The Forest for the Trees
Unexpected Confessions
Chapter Twenty Five
The Forest for the Trees
The following morning, Applejack sat in front of a grindstone in the barn, her rear leg pumping to keep the giant stone wheel turning. A worn-down plow hung above it, carefully balanced by a series pulleys and counterweights. She reached up and pulled the plow’s blade down onto the grindstone, sending up a shower of sparks. She squinted her eyes against the sudden brightness and continued to run the iron blade along the stone, sharpening the dulled metal.
“Hiya, Applejack!”
“Gah!” The farm pony jumped pressing the plow blade hard into the grindstone and causing a massive eruption of sparks to fly up. Cursing silently, she yanked the plow up and winced when she saw a gouge had been worn out of the blade. After a quick look over, she found that the gouge was high enough on the blade that it wouldn’t affect the plow’s use and breathed a quick sigh of relief. “Consarnit, Pinkie! What in the hay was that all about?”
“Oh my gosh, Applejack, that was super cool!” Pinkie bounced in place, completely ignoring the other mare’s question. “It was all like Bsssh! Pew Pew! Whoosh!” She flailed her arms through the air while she made sound effects.
“Pinkie!” Applejack finally got the party pony’s attention, but paused to take a breath before continuing. As overwhelming as Pinkie could be at times, Applejack knew she meant well. After letting out her breath, she smiled at her friend. “Anythin’ Ah can do for ya, sugarcube?”
“Mmmm… nope!” Pinkie Pie answered after a brief moment of consideration, quickly reverting back to simply standing and watching the farm pony.
Applejack waited for Pinkie to continue, but slowly felt her frustration start to build again as the silence stretched on. She got up and started lowering the sharpened plow back to the ground. “Not that Ah don’t enjoy seein’ ya, sugarcube, but is there somethin’ that brought ya out here?”
“Yeppers!” Pinkie smiled a little bigger and bounced over to stand next to the other mare. “I wanted to see if you’d thought any more about Twilight.”
Applejack looked off to the side, bringing a hoof to her mouth and clearing her throat. “Sorry, Pinkie, but Ah ain’t given much thought to… that. Ah’ve been…” In her mind, she saw Rainbow and Rarity kissing on the hospital bed. The image had tormented her most of the night. “Busy.”
“Well, you’re not busy now. You could think about her right now!” Pinkie bounced in place, then froze mid-jump and looked around. “Wait, you’re not busy, are you?”
Applejack glanced back to the plow, still hanging above the grindstone and swaying slightly. “Ah was, but…" Rarity and Dash flashed in her head again. “Ah mean, Ah still am. Ah gotta go… buck the… field. If’n yer interested, there’s some toast and eggs in the house.”
“Oh, no thanks! I had breakfast before I came over.” Pinkie brought a hoof to her chin, apparently deep in thought. “Though, it is getting close to time for second breakfast.” The creak of the barn door pulled her out of her reverie and she quickly followed the other mare out into the morning sunlight. She bounced along beside the farm pony, happily humming along to a tune that only she could hear. After nearly a minutes of hopping and humming, she finally broke the relative silence. “So, have you thought about her yet?”
Applejack knocked on a tree, catching the single apple that fell. She sniffed it and took a bite, then shook her head and tossed it to the ground. “Not ripe yet. Sorry, Pinkie… have Ah thought ‘bout who yet?”
“Twilight, silly!” Pinkie stopped bouncing and leaned forward, an ecstatic grin on her face. “Have you thought about going on a date with her? You two would totally have fun, and then… maybe—”
“No.” Applejack cut across her friend’s excited rambling, resuming her trek down the row of trees and glancing up into the canopies on occasion. “Ah ain’t had time to think about it. Like Ah said, Ah’ve been busy.”
“Well, you should think about it.” Pinkie resumed her bouncing and followed Applejack. “Twilight is superfantasterrific! I’m sure she’d be a great marefriend, and she already loves you, so the two of you are already halfway there!”
“Not now, Pinkie.” Applejack hit another tree, sending a few apples tumbling to the ground. She grabbed one and sniffed it before tossing it back to the base of the tree. “Ah just ain’t in the mood fer thinkin’ ‘bout anypony at the moment.” She stopped and let out a sigh. “Ah’m sorry, Pinkie, Ah just can’t right now.”
“Please, Applejack?” Pinkie settled down next to the farm pony. “I’m sure that it’d be lots of fun, and Twilight would love to go on a date with you.”
“Ah said not now!” Applejack lashed out at the nearest tree, causing all of the apples to come raining down. “Consarnit! Ah can’t… argh!” She watched the apples slowly roll to a stop, then kicked the one audacious enough to land close to her hooves. “Sorry, Pinkie, but Ah said ‘no,’ and that’s that.”
“But… but…” Pinkie pouted and let out a small whine. “I know that you’re still sad about Dashie, but she has two special someponies now. I don’t think she would want you to sit around being a Grumpy McGrumperson about it. She’d want you to try and be happy by finding your own special somepony.” After a moment of contemplation, she stamped a hoof. “I’m going to set you and Twilight up on a date.”
“Pinkie…” Applejack pressed a hoof between her eyes. “Ah said—”
“You said you’d give her a chance.” Pinkie shot back. “You promised.”
“Ah…” Applejack blinked, her mouth working wordlessly. Eventually, she huffed and stared at the ground. “Ah did. Alright, Pinkie, you win. Ah’ll… go on a date with Twi.” She held up a hoof to forestall her friend’s explosive celebration. “Just one thing. Don’t plan anythin’ fancy-like. Just somethin’ simple, please.”
Pinkie made no indication that she heard a word of Applejack’s request, instead letting out a high-pitched squeal. She bounced in place excitedly, her grin threatening to split her face in two. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun! You two can—” She suddenly froze, drawing in an enormous gasp. “Oh my goodness! I just had the most super amazing idea!” Without another word, she bolted off into the distance, leaving only a billowing trail of leaves and twigs in her wake.
Applejack could only watch the leaves flutter slowly back to the ground, shaking her head in disbelief. “Ah swear, Ah’ll never understand that—”
“Applejack!” Pinkie reappeared in a flash, her mane whipping around with the suddenness of her stop. “Come by the library this afternoon… around five, okay?” She waited for a tentative nod from the farm pony before zooming off again.
Once the resurgent cloud of leaves settled back down and she was sure Pinkie wouldn’t pop back up again, Applejack let out a sigh. “Ah got a bad feelin’ about this.”
*
Twilight straightened up from her latest reading project and flipped the book closed. Standing up, her knees cracked and popped from laying on the floor for so long. She arched her back until it gave one last satisfying pop, then she let out a satisfied sigh. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was nearly lunch time, yet she couldn’t smell any delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen. “Oh, Spike! Where are—” Her stomach let out a vicious growl and she trotted into the kitchen in search of her missing assistant. When she passed through the doorway, she found a note on the table.
Hey Twi, in case you didn’t hear me,
I’m out crusading with the CMC.
There’s a daisy sandwich and some hay fries in the fridge.
I tried to tell you, but you were too absorbed in your book.
Spike
“Oh, Spike, what would I ever do without you?” Twilight chuckled to herself and pulled open the refrigerator door, revealing the promised sandwich and fries. A second note lay on top of the sandwich with only a single line of writing.
You’d starve, that’s what.
Twilight rolled her eyes and pulled her meal from the fridge. A quick trip through the oven later, her hay fries were warm and crispy again, and she sat down to enjoy her lunch. However, just as she was about to take her first bite, a knock sounded from the door. She lowered the sandwich back to her plate, drawing a growl of protest from her stomach, and made her way out into the main room. Pulling the door open, she found Pinkie Pie on the other side. “Oh, hello, Pinkie.”
“Hi, Twilight!” Pinkie punctuated her greeting with an extra high bounce. Her grin was massive, even for Pinkie’s standards. “Oh, I have the most superriffic news! I know that when I tell you, you’ll be super excited! It may even make you a little nervous, but then you can be nervouscited! Oh, but hopefully you won’t get too nervous, because that—”
“Pinkie!” Twilight finally cut across her friend’s rambling, a familiar pulsing tightness forming behind her eyes. “Why don’t you just tell me your news instead of telling me how excited I’ll be when I hear it.”
“Oh, okay!” Pinkie nodded vigorously, her mane whipping back and forth over her eyes. “I was over at Sweet Apple Acres this morning and I was talking to Applejack while she was sharpening a plow—” She paused and gasped. “Oh my gosh, Twilight, the plow! Applejack was sharpening it on a grindstone and sending sparks flying around like bsssh! Fwoosh!”
Twilight pressed a hoof to her forehead, feeling the tightness behind her eyes creeping toward a migraine. While the earth pony continued dancing around and making sound effects, she took a couple deep breaths, then placed her hoof over Pinkie’s mouth as it passed by. “Please, Pinkie, what’s the news?”
“Mmmph. Mmm phmmph mmph—” Twilight finally pulled her hoof away. “—this afternoon!” Pinkie smiled, waiting for a reaction. When the unicorn only stared at her in confusion, she cocked her head to the side, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Funny, I figured you’d be more excited to go on a date.”
“What?” Twilight was sure that her ears were plays tricks on her. There was no way that Pinkie had said what she thought she said. “A… A date? B-but why? With who? It’s not like I… I mean, I don’t…” Her ears folded back and she stared at the floor. “Th-there’s nopony that I…” She trailed off, unable to continue.
“Nopony that you like?” Pinkie finished helpfully, her grin twitching a bit wider. “Are you suuuuuuure? There’s nopony at all?” She leaned forward, waiting expectantly, but the unicorn kept her eyes glued to the ground, chewing on her lower lip. “There’s not an orange earth pony who runs a farm that you might like? Maybe a certain pony who won all those blue ribbons in rodeo competitions? The super strong pony in our group of friends… or at least the one that can’t fly?” She giggled when Twilight finally looked up, her pupils shrinking down to pinpricks.
“You— I— How did you know?” Twilight took a step back, her eyes darting around the empty room. She relaxed a hair after remembering Spike was out crusading. She turned back to the earth pony, who had her lips firmly pressed together. “Pinkie, how did you know? Who told you?”
Pinkie opened her mouth, then froze. After a few seconds, she shrugged. “I don’t remember.”
“What? Pinkie, please!” Twilight looked to her friend imploringly.
“Sorry, Twilight.” Pinkie shrugged again. “When I heard about it I was just so super duper excited! I had to start preparations for my ‘Applejack and Twilight are dating’ party right away.”
“Ugh!” Twilight stamped a hoof in frustration. For a moment, she thought about pressing the issue, but ultimately she sighed and gave up, her head hanging. “So… a date?”
“Yep, with Applejack!” Pinkie started bouncing in place again. “Oh, it’s going to be so much fun! I have something super exciting planned for you two.”
“Thanks, Pinkie, I—” Twilight’s eyes shot open. “Oh no. Oh no, no, no! This is all wrong. If we’re going to go on a date, she has to ask me out, or I her.” She sped across the room and pulled a book from a shelf. She hurried back and flipped the tome open to a seemingly random page. “It says it right here! ‘In order to establish a date, one of the two interested parties must approach the other and request the desired time together, or ‘ask them out.’’ See? It’s right here!” She flipped the book around to show the earth pony.
Pinkie only giggled and pushed the book down so that it wasn’t blocking her sight. “Silly Twilight, you don’t have to listen to books all the time, especially since they don’t talk.” She flipped the cover over, letting the book fall closed before it was pulled back against the unicorn’s chest. “Friends can set friends up on dates. It’s like a blind date, only you already know each other!”
“But I… we…” Twilight opened the book again, flipping back and forth between a couple of pages while her eyes darted around them. After a few seconds of silently mouthing words to herself, she closed the tome again, a tentative smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. “I… have a date with Applejack. I have a date with Applejack.” Her smile grew and she clutched the book to her chest.
“Yep!” Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “This afternoon.”
Twilight’s smile crumbled, and her book clattered to the floor. “This afternoon? As in, this afternoon this afternoon?” When Pinkie nodded in response, she felt her stomach drop. “Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. I can’t go out with her today! I’m… I’m not ready. I don’t have any plans for what we’re going to do. I haven’t bought her a gift! My dress still has a ripped seam that I need Rarity to fix! And it’ll take me hours to fix my mane!”
Pinkie giggled, walking over and bopping the unicorn on the nose with a hoof. “Don’t you worry about any of that stuff, Twilight. I’ve got it all covered.”
“You… you do?” Twilight took a breath, slowly backing away from exploding into a full-blown panic attack.
“Yep! Pinkamena Diane Responsibility Pie, master party planner, is on the job.” Pinkie gave a salute, then broke out in a fit of giggles. “After all, a date’s like a party for only two guests. I’ve already planned what you’re going to do, you don’t need a gift for a first date, and you probably don’t want to wear a dress where the two of you will be going.”
“But, where are we going?”
“Nope.” Pinkie drug a hoof across her lips and locked them shut. “It’s a surprise. You’ll find out when Applejack gets here."
“And, um…” Twilight swallowed and glanced at the clock. “Wh-when is that going to be?”
“I told her to be here around five.” Pinkie glanced at the clock as well, her ever-present grin returning. “Okay, Twilight, I have to go finish setting something up for your date, but I’ll be back right before Applejack gets here to let you two know what you’re doing.” She trotted over to the door and pulled it open. “See you in a few hours!”
“But, Pinkie! I…” Twilight watched the door swing closed. Dozens of thoughts raced through her head but she was unable to focus on any of them. She walked back into the kitchen, barely cognizant of where she was going. Plopping back down in front of her lunch, she stared at the sandwich for a few seconds before pushing it away. Suddenly, she wasn’t hungry anymore. Letting her head fall down onto the table. One word kept bouncing around in her head.
How?
How did Applejack found out? How did Pinkie found out? How did anyone find out? She thought that she had been careful about hiding her feelings. She ran through the events of the last couple days, trying to figure out where she had slipped. After reviewing the last few days three times, she still couldn’t find anything. She jerked up from the table when a squeak came from the window. Looking up, she saw Pinkie sticking her head into the kitchen.
“Oh, Twilight, I just remembered! I came by the library the day after you hurt your leg to check out a book, but you were asleep on your giant mountain of super comfy pillows!” She tried to spread her forelegs, but they hit the edge of the window. “I was just browsing some books on brittle and tomes on toffee when you kind of… sorta…” She paused, glancing away for just an instant. “You started talking in your sleep.” She giggled when the unicorn shied away, obviously embarrassed. “It’s okay, Twilight, it was cute! Though, you should probably wait until the second or third date before you ask Applejack to go into the shower with you.”
“Wh-what?” Twilight’s mouth hung open, and she was so still that she didn’t even seem to breathe. “I… I don’t know… I don’t do… I…”
“Hehehe. It’s okay, Twilight.” Pinkie waved a hoof, knocking a glass perilously close to the edge of the counter. “You drool in your sleep. It’s cute!” She smiled for a few moments, then jumped a bit. “Oh! I need to get streamers! See you later, Twilight!”
Twilight herself could only sit in stunned silence, watching the now empty window. Her cheeks burned, and she briefly considered re-opening her studies on memory modification. After dismissing that errant thought, she stood up from the table and walked back out into the main room, grabbing the book she had shown Pinkie earlier and flipping it open.
“Dating 101: From the First Look, to the First Kiss.” She read aloud. When she reached the base of the stairs, her stomach growled again. Trotting back into the kitchen, she carefully slid the lunch she had pushed away onto her back and brought it with her as she climbed the stairs.
*
Applejack made her way down the main road through town, on her way to the library. She tried to glance at the clock tower, but saw only a wall of blond mane. “Consarnit.” She used a hoof to brush her loose mane back behind her ear. “How do Rare and ‘Shy deal with this every day?” Finally finding the clock tower, she saw that she was already half an hour late. She sighed and shook her head. The library loomed before her and she picked up her pace a bit. She was about to knock, but froze for a second. “Come on, girl.” She grumbled to herself. “It’s just a… date.” She knocked quickly, smiling a bit as she heard a clamor of hooves come from the other side.
“Coming!” Twilight’s voice carried through the wooden door. “Just a— oof! Coming!” The door flew open, revealing the unicorn on the other side, a large grin plastered on her face and framed by her disheveled mane. “Hi, Applejack! It’s great to—.” She froze, her eyes glued to the earth pony’s mane.
“H-howdy, Twi.” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof, trying to ignore her friend’s stare. “Sorry Ah’m a bit late.”
“Oh!” Twilight finally snapped out of her staring. “It’s no problem at all.” She stepped aside. “Please, come in. I, um… I like what you’ve done with your mane.”
“Thank ya kindly.” Applejack made her way inside, nodding to her hostess. “Ah was ‘bout to head over here but Granny asked where Ah was goin’, and when Ah told her…” She shook her head. “She had a fit ‘bout me headin’ over here lookin’ like Ah’d just came in from the field, so she made me wash up and take the hair ties outta mah mane.” She blew a stray lock of hair out of her face. “Ah’m half tempted to just chop it off after walkin’ over here like this.”
“Don’t!” Twilight blurted out, before quickly looking to the ground, a blush darkening her cheeks. “I mean… I think it looks really nice.” She tore her gaze from the dirt and smiled warmly.
“Uh, thanks.” Applejack looked away as well, a matching warmth stinging her face. She cleared her throat and changed the subject. “So, you got any idea what we’re supposed to be doin’?”
“No.” Twilight shook her head and went to close the door. “But could you wait a few minutes? I want to look good for our date, and I need to comb my mane… again.” She closed the door and trotted over to the table in the middle of the main room, sliding a brush onto her hoof and running it through her unruly mane.
“Alright, Ah suppose Ah’ll just—” Applejack paused as a soft thunk sounded against the door. She trotted over and pulled it open again, letting a scroll that was dangling from a yellow balloon float in. Freeing the scroll, she unrolled it and laid it out for both she and Twilight to read while the balloon drifted up to the ceiling.
Applejack and Twilight,
For your date, you two are going to take a walk through Whitetail Woods.
I left some markers to show you which way to go, so keep an eye out for them.
Though, don’t forget to keep eyes on each other too. This is a date, after all.
Pinkie
After they finished reading, Twilight laid the note on the table and looked to her date. “A walk through Whitetail Woods, huh? That sounds nice.” She trotted to the door and motioned for the earth pony to go before her. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah, Ah suppose so.” Applejack headed for the doorway, letting out a frustrated snort as her mane once again fell forward. Brushing it back behind her ear, she walked out into the street, turning to head back out of town.
“You know…” Twilight pulled up alongside the other mare, still smiling. “I like your mane like this, but if it’s really bothering you, I’m sure I could find you something to put it up.” She stopped and smiled sheepishly. “Or we could go by Rarity’s, I’m sure she’d have something that would make you look great, I mean, if you’d rather have Rarity find you something.”
“Nah, Ah’ll be fine.” Applejack shook her head, inadvertently causing her mane to hit her in the side of the face. “‘Sides, if’n we did go by there, she’d wanna do it up all fancy-like.” She shuddered at the thought, glancing at the distant towering spires of Carousel Boutique warily.
“Right.” Twilight giggled at the notion, then lapsed into silence while they walked. As they made their way out to the edge of town, she drifted a little closer to Applejack. A gust of wind blew by, pulling a few leaves from the trees and sending them dancing across the road. The breeze sent a shiver through her body, and she stepped a bit to the side, accidentally bumping into her date. “Oh, sorry, Applejack.”
“Huh?” Applejack looked up and over at the unicorn, finally noticing how close she had gotten. “Oh, it’s fine.” Another gust rushed by, blowing a few errant strands of mane into her mouth and causing her spend a few seconds trying to spit them out. Once her mouth was hair-free, she continued. “It’s startin’ to get a might chilly out. Didn’t figure it would until after the Runnin’.”
“Yeah, but it’s kind of nice.” Twilight looked up at the passing trees as they walked. “This way you can enjoy winter things like hot cocoa, but still get to see all the colors of the leaves.” She brushed against Applejack’s coat while they walked, and bit her lip to repress a small squeal of glee.
“Ah suppose.” Applejack shrugged and lapsed back into silence. She glanced over at the unicorn, only to find her still admiring the leaves. Dropping her gaze back to the road, she gave a small huff. She knew that what she was doing wasn’t fair. She was only here because Pinkie had brought up her promise. Several times throughout the day, she’d considered tracking Pinkie down and begging off of the date, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She was leading Twilight on, and it wasn’t fair. All she could do at this point was try to let her down easy when—
“Applejack?”
Twilight’s voice cut through her thoughts and pulled her back to reality. She looked up to see the Whitetail Woods looming before her, while her date had stopped a few feet back. “Sorry, sugarcube, didja say somethin’?”
“I was just saying that I think Pinkie wanted us to go in over there.” Twilight pointed to an opening into the woods a little ways off to the side, lined by a bunch of pink, blue, and yellow balloons. She turned and started toward the path into the forest, giggling at the archway of balloons over the trail. “She really wanted to make sure we wouldn’t miss—” She looked back and saw the earth pony trudging along and staring at the ground. “Applejack? Are you okay?”
“Hmm?” Applejack tore her gaze from the dirt and looked up, wincing internally at Twilight’s concerned expression. “Sorry, Twi, Ah just been a bit—” The kiss from the other day flashed through her mind again, but this time her mind inserted herself in Rarity’s place. “—distracted recently.” She shook her head and let out a huff. Putting on her best smile, she trotted up to the unicorn’s side. “Come on, let’s go see what Pinkie’s got in store for us.” She started toward the woods, brushing against Twilight’s shoulder as she passed. Together, they headed into the forest, watching the occasional leaves pull free from their trees and roll across the path.
“Is that…” Twilight drifted off to the side of the path, staring up into the canopy of a tree. The tree in question was full of brilliant scarlet leaves and she pulled one down in her magic, studying it carefully. “Wow, Acer rubrum. I didn’t know it grew this far west.”
“Beg pardon, Twi?” Applejack walked over and peeked at the leaf. “Just looks like a leaf to me.”
“Well, yes, but this tree is an Acer rubrum, a red maple. I’d never heard of them growing anywhere west of the Neighagra Falls. I mean, there are a few in Canterlot, but those were brought in from the outskirts of Baltimare. Ooh!” She dropped the leaf and ran to another tree a ways down the path. “Ulmus glabra! I didn’t think it grew any further south than the Foal Mountains!” They continued like this for some time, making their way through the forest while Twilight talked about the various trees that comprised the forest. Every now and then, they found a branch with a balloon tied to it, showing them the way to go.
Applejack tried her best to humor Twilight, but she could only feign so much interest in all the different kinds of trees that made up the forest. She got more than her fill of trees on the farm, and these ones didn’t even bear any fruit she could sell.
“And that one there is Quercus alba, the white oak. It—” Twilight paused, looking back at her date, who had slowly fallen behind her. “Applejack? Are you okay? You’ve been quiet.”
“Sorry, Twi. Ah just…” Applejack trailed off, unsure of what she could say that wouldn’t hurt her friend’s feelings. Ah just what? Ah just don’t really wanna be here? Ah’m just here on a count of Pinkie? She could easily picture the devastation in Twilight’s face if she told the truth. “Ah just worked a bit too hard today. Wore mahself out a bit.”
“Oh.” Twilight’s ears folded back. “ I’m sorry. I should have figured that you spent the day working. I bet a hike through the woods was probably the last thing you wanted to do. If you want, we can always go back and… try again some other time.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper by the time she finished.
Applejack kicked herself mentally and trotted over to her friend’s side. “Ah’m sorry Ah ain’t… been mahself today, Twi.” She pulled the unicorn into a quick one-legged hug. “Now, come on. We’ve gotta be almost there, it can’t be far now, can it?” She motioned a little further down the trail, where a small, barely visible side path branched off, another archway of balloons surrounding it.
Twilight gave a fragile smile, leaning into the embrace. “Okay.” She took a deep breath and pulled away, heading for the path. “Well, let’s see what she’s got in store for us.” Turning to head deeper into the undergrowth, she promptly tripped and fell face-first into the dirt.
“Ya alright, Twi?” Applejack hurried over and helped the fallen unicorn back to her hooves.
“Yes, I’m—” Twilight paused to spit out a few lingering bits of dirt and grass. “I’m fine. I just didn’t see that root because it’s getting darker.” She looked back down the dim pathway, squinting in the faint light. Each side was hemmed in by thickly grown trees, and barely any sunlight punctured the canopy overhead. “Here, let me…” She concentrated for a moment, wincing in anticipation of pain. A light sputtered to life at the end of her horn, wavering for a few seconds before surging brighter and remaining steady. After a moment, Twilight cracked an eye open, glancing up at her horn. “Huh.”
“Somethin’ the matter, sugarcube?” Applejack looked back and forth between the unicorn’s face and the light at the end of her horn.
“No. I’ve just been avoiding doing magic because it’s hurt for the last few days.” Twilight concentrated again, and the light flared brighter for a seconds before dimming back to its original level. “Ah.” She shook her head and rubbed a hoof along her temple. “I was just surprised that the spell didn’t hurt… until just now.”
“Well, if’n it hurts, don’t bother.” Applejack took a tentative step down the path. “We’ll find our way without it.”
“It’s not bad at this level, really.” Twilight stepped around the earth pony to lead the way with her light. “Nothing worse than accidentally hitting a bruise or banging your leg on a table. I don't think I'm quite ready for levitation, but I can handle this.”
“Well… if’n yer sure. Just watch your step.” Applejack followed the unicorn down the path, keeping a careful eye out for any treacherous root or stones that sought to trip her up. They forged their way through the dense undergrowth, what little natural light accompanied them fading rapidly and leaving only Twilight’s light to guide them. Applejack waited as long as she could, but eventually she had to say something. “Twi, Ah think we should go back. Ah can barely see mah own hooves.”
“Hold on. I think we’re almost there.” Twilight ducked under a low-hanging branch, some overgrown weeds stretching up to tickle at her nose. Craning her neck forward, she saw light pouring in a little ways down the trail. “It opens up just around this bend up ahead. If we just— Ow!” She let out a pained yelp as a branch caught in her mane. “Ugh! Next time I see Pinkie I’m going to…” The rest of her complaint died in her throat when she finally rounded the bend. The cramped pathway opened up into a secluded hillside meadow, and an opening in the canopy gave a perfect view of the setting sun. The few clouds left in the sky blazed in fiery oranges and reds, and the sun’s fading rays kept the clearing warm despite winter’s imminent arrival.
Applejack stepped up next to the unicorn and let out a long, low whistle, taking in the scene before them. A blanket was spread in the middle of the clearing, with a basket sitting on top of it. She moved forward, edging around her stunned date and making her way over to the blanket. “Pinkie’s really outdone herself this time.” She sat down, looking back at Twilight and patting the spot next to her.
Twilight shook herself out of her stupor and crossed the meadow, taking her seat next to Applejack. She tried to open the basket, but was unable to hold the lid up and get the contents out at the same time.
“Here, lemme give ya a hand with that, sugarcube.” Applejack held the lid up, and Twilight pulled out a series of covered dishes and a pair of plates. The procession of items paused, and the unicorn cleared her throat.
“Oops. Don’t need those. I think Pinkie got a little… over-enthusiastic in packing.” She pulled the lid down, her cheeks tinged red.
“Ah’d be surprised if’n she wasn’t. Now, what’d she put in…” Applejack flipped the lid back open, revealing a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Oh.” She let the lid fall down again. “Well, sure was… nice of her to pack that, but Ah think yer right. Little early fer that.” Casting about for a change of subject, she pulled the lid off of the nearest dish to uncover a still-steaming apple pie. “Whoops, found dessert.” She took a deep whiff of the pastry, nodding appreciatively. “Smells good, though.”
“Here.” Twilight passed a bowl full of salad over to the earth pony, along with one for herself. She speared a few leaves of spinach and brought the fork to her mouth, savoring the taste of the dressing. “Mmm. This is delicious. What do you think, App—” She looked over at her date to find Applejack buried in her salad face-first. She brought a hoof to her mouth to stifle a giggle, causing the other mare to glance up at her. “Sorry, it’s just… did you want some help?”
Applejack swallowed the food in her mouth and sat up. “No, Ah—” She was cut off by a fit of giggles from the unicorn. “What’s so funny, sugar?”
“I’m sorry.” Twilight managed to say in between a few final giggles. “It’s just that you have a spinach leaf stuck to your nose.”
“Ah do?” Applejack tried to focus on the end of her muzzle, nearly crossing her eyes in the process. She wiggled her nose and snorted, finally dislodging the stubborn leaf. “Sorry ‘bout just… divin’ in like that.” Her eyes were drawn to Twilight’s fork as some of the dying sunlight glinted off of it. “Ah ain’t never had much luck with forks and such. Hay, when Ah was livin’ in Manehatten, it took me twice as long to eat as everypony else ‘cause Ah couldn’t wrangle the darn thing into mah mouth. Celestia forbid they had all them little tiny forks that were all fer different things.” She shook her head and grabbed the fallen bit of spinach with a hoof, popping it in her mouth.
“It’s fine, Applejack.” Twilight dropped her fork, opting to follow her date’s lead and eat by hoof. “I remember one time when I was growing up in Canterlot. I had just learned levitation and was having trouble controlling the fork, so I figured I would just pick up the pasta noodles instead of using the fork. I picked the first one up easily enough, but…” She chuckled sheepishly, her ears flicking back. “I messed something up in the directions and it started flying across the table. I tried to stop it, but that just made it kind of… explode. There was pasta sauce everywhere.”
Applejack laughed, and they took the opportunity to each eat a few bits of salad. She watched the unicorn grab them by hoof, eschewing her preference for silverware just to make her more comfortable. “Then what happened?”
“Oh, well…” Twilight paused to finish chewing her last leaf. “After I wiped the pasta sauce out of my eyes, I saw that I’d gotten Princess Celestia all messy. I was sure she was going to banish me. I tried to apologize, but when I opened my mouth, I got hit in the nose by a flying bit of garlic toast. I looked back across the table, and the princess stuck her tongue out at me. She sent one of her own noodles my way, but I dodged it and… Well, it kind of turned into a food fight.”
“Hold on a sec, sugarcube.” Applejack held up a hoof. “Are you tellin’ me that you got into a food fight with Princess Celestia?” She could only stare at the unicorn, waiting for a response.
“Well, yeah.” Twilight admitted, embarrassment coloring her cheeks. “We even ‘accidentally’ hit the nobles around the table a few times, but they were all too stunned to join in.” She sighed, looking up at the sky. “After we got cleaned up, she told me it was the most fun she’d had in years. Though… later, I heard that she was cleaning pasta sauce out of her coat for a week.” She blushed as she finished speaking, and picked up a bit of salad to hide her embarrassment behind..
Applejack burst out laughing again, pounding the blanket with a hoof. When her laughter finally died down, she wiped a hoof across her eye and went back to her own salad. She tried to watch the sun sink below the horizon, but her eyes kept flicking over to the unicorn next to her. Ah gotta admit, this has been a heck of a lot more fun than Ah thought it’d be. She reached down for another leaf of spinach, only for her hoof to clang against the bottom of the empty bowl. “Whoops.”
Twilight looked up from her own bowl and dropped it next to the basket. She grabbed the plates and passed one over to her date. “Ready for dessert?” She asked, lifting the cover of the apple pie. She grabbed the knife in a hoof, her tongue poking out the side of her mouth as she tried to steady it.
“Eeyup.” Applejack replied. She looked over and noticed the unicorn struggling to use the knife manually. “Ya want some help with that, sugarcube?” She watched Twilight’s face while she concentrated, and had to bite her tongue to prevent a giggle from escaping.
“No, I… can…” Twilight plunged the knife into the pie and pulled it to the edge, making a mostly straight line. She pursed her lips and tried again slowly, slicing a much straighter line just to the side of her first attempt. “There.” She turned the pie and repositioned the knife to cut a piece out, but after a moment of deliberation, moved to make her piece a little smaller.
“Take as much as ya want, Twi.” Applejack nudged her date with an elbow. “Shoot, Ah could finish off this thing all by mahself, so don’t you feel bad ‘bout wantin’ a nice, big piece.” She smiled as the knife edged back out, cutting a generous piece of pie. After the unicorn managed to lift the piece from the tin, dropping it onto her plate on its side, she passed the pie over to Applejack, who cut a full quarter of the pie and flopped it onto her plate. She took a heaping bite, then quickly started trying to blow on it. “Hot.” She managed to say around the steaming lump of food on her tongue.
Twilight giggled and blew on her piece of pie, watching the trails of steam tumble off into oblivion. “You shouldn’t eat so quickly, Applejack.” She blew on her piece one last time and took a bite, letting out a contented sigh.
They drifted into companionable silence while they finished eating, content to simply watch the sun as it disappeared below the horizon. They dropped their empty plates into the basket, along with the rest of the dishes, and sat for a few more minutes. A chill breeze whipped through the cooling meadow, making Twilight shiver and scoot a little closer to her date.
Applejack smiled and leaned into her marefriend’s side. The combination of the day’s work and the emotions that had come with the unexpected date had made her drowsy, and she was glad for the support as her eyes drifted shut.
“Thanks for being here, Applejack. I had fun.”
She would’ve thought her marefriend to be a little more boisterous. Not that she minded of course, it was just a little... unusual. “Me too, Dash.” She mumbled, fighting the urge to yawn. She fell to the side a bit as her date pulled away and drew in a sharp breath. Prying her eye back open, she saw a purple leg where her marefriend’s cyan one should have been. The reality of the situation rushed back to her and she panicked. “Twilight! Ah didn’t mean… Ah don’t… Ah’m sorry. Please don’t—”
“It’s okay, Applejack.” Twilight waved away the earth pony’s attempted apologies. She smiled, but it flickered for the briefest moment. She looked back to the west, where the sun had finally dipped below the horizon, leaving only a few last streaks of orange in the sky.
“We should, uh… prolly head back now. Otherwise it’ll be too dark to see where we’re goin’.” With that, Applejack got up and began pulling the edges of the blanket together.
After a few seconds of silence, Twilight got up as well. “Yeah…” She pulled the basket off to the side and helped the other mare fold the blanket up, though Applejack had to pause a couple times to spit strands of mane out of her mouth. Once the blanket and basket were settled on her back, Applejack led the way back through the narrow passageway to the main trail. By now, even Twilight's light barely reached the ground, and they advanced at an agonizingly slow pace.
“Watch out, sugarcube, there’s some—Ow!—low-hangin’ branches right ‘bout here.” Applejack called back to her date, yanking her mane free of one of said branches in the process. She heard a mumbled affirmative and went back to focusing on keeping her footing amidst the treacherous roots and stones that littered the invisible path. After what felt like an eternity, they stumbled back onto the main trail, picking up their pace a bit now that shafts of moonlight pierced through the canopy. By the time they reached the edge of the forest, no traces of sunlight remained and Luna’s moon dominated the sky. The wind picked up again once they left the sheltering trees, and soon they were both shivering in the crisp night air.
“Here. One sec, sugar.” Applejack stopped and waited for her date to catch up, then grabbed the blanket and threw it over both of them. It did little against the wind blowing in their faces, but it quickly warmed their bodies, and gave them an excuse to walk closer together. “Ya know, Twi, Ah had a good time today, thanks fer this. Ah know Ah was a bit… outta sorts early on, but Ah had a lotta fun there toward the end. Ah’m sorry again fer… what Ah said.” She felt the unicorn tense up for a second when a strong gust of wind blew by.
“I told you, it’s okay.” Twilight shook her head and let out a sigh. “I know you have a… thing for Rainbow, but I really appreciate you giving me… a chance.” She looked up to see the library looming before them. “Well, here we are.” She broke into a trot and pulled out from under the blanket, turning back when she was in front of the door. “Thanks again, Applejack. It was… fun.”
“Yeah, it was.” Applejack smiled, unsure of what else to say. “Maybe… maybe we can do this again sometime.” Her date only nodded. “So Ah’ll, um… see ya tomorrow at Pinkie’s party, right?”
Twilight nodded again. “Yeah… the party.” She gave one last smile and pushed the door open. “Good night, Applejack.”
“G’night, Twi.” Applejack turned and headed back toward the farm, humming to herself along the way. A small corner of her mind told her that she would regret staying out so late when she had to get up in a few hours, but she didn’t care. She’d been on a fun date was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, she could really give Twilight her all.
*
Twilight closed the door and leaned against it, letting one choked sob escape before she pressed a hoof to her mouth to muffle the rest. She let everything she had been holding in since Applejack had said Rainbow’s name finally come out, and she slid down the door until she was sitting at the base of it, her eyes filling with tears.
“Twilight?”
The unseen voice sounded like thunder in the silence of the library, even though it had barely been more than a whisper. The fireplace flickered to life, revealing Pinkie Pie on the other side of the room and casting her face in dancing shadows. Despite the erratic light, Twilight could clearly see the concern and sadness on her friend’s face. She quickly rubbed the tears from her eyes and sniffed back her sobs, and after a few moments composing herself, finally addressed her sudden companion. “Pinkie, I… What are you doing here?”
“Well, I was super excited that Applejack agreed to go on the date with you, and I was trying really hard to wait until tomorrow to ask you how it went, but I just couldn’t. So, I waited here for you to get home.” Pinkie smiled, but it faded after a moment. She took a couple steps forward, but stopped before she passed the edge of the rug. “What happened?”
“Pinkie, I…” Twilight wanted nothing more than to race up the stairs and bury her face in a pillow. Already, she could feel her emotions rising again, and she wasn’t sure how long she could hold herself together in front of Pinkie. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
“But… but…” Pinkie shook her head, her mane falling a bit as it bounced around. “You girls were supposed to have fun. I had everything planned out just right. I just…” She fell to her haunches, pawing at the edge of the rug with a hoof. “Why are you sad?”
The fateful moment where everything had gone wrong played through her mind again, and Twilight squeezed her eyes shut against the tears welling in them once again. A rogue drop escaped and trailed down her cheek, followed soon by several others. It took nearly a minute before she trusted herself to speak, but her friend waited patiently. “I’m sorry, Pinkie, but I just don’t think I can talk about it right now.”
“Well, if you’re sure, I’ll just go.” Pinkie stood up and headed for the door. She paused when she passed the unicorn. “Just remember that I’m here if you decide you wanna talk about it.” She laid a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and smiled. “We all are.” She pushed the door open, and a cold breeze blew in.
Twilight shivered as the wind danced up her spine. Suddenly, the prospect of crying alone into her pillow didn’t sound so appealing. “Wait.” She grabbed Pinkie’s hoof just before it left her shoulder. The door clicked shut behind her, and the hoof on her shoulder slid across her back, gently guiding her over to the rug in front of the fire. She flopped down, basking in the radiant warmth, and the earth pony settled in next to her, once again waiting patiently for her to speak. She had no idea where to start, so she opted to just go with the beginning.
“Everything started off fine.” Twilight rubbed the last few tears from her eyes and focused on the rug at her hooves. “Applejack was a little bit late, but it was okay. She had her mane down for once and… Celestia, she was gorgeous. She seemed a little… distracted during our walk out to the Whitetail Woods, but I didn’t know why. I just kept talking, trying to fill the silence so that she wouldn’t think going out with me was a mistake. She was a little more… with it by the time we got to the meadow.” A smile tugged at the edges of her lips as memories of their dinner played back through her mind, but a tightness squeezed her chest because she knew what happened next.
“Dinner was amazing, Pinkie. Thank you.” Twilight leaned over and gave the date planner a quick one-legged hug. “We talked and traded stories. I even made her laugh, and I thought things were going so well. But then, she…” She tried to swallow, but it felt like a stone was lodged in her throat. “She called me ‘Dash’.”
“That’s silly, you’re not Dashie, you’re Twilight,” Pinkie said with a voice full of false cheer, trying to keep the mood light. When Twilight didn’t smile, however, she did the only thing she could think to do and wrapped her friend in a hug. “I’m sorry, Twilight.”
For the first time in… ever, Twilight felt like there was somepony that understood what she was going through, and it was okay for her to let it all out. She grabbed onto Pinkie’s foreleg and held on to her friend while her tears flowed freely once more. She leaned against her friend and poured out all the hurt in her heart. The tears carried away everything she had been keeping inside for so long, as well as the most painful part of Applejack’s rejection. By the time she was done, her head hurt, her eyes stung, her throat was on fire… and she felt more relieved than she had in weeks.
When her sobbing finally stopped, she realized that her shoulder was wet. “Pinkie?” The other mare jumped, and pulled away as quickly as she could. But Twilight was faster and grabbed her friend by the shoulders, turning her around to look at her. Pinkie seemed more upset than she should be about this, as if she felt Twilight’s disappointment and sadness personally. But why would that be? Why was this date so important to Pinkie? “What’s wrong? Why… Why are you crying?”
Pinkie wiped away her tears with a foreleg and sniffed. “It’s… it’s nothing, Twilight.” She put a smile on her face but with the state she was in, Twilight could easily see how hollow it was. When Pinkie saw that her faux smile wasn’t fooling anypony, it faded quickly. “It just… It made me sad to see you so sad.” She took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, her voice was on the verge of breaking. “I just want to see you smile.”
Twilight could only stare at her friend in confusion. She knew that Pinkie liked to make her friends smile, but she’d never seen her friend reduced to tears over it. Something nagged at the back of her mind. She was missing something, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. “Pinkie, you said that you’re there for me if I need to talk. The reverse is true, too. I’m here for you.”
“I know.” Pinkie smiled and pressed her cheek against Twilight’s hoof on her shoulder. “Thanks, Twilight.”
A number of thoughts crossed her mind at once, things she had written off as Pinkie being Pinkie at the time. Pinkie had heard she liked Applejack because she had been watching her sleep. Pinkie thought her snoring was cute. Her friend had been spending a lot of time around the library lately, unusual even for Pinkie. Something in Twilight’s mind clicked into place, and suddenly she realized what had been staring her in the face. Looking back, she cursed herself for not seeing it sooner. “Pinkie, do you… like me?” She felt the earth pony stiffen and heard her draw in a sharp gasp.
“O-of, course I like you, Twilight.” Pinkie replied after a time. “I… I like all of you girls.”
Twilight used a hoof to lift her friend’s head so that she could look into her eyes. She saw fear and worry in them, and it pained her now that she knew their source. “You know that’s not what I mean, Pinkie.”
“I… I…” Pinkie lapsed into silence, her mouth still working on unspoken words. She tore her gaze from Twilight’s and stared at the floor. After several failed attempts to speak, she finally managed to answer the unicorn’s question. “Yes.”
“But… why hide it? Why not say something?” Twilight tried to pull the other mare into a hug, but was stopped by a foreleg on her chest.
“Because… You love Applejack.” Pinkie murmured, cringing as if the words physically hurt her. “What chance could a silly little Pinkie Pie have against somepony like her?” She tried to smile, but the edges of her mouth simply twitched up a bit. “I just wanted you to be happy, so I tried to get Applejack to give you a chance… but it looks like I messed that up, too.”
“Oh, Pinkie, I’m so sorry.” Twilight finally pulled her friend into a hug, feeling Pinkie’s forelegs slowly wrap around her and return the embrace. I can’t believe I didn’t see this. It’s just like Applejack and I. The thought made her feel sick. She didn’t want to think that she had inflicted the same pain and sorrow she’d felt on someone else, someone she called a friend. No. I won’t be like her. I can’t do that. She loosened her hug and leaned back. “Pinkie?”
“Hmm?” Pinkie wiped a hoof across her nose, looking at the unicorn curiously.
“Would…” The words stuck in Twilight’s throat, but she tried again and forced them out. “Would you like to go out with me?”
“Really?” Pinkie’s face lit up, and her trademark smile spreading across it. “Oh my gosh, ye—” She froze, her elation fading and being replaced by confusion. “But wait, what about Applejack?” She slumped down, any trace of the bliss she felt a moment ago utterly extinguished. “I know that tonight didn’t go super well… but you could always try again. I’ll even set up another super fun date for you.”
“No.” Twilight shook her head, her voice firm. She grabbed one of Pinkie’s hooves and held it between her own, smiling as she saw a spark of hope and elation in the earth pony’s eyes. “I’m not going to let somepony who cares about me sit around and be miserable while I chase somepony else who isn’t interested in me. So go ahead and plan that super fun date, but you and I can go on it.”
“Oh, Twilight!” Pinkie wrapped the unicorn up in another hug, nearly lifting her off of the floor with the force of it. “We’re gonna have soooooo much fun! I need to start planning right now!” She released Twilight and ran for the door, but skidded to a stop right in front of it. “Oh! But it will have to be after Fluttershy, Dashie, and Rarity’s party tomorrow. Don’t worry, though, that will just make tomorrow double fun!” Pinkie laid a hoof on the doorknob, but looked back at her soon-to-be-marefriend. She let out a high-pitched squeal of glee and dashed back across the room, tackling Twilight into another hug.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Twilight.” She hopped back up and helped the other mare to her hooves. Trotting back to the entryway at a more reasonable pace, Pinkie threw the door open, shivering as a blast of frigid air rushed in. “Brrr! Okay, see you tomorrow, Twilight!” With that, she raced out into the night, the door blowing shut behind her.
Twilight giggled and shook her head slightly, still watching the spot her friend had occupied a moment ago. She let out a sigh and slumped her shoulders, the emotionally draining events of the evening finally catching up to her. After putting out the fire, she trudged up the stairs and flopped into bed, not even bothering with covers. Even with winter drawing nigh, her bedroom was warm thanks to the walking space heater sleeping at the foot of her bed. She snuggled down into the mattress while sleep rose up to claim her. She smiled as she drifted off, her head full of visions of what tomorrow might bring.
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*Raises eyebrow*
How messy is this gonna get, exactly?
Omagerd. Keep up the amazing work! Im loving every bit of it!!!
As soon as I saw "marefriend" instead of "date" I knew something was wrong. Damnit.
But with this new tidbit, which I had kept in mind as a possibility. . . Should turn out interesting.
So lets see if I can put the pieces together. Twilight doesn't want to be like AJ which is why she accepts Pinkie Pie. But if Twi still has a thing for AJ then she'll be just like Apple Jack was to her, leading Pinkie on to make her happy.
I like this story way too much
Hoo boy, this is going to turn sour fast. Applejack's FINALLY ready to give Twilight the consideration she deserves. Now Pinkie's in the picture...
AJ's been soldiering through the resentment all this time, now this. ... Wonder if there's going to be a hoof-fight.
OOPS.
Yay for Twinkie though! Best part is Twilight looks like she legitimately is going to make the effort for Pinkie, and not just go through the motions. But now AJ is gonna find herself suddenly rejected by the pony who actually DID love her.
AJ, you gotta let GO. 
Three paired up already. I wonder if the other three will end up like that? Probably not but it's an interesting scenario.
Might give it a look, but love triangles aren't my thing... as in it just irritates me to no end.
I'll give it a like anyway.
Just what we need two threesomes.
3570024
nah, I dont think she's leading her on, maybe she is planning on being pinkie's marefriend, she may not be infatuated/in love with her like with applejack, but Im sure she doesnt have anything against her either, [murphy's law]maybe it will be fine [/murphy's law]
Spike's second note got the biggest laugh of the day.
3569832
All the messy!
That would be rogue, not rouge. Unless Discord got into her tears and coloured them rouge.
I wouldn't put it past him
Well, the shit pile is getting larger and larger, and it's only a matter of time before it hits the fan.
Oh god I love you so much. Please make more I need it.
Bravo, AJ. Bravo. When one door closes, you slam the opening one with your face as you trip into it.
The confusion of heart still rests upon them. The shape of love is formless.
Can't they all be satisfied with their beloved?
Awaiting further releases.
Why is this such a glorious train wreck?
3571317 Figures that I'd get that wrong. Thanks for pointing it out.
3573042 Whoa, whoa, whoa... pump the brakes good buddy. You've still got nine chapters to go. If things really got resolved that far back, do you really think I would have written another 74,000 words?
Fuck everyone else. This thing is amazing. Just look at that positive 977/73 ratio at the top of the page. If that don't say keep writing nothing will.
3572967
It's a pretty common typo, don't worry about it
3573067
wait, how many chapters are we--27 already?? am I the only one surprised that you haven't been updating this story religiously lately?
and things will have to come to a head with Rainbow, Fluttershy and Rarity. as in, how the other girls will be affected. even if those 3 are finally taking their trinogomous relationship seriously, AJ is still crushing for Rainbow. just seems no matter what you do AppleJack is gonna be left unhappy.
well, I look forward to the next chapter, so put this story ahead of your others, especially if you got at least 9 more chapters to write. I wantmoreIwantmoreIwantmore!
3569832
It's starting to remind me of Winning Pony, if that's any indication.
I'm lovin' it!
Owowow, I need a chart right now :
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the mindfuck !
)
(already 27 chapters, and I can't see the end of it
Yes!
This chapter was awesome, I love Twinkie 
3573424 No, I wasn't saying that I have nine more chapters left (though, the way this story is going, it wouldn't surprise me if that happened), the comment that was in reply to was on chapter 18, so I was saying that there were still nine chapters left up to the most recent one.
3573549 I actually had to make my own chart recently about who likes/loves who and who knows about everyone else's various crushes. It's very complicated.
Also, I have no idea where you got the Spike/Apple Bloom thing from.
3573665
Oops, sorry, I just confused with About Last Night, since it's about TwiJack FlutterDash and all of that. And with the fact that Spike was with the CMC, I thought it was a continuity. Nevermind
3569832
Something messier than this:
9gag.co.za/public/uploaded/1/2/7498.jpg
Messier than a ruptured septic tank, messier than the meat processing plants in Upton Sinclare's "The Jungle", and even messier than a sewer line in New York bursting into a geyser of shit during rush hour on one of the busiest streets!
philosophers-stone.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/So-it-begins-the-great-shitstorm-of-our-time2-268x300.jpg
Oh my the complications never seem to end do they? No end in sight and I for one am loving it!
Just when it almost kinda settled with the first trio, we are reminded of the not-on-titlepic ponies's situation... and oh man, another delicious mess that I fully expect to see resolved in a nice way after a lot of hardship.
She's like the best of them all, how come everyone else is loved by at least someone and she isn't? Bollocks, I say! Bollocks!
Also, kinda sad and strange that nopony seems to love Pinkie yet.
I fully expect this to end in a 5 way relationship with AJ s.o.l. because she was kind of a jerk there. In other news I really mean a 6 way relationship. You can't have 2 3 way relationships amongst a group of 6 best friends without it all collapsing into one EVENTUALLY.
I don't know how to describe this love-shape, but I like it!
Why do I enjoy this so much... It is simply art
After that cute and somewhat heart wrenching part with Pinkie and Twilight was, a rogue thought came to mind.
What if Pinkie planned it to turn out this way?
fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/364/f/4/pinkie_pie___all_according_to_plan_____by_yunguy1-d5ppww9.png
3574568
Hexagonal-chain-link-crossed-mismatched-unpredictable love hexagon!
I said hexagon twice. Oh well. Things are really getting complicated though.
Huzzah! The intrigue has been doubled!
AJ you are the Element of honesty, to a fault. I hope she comes out of this story happy.
After all she Is my Favorite Pony
I wonder if you're going for the double triple ship, or if you're going to try for the omniship after all. Regardless, this should be interesting. I quite liked this chapter, but I'm just gonna say that I really don't like the "Accidentally call someone else's name" cliche. Apart from that, well done.
3577993
Lol. Sounds great.
I actually like the turn towards pinkie in the story. AJ may be my favorite character but even I think that the twilight/aj relationship seems a little hopeless. Knowing you though, you'll probably get them back together anyway so I'm glad pinkie is at least happy for the time being.
3581524 tis my opinon
3574568>>3577059>>3577993
First a Love Triangle.
Then a Romance Rhombus.
Then a Paramour Pentagon.
I was just going to call this story the Hexagon of Heartbreak and leave it there, but now? It is the
TRIMINGLEMETER OF TENDERNESS
3582156 I understand that, and you are fully entitled to make your own decision regarding the story, but...
If you were looking for Rarity and Fluttershy to get together, I can neither confirm nor deny that there may or may not be some stuff later in the story that would interest you.
Well this will be interesting to see how things play out at the Rarishydash party. I wonder if Applejack feel's of Twilight will change and fall in love with her, making things go south very quickly between Twilight and Pinkie. As much as I love TwiJack I have to say that Applejack had her chance and blew it, big time now it's Pinkies chance with Twilight and she deserves it and even though Twilight has feelings for AJ, at least she is able to realise that chasing her is pointless and is willing to give Pinkie a chance, I just hope Twilight doesn't string Pinkie along like AJ did to her.
Great chapter as all ways, can't wait until the next one
. See you next chapter.
That was great
Now another wrench is being thrown in it 
Why can't they all be happy 
As Pinkie would say "Why Applejack did you have to be a stupid, stupidpants 
But I guess now Pinkie has a chance now 
But twilight better not blow this 
but that still leaves Applejack out in the cold 
This won't end well 
You better change that or else 
Other than that I loved the chapter 
I WANT MOAR SOON! 
If that is alright with you 
3569832
Very messy.
fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/204/6/c/molestia_soundboard_by_l3th4lprodigy-d6er85e.png
Welp, AJ is starting to warm up to Twilight, but could it be too late?
I'm glad Pinkie is getting a chance now, she's been missing a lot of the spotlight in this story. I'm so excited to see the party and date!
NEXT CHAP- oh wait, I'm at the last written chapter...
I WANT MOAR, AND SOON!!
umm... please?