Applejack's Run

Chapters

Applejack I
Twilight I
Fluttershy
Apple Bloom
Twilight II
Rarity

Applejack I

The familiar dream faded as Applejack awoke to the predawn darkness. With a comfortable stretch of her legs, she slipped out from under her sheets, fully awake and alive with anticipation for her run.

She longed to feel the wind blowing around her body and to run among the trees, dashing and diving through the underbrush. Sometimes she ran because it made her feel stronger and more agile, but, most importantly, she ran to visit her friend.

Rarity had declared that these forest runs were a ghastly affair at best and an exercise in morbidity at worst, though both sounded equally bad. Fluttershy had been distressed as well, though at first she had been supportive. On occasion, when she summoned the courage, she shared her concerns, suggesting Applejack was hurting herself and might do better to move on. Rainbow Dash alone had seemed to understand. Maybe as a fellow athlete, she even respected the practice. Or maybe it just appealed to her sense of loyalty. Pinkie probably did not know she still made the run each morning.

Applejack retrieved her cowpony hat from the bedside table and positioned it atop her dirty blond mane. Maybe it was well past time she disposed of the old, battered hat, yet she knew where she would have to go if she was to replace it. It would be rude to go anywhere else. She smiled to herself. The past would not blight her high spirits this morning.

The run, as physically strenuous as she paced it, was the highlight of her waking hours. Sleep was the only better experience. When she slept, she dreamed. She filled the remainder of her time with hard labor. She had taken to working the orchards until dusk. And why shouldn’t she? Apple Bloom demanded less tending these days.

Applejack’s toil on the farm had been profitable, but she had not earned enough to replace Granny’s bad hip before she was gone. The passing had been saddening, yes, but not depressingly so. She had been a good mare who had lived a good life, one lasting well beyond what was to have been expected. Such things could not be helped. This was not what saddened Applejack.

She stepped gingerly through the quiet blackness of the old barn-house, taking thoughtful care not to wake her sister. She might as well have stomped up and down the length of the hall if it was only her brother who was still in bed at this hour. He slept deeply and woke only when he was good and ready. Despite all the years they had grown up together, Applejack still chuckled to herself as the muffled sound of his snores drifted through the walls.

Feeling sentimental for a moment, she turned and quietly moseyed into Apple Bloom’s bedroom. The filly had once again neglected to snuff out last night’s candle. The flame had burnt almost to the bottom. Streams of soft wax spread across pages of homework, the casualties of procrastination. The dimly flickering flame illuminated a sight which warmed Applejack’s heart. Her little sister lay haphazardly among tangled blankets which hung off the bed at odd angles. She had grown too large for the little bed-frame, yet she had not complained to have it replaced even when she had to curl up in a crescent to keep her long and gangly legs beneath the covers.

Her peaceful face was only partially visible beneath her dark green cowpony hat. She treasured that hat of hers to the point of insisting upon sleeping in it. Rarity had fashioned the gift from alligator leather, darkened by resins painstakingly applied. Pinkie had provided the materials after following Gummy around for a week to collect his scales whenever he shed them. When they presented the gift to Apple Bloom, they had it covered in so many ribbons that it took her half the cute-ceañera party to unwrap it.

Applejack nuzzled the hat aside to give her sister a small kiss on the cheek. Apple Bloom smiled in her sleep and rolled over onto her side, causing one of her blankets to slide to the floor. Quietly retrieving the tattered blanket, Applejack gently draped it back over her sister before creeping out of the bedroom to make her way through the barn-house and down to the front porch.

Darkness loomed thick over Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack trotted a few paces, savoring the feel of the cool dew soaked grass under her hooves. She began to run. The brisk morning air cut into her body, but this failed to bother her. A pettier pony might have complained about the cold, but Applejack welcomed the discomfort as part of the challenge. Familiarity was comfortable.

Full of fresh energy, she longed to sprint wildly ahead, yet she maintained her steady pace, exercising discipline. The sun rose smoothly over the hills of the Everfree, filling the cloud scattered sky with a brilliant strawberry glow. The light drifted lazily down through the forest canopy, shining upon Applejack’s dew drenched coat.

Forgetting her discipline, she began galloping hard, purposely weaving back and forth to make her run more interesting, if less direct. She smashed through thickets of undergrowth, not flinching at small branches as they snapped against her face, sides, and legs. Occasionally she would charge at these branches only to deftly dodge beneath them or spring over them, feeling triumphant, as if she was having her way with the forest. Sometimes she crashed into bushes and branches on purpose. This reckless habit left her mane and tail full of twigs, leaves, and burs. Unanticipated blackberry thorns would slash at her sides, causing small trickles of crimson to run through her orange coat. Just scratches. Heartbreak stings far worse. Well, in a different sort of way, she thought.

Her route was never exactly the same. There remained numerous unseen rocks, meadows, streams, and cliffs to be appreciated, at least to the extent that they could be appreciated while maintaining a respectable pace. She reached a steep uphill section and dove into it, accelerating to bring herself higher, toward her destination.

A crystal clear brook splattered down between ridges of the hill. With a bound and a few strides, she splashed through it, coming out with her face, hooves, belly, flanks, and tail sopping wet. The stark coldness of the water almost caused her to shiver. She could nearly taste the adrenaline.

All at once there was nothing before her. She could have died there, rushing and falling headlong over the edge. Stopping just short enough to avoid this fate, she caught a glimpse of the deadly tumble which had awaited her. Ain’t that just like life? Her heart pounded even harder as she stood there panting. The morning sun glowed pleasantly upon her, much at odds with the dark thoughts racing through her mind. She bit her lower lip and gave a nervous laugh. Why not laugh in the face of death?

Cautiously at first and then more carefree, she resumed her run, blazing a new trail over the hill-scape. Again breaking into a gallop, she realized her wet tail was fluttering and flapping wildly. Her red hair-tie had apparently torn loose and was now lost somewhere. Nature had a knack for stealing things away. She stopped and admired her tail, full of leaves and twigs as ever. It looked beautiful and free. She gave a shake and watched her tail dance momentarily in the breeze before flopping back down. “Aw heck, Ah’m easily amused.” She laughed to herself and galloped onward.

She crested a dazzling meadow ridge, trampling grass and daisies as the young plants pushed forth from the earth. She could see Ponyville nestled between the hills and fields far below. It looked tiny and even uninteresting. Applejack had fewer reasons to go there now. She felt big up here, as if the world was hers. She imagined she had it all, but she might never have what she suspected she wanted. Was she being dishonest with herself? That would be shameful. What had happened to The Element of Honesty? That seemed like an unreal past. The heaving of her chest and the pounding of her hooves were the only things now. For a few well savored moments, worry and doubt were absent from her mind.

She ran through another tract of dense forest. Trees loomed up around her, casting cool, dark shadows over her body. She realized she not was pacing herself well. Her heart hammered harder and harder. For whatever reason, she had kept her crazy pace. She never made this easy on herself, but this time was somehow different.

The terrain was unfamiliar and an oppressive sense of doom closed in around her. She was lost. Doubt loomed in her mind as it had at times before. Her misgivings were not about running. The doubt rested upon her destination, always the same. It had been years now. Why was she still doing this? Ah’m just bein’ stubborn. Easier to think this than face the truth.

“No, Ah need this,” she confessed quietly in an almost breathless voice. Casting about to regain her bearings, she realized where she was. How quickly the miles had disappeared. She was almost there. She caught sight of it. Ahead in the forest clearing, the terrified tombstone awaited her.

Applejack approached the grey unicorn statue. The ever-present expression of terror greeted her, dead and unchanging, always the same, always heart stopping, always heart crushing. Her resolve and resilience faltered as the excitement of the run abated. She felt weak despite her strength. Tears begin to well and slide across her cheeks as she peered across the clearing and into those lifeless stone eyes. They stared back, so full of unending fear.

Taking off her hat, she slumped upon the ground heavily, defeated, her chest still heaving. Yet the strain of the ascent was nothing. Facing Twilight was the difficult part for Applejack. Burying her face in her hooves, she sobbed into the grass and earth. The intensity of her mourning brought some comfort. Familiarity was comfortable. Amid her sorrow, an excitement and a renewed sense of hope also grew. Applejack did not know what she hoped for. Crying could not bring Twilight back, otherwise she would have come back long ago.

Applejack might have laid there in her sorrow for a shamefully long time, as she had so many times before, but she felt something poking into her stomach, unsanctimoniously interrupting her grief. She rolled over on her side. At first there appeared to be nothing, just soft grass, glistening with her sweat and tears. Then she saw a sharp little fleck of rock, out of place amid the green.

She eyed the stone, noting its peculiar shape. Climbing to her hooves, now more curious than overwhelmed, she scrutinized the statue, squinting at it through the morning sunlight. There, at the tip of Twilight’s horn, that was where the fleck had chipped free! The notch could even be seen in Twilight’s shadow. Who in tarnation would take the time ta knock a piece out of my monument? It clearly was not the work of an animal. Nor was this the result of erosion. As she stepped closer to her friend, excitement flooded through Applejack's mind, though she was unsure if it was hope or anger.

The contradictory mix of emotions was familiar, though her hopelessness often outweighed the hope. She had mostly stopped wondering about the cause of the catastrophe. Nopony knew. Even the princesses had been at a complete loss to understand it. They had expended considerable magical energy in numerous attempts to dispel the curse, if that is even what it was. Maybe this was just a statue and the real Twilight was elsewhere. Applejack doubted that. This was the real Twilight and she was dead.

Yet, what was this fleck? Glancing about, she noticed dozens of similar stones of various lengths, all sharp and smooth like little daggers. Her heart began beating faster as she explored her friend’s body, all the while finding places where the chips must have come free. There seemed to be many more little grooves in the surface of Twilight's body than would be accounted for by the number of shards she could see scattered around. Crouching down and mussing the grass a bit, she realized there were many more flecks, some very small, some overgrown, some partially buried in the dirt as if they had fallen to the ground months or even years ago. She was falling apart!

Soon there would be nothing left of Twilight at all. Applejack knew she was no trained archaeologist or geologist or whatever pony it was who studied these sorts of things, but it was clear that the statue would soon be gone. The first piece she had discovered—the one from the tip of the horn—was the largest piece. It had also fallen the farthest from the statue.

Applejack felt a shudder run through her body. Once this final reminder of her best friend had shattered into a million deadly pieces, what would she have left in her life? Her other friends were gone, except Fluttershy, but the little pegasus had become even more reclusive. Macintosh was a great brother and all, but he had very little to say. Apple Bloom was busy with school, friends, and recently with dating. She was growing up and showing an independent streak. There was no doubt about it.

“Ah have nothing,” Applejack whispered to Twilight as a torrent of desperation and loneliness washed over her.

Still, a strong feeling of hope remained and she hugged the terrified statue of Twilight. She felt more love for her than ever before, yet at the same time, she almost wished Twilight to implode into a million pieces so she could be done with this charade and its pain. The embrace had warmth. Maybe it was just the warmth of her own body. After a long moment, she released Twilight, almost expecting to see her in the flesh, standing in front of her with a warm smile.

Such foolish wishing did no good. Why was she doing it? It was just stone, devoid of life, the sun beating down upon it. The loneliness felt as terrifying and disturbing as the dead face staring back at her.

In times past, it had not always been lonely up here. After Fluttershy had discovered Twilight’s fate, the five of them, along with many others, would take the time to visit her in the woods. It had to be that way, because nopony could move the statue.

Rarity would bring artfully arranged flowers while Fluttershy would bring seeds, grains, and vegetables, so little woodland creatures would congregate around Twilight when no ponies were there to keep her company. Rainbow Dash used to accompany Applejack on her run each morning, but not anymore. She said it had gotten too weird. Pinkie took the whole tragedy worse than any other pony. She was only there for the funeral.

Why am Ah still comin’ here every morning? It’s been over three years. A pony might be expected to visit the grave of a friend or loved one on a birthday or similar occasion, but every day? She had to be out of her mind. She could not lie to herself any more. She loved Twilight. Not just as a friend, but also… well, as an admirer. It was like a silly crush, but how silly could it be if it compelled her to run all this way and go through all this grief each morning? She would have run anyway, running made her feel alive, but she could have run away to other places. She knew she loved Twilight, whatever kind of love it was.

She often longed to kiss those terrified stone lips, but never found the courage. She rarely drew close to the statue at all. Coming near Twilight got her hopes up and she always felt crushingly disappointed when she left. Tentatively, she reached out and touched her hoof to Twilight’s stone muzzle. It felt warm to the touch.

Cracks began to run through the stone. Dozens of razor-sharp shards broke away, falling to the ground. Jagged fissures split her cheek while her horn crumbled away. Applejack flinched back and forced her eyes shut, unwilling to witness this death. There came a gasp, but it was not her own. She opened one eye and squinted, half expecting to be blasted by a hail of biting stone fragments.

A dark cloud had drifted in front of the sun and cast a shadow upon the clearing, yet the grass and trees swam with white light. Twilight’s horn poked through where a moment before had only been stone. It glowed as fiercely as Applejack had ever seen. Twilight’s mouth was exposed amid the chipped stone. She must be alive.

Twilight sighed wearily as the radiant aura vanished from around her horn. She inhaled a deep breath and seemed to savor it. She licked her lips and stretched her jaw as best she could within the confinement of her stone casing.

She cleared her throat and called out. Her voice seemed to come from another world and another time, but it was still Twilight’s voice with its cheerful lilt. “Hello? Is there anypony out there?”

“Twilight, Ah’m here! It’s me, Applejack!”

“What?” Twilight shouted. “I can hardly hear you!”

Realizing her friend’s ears were still encased in stone, Applejack leaned in close and yelled. “Hey, how about this! Can ya hear me?”

“I can’t tell what you’re saying,” Twilight shouted back. “Please don’t leave me. I feel way stronger with you here. Sometimes I can barely find it in me to keep fighting against this enchantment if you’re not here with me. You’re the one who’s been coming aren’t you? I really wish I could hear you. I’ll try to get the stone off of my ears, but I’m pretty exhausted... Have you ever realized how good air tastes?”

This was something so wonderful Applejack could hardly believe it was happening, yet her heart sank. If she had been here more often maybe Twilight could have broken free years ago. It was tragic, but she had no time for these thoughts. A better thought came to her mind. She searched around for a twig. Finding one, she returned and traced the tip of the twig under Twilight’s exposed chin.

“What are you doing? That tickles,” she exclaimed. “Wait, are you trying to spell something? Start over.”

APPL—

“A-Applejack!” Twilight stammered with delight. “It’s been you all this time?” She was still talking way too loudly.

YES STOP YELL—

“Oh, sorry,” Twilight overcompensated in a voice far too quiet. “You can stop stroking me with whatever it is you’re stroking me with.” she whispered. “I really want to talk with you. Just give me a second… or maybe an hour. I’ll try to break more of the stone.” Her horn burst into brilliant white light once more.

The magic flashed and sparkled about Twilight’s horn for what seemed like an hour. It might have been ten minutes. She gritted her teeth and breathed hard with the effort. Applejack almost wished she would stop trying to break the stone so they could continue their conversation, even if it would be one-sided. With full force, she realized how much she loved Twilight. Her heart leapt. She was almost shaking and her knees felt weak beneath her.

Storm clouds had blown in and done away with the bright morning. Every so often, a few flecks of stone fell away from the statue at places, but not around Twilight's ears. It became increasingly apparent that her strength was draining away as her light gradually dimmed and flickered. Applejack began to worry that Twilight might be hurting herself with the magical strain. Spells and their workings remained a mystery to Applejack, but it would be just like Twilight to try too hard and kill herself from exhaustion in an over eager attempt to break free.

Applejack reached out with the twig to touch her struggling friend. She would have warned her not to die, but the white light faltered and blinked out, leaving the clearing in a dim overcast. Twilight whispered weakly. “It’s no use. It’s taken me more than a decade to get to this point as it is. How can I expect so much all at once? Wait, how long has it been? Trace the answer on my chin. I’ll try not to sneeze on you.”

3 Y—

Twilight gasped in disbelief. “Only three years! I thought that a decade was a conservative estimate. I wouldn’t have been surprised if two decades had passed. I lost track of time. I haven’t been able to sleep since I’ve been made of stone. All I can do is think forever and ever. I went crazy twice and had to restore my sanity both times. Do you know how hard that is to do? I wanted to cry almost all the time, but I couldn’t cry. I should have realized you were coming every day. The intervals seemed regular. I figured it had to be once a week or so, since nopony would visit a grave every day. Wait, that means you were coming here every day for over a thousand days. Wow, I can’t believe it. I wouldn’t want you to do that if I was dead. You should have gone on with your life and been happy.”

At some point the rain had begun battering down upon them. Applejack was drenched from head to hoof, but she stood oblivious to her senses, leaning in close to Twilight’s muzzle, hanging onto her every whispered word.

“AJ, it’s raining and it’s cold. You should get some shelter if you don’t have an umbrella or something. Don’t worry about me. I’m sure I can break out now. It just might take a few weeks… This rainwater tastes good. It’s so amazing to have my senses back… You should get some shelter under a tree though. There should be trees. I think we're in a forest clearing, unless somepony moved me.”

Applejack could think of nothing worse than trotting off to hide under some stupid tree when she could be here, listening to Twilight pouring out her thoughts. She’s been cut off from everypony for three years, why should a little rain keep us apart?

Applejack made for shelter. It was right in front of her. She crouched to the ground and crawled under Twilight’s stone body. It was hardly drier beneath her, but maybe this would suffice. Applejack did not want to be sent away. She wanted to be with Twilight and help her through this.

“Okay, I guess that works,” Twilight’s voice came in a whisper, hard to hear above the storm. “Hey, I feel stronger with you closer to me,” her voice rose with excitement. “Try hugging one of my legs or something.” Applejack awkwardly clung to one of Twilight’s front hooves. She tried to imagine channeling her strength while white light flashed out into the bleakness once more. Flecks of stone fell away. Some rolled off of Applejack’s back while other shards caught in her mane.

“Wow, I can hear! It’s like I’ve never heard anything before,” Twilight exclaimed as a larger section of stone fell away from her head. Despite her enthusiasm the exhaustion was heavy in her voice. Applejack could feel how tired she had become.

“Twi, now that ya can hear, I just wanted ta say that everything’s gonna be alright. I’’ll be here for you.”

“Thank you, AJ, but even with your help I’m too tired. I’ve never pushed myself so hard in my whole life.” Twilight gave a sigh.

Applejack crawled out from under her friend and into the cool rain. Patches of lavender showed through cracks in Twilight’s soaked stone body. Most of the statue had crumbled away from her tail and one of her ears poked awkwardly through the stone.

Applejack faced Twilight and bit her lower lip hesitantly. “Ah think Ah know how this works,” she said, staring Twilight in her unseeing stone eyes. “You’re gonna have ta trust me though,” she stepped forward, closing her eyes, and touched her lips to Twilight's. It was just a loving nudge really, but, as she leaned in, it became a long and passionate kiss. Twilight’s teeth and tongue tasted vaguely like toothpaste. Maybe she had brushed shortly before she had been turned to stone. When their lips finally parted, Applejack opened her eyes and found herself staring into Twilight’s real eyes. All the stone had fallen away. The white glow of Twilight’s horn faded from the clearing and they found themselves staring at each other awkwardly, both deeply exhausted and drenched by rain. A pink blush spread slowly across Twilight’s cheeks.

Was that mutual or was that just me bein’ foolish? It felt mutual. Applejack nudged Twilight with her hoof as if to verify that she was real. “Let’s get under a tree and wait out this rain,” she said, cantering over to retrieve her soaked hat from the ground.

Together, they ran through streaming rivulets of cold water that flowed across the forest floor. They brushed through thickets of dripping ferns and soon found themselves under a Grand Fir which provided a dry bed of old pine needles. It smelled earthy and pleasant. For a few moments, they sat there side-by-side, peering out into the rain.

Applejack began to shiver. She had been in the cold for too long. She felt a warm rain soaked body press against her. Twilight was hugging her. As their heads inclined toward each other, she kissed Applejack once more. They rolled over each other in the pine needles a time or two before Applejack hit her head on a root. It hurt, but the pain existed in a different world entirely.

“Are you alright, AJ?” Twilight was lying on top of her.

Applejack laughed and planted a small kiss upon Twilight’s nose. “What are we doing?”

“I don’t know,” said Twilight. She bent down to whisper into Applejack’s ear. “I could tell you loved me all of those times you came to visit. I could cast a spell from inside the stone that let me to feel the emotions of others around me. Visitors came a lot at first, but eventually it was just you. I imagined you were a beautiful stallion.” She giggled.

Applejack’s heart sank as she peered up into Twilight’s eyes. “Ah’m sorry to disappoint ya, but Ah’m neither beautiful nor a stallion Ah don’t think.”

“I’m not disappointed at all,” Twilight said reassuringly. She brushed pine needles from Applejack’s mane where it flowed from under her shabby hat. “You’re more beautiful than you think you are and that’s part of what makes you beautiful. More importantly, I love you for coming here to be with me, every day, for all of this time. Even when I was at my lowest, I knew I could always count on you,” she paused. “Did you always love me like this? I mean, even before I was turned to stone.”

Applejack felt the warmth rising beneath her cheeks, unsure if she was blushing from the question, the compliments, or the tender awkwardness of having Twilight on top of her. “Ah just thought of you as a friend before ya died… Well, Ah mean ya didn’t die, but we thought ya had more or less. Ah kept thinking about how much Ah missed you. Ah’ll admit it. Ah built an, uh, admiration for ya above and beyond what Ah felt before. Ah always felt like we were best friends, the two of us. We led the group. We were the ones who kept our heads, even when situations got messy.”

Twilight laughed. “Maybe you were the one who kept it together more than me. I did my share of freaking out about things, most of them insignificant now that I look back on it." She rolled over and cuddled against Applejack's side, keeping them warm.

Applejack wished the moment would never end. It would end though. Maybe she would wake up and start her morning run, but even if this was a dream, it was her best dream yet. She bit her lip just enough to make it hurt and the pain told her it was not a dream.

Twilight I

Twilight’s world flooded with vast and deep sensuality. She lost herself in sensation as all she perceived flowed through her. Every aspect of each experience was new and exciting, the feel of cool humid air, the roar of rain beyond their shelter, the aroma of the evergreens, the vividness of colors, and even the taste of her own saliva on her tongue. The most exciting among these experiences was the simple joy of snuggling there next to her friend.

The restoration of her senses inspired her with a reverence for this new world. She felt she could appreciate anything. Anything was better than the struggle she had endured. She was now free. She was no longer trapped with her silent thoughts. That was the past. It had only been three years, not twenty. Amid these changes, she had found love. So many questions came to her, but she could only take in so much at once.

She closed her eyes, hoping this might allow her mind to regain some semblance of composure. There were so many emotions at once. A few tears escaped from under her lightly closed eyelids.

AJ’s warm breath wafted over her face as she spoke in that sweet southern voice. “Ya alright, Twilight? You’re not mad at me or somethin’ are ya?” Her breath tasted of apples and sent tingling sensations along the hairs of Twilight’s muzzle.

She felt her eyelids slide open and the light and the colors flooded in. She stared dreamily into the green of AJ’s compassionate eyes. “Mad? I’m not mad at you at all. You’re the one who saved me. You’re my hero. You came to rescue me.”

AJ laughed at this. “Ah think you’re the one who saved yourself. You did the spell. All Ah did was watch.”

Twilight shook her head. “Do you know how hopeless my life would have been without you? I had no idea that I would ever be able to break the enchantment. I wasn’t always sure if I was even making progress. I had to design the spell in my mind. Normally, spells should be written out on paper and need to undergo a rigorous process of experimentation before they should ever be cast. I didn’t really know what I was doing. I worried I had designed the spell ineffectively, but, even with my doubts, I always pressed on, forever and ever, and it wasn’t just for me, it was for you. I wanted to breathe free, if for nothing else, only to thank you for being there for me all this time.”

“Aw there’s no need ta thank me.”

“AJ, I still want to thank you. All of those times I felt your sadness, I also felt how deeply you cared about me. I knew you wished me back to life. It was like you were feeding me encouragement and your encouragement was my life force. I used to imagine you saying ‘don’t give up, please don’t give up,’ and I would resolve to fight even harder against my prison, even if it meant suffering through the long periods of mental exhaustion, and even though I did not know who you were.” Twilight breathed deeply, almost in a gasp, as she realized she had forgotten to catch her breath between her sentences. The air tasted of so many delightful flavors.

She feared she would eventually learn to ignore the vast complexity of her sensuality—like a filly growing up and numbing to the world in order to focus on more cerebral goals—but why worry about that now?

AJ smiled warmly. “Ah did often wish ya back ta life, in spite of thinkin’ it was hopeless.”

They lay there quietly for a time. As the rain abated, Twilight wished AJ was more inclined to converse. Perhaps she is enjoying the beauty of this moment. There will be time to talk. She stroked AJ’s mane affectionately. This seemed to make her friend self-conscious once more, but she grinned back awkwardly, perhaps a bit flattered and unused to the attention. She reciprocated by batting playfully at Twilight’s mane, tangling the highlights so they mingled with her darker hairs. Twilight could not help but giggle at this. Could anypony find fault with me if I turned up in Ponyville looking a bit of a mess? More than likely they would not even consider her appearance. They would just be glad to see that she was alive.

The sun broke through as the clouds shifted away to water adjacent hills and the evanescent colors of a rainbow played across the sky. It reminded Twilight of another friend she had missed.

AJ stood and offered a hoof to help her up. “We’d best get back ta Sweet Apple Acres,” she said, pulling Twilight to her hooves and trotting ahead, beckoning her to follow.

The thought of reconvening with their friends caused Twilight’s heart to skip a beat. She had almost ceaselessly lamented her inability to be with them. They would all be so excited to see her again.

“You’ll have to help catch me up on what’s been happening,” she said, following AJ. “I’m sure I’ve missed a lot. I felt left out, knowing you’d probably still be having adventures every week.”

AJ glanced back at her with a weak smile. “Not nearly so much now as when you were still with us,” she replied.

Twilight’s heart sank. “You’re all still friends, right?” she asked tentatively.

For some reason AJ was running and Twilight was struggling to keep up. Her magical confinement did not seem to have diminished her physical fitness, but AJ had always been the superior runner. “Hey, wait up! Why are we running?” Twilight called. She felt terrified she might lose sight of her friend and never see her again. AJ had come and transformed her whole world. She could not lose her.

AJ doubled back and trotted up to Twilight. “Oh, sorry about that. Ah’m just in the habit of runnin’ to and from this place. It was just second nature for me ta start gallopin’ once Ah decided ta head home. We can walk if ya’d like,” AJ said as she helped steady Twilight in their climb down a particularly steep slope among the trees.

“I was just wondering if our friends are okay. I’ve been dying to know what’s been happening all of this time. I hope nothing bad...” She feared she was being too optimistic. A lot can change in three years. Perhaps the magic of our friendships has been broken.

An uneasy look crossed AJ’s face as they trotted out of the woods and into a meadow. “Well, uh, everything’s fine more or less. It’s true most of us don’t spend much time together like we used to, but we’re still friends for whatever it’s worth.”

“What happened?”

“You died... Ah mean, it was no fault of yours, but it changed things… What actually happened to ya exactly? Do ya know why ya turned into a statue or where Spike is?”

Spike! Twilight realized she had not even considered him since AJ broke her free and she immediately felt guilty. Spike had been there when the terrifying sensation crept through her body and she knew a powerful magic was sealing her away from all that she loved. Maybe he knew what had happened. “I don’t know what turned me to stone… or where Spike is?” she told AJ.

“Nopony’s seen him. We all tried searching for him. Ah remember that Fluttershy tried especially hard ta find him, but we never found a trace of the little guy.”

“Well, now that I’m back, we’ll have to find Spike and find out what happened to me. Whatever petrified me is dangerous and might still be out there somewhere. I’ll have to see if I can set things right with our friends too.”

“Ah promise ta help ya all Ah can.”

As they passed through the meadow, Twilight stopped to pluck a dandelion from the grass. She blew the fluffy seeds into the air as if making a wish. She watched as they floated out into the breeze, drifting apart.

AJ stopped beside her. “Ah reckon Ah may as well catch ya up ta speed as we make our way back... Uh, well, let’s see. Fluttershy hasn’t moved. Me and her are still friends. Everypony else is gone though. RD got invited ta join the Wonderbolts near as soon as they had an opening. Pinkie went ta live with her sisters on a sheep farm… and Rarity moved shop up ta Canterlot. She’s risen pretty far in the world of high fashion from what Fluttershy tells me.

“Ah ain’t seen RD or Rarity in about two years. Ah visited Pinkie several months ago. She seemed ta be doin’ fine, maybe a bit out of place bein’ away from all of the excitement of Ponyville, but she’s made some new friends ta be sure… well, sheep mostly, and they all do whatever silly thing she tells them ta do.”

Little of this really sounded bad to Twilight, but a twinge of disappointment gnawed at her as they trotted down the wooded slopes. It seemed her friends’ dreams had been coming true, but she had not been there to see it. She resolved to be grateful for her new life despite all she had missed. “Don’t worry, AJ. I’ve had a lot of time to think lately. I thought things would be different if I ever broke out. I worried that, even if I ever escaped, I would find that some of you might have died. I mean, there are five of you and some ponies pass before their time. Luckily that hasn’t happened, but still, I think I was being too optimistic and some part of me wanted to believe that everything would be the same.”

“Don’t feel bad about bein’ optimistic, Sugarcube. Ah was bein’ foolishly hopeful myself, always runnin’ out here to see ya. Ah’m none too sure what Ah expected or what Ah wanted.”

“Did you come because you wanted to kiss me?” Twilight asked, immediately realizing how tactless the question sounded aloud. I could have just hurt AJ’s feelings. Has my isolation made me so out of touch?

AJ blushed crimson under her freckled cheeks, but she did not hesitate to answer. “Ah sometimes wondered if that’s what it was. Ah told myself it was more than that… and honestly Ah think it was a lot of things. Ah don’t know how Ah came ta love you… uh, the way Ah do… Nopony needs ta know and we can forget it ever happened, if that’s what ya want.”

“It did happen and I think it’s sweet,” Twilight assured her. To prove her point, she nipped affectionately at AJ’s tail. She came away with a few burs and even a small twig in her mouth, but that hardly mattered.

“Well, everypony else thinks it’s strange that Ah hung onta your memory so desperately. Ah’m still not sure Ah wasn’t bein’ crazy myself, but Ah didn’t really have much else as our friends drifted apart.”

“We’ll go and find them. I can’t wait to see them all again. I want to hear their voices and find out how their lives have changed.” Twilight felt her resolve building and she knew she would face the world bravely, whatever may have changed.

“You’ll probably want ta go ta Canterlot and pay your family a visit. Ah’m sure the princesses will want ta see ya too. They tried all nature of magic ta break ya out of the statue. I don’t know if ya knew that or not.”

Twilight cringed. “I’ve come to some conclusions about Princess Celestia while I was trapped.” AJ gave her an uncertain look and Twilight continued. “I think the princess had the power to free me, but just didn’t do it.”

AJ’s face darkened perceptibly. “Why wouldn’t Princess Celestia want ta free ya? You were her star student. She paid ya a fair bit of attention when ya consider her position in the kingdom.”

Twilight frowned, seething with the familiar rage which came over her when thinking of the princess. She felt wounded just thinking about her. “The princess is lazy and jaded and her sister is even worse. Maybe being immortal has that effect. Either of them could have broken me out if they really cared enough.”

“Are ya sure? I saw them cast all manner of spells ta free ya, communicate with ya, or bring ya back from another dimension if that’s where ya were. They brought help too, other powerful unicorn sorcerers who graduated from the Academy for Gifted Unicorns a lotta years ago. They asked Zecora ta do what she does, but I’m not sure how much affect her rhyming and ointments had… Heck, the princesses even brought out the books and did a fair bit of research, tryin’ ta figure out what exactly happened ta ya.”

Twilight wondered if she had been wrong about the princess. She trudged alongside AJ for some time before asking “How long did they work on freeing me?”

“About a week maybe. Ah don’t rightly remember. Time seemed ta last forever then. It might have been a month for all Ah knew. We were all waiting ta see if the princesses could save you. We couldn’t really think of much else. Rarity was so sure the princesses would bring you back on account of their magic bein’ so strong.”

“You know that alicorns are immortal, right? What’s a week to them? What’s a month to them? It’s nothing.”

“It’s true we were all pretty crushed when they stopped trying ta save ya, but we knew the princesses had a kingdom ta run.”

“You don’t know Princess Celestia like I do. The only thing she really put much effort into was teaching at the academy. Even then, she spent most of her time napping and lazing about the palace. She’s a dictator, and, as such, she spends way too much time at celebrations in her own honor and too little time doing anything useful.”

Twilight stopped when she noticed the look of dismay on AJ’s face. Perhaps she has never heard anypony talk this sharply about our monarch. She might as well wake up to the truth though. Twilight decided to continue her tirade. “The princess is lazy and cowardly. Did you ever notice how useless she was whenever there was any real danger in the kingdom? She’s cynical too. Recall how she invited us to the Grand Galloping Gala just because she knew we would ruin it for everypony?”

“Uh, Ah’m not quite sure that’s why she invited us.”

“No think about it, AJ. Afterwards, when we were all at the donut bar, she said ‘The Grand Galloping Gala is always awful. That’s why I was thrilled you were all attending. I was hoping you could liven things up a bit.’ What do you think she meant by that? She wasn’t even mad when Fluttershy burst in and destroyed everything. Think about how much dedication and effort it took for the ponies of Canterlot to host that event and how many nights were ruined. Yes, the princess is jaded and callous.”

“But she always seemed so nice and gentle, maybe a bit on the moralizin’ side, but nothing Ah can’t tolerate.” AJ looked shaken and Twilight hoped she was not hurting her feelings by arguing. She realized she had neglected to maintain her empathic magic which would have allowed her to feel exactly what her friend was feeling. She stopped herself before recasting the spell as ethical doubts accompanied the urge to get inside AJ’s mind.

Twilight caught a glimpse of a barn ahead in the wilderness, but it was no longer wilderness, they were in an orchard. It was much as she remembered, though brighter. From the grey world of her mind, she had emerged into a vibrant and inviting physicality reality. She felt acutely aware that she was already slipping back into the netherworld, a cerebral place where scholars often lost themselves, a place she had been trapped against her will. How could she have not noticed the moment when they entered the orchard? Perhaps it was because her thoughts were filled with resentment against the princess. She decided to focus on her love and gratitude toward AJ instead and sidled affectionately against her friend. “This is so exciting,” she whispered, hoping to put the unpleasantness of their little argument behind them.

In the path ahead, a red-haired earth pony lay with her back against one of the apple trees. She was reading a book on her lap. Her long, skinny legs sprawled out comfortably in front of her. AJ trotted right up beside her and tipped her green cowpony hat back, before she glanced up with wide, startled eyes.

“Why aren’t ya at school?” AJ asked, more playfully than reproachfully.

Apple Bloom merely stared dumbstruck at Twilight as if she saw a ghost. Is she afraid? Twilight attempted to allay any fears with a few cordial words. “Hi, Apple Bloom. Yes, I’m back. It’s a long story. You’ve grown a lot.” She glanced down at the young pony’s flank. A lovely pink blossom decorated her coat. "You have a very beautiful cutie mark."

Apple Bloom smiled modestly at the complement and clambered upright to greet Twilight with a hearty hoofshake, a hoofshake not unlike the one AJ had given her when they first met. "It sure is great ta see ya again, Twilight. We've all missed ya somethin' awful!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “How did ya come back after all of this time?”

“I used improvised spells to break through the statue. AJ helped.”

Confusion flashed across Apple Bloom’s face. “How long have you been doing this?” She directed her question at AJ.

“Quite a while as it turns out,” she answered, a coy smirk slipping across her freckled face.

“Aw for cryin’ out loud, sis! Ya could have told me. I could’ve chiseled Twilight out of there in no time. You’re always sayin’ I’m good at that sort of stuff.”

Twilight gave a start, imaging a sharp chisel hammered through stone so close to her skin. “It wouldn’t have been that simple. AJ had a gentler method.”

“Well, you’re probably hungry after years of not eating,” Apple Bloom suggested, appearing to ignore the mares’ ambiguous words.

“I think we’re both hungry,” Twilight replied. She nuzzled up against AJ as they followed her sister toward the barnyard.

Glancing back, Apple Bloom seemed to notice their affection. She halted midstride and bit her lower lip as if thinking hard about something. “Hey, sis, a couple of solicitors showed up about fifteen minutes ago. They’re at the gate, talkin’ Macintosh’s ear off, but he’s too polite ta tell them ta go away. Either that or he can’t get a word in edgewise amid their babbling. One way or the other, ya think ya could help him out? Twilight and I can go start fixing up some lunch.”

AJ chuckled in that deep undignified way she sometimes did. “Yeah, I’ll bet Macintosh could use some help if that’s the pur-dicament he’s facin’.” She turned to Twilight and winked. “Don’t ya worry. I’ll be back soon enough.”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at this and she did not continue toward the barnyard. Instead she waited for her sister to gallop from earshot before turning to Twilight with a curious expression. “Twilight, I hope ya don't mind me asking, but what’s going on here?”

Twilight felt herself blushing. Apple Bloom had blossomed into a wily little pony. She knew she would have to tell the truth. Why not tell the truth? Truth was AJ’s policy, so it was only a matter of time before Apple Bloom knew the full situation anyway. The words caught in her throat as she tried to begin explaining what had happened in the woods. She was not sure she really understood it herself. “Well, you see, when I broke out of the stone, I found that your sister had sort of fallen in love with me. I should have known it sooner, because I could share her feelings even while I was encased in stone. I think I’m in love with her too.”

“Huh? You and my sister are in love? How's the supposed ta work?”

This hurt more than Twilight expected such a sentiment would. “Everything happened so fast. I’m not sure how I really feel. I think it was AJ’s love that gave me the strength I needed to break free.”

Twilight was uncertain if her words had done anything to placate Apple Bloom. The little pony stared at the ground as if abashed. What is she really feeling? Twilight wondered. Apple Bloom fidgeted with her scaly green hat. “Well, maybe I'm forgetting my manners. I'm sorry Twilight, this is just a lot ta think about all at once . . . I’ll be honest with ya, I didn’t send my sister off ta help Macintosh just for his sake alone. I wanted to warn ya about something.”

“Warn me?” Twilight was intrigued. How had this filly grown so wise in so few years?

“Applejack isn’t right in the head these days. She took it worst of all when you were gone. No, she wasn’t nearly as dramatic as Pinkie and Rarity were about it, but she didn’t try ta be tough about it like Rainbow Dash either. It’s like she’s been lost in her loneliness and I haven’t been able ta help her. She cries sometimes when she thinks nopony is watching. I’m too young, I think. I haven’t known the right things to say.” A tearless grief was plain on her face as she confided in Twilight.

I don’t have to cast my empathy spell to feel what she feels. Twilight felt close to tears herself. I won’t cry. I have to be the strong one. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Sometimes things are beyond our power to help.”

“That’s what Macintosh said too, but it didn’t make me feel no better . . . Come on, I'll make you some lunch and get ya settled in.”

Twilight trotted beside Apple Bloom and thought what she might say to comfort her. "I knew what happened to me would be hard for my friends. I was very sad while I was trapped, but I was more sad for my friends than for myself."

Apple Bloom smiled weakly. “That's very thoughtful of you, Twilight.”

As they neared the backside of the barn-house, Twilight saw Pinkie’s massive painting, the one featuring her own pink likeness, laughing at a smiling sun surrounded in pink hearts. Some flecks of paint had fallen away, but the image still made Twilight smile.

* * *

Apple Bloom did not address Twilight again until they were dicing potatoes in the Apple family kitchen. “Ya know, if you and my sister being in love is what she needs ta pull her out of her rut, it’s probably a good thing, but think about this,” the little pony was deadly serious. She looked almost terrifying with that dark reptile skin hat and a vegetable knife beside her, gleaming in the dim sunlight that forced its way through smudged window panes. “Ya already broke my sister’s heart once, albeit it wasn’t your fault at all, but if ya break her heart again, it probably will be your fault. You’ve got to know that she’s been very lonely and her friends haven’t been able ta make her feel better. I don't like ta be so hard on ya all at once, but I hope you understand. I love my sister very much and I don't want to her get hurt.”

Twilight was nervous. “I’ll try my best to figure things out. I don't want to hurt anyone.”

Her life was more complicated now that she was out in the world again. As they finished making the soup—which was strangely devoid of apples—Twilight noticed she was not as sure on her hooves as she remembered being before her long petrification. She realized she felt far less confident performing basic tasks in this new world, even with magic. Her magic was stronger than ever though. She could feel it. There was no telling how powerful she had become over the past few years. She had certainly had no shortage of time for focused practice, though she had not always had the spirit to continue.

Big Mac gave Twilight a friendly nod as he and AJ entered the kitchen. "Good ta see you again," he said. "Feel welcome ta stay at Sweet Apple Acres as long as you like. Applejack tells me you've been through an ordeal, and we all want you to be as comfortable as possible." It was more words than Twilight could ever remember him ever saying to her at once.

The stallion began slurping away at his soup, taking ladleful after ladleful from a large bowl. It was probably still too hot, but, for some reason, Twilight was unsurprised that he would not balk at its temperature. He was even tougher than his sisters.

“Why didn’t ya put any apples in the soup?” AJ asked after taking a tentative sip. “Some tart ones might have given it a little bit of extra kick.”

“If we put apples in everything we’d risk getting bored with them,” Apple Bloom replied, breaking some salty crackers over her bowl.

AJ snorted. “Ya do talk somethin’ silly sometimes, little sister. How in tarnation do ya think Ah could ever get tired of apples?”

“I know you wouldn’t ever get tired of them. I’m more worried that Twilight here will get bored with the apples,” she said, looking seriously at Twilight.

I won’t mess this up, Twilgiht thought. “Actually, I haven’t eaten an apple in a really long time. I’d love to have one.”

AJ got up eagerly and sorted through a basket of apples on the counter. She seemed to be exercising considerable discrimination in her choice for Twilight. At last she produced a shiny red apple which contoured into a sharper than average point at its base. When she sliced it neatly in half, Twilight realized why she had chosen it. The apple slices resembled hearts. AJ presented her with the larger half, and she felt the heat rise in her face, hoping the Apple siblings had not noticed this little gesture.

* * *

Big Mac returned to work with few words beyond teasing Apple Bloom for sleeping past her alarm and skipping school. The filly claimed she was staying home to catch up on homework. After some prodding, Twilight convinced AJ that she should not neglect her duties on the farm just to spend the day with her. They would have the evening. Twilight claimed she just wanted some time to take in her surroundings and get used to being fully alive.

In all honesty, she longed for nothing more than to spend every last moment of the day with AJ, but she found she was too excited to think straight in her presence. Seating herself on an old sofa in the living room, she considered what Apple Bloom had said and what she had hinted at during lunch. If she loved AJ, she needed a plan. Twilight Sparkle rarely approached any situation without a sound plan detailed well in advance. This was no time to begin being reckless. Her new future depended on her level-headedness.

Do I truly love AJ? Not just in a silly romantic or physical way, but deeply and respectfully? There could be no doubt. She loved her, but was this love a good idea? Would it really work?

AJ was not the smartest pony, but she was no fool either. She was the most athletic pony Twilight had ever known. Rainbow Dash had claimed otherwise, but everypony knew she was a better showoff than an athlete. Certainly nopony was more dedicated and hardworking than AJ. Her honesty was a great virtue too.

Do I need a million logical justifications to love somepony? I’ve always read that love isn’t entirely rational. Kissing AJ in the woods had felt reckless… and thrillingly so.

I can’t charge into this head first. Twilight decided she did indeed need many justifications if she was to proceed, but she soon realized that the more she considered the situation, the less she felt as though she could gracefully back out of it. The damage had already been done. “Damage,” Twilight said to herself. It was an ugly word to describe something as tender as her love for AJ.

AJ is almost the perfect pony. She has flaws. She’s messy, and stubborn, and blunt. These were hardly flaws really. In a way, they just made her more endearing. AJ deserved love, maybe more love than Twilight could give. She knew she had always been too self-centered, cloistered away in her mind, traveling to esoteric places others did not understand or care to think about. Her brother had been there for her, but there were no friends in her past before she had been sent to Ponyville against her will. The princess had believed in her ability to make friends and Twilight had not let her down. Maybe she also had it in her to begin a serious and dedicated relationship.

Somehow she knew she had already made her decision. She would not let AJ down, she could not. Yet, deep in the non-impulsive part of her mind, she knew full well that any relationship could sour or become complicated by extraneous events. Even the princesses had fought with one another, placing the entire realm in danger. Whatever had cast the stone spell upon her was still out there too. It might hurt AJ if I am with her.

Love comes with risks, Twilight decided. I did not choose this—or maybe I did—but it’s what I want. AJ loves me and I love her. I’ve been in love with her for years and didn’t even know it. I may have to hunt down and confront my attacker to make sure we are truly safe together. We’ll also have to explain our love to our friends. AJ and I will face the world bravely, side by side, with a bond of undying devotion between us.

* * *

The evening passed pleasantly. Twilight helped Apple Bloom with some homework and found that her math skills were still sharp. The time she had spent crunching numbers in her head had paid off.

She spent the rest of the evening with AJ. They laid on the floor, talking over a game of checkers neither of them was trying to win. Sometimes when their conversation lulled, Twilight found herself gazing into AJ’s alluring green eyes. Twilight bashfully turned away and blushed. Why was she embarrassed? Maybe it was the presence of AJ’s siblings.

It was hard to tell with Big Mac, but, as the evening went on, he seemed to be amused by the ill-concealed infatuation between Twililght and his sister. He seemed happy sitting on the couch, occasionally flicking his stalk of wheat from one side of his mouth to the other. Perhaps he was just too tired to do much else. If any pony worked harder than AJ, it was Big Mac.

After their unfinished game of checkers, Twilight found herself seated next to AJ as they swayed gently in a wicker swing bench that hung from the porch. Above the fields of towering apple trees, Twilight saw the stars sparkling in all their radiance. She and AJ spoke quietly to each other through the fading evening and deep into the night.

It was not all particularly interesting, but Twilight was more than grateful for every minute of it. Nothing was quite so sweet as watching AJ talking in the moonlight, her freckled cheeks pulling back when she smiled at something one of them said. Her voice and words comforted Twilight as she drifted toward sleep. She hadn’t slept in years and it was an unbelievably strange feeling, another newfound joy.

* * *

Twilight woke in the dark. She had been dreaming of AJ. They had been soaked in cool rain, but were warm from running as they kissed passionately under the deep green branches of the Fir tree. Now, all she saw was darkness. She remembered the reason she had wanted to wake up. There was something she wanted to share with AJ, but where was she?

Twilight slipped out of bed and crept through the darkness, stubbing her hooves a few times, before bashing her face into something painful. It was then that she thought to light her way with a faint lavender glow from her horn. She found herself in a hallway she had no memory of going through. Apparently she had run into a writing desk which partially protruded from an alcove in the hallway. I wonder if I’m the first pony to hurt myself on this desk.

Wandering down to the living room, Twilight realized she had no idea where she was going. She was trying to find AJ—that much she knew—but AJ had to be in her bedroom, sleeping, maybe even snoring those cute little snores of hers. The bedrooms were back upstairs, from where Twilight had just come. She turned to retrace her steps—making a mental note to herself not to run into the desk again—but she stopped misstep, hearing a little snort from the other side of the living room. She stood in silence for a moment and, in the light from her horn, she saw AJ sprawled out on the couch, dozing with her hat crumpled beneath her head.

Twilight’s lavender light faded as she crouched at foot of the couch. Focusing her magic once again, a white light pulsed across her horn. She sensed AJ’s dream space. It was surprisingly familiar to her. She realized she must have visited and shared her dreams with AJ hundreds of times while petrified.

In the white light, AJ’s eyelids began to flutter ever so slightly. Twilight imagined and shared her most brilliant and abstract mosaics of color. In the past, it had been difficult to convey perceptions like color and smell, because Twilight had not been able to experience those things herself. She infused the images with her feelings of hope, love, and longing. The magic felt much stronger at this closer range. AJ smiled in her sleep.

Twilight wanted to dive into AJ’s mind, to frolic with her among the colors, and to kiss her again; but that would not be subtle. Is this even ethical? Certainly some ponies would object. One way or another, the dream spell was her creation and she was proud of it.

Allowing AJ to lapse blissfully into her next sleep cycle, Twilight closed her eyes and searched with her mind, spreading pleasant dreams to other sleeping creatures in a successively larger area around Sweet Apple Acres. She could have been reaching dozens of miles away, but she was not sure. There were thousands of beings. She had no way of knowing their names, but she could feel the joy they shared. How much power have I gained over these years? She wondered as her eyes glowed white, allowing her to see the living room clearly even through closed eyelids.

Fluttershy

Fluttershy woke from a vivid and bizarre dream. Similar dreams had visited her for over a year, but this time it was somehow more real. The joy felt closer and more profound. It also terrified her. Maybe I should tell somepony else about this.

Just lying there in her bed, she felt deeply in love, the same sweet fluttery feeling she used to know at a younger age, when, from time to time, she dared to harbor a secret crush on some colt from school. Her crushes never lasted long. They always revealed some measure of meanness at some point and it would break the spell long before she ever found the courage to talk to them.

A frightful knocking came from the outside and Fluttershy dove under her sheets for safety. “Oh, my goodness, this is very early to have a visitor!” she said aloud. It terrified her when she talked to herself, because she imagined how embarrassing it would be if somepony caught her mid-monologue and laughed at her. She would die of humiliation . . . Actually, she would probably just cry a lot, but that would be horrible too. She poked her face out from under the covers, knowing it would be too rude not to answer the door.

The knocking caused Angel to sit bolt upright in the ornate little bed Fluttershy had placed next to her own. The bunny’s fluffy little face was livid with rage. He hopped up and stomped his way toward the door, murder seething in his jet-black eyes. Whoever is here to visit is in for more than they bargained for, Fluttershy thought in panic. “Oh, um, hold on, I’ll be there in a moment, sir or ma’am, whoever you are,” she called out as she nabbed Angel and tucked him back in his bed so snugly that he would not be escaping anytime soon. She gave him an affectionate little nuzzle, but the fact that she was imprisoning Angel did not seem lost on him.

She undressed hurriedly, throwing aside her pajamas and fluffy night cap to look more presentable for her guest. A dreadful guilt crept over her when she considered how she was making her visitor wait. For some reason she thought it might be Twilight at the door, but that was impossible. Twilight was up in the woods and Applejack was probably already there as well, crying in front of her. Fluttershy tried to banish the thought from her mind as she opened the door.

“Well, good mornin’ there, Fluttershy.” Applejack stood amid a wreath of morning sunlight. Her face was flushed—probably from running—and she looked as happy as Fluttershy had ever seen her.

“Oh, hello Applejack. Did something really good happen?”

“I got a whole bushel of news that’s better than good!” the farm pony declared. “Here, ya mind if I come in for a sec? It might take a bit of explainin’.” She trotted in and kicked the door shut behind her, without waiting for Fluttershy’s reply. Applejack flopped down on the sofa, but did not begin explaining her news. Instead she began helping herself to the contents of a snack bag on a coffee table.

“Mmm this is mighty good. What do ya call this stuff?” she asked between mouthfuls.

“Duck feed.” Fluttershy giggled.

Applejack’s eyes went wide and it looked, for a moment, as though she might spit the feed in every direction, but she, instead, swallowed the feed with an ill-concealed grimace.

Thinking it was mean of her to laugh at this mistake Fluttershy felt bad and wanted to say something nice to help Applejack feel better. “You can keep eating it if you want. It’s cheaper than pony food and I’ve got lots of it. It’s really no problem at all.” Even so, she could not help but giggle a bit more as she set about making coffee for herself.

A pushier pony might have prodded Applejack for her news, but Fluttershy would let her friend take her time if that was what she wanted. At length, Applejack cleared her throat, “Ah don’t know why I’m all tongue-tied all of a sudden. But, well, here goes . . . Ah made a rather amazin’ discovery yesterday . . . Ah was able ta break Twilight out of the statue. It turns out she was stuck inside by some sort of powerful magic.”

“Twilight is alive? Where is she? I would love to see her again,” Fluttershy found herself speaking excitedly, even though part of her could not believe what she had heard. Perhaps Applejack had gone completely insane. That was a scary thought. Normal Applejack was strong and gentle, but insane Applejack might be strong and dangerous. Fluttershy shuttered.

“Twi is right outside waiting ta see ya.”

Fluttershy found herself hurrying over to the door. “Oh, now I feel bad for not letting her in sooner.” She hesitated and turned to Applejack. “Why didn’t she come in with you?”

“Ah wouldn’t want ta bring Twilight inta your house with no warning. Ya might think she was a ghost and run off all scared. No offense, but ya know how ya can be sometimes.”

Fluttershy smiled. “That’s actually very thoughtful of you.”

Twilight pounced upon her as she opened the door, giving her a quick hug, really more of a hard squeeze than a hug. It knocked the breath out of her, but it seemed heartfelt all the same. Fluttershy found herself stammering as her mind took flight with a dozen thoughts at once. “B-but how did you come back? We all thought you were gone forever.”

“I wasn’t gone; I was trapped in the statue . . . It’s so good to see you again. I’ve missed you so much.”

“Oh, me as well. It's so wonderful to see you again.”

Twilight looked sheepish for a moment. “I hope you’re not offended that I didn’t come to visit you yesterday. It would have been easy since you live so close.”

“That’s fine, Twilight. I'm just very glad you're alive. I’m sure you just needed some time to rest after being trapped for so long,” she paused, wondering if there was anything nice she could do for Twilight. “Would you like some coffee?”

“No thank you, I’m already awake. AJ saw to that when she had us run to get here,” Twilight said, seating herself right up against Applejack on the sofa. It seemed a little odd; there was plenty of room for both of them, but there they were, bunched up against each other on one end of the sofa.

Fluttershy filled a paper cup with decaf and clasped it carefully as she settled into a rocking chair across the coffee table from her cuddling friends. Twilight rested her head upon Applejack’s chest like a puppy. Maybe she just wants to be especially close with her friends since she’s been gone for so long . . . but she was quick to let go when she hugged me. “So, um, what happened to you?” She found herself asking Twilight.

“I don’t know exactly. I was practicing my teleportation out in the woods. Spike was there. I had taken us both pretty far from Ponyville when I got exhausted and took a break to enjoy the sights of the forest. Then I felt a powerful and hostile magic going through me, trapping me in place. All of my senses were blacked out and all I could do was think.”

“Oh how awful!” Fluttershy said.

“AJ tells me nopony knows what happened to Spike. I hope he got away and wasn’t trapped like me.”

Fluttershy gulped and glanced about nervously. She was bad at concealing information and she knew it. Was it time to come clean?

“Is somethin’ the matter, Sugarcube?” she heard Applejack ask.

“Oh, uh, n-nothing really, I guess it’s just . . . strange to see you and Twilight again. I mean, I haven’t seen you in a while and I haven’t seen Twilight since—”

Applejack chuckled, gently pushing Twilight off of her chest and into a more upright position. “Yeah, Ah shoulda probably told ya about this other thing, since it’s kind of oddball and we ain’t bein’ too subtle about it, but Twilight and I have sort of—”

“Fallen in love,” Twilight finished her sentence in her cheerful, laughing voice. She planted a kiss on Applejack’s cheek and turned to smile at Fluttershy as if looking for approval.

Fluttershy swallowed wrong and choked on her decaf. So this is why Applejack has been so obsessive about Twilight. Grief was one thing, but Applejack had made her mourning for Twilight a daily part of her life. Had they been in love even before Twilight’s petrification? It was nice of them to be straightforward about their relationship now that Twilight was free. Maybe I can share my secret too.

She watched Applejack hesitate before risking another bite of duck feed. Applejack spoke with her mouth full. “We were wondering if ya’d like ta come with us on a trip ta reunite the rest of our friends. Twilight has a bit of catching up ta do and Ah think it would great if we all managed ta get together again.”

“Oh, I’d love to! Maybe we can meet up in Canterlot. You still haven’t seen Rarity’s new building. It’s amazing.” Fluttershy hesitated for a moment. “Our friends might be surprised to see you two as a couple.”

“Does it seem weird?” Twilight asked.

“Well, um . . . yes,” Fluttershy admitted quietly. “What I mean to say is that I’m very happy for you, though I didn’t expect this.”

Twilight smiled. “I didn’t expect it either. I didn’t know it was AJ, but I could feel how much she cared about me when she came close to my statue and I knew I had to fight back against the enchantment. If not for AJ’s run to see me each morning, I think I would have given up and stayed trapped forever, with no way to even cry or have my own dreams.”

“You must have been very lonely when Applejack wasn’t there.”

“Yes, but I always knew she would come back,” Twilight said.

“And Ah always knew she’d be there waitin’ for me.”

Twilight leaned forward. “But what about you, Fluttershy? AJ tells me you’ve gotten even more shy. Are you lonely?”

“I’ve been lonelier since you and our friends left. I mean, I do like being alone, but sometimes it makes me feel lonely, so I treasure my visits with Rarity and Applejack and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie. My dreams also make me feel less lonely. I’ve been having wonderful dreams,” she said, taking another sip of coffee.

Applejack’s eyes lit up at the mention of dreams. “Last night, Ah had the most craziest most beautifulest dream ya’ll can imagine. Ah just can’t do it no justice by tryin’ ta explain it. Ah guess seeing Twilight in the flesh has kinda gone ta my head.”

Twilight turned her attention to Fluttershy and spoke with unnecessary haste, “So how is Rarity these days? AJ tells me she’s doing well for herself. Does she miss Spike? I was beginning to wonder if she actually did like him.”

“Rarity is fine.” Fluttershy assured her with a nod. Should I say more? Why not? Twilight is back after all. Maybe Spike knows something that she needs to know. The words tumbled from her mouth. “And Spike is fine too.”

Applejack gaped. “How do ya know? Ah thought nopony had seen or heard anythin’ about Spike.”

“Nopony except me.” Fluttershy had not expected this of herself, but she relished her friends’ attention more than she would have thought. Most ponies found it easy to ignore what she had to say, even if it was important. Having both Twilight and Applejack hanging on her every word felt strangely exhilarating.

She began anew. “When Spike came to me for help, he told me about the enchantment. I went out looking for you, but I never told anypony that I already knew what had happened. Flying into the woods to find you was one of the most frightening things I ever did. I was afraid that whatever creature turned you to stone was still hiding there, but I had courage, because I thought I might be able to save you somehow . . . Even the combined powers of Celestia and Luna couldn’t save you though.

“Spike didn’t tell me why, but he wanted to hide and he made me swear never to tell anypony anything about him unless you came back to life.” Sharing her entrusted message brought great relief for Fluttershy. Withholding this information from her friends for so long had felt like a lot like lying.

“Was that all Spike told you? You have to tell me everything, Fluttershy.” Twilight was scary when she got serious like this. Maybe being petrified had made her as mean as Discord. To make matters worse, she might even have been as powerful as him too. She could fix big dams and harvest entire orchards of apples with her spells. I’d better not say anything to upset her.

Applejack leaned forward and spoke in an encouraging voice. “Aw, don’t cringe like that, Fluttershy. Twi just wants ta know what happened to Spike. Ah told her he might be dead, so it’s a bit of a surprise for us ta find out that you’ve been keeping this secret for years.”

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t want to keep it a secret; I hope you understand. I think Celestia is the only other pony who knows about him.”

Twilight frowned. “How does the princess know?”

As Fluttershy took a sip of her coffee, she felt bad for making her friends wait the extra second to hear her response. “The last time I went to visit Spike and Rarity, he told me that the princess knew he was there. He’s living in the caves underneath Canterlot.”

Applejack looked at her quizzically. “Wait, so let me get this straightened out, Rarity knows about Spike too?”

“Oh no, she’s the last pony I would tell. I’m mean, she is my best friend, but she’s the last pony Spike would want me to tell. I hope you’re not still mad at Rarity. She only said those things because she wanted to help you, Applejack.”

Twilight gave Applejack a questioning glance. Applejack looked uneasy, but only hesitated momentarily before replying. “Ah know Ah wasn’t bein’ fair ta Rarity. Ya’ll told me Ah was bein’ crazy, not just her. She was just a lot more direct about it and Ah’ve been a mite stubborn ta hold that against her all this time. Ah guess Ah’m also a bit riled up about her packing up and headin’ ta Canterlot like she’s too good for Ponyville. She thinks she’s better than she really is, with her fancy dresses and that fancy coffee she’s got ya drinkin’.”

Twilight put a hoof over Applejack’s shoulder as if to calm her. “AJ, I know you haven’t told me exactly what happened between you and Rarity, but I think you can find it in your heart to forgive her.”

“Honestly, Rarity’s a great friend and is very generous ta boot. Ah should be kinder ta her, even if we’ve got our differences. Huh, Ah almost feel like Ah should apologize ta her.”

“You should apologize to her,” Fluttershy said. “Um, I guess you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but Rarity is always saying that you should.”

Applejack knitted her brow. “Oh, is that so? Well, ain’t that just like her . . .” She chewed her lower lip for a moment and softened her tone, “Heck, Ah’ll still apologize when we get ta Canterlot. Somepony’s gotta be the grownup.”

“You don’t mind if I feed some of my animal friends, do you?” Fluttershy asked, setting her unfinished coffee on the table.

Twilight smiled. “Not at all. We’ll even help you if you’d like.”

Fluttershy introduced them to all of her little friends, both new and old. So many new members had joined the household that she feared she might forget some of their names. Fortunately, she had gone to great lengths to memorize them all, along with their personalities and eating habits. She had made long lists to memorize, just like Twilight used to do. It must have been hard for her to be deprived of her checklists for so long.

“Are you okay, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked. “You looked sad there for a second.”

“Oh, um, it’s nothing really . . . I was just thinking of how hard it must have been for you.”

Twilight nodded solemnly. “It was very difficult . . . but don’t feel sorry for me. I’ve come back stronger and I’ll try my best to build a new life. Hopefully it will be a life all of my friends can still be a part of.” She put a reassuring hoof over Fluttershy’s shoulder. Her warmth was a welcome comfort. Very few ponies ever touched Fluttershy and she was glad to know Twilight would not avoid contact with her just because of her new relationship with Applejack.

“I think things will be better now that you’re back,” Fluttershy agreed. “I wonder what you’ll do for work though. There’s a new librarian. Have you met him yet?”

“Nah, she stayed the night at the farm,” Applejack answered for her.

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet, but I’ve got to find out why Spike is hiding. Maybe he knows who petrified me.” Twilight’s voice darkened. “And whoever it was has something coming to them.”

In that moment, Fluttershy felt far less comfortable standing so close to Twilight.

Apple Bloom

With her sister preoccupied, Apple Bloom took the opportunity to skip school to read adventure stories in the orchard. Maybe her sister would scold her later, but she knew that Applejack had been the same way when she was her age. As fillies, both sisters had entertained dreams of going on adventures a world away from their mundane lives, adventures that had little or nothing to do with bucking apple trees, but dreams were just dreams. At the end of the day, both she and her sister were Apples; farm work was what they knew and farm work was what they loved. Apple Bloom knew she would be a farm pony just like her sister.

She felt content with her fate as she lounged comfortably against an apple tree. Hers was a future she felt confident about. She would get stronger and become skilled as she worked, and, when she was not working, she could read more books like the one she held in her lap.

I never asked for this, the hero said upon discovering a prophecy that burdened him with the non-transferable responsibility to save the world. Apple Bloom chuckled at the cliché. I wouldn’t want ta have ta save the whole world either, she thought.

She had her own little world to save though. Applejack was at least half lesbian and so was Twilight, apparently. Their courtship had come about quite suddenly and Apple Bloom was none too sure how she felt about the situation. Yet, if it meant so much to her sister, Apple Bloom could not allow the relationship to end in disaster. Applejack had already suffered enough over Twilight.

Apple Bloom shook her head, wondering what Granny Smith might have said about it all. She probably would have said it was darn-tootin’ foolishness for friends ta go experimentin’ with somethin’ as outlandish as all that. She probably would have said Applejack needed a strong stallion, a rodeo-type who could make foals with her . . . What about children?

If this thing with Twilight is for real and Applejack never has any babies and Macintosh keeps plodding along single as he is, maybe it’ll be up ta me ta make sure there’re still Apples at Sweet Apple Acres . . . Wow, that’s a big responsibility, but maybe a good one. Apple Bloom imagined marrying a handsome stallion and raising colts and fillies to be strong and honest farmers. They would carry on the quirky little Apple family traditions, which kept life on the farm from getting boring. Whoever I marry will have ta take my family name instead of me taking his. I won’t have this place being called Sweet “Something Stupid” Acres.

A flutter of wings interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see a familiar yellow pegasus alight nearby. Apple Bloom greeted her with a friendly tip of her alligator-leather hat and a, “Good afternoon, Ms. Fluttershy.” She felt more grown up addressing her elders formally.

“Hi Apple Bloom, I’ve been looking all over for you. I was worried you might be sick when I found that you weren’t at school.”

“The only kind of sick I am is sick of school.”

Apple Bloom wondered why Fluttershy had come. She had not talked to her much in that last year or two, but maybe it was just that Fluttershy did not talk to anypony very much. Whatever this was about, it was probably important.

“Um, I’m really sorry to bother you.”

Apple Bloom laughed. “Well, as ya can plainly see, my time is really important,” she noticed that her sarcasm made her sound like the silly little filly she was trying not to be.

Fluttershy glanced about furtively, as if worried some other pony might be watching. “I’m worried about . . . I, well, I’m worried about Twilight,” she stammered.

“Me too,” Apple Bloom patted the grass next to her, inviting Fluttershy to sit beside her. “My sister’s in love with Twilight. It’s kinda weird.”

Fluttershy carefully sat down next to Apple Bloom. “Yes, they told me that they had fallen in love. That was, um, unexpected, but they seem happy together. That’s not what I’m worried about . . . Did Twilight tell you about her plans for revenge?”

Revenge was about the last word Apple Bloom expected Fluttershy speak. “Uh, I don’t reckon so. Who does she want to get revenge on?” She found herself whispering despite no other ponies being near about.

“I think she plans to take revenge when she finds out who petrified her. She doesn’t know it yet, but Spike was the one who did it. He didn’t mean to. It was just an unfortunate mistake.”

Apple Bloom met eyes with Fluttershy. “But Spike never cast any spells before and he certainly ain’t powerful enough ta keep the princesses from bringing Twilight back. Besides, I thought nopony knew what happened to Spike.”

“Princess Celestia and I know where he is. I also told Applejack and Twilight, but I’m worried Twilight will find out why he’s hiding and be mad at him.”

“Yeah, but, even assuming Spike did actually turn Twilight ta stone, why would he do it? He ain’t evil like other dragons.”

“Oh, he’s not evil at all, but he was mad at Twilight for teleporting him all over place. He told me teleporting makes him dizzy and burns him sometimes. He said he was wishing that she would stop teleporting them around and stay still for a while, then she just turned to stone. He was so sure it was his fault that he went into hiding.”

“Why do ya reckon he told ya about what happened? He knew Rarity a lot better. I would have thought that he’d go ta her if he wanted ta talk ta somepony about what happened.”

“Actually, I’m not sure that he really intended to come to me. I saw him sneaking through the woods and he came up to talk after he noticed that I was watching him.”

Apple puzzled over what Fluttershy was telling her. “Wait a second, why are ya telling me all this? I’m not even a grownup yet.”

“Um, well, you are one of the only ponies I know in Ponyville besides Twilight and Applejack and I needed somepony to talk to.”

“Why didn’t ya talk ta Applejack?”

“Oh, I couldn’t talk to her. She’s Twilight’s girlfriend now and she might tell Twilight if I told her about Spike turning her to stone. I can’t let Twilight know until I’m sure she won’t be mad at Spike.”

“I don’t think ya need ta worry. Twilight always said Spike was her ‘number-one assistant’ and they spent almost all of their time together. They were like two peas in a pod. Twilight would never hurt Spike.”

“Yes, but Twilight seems different. I think being stone for so long might change anypony. I was very happy to see her again, but I’m also a little bit scared of her. I think she’s angrier about the curse than she acts like she is.”

Apple Bloom’s doubts about Twilight were growing all the time. Fluttershy was afraid of almost everything, so maybe it was not too alarming that she was afraid of Twilight, but after what Apple Bloom had seen the previous night, she did not know what to think about Twilight herself.

Applejack had been sleeping on the living-room sofa, and Twilight was crouched on the floor next to her, white light pulsing around her horn and shining from beneath her eyelids. Maybe Rarity would know what sort of spell it was, but she was all the way up in Canterlot. Apple Bloom had debated going to the Ponyville library to look for answers, but was not particularly keen on explaining why she, an earth pony farmer, would be interested in reading books about advanced unicorn magic.

Telling Fluttershy what she had seen would probably just make things worse. “Twilight is nice enough, I don’t think there’s any sort of reason ta be afraid of her unless ya make enemies with her.”

This thought did not seem to comfort Fluttershy at all. “Oh I hope that never happens!”

“It won’t ever happen,” Apple Bloom reassured her.

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment. “I also wanted to invite you to come to Canterlot with me, Twilight, and your sister. We’re going to meet up with Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Twilight’s family. We’ll probably get to see Princess Celestia too. You might have to miss some school but—”

“Ya don’t have ta sell it so hard. Ya could have just started with, ‘Ya might have ta miss some school.’ I’d love ta come ta Canterlot with ya’ll.”

“Okay, we’ll talk more about Spike and Twilight later. Also, when we go, make sure you bring the alligator hat you’re wearing. I want Rarity to see it again . . . I’ve got to go and take care of my animal friends now. It was nice seeing you, Apple Bloom.”

“See ya later,” she called as the pegasus took to the sky and glided out over the trees. Why the hay would she tell me ta bring my hat? I guess she doesn’t know that I’d bring my hat no matter what, but why does she care? Fluttershy wasn’t even the one who made it for me.

Twilight II

Twilight lay in a peaceful half-sleep. The grass beneath the apple tree pressed against her, as comfortable as goose-down cushions. She felt a trickle of drool sliding down her cheek. That’s kind of gross. Maybe I should do something about it.

AJ bounded up to her. “Hey there, Twi. It’s time ta run.” Instead of helping her to her hooves, AJ flopped down beside her, and licked the drool from her cheek.

Twilight woke with a start, her heart pounding hard. Winona was licking her cheeks and panting dog breath over her face. “Oh . . . It’s just you. You want out again don’t you?” Twilight cast light around the room with her horn. Squinting in the brightness of her own magic, she could barely find the clock. A quarter to four. It’s still a few hours until we run.

She returned to the coach, only vaguely remembering staggering up to let Winona out. The goose-down cushions pressed against her cheek as she curled up once more. She felt too lazy to find the blanket which had slipped away and fallen to the floor at some point during the night.

Feeling cold and being unable to get back to sleep, she got up and wandered through the barn-house, finding her way to AJ’s bedroom. She slipped into the bed and snuggled up against AJ’s warm body, but her thoughts wandered to the most recent delay of their trip to Canterlot, and she never knew if she was awake or asleep.

When the first rays of sunlight began to brighten the room, Twilight felt AJ’s warmth pull away from her. AJ gently rocked her back and forth. “Ya ready ta run, Twi?”

Twilight blinked at the light showing through a gap in the window shutters. “You’re not mad at me for sneaking in here, are you?”

AJ chuckled. “Nah, not at all. Ah thought you were Apple Bloom at first, because you were mumblin’ somethin’ about a nightmare, but then Ah remembered that she ain’t done that in a couple of years. Ya said Ah was licking your face or something along those lines. Ah almost took ya up on the idea, but Ah figured it was best ta let ya sleep.”

Twilight’s felt warmth spreading across her cheeks and she pulled the sheets up to her eyes to hide her embarrassment. She could not bring herself to fully express her feelings for AJ. Something about starting in the middle of a relationship made it all the more awkward. What if we started over? “AJ . . .”

“Yes, Twi?”

“I know we were thinking that we would figure out our feelings after we get back from Canterlot, but Rarity always seems to find an excuse to delay the reunion . . . So, do you want to, you know, get to know each other better, like a real couple.”

AJ smirked and stepped closer to the bed. “Ah, just come out and say it, Twi. Ya ain’t gotta be nervous around me.”

Twilight gulped, feeling more nervous than she expected she would. She took a deep breath. “Do you want to go on a first date? Maybe that seems like a weird thing to ask, since we already live together, but everything’s out of order for us. I was in love with you long before I knew it was you, and then we were kissing, then we came here and I’ve felt shy about our love with your brother and sister around.”

AJ slipped back into bed without taking her hat off. She rolled over on her side to face Twilight; their eyes met knowingly for a moment and their muzzles met in a kiss over the gap between their pillows. Twilight was more than ready to match AJ’s enthusiasm; there had been so many times she had wanted to kiss her since she had come to live on the farm.

When their lips finally parted and they opened their eyes, AJ was smiling sheepishly back at her. “Ah’d love ta go on a date with ya . . . How ‘bout a picnic on Pine Island? It’s just a short row ta the middle of the lake. Though Ah reckon dates are supposed ta end with kissing, not start with ‘em.”

“Actually, I was thinking we could go on our date later in the afternoon. We’ll need some time to prepare and we both have work today.”

AJ grinned broadly. “Ya’ve always been a ‘work before play’ pony Twi. We think alike, you and me. Ah’ll see ya soon enough.” She got up and tipped her hat before slipping out of the bedroom to begin a hard day’s work.

With a twinge of guilt and sadness, Twilight realized she had again managed to duck out of running. She liked running with AJ—she liked doing anything with AJ really—but she had a competing passion as well, she had to study.

A more reasonable pony might have sat down for breakfast, but Twilight seated herself at the desk in the hall instead. Precarious piles of library books had towered up around her as she had checked out successively larger stacks. There were so many volumes that even the most bookish pony could scarcely have hoped to read a quarter of them before needing to return them all, but she was not looking for reading so much as for inspiration and reference.

She was passed stuffing her head with facts. Most facts were more entertaining than relevant. Rather than memorizing information; she was creating, revising, exploring, practicing, and experimenting. During her captivity, she had been eager to refine her new spells, should she ever break free. If nothing else, it was good to see them worked out on parchment. As she scrawled out the arcana, flaws constantly presented themselves, defiantly daring her to straighten them out. No spell was ever perfect though. The trick was to stop improving them when further efforts became sufficiently fruitless.

She loved her creations. Her empathy spell was her baby. It seemed so ingenious. Perhaps that was why she shuddered to think what seasoned academics might make of it if she ever presented the paper for collegiate review.

As rewarding as refining her spells had been, she pushed the parchments aside and levitated a divination tomb in front of her. Now the real work was to begin. She would need to study prodigiously if she was to succeed where the princesses had failed her.

Frustratingly few books explored divination, one of the most useful and most difficult fields of magic. During her earlier years of study, divination was the kind of academic work she had tried to pretend did not exist. It was simply too complicated and difficult to even consider. She knew her pride was likely to be wounded repeatedly if she dove into this field, but, if there was any magic which would allow her to enact her revenge, it would be divination.

Every curse had a signature that could betray its caster’s identity, location, intentions, and more. Whoever had turned her to stone had something coming to them, though she wondered what it was. She only knew that it would be a harsh and swift justice. There was no question about her ability to deliver it now that her magic had grown so strong.

Struggling against her petrification had been a continual magical workout which had been far more productive than she could have hoped to have been while free. She wondered if her love for AJ was also giving her strength, feeding her with the power to vanquish entire armies like Shining Armor and Cadance—she would have already visited her brother and sister-in-law if not for Rarity’s inconsiderate stalling. Shifting her wandering thoughts back to AJ, the familiar feelings washed over her, into her, through her, permeating her very being. Imagining AJ’s smile gave her a rising sensation in her chest that made her heart race and her head feel dizzy.

Her revenge could afford to be delayed; her date was more important. She resolved to spend the rest of the workday preparing for their romantic excursion. She knew AJ deserved better than she had been giving. Despite her newfound freedom and the restoration of her senses, Twilight had immediately re-imprisoned herself within her books and within her thoughts. She needed to break free for AJ.

* * *

A loud torrent of knocks crashed against the front door, causing Twilight to jump. She dropped the half-packed picnic basket on the counter and hurried to meet the unexpected guest, wondering what justification there could possibly be for such enthusiastic knocking.

“Come on, come on, come on!” came an unmistakable high-pitched voice.

“Pinkie!” Twilight exclaimed, yanking the door open with her magic. The next thing she knew, Pinkie had tackled her to the hardwood floor and had pinned her in a warm hug that was both affectionate and inescapable. Twilight hugged her back as best she could with her vision obscured by a mass of frazzled pink mane.

“Twilight, it’s so amazing to see you again! You’re all yourself again and not stone and not dead and totally alive and—”

“Uh, Pinkie, do you think we could continue this conversation some place where I’m not on the floor and you’re not lying on top of me?”

The rambunctious pony rolled off of her and summersaulted onto her hooves. “Sure thing, Twilight. Sorry to show up uninvited and everything, but I just couldn’t wait another day to see you, not after I got Rarity’s last letter.” She helped Twilight to her hooves and brushed her off. “I was so happy to hear you were alive again. I wanted to jump on the fastest train to Ponyville as soon as I got the first letter you sent me. I don’t see why you want to wait until Rarity’s party to see us all. Eveypony wants to see you again, Twilight.”

“I know, and I want to see you all too, but it’s a little complicated . . .”

“Well,” Pinkie looked at her expectantly.

“Well . . . I’m sure you know more about it than me, but Rarity and AJ had some sort of fight before she moved to Canterlot.”

Pinkie’s cheerful expression faltered and she became serious. She spoke almost in a whisper. “I wasn’t there, but Rainbow Dash told me that Rarity said some really mean things and made Applejack cry.”

Twilight beckoned Pinkie to follow her into the kitchen so she could continue packing her picnic basket while they talked. She faced Pinkie and filled the basket with various snacks and accessories without looking at it. “Fluttershy and I have been hoping that we can set things right between AJ and Rarity. I’m hoping that Rarity will feel more forgiving if we make her feel special by holding our reunion at her new boutique. You know how she loves to be the center of attention.”

“She’s always the center of attention now that she’s super rich and famous and important. I haven’t seen the new building yet, but Rainbow Dash said it’s like really, really, really tall . . . I think Rainbow Dash said it was awesome too . . . Oh! Speaking of Rainbow Dash, she told me she’ll be coming to visit you and Applejack today. I wanted her to ride on the train with me, but she said trains are way too slow. Anyway, Rainbow Dash has a big surprise for you.”

“What sort of surprise?”

Pinkie grinned broadly. “A big one.”

“Come on, Pinkie, can I at least have a hint?”

“Oh, Twilight, I can’t be the one to tell you. What sort of a surprise would it be if I told you?” Pinkie stepped up the counter to peer into the basket. “Getting ready for a picnic party?”

“Actually, AJ and I are going on our first date this afternoon.”

Pinkie gave her a puzzled looked. “First date? Why not fifth date?”

“Uh, because the number one comes before the number five.”

“No, silly, why haven’t you been on a single date yet? You are girlfriends aren’t you?”

“Well, that’s kind of complicated too. I want to be AJ’s girlfriend, but the whole situation is pretty weird. I mean, we spend a lot of time together in the evenings and we’ve kissed a few times, but I’ve mostly just been studying magic since I came to that farm and, even though AJ wants me to share her bed, I’ve been sleeping on the couch.”

Pinkie smiled knowingly. “Oh, I see what this date is about. Once you’re officially dating, you can sleep in the same bed! . . . or is it too soon on the first date? We should ask Rarity when we get to Canterlot, she’s an expert on dating.”

“Pinkie, can I ask you something?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course you can ask me something. Even if I didn’t want you to ask me a question, I couldn’t really stop you, unless I got super resourceful and taped your mouth closed or something, but that wouldn’t be very nice of me, so ask me whatever you want.”

“Do you have any idea why Rarity would keep delaying our reunion like this? I would have thought she’d be delighted to see me again. I’m sure she’s busy with her business like she says, but this is getting a little ridiculous.”

“I have no idea. I haven’t seen Rarity in a long time. The only friends I spend much time with now are my sisters.” She began to tear up as she spoke. “I-I just couldn’t stay in Ponyville after you were gone. All of our friends were sad and Applejack and Rarity started arguing about whether she should always run up to see you each morning since it made her so sad and Rainbow Dash joined the Wonder Bolts and was never here anymore and Fluttershy got even more shy and just wanted to hide in her house.” Tears burst from her eyes and she sobbed uncontrollably into Twilight’s shoulder.

Twilight helped her to a chair at the kitchen table and levitated an apple in front of her. “Don’t worry, Pinkie. I’m going to make everything right again.” She sounded more confident than she felt.

Pinkie sniffled and took a bite from the apple. Her tears subsided and her face brightened as she looked up gratefully at Twilight. “Do you want some help planning for your date?” she asked between loud, satisfied bites of apple.

Twilight felt her cheeks pull into a smile. “Sure, I’d love some help. I don’t really know what I’m doing, honestly.”

* * *

“This ain’t exactly gonna be a formal occasion, sugarcube,” AJ commented as Twilight levitated their gala dresses from a chest in AJ’s closet.

Pinkie bounded around them excitedly. “Oh come on Applejack, it’s a date. You’ll look cute for each other!”

Twilight reached out with a hoof and stroked the soft fabric of her old star-dress. “I’m assuming nopony is going to see us where we’re going anyway.”

“Well, Ah’d sure hope not. We’d look like darn prissy fools wearing these fancy things to a humble picnic.”

Twilight smiled. “How ‘humble’ were you thinking this picnic was going to be?”

AJ’s freckled cheeks glowed crimson with embarrassment, but her grin betrayed her excitement. She nipped Twilight’s dress from the air and began squeezing herself into it. The starry ensemble fit tightly around her body, and Twilight thought it looked cute on her. She was not so sure that AJ’s dress looked as good on her.

Pinkie hugged them together in her hooves. “Oh, I’m so excited for you. This is going to be the best date ever!”

“You weren’t planning on coming with us, were you, Pinkie?”

“Don’t be silly, Twilight. Somepony has to stay here in case Rainbow Dash shows up.”

* * *

Twilight and AJ galloped through a meadow, swimming through tall sweet-smelling dry grasses that shown brightly in the summer sun. Their picnic basket careened through the air behind them, held aloft by Twilight’s magic. They must have looked ridiculous to any ponies who might have chanced to see them in their fancy dresses and cowpony hats. This was the freedom Twilight knew she had been fighting for.

She dashed ahead of AJ, galloping to the edge of the field and out across the lakeshore. A spray of sand and pebbles flew from her hooves as she sprang into the air and plunged into the lake. The cool water soaked through her outfit and flowed around her body. Water sloshed and poured off the rim of her hat, as her face emerged from lake. A loud splash told her that AJ had followed her example. Forget about rowing, we’ll swim across! She kicked out with her hooves, propelling herself slowly toward the distant island.

“Where are ya going? There’s a boat ya know.” AJ called after her.

“What, afraid of a little swim?” Twilight called back to her tauntingly.

AJ swam out to Twilight, bobbing awkwardly through the water in the star-patterned dress. “Ah ain’t afraid of nothing, but ya’d best stick close ta me, swimming is a mite more difficult than running.”

The picnic basket floated overhead as they worked their way out into the lake. The heavy dresses clung to their bodies, making their progress all the more difficult. Already winded from their run, Twilight found it impossible to match AJ’s steady pace. Running short of breath, she began dragging behind as her strokes became less coordinated and more desperate. “AJ, help . . . I-I can’t keep this up!”

Twilight’s strength faltered and she slipped helplessly beneath the surface of lake. She was too tired to maintain the levitation spell on the picnic basket, and she saw it bobbing on the lake’s surface above her. AJ kicked up a flurry of bubbles as she swam toward her, but she seemed too far away. The rays of sunlight flittering through the water began to fade as crushing darkness began to close in around Twilight.

She felt herself towed upward and back into the light. She was suddenly on the lake surface once more, gasping for breath. AJ hugged her close and tread water to keep them afloat. Their hearts pounded against each other’s chests, yet AJ’s breath remained calm and steady.

“Ah’ll help pull ya along,” AJ said.

“No . . . It’s alright, I’ll be okay,” Twilight gasped as she clung tight against AJ.

When they began swimming again, AJ set a slower pace, and Twilight cast her levitation spell on both the picnic basket and on herself to lessen the strain of the swim. The strength of her magic made the swim no more strenuous than walking. She hoped AJ would not notice that her hooves were shimming slightly beneath the surface of the lake.

The sun was sinking toward the western hills by the time they neared the shore only to see that the island was already occupied. The mayor and a few other middle-aged mares were basking in folding chairs along the water’s edge. They did not appear to have noticed Twilight and AJ as they neared the island.

Twilight had regained her breath, and the weight of AJ’s gala dress barely encumbered her as she felt solid ground beneath her hooves and waded out onto the sandy shore. AJ, however, clambered out of the lake on shaky legs and collapsed, gasping desperately for breath. Twilight felt herself tearing up as she helped AJ to her hooves. She had needlessly put her through so much more exertion than she herself could have endured. And for what?

“Thanks Twi . . . Ah’m okay . . . Ah . . . just need a breather . . . that’s all. Gosh, you sure can swim better than Ah’d have reckoned ya could. All Ah needed ta do was have the good sense to set a more reasonable pace and ya kept up just fine. Ya sure are strong for such a little pony.”

You’re the strong one. I’m just a worthless cheat, Twilight though.

The mayor put on her spectacles and roused herself from her folding chair to trot up and greet them. “Why if it’s isn’t our four-time winner of the Pony of Ponyville Award,” she said, nodding politely to AJ, “and, if it isn’t your lovely girlfriend, Twilight Sparkle.”

Girlfriend. Yes, now that we’re dating, we’re officially girlfriends! It’s better than being roommates who make out at odd times.

The mayor nodded to Twilight. “It’s excellent to see you again. I was very happy to hear that the curse had worn off. It was a sad day for Ponyville when you turned to stone.”

Twilight listened politely as the mayor babbled, and introduced them to her prim friends, important city councilors from Manehattan whose names escaped memory seconds after they had been introduced. Thankfully, the older mares hid whatever judgments they might have harbored about Twilight’s and AJ’s absurd appearances. The mayor seemed to be under the impression that AJ and Twilight had been on the island the whole time and had only swum around from the other side; she could have never guessed what they had just been through. In all likelihood, the mayor would have continued talking well past Celestia’s bedtime, but one of her friends produced an excuse for their party to row back across the lake, and they left Twilight with her girlfriend in the privacy they desired.

“Boy howdy! Surviving that swim has got me powerful hungry,” AJ declared as she spread a checkered picnic blanket over the spot where the mayor and her friends had been lounging. Fortunately, the wicker of the picnic basket had been weaved tight enough to be waterproof, elsewise the food would have been ruined and their picnic would have been over before it had begun.

Twilight ungracefully struggled out of AJ’s dress. The sopping garment made a loud splat sound as she slung it over a nearby branch. Luckily, it did not sound as though she had ripped it. AJ paused amid her picnic preparations so Twilight could help her wriggle out of the undersized star-dress. It was a considerable effort for both of them, but, for Twilight, having an excuse to run her hooves along AJ’s muscular body made the struggle more than worth it.

“That swim was a mite bit reckless. What was that all about?” AJ asked as they sat down on the checkered blanket.

“I’m really sorry about the swim . . . It was stupid of me, but I wanted to impress you.”

AJ smiled, but gave an almost condescending shake of her head. “Ah impressed well enough, but it’s your common sense I love ya for, not so much your recklessness. A pony’s apt ta get killed on adventures with you. We’ve faced a lot of dangers together; albeit we had ta face a lot of those dangers on account of the princess sending us on perilous missions, but it all worked out fine . . . You’re not still mad at our princess are ya?”

Twilight frowned in spite of herself. Breaching uncomfortable topics on a first date was far less than ideal, but things had hardly gone as planned thus far, and she did not want her girlfriend to feel like she had to trot on eggshells. “I understand that the princess did all she could. I just expected that she would be able to free me, so it was very disappointing when I finally admitted to myself that it was not going to happen. I’m not mad at her anymore.”

Twilight levitated a sugar cube to AJ’s lips. She obliged by plucking it from the air with evident satisfaction. A look of adoration showed upon her face as she met eyes with Twilight. However, Twilight’s real purpose in feeding her the sugar cube was to disguise the empathy spell as she cast it. AJ would not be able to tell the difference; Twilight could cast multiple spells at once so long as her horn was glowing. The more time Twilight spent with AJ, the less honest she felt, but she had to know if AJ believed her about forgiving the princess; she needed closure to move forward.

She immediately felt that AJ was happy to be there with her. No real surprises there, but nice to know anyway. There was no hint of trouble in her mind, only relief. She must have believed Twilight was being sincere about having forgiven the princess, even though Twilight was only half sure she believed it herself. Is it a lie if I don’t know the answer myself? Yes . . . I just lied to her. Twilight felt her heart sink. AJ would never lie to me. She’s a better pony than I am. Twilight suddenly felt AJ’s distress.

AJ was talking in a distressed tone as well. “Uh, Twilight? You’re kind of spacin’ out. Are ya alright? Are ya cold? Ah’m a bit cold myself, but the sun should dry us out plenty good before it goes behind them hills. What’s troubling ya?”

Twilight snapped back to her senses and felt herself blushing fiercely. At least AJ had no way of knowing why. “Oh, I was just thinking about . . . uh, feelings.”

AJ leaned in close to Twilight’s face. “What sort of feelings? You’re blushin’ something like Ah’ve never seen ya blush before. It’s alright though, Ah won’t judge and ya don’t have ta tell me if ya don’t feel comfortable . . . though Ah am mighty curious.” These were more than words; Twilight knew AJ’s curiosity as if it were her own.

“I can feel everything you can feel!” Twilight blurted out, immediately feeling glad to be honest.

AJ did not look or feel very surprised to hear this. “It’s a bit strange, but Ah can feel what you’re feeling too. I’ve never felt closer ta anypony before.”

What? The spell isn’t supposed to work both ways! Twilight’s cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“Ah’m sorry, Ah should have told ya sooner, but Ah noticed the title of one of the spells you were working on and Ah couldn’t help myself. Almost none of what ya had scribbled out made half an apple’s worth of sense ta me, but Ah realized it was a spell for readin’ feelings.”

Now she knows that I’m a worthless sneak! Twilight thought desperately.

“I’m sorry, Twi. It wasn’t my place to look over your work. If ya wanted me ta know what ya were working on ya woulda told me. Ah can understand if ya’re upset.”

She feels just as bad as I do . . . This isn’t how dates are supposed to go! Twilight sprang forward and embraced AJ in a tight hug. Neither one of them wanted to let go. They began feeling much better after a few seconds.

“Ya know . . .” Twilight felt AJ’s voice against her chest as they clung to one another. “Ah think Ah could feel what you were feeling some of those times Ah went ta visit you in the woods. Ah couldn’t be sure, but it was almost as if, seeing ya in stone, Ah could feel your hopes and your excitement, but all that time Ah just thought those were my own feelings. What you’re doing now feels a fair bit stronger though.”

“I’ve made the spell more efficient and improved the design a lot since I’ve been able to put it on paper,” she said, letting go of AJ to stare at the checkered blanket beneath them. “I just didn’t know that the spell went both ways. I feel kind of stupid for not noticing until you told me.”

AJ reached out with a gentle hoof and nudged Twilight’s chin so they were seeing each other eye to eye. “Twi, you’re about the last pony in Equestria who should feel stupid about anything. You’re the cleverest pony Ah’ve ever known.”

Twilight almost found herself at a loss for words as she stared into AJ’s deep green eyes. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to know how you were feeling, but I feel like I was really violating your privacy. I’ll tell you when I’m casting the spell in the future, if I ever cast it anymore,” she said as she deactivated the spell.

AJ laughed. “Don’t worry about it Twi, I ain’t mad at all. Ya always were the curious sort, the sort who ain’t satisfied ‘til ya find all the answers ta everything. Ya won’t have ta tell me if ya cast the spell. Ah’ll be able ta feel what you’re feeling. That’s enough of a giveaway, especially now that you’ve got the spell worked out so it’s more powerful.”

AJ cut some slices of apple pie and served one for each of them. Twilight took her slice gratefully as AJ hoofed it over to her. They took a few moments to eat quietly while gazing out across the shimmering lake. It was amazing that AJ had been able to swim across it.

After AJ finished her last bite of pie, she cleared her throat as if to speak, but kept staring out across the water, almost nervously. At last she spoke, “Ah know ya feel bad for pryin’ inta my feelings like ya did, but Ah honestly think that’s a wonderful spell ya got there. There are probably a lot of good uses for it.” She looked at Twilight shyly. “Do ya think you could cast it again, Ah want ta know what you’re feeling when Ah kiss you.”

AJ was right, there were so many possibilities. Twilight willed the full force of her magic into her spell.. Despite all of her work, its design was questionable, especially given that she had overlooked one of its most fundamental aspects. A less reckless pony probably would not even be taking chances by casting such an underdeveloped spell. Love comes with risks, she told herself as AJ’s happiness flowed together with hers.

Twilight closed her eyes and leaned forward to meet her girlfriend’s lips. It felt more wonderful and far less confusing than it had out in the woods during the storm or in bed that morning. AJ’s lips tasted of sugar, apples, and cinnamon. When their tongues met, they danced slowly and lovingly across each other, and Twilight knew it was all she ever wanted. Her past and her resentments were meaningless compared with the sweet experience of this moment, which she shared so intimately with AJ.

She suddenly felt surprised and amused by it all. These were not her feelings, so they must have been AJ’s. Why would AJ find this kiss funny? Am I doing it wrong? I knew I should have really read up on kissing before our date. I’m so underprepared!

A flurry of wind whipped and thrashed around them. Twilight heard the articles of their picnic being scattered by in the wind. The picnic cloth flapped and billowed around them as the air came in quick gusts. Twilight pulled gently away from AJ’s embrace and they both opened their eyes to glance about, more surprised now than overcome with passion.

Rainbow Dash hovered in the air several yards above them, grinning as if she might start laughing at any moment. She was blowing their romantic picnic in all directions with the force of her wings. Landing lightly on her back hooves, she appeared to be rearing up gallantly. Apparently none of her showpony instincts had been lost.

“So it’s true then,” Dash said, adopting a voice, which, in its feigned callousness, could not conceal her joy. She went on before Twilight’s and AJ’s blushing could reach its full extent. “I know it’s not cool to watch other ponies slobber all over each other’s faces, but it really looked like it must have been a great feeling kiss. It was kind of scary, actually.”

Twilight hastily dispelled her empathic magic, realizing Dash must have gotten a taste of it as well.

Not waiting for either of them to respond, Dash continued talking. “I know we were gonna meet up at Rarity’s skyscraper, but I couldn't wait to see you any longer. Rarity told me she was delaying our get-together because she was busy having the windows removed from the top floor. At least it makes the building more pegasus-friendly. Now I can drop in on her at any time.”

Twilight pushed her embarrassment from her mind and stepped forward to give Dash a hug. “I’ve missed you so much. I’m glad you came to see us, even if your timing was a bit, uh, unexpected.”

Dash warmly returned the embrace. “Hugs are fine, so long as you don’t start do anything to me like what you were just doing to Applejack. I’m married.”

“Huh?” Twilight let go of the pegasus and stepped back to see if it was still Rainbow Dash standing before her.

Dash laughed. “I’ll bet you didn’t see that one coming. You should see the look on your face. If you took out the dictionary and you looked up ‘surprised,’ you’d see a picture of yourself.”

AJ stepped forward and gave Dash a friendly hoofshake before turning to Twilight, looking a bit amused herself. “Sorry, sugarcube, but Rainbow asked me not to tell ya about her marriage. She wanted ta be the one ta brag ta you about it.”

“Hey, marriage is nothing to brag about. It’s just funny that I beat all the rest of you to it.”

“So who’s the lucky—” Twilight almost said, “stallion,” but wondered if she was being too presumptive.

“The lucky groom?” Dash offered a possible ending for her sentence. “His name is Meadow Flower. Yeah, I know, it sounds like a girl’s name, so spare me, but he’s the newest Wonder Bolt and I took him under my wing.” No empathic magic was necessary to see how much Dash was amused by her own pun. “One thing led to another thing and that other thing led to another thing and so on. Blah, blah, blah, we’re married! We did it fast, real fast. You have to meet him. He’s awesome! But I’m sure you’ve already figured that out just based on who he married.” Dash said, pointing to herself.

And I thought she was cocky before she became a Wonder Bolt. Still, Twilight had longed to see Rainbow Dash as much as any of her friends. She was not even particularly mad about how she had disrupted her kiss with AJ. There would be more time for kissing.

Dash was still talking, and whatever she was saying seemed to have required her to strut back and forth like she owned the little island simply because she had landed on it. “You may think you’ve got a better story than me, sending letters out to everypony in Equestria that you’re surprise lesbians and you came back to life and stuff, but I’ve got another bombshell coming . . . wait for it . . . I’m on maternity leave!”

Twilight blinked.

Dash looked increasingly smug with every word. “Yeah, I haven’t decided a name for our son yet, nothing seems awesome enough. I’m thinking the naming process will be the only slow thing about him. I’m gonna have him blasting the sky with sonic rainbooms even before I did my first one. Every generation has to step up and be a bit more awesome than the last one.”

“Ah thought ya said ya were flying ultra-distance, because ya wanted your name in them record books too, not getting pregnant without telling nopony.”

Dash grinned. “Nope, I’m too cool for boring, old ultra-distance flying. It was all an ingenious scheme to take it easy while I was waiting for the baby. I couldn’t very well perform for the Wonder Bolts while I was pregnant. Do you know how tight those show suits are? They’re as tight as my stunts. I would have looked like a flying whale if I wore one while I was pregnant.” She puffed out her belly and cheeks while flying around clumsily as if to demonstrate what she might have looked like as a Wonder Bolt whale. Despite her efforts, she still looked skinny.

Twilight recovered from the shock enough to realize that it would be polite to congratulate the boisterous pegasus on her many achievements, both athletic and familial. Though the way Dash was carrying on, encouragement hardly seemed like it would be healthy. “Congratulations on everything, Rainbow. I can’t wait to meet the baby and your husband.”

Dash did a double flip and landed lightly on the sand. “I could pick you up and fly you to Cloudsdale right now if you want,” she made it sound like a realistic offer. “I’d probably have to take you one at a time since AJ built so much leg muscle running to see you each day.”

AJ grinned at the complement. “What, ya don’t think you’re strong enough ta carry the both us at once?” She jived.

For a second, Dash looked as though she might reply with a biting comeback, but she just laughed. “It’ll be a few months before I’m back in that kind of shape.”

“AJ and I have already had more than enough adventure for one day, so you won’t have to bother with taking us to Cloudsdale. We were having a date of sorts, but it wasn’t going exactly according to plan, even before you came here and sent all our stuff flying.”

Dash took the air and hovered above them. “I didn’t really mean to intrude or anything. I just got bored waiting to see you guys and I noticed you down here on my way to Sweet Apple Acres I’ll see you back at the farm if you want to keep going at each other. I’ll see you later . . . Oh, and Pinkie should be showing up later tonight; she’s taking the train.” With this, Rainbow Dash shot off through the evening sky, leaving a shimmering rainbow in her wake.

AJ chuckled. “That one’s got as short an attention span as a pond fish. Here Ah ain’t even seen her in over a year, and you ain’t seen her for even longer, and she only sticks around for a couple of minutes and is flying away before we can even get a word in edgewise. Ah shoulda nabbed me a good hold on her tail ta keep her from shooting off so fast. Ah guess we’ll have plenty of time to visit with her and Pinkie tonight. We should invite Fluttershy too. Ah wish Rarity was here though. You want to call it a date and head back to see our friends?”

Twilight felt herself smiling as she eyed AJ. “Sure, but I think we’ll need more practice at this whole dating thing.”

Almost absentmindedly, Twilight gathered up the remains of their picnic. She did not really even have to look at what she was doing with her magic. The wet dresses barely fit in the basket, but she managed to squeeze the lid shut. “Rainbow Dash really seemed pleased with herself. I guess mothers usually are. Shining Armor used to tell me that mom did nothing but talk about me while she was pregnant. He told me that all of the hype helped convince him to be the best brother he could be once I was born. He didn’t disappoint me . . . though I worry I’m disappointing him by not coming to Canterlot sooner.”

“Aw, don’t worry so much about it, sugarcube. We’ll see your brother soon enough, him and Cadance. Heck we might even get a chance ta meet Rainbow’s husband. Ah haven’t seen Rainbow much since she stopped running with me and became a famous Wonder Bolt.” AJ took the picnic basket between her teeth. “How’d ya ‘spect we’ll get off this here island?”

A radiant white light snapped inward around them and they were standing on the opposite shore. “I probably should have done that the first time,” Twilight said sheepishly.

AJ set the picnic basket down. “Nah, that wouldn’t have made for much of a memory. Ah’ll have a story ta tell our friends and family when we get back. They’ll think we were half crazy. Ah think Ah’ll leave out the parts about us kissing and feeling each other’s feelings though.”

As they trotted home amid the last rays of the setting sun, Twilight almost laughed to herself. Things had hardly gone as she planned, but sometimes her plans were overrated.

AJ slowed her steps and stopped, turning to face Twilight as they neared the farm. The last of the day’s sunlight glowed across her freckled face. She smiled shyly. “Ah love you, Twi.”

Twilight brushed her cheek against AJ’s. “I love you too,” she whispered.

AJ gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Twi, whatever happens, Ah just want ya ta know that Ah don’t mind if you’re preoccupied with your studies or if our dates are always this much of a mess, Ah’ll still love you. Ah want ta be here for ya, even if neither of us are perfect.”

Rarity

Rarity sat at her massive arching executive desk, endlessly readjusting the crystal picture frames that contained photos of her friends. Twilight’s latest letter had said that they had all met up at Sweet Apple Acres and that they missed her and wanted to see her soon. Guilt racked Rarity’s mind as she considered the last round letters she had dictated to her interns, delaying the reunion once more.

Floating a small mirror from one of her many drawers, she considered her reflection. The dress she had chosen today was uninspired and she knew it. I’ve lost my touch. It’s only a matter of time before my empire comes crashing down around me and this dream is over. The numbers are never good anymore.

I wish I had someone to talk to who wasn’t on my payroll. I cannot delay the reunion any longer. So what if facing Twilight and explaining about the building will be horribly embarrassing. And so what if Applejack was right all along? So what if I was wrong? . . . I must face them both. Applejack is going to say, “Ah told ya so. Ah told ya it was worth visitin’ Twilight all them times.” I’m going to have to beg for forgiveness . . . And Rarity does not beg! I have come way too far in this world to be troubled by these sorts of indignities.

Oh, but what do I really have? I seem eager enough to cast friends aside and chase money instead. Ugh. I wish I could just be me again. She stared disgustedly at the white executive unicorn in her mirror. What a charade.

Rarity threw the mirror across the room and it burst into countless shards as it collided with the wall. She took a moment to reflect on what she had just done. Well, that was completely unladylike. I’m not myself these days. She waited a few more moments, knowing full well what would happen next.

Her secretary poked her head into the room from behind the office door. “Miss Rarity, are you okay?”

Rarity glared at the well-meaning pony. “Everything is copasetic,” she said in a voice not quite sarcastic enough to avoid ambiguity.

“Would you like me to clean up the broken glass?”

“Oh, you needn’t trouble yourself with that. I’m leaving the glass where it is. You know, as an artistic statement.”

“Very creative,” the secretary complemented her sincerely before disappearing from view, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Artistic statement? Rarity stood up from behind her desk and ambled stealthily across the length of the room with her dress trailing slowly behind her. One by one, she levitated the shards into a waste receptacle by the door, each time catching a glimpse of herself in the broken glass. Of course she was beautiful, but it was a pretentious kind of beauty only reserved for selling products to ponies chasing dreams. She could not chase the same dreams she sold; she was too busy selling them.

If she had dreams at all, her dreams were of bits in bank accounts. Every bit could be invested to earn more bits, and every bit earned was a small victory, while every bit lost was a world of pain. Acquiring money had become more compelling than spending it. Money could not buy anything she really wanted.

Rarity carefully arranged her dress beneath her as she sat down in her executive chair once more. It was already bad enough that the dress was not particularly inspired, but it would make matters far worse if she sat on it incorrectly and wrinkled it.

She leaned forward and continued gazing longingly at her old photographs. Fluttershy’s smile gave her an innocent and effortless beauty. Rarity wished Fluttershy was there by her side. They could kick back and enjoy some coffee together. Fluttershy could compliment her on her latest fashion designs or Rarity could listen politely while she talked about her animals and their various eating preferences.

Shifting her gaze to an autographed photo of Rainbow Dash, Rarity found herself wishing the pegasus would drop in to brag about her latest accomplishments. They could continue their standing argument about sponsorship. After all, how was being a Wonder Bolt mutually exclusive from being sponsored by Carousel Boutique? Of course it was a froufrou fashion company, as Rainbow had pointed out many times before, but with The Twilight Sparkle Memorial Tower completed, the company was now positioned as a veritable industrial titan and its sponsorship was hardly to be refused by any reasonable athlete.

I hope Twilight isn’t mad about the building’s name. I only named it out of the fondness of her memory, but explaining why it’s called a memorial—when it turns out she’s not actually dead—is going to be dreadfully awkward. Worse yet, this tower’s aesthetic design was a shameless exercise in narcissism and had almost nothing to do with Twilight.

Rarity considered a photo of Twilight looking up from a book she was reading. “I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered, feeling surprisingly close to tears.

Twilight’s petrification had led to the virtual breakup of The Elements of Harmony. Perhaps their reunion would bring them back together forever. It seemed too much to hope for; they could not all move to Canterlot.

Rarity continued staring at Twilight’s picture. Twilight Sparkle would make a brilliant addition to the payroll, she mused. It would bring the company some positive buzz in the next news cycle. Twilight doesn’t have any related work experience, but I’m sure, as powerful as she is, she would find a way to make herself useful . . . ugh, why is everything about business?

She reached out and repositioned a recently taken picture of Applejack and Twilight planting an Apple tree together. They were not facing the camera, but were looking at each other with happy, unforced smiles, and seemed oblivious to the mud on their hooves. Rarity felt a twinge of jealousy and set the frame on its face, so she would not have to see the blithe photograph.

She sat there for about a minute before slowly reaching out with her hoof and standing the picture upright once more. Her vague reflection in the glass pane looked remarkably unhappy compared with her muddy friends in the picture. Rarity saw a small glimmering tear slip down her cheek, making a trail through her makeup.

She retrieved a quill and an elegantly bordered card. Dipping the quill in a crystal inkwell, she considered how best to ameliorate the harm she had caused with her cowardly excuses.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I humbly apologize for—

A tear fell from her cheek and blotted the ink on the card. Rarity snatched the paper, threw it in trash, and began with a clean sheet.

Dear Twilight and Applejack,

I apologize for delaying the reunion. I was—

Rarity paused and set down her quill. I was . . . what? I cannot tell them why I delayed our plans. It’s simply too embarrassing and they will surely be angry with me. Well, I suppose I could at least write the truth down. I don’t have to send it. She scrawled quickly and precisely on yet another card.

Dear Applejack and Twilight,

I am no longer accustomed to apologizing for my mistakes, for I am surrounded by those who act as if I am incapable of doing anything wrong, but I have wronged you both and for this I am very sorry. My fear and shame have prompted me to delay our reunion an embarrassing number of times. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.

Applejack, I am truly sorry for attempting to deter you from visiting Twilight. I was far more mean-spirited than I should have been; though it was only because you were my dear friend and I could think of no better way to make you see that you were hurting yourself. It was presumptive of me to assume that I knew what was best for you. I would like you to know that I am not upset with you for any of the mean things you said to me when we last spoke. I hope you can forgive me and that we can be friends again.

Twilight, it has been far too long since I last saw you. I have so many questions for you. Again, it has been exceedingly rude of me to continue delaying our reunion. I know this is desperately short notice, but do you think you could all come to visit me this Saturday? I am horribly lonely. It would be lovely if you could invite Sweetie Belle to come along as well. I’ve been blowing her off.

With the thought of her sister, she felt herself tearing up once more. Several of her tears fell upon the letter as she added her signature.

—Rarity

She resisted a sharp urge to crumple up the tear-stained letter. Levitating it very close to her face, she reread what she had written and wondered if she would have the courage to send it.

She set the letter aside for a time and reapplied her makeup in another mirror which she drew from her desk. Once she was marginally satisfied with her reflection, she rang a small silver bell to summon her secretary.

Her secretary trotted in promptly and professionally. “Yes, Miss Rarity.”

“Please send this letter with the fastest pegasus you can find. The expense is no issue. I want this letter to arrive at Sweet Apple Acres within the hour.”