The Apple Tree

Chapters

Chapter One: The Gift
Chapter Two: It’s Not Lunch, Darling, It’s Luncheon or How To Give Your Sister a Heart Attack
Chapter Three: Shooting Stars and the Psychology of Repressed Romantic Urges
Chapter Four: Storm Busting
Chapter Five: These Eyes Are Cryin' In the Light of a Fading Star
Chapter Six: What The Heart Needs
Chapter Seven: A Tall Hot Glass of Applejack and Brothers Who Just Won’t Shut Up
Chapter Eight: 9x - 7i > 3(3x -7u)

Chapter One: The Gift

It was a beautiful fall morning in Ponyville. There was a slight nip in the air, though the sun was shining brightly and a soft breeze wafted the brilliantly colored leaves littering the ground into the air. Applejack breathed in deeply, her eyes closed as she took in the fresh morning air. She was hitched to a cart of apples and was bringing them into town to sell. The cart was heavily loaded and represented the last of the fresh apples for the season. Apple Bloom skipped along beside her, for once helping her big sister out.

“Hey sis,” Apple Bloom chirped as she hopped in front of Applejack for maybe the fiftieth time.

Applejack opened her eyes and smiled at her sister, “What is it, sugar cube?”

“When we get into town, can I go find Scoot and Sweetie? Scoot had these plans yesterday about how we can get our cutie marks that almost surely cain’t fail!”

Applejack rolled her eyes, “I thought y’all were gonna help get these apples to market. Y’gonna bail on me now?”

Apple Bloom cringed a little, stopping her little skipping game for a second, before an idea seemed to occur to her, “What about after?”

“Sure thing, ‘Bloom.” Applejack smiled as her little sister performed a little pirouette of joy. “Now, take a look at th’ order sheet and lemme know where the first load gets dropped off.”

Apple Bloom trotted up to the cart and hopped up to the seat, checking the clipboard resting on the seat. She ruffled through the pages and scanned through the orders. “Looks like Pinkie Pie ordered a couple barrels o’ Fujis and Granny Smiths,” she reported, “then Ms. Cheerilee at the school put in an order for four barrels o’ Red Delicious... Hmm. Looks like Twilight put in an order for a couple barrels too.”

“Really? What kind did Twilight want?”

“One barrel of Granny Smiths and a barrel of Cortlands. No Red Delicious this time. She must be on a diet again.”

Applejack chuckled. “She needs t’stop worryin’ so much. She looks fine just the way she is, though I gotta say that the Cortlands are awful sweet this season. I don’t know how much of a diet Twi’s gonna be on with a barrel of ‘em.” She considered for a moment then asked, “So that’s the school, Sugarcube Corner, then the Library. Anyone else or is the rest just goin’ to the market?”

“Naw, just the first few stops, sis. Ms. Rarity even put in an order for a barrel o’ Pink Ladies. Then Mayor Mare had an order for six barrels o’ mixed crop. Wow, six barrels? Is the Mayor plannin’ a party?”

Applejack shook her head, “Nah. She’s jest getting’ ready for Nightmare Night. Apples’ll keep a good while an’ you know how the Mayor likes to be prepared.”

Apple Bloom nodded absently, not really focused on the clipboard any more. She pointed a small hoof down the road, saying, “Hey sis, looks like somepony’s on the road ahead!”

Applejack turned her attention back to the road ahead and squinted her eyes. Sure enough, far down the road around an oxbow bend and just visible through a gap in the trees, she saw a pony walking along in a slow, meandering gait, something hovering in front of the pony’s face. “Looks like Twi’s comin’ to us this time,” Applejack chuckled.

Apple Bloom hopped down from the cart and dashed up the road calling enthusiastic greetings to the lavender mare ahead of them. Applejack kept trudging along, pulling the laden cart at an even pace so the apples wouldn’t bruise. She smiled to herself at the thought of her little sister hopping around the absent-minded librarian, one of her five best friends. Twilight was always into some book or other and it always took her a minute or two to pull herself out of their pages before she could function socially. She could just imagine Apple Bloom’s effect on Twilight as the little pony danced around asking a dozen questions and moving on to another dozen before a single question could be answered.

She heard Apple Bloom’s piping voice from up ahead peppering Twilight Sparkle with the predicted barrage of questions, “…know that earth ponies cain’t do magic magic like unicorns can, but can a pony get her cutie mark for magic if she tries really hard? Do you like my new bow? Applejack gave it to me yesterday and I been jest dyin’ to show it off! Have you seen Scoots and Sweetie Belle? We’re gonna get our cutie marks for sure today, I just know it! What book are you reading? Is it about cutie marks?”

Sweet Celestia! Thought Applejack, That little filly has more questions in her’n a dog has fleas! I best hurry up a pace and help poor Twi out ‘fore she does that little eye-twitchy thing. She picked up her hooves and stepped up the pace a bit, still keeping the acceleration smooth to avoid bumping the apples too much. Before too long, she had caught up to her little sister and was able to slow down a bit.

“Well howdy there Twilight!” She called, suppressing a chuckle at Twilight Sparkle’s frazzled expression.

Twilight brightened when she heard her friend’s greeting. “Oh, Applejack! Hello! How are you today?”

Apple Bloom had stopped her litany of questions and chatter and shot her big sister an irritated look before sulking for a moment, muttering to herself, “And now I won’t get answers to any o’ my questions!”

Applejack chuckled, “Fine and dandy, Twi, n’ you?”

“Oh, I can’t complain. I’ve just gotten a new shipment of books in from the Canterlot Royal Library a couple days ago. I was really digging into them, but I guess I must have lost track of time a little… Spike threatened to stop cooking if I didn’t get out and let him put away some of the books.” She laughed a little and rubbed a hoof through her mane self-consciously. “So now I’m taking a walk. I could have sworn I was heading into town, though…”

Applejack rolled her eyes, “If y’took yer nose outta them books every once in a while, y’might see where you were goin’!”

“It’s ironic you say that, as this book is about navigation techniques for overland travel…” Twilight trailed off, an embarrassed blush coloring her lavender cheeks. “Well, I meant to go into town. I think I’m supposed to meet Rarity for lunch over at a new café in town and I didn’t want to be late. Oh, hey, that reminds me! Do you want to join us? Rarity said she’d try to get Fluttershy. And of course you can bring Apple Bloom,” she said, smiling at Apple Bloom, who perked up immediately.

“Oh, I don’t know, Twi…” Applejack hedged, “I got all these apples to sell and deliveries to make, too. ‘Sides, you know Rarity’s tastes’re a bit too fancy for a honest country pony like yours truly. I don’t know if I’d fit in too well.”

“Oh, c’mon Applejack!” Apple Bloom piped in, “pleeeeeeease? You never take me on grown-up stuff!”

Applejack sighed. “What about yer friends, little sis? Won’t Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle miss you?”

“Well, I guess…” Apple Bloom looked a little guiltily toward Ponyville, “But they’d understand! Besides, if Rarity’s gonna be there, Sweetie’s prob’ly gonna be there too!”

“Rarity did mention that she’d be bringing Sweetie,” said Twilight brightly. “She said something about preventing Sweetie Belle from burning down the boutique for lunch.”

Applejack glanced over at her little sister whose eyes had gotten big and pleading. Her bottom lip even quivered in a full-on pout. “All right, all right,” she grumped, “We’ll go. But we need t’ make the deliveries first.”
“Wooohoo!” whooped Apple Bloom, jumping up in the air in a full back flip.

Applejack rolled her eyes again and turned back to Twilight, “So do you wanna walk with us into Ponyville? You keep on goin’ like you are, you’ll most likely end up in the middle of the West Orchard somewhere surrounded by the Red Delicious trees!”

Twilight blushed a little, “Oh, so you noticed that, huh?”

“Sure did!” Applejack winked, “But just between us fillies, I don’t think y’need it, sugar cube. You’re fine just the way y’are. ‘Sides, the Cortlands you ordered are nearly as sweet as the Red Delicious this year. Granny Smith’s been making apple preserves from ‘em and I swear y’cain’t tell the difference.”

“You’re too kind, Applejack,” said Twilight brushing it off, “but the star pupil of Princess Celestia has to keep up appearances! At least, that’s what Rarity always tells me. ‘Image, my dear Twilight,’” Twilight’s voice took on the overly dramatic and faux-French tones of their friend, “’Image is everything!’ So I’m giving it the old college try.”

“Pffff,” snorted Applejack, “Don’t pay no mind to Rarity, Twi! Leastways, not enough to stop you from eatin’ a good apple.”

Twilight ran her hoof through her mane again, a nervous gesture which Applejack found quite endearing, “I suppose you’re right… Anyway, I’d be glad for the company on the way back to Ponyville!” She levitated her book into her saddlebag and fell in beside Applejack.

The three ponies laughed and talked all the way into Ponyville, just enjoying each other’s company and the fine Fall day. “Well, it looks like our first stop is comin’ up,” Applejack said. “We’ll meet you n’ Rarity over at the café ‘round lunchtime!”

Twilight nodded happily and her horn lit up as she pulled her book out from her saddlebag and opened it back up, “See ya then!”

Apple Bloom waved her hoof after Twilight and then started looking around Ponyville for her friends. The town was bustling, even though it was still fairly early in the morning. Ponies strolled together down the cobbled streets or stood together in little groups talking. Good-natured greetings and a general lively hubbub filled the autumn air with a low buzz of activity. Applejack chucked Apple Bloom on the shoulder gently, “C’mon Bloom. We gotta get on over to Sugarcube Corner. The Cakes’ll be wantin’ their shipment of apples. And maybe you can get Pinkie Pie to give you a free cupcake.”

“Woohoo!” Cheered Apple Bloom, leaving off her search for her friends, “I love cupcakes!”

~*.*~

They arrived at Sugarcube Corner and pulled the cart along to the service entrance round back. Apple Bloom jumped up and rang the bell. It didn’t take too long before the door was opened and they were greeted by Pinkie Pie’s poofy mane and cheek-splitting grin. “Apples!” The pink pony cheered. “I love apples! And Apples!” She bounded out of the bakery and jumped up into the cart, rooting around the various barrels. “Ooh! These are perfect Applejack! Just what I need for my latest creation… The Chocolate Apple Explosion!”

Applejack raised a questioning eyebrow, “Apples and chocolate? I love apples as much as the next pony. Well, probably a whole lot more’n the next pony. Anywho, point is, apples n’ chocolate don’t sound all that appetizin’ to me.”

“Of course not, silly!” Pinkie giggled. “That’s ‘cuz you forgot to add the explosion! Everything’s better with explosions!” The pink pony bounded down from the cart and helped Applejack unhitch herself from the harness.
“Right,” deadpanned Applejack, “how could I forget about the explosions?” She climbed up into the cart and pulled out the ramp. Then she checked her order form and found the barrels with Sugarcube Corner labels. She hammered lids down on them and tipped them on their sides, rolling them down the ramp and onto the street outside of the bakery.

Pinkie meanwhile, had produced a bag of balloons and was creating a menagerie of balloon animals for a giggling Apple Bloom. The animals were extremely short-lived, however, and every time they popped, an explosion of confetti rained down to Apple Bloom’s hysterical laughter.

“Pinkie,” wheedled Apple Bloom, “you got any cupcakes for your favorite Apple?” She smiled a big cheesy grin up at Pinkie.

“Hmmmmm…” mused Pinkie exaggeratedly, “I might have a cupcake or two for my favorite Apple. But who’s my favorite Apple?”

“Me! Me! It’s me!” Apple Bloom hopped up and down, twirling and dancing around in front of Pinkie.

Pinkie tapped a hoof to her chin, an expression of utmost concentration on her face, “Who could it possibly be?” She mused. “Ah! I know! It’s Big McIntosh!”

“Awwww,” groused Apple Bloom, “That ain’t fair! Big Mac’s always yer favorite!”

“Well,” said Pinkie, blushing a little, “he is…Big! But I’ll get you a few chocolate cupcakes if you give your brother a couple apple turnovers I baked for him this morning!”

Applejack almost tripped over her hooves as she was rolling the last barrel of apples down the ramp. “You sweet on Big Mac now? I thought you had a thing for that musician mare… what’s her name… Lyra?”

Pinkie blushed and giggled again, “Oh, sure. Lyra’s a blast! But I also like Big Mac!” The pink baker skipped into the bakery, humming to herself, leaving Apple Bloom scratching her head.

“Sis,” she asked, “what’d you mean she’s sweet on Lyra? Ain’t Lyra a mare?”

“Sure she is,” answered Applejack, setting the last barrel upright next to the others and pushing the ramp back onto the cart. “But love is love. It don’t care much for mares or colts and strikes where it wills. T’ ain’t nothin’ wrong with two mares in love. Two stallions, neither.”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Makes sense to me, I guess. Say, sis, is there anypony got your eye?”

“Nah, sugarblossom,” said Applejack, “I ain’t got time for none of them romantic shenanigans. I got enough on my hooves what with the farm an’ all.”

Pinkie came back out of the bakery then with two bags clutched in her mouth. She set them on a barrel and giggled again, “There you go! That’s a dozen chocolate cupcakes for my favorite,” she rubbed Apple Blooms head with a hoof, “Apple. And a few apple turnovers for my other favorite Apple!”

“Yay!” Apple Blossom cheered and snatched up the bags eagerly, hopping up into the cart to dig into her treats.

Applejack laughed and gave Pinkie her clipboard, “Just sign here, Pinks.”

Pinkie signed the order form and Applejack tossed the clipboard up into the cart. “Oh! Pinks?”

“Yeeeeees?”
“Me n’ Twi n’ Rarity ‘re gonna be eatin’ lunch at the new café in town, you wanna join us?”

Pinkie’s face brightened, her already wide grin growing even wider, “Oh yes! It’s supposed to be a great little place! They do things with vegetables that I’ve only ever heard of whispered in legends and stories of the old times…”

“…Right,” said Applejack a little worried now, “Uh, sounds good. Where is this place anyways? Twi forgot to mention that little detail earlier.”

“Ooh! I know this one! It’s down by the spa and it’s called Café Rodeon! Yes! Pinkie’s the winner!”

“Okay, thanks Pinkie. We’ll see y’all there come lunchtime!” Applejack hitched herself up to the cart again and walked down the street with Apple Bloom happily munching on chocolate cupcakes and waving to the pink party pony.

The rest of the deliveries went quickly and smoothly, though they did have to drop off Rarity’s barrels at the Carousel Boutique as the prissy fashionista was out. A note was stuck to the back door which read, “Out at the spa. Please leave deliveries at the back door. ~R.”

The two ponies offloaded the two barrels of apples at the back door with an invoice that they pushed through the mail slot. As Applejack was hitching herself back up to the cart, Apple Bloom asked, “Hey sis, how come you never go to the spa?”

“Oh, I don’ know sugar beet. It’s a lot o’ bits for pamperin’ and there’s other things to save money for,” Applejack replied a little absentmindedly. “The fence on the south pasture needs mendin’, the roof’s leakin’ a mite in heavy rain so there’s shingles to buy, then the cider press ain’t getting’ any newer, and there’s money t’ save for when you go off to school, if that’s what you want…”

“Yeah, I know all that, sis, but Sweetie Belle says that Rarity takes her there all the time and it’s amaaaazing!”

Applejack chuckled softly, “I’m sure it is, Apple Bloom. But it ain’t my cuppa cider. It’s just too fancy for a simple-“

“-country farm pony. Right.” Apple Bloom interrupted, a little edge of sarcasm in her voice. “But you deserve something amaaaaazing, sis! You’re the best big sister ever and you don’t do nothin’ for yourself! It ain’t fair!”

“Well bless your heart, blossom, ain’t you just the sweetest thing on four legs! Don’t worry none about your big sister, Apple Bloom. I got everythin’ I love and need and don’t want for nothin’. It’s enough and more’n’ enough for anypony to have all the blessins’ I do!”

Apple Bloom folded her forelegs stubbornly, “I still think it ain’t fair. Couldn’t you ask Rarity to take you sometime though?”

“It ain’t polite to invite yourself somewhere,” remonstrated Applejack sternly, “and I been brought up better’n’ that. And so have you! If Rarity wanted to take me to the spa, I’d say ‘no thankya’ ‘cuz an Apple also don’t accept charity. We work hard for our bits and we-“

“-pay for what we get.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, “I know, big sis. Still, you deserve it!”

Applejack chuckled and winked at her sister, “Well thanks, sugar cube. It means a lot to hear that from you; now let’s get these apples to market. Big Mac’ll want his apple turnovers and he’s bound to have the stall set up by now.”

~*.*~
Applejack and Apple Bloom made their way into the market, slowly maneuvering their way through the press of shopping ponies. Lyra Heartstrings was singing and playing her lyre with her instrument’s case open in front of her. Applejack noted the musician had already collected a fair amount of bits as she performed and she smiled to herself, Now that’s a pony who can keep her hooves on the ground, even if her head’s up in the clouds, she thought, Lyra must be one of the best musicians in Ponyville and she still plays the market! Ain’t no type o’ livin’, but ya gotta admire her humility. The smell of grilling vegetables mixed with spiced wine, cider, and wassail along with a pungent mélange of spices from various other stalls. The warm smell of ponies—a mix of hay, sweat, and fresh air—mixed nicely with the nip in the morning air and Applejack felt her heart swell with love for this place her family had made their home.

She edged the cart through the crowd and up to the Apple family’s stall. Big McIntosh was already there, selling the various finished goods produced by Sweet Apple Acres. There was apple butter, apple scented candles, apple honey, apple pies, dried apples, hot and cold cider (both hard and soft), apple bread, apple preserves, and a dozen other apple-themed goods prepared by Granny Smith and the other Apples when they weren’t out in the orchard. “Howdy there Big Mac,” Applejack greeted her big brother cheerfully, “Sales been goin’ okay?”

Big McIntosh considered the question for a moment—as he did with anything—and responded, “Ayup.”

Apple Bloom jumped down from the cart and onto her big brother’s shoulders, giving his neck a fond hug. “Howdy there big brother! Happy to see the two prettiest ponies in Ponyville?”

Big Mac chuckled and nodded, “Ayup.”

“Quit bein’ such a chatterbox and help me get the rest of these barrels unloaded,” interrupted Applejack, finally unhitched from the cart and pulling out the ramp.

A few minutes later, Big McIntosh and Applejack had gotten the cart unloaded. Apple Bloom suddenly remembered something and hopped back onto the cart, grabbing the little bag Pinkie had given her earlier that morning. She tossed it to her brother and, in a sing-song voice said, “Pinkie Pie sends her loooooove! Big Mac and Pinkie, sittin’ in a tree…”

Big Mac caught the bag in his teeth and blushed. He set the bag down on a barrel and nosed it open, eyes widening in appreciation at the treats nestled within. “I don’t get it, Big Mac,” Applejack said grumpily, “you won’t touch Granny’s apple turnovers, but Pinkie makes ‘em and you gobble ‘em up! What gives?”

His mouth full, Big Mac just gave a noncommittal grunt and shrugged his massive shoulders. “I know what it is,” chimed Apple Bloom, “it’s ‘cuz he’s in loooooove!”

Applejack rolled her eyes as Big Mac ignored them both and munched on his snack. “Hey sis,” Apple Bloom piped, “can I have some bits for the market? We got some time ‘fore lunch and I wanna see if there’s anythin’ for Twilight in the market t’ thank her for invitin’ us.”

Applejack pulled her Stetson off and rummaged inside of it with a hoof and pulled out a small bag of bits. She emptied a few golden bits out of it and handed them to her little sister with a smile, “Now that’s right sweet of ya’ Apple Bloom! Fluttershy’d better watch it, ‘cuz your gunnin’ for the Element of Kindness. Now git on little pony; me and Mac have business to discuss. Keep outta trouble and meet me back here ‘fore noon, okay squirt?”

“Yes ma’am!” Apple Bloom grabbed the money and trotted off into the market.

“Now Big McIntosh,” Applejack said with syrupy sweetness, “let’s have a little talk about Ms. Pinkie Pie…”

~*.*~

Apple Bloom wandered through the market, looking at the various stalls with a critical eye. Now what would Twilight like? She thought. Books, duh, but she’s already got a library full of ‘em. She passed several stalls selling perfumes, jewelry, and other frilly accessories. Nah. Ms. Rarity’d want somethin’ like that, but Twilight’s not really into the girly stuff.

“Apple Bloom! Hey Apple Bloom!” A familiar voice called out over the general din of the market, interrupting Apple Bloom’s train of thought.

“Oh, howdy Scoots!” Apple Bloom called happily. She ran over to her pegasus friend who was practicing tricks on her scooter by the fountain in the market square.

Scootaloo stopped her scooter and grinned as one of her best friends trotted up. “Watcha doin’ today, Apple?”

“I’m gonna go with my big sister to that new café, Café Rodeon with Ms. Rarity, Twilight, Ms. Pinkie Pie, and maybe Ms. Fluttershy. I’m tryin to find a present to give to Twilight to thank her for invitin’ me and my sister.”

“I guess that’s pretty cool… Oh hey, is Rainbow Dash gonna be there!?” Scootaloo asked, suddenly interested.

“I dunno, maybe. When my sister n’ her friends get together, Ms. Rainbow Dash’s usually in the mix.”

Scootaloo grinned, “Hey, can I come? It’s been two days since I saw Rainbow Dash. That’s way too long to not see Equestria’s awesomest pony!”

Apple Bloom shrugged, “Sure, I guess. Sweetie Belle’s gonna be there, so it’s not a mares-only lunch. C’mon, help me find somethin’ for Twilight!”

“Okay, Apple,” said Scootaloo smiling, “got any idea what you’re gonna get for Twilight Sparkle?”

“Not yet,” said Apple Bloom, turning and beginning her circuit of the market again. “But I’m sure we’ll find something!”

~*.*~

“Oh, c’mon Apple Bloom,” moaned Scootaloo, “it’s been like, twenty minutes and we’ve seen every stall in the market and you haven’t bought anything! Booooring.”

“But I don’t wanna get Twilight just anythin’,” Apple Bloom explained, “it’s gotta mean somethin’.”

“Why? Why can’t you just get her a book and be done with it? She loves books! She’s the town librarian!”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, “Duh, she’s the town librarian! She has a bunch of books! No, it needs to be somethin’ special.” She scanned the market stalls yet again and found her eyes settling on one particular stand that she hadn’t really paid any attention to before.

“Hey, let’s go over there,” she said, pointing to the stall.

Scoots followed her friend’s pointing hoof, squinting her eyes, “What, the plant stand? What would Twilight Sparkle want with a plant?”

“Just c’mon! I think I have an idea!” Apple Bloom cantered over to the stall, not waiting for her friend.

The stall was run by a cheerful Earth Pony mare named Spring Blossom who had a pale cerulean coat and a soft butter-yellow mane and tail which were brushed out and braided with dozens of bows. She greeted the two fillies warmly and asked, “What can I help you two fillies find today?”

Apple Bloom studied the wares on display with a critical eye. There were dozens of different plants and flowers in various pots, all at various stages of growth. “Ummm… I’m tryin’ to get a gift for a friend,” she said, “but it’s gotta be special. I kinda had an idea that a plant would be a good present.”

Spring Blossom nodded her head, the bows all rippling in sync with her movements, “Oh yes, plants make lovely gifts. They can last for quite a long time, are quite beautiful, and they give back to the earth.”

“See?” said Apple Bloom, sticking her tongue out at Scootaloo, who rolled her eyes, “I told you!”

“Is there any plant in particular that you were thinking of giving your friend?” Spring Blossom inquired.

“Well…” Apple Bloom searched her imagination, trying to think of the best plant. Then it hit her and her eyes lit up, “D’ya have any apple trees?”

Spring Blossom laughed brightly and nodded, pulling a small pot from the back of the stall with a sapling growing from it. “It’s one of our perennial favorites. You’re lucky, this is the last one I had in the nursery. We’ll have to grow some more in the greenhouse over the fall.”

Apple Bloom paid for the sapling and then took off the bow which tied held her mane back and tied it around the pot. “There, perfect!”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and flapped her wings, “C’mon already! Let’s go meet your sister so we can go eat!”

Apple Bloom followed her friend, the gears in her head turning.Now, my sister says she don’t have no time for romance, but she cain't be right all the time. ‘Specially when I catch her sigh'n when she's lookin’ at that picture of her an’ her friends. Twilight’s always been real nice to my sister an’ it’s already like she invited us on a date! Sis said love didn’t care if you was a mare or a stallion… And with this present, Twilight’ll have to ask my sister about how to take care of it. She giggled at the thought, And if I know my sister, I know she’s gonna want to make sure Twilight’ll take good care of an apple tree!
~*.*~

Applejack cocked an eyebrow at the scraggly little sapling in the little pot her sister had balanced on her back. She thought it was a sweet gesture, but Twilight Sparkle was no gardener. “I think it’s right sweet of ya’ to buy Twi an apple tree, but, uh… Why an apple tree?”

“Because, sis, it’s the best plant! Duh!” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes at her sister’s denseness. “And Twilight’ll like it the best!”

“…Of course.” Applejack shrugged and dismissed the issue. “Ready t’get goin, sugarplum? Scoots, you comin’ too?”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom nodded enthusiastically. “Then c’mon, you two. Let’s go eat some lunch with the girls.”

~*.*~

Chapter Two: It’s Not Lunch, Darling, It’s Luncheon or How To Give Your Sister a Heart Attack

Chapter 2: It’s Not Lunch, Darling, It’s Luncheon or How To Give Your Sister a Heart Attack

Applejack followed in Apple Bloom’s and Scootaloo’s wake as they made erratic progress down the streets of Ponyville. Scoots would often pause to show Apple Bloom a trick on her scooter, or they’d get distracted by a window display in one of the shops. All in all, it set Applejack’s mind at ease. Sure, there were things that needed doing and work that could be done, but she was on her way to eat lunch with her best friends and her little sister. Life didn’t get much better. ‘Course, I don’t know nothin’ about this Café Rodeon, she thought a little sourly. If it’s Rarity’s idea, it’ll prob’ly be teensy portions o’ overcooked veggies. Somethin’ with a fancy name nopony could pronounce without soundin’ like I’m talkin’ with my mouth full. But even the prospect of bizarre foreign food couldn’t dampen her spirits. The chill in the air had mellowed out, though the breeze had picked up. Soon enough, Rainbow Dash and her weather ponies would be bringing in snow-laden clouds and the orchard would fall asleep under a thick blanket of snow.

She sighed wistfully as thoughts of the relative inactivity of wintertime danced through her head. Even the famed Earth Pony connection with nature couldn’t keep apple trees fruitful through the winter. It left the Apple family a little at loose ends through the winter, though Granny Smith always came up with something to keep the family busy. Usually, they’d be making barrels of cider to put aside and ferment through the winter and rolling out the aged cider to warm up and sell in the market. The Apple stall always did a brisk trade in Ponyville, especially the Apple family’s prime aged cider. Applejack shook her head to clear away the cobwebs. It wasn’t like her to get lost in her thoughts like this! That’s more Twi’s speed, thought Applejack, grinning at the thought of the absent-minded librarian getting lost on the road to Ponyville and ending up heading toward Sweet Apple Acres.

“We’re here!” Apple Bloom shouted.

Applejack shook her head again and examined the Café Rodeon. The building itself was a small cottage with several tables set outside. It was painted a rustic red, reminiscent of the Apple family’s barn, and had a hoof-carved wooden sign hanging above the door with a picture of a bucking pony on it as well as the words Café Rodeon. Rarity and Twilight were seated at a table outside and Pinkie Pie was pushing another table up to it to make for a larger seating arrangement.

Pinkie was the first one to spot them and she waved both hooves in the air enthusiastically, tossing confetti in the air and blowing a party horn. Rarity sighed and almost unconsciously levitated her drink out of the way of the falling confetti. Twilight just jumped a bit and almost spilled her drink trying to cover it with a hoof. “Hooray!” She whooped, “The Apples are here! Ooh, and Scootaloo!”

“Howdy there, fillies!” Applejack called out. Apple Bloom and Scoots had already run up to the table and greeted the others.

“Hey there, Rarity! Is Rainbow Dash gonna be here?” Scoots asked excitedly.

Rarity blinked in surprise, “Oh, why hello there, Scootaloo! Yes, Rainbow’s inside the café, trying to barter a free meal for ‘the best flier in Equestria’. Quite boorish if you ask me, but that’s Rainbow Dash for you: no sense of decorum!” She sniffed in dainty disgust.

“Howdy, Rarity! Howdy Twilight, and Pinkie Pie!” Apple Bloom grinned at each of the mares and performed an awkward little curtsey, trying not to tip over the sapling balanced on her back. “Thank ya kindly for invitin’ me n’ my big sister to lunch!”

Rarity smiled and rubbed Apple Bloom’s head affectionately, “How adorable! But really, darling, it’s not ‘lunch’. It’s luncheon. ‘Lunch’ is for ponies named Biff and Jock.”

“Funny,” said Applejack as she sauntered up to the table, “me n’ mine’ve always been fine eatin’ ‘lunch’.”

“Ah,” said Pinkie, “but I’d rather get my ‘lunch on’, then just get my lunch!”

“…Right.” Applejack and Twilight Sparkle said it at the same time and both burst out in laughter at once.

“I’m gonna go in and see Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo announced, “You comin’ Apple Bloom?”

Apple Bloom shook her head, “Nah, she’ll be out here in a minute. ‘Sides, I gotta give Twilight my gift!” She turned and carefully removed the potted sapling from her back and set it on the table.

“A gift?” Asked Twilight, “You didn’t have to get a gift for me Apple Bloom!”

“I know,” Apple Bloom kicked at the cobbles bashfully, “but my big sis always says it’s right n’ proper to thank a pony who invites ya’ somewhere. ‘Sides, I think you’re really gonna like it!” She pushed the sapling over to Twilight, an expectant look in her big golden eyes.

Twilight looked at the plant in front of her, confusion warring with polite gratitude. “Um, thanks Apple Bloom!” She said brightly, “But, uh, what is it?”

Apple Bloom giggled, “It’s an apple tree, o’ course, silly!”
“Apple Bloom!” Rarity exclaimed dramatically, “Oh, it’s absolutely adorable! It’s so sweet! An apple tree from an Apple! How droll!”

“Oh! Right! Of course!” Twilight cast a desperate look over at Applejack, who simply shrugged. She looked back over at Apple Bloom and smiled, “Thanks, Apple Bloom. I’ll make sure to plant it as soon as I get back to the library!”

Apple Bloom grinned and kicked at the cobbles again, a small blush coming to her yellow cheeks, “Tain’t much, Twilight, but I hope you like it.”

“Of course she does!” Rarity said, her voice positively syrupy. “Now where did Sweetie Belle and Rainbow go? How long does it take to embarrass oneself in every conceivable way?"

Right then, Scoots came bounding out of the cafe, gazing adoringly at her idol, who followed a moment later with an extremely smug look plastered on her cerulean face. Sweetie Belle followed Rainbow out of the cafe looking a little exasperated as Scoots did her best to show off in front of Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was regaling Scootaloo with yet another rendition of her Sonic Rainboom story and, even though she’d heard it a dozen times and told it two dozen times, Scootaloo was eating it up. Sweetie Belle saw Apple Bloom and trotted over to give her friend a hug hello.

Rarity looked irritated at Rainbow Dash, but Rainbow Dash didn’t seem to be paying attention as she arrived at the climax of her story, her hooves demonstrating the complexity of the stunt as she contorted in her effort to tell her story. Sweetie settled herself next to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Almost immediately, the two fillies put their heads together and started whispering excitedly to each other.

Twilight examined the sapling in front of her with a keen gaze and then looked over at Applejack, “If I’m not mistaken, this is a Red Delicious apple tree, right?” She cleared her throat a little self-consciously.

Applejack looked momentarily surprised, then replied, “Well, yeah. Yeah, it is a Red Delicious apple tree. How’d y’figure it to be Red Delicious? Was it the unique leaf shape? Or the branchin’ o’ the main trunk? Only a few apple trees branch like that and if you see one, it’s ten-to-one it’s a Red Delicious.”

“Oh, no. Um,” Twilight giggled a little, then turned the pot around, pointing to the label peeking up from the soil, “nothing so nuanced. There’s a label.”

Applejack laughed, “Thats what I get for tryin’ t’ over complicate things. That’s more your deck o’ cards.”

“Give me a little credit, I don’t always over-complicate things.” Applejack cocked a skeptical eyebrow at her and Twilight blushed and hurried on, ”That’s beside the point anyway. Still, I had no idea about all those things you said about apple trees. I guess I never really thought about it, but there’s quite a lot to learn about apple trees, especially if I’m going to take care of this one.”

“Well shucks, Twi, y’all got the best apple farmer in Ponyville right down the street! You can come on down t’the farm any time to ask questions or see plantin’ techniques. In fact, I just planted a new row o’ saplins up on the northern edge of the West Orchard. Maybe y’all can stop by and I can teach ya a little somethin’ about it?”

Twilight considered it for a moment, then nodded happily, “That sounds perfect! I’ll make sure to bring my notebook, some extra quills and ink, a few sterile flasks to collect soil samples...” Her horn began to glow as she levitated a notebook and quill from her saddlebag and began creating a list.

“Uh, sure Twi, go on and do that.” Applejack noticed Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle with their heads together and remonstrated, “Apple Bloom, y’see Sweetie all the time. Pick your head up and have a jabber at some o’ these other ponies for a minute, okay? Bein’ polite don’t cost nothin’ but bein’ rude can cost a friendship!”

Apple Bloom blushed and looked up from her conversation with Sweetie Belle, “Sorry sis,” she said contritely. “Uh... Ooh! Rarity, how was the spa? We saw your note on the boutique when we were makin’ deliveries!”

“Darling,” replied Rarity, closing her eyes in remembered bliss, “it was simply delicious. Fluttershy and I have a standing weekly engagement at the spa, but this was a little off the normal schedule. I’d just finished a rather arduous custom dress order,” she put a hoof to her brow melodramatically, “and was feeling so tense and stressed. I felt after such a monumental acheivement I simply had to treat myself to the full services of the spa. So I asked Fluttershy if she would join me and we luxuriated in pampered heaven for a glorious two and a half hours! She said she’d be coming to lunch, but had to check on her animals first.”

“See?” Apple Bloom shot at Applejack, “ Rarity said it was ‘glorious’! Don’t you wanna feel glorious sis?”

“Apple dumplin’, I feel glorious every single day I wake up and look out my window at the orchard growin’ on Apple family land for three generations. It’s enough for me-- or anypony for that matter!” She finished her little speech in a tone that brooked no further discussion on the matter.

The conversation livened up then as the others took their seats. Rainbow Dash began telling everyone about the new stunt she was perfecting for her latest routine which had Scootaloo perched on the very edge of her seat. While the other mares joked and laughed, Apple Bloom was thinking. Twilight’s reception of her gift had gone all right, but it wasn’t exactly what she was looking for… She wanted her sister and Twilight to fall in love, not to think she was cute for giving the librarian a plant. Even if it was an apple tree, objectively the best kind of tree, obviously.

“What has you so thoughtful?” Sweetie Belle whispered, interrupting Apple Bloom’s thoughts.

Apple Bloom blinked, “Huh? Oh, I’m just thinkin’ about my sister and Twilight.”

“How come? Is Twilight coming to your house or something?” Sweetie Belle glanced over at Scootaloo, obviously wanting the last Crusader to join in their little tete a tete, but Scoots was enrapt by Rainbow Dash’s dramatic retelling of her stunt story (with embellishments minor and major for her reduced audience). The others were chatting about the menu and pretty much ignoring the two fillies.

“Nah, nothin’ like that.” Apple Bloom leaned in closer, “I’m tryin’ to, y’know, hook ‘em up!” She smiled triumphantly.

“What? Why?” Sweetie Belle was nonplussed. “Why would Twilight and your sister fall in love?”

“I dunno... Sometimes, I get this feelin' that Applejack's real lonely. I think it's cuz our mama and daddy ain't with us..." She trailed off thoughtfully, then her voice picked up strength, "but my sister's the best big sister ever and she shouldn't be sad! So I was thinkin' that Twilight’s real nice, and my sister seems to like her well enough, and I wouldn’t mind havin’ her as another sister. Which’d happen if’n I could get them to love each other! Then Applejack wouldnt feel lonely any more!" Apple Bloom explained, the sheer simple genius of her plan striking her once again with its elegance.

Sweetie Belle didn’t seem to be convinced, “I don’t know, Apple Bloom… I don’t think you can make ponies fall in love like that. Besides, I don’t know if either Twilight or your sister even likes mares!”

“Of course they like mares!” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, “They always hang out together! I mean, I like mares! Well, fillies, anyway.”

“What?” Sweetie Belle squeaked, her eyes going wide, “You do?”

“’Course, I do, silly!” Apple Bloom chucked her friend on the shoulder, “You and Scoots are my best friends in the world!”

“I don’t know, Apple Bloom…” Sweetie hedged, rubbing her chin with one hoof thoughtfully, “I still think there’s something you’re missing here.”

“What could I possibly be missin’? It’s simple enough, Sweetie; when ponies love each other, they move in together and then hang out all the time!”

“But what about all that kissing and cuddling and stuff my big sister always moons on about after reading her romance novels?” Sweetie asked.

“Psh, romance novels. What does a book know anything ‘bout love anyway?” Apple Bloom waved a hoof dismissively, “T’ain’t nothin’ but a bunch o’ dry words on drier paper.”

Sweetie Belle considered this before shaking her head slowly, “Rarity always ends up crying or sighing a lot when she reads those books. I don’t think the books are dry, really. I mean, sometimes, my sister locks herself in her room all day with a new one and comes out with her mane all rumpled and her coat all messed up.”

Apple Bloom scrunched up her face and waved the argument off, “Sweetie, I’m talkin’ about real life. We both know your sister—as great as she is—can be stranger n’ a changeling at a hoedown! ‘Sides,” she announced magnanimously, “if’n Twilight wanted to kiss my sister, I wouldn’t mind. Just s’long as they do it when I ain’t around. I’m not much of a fan for mushy stuff.”

Sweetie Belle blushed, “I don’t know, Apple Bloom. It sounds pretty romantic… But why Twilight? Why not my sister?” Sweetie Belle lowered her eyes and looked away.

“Aw, Sweetie,” Apple Bloom smiled pulling her friend’s chin up with a gentle hoof, “I thought of yer sister first! But can y’really see yours and my sisters together? Like, together livin’ together?”

Reluctantly, Sweetie Belle shook her head, “No… I guess not.”

“Me neither,” Apple Bloom said a little despondently, “though it would be pretty awesome to have you as a sister!”

Sweetie Belle smiled a little sadly, “Yeah, it would. But you’re right, our sisters really wouldn’t be good together.” She sighed wistfully, then scrunched up her face in confusion, “Still, why Twilight? I mean, she doesn’t have much more in common with your sister than Rarity does!”

Apple Bloom winked at her, “Y’know, that’s what I thought at first, too. But then it popped in my head, like, Twilight, she likes to learn all kinds o’ stuff, right?” Sweetie nodded slowly, “Right. Well, Applejack’s always tellin’ me that everythin’ in life y’need to learn, y’can learn on the farm. Then Twilight wouldn’t need to spend all her time in that library dustin’ musty ol’ books!”

“But doesn’t Twilight like all those musty old books?”

“Nah, she just thinks she does ‘cuz she ain’t been out at the farm for long enough.” Apple bloom tapped a knowing hoof to her snout, “Trust me, once I get my sister and Twilight together, she’ll realize just what she’s been missin’! And, I bet we could get our cutie marks for matchmakin’!”

“Ooh! That sounds so much better than jumping out of a tree or herding chickens, or mining coal or something else dangerous and dirty! So what can I do to help?” Sweetie Belle asked, a smile beginning to grow on her face.

Apple Bloom smiled back, “I’m not sure yet, Sweetie, but I’ll think o’ somethin’!”

~*.*~

They broke off long enough for the food to arrive, which Apple Bloom didn’t remember ordering. Fluttershy arrived just as the salads were being served—a taste of fall grasses mixed with tender baby greens from the café’s garden in a light olive oil and alfalfa dressing with generous portions of timothy grass and dandelion buds mixed in—and joined them, explaining that she was late because she had to mediate a misunderstanding between a grumpy bear and Angel Bunny.

“What, did that furry terror kick the bear or somethin’?” Rainbow Dash asked around a mouthful of grass.

Fluttershy ducked her head, hiding her eyes behind her long pink mane, mortified at the mere thought, “Oh no,” she murmured demurely, “Angel Bunny would never do anything like that. It was just a little misunderstanding. Nothing to worry about!” Rainbow Dash eyed her suspiciously, but didn’t bother to contradict her.

Apple Bloom decided it was time to get started on her plan. She nodded surreptitiously at Sweetie Belle and said, “Uh, Rarity?” Rarity smiled over at Apple Bloom, her attention diverted from frowning at Rainbow Dash’s table manners, “Sweetie Belle here was just tellin’ me that you really liked romance books..." Apple Bloom blushed, "I-I guess I was wonderin', like, what's a good romance?" Scoots broke off listening to Rainbow Dash long enough to give Apple Bloom a disgusted look, then pointedly turned her back and asked Rainbow Dash to tell her about getting her cutie mark again.

Rarity shot an arch look at Applejack, who looked more than a little surprised--shocked even--at her little sister's question. "We'll, if you're wondering about romance, you've come to the perfect pony!" Rarity purred, "A good romance is full of dashing stallions, gorgeous but tragically misunderstood mares, dastardly schemes by jealous parties who want to keep the stallion and the mare apart, and, of course, mane-tanglingly amazing rutt--"

"Ahem!" Applejack coughed. Rarity blushed brilliantly and took a quick drink from her glass and Fluttershy choked on a mouthful of salad, hiding her face behind her hair as she coughed.

Apple Bloom glanced at Sweetie Belle with a smug expression on her face, then turned back to Rarity, "But what about a couple o' mares doin' all the kissin' and huggin' and whatnot?"

"Sugar cube, what's this all about?" Applejack asked a little desperately.

Apple Bloom shrugged, "I was just wonderin' sis."

"She's obviously started feeling...stirrings...for some special pony," Rarity said trying to hide a smile, "and she's trying to ask about it!"

Applejack had a bit of a wild look about the eyes as she asked her little sister, "Apple Bloom, is that true? You harborin' romantic-type feelins' for somepony?"

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and blushed scarlet, "No, sis. I’m, uh, I’m askin’ for...for...for a friend!”

“See, Applejack?” Rarity soothed, smiling a bit too sweetly for Apple Bloom’s tastes, “She’s asking for a friend!”

“Right, a friend,” Applejack repeated looking a bit pale, “silly me.”

Apple Bloom breathed a sigh of relief, That was close! Now let’s get this conversation back on track. “So Rarity, my friend was wonderin’: what about two mares? Cain’t they be romantic-like?”

Rarity looked consideringly between Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom before answering, “It’s not... traditional,” she said slowly, “but it’s not unheard of, darling.”

“Established gender roles in the animal kingdom don’t really apply to civilized ponies, Apple Bloom,” elucidated Twilight, “so ponies in less rural areas tend to be much more open about the kinds of intimate relationships they engage in. In fact, in rural areas, there are twenty percent--”

“Psssh, numbers,” Rainbow Dash interrupted, “c’mon Twi, don’t put her to sleep! Listen, don’t worry about all that noise right now. Live a little! I mean, you don’t even have your cu--”

“Ahem!” Applejack coughed again, shooting a venomous look full of the threat of violence at Rainbow Dash who, for once, took the hint and shut her mouth. “I think what Rainbow’s tryin’ t’say, sugar cube, is that y’got yer whole life stretchin’ out in front of ya’. If--later, y’know, much later--y’feel like y’got feelins’ for a mare or a stallion, y’can follow those feelins’. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with love; y’just gotta make sure y’all’re ready for it.”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes in exasperation. This wasn’t going at all the way it was supposed to. Why did grownups have to be so dense sometimes? She tried a different tack, “Okay...Well sis, do you like mares? Or stallions? Or both?”

“Ooh! Both! I like both! Both is much better than just one or the other!” Pinkie chimed in. Applejack glared at her, but Pinkie had already distracted herself in telling a rather convoluted joke to Fluttershy who appeared to be gamely trying to follow it.

“Yeah, Applejack,” called Rainbow Dash from down the table, “what kinda pony do ya like?”

Just then, server ponies brought the party’s main courses, which completely derailed the conversation. Apple Bloom was frustrated with the lack of progress, but the quality of her meal made up for it. The rest of the meal passed by with Apple Bloom not pursuing the topic of love any more. It made ponies act too weird to get any straight answers from them and it was obviously making Applejack uncomfortable. She’d be much more forthcoming, Apple Bloom decided, if she were to ask her sister in private.

~*.*~

Lunch wrapped up a while later and as the ponies all got up from their seats to pay their bills--Rainbow Dash smugly announcing that she had worked out a little deal with the owner and her regarding extra rain for their garden in exchange for meals--Applejack approached Twilight Sparkle. “So, are you gonna come out to the farm to learn about plantin’ tomorrow? I wouldn’t normally ask, but I need to know ‘cuz I got a fence to mend in the pastures and I don’t wanna miss ya when ya come.”

Twilight nodded, “Yes, I’ll definitely be there! But it probably won’t be until later. I still have that new shipment of books in from Canterlot that need to be cataloged.”

“Sounds good, sugar cube. I’ll make sure to hang ‘round the barn after lunch time.” Apple Bloom caught Sweetie Belle’s eye and gave her an exaggerated wink. Her plan was coming together perfectly! “C’mon, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said, “let’s go give Big Mac a spell o’ rest, then pack up and head back to the farm. Say bye to yer friends now.”

The ponies made their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Apple Bloom hummed to herself as she skipped at her sister’s side, completely oblivious to Applejack’s worried looks. Consarn it! Applejack thought, What was all that about romance and love? Is my baby sister really growin’ up that fast? She cleared her throat, trying to work past the awkward lump in her throat, “So, ah, Apple-” she broke off as her voice squeaked and cleared her throat again. “So Apple Bloom, uh, what brought on all them questions about...uh, romance an’ all that?”

Apple Bloom blithely skipped ahead of her sister, “Oh, I’m just curious. Sweetie Belle said her sister’s always readin’ those books o’ hers and sighin’ and cryin’ and actin’ all weird. Love is really weird, sis.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Applejack sighed, feeling relieved. “So yer not havin’ any, uh, feelins’ for, uh, somepony?”

“No!” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, “I said I was askin’ fer a friend, didn’t I?”

“Right, so ya’ did.” Applejack felt that tension in her back come back full-force, “But why’d ya ask if I was into mares?”

Apple Bloom stopped her skipping and thought back to her conversation, “But sis,” she said slowly, “I didn’t ask if you were into mares. I asked if you liked stallions or mares or both!”

Applejack cursed under her breath and winced, “Right... I plum forgot. Silly me.”

“And you never answered me!” Apple Bloom accused.

“Now just wait a gold-durned minute young filly!” Applejack drew herself up indignantly, “That’s between me, myself, and Celestia! It’s my business and none o’ your’n.”

Apple Bloom’s large golden eyes teared up at the sudden outburst, “I’m sorry sis,” she said, her voice squeaking, “I didn’t mean anythin’ by it! I just wanted to know!”

Applejack sighed and hung her head. Dang it, why’d I get so defensive all of a sudden? “No, don’t cry, Apple Bloom. I didn’t mean to cuss ya’ about it. It just ain’t really ever talked about between ponies.”

“H-how come?” Apple Bloom asked, sniffling a little.

“Shoot, I don’t know. Love’s a touchy subject, ain’t it? It’s a little like Rarity said: powerful and stirrin’.” She reached under her hat and scratched her head, “Ponies get sensitive about it. Yer big sister’s no exception, I guess.”

“But why do ponies get sensitive about it? Ain’t love a good thing?”

“Sure it is, sugar cube,” Applejack answered, a far-off look in her eyes, “but it’s also a very personal thing. D’you understand what I’m tryin’ to say?”

“I guess,” Apple Bloom looked a little disappointed. “But I still wanna know if y’like mares or stallions or both.”

Applejack shook her head, smiling at her sister’s tenacity, “Well, lemme just put it this way: ain’t never been any pony, stallion or mare, that caught my fancy. Like I told ya before, I ain’t got time for all that lovey-dovey nonsense.”

Apple Bloom nodded, letting the matter drop as they approached the stall where Big Mac was in a heated bargaining session with two stallions over the price of a dozen apples. They were trying to talk him down and he was giving them the silent treatment, which seemed to work wonders on the bargaining. They helped Big Mac wrap up the rest of the day’s sales, then packed the cart back up and hitched the now much-lighter cart up to Applejack and walked back home. Big Mac said he’d catch up to them as he still had a bit of business in Ponyville which earned him a smirk from Applejack.

Apple Bloom considered her sister’s words as she sat up in the cart. Nopony’s caught her fancy yet, huh? Well, I guess I’ll just have t’make sure Twilight catches her fancy then! Apple Bloom thought about how she could make her sister and Ponyville’s librarian fall in love until the cart’s gentle rocking along with the day’s exertions and excitements lulled her into sleep.

~*.*~

Chapter Three: Shooting Stars and the Psychology of Repressed Romantic Urges

Applejack walked along the road, pulling her napping little sister and the extra stock back to Sweet Apple Acres. It was early afternoon, though the sun was dipping to the horizon and the morning chill had returned with interest. The breeze that had been present during the day had quickened to a steadily blowing wind, stripping the trees along the path of their multicolored leaves. Applejack shivered and ducked her head. There weren’t any clouds in the sky, but Applejack’s farmer’s senses were screaming that there’d be rain come morning and no mistake.

She glanced over her shoulder at her sister sleeping on the seat of the cart, her long red mane pooled around her face, no longer tied back by the ever-present bow. Applejack shook her head and faced forward again, still mystified at what had come over the little filly that day. It ain’t like her to go ditherin’ on about love an’ romance, Applejack thought darkly. I wish I knew what was goin’ on in that little head o’ hers. It was easier to consider her sister’s strange behavior than to consider her own. Some Element of Honesty you are, she thought scornfully, cain’t even be honest with yourself. She scared you with all that talk. Applejack snorted in derision. No, not scared... Terrified.

She tried to keep her head, but felt tears prick at her eyes, hot and insistent. Dang it! No! Ain’t no reason to shed tears! Despite herself, she couldn’t stop them from leaking out of the eyes. Don’t grow up on me Apple Bloom... the thought came unbidden and a sob choked her as it clawed its way out of her throat. Oh, Mama, what would you’ve done? She tried so hard. But it wasn’t easy being mama, daddy, and big sister for Apple Bloom.

When she wanted to be out with her friends or having a good time, she had Granny Smith and Apple Bloom to take care of. As much as she loved the farm, she needed it more. Without it, how else would she take care of her family? Oh, Big Mac would be all right. He always was. But... Ain’t no use thinkin’ like that! Applejack scolded herself, sniffing and wiping a hoof angrily at her leaking eyes. I got no time for self-pityin’ and blubberin’. She coughed harshly, willing the black feelings of loneliness away.

But Apple Bloom had presented a problem she couldn’t ignore or shove to the side. She’d have to tackle it head-on. And what do I know about love?! She half screamed the thought, only letting it escape as a muffled grunt as she picked up the pace a little. What did she know about love? Not a whole lot. She could admit it to herself, at least. Never a pony to catch my eye; not that I’ve been lookin’. But now it seemed like her little sister had a special foal she had her eye on. Or a filly, come to think of it. She mentioned fillyfoolers more’n once. Sweet Celestia, she hated the term ‘fillyfoolers’. It belittled a natural and beautiful aspect of pony society! Not that everypony shared her views on it, but most did. Some were just bigoted.

And what if she does have a filly who’s caught her eye? The thought was enough to give her pause. She waited for the black despair, the creeping loneliness to come over her again, but she seemed to have beat it back for the moment. Well, if it were her...If it were me, I’d want my big sister to be there for me. And not to yelp like a kicked dog whenever I brought up the subject! She cringed as she recalled her panicked response to Apple Bloom’s innocent questions earlier. I’m so sorry, Apply Bloom...I didn’t mean t’make ya cry. I just...I just don’t know myself. And there it was again. That yawning, hungry loneliness that she could only keep at bay with hard work and sweat. She felt its cold claws clutch her gut and stepped up the pace again until she was trotting down the road to Sweet Apple Acres, sweat streaming from her brow, hiding the tears leaking from her eyes.

~*.*~

Apple Bloom woke up when Applejack picked her up and placed her on her back, but it was a muzzy sort of wakefulness and she nestled into her sister’s warm back almost immediately. It was dark outside, the sun having set on the way back to the farm. The chill had turned to cold with the absence of the sun and even though it was still technically early, Applejack felt bone tired. It had nothing to do with a good day’s hard work and more to do with old demons snapping at her heels as Applejack walked the long road home.

Applejack carried her sister into her room and gently placed the filly into her bed. She tucked her in, making sure the hoof-stitched apple quilt covered her completely. She paused at the door, looking over her shoulder at the peacefully sleeping filly for a long moment before she exited the room and walked down the hallway and into the brightly lit kitchen. Granny Smith was snoozing by the cast-iron stove, and Winona curled up at the old mare’s hooves. The coals inside the stove had burned down to embers. Applejack picked up a jug of hard cider from the counter and poured a hearty measure into a pot and stirred up the coals a little.

As she waited for the cider to heat up, Applejack listened to the unique silence of the farm. It wasn’t an empty silence devoid of sound; there was an amalgam of sound which indicated the farm was settling down. The wind against the window panes, Granny’s snores, the old barn creaking as it settled, the ever-present leaf rustle of apple trees outside. It usually served to calm Applejack after a stressful day, but today was a strange day. It seemed to press in at her until she felt she might go crazy. To fight it off, she started humming quietly to herself just to break the silence.

She’d been humming for a while when she was interrupted by Granny Smith’s creaky voice, “Your mother used to sing that song t’you when you was knee high to a grasshopper, Applejack. Used to put you right t’ sleep.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry Granny, I didn’t mean t’ wake ya up. I’ll quiet down.”

Granny chuckled softly to herself, “T’ain’t a bit o’ trouble, I reckon I get enough sleep t’git on by. Now, what’s troublin’ ya’?”

Applejack blushed, “Aw, Granny, it ain’t nothin’ important--”

“Horseapples!” Granny barked, then her voice softened, “I may be nearly blind, but I’m only nearly blind. I ain’t so blind yet I cain’t see when my granddaughter’s hurtin’.”

Applejack turned away from Granny Smith’s piercing orange eyes, unnaturally sharp for a mare her age. Uncomfortably sharp if Applejack was being completely honest. She stirred the cider on the stove as an excuse to avoid the old pony’s eyes as she tried to think how to answer. Unable to find any answers in the cloudy cider, Applejack sighed and turned back around, “Granny, what were Mama and Daddy like?”

“Don’t ye remember? You weren’t all that young when they passed.”

Applejack sighed again, “I know... I... I just... I don’t know. Today’s been hard for some reason. Apple Bloom’s talkin’ ‘bout love and it made me think about how quick she’s growin’ up.”

Granny chuckled, “Oh yes! That little filly’s a right firecracker, ain’t she? Y’know, you sounded like your Mama just now? She always used to sigh like that when she was talkin’ ‘bout how you and your brother were growin’ so fast.”

Applejack smiled a little, but it was a pained smile, “Apple Bloom looks so much like Mama... she’s got ‘er eyes. That’s what I remember ‘bout Mama most. Her eyes and her bright red mane. Granny... sometimes it’s just hard, y’know?”

“I know, Applejack, but that filly couldn’t ask for a better sister’n you. And you’ve done yourself proud as a stand-in mother for her too.” Granny began rocking in her chair and sighed as she settled herself in a more comfortable position, “Your daddy’d be real proud o’ you, y’know that, right?”

“Well, I don’t know about all that,” Applejack said, a slight hitch in her voice. She stirred the cider again and then took it off the stove, pouring it into a ceramic mug and letting it sit to cool a little. “He’d likely have somethin’ to say about the cider press needin’ a new pressure plate. Then there’s the fence in the southern pasture that needs mendin’...”

Applejack trailed off as Granny’s snores interrupted her, but she smiled a more heartfelt smile. Granny always knew how to pick her back up on her feet. Winona’s tail thumped on the ground near her and Applejack looked down to see the Border Collie gazing up at her with adoring, soulful eyes. She patted the dog’s head and then took a sip of her cider, letting the mellow, hot drink calm her frazzled nerves. After she finished her cider, she carefully placed the empty cup in the sink and whistled softly for Winona to follow her. There was still some work to get done.

She had to bring up a few casks of cider for Big Mac to take into Ponyville tomorrow. If she was right about the rain overnight, that would mean that the next day would be a cold one and hot cider would sell well. Applejack began unloading the cart and putting away the baskets and crates that held the wares for the Apple stall in town, all the while humming her mother’s lullaby to herself. High overhead, two stars shot across the sky, their twinkling tails almost touching one another as they went.

~*.*~

Twilight Sparkle made her way home from the Cafe Rodeon, stomach full and interest piqued. She carried the sapling Apple Bloom had given her in a field of magenta magic and for once, she didn’t have a book open in front of her as she walked. I’m going to have to dig up all the books I can find on gardening, she thought. Then I’ll need to pick up some gardening implements from town. Now who sells gardening things in Ponyville? Applejack would know, but maybe I’ll have Spike do a little field research to get him out of the library for a change. Twilight snickered at the thought of a little turnabout as fair play.

She’d been walking for what seemed like longer than it should probably take to get back to the library, her head still full of ideas about gardening and the books needed to make the project successful when she was broken out of her reverie by a sandy-voiced shout. “Woah, watch it there Egghead!” The call came an instant before Twilight was nearly knocked to the ground by a rainbow maned pegasus flying at dangerously low altitudes and dangerously high speeds.

“Rainbow!” Twilight yelled after the rapidly receding pegasus, “Don’t fly so low in town, you’re going to hurt somepony!”

“We’re not in town any more, Egghead! You’ve been off the road for ten minutes now!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she turned back.

Twilight, startled, looked at her surroundings and sighed as she realized the pegasus was right. Peeking up above the trees, she saw the majestic branches of Golden Oaks Library in the distance. That meant... Oh Celestia! She thought, half-panicked, I crossed the railroad tracks and everything! Where was my mind? Rainbow Dash flew back to her, casually inverting her flight and giggling as Twilight began her walk back toward the library. “And they say I’ve got my head in the clouds!” Rainbow laughed raucously at her own joke, clutching her belly.

“Laugh it up, clouds-for-brains,” muttered Twilight darkly. “How did you even know where I was?”

“Oh, I’ve been following you since you left the restaurant,” Rainbow laughed, “Fluttershy said you looked like you were lost in thought and asked me to watch out for you.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at her friend, “Then why didn’t you tell me when I started walking out of town?!”

“How was I supposed to know you didn’t mean to go out of town?” Rainbow landed and started walking next to Twilight, “After all,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “who’s got clouds-for-brains?”

Twilight Sparkle winced and shook her head, “I’m sorry Rainbow Dash, I wasn’t being fair.” She sighed, “I just got lost in my own head. It’s been happening more and more lately.”

Rainbow flared her wings, resettling her primaries and preening the secondaries. Around a mouthful of feathers, she asked, “How...mhff...how come?”

“I don’t know!” Twilight moaned. “I’ve just been distracted lately! It’s like I can’t focus on what’s around me.”

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow as she worked on a particularly troublesome feather, then she smiled wickedly and said, “You got it bad,” Rainbow giggled. She spat out the feather and resettled her wings. “Who’s the lucky pony?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Twilight said, tripping over her hooves.

The pegasus spread her wings again, letting the cool fall air rustle her newly preened feathers, closing her eyes in concentration. Casually, she said, “Oh yeah. I’ve seen it all before. A pony starts with being easily distracted, then she starts losing herself in her own little world. Later comes moping around, sighing at nothing. Standard stuff. After that, it’s pretty much downhill from there.”

“Rainbow Dash, what the hay are you talking about?”

“Like you don’t know.”

Twilight took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay Rainbow,” she said patiently, “let’s pretend--for the moment--that I have no idea what you’re talking about. Now, with that consideration in place, do you think you could--clearly and succinctly--tell me what exactly you’re talking about?”

“Okay, Twi, but there’s no need to call me sucky. Anyway, it’s clear to any pony with eyes that you’re head over hooves in love.”

Twilight tripped over her hooves again. “I’m in what?”

“Love, duh!” Rainbow stretched her left wing out and gave a couple of experimental flaps before she went back to preening.

“That’s what I thought you said. But then I thought to myself, ‘Rainbow Dash couldn’t possibly think that I’m in love. That’s the most ridiculous conclusion based on the shakiest premises ever!’”

“Really, Twi? You thought that?”

“Well no, not exactly that...” She broke off as Rainbow’s muffled chuckles clued her in to the joke. “Oh, ha ha. Very funny. But why in the world would you think I’m in love? I don’t even date!”

Rainbow re-folded her left wing and started in on her right wing. “Beats me, Twi, I just calls ‘em like I sees ‘em. And from what I--ow, that one hurt--from what I see, you’ve been bitten by the love bug. I’m just wonderin’ which of us you’ve fallen for.”

“The shocks just keep coming and coming,” muttered Twilight after she picked herself up from yet another faceplant into the dirt. She sighed, “Okay, Rainbow Dash. I’m not even going to try to follow your logic there. But I am going to set this--comedic though it may be--absurd little misinterpretation to rest. I am not, nor have I ever been, in love with any of you.”

Rainbow flapped her right wing, feeling the wind slide over her feathers and folded it back against her side, finally satisfied with her preening. “Whatever you say, Twi. Maybe you just don’t know you’re in love. Maybe it’s one of your, whaddya call it, subcon-something. When you don’t know something but you really do.”

“A subconscious expression of romantic urges manifesting itself on my conscious actions as moments of losses of focus or extreme distraction from the waking world?”

“Uh, sure. Whatever. ‘Course, when you say it like that, it sounds boring. My way is at least a hundred and thirty percent cooler.” The two ponies emerged from the wilderness and crossed back into Ponyville. The road was just a few dozen yards away. “There ya go, Egghead. Back safe and sound. You can thank me by getting me Daring Do and the Cult of the Time Frogs. I heard it’s got a killer action scene where Daring Do snowboards down the side of a volcano as it’s erupting.”

“Thanks Rainbow,” Twilight said, “I’ll make sure the Daring Do book is reserved for you tomorrow.” She began walking toward the road when Rainbow called after her.

“And don’t forget what I said about you being in loooooooove!” With a whoosh of displaced air, she took off, spiraling up in her ascent.

“As if I could forget even if I wanted to,” Twilight muttered to herself. She began--once again--the short walk home.

~*.*~

Twilight Sparkle arrived back at the library just as the sun was setting. What should have been a ten minute walk after lunch had taken over an hour. “Spike!” She called. “Please be here,” she muttered.

Spike came out of the kitchen, his frilly apron on and a tea towel in his claws. “Hey there Twi, I thought you’d be back a long time ago! Fluttershy stopped by with Rarity about half an hour ago to see if you wanted to join them for dinner at Rarity’s house.”

“Oh Spike, I couldn’t possibly--” Twilight began.

“--I already accepted for you,” Spike interrupted apologetically, “sorry! I thought you’d want to. It’s still early, so you’ve got some time before it starts.” He went back into the kitchen as the teapot whistled.

Twilight sat heavily on her haunches, blowing out a heavy sigh. “Rrrgh!” She moaned, a bit melodramatically in Spike’s opinion, “I really wanted to get back into the Canterlot shipment, Spike!”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Twilight!” Spike said brightly from the kitchen. Sounds of clinking dishes and flatware reached Twilight’s ears and the heavenly aroma of fresh tea reached Twilight’s nose. A moment later, he emerged from the kitchen with a teacup and a tin of cookies. “I took care of the collection while you were out with your friends! Y’know, the work went much faster without you dragging every book out and trying to read a dozen chapters at once.” Smiling, he handed Twilight a saucer with a brimming teacup.

Twilight wordlessly levitated the teacup to her and took a sip. Perfect, as always, she thought as irritation warred with guilt, relief, and exasperation as she considered what she had to do. Spike looked so happy that he’d saved her from the work, she just couldn’t burst his bubble by being annoyed. “Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said as graciously as she could.

“No problem, Twi!” The baby dragon plucked a cookie from the tin and popped it in his mouth, chewing happily.

“Um, Spike?” Twilight asked hesitantly.

“Yeah?” Spike snagged another sugar cookie, this one with a glittering ruby placed in the center of it. Licking his lips, he took another bite.

“Do I seem to be acting...strange to you?”

Spike took another bite, “No, not any stranger than usual... What are you trying to get at, Twi?”

She let the ‘stranger than usual’ remark pass, taking another sip of her tea. “Well, Rainbow Dash said it seemed like I was... behaving in a way which might lead somepony to believe that a combination of hormones, psychology and amorous emotional display was affecting my focus.”

Spike scratched his head with one claw, “Erm, do you mind translating that?”

Twilight blushed furiously, her voice dropping so low Spike had to strain to hear what she said. “She said you’re in love?!” Spike shouted. Twilight cringed and nodded. The baby dragon burst out laughing, “Oh, that’s a good one!” He hooted, “You! In love!”

Twilight frowned, her embarrassment evaporating in irritation, “What’s that supposed to mean?” She asked, her voice deceptively calm.

Spike stopped laughing and coughed uncomfortably, “Uhm, I, uh, I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, Twi... More tea?”

“What, you don’t think I could fall in love?” Twilight asked indignantly. “Am I incapable of expressing romantic urges? Am I not attractive enough for you to even imagine that I could be in a relationship?”

Spike closed his eyes against the tirade, wincing. “No no no! I didn’t mean any of that! I just never, y’know, thought of you in a relationship! You just seem to be happy with your books and studies!”

Twilight stopped in mid-rant, Spike’s words derailing her righteous fury. It was true, she was happy with her books and studies. At least, she had been. I’ve never really sat down and thought about it before, Twilight thought in stunned realization, and now that I do... Oh my... I feel... She didn’t know what she felt. But it was definitely a far cry from happy. “I’m sorry Spike, I didn’t mean to lash out at you like that. You didn’t deserve anything like that.”

Spike opened his eyes and gave Twilight a hug, “It’s okay, Twi. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I just didn’t know you were so, uh... well, I didn’t know that it would strike such a nerve.”

“Neither did I! I can’t believe that Rainbow Dash of all ponies would be the one to be so observant! Deluded, maybe. But she seems to have hit on something I haven’t let myself recognize.”

“Oh yeah, that reminds me,” Spike went over to a box that was filled with books to be repaired and brought out a worn and battered book, the binding of which had been cracked repeatedly, “Rainbow Dash brought this by a while ago. Said she’d finished reading it last night. You realize that this copy was listed in ‘like new’ condition before she checked it out? You really have to talk to her about proper care and maintenance of books! It’s gonna take me ages to re-bind this copy!”

Twilight levitated the book over to her, cringing in sympathetic pain for the abused book, and read the title, Daring Do and the Fortress of the Yeti Chieftain. “Hang on a second,” she muttered as she opened the book. She leafed through the pages until it came to a particularly well-worn section. Narrowing her eyes, she scanned the page furiously then slammed the book shut and tossed it back into the box with as much venom as she could muster (without causing further damage to the book). “I am going,” she hissed between clenched teeth, “to rearrange that pegasus’ spectrum! When I get done with her, radio spectroscopy will identify her posterior as a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants!” She stormed out of the library, yanking the book back out of the box after her and slamming the door.

Spike stared in shock after her, working out her last outburst. He pulled a book from a shelf and flipped to a page. “Ah,” he said with satisfied smirk, “‘Poacaea, or grass, is a family of monocotyledonous flowering plant ubiquitous to Equestria with over ten thousand domesticated and wild species.’ Hmmm. Okay... her posterior will be identified as grass.” His eyes widened and he dashed out the door after Twilight Sparkle.

~*.*~

It was just about sunset when Twilight found Rainbow Dash napping on a small cloud just east of the windmill on the other side of Ponyville. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, she used her telekinesis to guide another nearby cloud directly over Rainbow’s sleeping form, then lowered the local temperature inside the cloud, causing a cascade of water to drench the pegasus in a splash of icy water. Rainbow Dash jumped up, eyes wild and wings flared, “Who’s th-- What?! How--?!”

“Down here, clouds-for-brains!” Twilight called up to Rainbow.

Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise and shook her dripping mane out of her eyes. She leapt off her cloud and glided down to Twilight, “Hey! What’s the deal, Twi?!”

“What’s the deal?” Twilight growled. She levitated Daring Do and the Fortress of the Yeti Chieftain and opened it, “Page 146. Read it.”

Rainbow glanced at the page and her face paled a little as she read, “‘Daring Do nodded knowingly, ‘Oh, you’ve got it bad. I’ve seen it before. Love makes a pony do strange things. A pony starts with being easily distracted, then she starts losing herself in her own little world. Later comes moping around, sighing at nothing. Standard stuff. Of course, it could also be brainwashing zombie powder from a voodoo priest. But you don’t--’” Rainbow cut off as Twilight snapped the book closed.

“‘Standard stuff,’ is it?” Twilight poked at Rainbow with one hoof, “So you’ve ‘seen it all before,’ have you?”

“Well,” Rainbow Dash hedged, laughing a little nervously, “not personally, no...”

“I can’t believe I even entertained the notion for even the slightest fraction of a second that you were even in the smallest way remotely correct!” Twilight raged, “You’re as observant and empathetic of other ponies as a pickled beet! What was I thinking?!”

“Woah, there Twi, aren’t you overreacting a little?” Rainbow looked concerned, “I mean, sure, you’re right about me not really being interested in other ponies’ feelings and stuff, but I figured you’d know that too... I mean, I was just kiddin’ around with ya, you know?”

Her righteous fury derailed yet again, Twilight Sparkle deflated completely and broke down sobbing, grabbing Rainbow dash in a crushing hug. “I-I just c-can’t seem to c-control myself!” She cried, clutching at the pegasus, “I don’t know wh-what’s going on with me!” Just then Spike came puffing up, breathing hard from the long run.

Rainbow Dash awkwardly patted Twilight’s shoulder with one hoof, looking desperately at Spike for some kind of help. Spike just shrugged, though he seemed relieved to see Rainbow Dash still standing. “Uh, Twilight, it’s... alright? You’re, um, gonna be just...fine. Right.” Twilight just sobbed even harder. “What is going on with you?!” Rainbow Dash demanded, “You’re never like this! I mean, Rarity is, sure. But not you.”

Twilight sniffed and choked back her sobs, swiping at her eyes with a shaky hoof. “Y-you’re right... I d-don’t know why I’m acting l-like this!” She pulled back from Rainbow, smiling weakly, “Sorry about the wake-up call, R-Rainbow.”

Rainbow looked skeptically at Twilight, “It’s no biggie,” she assured her friend. “Are you sure you’re okay now? I can forgive being splashed awake once, but I’ll have to counterattack if you do it again.”

Twilight nodded. Spike threw an arm around her shoulders, leading her back to the library. He called back over his shoulder, “Hey Rainbow, can you tell Rarity and Fluttershy that Twilight isn’t feeling well and won’t be able to make dinner?”

Rainbow nodded, still looking at her friend with a worried expression on her face. “Uh... Yeah, sure Spike. I’ll get right on that.” She shook her head and took off toward the Carousel Boutique.

“C’mon Twi,” Spike soothed, walking with Twilight, “let’s get you back to the library and into bed.”

Twilight nodded tiredly, tears still streaming from her eyes, though she wasn’t sobbing any more. The thought that kept circling through her head, the one which had her still crying was, What if Rainbow was actually right? What if I’m in love and I just don’t know it? It would fit with her recent distraction. She wanted to dissect the feelings she was being buffeted by, but she was too exhausted just now to think about it.

~*.*~

Chapter Four: Storm Busting

Apple Bloom woke up before the rooster in the chicken coop crowed its morning greeting. She’d gone to sleep much earlier than she usually did and her stomach growled in protest at missing dinner. She hopped out of her bed and looked out the window. It was still dark outside and it was cold--her breath fogged in the air even--and it was raining a rather miserable and insistent rain that drove most sane ponies inside. Which meant her sister would be out in it working. I’m gonna have to get the rest of the Crusaders to the clubhouse today so’s we can work out a plan to get my sister and Twilight together! She mulled over her the problem as she made her way into the kitchen, looking for her sister for a quick breakfast.

Applejack was already up and making a pot of strong coffee on the stove. There were apple pancakes already stacked and drenched in maple syrup with a glass of golden apple juice on the huge kitchen table. There were also hash browns sizzling away in the skillet. “Mornin’ sis!” Apple Bloom chirped as she took her seat at the kitchen table.

“Mornin’ sugar cube,” Applejack drawled, pouring a huge mug of hot coffee for herself. “Eat up, Apple Bloom, I don’t want you gettin’ too skinny. Y’skipped dinner last night and that ain’t healthy for a growin’ filly.” She transferred the hashbrowns from the skillet to another plate and set it down next to the pancakes.

Apple Bloom tucked in with a will and the kitchen was quiet but for the enthusiastic sounds of the enjoyment of a large breakfast. Applejack sipped at her coffee, enjoying the quiet time with her sister. Last night had been a hard one, but as usual, hard work had helped her through it. When she had finally dragged herself up to bed, she’d fallen asleep almost as soon as her head had hit the pillow. She’d even left her hat on and never noticed.

Applejack picked up a pink ribbon from the counter where she’d set it. She walked over to Apple Bloom and tied it into a her little sister’s favorite large bow. Unexpectedly, Apple Bloom threw her hooves around her big sister in a hug. “Thanks, Applejack,” she said, snuggling in close to Applejack’s orange fur.

“Uh, no problem sugar cube,” said Applejack, returning the hug. “Y’got any big plans today?”

Apple Bloom let her sister go and took a drink of her apple juice, “Well, me and the Crusaders’ve got important plans to make. We’re gonna get our cutie marks for sure this time, sis, I just know it!”

“Right... Y’got time in your busy schedule t’help your sister out with a few chores ‘round the farm? And lemme give you a free hint: the right answer to this question is ‘yes’.”

“O’course I do, sis! ‘Sides, you know Sweetie Belle don’t even get up ‘til waaaay after the sun comes up," Apple Bloom smirked. She brightened as she remembered that Twilight Sparkle was supposed to come over to the farm, “Oh! When’s Twilight comin’ over today?”

Applejack thought about it for a minute before grimacing, "I'm not sure she's gonna be able t'make it sugar cube. It looks like this rain's gonna stick around all day and ain't nopony gonna wanna spend any time learnin' 'bout the proper care o' apple trees in a drench like this."

Apple Bloom frowned as she thought about this new wrinkle in her plans. Finally, she said, "So...if it... wasn't y'know, rainin'...Twilight'd come?"

Applejack took a sip from her coffee, her thoughts already lost in the day's chores. Distracted by her thoughts, she said, "Uh, sure thang, sweet pea."

“Okay, Applejack! Let’s get t’work then!” Apple Bloom carried her empty dishes to the sink and tossed them in.

The crash of dishes in the sink snapped Applejack out of her haze. She followed her little sister out of the kitchen muttering dire imprecations against Apple Bloom if she’d cracked a plate tossing it in the sink. As they were exiting the house, they saw Big Mac hitching himself up to the cart Applejack had loaded with cider barrels the night before. “Howdy there Big Mac,” Applejack called. “Y’all have a good sleep?”

Big Mac cast his eyes away and down, shuffling one hoof bashfully on the ground. “Didn’t sleep,” he mumbled softly.

“Eh?” Applejack asked. Apple Bloom stared at her big brother in confusion. Big McIntosh nodded at the filly, refusing to speak. Applejack shook her head and shooed Apple Bloom off, “Go feed the chickens, squirt. Go on, git!” Apple Bloom scampered off to the chicken run, glancing back over her shoulder at her brother and sister standing staring at each other in a rather awkward tableau.

As soon as Apple Bloom had disappeared from view, Applejack narrowed her eyes at her big brother. “Now, why in tarnation would my big brother not have gotten any sleep?” She tapped her chin with her hoof in mock Would it have anythin’ t’do with a certain...pink mare?”

Big Mac blushed and looked up at her, “Ayup.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re findin’ happiness with Pinkie. She’s a good’un. Even still, y’might wanna have a little talk with Apple Bloom so’s she don’t start askin’ awkward questions at awkward times. Y’know, sorta pre-empt her like.”

Big Mac nodded, settling the harness around his neck more comfortably. He began pulling the cart out onto the road toward Ponyville. “Hey Big Mac,” Applejack called out after him. Her brother paused, “I know I don’t actually have t’say this...But be careful. Pinkie...Pinkie’s a real special pony.” Her brother started walking again, nodding his head as he went. Applejack watched him go, snorting in amusement. “Well just make sure you don’t talk her ear off, y’big galoot.”

~*.*~

Apple Bloom stomped her hoof on the floorboards of the tree house. “I call this emergency session of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to order,” she announced. “Crusaders,” she said, “I got an urgent project for us today.”

It was midmorning and the rain which had started before dawn looked to be settling in for a nice, long soak. The air was chill and damp, but the three fillies in the tree house were cozily warm with blankets wrapped around them. Apple Bloom stood at the podium with a determined expression on her face. Sweetie Belle watched her attentively as Scootaloo yawned and stretched her wings.

Scoots crossed her forelegs in front of her and looked bored, “Oh really?” She challenged. “This isn’t gonna be like the last emergency meeting is it?”

“No!” Apple Bloom retorted, “This is important.”

“Oh good,” said Sweetie Belle, “I really did not enjoy collecting all those beetles. They were too creepy crawly.”

Apple Bloom glared at Sweetie Belle, “It woulda’ worked if they hadn’t escaped from your jewelry box, Sweetie! I swear, I could feel a tinglin’ in my flanks right before your sister found the worms in the icebox and kicked us out of your house!"

Scoots cackled, “You sure it wasn’t the layers of mud you had caked to your flanks?”

“That ain’t the point,” huffed Apple Bloom. “The point is that we need to get ahold o’ Rainbow Dash.” That stopped Scootaloo’s laugh.

“Oh really!? That’s awesome Apple Bloom! We’re for sure gonna get our cutie marks this time!” Scoots jumped up in the air, her tiny wings buzzing and giving her a second of air time before she came back to the ground.

"Wait," said Sweetie Belle, "how does getting Rainbow Dash help your sister and Twilight Sparkle to fall in love?"

"What?!" Scoots yelped. "We're tryin' to do what now?"

Apple Bloom glared at Sweetie Belle and rolled her eyes, an expression of long-suffering martyrdom on her face. "I was gettin' to that, Sweetie. Now listen here Scoots," she turned her glare on the orange pegasus, "we're gonna get our cutie marks for sure this time."

"Yeah?" Scoots challenged. "An' how're we gonna do that? We already tried being matchmakers, and look how well that turned out!"

"I was wondering the same thing," said Sweetie. "Not that I mind!" She assured Apple Bloom quickly, "I just wanted to know how this time would be different from last time."

Apple Bloom sighed and stepped down from the podium where she had been conducting the meeting. She sat between her two closest friends and threw a foreleg around each of their shoulders. "C'mon," she said, "trust me! When've I ever led ya wrong?" Another glare silenced Scoots' protests before they even started.

Apple Bloom sighed and let her friends go. "Look, I cain't make you help me. But it's important to me. I think, no, I know my sister needs somepony to love. Someone t’ be there for her like me an’ Big Mac cain’t be. I mean, she works herself t’ the bone for me an’ at the end of the day, she's just plum exhausted. She deserves to have a special somepony waitin’ for her. More’n me, Big Mac, n’ Granny.”

Scoots looked at Sweetie helplessly. Sweetie Belle drew her friend into a comforting hug. "Hey," she said into Apple Bloom's ear, "You're the best little sister Applejack could possibly hope for. She doesn't need anyone else to lean on when she's got you."

Apple Bloom hugged her back tight and cleared her throat. "Thanks for sayin' so, Sweetie.” She pulled back from the hug, “Now, let’s get to work. We need Rainbow Dash t’ clear away this nasty weather ‘fore lunchtime or Twilight won’t come!” She stood up, a look of firm resolution on her face, and walked out of the clubhouse.

Scoots hesitated a moment before following, turning to Sweetie and asking, “Why’re we tryin’ to make Applejack and Twilight fall in love?”

Sweetie Belle giggled and rolled her eyes. She stood up and said, “C’mon Scoots, I’ll tell you while we look for Rainbow Dash.”

~*.*~

Rainbow Dash flew high above the towering cumulonimbus clouds of the storm system her and the rest of the weather team had moved in over Ponyville overnight. The air up here was thin and freezing cold, but she was in her element. The sunlight was bright and brittle and turned the tops of the clouds blindingly white. She folded her wings and angled down for a dive, condensation from the air beading on her flight goggles as the wind tore at her mane and tail. With a whoop of pure joy, she plowed through the storm cloud, spinning through the rain and high winds. Up here, the drizzle the ponies on the ground were experiencing was more like a typhoon.

High powered winds tossed Rainbow here and there, but rather than fighting it, she let herself ride through them, allowing the storm to toss her where it would. Ponies died if they fought a storm like this, Rainbow knew, and she was the best flyer in Equestria. She burst out of the cloud cover maybe a mile above the ground, wind and rain lashing her face, a bright rainbow contrail following her high-speed progress. She glided along in the rain, examining her team’s handiwork. It looked like Ponyville was getting a good drenching. Time to knock off for a while someplace warm and nap off the sleepless night...

Rainbow tucked her wings and turned over onto her back into an inverted dive, her eyes scanning the ground far below her for a likely target. She began accelerating into the dive when she spotted Sweet Apple Acres out of the corner of her eye. Applejack’ll be up now! Maybe I can get some pancakes or cider out of her... And there’s that cozy clubhouse her little sister and Scoots have set up for them. Yeah, breakfast and a nap at Sweet Apple Acres is too good to pass up! Grinning, she beat her powerful wings, pouring on even more speed into her inverted dive. When she was right above the roofs of Ponyville, she pulled her wings tight against her sides, corkscrewing into a high-speed series of tight barrel rolls, her rainbow contrail corkscrewing behind her as she laughed and whooped with the thrill. With a snap, she opened her wings, arresting her acceleration and giving her a little altitude. She flew the rest of the way to Sweet Apple Acres in relatively sedate flight.

As she was flapping to gain altitude for a final dive so she could sweep into the kitchen window, Rainbow spotted three small forms heading away from the farm and down the road. Now what’re they doing out in this nasty weather? And heading towards Ponyville, too... She was tempted to ignore them, but once her curiosity was piqued, she almost couldn’t refuse to satisfy it. It had gotten her into trouble more than once, but she made it a policy never to regret anything she ever did. She banked sharply and flew out to the road. Before she’d come in for a landing, Scoots was already jumping up and down in excitement, pointing her hoof and flapping her little wings furiously. “Hey there, fillies,” said Rainbow fluttering her wings and landing in front of them, “the storm’s scheduled to get real bad in about an hour or so, so I wouldn’t be caught outside when it happens. We got some killer winds about to begin and you should probably be before it all goes down.”

Scoots flapped her wings even harder, managing to almost hover. “I’ve been practicing real hard, just like you told me to, Rainbow!” She announced proudly. “I’ll be doin’ stunts like you in no time. That dive you did over Ponyville rocked! We could see your trail all the way from out here!”

“Pssh,” Rainbow waved off the compliment with a hoof, “That was nothin’. You shoulda’ seen me last night. I was the cloud-wranglin’ champ. See that cloud over there?” She pointed a hoof at a dark grey spot in the sky indistinguishable from the other dark grey spots in the sky, “That was all me! And lemme tell you, it did not wanna come quietly!”

“Uh, actually, Rainbow,” Apple Bloom interjected quickly before Rainbow could go off on another weather story, “we were goin’ into town to find you.”

“Me? Why would you wanna see me?” Asked Rainbow quizzically. “I mean, not that I blame you. I am the awesomest pony, like, ever!”

“Well, we were hoping that you could kind of, um, y’know, stop the rain around here this afternoon,” Sweetie Belle said sheepishly.

Rainbow Dash burst out laughing, fluttering her wings so she didn’t fall over. It was a while before she could catch her breath, “Are you kidding?!” She wheezed, still chuckling a little, “That front is massive. It’d take the whole team hours to clear it away. And besides, this storm’s been scheduled for months! Sorry girls, it just can’t happen.” Rainbow Dash shook her head, still smiling a bit, “Now, where’s your sister, Apple Bloom? I wanna see if she can make me some pancakes. I’m beat after all that flyin’!”

Apple Bloom hung her head sadly, “Aww shucks, Rainbow. Now I ain’t never gonna get my sister to fall in love!”

“Say what now?” Rainbow Dash missed a beat of her wings and splashed onto the road. “I don’t think I hear you right... For a second there, I thought I heard you say your were trying to get Applejack to fall in love.”

Apple Bloom scowled, “That’s what I said!”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help it. The idea was just so...unbelievable. She burst out laughing. This did not have a positive effect on Apple Bloom. The little filly glared daggers at the cerulean pegasus and stalked past her. “Hang on, hang on!” Rainbow gasped, “Don’t go! You just caught me by surprise, all right?”

Apple Bloom stopped, but didn’t look back. “So are y’ gonna help us or not?”

“Well... Those clouds are pretty flippin’ big, squirt. I mean, they’d make Ponyville look small by comparison if ya saw ‘em up close...”

“So you’re not gonna help us,” Apple Bloom said flatly and started walking again.

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and jumped in front of the angry filly, “Now, I didn’t say that! I’m just tryin’ to impress upon you the sheer magnitude of awesomeness that’d be involved if, say, a certain ace flyer were to bust up that storm. I mean, this’d go down in history books.” Apple Bloom cocked an eyebrow, but didn’t interrupt. The self-styled best flyer in Equestria seemed to be talking herself into it, “I mean, no pony’s ever even come close to cloud bustin’ somethin’ like this!” Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes at the storm, then nodded, an anticipatory grin stretching across her face. “I’ll do it!”

Scoots’ eyes practically bulged out of her head as she popped a spur-of-the-moment backflip of adoration. Sweetie Belle just looked longingly back to the clubhouse and shivered. “Now,” Rainbow Dash said, “I gotta know, since I’m gonna do this awesomely dangerous and completely amazing thing... Who’s the lucky stallion you’re hookin’ Applejack up with? He’d better be one special pony!”

Sweetie Belle giggled, “It’s Twilight Sparkle!”

Rainbow Dash looked blank for a moment, then her smile seemed to split her face in half. “This is gonna be so awesome,” she raved, “I had no idea Applejack was into mares! And her and Twi... Sweet Celestia, they’re gonna owe me so big. Heh!” She clapped her hooves together and flared her wings. “All right fillies, are you ready to see the most awesome flying, like, literally anywhere?”

Scoots couldn’t even speak, so settled for squeaking in excitement. Sweetie Belle looked a little nervously at Rainbow Dash and even Apple Bloom looked worried. “Y’ain’t gonna get in trouble for this, are ya?” Apple Bloom asked.

Rainbow waved her concern away, “Pssh, nah. I mean, I might get my pay docked for like, a month--so you can expect me to be here a lot more often for meals and whatnot-- but they’d never fire a pony who could bust up a storm like this.”

“Good luck!” Sweetie Belle said.

“You’re sweet, kid, but luck don’t come into it,” Rainbow Dash said, smiling over her shoulder, then she leapt into the pouring rain and flapped up into the storm.

Scoots watched the pegasus go, her eyes glued to the mare as she shrank in the distance. She squeaked again, her wings fluttering so fast she hovered like a hummingbird, but in her excitement, she didn’t even notice. “Yeah,” said Apple Bloom in awe, “You’re right, Scoots. She really is the coolest pony ever.”

~*.*~

Rainbow Dash flew around to the edge of the storm, gaining altitude slowly, working out her plan of attack as she flew. That was a pretty sweet exiting line though, she thought, smirking as she remembered that totally cool parting line she’d thrown back over her shoulder at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Luck don’t come into it. But there was something else that was troubling her. Not troubling really, but certainly thought-provoking. And that was unusual for Rainbow. She was a mare of action.

Why didn't AJ ever tell me she was into mares? I thought we were closer friends than that! She beat her wings, steadily ascending over the storm. Maybe she should feel hurt about that, but she really only felt glad that she was able to help one of her best friends. It went against her nature to abandon a friend. She did represent the Element of Loyalty after all.

Rainbow climbed higher and higher, circling over the cloud bank as she did, searching for the center of the storm. There, she thought, spotting a towering, dark grey cumulous cloud which loomed over the others like a giant, that’s the center mass... She performed a few aeronautical calculations on the fly, and arrived at a staggeringly large number. She doubled it, just to be sure, because math wasn’t really her strong point. Then she began her first dive.

The plan she had come up with involved two dives to build up velocity for the subsequent ascent, then a final dive straight through the middle of the storm. Assuming she had enough speed, the turbulence created by the initial three dives plus the disruptive jetstream of her last dive should be enough to disperse the storm and blast the clouds away. She reached the spot where she would perform her first dive and stretched her neck, getting ready for the fifteen-thousand foot dive. She took a deep breath and then tipped herself forward into the dive.

The sheer speed ripped the breath away from her, but being an experienced pegasus used to high-speed unprotected flight, she had developed techniques to allow her to breathe at speeds much higher than she was currently going. As she dove, she flapped her wings, pouring on even more delta-v as she screamed closer and closer to the ground. She blasted through the cloud layer on the eastern edge of the storm, her passage sucking a good bit of cloud after her. At only a thousand feet above the earth, she pulled out of the dive, still flapping her wings and heading toward the western edge of the storm.

As she ascended, she started a slow barrel roll, beginning a to weave a wind vortex behind her. At such high speeds, her signature rainbow contrail sparkled behind her with almost blinding brilliance as she twisted up through the clouds and even higher to twenty-five thousand feet. The air up here was very thin and she was relying more on her innate pegasus magic than displacement of air to steer her. That same magic protected her from the sub-zero temperature of the air this high. She banked hard into her next dive, not wasting any precious momentum getting as high as the energy from the dive had allowed.

The air felt like it was trying to rip her wings right off her body, but this was still nowhere near as fast as she’d gone. She pumped her wings and fell like a comet, her rainbow contrail spinning as she continued her corkscrew dive. She felt the air currents around her shift as she dove, the storm responding to her maneuvers as she blasted through the upper cloud cover again, leaving a large hole in the clouds as she passed. She pulled out of her dive five thousand feet above the ground, almost skimming the bottom of the clouds and going so fast that the horizontal winds didn’t change her vector even the slightest.

This last ascent would take her much higher than she’d ever been and she’d be relying entirely upon her wing power, a very respectable 17.9. Ever since creating the hurricane to get water up to Cloudsdale, Rainbow had been training just in case such a desperate maneuver was necessary again. Normally, such a bold cloudbusting would require an entire team of pegasi, but Rainbow Dash thought that this particular storm could be dissipated with a single, precise strike. Besides, at the speeds she’d be traveling and the windshear generated by her spinning dive, the storm really had no chance.

She banked hard into an inverted dive, feeling her guts want to explode out of her with the G’s she was pulling in the dive. She gritted her teeth and clenched her stomach, still pumping her wings. The rainbow contrail behind her began to effervesce as she reached sonic rainboom speeds. She carefully timed her wing flaps to control her descent and just as she hit the top of the center storm cloud mass, she flapped a few more strong surges of her wings, she felt the electric crackle and subsequent rush of photons as the sonic rainboom exploded behind her. This was the crazily dangerous part of the whole maneuver. She was flying straight down toward the ground at lethal speeds and, even though the storm was blasted apart behind her, she was far from safe.

Rainbow Dash opened her wings slowly, ever so carefully changing the angle of her descent, decelerating as she went. She was still going too fast and the ground was coming up at an alarmingly fast rate. She strained her muscles, putting her whole strength behind backflapping against the terrible speed and she could feel it slowly beginning to work. Just as she thought her wings would give out from sheer exhaustion, she was able to pull out of the dive and into a gentle glide.

Rainbow Dash looked up and saw the sonic rainboom still expanding as she flew, tattered clouds disintegrating in its wake. The sun shone brightly and there was not a raindrop in the air. Rainbow smiled tiredly. Now she was tired. Time to see about that nap...

Chapter Five: These Eyes Are Cryin' In the Light of a Fading Star

Chapter 5: These Eyes Are Cryin’ In the Light of a Fading Star

Twilight Sparkle fell out of her bed with a yelp. An explosion had sounded like it went off somewhere high above her head and had startled her out of a pleasant half-doze she’d been languishing in for the past hour, listening to the rain strike the window panes. Twilight scrambled upright and peered out the window, seeking the source of the bang. She was blinded by an expanding ring of rainbow light and she watched in astonishment as the storm above Ponyville was simply torn apart and completely dispersed. It was an impressive display of weather work, and she knew exactly who was responsible for it.

Strong sunlight refracted into hundreds if tiny rainbows as they shone through the droplets of water stuck to her bedroom window and Twilight found that she couldn't really be upset. She'd been disappointed that the rain had come, it had meant that her meeting with Applejack probably wouldn't happen. Prolonged exposure to adverse weather conditions tended yield a high-percentage chance that she would catch a flu or cold. But now...Twilight found herself smiling in genuine happiness which bordered on joy. The pleasant melancholy she had slipped into while the rain fell had completely fallen away now. "Spike!" She called, "Let's pack breakfast up in a basket; I feel like a picnic at Sweet Apple Acres! Ooh, I know!” She exclaimed, “We’ll surprise Applejack with brunch! Make sure to pack that candied almond and chestnut mix, Spike, you know how much she loves that stuff.” She heard Spike’s indistinct call in the affirmative from downstairs and smiled.

She quickly packed her saddlebags with her notebook and extra quills and ink, along with a few sterile flasks. Twilight didn’t want to be unprepared for her lesson in horticulture. Which meant she’d probably need a few reference books... The basics only, so Applejack and Apple Bloom would know that she’d been doing her homework. And maybe a couple of the more serious horticulturalists texts, just to show them that she was actually serious about the project. Which meant she’d also have to stop by the gardening shop in Ponyville...

It really was sweet of Apple Bloom to give me that apple tree, she thought as she walked down the library stairs, already planning a shopping list and levitating various gardening books down from the bookshelves and stuffing them into her well-stretched saddlebags. I wonder where I’ll plant it? She thought there was a sunny patch out by the road where she could see the tree from her room. After helping Spike pack brunch, they made their way into town. She didn't even feel guilty that the library would be closed while she and Spike were out. On such an unexpectedly nice day, nopony would be inside if they could help it. Spike was chatty and in a good humor and Twilight found herself laughing and smiling more than she had in weeks.

Their trip into town was pleasant and confirmed Twilight’s suspicions that the library would be empty. Ponies walked together outside, shopping in the market, window shopping, running errands, or just enjoying the sunshine. More than a few times, she heard ponies mentioning the incredible way the storm had dissipated earlier that morning. Twilight smiled to herself thinking of Dash’s inflated ego, which by now would almost surely be completely insufferable. Spike and her entered the gardening shop and Twilight’s eyes widened in anticipation as she took in the vast array of implements she was sure were absolutely essential for gardening.

~*.*~

They joked and teased each other all the way down the road and with Spike there, Twilight managed to find her way all the way to the farm with no trouble. When they arrived, they saw Granny Smith sitting in a rocking chair out on the pitch, a glass set on a small table next to her with a sprig of mint sticking out of it. She waved happily to them and pointed out toward the East Orchard, "Applejack's out yonder, missy!" The old mare called, voice reedy and querulous. Twilight waved in acknowledgment and headed through the orchard.

The walk through the orchard was full of the smells and colors of fall. The apple trees were golden in their autumn colors and there was the soft tang of apple cider in the air, seemingly sunk into the very soil. Over the rustling of the leaves, Spike and Twilight could hear a steady knocking sound, as if someone were repeatedly pounding on a door. A few more minutes’ walk revealed Applejack working on the far end of an open field next to a fence, chopping away at a rough-hewn log with a hatchet, gripped tightly in her mouth.

“Hey there Applejack!” Twilight called happily.

Applejack spat out the hatchet and wiped a hoof at her forehead, pushing her hat up then looked up to give her friend a surprised greeting. The greeting died on her lips as she saw Twilight and Spike, though. Or rather, what followed Twilight and Spike. Hovering in neat formation was a veritable plethora of gardening and farming implements and tools. Rakes, shovels, trowels, bags of soil, soil aerators, spades, even a wheelbarrow floated in tow behind them. Spike had a long-suffering look plastered on his face and had a large straw hat stuffed onto his head. Twilight herself had a huge floppy sunhat, a brand-new suit of overalls on, and her overstuffed saddlebags were bulging with books, scrolls, writing implements, and what looked like a portable chemistry lab. “Uhm...” Applejack said hesitantly, “Are we gonna plant a garden today? Or did I miss somethin’?”

Twilight giggled, “I figured Spike and I would surprise you with brunch!” A picnic basket floated out from among the various gardening tools.

“...And we went shopping,” Spike said flatly, “so we could ‘prepare’ for learning how to take care of the present Apple Bloom gave her.”

“The shopkeeper was so friendly and helpful!” Twilight said happily. “She said I only needed a shovel or maybe a trowel, but I assured her that Greenleaf’s Guide to Gardening listed a minimum of thirteen different implements for various tasks in the garden and I didn’t want to be unprepared. Once she knew that I knew the game, she became very helpful.”

Applejack choked back the laughter that was trying to escape her lips and nodded, “I...I can see that y’ got just about everythin’ y’could possibly ever need. For your apple tree saplin’. Which you’re gonna plant in the fall.”

“Oh good!” Twilight said, relieved. “I was so worried you were going to think I wasn’t serious about learning absolutely everything I could from you about taking care of an apple tree.” She let the gardening tools settle to the ground and put the picnic basket down between them. “But first, let’s eat!”

Applejack looked over at the unfinished fencepost and sighed. That’s gonna have to wait another day, she thought. Then she smiled to herself; she really couldn’t be mad about it. Twilight’s such a dork, she thought, but I’ll be durned if she ain’t the cutest dork in Ponyville! She chuckled softly to herself and sat down on her haunches across from Twilight, who had spread the picnic blanket out. Spike was pulling food and drink from the basket and looking mightily relieved to be done with walking for a while. Applejack spotted a certain bag as Spike pulled it out and set it on the blanket. “Are those them candied almonds n’ chestnuts ya got from Canterlot last spring, Twilight?” She asked hopefully.

“Oh good, Spike, you heard me!” Twilight nodded and levitated them over to Applejack, “You’re the reason I got ‘em. You’re the only pony I know who loves them so much, so I always keep some in stock. You just never come by the library much, so I never have an excuse to bring ‘em out.”

Applejack took the bag and opened it with her mouth, taking a few in her mouth and rolling her eyes back in her head in bliss. “Mmm! Twi, you’ve made me happier n’ a pig at wallow!”

The two ponies took their ease chatting easily with each other, laughing, and even eating occasionally. Spike was content to eat what they didn’t and make a wry interjection here or there. Unbeknownst to the three picnickers, another pair of eyes were watching them quite intently from hiding...

~*.*~

Scoots lowered her binoculars and adjusted her footing in the tree she had climbed to get a better vantage point. “Well?” Apple Bloom asked from below, “What’re they doin’? They kissin’ yet?”

Scootaloo pulled a disgusted face, tongue sticking out of her mouth in a mimed gag. Rolling her eyes, she called back down, “No! They’re just talking and eating. It’s so boooooring! Can’t Sweetie Belle take a turn now? This is more her kinda thing.”

Sweetie Belle’s face became even paler than usual as she eyed Scoots’ precarious perch in the apple tree high above her. She swallowed nervously, “Uh, I don’t know about that, Scoots,” she said, her voice small and choked. “I, uh, I don’t do too well with heights...”

A pair of binoculars dropped out of the tree and a moment later, Scoots fell out as well, her little wings flapping madly, but utterly useless as she crashed to the soggy grass below the tree. Rubbing her head, she scowled over at the picnickers in the distance. “I’m done spyin’, Apple Bloom! C’mon, let’s go try an’ get our brass band cutie marks like I wanted to do last week.”

“Oh c’mon Scoots,” Apple Bloom scolded, “y’cain’t expect ‘em to start kissin’ as soon as they see each other! They don’t even know they love each other yet. That’s where we come in.” She scratched her head a little sheepishly, “Though, I haven’t rightly figured that part out.”

“What if we, I don’t know, write them anonymous love notes?” Sweetie Belle suggested, her cheeks coloring in a blush. “And then we’d leave them at their doors and they’d pick them up and read them and just know the notes were written from each other!” She stared dreamily into the middle distance, imagining the scene.

Scoots rolled her eyes and pointed out, “But if they were anonymous, how would they know who it was from?”

“They’d know, silly,” Sweetie explained, “because of course they already secretly love each other and who else would write love notes to them?!”

Apple Bloom interjected before the argument could devolve into a full-blown fight. “C’mon Scoots, it ain’t that bad an idea. Only problem is I don’t know how t’write much lovey-dovey stuff. ‘Sides, I think my sister’d know it was from one o’ us. She can be pretty observant when the mood takes ‘er.”

“Why do you always take her side?” Scoots complained.

“Shut yer trap, Scoots, I’m thinkin’!” Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes in concentration, staring at the distant forms of her sister and Ponyville’s librarian. And Spike. You couldn’t forget Spike... He’d have to be watched. But who knew how to write a love note? “Sweetie...” Apple Bloom said slowly, “what’s your sister doin’ this afternoon?”

~*.*~

“So what do we do first?” Twilight asked eagerly. “Do we aerate the soil? Start a worm farm? Compost? Ooh, I know! We rotate crops!” She started rummaging in her saddlebags, “I’ve got a book about crop rotation in here, I just know it...”

Applejack sighed. Brunch was over and Spike had packed everything up, heading back to the library, saying something about needing to nap off such a huge meal. Applejack put a gentle hoof on Twilight’s neck as the lavender unicorn searched. “Twi, darlin’, y’don’t really, uh...well, y’don’t really need any of this stuff. All y’really need is a shovel...Or maybe a spade. Prob’ly just a spade, considerin’ the sapling Apple Bloom gotcha was kind of a runty little thing.” Twilight stopped digging through her saddlebag and turned back to Applejack, mortified.

“Y-you mean... All this was useless?” She gestured broadly at the pile of tools jumbled in the field.

Applejack puffed out a sigh and smiled at her friend who was obviously distressed, “Nah, it ain’t useless, Twi. It’s just for more... advanced stuff, I guess y’could say. For a little sapling, well, y’just need to put it in the ground.” She paused for a second, thinking, “‘Course, if you ever want apples, you won’t be able to plant it back at the library.”

Twilight stared at her quizzically, “Uh, it’s an apple tree, Applejack. Why wouldn’t it get apples?”

Applejack laughed and shook her head. She gestured to the orchards a short distance away. “What’s the first thing you notice when y’look out over there?”

Twilight glanced over where Applejack had pointed and then back at her friend, trying to find the catch or the twist in her honest friend’s questions. If this was Princess Celestia, there would be some underlying meaning, some sort of koan which would provide enlightenment of a complex subject through a simple example. But this was Applejack. Straightforward, honest, and direct. “Apple trees?” Twilight hazarded.

“Exactly,” Applejack smiled. “A plus, Ms. Sparkle, y’get yer gold star for the day.” Twilight blushed and rolled her eyes. “Now a big farm like Sweet Apple Acres is gonna have a bunch o’ apple trees of all diff’rent sorts. But even the smallest apple grower’s gonna have more ‘n one apple tree.”

Twilight looked even more confused than ever, “Why? I mean, I don’t want a whole bunch of apples. I don’t eat that many!”

“‘Cuz apple trees come in two varieties, like. Sorta like ponies. Y’got yer little girl apple trees and yer little boy apple trees. And the seeds’re their babies... D’you see where I’m headin’ with this?”

Twilight blushed and nodded. “Of course! How could I have overlooked such an obvious caveat?” She frowned, wondering aloud, “So why did Apple Bloom give me an apple tree?”

Applejack shook her head, “That’s just it. I cain’t really figure it. Apple Bloom knows apple trees just as well as any other Apple and she’d o’ known y’cain’t get apples from just one apple tree. I mean, y’can, but you’d have to if you plant a hedge of dwarf apple trees or an apple espalier around it.”

“Maybe she wanted me to plant it here? I mean, she did seem to think it was pretty important.”
Applejack considered it. “Guess it makes a certain amount o’ sense,” she conceded, “but that’d just be like plantin’ another tree in the orchard. I mean, why give it to you?”

Twilight laughed in sudden realization, “Oh, I think I know why!”

“Really?”

“Yes... What if she has a crush on me?” Twilight giggled again. The prospect seemed absurd, but cute, too. And it fit logically.

Applejack didn’t seem to think so though. “D’you mind explainin’ how y’came to that conclusion?”

“Remember? Yesterday? When Apple Bloom gave me the present and then started asking about love? And marefriends?”

Huh, she didn’t say ‘fillyfoolers,’ was the first thing that came to Applejack’s mind as she mulled it over. Finally she nodded in concession. “I think y’might be right. She seemed a bit eager t’know what I thought of mares on the way home.”

“It makes sense,” Twilight said, “a little filly looking up to her big sister as a role model. Obviously she’d look to her elders for guidance...”

“An’ I practically snapped her little head off!” Applejack moaned. “Now she’s gonna think it’s somethin’ to be ashamed of! Dang it! I’m a consarned fool!”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it,” Twilight said stepping closer to her friend and putting a conciliatory hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “How could you have known? Imagine how I feel! Spouting statistics and social science at her. She must think I’m such a bore!” Twilight scrunched her eyes shut, wincing at the memory.

Applejack shook her head, “Now don’t say that, Twi. That little filly has good taste! She only picked the smartest, kindest, funniest, prettiest pony in Ponyville t’ have a crush on.”

“Now you’re mocking me! I am no where near any of those things!” Twilight laughed harshly, her insecurity painfully obvious to Applejack. “I mean, sure, I read a lot, so that makes people think I’m smart. But if they only knew me, they’d know just how much I don’t know! And if she wanted to crush on a pretty pony, Rarity’s so much prettier than I am! Or Fluttershy who’s sweeter and prettier.” She hung her head, tears stinging her eyes, “And Rainbow Dash isn’t so inexplicably e-emotional all of a sudden!” She said, a sob breaking her voice at the end.

Applejack pulled her friend into a hug shushing her softly. “Twi... C’mon. You know my sister. And you know me. Element o’ Honesty, remember?” She pulled back a little, looking earnestly into the librarian’s eyes, “And I say you’re one of the prettiest mares in Ponyville, y’hear? And all the rest. Humble, too. See? So Apple Bloom’s gettin’ the whole package in this crush o’ hers.”

Twilight gazed back at Applejack, her eyes shining with unshed tears and she sniffed, wiping at her muzzle with one hoof. She smiled weakly and laughed softly, “You make me sound like quite the catch!”

Applejack chuckled herself, but found herself drawn into Twilight’s violet eyes. They were so big, so expressive...A pony could get lost in those eyes, she thought absently. Slowly, almost without her thinking about it, she brushed Twilight’s magenta and purple mane with one hoof, marvelling at the softness. “Yeah...” She breathed, “Quite th’ catch...”

Twilight blushed and leaned a little closer. Applejack leaned in a little more until their noses were barely separated. They stayed that way for what could have been mere seconds or maybe hours. Neither of them moving any closer, both unable to break eye contact. Applejack felt...she didn’t know what she felt. She just...couldn’t look away. Twilight was just as arrested. Neither could look away, but neither could act.

The moment passed. Twilight glanced away at some little sound and the spell was broken. Applejack pulled back suddenly, blushing furiously and now completely unable to look at Twilight. “So, uh...” Applejack said, but her voice grew hoarse and husky and she had to clear her throat to continue. “So it makes sense that Applejack’d have a crush on you.” She blinked, running that last sentence by her again, “Apple Bloom. I meant Apple Bloom!” She blushed again, completely flustered.

Twilight laughed a little manically, relieved to have something to break the tension that had suddenly sprung up between them. “Right!” She said loudly, “Apple Bloom! Ha!”

They each trailed off into awkward silence, neither looking directly at the other, but each sneaking glances out of the corners of their eyes. Applejack found her eyes on Twilight’s flank, studying the starburst pattern of the librarian’s cutie mark. As soon as she realised what she was looking at, she blushed and jerked her eyes up, but they only got caught on Twilight’s mane. What is goin’ on with me?! She thought desperately. I cain’t seem t’ look away!

The scene could have played out for hours, but the tension was suddenly shattered with a flap of cerulean wings. Rainbow Dash yawned hugely as she plopped out of the air with little of the usual grace she usually displayed, “Hey girls,” she said, “whatcha’ doin? Woah, that’s a lotta garden stuff.”

Twilight yelped and tripped over her hooves in surprise going head-over-flanks. “We weren’t doing anything!” She said frantically.

“Yeah,” Applejack agreed quickly, “we were just talkin’ ‘bout Appleja--er, Apple Bloom havin’ a crush on Twi here.” She laughed uncomfortably and fanned herself with her hat. “Did it suddenly get hot out here? Is it hot to you? It feels hot to me,” she babbled.

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow at the two of them, then something seemed to dawn on her and a knowing grin spread across her face. “Oooooh,” she said, winking at Applejack. “Right! Apple Bloom has a crush on Twilight. We’ll go with that! Say, Applejack, you got any food? I’m starvin’!”

Applejack couldn’t remember the last time she’d blushed so much or so often, but it felt like her cheeks had caught fire with the heat of her blush and she rolled her eyes, trying to play off her slip of the tongue. “Uh, yeah! I got some food back at th’ house. C’mon Twi, you wanna get a quick snack?”

Twilight scrambled to her hooves, trotting up next to Applejack, her own blush turning her purple cheeks almost maroon. “Right! Yes! Food! I eat food!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and jumped up into the air, flapping her wings lazily and calling back over her shoulder, “Good! ‘Cuz I’m one hungry pegasus! Try not to get lost on your way to the house!”

Applejack and Twilight walked back to the farmhouse in silence that felt both unbreakable and extremely awkward. They walked almost shoulder to shoulder, with but a hair's breadth of space between them, but neither Applejack nor Twilight took a single step to widen the gap. Of course, they didn’t close the gap either.

~*.*~

Chapter Six: What The Heart Needs

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo pulled up to the Carousel Boutique on Scootaloo’s scooter. The shop was empty for the moment, though several ponies lingered by the large round display windows showing off the latest designs in Rarity’s fall line. Sweetie led her friends to the side door which opened into the small kitchen. “Technically,” she whispered to her friends, “I’m banned from the kitchen until I get my cutie mark, but it should be okay as long as we’re just passing through.” The three friends crept through the empty kitchen quietly and up the stairs to the shop’s living area.

They heard Rarity singing to herself in her ‘inspiration room’, the large round room at the top of the Carousel Boutique that sometimes did double duty as Rarity’s bedroom. “Good,” Sweetie Belle said to Apple Bloom, “she’s singing her dressmaking song. That means she’s in a good mood. C’mon, let’s knock.” Still, she hesitated before interrupting her big sister. Scoots rolled her eyes and knocked.

Rarity’s melodious singing cut off and they heard her hoofsteps on the hardwood floor. Moments later, Rarity opened the door and smiled when she saw the Crusaders. “Well, hello there girls! I’m sorry, but Sweetie’s banned from the kitchen for a while... I can get you some snacks in a moment.” She began to close the door, but Apple Bloom put a hoof in the door.

“I’m sorry, Rarity, but we’re not lookin’ for snacks,” she explained quickly, “we need your help.”

Rarity opened the door with a mildly intrigued, amused expression on her face. She had her orange horn-rimmed glasses perched at the end of her nose and several pencils floating around her, gripped in her telekinetic magic. “Well, who am I to deny anypony help when they need it?” Rarity quipped, smiling gently. “Come on in girls!”

The Crusaders filed in slowly, careful not to disturb any of the stacks of bolts of cloth, ponikins, and various easels and half-finished dresses that crowded the room. “Sorry about the mess darlings,” Rarity called airily over her shoulder as she led them into the room. She cleared a space on a fainting couch and took her seat, lounging at her ease. Finally, she levitated the glasses from her face, putting them neatly on a desk behind her and smiled at the Crusaders. “Now, how could little ol’ moi possibly help the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

Scoots looked distinctly uncomfortable and Sweetie Belle was suddenly bashful, but Apple Bloom cleared her throat and said, “Well Rarity, y’remember yesterday at lunch? When I was askin’ all them questions about love an’ all that romantical stuff?”

Rarity blinked, but otherwise carefully masked her surprise. “Why yes, I do remember something like that... Do you have more questions?”

Apple Bloom glanced at Sweetie Belle and Rarity’s little sister took up the thread, “Not really. More of a request.”

“A request!” Rarity chuckled, looking between the three fillies and raising an eyebrow, “How...mysterious! Please, do go on!”

Apple Bloom sighed, seeming to reach a decision. “Okay. Here goes. My sister’s in love with Twilight Sparkle an’ don’t know it. We’re tryin’ to get them both to realize that they do know it and to be together. But we cain’t write love letters, so we need your help.”

Rarity blinked again, trying to process the sudden flood of words from the small yellow filly. She knew that the words meant things individually, but when they were put all together... No, she thought numbly, no, she can’t possibly mean... She couldn’t help it. She burst out giggling. The giggle turned into a laugh. She snorted, mortified that she was doing it, but unable to prevent it. Apple Bloom hung her head and turned to walk out of the room. “Wait!” Rarity gasped. “Please! I-I’m not l-l-laughing at you!” She dissolved into a fit of giggles again.

Apple Bloom didn’t stop, but muttered, “Yeah, I can see you ain’t laughin’ at us. C’mon girls, let’s try an’ make the love letters ourselves.” Sweetie Belle glared daggers at her sister, and put a comforting foreleg around the shoulders of her friend. Scoots trotted to the door, eager to get out of the uncomfortable situation.

Rarity ruthlessly beat back the fit of laughter that threatened to overtake her, took a deep breath and tried again, “Apple Bloom! Please, don’t go.” Apple Bloom paused. Rarity stood up from the couch and approached her, doing her best to hide the smile that wanted to spread itself across her face. “Please understand that you simply shocked me, darling. I-I’m not used to thinking of your big sister...or Twilight for that matter--” a quick burst of giggles again, quickly stifled, “--like that! Now... how did you reach this, ah, intriguing conclusion?”

Apple Bloom looked between her friends, then shrugged and turned around to face Rarity again. “Well,” she started, “y’know my sister: she wouldn’t let ‘er personal feelins’ cause anypony any trouble.” Rarity nodded, gesturing for Apple Bloom to continue. “Well, Twilight’s just like ‘er! They’re both so concerned with gettin’ their own work done that they don’t even stop to consider themselves at all!”

Rarity thought about that and nodded. It was true. Both Twilight and Applejack were concerned with their work almost to the exclusion of all else. Still... “Darling, as true as that is, it still does not mean that they...love...each other. Surely there’s something else? Something you’ve seen?”

“Well, not so much seen... But Twilight’s so nice! And my sister needs a special somepony!” Apple Bloom pleaded, “Rarity, cain’t you please help us! It’s not for us, it’s for my sister... And Twilight!”

Rarity shook her head slowly, “Oh Apple Bloom... That’s sweet. Really! But, dear, I simply can’t do anything like that.” Apple Bloom’s face fell. “I’m sorry, truly I am. But your sister and Twilight are simply friends. Sometimes it can be easy to mix up such close friendships with, ah, deeper feelings, but that’s all it is, darling, friendship!” She patted Apple Bloom’s shoulder gently with a foreleg.

Sweetie Belle narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat, “Rainbow Dash thinks they’re in love. She busted up the storm so Applejack and Twilight could have a date!”

Rarity’s eyebrow twitched. Her expression of careful sympathy suddenly became strained. “Rainbow...Dash? So that’s what that was...” She muttered. Then she cleared her throat and tossed her mane as casually as she could. “Girls... Perhaps I was being just a little hasty. You’re right! Everypony does deserve a special somepony. And why not Twilight and Applejack? What can I do to help though?”

Sweetie Belle threw a surreptitious wink at Apple Bloom who smiled quickly at each other. Scoots spoke up, “Well, we thought that we’d help ‘em get together if we were to write some lovey-dovey romantic kind of letters and left ‘em at their doors. Anonym...Anino...So they don’t know who wrote ‘em.” Apple Bloom nodded.

“Love letters is it?” Rarity mused, a slow smile spreading on her face, “Well, that’s certainly well within my talents! All right, girls, shall we discuss what kind of love letters you’d like to, ah, deliver to Applejack and Twilight?”

“Well,” Sweetie Belle said, “they need to confess their true feelings for eachother... But they need to know who the letter is from, even though they’re anonymous!”

“Yes...” Rarity murmured quietly, already thinking of a dozen ways to start the letters, and dismissing them as quickly. She wasn’t about to let Rainbow Dash out-do her in the relationship department!

~*.*~

Applejack set a plate of hot pancakes down in front of Rainbow Dash, who greedily smacked her lips and used a wing to drench them in maple syrup. She dug in with a will, eagerly shoveling the tasty treat into her mouth. The three mares were in Applejack’s kitchen. Rainbow Dash was seated at the table while Applejack leaned against the counter, a cup of cold cider in front of her. Twilight was leaning against the counter next to Applejack, still standing very close. She also had a very faint blush on her cheeks that had not let up since Rainbow Dash had found them in the meadow on the Southern edge of the orchard.

They were silent now. Applejack’s cheeks were also slightly redder than normal and she studiously avoided looking anywhere but at her friend. She was feeling all jumbled up. She’d never felt like this around anypony, much less such a close friend! I mean, Twilight n’ I have always gotten along... Like two peas in a pod! But I ain’t never... She glanced at Twilight out of the corner of her eye and gulped. Twilight’s mane was hiding her eyes, but she could have sworn she saw the lavender unicorn looking at her. What happened back there?

Twilight’s blush deepened. Sweet Celestia, she thought frantically, what’s going on?! Let’s see... heightened pulse, increased respiration to bring more oxygen to the brain, increased perspiration...these are all symptoms for, let’s see...sleep deprivation? She considered, flipping through her mental calendar, No. I’ve been getting my full, allotted eight and a half hours of sleep a night. Thyroid disorder? Graves’ disease? Symptoms of amphetamine withdrawal?! She was hyperventilating. She just knew she was hyperventilating. She glanced between the strands of her mane over at Applejack. But the orange farmpony was utterly casual and comfortable in her homey country kitchen.

Rainbow Dash ignored them both, concentrating entirely upon shoveling the pancakes as quickly as she possibly could. She was already halfway through them and was going for the record. “Mmmhphhmph?” She called out to Applejack.

“Huhwhatnow!?” Applejack startled. She glanced around a bit frantically, but nothing seemed to be on fire... Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Dash.

“Y’got any more of those pancakes there Applejack?” Rainbow Dash asked again, her mouth now clear of pancake.

“Uh,” Applejack glanced at the skillet on the stove and panicked for a second. She had left the pancake sitting in the skillet! She quickly cantered over to it and flipped it. Luckily, it wasn’t burnt. Crispy, definitely, but not burnt.

Rainbow Dash watched the whole production with a very smug smile. Her eyes slid between Twilight and Applejack and she decided that she’d have a little fun. “So...Twilight?” Twilight startled and shook her head as if to clear it. “What d’you think of Applejack’s mane today?”

Twilight smiled and said dreamily, “Oh, it was just lovely today wasn’t it? Do you think she brushed it today? It glimmered in the sunlight! Like...” she trailed off, blushing furiously.

“Burnished gold?” Rainbow Dash finished, grinning. Applejack was involved in pancake-making, so she wasn’t about to mess with Applejack. But it was totally worth it to see Twilight’s expression just now!

Twilight Sparkle glared at Rainbow Dash. Not sleep deprivation, not amphetamine withdrawals... She brushed her mane out of her eyes and glanced back at Applejack. Her mane really does look great today... Does she do anything with it?

For her part, Applejack was concentrating intensely on the apple pancakes. It was quite convenient for her that the oven was facing away from the other two ponies. It hid the blush that was growing on her cheeks and extending down her neck. So Twilight likes my mane, does she? Why had she never really cared before. She glanced back at Twilight and surreptitiously patted her mane, tucking a few stray hairs back into place. Oh shoot! Pancake’s gonna burn!

Rainbow Dash’s breakfast seemed to be endless to the two distracted mares. Finally though, the cerulean pegasus gave a jaw-cracking yawn and rubbed at her eyes. “Mind if I crash in your bed?” She yawned again.

“Nah, y’all go right ahead, Dash. It’s upstairs and--”

“--third door on the right. Yeah, I know! You act like I’ve never seen your room before, sheesh!” Rainbow rolled her eyes, “All right, I get it. You want some aloooooone time with your lover-girl, I can understand!” She made kissy faces at the two of them and trotted went upstairs, chuckling to herself.

As her hoofsteps faded down the hall her absence left a rather painfully awkward silence in her wake. Finally, it was Twilight who broke the silence. “Definitely not Graves’ disease.”

“Say what now?” Applejack asked, bemused.

Twilight blushed--again--and shook her head. “Uh, nothing. Um...” She cast about desperately for something--anything!--to say, but was drawing a complete blank.

“So...” Applejack said, then trailed off, also unable to think of anything to say.

“Thanksforteachingmeaboutappletreesand--”

“Y’all’rewelcometocomeonoveranytimeyouwanted--”

They both stopped talking and giggled. Twilight finally looked up and into Applejack’s big green eyes--the first time since they’d come in from the meadow--and once again found herself being drawn into them. Applejack caught her breath and quickly said, “Um, yeah. So, I gotta actually really fix that fence down there...”

“Right!” Twilight said, shaking her head, clearing it for a moment. “The fence! Of course! Yes...The library needs to actually be open for a little while today. So I need to go. Yes.”

“I’ll walk y’all to the door then!” Applejack said brightly.

They walked in silence through the house, both close together but not--quite--touching. Applejack opened the door for Twilight and the lavender unicorn brushed past her, her tail brushing Applejack’s fetlocks. She paused on the door and for a moment, all thought seemed to just leave her. It was when she caught the scent of Applejack’s mane. Clean, smelling of the fall air, apples, and slightly of sweat. It drove the conflicting emotions and thought right out. One moment she had paused, the next she was pulling back from Applejack, her lips tingling slightly, feeling slightly damp.

Applejack stared at her, dumbstruck, her lips still parted slightly. “Kiss...?” She said numbly, her voice rising slightly to turn it into a question.

Twilight thought about it, trying to work it out. She leaned in close again and smelled Applejack’s mane. She felt the thoughts simply drain out of the back of her head, like pulling the plug on a bathtub. And realized she was nuzzling her friend and--unless she was completely mistaken--being nuzzled back. The realization was so shocking that she pulled back and reality came crashing in. Her entire face turned bright red and she gave a strangled little giggle, then turned tail and galloped down the lane--luckily--toward Ponyville.

~*.*~

Applejack stood stunned on the doorstep for what seemed like hours. Twilight Sparkle--Twilight Sparkle--had just kissed her. And then nuzzled her. And I nuzzled her back! It had felt so right--so natural--at the time that she hadn’t even thought about it. It had felt like...like...It felt like comin’ home. Applejack stared at the road down which Twilight had disappeared. Suddenly, she felt a huge smile stretching its way across her cheeks. A big goofy grin which she couldn’t suppress and had no desire to. She turned around and walked through the house, completely dazed.

It wasn’t too long, though, before the daze of joy faded away and Applejack’s practical nature had reasserted itself. Suddenly, Twilight’s kiss wasn’t so amazing. What’s gonna happen now? It was troubling to say the least. I cain’t deny I got feelin’s for the mare, Applejack thought, but Twilight wasn’t actin’ like Twilight... She ain’t never shown even a hint o’ bein’ interested in me like...that...before! It didn’t mean nothin’. All probably true...And yet...

And yet Applejack couldn’t shake away the surprised joy that kept trying to take her over every time she thought about her lavender friend. For the first time in...how long now? Weeks? Months? Has it been years? Applejack didn’t feel that yawning emptiness at the edges of her mind, waiting to swallow her up. She allowed herself a small smile.

Applejack was outside by now, heading down to the meadow to finish her work with the fence. As she approached the southern pasture, she saw the jumble of gardening tools which Twilight had brought for her gardening lesson. She smiled and laughed to herself. I’ll have to get the cart down here and get these back up to the house, she thought absently as she picked up the hatchet in her mouth, getting ready to begin again on the fencepost. Twilight’ll want these back. As Applejack chopped away at the fencepost, she kept getting curls and bits of sawdust in her mouth. Of course, it could have been because of the huge smile which just would not go away.

~*.*~

Twilight walked and walked and walked. She never really noticed the long trip, her head was full of the smell of Applejack’s mane, the way the kiss had felt, that intimate nuzzle... What was I doing?! She thought, mortified. I just kissed one of my best friends...on the mouth! She tried to feel disgusted. Tried to feel ashamed. She tried to feel detached or clinical or logical or anything really, but she just kept feeling Applejack’s lips on her own.

Twilight walked right into the closed door of the library, head still spinning with Applejack, before she even noticed she was home. Glancing around to make sure no one had noticed her face plant into the door, she hurriedly opened it with a burst of telekinesis and went inside. She could hear Spike’s snores from his room. The main reading room was full of the heavy silence of the books. Usually, this silence calmed her and cleared her mind but right now, it made her feel close and claustrophobic. Quickly, she backed out of the library and back onto the streets of Ponyville.

She brooded as she walked, and it was only when she heard the distinct call of birdsong did she realize that she was no longer in Ponyville, but rather nearing the edge of the Everfree Forest and Fluttershy’s little cottage. Perfect! Twilight thought. Just the pony I need to see right now! If anyone can tell me what’s going on with me, it’s her!

She hurried her pace and quickly found herself at Fluttershy’s cottage. It was just after midday now, though it had felt like she’d both spent much longer than that at Applejack’s and, at the same time, much shorter. The door was slightly open and she could hear the ever-present animals twittering, cawing, cackling, and whuffing from within the cottage. She could even hear Fluttershy’s soft voice, though she could not make out what she was saying.

Twilight knocked on the door and the door opened a little more. She saw Fluttershy in the middle of her afternoon feeding routine, the yellow mare’s long pink mane hiding one eye as she distributed the food among the animals. The graceful pegasus smiled softly when she saw who was at the door and walked over. “Twilight,” she greeted, her voice quiet yet warm, “come in, please! I was just feeding the animals.” As Twilight walked inside, Fluttershy got a closer look at her, “Twilight...you seem...different? I mean, not bad different. Just...not...your usual self? Are you okay?”

Twilight’s answer was a little hesitant, “Well... I feel--physically--fine. I think. Except maybe not? My heart rate is way up and my cheeks hurt. And I can’t feel my hooves sometimes. And sometimes I get these goosebumps all up and down my body. And my lips are tingling.”

Fluttershy looked alarmed and rushed over to Twilight. “Oh my... that doesn’t sound very pleasant at all! Here, take a seat and I’ll make some tea.” She led Twilight inside and sat her down on the huge overstuffed couch that was her favorite piece of furniture. Then she went into the kitchen and Twilight heard her cluttering around getting the tea ready.

Twilight looked around the cottage, already feeling her heartbeat calming down into the normal ranges. Fluttershy had that effect on pretty much every creature she came in contact with. The cottage smelled of honeysuckle and green growing things, even though it was the middle of fall. There was a small fire in her fireplace and Twilight saw, arranged on the hoof-carved mantelpiece a series of framed pictures. Various animals made up the majority of the pictures, but there were several of her closest friends. There was a group picture that Fluttershy had taking the pride of place in the middle of the mantel which Twilight recognized immediately. She had a copy of the same photograph.

They had all been at Sugarcube Corner for one of Pinkie’s parties--celebrating...something, Twilight couldn’t really remember what--when Pinkie had gathered them all up for the group picture and set the camera on a timer. Applejack and her had been scrunched together and the whole group was laughing at something Rainbow Dash had said and Twilight had thrown her foreleg around Applejack’s shoulders, almost breathless with laughter. She smiled in remembered mirth as she studied the picture. But she wasn’t really studying the whole picture.

Fluttershy came back into her den with two teacups balanced on her wings and gracefully set them down on the coffee table, deftly shooing away group of mice engaged what seemed to be a lively game of rugby using a piece of cheese as the ball. Twilight thanked her and took a sip of the tea. Chamomile and honey with just a hint of lemon, her favorite. Twilight felt herself relaxing as the hot drink seemed to spread along her limbs and she settled more comfortably into the couch. Fluttershy smiled gently and said, “Are you feeling a little better now?”

Twilight nodded, “Oh yes, much better. The tea is wonderful!”

“So...what was wrong?” Fluttershy ducked her head shyly, flipping her mane in front of her eye again.

Twilight sighed and glanced up at the group picture again, another small smile tugging at her lips, “Well...” she started and trailed off. She didn’t really know how to begin. Fluttershy waited patiently, not pressing her. Finally, Twilight felt like she could start talking again, “It started...oh, I don’t know.. a couple of weeks ago? I started getting very emotional. I mean, the littlest thing could set me off. Crying, screaming, daydreaming...The response always seemed to vary, but it was all extreme.” Fluttershy nodded encouragingly and Twilight continued, “I kept expecting it to just go away, but it never did. It got worse. I’d get so distracted that I’d get lost in Ponyville! And this happened more than once. And I yelled at Rainbow Dash!”

“Oh my!” Fluttershy put a dainty hoof to her mouth in shock, “I mean, she can be a little...surprising, but...”

Twilight groaned and laid her head back on the couch, “I know I know! I mean, Rainbow was just being Rainbow. But I just blew up at her! I was completely irrational!”

“Are you feeling sick?” Fluttershy brushed her mane back, allowing Twilight to see her eyes which were currently full of worry, “Sometimes, Angel Bunny will get very mean when he’s sick. Once, he even stuck his tongue out at me!”

“Um, wow?” Twilight shook her head, closing her eyes, “But really, that’s not the whole thing. I kind of...well, I might have...” Twilight blew out a long sigh, then said in a big rush, “IkissedApplejackonthemouth.”

Twilight waited for the outburst, the surprised exclamation, the--more realistic because let’s face it this is is Fluttershy after all--muted gasp. But it never came. Instead, she felt a gentle hoof on her own and Fluttershy said, “Well that’s wonderful, Twilight! I’m so happy for you!”

Twilight opened her eyes, bemused. “You’re...wait, really? You’re not, I don’t know, worried that I might have ruined my friendship? Might be losing it completely? Might have completely disgusted Applejack? None of that?”

Fluttershy giggled, “No...I know you, Twilight. And Applejack.”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Fluttershy blushed prettily and hid one eye behind her long pink mane again. Giggling, she said, “Well, let’s just say that the only ones who are surprised about this will be you and Applejack...”

“What?” Twilight was caught completely off guard.

Still giggling, Fluttershy took a sip of her tea. She calmed down and said, “Twilight... All I can really say is this: you are one of my best friends. I have seen you in every situation a pony could possibly expect to see another pony, and many a pony would never expect,” she and Twilight shared a smile as shared memories flashed through their minds. “But of all my friends, you have always needed friendship the most, even though, when you first came to Ponyville, you were convinced you did not need any.”

“I remember that... I remember when we first met.” Twilight glanced back over at the group photo, her mind cast back to when she first arrived at Ponyville. “You were teaching the birds to sing in a choir and I needed your help to have music for the festival. Your replies were too quiet for me to even hear!”

“Oh yes...I remember that too. But throughout all of our adventures, through all the time we spent together doing amazing things, there have been a few times when you’ve...lost control of yourself. Remember when you enchanted that doll? Or when you tried to create an exact copy of Ponyville? Or when--”

Twilight grimaced and cut Fluttershy off, “Okay, okay, I get it! I can get a bit...carried away. But what does that have to do with me ki--uh, me and Applejack?”

“Well,” Fluttershy said, “you need something, somepony to balance you. At first, I thought it was Spike who balanced you out,” she took another sip of tea. “But then, as time went on, I realized it wasn’t Spike. I couldn’t figure out who it was. But I think I have now.”

“Applejack? Applejack balances me out?” Twilight couldn’t really understand the implications of Fluttershy’s words and that bothered her. She flared up in irritation, “Why not you? Why not Rarity or Pinkie or, or Dash?”

Fluttershy blinked at the outburst and hid her face behind her mane again, “I’m sorry, Twilight, I didn’t mean to upset you...”

“No, you didn’t upset me,” Twilight said immediately, “I just overreacted. See what I mean?”

Fluttershy peeked back out from her mane and smiled a tiny smile. “Oh, it’s quite okay, Twilight. I just... Well, I don’t mean to hurt your feelings. It’s just something I always thought... I hope you figure out what your heart needs...and don’t pay any attention to me.”

Twilight shook her head, “No...Fluttershy. I think you’re right. That’s why it struck such a nerve with me. What my heart needs...” Twilight finished her tea and stood up from the couch. “Thanks Fluttershy. I think I need to get home and think things through for a little while.”

~*.*~

Chapter Seven: A Tall Hot Glass of Applejack and Brothers Who Just Won’t Shut Up

Chapter 7: A Tall Hot Glass of Applejack and Brothers Who Just Won’t Shut Up

Twilight Sparkle walked home slowly, Fluttershy’s words still echoing through her head. Applejack... She balances me out? It was a compelling thought. But...But...It didn’t quite seem...logical. Not internally logical. It didn’t necessarily explain why she was acting like this so unexpectedly. The suddenness of these feelings--the physical attraction to another mare along with the urge to act upon it--was completely unlike Twilight’s normal nature and it was troubling to consider that an intelligent mare could be so blindsided by... Well, I don’t know what this is, thought Twilight frowning.

Could this be...biological in nature? Pheromones or hormones or something like that? It was possible. Ponies in ages past had to deal with biological embarrassments like the estrous cycle. Of course, no modern ponies had to worry about her hormones running away with her intellect. But it would explain things.

The truly confusing thing here was deciding what she wanted. That kiss had felt wonderful. It’s not like she could complain about the way she felt like she was walking on clouds. But she definitely did not like the way her reason had pretty much completely departed her when she smelled Applejack’s...glorious...silky...golden...What was I going on about? Twilight shook her head, trying to clear it of the remembered scent of her friend. The day was almost over and she had--once again--completely overshot the Library as she lost herself in thought. She found herself in front of the saccharine door of Sugar Cube Corner and gave a mental shrug. Why not? I could do with a bite to eat anyway.

Just as she was entering, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were leaving. They smiled huge cheesy grins at her and Sweetie fluttered her eyelashes dreamily. “Hi Twilight!” Apple Bloom said brightly, “Didja like th’ weather we had this mornin’?”

“Uh, yes!” Twilight said, taken aback by the attention of the Crusaders. “But wasn’t it supposed to rain today?”

Scoots and Sweetie giggled, and Apple Bloom’s smile widened, “Yeah, I think it was supposed to rain. Those durn weather ponies musta’ mixed it all up. So... did you an’ my sister get to plant th’ saplin’ I gave ya?”

Twilight blushed hugely, but tried to play it off by coughing and clearing her throat. “Erm, no... We didn’t really get to planting anything today. With one thing and another... we kinda forgot about it.”

Apple Bloom looked disappointed, but seemed to brighten up at a thought. “Oh, that’s okay. Um... me n’ the girls’re gonna, uh, go try an’ see if we can earn our, uh, leaf collectin’ cutie marks! Bye!”

The Crusaders left in a hurry, though Twilight could swear she heard Scootaloo say, “Leaf collecting? Soooo lame!”

She opened the door and walked in to be greeted by an enthusiastic Pinkie hug. “I saw you walking outside and you looked so deep in thought and I said to myself, I said, ‘Pinkie, there’s a pony that could certainly use a really big hug,’ and so then I said back to myself, ‘Pinkie, that’s a totally awesome idea,’ and I said, ‘I know, right!?’ And I got so excited when you walked into the bakery that I couldn’t even contain myself anymore andnowyou’rehereandIgaveyouareallybighugandit’sgreatisnt’it?!” Twilight was gasping for breath as Pinkie’s hug tightened more and more throughout her seemingly breathless tirade.

“Need...Air!” Twilight managed to croak as Pinkie continued more or less without stopping.

“Oops!” Her flow of words abruptly stopped and she let Twilight go, smiling widely.

Twilight smiled back weakly and caught her breath. “It’s okay Pinkie, but not everypony can speak without the need for air.”

Pinkie’s grin widened and the pink pony skipped around the counter of the bakery. “So, what can I get for ya, Twilight? You look like you might be in the mood for a--” her bright blue eyes suddenly narrowed and she leapt back over the counter and sniffed at Twilight’s mane.

Taken aback, Twilight flinched and tried to retreat from Pinkie’s questing nose, “Gah! Pinkie! What are you doing?!”

Pinkie stopped sniffing and retreated, a smile spreading on her lips again. She waggled her eyebrows in what Twilight could only assume was a suggestive manner as she walked back around the counter. “Hmmmm... I bet you want apple fritters.” Twilight just stared at her. “No? How about an apple muffin?” Twilight began to shuffle a little uncomfortably, “Or an apple puff, maybe some apple cobbler, with a side of spiced apples covered in apple cinnamon syrup and a tall glass of applejack. Though I should warn you, the Cakes don’t stock applejack--this is a family establishment after all!”

Twilight felt a headache coming on. If even Pinkie can tell what’s going on, why is it so confusing to me?! She sighed and replied, “YES. Okay?! I’d love to have a tall, hot, glass of Applejack. With apple turnovers and apple puffs and...and... apples! Give all the apples to Twilight! Why not?! I mean, she just kissed Applejack, so she must really need to eat a bunch of apples!” Twilight felt a little wild around the edges and was about to continue, but something about Pinkie’s expression stopped her.

The normally effusive pink party pony had a look of deep concern on her face. It was...bizarre. Pinkie walked slowly around the bakery counter again, all traces of her normal smile absent. Even her poofy mane seemed to be flattening out a little. “Twilight,” Pinkie said, seriously, “you don’t sound like you’d love apples. You sound like you’re mad at apples.” She scrunched up her face, her eyebrows meeting in a puzzled expression, “But that doesn’t make much sense! Apples are awesome!”

Twilight sighed and closed her eyes. That headache that had been threatening before was coming on full force now. She rubbed at her temples in a vain gesture to ward it off. “Pinkie...” She started, her voice strained with exasperation.

“But that’s not really the problem, is it?” Pinkie was being unusually perceptive today. Or something. Twilight was not in the mood for it, but Pinkie didn’t really appear to notice her irritation. “There’s something else going on here...” Pinkie peered at Twilight, one eye squinted shut and the other bulging out of its socket in an attempt to examine her lavender friend more closely. Twilight shrunk back from the scrutiny, not sure if she was more disturbed by Pinkie’s anatomical gymnastics or the pink pony’s unusually poignant observations.

“Pinkie,” Twilight tried again. The pink mare sniffed Twilight and then opened her eyes wide.

“You aren’t angry at apples,” Pinkie said, a smile growing on her lips, “you really really like apples!” Then she frowned again, “Or at least, inside-Twilight likes apples. It seems like outside-Twilight isn’t really too sure about apples.”

Twilight opened her mouth to refute Pinkie’s words, but nothing came out. She couldn’t really lie to herself. She closed her mouth and just nodded. A small smile tugged at one side of her mouth, “Yeah, pretty much... But I could just be suffering from narcotics withdrawal!” The hope seemed faint, though.

Pinkie giggled, “Silly, there’s no need to chase the dragon! You’ve got Spike! Besides,” she waggled her eyebrows suggestively, “doesn’t it feel good to be in looo-”

Twilight grabbed a cupcake from one of the displays and shoved it into Pinkie’s mouth before she could finish her sentence. Pinkie munched on it happily, apparently not bothered at being gagged with a cupcake. “I don’t know what I’m feeling. I... I kissed Applejack. There. I said it--”

“Again!” Pinkie chimed in, swallowing the cupcake.

“--again.” Twilight sighed, “So why do I feel so... conflicted? Shouldn’t I feel good about all this?”

Pinkie grabbed another cupcake from the display and munched on it thoughtfully. After about a half-second’s thought, she nodded decisively. “Yes, yes you should feel good about all this... But!” She held up a hoof to forestall Twilight’s response, “You’re also muzzy-wuzzy in the noggin. You’ve never felt chocolate-frosting-and-sprinkles-on-chocolate-cake about any of your friends before, you’ve only felt cream-cheese-icing-and-red-velvet-cake about us. So it’s perfectly understandable for you to get brain-burps about everything. I mean, if you’ve only ever had red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, then suddenly tasted the wonderosity of chocolate cake with chocolate icing and sprinkles, you’d be super confused and maybe even a little angry that you’d never had chocolate cake before!”

Twilight thought about her friend’s words. If she parsed the baked-goods metaphors right...Then basically...How about that, Twilight thought, she’s right! The small smile which had been tugging at one corner of her mouth now grew into a full smile. “Wow, Pinkie! I guess I hadn’t really thought of it like that before!”

Pinkie giggled again and gave Twilight another hug, this one much less vice-like than the last. “Of course I am, silly-billy! Now, how’s about you get yourself a nice big cinnamon roll and a coffee and go back to the library. It’s getting late and Mr. and Mrs. Cake will want me to start closing up shop pretty soon. Unless... you want to have a closing-the-shop-and-celebrating-cake-party?!” She started bouncing as she retrieved a cinnamon bun and poured a measure of coffee into a paper cup and handed them to Twilight, talking all the while, “Ooh! It’ll be so great! We’ll have streamers and confetti and cake--of course we’ll have cake!-- and punch and music and Gummy will wanna DJ the whole thing but I don’t know where we’re going to find go-go dancers at this late in the season and I don’t know, Twilight, but I think that a pudding pool might be a little underwhelming for this degree of party--” Twilight took the proffered coffee and bun and slowly started backing out of the bakery.

Before she took two steps, Pinkie suddenly stopped, her eyes going wide in sudden memory. “Oh! Wait! There’s something I have to give you! Hang on a second...” She bounced around the bakery’s counter and rummaged around. A rubber chicken, a fake mustache, a top hat, a fish bowl with a set of dentures in it all were tossed aside as Pinkie searched for...whatever it was she had remembered. Finally, after tossing aside what looked to be a marble bust of a rather surprised manticore, Pinkie said, “Ah ha!” And re-emerged holding a purple envelope in her mouth. “Thish ish f’r yoo!”

Twilight took the envelope from Pinkie with her magic and eyed it a little nervously. It was fine paper and smelled slightly of lavender. She turned it over. There was a red lipstick lip-print on the back. Immediately, Twilight blushed. “Who, ah, who’s it um... who’s it from?” Twilight asked, her voice cracking only a little.

“It’s from Apple--” Pinkie started to say, but was cut off by Twilight’s gasp. Suddenly, the lavender unicorn was saying goodbye and thank you and all but rushing out of the bakery. Nonplussed, Pinkie finished what she was going to say, “--bloom!” Then she shrugged to herself and began sweeping up the bakery, singing her Sweeping Up the Bakery song.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief when she got out of the bakery and stepped out into the chill evening. It was...well, it was Twilight; the sun had only just sunk to the horizon and the first stars had yet to appear, though Celestia’s Eye twinkled in its usual place just above the treetops of the Everfree forest to the north. The envelope in Twilight’s magic seemed to be brighter than it really was, though it could have just been a trick of perception. Twilight smiled at the night sky, feeling a blush heating her lips as the star seemed to wink at her. The star seemed to be saying, “I know who wrote that letter!”. She took a sip of her coffee and started to walk home where she could savor opening the letter in the privacy of her own room.

~*.*~

Applejack adjusted the wedge she had strapped to her back hoof and sighted behind herself carefully. She tensed her muscles, then snapped out a kick. The section of hickory log cracked with a hollow thunk and two neat halves toppled down. Applejack took a moment and positioned the next log and then prepared to split it. She was just about to launch another kick when she was interrupted by a cough. Startled, she let the kick go the slightest bit wide and, instead of splitting the log, her kick stopped cold and sent a tingling, numbing pain shooting all the way up her leg to settle into her lower back. “Consarn the dad-blamed hoof-smellin’ wrong end of a son-of-a-frog!” She howled, hopping on three legs and waving her deadened leg in the air.

Big Mac looked truly startled at this truly impressive display of cussin, deciding that the letter Pinkie had given him to give his sister might ought to wait a bit’. “Welp,” he said slowly, “I reckon I’d better come back when y’all’ve calmed down a mite...”

Applejack shot him a withering glare and flopped down on her haunches, rubbing at her bad leg with a hoof. “Sorry,” she grumbled. “Don’t tell Granny.”

Big Mac chuckled and shook his head. He cocked an eyebrow at the woodpile. It was stacked twice as tall as him and thirty feet long. The logs for chopping were almost all gone. “Rough day?” He asked.

Applejack sighed and slipped the splitting wedge off her hoof. Feeling was beginning to return to her leg in shooting little spears of hot pain. Grimacing, she shook her head. “I don’t know what yer talkin’ about.”

Big Mac cocked his eyebrow again. His sister couldn’t lie, deceive, dissemble, or kid herself or anypony worth a bent bit and they both knew it. The fact that she would even try was evidence of something serious. He waited for her to realize what she said. When he saw her blushing from her neck to the tips of her ears, he knew it wouldn’t be much longer. Three... he thought laconically, Two... aaaaaaannnd... “I’m sorry Big Mac,” Applejack muttered. One.

He nodded wordlessly and sat down next to his little sister, looking out over the orchard. The sun was just beginning to set and the sky was truly magnificent as the vermilion on the horizon blended into bloody crimson and soft lavender. A few stray clouds the weather ponies had missed scudded around on a breeze high overhead and the smell of woodsmoke from the town spiced the air with a subtle accent that was redolent of autumn. He breathed in deeply, loving every second of it. Big Mac nuzzled the top of his sister’s head and asked, “Wanna talk about it?”

Applejack shook her head again, then surprised herself by speaking anyway. “Yeah, I think I do.” Big Mac just nodded for her to continue. “It’s... well, it ain’t nothin’ I’ve ever dealt with before. I...” She trailed off, suddenly lost in a physical memory of Twilight’s lips, fleeting and soft on her own. She shook her head, breaking back into the present. “Well... let’s just say you ain’t the only one suddenly jugglin’ a mare o’ many surprises.”

Big Mac paused at that. “Mare?” He chewed thoughtfully on his ever-present stalk of hay. Then shrugged with his eyebrows and nuzzled his sister again, “Congratulations.”

“Oh don’t get all sappy on me now, Big Mac! It ain’t all sunshine and roses.” She rushed on, “Now don’t interrupt me! You know I hate it when you get all chatty and don’t let me get a word in edgewise.

“It was sudden and all unexpected. And I don’t think even she knew it was comin’... Course, she coulda’ been plannin’ the whole thing... But that ain’t like her! She likes her plans an’ her schedules somethin’ fierce and no mistake, but she ain’t never shown even the slightest interest in me before!” Applejack glared out at the sunset, not really seeing it.

“Twilight?” Big Mac knew the answer, but it would help his sister to say her name, he knew.

“Huh?” Applejack glanced up at him and blushed again, “Yeah... Twilight. How’d y’know?”

“Lucky guess.”

Applejack half smiled, then scowled. “O’course, it’d never work. We’re nothin’ alike. I mean, she’s Celestia’s star student an’ I’m just an apple farmer in a hick small town out in the middle o’ nowhere. ‘Sides, it ain’t like she’d know what hard work was if it came up an’ bit her on the flank!”

“Nice flanks though.” He smiled as Applejack’s blush rushed back and intensified. Gotcha, he thought smugly.

“You keep your dirty hooves to yourself! Or at least keep ‘em t’ Pinkie,” amended Applejack, then another thought struck her. “An’ Lyra I guess...”

Big Mac chuckled softly and shook his head. “I’m sure you’re right,” he said calmly.

“Now just hold on a second!” Applejack snapped, “How would you know anything about what would and wouldn’t work between me an’ Twi? It ain’t every pony who can say they got Princess Celestia as a mentor! And she stays up for days studyin’ those books o’ hers livin’ on just take out an’ coffee and--and she’s saved Equestria at least twice! An’ Ponyville at least a dozen other times!”

Big Mac raised his eyebrow again, switching his stalk of hay to the other side of his mouth. “Ayup.”

“Don’t get smart with me, Big Mac! I mean it! Why, if me n’ Twilight wanna make a go of it, you can... you can, uh... you can just shut yer big fat yap!” Applejack stood up, only limping a little bit on her hoof and narrowed her eyes at her brother. “And you can take those doubts o’ yours all the way on down t’ Tartarus!”

Big Mac shook his head, his expression carefully neutral. “Y’got me there,” he said, his tone absolutely flat.

Applejack huffed and nodded, managing to keep her stern expression for a whole five seconds before she broke down laughing. “All right, all right!” She groaned, “I’m a lovesick little filly! I can be th’ big mare an’ admit it... Though you’d better not go blabbin’ it all over town, y’great big gossip!”

Big Mac rolled his eyes and stood up, stretching his neck. “You know me,” he said, “just achin’ to spread rumors.” He laughed softly and began walking to the farmhouse.

“Big Mac,” Applejack called after him. The big earth pony paused, looking back over his shoulder, “Thanks,” she said softly, “fer listenin’.”

Big Mac just nodded. He smiled then and pulled a red envelope out from his yoke and gave it to Applejack. “Pinkie gave me this for you,” he explained, “said it was from a filly who really hoped you’d fall in love.” He turned and walked to the farmhouse, humming one of Pinkie’s songs under his breath and smiling ever so slightly as he went. Applejack watched him go, one hoof toying with the red envelope in front of her, glad that Big Mac had remained silent for once when she had blushed from tail to snout when he’d given her the letter.

~*.*~

Earlier that day...

Apple Bloom eyed the finished letter critically. She looked at her two friends doubtfully and raised a skeptical eyebrow at Rarity. “I don’t think my sister’d say, ‘Yew make mah bosom heave, O Violaceous Vixen.’ It don’t sound nothin’ like ‘er!” She wrinkled her nose at the letter in front of her, “And I don’t even know what a ‘marehood’ is. Is it like a rash? ‘Cuz when I get a rash, it gets all hot an’ bothered like you wrote here.”

Rarity blushed and whisked the letter away, “Nonsense! This is perfect. Twilight Sparkle will just know it’s from her dear Applejack and it will ignite a passion for the ages! Their love will rival that of Cleopcloptra and Marc Antpony!” She fanned herself with the letter. How did it get so warm in this room all of a sudden?

Scoots scrunched up her face, trying to make out the dense wording of the second letter, “Okay, yeah, but what’s ‘the quantum string theory of our hearts’ got anything to do with kissin’?”

Sweetie shrugged, but her loyalty to her sister compelled her to defend her. “Look you two, you both said you didn’t know anything about love letters. And we all know that my big sister knows all about romance, right?” Reluctantly, the other two Crusaders nodded. “So,” Sweetie continued, “let’s give it a shot! I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Dead silence rang out in Rarity’s inspiration room as that little bomb dropped. Scoots flinched a little. Apple Bloom’s eyes twitched nervously around the room, seeking the exits. Even Sweetie looked mildly shocked at her words. “Well now you’ve gone an’ done it,” Apple Bloom said quietly.

Scoots backed away from the little group slowly. Suddenly, she dove into a small mountain of throw pillows that Rarity had arranged on one of the fainting couches arranged artfully around the room. She peeked out from her pillow fort and then firmly shut her eyes. “Girls!” Rarity snapped peevishly, “Really! Now come come. I’ve given you more than enough of my valuable time to help you bring Applejack and Twilight Sparkle together. I simply must get back to my work; the day is beginning to wear on. Now, take the letters,” she picked them both up with her magical aura and folded them, placing them into envelopes.

“And remember,” she said, smiling as she applied a generous helping of lipstick to her lips and placed a kiss on the back of each of the envelopes, leaving a large red lip-print, and floated them over to Sweetie Belle, “The purple envelope goes to Applejack and the red one goes to Twilight! Now go spread the magic of love!” With that, the alabaster fashionista shooed the Crusaders out of her inspiration room and out into the hall.

Scoots, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle each looked at each other with mounting trepidation. The doom that Sweetie’s last sentence had prophesied still hanging over their heads. Scoots forced a laugh, “Ha. Heh. Right, guys... Let’s go spread the magic of love!”

Apple Bloom laughed uneasily, and nodded her head, her pink ribbon bobbing along. “Sure thing, Scoots!” Even to her ears, her cheerfulness sounded more like desperation, “Magic o’ love!”

Sweetie winced at Scootaloo’s laugh and nervously fumbled with the letters. I really put my hoof in it, she thought miserably. What can I do? Her mind raced, trying to figure out the best way to lift the palpable sense of dread which now hung over all of their heads. Suddenly, it came to her. “Sugar Cube Corner!” Her shout even startled her, to say nothing of Scoots, who had somehow managed to zip up into the rafters and Apple Bloom, who had covered herself with Sweetie’s poofy tail. “Aw, c’mon guys!” Sweetie wheedled, “Forget about...what I said. Let’s go get a cupcake or something from Pinkie Pie! My sister gave me my allowance from mom and dad yesterday, so it’ll be my treat!”

Scoots didn’t so much land as crash as she tried to fly back down from her perch, but in her defense, her wings were flapping the whole time. Apple Bloom sheepishly got out from under Sweetie’s tail, her cheeks colored with a blush of embarrassment. Scoots looked a lot less frightened than she had mere seconds ago and even Apple Bloom didn’t seem quite so nervous any more. “Yeah,” Scoots said, a smile growing, “as long as you’re buyin’, I’m sooo there!”

Relieved, Sweetie held out one small hoof. The other two Crusaders put their hooves in and, as one, they yelled, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS... AWAAAAAAY!” Sweetie made sure that the letters were gripped firmly in her mouth as they sped out of the boutique and down the street.

~*.*~

A few minutes later, the Crusaders were seated at a table in the bakery amid the late lunch crowd, mugs full of steaming hot chocolate and marshmallows in front of them while Pinkie Pie heaped a platter full of cookies, pastries, and cupcakes in front of them. “So Crusaders,” Pinkie said smiling broadly, “have you gotten your extreme sports entomology cutie marks yet?”

Scoots shook her head, “Nah, we gave up on that last week. Cockroaches are really bad at snowboarding, and you’d think water bugs’d be good at white-water rafting, but noooooo.”

“We’re getting our matchmaker cutie marks instead!” Sweetie piped in, a chocolatey mustache on her upper lip as she put down her mug.

“Matchmaking!” Pinkie’s eyes widened, “But you shouldn’t be playing with fire!”

Apple Bloom giggled and took a bit of a chocolate-on-chocolate cookie, “Huh-uh,” she said around a mouthful of cookie, “No, we’re tryin’ to help my sister n’ Twilight fall in love!”

Pinkie laughed delightedly, “Ooh! That sounds like soooo much fun! They’d be sooo perfect for each other! And I’d be able to throw a party for them when they finally got around to telling the rest of us! Ooh! Ooh! How can I help?!”

Sweetie Belle and Scoots exchanged a shrug and Apple Bloom looked thoughtful. Then she brightened up and said, “I know! You can give these here love letters to Twilight and Applejack! Yeah!”

“Good idea!” Sweetie Belle said. “Then we wouldn’t have to do it!”

“Ooh, I can so totally do that!” Pinkie said, bouncing in place. Apple Bloom took the letters from Sweetie and gave them to Pinkie.

“Remember,” said Apple Bloom, “the purple one goes to Twilight and the red one goes to my sister.” Then she stopped, a puzzled little frown on her face, “...Or maybe it’s the other way around?”

“Nah,” said Scoots airily, picking up a snickerdoodle and eating it in one bite, “You got it right the first time. See, ‘cuz Twilight’s purple right? And Applejack’s got red apples for her cutie mark, so of course she gets the red envelope!”

“I don’t know...” Sweetie Belle hedged, “I think it’s the other way around.”

Pinkie snatched the envelopes and bounced back around the counter, calling as she went, “Purple to Twilight and Red to Applejack! Got it! You can count on me! Yessirree bob! That’s a funny thing to say. I mean, who’s named Bob? What a weird name! I mean, what kinda cutie mark would a Bob have? Maybe a plum! Or a fish hook! Ewwww... what pony fishes? How would a pony even hold the rod and reel...” She trailed off as she fumbled with the letters behind the counter. Her eyes, though, had gotten very wide and a huge smile was growing on her face as she looked at the entrance of the bakery.

The Crusaders all stared at her in surprise. Pinkie never trailed off mid-ramble. Apple Bloom sighed and pointed to the entrance to the bakery. There stood her brother, Big Mac. He looked more than a little awkward standing half in and half out of the bakery with a big dopey grin on his normally stoic face. He walked into the bakery and Pinkie bounced out to greet him, throwing her forehooves around his neck and giving him a hug. She also planted several kisses on his cheeks and Apple Bloom could swear her big brother actually blushed--and she knew it had to have been a big blush if she could see it through his red coat.

Scoots was busy making gagging motions and Sweetie was blushing prettily and giggling. Apple Bloom was more inclined to agree with Scoots, but kept her mouth shut. She was happy for her brother, but at the same time, it was weird to see Big Mac acting so... so...coltish. Then Apple Bloom got an idea. She could use this little situation to her--and more importantly, her sister’s--advantage! She hopped down out of her seat and approached the two ponies.

Big Mac and Pinkie didn’t notice her right away. They didn’t notice her clearing her throat either. It was only through a concerted climbing effort with some truly athletic gymnastics that she was able to lever their faces apart long enough for the two besotted ponies to notice her. She dropped off her brother’s back and onto the floor with a squeak and eyed Big Mac askance. He at least had the decency to look embarrassed. Of course, Pinkie was completely oblivious. “Ahem!” Apple Bloom cleared her throat again, just for good measure. “Pinkie, could you get the red envelope we gave you a second ago? I think my big brother’d be the perfect pony t’be my messenger-colt!” Pinkie gave a cheerful nod and bounced back behind the counter.

Big Mac blinked at her in confusion. “It’s a letter,” Apple Bloom explained patiently, “for Applejack. You’re gonna give it to her when you see her next.”

Big Mac raised an eyebrow. Apple Bloom averted her eyes from his searching gaze. She scuffed her hoof on the floor, “Who’s it from?” She desperately searched for inspiration, “Uh, well... It-it’s from...” Suddenly, it came to her: the perfect answer to a rather awkward question that was completely true without being the whole truth, “It’s from a filly who really hopes she’s in love!” Big Mac’s other eyebrow joined the first high up on his forehead. “Trust me,” Apple Bloom said, “She’ll know who it’s from!”

Pinkie returned with the red envelope and gave it to Big Mac. She also had yet another tray full of pastries and sweets which she set out in on an empty table for Big Mac. “There we go!” She said cheerfully. “It’s my treat!”

The Crusaders stayed for a long time, enjoying the baked goods and hot chocolate. Eventually, Big Mac left and the shop slowly emptied out. Pinkie came up to them and said, a little sadly, “Sorry, fillies, but I gotta start cleanin’ the shop for closin’ time now... But you can come back tomorrow reeeeeeeeally early and hang out again!”

Scoots looked surprised at the time and said she had to get back home for dinner. The Crusaders thanked Pinkie and all trooped out of Sugar Cube Corner, talking and giggling to each other.

~*.*~

Chapter Eight: 9x - 7i > 3(3x -7u)

My Dearest Love,

Fate has conspired to throw us together, much like a mad chemist throwing ingredients into a crucible. Of love! How I lived without your presence in my life is one of life’s biggest quandaries--and one which I intend to put to rest. Your eyes, so full of rampant hormones and biological responses to my statistically-above-average aesthetic make your romantic intentions to me as obvious as the solution to the following equation: 9x - 7i > 3(3x - 7u)... The answer to that is i<3u, by the way.

O my darling! The quantum string theory of our hearts is as entangled as a pair of subatomic particles in a singlet state! I am almost afraid to ask if you feel the same way as I much prefer the Uncertainty of our relationship as it is. At least now, the state of the system is in flux... If we discuss our feelings for each other, one waveform will collapse into another and I simply cannot bear a negative result! But still, my mind is as afire as my heart, my love! I simply must know if you love me in proportion to my love for you!

Twilight had to put the letter down. Tears were streaming from her eyes. She couldn’t breathe. Spike rushed into her bedroom, eyes wide and frantic, “Twilight,” he shouted in a panic, “are you okay!? I heard this awful cackling and I thought maybe a spell had been cast on you!” He paused as he saw Twilight still gasping for breath, laughter choking off her response. “Is it a spell!?”

Twilight shook her head helplessly and pointed a hoof to the letter that had fallen next to her. Spike raised a scaly brow in incomprehension and walked over to it, picking it up. His green, reptilian eyes scanned over the words rapidly and his expression only became more quizzical as he looked up. “I don’t get it.”

Twilight finally was able to quiet her laugh down to a few giggles and stood up on shaky legs. “That’s what’s so,” she giggled again, “funny! It’s complete nonsense!”

“Uh, okay,” said Spike slowly, “that’s great. But I still don’t get it. Who sent it to you?”

Twilight took a deep breath, all the laughter out of her system, though a small smile still played at the edge of her mouth. “Applejack.” Spike’s mouth dropped open. “Or so I’m supposed to believe.”

Spike scratched his head, looking down at the letter again, “So she didn’t send this to you?”

Twilight sighed and plucked the letter out of Spike’s claws with her telekinesis. She folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope. “Can you imagine Applejack saying any of that?”

“Well...” Spike hedged.

“Exactly. So it was somepony else. Somepony who knows about my...feelings...for Applejack.”

“Wait now, what do you mean, ‘feelings’? What feelings?”

Twilight walked over to her bed and flopped down onto it. She heaved another sigh, all traces of her good humor gone now. “Oh, Spike! I don’t know... I think I’m in love with her!” She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the accusation or disgust she thought must be painted on his face.

Spike walked over to her and put a comforting claw on her shoulder, “Wow... Applejack huh?” Twilight nodded, still not opening her eyes. “Not Rarity then?” Twilight shook her head. “Whew! I mean, uh congratulations then!”

Twilight lifted her head off the bed, finally opening her eyes to find Spike smiling at her but blushing at the same time. “Thanks, I think?”

“What do you mean, ‘you think’? Aren’t you happy?”

“I don’t know what to think!” Twilight wailed, “I don’t know anything about love! It hasn’t exactly been a subject of study for me, Spike!” Twilight glared moodily out of her bedroom window at the twinkling stars. “I’ve been studying friendship. But this is a bit more than friendship! Pinkie told me to give it a shot... But it’s so confusing! And that letter didn’t exactly help.”

“Well,” Spike said slowly, one claw tapping at his chin in a thoughtful manner, “let’s work with something a bit less confusing, okay?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow at him and he continued, “The letter, I mean. You say that you’re sure that Applejack didn’t write it. Well, I have to agree with you there. So who do you think did?”

“Rarity.” Twilight said it without pause, even rolling her eyes a little. “I mean, come on! It’s so obvious!”

Spike’s face darkened, “So... Rarity wrote you a love note?” He shook his head emphatically, “No way. Rarity wouldn’t write you a love note. She wouldn’t.”

Twilight cleared her throat a little uncomfortably. She put a hoof on Spike’s shoulder and was surprised when he shrugged it off. “Spike,” she said hesitantly, “I’m not in love with Rarity. I mean, I’m not even in love with anypony! I don’t think... I mean, I have these crazy feelings which seem to revolve around Applejack, but I don’t know if I’d call it love...” She cut herself off. “Sorry,” she murmured, “I’m rambling. The point is that I don’t think that Rarity actually likes me anyway. Did you really read that note?”

Spike crossed his arms, refusing to look at Twilight for a long moment. Then his shoulders slumped and he nodded. “Yeah,” he muttered, “I read it all right. Whoever wrote it knows you pretty well. I mean, all that math and science-y talk... It’s right up your alley!”

Twilight stifled a giggle as the phrase ‘full of rampant hormones and biological responses’ resurface. “While I admit it was...interesting... I can honestly tell you that it was pretty much all horseapples. You can tell from reading it that whoever wrote it has only a passing familiarity with science and math and no clear idea at how the two interact in any meaningful way. It reads like someone who’s heard me drone on about it over and over again would interpret it.

“And besides,” she took a deep breath in again, “and I really cannot stress this enough, I don’t feel that way about Rarity. She’s a great friend, to be sure--this letter not withstanding--but she’s definitely not a romantic interest.”

Spike finally looked at her, “Are you serious?”

“Definitely.”

Spike’s smile returned and he nodded happily, “Good!” He suddenly looked contrite and more than a little embarrassed, “Uh, let’s not mention this to Rarity, okay?” Twilight yet again successfully suppressed a giggle and mimed a zipping motion over her lips. “So why would Rarity send you a note like that if she’s not, uh, that is, if she doesn’t... you know.”

“That’s what has me stumped, Spike! I mean, the only other ponies who know even a little bit about how I feel are Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie!” Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, “Fluttershy!”

“Fluttershy? What does she have anything to do with it?”

Twilight hopped down from her bed and began pacing back and forth as she spoke, “Well, Fluttershy and Rarity are best friends right? I mean, they have a standing weekly spa thing they go to together. I’ve been there with them a couple times before and all they do is talk about... well, all sorts of stuff really. But Rarity loves to gossip and this is the kind of thing she’d just love. I bet Fluttershy told Rarity!”

Spike cast a dubious look at Twilight. “So Fluttershy flew into town to tell Rarity that you like Applejack?”

“Yes!” Twilight announced triumphantly, “Of course she did! It’s so blindingly obvious! And then Rarity cooked up some kind of half-baked scheme where she thought she’d write me a love letter and make it sound like it was from Applejack so we’d stop dancing around the topic and declare our feelings for one another!” She stopped, reflecting on what she just said. “But that sounds stupid. I mean, I know Rarity’s into that romance novel trash, but I wouldn’t think that she’d buy into it that much!”

“Maybe you’re just overthinking it?” Spike suggested tentatively, “I mean, yeah, it sounds pretty far-fetched, but it’s also not all that important, right? Maybe you’re avoiding what’s really bugging you.”

Twilight’s first instinct was to turn her nose up and declaim that she was not overthinking anything, but she stopped herself because the simple fact was this: Spike was right. She was overthinking the letter because it gave her something to latch onto. A mystery to solve that was external--and therefore easier--than the current conundrum she was facing. She sat down on her haunches, perplexed and irritated at herself. “Goodness Spike,” she said softly, “you’re right. The letter doesn’t really matter. It’s just... what do I do about Applejack?”

~*.*~

Rainbow Dash finally woke up from her morning nap as the sun was setting. She blinked blearily at her surroundings: a small room with wooden walls, a few colorful cushions scattered here and there and enthusiastic, if unskilled likenesses of her pinned to the walls. Her muscles had a deep ache which hurt, but in a good way. It was like the Running of the Leaves all over again, except she didn’t remember the Running of the Leaves being a full-contact race. Rainbow got to her hooves a little stiffly and stretched gingerly. Nothing hurt too badly, but it was a good idea to go slowly. She heard the slap of tree branches against the wooden walls of the tree house and yawned mightily. Part of the stiffness, she knew, was because she’d slept on the ground; nothing could beat a cloud for a bed. It was time to finish her rest back home.

She ruffled her wings grimaced as she felt several of her feathers tug and pull oddly. It was going to take hours of preening to get her wings in anything approaching good flight order again. Still, she could at least get home before she got started on that chore. She walked over to the doorway of the treehouse and prepared to leap into the sky when she heard a thumping noise from over near Applejack’s house. What’s going on? she wondered, I better check it out, just in case. Fitting thought to action, she jumped out of the treehouse and flapped her wings a few times, the weird way the wind felt as it flowed over her feathers setting her teeth on edge.

What she saw when she got there was a little odd to say the least. In a little clearing in the backyard of Applejack’s house, with a couple of firefly lanterns providing a little light to see by, Applejack was bucking a rock. A boulder, really. It was twice as tall as Applejack and looked solid and heavy. Applejack’s kicks were full-powered and made sounds like firecrackers exploding when her hooves impacted with the stone. It looked like Applejack had been doing this for a while. There was a red envelope on the ground near the farm pony with a crumpled note next to it. Rainbow Dash decided she simply had to find out what was going on, so she landed a few feet away from Applejack. “Hey there AJ, what’s kickin’?”

Applejack sent another kick at the boulder, not even turning her head at Rainbow’s greeting. “Things are just--” she grunted as she kicked again, “--fine!”

Rainbow nodded and fluttered her wings around to take a look at the boulder. “Did the boulder insult Granny Smith?”

Applejack scowled and shook her head irritably. “Nope.”

Rainbow sighed as Applejack went back to her methodical pulverizing of the massive boulder. She trotted over to the envelope and the crumple letter lying next to it. “So, uh, you won’t mind me reading this then, right?”

Applejack’s next kick went wildly wide of the mark and she barked her cannon on the stone. A stream of cursing followed that impressed Rainbow for its variety and fluency. She waited while her friend’s tirade wound down and Applejack limped over to the letter and stomped it flat with one hoof. “Y’ain’t gonna read that, it’s personal!”

“So... You’re mad about the letter then.”

“Ye’re consarn right I’m mad about the danged letter!” Applejack ground the paper into the grass with as much venom as she could. “I thought she liked me!” This last outburst seemed to come out almost against her will and Applejack shut her eyes as angry tears sparkled against her orange fur.

“Woah,” said Rainbow, hurrying next to her friend and draping a wing over her shoulders in a hug. “What’s wrong AJ?”

Applejack let out a shuddering breath and opened her eyes. The tears were gone, but her voice shook, “I... I don’t rightly know, RD. It’s... complicated.” Rainbow just waited; Applejack heaved a sigh and continued, “You remember breakfast this mornin’?”

Rainbow smiled at the memory of the awkward breakfast so tense she’d been able to play AJ and Twilight like a guitar. “Heh, yeah I remember that. So, did you finally kiss her?”

Instead of getting the rise that Rainbow had expected, the farm pony just sighed again and nodded. “More or less. She kissed me anyway. It was... nice.”

“That’s awesome AJ!” Rainbow hugged her closer and Applejack smiled bashfully and her cheeks colored with a light blush.

“It was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.” Applejack scowled, “Confusin’ too. I had a nice long talk with Big Mac ‘bout it and thought I had it all sorted out. But then he gives me this letter. From ‘a filly who really hoped I fell in love’ he said. What with one thing an’ another, I thought he meant Twi.”

Rainbow nodded, “Okay, I’m following you so far...”

“So I read the letter. And I got so all-fired mad at the consarn thing! I mean, it’s like whoever wrote it is havin’ a laugh at me!” She ground her hoof down on the letter savagely, “And the only filly I can think of that’d even think o’ writin’ me a letter’d be Twilight! But she’d never write what... what was in the letter.”

Rainbow frowned, “AJ, c’mon, it couldn’t be that bad. I mean, you’re tougher than whatever’s on that letter! You’re like the bravest pony I know--except for me of course--and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry. Now you’re bawlin’ over a letter? That’s not like you.”

Applejack hung her head, “You’re right about all that, o’ course RD. But I ain’t never really had much reason t’ cry before. Nopony ever trampled on my feelins like they did on that letter... And I ain’t never really felt what I’m feelin’ before.”

“Then it wasn’t Twilight who wrote it,” Rainbow said flatly. Applejack looked at her, the question on her lips, but Rainbow answered before she could ask, “Come on AJ, you and I have known Twil for a long time now. Has she ever done anything that’d make a pony cry? I mean, bore you to sleep, sure, but cry? I don’t think that pony actually can be mean. A little snooty and know-it-all maybe, but mean? Nah, I don’t believe it. Now, are you gonna let me read the letter or are you just gonna stomp it into its grave?”

Applejack reluctantly picked up her hoof and smoothed out the letter for Rainbow to read. Rainbow squinted at it trying to make out the spidery writing in the dim light of the firefly lanterns.

“Dear Bloom o’ mah heart’s desahr,” she read. “What’s ‘desahr’?” she asked.

“I think it’s supposed to say ‘desire,’ RD,” Applejack said morosely, “I had a bit o’ trouble with it too. The whole letter’s like that.”

Rainbow shook her head and went back to reading, “Ah cain’t wait t’ see ya next. Yew make mah bosom heave, O Violaceous Vixen and I do declare that yew are the apple o’ mah ah. I cain’t thank what Ah’d dew if’n Ah didn’t see yew again. I treasure yer kisses lahk I treasure apples and that’s a lot. Yew set mah marehood on fire with desire. Mah love fer yew is like a complicated and country metaphor that’d sound real witty but ain’t. I gotta know if’n yew love me lahk that. Please oh please tell me yew dew.”

Rainbow set the note down gently, “I can’t read the rest of this,” she said, her mouth twisting up, “It’s pretty bad... Though in a sickly sweet kind of way, I think. Who the hay wrote this thing?”

“Ain’t it obvious?” Applejack snorted, “Twilight! She’s makin’ fun o’ my accent! Or tryin’ to talk on my level, and I don’t know which is worse. That she’s makin’ fun o’ me, or that she thinks I’d write like that or could only understand somethin’ written like that.”

“Oh come on, the only one who I’ve ever even heard talk about your accent is...”

Almost as if by reflex, Applejack said, “I don’t have an acc--” Applejack suddenly stopped and her eyes narrowed, “Rarity. Rarity!” She dug a hoof at the grass, almost like she was getting ready for a rodeo. “Why, I just bet it was that stuck-up, frou-frou, fancy,” her voice trailed off in muttering.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and knocked her hat off her head with a quick wing strike. Applejack left off her angry muttering and demanded, “Now what’d you do that for?!”

“Applejack, get your head right, girl! Even if Rarity wrote the letter--and thinkin’ about it, it kinda fits her style--I can’t think that she was tryin’ to make fun of you. I mean, have you ever even seen Rarity make fun of someone? She thinks the worst insult you could give a pony is that their fashion sense is tacky. This’d be some kind of messed-up mean--totally not the way Rarity works.”

Applejack frowned, then sighed. “You’re right, RD. I--I just... I don’t know. It ain’t somethin’ I’m used to, y’know?”

“Well, why don’t you go talk to her?”

“Who, Rarity?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and chucked Applejack on the shoulder, “No, you dork. Twilight! That’ll clear things up, plus you’ll actually be able to talk to her about your feelings. I mean, I’m way cooler than anypony in Ponyville, but feelings and stuff just aren’t my thing. I figure, if you want to figure out what’s really going on, you should talk to youre marefriend.”

Applejack bridled, “She ain’t my marefriend! Leastways, not yet... I don’t think. But you’re right, RD. I shoulda done it soon as I read that danged letter.”

“You do that, lovebird; I got some winks I gotta catch up on. And some preening.” Rainbow gave her another quick wing hug and then launched into the air. Within a few seconds, she had spiralled up into the night. But not before kissing sounds drifted down to Applejack along with some raucous laughter. Applejack scowled, then smiled as she began the walk back into Ponyville.

~*.*~

The brooding silence was getting too much for Spike. He began fidgeting on the bed next to Twilight as she stared out the window, a pensive frown on her face. At least she’d stopped pacing. He kicked his legs and looked up at the ceiling, blowing smoke rings distractedly. The silence stretched on and on and judging from Twilight’s unfocused stare, it would probably continue for hours. He jumped off the bed and began compulsively tidying up the room.

He started with the detritus around the bed itself. For being so compulsively organized, Twilight’s room typically looked like a focused hurricane had touched down and strewn things from one corner to the other. He sighed as he straightened stacks of books that had toppled and reorganized piles of parchment. He gathered up dresses designed by Rarity that Twilight had shucked and dropped on the floor into a pile for the laundry. Various and sundry odds and ends went into a variety of drawers and shelves. After twenty minutes, the room was more or less clean, though there were some truly impressive dust bunnies in the corners that Spike eyed dangerously. Just as he was deciding to go downstairs and grab a broom and a mop, an idea hit him. “What about a date?” he said slowly.

Twilight blinked, but otherwise didn’t respond at all. Rolling his eyes, Spike walked over to the bed and tapped Twilight on the flank, “Hey, Twilight!”

She shook her head and glared at him irritably, “Spike,” she admonished, “can’t you see I’m trying to think?”

“Twilight,” he repeated, “what about a date?”

“What about a date, Spike? My calendar is absolutely--” her eyes went wide and a silly grin spread over her face. “A date! Of course! Why didn’t I think of a date before! This is a classic romantic-interest-pursuit tactic and I completely forgot about it! Spike, you’re a genius!”

Spike buffed his claws on his chest modestly, “I know,” he said, grinning.

Twilight bounded off the bed, lighting up her horn as she did. A dozen books leapt off the shelves, three drawers opened themselves and a ream of paper along with bottles of multicolored ink and at least eight quills. Spike sighed and ducked as a book rocketed at his head. So much for tidying up, he thought. Twilight would probably be at this for the rest of the night and it was probably safe for him to turn in for the night. If she needed him, she’d wake him up. Twilight was muttering to herself excitedly and he edged out of the room quietly so he didn’t interrupt her again. He shut the door behind him and breathed a sigh of mingled relief and exhaustion. Who knew love could be so tiring?

Spike wandered downstairs and put away a few last-minute returns, humming the Winter Wrap-Up song from a couple of years ago as he did. Just as he was about to deactivate the runelamps, and plunge the library into darkness, a businesslike knock on the library’s door interrupted him. Now who could that be? He walked to the library’s front door and hesitated a moment before opening it, familiar nervousness giving him pause. Please don’t let it be Pinkie with her party cannon... he pled silently before grinding his teeth and opening the door.

Applejack stood on the doorstep, looking more than a little uncomfortable. She was shuffling her hooves on the ground and avoiding looking at Spike. She cleared her throat and said, “Now listen Twi, I’m right sorry I showed up here on your door all unannounced-like... and so late and all, but believe me, it’s for a good reason. I-I got, I guess y’could call ‘em feelin’s for ya. No, consarn it, that ain’t right. Twi, I think I might--really really--and I cain’t believe I’m sayin’ this-- I think I--” she looked up at Spike then, who stood in the door frozen and darting his eyes around like a trapped animal.

Applejack let out an explosive breath and groaned, sinking down to her haunches and covering her face with her forehooves. “I cain’t believe I thought this was a good idea...” she said, her voice muffled behind her hooves. “Spike, d’ya think ya might close the door and forget this ever happened?”

“Uh,” Spike said intelligently.

“No? I guess I cain’t blame ya... Maybe you could do the next best thing an’ just dig my grave here on the doorstep. I woulnd’t a’ believed it was possible to die from embarrassment before now, but fool me once an’ all that.”

“Uh,” Spike said again, then shook his head and puffed out a breath. “C’mon inside. I think Twilight wanted to see you.”

Applejack’s eyes peeked up from her hooves. She cleared her throat and straightened up, brushing herself off self-consciously. Spike wordlessly gestured her inside and Applejack smiled sheepishly and walked past him into the library. “Go on up,” Spike said, “I’ve got a few more things to take care of down in the library.”

Applejack nodded gratefully and walked up the stairs to Twilight’s room. She could see purple flashes of light emanating from under the door and she glanced back at Spike nervously. The little dragon wasn’t paying any more attention to her though; he was walking into the kitchen grumbling under his breath about not being paid enough to deal with emotional ponies. With more than a little trepidation, Applejack opened the door to Twilight’s bedroom.

Twilight was hunched over at her desk, a half a dozen books floating in the air around her, four quills writing on four separate pieces of paper. Twilight herself was busily reading two books laid open at different pages on her writing desk. She didn’t look up when Applejack nervously stepped into the room. “Spike,” Twilight said, still bent over the books, “what kind of food do you think Applejack’d enjoy more: spicy Indoneighsian or traditional Canterese?”

“I think she’d prob’ly just like somethin’ a bit more down-home,” Applejack said slowly.

Twilight let out a surprised Eep! and the magical glow around her horn abruptly extinguished and all the books, quills, and papers fell to the ground in a heap. She looked up from her books, her face bright red and a little gasp escaped her mouth when she saw Applejack standing in the doorway. Twilight hopped out of her seat and approached the farmpony a smile at the corners of her mouth. Hesitantly, she nuzzled Applejack and stepped back, the blush somehow even more obvious. “Hi,” she said softly.

Applejack felt her own face heat up, but returned Twilight’s affectionate nuzzle and felt a smile tugging at her own mouth. “Hi,” Applejack said.

Silence stretched between them, thick and tense. Twilight stared at Applejack, feeling herself getting pulled into the earth pony’s bright green eyes. Before she could get lost in them, she broke the silence, “So, uh, what brings you here? I mean, not that it’s a bad thing or anything, because it’s not! But, uh... yeah. What’s up? Um, heh heh... Oh Celestia, I’m bad at this!”

Applejack chuckled and shrugged, “I, uh, just had a question about, uh, this letter thing... But it ain’t really all that important. You seem, uh, pretty busy so I think I’ll just mosey on back home...”

“No!” Twilight cried, lunging for Applejack when the orange pony turned to leave. Applejack stopped and Twilight smiled bashfully, “That is, you don’t have to go. I mean, I was busy, but it was about you... Or us, really. I...um, I could use your input.”

Applejack turned and raised an eyebrow curiously, “Oh? What about us?”

Twilight giggled and cleared her throat, “Well... I was thinking... Would you like to go out with me to a social function or maybe to consume some food at an exotic purveyor of delicacies or maybe just perambulate around a municipal recreational area with a strong predilection for decorative angiosperms?” At Applejack’s mystified look, Twilight took a deep breath and started over. “That is, um... Would you uh... Like to um, maybe sort of go out on something like a date? With me? I mean, if you don’t want to that’d be fine, you’re a busy pony I know and your farm needs you and Apple Bloom needs you and I’m sure that there are a thousand other things that need your attention--”

Applejack put a hoof to Twilight’s lips to stop her stream of nervous babbling. She lowered her hoof and smiled, “You askin’ me out, sugar cube?”

Twilight’s eyes darted around, almost panicked before she squeezed them shut and took a deep breath. She nodded her head, not trusting herself to speak. Applejack nodded once and said, “Meet me at the farm at sundown on Saturday then, sugar cube. I cain’t wait!”

Twilight opened her eyes in surprise and her whole face lit up with a smile. She leapt at Applejack and tackled her in a hug. “Ooh,” she squealed happily, “I can’t wait! We’re going to have a wonderful time! I just know it!”

Applejack hugged the lavender unicorn back, then carefully disentangled herself and smiled. Then she remembered the reason she’d come here in the first place. “Uh, Twi,” she said slowly, “about that letter...”

“You got one too?” Twilight said, cutting off her glee, “Rarity is going to have a lot to answer for this time!”

“Rarity wrote it?”

“Well of course!” Twilight scowled, “You should have seen the letter she sent to me. Full of pseudo-scientific nonsense! I think she meant to make it sound like it came from you, though I still haven’t figured out why.”

Applejack remembered the hurt and betrayal she’d felt when she first read the letter and felt her face heat up in an embarrassed blush. Of course it weren’t Twi, you big ninny! she thought. And o’ course it’d be Rarity stickin’ her high-falutin’ nose up into my romantic life... Aloud, she said weakly, “Yeah, ain’t that somethin’? Uh, listen, I really do have to be goin’ now. It’s a mite late an’ I have some chores that need early attention tomorrow. I’ll uh, see ya later then?”

“Right! Of course! I’m sorry to have kept you for so long... So I’ll see you Saturday at sundown then? Only, that’s not really a very specific timeframe... I’ll make sure to get there a little early and then, if you need some help around the farm, I can do whatever you ask!”

“Sure thing, sugarcube,” Applejack answered. She turned to go but paused when Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder.

“Um...” Twilight glanced down at her hooves, “What if I, um, want to see you before Saturday? I mean, that’s a really long time from now--almost a hundred and twenty hours--and I kinda maybe want to see you before then...”

Applejack smiled and leaned close to Twilight. She brushed the purple unicorn’s lips with her own in a sweet but short kiss. She pulled back and nuzzled Twilight murmuring into her ear, “O’ course we can see each other before Saturday, you silly filly.” She stepped away from Twilight, who still seemed a little dazed from the intimate contact. “G’night, Twi. See ya tomorrow then!”

“Um, yeah,” Twilight said, her voice distant as a silly grin spread over her face, “See you tomorrow!” Applejack left her room and walked slowly down the stairs, a smile of her own on her face as she went. Spike was sitting in one of the overstuffed armchairs, plucking small sapphires from a little bag and munching them one by one like shiny bonbons. He looked up when he saw her coming down the stairs and let out a relieved sigh.

“So you worked things out with Twilight?”

Applejack smiled, the remembered caress of Twilight’s lips on hers still making her a little giddy, “Ayup. Be seein’ ya ‘round, Spike.”

“Finally!” Spike muttered. He pulled the ties of the little bag tight and hopped down from the armchair and headed for the stairs. He paused as he passed Applejack on the way up, “Uh, so are you and Twilight... together now?”

Applejack thought about the question and its hidden implications. She thought perhaps a little longer than the question warranted. Innocent though it was, the question was not unimportant. Finally, she nodded. Spike just looked at her, then he smiled back at her and hurried up the stairs. Applejack waited a moment, letting the remembered kiss linger on her mouth, her smile widening as she heard Twilight’s musical voice, muffled through the closed door but still clearly audible, “Yesyesyesyesyesyes!” She heard the clopping of hooves on the wooden floor and the image of Twilight performing her adorable little Yes Dance filled her mind. The thought had her smiling all the way back to Sweet Apple Acres and into bed.