As the fading orange rays of sunlight peeked through the treetops, a noticeable chill settled over Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack stood beside the old barn, turning to yank on one end of her scarf with her mouth. She sighed when she felt it tighten around her neck, keeping just a little warmer.
In the distance, she could hear Rainbow Dash smashing through the last trees on the edge of the orchard. For a pegasus, she had speed, but she didn’t know the first thing about proper apple bucking. Big Mac and Apple Bloom would soon be out to collect all the apples that she knocked down—the ones that didn’t fall neatly into the buckets but went flying all over the farm.
Sure enough, as she caught sight of her big brother trotting out toward the orchard, he paused to give her a quick stare and a grim smile.
Applejack grinned bashfully. She knew what that smile meant. If it were anypony but Rainbow Dash…
“Er, much obliged?” she offered, trying to sound sweet.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac answered and continued on his way.
With that settled, Applejack turned the corner and grabbed a red-and-yellow scarf that was hanging by a nail near the door. As she clutched it in her mouth, she got a whiff of a familiar scent. There was something about the smell of pegasus feathers and cloud fluff that always made her ache a little inside.
She took a long inhale and let her eyes drift shut. Heck, it was more intoxicating than any cider she could brew—
“Hey, AJ?” When she opened her eyes, Rainbow Dash was circling overhead. As the blue pony dropped onto her hooves, she took the scarf from Applejack’s mouth and wrapped it around her own neck. “You didn’t need to hold it that long.”
“Sorry, Sugarcube.” Applejack pulled her in for a hug. “You ready to go?”
Rainbow Dash grinned as she tightened one end of the scarf. With a flick of her head, she tossed her short mane. Right on cue, Applejack’s heart skipped a beat.
“Yeah, I’m ready.” She turned and nodded toward the road leading back to Ponyville. “I wouldn’t miss this party for the world.”
Applejack laughed and followed after her. They set off at a quiet trot, side by side as the sun was close to setting. Everything looked great this time of year: the color of the leaves, the skin of the apples… and Rainbow Dash’s glistening mane in the sunlight.
Ain’t no sight prettier in all of Equestria than this, she thought with a smile. My Dashie…
“So I heard that Fluttershy stayed over at the library last night,” Rainbow Dash remarked as they passed Lyra and Bon Bon’s house. They paused to wave as Lyra came out the front door with a pair of saddlebags on. “I wonder if she had a great time. You know, like I do every time I sleep over.”
Applejack giggled. “Well, I wouldn’t know about that. I doubt there’s two ponies more shy ’round each other than them.”
“You’re right. They probably did something boring—like snuggle with a book!”
There was just enough of a tremor in her voice—unnoticeable to most ponies, but an obvious tell for Applejack. She knew when her marefriend was being just a little insecure.
“Now don’t be so quick to judge, sugar.” As she spoke, she sidled up against Rainbow Dash and nudged her in the flank. “I wouldn’t mind a spell of readin’ sometime with you.”
Rainbow Dash went silent. Watching her cheeks flush was almost as much fun as an Apple Family Reunion and it took less time to enjoy.
And truth be told, she felt a little miffed that Rainbow Dash was so caught up on the physical side of their relationship. Sure, they knew each other’s secrets and embarrassing stories. But Applejack wanted more than stolen kisses and passionate nights in the loft. She wanted to feel real close to her Rainbow. She wanted to know her so well that she’d make even Fluttershy jealous of what they had.
“I’ll think about it, okay?” Rainbow Dash lowered her head as she picked up the pace. “I didn’t think you’d really want to do something that boring.”
“It ain’t boring if it’s something we both like,” said Applejack. She flashed her marefriend a quick, reassuring smile. “Heck, it can be any book you like. I just wanna see that pretty face light up when you’re reading…”
When the pegasus lifted her head, there was a spark of hope in her eyes. Applejack smiled and leaned in for a gentle kiss. She pulled Dash close and inhaled her scent as deeply as she could, trying to commit this moment to memory, trying to stay warm against the autumn chill.
Just like always, the moment came and went. Applejack let go and giggled as she passed Rainbow Dash, now frozen with a delirious grin on her lips.
“You’re…” the pegasus gasped slightly. “You’re getting, like, twenty percent better at that…”
Bounce bounce bounce
From her spot by the main table, Twilight watched as Pinkie Pie bounced from shelf to shelf—her dirty hooves tantalizingly close to each precious book!—as she attached a line of streamers and liberally sprinkled confetti on the floor. Twilight wasn’t looking forward to cleaning that up later, even if she had Spike’s help.
Bounce bounce bounce
Still, there was something fascinating about watching Pinkie in her element. At a given moment, she’d pull party favors, snacks, and balloons out of nowhere, and she never stayed in one spot for more than a minute. But the longer Twilight watched, the more she realized that there was a pattern unfolding. Balloons, streamers, and party hats radiated outward from the center of the library, like watching a group of cells metastasize under a microscope.
Fortunately, Twilight’s earlier prediction had been wrong. After Spike had delivered the letter to her parents through a puff of green fire, Pinkie Pie had gone running out to Sweet Apple Acres to invite Rainbow Dash and Applejack—and that was it. There were no last-minute guests, no awkward glances from a flood of well-meaning neighbors.
In other words, it was just the kind of party Twilight wanted for her new marefriend. A circle of ponies she could trust.
Speaking of which… Twilight glanced at the kitchen, where Fluttershy was handling the food for the party with Rarity’s help. Their unicorn friend was usually a prissy eater, although she wasn’t anymore of a skilled cook than Twilight. Fortunately, Fluttershy had been cooking for herself and her animals years before Twilight ever came to Ponyville.
Leaning forward, she snuck a quick peek and saw the back of Fluttershy’s mane as she prodded at something on the chopping board with her hoof. Rarity stood to the left of Fluttershy, her horn glowing bright as she held out plates to catch the food being prepared. Spike was in between the two ponies, cleaning up the debris from the food preparation with his usual diligence.
Soon, that’ll be me beside her, Twilight thought, resulting in an eager smile. I’ll have to ask her about living arrangements after the party. Obviously we’ll keep to our own homes, but how do we handle… well, “sleepovers”?
She turned to the bookshelf on her right, automatically scanning the titles. If she remembered correctly, there was a primer on domestic situations somewhere in the Lifestyle section—
Bounce bounce bounce
“Oooh!” Pinkie Pie landed in front of Twilight with a manic grin. “There goes my Pinkie Sense!” She kicked her rear legs in an imitation of Applejack bucking against a tree. “A tingle in the back hooves, followed by a shiver down my spine!”
Twilight didn’t hesitate to surround herself with a protective magic bubble—a habit born of being on the receiving end of too many Pinkie Pie-related incidents. Through the magenta haze, she carefully asked, “And what does that mean again?”
Two seconds later, there was a knock at the front door. Pinkie Pie trotted over to answer it, but as she did, she shouted over her shoulder, “It means Applejack and Rainbow Dash are here, silly!”
Sure enough, those very same ponies were waiting outside, both wearing scarves and standing very close to each other. Twilight stifled a giggle when she saw the rosy cheeks on Rainbow Dash’s face. Somehow, she didn’t think it was just a reaction to the cold weather.
“Howdy, Twilight!” Applejack called out as soon as they entered. She reached out and gave her a quick hug. “You’ve done mighty well for yerself!”
“Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit.” Twilight flashed a quick smile over her shoulder at the kitchen.
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, had removed her scarf and taken Applejack’s as well. She tossed them into a corner before racing back to Twilight with a teasing grin. “So where is the pony of the hour, huh? Too scared to come and say hello?”
“Not at all!” a delicate voice announced.
Everypony in the library turned to the kitchen, as Fluttershy emerged with a triumphant smile on her face. Rarity followed close behind, using her magic to levitate six plates full of daisies and desserts toward the main table.
There was something about that proud smile on Fluttershy’s face that made Twilight’s heart skip a beat. She’d seen that look before—like the time Fluttershy had saved both her and the Cutie Mark Crusaders from a wild cockatrice, or the time she helped the town pegasi raise a massive water funnel all the way to Cloudsdale. It was a rare sight for such a nervous pony, but in Twilight’s opinion, there was nothing more beautiful.
Rainbow Dash didn’t waste time offering a wing and hoof bump to her oldest friend. As Applejack trotted up to wish her the best, Spike emerged from the kitchen with a music player.
“All right, you guys!” Pinkie Pie declared. She began to gyrate her hips, twirling about to the beat. “It’s party time!”
Rainbow Dash came in for one last swoop around her partner. With a rear kick, she spun around and landed on all fours next to Applejack. They leaned into each other, panting happily as the song on Spike’s music player faded out and the next one started.
“Hoo boy…” Applejack wheezed. She tilted her hat back from her eyes and glanced sideways at Rainbow Dash. “Sure could go for some punch ’bout now.”
“Way ahead of ya,” Rainbow Dash replied. With a quick flap, she arced back into the air and flew over to the main table in the library floor. It took a little more concentration as she tried to dip both glasses into the punchbowl and then balance them on her hooves. Rainbow Dash grimaced and thought—not for the last time—that she wouldn’t mind having a horn like Rarity or Twilight for casting magic and grabbing things.
But as she struggled, the glasses suddenly floated off her hooves. Rainbow Dash turned to see Rarity standing beside, using her magic to hold them in place. The unicorn offered her a quiet smirk. “Having trouble?”
“Not at all,” Rainbow Dash insisted, but even that line sounded hollow to her. She took one cup while Rarity floated the other over to Applejack. When the farm pony saw her glass floating in front of her, she turned and gave Rainbow Dash a knowing smile.
Horse feathers, every time! That look never failed to get her feeling hot under her mane. She had half a mind to grab her marefriend and fly her to their “special place” in White Tail Woods…
But that could wait. Pinkie Pie’s party was still in full swing. As she took a sip of the punch, Rainbow Dash figured that she could wait a little longer. It would be worth it now that all their chores were done for the day.
When she looked around the library, she noticed Twilight and Fluttershy dancing quietly together, lifting and dropping their hooves in time with the gentle beat. If it were any other party, Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have batted an eye at the sight. But this time, she didn’t see two friends having fun.
She saw a couple of marefriends having their first dance—and loving it, judging by the smiles on their faces.
“Huh,” she whispered quietly. “So that’s what it looks like from the outside.”
A familiar warm hoof slid itself around her shoulders. “Ain’t it just the sweetest thing?”
“Ah, that’s just mushy romance stuff.” Rainbow Dash felt obligated to keep up her tough pony persona—at least around their friends. She waved a hoof dismissively. “Where’s the thrill? Where’s the fiery passion?”
“Oh, just you wait.” Applejack giggled as she leaned in and nuzzled behind Rainbow’s ear. “I’ll show ya some thrills an’ passion later on.”
All Rainbow Dash had for that was a red-faced grin.
She’d gotten exactly what she wanted after all.
Applejack watched Rainbow Dash fly off to get a second helping of strawberry cake from the table. Watching that lovely pegasus made her ache for some alone time with the daredevil, but she could wait a little longer. It was quite a rush, knowing that Rainbow would be hers that night. Only a few hours until they celebrated a hard day’s work with a long night of fun—
“AJ?” Twilight’s voice broke into her thoughts.
With an embarrassed grin, Applejack spun around and tilted her hat back. Kicking apples out of five trees in a row was easier than getting rid of those teasing thoughts about Rainbow Dash. But she was damned if she wasn’t going to try and be open with her friend.
“I’m sorry, Twi,” Applejack responded. “What were you asking me again?”
“I just wanted to know how you and Rainbow Dash have worked out your boundaries.” As she spoke, Twilight floated over a quill and a sheet of paper to write notes on. She gave Applejack a pleasant smile. “If that’s all right with you, I mean.”
Huh, Applejack thought, only been a few days and already she’s sounding like Fluttershy. Ain’t that something…
“Sure thing, sugarcube. It’s no big secret. Me an’ RD gotta understanding. Since I can’t fly—let alone walk on clouds—she’ll come down to the farm to spend more time with me.”
Talking about it brought back a lot of good memories. She could picture Rainbow Dash when she first started to visit Sweet Apple Acres more often. That beautiful way she’d swoop down across the afternoon sun, gliding majestically like a griffon before she landed in front of Applejack and swept her up into a grinding hug.
Meanwhile, Twilight nodded and scribbled down her notes. “And how often do you see each other?”
“Oh, about two or three times a week at least.” Applejack reached out and pushed down the floating sheet of paper. “Look here, Twi. I appreciate y’all asking me for advice, but the truth is I can’t tell ya how to make your relationship with Fluttershy work. It’s up to the two of ya to make it work, you see?”
If that statement had upset Twilight at all, then she was doing a good job of not showing it. Instead, she used her magic to float the paper and quill out of the library and into another room—all while wearing a big smile on her face.
“Thanks, AJ,” said Twilight. “That means a lot. And it gives me an idea!”
The walls of the library were still ringing with echoes of music as Spike turned his stereo off. Fluttershy watched the little dragon carry it off into the other room. She was glad to see that he was getting better with age; when they first met, he wouldn’t have stayed up so late.
Fluttershy couldn’t resist adding, And he’s still as cute as the day we met!
As the party had wound down, everypony had eaten their fill of cake and drank all the punch. Fluttershy had shared a quick hug with all her friends on their way out. She giggled when she saw how Rainbow Dash was clinging onto Applejack, whispering something saucy in her ear the whole time. Pinkie Pie had spun herself into a tiny cyclone that swept up all her decorations into a ball. And she’d be lost if not for Rarity’s gentle and considerate reassurance that her new romance with Twilight was going to turn out for the best.
“After all, darling,” Rarity had added, “who deserves a love life more than you?”
It had never occurred to Fluttershy that she deserved romance. Making friends and being social had been hard enough for so many years. But she could bear it with the help of somepony as kind and brave as Twilight.
Which reminds me… Fluttershy glanced around the library. After using her magic to clean up every streamer and piece of confetti that Pinkie Pie had failed to get, Twilight had gone upstairs. Something about a book she’d needed to double-check. In the meantime, Fluttershy was sitting by herself in the library floor.
She’d always liked the look of the Golden Oaks Library. If not for her cottage, Fluttershy would have loved to live in a place like this. She could just imagine all the room her animal friends would have to run around in—and wouldn’t every bird in town be quick to build their nests in the treetop? The Golden Oaks Zoo had a nice ring to it, too.
I wonder if Twilight would be willing to sponsor a zoo in Ponyville, Fluttershy mused with a dreamy smile. Oh, that would be the best thing ever! All those adorable critters with so many ponies to visit them every day! Her smile faltered when she stopped to reconsider her idea. B-but wait a minute. What if she’s too busy? What if Twilight doesn’t actually have that kind of authority? She gulped. A-and look at me! Trying to build a boring zoo when she must have so many real issues to face each day. I couldn’t waste her time with that…
The more she thought about it, the lower her head sank into her hooves. “Goodness me…”
“Why the long face?” asked Twilight.
“Eep!” Fluttershy leapt into the air, hovering anxiously in place. She slid a guilty glance over to her marefriend, who slowly flew up to join her.
Twilight’s hooves encircled her waist. “Hey. Are you feeling all right?”
“Mm-hmm!” Fluttershy nodded, hoping that Twilight couldn’t see the sweat running down from behind her ears. “S-sorry about that. I was just thinking…”
Twilight smiled as she gently pulled her back toward the floor. “Oh? What about?”
Fluttershy swallowed and allowed herself a smile. “It was nothing. Really.”
“If you say so.” The moment their hooves touched the floor, Twilight’s face broke into a brilliant grin. “If you’re not too tired, I was hoping you might stay long enough to help me with an experiment.”
Thoughts of having her mane turn green or her wings disappear rushed through Fluttershy’s mind. She closed her eyes and steeled her thoughts with a simple declaration: This is Twilight and I love her. Nothing else matters.
“I’d… love to,” she finally managed to say, looking Twilight in the eye.
“Great! Just stay right there!” Twilight clapped her front hooves together like a little filly and dashed upstairs. “I’ll be right back!”
Fluttershy watched her go, feeling just a little silly about agreeing to her request. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Twilight, but she felt a little out of depth around her. Twilight was so brave and accomplished, a brilliant scholar and a real-life princess.
But she’d chosen her. Of all the ponies in Equestria, she’d given her heart to Fluttershy.
If that’s true, thought Fluttershy, then I can face any experiment! And I’ll even tell her about the zoo! Her ears dropped low as she glanced at her hooves. Sometime next week…
A sudden rustle from upstairs brought Fluttershy back to the present. She lifted her head just in time to see Twilight reappear with a piece of chalk sticking out from behind her ear and a book floating over her shoulder. She trotted down to Fluttershy with an eager smile.
“Okay, so I was talking to Applejack earlier and I had this amazing idea!” Twilight’s horn glowed as the book flipped open and she quickly turned the pages. “There’s this spell called the Somepony Sensor that I want to try and I think you’d the perfect candidate to test it on!”
“O-okay.” Fluttershy drew back. “Will it hurt?”
Twilight looked up from her book with a confused frown. She blinked and refocused on Fluttershy, as if remembering she was there. “No, it won’t hurt.” Her right hoof settled on her marefriend’s shoulder. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you, Shy. Not in a million years.”
Feeling the weight of her hoof took an equally heavy weight off Fluttershy’s chest. She let out her breath and said, “Thank you, Twily.”
“Now, about this spell…” Twilight buried her face into the pages of her textbook once more, wearing the most adorable smile. “It was originally designed to be a kind of alarm system for runaways and fugitives. It’s designed to mark a pony by their cutie mark and tell the spellcaster when they show up someplace they’re not supposed to be. But I think it’ll work with a few modifications I made just for you.”
Fluttershy didn’t like the sound of runaways and fugitives. “So… what does it do exactly?”
As she raised her head, Twilight gave her mane a carefree toss. “It’ll tell me when you show up at the library. For example…” She trailed off as she craned her head around and looked upstairs. “If you chose to come through the bedroom window instead of the front door.”
Just the mention of Twilight’s bedroom made Fluttershy’s knees wobble. They couldn’t possibly be that far into their relationship yet. “Um, why would I do that?”
Now it was Twilight’s turn to swallow anxiously. “Well, it’s like this. I was thinking about how we both live in separate places—and that’s perfectly fine, by the way! But I decided that you of all ponies deserve special access to the library.” She smiled graciously when she added, “And I know how you don’t like other ponies watching you, so I can imagine how you might feel about being seen knocking on my door all the time. If you wanted to just fly in from upstairs and hang out, you’re more than welcome to. This spell will tell me when you’ve arrived.”
Fluttershy didn’t know what to say. She supposed she didn’t have to say anything. Part of her was deliriously happy just hearing Twilight’s voice as she calmly explained her idea. But she was so grateful to hear that Twilight was thinking about her needs like that. It made Fluttershy want to tell her about the zoo right then and there.
I’ll wait til tomorrow, she thought, but she said out loud, “Okay, then. I think I’d like that.”
Twilight grinned and pulled her in for a hug. “Thank you so much! This means a lot to me!” As she pulled back, Twilight took the piece of chalk out from behind her ear and began to draw a large circle around Fluttershy. “Now just hold still. This will only take a second.”
She didn’t know the first thing about unicorn spells, but Fluttershy was fascinated as she watched Twilight add detail to the circle. Six points were added, which soon became a hexagon, which then turned into a series of intersecting triangles. Fluttershy had to hover in the air as her marefriend added new lines of chalk with a determined expression.
“Whew!” As she finished, Twilight tossed the chalk off to the side and wiped her brow with the back of her hoof. “Okay, if you could stand right in the middle of the circle, we’ll get started.”
Fluttershy landed, conscious of the fine chalk rubbing into her hooves. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, thinking nothing but positive thoughts about Twilight and her magic.
“Ah, here it is.” Twilight stabbed her hoof down at the page and began to read out an incantation.
“Behold this pony’s cutie mark,
By which her entrance will be made.
Show me a sign of her flank’s mark
To tell me when she comes again!”
Immediately, Fluttershy yelped when she felt a sudden tingle on her flank. She looked over and saw the three butterflies of her cutie mark flash with an eerie white light. The circle in which she stood actually crackled with tiny arcs of white lightning.
But on the other side of the circle stood Twilight, watching her with those large, hope-filled eyes. Fluttershy focused on those eyes as the tingle passed and the light faded from the circle.
Be brave, a deep voice said in the back of her mind. Be brave for Twilight.
I will, Fluttershy responded.
Soon, the light inside the library was back to normal. When Fluttershy looked down at the chalk circle, she saw that it had faded from a sharp white to a dirty gray.
“Goodness,” she exclaimed, “did I do that?”
In reply, she got a pair of hooves around her waist as Twilight tackled her in a hug. “You did! I’m so glad it was a success!”
“But how do we know if it worked?”
Twilight lifted her head and looked up at the ceiling. “But it did. Watch this.”
As she spoke, her horn lit up, casting a strong magenta beam into the air. The aura generated a tiny hum that Fluttershy could feel deep in her body, all the way down to her hooves.
“I wonder,” Twilight said out loud, “is Fluttershy here?”
Fluttershy gasped when she saw a burst of pink light over Twilight’s horn. The light briefly turned into a trio of familiar pink butterflies. Though the light only lasted for a second or two, it was long enough for Fluttershy to see her own cutie mark hanging in the air past Twilight’s muzzle.
Meanwhile, Twilight slid her marefriend a pleased grin. “Pretty neat, huh?”
“I…” Fluttershy looked back at her, trying to think of something to say.
She opted instead to embrace Twilight and bury her face against her warm neck. Twilight returned the hug and planted a soft kiss on the top of Fluttershy’s head.
“You always get me the best gifts,” she finally said to Twilight. “I don’t know what I could ever get for you.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Twilight stroked her mane, whispering right into her ear. The smell of cake frosting was still strong on her breath. “You’re the only gift I could ever want, Fluttershy. A gift fit for any princess.”
Unbeknownst to the ponies embracing each other in the library, there were two pairs of eyes discreetly watching them from the window outside. Two strong bodies rustled in the bushes, a flutter of wings and hooves as they jostled each for a better vantage point.
“Aha! I knew it was only a matter of time before she roped Shy into an experiment!” Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof in triumph. “You owe me five bits!”
Applejack chuckled. “Maybe so, but you gotta admit that they’re cute as heck together.”
“Yeah, they kinda are.” Rainbow Dash turned around for another look—only to get a glimpse of Spike’s stern frown just before he pulled the blinds down over the window. “Aww, shoot.”
“Yeah, we’d better get going.” Applejack gingerly stepped out from the bushes around the library and wriggled her flank. “C’mon, Dashie. If it gets too dark, we’ll never find our way back to the farm. And somepony’ll start wondering what we’re doing out here so late.”
Rainbow Dash triumphantly flew over to Applejack’s side, her scarf trailing in the wind like a banner. “I say let ’em. I ain’t afraid of what they think.”
Applejack snorted. “Yeah, right! You’d lose your wits if ever somepony dared think the great Rainbow Dash weren’t the most awesome pony around!”
That only made the pegasus’s chest swell with pride. “Well, it is obvious, isn’t it?”
“It’s obvious to me.” Applejack leaned over and nibbled at her ear. “Now, c’mon. The sooner we get home, the sooner we can get warm by the fire.”
“Race ya there?”
“You’re on!” And then they were off, galloping side by side into the night.