A Riddle or Twelve

by Idsertian

Rating: everyone
Tags: Main 6, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Romance, Discord, Zecora
Length: 27136

In the run up to Applejack's birthday, Rainbow Dash issues a challenge with a secret agenda.

Applejack’s birthday is coming up. She can tell by her calendar. She can tell by the bitter chill in the morning air that brings a slight ache in her bad knee. And she can tell by her marefriend’s shifty behaviour. Every year was the same: Rainbow Dash would poke and prod, in her cute and not-so-subtle way, trying to weedle information out of her, and Applejack, in turn, would drop hints about what she wanted that year. It was a game they played, one that Applejack gladly participated in, just to see that happy grin on her marefriend’s face as she opened her present and told her it was just what she wanted.

Except this year is different. This year, Rainbow isn’t poking and prodding, she’s acting smug and aloof. Like she knows something Applejack doesn’t. There’s an excited energy about her, one she hasn’t had in a long time, not since she made Captain of the Wonderbolts.

No, this year, something is very different. A difference that’s confirmed when Applejack finds a box on her doorstep one morning. A box addressed to her. From Rainbow. It contains a riddle. The first of many. And she has only six days to solve them all.

Well, Applejack was never one to back down from a challenge.

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Cover art by John Joseco.

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Entry for, and winner of, the 6th AppleDash competition.

Published 2020-03-15 07:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-03-15 07:00:01 UTC

Day 1

Applejack stared at the box on her kitchen table. The box--being just a small wooden receptacle--was incapable of staring back, but the orange, middle-aged Earth pony mare got the feeling that had it been able to, it would definitely have been eyeballing her. The familiar chicken scratch writing of Rainbow Dash adorning the post-it note stuck to the top confirmed this as much as anything; never mind that it had been positioned on her porch in just the right place to cause maximum consternation as she stepped out the door.

Applejack’s stare shifted to more of a glare as the box seemed to take on an air of smugness at that thought.

“Well, ain’t ya gonna open it?” asked Apple Bloom, who sat across the table from her, nursing a steaming mug of hot chocolate, the young mare’s drink of choice on cold mornings such as this. Her red mane had been vaguely brushed, but wasn’t yet tied back, loosely framing its owner’s yellow face.

Applejack just raised an eyebrow at the box instead. Sure, she could open it, but that was just what it wanted. To be opened and have its smugness at tripping her justified. No, she’d sit in her warm kitchen and glare at it until she was darn good and ready.

“You ain’t gonna know what’s inside it until ya do,” Apple Bloom offered again, taking a sip of chocolate. “It’s probably your birthday present from Rainbow.”

“Hmph,” Applejack finally uttered, blowing a stray bit of her forelock from her eyes. “My birthday ain’t for nearly a week, and Rainbow’s never been early with her present for as long as I’ve known her. Besides,” she added, scooping the box towards her with a hoof. “She’d normally be tryin’ to find out what I want by now. And have y’all seen the way she’s been actin’ lately? All struttin’ around like she knows somethin’ we don’t? Nah, she’s up to somethin’, make no mistake.”

“Ain’t that pretty normal, though?” Apple Bloom asked with a smirk, downing the last of her drink. Applejack shot her a sidelong glance, but chuckled nonetheless.

“True enough, I suppose, but this is slightly different to normal. Can’t quite put my hoof on it, though.”

“Well, maybe the answer’s in the box.”

Once more, Applejack regarded the box and the post-it stuck to the top. ‘For AJ’ was the simple proclamation on it, indisputably written by Rainbow Dash herself. She pulled it off, revealing an engraving of Rainbow Dash’s cloud and lightning bolt cutie mark etched into the dark, polished surface. Applejack rolled her eyes.

Typical Rainbow.

Sighing through her nose, the Earth mare lifted the lid. Inside, the compartment was lined with red velvet, and housed a single slip of folded paper. Odd. It had felt heavier than that when she’d picked it up. Taking the paper out, a quick examination revealed nothing more inside the box other than another engraving on the inside of the unlined lid--this time of her own triple-apple cutie mark--and two small circular recesses on the baseboard.

“Well, that’s strange,” she commented, picking up the box and turning it over, though the mystery was no more obvious for it.

“What?” Apple Bloom asked, evidently curious at her older sister’s reaction. Applejack put the box down onto the table and pushed it over to her.

“This paper’s all that was inside,” she said. “But the box feels like it should hold somethin’ heavier.” Apple Bloom hefted the box, turning it over every which way before putting it back down with a shrug.

“Maybe the bottom’s solid or somethin’?” she offered.

“I guess…” Applejack conceded, though she remained unconvinced.

“So what’s on the paper?”

Pushing the box to one side, Applejack unfolded the paper and smoothed it out over the table between them. Once again, Rainbow Dash’s writing covered the sheet, though this time, she’d obviously taken some care over the presentation. The letters were much smoother with proper spacing between the words, and the lines were straight and level.

Applejack’s eyebrows raised in appreciation as she scanned the page, impressed with the level of care her marefriend had clearly taken. This undoubtedly meant something to her. She began to read aloud:

““Applejack,

Every year for your birthday, we do the same thing. I ask these little questions, you give these little answers, and I always end up getting you the right thing because I’m awesome.”” Applejack snorted and continued reading:

““But this year, I had an idea all my own for a present that will out-awesome all my other ones. First, though, we’re gonna play a little game. At the bottom of this page, you’ll find a riddle I made up… with a little help from one of our friends. See you when you solve it!

Rainbow Dash.”” A small frown of confusion crossed Applejack’s face as she looked up from the page. “Just what in tarnation is she up to now?”

“Sounds like she’s got somethin’ big planned,” Apple Bloom said, excitement in her voice. “What’s the riddle?” Returning to the paper, the older mare recited:

““You opened the box, so this one is free; your first clue will be in the lovebirds tree.””

“Lovebirds tree?” asked Apple Bloom, confused. “What-? Wait, does she mean…?” Applejack simply smirked without looking up.

“Yup, I reckon she does. Mom and dad’s tree.”

“But why there?” Apple Bloom’s puzzlement remained in her voice, causing the other mare to look up at her.

“Oh, me and her used to hang out there pretty often. Still do, actually,” Applejack said, looking up, a small grin on her features. “Not like you didn’t know, though, since it’s probably at least as often as I’ve seen you sneaking off there with them two other ponies. The filly and the colt.” Apple Bloom’s cheeks turned a very bright shade of red, and she suddenly seemed incapable of maintaining eye contact.

“I, er… didn’t think you knew about that,” she admitted sheepishly.

“Yeah, you ain’t as subtle as you like to think, young’un,” admonished the older mare with a chuckle. “But I ain’t about to try and stop it. You’re a grown mare now, who y’all fancy is up to you. Just be safe, is all.” Apple Bloom looked back up at her, a grateful smile on her face.

“Thanks, sis.”

“Don’t mention it,” Applejack answered, standing up. She walked over to the door and grabbed her hat off of its hook, placing it atop her head. “Well, guess I’d better go see what the hay my marefriend’s up to.”

With a quick wave to Apple Bloom, she headed out the door.

The morning outside was still, but cold, despite the clear skies above. Frost covered the ground, and frozen leaves crunched underneath Applejack’s hooves as she walked between the rows of denuded apple trees. Her breath misted in front of her with every exhale, the vapour twisting and curling away from her in thick clouds. Birds that hadn’t migrated away for the winter twittered happily in the trees, lending an air of life to the otherwise sleeping orchard.

Applejack winced slightly as she walked, her left foreleg’s knee aching dully in the cold air. She had broken it about ten years before, slipping and falling whilst trying to haul apples downhill during a storm. It had been a particularly hot summer that year and the harvest had been lacking, which had driven her decision to persist despite the horrendous weather. Instead of getting her load home, however, she’d ended up lying in the rain and mud for hours, calling for help with her leg trapped under a tipped and broken cart.

It had been Rainbow Dash that had found her, somehow battling the fierce wind and biting rain to spot her from the air. The pegasus had hauled her, the pair of them shivering and soaked, all the way to Ponyville hospital. Although the doctors had tried their best to set the bone, it had never healed right, and now her knee served as a reminder of that day, particularly during the cold months of the year. Rainbow, to her credit, had never given Applejack any grief about the accident as she had for many other, more minor, mis-steps, and had stayed steadfastly by her side until she could walk again.

A shiver ran through Applejack, then, and she cursed her lack of a scarf. It hadn’t been quite cold enough for jackets and other cold weather gear recently, but this morning was particularly chilly and now she wished she’d stopped to grab something warmer to wear on her way out. Still, she wouldn’t be out here long. Her parents’ tree wasn’t much farther, and then she could get back inside after retrieving whatever it was Rainbow Dash had left her.

After a little more walking, Applejack emerged into the clearing that her parents hybrid tree stood in. The two trunks--one pear, the other apple--grew and twisted around each other, effectively becoming one plant. The effect of this growth meant that when the two trees were in full bloom, they had the appearance of one tree with two halves that each bore pears and apples respectively, and whose trunk had a curious, heart-shaped gap in the middle. At the moment, though, both trees were simply an entangled mess of bare branches, patiently waiting for warmer weather so they could bear fruit once more.

As soon as she entered the clearing, Applejack spied somepony else already there. Lounging in the gap between the tree trunks was the unmistakable sky-blue form of her marefriend, Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was wearing her Wonderbolt captain’s jacket over an orange turtleneck, which, in combination with her slicked back mane, gave her something of a roguish appearance. Her many-coloured tail, identical to her mane, was splayed out over the bark as she lay cross-legged in the crook formed by the trunks, clearly waiting for Applejack’s arrival.

As the farm mare crunched over the frozen leaves, Rainbow flicked an ear towards her before opening her eyes. Upon seeing her, her face lit up and she beamed, immediately flying up out of the tree and landing in front of Applejack.

“Morning, AJ!” she said excitedly, planting a kiss on Applejack’s cheek. “Looks like you found the box I left you.”

“Mornin’, sugarcube. Yeah, I did,” replied Applejack, returning the kiss. “Dang near fell flat on my face when I did.” She wanted to be mad at her, but it was hard to stay annoyed at an excited and kissy Rainbow Dash.

“Whoops, sorry. Guess I left it a bit too close to the door, huh?” Rainbow’s words expressed apology, but her expression and tone made it clear she knew exactly what she’d done. Ever the prankster when she was younger, some things never changed.

“Eeyup. Now,” Applejack continued, deciding not to take the bait. “You mind tellin’ me exactly what I’m doin’ out here in the cold? That riddle wasn’t exactly hard.” Rainbow Dash grinned, her wings flapping a few times with excitement.

“Heh, well,” she began, smugness written all over her face. “That was just the first one. You’ve got a lot more of them to get through.”

“The first? How many we talkin’ about, exactly?”

“About a dozen or so.”

“A dozen? That don’t sound too hard.”

“You haven’t seen the riddles, yet.” Rainbow’s smugness seemed to double. “Most are in pairs. Each one leads to the next, but you can’t find the second without finding the first. Oh, and you only have six days to solve them all.”

“Six days? Why, what happens then?”

“It’s your birthday. If you haven’t solved them all by then, you lose and I win. You’ll still get your present, but…” Rainbow trotted back to the tree, where a small bag lay cradled in the roots. She reached inside with a wing and pulled out what was quite possibly the ugliest hat Applejack had ever seen. It was cotton candy pink, with a long, downy blue feather stitched into the tan-coloured band.

“What in Equestria is that abomination?” she asked, genuinely repulsed. Rainbow just smirked and turned the hat around. Stitched with purple thread into the crown of the hat were the words: ‘I lost to Rainbow Dash, the greatest riddler in Equestria’.

“If you lose, you have to wear this,” Rainbow finished. Applejack’s response was succinct.

“Heck no.”

“For a month.”

“Double heck no.”

“Come on,” Rainbow cajoled, leaning against the tree and balancing the repugnant hat on a wingtip. “You really want to pass up the opportunity to get one up on me? The riddles are hard, but they’re not impossible. Besides, it’ll be fun.” That smug grin settled on her features once again. “And since when did you back down from a challenge?”

Applejack fumed slightly. Rainbow had her and she knew it. Never once in her life had she ever backed down from any challenge, not even the deadly, perilous ones that had threatened Equestria on many occasions. She looked from the hat to Rainbow, then back again and back once more.

“Fine,” she capitulated. “If only to wipe that smug look off of your face. And if I win, I get to pick our next three holidays and you don’t get to complain about where.” Rainbow seemed to consider for a moment. She nodded.

“Deal.”

“Alright, so what do I gotta do?”

“I told you already, didn’t I?” Rainbow said, stashing the pink eyesore back in the bag. ““Your first clue will be in the lovebirds tree”.” She gestured towards the entwined trunks with a wing.

“Well, you were in the tree when I got here.” Applejack raised an eyebrow as Rainbow simply laughed.

“Good guess, but I’m not a clue. Have another go.”

Looking up, Applejack scanned the bare branches above them, but could see no sign of anything that shouldn’t be there. She wandered around to the other side, but still the branches refused to give anything up. She checked the roots, nothing. The gap between the trunks, still nothing.

Frustrated, she stepped back from the tree and scowled. What in the hay was Rainbow playing at? If it wasn’t in the tree, then where…

At that moment, her eye caught something. Halfway up this side of the trunk of the apple side of the tree was a knot, one big enough to form a hole. A hole that had a sliver of white poking out of it.

Oh. In the tree. Clever.

“Aha!” she exclaimed triumphantly. Rearing up on her hind legs, Applejack reached up and grabbed the white object in her mouth, falling back to the ground carefully, so as not to aggravate her knee.

Looking past her nose, she could now see the object was a scroll, bound not dissimilarly to the royal scrolls that Twilight sent out. In fact, as she took it out of her mouth and examined it more closely, it was identical. The same red ribbon, and the same golden clasp with a horseshoe engraved on it holding it in place. Applejack wondered what their friend’s role in all this was. Surely Rainbow hadn’t needed her just to write a few riddles?

She got her answer almost immediately. As she attempted to release the clasp around the scroll, to her surprise, Applejack found it was stuck fast to the ribbon. Try as she might, no matter how hard she pulled or in what direction, the clasp remained firm. As she pulled one final time, it was then she noticed the faint, but unmistakable, glow of raspberry-tinted magic around the clasp; evidently some sort of spell holding it closed.

“What in tarnation?” she muttered.

“Having trouble?” Rainbow Dash appeared at her side, leaning on her elbows inside the tree’s gap. That cocky grin was back on her face once more, her whole being practically wrapped in a miasma of smugness.

“Yeah, what the hay is this?” Applejack retorted, waving the scroll in front of her marefriend. “Why’s there magic on this thing?”

“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Rainbow answered, though the look on her face said she’d done anything but. “To make sure that there’s actually a time challenge, I had someone seal the second riddles with a bit of magic. They won’t unlock until the morning after you’re supposed to find them.”

“What? Why?” asked Applejack, slightly incredulous. Rainbow hopped through the gap in the tree to land next to her, the bag containing the hat carried on a wing.

“Well, I can’t have you solving them too quickly, can I?” she said with a sly smile. “Gotta make sure you pace yourself, otherwise there’s no risk of you wearing this hat.” She jiggled the bag for emphasis.

“Oh, I ain’t wearing that thing. You can count on it,” Applejack stated adamantly. Rainbow simply laughed and stepped past her.

“Don’t lose and you won’t have to.” As she spoke, she reached out with her closest wing and gently tapped Applejack’s cutie mark, causing her to jump slightly. “See you later, sugarcube.”

With that, the pegasus switched to carrying the bag in her mouth and took off into the sky, the wind of her passage causing her tail to stream behind her. Applejack watched her disappear into the distance before looking back at the scroll she held.

It, being simply a roll of paper, did not stare back. However, its lack of staring was done in a very smug manner. Applejack sighed. She felt it was going to be a long six days.

“Consornit,” she muttered.

Day 2

The following day was another clear one for which, many a year ago, Applejack might have thanked Princess Celestia. Of course, those days were long gone. Twilight was now the one in charge of both the sun and the moon, and Celestia was enjoying retirement with Luna in… Well, Applejack couldn’t quite remember, but she’d bet apples to pears that it was someplace warm. Warmer than here, at any rate.

As Rainbow had promised, the scroll Applejack had pulled from her parents’ tree had opened that morning without resistance; the magic around the clasp simply fading without fanfare. Once she’d unfurled it, she’d been a little surprised to find only the riddle inside, expecting Rainbow to have written another note. It would have been very like her to leave something teasing, but instead, the scroll held only one line.

‘Friendship is magic, that much is certain; your next clue is sewn, but isn’t a curtain.’

Applejack read the line for what seemed the umpteenth time as she stopped on the road just at the edge of Ponyville. She looked up from the paper to her destination; the aptly named Carousel Boutique. So called because of its uncanny likeness to the foal’s ride, albeit a lot taller and more ornate, with sculptures of ponies and decorative pillars adorning both stories of its exterior.

“Rainbow, darlin’,” Applejack chuckled to herself as she tucked the scroll back into her hat. “Y’all better have some hard ones for later, ‘cos this is too easy.” With that, she shrugged her coat into a more comfortable position, and made her way into the boutique.

The inside of Carousel Boutique had changed very little over the years. The carpet was a little more worn, the drapes adorning the walls a little more faded, the wood of the display stage was a little smoother, its paint looking slightly more aged, but it had otherwise remained completely the same. The same dress forms stood dotted around the shop, some fitted with the latest designs, others simply holding works in progress. The same rows of clothes on hangers were stored on the same racks to the side. The same shelves stood against the walls, filled with rolls of fabric and spools of thread, all organised to a method of the owner’s liking. The row of makeover stations was still there, wash tubs standing ready and mirrors reflecting light back into the shop, making the whole room seem brighter and larger at once.

Indeed, if it wasn’t for the fact that she regularly visited, Applejack might have believed the shop stood frozen in time.

The bell above the door tinkled merrily as she stepped through, causing Rarity to look up from the dressform she’d been fussing over. The unicorn looked over the top of her red glasses briefly before breaking into a warm smile.

“Applejack, darling, good morning!” she greeted, trotting over and giving the earth mare a hug. “How are you?”

“Just fine, Rarity,” replied Applejack, returning the hug. She caught the faint scent of lilacs as the unicorn’s purple mane pressed against her face, apparently her choice of perfume for the day. “How are you and Sweetie Belle doin’?”

“We’re just wonderful, dear. Although, I could do with a break. The pre-Hearth’s Warming rush is always quite stressful. Always a new order to fill, or new customer through the door. I hardly get a moment to myself. Good thing today is a Sunday, or I’d never get any peace.” Rarity seemed to catch herself, looking slightly embarrassed. “Oh, but listen to me rambling, where are my manners? What can I help you with this morning, Applejack?” Reaching into her hat, Applejack pulled out the scroll with the riddle on it.

“Seems my marefriend is up to a little somethin’,” she said, passing the paper to Rarity. The unicorn unfurled it in her magic--both the scroll and her horn glowing blue--her mouth curving into another smile as she read the contents. “I’m pretty sure that note says the next clue is here,” the farmer continued, taking back the note as Rarity returned it. “Can’t think what else she might mean.”

“You’re quite right,” Rarity agreed, primping her coiffed mane slightly with a hoof. “The next clue is here, though Rainbow made me promise not to help you find it. All I can say is it’s in this room… somewhere.”

“Wait, you’re in on this, too?!” Applejack exclaimed in surprise. Then she remembered the letter, specifically the part where Rainbow had mentioned getting a friend to help her. “Oh, so you’re the one helping her with the riddles and them dang magic clasps.”

“Oh, pff,” Rarity scoffed. “You flatter me, darling, but I don’t really have a head for riddles, and I most certainly don’t have the magical skill to create timed locks.”

“I never said they was timed.” Applejack grinned at apparently catching out the unicorn.

“Ah, so you didn’t,” conceded Rarity, having the good grace to appear slightly sheepish. Her ears flattened for a moment before returning to their normal upright position. “Well, I shan’t be letting slip any more little titbits. That’s all you get.” The unicorn returned to the dress form she’d been working at when Applejack arrived, fussing over the dress mounted on it.

“So if it ain’t you that did the magic locks and the riddles, I’m guessin’ it must’ve been Twilight,” Applejack mused. “Who else has Rainbow got on this game of hers?” Rarity just shook her head.

“Ah-ah, darling, that would be telling,” was all she said, flashing her an affected smile and assuming the airs to go with it. It was an air Applejack was all too familiar with. Not only had it caused her mild irritation many times over the years, but she also knew it meant Rarity was dead set on not telling her anything.

Resigning herself to searching alone, Applejack simply turned and regarded the shop interior. The next clue was hidden in here… somewhere. The note had said it was ‘sewn, but not a curtain’, so the rolls of fabrics were out, as were the spindles. The obvious choice was any of the dresses on display in the shop, but it could be anypony’s guess which one. Not one of them looked like something Rainbow Dash would wear or think was “cool”. Perhaps it was something closer to what she herself would wear?

Applejack paced around the shop, inspecting various dresses that didn’t seem too ornate or over the top, and even a few that she thought Rainbow might be cajoled into wearing, if only after some serious bartering… and maybe a bribe or two. None of them seemed to have anything stuffed in them, or sticking out of them, or anything that seemed out of place.

Frustrated, the farmer sat on her haunches in the middle of the shop floor. While she might not have made the riddles particularly hard--or, Twilight hadn’t, as Applejack suspected--it appeared Rainbow had a knack for hiding things, after all. At least in this case. Applejack huffed and took another look over the shop, taking in everything made of fabric that could possibly be the right answer, but nothing jumped out at her.

The note explicitly excluded the curtains, the drapes were an unlikely candidate and she hadn’t bothered checking the shelves full of rolls and spindles, but she could see from here there was nothing extra in any of the cubby holes. So what in Equestria could it-

As Applejack’s view returned to Rarity, her hoof struck her forehead in annoyance at herself. Right there, in the middle of the shop with Rarity happily working on it, was one of Rainbow Dash’s dresses. She just hadn’t recognised it because the unicorn had been stood in front of it when she’d walked in, and then Applejack had had her back to it the rest of the time.

Walking over, Applejack glowered at the dress. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rarity glance up at her, but the seamstress offered no commentary, simply concentrating on her work pinning various points of fabric. Her magic glowed around each pin as it settled into place.

“Y’all gotta be kiddin’ me,” Applejack stated flatly.

“I couldn’t possibly say, darling,” was Rarity’s only response, although a small smirk had taken up residence on her lips. Applejack chose to ignore it, simply shaking her head.

“I must be goin’ blind in my old age to miss this sittin’ here.” The earth mare regarded the dress for a moment. “Huh. Ain’t this the dress you made Rainbow for Princess Cadance’s wedding?”

“Similar style, yes, but not the same one. Rainbow still has that. This is just an idea I’m toying with, as it were.”

“Thought you said you were busy?”

“Well, I’m not so busy I can’t spend a little time on personal projects, dear.” Rarity gave Applejack a look over her glasses that seemed to convey both that the farmer should stop asking questions, and that she had other things she should be doing. Applejack relented.

“Right,” she said, turning her attention to the dress.

On closer inspection, the similarity to the dress Rainbow had worn to the princess’ wedding was mostly superficial. It had the same colour layout and a similar form, but was obviously designed to exaggerate the figure of the pony underneath, billowing out much farther and arching over the rump much higher. The same golden girth belt was present, and the hem had the same voluminous clouds lining it, but the dress as a whole trailed much further back, obviously intended for some grandiose function or other. Draped over the back, partially covering the rainbow was a thin sheet of golden material, lending a small degree of elegance to the whole ensemble.

Somehow, Applejack wasn’t sure she could envision Rainbow wearing such a thing, despite the copycat colour scheme. Which probably meant it wasn’t for her. Huffing slightly, Applejack started inspecting the dress a bit closer, doing her best to stay out of Rarity’s way.

There wasn’t much to go over, the piece being one of the unicorn’s simpler works. At first she tried to lift the golden part to look under it, but when her efforts started to dislodge the pins holding it in place, a very pointed cough from Rarity made her stop. It didn’t seem likely there was anything there, anyway, as there were no obvious lumps underneath it.

Instead, Applejack turned her attention to the hemline. Scanning slowly along the white silk, she peered carefully into the cloud-like structures Rarity had built along the edge of the dress, looking for anything out of place. Sure, a scroll should stand out obviously against the fabric, but the “clouds” were so voluminous, it would be easy to hide something from the casual observer. The fancy pins Rarity had stuck into everything weren’t helping, either, as they all had ribbons hanging off of them; most of which were, annoyingly, red.

Applejack did a full circle of the dress, coming around right back to where she’d started with no luck. Frustrated, she stomped a hoof. It had to be here! Of all the places Rainbow could have hidden something, a dress that matched her name was the most perfect!

“Is everything okay, Applejack?” Rarity asked, her tone amused. The dress shifted slightly as she adjusted something.

“Just fine, thank you,” the farmer replied, without looking up. Determined, she started searching the dress again, going even slower than before. She started where the belt met the dress form’s barrel, moving slowly down to the hem and then along it. As she moved closer to the back, she finally spied it.

Hidden amongst the silk right where the hem met the ground, she spotted the edge of the scroll peeking out. Directly above it was one of Rarity’s pins, a red ribbon dangling from it. It must have been hiding the scroll until Rarity had adjusted the dress. With a triumphant flourish, Applejack pulled the scroll from its hiding place.

“Got you, you little varmint!” she exclaimed, satisfaction filling her voice.

“Very well done, dear,” Rarity said, amused. “And only five minutes slower than Rainbow guessed.”

“Say what now?”

“Oh, nothing Applejack,” giggled the seamstress, her mirth wiping ten years from her appearance. “Just a little jest from your marefriend. So what does the scroll say?” Applejack shook her head. Not even here, and Rainbow was finding ways to tease her. She undid the ribbon and unfurled the scroll. Just like the one from the tree, it bore only the riddle, clearly carefully written by Rainbow. She spoke aloud as she read the contents:

““Love can be found, some believe it is set; but here it began, where a date was bet.””

“Cryptic,” was all Rarity said. After a moment’s thought, Applejack shook her head again.

“Not to me. She really needs to come up with better riddles.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“The first part don’t mean anythin’, it’s just fluff,” explained Applejack. “The second part is the important bit. Me and Rainbow’s first date came out of a bet.”

“A what?!” Rarity exclaimed, a genuine look of mild horror on her face.

“You didn’t know?” Applejack laughed. “Yeah, our relationship didn’t get started because one of us asked the other out, we started datin’ ‘cos Rainbow won a bet.”

“B-B-But… why?” was all Rarity could manage. Applejack shrugged.

“I dunno, seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Applejack, romance is supposed to be just that! Romantic! Not left to chance on a… a silly wager! What in Equestria would possess either of you to do such a thing?!” The unicorn seemed honestly horrified at the idea, borderline angry, even. Not that Applejack was in the least bit surprised. Rarity spent far too much time with her head in those tawdry stories of hers, than actually out dating.

“Tell you what,” the farmer said after a moment’s consideration. “I know exactly where this clue leads, so why don’t you take a walk with me and I’ll tell you all about it? It’ll only be a few minutes,” she added when Rarity seemed to hesitate.

“Alright,” she said, albeit with a reserved tone. “I guess I can spend a few minutes away from the shop. Just let me grab a scarf.”

Both ponies were out the door a minute later, Applejack leading them through Ponyville’s streets to their destination. Rarity seemed to calm down quickly from her previous agitation, and it didn’t take her long to apparently guess where they were going.

“We’re headed towards the market, aren’t we?” she enquired. Applejack nodded.

“Eeyup. Ain’t the most “romantic” of places, as you might think of it, but it’s where me and Rainbow would see most of each other before we started datin’. She’d usually drop by and buy a couple of apples, spend some time talkin’, then head off again.”

“Sounds like she was looking for reasons to spend time with you,” Rarity said, a hint of a tease in her voice. It was something Applejack hadn’t considered before, but now that she thought about it, it definitely made sense.

“I guess you might be right about that,” she agreed. “But that ain’t the important part.”

“Do tell, darling.”

“Well, y’all remember Cadance’s weddin’?”

“How could I forget? That day was certainly rather… interesting.”

“Yeah, well I’m specifically thinkin’ after the part with all the bugs. That little after party we had in Twilight’s room with the barrel of cider that Pinkie Pie somehow managed to lay her hooves on?”

“Ah yes, that was quite the little soirèe we had, wasn’t it? Definitely something best left in our younger days, though, don’t you think?” Rarity’s tone was reminiscent, but it still caused Applejack to snort laughter.

“I dunno about you, Rarity, but I can still put ‘em away,” she chortled, amused at the unicorn’s admission to her tolerance level. “Anyway, I don’t remember fallin’ asleep that night, but I sure as hay remember wakin’ up. Me and Rainbow were curled up together on Twilight’s bed, real close like. And her wing was draped over me, which, I’m sure y’all know what that means to a pegasus.”

“Oh my… They only do that to somepony they feel close to.”

“Yeah, exactly. My stirrin’ woke her up, and she played it off, of course, but things weren’t quite the same between us after that. There was always somethin’…” Applejack trailed off, uncertain how to phrase what she was thinking.

“Unspoken?” Rarity finished for her.

“That works.”

The pair emerged into Ponyville’s market square. Being a Sunday, it was not as busy as it might have been, but there were still a few stalls open selling this and that, with ponies meandering between them and chatting quietly. Applejack’s own stall stood on the other side of the square, empty and silent, the farmer having long sold her stock of apples and apple-based goods before the winter set in.

“So what does this all have to do with a bet?” Rarity asked as the pair trotted across the square.

“Well, things went on as normal for a few weeks, until one day Rainbow decided to tag along while I was haulin’ a cart-load of apples down to the market. Most of the time, she just droned on about flyin’ this, and Wonderbolts that, but it’s a long trek from the farm to here so I was glad of the company.”

The two of them arrived at Applejack’s stall, but the farmer made no move to search it just yet. Instead, she just stared wistfully at the canvas-shrouded frame as she recalled her tale.

“By the time we got here, she was ramblin’ on about some rumour or other about some Wonderbolt datin’ a recruit or somethin’, I don’t exactly remember. Wasn’t payin’ much attention at the time. What did get my attention was when she said she reckoned I didn’t go on dates with anypony.”

“What? Why would she say that?” Rarity seemed taken aback.

“Well,” Applejack responded, looking over at the unicorn. “By her reckonin’, she’d never seen me even look twice at anypony. And the fact that I still hadn’t said anything about that mornin’ in Canterlot, by her logic, meant that I must be afraid of datin’.”

“And of course, she was the champion of doing so?”

“Naturally,” Applejack chuckled. “When I protested, she challenged me. Said I was too scared to go on a date even with her. Told me, and I quote:” The farmer cleared her throat and put on her best Rainbow Dash impression. “I bet you fifty bits you’re too chicken to go on a date with me”. So I called her bluff. The look on her face was priceless when I made her pay up that evenin’.”

“Applejack! You didn’t!” Rarity’s tone was both laughing and scandalised.

“You bet I did! Easiest fifty bits I ever made. I wasn’t about to be called chicken and let her get away with it!” Applejack shook her head, smiling. “But don’t go gettin’ your tail in a twist, Rarity. I spent all those bits on other dates with her. A pretty good investment on her part, I’d say.”

So saying, she stepped into the stall and started searching. Not that there was much to search, really. Just the corners where the canvas met the ground, and under the counter, both of which were equally bare.

“I can’t believe that you and Rainbow Dash’s relationship is all because she called you chicken,” Rarity said from the other side. “That’s just so… so…”

“Like us?” Applejack finished for her without looking over. She couldn’t see any sign of the next clue in here, maybe it was around the back? She walked out and around the stall. Nope, nothing here, either. Just grit and and a lone, blue feather weighed down with a rock. So Rainbow had definitely been here…

“Well, when you put it like that, I guess so,” finished the unicorn. “I suppose I was just expecting something more like Big Mac and Sugar Belle. Any luck, dear?” she added as Applejack rounded the corner. The farmer just held up the feather, turning to look at the stall once more.

“Found this,” she answered simply. “And I don’t think she left it here by accident.”

“How can you tell?” In response, Applejack turned the feather over.

“For one, it was under a rock.”

“Ah.”

“And two, see how the shaft’s broken, and the vane’s all messed up? This is one she’s pulled out preenin’, I bet.”

“My, Applejack, I didn’t know you knew so much about feathers,” Rarity teased. Applejack rolled her eyes, used to the occasional teasing from her friends by now. Ever since she and Rainbow had started dating, her increasing knowledge of pegasi habits had opened up the occasional avenue for some well-meaning barbs from her friends. She didn’t mind too much, but it did get old sometimes.

“Yeah, well, when you date a pegasus as long as I have, you pick up a few things,” she replied, matter-of-factly.

“Clearly. So where is the clue?”

“That I can’t figure out. It ain’t inside, and it ain’t outside. At least, on the ground…” Applejack trailed off as she looked up at the roof of the stall. “Tell me she didn’t,” she finally said, resigned. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rarity follow her gaze.

“Yes, I’m afraid she probably did, darling,” the unicorn concurred, clearly arriving at the same conclusion. Applejack sighed.

“Dagnabbit, Rainbow. Not everypony can fly, you know.”

Walking back inside the stall, the earth mare looked up at the ceiling formed by the canvas. Sure enough, there was a small, scroll sized dark spot in the daylight that filtered through. Standing on her hind legs, Applejack reached up, but couldn’t quite touch where the scroll was sitting. If she couldn’t reach it normally, she wasn’t going to be able to buck it, either. Falling back onto all fours, she turned to Rarity, who had been watching her from the other side of the counter.

“Can’t reach it,” she said, shaking her head and gesturing upwards. “I wouldn’t normally ask, but d’you think you could…?”

“Of course. Think nothing of it, dear.” So saying, Rarity’s horn lit up. The roof of the stall was enveloped in the same blue glow, and with a “whump”, the whole ceiling suddenly bellowed out and then settled back. Applejack watched as the scroll fell past her vision to land with an audible “paff” on the ground outside. Stepping out, she scooped it up and tried the ribbon, but the clasp held firm, glowing the same colour as the day before.

“Locked, I assume?” asked Rarity, amused.

“Yeah,” Applejack acknowledged with a sigh. “Had to try, but I ain’t gonna know what’s in here until tomorrow mornin’.”

“Yes, I rather think you aren’t breaking that, neither with might nor magic. It looked like a powerful spell.”

“Somehow, I don’t think it’s just by lookin’ that you know that,” Applejack stated flatly, more than a little skeptical.

“Applejack, darling, I’m certain I have no idea what you mean,” Rarity responded sweetly, with a smile to match. “Now, this has been a delightful distraction, I’ll admit, but you have your clue now, and I really must get back to working on my dresses. Do make sure to tell me how everything works out, though, I’m rather excited to know. Ta-ta!”

With a wave and a flick of her tail, Rarity turned and trotted back the way they came, leaving behind an Applejack rather confused at her sudden departure. Excited? Why would Rarity be excited about all this? Rainbow had dreamed this all up for her, so what part of this could Rarity possibly be interested in?

Applejack looked down at the new scroll.

“Just what in the hay have I got myself into?”

Day 3

’Third riddle solved, but the first two were easy; now you must go where good food makes you queasy.’

Applejack growled in annoyance and stuffed the riddle back in her hat. She had to give it to Rainbow, she’d been right about the difficulty of these riddles. She’d been turning this one over in her head all morning since the clasp had unlocked, and half the afternoon on top of that, but still no luck. Now Celestia’s… Twilight’s sun was half-way between noon and the horizon, and she was still no closer to figuring out the answer.

She grabbed the bucket of seed at her hooves and started distributing it to the chickens beyond the fence, watching the birds peck at the ground as she fumed over her lack of an answer once more. It felt like the thousandth time that day that she had done so, but she was darned if she was gonna have to wear that hat. Of all the things Rainbow could have picked as a forfeit for losing, that hat had earned her ire more than anything else she could think of.

She wasn’t sure if it was the colour, the simplicity of it, or the taunt emblazoned on the front, but it had definitely-

She was suddenly interrupted by a voice.

“Oh dear, you sound angry. Is everything okay, Applejack?”

Startled, she looked over at the source of the voice to find her sister-in-law, Sugar Belle, standing nearby, the pink unicorn looking at her with some concern. Applejack hadn’t even heard her approach; more to the point, she hadn’t even been aware she herself was saying anything. A small sense of embarrassment crept through her at the realisation.

“Oh, hey there, Sugar Belle,” she said, putting down the bucket of feed. “Heh, sorry about that. Guess I was so wrapped up in this riddle business, I didn’t even realise I was talkin’ to myself.”

“Riddle?” Sugar Belle asked, obviously confused. “It sounded like you were talking about a hat.”

“Eh, that’s part of it,” Applejack explained, telling her about the challenge Rainbow had issued, as well as the price of losing.

“Aw, that’s so sweet!” exclaimed Sugar Belle, earnestly. “Except for maybe the hat,” she added quickly upon seeing Applejack raise an eyebrow.

“Yeah, sure, “sweet”,” the farmer deadpanned.

“Oh, don’t be too hard on her, she’s obviously put a lot of effort into this. Besides, isn’t this sort of competitiveness normal for you two?”

“Yeah, I suppose you’ve got a point,” Applejack chuckled at Sugar Belle’s gentle chiding. Truth be told, she’d lost track of the amount of times she and Rainbow had both engaged in some bet or challenge over the years. “Just didn’t expect it to extend to birthday presents, I guess,” she added.

“So what’s got you so stumped that you resort to ranting to yourself about a hat?” Sugar Belle joked. Applejack reached into her own hat and pulled out the riddle, passing it to the other mare.

“This is the first clue for today, and I just can’t wrap my head around the darn thing.” She watched Sugar Belle’s lips move silently as she read the clue to herself.

““Good food makes you queasy?”” she repeated. The unicorn shook her head, her curly purple mane bobbing as she did so. “I… No, I don’t think I know the answer to this, either. If the food makes you queasy, then surely it’s bad food, right?”

“That’s what I thought!” Applejack agreed with a nod. “So it don’t make sense. And the answer can’t be eatin’ too much, otherwise it could be anywhere in Equestria that serves food!”

“So what does that leave?” asked Sugar Belle, a look of puzzlement crossing her face. She returned the riddle to Applejack, who put it back under her hat.

“You’re the baker, you tell me.” Applejack shook her head. “I’ve been tryin’ to work it out all day, but I got nothin’.”

“Maybe you should take a break? I’ve got to get back to Sugarcube Corner, why don’t you come with me?” Sugar Belle offered. “We could chat, you could clear your mind, and then I’m sure you’ll be able to think of something later.” Applejack thought for a moment, then nodded.

“I guess,” she said with a sigh. “The animals are all fed, at least, and what’s left to do can wait.”

“Good. It’s settled, then. Come on,” Sugar Belle gestured with a hoof and started walking. The pair left the farm and began the journey towards Ponyville, flanked on either side by bare apple trees and chatting away to each other as a light breeze blew the odd leaf across their path. They talked about life on the farm, how big Big Sugar was getting, and nothing much at all. They continued on this way until Sugar Belle asked:

“So how is Rainbow Dash, anyway? I haven’t seen her around for a couple of days.”

“She’s just fine,” Applejack replied with a half shrug. “But she’s been real busy lately with the academy. Whole new batch of recruits comin’ in, plus tests for last year’s class. And the new renovations to the academy. She’s been havin’ to stay in Cloudsdale a lot,” she added with a sigh.

“Sounds like you miss her.”

“Eeyup, but I can’t exactly complain. I stayed with her when she became a Wonderbolt, after all. Kinda comes with the territory.”

“Ugh, I don’t know what I’d do if Mac and I had to keep apart like that so often. I’d probably go crazy!”

“It ain’t easy, but the times when we are together make up for it. Besides, it ain’t like it’s forever. She’ll get more free time in a week or two, and then we can be together more.”

“That’s a nice way of looking at it, I suppose. You must really love her to be so patient.”

“Can’t imagine life without her, to be honest. She might know how to push my buttons every now and then, but she’s unbelievably sweet when she thinks no-one’s lookin’.”

“And sometimes when somepony is,” Sugar Belle commented slyly. When Applejack sent a quizzical look her way, she merely shrugged. “Just something I’ve noticed over the years. Rainbow’s definitely mellowed out about showing her affections to you.”

Applejack’s face was thoughtful as she considered Sugar Belle’s point. She thought back to when they were younger, all the furtive glances Rainbow would take around them before even considering anything like a hug, let alone saying something like “I love you”. She compared that to the memory of just last week, when Rainbow had kissed her goodbye on the cheek before leaving for work, in full view of Apple Bloom, Big Mac and Sugar Belle. A small jolt of surprise ran through Applejack at the realisation.

“Huh, you’re right,” she said. “I dunno how I never noticed-” She was interrupted by a loud growl from her stomach.

“That you’re hungry?” Sugar Belle interjected with a giggle. “What say we grab something to eat when we get to Sugarcube Corner? On the house.” Applejack grinned sheepishly.

“That sounds mighty fine, but you sure about that?”

“My treat. You’re family, and it is your birthday in a few days, after all.” Sugar Belle winked. “Come on, we’re almost there.”

She was right. The two mares had already reached Ponyville, and so began winding their way through the streets to the west, where Sugar Belle ran the town’s famous bakery with Pinkie Pie. The pair had done so ever since the Cakes retired, and the bakery had boomed in their capable hooves, becoming known well beyond Ponyville itself. A fact that impressed Applejack not just in and of itself, but also because Pinkie somehow managed to balance running the shop alongside being a mother, and helping Cheese Sandwich with his work, too.

That said, if anypony had the energy to do it, it would certainly be Pinkie. Not that Sugar Belle’s contribution was any lesser for it, of course. After she started working at Sugarcube Corner, her skills as both a baker and confectioner had quickly surpassed even that of Mrs. Cake, a fact the plump earth mare had taken great pride in before retiring.

As the bakery hove into view, Applejack thought back to some of her favourite treats made by Mrs. Cake, some of them not even apple-based. Treats like her flapjack bites that were always so soft and moist, her white-chocolate cookies that left a subtle ache in Applejack’s teeth, or her cherry bakewells with the icing that if she ate too many left the farmer feeling a little sick, or-

Applejack stopped dead in her tracks.

“No apple-buckin’ way,” she said to no-one in particular. Sugar Belle, having walked a few steps further than Applejack, turned around.

“Beg pardon?” she asked, looking confused. Applejack didn’t bother replying, instead she hurriedly fished the riddle out from under her hat once more, re-reading it silently. The last line clicked into place in her head.

‘now you must go where good food makes you queasy.’

She looked back up and past where Sugar Belle still stood with a puzzled look on her face, all the way over to Sugarcube Corner, with its gingerbread house appearance, and its cupcake roof.

“How did I not get that?” Applejack mumbled to herself.

“Applejack?” Sugar Belle asked. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s Sugarcube Corner,” she replied, gesturing with a hoof. Sugar Belle looked over and back.

“Yes, it is,” she said, looking nonplussed. Then Applejack saw the other mare’s eyes drop to the scroll in her hoof, and the glimmer of understanding appear on her features.

“What do ponies always say about the treats ‘n’ such at Sugarcube Corner?” Applejack asked.

“That they’re good,” Sugar Belle answered, smiling.

“And what happens if you eat too much of ‘em?” The answer left the lips of both mares at the same time.

“You get queasy!”

The pair laughed, Sugar Belle covering her mouth with a hoof.

“See?” she said, lowering her hoof again. “I told you you’d get the answer if you cleared your head.”

Applejack nodded, once again stuffing the riddle back under her hat. She couldn’t argue that the break from thinking about it had helped, but she wondered if she would have been able to solve it if she hadn’t been thinking of food at the time.

“Come on,” she said, walking towards Sugarcube Corner once more. “I guess I better go see what Pinkie Pie has in store for me.”

The inside of SugarCube Corner had, like the inside of Carousel Boutique, barely changed over the years. The same counters, the same tables, the same decoration, all just a little more faded and worn that it had been in its prime. Even the smell was identical, the same heady mixture of sugars and baking in progress. The only concession to anything new, was one particular table that Applejack vaguely remembered having been broken by a certain yak during a party a few years ago. Whether or not Yona had been the one to pay for it, she didn’t remember.

As the pair walked in, Applejack spied Pinkie Pie behind the main counter, her rump in the air as she attended to something out of sight. Her tail was tangled with some form of streamer, but she still somehow managed to swish it back and forth as she busied herself. At the sound of the shop’s bell she stood up, a happy grin appearing on her face at who she saw, but before she could utter a single word, a yellow and pink blur shot across the store, screeching to a halt in front of Applejack and Sugar Belle.

“Auntie Sugar Belle! Auntie Applejack!” Li’l Cheese exclaimed excitedly, hopping up and down in front of them.

“Hey there, young’un,” Applejack said, ruffling the colt’s curly mane as he turned to her from giving Sugar Belle a hug.

“Are you here to see momma?” he asked.

“Somethin’ like that, yeah,” she replied, walking up to the counter.

“Cheese, sweetie,” Pinkie Pie called across the room. “Why don’t you show Auntie Sugar the drawings you made while mommy and Applejack talk?”

“Oh yeah!” The colt jumped up and sped off towards the back of the building. Almost immediately, he reappeared and began dragging Sugar Belle away by the hoof, chattering animatedly about rubber chickens, dragons and, oddly enough, cotton candy. Sugar Belle gave Pinkie a somewhat forlorn look, her only words before disappearing through the doorway being that Applejack’s order was free of charge.

“You sure she’ll be okay?” Applejack asked with a chuckle. Pinkie giggled in response, nodding.

“She’ll be fine. Cheese adores her, and she loves him, really. He’s just really energetic!” She turned to Applejack, the light catching on some of the confetti caught in her mane. Somehow, a single lollipop had gotten stuck in there with it, not that Pinkie seemed to notice nor care.

“Sooooo?” the pink mare asked in a leading tone.

“So,” Applejack answered, matter-of-factly. “First, y’all can get me three of your biggest white chocolate-chip cookies.”

In the space of two blinks, a plate of cookies appeared on the counter, each one easily the width of her own hoof. She immediately grabbed one, wasting no time in devouring it, savouring the sweetness. Applejack made a small noise of pleasure as she swallowed, feeling the warmth of the freshly baked treat spreading inside her.

“Hungry?” Pinkie Pie asked with a small giggle.

“You bet.” Applejack wiped the crumbs from around her mouth. Reaching inside her hat, she produced the riddle for what seemed like the millionth time that day. She slapped it down on the counter and picked up another cookie.

“Second,” she continued, pausing as she took a couple of bites. She spoke around the mouthful. “Please tell me I ain’t gotta search this whole place like I did Rarity’s.” Applejack finished the second cookie as Pinkie read the scroll. She watched her friend’s face light up in a grin when she finished reading.

“Nope, no searching! I can just give you the next clue!” Pinkie exclaimed, much to Applejack’s surprise.

“Wait, you can? I thought Rainbow wanted to make a game of this?” The farmer wondered just Rainbow planned to make this one difficult. It certainly didn’t seem like giving away clues was the right way to get her to wear that hat. Not that she was going to, anyway. She’d take months of teasing over wearing that monstrosity, any day of the week.

“Well, there is one catch,” Pinkie conceded, sheepishly. She dove back beneath the counter momentarily. When she reappeared, she placed a large jar on the counter between them. It was sealed with a large cork held in place with a simple arm latch, and inside was a familiar looking scroll.

“You have to open this, first,” Pinkie finished. Applejack stared at the jar. It seemed simple enough, just lift the latch off of the arm covering the cork, raise the arm and remove the cork. She had plenty of similar jars back at the farm. She suspected that’s why Rainbow had picked it.

“Well that don’t seem too hard,” she said confidently. Grabbing the jar, she tried lifting the latch, only to find it stuck fast. She tried again, pulling harder and harder, finally resorting to using her teeth, but it remained immobile.

“What the…?” she started in confusion. “Pinkie, what the hay’s wrong with this thing?” Pinkie Pie just giggled in response, hopping up and down on the spot.

“Nope! You’ve gotta say the magic word! Or was it the magic phrase?” she stopped bouncing to rub her chin in thought. “No, it was definitely a word. Ooh! But you’ve gotta say it at the jar, and you only get three guesses!”

“More magic?!” Applejack stated incredulously. “And three guesses? What happens if I guess wrong?”

“I’m not sure, but Rainbow said if you get all three guesses wrong, the jar won’t open until tomorrow.”

“Of course it doesn’t. So I gotta get this right today, huh?”

“Sounds like it.”

“Well, do I at least get a hint?”

Pinkie Pie started and dipped under the counter once again. There was some rustling, and the pink party pony popped back up with a piece of paper clutched in her hooves. She dramatically cleared her throat before reading off of the paper.

“It’s something you like.” Pinkie looked at her, expectant grin on her face. Applejack just stared back at her, nonplussed.

“That’s it?” she asked. Pinkie shrugged.

“There’s more, but I can’t tell you the next one until you guess,” she replied seriously. “Rainbow was very specific.”

“I dunno, seems pretty general. I like a lotta things…” Applejack trailed off as she thought for a moment. Knowing Rainbow, the answer probably wouldn’t be too subtle. So far, all the answers had been painfully obvious after a bit of thought. It was likely something that the two of them, or even just Applejack herself took for granted, maybe even encountered every day.

A sense of smug self-satisfaction came over Applejack at that thought.

“Apples,” she said at the jar. She was rewarded by the same magic glow she’d seen over the past few days, only this time it enveloped the latch. Instead of fading, however, it persisted, shimmering slightly. Applejack’s confidence faltered, the feeling compounded when she tried to open the jar and found the latch just as immovable as before.

“Oooh,” Pinkie said, sympathetically. “I guess that wasn’t it. Oh well, next hint!” She shook her piece of paper straight. “It’s something that makes you happy.”

Once again, Applejack took a moment to think. It was another very general hint, as there were plenty of things that made her happy, but since this was all orchestrated by Rainbow, it was bound to have something to do with the two of them. What made her happy when she was with Rainbow? Well, plenty that she could think of, but only one thing that could really apply to both of them…

“Winning,” she said, with a slight sense of trepidation. The glow around the latch intensified, becoming almost solid. Applejack’s heart sank. This was harder than she’d originally thought.

“Huh, guess not,” Pinkie said matter-of-factly. “Okay, last hint: It’s something that likes you back.”

And then it all fell into place. Applejack pinched the bridge of her muzzle, squeezed her eyes shut and sighed in frustration, mostly at herself. Of course that would be the answer, why would she pick anything else?

“Rainbow,” she said, defeated. She opened her eyes in time to see the glow fade from the latch, disappearing completely without fanfare. The latch then flipped off of the arm, seemingly by itself. Many things had changed about Rainbow Dash over the years, but her ego had barely diminished. The fact she’d choose herself as the answer to a puzzle should have come as no surprise to Applejack.

“Looks like you did it, Applejack!” Pinkie exclaimed, prancing on the spot behind the counter. She looked excitedly from the jar to Applejack and back.

Not wanting to keep her friend waiting any longer, Applejack grabbed the jar, lifted the arm away and pulled out the cork, which came with surprisingly little resistance. She upended the jar, dropping the scroll inside onto the counter. Setting aside the receptacle, she quickly unfurled the scroll and read out the contents inside.

““From the land of treats and chocolate bliss; find a hit that was nearly a miss.””

“Oooh!” Pinkie enthused. She paused. “What does it mean?”

Applejack puzzled over the riddle. The first part was obvious, that was Sugarcube Corner. The answer lay in the second part, just like the previous riddles.

“A hit that was nearly a miss…” she repeated out loud. A thought, or rather a memory, struck her. “I got it!”

With that, Applejack tore out of the bakery up the street, past the mayor’s house, and headed for Cafè Hay. She and Rainbow had gone on a date there once, after the pegasus had mentioned the place in passing, something to do with Twilight, rain and that spare gala ticket. Arriving outside the cafè, she began threading her way through the mushroom tables, of which quite a few had been added over the years. The outdoor seating was empty, of course, ponies preferring the warmth indoors over the cold winter air.

After a moment, Applejack arrived at the table she’d been looking for. One of the older ones, it had previously been on the edge of the seating area, but had since been surrounded by newer mushroom tables as the cafè had expanded. On its purple and white spotted surface was a yellow vase containing some rather appetising blue flowers, and one very familiar looking scroll. The farm mare snatched it up in triumph, grinning.

“See? Y’all ain’t so clever as you like to think, Rainbow Dash,” she said to nopony in particular.

“Why’s that?” nopony in particular responded, that is to say, Pinkie Pie. Applejack jumped and whirled around with a slight nicker, coming almost nose-to-nose with the other mare, surprised that she had caught up to her so quickly. Or indeed at all, since she hadn’t told her where she was going. She began to suspect some truth to Rainbow’s tales of Pinkie’s apparent ability to follow somepony anywhere they went, though she decided to let it go for now.

“Well, uh,” she started, slightly disconcerted by her friend’s sudden appearance and expectant smile. “The clue was “a hit that was nearly a miss”, right? Well, me and Rainbow went on a date here once, this exact table. Everythin’ went well, except towards the end, when I got hit in the head by a stone thrown up by a passin’ carriage.” Applejack shook her head at the memory. “Hurt like heck, but otherwise I was fine. Anyway, it was real bad luck, ‘cos I was leanin’ forward to take a bite of food when it happened. If I’d’ve been sat up, it would have missed.”

“Ohhhh, so that’s what you meant!” Pinkie said, nodding in understanding. “I thought you two ran into each other!” Applejack chuckled, rolling her eyes.

“Heh, maybe once upon a time,” she said. “But I don’t think Rainbow’s crashed into anypony in quite a bit.”

“Yeah, you’re right, she’s definitely gotten better at her tricks. Still, it’s pretty odd Rainbow would pick this as a clue, don’t’cha think?”

“What do you mean?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, if this is supposed to be a birthday game,” Pinkie elaborated. “Why would Rainbow pick something that’s a bad memory for you? Wouldn’t she want to remind you of something happy?” She looked quizzically at Applejack.

Applejack stared at Pinkie, her own suspicions rising. She was talking an awful lot of sense, and on top of that, finding this clue had seemed pathetically easy given how Applejack herself had barely even figured out the clue for Sugarcube Corner. With a sinking feeling, she reached for the ribbon that wrapped around the scroll and tugged.

It immediately came loose from the clasp.

No magic, no resistance; just an ordinary scroll. Suppressing the small feeling of panic rising inside her, Applejack unfurled the scroll to find one simple line scrawled in Rainbow’s familiar scratchy writing:

‘Ha ha! Not that easy! You’re going to have to think harder than that! - RD’

“Oh, come on!” Applejack blurted out, almost yelling. She threw the scroll at the ground in frustration, watching it flutter away a few feet in the breeze before Pinkie caught it. She knew this was the answer! It had to be! What else could Rainbow have meant?

“I guess you guessed wrong, huh?” Pinkie asked, innocently, looking up from the taunting scroll. Applejack glowered, though she avoided directing her expression at her friend. None of this was her fault, after all.

“I guess so,” she replied in a sullen tone.

“Then I guess it’s time to guess again!” chanted Pinkie in an encouraging manner. Applejack couldn’t help but smirk at her enthusiasm. Pinkie definitely hadn’t lost her knack for cheering ponies up.

“I see a smile…” the confetti covered mare teased, draping a foreleg over Applejack’s shoulders and leaning in close, gently poking the farmer’s cheek with her other hoof.

“Alright, Pinkie, you win,” Applejack giggled, gently pushing her friend away. “But I ain’t got a clue where to start.” If this place wasn’t where Rainbow meant, then she couldn’t begin to fathom where she was supposed to go.

“Well, Rainbow thought you might come here,” Pinkie said. “And she said that if you did, to tell you that “you have to think big”. Whatever that means.”

“Wait, she’s givin’ me hints, now?” Applejack asked, thoroughly confused. “And think big?” Pinkie Pie shrugged.

“Got me… I figured it meant something special to you and Rainbow.”

Applejack shook her head. This game kept getting more and more obtuse. Between Rainbow’s apparent skill at hiding things, and the difficulty of these riddles, it would be a wonder if she ever actually finished it.

“I ain’t got any idea what that means, Pinkie.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Well, you’re not going to figure anything out standing around out here in the cold, so why don’t you come back to Sugarcube Corner? I’m freezing my hooves off, and you still have a cookie left!” So saying, Pinkie trotted away in the direction the two of them had come, still carrying the scroll. With a sigh, Applejack followed her. Pinkie was right, she could at least finish her last cookie while she thought things over.

As she plodded back towards Sugarcube Corner, Applejack noticed a pair of pegasi standing nearby, a stallion and a mare. They were clearly a couple, having their wings draped over one another, and stood next to one of the town’s several statues, this one serving as the focal point for the large empty space near the mayor’s house. They nuzzled one another, their display making Applejack pine slightly for the lack of her own marefriend.

As she drew closer to Sugarcube Corner, the pair took flight, gently soaring upwards towards the few clouds drifting in the sky. She watched them for a moment, and then continued on her way. Inside the warm bakery, Li’l Cheese was excitedly chattering away to his mother about something or other, and Sugar Belle busied herself cleaning and organising. Applejack stood at the counter, munching on her last cookie, the background noise around her a mere drone as she lost herself in her thoughts.

A hit that was nearly a miss, think big… A hit that was nearly a miss, think big… The words spun around and around her brain, repeating themselves, and interspersed with them, the pair of pegasi she’d just seen outside, flying up into the sky.

Applejack stopped chewing. Odd, why would she focus on them? She’d never met those ponies before. She tried to shake the image from her mind and move her focus back on topic, but it refused to go away, like a piece of taffy stuck to the roof of her mouth. She tried to figure out how it connected to the previous hints, but the solution eluded her, just out of reach.

Examining it carefully, Applejack tried to break down the scene. They’d been standing together, they were clearly in love, they’d taken off into the sky… The sky? No, the sky was big, but obviously you couldn’t hit it with anything, and you certainly couldn’t hide anything there. Not unless you put it on a cloud, but even Rainbow wasn’t dense enough to do that.

No, it wasn’t the clouds that had caused the pegasi to get stuck in her head. The image of the two rising up played again in her mind. It was…

“The statue!” Applejack cried out. Cramming the last of her cookie into her mouth, she bolted outside once more. She barely heard Pinkie call out to her as she left. Careening around the corner of the shop, she sprinted over to where the two pegasi had been moments before, ignoring the small shots of pain from her knee.

Arriving at the statue, Applejack immediately began searching around the plinth. When that turned up nothing, she turned her attention to the plinth itself, and there, resting almost in plain view against the legs of the rearing statue, was another scroll. Rearing up herself, she knocked the scroll from its perch. Giving the ribbon a test pull, the earth mare breathed a sigh of relief when it refused to budge.

“Gotcha, you little varmint,” she chuckled to herself. Despite the difficulty in finding this one, Applejack was genuinely happy about doing so, given what it represented. Though it was counterbalanced by a sense of frustration with herself. She really should have thought of this first, instead of taking the hint so literally. She looked up at the sound of approaching hooves to see Pinkie Pie following her once again.

“Looks like you found it!” she announced enthusiastically.

“Yeah, and it’s the real one this time,” Applejack replied, tugging on the ribbon again to demonstrate. The raspberry glow of the magic flared and faded.

“Goody! I was worried for a minute you weren’t going to find it, which would be pretty sad, since I know Rainbow and Twilight put a lot of work into these scrolls, and I know Rainbow is really excited for you to finish, because then she can finally-”

The pink mare suddenly crammed her hoof into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out as she fought to choke back her words. Applejack narrowed her eyes.

“Rainbow can finally what?” she asked, voice heavy with suspicion. Pinkie just shook her head, hoof still crammed in her mouth. She removed it after a moment and exhaled deeply.

“Nope, sorry,” she said, holding up her hoof as if to stay any more of Applejack’s questions. “I promised Rainbow I wouldn’t tell you what’s going on, just like the others- Oops!”

“The others? So all y’all know what’s goin’ on, and I’m the only one in the dark?” Applejack asked, slightly incredulous. Pinkie nodded sheepishly.

“Mhm. It’s a big surprise! But it’s gonna be the best one ever!” she yelled, jumping up in the air for emphasis. A few pieces of confetti flew off of her tail as she did so. “Trust me, you’re gonna love it,” she added.

“If you say so, Pinkie,” Applejack said, smiling despite herself. Pinkie’s enthusiasm for anything was infectious at the best of times. “Anyway, I suppose I’d better be headin’ back to the farm-”

“Wait!” Pinkie Pie put out a hoof, preventing her from leaving. “Aren’t you gonna tell me how you figured it out?”

“I suppose it can’t do any harm,” Applejack acquiesced. After all, she’d told Rarity the story behind the scroll she had. She pointed a hoof at the statue.

“That statue, believe it or not, is where Rainbow and I had our first kiss,” she started, pride and little wistfulness in her voice. “When we were comin’ back from the cafè, I saw a couple of pegasi take off from right next to it, which-” She was suddenly interrupted by a loud gasp from Pinkie Pie.

“Which is when you started getting a nagging feeling that you were missing something, and then when you were sat in Sugarcube Corner, you couldn’t get the image of the pegasi taking off out of your head, and the words from the riddle and what I said that Rainbow said were going round and round your brain, but that just made you examine what you saw even harder, which is when you realised you were taking the riddle too literally, and that Rainbow wasn’t talking about actually hitting things, she was talking about things being a hit, which reminded you of something totally romantic she did on one of your dates!”

Pinkie finished her little speech with a pleased “squee”, and sat there grinning expectantly, not even out of breath. Applejack stared at her blankly for a moment.

“If you knew, why’d you even ask?” she deadpanned.

“Just a lucky guess!” Pinkie responded with a giggle.

“Right. Well, as I was sayin’,” Applejack carried on, the wind taken out of her sails a little. “Rainbow and I had been on a date that day. She’d taken me up into the clouds for a picnic, and we’d been up there for hours. She said she wanted to show me Equestria from above, but all I could think about was gettin’ down. It was cold, the cloud was damp, and I was nervous about the cloud-walking spell wearin’ off.” She smirked at the memory.

“I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t happen,” Pinkie said earnestly. “Twilight’s spells are really good.”

“I know, but without her around to re-cast it, I was worried somethin’ might happen,” Applejack admitted. “Anyway, nothin’ did happen, except Rainbow beggin’ me to stay until after the sun went down. She was pretty insistent, and I couldn’t even use the farm as an excuse, since I’d let her convince me to take the day off. So I gave in, and we stayed up there longer, huddled together and waitin’ for Princess Celestia to lower the sun. Probably the best decision of my life.”

Applejack took a moment to reflect, gazing at the statue of the rearing mare, lost in the memory she was about to relay.

“When the sun went down, I saw what Rainbow wanted to show me. These little lights started appearin’ down on the ground. Ponies lightin’ candles and turnin’ on lights as the dark came in. It was slow at first, but then more and more appeared, until all of Ponyville was lit up, and even Canterlot way over on the mountain.” She took a breath. “It was beautiful, Pinkie. And then, when Princess Luna raised the moon, all of Equestria was glowin’ like I can’t even describe. That’s when I realised somethin’…”

Applejack turned to Pinkie, who looked enraptured. So much so that she didn’t even interrupt to ask what.

“I realised,” Applejack continued. “That this was somethin’ only pegasi got to see. That she got to see. Earth ponies like me didn’t get to see Equestria lit up from above, twinklin’ and glowin’, so it was special to them, and to her. And she’d chosen to share it with me. Me. Little ol’ Applejack from Ponyville.” She felt a tear gathering at the corner of her eye and wiped it away, hiding the action by stuffing the scroll under her hat.

“That meant that, even though she might not ever say it, I was special to her. She cared enough to literally drag me up into the sky to show me somethin’ she took for granted, but knew I’d never seen. And I’d nearly ruined the whole thing by tryin’ to get her to put me back on the ground.” She cringed and turned her gaze from Pinkie. “I was an idiot. Afterwards, she put me down here by the statue and asked me what I thought. I couldn’t find no words to say, so I did the only thing I could think of: I kissed her. Full on the lips. When I pulled back her face was glowin’ redder than the apples on my trees.” Applejack laughed at the memory, the sensations of Rainbow’s lips and breath still strong after all this time.

“So you see, Pinkie,” she continued, looking back at Pinkie once more and smiling. “The date was a hit, even though my attitude almost made it a miss.”

“Wowee!” Pinkie exclaimed after spending a moment processing Applejack’s story. “That’s like, the most amazing first kiss story anypony’s ever told me, ever! I bet that beats out even some of the stories Rarity has!” She gasped and grabbed Applejack by the shoulders. “You should tell her! She’d love it!” Applejack gently pushed Pinkie off of her.

“Thanks, Pinkie, but I think tellin’ that story once today was enough,” she said with a small chuckle. “Though I imagine when she finds out that you got this story and not her, she’ll drag it outta me one way or another.”

“Hmm, good point. That pony sure does love her romance stories! So what’s next?”

“Next? Next is: I’m gonna go home, put my hooves up and have a good long think about this game Rainbow’s got me on.”

“Think?” Pinkie asked, looking confused. “What’s there to think about?”

“Well, at first, I thought this was one of her little games,” Applejack explained. “Just another of those competitions she’s always dreamin’ up, but this…” She gestured back at the statue. “This has got me wonderin’ if she’s tryin’ to say somethin’ else.”

“Ooooh! Do you know what it is?” There was a certain slyness to Pinkie’s tone, a subtle hint that she already knew both the answer to her question, and the one Applejack sought.

“No. Not yet, anyway,” answered the farm mare, eyeing her friend, but choosing to ignore her tone. Pinkie had already made it plain she wasn’t going to be forthcoming with any information. “But the fact she chose this as one of the riddles must mean somethin’,” she continued. “I got a feelin’ it’s gonna affect this whole game.”

“Well, I hope you figure it out!” Pinkie said encouragingly with another smile. “Anyway, I should probably be getting back inside, I imagine Li’l Cheese has talked both ears off poor Sugar Belle!” She turned to go but stopped, as if remembering something. Fishing in her mane, she turned back and held something out to Applejack.

“Do you want to keep this?” she asked. It was the scroll from the cafè. Applejack was about to refuse, but then reconsidered. Even if it was just a small taunt, it still represented some of the effort Rainbow was putting into this whole thing. Whatever it turned out to be.

“Sure,” she said, taking the scroll and securing it with the other one. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Good luck with the riddles!” With that, Pinkie hopped away and back to Sugarcube Corner, leaving Applejack on her own.

Casting another look at the statue, Applejack felt again that there was something else behind Rainbow’s motivations, some other goal in mind, but was tantalisingly out of reach. It was a feeling that stuck with her as she made her way home, and remained with her the rest of day, right up until she climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of twinkling lights all across Equestria.

Day 4

If asked at this precise moment, the one thing Applejack would say was at the forefront of her mind was:

“Why… in the hay… is Fluttershy’s sanctuary… so dang far from the town?”

A lone fence post, long since stripped of its brothers, served as a rest stop for the exhausted mare as she opined to the world at large. It never used to be like this. Back in the day, she could walk all the way out here and back to the farm without breaking stride. Life, or more accurately age, had a definite way of sneaking up on a pony.

As she caught her breath, Applejack rubbed her aching knee and looked out over the path ahead. Not far now, she could see the sign for Sweet Feather Sanctuary just up ahead. She took the opportunity to re-read the clue she’d found at the statue the day before:

‘Residing with a trio of eclectic selection; your next clue is in a place of protection.’

Deciding that the answer hadn’t changed in the time it had taken her to walk all this way, she pushed off from the post and continued on down the path towards her destination. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t really contemplate coming all the way out here, but the entire week had been a little extraordinary, thanks to Rainbow.

After waking up, Applejack had unfurled the scroll and spent the morning mulling over the riddle, concluding by noon that the answer lay at Fluttershy’s animal sanctuary. She wasn’t entirely sure what the “trio of eclectic selection” was, but the only place of protection she knew of was Sweet Feather Sanctuary. Combined with the fact that she now knew that all of her immediate friends were involved with this game of Rainbow’s, Applejack figured the answer lay with Fluttershy in some manner. After a short time walking, she turned off the main path and entered the sanctuary.

Idyllic as ever, Applejack knew Sweet Feather Sanctuary as the place where Fluttershy kept a whole bunch of animals of all kinds together, and somehow kept them from eating one another. Despite the winter, creatures both great and small, furry and scaly, scurrying and flying all lived in harmony; resting and recovering from all manner of ailments in several different habitats, and in the middle of it all: A demure yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail. And apparently, a zebra.

Sat with Fluttershy in the middle of the sanctuary was Zecora, both of them on a checkered picnic blanket and wrapped in scarves to ward off the cold air. A flask was between them, each of them holding a cup of something steaming. Applejack couldn’t smell it from where she stood, but knowing Fluttershy, it was tea of some kind. Of course, where there was Fluttershy, there was almost certainly-

“FORE!”

Something small and white shot past Applejack, missing her muzzle by mere inches. She whirled to her right, already scowling at the familiar, mischievous voice.

“Discord!” she cried out, angrily.

The draconequus stood near the brook that ran through the sanctuary, dressed in full golfing gear, a bag of clubs at his side. He was already lining up another shot from a row of tees in front of him, aiming at a portal hovering over the brook. A chaotic network of portals was spread out around him, the golf ball that narrowly missed Applejack apparently having emerged from one of them. As he swung, Applejack’s interjection caused him to slice the air above the ball, missing entirely, the club swinging around uselessly behind him.

“That nearly hit me!” she yelled again. He turned to face her, a mild look of irritation on his pony-like face.

“Oh, Applejack, really…” he admonished. “And in the middle of my backswing, too!”

“Y’all are gonna hurt somepony goin’ on like that!” She turned and stalked off towards Fluttershy and Zecora, cursing under her breath. Even though Discord was supposed to be Fluttershy’s friend, and by extension her own, Applejack still didn’t fully trust him. His occasional antics didn’t help, either.

“But I yelled fore!” he called after her. Applejack ignored him. She’d learned long ago that attempting to argue with Discord was a largely futile endeavour.

As she headed for her pony friends, there was a white flash at her side and Discord appeared, immediately conciliatory.

“Oh dear, Applejack, I do believe I’ve upset you. Here, let me make it up to you.”

Before she knew what was happening, there was a click, a flash, and Applejack found herself seated on a pouffy cushion in front of Fluttershy and Zecora, both of whom seemed startled at her sudden appearance. A cup and saucer appeared from nowhere and the flask levitated itself over, pouring tea into it. Discord himself appeared next to Fluttershy, apparently reclining on nothing and sipping a cup of his own beverage.

“There, I do hope that makes up for this little misunderstanding,” he said, drinking the cup and throwing away the liquid, which smashed somewhere. Applejack just eyed him.

“Fine, whatever,” she conceded, if for no other reason than to get him out of her hair.

“Oh dear, what happened?” Fluttershy asked, looking between the two, the loops of her mane bobbing around behind her lotus-shaped hair comb.

“Oh, nothing really,” Discord began, waving off the concern. “Just a tiny little almost-accide-”

“He nearly hit me with a golf ball,” Applejack interrupted flatly.

“Nearly being the point here,” spluttered the draconequus.

“Discord!” Fluttershy exclaimed firmly. “Were you playing chaos golf in the sanctuary again?!”

“I made sure all the portals were pointed away from the animals this time!”

“Discord…” Fluttershy said, pointedly. Discord sighed.

“Fine, fine. No more golf in the sanctuary.” Discord made a point to look put upon. Fluttershy coughed pointedly and nodded towards Applejack.

“And I’m sorry, Applejack,” he continued, once again looking slightly put out, but at least sounding somewhat sincere. It would have to do.

“It’s fine, Discord, just forget it,” Applejack said, opting to move on. She lifted the cup of tea to her muzzle, taking a sniff of the sweet smelling drink. She took a sip and swallowed, letting the heat warm her insides. It was surprisingly good.

“This is pretty good,” she declared. “What is it?”

“Oh, Zecora brought it,” Fluttershy answered. “It comes from the zebra lands. I think it’s called Zebrican Hardwood?” She looked to the zebra for confirmation.

“Indeed you are correct, my dear Fluttershy,” Zecora confirmed with a nod. “But the picking must be quite select, or else your taste buds wil cry.” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Er, apparently it’s very bitter if you pick the plants too young,” Fluttershy clarified. “Their stems have to be as hard as wood, or the drink will just be bad.”

“Well I’d say whoever picked this batch got it right,” Applejack said, taking another sip, enjoying the warming sensation as the drink made its way to her stomach.

“It is good to see another pony enjoy it so,” Zecora chimed in once more, smiling. “Most take one look and simply say no.”

Curious, Applejack looked down at the cup. The liquid inside was a vibrant blood red. No wonder ponies would be reluctant to try it, it looked like anyone who drank it was a vampire.

“Whoa,” she stated simply. “I can see why.”

“So,” interjected Fluttershy. “What brings you all the way out to Sweet Feather, Applejack?” The orange earth mare gave her a skeptical look.

“I think you know,” she replied, reaching into her hat and passing the previous day’s scroll to her. Fluttershy unfurled it, reading it quietly whilst her two compatriots peered over her shoulder. She smiled apologetically.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” she said, returning the scroll. “Rainbow made us promise to ask first.”

“Yeah, it was the same with Pinkie and Rarity,” Applejack nodded, taking another mouthful of tea. “I don’t suppose y’all can give me a hint on where to start? Clue wasn’t exactly forthcomin’ on where the next scroll might be.” Fluttershy shook her head.

“There’s no scroll.”

“What?!”

“Oh yes,” Discord piped up from his mid-air recline. “From now on, there are no scrolls. Instead, you have to answer the riddles directly, or you can’t progress.”

“Are you-,” Applejack blurted out, before catching herself. “You know what? I should’a seen this comin’. This is exactly like Rainbow to throw in some kinda curveball.” She saw Fluttershy nod in agreement, giggling slightly.

“Yes, she did mention she thought too many scrolls would be “boring”,” she said, making air quotes around the last word. “Are you ready to start?”

“No time like the present, I suppose,” Applejack said with a nod.

“Good! Then let’s begin,” said Discord, a single clap punctuating his sentence. “Zecora, I do believe yours is the first riddle?” The zebra nodded and turned to Applejack.

“To walk from this place burden free, you must answer us these riddles three,” she said. “She has faced lots of peril, surviving many a fight; but what do you think gives Rainbow a fright?”

Applejack furrowed her brow in thought. She didn’t think there was anything that Rainbow Dash would readily admit to being scared of. Upset about, maybe, like that whole incident with Tank, but scared? The closest she could think of was that time the two of them were in the Castle of the Two Sisters, and good luck getting her to admit that, even now. The pegasus was almost image personified; she’d sooner die than have anypony perceive her as less than perfect. Even in all the years they’d been together, Applejack had never really managed to get her to open up about her fears, Rainbow preferring to maintain her tough persona. It was one thing that had frustrated her all this time.

“Don’t suppose I can come back to this one?” Applejack asked hopefully. Zecora shook her head, her golden earrings swinging to and fro.

“Sequential questions are the pretext, you must answer the first before tackling the next.”

“Right,” said Applejack, disappointed, but not surprised. She hadn’t really expected it to be that easy. Except… maybe it was?

As she searched the furthest corners of her mind for answers, a thought struck her. What if Rainbow had already answered the question, in her own way? Over the past few days, she’d left little reminders of their journey together. Of time they spent together, how they grew close, and how they became a couple. The box, the riddles, the locations… particularly the statue…

What if Rainbow was saying, in a spectacularly overblown and Rainbow Dash kind of way, that she loved her? It didn’t make a whole lot of sense, especially since they said that exact sentiment to each other on a regular basis, but it had a certain logic if Applejack considered a rather odd conclusion. It was one she wouldn’t ordinarily come to, but when she took into account that the answer to the riddle the day before hadn’t been as literal as she first thought, then it quite possibly meant that the answer was:

“Me,” Applejack said. She looked up at Zecora, butterflies flitting around in the bottom of her stomach. “The answer is the idea of losing me, right?” To her relief, Zecora smiled and nodded.

“That is the answer, my dear pony friend. I would like to ask, how you came by it in the end?”

“I don’t think I would’ve, normally,” Applejack explained. “Except yesterday’s riddle got me thinkin’ that Rainbow’s trying to say somethin’ with this whole game. And I’m beginnin’ to think it’s about her feelin’s for me.”

“How interesting you thought of this yesterday, I wonder if our Rainbow has given her game away?”

“I don’t think so, Zecora,” Fluttershy interrupted. “Remember, she was very adamant she didn’t want to give away what the… present was, too soon.” She glanced at Applejack as she paused, clearly considering her words.

“Okay, hold on,” Applejack said, pointing a hoof at Fluttershy. “You, I get. But how’d Zecora and Discord get in on this?”

“Oh, well I sort of recommended Zecora to help with the riddles, since she naturally speaks in rhyme,” Fluttershy explained. “As for Discord… Well…”

“I overheard Fluttershy trying to come up with ideas, and asked her what she was doing,” Discord finished for her. “When she explained, I was so moved, I offered to help. And, after all, I do love a good game.” He grinned and drummed his claws together, their clicking setting Applejack’s teeth on edge slightly. Whether the gesture was out of enjoyment or potential mischief, she couldn’t quite tell.

“Uh huh, we all know that,” Applejack deadpanned.

“Now now, Applejack,” Fluttershy admonished, gently. “Discord has been on his best behaviour for a very long time. And when I told him how important this was to Rainbow Dash, he promised not to ruin any part of it.”

“It’s true! A game’s rules are one of the most sacred things I live by!” The draconequus put his lion’s paw to his chest, and raised his eagle’s claw in the air, as if to emphasise.

“Okay, fine, I get it,” Applejack said, capitulating. “Forget I said anythin’.” She took another drink from her cup, the tea somewhat cooler by now. “So who’s got the second riddle?”

“Um, that’s me,” Fluttershy answered, straightening up slightly. She quietly cleared her throat before speaking.

“Touch it uninvited, you’ll be put in a sling, but touch when you’re close, and they’ll be your plaything.”

The pegasus blushed slightly, looking away from Applejack and trying to hide her face with her teacup. Confused by her friend’s reaction, the farmer cocked an eyebrow at Zecora, who simply shrugged. Applejack turned to Discord, but he held up a claw before she could say anything.

“Ah-ah-ah, no helping, remember?” he said with a smirk. Applejack huffed. All she wanted to do was find out what was bothering Fluttershy. Instead, she resigned herself to focussing on the riddle.

It seemed like utter nonsense, but she supposed that was the point. She understood what a sling was, but she couldn’t think of anything that would put you in one if you touched it. Unless it was a monster? But most of those usually just ate a pony, instead of simply injuring them. The getting close part didn’t make sense, either, since you’d have to be close to touch one in the first place, and she really didn’t know how that would tie in with the last part.

Frustrated for the moment, Applejack took another swig of her tea. The drink was ice cold now, making the taste almost sickly sweet. She shuddered as it slid down her throat, the taste and consistency almost making her gag.

“Blech,” she spluttered, flinging the cold remnants of her drink into the grass. “That’s gone cold. Have y’all got a top up, please?”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said, setting down her own cup. Her cheeks had returned to their normal yellow colour. She picked up the flask with her wing, reaching out and pouring more of the red tea into the farmer’s cup.

“Thanks,” Applejack said with a nod. She raised the cup to her lips and drank. As she did so, Zecora picked up her own cup.

“Applejack’s cup is not the only one gone cold, I would take more, if I may be so bold.”

Without missing a beat, Fluttershy began pouring the tea, ultimately upending the flask as its contents ran out. As she sealed the container and placed it back down, Applejack was rather surprised to see Zecora suddenly lean in and quickly nuzzle Fluttershy’s neck.

“Oh! Zecora!” Fluttershy gasped. “Applejack’s right there!” Though the pegasus protested, she giggled nonetheless, only half-heartedly trying to push the zebra away. It was then that Applejack realised just how closely the pair were sitting together, their haunches almost touching. The glimmer of understanding flickered in her mind.

“She is also a pony involved with a pegasus, I do not think she will make much of a fuss,” Zecora said, smiling warmly at Fluttershy. She turned and gave Applejack a playful wink.

As the two of them straightened up again, Fluttershy folded her wing back against her side, but not before Applejack saw her run the tip gently down Zecora’s side. It was quick, almost too quick to see, and only a trained eye might have spotted it.

Or a pony with a pegasus marefriend. Another, fainter, glimmer flashed in the recesses of her memory. She grinned.

“Well, pick my apples and call me a bushel!” Applejack exclaimed, looking between the pair. “I didn’t know y’all were a thing!”

“Well, um, we weren’t, until maybe a month ago,” Fluttershy admitted, her blush returning full force. “It just sort of… happened, though I’m glad it did.”

“I must admit that I agree, and that for a long time, Fluttershy has meant much to me.” Zecora drew herself closer to Fluttershy at this, pressing their sides together. She nuzzled the pegasus again, delivering a quick kiss to her cheek this time.

“Oh, stop it, you,” Fluttershy giggled, returning the kiss and draping a wing over Zecora’s back. The pair’s display of affection for each other warmed Applejack’s heart, perhaps more so than her tea.

“Aw, you two are adorable together! I’m happy for y’all,” she said, smiling warmly at them both. A thought occurred to her, and she glanced up at Discord who was occupying himself with a newspaper that was both upside-down, and back to front.

“And uh, Discord ain’t no trouble about it?” she asked in a low voice.

“Oh, no. He’s quite supportive,” Fluttershy said equally quietly, shaking her head. “He’s been a dear about the whole thing.”

“Oh good. I was worried he might be a little… clingy?”

“No, Applejack. I told you, he’s been very well behaved.”

“What are we whispering about?” Discord suddenly materialised next to them, glancing from one to the other expectantly. Applejack jumped at his appearance, nearly spilling her tea.

“Er, nothin’!” she said hurriedly, hoping she didn’t sound too suspicious. Apparently, she was successful, as Discord hopped up into the air and reclined once more against empty space.

“Oh goody!” he exclaimed, stretching luxuriantly. “I do love nothing. It’s my second favourite thing to do, right after chaos. Perhaps when you’re done, you could hurry up and solve the second riddle?”

“Discord! That was rude!” Fluttershy snapped. “At least give Applejack time to think!” She turned back to Applejack and gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry about that, he’s just impatient. He has the third riddle, and you know how he loves those.” Applejack smirked and nodded.

“Yeah, I guess I do,” she said, raising her cup to her lips. “Good thing I already worked out the answer a few minutes ago,” she added smugly before taking a sip.

Applejack watched as her three companions’ jaws dropped simultaneously. Discord was the first to recover, finally managing to splutter out a question after a few seconds.

“How did you work that out so quickly?”

“Eh, to be honest, Fluttershy sort of gave it away,” Applejack answered with an apologetic smile at the pegasus.

“I did? Oh dear, Rainbow Dash is not going to be happy…” The pegasus started nervously chewing on a hoof.

“Relax, Fluttershy, she ain’t gonna be mad. Besides, I would’ve gotten it eventually.” Applejack swigged another mouthful of tea. “I just had to remember what I said about Rainbow Dash earlier. And maybe stop thinkin’ so literally.”

“But, um, how did you get the answer from me?” asked Fluttershy.

“Your wings,” Applejack said simply, gesturing towards her with her cup.

“My…? Oh, darn it.” Fluttershy glanced at her wings, a look of realisation crossing her face. Applejack just laughed.

“Heh, y’all forgot I can read what them things are doin’, now, didn’t you?” She chugged the last of her drink and set the cup down. “I saw you touch Zecora with your wing. It’s the exact same thing Dash does when we’re together.”

Fluttershy started turning red for a third time since Applejack’s arrival, clearly embarrassed that her affectionate display hadn’t gone unnoticed. Applejack continued.

“Of course, that’s not the only thing I know. Or rather, remember. See, a little while after we got together, Rainbow let me in on how y’all are pretty private about your wings. If a pegasus touches you with one, or lets you touch ‘em, then you can guarantee that they like you a whole bunch.” Fluttershy’s wing flexed subtly over Zecora’s back. It almost escaped Applejack’s attention. Almost.

“And apparently, wing massages are super relaxin’,” she continued. “But if you’re stupid enough to touch ‘em without permission, well… if any pony was gonna put another in a sling for that, I can see it being Rainbow.” The farmer chuckled to herself.

“Of your pegasus knowledge, praises I must sing,” Zecora said after a moment, looking amazed. “You recalled all that from the movement of a wing?”

“More or less,” Applejack answered simply. “Havin’ a pegasus marefriend for so long helps, too.”

“This is all very nice,” Discord said from his airborne recline, a distinct air of impatience surrounding him. “But I do believe this means it’s my turn, now?” Applejack held back a smirk as she watched Fluttershy roll her eyes. Next to her, Zecora covered her mouth with a hoof as she failed to stifle her own.

“Yes, Discord, it’s your tur-” Fluttershy began, only to be interrupted as the draconequus suddenly burst into life.

“Oh, goody!” he exclaimed, somehow leaping even further into the air than he already was. “I’ve been waiting all day for this!”

“Really? We couldn’t tell,” Applejack mumbled under her breath. Discord, apparently not hearing her, landed upright on the ground before continuing.

“I specifically helped craft this rhyme,” he said proudly, drawing himself up to his full height. “It has just the right amounts of crypticness and obviousness, if I do say so myself. Even a touch of familiarity. I think you’ll rather enjoy it.”

With that, Discord suddenly disappeared from view, immediately reappearing next to Applejack and slithering through the air around her as he recited his clue.

“To travel from friend to friend, this was her plan; now find the magical gem back where you began.”

With a bright flash, the draconequus was back in his invisible recliner, drinking yet another cup. Literally. Annoyingly, Applejack had to admit that he was right about one thing; the rhyme was familiar.

“Wait a second… That’s the riddle you gave Twilight and the rest of us back when you first got free!” She pointed a hoof at him as she said this, as if to accuse him of something, but exactly what she wasn’t sure. Stealing his own material, maybe?

“You’re absolutely right,” Discord replied, scrunching his drink like a can and throwing it away. “It seemed fitting, somehow. Did you enjoy it?”

“I ain’t enjoyin’ the reminder of that little adventure, I can tell you.”

“Oh dear. Well, perhaps it will cheer you up to know that this clue will lead you to your destination tomorrow?”

“Not exactly,” Applejack retorted, though not with any particular venom. “Anyway, I ain’t gonna need until tomorrow. I can already take a darn good guess as to where, or more exactly, who it leads to.”

The confidence Applejack felt when she said this faltered when she saw Fluttershy exchange knowing looks with Zecora and Discord.

“Oh, really?” the pegasus asked, her tone uncharacteristically cocky. The way she spoke sent a spike of doubt into Applejack’s gut. She didn’t like the sound of that.

“Uh, yeah?” she said, now more than a little unsure of herself. “It’s obvious it’s Twilight. All the other riddles have led me to each of you, and Discord’s clue literally says “from friend to friend”. Not to mention that Twilight’s cutie mark sorta looks like a gemstone shaped like a star.”

“Oh, we all knew it’d be obvious who was next on the list,” Fluttershy said teasingly. “That’s not what this riddle is about.”

“Then what-”

“Ah-ah,” Discord interrupted. “Remember, we can’t help you. All we can tell you is that this riddle is… slightly different in meaning to any of the others.”

“And just so that you are not unsure, this riddle is much harder than the ones before,” Zecora chimed in.

Applejack considered what she’d just been told. She’d thought the no scrolls revelation earlier had been a curveball, but this was the real one. Suddenly changing the meaning of the riddles, then taunting her about it through her friends was a dirty trick, and one that fit Rainbow Dash’s sense of humour perfectly. Get her used to how things were going, then change the rules of engagement at the last second. Well fine, if that’s how she wanted to play. Applejack drew herself up.

“If Rainbow thinks I’m gonna be scared off by a hard riddle, then she can think again,” she declared. “I ain’t givin’ up that easy! I’m gonna solve this riddle, and I’m gonna make her eat that darn hat!” She got to her hooves, determined.

“Now, if y’all will excuse me, I got some thinkin’ to do.” She turned and made to leave, but stopped short. With a slightly awkward look back, she nodded to Fluttershy and Zecora.

“Uh, thanks for the tea.”

“You’re welcome,” Fluttershy said with a smile. With that, Applejack started walking, heading for the sanctuary’s sign and the road home.

“Good luck!” Discord called behind her, after a moment. Without looking behind, she gave a half-hearted wave back.

As she plodded along the road away from the sanctuary, Applejack pondered what she was going to do tomorrow. With the new riddle apparently not being the same as the others, it was like she was starting afresh, only this time with a harder problem than before. One thing was for sure, if she was going to out-think Rainbow and the rest of her friends, she was going to have to try harder than she had all week.

Applejack headed home.

Day 5

Today had been an absolute, total, complete and utter failure.

Applejack sat despondently inside Cafè Hay, a half-eaten tulip sandwich and a cold mug of hot chocolate on the table in front of her. She had spent all day traipsing up and down Ponyville searching for Twilight--who she was surprised could apparently find the time to come to Ponyville for this--only to come up completely empty-hooved. She was tired and sore, it was getting dark, and to top things off, it was now raining outside.

She sighed. She’d spent the entire evening yesterday thinking over the riddle Discord had given her, to the point of falling asleep, and had woken up this morning none the wiser for it. The closest she could come to an answer was Carousel Boutique, since that was where she’d first gone at the start of all this, but it was a solution she hadn’t been confident in. Those misgivings were confirmed when, instead of Twilight, Applejack had been met by a somewhat surprised Sweetie Belle, who confirmed that there were indeed no alicorn princesses at the shop.

After that, Applejack had decided to visit the obvious location of Twilight’s old castle, but aside from some students of the nearby School of Friendship, it was empty. The school itself had also yielded no results, Trixie and Starlight Glimmer both confirming the lack of Twilight’s presence. Applejack had even visited the site of Twilight’s old library, the remains of the tree having long since been dug over and replaced with a small monument, but there had been nopony there. The rest of the afternoon had been spent wandering between Twilight’s various old haunts. The Hayburger, the book store, even her favourite reading spot in the park. All empty.

Applejack knew she was going about this the wrong way, but no matter how she tried, she just couldn’t figure out an answer to the riddle. With every passing minute, she could see more and more clearly the mental image of the hat Rainbow had brought on the day she’d found the box, and the clearer the hat got, the more mocking the riddle grew in her head.

So while she’d never admit to giving up, she had done just that for the day and gone to get something to eat. Now, she sat and watched the drizzle out of the window, a persistent grey sheet that seemed to simply hang in the air, wetting everything and showing no sign of letting up. Sighing once more, Applejack resigned herself to having to walk home in it. At least she could take a warm bath afterwards.

Getting up, she left a few bits on the table and headed out of the door. Immediately, her coat, mane and tail were soaked and water began dripping off the brim of her hat, droplets occasionally hitting her nose. The air around her seemed to hiss as the rain fell, permeating every crack and crevice of Ponyville and giving the world a grey hue. A flash of colour at the end of the street signalled another pony caught out in the weather, galloping home for dry towels and a warm fireplace.

Applejack began trudging in the direction of the farm, steeling herself for the long journey home, her hooves making quiet splashes in the shallow puddles already building in the streets. The combination of the cold and the wet weather sent a dull throb through her knee with every step, a pain she was used to by now, but one that still grated and wore a pony down.

She gave a grunt of annoyance. What was wrong with her? This wasn’t how she got stuff done! She was Applejack, the most dependable of ponies, and she didn’t give up at the first sign of difficulty! And she certainly didn’t start mithering just because she was having trouble! So what if the answer had eluded her so far? All she had to do was think harder. There was no way she was going to let Rainbow beat her! She’d always strived to win when she was younger, and that sure as hay wasn’t going to change now!

With that thought, Applejack’s stride became slightly more determined, her pace picking up from a sullen trudge to a more brisk half-trot. She ran through the week’s events in her head once more.

First, there had been Rarity and the dress, which had led to the market stall where she and Rainbow had started dating. Then, it had been Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner, ultimately leading to the statue at which Applejack and Rainbow had first kissed. After that, it was off to Fluttershy, where Rainbow had gotten a little cheeky with both the format of the riddles, and the subject matter. Which left her with the final riddle again.

To travel from friend to friend, this was her plan; now find the magical gem back where you began.

But now she was going in circles again, because “back where she began” led straight back to Rarity.

“What am I doin’ wrong?” Applejack asked herself aloud, not caring if there was anypony around to hear her or not. “There’s something I’m missin’…”

She huffed as she crossed the bridge out of Ponyville, the brook underneath babbling slightly louder than normal thanks to the rain. Obviously, her approach to today’s challenge had been lacking, she just needed to figure out how. If Rarity’s place wasn’t the answer, then what was?

Her logic had been that Carousel Boutique had been where the first riddle had led, so that’s where the game began. When that hadn’t panned out, she’d started looking at the other places. The castle, where she and her friends began their journey as friendship advisors. The school, where they became friendship teachers. The old library, the very start of all their adventures together. But those places had nothing to do with Rainbow’s game. While they were places something began, none of them were answers to any of the riddles, neither were they significant to her and Rainbow’s relationship.

No, she needed something more relevant to the pattern Rainbow had established; going from one friend to another, and even various points in their own relationship, all without ever chang-

“Oh, we all knew it’d be obvious who was next on the list. So we decided to… change things up a little.”

Applejack stopped dead as Fluttershy’s voice echoed in her head. Change. Changing. Until today, all the riddles had required Applejack to think increasingly outside the box, never meaning exactly as they said, which meant that if her friends had decided to change things up towards the end, then…

“Oh, you think you’re all so clever, don’t you? Well, you’re gonna have to wake up pretty early to get one over on me!”

Applejack rarely galloped anymore, but today, she did just that. Ignoring her aching knee, she sped down the muddy lane towards Sweet Apple Acres, hooves scrambling occasionally for purchase as the persistent mist of rain soaked her even more thoroughly.

None of the riddles had been literal, but Rainbow, and indeed her friends, had known she would eventually cotton on to that fact, so they’d decided to try and throw her for a loop by changing how they worked. Only problem with that, was that Applejack knew her friends just as well as they knew her, which meant she knew exactly what they’d done.

This riddle didn’t have a hidden meaning, it really was literal, which meant she’d been wrong about the start of the game. She’d gotten so caught up with thinking about the pattern of her friends, she’d forgotten the one friend that had started all this: Her marefriend, Rainbow Dash herself. Applejack had to give it to her friends, they’d all been very clever, though she wondered if it was Rainbow’s or Twilight’s idea to start the game in the same place that she had first met the future princess of Equestria.

As she raced down the lane, she spied something bright tied to one of the fence posts. Skidding to a halt, she snatched the piece of paper from the ribbon holding it, the now familiar glow of Twilight’s magic evidently keeping it dry.

Applejack,

I waited as long as I could, but the weather closed in and it began to rain, so I took shelter at your house. I’ll be waiting there.

- Twilight

She grinned as she read the flowing script, despite the cold and the rain. Looking around, she realised this was the precise spot that she’d first met Twilight, all those years ago. This is where everything had begun; all their adventures, all their quests… the very history of Equestria itself pivoted on this muddy little lane, and the meeting of one earth pony and one awkward little unicorn with a baby dragon.

More importantly, to Applejack at least, it meant so much more. If Celestia had never sent Twilight to Ponyville, she would never have met Twilight here, probably never have met Rainbow Dash, and the two of them might never have become marefriends. This lane, as important as it was for other reasons, was the real beginning of her relationship with Rainbow.

“Back where you began, huh?” she said aloud, eyeing the apple trees around her.

Tucking away the letter under her hat, Applejack once again made for her house, though at a slightly more sedate canter rather than a full gallop. Excitement and anxiety both were brewing in her, filling her with a nervous energy the closer she got to home. She was excited to see Twilight, of course, but she also knew that she was getting close to the end of the game. Just a few more riddles, now.

It wasn’t very long before she was passing through the gate to the yard of Sweet Apple Acres, splashing through the deep puddles gathered in the mud, and up the stairs of her porch. Grabbing the nearby hose, she started to wash the worst of the mud from her hooves, but stopped when she realised she could hear voices coming from inside. Listening, she recognised both Apple Bloom and Twilight talking about… something. Curious, Applejack peered through the window in the upper half of the door.

The Apple’s kitchen was large, but not enormous by anypony’s standards. However, standing at the stove with Apple Bloom, the fully-grown alicorn frame of Twilight Sparkle dominated the room. Her mane and tail, now billowing with the same power that resided with her predecessors, sparkled with sparse stars, finally lending the mare a literal interpretation of her name. The golden regalia she’d started wearing since becoming princess lay neatly by the archway leading to the rest of the house, Twilight perhaps not wanting to get any of it dirty as she apparently helped Apple Bloom cook. Surprised at what she saw, Applejack hastily finished cleaning her hooves, dropped the hose on the porch and quietly cracked open the door.

As she leaned in towards the gap she’d created, Applejack was greeted by a puff of warm air and the smell of Apple Bloom’s cooking. Immediately, she could clearly hear the voices of the two mares in the room.

“-so if ya give ‘em just a few minutes less, they won’t be so soggy,” she heard Apple Bloom say.

“Oh, so that’s where I’ve been going wrong,” came Twilight’s voice. “I thought I was cooking at too high of a temperature.”

Was Apple Bloom giving Twilight… cooking lessons? Applejack suppressed a snigger. She’d personally witnessed Twilight’s cooking in the past, and it had been an experience for sure. The fact that Twilight was taking the opportunity to brush up on the subject was also funny to her. Some things never changed, it seemed.

“That’ll do it, too,” Apple Bloom said, their conversation continuing. “Try cookin’ ‘em slower and lower, and you’ll probably be alright. Here, give that pot a stir so the flavour gets mixed in good.”

“Like this?”

“That’s perfect!”

Applejack, spurred on by both the cold and the need to reach the end of her marefriend’s game, decided to finally step into the tantalising warmth of the kitchen and pushed open the door. Neither of the two other mares noticed her initially, Twilight chattering happily as she stirred whatever Apple Bloom was cooking for dinner, her magic holding the spoon aloft.

“This is actually really nice,” she said as Applejack walked in. “Ever since I became the princess, I hardly ever get to do anything myself anymore. It’s always somepo- Oh, Applejack! There you are!”

Twilight turned as she heard Applejack enter, a beaming smile on her face. She dropped the spoon into the pot, trotting over and sweeping Applejack into a hug, lifting the earth pony almost clear off the ground.

“Whoa, nelly!” Applejack yelped in surprise, feeling something pop in her back. “Easy there, Twilight! I’m happy to see you, too!”

“Oops, sorry!” Twilight apologised sheepishly, sitting down and letting Applejack regain her footing. There was a large damp spot on her coat where the alicorn had hugged her. “It’s just been so long since we last saw each other.”

“No harm done, sugarcube. And I guess it has been a minute since we last met. Though, from what I gather, y’all have already been meetin’ the rest of our friends?” Applejack said this last with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow, but Twilight remained unfazed, clearly too excited over her own part to play to notice Applejack’s teasing.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, clapping her front hooves together. Her wings flared briefly, nearly spanning the entire distance between the table and the sink. “I’ve been waiting all week for this! Though I was getting a bit worried when you didn’t show up. What were you doing all day?” It was Applejack’s turn to look a little sheepish.

“Yeah, I kinda got a little hung up on today’s riddle,” she admitted, scratching the back of her head. Her hoof came away wet. “Uh, before we get into it, you mind if I take a shower? It’s raining cats and dogs out there, and I’m freezin’.”

“Oh, right, yes! Sorry. I’ll wait here with Apple Bloom.”

“Thanks, Twi. Won’t be a minute.”

Applejack headed up to the bathroom and quickly showered, cleaning off the mud that had splashed over her on her run back home. She also took a minute to let the water warm her up, especially her knee, which was now a great deal more sore than it had been. Drying quickly, she made her way back down to the kitchen, where she found Twilight now sitting at the table, and Apple Bloom still cooking away at the stove. She sat down opposite the alicorn, wincing as she did so.

“Are you alright?” Twilight asked, concerned.

“Just this dang knee, I’ll be fine,” Applejack reassured her.

“You know, the offer still stands to have the castle doctors look at it. They might be able to-”

“Let’s not go down that road again, Twi,” Applejack said, shaking her head. Her knee had been a point of contention between the two of them for some time, with Twilight frequently trying to convince her that the royal medical staff might be able to do something Ponyville’s doctors hadn’t, something Applejack highly doubted.

“Fine,” Twilight huffed, a small look of irritation at Applejack’s stubbornness crossing her face. A giggle came from behind her, and both of them turned to look at Apple Bloom, who just shook her head at them and went back to cooking.

“And what are you laughin’ at, exactly?” Applejack enquired of her sister.

“Nothin’,” the younger mare shot back, still smiling. She turned down the stove and started walking out of the kitchen. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.”

“What’s gotten into her?” Applejack wondered aloud as her sister left the room.

“Celestia only knows,” Twilight said, sounding equally puzzled. Applejack just shrugged.

“Young ponies,” she said with a chuckle. Twilight turned back to her with a wry smile.

“We were that young once, too, you know,” she retorted.

“You still are,” Applejack pointed out. “You ain’t aged a day since you became princess, just got taller.” Twilight looked down at herself and nodded ruefully.

“Physically, maybe,” she agreed, though she offered no further clarification. Applejack got the sense her friend didn’t really want to talk about it. There was an awkward silence for a moment, until the farmer noticed something. Or rather, the absence of something.

“Hey, shouldn’t you have some guards with you, or somethin’?” she asked, realising that Twilight had come alone. “Or at least Spike?”

“Oh, pff, nah,” said Twilight, looking back up and waving a hoof dismissively. “Do you know how annoying it is to be followed everywhere by a bunch of ponies at all hours of the day? As far as the guard knows, I’m feeling unwell and am not to be disturbed. Nopony even knows I’m here, except Spike, and he’s perfectly capable of handling things for a day.”

“Seems a little dangerous, though. You sure that’s wise?”

“Well, unless you or your apple trees plan to try and overthrow Equestria, I think I’ll be alright,” Twilight giggled.

“Speaking of you, where were you today?” Applejack made a pained face.

“Ugh, like I said, I got stuck on today’s answer. Couldn’t figure it out for the life of me.”

“Well, it looks like you got there eventually.”

“Yeah… sorta. I was actually on my way back when I figured out y’all had stopped bein’ so fancy with the meaning of the riddles.”

“Oh, really? At least you got it in the end. Did you like them? We all worked hard to make sure they were good.”

“Sure, I guess. Some of ‘em were pretty nice, or rather, the answers were. Good memories.”

“Good, because there’s still two more for you to solve,” Twilight said, straightening up. “I hope you’ve been paying attention, though, because otherwise this first one might not be so easy.”

Applejack considered that for a moment. So far, each of the riddles had supposedly been harder than the last, yet she’d managed to ace every single one of them. Sure, Discord’s had been the hardest so far, but that was only because her friends had changed things up slightly; she’d still gotten it in the end. If she’d come this far, then she reckoned she had a pretty good handle on things as a whole. She knew she had this.

Drawing herself up, Applejack simply uttered two words:

“Alright, shoot.”

Twilight grinned excitedly once more, rubbing her hooves together. She cleared her throat before speaking in a practiced tone.

“From one to the next, on a journey I have led; now patch them together, and find the common thread.”

Twilight looked over expectantly at Applejack, a patient smile on her lips as she waited for the farm mare to work out the solution.

For her part, Applejack’s mind was working a mile a minute, but not on the answer. After the day’s earlier events, she was considering the implication of the riddle, rather than the riddle itself. Was this another literal rhyme, or was there more at play? Was Rainbow done messing with her head, or did her pegasus marefriend have one final trick up her sleeve? Applejack felt like she knew the answer, she’d seen a pattern early on after all, but she was afraid of messing up her chances of winning by saying the wrong thing. If she got it wrong now, she’d never forgive herself, and she’d never hear the end of it from Rainbow Dash.

“Should I even ask if y’all are messin’ with me again?” she asked Twilight, though she already had a good idea what her answer would be.

“Do you really think I’d give you a different answer than the others?” Twilight asked in return, her smile never leaving her face.

“Had to ask, at least.”

“Do you have an answer yet?”

“I’m thinkin’!”

“Take your time, I have an hour or so yet before Spike won’t be able to hide my absence any longer.”

“Why? What happens in an hour?”

“Dinner,” Twilight answered simply, with a slight shrug. Applejack deflated slightly. That should have been obvious, given the hour.

Once again, Applejack turned her mind towards the task at hand. As she thought about Twilight’s riddle, she tried to come up with any other conclusion than the one she initially, almost instinctively came to. The more she thought about it, however, the more she realised that there couldn’t possibly be another answer. There was indeed a common thread between all the riddles, and she’d spotted it back at Sugarcube Corner; the progression of the relationship she had with Rainbow Dash. More specifically, the milestones and intimate moments they’d shared over the years.

Not for the first time that week, Applejack got the sense that Rainbow had taken her on a whistle-stop tour of their relationship, but the reason why eluded her, dancing just out of the reach of her deductive abilities. Ever since she’d first hit on the idea that this whole game had been about them, she felt as if she was missing something obvious, some key piece of the puzzle, but exactly what, she didn’t know.

What she did know, however, was that the more she thought about this latest riddle, the more images flooded her mind of the times she’d spent with Rainbow. The competitions, the play-fighting, the friendly bickering, the mutual thrill-seeking, the snuggling, the kisses, the times spent doing nothing but enjoying each other’s company, or just feeling her marefriend’s heart beating in her chest as they lay in bed together…

Applejack steeled herself. She had her answer, she just hoped it was the right one.

“Us,” she said finally, meeting Twilight’s still patient gaze. “The common thread is me and Rainbow. Specifically our relationship.”

Twilight was silent, her expression not changing. For a moment, Applejack feared she’d gambled and lost, visions of an ugly pink hat and endless teasing from Rainbow swimming to the forefront of her mind, but then Twilight broke out into a wide grin. Her worries vanished in an instant, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her.

“Yes!” Twilight cheered, evidently pleased, her wings giving a brief flap. “You are absolutely right, well done.”

“Oh, thank Celestia,” Applejack said, visibly relaxing.

“What’s wrong? Worried you didn’t have the right answer?” Twilight teased.

“Maybe just for a moment,” admitted Applejack sheepishly.

“Well, I had full confidence in you. I never doubted you’d get it.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because family is important to you, and Rainbow Dash has been part of yours for a long time now.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Applejack said with a nod. “I mean, it ain’t like we’re married or anythin’, but still… I can’t imagine life without her, now. If she left, I’d be devastated.”

“I know, and that’s a good thing,” Twilight said reassuringly. “Because it means you’re really going to like what Rainbow’s got in store for you.” The princess’ excited grin returned once more.

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” Twilight laughed and shook her head at Applejack’s attempt at getting information.

“You know I’m not going to tell you,” she said. “Let’s just say… It will be the best birthday present you’ve ever had.”

“It better be, for all this work she’s put me through,” Applejack groused.

“Oh, it will be, trust me. Ready for the final riddle?”

Applejack breathed a tired sigh. This was it, then. All this effort, all the mental gymnastics of the past few days, all the trips down memory lane came down to this; one final challenge.

“As I’ll ever be,” she replied, steeling herself for what was surely going to be the hardest riddle yet.

“Okay,” Twilight said with a nod. “Then here we go.” Once again, the alicorn cleared her throat before continuing:

“You’re nearly there, just one more quest; when the sun rises, find your favourite crest.”

Applejack just stared at Twilight, her mouth forming a small “o” of disbelief. There was no way in Equestria that after all this, Rainbow had made things that easy… had she?

“Is something wrong, Applejack?” Twilight asked, looking amused at her friend’s reaction.

“Nope,” she responded after a moment. “Just can’t believe that Rainbow would make things that easy at the end.”

“Well, I never said the last one would be hard,” Twilight said, chuckling. “So I take it you know the answer?”

“Eeyup. I know exactly where she’s talking about.”

“Excellent. In that case, I should probably be getting back, before the guard start panicking.” Twilight stood and walked over to her regalia, putting it back on piece by piece.

“Just like that? You sure you can’t stay for dinner?” Applejack asked. It would be nice to catch up with Twilight, but the princess shook her head.

“I’d love to, but like I said, I’ll be missed at dinner time if I’m not back at the castle. Oh! I almost forgot!” Twilight’s horn lit up and a small box, neatly wrapped in orange paper, floated over to the table, landing gently in front of Applejack. “That’s for tomorrow. Happy Birthday.”

“Hey, thanks.”

“No problem. Enjoy tomorrow… and what Rainbow Dash has for you.” With a wink and a flash of magic, Twilight disappeared from Applejack’s kitchen, leaving the room empty except for her and the simmering pot on the stove.

Applejack had to admit that she felt that, after all was said and done, this was a rather anticlimactic end to the game. Sure, she’d won, but there was no trophy to be had, just a “well done” and the promise of something amazing tomorrow. It almost felt hollow.

“Woo hoo?” she tried into the empty kitchen. Her only answer was the gentle bubbling coming from the stove. Applejack shook her head and chuckled to herself. She was being a silly pony. It did feel good to win the game, and if she was honest with herself, she did feel excited about tomorrow. She’d beaten her marefriend’s game, and she was definitely more than a little curious at what Rainbow had planned for her.

If nothing else, she could look forward to rubbing her victory in Rainbow’s adorably smug face for the next week. And thanks to the final riddle, she knew exactly where to find her in the morning:

At the top of her favourite hill on the northern edge of the farm.

Day 6

The sky was barely lit with the morning sun, but Applejack could see the weather was almost an exact mirror of the day she had started out on this little adventure: Cold, still and frosty, but with clear skies. Just like last time, grass and dead leaves crunched underhoof, and her breath created thick clouds of vapour around her as she walked. As she wove through the hibernating orchard, she occasionally had to avoid frozen puddles created by the rain from the day before, their icy surfaces mottled by trapped air bubbles.

Breaking through the northern tree line of Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack stopped to assess the final leg of her journey; the hill that overlooked the farm. Moderately steep, the hill swept up to a relatively small, flat top, before falling away to the river between the farm and Ponyville. At its peak, a single apple tree resided, usually left unharvested because of its distance from the rest of the orchard. As far as she could remember, the tree had always been on the hill, though Applejack had no idea how or when it had appeared there.

She had always liked this hill for its solitude, often coming here in her younger days whenever she needed to be alone. It offered a certain distance and calm from her busy life, allowing her to reflect and offering some perspective with its juxtaposed views of the farm on one side, and the town on the other. Many other times, she and Rainbow had picnicked under the tree on warm days, enjoying each other’s company and the view. It was definitely one of her favourite places to be.

From where she stood at the edge of the trees, Applejack could just make out the splash of colour that was Rainbow Dash lounging in one of the lower branches, confirming what she already knew: She had the right place. Checking that her saddlebags, and the box inside them, were secure, she pulled her jacket and scarf a little tighter against the cold and began the climb up the frozen hillside.

As she walked up the faint path on the slope, Applejack felt a sense of excitement build inside her. She had to admit, she had been wondering what kind of gift Rainbow had gotten her, and the sense of mystery built by her friends had piqued her curiosity even further. On top of that, she wondered why Twilight had told her to take the box, and the part it had to play in all this.

The answers, it seemed, were just a few seconds away as she spied Rainbow hopping out of the tree to greet her, the pegasus landing deftly on the frosty grass.

“Hey there, AJ!” Rainbow ran up and nearly bowled Applejack over with an enthusiastic hug, embracing her tightly with both legs and wings, a sure sign that she had missed her. “Happy Birthday, beautiful,” she added with a kiss on the lips.

“Thanks, sugarcube,” Applejack said, giggling and returning the affection with a kiss of her own, the sudden intimacy serving to remind her of how much she, in turn, had missed Rainbow over the past few days. “How was the Academy?”

“Oh, you know, a bit of training here, a bit of chewing out there. You know how it is,” the pegasus replied, releasing her and blowing a stray lock of her colourful mane out of her face. “So…” She began in a not-so surreptitious manner.

“So what?” Applejack answered back sweetly, feigning ignorance.

“Oh, you’re really gonna do me like that?” Rainbow deadpanned. Applejack chuckled in response.

“Worth it just for that reaction, darlin’.”

“Yeah yeah, punk the pegasus, I get it. Come on, did my girl win my game or not?” Rainbow wore an impatient expression, wings rustling at her side underneath the saddlebags situated behind her bomber jacket. Applejack raised an eyebrow and pointed at the bags.

“What’s in there?” she asked.

“Oh, you’ll find out,” Rainbow replied with a smirk. “Once you tell me how you did.”

“Playin’ hardball, huh?”

“Have I ever played any other way?”

“Alright,” Applejack conceded, smiling. “I guess I could tell you that you can burn that abomination of a hat you wanted me to wear.” Rainbow suddenly grinned.

“Oh, you mean this one?” she said, turning and pulling something from her saddlebags. Held between her teeth was an ordinary brown hat, identical to the one Applejack already wore on her head. The farmer blinked in confusion.

“What? I don’t…” She looked from the hat to Rainbow, back to the hat. “That ain’t the same hat! It was pink, and had one of your feathers attached to it!” Rainbow dropped the hat on the ground, still grinning.

“Oh that? That was just a bit of magic from Rarity,” she explained, barely able to contain herself. “I just bought a hat like yours and told Rarity to make it look like the ugliest cowgirl hat she could think of. You should have seen her face once she was done, it was hilarious!” Rainbow cracked up, the memory apparently just as funny as the original occurrence.

Applejack, on the other hand, was more confused than amused. Why would Rainbow have her trekking all across town, searching out riddles and stressing over her winning reputation, all on the basis of a trick? It didn’t make sense.

“Why?” she asked, doing her best to convey her puzzlement in one word.

“Why what?” Rainbow responded after calming down.

“Why’d you trick me? I know that wasn’t what this was all about.”

“No, of course not. Come on, AJ, you know me better than that.”

“Then why?”

“I just needed to motivate you a little, that’s all,” Rainbow explained, picking up the hat and stuffing it back into her saddlebag. “I knew that you probably wouldn’t go wandering around looking for scrolls just because I asked you to, but if I made a challenge out of it, I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist. You never can.”

She offered an infuriatingly self-satisfied smirk after that last, meeting Applejack’s gaze as if daring her to deny it. The farmer stared back at her defiantly, but knew that Rainbow had her dead to rights. The combination of the game and the threat of the hat was a deadly one; one or the other might have done it, but both was a certainty. Never in her life had Applejack ever backed down from anything she’d perceived as a challenge, even to the detriment of her own health on occasion.

And Rainbow had used that knowledge perfectly.

“Alright, you got me,” Applejack conceded, breaking eye contact with a defeated sigh. “So what was this all about, anyway?”

“To answer that, I gotta ask you a question.” Rainbow walked over to the apple tree, where there was a thick blanket laid out by the roots. She shucked off her saddlebags and sat down, patting the blanket next to her, the invitation clear. Applejack joined her, removing her own bags and getting herself comfortable.

“Alright,” Rainbow began, a tinge of nervousness to her voice. “So, I guess you noticed there was a sort of… pattern to the riddles?” Applejack nodded.

“Yeah, I noticed. They were about us, and us being together.” She smiled, giving Rainbow a sidelong look. “The one about wings was subtle, I still remember the first time you let me help preen yours.” She saw a faint blush appear on her marefriend’s cheeks.

“Heh, that one was Fluttershy’s idea, believe it or not,” Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her head. “Did you know she and Zecora are a thing?”

“Not until the other day, though I figured it out quick enough. Fluttershy actually sort of gave away the answer because of it.”

“Really?! That’s hilarious! Anyway, I wanted this game to remind you about us.”

“What for?” Applejack asked. “Ain’t like I’ve exactly forgot.”

“No, but…” Rainbow paused for a moment, looking contemplative. “Hey, did you bring that box I gave you?” she asked suddenly. Applejack reached into her saddlebags and removed the box, placing it on the blanket between them.

“Right here, like Twilight told me to.”

“Good,” Rainbow nodded. “We’re going to need it in a bit.” She took a deep breath and stared off into the distance, seeming to lose herself in thought.

“Everythin’ alright there, sugarcube?” Applejack asked after a moment, concerned. She’d never seen Rainbow like this before, and it was worrying. The other mare nodded and smiled at her.

“Everything’s more than alright, AJ, but I’m going to talk now, and I need you to listen, okay?” Applejack nodded. Whatever this was, it was serious. She felt a sting of nerves, but did her best to suppress it.

“Okay,” the farmer replied. It was a moment before Rainbow Dash spoke again, the pegasus shifting uneasily, her wings jittery, as if she were trying to recall a speech from memory in front of a large audience for the first time.

“AJ, I love you,” she said, her voice tremulous. “You know this, obviously, or we wouldn’t have been together this long. I have loved you every day for all of these years, and I’ve not regretted a single one of them. You light up my life, and give me a reason to look forward to waking up in the morning.”

Applejack simultaneously felt both a dopey smile and dash of heat race for her face. She knew these words probably weren’t entirely Rainbow’s, and that she’d likely gotten help from Twilight or one of their other friends, but from the pure emotion that they were spoken with, she knew that her marefriend meant them.

“That’s why I came up with this game,” Rainbow continued, her voice getting steadier and more confident. “To show you that, even now, the moments we’ve shared are still as meaningful to me as when they happened. Hopefully I’ve given you a slight glimpse at that.”

“Rainbow, you didn’t have to-” Applejack began, but was interrupted by one of Rainbow’s primary feathers pressing against her lips.

“Please, let me finish,” Rainbow said, removing her wing again. Applejack just nodded. “As I was saying, I love you more than you know, and I’ve done my best over the years to show it, but there’s more that I can do. Much more that life hasn’t afforded me the opportunity to do until now. Before I go any further, though, there’s something you should know.”

The pegasus looked up into the sky for a moment, obviously gathering her thoughts. Applejack wondered what she was thinking, what this revelation was going to be, if it was something she should be concerned about, or if this was just Rainbow Dash being Rainbow Dash and she was going slightly over the top with something relatively minor. What the pegasus said next rocked Applejack to her core.

“I’m leaving the Wonderbolts,” Rainbow said, once again looking at her.

“What?!” Applejack exclaimed, unable to help herself.

“I’m retiring,” continued the other mare, unfazed. “I’m older than Spitfire was when she passed command to me, and honestly… I’m slowing down and starting to make mistakes. Ponies could get hurt, and I don’t want that. After this year’s class graduates, I’m out.”

For as long as Applejack had known her, the Wonderbolts had been Rainbow Dash’s life. Her whole being had been focussed on getting onto the team, a goal she’d not only attained but surpassed, taking command of the Wonderbolts as a whole. It had seemed like she’d be there forever, but now here she was, talking about retiring and leaving it all behind after so long.

“I can’t believe you’re leavin’,” Applejack said. “You not being in the ‘Bolts is like havin’ an apple pie without the apples.” Rainbow laughed.

“Yeah, I guess,” she said. “But we both knew it couldn’t last forever. It’s time for me to move on and make room for the next generation.”

“But what’re you gonna do?”

“Well,” Rainbow answered, picking up one of Applejack’s hooves and holding it in her own. “I thought about that and I came up with an idea I quite like, and one I think you’ll like, too.”

“And what’s that?” asked Applejack. Rainbow seemed to think for a second, then smiled deviously.

“How about one more riddle?” she asked.

“Huh?” Applejack was having trouble parsing what she’d just been told, unable to quite fathom the ramifications of Rainbow’s decision. As a result, her entire train of thought came crashing to a halt when presented with Rainbow’s unexpected question.

“One more riddle, and you’ll get your answer. Deal?”

Without any real reason to deny it, and her mind blown as much as it was, Applejack just nodded wordlessly in agreement. Rainbow smiled, a double flap of her wings accentuating her expression.

“Okay! This is totally the last one, I promise.”

Sitting up straighter, Rainbow looked Applejack in the eye as she delivered her final challenge to the earth pony.

“So you went hither and thither, and took my little test; now your final task is to name what I like best.”

Applejack’s mind went blank. Combined with Rainbow’s earlier bombshell, the riddle rendered her utterly unable to pull a single answer from the confines of her memory. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to process the problem, though she was far too perplexed to feel any sense of foolishness because of it. How could she not think of anything at a time like this? She had a whole lifetime to pull from! A chuckle from Rainbow pulled her back to the here and now.

“Don’t tell me I’ve got you beat right at the end,” she said, a cocky grin on her face.

It was a barb Rainbow had used against Applejack many times, usually to prolong a competition in her favour by provoking the earth mare’s determination. Once again, it proved its effectiveness as Applejack’s mind instantly went from a standstill, to racing with possible solutions. From the obvious Wonderbolts or her own family’s cider, to the more obscure, such as Rainbow’s favourite napping spots, or even where the worst tension points in her wings were after she exercised.

Realising she was getting nowhere fast, Applejack took a deep breath, trying to calm her thoughts. Rather than trying to randomly guess, she decided to focus on the riddle. The first half was clear enough, referencing the game she’d been following over the past few days, but was only serving to create the rhyme. The second half was where the actual question lay. Applejack ran through the list of things in her head that she knew Rainbow Dash liked, checking them off one by one.

“Come on, the answer’s pretty obvious,” Rainbow said, her voice playfully teasing, but serving only to heighten Applejack’s anxiety as she tried to come up with an answer. She grit her teeth. She’d gotten all the others right, she wasn’t going to-

Wait… All the others! That was it! Rainbow had been showing her all week, had been sitting here telling her for the last few minutes, and she’d still missed it! Missed it like a chicken staring at a cockatrice! Applejack almost laughed at the absurdity, instead, she just looked up at Rainbow again, smiling fondly.

“It’s me, ain’t it?” she asked, though she already knew the answer. Rainbow winked at her.

“Now you’re getting it,” she said, almost laughing.

“So,” Applejack started, wanting to make absolutely sure. “You want to… what? Live with me? Here? On the farm? We practically do that anyway.” She watched as Rainbow bit her lip.

“Not exactly,” the other mare answered, glancing away.

“Then what?”

“Close your eyes.”

“Say what now?”

“Close your eyes, and don’t open them until I say, okay?”

Applejack was puzzled, but nodded and closed her eyes. In the back of her mind, she wondered what Rainbow was up to now. She felt her marefriend let go of her hoof, the sound of her rummaging in her saddlebags reaching her ears once more. Rainbow spoke again.

“Applejack, for years now, you’ve been my world. Every night I fall asleep thinking of you, and every day I wake up the same. Every time I’m away and I see something cool, or do something awesome, I think “I wish Applejack was here to see that”. I miss you every day I’m not with you, and I never want to leave when I am.”

Rainbow’s words before might have been prepared by her friends, but these now were definitely her own, and they made Applejack feel as giddy as when they were first dating. She knew Rainbow loved her, but to hear it coming in such a heartfelt way was absolutely breathtaking. She felt like a young mare again, the years literally lifting off of her. She was also fairly sure she was grinning like an idiot. Again.

“You know I don’t really believe in things like soulmates,” Rainbow continued, apparently unaware of the effect she was having on Applejack. “But if I did, then I’d say you were it. I’ve spent as many days as I could with you over the years, but from now on I want to spend them all with you. Forever.”

Realisation hit Applejack like a train. Her heart began to race, and suddenly Rainbow’s game and its little reminders of their history together started to make sense. Rainbow not asking what she wanted for her birthday. The secret her friends were all in on. Bringing her out to her favourite hill. Her mind flashed back to the first day, seeing the cutie marks engraved on the box, and inside it, two recesses on the bottom.

Two circular recesses.

Her eyes flew open.

There, in front of her, Rainbow Dash knelt with a wing outstretched towards her. Cradled in her primary feathers was a small, open box lined with white silk. Nestled inside it was a silver ring, adorned with the largest diamond Applejack had ever set eyes on.

“Applejack,” Rainbow said, nerves wracking her voice and causing her free wing to twitch. “Will you marry me?”

For Applejack, time stood still. She could do nothing but stare at the ring in front of her. The diamond embedded in it was easily as big around as the tip of a unicorn’s horn. She wondered where Rainbow had gotten it from, and how she’d even afforded it. She must have saved for years.

When their relationship had started getting serious, Applejack had briefly entertained the idea of marriage, however, it had quickly become apparent that Rainbow’s mind was almost entirely on her career. Instead, Applejack had simply contented herself with having Rainbow by her side, both of them happy just being with the other. Or so she thought. Had the pegasus been secretly harboring this desire all this time?

Applejack suddenly realised she’d not said anything. Instead she’d just been staring at the ring for… how long? Seconds? A minute? Two? What could she say? The mare she loved, cherished and adored, the mare she’d spent half her life with already, was down on one knee, asking for her hoof in marriage. What did you even say to that?

Applejack already knew the answer.

Slowly, shakily, she reached out and took the box carefully from Rainbow’s wing. She lifted the ring carefully from the box, a silver chainlet flowing behind it and dangling in the cold air. The diamond refracted the light in its many facets, sparkling in the morning sun.

Without a word, Applejack lifted the chain over her head and settled it into place around her neck. She looked down briefly, the ring and the diamond both stark against the blue of her winter jacket. Looking back up, she saw Rainbow Dash staring at her, awestruck, as if in disbelief at what she saw. Applejack pulled her into a tight hug.

“Absolutely, sugarcube,” she whispered into the ear of her new fiancée, her voice hoarse with emotion. She felt the tension inside Rainbow snap, the pegasus seeming to melt into her, and hugging her tightly in return.

“Oh, Celestia, I was so scared you would say no! Thank you so much!” Rainbow’s voice was thick, the mare sounding on the verge of tears. Applejack pushed her back slightly, holding her marefriend by the shoulders. She looked into her magenta eyes, blinking back tears as she did so.

“Why in Equestria would I do that?” she asked incredulously.

“I was worried that you wouldn’t be interested after this long,” Rainbow answered, wiping her eyes as she did so. “That you might have been happy just… just being marefriends.”

“But… I thought…” Applejack began, confusion written across her face. “I thought that was you! I was waiting for you to say somethin’, and when you didn’t, I just figured you didn’t want that. Why’d you wait so long?”

“I… could never seem to find the right time,” the other mare began, shrugging slightly. “There was always some adventure to go on, or some villain to defeat, not to mention Twilight’s school keeping us both busy. Later, the Wonderbolts and the academy took so much of my time, there never seemed to be a chance to ask. But now I’m leaving that all behind, so I figure it’s now or never.”

Applejack laughed. It was the only thing she could do. So many years of potential marriage missed, simply because one of them didn’t want to push, and the other was too busy to ask. It was a situation so absurd, it could only have happened to them.

“What’s so funny?” Rainbow asked, clearly confused.

“Us,” the farmer replied, getting her laughter under wraps. “This whole situation is just like us. I’m too set doin’ things one way, you’re goin’ too fast to stop and think, and we both end up here.” Rainbow giggled at Applejack’s summarisation of things.

“Yeah, that does sound like us,” she said, smiling and shaking her head. “Guess some things never change, huh?” Applejack nodded in agreement, still chuckling. She took another look at her new ring, her heart swelling at its significance. The diamond held her rapt for a moment, before her eyes strayed to Rainbow.

“Hey, ain’t you got your own?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. She smirked playfully. “Or did you blow all your bits on this here boulder you got me?”

Rainbow jumped slightly, before delving back into her bags once more. After a few seconds, she pulled out a box identical to the one she’d given to Applejack. Inside was a perfect twin to the ring the farmer now wore around her neck, complete with its own chainlet. Rainbow pulled it out and settled it around her own neck, making them a matching pair. She grinned up at Applejack, who returned it with gusto.

“I can’t believe we’re finally doing this!” Rainbow cried, practically bouncing on the spot. She tightly embraced Applejack again, her wings forming a feathery cocoon around the farm mare, who returned the hug wordlessly.

Her mind spun with plans for the future. For telling their friends and family. For the wedding itself. The honeymoon. Life afterwards. How Rainbow would fit in at the farm, if living there was truly what she wanted. She decided to ignore all of it for now. That was all future Applejack’s problem. Right now, present Applejack just wanted to bask in the fact she was now engaged to the most wonderful mare in the world. Suddenly, Rainbow broke away from her again, looking around them for something.

“Dash? What is it?” Applejack asked, watching the pegasus cast about for a few seconds before spotting what she was after. She bent down and picked up the engraved box.

“I almost forgot,” she said, opening it up and placing her ring inside. “There’s one last thing I want to show you.”

“What’s that?”

“Put your ring in the bottom, next to mine.”

Scooting closer, Applejack did so, placing the ring gently into the recess next to Rainbow’s. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a series of clicks emanated from the box, and the base split in two. The twin halves rose up on a hidden mechanism, carefully bearing each ring up and out over the lip of the box, revealing a secret compartment beneath them. Hidden inside was a large, multi-faceted clear crystal, about the size of a golf ball. Applejack marvelled at it, never having seen anything quite like it.

A passing thought in the back of her mind noted that this crystal, and indeed the mechanism hiding it, must have been the source of the weight she felt in the box on the first day.

Rainbow set the box down and retrieved the crystal, holding it up to the light. There was no sparkling, nor any refraction as the sun shone on it. Aside from the barest of reflections, it appeared almost as a lump of glass, distorting the image behind it hardly at all.

“It’s pretty and all,” Applejack said, puzzled. “But what is it?”

“This is a memory crystal,” Rainbow explained, placing it carefully on the blanket. “They’re super rare, but you can use them to put copies of your memories inside so others can see and feel them.”

“It just looks like a piece of glass,” Applejack said, bending down to inspect it closer. “How’s it work?” Rainbow just shrugged.

“I tried asking Twilight,” she said. “But all I got was magical mumbo jumbo. All I know is, you touch it to your head and think about what you want to put inside it.”

“So how does somepony else see what you’ve put in there?”

“Just put your hoof on it and relax. I’ve already loaded it with some of mine. Give it a try.”

Applejack reached out with a hoof, hesitating briefly before touching it. Was she sure she wanted to see Rainbow’s thoughts? Feel her feelings? Then again, she’d offered and they were engaged now. If they were going to be together for the rest of their lives, then maybe it was a good idea to know a little more about how Rainbow thought. Not that she didn’t have a good idea already.

Her mind made up, Applejack touched the crystal.

Immediately, her mind was flooded with images, images accompanied by feelings so deep seated she was almost convinced they were her own.

Her and Rainbow hanging out together, a feeling of contentment enveloping her as she gazed at herself through the pegasus’ eyes.

The two of them competing together, her heart pounding from exertion as they ran, coupled with a deep admiration for her own ability to keep up.

Their first date, her heart pounding again, but this time from barely contained nerves as she watched herself eat.

Their first kiss, her lips warm and soft, surprise being quickly overwhelmed by joy, and the tips of her wings tingling; like goosebumps almost.

Holidays, adventures, private moments. And through it all, the overwhelming feeling of pure, unfettered, unconditional love.

Applejack gasped and pulled her hoof back. Looking over at Rainbow, she regarded her in a new light. Applejack knew that the pegasus loved her before, but now she knew. She’d felt it. How many other ponies could say that about their loves? She knew right then, without a doubt, Rainbow loved her truly and would never allow anything to come between them.

Not that she’d ever doubted it.

Applejack grabbed her new fiancée once more, and brought their lips together. The two kissed deeply and passionately, as only two special someponies that had been together that long could. The kiss lasted a minute or two, but it felt far shorter to Applejack, and she could tell by the look in Rainbow’s eye as they parted, that she felt the same.

“That… was somethin’ else, sugarcube,” she said, catching her breath.

“And there’s plenty more where that came from,” Rainbow said, leaning in again. Applejack giggled and pressed a hoof against the pegasus’ muzzle, stopping her.

“Darlin’, much as I’d love to spend all day making out with you, we’ve both got stuff to do.”

“Yeah, I guess. Maybe stay a few minutes more, though?” Rainbow stretched out a wing, the offer clear.

Applejack nodded and snuggled up close, shivering slightly as Rainbow’s wing surrounded her. Her down feathers were soft and warm, immediately warding off the cold air, the sensation like being wrapped in a feathery blanket. It was a feeling that Applejack enjoyed immensely. She sighed contentedly.

“I love you, Rainbow Dash,” she said, kissing the other mare’s shoulder and breathing in the smell of her jacket. She felt Rainbow squeeze her with her wing, reciprocating with a kiss planted on the top of her head. The memory crystal caught her eye, and she rolled it gently towards herself, sitting it between them both.

“Any ideas for what you want to put in there?” Rainbow asked. Applejack just smiled.

“A few, actually,” she replied, entwining her forelegs with one of Rainbow’s own. “But maybe later. Right now, I just wanna enjoy this.”

Neither of them knew how long they stayed there like that, staring out over the orchard, but by the time they returned to the farm, the sun was well above the treetops. As they entered the farmhouse’s kitchen, Applejack’s, no, their family was already gathered around for breakfast, and it wasn’t long before the rings were spotted and the celebrations began.

As she sat there, surrounded by family, laughing and planning for the future; Applejack had to admit to herself that it had been a very strange week. Rainbow thinking up games for the two of them was by no means an unheard of occurrence, but this one had definitely been one of the more outlandish.

However, this game, unlike all the previous ones, had one key difference.

This time, they’d both won big.