The apple farmer inspected the apple trees closely. It had been less than a week since he, with the help of the Slave of the Lamp's powers, returned the orchard to its former and glorious self, but the trees were already withering and dying again. It wouldn't have surprised Braeburn, if it wasn't for the fact that most of the trees that were dying faster were the ones that were healthy before his wish to the Slave of the Lamp.

"I can't just wish for the mister of the lamp to fix everything up every time this happens. I need to solve my own problems by myself!" he thought. "There must be something going on, it's the only answer I can think about." the applebucker looked down. "Something deep underground..."

His trail of thoughts was interrupted by a pair of hooves covering his eyes. Judging by the delicacy and lack of dirt, it was a mare who was not from around.

"Guess who?" she asked.

He smiled when he recognized the voice. "Good to see ya kept yer promise, Princess Twilight."

"I told you I was going to visit soon." she said, giggling while moving her hooves away from his eyes. The fact that she was wearing a cloak surprised him.

"Why are ya dressed like that, Princess?"

"It's sort of... Complicated to travel around Equestria when you're a well-known Princess, so I had to disguise myself. I didn't wanted my visit to be postponed because a crowd of ponies wanted to see me and ask endless questions!"

"Oh, Ah understand. So, what about cousin AJ and yer other friends? Are they 'round here too?"

"Uh... They... Well..." she said, nervously looking around. "They aaaaare... Weeeeell... Busy, yes! They're busy! Too busy to come, so I came here on my own."

"On yer own?!"

"You sound surprised."

"It's just that... Every time Ah see or hear 'bout ya, yer usually with a friend or two, or at least yer dragon pet!"

"Assistant."

"Pardon?"

"He is not my pet. Spike is my assistant. My number one assistant!"

"Oh, please, forgive me!"

"It's ok, everypony assumes that when they first see us."

"But anyway, Ah need to apologize to the lil' fella next time Ah see him."

"It's no problem, really! He already got used to that."

"So, can Ah help ya with somethin'? Wanna grab somethin' to eat? Somethin' to drink? The travel from Ponyville to here must've been quite tirin'!"

"It was, actually." she turned around, removing her hood but keeping her cloak, and started trotting toward the town of Appleloosa. "Besides, it's a nice opportunity for us to spend some time together, right?"

What Twilight said made the stallion blush. "Did she just...?" he thought before shaking his head. "She must have meant as friends. There's no way she could have meant--"

"You're coming?" she asked, interrupting his train of thoughts once again.

"Huh? O-Oh, of course! Right behind ya, Princess."

"You can call me by my name, Braeburn. We're friends, remember?"

"R-Right, Pri-- A-Ah mean, Twilight."

Twilight giggled at the Appleloosan before resuming her walk toward town.

* * *

The Salt Block bar. Braeburn and Twilight were sitting on stools at the counter, each with a mug of cider in front of them, both laughing.

"And then I said..." she drank from her mug once again. "I said 'That's Miss Twilight to you, punk'!" both the alicorn princess and the apple farmer began to laugh, not caring at the other ponies staring at them, uncomfortable with the excessive noise they were making.

"An' then what happened?" he asked after finishing his mug of cider.

Twilight finished hers as well before speaking: "I zapped him with a paralysis spell, the guards took him to Canterlot prison and all the stolen goods were returned."

"Well, that's good!"

"What about you? Have any exciting and/or fun local stories?"

"Sincerely, nothin' excitin' has happened 'round these parts since that buffalo bussiness! Appleloosa can be quite borin' if a calm, quiet life is not yer thing."

"Well, from my point of view, Appleloosa looks perfect!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! You have no idea how dangerous Ponyville can be from time to time. Giant monsters, ancient and powerful creatures, house-eating parasites, even a dragon! Compared to my town, your town is a paradise!"

"Well, when you put it like that..."

"But, in the end, both towns have good parts and bad parts. But, of course, the good parts are much bigger than the bad ones, right?"

"Couldn't agree more with ya, Twi!"

The princess giggled. Braeburn looked at her, confused.

"Somethin' funny?"

"No, no, it's just that less than an hour ago, you were calling me 'Princess Twilight Sparkle', but now you're calling me by my nickname."

The applebucker blushed and looked down at his hind hooves. "A-Ah'm sorry. If ya want me to stop--"

"N-No! I-I mean... It's ok if it's you, Braeburn!"

"R-Really?"

Twilight blushed even more than she was already blushing. "I-I-I mean, y-you're my friend, right? Eheheh. Yeah, friend, that's it! Friends call each other cute nicknames, right, uh... Brae-Brae?"

It was Braeburn's turn to chuckle at Twilight's awkwardness, and also blush at he nickname. But their moment of joy and friendly reunion came to an end, and it all started with a voice coming from behind them.

"For some reason, Ah thought Ah would find ya here, Twi."

The farmer and the princess turned around, looking at the pony who was talking to the alicorn.

"Cousin AJ?"

"Afternoon, cousin Braeburn."

"Twi said y'all were busy to come here with her, so Ah take that yer done with yer job?"

"So, that's what she told ya, huh?"

"Well, you see, Braeburn..." the princess said while looking down. "I'm sorry, but I sort of... Lied! I'm sorry!"

"Lied? But why?"

"I... I..."

"She's hidin'!"

"Hidin'? From who? From what?"

"From my duties!" she said, a little louder than she expected. "Since I became a Princess I got so wrapped up in helping Princess Celestia and Princess Luna with royal duties that I barely have some time for myself or my friends. Even Spike, my closest friend and number one assistant, is spending more time with Rarity than with me. I hatched his egg, for Celestia's sake!" she sighed, looking down at the empty mug on her hoof. "This is why I came here! Because after that wonderful afternoon a few days ago, I knew I had a friend that wasn't aware of my duties, who I could spend some time without having to worry about a Royal Guard bursting through the door, requesting me to go to Canterlot and spend the rest of the day signing a tower of documents." Twilight smiled, looking away from the mug and at her stallion friend. "And I really enjoyed our time together today, Brae-Brae!"

"'Brae-Brae'?" Applejack asked, raising her left eyebrow. "Did Ah missed somethin'?"

"I-It's nothing, Applejack. Anyway, I believe that you're here to take me back, correct?"

"Ah'm sorry 'bout that, Twi. Orders from Princess Celestia herself!"

"I understand." Twilight got up from the stool and pressed her lips against Braeburn's cheek, making the stallion's heart skip a couple of beats. "Goodbye, Braeburn! I hope we meet again soon."

"A-Ah hope, too, Twi!"

She smiled before walking toward the exit of the bar. Applejack was about to follow her, but her cousin stopped her:

"Applejack, wait!"

"Yes, Braeburn?"

"Ya mentioned a while ago that ya have direct contact with the Princesses, right?"

"Ah guess Ah did! Why do ya ask?"

"Can ya do me a favor next time ya see them?"

"Sure thing! What do ya want me to do?"

* * *

Another week later, a letter came from Ponyville, adressed to Braeburn Apple. The applebucker opened it snd started reading while having dinner with his sister. While reading the letter, a smile appeared on his face.

Dear cousin Braeburn...

I spoke with the Princess (sorry for taking so long, we are both busy mares) and, after some negotiations, she agreed to your request, as long as you mantain your side of the bargain. Therefore, she will be visiting Appleloosa this weekend to check if you really did the impossible, as you claimed that you could. I really wanted to see how you plan on bending the laws of physics, but the orchard ain't gonna harvest itself, right? It's your turn now, so you better impress a Princess if you want to score another Princess. Good luck and take care!

Your loving cousin,
Applejack

Later that same night, while the town was asleep, Braeburn went to a mesa not too far away from Appleloosa, carrying the black, magical lamp in his saddlebag. Upon arriving there, he sat on the ground, grabbed the lamp, placed it on his lap and proceeded to rub it.

"Slave of the Lamp, Ah summon ya!"

Author's Note

I wonder who's going to be the first to find my special reference.