Diplomatic Troubles

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.