.buck//Moment

Applejack groaned, resting her head against the dining room table. Her hoof was wrapped around a plain white mug, warm from the black liquid inside. She didn't like coffee much, but at this point didn't care.

A screeching made her wince, and she glanced up to see Twilight dragging the chair opposite her out and taking a seat, her own cup in hoof. Her mane was a mess and her eyes bloodshot as she stared down at the drink before taking a tentative sip. Fortunately, this time she didn't burn herself, instead sighing happily as she slouched lazily. Applejack lifted her coffee to her lips and took a gulp, blinking as the bitter taste washed down her throat.

“Ah can't say Ah know how y'all stomach this,” she mumbled, placing the half-empty mug on the table and stretching. Twilight grumbled something incomprehensible, taking a longer swig of her own. The two sat in silence, their cups slowly draining over the next fifteen minutes. At one point, a baby dragon popped into the kitchen, and Applejack was sure he was berating them but was too tired to care. Twilight just waved a hoof in his general direction and shooed him away, which he eventually did, complaining far too loudly.

“So Applejack,” Twilight began once the caffeine had kicked in and she was vaguely awake. She turned her head lazily, staring at her with heavy eyelids. “Any idea what happened yesterday?”

Applejack groaned and wiped her eyes. “Ah ain't got a clue. Ya find anythin' b'fore ya went off?”

Twilight shook her head, sighing. “Sorry Applejack, nothing.” She hung her head defeatedly. Gently, the orange mare patted her on the shoulder, and she looked back up, a light smile on her lips.

“Don't worry Twi,” Applejack began, a short yawn interrupting her speech, “Ah'm sure somethin' will come up soon.” Her friend paused for a moment before nodding once. She sat in thought for a few seconds before opening her mouth to speak.

At that point, a knock on the door prevented her from continuing and the two looked towards the living room. Another knock, then the sound of a disgruntled dragon opening the door.

“Oh hello Spikey-wikey. Is Twilight in?”

It was a few moments before Spike responded, Applejack snickering while Twilight shook her head, smiling. “Huh? Oh yeah she's in the kitchen.” The sound of hoofsteps on the oak floor drew closer until Rarity's head popped into the doorway. She turned and gave a small thanks to the baby dragon, who'd followed her with hearts in his eyes before turning her attention to the two mares and sitting with them at the table. The ponies shared greetings and small talk, Twilight offering a mug of coffee which was politely refused.

“Applejack,” Rarity began, “what on Equestria happened yesterday?”

She rolled her eyes. “Ah still don't know.”

Pursing her lips into a pout, Rarity muttered. “But your character looks so beautiful! I want to know how.”

Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder. “We're looking into it, but,” she glanced at Applejack, “I have a feeling it goes far beyond just changing appearance.” She leaned closer. “I want to know what that attack you used was.”

Shrugging, Applejack sighed. “Ah'd love ta tell y'all but Ah really don't know. It jus' kinda happened.”

Leaning back into her chair, Twilight tapped a hoof against her chin thoughtfully. “Maybe that book had something to do with it,” she pondered idly, staring at the air in front of her.

Applejack's eyes suddenly lit up. “It does!” her outburst nearly caused Twilight to fall out of her chair as she flinched, wings spreading. Rarity caught her and pulled her back, scowling at Applejack, who apologized sheepishly before continuing. “The book. It did somethin' ta me when Ah opened it.”

Cocking an eyebrow, Twilight ran a hoof over the table absent-mindedly. “Really? And you neglected to tell us this before, why?" Before Applejack could make any excuses she continued, not wanting an answer. "What did you say it was called again? 'Book of Twilight'?” At her nod, she looked down, deep in thought.

A cough distracted them both, and they looked up at Rarity, who was sat with a look of confusion on her face. “Pardon me darlings but... What book?”

The two blinked blankly. “You didn't know?” Twilight asked, to which she nodded once. “Huh. Oops. Sorry.”

“Yeah sorry sugarcube,” Applejack murmured, the two briefly summarising the book, the ghost and the alicorn. Rarity just sat dumbfounded throughout, skeptical but willing to hear the full story. Once they were done she sat silently for a minute, mulling it over before she spoke.

“So some kind of event then?”

Twilight went to disagree when Applejack butted in. “Yeah, pretty much.” At Twilight's look of disapproval, she continued, “What? It's not like we know anythin' about it anyway.” She laid back into her chair. “Might as well be.”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it. “Yeah, I suppose you're right.”

“So girls,” Rarity began, breaking the awkward silence before it could begin, “am I right in thinking that this shall be our next goal?” Her question got the attentions of both her friends, who paused then nodded in unison. “Then I suppose we should get started, no?” Smiling sweetly, she hopped out of her seat and trotted towards the living room, calling over her shoulder as she paused in the doorway. “Shall we meet at the boutique in an hour?”

Applejack and Twilight glanced at each other, then nodded. “Sure, sounds good. I'll go tell the others.”

“I'll have some tea ready darlings,” she began to take a step, then stopped, “unless you'd prefer coffee?”

Applejack laughed, shaking her head. “No thanks Rarity, Ah think Ah'm good.”

“Mm? Twilight?”

For a moment the alicorn was silent, then shook her head, grinning. “I think if I have any more caffeine I'll be bouncing off the ceiling.”

The three chuckled before Rarity headed out, leaving the two in silence. A few seconds later Spike leapt in, spines clearly straightened and scales shining.

“Hey Rarity, I'm...” he stopped, staring at the two ponies, who grinned. Awkwardly, he flashed a return grin, slowly walking backwards as the redness on his cheeks intensified. As soon as he was out of earshot, the two mares descended into giggling.

“Spike, we're heading out to the boutique, if you'd like to come,” Twilight eventually managed to compose herself enough to yell. At this, the little dragon's eager head popped back in, a massive smile on his face.

“Really?”

“Mmhmm,” she nodded. “We just need to go tell the others.”

“Awesome!” Spike vanished again, and the two ponies rolled their eyes at each other. Twilight hopped up and stepped into the main room, Applejack following closely, watching with amusement as Spike busied himself with trying to make himself more presentable. Twilight tutted, rubbing his head and laughing.

“Calm down Romeo, we're just going for a quick visit. Anyway, we need to get the others first.” She playfully ruffled his spines out of order, grinning, as she opened the door and headed out. Breathing deeply, she sighed at the fresh air and trotted away, stopping briefly to allow Spike to climb onto her back.

Rainbow Dash was pretty easy to find, currently napping on a cloud hanging over the library. Twilight flew up and prodded her a few times, eventually waking her up. She scowled at the interruption before realising it was her friend and it was for a meeting. Saluting, she shot off to go get Fluttershy as Twilight returned to ground level. Content, the three slowly headed to Rarity's boutique, visiting the market on the way to kill time.

Around an hour later, Applejack knocked firmly on the door to the boutique, her mouth full with a basket of an assortment of sweet treats. There was silence, then a few seconds later it was opened by a small filly.

“Oh hey guys,” Sweetie Belle said hurriedly, turning away before they could respond, “Rarity! They're here!”

A distant voice called back. “Thank you Sweetie, could you show them in?”

Sweetie Belle nodded, her mane bouncing, as she stepped back, holding the door open for the visitors. Applejack tilted her hat in thanks, as Twilight and Spike spoke their own. A table was set up in the middle of the boutique, and the clinking of china gave the trio a good idea of where Rarity was. Pulling up a chair, Applejack placed the basket on the table before her as she took a seat. Twilight quickly followed suit, while Spike hovered for a few moments before sitting next to her. The door was shut with a muted thump, and Applejack watched as Sweetie Belle charged up the stairs, a wooden slam echoing through the building as the filly vanished into her room.

A few minutes later, Rarity emerged from the kitchen, carrying several elegant china cups and a pot of tea in her magic. Placing them gently onto the table, she set a cup by everypony's place, filling each with steaming liquid. Sitting in a chair at the end of the table, she eyed the basket as she raised her drink to her mouth and took a short sip. Applejack nodded at the treats, but Rarity shook her head and winked, much to her confusion. Silence fell upon the room as the four present all drank their tea, waiting for somepony else to start talking.

Rarity eventually broke the silence. “So, is it just you three?” she looked them over. Twilight eyed the door for a moment before responding.

“Well, we told Rainbow, and she said she'd bring Fluttershy. We haven't seen Pinkie at all.”

“Did somepony say my name?” A pink head peered out from the kitchen as the four stared in mixed delight and astonishment. Pinkie bounced happily into the room, settling into a seat and downing her cup of tea in one swift motion. “Thanks Rares!”

Rarity stared for a few moments, her mouth opening and closing while she tried to figure out what to say. “Pinkie... What were you doing in my kitchen?”

With an unfaltering smile, she tilted her head towards her, beaming. “You left the window open and I wanted to give you a surprise hug but then you left so I couldn't but I thought I could smell cake so I checked and you have cake in your fridge,” she punctuated that statement by flourishing said cake - a sponge with thick pink frosting - and placing it in the centre of the table. There was a large bite out of one side.

Rarity just shook her head, continuing with her tea. “Well, I suppose we can bring the cake eating forward a few minutes,” she gestured to the cake, “dig in, girls.”

What remained of the cake was cut into several slices, more than the number of present guests. Twilight wrapped them in her magic, levitating a thin slice onto each plate, but the only one to touch theirs was Spike, who greedily devoured his piece. The others simply giggled at him, continuing to share tea. Soon conversation began, rapidly changing from topic to topic.

Several minutes and several cups later, a loud knocking on the door distracted the group from their discussion on the best toppings for a cupcake. Rarity hopped up, heading over to the door as she spoke. “Who is it?”

“Rarity, it's us,” Rainbow Dash's voice responded through the door. “I have Fluttershy with me too.” The door was opened, the two pegasi standing side by side.

“Oh, I'm sorry if we're late Rarity,” the mellow butter pegasus apologized, looking away from the unicorn, who simply chuckled shortly.

“Nonsense, dear! We were just about to get started. Please, come in,” she gestured to the table, and they trotted over and took their seats. Pleasantries were shared, tea was replenished, and the six dug into their cake, while Spike sat grumbling.

“You shouldn't have eaten yours so quickly, Spike,” Twilight stated, smiling. A snort was his only reply, to which the others laughed. Rarity patted him on the head, levitating two more slices of the cake and placing them on his plate. As he moved to devour them, she placed a hoof in front of him.

“Ah ah ah! Not yet Spike.” Pointing to the stairs, she continued, “why don't you be a dear and take one to Sweetie. She could use the company, I'm sure.”

Spike looked between the unicorn and the cake a few times, then after wiping the reluctance off his face saluted, picking up the plate. As he passed Applejack a hoof was placed on his shoulder, and he looked up to see him handing her a couple of small, blue frosted cupcakes. Smiling, he added them to the cake as he half-jogged up the stairs. “Thanks Rarity! Thanks Applejack!” He called down. The ponies heard quiet shuffling, then a few loud bangs and sounds of pain, followed by a cry of “I'm okay!”. The table erupted into varied laughter as the six finished off their cake, Applejack handing out the remaining cupcakes from her basket.

“So Applejack,” Rarity began once they'd calmed down. “Do you have any idea what happened to you yesterday?”

She scowled, digging deliberately into a cupcake. “Ah don't, Rarity.” She sighed and rubbed a hoof on her forehead. “Frankly Ah wanna get ta the bottom o' this but Ah ain't got a clue how.”

Twilight suddenly spoke up, her chair scratching as she stood. “Rarity, can I use your computer?”

Confusion was written on her face as she nodded and gestured to the back room. “Uh, of course darling.”

“I won't be long, I promise,” Twilight bowed slightly before disappearing. “Thank you Rarity.”

“No problem dear,” the assorted ponies looked to one another as the whirr of a machine starting up filtered in. Slowly the conversation moved back to Applejack. She was still in the dark as much as before, but eventually decided to just give them all an account of all that she saw and felt. Of the voice in her head, the book opening, filling her with magic. Of the surge of power as she was revived and her resolve strengthened. Of the energy lancing through her when the bracelet activated without her input. It was remarkable how much she'd missed last time, but she chalked that up to tiredness and shock. The four other mares just stared at her in wonder, except for Pinkie, who looked curious more than anything else.

“That's about all Ah can remember,” she finished up several minutes later, looking around at her companions, who glanced at one another before discussing loudly over each other. Applejack shook her head, trying to discern something, but each of the mares was holding their own private conversation.

“Hey I found something!” Twilight's voice drifted into the room, and the table looked up to see her standing in the back room doorway. “Somepony responded to my post.”

“Oh?” Applejack leaned forwards, propping her head on a hoof. “What'd they say?”

“They saw the mare! Or, at least, somepony similar.” She grinned giddily, holding up a piece of parchment with writing on it. “Gave this zone as the location!” Trotting over, she placed the note in the centre of the table, and the group leaned in to get a closer look. Written in the centre in black ink was an area name.

Δ Boundless Corrupted Fort Walls

“Well,” Applejack smiled, “sounds like this is where we need ta go.”

The collected ponies nodded in agreement, Twilight rolling the parchment up and carrying it in her magic as she returned to her seat, speaking as she walked “So, did you make any progress between you?”

A few murmurs and shaking heads were the response, which she shrugged in reply to. “No matter, I wasn't expecting much given Applejack's recount earlier but,” she tapped the roll of paper, “now we might be able to make some headway.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing. Rarity went and refilled the teapot while Pinkie produced some more cake from nowhere in particular. The six ponies indulged themselves, laughing and joking. An hour later, they were starting to wind down as Spike emerged from upstairs, carrying the plate with him and taking it into the kitchen. Applejack glanced at the window; it was barely late afternoon.

“Thanks fer the outing y'all but Ah'd better get back ta the farm,” Applejack rose, tilting her hat at the group. The five ponies and dragon nodded back, giving her their goodbyes before excusing themselves. Soon, Applejack was leading a troupe of mares as they left Rarity's boutique, quickly going their separate ways. Stretching, she slowly headed home to finish her duties. There wasn't much to do so she could easily get everything done and have plenty of time to play afterwards.

“And get ta bed early,” she muttered as she stifled a yawn, wiping her eyes as she entered the farmhouse.