A Romance in Twelve Scenes

by WovenWord

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Comedy, Random, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Applejack
Length: 6208

Applejack's been through a lot in the last decade. She's faced great evils, found love, traveled across Equestria... and she's getting hammered right now. So why don't you take a seat, and let her talk your ear off for a bit?

Hey you.

Yeah, you.

C'mere, sugarcube.

Lemme tell ya a story.

Published 2013-05-03 07:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-05-03 07:30:01 UTC

"It's about a mare I saved the world with... over and over again."

—1st—

Must've been around ten years ago when it started. We didn't have many moments of peace and quiet no more. They'd gotten so rare, that we might as well have just called them breaks from routine.

I didn't have much time to spend 'round the farm either, but that was okay. Apple Bloom had picked up the slack, and it didn't even cut into her job that much. "Flexible schedule," she told me.

Gotta say, I didn't see myself savin' Equestria every other week while I was growin' up. Not even when we first met Twilight. I just figured the adventures would eventually peter out and we'd all settle down as we grew older.

Nope.

They just kept gettin' more and more frequent.

—2nd—

"I'm really sorry about this, girls."

"It's fine."

"I understand I keep pulling you away from your jobs and—"

"It's fine, sugarcube."

"I would appreciate a bit of forewarning, though." Rarity flicked a hoof at her mane. "It seems as if the princess always waits until the ghastly monster of the day is about to topple Canterlot before she calls on us."

"I'm right here, you know," said the boomin' voice from above us.

"Yes, yes, darling. We'll be right with you."

The giant dragon swiped a claw at the tip of the mountain, causin' it to crumble and fall towards the city below. All of them rocks and snow just hit the colorful shield surroundin' Canterlot, while our Elements sparkled.

"Stop doing that!" bellowed the big lug, tryin' to swipe us off his shoulder, only to hit a similar shield.

"You know, it doesn't really feel like a Wednesday. It's like there's something missing," Pinkie said, hoppin' alongside the group as we made our way closer to the beast's neck, slowly approachin' his much more vulnerable-to-harmonious-rainbows mouth.

"I know what's missing from my day. A nap. Did you know I got up at six in the morning to organize that thunderstorm over town?" Rainbow pointed at the dark clouds that could be seen gathered far below us. "I haven't even practiced today!"

"I'm afraid I'll have to reschedule our spa appointment. It's gotten dreadfully late. How does tomorrow sound, Fluttershy?"

"Oh, umm... I think I had to help the wolves with some territory disputes... but I can hurry it up! I'm s-sure they won't mind." Fluttershy turned to look at Rarity, though I ain't sure how much she could see through the blindfold. It also had to be a mite disorientin' bein' carried along upside down in a magical field.

"Nonsense! We'll go later in the week, darling."

"Ooh! I know what's missing! I didn't have my morning playtime with the twins!"

Twi sighed beside me. "I'll try to make it up to all of you."

"Hey, don't be so down, hun. It ain't your fault." I raised my voice so the others would notice. "Maybe some ponies could stand to not be so negative all the time. Might not make ya feel like we're pittin' it all on you. "

A couple of seconds passed in silence.

Well, as silent as it got, ridin' on a big ol' dragon in the middle of a rampage.

"We're sorry," came the chorus of replies.

Twi smiled that sweet lil' smile. The one she gets when she's still worried, but knows deep down that it'll all be okay. "Thanks, AJ."

"Anytime, sugarcube."

Her horn flashed, and we started walkin' up along the neck.

Sometimes I got the feelin' that those things were more annoyin' than dangerous.

—3rd—

I guess the ones that really scared me—even if I'd never admit it to a certain pegasus—were the ones when we didn't have the Elements around. Be it 'cause the princess thought it weren't worth it to take them out, 'cause we weren't in a place where it'd be easy to get to them, or 'cause they just wouldn't get to us in time.

"You know, I'd like to have a normal vacation for once. See the sights, go to shows, enjoy the Las Pegasus nightlife with all of you..."

"Oh, Rainbow. You mean you're not enjoying yourself? I'd have imagined this would be thrilling for a pony like you. What with all the danger and the edginess, as you'd put it."

"Oh, shut up, Rares. I'd never be so lame. Seriously, making a pun when we're about to be diced up like carrots?"

"Mmf mmmf, mmf mmmmf mmmf mmmf mmf mmf mmmf mmf?"

"Umm, I-I can't really see the knot, Pinkie. And even if I could, I'm not sure I'd be able to tell which kind it was... sorry."

"Y'all would keep yammerin' 'til ya landed in Tartarus, wouldn't ya?"

"Well, what the hay would you have us do, AJ?! Just kick back and die quietly?"

I looked up—or was it down?—at the spinnin' blades that were gettin' closer. "Ya could just wait for Twi to take care of this."

"I do hope she's okay... a-and, if it's not too much to ask, I hope she hurries."

"Mmf mmmmmmmf mmmf mmmf mmmmf?"

"Yes, quite..." Rarity scrunched her nose up and hummed. "Now that the gates are wide open, I do wonder if a trip to Tartarus would be like going to a really hot sauna."

"Hey, Rares, you're a unicorn." Rainbow squirmed against the ropes. "Can't you do something about this?"

"Oh, sure, darling. Let me just untie us, so our demise may be swift." Rarity huffed. "I just know we're going to make a mess of this place. And all over those nice silk drapes, too. Red clashes horribly with green, I'm afraid."

I sighed and tried to tune them out. I knew Twi would make it.

And she did, of course. Wouldn't be sittin' here tellin' ya this, otherwise. She had to plow her way through a whole mess of guards and that demon king fella.

Gal just broke down and cried once she set us all free.

I still remember holdin' her, sobbin' against my chest.

—4th—

"We should visit Ponyville soon."

Twi's horn shone a bit brighter when she said that, makin' our lil' pocket of rocks less gloomy.

"If we have the time, sure. I'd love to drop by the Acres. See how Bloom and Mac are doin'."

"Rarity would probably like to see Sweetie and her parents too. I know you and the others don't talk about it to spare my feelings, but it doesn't mean you don't get homesick."

"Twi, you ain't seen your family in ages, either. We don't see you mopin' around. "

She fell silent for a while.

I could hear the thumps of somethin' heavy walkin' above us. Rocks shifted all around in our cavern-like hideout, lettin' loose some dirt that fell between us.

"Applejack... you girls are my family." I snapped to attention as she tried to hide her face from me. "It just doesn't seem fair. I get to see all of you every day. And the princesses and Spike whenever we're called back to Canterlot."

Took me by surprise. It was true that we didn't talk much about it, but we all knew that this weren't somethin' that Twi could help. Or the princesses, for that matter.

By the time my head got back into gear, I was smilin' at her. Dunno if she noticed, since I couldn't see her eyes under the dim light and the shade of her bangs, but I smiled all the same.

"You know we all feel like that, sugarcube. Heck, I already made y'all honorary Apples, remember? You take up a big chunk of my heart, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

She blushed. I swear she blushed. Low light be damned.

"I... You still have other close family members."

"So do you. S'just the cards we've been dealt, not much more to it."

"Well, I'm happy to have you by my side. I mean, not that you're all here right now, I just—uh... I-I mean—"

I chuckled as the lil' glow from her horn dimmed a bit. "They'll be back by tomorrow, Twi. You'll see."

We spent hours under those rocks, talkin'.

Just talkin'.

I'm pretty sure that's when I first felt it. Somethin' warm in my chest that kept buildin' up, makin' me all fidgety.

But it was a complicated thing. I didn't really understand it.

And, once I noticed it, there wasn't much time to figure it out right then and there. So I pushed it into the back of my mind.

I'd have time for it later.

—5th—

"No, please!"

"Rarity."

"What have I done to deserve this?!"

"Rarity."

"My body is too pure for such a—"

"Rarity!"

"...What?"

"S'just a lil' sewer water."

"That's the worst part!"

"Oh? I thought you'd be more concerned about the flesh-eating insects up on the surface." Twi rolled her eyes as Rarity whimpered. "Come on, this part's really shallow. It's not like we're asking you to go near the deep end."

"She's already gone off the deep end," I muttered.

"You're all mad ponies. Mad, I say! When we get back to the suite, I'm going to scrub your hooves with bleach, until there's nothing left to scrub!"

Twi narrowed her eyes. "Rarity, you stay away from my chemical cabinet."

"When we get back, I'm gonna take a shower and then a nap. You so much as touch my hooves, and I swear I'll use your mane brush on my tail."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Girls! Stop it." Twi eyed me for a second before I backed down, and then she turned her glare upwards. "Rarity, it's just some dirty water. You can clean up later. We've been through much worse things. Now, will you please jump down from that crate?"

Rarity looked at us, then at her hooves, then she turned to look up at the hole we'd crawled down, then back at us. "...No."

"I'll rescind your air freshener bubble."

You ain't never seen a pony grovel, 'til you've seen Rarity grovel. "Please don't make me do this, Twilight! I'm begging you."

Eyes wide and poutin' lip. And some ponies wonder where Sweetie Belle got it from.

"Ugh. Here." Twi's horn flared for a bit, matched by that same color appearin' 'round Rarity's hooves.

The action tickled my memory somethin' fierce, but I couldn't quite pin it down. "What is that?"

"The cloud-walking spell. It already allows you to walk on condensed water vapor. As a side effect, it lets you walk on bodies of water because... well, it's obvious."

I blinked.

"Oh, come on! That wasn't nearly as complicated an expla—"

"No, no. I just... I actually understood that. Which is kinda new, so I was lettin' it sink in."

Rarity had already jumped down. Hooves hoverin' just above the water level, and a shinin' grin on her face. "Oh, darling! Thank you!" she gushed, wrapping Twi's neck up in a fierce hug.

Twi started to lift a foreleg, plannin' on huggin' back. "You're welcome, Rari—"

"Don't touch me!"

I don't think I'd ever seen that prissy lil' thing bolt backwards so fast.

Rarity grimaced. First from disgust, and then from thinkin' over her own words.

"I-I mean... I'm sorry, darling."

"Forget it, Rarity." There was a hint of hurt in her voice, buried somewhere 'neath all the irritation.

Rainbow's voice echoed down the tunnels. "Hey! We found the hatchery!"

"We'll be right there!" Twi motioned for Rares to take up the lead.

"I really didn't mean to—"

"Get moving."

Twi jerked her hoof in the water, makin' it splash up a bit when Rarity passed by her side.

"D-darling, please be careful."

I smirked at Twi and started to stomp my hooves a mite harder than I had to as I walked forward.

"Applejack, that's not funny."

Twi started movin' faster.

"Twilight, this is not how a lady should behave!"

We both started chucklin' as Rares ran away, wailin' at the top of her lungs.

"No, please!"

And there it was again. That complicated lil' thing. And I knew what it was, mind you.

I liked feelin' it, too. I liked that we could still have that, in the middle of everythin'. Kept me grounded. Made me not feel like some random solution bein' thrown at every problem, just hopin' it'd go away.

I knew what it was, but I just couldn't...

I mean, I didn't know if I...

Fine! I was confused, okay?! Don't give me them judgin' eyes.

...

I can still see you.

Stop hidin' behind your mug.

—6th—

That's better.

Now, ya know how those ol' stories go? Dark, stormy night and all that?

"I think I'm going to get sunburn. Honestly, the princess could at least lower the temperature a tad for us."

This weren't like that. But I like that openin', "It was a dark and stormy night." Don't rightly recall if we were ever out and about durin' one of those, so I might never get to use it.

Oh, well.

"I-I'm just not so sure about this. Why do we have to be the vanguard, again? Isn't that, um, the job of really strong ponies? Like soldiers? Or ponies that at least have some tenuous relationship with the military?"

"I think you look great in armor, Shy."

"Well, thank you, Rainbow. You also look..."

"Pretty awesome, huh?"

Ever been to the plains at the edge of the Macintosh Hills? Everythin's dead out there. Could really use some earth pony lovin'.

"Focus, girls. Now, remember, don't stop to fight anything other than the one with the scepter. The militia's here to keep most of them occupied, but we'll be dealing with that one ourselves. Got it?"

"Got it!" came four replies and a squeak.

"Hey, Twilight?"

"Yes, Pinkie?"

"You've been saying 'that one', 'the one' and 'that thing' a lot lately. Doesn't he have a name? Or a race? Ooh, you think we could ask him before we send him off with his friends? I'd like to know before we set up his party. Somehow, I don't really like a banner that says 'Welcome back, thing!'"

Ya know what's weird? Twi usually gets all fussy-like when she has to deal with Pinkie bein'... you know. But, for some reason, instead of makin' me wanna butt in and help her, I've always found it kinda cute and silly.

"Pinkie, there's a reason he's referred to in the texts as 'The Unnamable'. There's supposed to be no way to accurately describe him, and he doesn't belong to any particular race. I don't even know if it's a 'him'!"

"Well, darling, you're about to have a close encounter with it anyway. Here they come."

Hold on, I need another one of these.

Yeah, just leave the bottle. No, I ain't stoppin' anytime soon. Whaddaya mean "designated escort"?! Oh, shove it up your—

Bah! That tender's crazy, I tell ya. I ain't drunk, and I'm pretty sure this ain't my eighteenth pint, neither.

Anyway, where was I?

"My minions will descend upon you with the wrath of a thousand gods!"

Oh, right. That guy.

Have you ever charged into an army of immortal soldiers?

No?

Well, ya get used to it.

"Rainbow, cover us! AJ, at my flank! Everypony else, fall behind us!"

At that point, there were few things more satisfyin' than seein' Twi get bossy.

Needless to say, we ran straight into that death trap. Between Twi's magic, my buckin' and RD's dives, we cut our way through. It didn't even matter that we were just pushin' them around instead of beatin' them.

Ya see, that army could be as immortal as all get out, but the baddie controllin' it weren't. So it was a pretty flimsy plan to begin with.

"Hey, Twi!?" RD screamed over the noise and rattle.

"What?!"

Five more of those things smashed into pieces around us.

"I thought you said that thing was impossible to describe!"

"Yeah!"

Eight more, flyin' through the air.

"Well, he looks like a regular unicorn to me!"

Thirteen more. Pinkie was havin' a lot of fun that day.

"Look, I don't write the thousand-year-old texts, okay?! I just read them!"

And there he was.

We skidded to a halt in front of him. His whole army was behind us, but they were a mite occupied.

"Ah, so you come to face your doom."

Gotta admit, his voice did manage the whole creepy thing, even if he looked just like a regular ol' unicorn.

Twi shot first. Large blast of pure magic that he swatted away with his scepter thingy. It looked like a big white glowin' bone. Real prettified bone, with jewels and whatnot. But still, a bone.

I usually bite down on Rainbow's tail to stop her from doin' dumb stuff. Ya know why? 'Cause otherwise she does things like chargin' at an ancient horror—failin' to realize her wings can be bound by a single spell—and then gets tossed aside.

Between my buckin' rocks at him, Pinkie's cannon and Rarity's... naggin', we kept him occupied while Fluttershy ran over to check up on Dash, and Twi charged up a spell.

Seems he was expectin' that, though. With one wave of his boney thing, he knocked us all down and absorbed the spell Twi shot at him, firin' it back at her. Twi teleported away, but then realized she was standin' on this glowin' red ring made up of lots of letters I couldn't read.

She looked up and our eyes met for a second. In that moment, I saw somethin' that I never wanna see again.

She was scared.

It wasn't the scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs type of scared. Or the everythin's-dark-and-spooky type.

No. It was the I-ain't-gonna-make-it type of scared.

A chill ran down my spine, and I realized that I was scared too. And it wasn't 'cause I was thinkin' "I'm gonna lose a friend." Or thinkin' "We're gonna lose our leader." Sure as hay weren't thinkin' "The Elements won't work no more."

You could make a case for me not thinkin' at all. But I do remember one thought crossin' my mind. It was a selfish thought, really. Not one that should come from... what do they call us again? A paragon of virtue.

Makes me wince every time I remember it. It's a horrible thought to have when you're about to lose someone so important.

I haven't told her yet.

"Twilight!"

I tackled her.

I don't even remember runnin' towards her. Just her body givin' out against mine. The ground explodin' behind us. And a searin' hot pain down my side.

I've still got the scar.

I've seen you eyein' it a couple of times now. Rainbow said it was "pretty cool". I just think it's a big ugly thing I can't scrub off.

"Th-thanks, AJ."

I swallowed hard. Darn dry throat. Desert's fault, honest.

"Any... Anytime, Twi."

Okay, so maybe it was more of a pained croak than a case of dry throat. I think that might've clued her into me bein' hurt. That or the red pool formin' under me.

Twi's scary when she gets mad.

I could feel her magic closin' it all up as best she could, makin' sure I could at least stand.

The Unnamable unicorn fella was gettin' a full dose of Pinkie when he felt a blast of magic hit his side. He didn't seem any worse for wear, though.

"Anti-magic shell," he boasted, pointin' at his armor. "What now, little pony?"

I can't be sure if Twi enjoyed it—I've never known her to find pleasure in the sufferin' of others… 'cept for Chrysalis, maybe—but I sure smirked when she dropped a mountain on that lil' hayseed.

Now, between you and me, that's when I knew.

I'd been keepin' this whole ball of knots under wraps for a few years by that point. But after everythin' that happened that day, that's when I knew I was just bein' silly.

We didn't have to remember that ol' sayin', "Live each day like it's your last." We were reminded of it every time we woke up shakin'. Every time we had a close call. Every time we had to split up for one reason or another, and we didn't know if we'd ever see each other again.

Through it all, the only thing we could really hold onto, the one thing helpin' us not lose our noodle, was hope.

So, as a good lil' would-be courter of Equestria's greatest student, I applied what I'd learned. I decided to hope.

'Cause in the end, it weren't so complicated after all.

I'd still have to tell her if anythin' was to come of it, but I also figured I'd wait 'til the best moment to do so.

—7th—

"I love you!"

That was not the best moment. Wasn't the best place, either. In fact, I'd probably count those seconds among the worst of my entire existence. But they were also sure to be some of the last, so I had to let it out before it was too late.

"Y-you... what?! This is—"

The wall blew up into wooden splinters next to her, the cuttin' edges barely gettin' caught in her magic before causin' her any harm. I could see the giant, bloodied fangs on the other side of the hole—heck, I could probably see what the darn thing had for breakfast, what with how big its mouth was.

It always amazed me how Twi could pull off any look. And I ain't talkin' about makeup or any of that stuff Rarity likes. I mean the ol' battered and worn type of looks. 'Cause even with her charred horn and the flakes of shrapnel stuck in her mane... I swear, she looked beautiful.

"This is a really bad time!" she screamed, over the creature's ear-splittin' roar.

"I know! I just had to tell you before—"

"If you so much as hint at this thing killing us right after I've heard the first confession of my life, you've got another thing coming!"

—8th—

"I wish we could have normal dates."

"I dunno what you're talkin' about. This is the most normal date we've had in months."

I bucked the timberwolf right in the head. That thing had no business goin' near the dessert table.

"Yeah, but look at all we had to do just to reach some semblance of normalcy." Twi willed a hydra out of existence. "The whole town is full of royal guards, the princesses are coming in a few minutes, everypony else is patrolling the Everfree's limits—"

"And not doin' a great job of it, I reckon."

Twi always gets all nervous with big events. Ain't every day that the Summer Sun Celebration is hosted by Ponyville, but it weren't such a big deal, either.

"They're doing the best they can. Maybe we should go help them? I feel bad just sitting here and—"

"Twi, ya need to relax." I bucked my chair at the cockatrice slitherin' up behind me. "They're all doin' this so we can have a day off... and keep the town in one piece before the celebration. Now, how 'bout we enjoy our breakfast and each other's company, eh?"

She rolled her eyes and smirked. Weren't quite a smile, but I was gettin' there.

"You know I always enjoy your company. Don't you think we should do something about all the ponies hiding under the banquet table, though?"

I looked at all the empty chairs next to us, and the shakin' shapes cowerin' under some of Granny Smith's finest dishes. I hummed and squinted for a while, before I realized there was really only one thing I could do.

"You gonna eat that?"

I took his mewlin' as a "no" and grabbed the fritter on the plate next to mine, tossin' it to Twi. "Here, sugar! Catch!"

I love watchin' Twi munch on some sweet Apple treat. It never fails to put a smile on her face.

"See? That's some good cookin'."

It also makes me remember the day we met. She must've really taken a likin' to our recipes back then. I'd never seen a Canterlot filly downin' so much food in one go—that, and she was the only one aside from Pinkie that managed to finish our traditional Apple family welcomin' feast.

Why, she might've started carvin' herself a special place in my heart way back then.

Seems like ages ago.

—9th—

"You know? They say that relationships started under strenuous circumstances don't last long."

"Sugarcube, our lives are kinda full of stren—uh... those kinds of times."

"That's true." She turned for a moment, lookin' out over the Empire, before her eyes found their way back to mine. "AJ... are you just asking because the world is about to end?"

"No, Twi. I'm askin' 'cause I know it won't." I grinned. And I can tell ya, I didn't have to force it. Nothin' could beat the happiness I felt just by lookin' at her. "So... will ya?"

She nodded slowly, that sweet lil' smile makin' an appearance again.

I could've jumped for joy if I hadn't been in the position I was. So I did the next best thing: I leapt off my knees and locked lips with her.

As we kissed, I looked behind her at the moon, fallin' closer and closer over Equestria. The view from the top floor of the Crystal Palace was a great place to see the world off.

Of course, that wasn't what we were there for.

With a high pitched sound, the thingamajig we'd set up beside us began to glow. A ray of golden light shot out from the highest tower of the palace, meetin' several others that were comin' from different cities all over the land. Together, they formed a stronger beam that blasted up against the moon, stoppin' it in its tracks, and then pushin' it back towards the sky.

No matter how bad the odds may be stacked against ya, there's one thing you can count on:

Your friends will always come through.

—10th—

I'm guessin' you've noticed by now, but we didn't have the privilege of schedulin' peaceful days.

"And so, with the power vested in me..."

So it shouldn't be much of a surprise when I tell ya that our weddin' didn't go exactly as planned.

"...I now pronounce you mare and wife."

Okay, maybe it did go kinda as planned. We'd already expected an interruption. And I swear to this day, Twilight cooked up an answer for every possible thing. She even set up this mind link thingy between everypony, to make sure she could communicate with us quickly and all, in case of an emergency.

"You may now kiss the bride."

"Oh, ha ha. Real funny, princess."

'Cept, of course, she weren't expectin' a reality-hoppin' overmind takin' control of her body.

"What's wrong, honey? Don't you want to kiss me?"

"I'll kiss ya when you're yourself again and I'm not hangin' from my hindlegs, shackled to a wall!"

Not that I didn't wanna kiss her, mind you. Twi's got her kinks and I got mine. I don't think she would've held it against me, but... you know, priorities.

"You know Twilight won't like it if I don't get you two married today." Goin' by her tone, it's like the princess didn't pay no mind to the fact that she was in a cell. "She has all those bookings ready for the honeymoon."

"Yeah, well, all the blood's rushin' to my head and I ain't feelin' so hot right now, so I'm in no condition to get married. Also, ya didn't even ask for our vows!"

"I'm trying to keep up with the schedule. You two should've been arriving at your reception ten minutes ago."

"I'm still wonderin' why you ain't bustin' us outta here already."

"One problem at a time, Applejack. One problem at a time."

"And where's Luna?!"

Twi's got this deep laugh she does whenever she goes all evil on us. Gets me warm in all the wrong places. "Oh, she's a bit... tied up at the moment. I sent Organic Scouting Unit 'Rainbow Pie' after her."

Gotta say, it was a tad creepy the way that thing acted so similar to when me and Twi are, uh…

"You can just call 'em Rainbow and Pinkie, ya know?"

"I like to see you squirm, my love."

Real creepy.

—11th—

And then, of course, we get to yesterday's ceremony. It seemed like everypony in Equestria had gathered to watch the princesses seal those darn gates one last time.

All our hard work had paid off. It was time to try and retake our lives.

"Ponies of Equestria!"

I'd never heard Princess Celestia's royal Canterlot voice before. Trust me, you don't wanna be standin' right next to her when she uses it.

"We are gathered today for a momentous event! These past years have been painful for our nation—for all of us—but none have felt this pain more than the six mares that stand before you. Noble souls who put their lives on hold to help their fellow ponies."

It was intimidatin', bein' up there. I bet you were in the crowd somewhere, but all we could see was an ocean of eyes lookin' up at us on the raised platform.

"Were it not for them, our cities would lay in ruins. Our lands razed beyond repair. These are heroes who'd already proven their worth, and today we owe them more than our lives!"

The princess was downplayin' her actions, along with Luna's. Wasn't like they'd just sat back while the world burned around them, but I guess they're just modest like that.

"Every fiend that escaped from Tartarus is now securely imprisoned beyond these gates."

Real impressive worksmareship there, by the by. I heard they hauled special materials from all over the world to build those things. More solid than Mount Canterlot. And probably more enchanted than the Crystal Empire on a bad day. Big, fancy shapes had been carved into every inch of their surface.

"Today, they will be sealed by my magic. May we never have need to open them again."

Princess Celestia moved back, facin' the gates. She shoved her horn into a small hole. I'm guessin' it was like the lock she put on the door that used to keep the Elements safe, 'cause the carvings started lightin' up.

I didn't notice it. In fact, I think everypony was so absorbed in what the princess was doin', that nopony noticed one of us was missin'.

The lights started actin' all wonky, movin' outside the lines of the carvings. Cracks started to pop up all over.

We all stood there, starin' with our mouths hangin' open as the whole thing started to fall apart. The princesses bolted to our side, shieldin' us from the fallin' chunks of stone.

There was silence for a moment, before these big shadowy figures burst out and flew up into the sky, leavin' behind trails of smoke and shootin' off in every other direction.

And then it was silent again.

For some reason, the five of us turned to look back at the wide open gates. A smilin', bouncin' and really pink pony was comin' out of them.

Twi didn't take it well.

"Y-you... what..." She sputtered and made weird hoof motions as words failed her.

"Yup!" Pinkie grinned. "It wasn't easy, either. Had to pull in all sorts of favors!"

I think our combined glares told her that she was in deep trouble, 'cause her grin started gettin' strained 'round the edges.

Twi was still tryin' to form a sentence. Or maybe she was just tryin' to choose from one of the many questions flyin' around her head. She finally settled on, "Why, Pinkie? I just... I just want to understand. Why?"

Pinkie's whole body sagged as she sat down. She started fiddlin' with her hooves, lookin' plenty guilty. I don't think I've ever heard her so quiet. "I... I like adventuring with all of you."

It started off as a low chuckle, growin' steadily into a full on guffaw. Now, I know my wife's laughs like the back of my hoof. I can tell when she's doin' it 'cause she's happy, irritated, mockin' or just plain fakin' it. This laugh, though? It was none of those. I figured she'd finally snapped.

I think the princesses had a similar idea, now that I look back on those grimaces they were tryin' so hard to keep hidden.

It's a mite damnin' when ya pretty much gather all of Equestria in a single place and the only thing you can hear is the creepy laughs of a mare who's just had enough.

So here I am, hidin' from my wife. My loopy and beautiful mare, who can probably find me with just a thought. Don't matter if I travel halfway 'round the world or throw myself into the depths of the ocean, she'll always know where I am—one way or another.

I want you to know that, even with all of this, I love her. I wanted to let her cool down for a spill, ya know? But once we're on the road again, I'll always stick right by her side.

I get where Pinkie's comin' from. I really do. I confess that I got antsy before the ceremony, thinkin' about how things were gonna change. We'd been through so much together, that I'd forgotten where our lives were at before the whole thing started.

We were all doin' pretty good for ourselves. Rarity's business was boomin'—she was about to open up a new shop in Canterlot. Dash had been leavin' more and more frequently for her Wonderbolts trainin'. Twi had just been offered to serve a new position at Canterlot Palace.

Our lives were pretty good, but they were doin' as lives do... I knew we were slowly driftin' apart.

And that's normal. It's natural. You grow older, you get more responsibilities and less time to spend playin' or hangin' out. That don't mean I had to like it, though.

We knew it was happenin', too. We were tryin' to keep seein' each other as often as we could. But it got harder and harder to get us all in one place at the same time. And I could tell it was gettin' to some of us. Pinkie's trot had a lil' less bounce in it. Shy wasn't leavin' her cottage as much anymore.

That's when this whole mess happened. And we got closer than we've ever been before.

Ten years.

Truth is, I was scared. I didn't know what would happen to me and Twi when we got back to our normal lives. Sure, we were married, but that don't make the farm disappear. And it don't make all the plans Celestia has for her disappear, either. I sure wasn't about to let her turn away from everythin' she'd worked for, just to stay close to me.

So yeah. I guess, in some way, I'm thankful that Pinkie did it. Now, don't get me wrong. Even though I love Pinks, and much as she may be the sweetest and most innocent out of all of us, I swear by Celestia that I would've wrung her pretty lil' neck right then and there if we didn't need her for the Elements.

Heck, I bet the princesses themselves would've thrown her into the dungeon for treason.

And wouldn't ya know it, these beasties ain't dumb. They know we can beat'em now. So they figured it weren't such a smart move to stick around in Equestria. Now they're movin' all over the place. Up in Griffia, down in Zebrica, across the ocean...

Now I'm thinkin' I might be hidin' 'cause I don't want Twi to see me celebratin'. That may be true, but I—

The 12th Scene

Applejack snored with her cheek against the bar counter. A puddle of drool was starting to form under her, as she kept her last bottle in a firm grip.

The fetching young pony sitting next to her was still nursing an untouched mug of cider between fidgeting hooves.

There was nopony else left in the establishment. Even the bartender had been missing for the last hour. That's why it was easy to make out the hoofsteps coming from the front door, drawing the pony's attention.

"There you are, dear."

Twilight Sparkle strode in with a strange smile on her face. Not quite a happy smile, not quite a grimace. The wild eyes and frazzled mane weren't helping, either.

In a flash of magic, an excessive amount of bits appeared on the counter, while Applejack's body was moved to lay splayed across the retreating mare's back.

"Come on. Our airship leaves early tomorrow, so we need to get a good night's rest. Definitely can't have my nerves wracked as I think about what I'm going to do to Pinkie..." her voice trailed off as she left the building.

The hoofsteps faded back into the distance, as the door creaked to a stop.

The pony slowly turned to look down at the full mug, and took the night's first sip.