to all that trouble planning everything and she managed to propose first?!  How did she get away with that?”

“Wait a minute, you two were in on this?”  Applejack asked.  Then she smacked herself on the forehead. “So that’s why she played my favorite song while we were at dinner.”

“I’ll have you know I did hours of extra practice to make sure it was perfect!” Lyra patted herself on the chest.

“Don’t give her too much credit,” Bon Bon said. “I told her that if her playing wasn’t satisfactory she would have to take over Twilight’s inventory duty.”

“Well, I thought she did a great job,” Applejack said.

“Thank you!” Lyra grabbed Applejack in another hug. “You saved me!”

Twilight grabbed Lyra’s tail with her telekinesis and peeled her off of her fiancée. “Yes, and now I have to do it.”

“Oh.” Applejack raised her eyebrow. “Well, in that case…”

“She enjoys doing inventory!” Lyra protested. “You know it!”

“So how did the evening go?” Bon Bon finally emerged from behind the counter.  “I just know that Lyra is dying to hear all about it, and she’s not going to accomplish a thing today until she hears the whole story.”

Lyra sniffed. “What, like you don’t want to hear the story?”

Bon Bon shrugged. “I am more interested in what will result from the proposal than how it came about.”

“But you are interested a little, right?” Lyra nudged Bon Bon with her elbow.

“I suppose so,” Bon Bon admitted. “Let’s hear it.”

Twilight turned to Applejack. “You want to start, or should I?”

“It was real nice of Bon Bon to give us all these chocolates,” Applejack said as she and Twilight left the boutique.

“It’s like Lyra says, she’s really a big softie,” Twilight said with a chuckle.  “Do you want to take them home with you, or do you think they’d be safer at my house?”

“Hmmm… hungry dragon versus hungry siblings.  That’s a tough one.”

Twilight giggled some more at the mental image of the Apple Family challenging Spike to an eating contest.  “I don’t know.  You’ve seen how much Spike can put away.”

“You know,” Applejack said, “if you’d move to Sweet Apple Acres, we wouldn’t have to worry about it.”

“No, but then I’d have to worry about finding someplace to store all my books.” Another image popped into her mind, this one of the Apple Family House with a massive library wing protruding from the back. “Or maybe you could move into the library!  We’ve got plenty of space.”

“Ha! Find a spell that’ll turn it into a giant apple tree and get back to me,” Applejack said, laughing. “Wonder what it would be like livin’ inside of an apple tree.”

“Probably the same as living inside any other tree, only it would probably smell nicer.” Twilight shrugged. “As long as Spike doesn’t kill it with the smell of his chili sauce.”

“You could find a spell for that, too.”

“Believe me, I’ve looked!” Twilight shook her head. “Spike’s cooking is very… resilient.  The library will probably still be spicy when I get home.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Oh, this is nothing.  The last time Spike made this, he melted my best pot. And the sink.  And he burned a big hole in the floor.”

Realization dawned on Applejack’s face. “So that’s what that patch on your kitchen floor is.”

“But seriously, what are we going to do about the chocolate?” Twilight said.  The sun was beginning to set, and as much as she enjoyed Applejack’s company, it would be nice to have some time to collect her thoughts.  “Do you want to take them?”

“Nah, you’ll have an easier time keepin’ them away from Spike than I would keepin’ them away from Apple Bloom and Granny.”

“Granny steals your food?”

Applejack nodded. “Even if I tell her to stay out of the chocolates, she’ll forget about it and wonder whose they are.  And Apple Bloom has a way of findin’ sweets no matter where I hide them.”

“Alright, I’ll keep them safe until lunch tomorrow.’ Twilight took the box from Applejack’s back. It felt lighter than she expected. They had been nibbling on them all afternoon, and apparently they had eaten quite a few of them.

“I’ll make sure I bring some good sandwiches, okay?”

They kissed, lingering on each others’ lips just long enough to enjoy it, but not so long that they got looks from the other ponies on the street.

Twilight smiled. “I just want you to know that the past two days have been the best two days of my life.”

“Same here,” Applejack smiled. “Here’s hopin’ it just gets better from here.”

Disinherited

I have far too much to do today!  Oh, well. That’s not so different from any other day.

Thy father all from thee, by his last will,

Gave to the poor; thou hast good title still.

-- Disinherited,

John Donne

“For the last time, Luna, we are not going to ring the palace bells just because Twilight and Applejack sent us an engagement notification!”  Celestia strode resolutely down the corridor, hoping that she could gain enough distance from her sister to end the conversation.  She headed for lower levels, where dozens of palace staff were pushing and pulling carts full of food and supplies. With luck, Luna would get caught behind one of them and Celestia would have a moment’s peace.  Unfortunately, like all younger sisters, Luna had long since mastered the art of keeping up with her elder sibling.

“But she is your personal protégé! Your first and greatest pupil! Is this not a cause for celebration?”  She deftly sidestepped a rolling pallet of sacks of flour. “Surely you aren’t going to be so stingy as to not acknowledge the union of two Elements of Harmony?”

“I do acknowledge it!” Celestia snapped as she zig-zagged between two mop buckets. “Just not with the bells!”

“And why not?”  Despite a rapid succession of maids trotting between them, Luna managed to match her sister step for step. “Is that not what the bells are for?”

“The bells are for national celebrations,” Celestia answered. “As wonderful as it is that Twilight and Applejack are engaged, it is not relevant to all of our subjects!”

“And yet her brother’s wedding was?”

“If you’ll recall, Twilight’s brother was marrying a princess.” Celestia hopped over a cider barrel that had escaped from the pony who had been rolling it.  “Besides, that was as much in celebration of the fact that we successfully repelled a changeling invasion.”

“I may have remembered that more clearly if somepony would’ve woken me up,” Luna grumbled, nimbly dodging both the rogue barrel and the pony who chased after it. “I looked like a fool at the wedding reception. Everypony thought I had skipped out on the fighting on purpose and showed up at the reception for the cake!”

“You did just show up for the cake!”

“But I would’ve shown up earlier if somepony had called.” Luna followed Celestia around a corner. “Once the ceremony was rescheduled, you might have sent somepony to get me!”

“I know, and I apologize.  I had just been blasted by that changeling queen, and I had to scramble enough to reorganize the city after the reception.” Celestia tried not to sound too testy.  She knew as well as anypony that she hadn’t exactly been at the top of her game for those few days, and she didn’t appreciate Luna reminding her of it. “All of that is beside the point.  This is not an appropriate occasion for bell-ringing!  Why do you want to ring them so badly, anyway?!”

“First of all, because the bellmaster said that I could do the ringing myself.”

“Really, Luna?” Celestia sighed as she watched a cake roll past.

“It isn’t the only reason!” Luna snapped back. “You know how much I owe both Twilight and Applejack. If not for them, I would still be… you know.  They’ve not only saved Equestria, but they saved me. Honoring them with the bells is the very least I could do.”

Celestia stopped.  Luna skidded into her with a grunt.

“Luna, how about we compromise?” Celestia smiled at her sister. “We’ll hold off on the bells for now, but when the day of their wedding comes, you may ring them as loudly as you want.”

Luna returned the smile. “Yes, I could live with that.” She suddenly spun around and trotted hurriedly in the direction of the larder.  “Now, then.  I must go select an appropriate engagement gift.  I believe a cheese wheel is in order!”

Now it was Celestia’s turn to chase after her sister. “Luna, you already sent them a cheese wheel, remember?”

“Yes, but that was only because I misread the situation!  A cheese wheel is the traditional engagement gift, and their previous… thing was not truly an engagement. As such, now that the the proper declaration of intent to marry has been made, I must send the gift properly!”

Celestia shook her head. Once Luna got going, there was no dissuading her.  “At the very least, send them a different type of cheese this time.”

“Of course.  This time I intend on giving them a nice, sharp cheddar.”

Celestia slowed to a trot and finally stopped, watching Luna disappear down the hallway. She smiled. “I suppose I should send Twilight and Applejack a letter of congratulations.”

Spike woke up with a groan.  He hadn’t slept well; his stomach churned like a washing machine.  Most of the night had found him rolling around in his bed.  Under normal circumstances he would blame his garlic-egg-ice-cream-chili-ruby waffles, but he couldn’t help but think that his little discussion with Twilight and Applejack factored into it somehow. Moving out? What had he been thinking talking about that?

Sure, the notion had drifted through his mind once or twice, but a lot of thoughts came and went. He had taken that idea about as seriously as his plan to impress Rarity by fashioning a life-size statue of her out of crystal.  It had been perfect… for about five minutes, when all the cracks began to show.

It was true that he had to fend for himself on occasion, but that wasn’t the same thing.  Whenever Twilight went somewhere, she left behind a fridge full of food and a checklist of errands that had to be done.  And that stuff about him still being her assistant even if he didn’t live with her anymore… would that really work out?

She wouldn’t fire him; he knew that much.  But it would be different. It wouldn’t be a fact of life anymore. He wouldn’t wake up to find her taking notes at two in the morning, or have to stop dead in the middle grocery shopping to reorganize her checklist before she forgot.  It would be more of a job now; he’d show up at a set time, work for so many hours, and go home.  And his home wouldn’t be her home anymore.

That was what twisted his gut.  They’d have their own homes.  Sure, he got the house to himself sometimes, but it was still their house, not his.  If I ever move out, we won’t be “us” anymore; it’ll be “me” and “them.”

He shook his head and headed downstairs to find an antacid.  It was too early in the morning to worry about this.  Both Twilight and Applejack had said they were perfectly fine with him sticking around as long as he wanted, and even if they were moving in together, it wouldn’t be for quite a while.  Not like their relationship has been moving all that quickly.  I’ve got time to figure this—

His stomach turned, and he belched out a scroll.

“Ugh…I wish I could tell when that’s about to happen,” he grumbled as he bent to pick up the letter.  It was from Celestia and Luna, written on the Royal Canterlot Letterhead.  No doubt it was a congratulatory note.  Twilight is gonna want to see this, he thought as he entered the kitchen. And it’s my job to deliver it as soon as possible.  I am her number one assistant after all.  He stopped as he saw a note on the kitchen table, next to a covered plate.

Made you some chocolate chip pancakes as a thank you for helping me with the letters.  Enjoy. - T.S.

P.S. Remind me to buy milk.

P.P.S. Make sure you remember to water the plants.

He lifted the cover and sniffed.  I guess that note’s not so urgent that I can’t grab some breakfast first.

“Dear, dear!” Twilight Velvet nearly tumbled head over hooves as she barrelled into the kitchen where Night Light was eating his breakfast.  “Guess what just came in the mail?”

He looked up from his fried eggs and hash browns to see his wife grinning widely at him.  He could also see that she was attempting and failing to hide a scroll behind her mane.

“Bills?” he answered, with as straight a face as he could manage.

“If they were bills, would I be smiling? Try again!”

He shrugged and took a bite of hash browns.  “Tax refund?”

“Oh, stop it!” She playfully bopped him over the head with the scroll. “It’s from Twilight!  She and Applejack are getting married!”

“Oh.” He stared at her for a moment.  Then he turned back to his food. “It’s about time.”

“That’s all you have to say?  Our little filly is getting married, and your response is ‘it’s about time’?”  She poked at him as he tried to eat one of his eggs.

“What, it’s not like it’s a surprise.”  He chuckled.  “Remember when we visited Ponyville?  I was half expecting one of them to pop the question right then!”

“Not if she takes after you.” Velvet ruffled his mane. “Celestia knows you took your sweet time.”

“You’re the one who’s always so picky about deadlines!” He replied with a laugh. “So what does the letter actually say?”

“Read it for yourself,” she said, slapping him on the top of the head again.  “All I’m telling you is that she’s inviting us to visit her in town again, and we need to figure out a date and RSVP.” She set the scroll on the table. “I’m going to go find some quills.”

“You want to write the letter now?  I have to get to work!”

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and rolled her eyes at him.  It was an expression she had to use often.  “You’re always late anyway because you stop at that coffee place every morning.  Skip that and you’ll get to work with time to spare!”

“But I need my coffee!”

“Then you can be late. You are the boss, after all.”

He laughed. “Okay, okay! You win! There are some quills on my desk.”

“I knew you’d come around,” she said as she headed upstairs.

Night Light unfurled the scroll and began to read.  Twilight had left home a long time ago.  She had left the house to become Princess Celestia’s personal student. She had left the city to become the hero of Equestria.  But even so, she had always been his little filly.  He blinked the tears out of his eyes and began searching for things to write that wouldn’t be cheesy.  He had never been good at serious moments.

“I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to go the other way,” Sweetie Belle said. From her vantage point on the ground below the clubhouse, she had a full view of the tire swing.  What had started as a simple wheel-on-a-rope had quickly grown into a large system of pulleys with the intended purpose of allowing a pony to swing back and forth without the need for a push.

“I had it the other way before, and you said it was wrong!” Scootaloo answered from the clubhouse balcony. “I’m not going to pull the rope out unless we’re sure it’s in backwards!”

“It is in backwards!” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Maybe we should wait for Apple Bloom to get back with the drinks.  She’s the one who designed this contraption.  If we keep messing with it, we’ll just make it worse!”

“Come on, Sweetie Belle!  This isn’t that complicated! All I need to do is pull this, and…” She grabbed one of the many ropes that stuck out of the pulleys and yanked. The device trembled for a moment, and the tire dropped to the ground.  The rope whipped through the pulleys and a moment later it lay in a tangled knot. “Okay, so maybe it’s a little complicated.”

“Ugh.” Sweetie Belle stared resignedly at the mess. “Apple Bloom isn’t gonna be happy about that.”

“Uh…” Scootaloo searched for a distraction and found one. “Hey, Spike!”

“Hey, Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle,” Spike said as he approached the fillies.

“What’s up?” Scootaloo asked quickly, before Spike could question her about the swing.

“I’m trying to make a delivery.” Spike held up the letter from the princesses. “You haven’t seen Twilight, have you?”

“Nope,” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Have you tried the chocolate shop?”

“That was the first place I looked.  She doesn’t usually start work this early, but I thought she might be trying to make up for the past few days off.”  He shrugged. “I thought she might have come over here to visit Applejack.”

“Well, I haven’t seen either of them today,” Scootaloo said. “Maybe they went out for breakfast or something.  You know, because of that whole engagement thing.  Maybe Apple Bloom heard something about it.”

“Heard somethin’ about what?” Apple Bloom emerged from the apple trees, dragging a cooler behind her. Then she saw the swing. “Gah! What happened to my swing-puller!”  She dropped the cooler and rushed over to the tangle of rope. “Y’all put the rope in the wrong way, didn’t you?”

Scootaloo chuckled awkwardly. “Maybe.”

“Just as well, I guess,” Apple Bloom said with a shrug. “I was gonna have to re-thread the rope through everything anyway.” She turned to Spike. “So what brings you around to Sweet Apple Acres?”

“He’s looking for Twilight,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Twilight hasn’t gone to work yet, so I thought she might have come here,” Spike said. “You haven’t seen her, have you?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Nope. Haven’t seen Applejack either. She was already out and about when I got up this mornin’.”

“I guess you don’t have any idea where she might be?”

“I got no clue. Sorry.” She shrugged. “She usually tells me when she’s gonna disappear someplace, but I guess things are a bit different now.”

“You’re telling me,” Spike said with a sigh.  He could tell that this was going to be a long day.  Of course he’d have to run around town on the one day that his stomach was acting funny. Maybe he shouldn’t have eaten all the pancakes at once. “Sometimes it feels like Twilight’s barely ever at home.”

“I know how that is,” Apple Bloom said as she gathered up the rope.  “Though it ain’t all bad. Sure, it kinda stinks not having Applejack around all the time, but it’s kinda nice not havin’ her lookin’ over our shoulders.”

“Yeah, we’d never have been able to build this if she kept popping in!” Scootaloo waved at the swing system. “She’d be all like ‘Y’all are just gonna get yourselves all tangled up!’ or something.”

“She might’ve had a point,” Sweetie Belle mumbled.

“If you two hadn’t tangled everything up, that wouldn’t be a problem,” Apple Bloom said. “You want a cider, Spike?”

He eyed the bottle. It was tempting. Then his stomach rumbled. “I think I’ll pass,” he said reluctantly. “I just finished breakfast.”

“Alright, suit yourself.  If you see my sister, can you tell her I was lookin’ for her?”

“Sure.  I’ll—” Spike’s face contorted.

“Spike?” Apple Bloom tilted her head. “Are you oka—” She ducked as he horked up a scroll.

He coughed as he recovered the letter. “Hey, it’s from Mom and Dad.  Twilight’s really gonna want to see that!”  He cleared his throat.  “You know what, I think I’m gonna take you up on that cider.”

“Twiley is getting married! This is awesome!”

Cadance watched her husband bounce around the room like a colt on his way to a Sapphire Shores concert.  It was an exceedingly goofy display, hardly fitting of the Prince of the Crystal Empire.  Then again, if he actually acted like a storybook prince, she probably wouldn’t have married him in the first place.  Traditional knights in shining armor tended to be a little boring.  Thankfully, her husband didn’t live up to his name in that particular way.

“Really? That’s great!” She hadn’t had a great deal of time to get to know Twilight’s friends, but from what little time they had spent together, she could tell that Applejack would be a good match.  Not to mention that Applejack was a spectacular cook, if her contributions to the wedding reception were any indication.  Twilight would probably put on a few pounds by the next time Cadance saw her.  “What does the letter say?”

“Read it yourself.  There are some extras on the table.” He nodded at his desk, where half a dozen additional scrolls sat in a pile. “Apparently she sent some extras. Didn’t want it to get lost in the mail.”

Cadance chuckled.  One invitation gets tossed into lava by teenage dragons, and you never hear the end of it. “She’s never going to let that go, is she?”  She picked up one of the letters and began to read. “I hope we’ll be able to make it.  It’s not exactly easy to take a break from running a country.”

“Well, according to this, if we do make it we’re responsible for repelling any changeling invasions.”  He put the letter down. “So, what do you think our chances of being able to make it to her wedding actually are? You know, seriously. Twilight would be crushed if we don’t make it.”

“Right now, I really have no idea.  We don’t know when or where it’ll be.  I wouldn’t get your hopes up, though.” She watched sadly as his face fell. “It’s unfortunate, I know.  We’ll have to hope that by the time the wedding actually rolls around, the Crystal ponies will be ready to handle things for themselves for a few days.  How’s the Crystal Guard training coming along?”

“Better than it was.  They’re good at jousting and the organizational system is mostly set up.  They still need to work on their archery, though.” He scratched at a piercing in his ear that hadn’t been there a week ago.  “A few more months and they’ll have it down.  What about you?”

“I’m still trying to get them to understand that they don’t need me to personally approve of everything.”

“Isn’t it good that they want you to approve, though?”

“For important things, yes,” Cadance answered. “I just wish they could get their work done without having to check with me every ten minutes.  Just this afternoon, my secretary wanted to get my permission to take a new quill from the supply closet. I just wish they would actually do the things I assign them without having to check in with me every time. I wouldn’t make them department heads if I didn’t trust them to handle things themselves!”

Shining nodded. “I had that same problem with some of my officers, at first. I got around it by giving them an official order not to bother me unless it was an emergency.”

“I’ll have to try that.”

“Well, the good news is that Twiley probably isn’t going to rush things, so we’ll have some more time to whip everypony into shape before we go.”  He put a foreleg around his wife. “I just hope that their day goes smoother than ours did.”

“I guess if we really want to make sure that her special day is changeling-free, you can go down there on patrol.  Even if we both can’t go, I know it would mean the world to her if you were there.”

“She would still miss you,” Shining Armor said. “I can just hear her: ‘You mean you came down here on vacation and left Cadance to run the Crystal Empire alone?!’ She’d probably take the next train up here to get you.”

Cadance pondered the idea for a moment. “Well, it would save me the trouble of having to go all the way to Ponyville.”  She laughed. “Maybe we should just offer to let Twilight get married here!”

“And subject her to all of our subjects pestering her about everything?”  Shining Armor asked.

Cadance thought for a moment, then shook her head violently. “No! The stress would drive her crazy!  It would be the Smartypants Incident all over again!”

“Smartypants Incident?” Shining raised his eyebrow. “What Smartypants Incident?”

“Celestia never told you?” Cadance grinned. “Oh, you’ve got to hear this, Twilight was—” She was interrupted by a knock on the door of their chambers.  She sighed. “Yes?”

Her secretary poked her head in. “I’m sorry to bother you, Princess, but we just wanted to make sure you approve of the new wallpaper pattern for the public bathroom next to the entryway on the first floor of the offices.”

Cadance looked away just long enough to roll her eyes. “I’ll be right there.” The secretary bowed graciously and retreated into the hallway. “I’ll have to have a talk with them. Wish me luck.”

Shining Armor kissed her on the cheek as she straightened her hair. “I’m sure they’ll figure it out eventually.”

“I hope so. It would be wonderful if we could get be there for Twilight.  After everything our wedding put her through, I think we owe her.”  She headed to the door.  “This shouldn’t take long, but it probably will.  I’ll be back for dinner, okay?”

“Sure. Just promise you’ll tell me about this Smartypants thing when you get back, okay?”

She winked. “Of course.”

Spike sniffed the air.  It smelled like ketchup and fried onions. If Twilight and Applejack had gone out for breakfast, Hayburger was as likely as anyplace else.  Granted, it was even more likely that they weren’t here, but at least he could get a milkshake for his trouble.  Find them or not, this would be his last stop for the day.  As he walked through the door, he was so wrapped up in whether to order strawberry or chocolate that he barely even noticed the pony who stood directly in his path.

“Oof!” He stumbled backward. “Sorry!” He blinked a few times before realizing who he had run into. “Cheerilee.”

“It’s okay, Spike,” she answered in a cheery voice.  Spike couldn’t help but notice the enormous coffee cup she was holding. That went a long way toward explaining why she was seemed so upbeat. “What brings you to Hayburger?  I thought Twilight said that she made pancakes for you.”

“You saw Twilight? I’ve actually been looking for her. Do you know where she is?”

“Unfortunately, I do not,” she said, shaking her head. “I crossed paths with her as she was leaving the library.  I don’t know where she was going.”

“Figures,” Spike grumbled.  Of course his search would be fruitless. Twilight had probably gone back to the library.  Chances were that at this very moment she was wondering where he had gone.  “I thought she’d want to see these.” He held up the scrolls. “Letters from the Princesses and from her parents.”

“Congratulations, right?” She pranced in place. “It’s so exciting!  Can you believe that Twilight is really getting married?! Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Yeah, it really is,” Spike said.  He wanted to sound excited, but after a few days of hearing about little else, he didn’t have any enthusiasm left to give.

“Maybe this will finally get Big Macintosh to get a move on!” she said with a laugh. “He can’t let his little sister get ahead of him.”

“If you’re so anxious to get married, why don’t you just ask him?”

“Oh, I’ve been tempted to,” she said. “But I think it’s better to let him go at his own pace.  Even if his own pace is a bit slow.  He knows that I’m ready, so if he hasn’t asked yet it must mean that he’s not.  And if there’s anything dealing with my students has taught me, it’s how to be patient.”

Spike couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “I guess you’d have to be.”

“Besides, to be perfectly honest, I’m already busy enough without having to deal with an engagement on top of everything.”

“You’d be surprised by how much work it is.” Spike cracked his knuckles. “Do you know how many announcement notes I had to write? I’m lucky that my claws didn’t fall off.”

“I got the note this morning,” she said. “It was very nice.  How are you holding up?”

“Huh? Me?” He had expected another question about the happy couple.

“Well, with everything going on with Twilight and Applejack, your routine must have been thrown off a bit.”

Understatement of the year, Spike thought. “You could say that.” He shrugged. “It has been pretty hectic.  Still, this is nothing compared to helping Twilight cram for her final exams, so I think I’ll be okay.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Spike.  I’m sure Twilight and Applejack really appreciate your help.  Give them my regards when you find them.”

“I w—” Spike coughed, but there was no letter. “Huh, I could’ve sworn that that was another letter coming i—” He burped, and this time produced a gout of flame and another scroll. “Ugh.”

Cheerilee smiled awkwardly.  Spike couldn’t blame her.  The sight of a dragon hacking up pieces of paper was something that few ponies in town had grown used to.  “You must have been… doing that quite often.”

“Yeah, I’ve been coughing up scrolls all morning.” He noted the curiousness on her face. “You want to know how it works, don’t you?”

“I must admit that I wonder about it.”

“It’s an old unicorn spell.  You enchant a scroll, and then when you burn it, it gets transported to another source of fire and reconstituted. I’m Twilight’s designated fire source.”

“That does sound quite convenient.” She paused. “For Twilight, at least.”

“It’s not that bad.  It’s just that they’re a bit rough coming up sometimes. It is pretty convenient once it’s set up, but doing that’s a bit of a hassle.”  It wasn’t often that he got to explain things like this, not with Twilight around. “It’s actually a pretty complicated spell to set up.  You know, to make sure that the letter doesn’t get destroyed or sent to the wrong place. Both the fire sources and the scrolls themselves have to be enchanted very carefully or else it really isn’t very useful.  Twilight and the Princesses are some of the only ponies who are actually able to maintain it.”

“I see. That’s quite interesting,” she said earnestly. “Pity they haven’t been able to make it more accessible.” Spike grimaced at the idea of being the conduit for the mail of a whole town.  Cheerilee noted his displeasure and continued quickly. “What are your plans for the day?  After you find Twilight, of course.”

“Actually, I think I’m just going to get a milkshake and head back to the library,” Spike answered. “I’ve already wasted enough time wandering around town, so I’ll just give Twilight these notes when she gets home from work.  I have to get to work on library stuff.”

“Speaking of which, I have my own work to get to,” Cheerilee said. “I have a test to give on Monday.  But before I go, allow me to treat you to that milkshake.  It seems you’ve been having a rough day.”

“I… thanks,” Spike said.

“It’s the least I could do.” Cheerilee took a large gulp of her coffee. “What flavor did you want?”

Spike rapped his claws on his chin. He never had answered that question.

The library was still empty when Spike returned.  He glanced at the clock.  She was almost certainly at work now.  He hadn’t seen any Hydras, Ursa Majors, or Manticores running around town, and without a distraction of that caliber, nothing could prevent her from getting to work on time.  Except for maybe cramming for a test.

He left the letters on the table and busied himself with his list of library chores.   Even though the duties had accumulated over the past few days, he found himself moving down the checklist with an almost mechanical precision.  Overdue books, check. Reshelving, check. Sweeping, check. Making a list of which books needed to go in for repairs, check. Reading through the suggestions in the suggestion box, check.  Rejecting the suggestions in the suggestion box, most of which were written by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, check.

He sighed. Normally he felt quite satisfied with himself when he finished up his work, but today he had somehow been too efficient.  Twilight still wouldn’t be back for another hour or so, and that was assuming that she came straight home from her job.  If she stopped at the market, or went to go visit Applejack… I’m going to be on my own for lunch, aren’t I?

He could almost hear his thoughts echo. The library seemed a bit too big when he was the only person in it.  Quiet, too.  More than quiet, even.  Even during Twilight’s study sessions, it was never silent.  There were always rustling pages, quills scratching on paper, and Twilight munching on snacks.  He wondered if every house felt this enormous still when there was only a single occupant.

Living on my own; what was I thinking? Even if he could, would he really want to? It was all well and good having the place to himself for a day or two, but he always knew in the back of his mind that things would go right back to normal when she got back.  He couldn’t quite imagine how it would feel to be like this all the time.  Well, not all the time.  His assistant job was still safe, but even so, he’d have a lot more time to himself.

It couldn’t be all bad, though.  At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about Twilight waking him at four in the morning to help her find her notes.  That was a plus.  Sure, he’d have more responsibilities, but he could decide when he wanted to do them. There’d be no more “You can’t read your comics until you finish the laundry,” either. The laundry had to be done, of course, but he got to choose when to do it.

It was too much to think about now.  He’d have months to figure it out.  In the meantime he’d have to simply not pull a Twilight and drive himself nuts worrying about. Unlike Twilight, he didn’t have a hypercompetent and exceedingly handsome sidekick to help him out. He’d have to settle for not being a worrywart.  If he was going to worry about anything, he would worry about things that were happening now.  Like the cliffhanger in the latest Power Ponies comic.  He had been just about to find out whether Radiance would be able to defeat a brainwashed Mistress Mare-volous when the whole “engagement” thing had come up.

As he ascended the stairs, he thought a bit.  Perhaps he should think ahead just a little bit. Once he found out how the heroine rescued her friend, he’d have to get some food.  Right now, grilled cheese sounded good.  Specifically, a mix of cheddar and muenster, with some grilled onions for extra flavor.  Hopefully Twilight wouldn’t mind the smell too much.  At least if he moved out, he wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.

Spike groaned as he opened his eyes and glanced at the clock. His usual post-lunch nap had gone a bit past long.  Not that it mattered much.  He had done all of his work, and if Twilight needed him for something she’d have woken him.  If anypony wanted to check out a book they could just ring the bell.

There were sounds from downstairs, muffled voices, too.  Twilight must have come home. Finally, Spike thought.  As he descended the stairs, he found Twilight scurrying around the table, meticulously laying out some place settings at the main table.  Doubtless she and Applejack were planning for another romantic dinner.  Though if that was the case, it was rather odd that she wasn’t using the good silverware.  Not to mention the three place settings.

“Spike!” Twilight waved at him as she realigned the spoons to make sure each place at the table had the proper rotational symmetry. “How was your nap?”

“Uh, good afternoon,” he mumbled in response. “I just woke up…”

“I figured,” she said cheerfully. “When I got home you looked like you were having a nice rest, so I couldn’t bring myself to wake you.”

“Thanks, I guess.  What’s all this?”

“Oh, this is for dinner.  Unless you slept through lunch, in which case it can be lunch, I guess.” She thought for a moment. “Although I guess it’s too late right now for it to really be lunch. I guess it could be a combination of lunch and supper.  You know, like brunch, only in the afternoon.  Lupper!”

“Lupper?”

Twilight nodded. “Or sunch!”

“Just call it dinner, Twi,” Applejack emerged from the kitchen, along with a puff of savory scents. “Oh, hey, Spike’s up!  How’s your day been?”

“Okay, I guess,” he answered. “I spent the morning trying to find you or Twilight so I could give you those letters from everypony, but you two had disappeared.”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Twilight said. “I hadn’t realized that everypony would get back to us so quickly.  Applejack and I were at the market buying everything we needed for”—she paused to make sure she had the right word—“dinner.”

“So what’s the occasion? Is there anything I need to do?” He hoped he wouldn’t, but he couldn’t help but ask.

“You can relax, Spike,” Twilight said. “We’re actually doing this for you.”

“For… me?” He cleared his ear with a claw to make sure it was working properly.

“You’ve been so helpful these past few days, with all this engagement stuff. I know Applejack and I have been running around a lot, and you’ve just been putting up with it all. We just wanted to show you how much we appreciate it by making dinner for you.”

“Yeah, I’m makin’ that stew you like so much.  And I’m gonna pop some apple pie in for dessert.” She winked. “I even stopped by Rarity’s and picked up some topaz chips for you.”

“Really?  Y-you guys didn’t need to go and do all of that.”

“We know we didn’t need to, but we wanted to,” Twilight said, putting a hoof around Spike’s shoulders.

Applejack nodded. “Yeah, everything’s been about me and Twilight for the past couple days, and we thought you deserved some attention.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta get back in the kitchen and keep an eye on the biscuits.  Wouldn’t want ‘em to burn.”

Spike nodded. “Thank you.”

“Aw, don’t worry about it, Spike.” Applejack ruffled his spines before heading back to the kitchen. “You’re family now, remember?”  She sniffed. “Yeah, biscuits are just about done.  See you later!”  She hurried back into the kitchen.

Spike turned back to Twilight, who was carefully folding the napkins. “You know, the pancakes would’ve been enough,” he said.

“I suppose,” Twilight answered. “But I thought you deserved more.” She finished aligning the napkins properly.  Then she checked them again. “You know, about that whole ‘getting your own place’ thing…”

“Oh, that,” Spike said sheepishly. “That just… I’m not sure exactly where that came from.  I didn’t really think it through.”

“Well, if you want to talk about it, just let me know, okay?  We’ve got plenty of time to get this all figured out.” She smiled. “I don’t want my relationship to be a burden on you, and I know Applejack certainly doesn’t either.  For now, just keep it in mind, and we’ll work through when we’re all ready, okay?”

He nodded, and smiled for the first time that day.  “Sounds like a plan.”

“Good, now I just need to—” There was a knock on the door.

“Delivery.”

“Delivery?” She scratched her head. “I didn’t order anything.  Did you?”

Spike shook his head. “Nope.”

“Huh.” She opened the door. “Good afternoo…” Her voice trailed off as she saw the shape of the package that sat on the delivery pony’s cart.

Spike poked his head out the door and chuckled.  “Let me guess,” he said to the delivery pony, “It’s from Princess Luna?”

“Indeed it is.”  He held out a clipboard. “Could you please sign for it?”

“Just what we needed,” Twilight grumbled as she scribbled her signature. “More cheese.”

Negative Love

Dresses, food, music, invitations, seating, venues, scheduling, photographers, more music, more food… just planning for this is going to drive me nuts.  Why can’t any of this be easy?

Know, what gives fuel to their fire:

My love, though silly, is more brave,

For may I misse, when'er I crave,

If I know yet, what I would have.

-Negative Love,

John Donne

“There we go!” Rarity stepped back and admired her work from all angles at once. She had set up the mirrors in her boutique to let her see an entire ensemble at a glance. “What do you think of this dress?”

“I’m not sure,” Twilight answered. “I can barely see myself.”  She contorted her body, trying to get a good view of the mirror.  The shoulder puffs on the gown (the nineteenth that she had tried on so far) were each nearly as large as her head.  In her efforts to see around them, she twisted herself so far that she almost fell over.  She couldn’t see Spike, but she could hear him giggle.  “You know what?  I don’t think this will work. I can barely move in this thing!”

“That would be quite a problem,” Rarity admitted. “It is designed for ponies with somewhat” —she searched for the proper word— “lanky proportions.”

“Then why did you make me try it on?” Twilight grumbled as she began to extricate herself from the mass of frills.

“Well, I started out with the designs that I believed would suit you best, but as you did not make a definitive selection, I figured we could continue down the line.”  She tapped her chin with her hoof. “I think we can strike the more ostentatious dresses from the list. Simple designs fit you best.”

“I could’ve told you that,” Twilight said as she wriggled free of the frilled monstrosity that she had just tried on. “I think I’m done with dresses for today.”

“Very well,” Rarity said. “I believe we’ve made plenty of progress.”

“Progress?” Spike asked. “But she hasn’t picked a dress yet.”

“Of course she hasn’t,” Rarity answered. “Do you really think I would let Twilight simply wear a dress off the rack?” She shuddered. “Perish the thought!  No, I merely wanted to narrow down the styles.” She waved her hoof at the three dresses Twilight had indicated she preferred over the others. “This is merely a starting point.  I’ll begin sketching out some more designs, and before long, we’ll be fitting you with a bright, brand new dress!”

“Another fitting session?” Spike winked at Rarity. “I’d be up for that.”

“Oh, joy. Three more hours of standing on that pedestal while you pin bits of material to my flank.” Twilight stretched.  “The wedding isn’t for months yet, and I’m already sick of all these preparations.”

“Trust me, Twilight. When the big day approaches, you will be exceedingly grateful that I convinced you to begin preparing early.” Rarity began to hang the numerous dresses back on the rack. “You will find yourself busier than you think you will.  I dare say that you have it easier than most ponies.”

“Yes, yes, I realize that.” Twilight flopped onto Rarity’s fainting couch. Her legs felt like jelly after standing for so long. “I really do appreciate you going out of your way to handle the dresses for us.”

“Think nothing of it, Twilight,” Rarity said. “I simply want you to have the best.”

“And I have no doubt that I will,” Twilight said.  “Spike, what other preparations do we have on the list?”

“List? Oh, right.” He dug his clipboard out from under a pile of discarded dresses. “Let me see.  Fluttershy dropped off a list of songs for you and Applejack to look at so she knows what to teach her birds.  Pinkie wants the two of you to drop by Sugarcube Corner to try the wedding cake samples.  You’ll also need to check with Rainbow Dash when you pick a date to make sure that there isn’t any rainfall scheduled.  And then Lyra and Bon Bon want—”

“Okay, okay,” Twilight said. “Three is enough.”

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were busy,” Rarity said.

“I’m always busy,” Twilight said with a sigh. “And that’s only the wedding-related items.” She didn’t even need to tell Rarity about all of her research-related duties.

“Of course.  Just remember to take a little time to relax.  You wouldn’t want to overtax yourself.”

“Got it covered,” Spike said. “She’s scheduled an extra half-hour after dinner before she starts studying.”

Twilight stretched, her back popping. “So when do you want Applejack to come by for her fitting?”

“I’m not sure. The day after tomorrow, perhaps.” Rarity pursed her lips as she examined the dresses Twilight had selected. “By then I’ll have a good idea of what your dress will look like, and I’ll be able to make sure that Applejack gets one that is a suitable complement.”

“Alright, I’ll let her know.” Twilight reluctantly left the couch. “Thanks again.”

“You are most welcome.  I look forward to putting together an ensemble for Applejack.  Until tomorrow.”

“Goodbye!” Twilight waved as she walked out the door. “Come on, Spike.”

“I was gonna stay and help Rarity clean up a bit,” Spike said, a hopeful smile plastered on his face.

Twilight couldn’t help but grin. “But you said you were going to help me with dinner, remember?”

“Oh,” Spike mumbled, his spines drooping. “I did, didn’t I.”

“Go on, Spike,” Rarity said, shooing him towards the door. “I have things well in hoof here. Twilight needs your assistance more than I do.”

“Alright, fine.” Spike begrudgingly followed Twilight out of the boutique. He held up the clipboard as he stepped over the threshold and into the afternoon breeze. “Dress fitting, check,” he said.

“Okay, so the Cutie Mark Crusaders will handle the flower filly duties, right?” Spike’s pencil hovered above the empty box on the checklist as he waited for a response.

“Yes,” Twilight said. “I’m sure we’ll have no trouble getting them to volunteer.”

“And check!” Spike said. “And the ringbearer?”

“Applejack thought you should do it. Are you up to it?”

“Am I ever!” Spike winked and then checked it off. “Rarity even says she’ll make a new bowtie for me! And now, the most important question!”

Twilight braced herself. “Alright, shoot!”

“What should I make for dinner?”

Twilight chuckled. For a moment she had thought that something important had slipped through the cracks. “Whatever you want to make.  As long as I won’t break my teeth on it.”

“Stew it is!” he declared, thrusting his claw in the air.  Then he paused. “We do have potatoes, right?”

Twilight nodded. “They’re in the pantry.”  She took the list from him. “We’ve certainly made some progress today.  Checked off… three things.” Her ears drooped. “I thought we had gotten more done.”

“Well, one of those checkmarks took like three hours,” Spike said with a shrug. “Why don’t you just relax?  We already finished up everything we were planning with time to spare.  I’ll get dinner fixed up, and you can go see Applejack.  She’s probably done with work for the day.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “I can go give Applejack the folder that Fluttershy dropped off so she can help pick the music!”

“Ugh.” Spike shook his head. “You know you could go talk to her without all of the wedding prep stuff.  The actual thing is still months away.”

“I know, but Rarity was right; it’s always good to get an early start.” She straightened the papers in the folder before putting it into her saddlebag.

“Alright, whatever,” Spike said.  He pulled an oversized chef’s hat out from behind his back. “Just get back here in time for dinner.  Or at least let me know if you’re going to stay over there longer.”

“Of course. I won’t be long.” Twilight slid into her saddlebags. “Don’t make a mess, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I won’t,” Spike mumbled as he watched her walk out the door. “Not if I have to clean it up.” He adjusted his hat. “Oh well, if she’s late, that just means more for me.”  He picked up the checklist and gave it a final perusal. It did look pretty daunting, even by Twilight’s standards.  Hopefully she’d make it through everything with her sanity intact.

“Come on, Twilight.” Applejack plucked her hat from her head and used it to wipe the sweat from her brow before hanging it on the peg next to the kitchen door.  The kitchen was still nice and cool; Granny hadn’t started on dinner yet. “I just got back from two solid hours of haulin’ apples. Can’t the weddin’ stuff wait?  I just want to get some cider and relax for a bit before dinner.”

“Well, you don’t have to choose the music now.” Twilight rolled her eyes as she placed the folder on the table, nudging the corner to make sure it was straight. “Oh, Rarity wants to set up an appointment to start putting your dress together.  Are you free tomorrow, or will it have to be next week?”

“How about next month?” Applejack poured herself a mug of cider and drained it in one gulp. “Or the month after that.  Last thing I want to do right now is stand still all day while Rarity wraps me up in stuff.  I wish I could just pick something without havin’ to spend so long tryin’ stuff on.”

“Rarity just wants the dresses to be the best they can be.”

“I know that,” Applejack said. “I just wish she could do it a bit quicker.  When I get a day off, I got things I’d rather be doin’ than bein’ her dress model.”

“Well, so do I, but I figure that if I do it now it means that I won’t have to do it later.  At the very least you won’t have it hanging over your head.”

“I guess,” Applejack said reluctantly. “I swear, if she tries to make me wear a girdle I’m showin’ up to the wedding wrapped in a bedsheet.  Just givin’ you fair warning.”

Twilight thought of what Applejack would look like wrapped in a bedsheet. She smiled. Then she imagined what Rarity’s face would look like if Applejack dared to show up at the wedding like that. She chuckled. “Maybe you should just do that.”

“What, and be on Rarity’s bad side for the rest of my life?  I don’t think so.” Applejack took another gulp of cider and started flipping through the pile of sheet music. “This wedding’s gonna be a great big hassle, ain’t it?”

“Rarity says that weddings usually are.”

“Do I even wanna know what other preparations we gotta make?”

“Well, there’s dresses for the bridesmaids, music, food, invitations, seating, decorating the venue, the cake, the entertainment at the wedding reception—”

“Alright, that’s plenty!” Applejack reeled from the onslaught of prep work. “Alright, so we got Fluttershy doin’ the music—”

“Some of the music,” Twilight corrected. “We wouldn’t want her to do everything. There’s the prelude, the processional for the bridesmaids, the wedding march, special music during the ceremony itself, and a recessional and postlude!” She paused to take a breath. “Then there’s the reception.”

“Ugh.” Applejack wrinkled her nose. “So that’s what, like three different ponies we’re gonna need to do the music.”

“At least.”

“Well, I’m fine with just about anything you want to do,” Applejack said. “I’m sure Rarity or Pinkie would know somepony who could do it.” She closed the folder. Looking at it now made her head ache. “I’m too tired to be thinkin’ about this now. Why don’t we plan for some of the fun stuff.”

“Fun stuff? Like what?”

Applejack smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Y’know. Like where we want to take our honeymoon.  Accordin’ to Rainbow Dash, Los Pegasos is real nice.  She says she can get us a great deal on a hotel, too.”

“Los Pegasos, huh?” Twilight considered the idea. “You just want to visit Applewood, don’t you?”

Applejack’s eyes darted back and forth. “Maybe.  But come on, you can’t tell me that you wouldn’t want to see the Daring Do film set.”

“That would be pretty cool.  And there’s a nice beach in Los Pegasos, too.” She glanced wistfully into space. “I don’t think I’ve been to the beach since I was a filly.  Though I was thinking that it might be fun to go to Manehattan. There’s a ton of things to do there.”

“Hmmm…” Applejack considered the idea. “It would be fun to spend some time in Manehattan, just seein’ the sights. The only times I ever go down there is to visit relatives. Or that time that Rarity dragged me to her fashion show.”

Twilight nodded. “And then when we get back we can...uh…”

“We can what?” Applejack asked.

“I just realized that I don’t know where we’d go after that.” She scratched her head. “I mean, obviously we’ll want to move in together, but… how the hay have we never thought that far ahead?!” Her face rapidly began to pale, and the edge of her mane began to crinkle. “What are we going to do?  I can’t afford to buy a house, even with my job at the shop!  I’ll have to start working double hours.  Or maybe I could convince Bon Bon to give me a raise. I guess we could take out a loan, but—”

“Twilight, calm your flanks for a second!” Applejack grabbed Twilight’s head to stop the fidgeting before it could get started. “You’ve got time to figure this out, okay? Seriously, you’re on good terms with like, three different princesses.  Even if you did have to buy a house for some reason, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have much trouble.  And there’s no reason to go buyin’ a house anyway.”

“Oh, right.” Twilight shook her head at her own mental lapse. “We have the whole library! We can just live there! Unless you were dead set on us getting our own place.”

“Uh…” Applejack bit her lip, and was silent for a distressingly long time. “Actually,” She said carefully, “I was thinkin’ that it would be best if you moved onto Sweet Apple Acres.”

“You want me to move here?” Twilight said, a little more incredulously than she would’ve liked. “I mean, not that I have anything against it, but… where exactly would I go?”

“What do you mean, where would you go?  You’d be in my room.”

“I know that,” Twilight said. “But we’d need a lot more space for everything. I have to bring at least some of my books along, and I would probably need someplace to do my research. And we’d need to find a place for Spike.”

Applejack shrugged. “We got plenty of time for renovations. Granny and Big Mac have wanted to add some expansions to the farmhouse for quite a while anyway.”

“But why go to all that trouble when we already have plenty of space in the library?  We’ve got the whole basement to store stuff in. It’s more than enough room for your extra hats and a couple barrels of apples.”

“Well, that might work if it were just us, but I can’t just up and leave the farm. My family needs me to be here.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Applejack, the library is like a ten minute walk, tops.  Five if you’re in a hurry.  It’s not like I’m asking you to move out of Ponyville or anything.”

“It’s not that simple, Twilight.”

“Well, what’s complicated about it?” Twilight asked. “It just makes more sense for us to move in somewhere where there’s already room rather than spend a bunch of bits on an expansion.  And it would free up more room in the farmhouse for your family to use.”

“It’s not just that,” Applejack said. “I know that I wouldn’t be goin’ very far, but I’d still be leavin’.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “So I’m supposed to move my entire life over here just so that nothing has to change for you?”

“Twilight, you know that’s not what I’m tryin’ to say.” She frowned. “I’m just sayin’ that I got a lot of stuff tyin’ me down here.”

“What, and I don’t have a lot of stuff tying me to the library?  All of my research materials are there.  And Spike would have to move, too!”

“N-not necessarily,” Applejack said hurriedly. “I bet Spike could live just fine on his own.  And you could still study in the library even if you don’t live there.”

“And you could still work on Sweet Apple Acres even if you don’t live here,” Twilight said sharply. “Spike might be more independent now, but I’m not sure if he’s ready to live on his own yet.” She could feel her entire body tensing up, as if she were a spring in the process of being wound. “Why are so you being so” —she wanted to say “stubborn”, but thought better of it— “adamant about not moving into the library?  Is there something wrong with it?”

“No, it’s not that,” Applejack shook her head. “It’s… I don’t know what to say, Twilight. It’s got nothing to do with you or Spike. I just… leavin’ the farm is a big deal, you know?”

“I’m sure it is,” Twilight said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “Just like getting married. I know it’s a change, but it’s nothing we can’t work through.”  In the distance she heard the clock tower chime. “I have to get going. I promised Spike I’d be back for dinner.  But we need to talk about this. You know, get to the bottom of it.”

Applejack swallowed. “I know, Twilight. We’ve been through a lot already. We’ll work something out.” She smiled, but Twilight could tell that she had to make an effort. “See you later.”

“Yeah,” Twilight smiled back. “You too.” As she headed out the door, she couldn’t help but feel like her hooves were a little heavier.

Spike rolled his eyes. Twilight had been home for an hour now, and aside from a brief greeting and a few compliments on his stew, she had spent most of that time talking to herself. He ladled himself another bowl and contemplated saying something. Normally he was content to stand by and let Twilight ramble; when she did so she generally managed to talk herself to a solution. But sometimes she took after her old record player and started to loop.

On one claw, at least it meant that she wasn’t digging herself into a hole of despair or anger.  Years ago, back in Canterlot, she had broken her last quill during a 2 A.M. study session, only to find that the stationery shop was closed.  The resulting feedback loop of frustration had ended with her being chased by a flock of angry pigeons, and her bed being set on fire. Spike wasn’t quite sure how the fire had started.

On the other claw, the loop would probably go on indefinitely until somepony knocked her out of it, and the last thing she needed was for something else to stall the relationship.  He took a bite of stew and waited for her to reach a point in her ranting where he could get a word in edgewise.

“I could understand if there were some pressing duty on the farm that she’d have to stay there for, but there isn’t anything to do that Big Macintosh couldn’t handle!” Twilight muttered to herself in between bites. “And Apple Bloom! If she were a bit younger I could understand. She’d probably be really emotionally attached to Applejack and would have trouble letting go if she moved away.  But she’s old enough that she ought to be able to cope with it, and she’s been getting more and more independent lately, so that’s not a problem.  I just don’t understand why Applejack is so averse to moving in! It’s not that big of a change. I mean, I’ve moved a couple of times and it took some getting used to, but it’s not that hard to adjust.”

She paused to take a breath, just long enough for Spike to jump in.

“Uh, Twilight? Applejack hasn’t moved anywhere before.  She doesn’t know what it’s like.”

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but instead stuffed a biscuit into it and began to chew.  Spike decided to take advantage of her silence.

“Think about it! She has no idea what it feels like to go move to someplace else.  She’s lived on the farm her whole life!”

“I know that,” Twilight grumbled. “But even then, it can’t be that bad. I‘d lived in Canterlot my whole life before moving to Ponyville!  And when I got here, my social life was totally different!”

“Yeah, you actually had one,” Spike muttered under his breath. “It’s not the same, though.  Remember where we lived before we moved to Ponyville?”

“Of course. We lived in the dormitory at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.  What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, we weren’t living with family anymore,” Spike said. “We visited Mom and Dad a lot, but for the most part we lived on our own.  Do you remember what it was like when we first moved out of the house?”

“Yes, that did take quite a bit of adjusting,” Twilight admitted. “But we survived just fine!  I could finally study without having to listen to Dad’s polka music.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Spike admitted, “but it wasn’t like you were moving in with somepony else.  I remember that you almost decided to stay at home when you realized you might have a roommate.” He paused. “Besides me, anyway.”

“A roommate would’ve driven me crazy,” Twilight said as she popped a chunk of carrot into her mouth. “What would’ve happened if my roommate was a slob? It would’ve been a disaster! What does this have to do with Applejack anyway?”

“I’m just saying that she might feel the same way,” he said with a shrug. “She’s been doing things the ‘Apple Family Way’ for her whole life, after all.  I’m pretty sure that’s not quite the same as ‘the Sparkle Way’.”

“‘The Sparkle Way’? There isn’t any ‘Sparkle Way’!”

“I know that!” Spike put his claw to his forehead. “What I’m saying is that Applejack has lived pretty much her whole life on Sweet Apple Acres, and it’s kind of a big deal to give that up.”

“So I’m supposed to give up my life?”

“I didn’t say that either,” Spike said with a frown. “Seriously, by now I thought you two would’ve figured out how to find a middle ground.”

Twilight looked at Spike for a moment, then down at her bowl. It was a long time before she looked up again. “We do need a middle ground, don’t we?”  She was quiet again for a moment. “Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think about all this?”

He shrugged. “I guess I’ll have to get used to whatever you two decide.  The last thing you need is me making everything more complicated.”

“I don’t want to leave you out of the considerations completely!”

“Well, I don’t think you will. And that’s enough for me.”

Twilight smiled.

“Besides,” Spike added, “regardless of who moves where, I’ll end up getting my own room and you won’t bother me about my comics everywhere.”

Twilight sniffed. “I’m just saying, letting them get crinkled causes them to depreciate.” She shook her head, trying to get all the tangled thoughts to separate. “You’re right about Applejack, though. We need to figure out a compromise.”

“Great!” Spike said. “Now that you’ve had your little ephi...enpha…”

“Epiphany?”

“Yeah, that!” Spike nodded. “Now that you’ve had one, would you like some cookies? They’re peanut butter!”

Twilight chuckled. Spike sighed in relief. He could tell a real laugh from a crazed laugh, and fortunately this was the former.  “I think some peanut butter cookies would hit the spot right about now.”

“Alright, I’ll go get them.” Spike hopped off of his chair and went to go retrieve the dessert.  Even after everything she had been through, Twilight still managed to find things to worry about.  Hopefully Applejack was good at helping her figure those things out.

Because once they do move in together, I probably won’t be doing that anymore.

The next day, Applejack kicked at a tree.  The majority of the apples tumbled into the baskets that surrounded it, but some still clung to the branches.  Applejack glowered at them. She could barely remember the last time she had failed to buck all the apples off of a tree. Well, she could remember the occasion: it had been her embarrassing-now-that-she-looked-back-on-it attempt to harvest the whole field herself.  She couldn’t remember the specifics. Fatigue did that to a pony.

But today, the problem wasn’t fatigue. At least, that wasn’t all it was.  She hadn’t exactly slept well, but she had done better work on less sleep.  No, the problem was that her mind was elsewhere. As much as she wanted to keep focused on the apples, a splintery little thought at the back of her mind kept poking at her consciousness.  The fact that she couldn’t get rid of it bothered her almost as much as the thought itself did. She prided herself on her ability to put her worries aside while she was working.  But at the moment it seemed impossible.

She groaned. Was this how Twilight felt all the time?

She bucked the tree again, and this time the last few stubborn apples fell.  She grabbed the edge of one of the baskets and dragged it towards the cart. Or at least, that was what she was going to do, but when she turned around she found herself face-to-face with Fluttershy.

“Oh, hey. How are you doin’? Did you need your music back or something?”

“No, I’m just checking up on the fruit bats,” Fluttershy answered. “They haven’t been eating too much, have they?”

“Nope.  Well, we had to chase some out of our strawberry patch a few weeks ago, but since then they haven’t been any trouble.” She paused as she considered whether she should say what was on her mind.  As much as she liked to solve her own problems, this was probably beyond her.  At the very least, maybe telling somepony else could get it off her mind.  “Um, if you’re not in a rush or anything, could I talk to you about something?”

“Of course.”

“It’s about Twilight.”

Fluttershy gasped. “Oh no! Did you have a fight?  Is it about the wedding?  Is the wedding still going to happen?!”

“What? No! I mean, yes.” She shook her head. “No, we didn’t have a fight, not really. And the wedding is still happenin’.  It’s just… we just had a disagreement about something and I just want to talk about it with somepony so it doesn’t turn into a fight next time Twilight and I talk.”

“Um, well, I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help, but if you need somepony to listen, I can do that.” She nudged Angel with her muzzle. “You run off and play now. I’ll be done soon.”

Angel nodded and hopped off, disappearing into the orchard.

“And don’t eat any apples!” Fluttershy called after him. Then she turned back to Applejack. “So, um, what happened?”

Now that she had a listening ear, Applejack was a bit embarrassed to explain, but it was too late now.  “We were talkin’ yesterday about weddin’ stuff, and naturally we got to talkin’ about what was gonna happen after the wedding.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy’s entire face turned pink, and she looked away.

“What?” Applejack thought for a moment about what had caused Fluttershy’s reaction. Then it was her turn to blush. “I’m talkin’ about our livin’ arrangements!”

“Oh,” Fluttershy said again, this time with a sigh of relief. “That makes more sense.”

“Anyway, we were talkin’ about it, and we realized that we never did get around to figurin’ out where we’re gonna live after we get hitched.”  She sighed, and pulled her hat down over her eyes. “She wants me to up and move into the library with her.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said. She was quiet for a moment, presumably waiting for Applejack to continue.  When she didn’t, Fluttershy said, “And?”

“And I don’t know if I can move off of Sweet Apple Acres.”

“So there are jobs that you have to live on the farm to do?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, not exactly.”

Fluttershy tried again. “You don’t think your family could handle you moving somewhere else? I suppose that Apple Bloom is still a bit young and might take it hard.”

“Actually I think she’d be okay with it.  She asked me a few days ago if she could have my room when I moved out.”

“Okay…” Fluttershy had to think before she hazarded another guess. “Spike doesn’t want you to move into the library?”

“If he doesn’t, that’d be news to me.”

Fluttershy scratched her head. “So, what is the problem?”

“Like, I said, I don’t think that I can leave the farm.  And what’s worse, I don’t know how to explain it.” She shoved one of the baskets into the back of her cart. “At least not in a way that she’d understand.  And the thing that bugs me most is that I can’t give her a real reason.”

“So you’re” —Fluttershy spoke carefully— “afraid of moving away from home?”

“Well…” Applejack didn’t like the word “afraid”, but she couldn’t think of anything else to replace it with. “That makes it sound a bit too much like I’m a filly gettin’ all nervous about my first sleepover, but I guess I kinda am.” She picked an apple out of the basket. It was still shiny enough that she could almost see herself as she stared at it. “I mean, Sweet Apple Acres is my own. It’s always been.  I’ve gone plenty of other places, but I always knew I’d be comin’ back here.”

“I’m sure Twilight won’t mind if you want to visit,” Fluttershy said gently. “She knows that you’ll miss your family.”

“That’s not it, though.  I know I’ll see my family almost as much as I usually do and that I’ll still be workin’ on the farm and all that.  It’s just that I know even if I still come back a lot, it’s not gonna be my home anymore.”

“I suppose it would be tough leaving the place where you lived your whole life,” Fluttershy admitted. “But I know you can do it!  Remember that time you tried to move to Dodge Junction and work on the cherry farm?”

Applejack cringed. That whole excursion hadn’t been one of her finer moments. “That wasn’t supposed to be permanent, though. I was just gonna stay there until I earned the money I said I’d bring back.  But this… it’s just so final.  Once I move out of my home and in with Twilight, there’s no goin’ back.”

“Well, you may be moving out of your old home, but you’re moving into a new home! I think it would help if you thought about how great it’ll be to live with the pony you love.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” The thought made Applejack feel a bit better.  The whole question still weighed on her mind, but it was a little lighter now. “It just feels weird to think about it. It’s not a bad feelin’, but I just don’t know what to do about it.  It’s just… too new.”

Fluttershy nodded. “It might be, but that doesn’t mean that it’s bad.”

“I know that,” Applejack said. “Doesn’t make it any easier.”

“Well, a lot of things that are good for you are hard to do,” Fluttershy said. “I know all about that.”

“I know that too,” Applejack muttered.  “I just wish I knew why Twilight seems to be so opposed to the idea of movin’ in.  I mean, sure, it might not be the most convenient thing, but it’s not like it’d be a new thing to her. She’s moved around before.”

“Um, I don’t think that’s really the… uh… problem…” Fluttershy’s voice trailed off.

“Then what would you say the problem is?”

“It’s… well… if I had to take a guess…”

“Just tell me,” Applejack said sharply.

Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Well, I don’t want to put any words in Twilight’s mouth, but I think it might be that she feels like you’re… maybe having second thoughts.”

“What?!” Applejack could hardly believe her ears. “Why would you think that?  I never said that I didn’t still want to marry her!”

“Well, no, but… it’s just… she might feel like you’re just asking her to change everything so you don’t have to.”

The words stung.

“But maybe I’m wrong and it’s something else,” Fluttershy said quickly. “I just… I thought that might be what it is. Maybe.”

“If that isn’t it, you’re probably pretty close,” Applejack said. “I need to talk things over with Twilight and find out how she really feels.  I sure don’t want her to give up her whole life, even if she does move in with me.”

“I’m sure that Twilight knows that,” Fluttershy said softly.

“Even if she does, I want her to hear it from me.” Applejack closed her eyes and tapped herself gently on the forehead. “I just have to figure out how to explain how I feel. But how am I supposed to get her to understand?  I don’t want her to feel like I’m tryin’ to control her or anything.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find a way to say it,” Fluttershy gently put a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “You two always manage to work things out.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Applejack pushed Fluttershy’s hoof away. “I got a lot to think about. Thanks for your help, Fluttershy.  I needed somepony to talk to.”

“I’m glad I could help,” Fluttershy smiled. “Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?  Because I should really get to checking on the fruit bats.”

“Yeah, you can get back to that,” Applejack said absently. “I just need some time to mull things over.  Let me know if you need help with the fruit bats.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I’m glad I could help. I’ll see you later.  Have a good day!”

Applejack barely heard. Her mind was already somewhere else.

Air and Angels

We’re never going to get this figured out.  No, no. I can’t think like that. I have to be optimistic.  We’ve had disagreements before.  We’ll just talk. That’s all we need to do. We just need to talk, and we’ll work things out.

Whilst thus to ballast love I thought,

And so more steadily to have gone,

With wares which would sink admiration,

I saw I had love's pinnace overfraught

Every thy hair for love to work upon

Is much too much, some fitter must be sought;

For, nor in nothing, nor in things

Extreme and scatt'ring bright, can love inhere.

Then as an angel, face and wings

Of air, not pure as it, yet pure doth wear,

--Air and Angels,

John Donne

Twilight and Applejack sat at an outdoor table at the cafe, where they had shared many a lunch.  Today was no exception.  Applejack munched on a large arugula sandwich, while Twilight poked at a daisy salad.  They ate slowly, and in silence, mulling over what they would say once they finally finished off their meals and had no excuse to be quiet.

They didn’t have the excuse of not knowing what to talk about, either.  Each of them had decided to go talk to the other, and they had ended up meeting halfway, in the middle of town.  They had gotten through the greetings easily enough, but then things had stalled a bit.

“So,” Applejack had said, “I wanted to talk to you about… you know.”

“Yes, so did I,” Twilight had answered.

Then they had ordered their meals, and hadn’t said another word.  The food was nearly gone.

“I… I’ve been thinking about yesterday,” Twilight said, staring at her salad.

“Same here,” Applejack answered.

“I’m still not quite sure what we should do.”

“Me neither.”

“I guess it would help if I knew a bit more,” Twilight said. “I didn’t really let you explain how you felt yesterday.  I’m sorry.  If I had listened to what you were saying, maybe we’d have been able to figure things out.”

“I wasn’t exactly helpin’ either.  I didn’t really want to listen to the reasons you were givin’.” She nibbled on the pickle that had accompanied her sandwich. “I just wanted to convince you.”

“I think that might’ve been the problem for both of us.” She scratched her head. “How about we stop trying to convince each other of anything and just try to explain.  I’m not entirely sure I even understood what you were trying to say, and I think we need to get all that sorted out before we can figure out what to do.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” Applejack nodded. “Why don’t you go first?”

“Me? Are you sure that you don’t want to go?”

Applejack shook her head. “I’m still not quite sure how to say what I wanna say, and if I actually understood what your reasons were, I might be able to explain myself better. Besides, I still gotta finish my sandwich.”

“Alright, then.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Well, the first reason why I think it would be better to live in the library is because it would just be much easier on everypony.  Renovating your house would be a huge hassle. It would take weeks, and it would probably cost Sweet Apple Acres a lot of money that could go to other projects. Your family would have to work around everything, too.”

“It would be kinda rough on Granny,” Applejack admitted between bites. “I don’t think it would be that bad, though.”

“It’s not just that,” Twilight said.  She bit her lip.

“Oh?” Applejack felt a chill run down her spine.

“I’m not quite sure exactly how to say it, but I guess I feel” —she didn’t want to say it, but she couldn’t think of any other way. The words stuck to her tongue, but she forced them out of her mouth anyway— “like you don’t trust me.”

Applejack nearly choked on her sandwich. “What?!” She sputtered. “What are you talkin’ about?”

“I just said, I didn’t know how to explain just what I’m feeling. What I mean is…that...” She paused and rubbed her forehead as she gathered her thoughts. “Okay, look.  When I was getting ready to pop the question to you, I spent a lot of time thinking about what it would mean for both of us.”

Applejack nodded. “So did I.”

“Well, one of the things that I thought about was what it would be like.  You know, when we finally moved in together.  I knew it would mean that I’d have to make a lot of sacrifices.  I’ve been living on my own for years now.  Sure, Spike has been with me, but he’s always been able to do his own thing without being babysat.  The whole time I was mentally preparing myself for it, because I knew things would have to change.

“I knew they would change because I knew that I wouldn’t have my life to myself anymore.  It wouldn’t just be me, it would be us.  There are a lot of things that I knew I’d need to give up, my routine, my organization, my schedule.” She smiled. “But I’m okay with that. Giving all that up might be tough, but I knew that you would be there.  Anything I gave up would be replaced by something better.”

Applejack despondently stared at her plate for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was low. “And you don’t think I trust you enough to let go of anything to make room for you?”

“I… I guess you could say that,” Twilight said. “Remember back when we had that fight about the flowers and dinners and all that stuff?”

“Yeah,” Applejack answered in a heavy voice. “I guess I didn’t really learn much from that.”

“It does feel… familiar,” Twilight said. “I know you didn’t mean for it to be like that, and I know it’s not the whole story, but that’s how I feel.  I know you must have a reason, Applejack. I know you aren’t selfish, and you’re not against moving in with me just because  it’s inconvenient for you.  You asked me to marry you, but you still want to keep everything the same, and I don’t understand it. I want to understand what you’re feeling.”

Twilight leaned back and took a deep breath.  Hopefully she hadn’t sounded too harsh.  She couldn’t bring herself to be angry.  It was more confusion than anything else.  But if anypony could explain herself simply, it would be Applejack.

“So I suppose it’s my turn to explain myself?” Applejack asked. She limply raised one of her hooves to scratch her head. She wanted to pull her hat over her face. “I’m sorry.  I know it looks like I’m just tryin’ to do things the way that’s easiest for me.  And honestly, I guess I kinda am.”

She took a sip of her water and forced herself to look Twilight in the eyes. “It’s not that I don’t want things to change. I know that no matter where we end up livin’, nothing’s gonna be the same, and that’s okay with me.  It’s just… movin’ off the farm… I don’t know how I feel about it.  Yeah, so the library is just a few minutes away, but that’s not the problem.”

Twilight reached across the table and put her hoof on Applejack’s. “So what is the problem?”

Applejack took a deep breath, and hoped that what she was about to say made sense. “There’s only one time in my whole life where I ever left Sweet Apple Acres. And when I say left I mean that I didn’t know whether I’d ever be comin’ back.  It was when I visited my Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehattan.

“I was real excited about gettin’ to finally leave the farm and actually see what else was out there, you know? Anything could happen! I might end up bein’ discovered by a talent agency, or gettin’ a job with Uncle Orange, or gettin’ famous. And it was great, at least for the first couple days.

“But then the excitement started to fade, and it wasn’t fun to be there anymore.  It was all the fancy stuff; at first I thought it was because I just wasn’t used to it, but the longer I was there the more I realized that I just didn’t like it, and no amount of hangin’ around was gonna change that.  You know how the rest of it happened.”

Twilight nodded. “You saw the Rainboom in the distance, pointing back towards Ponyville.”

“Yeah, but it was so much more than that.  It was like somepony flipped a switch in my head.  It wasn’t just that I wanted to go home, it was that I realized that Sweet Apple Acres was my home.  In that instant, I couldn’t so much as think of anywhere else as my home.  All I could think about was gettin’ back to the farm.  I felt like an idiot for thinkin’ that I might not come back.

“I came down the road, saw my family standin’ there waitin’ for me, and next thing I knew, my cutie mark was there.  It was like findin’ the one piece of a puzzle that all the other pieces fit into.  I knew that there was nothing else I wanted to spend my life doin’ than workin’ on Sweet Apple Acres.

“I know everypony thinks my cutie mark is just about apples, but it’s more than that.  I got my mark when I found the place where I belonged.  Ever since then, Sweet Apple Acres isn’t just where I live, it’s a part of who I am.  It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s that I’m not sure if I trust myself.  I… it’s like if I move someplace else I’m afraid I won’t be me anymore.”

She leaned back and chewed on her lip as she waited for Twilight to answer.  Twilight simply looked Applejack in the eyes as she mulled the words over.  Every second of silence weighed heavier on Applejack’s head.

“I know it sounds kinda silly,” Applejack said, unable to bear the silence any longer. “But I don’t know any other way to say it.”

“No,” Twilight said. Applejack’s heart pounded for a moment. Then Twilight smiled, and Applejack felt the heaviness dissolve. “I don’t think that’s silly at all.  Sometimes I just forget that not everypony grew up the same way I did.  For me, the place I lived was never that big of a deal.”

“So, you understand?”

“Well, I can’t honestly say that I have any idea what this feels like for you,” Twilight answered, “but I understand why you feel that way. At least, I think I do.  I never really realized how much the farm itself meant to you.”

“So,” Applejack said, “now what?  Even though we talked through everything, what do we do? I know it would just be selfish for me to think that after listenin’ to me you’d suddenly be on board with movin’ in.  And I know that it would probably be weird for you to live with my whole family.”

“You know what?” Twilight sighed. “I have no idea where we should go from here.  I thought we’d have things figured out once we talked things through, but I’ve got nothing.”

It was Applejack’s turn to put her hoof on Twilight’s. “At the very least, we made a step in right direction.  At least now while we’re mullin’ it over we’ll be able to think of how it’ll affect both of us.”

Twilight smiled. “You’re right.  As much as I’d love to have things decided and out of the way, this is a bit too big of a thing to decide on the spur of the moment.  Are you okay with giving me some time to think through what you said?”

“Fine by me. I gotta think over stuff, too.  Wherever we end up, I want you to really feel like we’re at home there.”

“So I guess now we go back to arguing over where we want to have our honeymoon?  I still think that Manehattan would be fun.”

For the first time that day, Applejack felt free to laugh. “‘Course it would be if you’re there. Maybe we should just chuck a dart at a map.  Even if we end up in a swamp someplace, I bet we’d still enjoy ourselves.”

Twilight returned the laugh. “I’m willing to compromise, but I want a bed.”

“They got beds in the swamp!  I gotta sleep somewhere when I deliver the pies every year.” She winked. “We could bring the pies along and save a trip!”

“I thought we agreed that there wouldn’t be any business!” Twilight playfully kicked at Applejack under the table. “Though, that does give me an idea…”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Havin’ some pie for dessert?”

Twilight grinned. “Finally, we agree on something!”

“So, this is really what we’re going to do?  You sure that you’re okay with this, Applejack?”

Applejack nodded. “Yeah. We’ve talked about it long enough, and I think it’s time to make it official.  No point in puttin’ it off any longer.”

“Okay then,” Twilight said. “You’ve got the deposit money, right?”

“Of course.” Applejack took a deep breath, and dropped a bag of bits on the desk.  “We’ll take it!”

“Congratulations!” The Mayor brought a large rubber stamp down on the paper with a thump. “The Town Hall is now officially reserved for your wedding!”

Twilight and Applejack smiled nervously at each other.  For the past few weeks, the wedding preparations had been looming larger and larger.  This was the push that would cause the whole thing to snowball.

“It’s so weird,” Twilight said as they trotted lightly out of the Mayor’s office. “It just feels so much more official now that we went and reserved the place!”

Applejack chuckled. “‘Cause orderin’ the dresses, pickin’ the music, and gettin’ the invitations ready didn’t get through to you.”

“Ugh, why did you have to mention the invitations?” Twilight groaned. “It’s going to take us all day tomorrow to address all of those!”

Applejack snorted. “It’s not my fault I got so many relatives.  All those stamps are gonna cost a ton, though.  What’s next on that giant list of yours?”

“Well…” On cue, she pulled the scroll out of seemingly nowhere. “Let’s see, the big thing is getting the catering figured out.  I know Bon Bon is willing to give us a discount for the desserts, and Pinkie told me that the Cakes will give us a great deal on the… well, you know.”

“And my family is gonna handle the appetizers,” Applejack said with a nod. “That just leaves us with… the whole main part of the meal.” She shook her head. “I’ll ask around and see if anypony can recommend someplace to handle that stuff.”

“Same here,” Twilight said as she looked over the scroll. “Ugh, I still got something that I have to take care of.”

“Mare of Honor?” Applejack asked with a smirk.

Twilight nodded sullenly. “I still haven’t picked anypony. Not all of us are lucky enough to have a brother who lives so close by.”

“Aw, come on, I bet Shinin’ Armor would love to do it!  You were his Best Mare, after all.  Or Cadance.”

“I thought about it, but they barely found the time to come to the wedding at all.  I don’t want them to have to go through all the fittings and rehearsals.”

“Listen, I don’t know Shinin’ Armor and Cadance that well, but I’m pretty sure they’d do it.  They might be a bit tired, but that’s not gonna stop ‘em.”

“I’d love for one of them to do that, but I just think it would be too hectic. They’re not even arriving in Ponyville until the middle of the night before the wedding, and they’re leaving early the next morning.  Even if they’re okay, you know perfectly well that I’d be a nervous wreck.”

Applejack thought for a moment. “Good point. Rarity wouldn’t be happy about you curlin’ your hair up like that, either.”

“Ugh, it’s like the Grand Galloping Gala tickets all over again!  Only this time I’m not going to be able to get extra tickets!  I can’t make everypony my Mare of Honor!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “It’s not that bad. They aren’t all trippin’ over themselves to get on your good side, are they?”

“Well, no.”

“And if you wanna be technical, you could make them all your Mare of Honor.”

“But if I do that it wouldn’t really be any different than not having one at all!”

“So?” Applejack poked Twilight in the shoulder. “What’s the big deal if you don’t have a Mare of Honor?  We’re gonna have all our friends there.  What does it matter if we don’t pick one to be extra special?”

“I know that, but it just feels like something would be missing.”

Applejack shrugged. “Well, it’s your call.  If you really want somepony to be your Mare of Honor, you gotta make that choice yourself.”

“I know, I know,” Twilight said with a sigh. “It’s just been bugging me for a month now.  And with the wedding just a few weeks away, I’m really starting to feel the pressure!”

“Well, accordin’ to Rarity, it’s only gonna get more hectic from here, so whatever you’re gonna do, you should probably do it as quick as you can.”

“Easier said than done,” Twilight grumbled. “Oh well, at least we got something done today.”

“That we did,” Applejack said, nodding. “I better head back to the farm. Big Macintosh wanted to talk about the wedding reception. You wanna come along?”

Twilight shook her head. “I think I’ll pass. I need to figure out this whole ‘Mare of Honor’ thing, if only so I can get it off of my mind.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later then.” Applejack gave Twilight a peck on the cheek. “Good luck gettin’ it figured out.”

“Thanks. Bye!”  Twilight waved goodbye as she trotted back toward the library.  She smiled, but her head was in a whirl, the question of her Mare of Honor stuck in her mind like a splinter.

“Yeah, I’m with Applejack on this one,” Spike said as he meticulously swept the floor around Twilight’s desk.  “What’s the big deal if you just don’t have a Mare of Honor?  It’s not like they really do anything special.  Well, they organize your bachelorette party, I guess, but other than that all they really do is stand there.”

“It just feels like it would be… incomplete.  And more importantly, it would make the wedding parties asymmetrical!” Twilight pounded her hoof on her desk. “The only way to fix it is to either find somepony, or kick Big Macintosh out of the wedding, and there’s no way I’m doing that!”

“Oh, right. Symmetry.” Spike waited until Twilight was looking away before rolling his eyes so hard he made himself dizzy.  “Why don’t you just draw names out of a hat or something?”

“That would trivialize the whole role! I want to pick somepony who’s played a special role in my life, somepony who helped Applejack and I get to where we are!” She groaned and slumped over the desk, smearing the still-wet ink on her notes.  “But they’ve all done that!  How am I supposed to pick one?”

“I have no idea!” Spike threw his claws in the air. “I don’t know what else to tell you. Either you’ve gotta pick somepony, or not.  There isn’t a whole lot else you can do.”

She sighed. “I know, I know.  It feels like I’m stuck.”  She lifted her head off of her desk.  The last few lines she had written in her notes were now scrawled across her face.

Spike giggled. “Uh, Twilight…”

“I have ink on my face, don’t I?”

“Just a little.”

“You know what? I think I’m done with this for the day.” She closed her book.  “I’m going to go take a nice bubble bath and clear my head. I’ve already done enough today.  I’ll worry about this tomorrow.  Don’t let anypony bother me, okay? I just need to relax."

Spike nodded. “I kinda figured.  Go enjoy your bath.”

“Thanks, Spike.”  She disappeared into the bathroom and the door locked with a click.

Spike chuckled to himself and resumed his sweeping. “About time she unwound a little.”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes as she watched Twilight parcel out hooffulls of peanut brittle into their bags.  “So what you’re saying is that everypony has been giving you advice for the past week, yet you haven’t taken any of it?”

“I don’t know if I should listen to them or not!  Everypony says that I should just have all my friends do it, or pick somepony at random or something, or just not have one at all, but none of those feel right!” Twilight levitated a bag of peanut brittle over the scale and let it drop. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Just do whatever you want!” Lyra plucked the bag off of the scale and tied it closed with a lopsided bow. “It’s your wedding.  So what if it’s a bit un-typical?  If you like it it doesn’t matter what anypony else thinks! Unless it’s Applejack, ‘cause it’s her wedding too.”

“I know that,” Twilight mumbled as she fixed the bow Lyra had tied.  “But I just keep thinking about it. I mean, I’m only going to get married once, hopefully.  I want to do it right.”

Lyra snorted. “That’s what you’re worried about? Can I let you in on a little secret?”

“Secret?”  Twilight gave a Lyra a sideways glance. “Sure, I guess.”

“The secret is” —Lyra paused for an infuriatingly long moment— “the wedding itself really isn’t that big of a deal.”

“What?” Twilight blinked as she measured out another bag of candy. “What does that even mean?  Of course the wedding is important!”

“Well, it is and it isn’t,” Lyra continued as she tied another bag. This one didn’t even get a bow; it got a knot. “Everypony makes such a big deal about the wedding.  Making sure everything is perfect, that you have the right food, the right music, the right venue, as if all that stuff somehow matters in the long run.

“Sure, you want it to be nice, but that’s not what a wedding is about.  Weddings are about the ponies who are getting married.  It’s about taking their relationship, and… well, I guess you could say that you’re formalizing it, but that makes the whole thing sound really boring.  But the whole thing is a way of showing each other and all your guests how much you mean to each other.  It’s coming out and saying ‘I love this pony and I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with her!’ As long as you accomplish that, all of the other stuff is just frills.”

Twilight froze halfway through untangling the knot that Lyra had left on the bag.  Then she grinned.  “You’d think by now I’d have gotten it through my head that doing things ‘right’ is overrated.  I’ve given myself so much trouble because I couldn’t remember that.”

Lyra shrugged as she clumsily tied another bow.  “Everypony needs to be reminded about some things.”

“Like how to tie a bow, for example.” Bon Bon gave Lyra a shove.  “Twilight, would you switch with Lyra, please?  At this rate you’re going to just be retying every package.”

Lyra wiggled her snout at Bon Bon. “Still nicer than when you tie them.”

“You try tying a bow with these.” Bon Bon held up her hooves. Then she turned back to Twilight. “As much as I hate to admit it, Lyra is right.  You do want to have fond memories of your wedding ceremony, but in the end that’s really all it is.  Our wedding was quite nice, but it’s not the reason that we’re still together.  The fact that we picked our wedding parties at pretty much the last minute didn’t really matter in the end.”

Twilight thought for a moment. “Out of curiousity, who ended up being your Mare of Honor?”

“My little sister,” Bon Bon said. “Lyra’s was her roommate from university.  Octo-something.”

“Octavia, Bon Bon. Seriously, you’ve met her a bunch of times.” Lyra shook her head. “Remember when we went to go see her play at the gala?”

Bon Bon nodded. “Yes, yes, of course.”

“Ooh! I should see if she can play at the wedding! I bet I could get you a discount!” She winked at Twilight. “Should I go for it?”

“I guess you could, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble. All we really need is somepony to accompany Fluttershy’s birds during the processional.”

“Alright! I’ll” —she stood, ready to sprint off, but she was fixed by a glare from Bon Bon— “finish with this peanut brittle and then send her a letter.”

“That’s a good plan,” Bon Bon said, turning her attention back to the chocolate covered strawberries she was arranging.  “We wouldn’t want to get too caught up, after all.”

Twilight nodded thoughtfully as she watched Lyra begin to fill a bag of peanut brittle. “No. No, we wouldn’t.”

Applejack sniffed the pot of stew on the stove.  She snorted, and added some pepper. The scent of the vegetables demanded her attention so strongly that she barely heard the knock on the door.

“Apple Bloom, can you get that?  I’m kinda busy.”  She heard Apple Bloom trot past behind her as she stirred her dinner. Of course somepony would show up just as they were about to sit down to eat.

“Hey, Applejack! Twilight’s here!”

“Huh?” Applejack turned her head so quickly she almost sprained her neck. Sure enough, Twilight stood in the doorway.  “Twilight?  What’re you doin’ here? I thought you weren’t comin’ by til after dinner.”

“Don’t worry, this won’t take long,” she said with a smile. "I just wanted to tell you that I finally figured out what to do about the whole Mare of Honor thing.”

“Really?  What are you gonna do?”

“Well, that’s a surprise.” Twilight winked. “That’s actually what I’m here for.  I wanted to tell everypony at once.  Do you think you could stop by the shop tomorrow morning?”

“Sure. What about everypony else?”

“Spike is going around and telling them what’s going on.  I just thought I should tell you myself.  I could’ve waited until later, but I didn’t want somepony else to beat me to it.  And now that I delivered the message, I should get back home.  I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Yup. See you.”

Twilight winked again before heading out the door.  Applejack shook her head. “Wonder what she finally ended up doin’? This oughta be fun.”

Twilight surveyed the group that had gathered in the chocolate shop.  She could hardly believe that she’d managed to get all of her friends in the same place at the same time.  Or that Bon Bon had let her use the shop as the meeting place.  Behind the counter, Bon Bon and Lyra watched, with varying levels of interest.

“I suppose you’re all wondering why I asked you to be here today,” she began. “I-”

“Not really,” Rainbow Dash interrupted.

Pinkie nodded in assent. “Yeah, Spike told us why you wanted us all to be here.”

“Hush!” Rarity poked Pinkie in the flank. “Don’t interfere with her introduction.” She turned back to Twilight. “Go on, dear.”

“As all of you know, I’ve spent the last few days thinking about who I wanted to be my Mare of Honor.  Well, I’ve come to a decision, and I thought it would be best to tell all of you at the same time.  I wanted to explain my decision, since I know it might be a bit of a surprise for everypony.  I didn’t even think of it until yesterday, myself.” She cleared her throat before continuing.

“I just didn’t know what to do.  All of you are my friends, and I just couldn’t bring myself to choose any one of you over the others.  You all mean a lot to me, and I just want to make sure you know that, because, well… I can’t pick one of you, so I’m not picking any of you as my Mare of Honor.”

A murmur went through her friends. She knew they weren’t surprised, per se, but her answer still affected them.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy that all of you are part of our wedding, but I just can’t bring myself to say that any one of you is any more important than anypony else. All of you are my friends.”

“It’s okay, I understand,” Fluttershy said. “I’m sure everypony else does, too.”

The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

“Whew.” Twilight sighed in relief. “I’m glad you all see that. I needed the pony that I picked to be somepony that helped me in a different way.”

“Wait a sec!” Applejack stared at Twilight. “You mean that you actually did end up pickin’ somepony?”

“Yes!” Twilight nodded emphatically. “I decided that my Mare of Honor ought to be somepony who really helped me keep my head on straight and encourage me, even when things got difficult.” She slowly turned around. “Lyra, I know this is kinda short notice, but I would be happy to have you as my Mare of Honor.”

She heard her friends gasp, but she ignored it.

“Me? Really?” Lyra asked, confused. “Are you sure?”

“Listen, nearly the whole time I’ve been going out with Applejack, you’ve helped give me the perspective I needed to keep me from tripping over my own hooves.  Without your advice, I’d probably have driven myself crazy. And probably driven Applejack crazy, too.  You’ve really helped me, and I want to recognize you for that.”

Lyra looked pensive for a moment, then grinned widely. “That would be awesome!”

“Great!” Twilight beamed. “I’m so glad everything worked out.”

“See, Twilight, I told you it’d all work out!” Applejack ruffled Twilight’s mane lightly.

“Indeed,” Rarity said, striding past Twilight and Applejack. “Hmmm…” She stopped in front of Lyra, studying her mane. “Yes, I think this will turn out quite well. When can you drop by my boutique?  The Mare of Honor must have a fitting ensemble!”

“Have fun with that!” Rainbow Dash snorted. “Just be careful, once she gets you trying on dresses, you’re not getting out for a while. If she needs a model for some of her other dresses you might be there all night!”

“But on the bright side, if she does keep you there all night, at least she feeds you!” Pinkie added. “Hope you like crumpets!”

“She does make very good crumpets,” Fluttershy said. “It really is worth trying on a couple dozen dresses.”

“Okay, I’ll—” Lyra paused. “Wait a minute, a couple dozen?”

“We must make sure your dress is perfect after all,” Rarity said with a wink.  “When can you drop by the shop?”

“After she’s done with work,” Bon Bon said.

“Oh, yes, of course.” Rarity nodded. “I suppose we should all be going, now that Twilight has made her announcement. Unless she has something else to announce.”

Twilight shook her head.  “No, that was everything. I’ll catch up with all of you later.  Thanks for understanding.”  She waved at her friends as they headed back to their own jobs. Except for Pinkie, who had to be shooed away from the sample dish.

“Sorry for the trouble,” Twilight said as she began to re-organize the chairs her friends had moved around.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Bon Bon said. “I could hardly begrudge you a few minutes for this. Though I must say, I was not expecting you to make Lyra your Mare of Honor.”

“If I could have, I would’ve picked both of you.  I just figured you… uh… wouldn’t appreciate it as much as Lyra would.”

Bon Bon nodded. “I’ll be busy enough without having to worry about rehearsals and dress fittings and all of that.”

“Well, I just want to thank you anyway.  You’ve helped me a whole lot, as well.”

“It’s the least I could do,” Bon Bon said. “I know exactly how stressful such things can be, and I see no reason not to help you.”

Twilight nodded. “And I’m really glad you did.”

“You are welcome.” She turned to Lyra. “Now then, how about we get back to work?”

“Did you hear that, Bon Bon? I get to be in a wedding!” Lyra trotted excitedly in place. “Ooh! This means I get to plan Twilight’s bachelorette party too, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, yes,” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “But that does not mean you get to slack off on your job.  I am not going to do double duty just so that you can go off and party and try on dresses.”

“Yeah, I know.” Lyra sighed. “It’s so exciting, though!”

“You have a whole month to be excited, Lyra.  We do not have a whole month to finish packing our inventory for the week.  It isn’t like you’re the one getting married.”  She turned to Twilight. “And even if you are getting married, you still must focus.  One cannot neglect their duties just because a special occasion is coming up.  At the moment, I would like you to sweep the floor.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course.  I don’t want to get too preoccupied with the preparations.”

Bon Bon smirked. “No. No you don’t.”

“You sure you’re alright, with Lyra being my Mare of Honor?” Twilight asked. “I really should’ve asked you first.”

“Twilight, I’m fine with it, really.” Applejack chuckled as she poured a mug of cider for her fiancée.  “I’m just happy you were able to take care of it. Though I admit I probably wouldn’t have ever thought of that particular solution.”

“I barely thought of it myself.” Twilight took a sip of cider. “It’s so nice to not have to worry about that anymore.  I finally feel like we’ve made a real dent in all the preparations.”

“Or at the very least, now it’s somepony else’s problem,” Applejack said. “I’d hate to be Rarity right now. She’s probably got dresses comin’ out of her ears right about now.  Although…”

“Although what?” Twilight drained her mug and began to pour herself another.

“I just thought of something else we gotta take care of.”

Twilight’s face went pale. “What did we forget?  Did we forget to include an RSVP with the invitations? Did we invite too many ponies?  What happened?!”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that! Calm down.” Applejack wrinkled her nose. “I’ve just been thinkin’ about that little kerfuffle we had about livin’ arrangements.”

“Oh, right,” Twilight said. “That.  I knew that would come up again eventually. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and if living here on Sweet Apple Acres means that much to you, I could—”

“Just stop right there!” Applejack sounded like she was telling a cart to stop before it ran over a foal. “Don’t say that.”

“W-what?” Twilight scratched her head in confusion. “You mean you don’t want to stay here?”

“I do, and that’s the whole problem.  I’ve been thinkin’ about this a lot, too.  And I took a page outta your book and did some research.” She opened a drawer under the kitchen counter and took out a folder.  “Take a look.”

Twilight took the folder and began to leaf through it. “Local real estate listings?  You’re thinking of buying a house?!”

“Well, I’m not plannin’ on takin’ out a loan or anything right this second.  I’ve just been goin’ over everything you said about movin’ in together and all that, and I decided that movin’ off of Sweet Apple Acres is something I need to do.”

“You need to do?”

Applejack nodded. “Yes.  It’s like you said, I gotta be willin’ to give stuff up.  I asked you to marry me, and when I did that, it was a promise that we were gonna share our lives with each other.  And if I decide that I’m gonna keep livin’ here, it feels like I’m breakin’ that promise.  I might be givin’ that up, but I know that if we go through all this together, I’ll be just fine.”

“Are… are you sure?”

“Quit askin’ me that!  It was hard enough makin’ this decision for myself. If you keep askin’ me about it, I might end up changin’ my mind.” She sighed. “I figured we could start lookin’ for someplace, and until we find somewhere, it ain’t gonna kill me to live in the library. Not like I don’t spend a ton of time in there anyway.”

Twilight smiled so widely her cheeks ached. “That’s perfectly alright with me.  We’ll have to start reorganizing!  And cleaning!”

“Don’t worry about it too much,” Applejack said with a laugh. “We can talk about redecoratin’ tomorrow.  For now, let’s just be happy that we know where we’re redecoratin’.”

“Good point,” Twilight said. “At least I know Spike will be happy.” She chuckled. “I promised him that if you moved in, he’d get his own room.”

Applejack smiled. “At least I know he won’t be mad about me movin’ in.”

“You mean I’ll finally get my own room? Finally!” Spike drummed his claws together in excitement. “This is great.  I can finally hang up all those posters you won’t let me put anywhere!”

“I’d let you hang them up if they weren’t so… colorful,” Twilight said.  “I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t even be able to sleep with those things on the wall.”

“Wouldn’t bother me!” Spike hopped backward and landed square in his bed. “I can sleep through anything!”

“Not everyone is so lucky,” Twilight said. “I’m sure you know a bunch of stuff is going to change when Applejack moves in, but right now I’m too tired to think of anything specific.”

“Eh, I’ll be fine with whatever,” Spike shrugged. “Applejack and I get along fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s not going to be that easy, you know.”

“Eh, maybe, maybe not. There’s nothing I can do about it now, so what’s the point in worrying about it.” He yawned. “Just relax.  You’ve earned it.”

“You know what?” Twilight flopped limply onto her bed. “I think you’re right. I’ve done everything I can do.  There’s more to do, but nothing I can do right now.”

“Well, there is one thing you can do.”

“What’s that?”

Spike chuckled. “Look forward to it.”

Twilight smiled. “I can do that.”

The Good Morrow

Dear Princess Celestia,

I’m writing this to tell you that Applejack and I have finally set a date for our wedding!  The invitation is enclosed, of course, but after all you’ve done for me, I thought it would be best to send you something more personal. So… you’re invited!  Although I suppose you probably knew that because I sent an invitation along with this letter.  But even so, Applejack and I would love for you to be there.  You’ve been such a big part of my life ever since I was a filly that it would feel like something was missing if you weren’t with us.

In fact, if it’s possible, we would both be honored if you would officiate the ceremony for us.  I realize this might be a bit short notice, but we can’t think of anypony we’d rather have perform the ceremony for us.

Of course, if your duties as Princess mean you can’t make it, I completely understand.  Though just between you and me, I think you could pull some strings.  *wink*

Your faithful student (and soon-to-be Mrs. Applejack),

Twilight Sparkle

P.S. The “pull some strings” thing is just a joke. I didn’t mean to imply anything untoward.

P.P.S. Was the wink too much?  It was, wasn’t it?  Oh well, this is my last scroll.

And now good morrow to our waking souls,

Which watch not one another out of fear;

For love, all love of other sights controls,

And makes one little room, an everywhere.

Let sea discoverers to new worlds have gone,

Let maps to others, worlds on worlds have shown,

Let us possess our world; each hath one and is one.

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,

And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;

Where can we find two better hemispheres,

Without sharp North, without declining West?

Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;

If our two loves be one; or thou and I

Love so alike that none do slacken, none can die.

-- The Good Morrow,

John Donne

Twilight’s first thought upon waking up was that she had clearly forgotten to brush her teeth before bed.  She squinted and reached for the glass of water that she usually kept on her nightstand. It wasn’t there.  Oh right, I was so tired after the bachelorette party that I just slumped into bed, and— Wait. If the bachelorette party was last night, that means today is…

Twilight had never woken up so quickly.

“GAAHHHH!” Twilight tried to leap out of bed, but she found the sheets wrapped tightly around her.  She fell to the floor with a thud.

“Mnh?” Spike rolled over in his bed. He blinked the morning sun out of his eyes and was greeted by the sight of Twilight wriggling furiously in her sheets, like an anxious butterfly trying to escape its cocoon. “Oh, boy, here we go.”  He hopped out of bed.  “Calm down, Twilight!” He grabbed her head to hold her still so she could untangle herself.

“Calm down? How can I calm down!? I’m getting married in” —she glanced at the clock— “five hours! There’s so much going on!” Her mind began to whirl. “The music, the food, the seating arrangements, the—”

“Snap out of it!” Spike said as he helped her up. “Everything is taken care of, okay?  Remember? You and Applejack spent like a week getting everything together so you wouldn’t freak out now!  Take some deep breaths.”

Twilight nodded and obeyed.  She began to review her memories over the past few days.  Seating arrangements, so many seating arrangements.  She and Applejack had spent nearly a whole day figuring out who would go at which table.  Then there were the decorations: hanging banners and ribbons and frills all over Town Hall, and putting up tables and balloons all over Sweet Apple Acres.

Then had come the rehearsal; checking the timing, the entrance, the processional, the coin flip to decide who would be walking down the aisle… her checklist had been even longer than usual.  But she had somehow powered through it all.  Or rather, Applejack had pushed her through all of it. When she closed her eyes she could almost hear Applejack whispering in her ear.

“Don’t worry about all that stuff, as long we’re together at the end, I’d say everything went just fine.”

Then she heard another, considerably less soothing voice.

“You’re up! Great! I was just about to wake you!”

Twilight opened her eyes. “Good morning, Lyra,” she said.  The memories of the previous night’s events began coming together.  They involved loud music, flashing lights, and a lot of chocolates that were too deformed for sale in Bon Bon’s shop.  Fortunately, the taste remained unaffected.

“Good morning to you, too!” Lyra answered. Twilight had never seen her so chipper this early in the morning.  “You’d better get ready, because today is going to be the best day of your life!”

“Hopefully,” Twilight mumbled to herself as she got up and lurched groggily towards the door. Lyra scurried sideways to block her path.

“Um…” Twilight tried to go around her, but Lyra remained in the way. “I was going to get breakfast now.”

“And you can, in just a minute,” Lyra said. “Just promise me you won’t freak out when you get downstairs, okay?”

“Downstairs?” Twilight’s eye twitched. “Fine. I have other things to worry about anyway.”

“Okay, then,” Lyra stepped aside and Twilight descended.  Lyra turned to Spike. “You might want to cover your ears.”

He obeyed, just in time.

“What the hay happened down here?!”  Twilight had never seen the library in such a sorry state.  The floor was strewn with confetti, streamers, crumbs, and miscellaneous party props that no doubt belonged to Pinkie.  Rainbow Dash was splayed out on a couch that Twilight didn’t remember having.

The previous night was really a bit of a blur.  She remembered the rehearsal dinner quite clearly; sitting next to Applejack, mingling with family that neither of them had seen for a while. The stress of the rehearsal itself had slowly started to melt.

Then Applejack had said “We’d better get on our way.  We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

“What? Why?” Twilight had asked.

“Well, we each got our own parties to go to, right?  And besides, you know it’s tradition that the bride’s not supposed to see the… other bride before the wedding.”

Twilight had reluctantly agreed.  It wouldn’t even be a day, of course, but it felt like an eternity.  Her heart had sunk as she watched Applejack head back to the farm with a massive Apple Family Entourage.  Then she had felt a hoof around her shoulder.  Then another hoof around her, from the other direction.  When she looked up, she had found herself flanked by Lyra and Pinkie Pie.

“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Lyra had said with a wink. “This is your last night as a free mare, and we are going to make sure you enjoy it!”

And she had, though the individual events blended together a bit.  Before she had known what hit her, she’d been wearing a skirt that hadn’t been in-style for two decades, dancing with her friends to music that hadn’t been popular since her mother was her age. Lyra had busted out a massive pile of chocolate, and Pinkie Pie had taken over from there. Everything after that started to blend together.  A carriage joyride through Ponyville had taken place, and an orangutan had been present at some point.  And then they had ended up at the library, and made a tremendous mess of the place before falling asleep.

Twilight tried not to think about how much work it would be to clean up said mess. At the very least, somepony had had the presence of mind to shield the bookshelves with sheets before the party started.

“Hey, wake up!” Lyra kicked the couch.

Rainbow Dash snorted once before rolling off the couch and onto the floor. “Ugh.” She shook her head and shakily got back on her hooves. “Man, that was one crazy party last night, wasn’t it, Twilight?”

“Pinkie Pie’s parties usually are,” Twilight said. She gave Lyra a sideways glare. “Especially when somepony stuffs her full of sugar.”

Lyra shrugged. “I figured she’d be immune to the stuff by now.”

“You don’t know Pinkie that well, then,” Twilight mumbled, rubbing her forehead. “Seriously, what did we do in here?  Not even Pinkie usually causes this big of a mess.”

“I don’t remember exactly, but apparently you won.” Spike tapped on Twilight’s chalkboard, which was now an impromptu scoreboard. “Or at least I think you won. I’m not sure exactly how Pinkie’s scoring system works.”

“So, I had six hundred points…” She scowled. “While Lyra has…”

“Q?” Lyra scratched her head. “I think that’s a Q.”

“And Rainbow Dash has a drawing of a muffin!” Spike said, pointing.

“That’s not a muffin!” Rainbow Dash said with a snort. “It’s an explosion! I remember that much!”

“Do you remember how many points that” —Twilight made hoof-quotes in the air— “‘explosion’ is worth?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “No clue.”

“Well, it’s not important, anyway!” Twilight said. “I’m getting married in a few hours! I have to get ready!”

“No, you need to relax!” Lyra pushed Twilight towards the table, and began clearing a space for Twilight to sit. “All the other stuff is being taken care of. Rarity is over at Town Hall right now making sure all the decorations are in place, and then she’s going to head over to Sweet Apple Acres to help make sure Applejack’s dress is good to go. Fluttershy is there too, rehearsing with the other musicians. Pinkie is at Sugarcube Corner, helping Mr. and Mrs. Cake with the… well, you know.”

“And Rainbow Dash is still here!” Spike said.

“Oh, right.” Dash scratched her head. “I should probably get going. Need to make sure the sky’s all clear. Wouldn’t want your reception to get flooded out.” She patted Twilight on the head. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in time to help you get ready. I promise!”

“Well, that’s all well and good,” Twilight said, “but what do I do?”

“You have some breakfast.” Lyra shook some confetti off of a cushion and dropped it next to the table.

“And that’s what I’m taking care of!” Spike said. “Hay bacon, eggs, and pancakes!”

“See? Spike’s got that.” Lyra patted the cushion and gestured for Twilight to take a seat. “You just try to stay calm, and not to think about how boring it’ll be to take all the wedding pictures after the ceremony!  You’d be surprised how long that can take.” She paused. “You hired a professional photographer, right?”

“Of course.”

“Good!” Lyra patted her on the back. “Bon Bon and I just had my cousin.  He’s a pretty good photographer now, but back then…” She shuddered. “You would not believe how long it took to get some decent pictures!  Although if Pinkie can’t figure out how to sit still, it might take a while anyway.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” Twilight mumbled, only half listening.  She hardly noticed when Lyra sat down next to her.

“Something bugging you?”

“Huh?” Twilight blinked. “No… nothing big.  I just can’t believe it’s actually happening.  We’ve been planning for so long that it almost doesn’t feel real.  I didn’t think that today would ever actually come.”

“Yeah, that happens,” Lyra said with a nod. “I think it wasn’t until a few weeks after me and Bon Bon got hitched that it actually sunk in.  But you know what?  That doesn’t really matter.  I mean, it’s kind of a big occasion. It’s only natural you’d feel a bit weird.  Really, it would be weirder if you didn’t feel that way.”

“Really?”

Lyra shrugged. “Probably.  Just don’t worry about it.  If I managed to get through all this stuff, I’m sure you’ll be just fine.”

“Pancakes are ready!” Spike burst out of the kitchen, carrying a massive stack of pancakes and a jug of syrup. “The hay bacon and eggs will be done in a couple minutes.”

Twilight stared at the tower of flapjacks Spike put on the table. “How am I supposed to eat all of those?!”

“Well, Lyra and I get some too,” he said.  He shook his head and returned to the kitchen.

“Better fill up.” Lyra winked. “You’re probably not gonna get any more food until the reception.  Once you finish breakfast, you can worry about getting yourself ready.”

Twilight nodded, then looked at the clock. Only a few hours to go. She took a deep breath and also took a pancake.

She wondered what Applejack was having for breakfast.

Applejack snored loudly.  A long night of hoedowns, dancing, and eating apple fritters had made her utterly exhausted.  She was too tired to dream.  Which made it rather weird when she felt herself moving up and down.  Then there was that voice in the background...

“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”

“Ugh…” She didn’t have to open her eyes to know what was going on. “Apple Bloom, what have I told you about jumpin’ on the bed?”

The bouncing stopped.  Applejack opened an eye to find her sister staring at her.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m gettin’ up.  Get off the bed. You’re gettin’ hoofprints all over it.”  She yawned as she sat up.  “What’s goin’ on? What time is it?”

“Don’t worry, you got plenty of time to get ready!” Apple Bloom said as she hopped off the bed. “Granny Smith and Apple Rose are knittin’, Apple Brown Betty is makin’ breakfast, and Aunt Orange is gettin’ your dress ready.”

“Is that so?” Applejack asked as she lumbered out of her room. “Between Aunt Orange and Rarity, it’ll be a miracle if I ever get to the wedding. They’ll probably spend forever fightin’ over what to do with my mane.”

“What are you gonna do with your mane?” Apple Bloom asked. “You kinda got a case of bedhead.”

“Well, I was just gonna shove it all into a hat, but Rarity wasn’t havin’ that,” Applejack said. “What about you? You gotta get yourself dressed up too, you know.”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Rarity said that if I tried to eat anything while wearin’ the dress she’d launch me out of that catapult we built for our science project.”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, we’d better go get some grub, then.  I’m gonna need my energy today.”

“Aren’t you nervous?” Apple Bloom asked. “I mean, you are gettin’ married today.”

“Nervous? Of course I’m nervous!” Applejack ruffled her sister’s mane. “But I figure that there isn’t any good I can do by worryin’ about it.  Besides, I just woke up and I’m not totally awake yet.  Once I get some food in me, it’ll sink in and then I’ll get jumpy.”

“Then I’ll make sure you stay calmed down!” Apple Bloom declared. “Or I’ll get Big Macintosh to do it, seein’ that he’s your Best Stallion and all.”

As if on cue, his voice boomed from downstairs.

“Breakfast is ready!  Come and get it!”

“I think we oughta listen to him,” Applejack said. “Food first, worryin’ about gettin’ ready later.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me!”

Twilight trotted nervously in place. She could practically hear every tick of the clock, counting down the seconds towards the ceremony. She couldn't decide if she was scared, excited, nervous, anxious, impatient, or a combination of them all.

“Your move,” Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight didn't respond.

“Hey, Twilight!” Lyra rapped on Twilight's head with her hoof. “Anypony home? Rainbow Dash is kicking your rump!”

“It's Battlecloud,” Rainbow Dash said. “I always win.”

“It's easy to win when your opponent isn't paying attention,” Spike said.

“Sorry,” Twilight shook her head. “I just can't focus! I'm just thinking about the—”

“We know!” Rainbow Dash said. “We've been trying to get you not to think about the wedding all morning!” She snorted. “I should've dragged the cloudbusting out a bit more. Would've been more interesting than sitting here and watching you try to pick the same space over and over.” She waggled a hoof at the board. “It's your turn. I do not have anything on Cloud 7, so don't guess that again.”

“Alright, alright,” Twilight took a deep breath. “Here we go. How about... Cloud f—”

“Twilight! Twilight!” The library door burst open, and Pinkie somersaulted through it. “Do you know what time it is?”

“Dang it, Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her forehead. “We're trying to get her not to think about wedding stuff! Remember the plan?”

“Oh, are we early?” Fluttershy trotted in. “Rarity and I had finished up at Town Hall, and Rarity told us to come over here.”

Lyra glanced at the clock. “Well, technically you're a couple minutes early, but I think we're still good.” She turned to Spike, a grin on her face. “Spike, it's time to get the dresses out.”

“Roger!” Spike saluted and sprinted off.

Lyra turned back to Twilight. “You ready?”

“Uh...” Twilight's eyes darted around like a pinball. “Maybe?”

“Of course you are!” Lyra grabbed Twilight by the tail and dragged her toward the stairs. “We’re gonna make Applejack’s jaw hit the floor when she sees you! Metaphorically, of course. It would be kinda freaky if her jaw literally hit the floor.”

Twilight nodded. “Right.  Applejack and I have done everything we could to make this the best wedding possible, for both of us!  I can’t let that stop now!”

“That’s the spirit!  Let’s get you into that dress!”  Lyra spun around. “You two can get your dresses on, too.  We’ve got to be at Town Hall in… let’s say an hour.  Pinkie, if you want to eat any snacks, eat them now.  Rarity says you’re banned from eating anything once you put your dress on!”  She vanished into Twilight’s room, and slammed the door behind her.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “She could’ve at least let us finish the game.”

“Forget the game!” Pinkie said with a snort. “I have to finish my donuts!”

“Rarity, is this really necessary?” Applejack grumbled. She tried to stand perfectly still, staring at herself in the mirror as Rarity wove her mane into a long, overcomplicated braid. “There’s gotta be other stuff that you do besides mess with my hair.”

“Not in particular,” Rarity answered. “I’ve spent the past hour at Town Hall making sure all the decorations were in place.  There really isn’t much more I can do there.”

“What about Twilight?  You don’t have time to head over there and get her all gussied up.”

“No,” Rarity admitted. “Though I don’t think she needs quite as much assistance with her mane.  It’s a good deal simpler.” She leaned in close. “But I’m quite sure that you’ll find it ravishing on her.”

Applejack smirked. “Oh, I sure will. It would take a lot of work to make her look bad, you know.”

“Trust me, she will look wonderful.  She knows how important this is. Besides, I reminded Lyra that despite being humble and personable, Twilight does know three princesses, and that bad things may happen if she ruins Twilight’s mane.  Not that I think Lyra would do such a thing, of course.”

“So, uh, do you think Twilight is doin’ okay?” She flicked a lock of her mane out of her face. “Y’know, with her nerves and all.”

“I’m sure she is a bit nervous, but that’s to be expected.  I suspect that most brides-to-be are a bit apprehensive.” Rarity paused to select a ribbon to weave into Applejack’s hair. “But I am just as sure that this is nothing she isn’t capable of dealing with.  If anything, I’d think she’s more excited than anything else.” Rarity grinned. “How could she not be?  She knows that when I’m done with you, you’re going to look fabulous.”

“Yeah, I’m sure I will.” Applejack took a deep breath. “I just hope I can get all the way down the aisle without trippin’ over my own hooves. Can you imagine how embarrassin’ that would be?”

“Well, somepony sounds like she’s getting a bit jittery.” Rarity suppressed a giggle. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine.  And really, if such a thing should happen, I hardly think that Twilight will care.  She isn’t going to abandon you at the altar because you trip over your own hooves.”

“Are you tryin’ to freak me out?” Applejack rolled her eyes. “That’s the last thing I need right now.” She trotted in place, trying to reassure herself that her legs still worked properly. “Ugh, all this waitin’ and preparin’ is drivin’ me nuts! I just want the wedding to happen already.  I’ve spent too much time gettin’ ready for it, and I’m sick of standin’ arOW!”

“Sorry!” Rarity delicately released Applejack’s braid. “You know, if you wouldn’t move around so much…”

“If I don’t, I’m gonna go crazy.” She carefully sat on the edge of her bed. “I just wanna see Twilight again.”

“You’ll see her soon enough, dear,” Rarity took a seat next to her. “I think now’s the time to just take a nice, deep breath, and clear your head a bit. After all, this is the last bit of peace you’re going to get for a good long while.  Would you like me to get you a drink?”

“Right, because havin’ to stand here while you tie my mane in a knot is so peaceful.  I’m fine.  I’m just a bit… was that word that Pinkie made up?”

Rarity thought for a moment. “I believe ‘nervicited’ is the term she used.”

“Yeah, that. I think I finally get what she was talkin’ about.”

“That’s perfectly understandable,” Rarity said as she tweaked at Applejack’s braid with her telekinesis. “And I know for a fact that you are perfectly capable of dealing with nerves.”

“Thanks, Rarity, I—”

“Hey, sis! You almost done in here!?”  Apple Bloom poked her head into the room. “Wow, Applejack, you look great!”

“Of course she does!” Rarity said with a huff. “Now, let me just finish with this ribbon…” With a flourish, she weaved the tail end of the strip of cloth into a bow. “There! Now you truly look wonderful!”

“You really think I look that good, huh?” Applejack stood and stretched her legs, as far as the dress would allow.  “I thought it would take a bit longer than that.”

“Oh come on, Applejack!” Apple Bloom said with a snort. “Just ‘cause you’re usually sweaty and dirty from workin’ doesn’t mean you can’t be pretty, too.  Here, look!”  Apple Bloom shoved her towards the mirror.

“Yes, now that you’re all made up, you simply must see how you look!”  Rarity joined Apple Bloom in pushing Applejack to the looking glass, though a good deal more delicately.

Applejack closed her eyes as Rarity and Apple Bloom maneuvered her into position.  She wasn’t sure she wanted to see.  It blew her mind just to think that the day had finally come.  Actually seeing herself in the dress she had taken so long to select would make it so real.

“Alright, Applejack,” Rarity said. “Open your eyes.”

She took a deep breath and obeyed.

For a moment she could barely believe that she was the pony looking back at her from the mirror.  She had seen herself wearing the dress before, but this was different.  During the fitting, she’d never really been comfortable.  She had known that the dress would look wonderful, Rarity had made sure of that, but it had felt like it was out of place on her.  But now, looking at herself… it fit.

“I… I look…”

“You look great!” Apple Bloom chirped.

“Just think of it, Applejack,” Rarity said. “When the music starts up, and you begin your walk down the aisle, Twilight won’t be able to stop staring!”

Applejack nodded. “Y-yeah.”

In the distance, the clock tower sounded.

“Oh my!” Rarity gasped. “We’re quite low on time, and I still have to get Apple Bloom into her dress and make sure that Big Macintosh has his bowtie on straight!  We must get ready to go.”

Applejack smiled widely. “I think I’m already ready.  Let’s get movin’.”

Twilight pranced in place just beside the stage. The air inside Town Hall echoed with the murmurs of friends and family as they found their way to their seats.  Shining Armor and Cadance sat in the second row, just behind the seats that were reserved for her parents.  Her brother waved at her, and she waved back sheepishly.  She had gotten a chance to talk to them as they crossed paths on the way to the venue.

“Don’t be so nervous!” Cadance had told her with a grin. “You haven’t been kidnapped by changelings, so your wedding is already going way better than ours did.” She narrowed her eyes. “You’re the real Twilight, right?”

“And I’m pretty sure you didn’t get brainwashed into almost marrying a changeling, either,” Shining Armor added.  “But seriously, just have a good time today.  It’s a celebration, you know?”

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh.  Sure, having your wedding ruined by a Changeling invasion was a one-in-a-million experience, but it did put things in perspective.  Or at least, it had, for a couple of minutes. They had only talked for a few minutes before she had to get to the town hall to make sure she was on time.

But now she was alone, and her memories of the conversation only did so much to calm her. The rest of the wedding party was engaged in escorting the numerous guests to their seats. At least Lyra had stayed.  There wasn’t much encouragement that she could offer that Twilight hadn’t already heard, but Twilight still felt at ease. Mostly, at least.  As the clock ticked down, Lyra had darted towards the entranceway, so she’d be in place for the processional.

Now, the anxiety was beginning to sneak back into her brain.

“And how are you doing, my most faithful student?”

Twilight’s ears perked up at the familiar voice. She tried not to squeak in excitement as she turned around. “Princess Celestia!”

“Why are you so surprised, Twilight?” Celestia asked. “You’re the one who asked me to officiate, after all.  Though I admit I cut it a bit close.  After last time, my guards may have gone a little overboard in clearing the area before letting me in.”

Twilight chuckled nervously. “Yeah, one of the guards had to come and check in the dressing room.”  She swallowed. “I’m so glad that you could make it!”

“It did take some careful planning,” Celestia admitted. “It isn’t often that I have the chance to set my duties aside.  But I’m very happy to be here with you. It’s hard to believe that you’re that same little filly who blew a hole in my tower.”

Twilight blushed. “Y-yeah.  I’m glad that you could be here, too.  It really means a lot to both of us.”

Celestia smiled. “Think nothing of it.” Then she nudged Twilight and nodded her head toward the back of the hall. “Your friend is waving at you.”

“Huh?” Twilight looked up to see Lyra poking her head through the enormous double doors at the far end of the hall, an enormous grin on her face. Lyra waggled her hoof at Twilight.  Twilight felt her heart drop straight through the floor.  That was it. That was the signal.  A chill ran down her spine as she realized that everypony was seated—and staring at her in expectation.

She looked to her left. The string quartet was waiting. Waiting for her.  She took a deep breath and nodded.  The leader of the quartet, a grey earth pony cellist, returned the nod, and began to play.

As the prelude began, she forced herself to take her place on the stage.  If not for Celestia’s presence beside her, the weight of the audience’s stares would have crushed her.  Should she be glad that the coin toss had ended with Applejack walking down the aisle?  But would she even have been able to walk?  She barely managed to make her way up to the little taped X that marked her place on the stage.

Any moment now, the double doors at the end of the aisle would open, and her friends would march through them.  She smiled so widely that her cheeks hurt.  It was really happening.

“Alright, everypony in position?” Lyra quickly double-checked to make sure everyone was lined up. “We have to get moving in the next thirty seconds!”

“And remember to keep proper spacing.” Rarity added. “Don’t start down the aisle until the ponies in front of you reach the front.  Are you ready, Spike?  You’re going to be first through the door!”

“Y-yeah, I think so.” He nodded.

“Good.” Rarity took a moment to rearrange the cushion that held the rings, then hustled back to her place in the procession. “Are you ready, Applejack?”

Applejack nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.  Let’s get this show on the road!”

“Great!” Lyra said. “You know what to do, right?”

“Sure do. As soon as Fluttershy starts the wedding march, the ushers open the doors, and I finally get to walk down the aisle.”

“Right on.  Twilight’s gonna love this.” She gave Spike a telekinetic poke. “Alright, Spike, it’s showtime!  Head right on out.”

“Roger!  Here we go.” Spike took a deep breath, and started down the aisle.

Applejack felt a bit lightheaded as she watched them go.  Spike went first.  Then Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.  They were followed by Pinkie and Rarity.  Then, at the end, Lyra and Big Macintosh.

“Behave,” Big Macintosh said to the Cutie Mark Crusaders before he and Lyra started down the aisle.

For once in their lives, the Crusaders obeyed.

Applejack closed her eyes and listened to the music.  She thought about Twilight. There wasn’t anything else she could think of.  For a minute, she wished they hadn’t bothered with all this.  All the dresses, the music, the decorating, the rehearsing… she just wanted to kick down the door and run straight to Twilight.  Whoever had come up with that tradition about not seeing the bride before the wedding obviously hadn’t been the one getting married.

Her heart started to pound as the music faded.

“That’s our cue!” Apple Bloom snatched up her flower basket. “Cutie Mark Crusaders Flower Fillies are go!”  They pranced out the door, leaving a trail of flower petals in their wake.

Applejack smiled as she watched the doors close behind them.  That was it. No more waiting.  Nopony else between her and Twilight.

The music faded once more, giving way to what seemed like an eternal silence.  She knew what it was: Fluttershy was taking a moment to get her birds ready. But even so, the wait was excruciating. Then she heard it, the first note.  The hall was filled with the sound of ponies standing.

Applejack took a moment to straighten her braid, and took her place.   The ushers, two of her cousins, readied themselves to open the doors.

“Okay, Applejack,” she said softly to herself. “Don’t trip over your own hooves.”

The doors opened.  Twilight fought to keep herself from shaking as she heard the music.  It was beautiful, of course.  Fluttershy’s bird chorus had practiced for days with the quartet, but Twilight barely heard it.  All she could hear was her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Then Applejack took her first step down the aisle.

Twilight’s face trembled.  She didn’t have the right expression.  No smile could possibly have done her feelings justice.  It was so unfair to make her stand there.  It wasn’t right that Applejack had to walk so slowly.  She tried to close her eyes, to keep the tears of happiness from leaking out, but she couldn’t bear to close them.

Applejack seemed to be more beautiful with every step she took.  It could’ve been her dress, or maybe her hair, but more than anything it was the simple fact that she was closer.  They would be together.

Twilight couldn’t say exactly which thoughts were going through Applejack’s head, but her face told Twilight everything she needed to know.

As Applejack reached the first row of seats, she stopped.  Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh went to her, and slowly escorted her to the stage. Granny Smith and Big Macintosh went on either side of her, with Apple Bloom following behind, holding the train of her dress.  As Applejack took the final step, time froze.  Twilight didn’t mind.

They stared into each other’s eyes, daring each other to say something.  Twilight didn’t want to say anything.  For once in her life, she wanted to throw the plan out the window. She wanted to grab Applejack and kiss her, right there and then. Unfortunately, there was still a ceremony to complete.  She contented herself with mouthing a silent “I love you.”

Big Macintosh took Granny back to her seat. As she sat, the assembled wedding guests followed suit.  As he returned to his place beside his sister, Celestia cleared her throat.

“We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two ponies that we all know and love…”

The rest of it flew by, and Twilight could hardly register it.  Or rather, she did, but everything rolled by so quickly that it felt like she was simply watching.  She heard every word Celestia said, but it was all a daze.  Everything felt out of focus. Except Applejack, of course.  They didn’t say a word to each other, but they didn’t need to. Not yet, anyway.

Celestia finished, and there was some more music.  Fluttershy’s birds sang an aria, one of Applejack’s cousins sang a song, and the string quartet performed another piece.  All of it was beautiful, of course, but all Twilight could feel was anticipation.  The next time she spoke to Applejack, the next words they would say to each other…

She had spent hours turning the words over and over in her head.  They had decided early on that they would write their own vows.  She had been prepared to agonize over what to say, but something had clicked.  When the time came, she’d have the words.  Nothing she could have written beforehand would have fit.  Now the time was here, and she knew what she was going to say.

“And now,” Celestia said, “the two brides shall give one another their vows.”  She bowed her head slightly and stepped back.

“Applejack,” Twilight said, “I love you.  I know I’ve said it a hundred times, but it never feels like it’s enough.  There’s nowhere else I’d rather be now than right here.  You’ve always been my friend, but now you mean more to me than anypony else.  I couldn’t imagine spending my life with anypony but you.  I can’t promise that it’ll be perfect, but I can promise that I’ll do everything I can to make our life together the best that it can be.  You deserve nothing less.”

Twilight clamped her mouth shut. Somehow, against all odds, she had gotten all of the words out without tripping over her own tongue.  She wasn’t about to tempt fate by trying to say anything else.

Applejack smirked, then chuckled softly. “You took the words right outta my mouth, Twilight.  I don’t know what else to say that we haven’t already said, so I’m gonna keep it short and sweet: I love you and I’ve never been more happy in my life.”

Behind her, Pinkie said “Awwww!” and then snorted as Rainbow Dash silenced her.

Celestia smiled and addressed the crowd. “If anypony has any reason why these two should not be married, speak now, or forever hold your peace.”

Both Applejack and Twilight glared daggers at the audience.  There wasn’t a sound except for a cough from somewhere in the back.  Satisfied that nopony was going to ruin their moment, Twilight and Applejack turned back to Celestia.

She smiled, and cleared her throat.  Then she turned to Twilight.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said, her voice wavering slightly.  “In the presence of your family and friends, do you take Applejack to be your wife, to have and to hold, to honor and treasure, in times both good and bad, in sickness and health, to love and cherish, for as long as you both shall live?”

Twilight knew the customary words.  She had said them a hundred times to herself today.  Nothing was going to stop her from saying them now.

“I do.”

“Applejack,” Celestia said once more,  “In the presence of your family and friends, do you take Twilight Sparkle to be your wife, to have and to hold, to honor and treasure, in times both good and bad, in sickness and health, to love and cherish, for as long as you both shall live?”

Twilight could see Applejack silently mouthing the words as Celestia recited them.  Her heart pounded so hard that she felt like it would burst out of her chest.  She watched Applejack’s lips as they spoke the words she had waited to hear.

“I do.”

It was the most beautiful sound Twilight had ever heard.

“Say ‘Cheese’!”

“Cheese!”

The flashbulb popped, and Applejack saw stars.  The wedding had passed in a flash.  She could still hardly believe that she had made it through without messing anything up.  Her vows had made their way out of her mouth, and next thing she knew she and Twilight had been trotting down the aisle to the cheers of her friends and family.

The rush hadn’t faded until the wedding party had reached the top of the hill where they had planned to take their pictures. There was nothing that dulled an excited edge like trying to get a dozen-odd ponies to stand still long enough to take half-decent pictures.  Doubly so when the sun was so bright and one had to squint to see anything.

“Are we almost done?” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “If I stand here for much longer my hooves are going to fuse with the ground.”

“Rainbow Dash, behave yourself!” Rarity snapped. “Surely you can wait just a bit longer, for Applejack and Twilight’s sake.”

“Actually, I’m gettin’ a bit restless myself,” Applejack said. “Pictures are great and all, but” —she paused long enough for the photographer to take another picture— “I’m just about ready to head to the reception.”  The reception, where her first priority would be to get a few moments to talk to Twilight.  For an occasion that only existed to celebrate their relationship, they certainly hadn’t had much time with each other.

“Well, at least it gives everypony time to find their seats at the reception,” Fluttershy said. The photographer cleared his throat. Fluttershy turned and smiled, and he took another picture. “And the caterers can get all the food ready.”

Pinkie nodded. “Yeah, my tummy is starting to grumble!”

Lyra rolled her eyes. “How can you be” —she paused for another picture— “hungry after the size of the breakfast you had?”

Spike chuckled. “Pinkie Pie is always hungry.”

Big Macintosh nodded. “Eeyup.”

“Aaaaand we’re done!” The photographer announced. “With the bridal party photos, at least.  Still need to get some shots of the happy couple.”

“Finally!” Rainbow Dash darted out of the lineup. “I get to move!”

“We’ll head over to the seating area and make sure everything is ready for you!” Lyra said. “Unless you want us to stick around, obviously.”

“No, you go right ahead,” Twilight motioned for Lyra to go on her way. “I’m sure that everypony will appreciate your help.”

“And the pictures will probably go a whole lot faster if Pinkie Pie isn’t here distractin’ us,” Applejack added.

“In that case, we shall see you at the reception!” Rarity said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to make sure everypony makes the trek without completely ruining their dresses!”  She scurried off after the rest of the party.

“So.” Applejack had waited all day for a chance to talk to Twilight, and now she couldn’t think of anything but small talk. Then again, any talk would seem small now. “How are you doin’?”

“Never better.” Twilight smiled and leaned against Applejack. The camera’s flashbulb popped. “Just a little bit tired after my bachelorette party.”

“Bet that was crazy,” Applejack said with a laugh. “Then again, Pinkie was there, so I guess it would have to be.”

“You have no idea.”  Twilight nuzzled against Applejack’s cheek for a moment. “This is actually happening, right?”

“Unless I’m dreamin’ too.  But if I am, it's the best dream I’ve ever had.  ‘Course, that’s just askin’ for a rude awakening, so I’m hoping we’re both awake.”

The camera bulb flashed again. Twilight blinked the spots out of her eyes. “I guess we should get these pictures finished up.  We wouldn’t want to keep everypony waiting.”

“Yeah,” Applejack said.  She was still in a bit of a daze.  Just as well.  By the time it had really sunk in, she and Twilight would be well on their way to Los Pegasos. “I’m sure the pictures are gonna be nice memories, but right now I really want to sit down and get some food.”

“Sounds good to me.” Twilight nodded.  “I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.”

Applejack returned the nod and turned back to the photographer. “Alright, let’s get these pictures taken.”

Lyra resisted the urge to start nibbling on her corsage.  Twilight and Applejack had finally made their big entrance to the wedding reception, taking their seats at the enormous table that had been set up on Sweet Apple Acres’ lawn.  It wouldn’t be long now before the food finally came out. But before that came the toasts.  If there was one thing she could count on, it was that Big Macintosh wouldn’t go for very long.

She drained her glass, wishing it was filled with cider rather than water.  For most of the day, excitement had overwhelmed her nerves, but that was wearing off.  Getting up in front of Twilight and Applejack’s friends and family and making sure that she didn’t totally ruin the moment would be quite the experience. At least there was the consolation that most of them didn’t know her. If she screwed up that badly most of the audience would never see her again anyway.

Big Macintosh cleared his throat and stood.  The murmuring died down almost instantly as everypony took their seats and turned to face the table.  Twilight and Applejack waited with baited breath for him to begin.

“All my life,” he began, “I knew that Applejack would eventually find a very special somepony, and I thought it would be my job as her brother to put the fear of Tartarus into them.  Fortunately for her, she found somepony that I know is gonna treat her right. Fortunately for me, I still have a little sister, so I still have a chance to scare somepony.”

Lyra chuckled. Big Macintosh had an odd sense of humor.

“But seriously, I know that my sister found somepony who loves her and makes her happy.  And I couldn’t ask anything more for her.” He smiled. “Congratulations, to both of you.”

The audience clapped.

“Thanks, Big Mac,” Applejack said as she gave her brother a hug.

Lyra took a deep breath. It was her turn now.  Her mouth was dry as she stood up, despite the drink she had taken moments before.  She could see Bon Bon sitting at one of the side table, waiting to see what she had come up with.

“I’m no expert when it comes to romance,” she said. “Bon Bon can tell you that much.” The audience laughed, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Really, it’s almost a miracle that Twilight and Applejack are still together after taking advice from me.” There was more laughter. Even Bon Bon cracked a smile. “But in spite of me, I think they’ll be okay.  I may not know them quite as well as some of you, or have known them for quite as long as you have, but I do know that they love each other.

“And I’m not talking about that ‘Hearts and Hooves Day’ kind of love, where it’s all flowers and candy and cards shaped like hearts.  I’m talking about the love they have for each other even when they’re in a bad mood, or tired, or grouchy, or when things aren’t going so well.  Because there are going to be some rough spots, there will be times when they get on each others’ nerves, sometimes they’ll butt heads.

“But the thing is, that’s unavoidable. Anypony who’s ever been in a relationship knows it.  Nopony is perfect, and nopony is going to have a perfect relationship.  But that’s okay, because, well, what makes a real relationship, what makes it strong, what makes last, it isn’t whether or not you can avoid having problems.  What makes or breaks it is whether they can keep on loving each other even when the problems pop up.  And I know that Twilight and Applejack can.”

She smiled widely and raised her glass. “Congratulations, you two.”

Lyra leaned back in her chair, wishing she could put her back hooves on the table.  It would be in bad taste, of course, though at this point it was unlikely anypony would notice.  Twilight and Applejack had finished their meals, left the table and made their rounds through the reception, stopping by each table to personally thank everyone for coming.

Twilight’s parents had been proud of their daughter, of course.  Twilight’s mom had fought back tears during their whole conversation.  Twilight’s dad had fought the urge to give his daughter and daughter-in-law such huge hugs that he ruined their dresses. When he had welcomed Applejack to the family with a friendly noogie, Rarity had shot him such a cold glare that Lyra got chills just from watching.

Shining Armor had been even more… affected.  The sight of Cadance rolling her eyes as she gave her husband yet another tissue was something that Lyra would remember.  Even Big Macintosh had gotten caught up by emotion.  Out of everypony, only Apple Bloom had escaped the flood of sentimentality.  She spent most of the reception scurrying around with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

Even Celestia had teary eyes as she offered Twilight and Applejack her congratulations.  Lyra shivered when she realized that she had given a speech to a princess, and that she had gotten applause for it.

Before long, the bouquet had been tossed, and caught by Cheerilee, much to Big Macintosh’s non-surprise.  The happy couple had enjoyed their first dance, and now the DJ was getting the party started in earnest.

Now would be a good time to go find Bon Bon, Lyra decided. She’d have finished putting out the desserts by now, and Lyra was anxious to catch up with her.  And maybe get her onto the dance floor to boogie a little.  After so much standing and sitting, Lyra needed to move around a bit.

She got up and began to weave her way through the crowd towards the dance floor.  As she reached the edge, the pounding beat subsided.  “Figures,” she grumbled. “I finally get a chance to show off my moves and they put on a slow song.”

“Care to dance anyway?” asked a familiar voice from behind her.

“Oh, Bon Bon!”

“Shall we?”  Bon Bon waved a hoof at the dance floor.

“As if I could say no to you.”  Lyra held out a hoof.

Bon Bon smirked and followed Lyra out onto the floor. “It’s not everyday that I can dance with you.” She began to sway as she listened. “Besides, I like this song.”

Lyra rolled her eyes as she and Bon Bon began to dance.  When she thought of dancing it meant feeling the rhythm and getting down with it, not slowly stepping back and forth in circles.

“You did a wonderful job with your little speech, Lyra.”

“Thanks,” Lyra said with a smile. “I’d never have figured out all that stuff if not for you.  I mean, not that I… uh.  There was probably a better way to put that.  I guess I should thank you again for putting up with me.  I’m pretty sure it isn’t always easy.”

“Of course not.  You said that much yourself.” Bon Bon laughed. “Besides, it isn’t like I make it particularly easy for you either.”

“Eh, it’s worth the hassle.” Lyra stuck her tongue out. “I get free chocolate, after all.”

“I should’ve known you only married me for my chocolate.”

Lyra winked. “Not just for the chocolate.” She looked down at her hooves, to make sure she wasn’t going to step on Bon Bon’s. “You really think my speech was good?  You know I’m no good at these sorts of things.”

“You could’ve fooled me.  I thought it was lovely.  But more importantly, it was real.” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “I was afraid you were going to get up and start spouting clichés about how lovey-dovey they are and how happy they’ll be.  Instead” —she leaned in and gave Lyra a peck on the nose— “you went and reminded me why I married you to begin with.”

Lyra blushed. “Don’t pretend you forgot.”

“Of course not.  But it never hurts to be reminded.”

“I’ve got an idea,” Lyra said as she hopped to the side to avoid colliding with Cheerilee and Big Macintosh. “How about after we see Twilight and Applejack off, we go out and do something. You know, go out for dinner or something. It’s been forever since we’ve gone on a date night.”

“I’d like that,” Bon Bon said. “Though it’ll probably have to wait till tomorrow. We promised Big Macintosh we’d help clean up, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Lyra groaned. “Guess there’s a ton of work behind a wedding, huh?”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “There’s a lot of work behind anything worthwhile.”

A loud record squeak echoed from the loudspeakers as the song ended. “Alright!” the DJ called. “Let’s have some fun!”  A new song started, this one comprised mostly of drums and electronic squawks.

“And this is where I take my leave,” Bon Bon said with a sigh. “You know as well as I do what will happen if I try to dance to this.  You remember what happened last time.”

Lyra snorted as she tried to hide her giggles. “Well, it’s not like you danced.  It was more like a full-body heave set to music.”

Bon Bon’s cheeks were red. “At least I tried.  I will catch up with you later."

“Sure thing!” Lyra watched Bon Bon disappear back into the crowd. Then she started to bob her head. “Now this is music to dance to!”

Rarity stood just outside Sweet Apple Acres’ gate, watching with distaste as her friends finished decorating the coach that was going to take Twilight and Applejack off on their honeymoon.  She was quite proud of her elegant soap calligraphy on the back window. The customary “Just Married” had never looked better.  She couldn’t say the same for everything else.

“Pinkie Pie, you are putting entirely too many balloons on that carriage!” Rarity grumbled. “At this rate, Twilight and Applejack would float away, never to be seen again!”

“Nah, they’d totally be seen again!” Pinkie said as she tied yet another balloon to the roof. “I’m not sure where they’d be seen, but somepony would see them.”

Rarity shook her head. “Pinkie, that’s not the point.”

“Actually, I think she’s right,” Rainbow Dash said.  “With the way the winds are right now, if the carriage does lift off, it’d probably end up drifting to Cloudsdale.”

“What are we, shredded wheat?” grumbled one of the carriage ponies, who had been waiting with remarkable patience as the wedding party decorated the cart.

“You could just detach yourselves from the harnesses,” Rarity said. “And again, not the point!  I just want the carriage to not look utterly absurd!” She poked one of the cans that hung from the bumper.

“Fine job you did of that,” said the other carriage-puller. Rarity ignored them.

“But that’s the whole point!” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “I spent like half an hour putting those on!” She shooed Rarity away from her handiwork. “You leave them alone.”

“I have no plans to remove your soup cans, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity wrinkled her nose. “I do wish you’d have taken the time to remove the labels first, but I suppose it’s too late for that now.  I just hope the clatter won’t be too loud.”

Fluttershy poked her head out of the carriage window. “I’m all done getting the inside ready.  Is there anything else you need me to do out here?”

“Streamers!” Pinkie hurled a hoofful of streamers over the edge of the roof and onto Fluttershy’s head.

“Hey, are you guys almost ready?”  Spike emerged from the gate. “Twilight and Applejack want to get going soon, and Lyra can only keep them distracted for so long.”

“We just have to finish the streamers,” Rainbow Dash answered. “It’ll take us like, two minutes, tops.”

“Great. Twilight and Applejack obviously want you to be there when they say goodbye to everypony before they leave. I’ll go let Lyra know that you’re almost done.”  He scurried back to the festivities.

“Can you believe it!?” Pinkie squeaked. “They’re actually married!”

“It is quite surreal,” Rarity said as she carefully tied one of Pinkie’s ribbons to the carriage’s fender. “After planning for so long, it really is an odd feeling to know that it’s actually happened.”

“It’s not that weird,” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, I know Twilight drags her hooves sometimes, but did anypony really think that they wouldn’t go through with it?”

Fluttershy tied her ribbon in a bow. “I knew they would get married, I just didn’t think it would be so soon.”

“Soon?” Pinkie snorted, somehow spraying a bunch of glitter over the carriage’s roof in the process. “What do you mean, ‘soon’?  They took, like, forever!”

“It’s soon, relatively speaking,” Rarity said, wrinkling her nose at the sparkly mess Pinkie was making. “Though I suppose it won’t be long before Twilight and Applejack are back, and things will seem, well, normal.”

“Normal, huh?  I dunno about that.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “This whole thing is a pretty big change.”

“Well, everypony has been through lots of really big changes,” Fluttershy said. “I mean, when Twilight first moved to town, that was a pretty big deal, but now it’s hard to imagine what it would be like if she weren’t around.”

Pinkie nodded vigorously in assent. “Yeah! It’s like when I first moved to Sugarcube Corner and my head almost exploded like a balloon filled with confetti because there was cake everywhere!  And now there’s still cake everywhere, but my head doesn’t almost explode anymore.”

“I suppose that ‘normal’ is a bit of a relative term,” Rarity said with a shrug.  “Are you almost done?  If we take much longer Twilight and Applejack will get suspicious.”

“What, you’re expecting them to be surprised that we put a bunch of stuff on their cart?” Rainbow Dash asked as she wiped the last of the glitter off of her hooves. “I’m pretty sure one of them would’ve thought about it.”

“It’s a carriage, Rainbow Dash, not a cart,” Rarity said.

“Well, whatever it is, we’ve got all the streamers on it now!” Pinkie leaped to the ground and admired her work.  “I think we did pretty good.”

“I, uh…” Fluttershy searched for the right words. “I suppose you could say that. It’s supposed to look a little ridiculous, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s perfect!” Rainbow Dash hovered for a few moments before heading back down the path. “How about we get back to the reception before they wonder where we went?”

Pinkie hopped after her, followed by Fluttershy.  Rarity watched them go, then looked back over her shoulder at the carriage.  Twilight had come quite a long way since that conversation in the library.  Rarity smiled. She had expected nothing less from her friend.

Twilight and Applejack stood in the kitchen of the Apple Family Farmhouse. Just outside the door, they could hear the murmuring of the crowd, waiting for them to make one last appearance before they hopped in their carriage.

“Ugh, I feel so glad to finally be out of that dress.” Applejack ran her hoof through her mane a few times to make sure it was suitably mussed, then put her hat on. “Now that’s more like it.”

“Aw, I thought you looked good!” Twilight said with a chuckle as she carefully hung her own gown on the hanger that Rarity had provided. “You should braid your mane more often.”

“We’ll see about that, alright.” Applejack made on final adjustment to her hat, then looked at herself in the mirror. “Huh. I almost look normal.  I’da thought that Rarity’s makeup would’ve stuck on a bit longer.”

Twilight put a hoof around Applejack. “So? Yes, you looked nice, but normal is good too. After all, you were just being normal when I fell in love with you, remember?  I wouldn’t want you to be anything else.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I guess normal is good,” Applejack said, “even if it’s not the same.  A new normal is fine by me.”  She gave Twilight a squeeze. “What do you say we get on our way?  It’s been a long day, and it’s high time we got some time to ourselves.”

“I’d like that,” Twilight answered. “It feels like it’s been forever since we were alone together.”

“Well, in that case, let’s go.”

The gathering of ponies cheered as Twilight and Applejack emerged from the farmhouse.  Lyra forced her way to the front of the crowd.

“Alright, everypony be quiet!” she shouted. “The time has come for Twilight and Applejack to get out of here.  They just want to say a few words to everypony before they go, and then they’re off on their honeymoon!”

“First of all,” Twilight said, “we want to thank all of you for coming.  Today has been wonderful, and it wouldn’t have been the same without you celebrating it with us!”

“We know it was a big hassle for a lot of you to make it,” Applejack said, “but it really means a whole lot that you all went to the trouble of bein’ here.  But now, we got a reservation waitin’ for us and as much as we like hangin’ around here, we got a honeymoon to go on.”

“Thank you again for helping to make this day so great!” Twilight waved at the crowd. “Goodbye!”

The crowd began to clap, and parted as Twilight and Applejack trotted through. As they emerged from the gaggle of ponies, they found Lyra waiting next to the path.

“The carriage is ready to go, and all of your luggage is already loaded,” she said. “All you have to do is hop on.”  She leaned in, a wide smile on her face. “Make the most of your honeymoon.  Things will be back to normal before you know it.”

“Normal is okay with me,” Twilight said with a laugh.

“Not that we won’t enjoy ourselves,” Applejack added. “Thanks, Lyra. For everything.”

Lyra just waved her hoof dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.  I did what I could, and that’s it.  Just do me a favor and enjoy yourselves, okay?”

“Will do!” Applejack nodded with determination.

“And the first part of that is getting there on time!” Twilight said, giving Applejack a light tug. “Thanks, Lyra. We’ll see you in a few weeks.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll see you too. Now get moving already.”

Applejack and Twilight laughed, and headed down the path.

Twilight’s head was a whirl as she accompanied Applejack down the path.  They were married.  They had said their vows, exchanged rings, and filed all the proper paperwork.  How long had she spent planning it?  But now there was nothing left to plan.  No more proposals, no more worrying about impressions, no more seating charts… just spending their lives together.  Her lip quivered as she thought about it.

“You okay, Twilight?” Applejack asked.

“Never better,” she answered. “It’s just… it’s a lot to take in.” She rocked to the side, giving Applejack a bump. “You feel the same way, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.  Good thing we got the next two weeks to get it all figured out.”

They walked through the gate, and found themselves face to face with the carriage.

“Wow,” Twilight said. “Pinkie sure did a number on that, didn’t she?”

“TA-DA!” Pinkie’s shout was accompanied by an explosion of confetti and a blaring horn. “How do you like the carriage?!  Isn’t it great!?”

Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Spike emerged from behind it.

“It’s…” Applejack bit her lip to keep from laughing too hard at Pinkie’s enthusiasm, “quite something, Pinkie.”

“Needless to say, all the… stuff was her idea,” Rainbow Dash said as she knocked on the side of the carriage. “You two have a great time, okay? I hear the weather in Los Pegasos is supposed to be perfect.”

“We sure will,” Applejack said.  “And I really gotta thank you all again.  Without all of you, I don’t know where we’d be.”

“Somewhere else!” Pinkie said, winking.

“Yes, I don’t know how I would have managed without all of you keeping me from going crazy,” Twilight added. “I owe all of you so much!”

“You don’t owe us anything, Twilight.” Fluttershy gently put her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “We just want you to be happy.”

“Yeah,” Spike said. “We just did what friends are supposed to.”

“You did way more than that, Spike,” Twilight gently ruffled his spines. “You put up with me for all that time, and never complained about it.”

“Nah, it wasn’t that big of a deal,” he answered. “So it wasn’t exactly easy sometimes, but seeing you two here makes it all worth it.  I like helping you, Twilight.” He paused. “And you too, Applejack. Or at least, I think I will. It’ll be hard to tell until you actually move in.”

“Don’t you worry about that, Spike.” Applejack patted him on the shoulder. “You’re family now.  And I’m glad that you’re part of…” her voice trailed off as she heard an odd squeaking noise. She turned around. “Rarity, are you cryin’?”

“I’m sorry!” Rarity sniffed dramatically and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. “It’s just… it’s such a happy occasion!  Seeing the two of you together…”  She loudly blew her nose.

“Oh come on!” Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her face. “You were doing so well today with not crying!”

“I… I made it through most of it!” Rarity sniffed. “Two of my best friends are getting married, and you expect me not to shed a tear of happiness?”

“That’s sure better than tears of sadness!” Pinkie said.

“We’re all just so happy for you!” Fluttershy hopped into the air and hovered. “We just really really want you to enjoy your honeymoon.”

“We sure do!” Spike cleared his throat. “We know that we already got you a bunch of wedding presents and whatever, but we wanted to do something special for you!”

“What?” Applejack blinked in surprise. “Y’all didn’t have to do that.”

“Maybe not” Rarity said, “but we did nonetheless.”

Rainbow Dash stomped her hoof on the ground. “We all chipped in and got you tickets for the Daring Do Movie Set Tour!”

“You should totally bring her back a souvenir!” Pinkie added. “The tickets are on the seat inside the carriage, by the way.”

“We’ll see what we can do,” Twilight said with a laugh. “And thank you.  All of you.  I don’t know what else to say.”

“You can say ‘goodbye’!” Rarity said. “You’ve hung around here with us for long enough.”

Twilight and Applejack exchanged a glance and a nod.  They spent a minute exchanging goodbyes and hugs with their friends, and climbed into the carriage.

“See you in a few weeks!” Spike pounded his claw on the side of the carriage.  The carriage ponies, who had been growing restless, finally started to move.  The gravel path crunched under the wheels, and as the carriage rolled down the road, the cans that dragged behind it clanged loudly. “And congratulations!” he shouted.

Twilight and Applejack waved through the back window. Their friends waved back. The carriage grew smaller and smaller, finally vanishing into the distance.

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike spent a moment of silence staring at the now empty road.

Then Spike broke the silence. “So, uh, not to ruin the moment or anything, but what do we do now?”

“I suppose we should go back to the reception and begin to clean up,” Fluttershy said.

“And it begins.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I guess I’ll go round everypony up now that the party is over.”

“And I’ll take care of the leftover food!” Pinkie said as she bounced along behind Rainbow Dash back towards the reception.

Spike sighed and began to walk back with them. “It’s so weird how things can go back to normal so quickly.  I mean, we were just all partying and everything and now it’s all over.”

“It’s hardly over, Spike,” Rarity said as she patted him on the back. “Behind every wonderful, spectacular, memorable moment, there’s usually just a lot of plain, old, hard work.” She smiled. “Things will be back to normal soon enough, and normal is hardly a bad thing.  Normal is only what you make it, after all.”

Spike nodded. “I guess it is.”

“Now, what do you say about helping me pack up all of the dresses so they don’t get dirty during the cleanup?”

Spike smiled. “I’d love to.”

The End