Diplomatic Troubles

Chapters

Chapter 1 - A Formal Request
Chapter 3 - Preparations
Chapter 4 - Surprise Visit
Chapter 5 - Friendly Conversation
Chapter 6 - Change of Plans
Chapter 7 - Soup's On
Chapter 8 - Calm Before the Storm
Chapter 9 - Sweet Apple Events
Chapter 10
Chapter 11 - Home Sweet Home
Chapter 12 - Big Worries in the Big Hall
Chapter 13 - Confidence
Chapter 14 - Taking Care of Business
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 18 - Confessions
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24 - The Trouble With Diplomats
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27 - Penultimate
Chapter 28 - Happily Ever After
Chapter 2 - Stocking Up
Chapter 17 - Breakfast Before the Storm

Chapter 1 - A Formal Request

Twilight was sitting downstairs reading a book titled “Advanced Teleportation Methods, Volume III”, when she heard Spike call down to her. “Hey, Celestia just sent you a letter. It seems important.” Twilight marked her spot in the book and closed it, looking up to Spike curiously.

“Really?” she thought out loud as she trotted towards the stairs. Spike nodded to her, adding a short “Mhm.”

She ascended the stairs and used her magic to break the seal, and open the letter. What she read astonished her, and she had to sit down halfway through with both delight and a slight feeling of worry.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle,” the letter began, “Recent diplomatic business demands that the Mayor of Ponyville attend a meeting within Canterlot, and she needs someone to take care of things while she is away. I know of your studiousness and your ability to organize, and I can think of nopony better suited for the job! If you are prepared for such a task, I will make the necessary preparations immediately.

- Your mentor, Princess Celestia.”

Twilight had to reread the letter several times to make sure what she was comprehending was correct. She looked to Spike with a confused look upon her face. “What?” he asked, just as confused by her expression.

“The Princess wants me to be the temporary mayor of Ponyville, while the current one is away on business,” she said, smiling at how odd it sounded.

“That’s awesome!” Spike shouted, causing Twilight to jump, due to being startled by his sudden reaction. “You could run the town however you want! Think of all the ice cream..” Spike said, drifting off into a daydream, slightly drooling at the thought.

Twilight rolled her eyes and nudged him out of his fantasies. “No, Spike. Being the mayor is a major responsibility. I don’t even know if I can handle such a job! I’m hardly qualified for the position,” she lectured him.

Spike waved his hand at her, as if dismissing her worries. “Oh please. You’re the most organized pony in Ponyville! The Princess even said it herself! You’re practically MADE for this job! Who else but you could do it?”

Twilight smiled slightly at this. She was not one to shy away from compliments by any means, and she was grateful for the kind words Spike had provided for her. That still did not eliminate the sinking feeling that if she accepted, something would go awry. “But what if something goes wrong?” she asked him cautiously.

Spike smiled and extended his arms to the side excitedly, seeing that she was considering the offer. “That’s easy! You’ve got tons of friends here in Ponyville! We can just ask one of them for some assistance. You’ve got nothing to worry about,” he said, reassuring her.

Twilight began pacing the room, weighing her options. Spike patiently waited, but began tapping his foot after a few minutes had passed. He knew that without motivation, she would crack under doubt. “Twilight, you and I both know you can do this. And if something goes wrong, we can always request help from the Princess, right?”

Twilight stopped pacing, took a deep breath, and turned around with a relieved expression. “Okay,” she said, smiling slightly at the dragon. “Spike.. Get ready to write a letter.”

Spike eagerly grabbed a quill and a piece of paper, ready for action. Poised to write, he nodded to Twilight, who cleared her throat.

“Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight began, “In reply to your gracious request, I have decided to accept the position with great honor and-”

Twilight paused. “No, that sounds too official. But what if it is too lenient? With great responsibility? Great..” she began to attain another worried, anxious look, and Spike stopped her.

“Just write how you’d usually write to her, it’ll be fine,” Spike said reassuringly.

Twilight nodded once more and took another deep breath. Spike grabbed a new piece of paper, ready to write once more. “Dear Princess Celestia,” she said again, sounding more confident this time, “It is with great pleasure that I accept your request to fill in for the Mayor’s position while she is away. I will await further letters explaining my new role within the town with great eagerness.

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

Spike rolled up the letter and sealed it before breathing his mystical fire unto it, sending it on its way to the Princess. “Oh I hope this wasn’t a mistake,” Twilight said with a small sigh. She’d never had this much power before, nor had she any experience in major politics. Though she had a few books she could read. The thought comforted her as she considered the possibilities of her new role.

“You’ll do fine,” Spike said confidently, patting her on the back. “Now we just have to wait for a let-” Before he could finish, he spewed forth green fire, and a letter appeared. Twilight caught it in midair using her magic, and she opened the letter.

“It says I’ll be starting tomorrow morning,” Twilight said with both excitement and nervousness tingeing her voice. With sudden realization, she perked her head up and bolted for the door. “Come on Spike! We’ve got a lot to do before tomorrow!”

Spike ran after her futily, shouting towards her as he waved his arms about, “Hey! Wait up!”

Chapter 3 - Preparations

Twilight found herself trotting at a brisk pace through the market, looking in and out of shops in search of the small purple dragon.

"Spike?" she called out in slight worry, but to no avail. Becoming panicked, Twilight began running at a steady pace, going to places she thought he'd be: the ice cream parlor, the cake shop, the candy shop.

She was looking from side to side, hardly paying attention to what was in front of her, when she bumped into someone. "Sorry," she heard a soft voice say apologetically. She looked up to see Fluttershy getting to her feet and offering a hoof to help Twilight up.

"Oh I'm sorry Twilight, I didn't see you there," Fluttershy apologized once again, before Twilight could say anything. She opened her mouth to speak, but Fluttershy interjected saying, "I was watching some birds teaching their little one how to fly, and I didn't notice you running here." She shrunk away, hiding her face behind her pink hair, as was her habit when she felt guilty or scared. "Are you mad at me? I'm sorry," she said, her voice getting more quiet.

Twilight couldn't help but smile at Fluttershy's kindness as she accepted the help up off of the ground. "No, no. It was my fault. I didn't see where I was going. I have no reason to be mad at you!"

Fluttershy smiled and emerged from behind her hair looking innocent. "Oh good," she said with a sigh of relief, as if she'd expected Twilight to be furious.

Twilight suddenly snapped her attention back to what she was doing, and she gasped. "Fluttershy!" she exclaimed, to which the yellow pegasus jumped, startled. "Yes?" Fluttershy asked softly. "Have you seen Spike?" Twilight said more out of worry than of anger. She'd come to realize over the past few years that if Spike was missing, he usually had a good reason for doing so.

Fluttershy perked up, suddenly remembering something. "Oh, yes I did!" she exclaimed in her soft manner of voice. She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a smaller bag. Twilight levitated it in front of her, opening it to discover it was filled with quills, possibly twenty.

"Wow! Where'd you get these?" Twilight asked, looking at Fluttershy with a surprised expression painted on her face.

"I was in the market looking for some carrots to feed Angel when I saw Spike. He looked like he was in a hurry, and he said to give you those," Fluttershy explained with a smile. "He said he'd be buying some inkwells to bring back to your library, so you could probably find him there."

Twilight couldn't help but smile at Spike's intentions. Her worries drained away from her in an instant and she turned her attention to the town clock. It was nearly one o'clock, and she decided to get moving before it got too late to accomplish much. She still had a few things she wanted to do before her new job.

With the thought of the new position, she shuddered, but not as much as she had before. "Thank you, Fluttershy. I should be heading back home. Shouldn't keep Spike waiting too long, huh?"

Fluttershy nodded and replied, "Oh, yes. Tell him I said hello!"

"Will do," Twilight responded, before the two went trotting their separate ways. On the way home Twilight considered what the job would entail. She'd most likely have to sign papers, and take care of some small issues for sure. But then there was the Farmer's Festival, she remembered. She had only been there twice, and as a spectator.

From what he understood, all of the farmers from five different regions would get together and host a large festival to celebrate the prosperity of their work. It ranged from apples to grapes, and ponies of all kind would attend. It just so happened to be that Twilight must be the mayor of Ponyville the three days it would be initiated.

By the time Twilight got to the library, she was grinding her teeth subconsciously, and she could feel worry crawling into her mind once again. She startled Spike when she entered. He was reorganizing a few books that looked as if they had fallen off of the shelves.

"Woah!" Spike said as he wobbled on the stepladder, startled by the sudden break in silence within the library. Twilight noticed she had been grinding her teeth together, and manually stopped herself, concentrating on discontinuing the action. Instead, she began pacing back and forth slowly as Spike explained the situation.

"Sorry about the mess Twilight," he said nervously, pressing two fingers together. He climbed down carefully off of the ladder and gestured to three books on the table. "I decided that since neither of us have much experience in the Farmer's Festival, I'd find some books to help us understand it."

Twilight was both surprised and proud that Spike had thought of it. It was typically something she would have done, and it put her mind somewhat at ease that Spike was planning so far ahead. "Fluttershy told me that the Festival would be pretty big this year, so I wanted to make sure we were ready. But when I reached for one of the books, I accidentally tipped over some others. The rest just came tumbling down."

He hurried over to the books to begin his work again as he said, "But don't worry! I'll get this cleaned up in a flash!"

Twilight stopped pacing and levitated the dragon over to her, nuzzling him gently. When she put him down she saw the confused look on Spike's face. "What was that for?" he asked.

She rubbed the top of his head and aid, "For being my number one assistant!"

Spike beamed with pride and rubbed the back of his head. "Heh. I guess the idea was pretty smart of me, huh?" Twilight grinned and nudged him softly. "Come on," she said. "Let's get this cleaned up before we start reading."

Chapter 4 - Surprise Visit

To Twilight's surprise, the books she had discussing the Farmer's Festival were actually quite educating. They contained more expansive knowledge than just simple facts, as she had previously predicted.

She'd finished one of the three books, and was well on her way to finishing the second when she looked to Spike. "Nice job finding these books, Spike," Twilight complimented.

Spike's eyes looked bloodshot and his eyelids looked as if they were extra weight to him as he said, "Well, it comes with the.." He paused, beginning to yawn as he said what Twilight supposed was the word 'job'. To her it sounded more like "Jyeaawwnmmb."

She chuckled for a moment, then yawned herself. She hadn't realized how long she had been reading until she gazed up at the clock. It was eleven o'clock, which was hours after their usual bedtime. "Wow. I guess we oughta head to bed, huh?" Twilight said as she turned back to the dragon, who was already slumping over the table he was reading at.

She marked the place in her book as she shut it, and smiled at Spike. She gently levitated him into the air as she walked quietly up the stairs into their bedroom. As she passed her own bed, the very thought of sliding under the covers caused her to become exponentially more tired than before.

She tucked the dragon into his own bed, now sound asleep, then walked slowly over to her own bed. Levitating the covers, she climbed into the bed eagerly and let the covers fall. It seemed that immediately after settling into the bed, she fell into a deep sleep.

Upon awakening, she stretched comfortably. She looked in the direction of her window and saw the sun was on the horizon. Suddenly shocked awake, she turned to the clock, and hurried out of bed.

"We overslept!" she exclaimed, rousing Spike from his sleep. He turned over to stare at her with an incredulous look upon her face. "What?" he mumbled in a tired manner.

"It's nine-thirty!" Twilight said, slightly raising her voice in agitation with herself. She moved to the mirror in order to groom herself, only to gasp in dismay. Her mane was a mess, and she expected the Mayor to be at her home within minutes.

A surge of thoughts went through her mind as she began grinding her teeth together in anxiety. "What if the Mayor already came? What if they decided I'm not right for the job? What if they think I'm lazy?" she said, flicking her tail in annoyance.

"Twilight! I'm sure you're overreacting," Spike said as he crawled out of his bed lazily.

"Overreacting!?" Twilight said, slightly annoyed. She began running a brush recklessly through her hair, pulling at knots along the way. "How could I not - Ow! - react like this, - Ouch! - when it's this important!?"

A sudden knock at the door made her heart sink. While they had not arrived before, they were here now, much to Twilight's dismay. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no!" Twilight said, prancing in place and looking nervously around the room.

She rushed downstairs and shut here eyes as she opened the door in terror, ready to face her fate.

"Hi, Twilight," a single voice said, with a country accent tingeing their voice.

She opened her eyes in disbelief, realizing it was only Applejack standing before her, and not the Mayor or Celestia as she had previously expected. "Oh, it's just you," Twilight said with a sigh of relief.

Suddenly catching herself, she hurriedly apologized, "Not that it isn't nice to see you! I just mean, well, I mean that I wasn't expecting you. But here you are!" She tried to fake a smile, but realized she must look ridiculous to the orange mare in front of her.

"Twi', you look mighty stressed," Applejack commented in a caring manner, disregarding Twilight's previous mistake of words. Twilight sighed as she stepped aside to let Applejack in. After thanking her, Applejack moved into the library and sat down in a reading corner, beckoning Twilight over.

"Now are you gonna tell me what's botherin' you?" Applejack asked in a way that suggested she was kidding, but also serious to a degree. Twilight sighed, but nodded as she sat next to Applejack, a few feet away.

She explained what was happening, why she was stressing out, and why she looked the way she did. By the end of the explanation, she had tears welling up in her eyes as she tried to force them back.

Applejack gave her a knowing smile as she nodded once. She moved over to Twilight and sat next to her, closing the gap between the two. "I know," she said plainly. "The Mayor sent me to help you prepare for the Festival, and specifically asked me to help you with it."

"But what about the Festival? Aren't you supposed to represent Sweet Apple Acres?" Twilight asked softly, still holding back tears.

Applejack gently waved a hoof at the statement. "Nah, Granny Smith and Apple Bloom know how to put on a show. With Big Mac there to help 'em with the heavy liftin', I reckon they can get it done right," Applejack said confidently, but then added, "I'll admit, I'd like to attend it with the others. But this is just as important as attending, and I can't pass up the chance to help out one of my friends, now can I?"

Twilight couldn't help but feel reassured by Applejack's statement, due to her confidence. With her experience, Twilight was sure that Applejack would be a big help in the upcoming Festival. "I studied some books on the Festival, so I have a little knowledge of the basics."

Applejack looked to Twilight and chuckled lightly. "That's all well and good, but I reckon it don't teach you about a lot of the things you ought to know," she said surely. Twilight smiled slightly and nodded, knowing experience was more reliable than books in many cases.

"Well then, let's get started. No point in wastin' time, huh?" Applejack said, nodding to Twilight confidently. "Agreed," Twilight said with a smile, glad to have Applejack by her side in the endeavor.

Chapter 5 - Friendly Conversation

Hours seemed like minutes as the conversation between Applejack and Twilight went on. What started as a professional discussion turned into a friendly discussion between the two, and Twilight's nerves had improved considerably well. Laughter and conversation filled the room as time passed by and as memories were shared between the two.

"And that's why the farm's sign is still cracked!" Applejack said, wiping away tears of laughter from her eyes. Twilight had to wipe at her own eyes, having laughed so hard at Applejack's stories.

"I knew you could kick hard," Twilight said between bouts of laughter, "but wow. The whole sign?"

Applejack nodded with slide pride in her posture. "Yup. The whole sign!" she boasted, her laughter finally subsiding to leave only a happy smile on her face.

Twilight, too, had calmed down and was smiling now. She took a sip of the tea she'd made for both of them when she though they'd be talking for an extensive period of time, an assumption which came true. She took to the kitchen in order to refill the pitcher of tea, and looked towards the clock hanging on the wall. Her expression went from happiness to that of slight surprise as she turned to her friend and said apologetically, "Oh my goodness, Applejack."

"What's the matter, Sugarcube?" Applejack said in her commonly casual manner, the smile on her face hardly dissipating. She took a swig of her own tea that Twilight had set out for her. While she preferred a cold mug of cider, she was quite grateful for Twilight's generosity.

"It's nearly two in the afternoon," Twilight said, slightly frowning. "Shouldn't you be getting back to the farm?" At this she felt a slight pang in her chest, though she did not know why. She pushed the feeling away for the time being, and wondered why Applejack didn't seem to be too concern with such a fact.

Applejack's smile still didn't disappear as she waved a hoof gently at Twilight. "No worries, Twi'. I got permission from Granny Smith to take some time off to help you. Harvest is slow 'round this time of year; it's why we have a festival at this time. They won't be needin' my help 'round the farm, I reckon."

Twilight smiled, glad to hear that her friend was in no hurry. She also relished the fact that they'd have more time to talk. Twilight seldom left her library unless there was a specific event happening. She hardly spent any casual time with her friends if it was not completely scheduled. She ignored the thought that Applejack was supposed to be there on business, rather than to visit. She enjoyed their time together too much as to ruin it now with analytical thoughts. Instead, she chose to think of it for what it was - two friends casually spending time together.

"So about this new job of yours," Applejack said, a curious look in her bright green eyes. Twilight moved over to sit next to her friend once again. "What about it?" Twilight asked, refilling both of their cups with warm tea.

"Thanks," Applejack said, sipping her tea. Putting the cup down, she looked back to Twilight and raised her eyebrow. "You still nervous now that we talked about it?"

Twilight shook her head confidently. "Not anymore," she said with a smile. "Now that I know what to expect, I think I have a grasp on the whole situation." She giggled softly and said with a roll of her eyes, "I think if you hadn't showed up I was gonna go crazy over the whole thing!" She paused for a moment, then grinned at the orange mare sitting across from her. "Thanks, Applejack," she said sincerely.

Applejack tipped her hat and nodded. "That's what friends're for, Twilight," Applejack replied. With an honest expression, she added, "Besides! It'll be nice to relax for a little while. Farm work can get pretty stressful during the last harvest." She stretched, making an audible popping noise as she did.

For some reason that Twilight could not comprehend, she paid attention to how flexible Applejack was. She rationalized it was due to her athleticism, but was still slightly surprised. Unconsciously, she began to notice the subtle curves Applejack had Finding herself staring at the orange mare, she quickly diverted her attention sheepishly, in hopes that Applejack had not noticed.

To her delight, Applejack didn't seem to notice her gaze being locked on her, and she sighed in relief. Twilight could feel her face had gotten slightly warm, and she levitated the cup of tea to her lips, pretending to take a long drink in order to hide her slight blush.

"Thirsty, Twi'?" Applejack said with a smirk, oblivious to the unicorn's blushing. Her face thankfully cooled down, she put down the cup after taking a quick gulp of tea. "Yeah," Twilight said, stifling a cough. "Guess the air is a bit dry in here," she added, lying to the best of her ability.

Applejack raised an eyebrow and said, "But it feels fine over here. I don't feel thirsty at all." Twilight tried to think of something to cover her tracks, and opened her mouth to speak just as there was a knock on the door. Thankful for the distraction, Twilight hopped to her feet before Applejack could speak. "I'll get it!" she said, trotting towards the door.

Opening the door, she wasn't all that surprised to find the Mayor standing before her. "Hello, Twilight Sparkle!" she said in her usual, professional manner. "Hello, Mayor Mare," Twilight greeted her in a friendly manner. "May I come in?" Mayor Mare asked graciously. "Oh, of course," Twilight said, moving aside to let her in. Nodding thankfully to Twilight, Mayor Mare moved in as she spoke. "I trust you are prepared for your new job?" she asked kindly, but with a tinge of hope.

"She sure is," Applejack said, moving over to Twilight. "Why she'll be almost as good a mayor as you, come Festival time!" she boasted, smiling at Twilight, who returned the expression.

"Delightful!" the Mayor exclaimed, a bright smile on her face. "I'm sure you've got everything under control. I just wanted to come and check up on you in case you needed anything before you begin."

Twilight frowned slightly but felt a nudge from Applejack, who gave her a wink that instilled new-found confidence within her. Turning back to Mayor Mare, Twilight shook her head. "I've got all I need," Twilight said confidently, to which the Mayor nodded. "Very well, then. You will the morning after tomorrow," she said as she moved hurriedly out of the library.

"I thought I was supposed to start today?" Twilight asked, confused. The Mayor turned around after exiting the library and replied simply, "Change of plans. You've got one more day to prepare. Gather what you need and meet me at the Town Hall if you'd like to begin early, though."

"Understood. Thank you, Mayor Mare! See you soon," Twilight said as she shut the door to the library. "An extra day to prepare, huh?" Applejack said, looking to Twilight with a small smile. "Well I guess that means we have some free time, Sugarcube. What say you and I head over and grab a bite to eat? I'm starvin'," she suggested.

Twilight's heart leapt for joy at this - metaphorically of course. "Sure," she said, trying to keep her unexplained excitement in check. She opened the door once again, and the two set off to lunch.

Chapter 6 - Change of Plans

As the two exited the library, Twilight shut the door behind them with her magic as to not fall behind Applejack. "Where ya wanna eat?" Applejack said, tossing Twilight a casual glance.

Twilight visibly thought for a moment, looking up at an imaginary thought cloud. "Ah!" she said, "I would assume Pinkie would be at Sugarcube Corner today, baking. We could stop in and see what she has to sell?"

Applejack smiled and looked forward. "Sounds great," she agreed. Twilight felt a tiny sense of pride at having suggested a successful location.

As they walked in silence, Twilight looked at their surroundings. She was looking not in a hurried, panicking manner this time however. Instead, as she walked slowly alongside Applejack, she felt at ease. Colors seemed brighter to her, more vibrant. She'd have to document this feeling in her notes later on for further analysis. For now though, she merely took the time to enjoy it.

The sun was in such a position that it did not heat her coat to an uncomfortable level, but still kept her warm. There was a slight breeze to accompany such warmth as well, and the sky was cloudless, which was made possible by Rainbow Dash and the other pegasi. Twilight felt a sense of peace that she never really had time to embrace before, due to her always being either indoors or in a hurry.

"Sure is a nice day," she commented, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Mhm," she heard Applejack agree calmly, "Sure is."

Twilight notice that something seemed off with Applejack. Her smile had faded into a slight frown, and she kept looking in the general direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

"You know you can go back if you're worried," Twilight suggested, trying not to sound saddened. Applejack tried to fake a smile and shake her head, but saw that it had no effect on Twilight.

"I'm sorry, Twilight," Applejack said with a sad overtone. She sighed and looked back towards Sugarcube Corner. "Just feelin' guilty for leaving the farm, I suppose." Twilight thought for a moment, then had an idea that she hoped would perk her friend up.

"I know!" she said in a cheerful manner.

Applejack gave her a look of slight surprise, raising an eyebrow. "Huh?" she asked simply.

"If you're feeling homesick, why don't we go to your farm for lunch?" Twilight suggested, and immediately felt butterflies in her own stomach. What is wrong with me today? she thought, concentrating to not look nervous because of her own suggestion.

"That sounds fantastic!" Applejack exclaimed, smiling more sincerely now.

"Are you sure it's alright with your family if I eat there? I don't mean to intrude," Twilight said, cursing herself for contradicting her previous feelings.

To her own delight, Applejack waved a hoof. "Aw shucks," she said. "You're practically family at the farm, Twi'! They don't mind you havin' lunch there, much less you bein' there." Applejack nodded and then added with a smile, "And besides! You're with me; that oughta seal the deal, no worries."

They turned and began walking towards Sweet Apple Acres, and Twilight couldn't help but feel elated at Applejack's approval of her suggestion.

Twilight observed by Applejack's expression that she seemed genuinely happy now. "You really love Sweet Apple Acres, huh Applejack?" she commented, noticing how much she was stating the obvious only after she had said it.

"I sure do," she replied proudly. "I don't think I've ever asked; what makes you enjoy working on the farm so much?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Well, Applejack said, pausing to think for a moment or two, "I suppose it's the satisfaction I get. After a hard day's work I can just sit back knowin' it got done. I know I get a mite busy sometimes, but it has to be done."

Twilight looked over to Applejack in admiration. Applejack had always been a hard worker - it was one of the qualities she enjoyed most about her, though it kept her on the farm quite often. In a sense, Applejack was like herself, in that she stayed busy almost all the time in order to get her work done. Or perhaps she was more like Applejack?

"Do you ever regret not having more free time?" she asked, not quite sure where the question came from.

Applejack was quick in her reply, however, "Nah. I know that if I don't do it, the work might not get done."

Twilight shook her head. "No, no, I meant more free time to spend with your friends. With the others and myself," she said.

"Oh," Applejack said, seeming to grasp the question on a deeper level, for she took a short pause to ponder for a few moments. "Well I suppose I would like to see y'all a bit more. That'd be nice," she said, nodding at herself in agreement.

Twilight couldn't recall visiting her and felt slightly guilty. "I'm sorry, Applejack," she apologized, as if she'd personally wronged Applejack.

"What for?" the orange mare asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well I don't particularly visit you. I just didn't want to impede upon your work, is all," Twilight explained.

Applejack gave a short laugh and shook her head. "It's alright, Twilight. I don't expect nobody to come visit me. I mean, you're welcome to an' all, but I'm usually pretty busy anyway. But you wouldn't be impedin' upon me or my work." With a smirk, she looked towards Twilight and added, "I learned how to multitask a long time ago with Rainbow Dash nappin' in my trees and whatnot."

Twilight giggled, and nodded quickly. "Yes, I've noticed she's taken a liking to the trees on your farm. Quite peculiar, seeing as she is a pegasus and all."

Applejack nodded, looking towards the sky. "I always thought that clouds looked mighty comfy," she said.

"Maybe she thought the same thing about trees?" Twilight offered as an observation.

Applejack shook her head slightly. "Wouldn't see why," she said," I've slept in trees before. They ain't as comfy as a bed, I can tell you that."

They both gave a short laugh, and then turned onto a dirt road that led into Sweet Apple Acres. "Home sweet home," Applejack said, producing a bright smile.

Twilight looked around and once again, everything seemed more alive. The leaves on the trees, which were now an array of bright colors associated with the Fall season, seemed to match the very apples that came from the trees. Inhaling deeply, Twilight noticed the lingering scent of apples and cinnamon, which originated from both the land and the pies that Granny Smith created for everyone to enjoy.

She felt at peace on Sweet Apple Acres, and didn't quite know why she hadn't come more often. She was only pulled out of her dreamy haze when Applejack said, "Now what is she doin'?"

Looking in the direction Applejack's confused gaze was locked, she saw Rainbow Dash flying slower than usual. "Rainbow?" Applejack called to her, and the cyan mare turned towards her and waved. "Rainbow, what in the world are you doin'?" Applejack called, putting her hoof up to her muzzle for emphasis.

Rainbow seemed to secure something on her back then proceeded to fly towards the two. "Hey guys!" Rainbow Dash said as she approached. "What're you doing here, Rainbow?" Twilight asked.

Upon closer inspection, Twilight saw she was wearing something on her back, which explained the adjusting. Rainbow Dash landed on all four hooves, which was atypical of herself.

"I'd like to present to you.." she said, building up to a surprise. "..Turbo Tank!" she exclaimed as she whipped her flank around, showing that she was wearing a sage green saddle that housed her pet tortoise, Tank. Tank had some goggles on that resembled the kind that The Wonderbolts wore along with his shell having flames painted on it, and he grinned at Twilight and Applejack in his usual, slow manner.

Twilight stifled a giggle, but Applejack outright laughed at the display. "I never thought I'd see the day that you wore a saddle. Much less let somethin' ride on your back," she commented, gesturing to Tank.

"Hey!" Rainbow said defensively. "I didn't want to leave Tank all alone up in my house, so I decided to take him out to fly. He loves it!"

"I don't doubt he does, bein' a tortoise and all, but where'd you get a saddle?" Applejack asked, leaning on Twilight. The purple unicorn immediately tensed up for some reason, and shifted her weight to support the both of them.

"Rarity made it for me. It's straps so I can keep Tank from falling out while I pull off some cool stunts," Rainbow said excitedly. "But right now we're just doing some test runs so he can get used to it."

"And the goggles?" Applejack said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Just a little something to make Tank twenty percent cooler!" Rainbow said proudly, then suddenly raised an eyebrow of her own. "So what're you and Twilight doing, anyway?" With a big smirk and narrowed eyes, she taunted the two with, "You on a date?"

"What? No!" Applejack said, standing upright.

"A date? No! W-we weren't-" Twilight began to defend herself, stammering.

Rainbow Dash burst into laughter at the two's discomfort, and said, "I'm just ruffling your feathers, don't worry. Anyway, Tank and I have to go do some more test runs! Catch ya later!"

With that, she crouched down, then leapt into the air, spreading her wings to fly away in a light blue blur. Twilight looked over to Applejack, unaware of her own blush. Applejack rolled her eyes then sighed at Rainbow's comments. "C'mon. I can smell Granny Smith's pies just waitin' to be eaten!" she said as she licked her own lips at the thought, continuing along the path.

Twilight paused for a moment, but then felt her own stomach grumble. "Yeah," she said plainly, tagging along with Applejack sheepishly.

Chapter 7 - Soup's On

Twilight soon felt her discomfort at Rainbow's teasing fade away from her. Walking besides Applejack, who looked the least bit bothered by the rainbow-maned mare's comments, set her at ease. She had a nonchalant look to her, but also had a mix of confidence in the way she moved. One could not help but be a little bit reassured about almost anything when moving alongside her.

As they neared Applejack's home, Twilight's stomach voiced its opinion by growling quite audibly. Her eyes widened and she looked to Applejack, who began laughing much louder than her stomach. "Sounds like Granny Smith's gonna have to make seconds," she said jokingly. Picking up the pace, Applejack nodded to Twilight, "C'mon. We'll fix you up somethin' to tame that beast in your belly."

"Thanks," Twilight said, slightly embarrassed. She cursed her stomach silently, as if it had seriously wronged her.

Suddenly, a trio of caped fillies bundled out of the house, with Sweetie Belle holding a bag of something. "Hey, Applejack!" Apple Bloom called to her, the three trotting towards her and Twilight happily.

"Hey, Apple Bloom," Applejack said, nodding to the trio in greetings, "What's in the bag?"

"Sandwiches!" Scootaloo exclaimed excitedly, "We're going on a Cutie Mark Crusade!" Twilight giggled at the trio's joy. "That sounds great," she commented.

"It ifh!" Sweetie Belle said, still holding the bag in her mouth. Apple Bloom looked back at her confusedly, and then turned to nod at Twilight.

"What she means is, it is gonna be excitin'! This is gonna be our best Crusade yet!" she said proudly.

"Well can we hear about this so-called 'Crusade'?" Applejack said, crossing one of her forelegs over the other and raising an eyebrow. Apple Bloom opened her mouth to speak, but Scootaloo quickly cut her off.

"Nope!" she said proudly, "You'll just have to wait until we come back with our Cutie Marks!" Apple Bloom smiled and nodded quickly at Scootaloo, then at Applejack.

Applejack let out a small chuckle, then nodded. "Alright, then. Just make sure you're home by dinner, y'hear me?" she said. Apple Bloom saluted her with a fore hoof, then turned to the other fillies. Sweetie Belle put down the bag and moved in for a huddle.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders! Time to go crusading!" they yelled in unison, highhoofing. Sweetie Belle grabbed the bag and the three ran off in a hurry up the road to Ponyville.

"They sure are something," Twilight said, smiling.

"Yeah, they're somethin' alright," Applejack agreed with an amused shake of the head, "C'mon, let's get some lunch."

As they moved into the home, Twilight's nose was assaulted by a variety of baking-related smells that made her mouth begin to water. "Wow," she said, taking a moment to inhale the fresh smells and savor the chill that ran down her spine from anticipation.

"Granny Smith, I'm home! I brought Twilight with me!" Applejack said, smiling back at Twilight, who returned the smile.

"I hope she's hungry! I made a lot of food, and the girls just ran off on an adventure!" Granny Smith called from the kitchen.

"Well I hope you made enough! Twilight here is starvin'!" Applejack called back, then let out a short laugh that only Twilight could hear. She guessed it was meant for her, but rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. She couldn't hide the smile that crawled onto her face afterwards, however. She was quite hungry.

Applejack took off her hat, tossing it onto the hat-stand next to the front door. She shook her head and Twilight watched as her blonde mane fell upon her shoulders. "What?" Applejack said as she raised an eyebrow, catching her gaze "Y'act like you've never seen me with my hat off b'fore."

She hadn't sounded particularly annoyed, but Twilight felt slightly embarrassed for having stared at her orange-colored friend. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't - I mean," she stammered, cursing her suddenly sheepish attitude.

"Must be the hunger. Here, I'll show ya to the kitchen," Applejack said casually, thinking nothing of the purple unicorn's staring.

Following Applejack's lead, Twilight moved down a narrow hallway and turned into the kitchen, trying not to stare at Applejack's flank in the process. Instead, she chose to look at the assorted pictures that decorated the hallway's walls. Pictures of Applejack as a filly, Big Mac as a colt, and Granny Smith as a younger mare were common among them, and Twilight had to pause and admire Applejack's filly picture as she moved past it. She didn't have her cutie mark yet, and Twilight smiled at how adorable she thought the filly was.

"Yep. That's me," Applejack said, suddenly besides Twilight.

"You were so cute as a filly!" Twilight complimented her, a wide smile painted on her face.

Applejack gave a short laugh and rubbed the back of her head. "Well thanks, I suppose. Granny Smith did always say I was the apple of her eye." With a smirk and a lowered voice, she added, "Guess that made Big Mac the tree, huh?"

Twilight stifled a giggle, but nodded. "It wouldn't be too inaccurate, I must admit," Twilight replied.

They continued along the hallway and moved into the kitchen, where a buffet of apple-related treats awaited. There was also a pot of soup on the iron stove, and Twilight licked her lips at all of the choices. "Nice to see ya, Honey!" Granny Smith said with a grin, looking towards Twilight.

"Hello, Granny Smith. It's nice to see you, too. How have you been?" Twilight asked in a friendly manner.

"Weeelll," Granny Smith began, drawing out the word, "Harvest has been good, an' the Festival is comin' up. Suppose it's been goin' just dandy!"

"About the Farmer's Festival," Twilight said, rubbing her front hooves together slowly. Granny Smith held up a hoof and said, "No explainin' is needed. The Mayor came by and told me what Applejack would be up to over the next few days." Casting Applejack a grin and a wink, she added, "Don't think I've ever seen Applejack quite so happy 'bout leavin' the farm!"

Twilight looked over to Applejack, who was now looking everywhere but in Twilight's direction. "Anyways. I already ate lunch, so y'all help yerselves to anything ya like," Granny Smith said, walking out of the kitchen towards the living room, nudging Applejack on the shoulder on the way out.

"Thanks, Granny Smith," Twilight called to her, to which Granny Smith replied with a loud "Mhm!"

Applejack looked back to Twilight after a few moments, then nodded. "Let's eat," she said in an almost challenging manner. Twilight surveyed the layout of food before her. Apple pies, apple fritters, caramel apples, sliced apples with cinnamon, and a dozen other things Twilight had no names for. They seemed like custom creations, which would not be atypical of Granny Smith; she always seemed to be the creative type, especially when it came to the fruit of her own farm.

"I wouldn't know where to start!" Twilight exclaimed, licking her lips once again.

Applejack chuckled, reaching across the table they were both seated at to grab for some food. "Well then pick whatcha think you'll like first, then go from there," she suggested.

Shrugging, Twilight did as Applejack suggested and reached from the apple fritters first. It wasn't the healthiest choice, she knew, but she was quite hungry, and it did look quite delicious. She hungrily stuffed it into her mouth and shivered with glee at having assumed correctly. It was quite delicious. She chewed for a few moments before swallowing, and looked to Applejack with a smile. "These are great!" she complimented.

Applejack gestured to the whole table with one of her hooves. "Try it all! Granny Smith is the best chef in all of Equestria when it comes to apples," she replied proudly.

"Got that right, hunny!" Granny Smith called from the living room. Applejack rolled her eyes quickly, and chuckled.

"So, Twi," Applejack said after they had almost eaten their fill. The food on the table displayed the two's previous appetites quite well with half the food gone between the two of them. "Whatcha plan on doin' with your day off tomorrow?" she said in her usual nonchalant manner as she bit into a normal apple.

Twilight hadn't given much thought to it, and the question caught her off guard. "Well, I actually haven't given it much thought," she said honestly, giving a shrug.

Applejack shifted in her seat slightly and cleared her throat before offering, "Well why don't you come 'round the farm again?"

The offer caught Twilight even more off-guard than the question, and she asked, "Why?" Immediately she also added, "Not that I'm declining! I just thought you'd want to work, and I don't want to be a bother."

Applejack waved her hoof and said, "Aw, shucks, Twilight. I already told you that you ain't no burden. You can come 'round the farm when you'd like. Even if it's just to chat. We'll make time for ya."

Twilight couldn't help but notice the sincerity in Applejack's voice, and she felt a slight surge of joy flow through her veins. "Well when you put it that way, I suppose that I can see no reason not to come tomorrow! How early would you like for me to be here?" Twilight asked, her own joy evident in her voice and in her smile.

"I get up mighty early in the mornin'. Whenever you want is fine, just meet me over by the barn," Applejack said, a smile of her own showing up on her face, her emerald eyes seeming to shimmer in the evening light that crept through the kitchen's window.

For a few moments, the two sat across the table from each other, smiling for no particular reason. Finally, the sound of Apple Bloom walking through the front door brought them both to their senses. The two mares chuckled nervously, and Twilight made her way towards the hallway to the entrance.

"Granny Smith, do we have any food left? Some of our sandwiches got lost on the Crusade," Apple Bloom called from the hall, sounding exhausted. Twilight watched as the filly covered in twigs and leaves made her way through the hall slowly, head hanging dejectedly low.

"How'd the Crusade go, Buckaroo?" Applejack asked with a caring tone from behind Twilight.

"Terrible," Apple Bloom replied, looking up at her. "At least we can cross tree-climbin' off our Crusader's lists. Hey Twilight," she said, turning to the purple unicorn.

"Hello, Apple Bloom. Sorry your Crusade didn't go quite as planned," Twilight replied sincerely.

The filly waved her hoof in a similar fashion to her big sister and said proudly, "Nah, no worries. We'll keep tryin' 'till it works!"

"Well good for you, kiddo. Go get somethin' to eat. There's plenty left but you better hurry; Big Mac's almost done workin'," Applejack said, nudging Apple Bloom towards the kitchen.

"Thanks Applejack," she replied, hurrying along to eat dinner.

Twilight and Applejack moved outside the house and Twilight giggled. "She sure does have ambition," she said. "Reminds me a bit of you," she added, poking Applejack in the chest gently.

Applejack let out a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her head. "Runs in the family, I guess!" she replied.

Twilight giggled, then looked towards the horizon. She let out a sigh of slight disappointment. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?" she offered, raising her eyebrow.

Applejack crossed her fore-hooves in a casual manner. "I'll see you then," she said with a smile and a nod. Twilight returned the smile as she turned away from Applejack and began her walk back to the library.

Chapter 8 - Calm Before the Storm

Twilight hurried home, excited to sleep so that she could bring forth the next day. She was genuinely excited at an opportunity to spend time with Applejack, and to relax. A grin painted her face as she walked through the entrance to her library, finding Spike sleeping lazily on the floor. Though there was a small mess of assorted papers and books laying around him in a fort-like fashion, Twilight could not help but ignore it, due to her excitement for tomorrow.

She levitated a book off of Spike's head, then lifted the baby dragon gently off of his makeshift bed of papers and books. She moved quietly up the stairs leading to the room they shared, careful not to disturb the sleeping reptile.

She laid him into his own bed and tossed a blanket over him, grinning at the fact that he was the least bit disturbed by her movement and entrance to the library. She then made her way to her own bed, eager to bring the morning as fast as she could summon it. If she had the power, she would have probably moved the moon and the sun to speed up time.

Once she laid down, however, she found herself too excited to sleep. Instead of using a spell to bring upon her a deep sleep, she lay thinking about why she was excited. She hadn't given it much thought other than the fact that she was relaxing with a friend. Upon deeper inspection, however, she found it was only with Applejack that she felt such joy, and the concept was quite foreign to her. Gripping this thought, she analyzed all of the possibilities out of it that she could.

It became apparent to her all of a sudden that she could have feelings for the mare. Her heart skipped a beat at the possibility, and she began to question her own thoughts. "That can't be right," she told herself quietly, "Applejack doesn't like romance. Or does she? Do I?"

Twilight found herself thinking back to the way Applejack acted around her. She was quick to jump to Dash's teasing, rather than coming up with a witty retort. She almost sounded sheepish as she said it, now that she thought about it. It was the sort of embarrassment she'd expect from herself, rather than from somepony like Applejack. It took something quite powerful to stump the orange earth pony when it came to arguing or back-and-forth teasing.

Twilight could not think of a rational explanation for it, so her thoughts jumped to the next piece of "evidence". What had Granny Smith meant when she said Applejack had been happy to leave the farm? Applejack loved her farm way too much and appreciated hard work to be overjoyed to leave her duties behind for a simple errand, even for the mayor of Ponyville herself. At the mention of such eagerness, Applejack had also looked away, and in every direction but Twilight's.

"Maybe sh-" Twilight began, but a yawn cut her off as she spoke. Judging from the time, she deemed it a better decision to sleep, rather than to stay up worrying about it tonight. She'd inquire about her findings with Applejack tomorrow. After all, how hard could it be to ask her about it?

Twilight found herself waking up quite before dawn. She looked at the clock and found it was four A.M.; an hour that, on any other day, she'd most likely still be sleeping. However, she had an appointment to keep, and refused to stay in bed any longer.

She got out of bed and moved to the mirror quietly, careful still not to disturb Spike. To her surprise, her mane was not at all messy. A few brushes and she was satisfied with the way she looked. A grin on her face, she moved downstairs and opened the door with her magic, closing it quietly behind her as she exited the library.

"He won't even know I was there," Twilight said to herself, chuckling softly. The morning air was cool, but not chilly. She found it to be quite comfortable as she made her way towards Sweet Apple Acres, but noticed that everything looked different. While the colors were not as vibrant as they were when she was with Applejack, - which she still could not explain to herself - she found an odd sort of beauty in the silence of the morning. The birds were flying quietly about, with only a few chirps here and there. The trees shook softly with the rustling of the wind, and crickets chirped periodically in between the night sounds. This was a certain beauty that only Luna could bring to Equestria - the beauty of silence.

She walked through the gates leading to Sweet Apple Acres, and saw Applejack where she said she'd be: near the barn. Her hat was sitting beside her as she looked up at the sky in thought. As Twilight approached, the orange mare looked over to her and smiled. "Heya, Twilight," she said calmly, in a soft-toned voice.

"Hello, Applejack. What're you doing out here so early?" Twilight replied.

"I sit out here from time to time, watchin' the stars. It's about the only time I get to think about anything other than apples and farmin'," Applejack answered.

As Twilight moved closer, she noticed that Applejack's hair was let down, rather than tied up in a knot. It was an odd thing to see as much as it was rare, but Twilight found it to be a good look on the earth pony. "What're you thinking about?" Twilight asked, taking a seat next to Applejack. Slowly, the idea of asking about her feelings for Applejack faded away, and were replaced by the simple joy of simply being there with her friend.

Applejack looked back to the sky in thought, with a considerate look upon her face. "Well, I don't know. Thinkin' 'bout the Festival, of course. Thought about how Apple Bloom's gonna handle things. Knowin' her, she'll bring fireworks to the Festival or somethin'," she said with a slight chuckle. "And, not to sound all mushy or anything," she said after a moment's pause, "but I was thinkin' 'bout you. How you're gonna handle bein' the mayor and all. How I'm gonna help you. That sorta thing, I suppose."

"Oh," Twilight said, slightly taken aback by Applejack's thoughtful nature. She looked towards the sky, towards Orion's belt. The sun was beginning to make it harder to see the stars, but Twilight knew the constellation's location by heart. She could probably find it during the day, if she desired to do so. "Thank you for thinking about me, then. But I'm sure that, with your help, everything is going to be under control."

She smiled at the mare, and Applejack smiled back genuinely. "Thanks, Sugarcube. You seem to have quite a bit of confidence in my abilities, huh?" Applejack asked with a short laugh. "Only because you display them so well!" Twilight complimented. "And, I can't help but feel confident with you around, Applejack. You've got an aura about you," she added sincerely.

Applejack looked away for a second, and Twilight thought she saw a blush. She dismissed the thought, deeming it ridiculous. When Applejack turned to look at her once again, she said, "Thanks, Twilight. I won't let you down. I promise."

Jokingly, Twilight said with a smirk, "Pinkie Promise?" At that, Applejack seemed to lighten up a bit as she let out a hearty laugh.

"Pinkie Promise. For real, this time. I don't know if I could handle that pony's wrath again!"

Twilight returned the laughter, and nodded to Applejack. "So, have any plans for today?" she asked curiously.

Applejack gave her a smile and said, "I've got a few ideas, don't you worry. You need to lighten up, and I'm gonna be the one to make that happen!"

Twilight wasn't sure to feel joy or worry at what Applejack had in store for her, but she knew one thing was for certain; she was going to have quite a wild day off.

Chapter 9 - Sweet Apple Events

"What? I can't do that!" Twilight exclaimed as she looked at the three apples that Applejack had laid out in a line in front of her.

"Sure ya can!" Applejack replied with a grin. "It's easy!" she added as she stomped the ground near one of the apples, ducked her head, and then balanced it on her nose. She then stomped near the second apple, causing it to land on her foreleg's knee. Repeating the same motion with her back leg, she held the apple on her hoof. Twilight thought she looked like a deranged circus act.

"See? It's easy," Applejack stated proudly as she let the two apples on her legs roll off, then bounced the third one from her nose. "Just takes practice. Try it out," she said, her large emerald eyes instilling Twilight with a sense of false confidence.

"Well, you did make it look pretty easy.." she said uneasily, considering the challenge. She looked down to an apple and nodded with a confident smile. "Alright, I'll do it," Twilight said, Applejack giving a satisfied chuckle.

Twilight approached the apple and lifted a forehoof. As soon as she made contact, Applejack burst into a loud laughter. She had missed her mark beside the apple, and instead stomped on the apple itself. She held up a hoof and could not stifle back a laugh of her own as she joined with her friend.

"Bet no book'll have that in its pages," Applejack said with a grin. "Go ahead, give it one more go. I bet you just had a bad start, is all," Applejack reassured her.

Twilight shook the smashed apple from her hoof and sighed. She stomped her hoof down once more, careful to hit her mark. It bounced up, and she accidentally kicked it in excitement.

"See? You're gettin' better!" Applejack cheered her on. "Try again. This time, bend over and balance the apple on your nose," Applejack suggested, sitting back on her haunch legs.

Twilight gave a nod and looked to the third apple with a narrowing of her eyes. Determined, she stomped near the apple to bounce it into the air, and bent over to catch it on her nose. To her surprise, she was successful. Her eyes crossed as she focused instinctively on the apple, and she wobbled to balance it. "Look! I did it!" she exclaimed happily, as if she had accomplished something monumental.

"Looka you! You're a regular rodeo star!" Applejack said with a beaming smile, "'Fore ya know it, you'll be balancing two at a time!"

Twilight's eyes uncrossed as she lost her footing and fell over, the apple falling from her nose as she let out a yelp of surprise.

"Woah there, partner," Applejack said, moving under Twilight to prevent her from falling. Twilight moved to get to her feet and could feel her face slightly heated by embarrassment. "Thanks," she said, and Applejack nodded to her.

"Here, follow me. You ain't done yet!" Applejack said, moving towards a table with an apple and a rope on it. Twilight had the sinking feeling that whatever Applejack had planned, she was not going to be so great at.

"All ya gotta do is lasso up this here apple. Simple and easy," Applejack said as she grabbed the rope.

Twilight watched, astonished at the speed that Applejack could fashion a functional and sturdy lasso. She had been to a few of Applejack's rodeo performances before, but never before had she seen her work closely. "There," Applejack said, her voice muffled by the rope clenched between her teeth, "that oughta do it."

She turned and threw up the lasso, grabbing the rope were it wasn't looped. She maneuvered her neck in such a way that made the lasso hover in the air steadily, as if it were defying gravity altogether. She stared at the apple for a moment or two, then moved to toss the lasso towards it. The loop landed cleanly around the apple, and the orange mare pulled back, jerking the apple in her direction. She then stopped it in midair with her hoof, causing it to land atop her hat. Twilight wondered how many times she'd performed such a trick before, as she had done it with amazing ease and confidence.

"Alright, now it's your turn," Applejack said as she handed Twilight the rope. It had the pre-fashioned loop already on it, and Twilight was thankful that she did not have to create one herself. Though it was a simple loop, she had no doubt that it'd turn out to be quite difficult for herself to mimic.

Applejack walked over and placed the apple on the table once more, and gave Twilight a wink. "Go for it!" she called to her. Twilight threw the lasso in the air and attempted to mimic Applejack's movements. It worked for a few brief moments before the lasso landed with a thud before her.

"Hey, ya got it up there for a few seconds at least," Applejack said, bolstering Twilight's confidence. Twilight nodded and was determined to give it another shot.

She threw the lasso up in the air once more and concentrated on the way she moved her neck more than the lasso itself. Keeping it in midair, she slowly turned to the apple, afraid that if she turned away too quickly the lasso would fall flat on the ground once again. In the corner of her vision, she saw Applejack smiling happily and looking up at the lasso. Twilight couldn't help but smile along with her, and her concentration faltered. By the look on Applejack's face, Twilight could tell something went wrong. She looked up to see a bundle of rope descending upon her head it a tangled mess.

Twilight sat, or rather was trapped under, under a bundle of ropes. She looked over to see her friend holding her hooves to her mouth to stifle a laugh, and she attempted to free herself by wiggling. Having seen this, Applejack burst into an abrupt, tear-inducing laughter.

"I'm.. I'm sorry. It's just.. That's funny. That right there, that's funny," Applejack said between spouts of laughter, trying to explain.

"Yeah I bet it's hilarious," Twilight said in mock annoyance, though her smile betrayed her anger. "Would ya mind helping me out here?" she said, holding up a leg with a rope draped over it.

Applejack calmed herself down and nodded. She moved over to Twilight, pulling away the ropes in such a way that Twilight had to crawl out in an awkward fashion.

"Thanks," Twilight said as she turned to face Applejack with a look that consisted of a mixture between disappointment due to failure and joy at having fun. The result was a smile and furrowed eyebrows that must have looked quite awkward for anyone that happened to see it.

"Wanna try again?" Applejack asked with a grin growing on her face, seemingly not noticing Twilight's odd expression.

"Maybe some other time," Twilight answered, rolling her eyes. "Any other events?" the purple unicorn asked.

"Actually, I was hopin' to talk with ya 'bout the festival and all. Reckon you're up for a chat?" Applejack said more seriously, but still in a lighthearted manner. Twilight had almost completely forgotten about the festival, as well as her new position as mayor.

"Oh," she said, her eyes slightly widening, "sure. I'd be happy to talk about it with you."

She was slightly surprised. Applejack usually wasn't the talking type. Twilight had her pinned as more of the "get up and go" type of mare. But, if she wanted to talk, then Twilight could not refuse.

"Positive?" I'm sure I could fashion up another lasso for ya, seeing as you're a pro and all!" Applejack joked.

"Oh of course, but first you'll have to get your hat," Twilight said, feeling an uncharacteristic sense of energy within herself.

"My hat?" Applejack said, looking up in a confused manner. Twilight levitated the farmer's hat from her head and laughed as she bounded away from the orange mare.

"Oh that's how you wanna play, huh?" Applejack said with happiness tinging her voice, trailing behind her. "Sure, I'm up for a chase!" she yelled after her.

"Talking can wait," Twilight said to herself quietly as she attempted to outrun her athletically superior friend in a futile race.

Chapter 10

As Twilight suspected, running away from a pursuing Applejack was utterly useless. She attempted to teleport, but only managed to cover a distance of a few feet due to lack of concentration. She was laughing when she wasn't panting, as she was not used to the physical exertion. Applejack covered that small distance in a matter of second, and suddenly Twilight felt herself tumbling.

"Woah!" the purple mare yelped as she fell to the ground.

"Gotcha," Applejack said, retrieving her stolen property. She sat on Twilight's back as the purple unicorn was trapped beneath her. "Y'know, for a librarian, you ain't so slow," Applejack said between pants.

Twilight laughed shortly between her own pants of exhaustion. "Thanks, I guess," she said, "The Iron Pony. It helped with running."

Applejack nodded in thought, wiping sweat from her brow. "Oh yeah," she confirmed, "you did say somethin' 'bout having a few books on runnin', didn't ya?"

"Yes!" Twilight blurted out, "I did." Suddenly realizing the position she was in, she furrowed her bros and rolled sideways in an attempt to throw Applejack off of her back. With a yelp of protest and surprise, the orange farm pony went tumbling off of Twilight's back, much to her satisfaction.

"Heh, you're a regular buckin' bronco," Applejack commented as she shook the dirt from her hat and placed it atop her head.

Twilight stood up and grinned smugly. "Maybe it should have been me in that Iron Pony contest?" the purple unicorn commented kiddingly.

"Yeah I might just have some competition in my next rodeo," Applejack replied with a short laugh.

"Anyway, you wanted to talk about my new job?" Twilight said, jumping to the next topic as she smiled at the orange mare.

"Ah. Yeah. I wanted to ask you somethin'.. What was it?" Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head in thought as she stared at the ground.

"Did you want to kno-" Twilight began, only to jump at Applejack's sudden outburst of "I GOT IT!"

"I wanted to ask if any of the other girls were gonna show up to help ya? You mentioned 'em earlier, so I was wonderin'," Applejack stated with slight pride tinging her voice at having remembered.

"Oh! Yes, I believe Pinkie said she'd like to help me, and Rarity offered to as well," Twilight replied, nodding.

"Wouldn't Pinkie be busy.. Well, bein' Pinkie?" Applejack asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well now that you mention it, she is probably in charge of setting up the festival," Twilight said, her nerves beginning to turn against her. She had a sinking feeling of dread again, though she tried her best not to show it. She still had Rarity, after all.

"Rarity might not even show to the festival. If she does, though, she might be attendin' to the clothing and all. You know how she is," Applejack said, unaware of just how low she was dropping Twilight's confidence.

"Well.. I suppose," Twilight said, a frown appearing on her face in worry.

"But hey," Applejack said, possibly catching on to Twilight's sudden mood-swing, "Maybe Rainbow can help ya out?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, she'd be tending to the weather, I think. And Fluttershy is too timid to handle the stress of the job. That leaves.. You and me," she said, commencing to grind her teeth together.

"Hey, don't worry! You and I can do it together! We'll be a regular duo!" Applejack said, laying an arm around Twilight's shoulders. Twilight felt oddly comfortable under the orange mare's touch, but still a thought made itself evident to her.

This was going to be disastrous.

Chapter 11 - Home Sweet Home

Spike was sitting calmly within the library, relaxing without the usual orders from Twilight. He took the liberty of wandering into the market on his own and buying a small tub of ice cream while she was away. Twilight couldn't nag him if he spent his own bits on the ice cream, after all! It was early in the evening, and Spike was nearing the bottom of his ice cream when he realized he was still hungry after his stomach reminded him with an audible growl.

"Quiet, you," Spike said, looking down towards his belly as he said it. He was about to shovel another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth when he heard a knock at the door that sounded as if it were rehearsed due to the pattern held within it. He stuck the spoon into the tub of now-melting ice cream, hoping it wouldn't topple over in his absence. He half-rushed, half-shuffled his way to the door, due to the tiredness he felt due to lounging around all day.

Upon opening the door, however, he felt much more energetic as adrenalin began pumping through his body. "Rarity!" he exclaimed in an almost too loud fashion. "Hello, dear!" the white unicorn said with a sincere smile that managed to look uniform and sweet at the same time. Beside her was a basket of gems, and Spike's stomach growled once again at the mere sight of such food. It was nearly over-flowing with various colored gems of all kinds. There was an abundance of sapphires, which were Spike's personal favorite this particular month.

"What're you doing here?" Spike asked, but quickly added nervously and with a slight stammer, "Not that I'm unhappy to see you! Just curious is all." Rarity waved a hoof elegantly towards him and said, "I just came by to drop off these gems for you to eat, seeing as Twilight is busy at the moment. Are you alright?" Spike's heart fluttered at the fact that Rarity was concerned for his well-being, though he knew she generally cared for everyone's well-being. "Uh, yeah. I'm okay," he said, rubbing the back of his head in an attempt to seem casual in front of the unicorn. Gazing back down to the basket of gems he asked, "Are all those for me?" It was all he could do to keep himself from drooling in front of the diamond of his eye while he spoke.

Rarity looked to her side as if she'd forgotten what she'd brought with her immediately after setting it down. "Oh, yes!" she said, seeming to remember, "I took the liberty of making sure you had something to eat, just in case Twilight stays a bit longer than intended." The purple dragon rubbed his chin and asked, "Where is she, anyway? She left so early this morning, and without even leaving a note. I was kinda worried about her up until now."

"Oh she didn't tell you? She's over at Sweet Apple Acres, with Applejack," Rarity said with a small, toothless grin. Trying to ignore the grin for now, Spike asked another question in curiosity, "With Applejack? Doing what?" Rarity looked down at the young dragon, unsure if he was serious. She sighed softly, reminding herself that he was still young, and gave him a sly smile along with a wink that made him nearly levitate. "Nothing out of the ordinary, darling. Don't worry, though, her and Applejack are doing just fine," she reassured him with a slight giggle.

"In any case, I must be getting back to the shop," Rarity stated as she turned to walk away at a brisk, but elegant pace, "I've got a few things I need to take care of before the Festival arrives." Spike waved even though she couldn't see the gesture and said, "Bye Rarity!" "Goodbye, my dear," she called back over her shoulder.

Spike grabbed the basket of gems and licked his lips as he shut the door behind him. "These are gonna be great," he said to himself, cherishing Rarity's gift. He reached down and grabbed a small sapphire and tossed it up in the air, only to catch it within his maw to devour it. Happy and with food, Spike sat down at the table to begin his buffet.

Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight and Applejack were sharing stories over some apple pie that Granny Smith had baked earlier that day. They were sitting beside the barn, their plates sitting adjacent to them. Twilight was levitating her pie absent-mindedly as her and Applejack had a chat while gazing up at the clouds. They hadn't talked of anything of great importance. Only about small things, such as new trees that were to be planted after the festival, or how Twilight got her books sorted. Rather than focusing on the worries and bothers of daily life, the two mares instead focused on the simpler, more happy things.

Taking the final bite of her piece of pie, Twilight sighed happily. "This was nice, Applejack," she said as she turned to her friend with a small, satisfied smile on her face. "I reckon you'd be right on that one, Twi'," Applejack responded. "It's gettin' a bit late, huh? Guess you oughta head home and check on Spike," she added with a small sigh.

At the mention of the baby dragon, Twilight's heart felt as if it had skipped a beat. "I totally forgot about Spike!" she exclaimed as she rushed to a standing position. With a groan, she apologized to Applejack, "I'm sorry but I've got to head home to check on him. He's probably worried sick about me, and I forgot to leave him something to eat. He could be starving!"

Applejack gave a short laugh, "I'm sure he's alright, Sugarcube. Y'oughta mosey on over to your library, though. I'm sure he'd like to hear from ya. I'll see you tomorrow at the Mayor's office. Or should I call it your office now?" With that last question she gave a sly smile and a wink that made Twilight's mind torn between dread and excitement. "Okay. I'll see you then," is what Twilight could offer in terms of a reply as she turned to gallop towards her library, worried and angry with herself.

It came to the point along the trip back home that she began speaking aloud to herself, disregarding the curious looks she received from other ponies as a result. "How could I be so careless? He might be starving. He's going to be so mad! Oh no.." she said as she broke out into a sweat from both running and complete nervousness over her current situation.

As she burst through the door, she yelled, "Spike!" She saw him sitting in a chair that was made specifically for him, leaning back in it. Caught off-guard, the surprised dragon yelled, "Woah!" as he fell backwards, not able to regain his balance. Twilight cringed as he tumbled backwards out of the chair, and then noticed a basket of gems that was nearly empty. "Oh I'm sorry, Spike. Are you alright?" she asked as she moved over to help him up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Did you have fun?" he asked as he got up, and even with a smile that threw Twilight for a loop. "Um.. Yes. I had a lot of fun. You're not mad?" Spike cocked an eyebrow and replied, "Mad? Mad that you went to hang out with Applejack? Please. If you ask me, you need to get out more often."

Twilight took his comment humorously, as she was glad he was not angry. "Where did you get the gems, anyway?" she asked, though she thought she knew the answer. "Rarity came by and dropped them off for me. She said you were with Applejack. When I asked what you were doing there, she just smiled at me and walked away," he said with a shrug, as he was still unsure of what to make of it. "What were you doing there, anyway?" he asked.

Thinking about it, Twilight smiled at the time she had with Applejack. "Unwinding," she said simply. Spike noticed her smile and was still confused about it. With a sigh, he returned to his dinner of gems. "There's that smile again. Seems everypony knows something I don't today," he said before taking a bite out of a cracked ruby.

"Anyway," he said, his mouth still filled with bits of ruby. "Tomorrow is the big day, huh? You ready?" he asked. "Well I have Applejack, and I've got you," she said earnestly, "so I suppose I'll do just fine." Spike looked relieved. "Good," he said, "I wouldn't want another episode like when you worried over that time spell. Nearly drove me just as crazy with your nervousness."

Twilight chuckled at the thought and nodded. "Well I'll try not to go overboard this time," she said with a sense of uneasiness. Spike nodded, "We'll see, I guess." He chomped on another sapphire and leaned back in the chair, and Twilight considered what she'd do tomorrow. She made sure to note "Do not go crazy," as one of the objectives.

Chapter 12 - Big Worries in the Big Hall

The sun revealed itself over the horizon, and Twilight sighed with relief. She had awoken a few hours before dawn, and was anxiously awaiting the day to come. Spike was still sleeping thankfully, as she had been quiet in her descent to the lower level of the library. Turning to the clock, she saw it was about 5 A.M. In one or two hours, she expected the mayor to arrive.

"Don't worry, Twilight. You've got this covered," she told herself as she went over her mental schedule. First, she would have to arrange the room in a specific manner, conducive to a proper working environment, but also comfortable. That meant she had to move chairs, tables, and desks. Then she'd have to arrange the paperwork to be organized by categories, dates, and priority. She could handle organization. Thirdly, she'd have to attend to the Festival.

Subconsciously, she was beginning to panic and Twilight began to grind her teeth together slowly. She'd have to prepare speeches, which she knew she was not the best at. She preferred to work behind the scenes, organizing the events rather than being at the head of them. She had to make sure the speech was not too lengthy, but also not too short on words. It'd have to be precise, but also heartfelt. As she made these notes, she began to see the need for an actual list, so she levitated over a quill and a piece of parchment.

She began writing at about 5:10 A.M., and when she finished she sighed happily. She had gone through one inkwell, and was well on her way to finishing the second one. She looked towards the clock, and could almost feel her nerves tightening as she saw it was approaching 6:30 A.M. She began to worry that they had found someone else to do the job, but also felt a bit relieved.

These two emotions began to fight for dominance in her mind just before Twilight heard a knock at the door. It was a gentle rapping, as it was still quite early. Glancing towards the baby dragon upstairs, she smiled slightly at the fact that he was still asleep. She hurried over to the door as quietly as she could, and opened it to find Applejack standing before her with a small smile.

"Howdy, Twi'," Applejack said courteously, as was her usual manner of speaking to others. She was wearing saddlebags that looked filled halfway on each side.

"Oh," Twilight said, her smile growing ever so slightly. She moved over to let her in as she greeted her, "Hello Applejack. Here to prepare?"

"Somethin' like that, yeah," Applejack said as she moved over to a table. "I figured you'd be so worried that you'd forget to eat. Brought us some apples from the orchard to eat 'fore we head out. Ya hungry?"

Twilight's stomach began to rumble at the mention of food, and she blushed lightly. "I guess I am," she answered with a slightly embarrassed giggle. She moved over to the table where Applejack had set down her saddlebags and was removing the apples. She had about six, just in case Twilight had forgotten to eat last night, too. She had.

"I figured as much!" Applejack said with a light laugh.

Spike descended the stairs with a yawn, rubbing one of his eyes. He looked half-asleep as he slowly moved towards the two mares. "Hey, Twilight. Hello, Applejack," he said.

"Mornin', Spike. Hope I didn't wake ya?" Applejack said in an apologetic tone.

Remembering what Rarity told him, Spike looked to Applejack and said, "No, no, it's alright. Was getting up soon anyway. Hey, what were you and Twilight doing all day yesterday, anyway?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow as she cut an apple in six slices whilst levitating it in midair. "What do you mean?" Twilight asked before taking a bite of the apple.

"Yesterday when Rarity came by, she said you two were together at the farm, then winked at me and walked away. I didn't think much of it until now," Spike explained, shrugging.

Twilight looked at Applejack, who seemed to be just as confused, but also seemed to shuffle nervously in place. "We were just hangin' out," she said in reply to Spike, nodding quickly.

Twilight levitated an apple over to Spike and asked, "Mind helping me pack? We've got to go soon and set up shop, so to say.

Spike nodded in agreement and mumbled, "Mhm." He climbed up the stairs to Twilight's bedroom to fetch her saddlebags, and to grab a few supplies they kept in the shared room.

In the meantime, Applejack turned to Twilight and sighed. "Look, Twi', about yesterd-" she began, but was interrupted by a knocking on the door.

Twilight raised her eyebrow, "They're early.. What was that, Applejack?" She looked to her orange friend with an inquisitive, kind look.

Applejack shook her head, "It's nothin', don't worry." The smile crawled back onto her face, but it seemed as if she were forcing it now. Twilight judged it was best not to push the issue for now, and instead moved over to the door.

She opened the door to find Mayor Mare's assistant, who she only knew as Mrs. Quill, standing before her. "Good morning, Ms. Sparkle!" she said in her usual cheery manner. "Are you ready to depart?" she asked with a slight tilt of her head.

"Yes, just let me get my saddlebags," Twilight said as she turned around, only to find Spike right behind her, placing the saddlebag on her back and climbing on. "Oh," she said happily, "alright then! I guess we're ready. You ready to go, Applejack?"

The orange mare nodded and moved over to take her spot beside Twilight, "Sure am. Let's get a move on."

Mrs. Quill nodded, and the trio began their journey over to Town Hall. The walk was quiet and unimpeded, as it was quite early. Mrs. Quill never was a big talker, and stayed quiet throughout the trip to Town Hall. Applejack seemed to be glancing over at Twilight every now and again, but would not say anything.

It was late enough to pass Pinkie Pie, who was up to her daily activities. She waved to Applejack and Twilight as she bounced, quite literally, along her own path.

"Hi girls!" she yelled towards them, but did not wait for a response as she sped towards something that had caught her interest. The two chuckled, and Twilight shook her head slowly.

Just another day in Ponyville. They reached Town Hall in a relatively short amount of time, and they moved up and into the large building. Mrs. Quill showed them all to Twilight's temporary office, and all Spike said was, "Wow."

The room was cluttered with folders, papers, and office supplies. It was a total mess, and Twilight had to do a double-take to make sure she was not simply seeing things. She could almost see a physical list in her head, and it was getting longer by the second.

"I'll let you get set up. Let me know if you need anything!" Mrs. Quill said as she exited the room.

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, huh Sugarcube?" Applejack said.

Twilight sat on her haunches, mouth agape. Once she took it all in, she finally said with a sigh, "We're doomed."

Chapter 13 - Confidence

Twilight was in a flurry, rushing from one side of the room to the other. In front of her was a checklist that became longer and longer as she wrote down what needed to be fixed and what needed to be changed. Spike trailed closely behind her, making his own checklist of things he thought he needed to make note of.

"Twi'," Applejack said carefully, her voice slightly lowered, "don't you think you're goin' a bit overboard with this?"

"No!" Twilight quickly said in reply, a bit louder than she had intended. Calming herself down, she spoke once again, "I'm sorry for snapping. It's just that there's so much to do and I don't know if we have the time to do it all before the Festival arrives!"

Applejack moved over to Twilight and placed a single hoof on her shoulder. Twilight seemed to be trembling slightly, due to the amount of pressure she was putting on herself. She looked as if she hadn't slept at all; her hair was slightly tangled, there were the beginnings of sleepless lines under her eyes, and the whites of her eyes looked bloodshot.

"Twi'." Applejack said calmly. "You know we'll get through this. We do just fine, every year! If anything, this should just spice things up a little bit," she offered in an attempt to reassure the panicking unicorn.

Though her trembling seemed to lessen, she still insisted in an almost breathless voice, "But what if we can't? What if I fail, and the whole town is mad at me? I cannot afford to have that follow me around after I've worked so hard to-"

She was cut off by the orange mare wrapping her forehooves around Twilight's neck and holding her close. "We'll do just fine, sugarcube. Just you wait 'n' see," she said comfortingly.

Spike smiled a bit at the display, but judged from the look on Twilight's face, her eyes widened and confused, that he needed to give them some breathing room. "I'll let you two talk things over," he said nonchalantly, "I'll head into the market and pick up some supplies."

As he walked away, Twilight heard him mumble something about quills and ice cream, but she couldn't focus. Tears of frustration had welled up, clouding her vision and making it hard for her to focus. She instead decided to nuzzle Applejack on a whim, finding comfort in her friend's kind nature. Every so often, Applejack would run a hoof down her back in comfort, consoling the unicorn and calming her chaotic thoughts. They stayed in that position for what seemed like minutes before Twilight pulled reluctantly away from the embrace.

"Thanks," she said softly, embarrassed by her unstable emotional state. "I'm trying to handle this calmly, I really am," she told Applejack as she wiped the tears from her eyes with the tops of her forehooves.

"I know, sugarcube. You've got every right to feel worried at a time like this, but you'll hurt yourself if you carry on like this. I won't lie when I say I'm startin' to get worried 'bout ya," Applejack reasoned with her, her emerald eyes showing genuine concern.

Twilight took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before exhaling slowly. "Well you don't have to worry," she replied, offering Applejack a sincere smile of gratitude.

"Well, that's a relief," the orange mare replied, surveying her surroundings as she did. "We oughta get this place cleaned up," she said, looking back to Twilight.

"But!" she added just as Twilight began to walk towards the nearest pile of papers. The unicorn stopped in her tracks and turned back, confused. "We'll do it together. One step at a time," she said with a nod and a confident smile that made her eyes seemingly become sharper in color.

Twilight smiled a bit wider then, and nodded to Applejack in complete confidence. She levitated the list, and took a look over it. The first thing on the list was: "Separate stacks by category." She turned to a pile of papers and focused her magic upon them, causing the papers to split into four smaller stacks. Putting two down, she then split the two stacks multiple times until individual sheets floated around her.

Applejack stared in awe as she did these things and complimented Twilight, "I knew you were good with magic but this.. This is downright amazin', Twi'!" She sat on her haunches and merely observed with wide eyes as the unicorn set to work on the papers.

"Thank you," Twilight said humbly. A compliment coming from any other pony would have been nice, but not nearly as special. The purple unicorn took it to heart, and could feel her pride swelling up inside of her. Before she lost concentration and dropped the hundreds of papers, she focused solely on the task at hand.

The papers, Twilight noticed, were already filled out and ready to be sent, much to her delight. Looking at the headings of the letters, she separated them in alphabetical order. Papers floated and slid into place behind, in front, and beside each other until Twilight levitated them over to a nearby desk that had assorted office supplies about it, as well as more papers. She neatly moved them aside and placed the supplies in their proper containers or whatever happened to be able to hold them at the time until further notice.

She then neatly placed the stacks of papers on the desk and turned to Applejack, who was sweeping the floors with the end of her tail. She had taken off her hat and placed it on a nearby table, atop another pile of papers. She was whistling a bright tune and had a smile smile on her face as she worked.

A thought occured to Twilight at that moment, and she couldn't help but smile at the hope it brought along with it. Maybe, with her friend's help, she would do just fine. She found herself thinking back to when Applejack had hugged her, or rather held her, to comfort her. It gave her a sense of happiness that the mare was at her side in this endeavor. For the first time in a long time, she felt truly at peace, and it was because of Applejack's effort.

Though she didn't quite understand the feeling, Twilight felt a warm sense of happiness at the Applejack's presence, and she enjoyed it. She couldn't help but smile wide, inciting a raised eyebrow from Applejack. Twilight turned away and pretended to be busy, for she realized she had been staring at her friend.

She heard a chuckle, and the sounds of sweeping resumed. Twilight idly shuffled the papers, half-paying attention to what she was doing as she thought about her new position as mayor, and she felt, for the first time, truly prepared.

Chapter 14 - Taking Care of Business

The day seemed to go by twice as fast as it normally did for Twilight. She shuffled and sorted papers, stacking them neatly in drawers or atop desks that were designated for such a task while Applejack swept and tidied up the room in general. Her and Twilight chatted casually as they worked, smiling happily as they did.

Spike was sitting at a cleared desk Twilight had set aside specifically for him, and he was going over a checklist of preparations for the Festival. The list was relatively short, compared to the usual ones Twilight composed. It was condensed with the help of a patient Applejack and a desperate Spike, of course.

"Alright, so I'm off to see if Pinkie has the pastries and desserts prepared," the young dragon declared, rolling up the scroll and putting it in his shoulder-slung satchel. "After that, I think I'll head home and catch some shut-eye," he added with a yawn.

Twilight objected almost immediately by suggesting, "Why don't you come back here? I'd hate to leave you all alone in the library." It wasn't that she didn't trust the young dragon. It was simply that she had formed a motherly bond with him over time, and cared for him as if he were her own child.

"Come on, Twilight. I can take care of myself, you know?" Spike replied, rolling his eyes in slight annoyance.

"I know, I know," Twilight agreed, nodding her head with a frown. "Do you at least have something to eat? I could go to the Library and make you someth-" she began before Spike cut her off.

"I still have some gems Rarity brought me. I'll be fine, Twilight," he interrupted, looking to the clock. "I've got to hurry before Pinkie closes up shop and.. Well, before she does whatever it is Pinkie Pie does when she isn't baking," he reasoned with her."

"He'll be fine, Twi'," Applejack spoke up, having patiently waited through the whole conversation, "He is growin' up, after all."

Spike nodded eagerly, giving Applejack an appreciative look to which she tipped her hat in understanding. "See? Even Applejack agrees," Spike offered, turning for the door.

Twilight turned to Applejack, contemplating the situation. Applejack nodded to her with a small, knowing smile, and Twilight turned back to Spike with a sigh. "Alright, go ahead," she agreed reluctantly.

The small dragon smiled wide and shuffled towards the door before Twilight changed her mind or came up with another reason for him to stay. He waved and called back, "See you when you get back home, Twilight!"

"Bye, Spike," she replied half-heartedly. After he had gone, she surveyed the room. After a full day's work, her and Applejack had cleaned it up considerably. Papers were alphabetized and tucked away in their correct spots, the floor and windows were shining due to Applejack's labor, and Twilight's nerves had calmed considerably due to the neatness of the room.

"See?" Applejack said quietly as she moved to sit beside Twilight, who had unknowingly sat down while she looked around the room. "I told you we could do it," she finished, nodding in a satisfied manner, "All it took was some hard work and a good bit of confidence!"

"Thanks for the help, Applejack. I don't know what I would have done without you," Twilight told the orange mare sincerely. She looked over and after but a moment's hesitation, gave Applejack a friendly nuzzle. It seemed only a second or two before applejack returned the gesture, resting her head atop Twilight's neck.

The gesture didn't last nearly as long as the comforting hug the two shared earlier, but Twilight felt her mood brightened by it nonetheless. If this was to become a regular occurrence, Twilight could certainly get used to it happening. Each time it happened so far she felt her blood, and her cheeks for that matter, warming slightly. There was a sort of comfort that it brought, a sort of tranquility that she wasn't used to. Though it was foreign to her, she enjoyed it thoroughly.

"So what's next, Twi'?" Applejack asked, taking off her hat and lying down to relax.

"Well," she replied as she turned about, looking for something. "Where's my list? I could've sworn I had it somewhere," she mumbled, checking her satchel on a nearby desk. After rummaging around for a few moment,s she turned to Applejack with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you seen my checklist?" she asked in a confused manner.

Applejack tapped her chin with the bottom of her fore-hoof and then gestured towards the door with her head as she recalled, "Didn't Spike take it when he went off to see Pinkie?"

"Oh, right! He did, didn't he?" she confirmed, taking her place beside Applejack once again. She sighed and said, "That was the only checklist I had. I haven't had time to make a backup checklist yet. Usually that step is high priority on my first checklist, but it must have slipped my mind."

"Woah there, Twi'," Applejack said, interrupting her chaotically organized train of thought, "Don't get too worried about the list just yet. Besides, we've been workin' hard all day. No need to go and ruin it now with a bunch of worryin' over some list. We'll just get it tomorrow and start from there."

Twilight thought for a moment, then took yet another look around the room. "Yes. That seems like a good idea," she agreed, satisfied with the amount of work the two ponies, along with a little help from a certain absent dragon, put into the mayor's office.

"For now, I s'pose we could do something together, right?" Applejack offered.

"What'd you have in mind?" Twilight replied, and her stomach grumbled.

"Seems like your belly has the right idea. Didn't you save some of them apples that I brought you this mornin'?" Applejack said, gesturing towards her satchel, "We could always have a good old fashioned picnic, if you'd like!"

"That sounds quite nice," agreeing for more reasons than just hunger.

"Then it's settled. Let's head on out 'fore it gets too dark, shall we?" Applejack said as she donned her hat and stood up.

Twilight nodded in agreement for what seemed like the twentieth time today, and she smiled happily at Applejack. "Let's," she said simply, and grabbed her satchel.

Chapter 15

"I'm sure that I've got a spare blanket in the library," Twilight declared as they exited Town Hall.

"We could always just lie on the grass, y'know," Applejack commented with a slight grin. She had a tired expression on her face and her eyelids were starting to droop, and Twilight felt a bit of sympathy for her.

"Even better," the purple unicorn replied simply. "We should probably go somewhere that isn't so crowded, though," she added with a shrug.

Applejack stopped, and after a moment Twilight did the same. It seemed that, for a few moments, she was lost in thought. "I know a place near Sweet Apple Acres;" Applejack agreed with a tired smile, "follow me."

With a nod from Twilight, the two were on their way to Applejack's farm. As they walked through the town, Twilight observed the busy ponies as they went about their rushed activities in the days before the festival. Ponies of all types were doing their part to get ready; Ponyville took pride in its events.

Pegasi were hanging banners and making weather plans, and Twilight noticed Rainbow Dash was bolting between buildings to give orders and to inspect clouds. She gave a wave, but the pegasus was concentrating on her flight too much to notice.

Earth ponies were making sure the paths within Ponyville were in pristine condition, and the unicorns were assisting with the heavy lifting with their magic. They were also setting up the fairgrounds that the festival would take place in. From what Twilight could see, it was absolutely massive in size. It seemed to be roughly half the size of Ponyville.

"Looks like everybody's got a job to do," Twilight commented with a curious fascination.

"Yep," Applejack replied. "When it comes to big events, I reckon Ponyville's got the best ponies around for the job," she finished, the end of the sentence slightly distorted by a yawn.

"Are you tired? Do you want to go back to the farm and rest?" Twilight asked with a concerned expression upon her face.

"Nah, I'll be fine," she replied with a smile that quivered, threatening to turn into another yawn. After she suppressed it, Applejack looked to Twilight and nodded. "I just gotta get movin', is all. Been in Town Hall all day; starts to wear a farm pony down after a while," she finished with another yawn and a quick shake of her head.

"Well, luckily Sweet Apple Acres isn't so far, right?" Twilight suggested optimistically, to which Applejack gave her usual, small smile and a nod. She looked to Twilight as if she were going to fall asleep while she walked. Luckily for both of them, they were nearing the farm. When Twilight veered to follow the main path to Sweet Apple Acres, she would have bumped into Applejack had she not been paying attention.

"Something wrong?" she asked when she noticed Applejack kept walking down the road, past Sweet Apple Acres' entrance.

"Just keep following me, don't worry," Applejack reassured her without looking back. She simply kept moving forward at a casual pace, and Twilight followed suit.

They kept walking, with Applejack smiling silently and Twilight surveying her surroundings, until they came to a portion of the farm's fence that was broken deliberately. "Here we are," Applejack announced as she came to a stop beside the fence.

Twilight looked around for a bit, looking for any sign of a camp or an area where they could rest, but all she saw was the broken fence, and a path of trampled grass leading into the forest.

She gave Applejack a skeptical look. "Here?" she asked after a moment's hesitation. "Are you sure you don't want to go back to the farm and sleep?" she suggested with a concerned tone in her voice.

After a short laugh, Applejack gestured towards the broken fence and climbed over it. "Come on, I'll show ya," she said calmly. After yet another confused look, Twilight followed after her friend loyally.

After entering the woods and maneuvering around a few dozen trees, they came to a large opening in the forest that made Twilight's jaw drop. It looked like somewhere Fluttershy would keep her most precious animals at. In the middle of the opening was a small pond, and a few ducks were swimming contently along the surface. There was just enough shade to provide the two mares with cover, and plenty of sunlight to keep them warm.

"This is a paradise!" Twilight exclaimed quietly, careful not to disturb the almost tangible peace that overwhelmed the forest, "I would never have guessed something like this was in Ponyville." After a moment's analysis, she couldn't resist adding, "Well I probably could have guessed, but it seemed pretty unli-"

"I know," Applejack said simply, cutting her off.

Twilight smiled and gave a nod. The orange mare moved over to a shady spot, lying down to rest. Twilight was worried she might fall asleep immediately, but she instead beckoned the purple unicorn over with a jerk of her head, to which Twilight complied by walking over and sitting beside her friend.

"Found this place a while back, maybe a few years ago," Applejack began. "Apple Bloom had gotten lost when she went chasin' after Winona. Must've seen a critter or somethin' 'cause I hadn't seen her bolt off like that any time before. Before I realized what was happenin', Apple Bloom ran into the woods. Mind you, she was young," she clarified with a shrug, "Wasn't fast, but she was hard to see with her size."

As she listened on, Twilight could see the caring glint in Applejack's emerald eyes. The one she'd seen when Applejack was comforting her back at Town Hall. The look gave her a warm feeling. Not the kind she got from sitting in the sunlight, but a different warmth.

"I went runnin' into the forest as fast as I could," Applejack continued contently, "chasin' the sounds of Winona's barking and Apple Bloom's calling after her. Eventually the callin' turned into giggling, and I stumbled into this place. Had I not been out of breath, I woulda held it when I first saw this place. Ever since then, I've been comin' here when I needed to take my mind off of things."

"Seems like Apple Bloom was pretty fearless, running into the forest like that," Twilight commented. With a knowing smile, she turned towards Applejack and added, "Must run in the family, hm?"

"S'pose so," Applejack replied, accepting the compliment modestly.

She looked exhausted for some reason, and Twilight knew it wasn't from working at Town Hall. She was a farm pony; labor came naturally to her. Judging it was best to just let her rest, Twilight thought of a solution.

When one came to her, she was proud of herself for having thought of it. "Get some sleep, Applejack," Twilight suggested calmly, looking the mare in the eyes.

"What? No, I couldn't," she protested, trying to hide her exhaustion by opening her eyes wide and shaking her head.

"You helped me back at Town Hall, now I'm helping you. Get some sleep," Twilight commanded with a kind overtone and a concerned smile.

Applejack stared back, trying to defy her with a look, but Twilight refused to back down. With a sigh, Applejack reluctantly complied, "Alright. But only for a little bit. You make sure to wake me up if I sleep for too long, ya hear?"

"Of course," Twilight agreed, though she had no plans to wake Applejack.

She watched as her friend crossed her forehooves and laid her head atop them, shutting her eyes. Almost immediately, Twilight noticed Applejack's back rising and falling rhythmically, showing that she was asleep. Deeming it safe to relax, Twilight moved a bit closer to Applejack and laid down, crossing her forehooves as she took in the peace of the forest.

For once, Twilight didn't have to think to hard about what was happening. She didn't have to think at all, in fact. And she had Applejack to thank for that.

Chapter 16

It was some time before Applejack and Twilight woke up, and the moon was high in the sky. Combined with Ponyville's extraordinary weather team, it made for quite the beautiful sight to behold. Stars were abundant and clear, shining brightly enough to challenge the moon's own glorified shine.

Lifting her head and giving a dazed look around, Twilight almost fell asleep at how serene everything looked. Torchbugs were fluttering about in their usual quick-but-calm manner, Manasprites were gathered around a few blue flowers that glowed faintly with the hue of magic, and even a few core fish were swimming around in the lake before them. Twilight learned from Ponyville Wildlife that the fish were aptly named "Core fish" due to their heart's unique appearance; it glowed whenever night fell, and it could be seen through the fish's translucent body.

With a smile on her face, she slowly laid her head back down to rest once again. Except this time, there was something unfamiliar in the space between her hooves and her head. When Twilight felt it with her chin, she immediately pulled back - more-so from surprise rather than fright.

Laying across Twilight's forelegs was Applejack, and she was sound asleep with a small smile on her face. Twilight could not recall how the two had gotten into this position, and wondered if they simply did it in their sleep.

Shifting a little, Twilight found she was actually quite comfortable despite Applejack using her as a pillow. From where she was laying, she judged that she must have been resting her head upon Applejack's neck, and the thought made her face warm up considerably. Luckily for her, all that saw her was a small brown rabbit taking a drink from the lake.

After he stared for a few moments, Twilight whisper-shouted, "Shoo!" The rabbit proceeded to stare for a few moments longer before sauntering off into the woods.

Unfortunately, Twilight seemed to make enough noise or movements to stir Applejack, and she woke up hurriedly.

With a mumble and with her eyes half-open, she asked, "Hm? Wh-What's goin' on, Twi'?"

Twilight's eyes widened and her pupils shrank back at her voice; she hadn't meant to wake Applejack, only to make the rabbit leave. Thinking for a moment, she made up her mind to do something unusual. Speaking calmly and with a kind overtone, she said, "Nothing's wrong. Go back to sleep."

Applejack stayed silent for a few seconds before sleepily agreeing with, "Alright." With that, she inched her way closer to Twilight, and nuzzled into her chest. This, of course, brought forth more blushing.

She was now fully awake, but Twilight still couldn't bring herself to wake Applejack. She was arguing with herself upon the matter, and couldn't reach a consensus with herself. Yes, she had agreed to wake her up after a while. But she never specified when to wake her up, either.

The arguing went on for quite a while before it started to give Twilight a headache, rather than give her answers. Looking up at the moon, she deduced that only a few minutes had passed from the last time she saw it, and this caused her to let out a sigh. When she looked down, she saw Applejack contentedly sleeping, and couldn't help but crack a smile.

Closing her eyes, she deemed it as good a time as any to let go of her worries and relax. Nervously, and careful not to disturb Applejack, Twilight slowly lowered her head and rested it upon Applejack's neck. It was surprisingly comfortable, albeit a bit unfamiliar for the unicorn. She had gotten used to hugs and the occasional friendly nuzzle from others, but she had never done anything beyond that. It wasn't a bad thing, Twilight concluded, but it was a bit foreign to her. A smile crawled its way across her face, and she finally gave in to the relaxation.

It was peaceful in the forest, and it gave Twilight time to consider what was happening in a rational manner, rather than in a hurry and panic. She went over different scenarios in her head, and planned what she would and could do to make this whole operation run smoothly.

Armed with a plan and with friends, the whole situation didn't seem that stressful for Twilight. An overwhelming sensation of excitement overcame her, and she involuntarily let out a high-pitched giggle. When she realized how loud she had been, she quickly pressed her mouth closed and hoped to Celestia that Applejack wouldn't wake. When no such thing happened, she breathed a sigh of relief, and looked down at her friend.

She noticed Applejack wasn't a light sleeper, and remembered what happened when she shooed the rabbit away. "I must have been louder than I thought," she mumbled quietly to herself. She made a mental note to try and find a book that remedied that problem.

Her thoughts trailed off to her books and before she knew it, she was going over a mental checklist of all the books she would need to get. This, unfortunately, was also accompanied by Twilight mumbling the light out loud.

Applejack woke to hear Twilight saying something, but it took a few seconds for her to make any sense of it. She decided not to disrupt her thought process, and simply kept listening.

"And Lyra said she wanted a book about candy. Probably for Bon Bon. Maybe it's a birthday present? Pinkie will probably throw a party," Twilight said, her thoughts surprisingly unorganized. Without losing stride, she continued with her checklist, "Rainbow Dash will want the newest Daring Do. It comes out in a week, so I should have enough bits to get it for her. Or maybe I could get it donated to the library? I'm sure she'd be content with just borrowing it."

"Ya wouldn't happen to have a book about unicorns 'n' their crazy thoughts, would ya?" Applejack said jokingly, her eyes still closed.

"Oh, I have several books abou-" Twilight began, but stopped dead in her tracks when she realized who was speaking. She looked down to see a grinning Applejack peering up at her with one eye open. She was still pressed against Twilight's chest, and Twilight could feel her chuckling through her rib cage.

Applejack stood up and stretched, shaking the sleep from her bones. Feeling guilty, Twilight apologized profusely, "I'm sorry to wake you up, Applejack, I was just going over the new books I need to acquire, and I guess I just started to talk to myself."

"Relax, Twilight. I ain't mad. Heck, I'm sorry for fallin' asleep on ya. Well, I guess I actually DID fall asleep on ya," Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head with a nervous laugh.

"Oh no, I don't mind," Twilight said, reassuring Applejack. "It was.. Kind of nice," she admitted, offering a sheepish smile of her own.

"Glad to see I didn't bother you with my snorin'," Applejack said in humor.

"Snoring? You don't snore?" Twilight recalled, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"I don't? But Apple Bloom said? That lyin' little.." Applejack mumbled, laughing at herself.

They stood still for a few moments smiling at each other happily before Twilight broke the silence, "Sorry I didn't wake you up. You just seemed quite exhausted, and you looked like you needed the rest."

"That's alright. I'm glad you didn't, in fact. I was pretty comfortable with my pillow," Applejack said with a wink that brought forth a faint blush upon Twilight's face.

"Glad I could, uh, be of assistance?" Twilight said, trying her hoof at a joke. To her delight, Applejack let out a quick laugh and gave her a grin.

After the short conversation, Applejack looked towards the sky and sighed, "Suppose I oughta be gettin' home. And I'm sure Spike is wonderin' where you are, too."

"Yes, I suppose he would be. I'll see you tomorrow?" Twilight asked as they walked out of the forest together, though she already knew the answer.

" 'Course you will," Applejack replied with a nod. When they reached the road leading back to Ponyville, she added in an unusually timid manner, "I don't suppose a hug is outta the question?"

Replying with actions instead of words, Twilight moved over and wrap her forelegs around Applejack's neck, consenting to her request. Applejack returned the gesture and said, "See ya, Twilight."

After the hug, Twilight walked happily back towards her library. Looking around, she made sure the coast was clear and let out a shrill giggle, letting out her excitement.

"Now.." she said, returning to her normal thoughts, "Octavia said she needed a book about vinyl discs and a book about violins. Doesn't she play a cello? I wonder what the violinist's book is for.. I do have one, though! As for the book about vinyl discs, I wonder why she'd need that? Oh! She's friends with Vinyl Scratch, isn't she? Maybe she.."

Her voice trailed off into the night as she strolled slowly home, happily content with the day's events.

Chapter 18 - Confessions

The door closing behind them, Twilight looked questioningly to Applejack. She was eager to learn what was troubling her friend so very much, as it was unusual for the mare to be fazed in the slightest, save the times she got into a competition with somepony.

"Well, I reckon I oughta say somethin', huh?" she said, responding to the unicorn's gaze. Applejack herself seemed to be avoiding eye contact, and it was a few moments before Twilight had to answer.

"If you would like," she responded, attempting to nudge the farmer with a subtle comment, rather than a blunt approach. She had read how to do so in a book titled Steering Conversations one night after a particularly awkward conversation between her and Pinkie. Before her mind derailed her train of thought, Twilight focused solely on the issue at hand.

Though she never stopped or slowed down, Applejack took a deep breath and held her eyes shut. A second or two passed before she let out the breath slowly and opened her eyes once again, and it didn't take an analytical mind to see that she was shaken up about what she wished to say.

Just as she began to open her mouth, Rainbow Dash appeared as if called upon by Twilight's anxiousness or Applejack's nervousness. "Girls! Hey!" she exclaimed, doing a drill-like spin and shaking off the water of morning clouds. She looked as if she'd crash into them both, and Twilight flinched before she saw her skidding to a stop.

Twilight noticed that Applejack had stepped towards herself, rather than away from Rainbow Dash. Making a mental note of this, she turned to face the cyan pegasus, who was trotting in place with excitement.

"What's got you all riled up, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked with a grin. It seemed Dash's attitude was slightly infectious.

"The Wonderbolts!" she responded with glee, breaking from her normal too-cool-for-excitement disposition, "They're coming to Ponyville for the Farmer's Festival! And get this -!" She leapt into the air and did a few aerial stunts before completing her statement, "they want me to fly alongside them!"

"Well that's great, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack said, suddenly just as excited as Dash.

Twilight made yet another mental note, then shared in the merriment, "Yes! I see they took notice of your heroics after all!"

"Yup!" Rainbow said, nearly shouting with uncontrollable excitement. "They sent an express delivery mare out to find me. Me! And she carried a Wonderbolt stamped letter - you know, the one with the lightning bolt and the wings? - with her," stopping only for a moment to catch her breath, she continued, "And the letter said that, 'Because of your great acts of heroism and bravery, we, the Wonderbolts, would like to invite you to fly by our side at this year's Farmer's Festival!' Isn't that awesome!?"

Applejack crossed her forelegs casually and nodded with a wide smile on her face. "It sure is, R.D. It sure is," she complimented in a calm manner.

"Yes, that's absolutely terrific, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight agreed wholeheartedly, nodding enthusiastically.

"I know, right?" Rainbow nodded, her large grin still plastered onto her face. "Anyway! I've got to go clear this weather so I can practice my flying routine! Maybe I'll even pull off a Sonic Rainboom with the Wonderbolts at my side?" Laughing excitedly, she sped off with a light trail of rainbows following her path.

"Well ain't that nice, hm?" Applejack commented, turning to Twilight expectantly, to which the unicorn agreed with a nod and saying, "I'm quite happy for her. This is a big thing for her, after all."

The two began walking after that, and Twilight brought up the previous conversation, "Was there something you'd like to tell me, then?"

"Ah, yeah," her friend replied, suddenly seeming a bit more confident after being given time to think it over. "I wanted to ask you if-" she began, but her voice trailed off as she noticed the growing number of residents within Ponyville's streets.

Despite the earliness of the day, the streets were bustling with creatures of all types and backgrounds. Local residents were attempting to make last minute preparations or open up shop, while foreign creatures were interested in all that the small town had to offer.

Picking up on Applejack's worry, Twilight quickly suggested, "Maybe we should take the long way there?" She jerked her head to a path away from the marketplace, and it led through Ponyville's more private homes and shops. They would have to pass Carousel Boutique and Sugarcube Corner, but she mind and it seemed neither did Applejack.

"I'd like that," her friend agreed, turning onto the path with Twilight keeping pace. "So Twilight," she started once more, "have you ever.. 'Eh.. I ain't good at this." Her confidence was visibly draining from her, and Twilight couldn't help but wonder if that's what she looked like when she worried.

Deciding that she was obligated to help, Twilight grasped at what Applejack had told her earlier and tried mimicking it, "You know I'll be here for you, Applejack. Whatever it is, I'll try to help."

Applejack turned away, and Twilight scolded herself for having failed at comforting her friend. When she turned back, she let out a sigh and said quietly, "I know Twi', I know. I'm just a bit rusty, is all."

"Not at all," Twilight argued, "Remember how you comforted me my first day as temporary mayor? You're quite proficient when it comes to speaking."

With a small laugh, the orange mare shook off her worries and said, "Ya got me there. Alright, I suppose beatin' around the bush ain't gonna do me much good, huh? Okay, then." She stopped and turned towards Twilight, a serious look on her face. "What I wanted to ask is if you've ever felt -"

"TWILIGHT! APPLEJACK!" a shrill voice interjected, and it took Twilight a moment to register that it wasn't Applejack.

Turning around, she was met with a bouncing Pinkie Pie making her way to her and Applejack. Strapped to her head was a box of cupcakes or muffins, Twilight could not quite tell. She seemed to be unhindered or unbalanced by it, oddly enough. Then again, Twilight reconsidered, it would be unusual for her to be hindered by such a fashion.

"I can't stay long because I'm going to go to the market and buy more sugar and more frosting and more sprinkles but I wanted to say that this is going to be one of the bestest, biggest, funnest parties ever!" she said. She never stopped for a breath before she waved and zipped away to complete her task, leaving the two mares staring after her in utter confusion.

"That mare ain't right," Applejack said, and Twilight couldn't help but agree. If there was an Element of Hyperactivity, Pinkie's role would never be questioned.

"Listen. I got a feelin' that we ain't gonna get much privacy out here in the open. Would ya mind waitin' 'till we get to Town Hall for me to tell you?" Applejack asked sincerely, to which Twilight felt obligated to agree to on account of her not wanting to pressure her friend any further.

"That seems like the reasonable thing to do, yes," she affirmed, "we do seem to be getting interrupted quite a bit as of late." Feeling slightly guilty for her friend, she leaned into her for a moment to improvise a makeshift hug on the move. To her satisfaction, Applejack did not pull away as she had expected, but rather returned the gesture.

The two walked along the path for some time in this manner unknowingly before crossing Carousel Boutique, where Rarity was waving them over from a window.

"Oh, Twilight, Applejack! I do hope I'm not interrupting anything, but may I have your opinion on a matter most urgent?" she called, putting on her most polite smile.

The two mares exchanged looks and agreed without the need for words, simply knowing what the other would say. upon their arrival, two dresses surrounded in a light blue hue floated out of the window from behind her, and floated side by side.

"Which do you prefer? The light blue sapphire-encrusted one," she said, raising the left dress slightly before lowering it and lifting the other, "or the bright red ruby-embedded one? I simply cannot make up my mind today!"

"I like 'em both, Rarity," Applejack offered, her expertise about dresses as limited as her vision and color preference.

"I agree with Applejack. They're both quite stunning," Twilight bolstered her friend's compliment.

Rarity looked at both of the dresses, rubbing her chin. Suddenly, she raised her eyebrows and her eyes went wide as she gasped. "I just had the most wondrous idea! Thank you, girls!" she said as she pulled the dresses carefully but hurriedly back into her shop.

"You know, it's turning out to be quite a nice day," Twilight observed as she took in the scenery.

When she looked over to Applejack as she waited for an answer, something seemed different about her friend's eyes. There weren't any tears in them, though perhaps the light may have been hitting them in a specific manner, but Applejack's emerald green eyes were sparkling.

"Days like this, I'd like to be back at the woods near my farm," Applejack said, causing them both to think back to the previous night with a fond feeling of happiness. "We'll have to do that again some time, 'eh Twilight?"

"I'd like that very much," Twilight muttered, staring at her friend's eyes with intense curiosity.

"You alright, Twilight?" Applejack asked, waving a hoof in front of her friend's face.

"Oh," Twilight said, quickly blinking twice to shake away her daydreaming. "Yes, I'm fine." "

We should probably get to Town Hall," Applejack repeated, an almost signature smile on her face.

"Yes! Let's get moving," Twilight agreed, eager to arrive on-time and just as eager to converse with Applejack.

The trip to Town Hall was spent in silence, neither pony wishing to break the calmness that had fallen over them both, as well as over their surroundings.

After a few minutes, however, something caught Twilight's eye. In the distance, Fluttershy was sitting besides Spike's pet phoenix, Peewee. Giving a wave, the timid pony returned the gesture with a wave of her own.

"It's good to see Spike's pet isn't lacking in care while he works around Ponyville," Twilight commented more to herself than to Applejack, but she got a response regardless, "And there's nopony better for that job."

Town Hall was now in view, and Twilight smiled. "Oh, good. That wasn't as long of a trip as I expected. We did have to take the long way-" her happy thoughts were immediately deflated by Mrs. Quill calling the duo over in a panic.

"Oh thank goodness, you're here!" she said as she beckoned the two over.

As the two entered Town Hall, everything seemed to be operating normally and without worry. Mrs. Quill rushed Twilight and Applejack to the Mayor's office, where Spike was sitting with an unfurled map in front of him. "Hey, Twilight. Hey, Applejack," he said nonchalantly.

"What's wrong? Do we need to call the Wonderbolts? Do we need the Elements? Did Discord escape? Get Prince-" Twilight said, beginning to panic.

"No, no, nothing like that. We just have a problem with a few of the Fair's booths, is all," Mrs. Quill said with a wave of her hoof.

"Oh," Twilight said simply, feeling silly for having gotten so worried so quickly. She could see Spike stifling a laugh, and Applejack chuckled slightly as she pat Twilight on the back.

Blushing at the extra attention, Twilight leaned over the map of the fairgrounds to switch the topic and saw a circled area. "We need more room for the apple-bobbing station, but we are full up on space everywhere else," Mrs. Quill explained, "And as acting mayor, you are the one who must solve this problem."

"Well.." Twilight said, rubbing her chin, "We could expand the fairgrounds to accommodate the apple-bobbing station, couldn't we?"

"I'm afraid not. We're stretched beyond the usual threshold of space as it is," Mrs. Quill said in an apologetic tone.

"Have any ideas?" Twilight asked, looking towards Spike.

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm just the supplies-runner and the morale-booster," he said, holding up his hands.

"How about you, Applejack?" Twilight said after giving Spike a slight glare.

For a few moments, Applejack stared at the map. She looked at all the spots in the fairgrounds, then finally said, "Here." She pointed to one spot on the map and said, "If we cut down the size of this here booth, we won't be losin' any bits. That way we'll have enough room and we'll still be makin' a profit."

"That.. Would work!" Mrs. Quill exclaimed happily, turning to Twilight, "But it's still up to you, in the end. Does this sound reasonable?"

"Make it happen," she said confidently, and Mrs. Quill nodded with a smile before bounding off to give the orders.

Meanwhile, Spike rolled the map back up and put it into his newly-bought satchel, of which he was quite proud of. "I'm off to Rarity's. She said she had a surprise waiting for me yesterday," Spike announced with joy as he made his way towards the door.

"Try not to get into any trouble," Twilight called after him, her motherly instincts making themselves known.

"Have I ever?" he joked as he turned around, walking backwards out the door with a smirk. Grasping the door's handle, he waved to the two ponies and gave one last sentence before leaving, "You two try and make some trouble. Maybe it'll bring some fun around here."

With that, he shut the door and left the two mares to their own business. Applejack waited a few seconds, then turned to Twilight and said, "I wonder if she's gonna make him put on a dress?"

Twilight's eyebrows rose up as she faced her friend, and they both let out a laugh. It was one of those drawn out laughs that neither of them quite knew why it lasted so long, but it did regardless.

Remembering what the two had originally planned, Twilight suddenly snapped out of her own laughing fit, speaking in between chuckles, "Oh! Did you want to tell me something, Applejack?"

"Yeah, and I gave it some thought," she said as she slipped off her hat and dropped it onto the desk nearby and took a seat besides Twilight, who did so soon after. "Figure I'll ask you somethin' first."

"By all means, go ahead," Twilight said, feeling ready for any challenge.

"Y'ever been in a relationship, Twi'? Like.. Better than friends?" Applejack asked quickly, trying to rush out the question before she stopped herself.

The prospect of the question made Twilight's face go red, and she hadn't really given this scenario any priority in her mind. She had overlooked a lot of challenges, and this one was up on the list.

"Well.. Not exactly, no. May I ask.. Why?" she asked apprehensively, not quite sure where Applejack was steering this conversation, so to speak.

"Just wonderin'," Applejack said, looking around the room. Turning her gaze but not her face back to Twilight, she asked quietly, "Y'ever want to be?"

"I suppose so," Twilight admitted both to herself and to Applejack. "I have never really given it much thought." Daring to venture beyond her own comforts, she then shot Applejack's question back at her, "Have you?"

"Not really Had a crush every now 'n' then when I was younger, but it never turned into nothin'," Applejack shared.

"Why not?" Twilight asked, unconsciously moving closer to her friend.

"Never really saw much in 'em, or I never got up the nerve to ask," she said with a sigh, visibly looking away in thought. "But lately, I've been, well, seein' things differently."

Twilight's analytical mind was spinning in circles, and she began to come to the conclusion that Applejack was trying to tell her something very important, but something inside of her simply would not click.

"But this time, I figure I'll take a shot in the dark," Applejack said, staring Twilight in the face. "Since neither of us has much experience with any of this kinda thing, I'll just go ahead and say it."

The gears in Twilight's mind slowly began to move towards that click she so dearly desired, but she still didn't grasp Applejack's point.

"Would you wanna try a relationship? With me?" her honesty shoved the question out of her thoughts and into into her words, whether she liked it or not.

Twilight's mind stopped for a moment, then she could have sworn she actually heard a clicking sound within her mind.

Recent events began to make more and more sense, and her own reactions seemed logical. In fact, she had a logical answer prepared. Her mind began reeling from the questions, and she was filled with both analytical arguments and emotions up until the point where it all simply stopped abruptly and left Twilight with an answer.

"Yes," she said simply, with a confident smile.

After a few moments, Applejack broke the awkward silence that had fallen over the two.

".. Yes?" Applejack asked skeptically, narrowing one eye in confusion. The abruptness of Twilight's answer and the sheer simplicity dumbfounded her. She had expected Twilight to over-react, or at the very least take a while to consider it; it was what they were all used to, her and her friends.

"It makes sense," Twilight reasoned, her voice seemingly more distant.

"You alright, Twi'?" her friend asked, leaning in to get a better look. "You seem a little.. Weird."

"I'm perfectly fine," Twilight lied. In reality, her mind was still repeating Applejack's request to her. In a panic, she blurted out an answer without giving herself any time to consider declining. Her voice sounded foreign to her when she answered, and she wasn't quite sure what was happening.

She wasn't happy, or sad, or scared, or excited. She didn't feel much of anything for a few moments, and Applejack began getting truly worried.

"Twi'. Tell me what's wrong. Do you not want to do this?" she question, then took on a look of guilt that jerked at Twilight's thoughts. "I knew this was a bad idea."

Applejack's sadness seemingly turned her thoughts back on, and Twilight was once again able to think clearly, if only a little bit slower. Now snapped out of her trance, Twilight felt a surge of both elation and worry that was unmatched by anything she had experienced in her brief time as an Element Holder.

"No, no!" she corrected, holding up her forehooves. "I, uh, was just surprised."

"Surprised?" her friend said dully, with disbelief coating her reply. She was convinced that Twilight had lied to make her happy, and she would be hard-pressed to believe otherwise.

Already she could see what her answer had done, and she scolded herself for having shut down.

"Let me explain," Twilight offered. When Applejack gave a sigh and a nod, Twilight went on. "Whenever a pony is under a great deal of stress, some are able to cope with it and pull through without exhibiting any issues whatsoever. That is generally how you are."

Applejack visibly considered this, and couldn't help but give a light-hearted chuckle at Twilight's assessment. "Alright, I'll give ya that. But what does that have to do with you?" she asked, poking Twilight's chest with the tip of her hoof.

"I am more of a passive, or inner-stresser," she explained, happy to be able to share something personal with a friend, "I contain the stress and pressure until I cannot handle it, and then I momentarily.. Shut down. Either that, or my hair gets all frizzy and I grind my teeth. It goes both ways."

"I can't tell which one is scarier, to be honest," Applejack commented with a shrug and a smile. Twilight observed she was less tense, now, and decided to ask a question of her own.

"I'll give you my answer, but only on one condition. You have to answer my question first," she bargained. Taking on a more serious look and tone, she asked bluntly, "Why me?"

"Well.. I'd like to say that I always felt this way. That I always liked ya. But I ain't too eager to be a liar just yet," she answered, avoiding her actual answer. "Guess what I'm tryin' to say is.. I don't know. I like you 'cause I like ya. Plain 'n' simple."

Twilight considered this, and such an answer would normally drive her to insanity. It wasn't a definitive answer, and she still didn't know why. But if Applejack didn't know, how would she force the answer out? She wouldn't lie about not knowing, after all.

"Well, in that case, you deserve my answer," Twilight replied, deciding that Applejack's answer would have to suffice for the time being. Steeling her nerves, Twilight prepared to deliver her actual, honest answer to Applejack. She was ready, and no amount of stress or worries would stop her.

At least, that's what the plan was right up until she froze up and found herself staring at her emerald-eyed friend with a warm, red face.

"Oh no. Did you lock up again? Maybe you need to lie down a spell," Applejack commented, furrowing her eyebrows.

Tapping her hooves together, Twilight began stuttering, "Well.. Uhm. I suppose I'm not good at this, either?"

"I'll make it easy on ya," Applejack said, being better at steadying herself than Twilight. "How 'bout I make us somethin' to eat after this is all over, and we can go to that clearin' in the woods. Sound good?"

Having a plan made things a lot more simple for Twilight, and she nodded, "That would be, uhm.. Nice. Yes. I'd like that."

"Then it's settled. We'll give this a shot, hm?" Applejack said, and dared to give Twilight a light nuzzle under her chin.

The unicorn thought her face would melt off, but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless and gave a warm smile, regardless of whether or not Applejack could see.

"Yes," she said happily, returning the affectionate gesture without hesitation.

Chapter 19

The rest of the evening was a happy blur to Twilight, and she went back to her home reluctantly, but eager for the next day. Spike was spending more time with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and had asked Twilight if he could stay with Sweetie Belle overnight to make what he called "crusading plans." After some coaxing, the baby dragon finally wore Twilight down, and she agreed to let him go.

Now with the house to herself, Twilight could think of nothing better to do with her free-time than make a list for the next day.

"Alright, Twilight!" she announced to herself, as she often did whenever she was alone. "Tomorrow is the Festival. The big day! We need to get it together if we're to have the perfect Festival this year!"

She continued in this manner for about two hours before she fell asleep atop one of her titled, "Successful Methods for Staying Awake." The page she fell asleep upon ironically detailed why it was a bad idea to read while trying to stay awake.

She awoke with a groan and a crick in her neck, but after a few delicate turns, she was able to correct that problem. Turning to the clock, she saw that she had ample amounts of time to prepare for the day ahead, and she smiled pleasantly.

Moving into the kitchen, she began preparing hay sandwiches for her and Applejack, and began humming "Ladybugs Awake" with a smile on her face. After glancing at the clock, she judged that Applejack would be there at any moment, and she packed the sandwiches neatly into her saddlebags just as she heard a knock at the door.

"One moment," she called to the door as she donned the bags. As she approached the door, it was surrounded in a faint purple hue, and it swung open due to her magic. As expected, Applejack stood waiting on the other side, smiling away.

"What's in the bags?" she asked curiously, quickly glancing at them then back up to Twilight.

"Hay sandwiches," she replied. "I deduced that we'd get hungry during the course of today's events, so I prepared some lunch just in case.

"Well alright, then - that's mighty thoughtful of ya. Thank you," Applejack replied, tipping her hat to Twilight as a friendly gesture of gratitude.

After giving a nod, Twilight moved out of the library and received a slight nuzzle from her friend. Still unaccustomed to such treatment, her face flushed a bright shade of red and she drew a quick breath.

"Y'alright?" Applejack asked with a small, knowing grin.

"Y-yeah," Twilight stuttered. "Just not used to that, is all."

"Well we're just gonna have to change that, now ain't we?" her friend replied, turning to walk down the path with Twilight close behind.

Without a reply, Twilight nodded quickly and mumbled out, "Mhm!" Afterwards, she shook her head quickly and began cooling off, her blush fading away.

"Passed by Town Hall earlier," Applejack announced. "Mrs. Quill said that we oughta head to the Festival today, and make sure everything's on the up and up. So I figured we oughta just head their straight-away?"

"That seems fair, yes. But why were you near Town Hall, might I ask?" Twilight inquired, "It is quite out of the way from Sweet Apple Acres."

"Pinkie came over to the farm and said she needed some apples, so I figured I'd help 'er out. What she was doin' up at that hour, I 'ave no idea," she replied with a shake of her head.

Accepting that as a logical scenario, Twilight said, "Well that was quite kind of you. Then it's off to the Festival for us, then?"

"Seems that way," Applejack replied simply.

"Terrific!" Twilight said happily, eager to experience the Festival first-hoof. "I can't wait," she said giddily, not noticing that Applejack had turned and was now staring dreamily at her.

"Me too," she said calmly, looking away with a calm smile. "Me, too."

Chapter 20

It was the day of the festival. Ponies, gryphons, creatures from afar, and even a few dragons showed up to attend the event. It was the time of year that creatures seemingly got along well - and if they didn't, they pretended to for the sake of appearance.

Applejack, being a veteran of the event, was unfazed by the turn-out of creatures attending the festival so early. Twilight, however, had never attended the event before. Either she was too enthralled by her studies, or she simply lacked the interest to go to it for whatever reason she happened to have at the time.

"Woah," she said astoundingly. Her eyes widened and a grin grew upon her face as she said, "I don't think I've seen this many creatures in one place before!"

"Really, now?" Applejack said, turning towards her friend with her eyebrows raised. "The Princess's own little star 'n' you've never seen somethin' like this? Would'a never guessed."

"I've seen a lot of things, yes," Twilight admitted as she turned her gaze upwards, where a few dragons were flying in circles above the fairgrounds, "but never anything like this! It's simply amazing!"

"Well trust me," Applejack said just as they entered the fairgrounds, "there's plenty more to see. It's still just after sunrise, after all."

As if pulled from a trance, Twilight's gaze turned to that familiarly bright orb cresting over the rooftops on its way upwards. She noticed that, despite the already bustling Fairgrounds, that Applejack was indeed correct. The day had only begun, and that thought sent a shiver of excitement along her back and adrenalin through her veins.

She trotted uncharacteristically in place for a moment excitedly as she thought of all the possibilities that she could do with her friend. When a thought struck her upside the head like a brick, she stopped immediately and turned to the grinning Applejack questioningly.

"Now that we're, well," Twilight paused, taking a moment to gather her thoughts and calm her already-energetic nerves to the point were she wouldn't stutter, "together.. What do I call you?"

"Well for starters, my name is Applejack. Nice to meet ya," her friend jested, the humor relieving a bit of tension. "But to answer ya.. I s'pose you could just go with the classic title. Mare-friend, that is."

The thought of having such a companion sent an almost euphoric signal throughout Twilight's mind. Fighting off the instinctual blush, Her pupils now shrunken in surprise, Twilight managed to quickly speak in a manner that resembled Fluttershy's natural tone, "Okay!"

"Come on," Applejack said, beckoning for Twilight to follow her as she moved into the Fairgrounds.

As she followed suit, Twilight's sense of smell was pleasantly treated to the scent of assorted candies and other sugary treats. She found herself drawn to a brightly decorated tent that was selling cupcakes. Surprisingly it was not the bubbly pink earth pony behind the counter as Twilight had expected, but rather a pink and yellow pegasus.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, slightly confused.

"Oh, hello girls," the timid pegasus greeted them in a heartwarmingly friendly manner.

"What're you doin' here, Fluttershy? I was willin' to bet my bits that Pinkie would be in charge of the whole cupcakes situation, bein' the baker she is," Applejack commented as she crossed her forelegs in a casual manner, seemingly just as surprised as Twilight.

"Oh, I'm not in charge of the cupcakes," Fluttershy quickly corrected her. "I would never try to replace Pinkie Pie as Chief Baker. She simply asked me to watch the stand for her while she was away, and I was happy to help."

"Well that's mighty sweet of ya, Fluttershy. Ya need anything, y'only have to ask. You know that, right?" Applejack affirmed with a tip of her hat.

"Yes, I know, but that won't be necessary. I don't want to bothe-" her shy friend began, but Twilight boldly stepped in to interrupt.

"As acting mayor of Ponyville, it is my duty to tend to all concerns of the town's citizens. It is not a bother, Fluttershy," she said kindly, but with a stern overtone that made Applejack nod confidently.

"You heard the lady," Applejack said with a slight smirk.

With a compliant smile, Fluttershy agreed to their remarks. "Okay," she said softly, with a gentle nod.

Applejack looked around curiously for a moment before turning to Fluttershy and asking, "You said Pinkie needed you to watch the stall while she was gone, right?"

"Yes," Fluttershy confirmed, accompanying her answer with an affirming nod.

"Then where is she?" Applejack furthered her question.

"I think she-" Fluttershy began but was interrupted by a shrill, "Hello!"

The pegasus flinched away from the pink blur of motion that was Pinkie Pie, making her usual grand entrance of total randomness and excitement. She reached over and hugged the still-shocked pegasus tightly, thanking her for her assistance.

"Thanks so much for helping me out, Fluttershy! Who knows what could have happened if you weren't here to watch the stand? A pony could have come along and said, 'Oh, boy! These treats sure do look tasty!' but there'd be nopony at the stall so he'd feel confused and wonder where the merchant was and the-" she spoke at near-incomprehensible speeds before the shy pegasus interrupted her kindly.

"Um, Pinkie?" she said softly, which was apparently enough to divert all of Pinkie's attention to her.

"Yes?" the bubbling pony replied, a cheshire grin painted onto her face.

"You're welcome," Fluttershy said simply, her soft eyes seeming to amplify her sincerity.

After Pinkie Pie fell silent for a moment or two, her brain seemed to kick back into high gear. She thanked Fluttershy once more, then turned to face Twilight and Applejack, who were looking at the scene with both confusion and familiarity. They had come to expect Pinkie Pie to be random and misunderstood at most times. When she wasn't, there was usually something on her mind that bothered her.

"Hi, you two! What brings you two here?" Pinkie asked curiously, but then immediately corrected herself. "Though I suppose you came because it was going to be totally fun! And who doesn't like fun? Except Cranky - but even he likes to have fun with Metilda around!"

"Actually, Twilight is still a mayor for the day," Applejack said, glancing over to Twilight, who seemed to be studying the proportions of Pinkie's cupcakes. "So we figured that we'd take a lil' tour of the Fairgrounds. Get 'er used to everything so she can take care of business an' all."

"That sounds like a great idea! Oh it'll be so much fun for you, Twilight! There's games, and balloons, and tents, and ponies, dragons, gryphons, probably even a few timberwolves, too!" Pinkie commented, her excitement visibly raising with each passing moment.

With a laugh, Applejack said, "Well we ain't gonna be seein' much of anything if we stand around chattin' all day, I s'pose."

"I believe Applejack is correct. We'll meet up some other time?" Twilight offered hopefully, trying to shy away from offending Fluttershy and Pinkie.

"That would be nice," Fluttershy agreed, her lips forming a small smile of agreement.

"Oh, yes! I'll have to throw a You-Were-The-Mayor-And-Disaster-Didn't-Strike party!" Pinkie cheered.

"Well it's a bit early to tell that yet," Twilight joked with a short laugh.

"We can always throw a Disaster-Struck-But-We're-Okay party, too!" her friend offered with unfading joy.

"We'll have to see 'bout that one," Applejack said, turning to Twilight with a smirk. "I got dibs on partying with Twi'."

"Oh, that's wonderfu-" Fluttershy began, obviously having caught on to Applejack's remark from the way Twilight smiled sheepishly. Pinkie, however, seemed only to hear the word "party."

As per her nature, she began going over all of the ways the two could party together, and went into a solo-discussion about the different methods and scenarios before snapping back to the two and saying, "Alright, but you'll have to tell me what you did! I wanna know how you two managed to pull it off!"

"Will do, Pinkie. Take care, y'all," Applejack said as she turned to walk away.

"Oh! Oh! Take this! It's a good-luck cupcake!" Pinkie called after Twilight as she turned to follow her friend.

"Huh?" she mumbled as she turned to see Pinkie Pie sliding towards her a cupcake with bright blue, swirling icing that seemed to be perfectly distributed atop the cupcake. How Pinkie had managed to do so to nearly everything she baked was beyond the unicorn, as she never truly got to study Pinkie's methods.

"It will give you good luck at the fair! I promise!" Pinkie said, pushing the cupcake a bit further.

Though skeptical, Twilight levitated the cupcake off of the table and said, "Alright, then. Thank you, Pinkie."

"Don't mention it! Or do! Either way, you're welcome!" Pinkie replied happily, turning to chat with Fluttershy as Twilight took her place besides Applejack, who patiently awaited her a few steps away.

"A good-luck cupcake, 'eh?" Applejack commented, admiring the sugary treat.

"That's what she said," Twilight shrugged, then noticed Applejack's expression. "Would you like to share it now?" she asked politely.

After a bit of contemplation, Applejack shook her head and said, "Nah. Let's wait until we get some lunch, then we can dig in to our 'magical cupcake'."

Giggling softly at the overtone of Applejack's words, Twilight levitated the cupcake into her saddlebags carefully, and formed a protective layer of magic over it to preserve its integrity.

"Alright, then. Where are we off to next?" Twilight asked, eager to undertake the day's activities.

Chapter 21

"So I reckon we could either go bobbin' for apples," Applejack said with that familiar twinkle in her eye, "or we could do a ring-toss."

"Oh, I read about ring-tosses!" Twilight exclaimed happily. "They award prizes, don't they?"

"You bet'cha!" Applejack said. Leaning a bit closer to Twilight, she challenged, "And I reckon I can win the biggest darn bear they got!"

Reeling still from the thought that her and Applejack were spending time together in a manner that was more than casual, Twilight's excitement exceeded that of her normal tendencies. She hopped in place for a moment, giggling in excitement like a filly. All while she did this, Applejack's grin grew substantially in size, and she looked utterly amused at Twilight's carefree joy.

Composing herself, Twilight gave a nervous chuckle as she noticed how silly she must have looked. She made a mental note to be a bit more calm in the future, and then another to stop making mental notes about such things and actually act upon them.

"But I also read that you must be quite accurate to win the prizes," Twilight reasoned, raising an eyebrow.

Giving her friend a slight nudge, Applejack spoke confidently, "Just you watch, Twi'. I didn't win all those blue ribbons for nothin'! And tossin' a ring ain't that different from tossin' a lasso. I bet you could do it, too!"

Unable to distinguish whether or not her friend was joking, Twilight decided to take that last statement as a compliment. She recalled how poorly she had performed when it came to lassoing previously, and gave a short laugh as she said, "I think I'll pass."

"Tell you what," Applejack said with finality. "If I can't win you that bear, you can have all of that lucky cupcake."

Knowing Applejack wouldn't back down from her own dare, Twilight passively agreed. She knew Applejack had the skill to win the prize if she so desired, but she also knew Applejack enjoyed proving herself. It was easier and nicer, she found, if she simply let her do so without putting up a fight.

"Just promise me not to go running off like last time if it doesn't turn out so well," Twilight half-joked to her friend.

The farmer kicked at the ground in front of her sheepishly. "Yeah, I promise. Way I see it, you'll just come 'n' find me anyway." At this, Applejack moved in closer to Twilight, giving her a slight nuzzle. "And why would I run, now that I got somethin' to stay for?"

Twilight's face turned an impossible shade of red, and it took her a moment before she registered in her mind to respond. "Right!" she stammered out, enjoying the gesture provided to her. She went to return it, but Applejack moved away just at the right moment. Cursing her own nervous habits, she decided not to bring it up.

"Well it's still early. Reckon the line for the ring-toss oughta mighty quick," Applejack reasoned as she turned to walk between two tents.

"Where are you going? The ring-toss is this way," Twilight said, pointing to a nearby pathway with a forehoof.

"I know these fairgrounds like I know my orchard," Applejack said, pressing a hoof to her chest. Pointing at Twilight, she added, "And you can bet I know my orchard." She then turned once again and started down her own, secret path.

Trusting Applejack's sense of direction, Twilight loyally followed her friend into the narrow corridors between the tents. Twilight herself had no idea where she was, but recognized the various fragrances that passed her by periodically.

She smelled the faint scent of baked goods, and deduced she was next to a small food-court. Upon smelling foam and plastic, she guessed at having passed a marketplace for souvenirs. Looking over, she caught a glimpse that confirmed her suspicions, as she saw various toys and knick-knacks lining the stalls.

It wasn't very long until they came upon their destination - the game corner. Applejack practically beamed with pride as she stepped out into the main pathway leading into the corner's main area. Twilight took a look around at all of the stall-managers shouting and proclaiming their preferable stalls' quality. She almost lost sight of her original goal as she took it all in; she had never seen such a thing in Canterlot!

"Ya comin', Sugarcube?" Applejack said as she gave Twilight a slight nudge, using her signature nickname.

"Oh!" Twilight said, snapping out of her daydreaming. "Yes, yes! Of course!"

She followed Applejack to a stall in which a cream-colored, unicorn stallion was leaning onto the counter saying, "Step right up! Get five rings 'round the bottles 'n' win a priiize!"

Upon spotting the two, he turned his attention solely to them and asked, "Well hello, ladies, the name's Jack! How about it? Care to try your hoof at a little game of skill?"

"I reckon I'll give it a shot," Applejack claimed, tossing two bits onto the counter.

With a wide grin, Jack levitated five rings onto the counter in front of Applejack, and she took one of them between her teeth..

"Remember: All ya need is to ring five of 'em, and you get to choose from any prize ya please," Jack reminded her, gesturing towards a wall of prizes.

Twilight spotted a large orange bear and her eyes lit up at the sight. She gave Applejack a nudge, then turned her gaze towards the bear.

Applejack took this as a personal challenge and mumbled "Hold my hat," through the ring in her mouth as she placed her signature headgear atop Twilight's head. Twilight stood grinning with delight as she watched Applejack set to work.

Chapter 22

The first ring gave a satisfying *CLUNK!* as it clattered against the stationary bottle inside of the stand. Twilight's heart leapt from joy upon hearing the sound, and awaited further success from her date.

Date. Such an odd word, to Twilight. Never before had she even considered dating when she was so inexperienced in the field of study. Nor did she expect to be dating anyone in her closely-knit group of friends. Though when she thought about it further, it really did make se-

Before she could complete her mental statement, she heard another clattering of a ring against the glass of a bottle. She wanted to cheer, but felt it might throw off her friend's concentration. Withholding her excited chanting, she simply observed eagerly as Applejack continued dominating the carnival game.

"My my, Applejack!" Jack commented as she continued, obviously less concerned with throwing off Applejack's concentration than Twilight was. "Last time I saw you play this well, a bushel of apples was involved!"

Noticing Jack's sly-but-friendly grin, Twilight couldn't help but get the feeling that the two knew each other somehow. There was an air of familiarity among them, and Twilight could not help but feel a bit comforted by this fact. It calmed her swelling, subtle rage at Jack's interruptions.

"Playin' for somethin' more valuable, Jack," Applejack replied as she reached for another ring - the penultimate ring to be precise. Twilight noticed that her friend gave her a quick glance; one that she hardly thought much of until she saw Jack's eyebrows raise up simultaneously.

"Ooooh," he sounded quietly, that sly grin growing wider. Turning to Twilight, he gave a quick chuckle before returning his gaze to the game.

With another satisfyingly quiet *plink*, the game was drawn down to one final ring. Twilight's excitement nearly boiled over, and she couldn't help but let out an innocent shriek of happiness. Applejack seemed undaunted by this, and held the final ring in her teeth for a while.

"This is it, friend. Get this one, and any prize on this here wall is yours!" Jack commented, gesturing to a large wall of prizes - one of which prizes was the teddy bear Twilight so desperately desired.

Applejack nodded, intensely concentrated upon a ring-less bottle. Twilight could see the sweat formulating upon Applejack's forehead, and knew the expression well. She took it on whenever she was extremely determined to get something done right. Along with it came the narrowing of her eyes, which usually accompanied such an expression.

The next few seconds happened in slow-motion for Twilight. She clearly saw Applejack turning her head back, eyes affixed upon her target. Bringing her head back with just the right force, she prepared to release the ring into its flight. Like a predator with deadly precision, she let go at the specific moment as to allow perfect momentum and velocity for the ring to hit its target. Everything was going perfectly, and all the calculations seemed correct until one fatal flaw. The ring tapped against an adjacent one and sputtered away. Twilight looked away with lightning-quick reflexes, denying the thought that it could have missed.

The trio stood silent for a moment, and Twilight couldn't bear looking at Applejack, fearing another breakdown. It took her a moment to gather her courage, but just as she was going to comfort her friend, Jack spoke up.

"We have a winner!" Jack shouted happily, and Applejack turned around, absolutely glowing with pride.

"I did it! I told you I could do it!" Applejack exclaimed excitedly, wrapping her forelegs around Twilight's neck. Twilight returned the gesture, watching as her friend's hat fell beside them.

"Yes you did, my friend! Come over, little lady, and pick your prize," Jack said, directing the comment to Twilight.

The unicorn trotted happily over to Jack, who pulled her a bit closer in order to whisper something between the two. Applejack was looking, but was in such a happy daze that she hardly noticed the secretive actions of the two.

"Between you and me, friend.. Wasn't just her skill that won this for ya. Took a little bit of 'luck'," he whispered subtly, giving her a sly wink. Immediately, Twilight understood what he had meant, and felt a strong sense of gratitude towards him.

"Thank you very much," she said, truly appreciative of the kindness showed to her.

Snapping back to his business-like stature, Jack snapped back up to a leaning position and pointed to the wall of prizes. He proclaimed in a loud voice, "Now, little lady! Take your prize - any prize!"

Twilight quickly made her selection, and Jack levitated a large, orange teddy bear down onto the counter as per her request. Happy with her selection, she levitated it and thanked Jack silently with a smile and a nod, then turned back to Applejack.

Applejack stood happily waiting, now wearing her signature hat and grin. Her toothy grin brought a smile to Twilight's face, and she walked over to thank her properly. Giving her a tight hug, she said quietly, "Thank you," without quite realizing how special such words were to someone such as Applejack. Being a fellow Element Holder and close friend didn't hurt the specialty of such words, either.

Speaking into the crook of Twilight's neck slightly, Applejack said something along the lines of "You're welcome, darlin'."

Upon ending the gesture, Twilight remembered another bit of good news and said, "Oh, you know what this means?"

"What's that?" her friend said, cocking an eyebrow curiously.

With her smile growing ever wider, Twilight said, "I have to share that lucky cupcake with you, after all!"

With a hearty laugh, Applejack nodded and said, "And I sure could use it after that little game. Feels like I just went through a rodeo, bein' as hungry as I am!"

"Well then let's be off, shall we?" Twilight said, levitating the bear into her second saddlebag and turning her thoughts to Pinkie's cupcake. What was so lucky about it, anyway?

"Sounds good to me,"Applejack agreed, taking her place beside Twilight as they walked towards the food court.

Chapter 23

Moving to a nearby food court, Applejack led Twilight over to a shady area beneath a few trees. The sun had begun to warm everything it touched, and it promised to make today a hot one.

"I usually come 'ere every carnival, if I can help it," Applejack commented, referring to their seating place. It was a simple wooden platform that both of them could sit on and not worry about getting too dirty. It was similar to the ones placed in Ponyville's park, but with a slightly festive carving embedded into it.

"It's quite a nice place to relax, I must admit," Twilight replied dreamily, taking in her surroundings with a blissful look about her. After all the stress and worrying, she was looking forward to sharing a nice, quiet lunch with Applejack. Upon thinking about lunch, her stomach gave a growl, and Applejack replied with a slight chuckle.

"How 'bout I go gather up a few things from the food court? I've got a few bits to spare and it is a.. Well, I think it is.. A date," Applejack offered, slightly stammering upon the last word, "date".

It was Twilight's turn to stutter. "O-oh," she said, fidgeting a little. "Right. Yes, that sounds.. Nice."

"Good, then!" Applejack said quickly, jumping to her hooves with a sigh of relief. "I'll be off, then. Take care of my hat?"

Twilight nodded, causing Applejack to head off and purchase a meal for them both.

Watching Applejack walk away, Twilight breathed her own sigh of relief. That word seemed to put ice in her joints, and cause her to lock up temporarily. It wasn't that she disliked it - not at all. She was simply still getting used to the prospect. The fact that it was a close friend of hers didn't help matters all that much.

It was a surprisingly short time before Applejack returned, carrying two plates of hay sandwiches upon her back. She had a grin of minor success about her, and Twilight offered a smile of her own.

"That didn't take long," Twilight commented as Applejack carefully set her own plate down, with Twilight levitating her plate onto the platform before her.

"Line wasn't long. Surprised me, though. Ponies, dragons, and all sorts'a creatures are floodin' in now," Applejack answered, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Doesn't surprise me," she said, taking a moment before biting into the sandwich of her own. Waiting until her mouth was no longer full, she complimented the sandwich with, "Wow. I've had quite a few hay sandwiches but this is fantastic!"

"Is, isn't it?" Applejack said, taking a moment longer due to her chewing. "I reckon the food gets better every year. Which is good, 'cause I don't see myself missin' the festival any time soon."

Twilight gave a calm giggle at Applejack's subtle humor, and silently agreed with a nod.

As soon as the sandwiches appeared, they were gone. Devoured by the two's appetite, it was as if they hadn't eaten in days. Twilight's attention was then brought to the cupcake cradled inside of her saddlebags. It was protected by a thin layer of magic that Twilight had instinctually placed over it without a second thought.

"So about that cupcake," Applejack inquired, as if she were reading Twilight's mind. "I reckon you owe me half!" She said this with a friendly smile, and Twilight was happy to oblige. She levitated the treat out of her bag and held it in midair before them both to see.

Applejack was audibly impressed, giving a drawn-out whistle. "She's a beaut'," she commented, licking her lips as she stared at the sugary pastry. Twilight agreed with another silent nod and a smile to boot.

She studied the cupcake for a moment, then used her magic to meticulously cut it down the middle in the most precise way she possibly could. "As promised," she said, producing Applejack's half to her.

"Well I'll be a mule on a summer's day.. Look inside, Twi'," Applejack said with a slight shake of her head and a warm smile.

Raising an eyebrow, Twilight did as she was told and turned the cupcake to view the inner layer of it. To her surprise, Pinkie had used food coloring to produce a design into the inner bread. It was as pink as its creator's mane, and it was in the shape of a heart. Not a literal heart, of course, but the kind that is produced on Hearts and Hooves day to give to others.

It didn't take her very long to figure out what the symbol meant. Pinkie knew about her and Applejack's new relationship. How she knew was a completely different story, but she did know.

"That mare.. I gotta say she is good at what she does," Applejack said, licking a bit of frosting off the top of the cupcake.

"Yeah.. She sure is," Twilight agreed with a beaming grin. She did not know how Pinkie did it, but she had found out. Perhaps she had a variant of Pinkie Sense for when her friends entered relationships? Or maybe she simply picked up on Applejack's intentions.

For a moment, Twilight suspected that Applejack may have told Pinkie Pie before she asked Twilight, but then why would she be just as astounded as Twilight upon the matter?

She decided it was best not to analyze, and simply enjoy her cupcake. And so she did.

Chapter 24 - The Trouble With Diplomats

Twilight could hardly imagine her day going any better. The sun was bright, the air was warm but not too humid, everyone seemed satisfied enough with the festival's events. There didn't seem to be a speck of trouble on the map that was Ponyville's newest festival.

And best of all, she was sharing it with someone that she adored affectionately - and one that returned such affection. She was almost in disbelief how smoothly things were going, Nothing seemed out of place, nothing seemed to be conspicuously (or otherwise) planning against her, and nothing seemed to have any desire of making her day a nightmare.

She gave a sigh of contentedness and peered happily towards Applejack. "This is magnificent," Twilight claimed with a small, grateful smile.

"Ain't it? I reckon I could afford to go to plenty of these, would they have 'em more often," Applejack replied.

"It's odd, though.. I can't shake the feeling that today is going too perfectly," Twilight admitted, waving her hoof slightly for emphasis of the notion.

"Careful, now," Applejack warned, squinting her eyes over-dramatically in mock-dread, "you'll jinx it." She gave a small chuckle immediately after saying so, and Twilight couldn't help but give a giggle of her own. Perhaps she was just being a bit over-anxious about the whole situation.

In fact, she may have over-estimated Mayor Mare's job completely. While she understood it to be stressful, the only exhausting part of the job so far was the paperwork, and she had done that with very little effort at all, thanks to the help of her draconian assistant and her magic. Not to mention the tidying up that Applejack assisted her with, which she now saw as a beginning of something delightful in and of itself.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. No need to worry over nothing," Twilight confessed, relaxing visibly as she let go of her worries.

Unfortunately for her, someone was there to catch those worries, and bring them right back into her attention.

"Twilight!" she heard a shrill voice call from a distance. Twilight turned slowly, still in her blissful state of peace, to find a very worried-looking Pinkie Pie galloping towards her, Rainbow Dash in tow just behind her. After wondering how Pinkie Pie was keeping up with Rainbow Dash - or rather, overtaking her speed completely - Twilight realized something was not quite right.

Pinkie had a habit of running, yes. She had a slightly irritating habit of yelling, as well; nothing was wrong there. What drew her out of her happy state of mind was the fact that her voice had the slightest hint of sadness - no, not sadness, but worry - in it.

"Ah, shucks.. Told ya you'd jinx it," Twilight heard Applejack mumble from behind her swiveled head.

Pinkie came to a screeching halt - quite literally. The ground beneath her hooves uncharacteristically made a sound similar to something being scraped across stone, even though it was clearly dirt. Luckily for her and her sanity, Twilight had learned not to question Pinkie's constant abnormal state of physics, and moved on from this fact.

"Twilight we need your help and I know this is supposed to be a fun day for you and Applejack - Hi, Applejack! - but I really think you should see this because you're kinda the mayor but not really but still you really need to se-" Pinkie began, still galloping in place nervously. She had managed to say all of that before pausing to catch her breath.

"Slow down there, girl," Applejack suggested, then inquired towards her worried state, "What in tarnations has got you all flustered and whatnot?"

Rainbow Dash spoke up, deciding now was as good a time to jump into the conversation as any. "She isn't kidding, Twilight," Rainbow confirmed, turning her gaze towards the purple unicorn with an unwavering stare that beckoned for Twilight's full attention.

"What happened, Rainbow?" Twilight asked, stress now leeching away her state of tranquility with every passing moment spent in the unknown territory that is Pinkie's stress.

"Looks like somepony decided to skip out on their jobs," Rainbow explained, emphasizing her point with a roll of her eyes, "and now a whole section of the festival is short on staff. Vendors and stall-ponies are galloping around trying to attend to everyone that showed up today."

"Oh no. OH NO, no, no. This isn't part of the plan! Today was supposed to be a good day! I had everything checked and double-checked! How could this have happened?" Twilight asked to nopony in particular, turning her gaze towards the ground beneath her feet.

"I don't think it was your fault, Twilight," Rainbow reassured her, noticing the worried grimace that had replaced her satisfied grin only moments ago.

"Yeah! We all know how hard you worked to make this all right, and we're not gonna let you down! You need our help? you've GOT our help!" Pinkie said this as she moved in one quick motion to sit on her hind legs and salute, looking as official as she could muster. Her expression was that of a loyal soldier, and Twilight couldn't help but admire how well she pulled off her element. A smile crawled back onto her face as she blinked back the beginning of tears.

"Thank you, Pinkie. I think I'm going to need all the help I can get if we're going to get this running smoothly again," Twilight said. With a hopeful expression upon her face, she turned to face a ready Applejack, who gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I'm with ya," Applejack said with a confident smile and a tipping of her hat that was now perched rightfully upon her head.

Twilight gave a small but very appreciative grin of gratitude at how well Applejack seemed to understand her, and how loyal all her friends were to her when she needed them.

"Well, then, let's get to it. We've got no time to waste!" Twilight claimed, and turned to Rainbow Dash in order to ask for directions. "Which section is having problems, exactly?"

"Section 4-B. Follow me, I'll take you there," Rainbow said with a large flapping of her wings, visibly excited to get to work.

Twilight did as she was told, and ran after the energetic pegasus. To her left, Applejack galloped beside her with a determined look upon her face. Catching her gaze, Applejack gave her a sweet-but-serious smile that she believed only Applejack could pull off correctly. To her right, Pinkie Pie bounced excitedly, keeping pace with Twilight and the others with unpracticed ease.

This would be the challenge Twilight expected from the job, it seems. And it was only then that she felt a bit guilty at having thought Mayor Mare's job was easy. She'd have to thank her when she returned - that is, if she wasn't shunned for having messed up the festival.

Pushing such thoughts aside before they depressed her to a dangerous degree, Twilight pushed on towards the problem. She could do this. She would do this. And she would do it with the help of her friends.

Chapter 25

Where to begin? Twilight thought as she sat staring with a dumbfounded expression at the scene laid before her. Ponies were manning two, sometimes three stalls at a time. As she surveyed the chaos, she analyzed all the possible solutions to the problem, but the only ones she could think of involved a lot of magic and a lot of time. Having only one of those, she resorted to another method, and shot a look over to Applejack.

"I have a plan," Twilight said simply, her gaze slowly turning back to scan over the chaotic layout of the stalls. Despite the shortage of workers, there was no lack of customers that wanted to buy anything they had to sell: hats, saddlebags, food, and sometimes little trinkets and toys.

"What'cha got for me, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow and mimicking Twilight's determined eyes, throwing in a daring grin along with it.

Pulling Applejack closer, Twilight whispered her plan into the mare's ear, as if speaking it too loudly would throw the odds out of her favor even further. After she was done explaining, Applejack gave her an incredulous look and sighed after a moment's thought.

"Anypony else but you and I'd call 'em crazy. In fact, I think I'll still call you crazy, Crazy," Applejack said with a slight nudge. Immediately afterwards, however, she gave a smirk and said, "But I trust you. Anypony's gonna make this work, it's you. Let's get to it."

Appreciative of Applejack's trust, Twilight gave her a quick nuzzle and said simply, "Thank you."

With Applejack's assured assistance, which Twilight had no doubt she would obtain in the first place, she called over Rainbow Dash to give the first set of orders to the lightning-fast mare.

Upon being summoned by Twilight's voice, the rainbow pony stayed true to her last name and literally dashed over to Twilight, stopping only a few hooves away to hover inches off the ground.

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash said, raising an eyebrow and letting her attention dart from place to place, never quite staying on Twilight for too long. She looked frantic, trying just as hard to make sense of the mess before her. She had a slight look of stress running through her face, and it made Twilight hesitate for a moment as she contemplated what to do. Steeling her resolve, she decided that the best way to help Dash would be to rid her of the stress.

"I need you and Pinkie Pie to cause a loud distraction. A big one. Can you manage that?" Twilight asked, knowing all too well that her cyan friend would be up to the challenge.

The stress from before seemed to vanish into thin air as Rainbow turned her attention solely onto Twilight. "CAN I? Twilight, you're looking at the number one flyer in all of Equestria. That's like asking Fluttershy if she's good with animals. Of COURSE I can manage it!"

She then turned and flew towards Pinkie Pie, who was busy trying to take orders from around ten people for baked goods. Hovering above the gathering crowd, she shouted something along the lines of "Help," and "Party." This seemingly grabbed Pinkie's attention instantly, as she jumped into the air and stayed there, hovering for a moment. Immediately upon landing, she pulled a megaphone from Celestia-knows-where.

To quiet the crowd, Pinkie jumped onto the table and shouted "Attention everypony! Since we know you're all anxious to enjoy this fancy-festival, we have prepared a spectacular spectacle that all your spectacles can spectate! If you wanna check it out, follow me!"

After this, she bounced into and out of the crowd, visibly getting three to four heads above the average pony. Upon breaking out of the crowd, she continued bouncing without even glancing behind her to check if anyone was following. After a few murmurs and hushed complaints from the crowd, everypony began to obediently follow the cotton-candy-coated pony as she led the charge to nowhere in particular.

Up ahead, Rainbow Dash was setting up a small stage using small crates and unused banners lying around the Fairground floor. Rarity was offering her hoof in making it look better, touching the pseudo-stage up wherever she could. What came of her efforts was nothing less than impressive. What began as a dinky little collection of boxes now stood proudly disguised as a professionally-made outdoor theatre platform.

Twilight watched as the throng of ponies clammored to get a better look at the stage, which Pinkie was now bouncing upon happily. Somehow she had procured a microphone, and was doing her usual show-pony routine. Rainbow Dash flew in loop-de-loops above the stage and the crowd, prepping herself for the upcoming improvised flight performance that Twilight had suggested.

"Hey, Rarity!" Applejack called out to the fashionista, who turned in a quick-but-controlled manner towards her and Twilight, gingerly trotting over to them both.

"Hello, dears! Might I say the weather is quite nice for such an event? I might even have a go at some of the games, later on. I have heard they are simply wonderful," she greeted them both, enthused about the ongoing festivities around her.

"It's a mighty fine day for it, I reckon. Had worse days for a festival, that's for sure," Applejack replied, being polite as always. Despite the urgency of the situation, she made it a point to indulge in Rarity's love for small-talk. Feeling satisfied with what she said, however, Applejack quickly moved on to more pressing matters. "Rarity, I need your help with somethin'. Somethin' only you can go about doin' right."

The white unicorn's face positively lit up at being praised and valued, and she replied quickly. "Oh! Well whatever it is, I'm sure I can make quick work of it. That is.. You don't intend to make me do any field-work, do you?"

"Nah, nothin' like that. Not today at least," Applejack said jokingly. She hesitated a moment to savor the odd face the unicorn was making, obviously torn between helping a friend and getting a hooficure or hairicure or whatever else she had gotten done that day ruined.

"Twilight's got a plan to fix this mess, and you're just the pony she needs for the job," Applejack stated simply, with a nod.

Rarity then turned to face a slightly-smiling Twilight Sparkle. "Yes, Twilight?" the white mare asked simply, but her voice was tinged with joy at having been chosen for an important job.

"We need a stall. And I mean a big stall. Make it as flashy and as decorative as you can, because it is going to house all of the sales products from this section of the Fairgrounds," Twilight explained, a determined smile plastered on her face.

"Well I'm honored but.. Why me?" Rarity asked, obviously shocked by the sudden duty thrust upon her shoulders. She did not have an expression of stress or worry, but more so an expression of understanding and responsibility. Her face reminded Twilight of Applejack, if only a little, and it made her smile widen into a grin.

"I chose you because I know you're passionate about these kinds of things, and I know you'll do your very best to make sure it turns out right. Put simply, I trust you to make this work," Twilight spoke confidently, and Rarity visibly stood straighter and looked more confident.

"I will not let you down, Twilight!" Rarity said with a nod and a fierce look in her eyes, turning to face an open field besides the section they were currently in. "But.. I will need some help."

Twilight and Applejack turned towards each other almost simultaneously and spoke not using words, but rather a seemingly telepathic understanding between the two. With all but one of their friends working on something, the choice of who could help Rarity was a simple one.

"We can handle that," Applejack said, turning to Rarity with a nonchalant smile. With that, she nodded to Twilight and galloped on towards Fluttershy's cottage. She hadn't attend the festival for very long due to the fact that all manners of creatures would be attending - and that included adult dragons. She offered to help Pinkie Pie in the morning, deducing that there'd be less chances of running into any dragons or otherwise terrifying creatures that way. After helping Pinkie Pie, Applejack figured that Fluttershy would head back to her cottage in order to tend to her animals and relax.

Meanwhile, Twilight went over the mental checklist she had been making all the while she was surveying everything. When she looked to her right, Rainbow Dash was spinning and tumbling through the air with such grace and speed that she captivated the crowd without pause. Coupled with Pinkie Pie's relentless energy and crowd-pleasing abilities, the two made for quite a performance.

To Twilight's left, Rarity was experimenting with different models of stalls using her magic to create faux-physical demonstrations of structure and and various styles. It was a skill that Rarity had come up with herself and had mastered over time. She used it for her dresses, mostly, but she had been known to put it to other uses when she needed to. This one such time, it seemed. Undeniably impressed with the white unicorn's prowess with her unique skill, Twilight sat watching her shift the magical structure for a few minutes until her gaze was shifted elsewhere.

Down the road trotted an unusual sight, and Twilight found her attention focused solely upon it. Walking besides Applejack was the timid yellow pegasus known as Fluttershy. While this was not anywhere out of the ordinary, what followed her was quite the sight. It was a horde of creatures, all looking peaceful and obedient. Bears, rabbits, dogs, and birds of all sizes and colors were on her trail - and they looked eager to help.

Twilight trotted over to Rarity, who had caught sight of the mass gathering of the creatures. "My goodness, Fluttershy! Wherever did you find all of these creatures? And what are they doing here?"

"Oh, um.. They're here to help you. They wanted to be a part of the festival, too. And I didn't find them, really. They found me. When the critters and creatures get sick and hungry, they know to come find me. In return, they offer to help me whenever they can," Fluttershy explained, slightly hiding behind a lock of her hair. Her smile was genuine as always, and it brought with it an innocence that had Twilight hard-pressed not to smile at due to the comfort it brought.

"Well I can't say I am ungrateful, dear. This is quite a pleasant surprise to have such generous help," Rarity commented, scanning over the sea of animals that gathered before her. Some waved at her as her eyes passed over them, and she nodded to each of them.

"They're all really very nice," Fluttershy assured Rarity, who was looking a little wary of accepting help from such usually feral animals. Her fears seemed to dissipate if only a little, however, as she seemed to believe in what Fluttershy was saying. After all, who knew her animals better than Fluttershy?

"Understood," Rarity said, giving one final nod as she looked up to meet Fluttershy's gaze. "Shall we begin? We seem to have quite a bit of work to do, and I will need every able body to get it done if we're going to be quick."

Fluttershy gave a quick look-over of her animals, and all of them gave her an affirming nod or gesture of some sort. "We're ready," Fluttershy said softly, and progress began.

Chapter 26

The sun was high, and the spirits of ponies were even higher. Today was a day of total relaxation, and nopony was going to change that. It was a day for games, carnival food, and absolute fun.

At least it was for anypony that was not in the predicament that Twilight and her friends were now in. Due to a rather massive oversight, one whole section of the fairgrounds was without workers. This did not mean that the demand for goods and services was to decrease, however. Quite the opposite.

It seemed as if an even larger crowd had gathered to watch Rainbow Dash and Pinkie improvidently put on a show for everyone, as Twilight had requested. A sea of at least forty ponies had gathered to cheer and give suggestions to the two. The purple unicorn realized that, while good for business, this situation was beyond dire. She had a plan, but she needed to kick it into overdrive.

"Rarity, how are those designs coming along?" Twilight asked, turning her attention to the mass of at least twenty objects floating above the fashionista's head. They were surrounded by a faint blue hue, and seemingly were being assembled into something far greater than their usual form. Boxes, planks, and everyday hardware were being painted, while quilts, rags, and other fabrics were being sewn together to create what could be considered masterpieces.

"Just fine, darling," Rarity replied, a few beads of sweat beginning to roll down her forehead. They did not remain for very long, however, as Spike dabbed at them the moment they were spotted. He had come to see what everypony meant when they said a huge show was happening. When he noticed Rarity, however, he decided rather quickly that whatever Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were doing could not compare to being in the presence of his beloved unicorn.

"Thank you, Spike," the unicorn said, grateful for his assistance - however small it may have been.

"Of course!" he said all-too-eagerly. Twilight couldn't help but give a small smile at the scene, and then turned to Applejack. She was working with her usual farmer's vigor, but also had a new motivation. She had a spark in her eye that was seldom seen in anypony.

Surrounding the orange mare was hardware, materials for construction, and a group of able-bodied animals. They were doing most of the heavy lifting, and Applejack nailed together, glued together, and cut down pieces of wood to form what could be described as a massive stall. It was one of the most essential parts of her plan, and it seemed that Applejack was determined to get it perfect. She probably wished to get it better than perfect.

Twilight watched as the stand was lifted using a combination of ropes, bears, and a little unicorn magic to assist in it all. After Applejack set to work nailing the final pieces together, her and Twilight took a step back to marvel at it all.

"Twi'," Applejack called, pulling the unicorn's attention back to her. She had a winning smile on her face, and wiped the sweat from her brow. "All finished. How's it comin'?"

"Well we still need Rarity to fini-" Twilight began, only to hear a certain unicorn say "Finished!"

Turning around in slight disbelief, Twilight look at the neatly-folded banners and counter-top quilts that Rarity had designed, crafted, and placed in an organized fashion upon the ground.

"It took a bit longer than expected, and I didn't exactly have all of the materials I would have liked to use, but I think it will do the trick!" she stated proudly, nodding to the less-than-modest sized pile of fabrics laying before her.

"Rarity, that's amazing! How did you manage to do that so fast?" Twilight stated with a slight shake of her head, baffled at her friend's progress.

"I had a little help," she said with a grateful smile, turning to face the purple dragon perched upon her back.

"Oh, it was nothing.." Spike stated modestly, shying away from the praise. He could give Fluttershy's bashfulness a run for her bits when he was around Rarity.

Chuckling at his flustered nature, Rarity turned to face Twilight. "That should be it, if Applejack is done with her work."

"Right. Now we just need to get all of the banners set up, and we should be good to go," Twilight said, turning to nod at Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus nodded at the all-clear, and then took to the air to approach a nearby tree, where a flock of birds awaited her call.

"Okay, little birdies. It's time to do our part, now," Fluttershy said softly, audible only to those who were accustomed to her volume level. Her loyal creatures all simultaneously saluted her with one wing, and Fluttershy returned the gestured with one hoof and she hovered in front of them gracefully. As the group of birds emerged from their waiting position among the branches, Fluttershy was unable to contain her concern.

"Oh, be careful," she shouted to them, one hoof slightly outstretched towards them. In reply to this, a bird turned around and began chirping something that only Fluttershy could have been able to understand. "Oh, okay. Right. I know. Have fun," Fluttershy said, her weak smile emerging once again.

The birds went to work at carefully picking up the fabrics that Rarity had crafted only moments before. Their movements seemed calculated and rehearsed, to some degree. They knew their roles, and they went about their work in a very quick manner. No holes were poked into the fabrics that didn't need to be there, and not a single scratch was placed upon the delicate threads holding the whole thing together.

To say it was not impressive would be much more than an understatement. It was downright glorious to watch - a spectacle to behold, Twilight believed.

In a matter of two or three minutes, they had hung the banners and placed the quilts - something that might have taken up precious time if the ponies had done it. Precious time that they did not have to waste.

"Well I'll be a pear in an apple tree. That is downright impressive," Applejack said as she tipped back her hat.

She was right, too. Such a stall was meant to house Twilight and her friends, and a multitude of animals. If the vendors were nowhere to be found, then she would just have to improvise. In addition to being mayor, it seems she was going to become a vendor as well.

Twilight turned to her friends, pulling them into a group hug. "I'm so happy to have you girls as friends. I couldn't ask for a better group of ponies to be friends with."

Spike cleared his throat and wrapped his short arms around Twilight's neck. He flashed her a toothy grin and said, "And what about the non-pony here?"

"And you too, Spike. But that goes without saying, my number-one-assistant." She gave him an affectionate nuzzle, and

Suddenly, a chipper voice rang out in their ears, signifying that Pinkie had caught on to them. "A group hug? And without me!? No way!"

She pulled all of them into an even-tighter hug, and pulled Rainbow dash into the display. Of course, it couldn't last for very long, because the crowd of ponies wondered why - and more importantly, how - the two ponies had vanished so suddenly. They spotted the ponies, the dragon, and the animals, and made their way over to greet them.

"Well, girls.. Time to get to work," Twilight proclaimed.

Chapter 27 - Penultimate

After the impressive display of skill from her friends, Twilight saw an urgent need to show just why she was Celestia’s apprentice. It wasn’t about glory as much as it was about getting things done, however.

“Hold on to your tails, everypony!” Twilight said as she concentrated her magic into one centralized area. In a flash of purple, all six of the ponies (and one dragon) were transported into the massive stall, facing outward onto the crowd. She would only have a limited time to do her part in all of this before the customers would grow unruly, or worse.

Keeping this in mind, the purple unicorn turned to survey the massive crowd before her, and saw their excited faces light up as they came to realize they’d be serviced by none other than the legendary Main Six.

Noticing the crowd’s reaction, the other five went to work greeting and mingling with the crowd: Rarity was waving like a true gentlemare, Applejack tipped her hat to multiple ponies and said “Howdy,” to each of them, Rainbow Dash began cheering with the crowd while shaking her hooves above her head in shared excitement, Pinkie Pie went to bouncing around and giggling as she complimented random ponies on random things. Spike was not part of the Main Six, but it seemed he was just as recognized for his work in the Crystal Empire.

Not one to let down his “fans”, Spike hopped up onto the table and began bowing theatrically. He completed it with a “Thank you! Thank you! You’re too kind!”

Fluttershy, however, had hid away from the crowd. She was thankful for her part in all of this, as Twilight had given her an important role that meant she was both essential to the plan and working behind the scenes. Upon noticing that Twilight had gone into what she would call a meditative trance, she went to the back of the stall and opened the curtains wide. A few birds helped open up her side, and a bear entered the stall with them.

This would be a horrifying scenario if it weren’t for the fact that this was one of Fluttershy’s close animal-friends. He eventually came to be known as Howard to Fluttershy’s friends, and Fluffy to Fluttershy herself. Fluffy was an ironic name, of course, but was completely befitting of the bear’s personality.

Howard made a quiet roar in gratitude for being able to help, and moved to the curtain besides the now-open one Fluttershy had held open for him. He stood onto two legs and pulled the fabric aside with relative ease, grinning down at Fluttershy.

“Thank you, Fluffy,” Fluttershy said kindly, producing a small smile of her own. Upon receiving another small roar from the bear, Fluttershy giggled quickly corrected herself, “Oh, sorry. Thank you, Howard.”

Cheers erupted and names were called as Twilight prepared her spell. It would be quite the daunting task, but she was confident she could pull it off. She only had to concentrate - something that would be nearly impossible for any other pony, in this situation.

The noise levels began to rise and Twilight closed her eyes, going into her own little world. Living as she did, Twilight had to cast spells under seriously perilous conditions. It only made sense to her one day that she would have to devise a way to concentrate without sacrificing her ability to think and react quickly.

She had devoted a week of study, developing her skills upon a spell called “Muffle”. She had requested the tome from Princess Celestia, and it had arrived almost immediately through teleportation with an attached note that read, “Best of luck, Twilight Sparkle. I am confident you will use this to your best ability. - Princess Celestia.”

While it made her happy just to hear praise from her mentor, it made Twilight even happier to have found a useful scenario for the spell.

She concentrated upon the workings of the spell, and it came to life before her. She opened her eyes and cast it upon herself, causing the noise levels to slowly fade away into mere mumbles that could only be compared to Fluttershy whispering.

Using this newfound concentration, Twilight went to work with her personally designated mission. She produced her Mass Levitation spell and focused upon the other stalls. This caused objects of all sizes, weights, and fragilities to float out into the open air and past the crowd, entering into the stall from the back.

Pottery, jewelry, knick knacks, toys, and various other miscellaneous items began piling onto the shelves. They were organized and neat; something that Twilight took great pride in accomplishing.

Beads of sweat began to form upon her brow as she stacked up plates, pots, pans, and other fragile wares. Such a task required her to turn around and delicately place them one by one atop each other, but she did so with the utmost care.

Unbeknownst to Twilight, the crowd had grown considerably quiet as it fell under a shared expression of awe. They watched the display with grins and held breaths, silently cheering Twilight on in their minds.

Even Twilight’s close friends had stopped to watch the display, though they were a bit more used to her impressive displays of magical prowess. Pinkie Pie had traded her usual bouncing to shiver with excitement, giggling as she watched the wares get stacked upon the shelves with the skill of a master. Rarity had seemingly let her nerves get to her, and opted to hold on to Spike’s hand with a gentle-but-firm grip.

This, of course, diverted all of Spike’s attention to the mare beside him. He eagerly complied to her seeking hooves, providing his assistance however he could. He was nonetheless impressed by Twilight’s skills, but he was quite weathered by spending so much time around the mare. He saw such displays quite often, and though they had not quite lost their luster, they did not appear as something that was once-in-a-lifetime, as such a case was evident for the crowd behind them.

Applejack smiled wide, but opted to watched the one performing the act, rather than the act itself. She wanted to pat her on the back, or hug her, or.. Something. But she opted instead to watch quietly, as to not disturb her.

“That’s my girl,” she said quietly, to nobody but herself. Of course, luck would have it that Rainbow had caught notice of Applejack’s directed gaze. The daredevil-pony crept silently up to Applejack and was listening to what she said.

“Whaddya mean?” Rainbow said quietly, just audible enough for Applejack to hear. The sudden noise caused the farmer to break out of her peaceful mindset and jump from being startled.

“W-what?” Applejack stuttered, now looking wide-eyed at the source of noise. After coming to her senses, she realized the perpetrator was none other than the prankster she knew as Rainbow Dash, and calmed down considerably. “What’cha talkin’ about?” she asked simply, denying what she had said only moments before.

“‘Your girl’, huh?” Rainbow Dash commented with a sly grin and raised eyebrows. She knew that Applejack had liked Twilight, but she never felt it needed to bring up the point before now.

“Oh, that? It’s uh.. It’s nothin’,” Applejack said, beginning to become uncharacteristically flustered under the sudden pressure. It wasn’t so much that Applejack herself wanted to keep the relationship a secret, but she didn’t want to intrude upon Twilight’s desire for privacy - if there was such a thing, that is.

“Uh-huh,” Rainbow knowingly mocked. “Alright. Well don’t worry. I won’t say anything until it’s ‘something’,” she concluded with a small chuckle, extending a hoof towards Applejack.

Knowing all-too-well that Rainbow Dash wasn’t going to relent, Applejack simply sighed and gave a grateful smile. If there was anything Rainbow Dash was good at, it was keeping her word. She extended her own hoof, and bumped it against her friend’s.

“Thanks, Rainbow. I ‘preciate it,” Applejack said sincerely. She didn’t want to risk letting that information fall into other hooves, hands, tails, or whatever else it could fall into, until the time was right.

Twilight hadn’t heard the conversation, nor the hushed awe of the crowd, thanks to the spell she had cast over herself. Her concentration wavered, however, as time went on and plates went up. Thankfully, the last of the wares was now delicately being placed upon the shelf.

This was probably for the best, as Twilight immediately toppled over as soon as the deed was done. She did not meet a hard floor as much as she did a firm back, however. It seemed that a certain orange mare had ducked under her to offer some support.

“Ya did it, Twi’. That was pretty darn impressive,” Applejack said happily, looking over and into Twilight’s eyes with a smile.

Twilight, however, could hardly register the compliment or even that she had fallen. Her head hurt, her mind was fuzzy, and her vision was slightly blurred.

What she did register, however, was an assortment of pastel ponies rushing over to her and saying a plethora of things that she didn’t understand. It didn’t dawn on her until she had a few moments of rest that she still had the spell cast.

Using some of her last energy, Twilight released the spell. She found herself enveloped in a torrent of sound. Ponies cheering, complimenting her, and chatting with each other erupted into her ears and mind in a matter of seconds. Only a few voices stood out to her, but one became the most prominent.

“.. did it, Twi’!” she heard, and directed her senses to find the origin of the familiar voice.

It turns out it was right next to her, and she was, in fact, leaning onto it. “Ya did it, Twi’,” Applejack repeated, certain that this time her significant other had heard her.

“I did? What did I do?” Twilight asked in confusion, still dazed from her experience. After a while, it simply became automatic: Levitate, sort, place. Levitate, sort, place. Levitate, sort, place. This process went on far longer than she had anticipated, but she had done it efficiently nonetheless.

Her friends simply laughed, gathering around their companion to aid her. “Here, darling,” Rarity said, a bottle of water floating into Twilight’s field of vision.

“Thank you,” Twilight said gratefully, glancing to Rarity before downing half the bottle of water in one go. This brought a bit of clarity to her mind, and her headache began to fade. Blinking a few times, her vision also began to clear.

Twilight looked at the bottle of water with a confused expression, then back to Rarity. “How-” she began, only to be cut off by the fashionista’s explanation.

“Enchanted water,” Rarity reasoned. “It’s a special remedy that Zecora wrote down for me last time she was in town,” she went on to explain. With a wave of her hand she added, “It works wonders for me when I’m designing for long periods of time!”

“Interesting. You’ll have to teach Spike how to make this,” Twilight said with a smile, taking another sip from the drink.

“Oh, definitely! Have him come by later today - I’ll fix him right up!” Rarity said happily, tapping her hooves together a few times in excitement.

This got a rise out of the small dragon, and he looked to Twilight in pure gratitude. He knew that she could have done the task herself, but had offered him in her stead.

“Sure thing, Rarity!” Spike answered for his mother-figure. He was no doubt still reeling from his prior joy of holding the white mare’s hoof.

“Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt, but..” Rainbow Dash interjected between the three. “We have a crowd of waiting ponies wanting to buy stuff. Maybe we could save the celebrating for later?”

“Celebrating!?” Pinkie Pie hollered, her spirits somehow lifted even higher. “Oh, I’m gonna need balloons, hats, confetti, board games, and dancing! Oh, we’ll need music for dancing! Maybe Vinyl could..” She went into a fit of giggling and bouncing, spouting random plans of how great she’ll make the party.

“.. Rrriigght,” Rainbow said, shaking her head in amusement at the Ponyville’s Premiere Party Pony.

“She’s right,” Applejack said, helping Twilight get to her feet and stabilize herself. “We oughta get to work ‘fore our good fortune runs out.”

Fluttershy had come into the fray now, hiding behind her mane for fear of too much attention. “Um. Pinkie?” she said, beckoning the attention of the energetic mare.

Upon hearing the shy pegasus’ voice, Pinkie immediately came back down to her senses. Her personality went from an overly-energetic one to a calm, attentive one.

“Yes, Fluttershy?” she said with a small smile, her eyes wide in attention.

“We should probably save the celebrating until after we, um.. Win?” Fluttershy stated, not entirely sure if her choice of words would be effective.

It seemed, however, that she had exactly the intended effect upon the pink mare, as Pinkie Pie settled down considerably and nodded. “Roger, Dodger!” she said happily. She also gave the yellow pegasus a quick nuzzle beneath her chin, eliciting a red hue to take place of the pale yellow one upon Fluttershy’s face.

“T-thanks, Pinkie. But maybe we should save that for our da-.. Uh-” Fluttershy said, stuttering as she realized what she almost admitted to.

“Dainty picnic!” Pinkie finished in her stead, not missing a beat. Upon saving her friend from withdrawing further into her mind, Pinkie bounced up to the counter and hopped up onto it.

“MARES AND GENTLESTALLIONS! COME ONE, COME ALL! We’ve got a grrreat line-up for ya here at the Farmer Festival Fiery Fun, Fanatically Fantastic, Finally For-” Pinkie began announcing, only to be silence by Rainbow Dash wrapping a hoof around her mouth to muffle her temporarily.

“Sale’s on, everypony!” Rainbow Dash stated simply, which evoked a torrent of orders and requests from the crowd before her. “Woah, woah. One at a time, everypony. In fact - form a few lines, if ya could. We can only get to you if we can hear you!”

Upon hearing the request of such an esteemed flier and savior, the ponies made an effort to get into organized lines as best they could. Some fillies and colts were actually riding on the shoulders of their parents and siblings, holding something in their mouths.

“Huh. That was pretty easy,” Rainbow Commented with a satisfied grin. She turned back to her friends and beckoned them over, “Come on, now! No time to lose! I’ve got Daring Do comics to read and clouds to nap on after this!”

After a few short laughs and an amused nudge from Applejack, the Main Six plus-a-dragon-and-a-bear took their places among the customers. Ponies were weary of the prospect of being serviced by an actual bear, but Fluttershy was right there with him, assuring everyone that he was a kind animal indeed.

As if to prove this point further, Howard was made to bear the task of doing the heavy lifting for ponies that bought in bulk. After some time, younger ponies got back into line so they could “play with the big, fuzzy pony again”.

It also turns out that not all of the ponies had come there to buy something. Instead, they brought something for the mares instead. It was first brought to Twilight’s attention when a young filly riding atop a stallion’s shoulders made an effort to levitate a notebook towards her.

The notebook made it halfway to Twilight before falling out of the filly’s telekinetic grip and into Twilight’s. The purple unicorn looked at the notebook and found that it was actually a blank page. She turned to give the young pony a curious look.

“My name is Star Shine! When I grow up, I want to be just as powerful as you, Ms. Twilight!” the filly stated eagerly, a grin beaming towards the Element of Magic.

At first, she was taken aback at the sudden adoration of another unicorn. She quickly recovered, however, and said, “You’re well on your way, Star Shine. Just remember to focus not only on power, but also on your friends.”

With that, Twilight took a pen into her mouth and wrote something down on the notebook. After concluding the message with her signature, Twilight levitated the notebook back into the air and allowed the filly to take hold of it. She looked immensely concentrated, but eventually the notebook fell atop the head of the person she was perched upon.

“Gee, thanks, Ms. Twilight!” Star Shine exclaimed after reading the note. “I promise; I won’t forget about my friends.”

With a nod towards the stallion carrying Star Shine and then to Star Shine herself, the filly was sent on her merry way. Off to enjoy more of the festival, no doubt.

“Wow, Twilight. What’d you write for her?” Fluttershy asked, leaning close to her purple companion.

“I told her to never give up on her dreams, but to also never lose sight of what’s truly important,” Twilight cited from memory.

Fluttershy gave her a warm smile and said, “I’m sure you made quite the difference, with those words. Way to go!”

The admirers did not stop coming, however. All of the Main Six had dozens of autographs to hand out, hooves to shake, and ponies to meet. Even Spike had some admiration thrown his way - admiration that surely would not fall upon deaf ears.

This went on for some time - the process of selling, signing, meeting and greeting, chatting, and ultimately enjoying themselves as best they could. But as the number of customers trickled down, and the dusk began to fall, so did the level of energy each pony had in them.

Howard the bear and the other animals had long-since left for their homes. It came down to the point that every few moments, one of the mares would yawn, and that set an onset of yawning among the other mares.

After the last of the customers had been satisfied, the Main Six gave in to their exhaustion. Rainbow stretched and gave one last yawn before saying, “Alright, girls.. It’s been fun. I’m gonna head up to my house and catch some dreams.”

“See ya, Rainbow. And.. Thanks,” Applejack said with tired gratitude filling her voice.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t get sappy on me, now,” Rainbow said in her characteristically humorous way. With a salute, she flew off in the direction of her extravagant home.

Twilight turned to give Applejack a look of curiosity, but instead it turned into a tired smile. “We did it,” Twilight said with a weak but proud voice. It was her turn to give Applejack a nuzzle, and it was out of pure, unfiltered affection. Perhaps the fatigue was working its way into her brain, after all.

“Yeah. We sure did,” Applejack confirmed, leaning into the nuzzle eagerly. “Think it’s about time we be headin’ home, darlin’.”

That was a new nickname. It was slightly familiar, however. It dawned upon Twilight that the usual user of the word, Rarity, was actually still here.

She was sleeping, as a matter of fact. Laying her head in Spike’s lap while the young dragon sat contentedly in that position, his hands firmly folded behind his head. Twilight imagined he was in a world of his own, at this point, and left him alone.

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were on their way out, and gave only quick goodbyes before exiting the tent. Pinkie was saying something about a sleepover, but Twilight thought little of it at the time.

However fun today was, though, Twilight couldn’t help but come up with plans to organize tomorrow more efficiently. Today almost turned out to be a disaster, and she couldn’t afford to repeat the same mistake twice.

“I think.. Tomorrow we’re gonna have to round up everypony and make SURE they’re gonna get their hides on over ‘ere,” Applejack said, echoing Twilight’s thoughts. “I don’t rightly know if I can do that again any time soon.”

“You’re probably right. I’ll get on that imme-,” Twilight said before yawning. Seeing no need to stop what she was going to say, she continued through the yawn, “diatly. Sorry; tired.”

“I reckon I know what you mean. I oughta be headin’ home soon, too. And you should be gettin’ some sleep, too,” Applejack suggested.

“Think you’re right. It was fun, though. I had a.. Nice time,” Twilight said, choosing her words carefully. It wasn’t that the outing was bad. It was just one she had not expected at all. In the meantime, however, she was looking forward to a nice, warm bed and a restful sleep.

“I’m glad. It wasn’t lackin’ in excitement, that’s for sure,” Applejack added with a chuckle. She nodded her head towards the back of the stall and said, “C’mon. Let’s head home.”

Twilight nodded and walked beside her marefriend towards the exit. On the way out, however, Twilight looked down to find Spike open one eye and nod towards her.

“I’m gonna walk her home, if that’s alright?” Spike whispered just loud enough for Twilight to hear.

She thought over it for a moment, then looked to Applejack. In some ways, the two were a bit alike. Such a thought warmed her heart and she turned back to Spike, nodding in her approval.

“Just don’t get home too late, okay?” Twilight said. She couldn’t let him go without SOME kind of supervision.

“Thanks, Twilight. I promise I won’t,” Spike said as she closed his eye once again. It seemed he would stay there for just a little while longer. Twilight really couldn’t blame him, though.

As Applejack and Twilight exited the stall, they were greeted by dimly lit pathways and an open sky. Both turned their heads upwards in order to truly appreciate the view that Luna has bestowed upon them. It was as if she had picked tonight especially to make the sky radiantly beautiful.

“Almost a shame to sleep through it, huh?” Applejack said dreamily, a small smile upon her lips.

“I know what you mean. When I was a filly, I would always stay up past my bedtime and watched Princess Celestia raise the night-sky. It’s a bit different now that Luna is doing it, though. Better, I think,” Twilight recalled, reminiscing upon simpler times in her life. They weren’t particularly unhappy, but she was glad that she had come so far.

“That’s quite the story, Sugar. You’ll have to tell me a few more of yours whenever we can settle down a bit without worryin’ about festivals, villains, or whatever else happens that flips our lives upsides-down,” Applejack commented with a grin.

“Yeah.. We live some pretty exciting lives, hmm?” Twilight agreed, tilting her head to look Applejack in the eyes.

“Yep. But I’m glad that I can share it with my friends,” she agreed. After a few moment’s thought she added, “I’m glad I can share it with you, Twi’.”

Having no words to respond with, Twilight relied simply upon her instincts. She leaned over and laid her head upon Applejack’s shoulder, nuzzling her gently.

Without missing a beat, Applejack leaned onto Twilight just the same. Neither of them exchanged any words, but both of them were thinking similar things. One thought truly did stand out among the rest, however.

It really was a lovely night for stargazing - and neither of them could think of anypony else they'd rather do it with.

Chapter 28 - Happily Ever After

It was the morning after the big sale. After all of the chaos and, as Pinkie would put it, extreme fun that had occurred at the Farmer’s Festival. After Twilight and Applejack spent a few loving moments simply gazing up at the beautifully radiant night sky.

Twilight awoke to find herself sore in the legs and in her hooves. She gave a yawn and turned to look out the window and make sure she had not overslept. To her satisfaction, the calm morning sky was there to greet her. A sunrise was slowly making its way over the mountaintops, emitting its warm and pleasant light upon the calm town of Ponyville.

Twilight made her way out of bed, careful that her footsteps would not awaken the baby dragon.. That upon inspection, was not actually there. Her heart leapt in a panic for only a moment before she noticed a sealed letter upon his bed.

Levitating it into her view, Twilight opened and read the letter. By the end of it her heart had calmed back down, and she let out a grateful and patient sigh of relief. He had stayed at Rarity’s boutique, claiming he would have collapsed out of exhaustion on the way home.

Her worries put to rest, Twilight found herself drawn towards the stairs and into the kitchen. Any moment now, there’d be a soft rapping at the door. She’d find a familiar orange mare awaiting her, and they’d go off to the Town Hall to begin the day anew. Or perhaps they’d go and enjoy the festival together. Who knows what fun they would be having together?

She poured herself a glass of water at the sink, a calm expression upon her face as she did so. Her eyes were half-closed, and her senses were dulled. The silence of the empty library had taken hold of her, and the bliss of romance had gripped her mind. It truly was a beautiful morning.

She took a long sip of water, letting out a drawn-out exhale afterwards. She looked at the glass itself, marking the details of the glasswork for no particular reason. It simply gave her mind something to do.

As if on cue, Twilight heard a knocking at her door. Her small smile broke into a warm grin as she quietly made her way to the door. As she opened it with her magic, she began to say, “Hello Appleja-” but stopped herself mid-word.

Standing before her was not the blonde, orange mare she had been expecting. Rather, it was a grey-maned - excluding the dye - and light-brown coated woman staring sternly back at her. The expression upon her face was official, strict, and entirely unhappy.

“Mayor Mare?” Twilight said, taken a bit aback by the sudden appearance of the pony she had replaced. “What are you doing back?”

“The meeting ended early,” Mayor Mare began, her voice matching her expression to the very muscle. “And it’s a good thing it did, too. I’ve heard quite a lot of things about your performance! And I must say..”

Here it was. Twilight only had a few days to relax and be happy before it all came crashing down. A few days to remain proud, and calm. It was inevitable, Twilight thought to herself. And the gears were already working in her mind, creating a way to apologize. A way to make up for-

“.. I am very impressed!”

Twilight spit out, “I’m sorry?” It wasn’t exactly the apology she had in mind, but the mix of words worked for what she tried to ask.

“Oh, don’t look so worried,” Mayor Mare said, her expression melting into a warm grin. She began to wave a hoof at Twilight gently, as if to shoo away her worries - much like Applejack had - as she began to explain, “Us diplomats have to have a little fun somehow. You’re going to make me feel bad if you keep on frowning like that.”

“Thank goodness,” Twilight said, letting out a breath she had held in anticipation of being reprimanded. “I thought you were going to tell me I had failed, or something.”

The mere mention of failing at a task given to her by Celestia was enough to send a shiver running along Twilight’s spine. She caught herself falling into a pit of worrying about what could-have-beens and what-shouldn’t-bes. Luckily, she had Mayor Mare to pull her right back into the conversation.

“Failed? You did positively amazing, as far as I’m concerned!” Mayor Mare said, a look of astonishment upon her face. “Taking matters into your own hands when all seemed grim.. I’d expect no less from the Element Holders.”

Twilight blushed slightly at the sudden praise, and gave a nervous chuckle. “Nah, it was just improvising a plan. I bet you would have done the same thing.”

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Mayor Mare said with a quick, hearty laugh. “I’m afraid you’re giving me a bit too much credit. But I do thank you for the sincerity!” She then lowered her voice and raised an eyebrow conspiratorially as she added, “In fact.. Are you sure you wouldn’t like to have a bit more time in the Town Hall office? I have a spa trip with my name on it.”

Twilight’s eyes opened wide as she struggled for the words. As much as she enjoyed being able to help with things, she couldn’t imagine having to spend too much time in a position of power. She’d go crazy with stress! It made her amused to think of how the Princesses deal with it. She couldn’t imagine having that for a job.

“I, uh.. I mean.. If you’d like I could,” Twilight stuttered, grasping at straws for what she intended to say. This only served, however, to elicit another wholehearted laugh from the mayor.

“Relax. I couldn’t even if you had miraculously agreed. Too much paperwork to do,” Mayor Mare said with a sad sigh. “Go enjoy the festival. I’m sure you can find someone who would love to accompany you, after all!”

“Alright,” Twilight said, letting out yet another sigh of relief. That had to be at least two in the course of this conversation. “Glad to see you’re back, ma’am.”

“And I’m glad to see everything was okay while I was away. Have a nice day, Twilight Sparkle!” the mayor said before turning to make her way back into town.

Twilight shut the door and thought to herself. Now what would she do? She had freed up so much spare time, and had nothing to do with it.

She sat at her reading table, which had become considerably worn down over the years of Twilight’s all-nighters. Taking another sip of her water, she thought about what she could do with her time now that being mayor for the day was out of the question.

She was summoned back to the world of reality when she heard another knocking at the door. It took her a moment to register that she would still have guests, today. Namely, a guest she had been looking forward to seeing all morning - however short of a morning it was.

She opened the door once again, careful not to make a random guess as to who it would be. But standing before her was none other than the very mare she wished to see at that very moment - Applejack.

“Howdy,” Applejack greeted her with, a warm smile upon her face. She stood in the doorway, as her manners dictated waiting to be invited in no matter whose house it was - excluding her own, of course.

Twilight’s demeanor immediately took on a form of relaxation upon seeing Applejack. She took a rare moment to take in the sight before her, before inviting the well-mannered pony in.

Over time Twilight had come to realize that the morning light complimented Applejack’s appearance far greater than any other pony before her. Even before the two had entered a relationship, Twilight recognized how utterly beautiful Applejack was. The morning had a way of dancing upon her image, and Twilight had always been captivated by the beauty that she witnessed.

“Hello, Applejack!” Twilight said after taking a moment for herself. “Would you like to come in?”

“Aren’t we headin’ out to Town Hall?” Applejack inquired even as she took the offer and stepped into the library, Twilight shutting the door behind her. She made her way over to the reading table Twilight was sitting at and took a seat beside it.

“About that,” Twilight began with a short laugh. “It seems that the mayor has come back early.”

“What? I thought she was gonna be gone for a few more days. At least ‘til the festival was over,” Applejack asked, a small smile accompanying a raised eyebrow as she spoke.

“She said that the meeting had ended early, and that she was needed back in the office,” Twilight replied. With a tinge of pride, she also added, “She said we did a good job!”

“Well I’ll be an apple seed in a pear; I reckon that’s some great news!” Applejack said happily. After a moment’s deliberation, she also came to a conclusion and asked in a hopeful tone, “But doesn’t that mean we’ve got the day to ourselves?”

“It sure does,” Twilight answered. “So I was wondering.. Would you like to spend it together? With me?” It took all the effort Twilight could afford just to spit out that last statement, and she could already feel the blood rushing to her face.

A warm smile came to Applejack’s face and she took on the same demeanor that Twilight had only minutes ago. In a calm, confident voice, she said, “I reckon there’s nothin’ I’d rather do today than spend time with you.”

If her face wasn’t red before, it was now. Twilight let out a nervous - but happy - giggle and asked, “Well. I’m glad. Do you perhaps.. Have something in mind?”

“As a matter of fact - I do,” Applejack said with a sly smile and a slight nod. “I reckon I still owe you a picnic in the woods. That sound good?”

“That sounds excellent,” Twilight admitted. It did sound great. It sounded like the best plan ever, as far as she was concerned. The mere thought of it made her heart leap for joy, and she was all too eager to make it happen.

“Well alright, then! Let’s head on over to Sweet Apple Acres - I’ll rustle us up somethin’ to gnaw on while we talk,” Applejack declared, standing from her sitting position at the table.

And so they did. The trip to the farm was quite quiet, what with everypony, dragon, and other type of creature attending the festival or sleeping off trips to Ponyville. Upon reaching the farm, a lone pony moved along the rows of crops, tending to them carefully and diligently.

“Mornin’,” was all the red stallion said to them, being of so few words.

“Howdy, Big Macintosh. We have any leftovers? Twilight and I are headin’ out to have lunch,” Applejack asked.

“Mmhm,” was the reply she got. He had a knowing smile on his face, now, and nodded towards the home he and Applejack shared with their fellow siblings.

“Thanks, Big Macintosh,” Applejack said, nodding once again to him.

“Good morning, Big Macintosh!” Twilight greeted him cheerfully, to which he only replied with another “Mornin,” and a nod of the head.

After procuring the supplies needed for a proper picnic, the two went out and followed the same path as before into the woods. After nearly tripping once or twice, Twilight and Applejack came upon the clearing that the two had shared one of their first moments of what could be considered intimacy.

Just as before, the clearing had a few animals calmly resting in the quiet morning air. But now, even Twilight shared their happiness and sheer restfulness. With no worries, no qualms, and no responsibilities, she was utterly free to simply be. And she could be with Applejack.

After setting up the picnic, the two ponies sat close beside each other and simultaneously let out a soft sigh of contentedness. Truly at peace, both of them were happy to simply be with each other and enjoy the moment.

“Hey Applejack?” Twilight said, her eyes now closed as she absorbed all that she could from the scene unfolding around her.

“Mhm?” Applejack mumbled in response, opening one eye to look at Twilight dreamily.

“I think I could get used to this sort of thing,” Twilight said, leaning onto Applejack and resting her head upon the orange mare’s shoulder.

Applejack gave a soft, short laugh and placed a single kiss atop Twilight’s head. “I feel the same way, darlin’. The same way.”

Twilight felt both the kiss and felt an overwhelming sense of combined peace and joy. She felt Applejack lay her head atop her own, and fell under a spell of relaxation. This was definitely something she could get used to, Twilight believed. Nothing in the world could bother her, at this moment.

After waiting for the inevitable trouble to arrive after having such karma-tempting thoughts, Twilight found the they never came. It seemed like Applejack was her good luck charm.

And it seemed like everything was going to be great.

Chapter 2 - Stocking Up

As Twilight made her way towards the town market, she made a mental list of what she would need. “I suppose I could get some more quills, and more paper. There’s bound to be some paperwork that will need taking care of, right?” she asked more to herself than to Spike, who was now riding on her back.

“Yeah, sure,” Spike mumbled non-attentively. His gaze was turned, as a certain white mare was trotting towards the two. Suddenly snapped to attention, Spike began to panic over his looks. “How do I look? How’s my hair?” he asked Twilight in a hurry, who turned back to give him a quizzical look.

“Spike, you don’t have hair,” she said with a chuckle, turning to greet Rarity.

Spike rubbed the back of his head and gave a nervous laugh. “Oh, right.”

“Good morning, Twilight!” Rarity called to her, slowing to a casual walk a few feet away. She was wearing two empty saddlebags, and she seemed to be in an excited mood.

“Hello, Rarity. You’re up and about quite early,” Twilight commented. “What’s going on?”

Rarity put on a smile, as if she’d been anticipating Twilight to ask. “Well!” she said excitedly, with an ounce of pride in her voice, “I recently got a large order from some very important ponies in Canterlot. I’m off to the market to procure some supplies before I take on the challenge.”

Twilight smiled and spoke sincerely when she said, “That’s quite impressive! I actually have a challenge of my own for the next few days. One that I’m quite anxious to tackle.”

Rarity perked up at the news. It was atypical for the purple unicorn to do too much, aside from tending to the occasional event within Ponyville. “Really?” she said, leaning closer. “Do tell, Twilight!”

“Well earlier today I received a letter from Princess Celestia, requesting me to temporarily take over operations in Ponyville while the Mayor leaves on diplomatic business. I’ll be handling the usual day-to-day business that the Mayor would,” she explained, more excitedly than she imagined she was.

“The MAYOR?” Rarity exclaimed, astonished. “Why that’s quite the task!” She lowered her voice and carefully asked, “Are you sure you’re prepared for it?”

Twilight grinned sheepishly, “Well I have to admit.. It’s quite a daunting job to handle. I’m not sure what to expect.” Then, more out of reassurance for herself than for Rarity, she added, “But I’m sure nothing’s going to go wrong. Just another job to do, right?”

Rarity nodded quickly. “I’m sure everything will go off without a hitch!” She said in her usual confidence-inducing manner. “And if you need anything, you have Spike to help you with things, correct?”

At the mention of his name by the white unicorn, Spike perked up immediately, grinning like a fool. “Yep! You can count on me Rari- I mean, Twilight.”

Twilight shot him a look of both amusement and slight irritation, and Spike returned a nervous smile.

Ignoring the blunder of Spike’s words, Rarity nodded her head and smiled. “Of course, darling! You can always ask me for help. I may be busy, but helping the Mayor would be a nice change of pace, for sure!”

Twilight nodded and spoke gratefully, “Thank you for the offer, Rarity. I’ll be sure to contact you should I need anything. In any case, I’ve got to get to the market to pick up some supplies for tomorrow. Would you like to walk together?”

Twilight could feel Spike shifting on her back at the mention of travelling with Rarity, and she mentally sighed. “While I would like to, I really am in a hurry. Perhaps another time?” Rarity said regretfully.

Twilight spoke kindly, “Don’t worry. I understand. Have a nice day, Rarity.” Rarity looked relieved that Twilight had not taken her words unkindly, and she spoke sincerely, “Same to you Twilight, and you as well Spike!”

Spike smiled and waved, not saying a word out of nervousness. Rarity trotted quickly away, seemingly to be in more of a hurry than Twilight. It was typical of her personality, though. Twilight knew she took her work very seriously, and had always admired that trait about her.

She continued along the road towards the market a brisk pace, but not as speedily as Rarity. The morning was still young, and Twilight liked taking in the scenery when she could. The smell of fresh flowers and the sounds of birds waking up to go about their business intrigued Twilight. She could see why Fluttershy enjoyed her hobbies so much. Inhaling deeply, Twilight relaxed considerably.

The market was in sight now, and Twilight observed as the shops seemingly came to life. The market was already bustling, despite the earliness of the day. Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi alike were all getting ready to sell their wares that ranged from simple necessities to rare oddities. She made her way towards the section where she could find writing supplies and other necessities she expected that she’d need.

It was about midday when Twilight ran into another one of her friends within the busy market. Bouncing around as was her habit, Pinkie Pie had two saddlebags nearly filled to the top with party supplies consisting of confetti, streamers, horns and other odd devices. Noticing Twilight, she hopped her way over to her, stopping mere inches away.

Twilight took a step back, surprised. "Hi!" Pinkie exclaimed happily. "Hey, Pinkie. What're you doing out here?" Twilight asked curiously. "I'm buying party supplies in case I run out soon! Never know when you'll need more party supplies, and it's always good to have a good stock just in case!" Pinkie said in her usual sped-up style. "What are you doing out here?" she asked Twilight, a bright smile on her face.

Twilight turned to see her own saddlebags were half-full, and Spike was off buying the rest of the supplies. Turning back to Pinkie, she explained her situation.

"Wow! You're gonna be the MAYOR?" Pinkie said, jumping up and down. "Think of all the parties we could have! Oh, oh! We could give out candy to everyone! It'd be so fun! Then we could-"

Twilight interrupted her before she could go way too offtrack by saying, "No, Pinkie. This is a big responsibility. It'll only be for about a week, so I don't even expect anything big to happen."

Pinkie giggled at Twilight's last statement, nudging her a little. "Silly! Of course something big is going to happen!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow to this, feeling a sense of dread crawl into her heart. "What do you mean? Is it your Pinkie Sense?" She shuddered at the thought, knowing Pinkie's abilities all too well.

Pinkie laughed abruptly at this, and shook her head. "No, no! The Farmer's Festival! It's in four days!"

Whatever confidence Twilight had, it seemed to have drained from her in a single instant. Her eyes went wide, and she nearly shouted, "The Farmer's Festival! I'd completely forgotten!" She began panicking, and looked around for Spike, who was nowhere to be seen. "Oh, no. I hadn't planned for this! What if I mess up? I haven't planned for a festival before, let alone been the MAYOR during one!"

Pinkie frowned at having caused Twilight to panic, and decided to help. "Don't worry, Twilight! The Farmer's Festival is just like a big party! I'll help you out with whatever you need! Pinkie promise!"

Twilight turned to see Pinkie with a big smile, her hoof extended towards herself. She gave a sigh and bumped hooves with Pinkie, saying softly, "Thanks, Pinkie. I'm going to need all the help I can get by that time."

Pinkie nodded to her, "No problem, Twilight! Well, I'm off to get more party supplies! I'm gonna need to get even more for the Festival!"

Twilight watched her bounce off, and decided to go search for Spike, who was taking a mysteriously long time getting quills and paper.

Chapter 17 - Breakfast Before the Storm

Twilight awoke with a full night's rest, and this worried her in the slightest bit. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Holding her breath, she opened her eyes and very carefully turned her gaze towards the clock mounted on the wall.

To her surprise, the clock didn't show her an absurd time, nor did it laugh at and mock her as she had anticipated. It was six thirty-four in the morning - not at all beyond the preferred time that she'd like to wake up. At this, she released her breath in a pleasant but exaggerated sigh.

As she relaxed, she noticed a faint scent had made its way to her, and she sniffed at the air. Getting a better sense of what was being cooked, Twilight's mouth began to water and a shiver went down her spine. The air smelt of cinnamon, apples, and various other flavors. It reminded her of Granny Smith's home cooking, and this made her desire the food all the more enthusiastically.

She happily got out of bed and turned around to neatly fold her blanket into an organized square. She took great care in getting the geometry of it just right, sticking out her tongue as she carefully eyed the edges of the blanket. With a satisfied smile, she nodded and said to herself, "Neat and efficient. Another symmetrical fold, Twilight."

With that, she turned and descended the stairs leading to the kitchen and to the controlling aromas that lied within. "Thank goodness you decided to cook, Spike," she said graciously to the baby dragon, "I'm starving."

"Well you're welcome for the cookin', but I ain't got no scales. 'Least not from what I can see," a familiar voice replied, a smile in her voice.

"Applejack?" Twilight called, cocking an eyebrow instinctively.

Applejack came out of the kitchen sporting a chef's hat and patches of flour dotting her face. Atop her hat was a plate of apple fritters, and a plate of apple crumble was laid upon her back. With her usual friendly, nonchalant smile, she greeted Twilight with, "Howdy, Twi'."

Twilight, still a bit confused as to what she should think, responded with, "Uhm.. Hello, Applejack?" It came out more of a request for information, rather than a friendly reply.

"I reckon you're wonderin' why I'm here cookin' for ya and not Spike?" Applejack read her mind as she laid the plates upon the table usually reserved for reading. Twilight was also known to use it whenever she served her guests, Applejack knew.

"Well, yes," Twilight admitted, staring at the assorted foods on the table hungrily. "Where is Spike, anyway?"

"Said somethin' about the clubhouse. Think him and the Crusaders are gonna be causin' a ruckus around town today," she answered with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, that sounds like something Spike would have his claws in," she agreed absent-mindedly, licking her lips at the food.

Applejack nudged her head towards the food and offered, "Take a seat. Been workin' a while on this."

"Was it really that obvious?" Twilight asked sheepishly, hesitating for a moment as she awaited the answer.

" 'Bout as obvious as the color of the sky," Applejack jested, laughing shortly. With that, she sat herself at the table and waited for Twilight to do the same. She didn't have to wait long, as Twilight very nearly threw herself into the chair with excitement.

Levitating a clump of apple crumble to her mouth, Twilight shivered with delight at its flavor. Her hunger combined with her love of Applejack's cooking made the crumble seem irresistible to Twilight, and luckily there was an abundant amount of it to go around. While she was hungrily working away at the crumble, Applejack was slowly chewing on some fritters. The smirk on her face told Twilight how amusing she looked, and her face took on a color similar to that of Rainbow Dash's eyes.

"Oh," Twilight said as a fritter stopped levitating in front of her and fell back on to the plate, "sorry about that. I didn't eat much at the picnic yesterday and, well-"

"Relax, Twilight. I ain't too hungry and I made plenty," the orange mare reassured her, "In fact, I'm glad you like my cookin' so much. It's a compliment more than anything!"

"Well you're welcome, then. The compliments are well deserved," the studious pony said, bolstering her compliment even further. "But I must ask - why are you here so early? It's a pleasant surprise, but I would have expected you to still be resting due to how tired you were yesterday."

"Well I ain't too keen on stayin' in late, bein' a farmer and all," she explained. "Learned a little trick a while back that lets me function well enough when I'm tired. 'Course, I do have my limits, as you've seen before. But today I'm feelin' fine!"

"Don't overwork yourself for my sake alone, Applejack," Twilight lectured, then took the final bite of her apple crumble.

"If I need a nap, at least I know who to turn to for a pillow," she joked, taking a bite of a fritter.

A thought in Twilight's head told her to answer, but she didn't quite know what to say. All she could think to do was grin like an idiot, and that is what she did. After Applejack responded with a chuckle of her own, the two once again spent a few moments simply staring at each other. The only difference is that Twilight was the one to break the silence, this time.

"Shall we head to Town Hall?" she asked, snapping out of the trance-like state she was in.

Applejack stared at her for a few moments, then responded with a resounding, "Huh?"

"Town Hall. Would you like to go there, now?" Twilight repeated, thinking little of her friend's confusion.

"Oh. Sure, that sounds fine. Sorry 'bout that, was just.. Thinkin'," Applejack stuttered, moving awkwardly out of her seat and towards the door.

Twilight cocked her eyebrow for the second time that day, but followed Applejack nonetheless. "It's going to be one of those days," Twilight muttered to herself as she levitated the dirty plates into the kitchen's sink and wrote a small note for Spike. With that, she moved over to Applejack, who was waiting beside the open door of the library.

"Ya ready to tackle the day?" Applejack asked casually.

"Yes, but, are you alright?" Twilight dared to ask, not sure where the question came from.

After a moment's hesitation, Applejack sighed and said, "Yeah, I'm alright. We'll talk on the way there. Promise." Satisfied with the promise, Twilight agreed to wait. After all, it couldn't be that long of a wait until they talked. Right?