//------------------------------// // 3 - Answers to All the Wrong Questions // Story: Surprise Party // by TobiasDrake //------------------------------// “Oh no, darling, you mustn’t put that scarf with that blouse.” With a glow of magic, Rarity removed the offending purple scarf from her mannequin and set it on a nearby counter, just under an open window through which the midday sun illuminated the room. Rainbow Dash lowered her eyes sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Rarity. I’ve never designed before. I just rushed into it without thinking.” “Yes, well, no harm done.” Rarity turned to Twilight, who was busy in the other corner of the shop sewing a white dress with green trimming. “How is yours coming along?” Twilight levitated the dress into the air. “What do you think? I want to be wearing it when Applejack breaks my heart.” “Hmm…” Rarity considered the dress. It looked good, but there was something missing from its purpose. “I think it’s nearly perfect, darling, but maybe add a splash of red to go with your impending agony.” Turning around, Rarity spied Fluttershy working on a bizarre piece. It look liked a suit, but was attached to a skirt. The tie wrapped around its neck like a scarf and she’d placed a polka dotted vest over it. “Fluttershy, what am I looking at?” “Oh, it’s okay if you don’t understand,” Fluttershy answered. “I don’t either. But sometimes you just have to accept your projects for what they are.” “…I don’t follow.” Rarity looked to Fluttershy for an explanation, but Fluttershy merely responded by stamping her hoof on the ground several times in rapid succession, creating a loud, repeating pounding sound. Rarity winced at the offending noise. “Fluttershy, would you mind not doing that?” “Doin’ what?” Applejack asked in her place. She stamped her hooves several more times, and the pounding seemed to resonate through reality itself. “That! Quit making that awful noise!” Rarity rolled over and pulled her blanket over her head, trying to block the sound, but it continued assaulting her through the reality of her store. She tucked her head and covered her ears with her hooves to shut it out, but when she opened her eyes, the room was dark. The pounding sound continued, and as she was forced to listen to it, she realized it was coming from the front door. She lifted her head from under the blanket and glanced at the window. The moon hadn’t even peaked in the sky yet. Or it already had and was just starting to come back down. It was very difficult to tell which direction the moon was traveling, but either answer spelled the same conclusion: it was late. Her body strained at her as she climbed out of bed. That pounding at the door wasn’t going away until she made it. Once on the ground, she let out a long yawn and stretched her hooves. She stumbled out of her room and towards the door. With a puff of magic, the door opened, revealing Pinkie Pie on the other side. “RARITY! I need your--” “No.” Rarity promptly closed the door and started back to bed. She made it two steps before her conscience hit her. Rarity, your friend is outside in dire need of assistance. It’s going to be about Rainbow Dash. She’s going to want me to teach her about how love works, and she’s going to expect me to have all these answers, and she’s probably going to share intimate details that I don’t want to hear! Does anypony even remember what a disaster my last date was? Does she even know what time it is? Rainbow Dash put coffee in my lungs the last time this happened! I don’t know how I can help her! It’s late! I’m tired! I don’t want to do it!!! Rarity. Your friend is outside in dire need of assistance. After considering the conflicting points and weighing their arguments, Rarity returned to the door and opened it again. Pinkie remained exactly where she’d been, but her eyes had watered over and her snout quivered with despair. “My apologies for that display,” Rarity assured her, motioning for her to come inside. “I thought you were some manner of salespony.” As Pinkie took trembling steps into the boutique, she asked, “In the middle of the night?” “You’ve never been to Manehattan.” Rarity used her magic to pull her fainting couch out from the bedroom. “Come in and sit down while I put on some coffee. Please refrain from shouting any intimate details of your encounters with Rainbow Dash at me while we discuss whatever it is that’s gone so terribly awry.” “Are you sure?” Pinkie looked back at the door. “I’m not bothering you, am I?” “Darling, at this point, I am considering advertising my services as a marriage counselor. Now sit down and make yourself comfortable.” Within a few minutes, Rarity had a full mug levitating beside her and set another next to Pinkie. She sat on her haunches beside the couch, letting Pinkie have the space to herself. “Now whatever is the matter, dear?” Pinkie’s drooping mane clung to her as she spoke. “I slept with Dashie tonight,” she confessed. “Well, that’s hardly earth-shattering. I understand that’s been going on since the Ball?” “Sort of,” Pinkie replied. “Dashie’s been really weird and kind of pushy since that night. I think I might have done something really bad to her.” Nervously, Rarity bit her lip. “Oh, dear. I’m not sure it’s really my place to say.” “You know?” Rarity nodded. “If it’s what she told me, then I think I do. Rainbow Dash came to speak with me that night. She was quite a mess, I’m afraid.” “Oh.” Pinkie lowered her head. “That’s my fault.” “So she’s told you?” Rarity asked carefully. “About that night being her….” She left the statement hanging open, waiting for Pinkie to finish it. Pinkie nodded. “…her first time, yeah. She told me.” Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank Celestia. This conversation will flow much easier if we don’t have to canter around the elephant in the room.” She took a sip of her coffee, then continued. “I’m afraid this is all about to get very messy if it hasn’t already. Why don’t you start from Rainbow Dash’s behavior? You said she’s been acting strangely?” “I can’t believe you!” Twilight shouted across the room. She lay in Applejack’s bed, glaring angry daggers at her partner standing beside the door. “Seemed fair,” Applejack offered to defend herself. “You was studyin’ me, so I studied you back.” “I was studying the feelings that our relationship created. Not…how to get away with things! What could possibly have made you think that was okay?!” “I thought it was clever,” Applejack insisted. “It was cruel, Applejack. I actually thought those scavenger hunts were sweet! I thought you made them for me because you loved me.” Twilight’s eyes burned with raging tears, but she wasn’t ready to cry yet. “I did! Do it right, you get more than one apple in a single buck. That’s how we harvest.” “So, what, you’re harvesting me?” “That ain’t what I meant,” Applejack pleaded, but Twilight’s anger was still rolling. “See, I thought you just manipulated me, but apparently harvesting is much better.” Applejack pressed her hoof to her face. “It’s late, Twi, and I ain’t thinkin’ right. Can’t we argue ‘bout this in the mornin’?” Twilight folded her forehooves in front of her. “Fine.” “Thank you kindly.” Applejack took a step towards the bed, but Twilight’s voice cut her off. Coldly, Twilight scolded, “I don’t know where you think you’re going. You’re sleeping downstairs tonight.” “Beg pardon?” Applejack took a step back, processing Twilight’s words. “On the couch? Twilight, you can’t kick me out of my own room!” “Fine. Then I’ll leave.” Twilight sat up from the bed, horn glowing as she rolling her chair towards the bed. “Sugar, no,” Applejack pleaded with her. “You’re in no condition to--” “My condition’s just fine,” Twilight cut her off. “I didn’t break my horn. I still have my magic.” “Stay here, please. I’ll take the couch,” Applejack conceded. She watched Twilight lie back down on the bed, then turned and stepped slowly into the hall. Just before she left, she whispered, “I love you,” but if Twilight heard her, she gave no response. No sooner had Applejack walked out the door than it slammed in a burst of magic. She traipsed down the stairs to the living room, then climbed up on the couch and laid herself out. It was comfortable enough, but it certainly hadn’t been made for sleeping on. She dropped her hat beside the couch and laid her head up on the arm. She closed her eyes and rolled, trying to get comfortable. She was angry for being exiled from her room but, more than that, she felt hurt. Twilight was more upset than she’d expected her to be, and she hated to think that she’d wounded her that badly. She wondered if perhaps she’d been too defensive. She’d tried to make Twilight understand that she hadn’t meant anything by it, but she just wouldn’t-- “Are you and Twilight havin’ a fight?” Apple Bloom asked from in front of the couch. Her voice dripped with concern and a tinge of fear. “Hmm?” Opening an eye, Applejack reached out and rubbed Apple Bloom’s head with her hoof. “Don’t worry your little head, sugarcube. I’m just learnin’ an important friendship lesson about usin’ my powers for evil.” Sitting up, she offered, “Come on, let’s get you back to bed.” Incredulously, Rarity asked, “She actually said she loves you? She said the words, ‘Pinkie Pie, I love you.’ You’re not reading any kind of meaning into it?” “She actually said it,” Pinkie confirmed. “She didn’t say it in that order, but each of those words came out of her snout! Except Pie. So she might have been talking about a different Pinkie, but I’m not counting on it!” “Well, that complicates everything.” Rarity downed the last of her coffee. “So what did you tell her?” “I didn’t! I kind of invited her upstairs so she wouldn’t notice.” Pinkie stared down into her untouched cup, nestled between her forehooves. “Am I a bad friend?” “Of course not,” Rarity assured her. “But you have made some dreadful mistakes and we’re going to figure out how we can fix them.” Pinkie jerked up suddenly. “I’ve got it! I can just pretend that Dashie and I are a couple. I’ll play along and act like her special somepony. Eventually, she’ll realize it won’t work and she’ll break up with me! It’s the perfect plan.” Rarity stared blankly at Pinkie. “What? I think it’s a good plan.” “And what, pray tell, will you do if she never decides she wants to leave you?” Pinkie shrugged. “I don’t know. Get married, I guess.” Rarity sighed. “You can’t be serious.” “What else can I do?!” Pinkie’s lip quivered. “She’s my friend. I don’t want to hurt her.” Rarity reached a hoof out, laying it on Pinkie’s. “Darling, feigning an empty shell of a relationship will only hurt her more, especially if you go so far with it. You need to be honest with her about what you’re feeling.” “But-but-but it worked for Twilight! She wasn’t that into AJ when they got together!” Rarity shook her head. This was getting worse by the minute. “Okay, Pinkie Pie. For the sake of argument, let’s discuss this as though it were a reasonable course of action. Are you interested in Rainbow Dash romantically?” This should be an easy question, she assumed. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash had already slept together, so naturally-- “I don’t know. Maybe?” Or perhaps Pinkie Pie was a walking paradox vaguely shaped like a pony. That was also a possibility. “How can you not know? You’ve been intimate with her, Pinkie Pie. I should hope that’s answer enough.” “That was to thank her. I was having a terrible night at the ball and she made it better. She was my date. I would have done the same thing for you or Fluttershy or Twilight…well, probably not Twilight. I don’t think Applejack would have appreciated that.” Pinkie thought to herself. “Then again, they were doing that date swapping thing--” Rarity cut her off before the topic could be lost.“I highly doubt either of them meant to take it that far, but it’s beside the point. Are you not attracted to Rainbow Dash?” “I want to make her happy,” Pinkie answered. “Is that what you mean?” Rarity sighed. This was going nowhere. “Okay, but do you want to make her happy more than you do for any of us?” “Of course not!” Pinkie shouted. “You’re all my best friends. I would never choose between you!” “Then how do you imagine you would make Rainbow Dash feel loved? How would you make her feel more wanted than anypony else in your life?” “I don’t know.” Pinkie thought for a moment. “She seems to really be into sex. I could just--” “Pinkie, no!” “What else can I do?!” Pinkie shouted back. “I don’t know if I’m attracted to her. I don’t even know what that feels like.” Rarity sighed. “I can understand Twilight being this sheltered, but Pinkie, you must know what kind of ponies you like.” “I like everypony,” Pinkie insisted. “I don’t know what you’re asking. What kind of ponies do you like?” “Me?” Rarity thought for a moment. “Well, I’ve always wanted to meet a stallion who is sophisticated, cultured, and very well-read. I would prefer he be larger than me, but not too muscular; if I wanted to cuddle with a rock, there are plenty to be found in the Everfree. Hmm…” Rarity thought for a moment. “I’ve always thought that the perfect stallion would have dark, piercing eyes. The kind that look straight through to your soul, and you know he sees every part of you. His expression is at once as cold as ice, yet burns with a passionate hunger as he aches for me.” “Uh….” Pinkie tilted her head and stared quizzically at Rarity. Oblivious to her friend’s confusion, Rarity continued, “And he would wrap his powerful hooves around me, look deep into my eyes, and say, ‘Oh, Rarity, only your love can quench the burning darkness of my soul!!!’” A deafening silence fell across the room. Pinkie squirmed awkwardly on the fainting couch. Suddenly aware of herself, Rarity awkwardly cleared her throat before continuing. “Sadly, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the number of stallions in this town is abysmal. It’s a small wonder so many mares end up chasing each other.” “What about Big Mac?” Pinkie asked innocently. Rarity blinked. “…what about Big Mac?” “He’s a stallion.” “…I don’t think we’re on the same page. I’m looking for classy. No offense to Big Mac, but does anypony in his family really strike you as classy?” As if to answer the question, Pinkie explained, “Big Mac and I once had a contest to see who could balance a spoon on the tip of their tongue the longest.” Rarity stared speechless, struggling to even find words to respond to that, so Pinkie continued. “We ended it in a tie, though. We had to stop when Applejack shouted at us for licking all the spoons.” Rarity took a moment to find her voice again, then stated, “Congratulations. You have solved any and all problems in my love life.” “Really?!” “Yes. You have presented a very compelling argument for abandoning my dreams and settling for Spike.” Excitedly, Pinkie added, “He was the referee!” Rarity abruptly stood up. “And just like that, I’m going back to bed. You are welcome to stay here if you don’t want to go home and face the emotional trainwreck that is no doubt snoring loudly in your bedroom.” “Oh.” Pinkie looked up thoughtfully. “No, I should go home. Dashie will worry if she wakes up and I’m not there. I’ll have to figure something out.” Rarity sighed. “Be very careful with the decisions you make from here, Pinkie. It is not only Rainbow Dash who may be hurt by your choices. I wish I had more I could tell you, but I fear your situation may be outside my particular areas of expertise. But I can promise you that I am here to talk if you need it.” As the first rays of sunlight beamed over Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack found herself stirred awake to the rooster’s first crow. She’d spent an unpleasant night tossing and turning on the miserable couch, and she found herself struggling to find energy when sleep abandoned her. She opened her eyes to the familiar sight of Granny Smith’s green face, staring silently at her from her rocking chair. “Mornin’, Granny,” Applejack absent-mindedly greeted her before letting out a yawn. As she stretched she suddenly became aware of herself. “Granny! You’re up! I’m just…I was….” Granny Smith snickered from her chair. “Cool your jets, Applejack. You ain’t the first Apple’s woke up on Ol’ Lumpy and you sure as shootin’ ain’t gonna be the last. Now, I don’t know what y’all are fussin’ over, but I’m gonna share with you somethin’ my mama told me. Same thing I told your pappy when it was his turn on Lumpy.” Applejack sat up, listening intently. Granny continued, “Some fights are important, Applejack. The ones with meanin’. The ones with a purpose. When it’s worth it, when it matters, you got to stick to your guns and work with your partner to find somethin’ that works for the both of ya. You don’t work that out, you’re just gonna start resentin’ each other, and resentment is a poison that will spoil the whole crop. “But there’s times it ain’t, and those are the times you got to look inside ya and ask yourself: do I want to be right or do I want to be happy?” Confused, Applejack asked, “Are you sayin’ I should lie to Twilight? Make up an apology I don’t mean?” “Nothin’ of the sort,” Granny Smith insisted. “I’m sayin’ you need to learn to look past your stubborn pride and think on whether she might have a right to be upset in the first place. We can be a hard kin, Applejack, but there are times when bein’ hard just causes hurt feelin’s where they ain’t needed. So ask yourself: what matters to ya most right now? Bein’ right or bein’ happy?” Applejack looked down from her granny and reflected. Was she just being stubborn? Twilight seemed terribly broken up last night. She was so angry and Applejack could sort of understand why. She felt betrayed. And for her part, Applejack had done what? Been defensive? Wrapped herself in armor made of pride? Answering her grandmother’s question, Applejack said, “Right now, I don’t think I’m neither.” “Then it sounds like you’ve got apologizin’ to do.” Hopping down from the couch, Applejack reached out and met Granny Smith in a hug. “Thanks, Granny.” Releasing the family matriarch, Applejack raced up the stairs to her room but stopped short of the door. She took a deep breath. She didn’t know what she was going to walk into, but she knew exactly what she had to do and that was enough. Turning the knob, she opened the door slowly. As the sun came up over Ponyville, Rainbow Dash awoke to the streams of light beaming in the window beside the bed. Rolling onto her back, she let out a long yawn and stretched all six of her limbs. She squirmed sideways on the bed and sat up, yawning once more while bending her forehooves backwards to stretch her shoulders. Absentmindedly, she chomped on thin air as she tried to find her bearings. She was in a room. It was yellow. There were balloons on the comforter. That meant…oh, that’s right, she was with Pinkie last night. Because Pinkie had totally agreed that they were a couple after hearing her awesome speech about her feelings and junk! The next thing she noticed was the emptiness of the bed. Where was Pinkie? She thought she’d be-- Oh, there she is. Pinkie clambered up the stairs to join her in the bedroom. She held a plate in her teeth, carrying three cupcakes with pink frosting--with a stripe of blue through the middle--as well as one sprinkled donut. Trotting over to the bed, she set the plate down on the bedside table and, having freed her snout, proceeded to bounce backwards and greet Rainbow Dash. “Good morning, Dashie-Dash! Hope you slept well! I made you breakfast.” Rainbow Dash looked over the sugary treats. “They look good, but it’s all sugar. This is what you eat for breakfast?” “Mmhmm!” A proud smile crossed Pinkie’s face. “Sometimes I wake up craving pie but that’s really more of a lunchtime food.” Rainbow Dash smirked. She wanted to make a joke about the words “craving pie”, but nothing was coming to her. She was usually quick with a snappy remark, but inside, she just felt strangely satisfied this morning. She finally settled on, “Thanks, Pinkie.” Pinkie nodded. “You’re welcome. I have to work but you’re welcome to stay. I’ll be downstairs.” Rainbow Dash watched Pinkie descend the stairs, then stared at the plate. Weighing her options, she decided to try one of the cupcakes. It tasted like a sugar bomb exploding in her mouth, with hints of cherry, raspberry, and blueberry mixed together into a cavalcade of flavor. Not especially filling, but certainly delicious. There was something else in it that she couldn’t quite place, either. Each bite sent a shock of emotion through her. There was a strange sense of fulfillment in eating them that she couldn’t quite grasp. She needed to remember to ask Twilight about it at their next planning lunch. Ignoring her body’s craving for actual nourishment, Rainbow Dash ate until the plate was empty. Then she laid back against the pink stripes of Pinkie’s pillow and closed her eyes, basking in the emotional glow. I can totally get used to this. Twilight lay still in Applejack’s bed, staring at the wall away from the door. She’d slept fitfully all night, waking several times to thoughts of regret. More than once, she’d wanted to go downstairs and tell Applejack to come back up, but she just didn’t have the energy to navigate around her broken leg. She’s already opened her eyes in the dim light of morning when she heard the door open behind her. A cautious voice whispered into the room. “Sugar? You up?” “Yes,” she said. Her own voice sounded dry and cracked. Had she been crying? She wasn’t certain. She braced herself for the impending drama, but she wasn’t sure if she had the strength for it. But the hostility she feared never came. She heard hoofsteps move towards the bed and a gentle voice ring through the room. “Listen, I’m sorry for last night. I got so caught up defendin’ myself that I wasn’t thinkin’ about your feelin’s.” Twilight wasn’t expecting that. She rolled over to see her special somepony. “I liked those riddles. They weren’t very hard,” she admitted, “but the gesture was nice.” Applejack stepped over to the side of the bed, sitting down on her haunches and reaching for Twilight’s hoof. “That’s what I wanted it to be. I swear on a stack of apples, as Princess Celestia’s my witness, I was tryin’ to show my love.” Twilight considered Applejack’s words. She could feel the intent in them and it sounded genuine, so she nodded. “Why did you call it practice at dinner last night? It’s not like you to lie.” Applejack took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. “It weren’t a lie. Listen, Twilight. You gotta understand somethin’.” She stopped there and turned her head, glancing out the window at the farm around them. Twilight could see she was thinking hard about what to say, so she gave her the chance to find her words. After several seconds of silence, Applejack came back with, “You know what we do when we got a new piece of equipment to work with?” Twilight blinked. “Um…use it?” “Slowly and carefully. We pop it open and watch it run. We keep it runnin’ ‘til it breaks down. Then we find what broke, we take it apart, figure out what it’s doin’ and how to make it do it again. That’s how we work ‘round here. Everythin’ on this farm has about a hundred workin’ parts that can break down in a thousand different ways. I got to be able to tell what that clangin’ sound means or where that drip’s comin’ from or why that leaf’s takin’ on that mossy blue color. That’s how we keep the crops comin’ in each year.” Twilight took Applejack’s explanation in. “I think I understand. I learn new things through study and research, but for you, it’s all about practical experience. You weren’t trying to figure out how to sneak around me. You just learned how to do it while setting up my surprise.” Applejack nodded “Eeyup. It weren’t a lie I told to Rainbow last night. It just weren’t the whole truth. I told her the bit that mattered to her. I’m sorry I got so worked up, I forgot the bit that mattered to you.” Sitting up suddenly, Twilight reached out and embraced Applejack. “I’m sorry I made you sleep downstairs. I missed you last night.” Applejack returned the embrace, leaning her front end over the bed. “I missed you too, sugarcube. I never meant to hurt you.” Then why do you lie to me? Twilight wasn’t sure where that thought came from. It was a single pinprick striking outward from her heart. She shook it off and sank into Applejack’s embrace. “I forgive you,” she whispered. “In fact, I think I have an idea for how you can make it up to me.” Rainbow Dash dropped out of the sky in front of the Hay Burger. It was time to meet up with Twilight and discuss, and she certainly had a bombshell to drop. Everything was going perfectly. Now she just had to keep them perfect, and that wouldn’t be too hard because she was Rainbow Dash. When she entered, she saw Twilight already waiting for her at their usual table. She hadn’t meant to have a usual table, but Twilight usually showed up first and she always sat in the exact same place at the exact same table and ordered the exact same burger. It was eerie; as though she was casually scheduling her life on the spot. Today, Twilight seemed very lost in thought. As Rainbow Dash approached the table, she saw that Twilight had that folder with her again, but it wasn’t lurking in her wheelchair’s carrying tray or sitting on the table ominously taunting her with the threat of having to read it again. It lay open in front of Twilight, and she seemed to be intently poring through it as if looking for something. “If you’re looking for AJ, I don’t think she’s in there,” Rainbow Dash teased, but Twilight didn’t even seem to notice her. She sat down at the table, watching Twilight turn a page and keep reading. “Hey, Egghead, life’s out here!” she insisted, but was again ignored. Finally, Rainbow Dash reached a hoof over and pulled it across the table, out of Twilight’s sight. “Hey!” Twilight shouted. “I was reading—oh. Rainbow Dash? How long have you been here?” Ignoring the question, Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. “Twilight, it’s barely been a week. You and AJ aren’t allowed to be having drama right now. This is my time.” Sheepishly, Twilight explained, “It’s not drama. We just had a little fight. It’s nothing major. We’ve already worked it out.” “That’s better,” Rainbow Dash accepted. “I don’t want you to be distracted when I tell you that ME AND PINKIE ARE TOTALLY A COUPLE!!!” Excited, she threw her forelegs into the air. She half expected confetti to explode from them, but evidently that wasn’t contagious. “Woohoo!” Twilight celebrated. “Congratulations, Rainbow Dash! That’s wonderful! You worked things out after last night?” “Oh, you could say that,” Rainbow Dash answered with a wide grin. “We worked things out all night.” Twilight smiled. “I’m really happy for you. That sounds like you had a lot to talk about.” “What?” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “No, I was being clever. I told her that I love her and we spent half the night going hooves to Luna.” “Wait,” Twilight asked, confused, “why was Princess Luna there? Were you dreaming about this?” Rainbow Dash sighed from frustration. “Sex, Twilight. It means we were having sex.” “Oh! I, uh…” Twilight blushed, looking anywhere but at Rainbow Dash. “Have we looked at the menus yet? I’m not sure what I--” “You’re ordering a double hay burger with extra lettuce and no pickles.” “Ooo,” Twilight trilled. “That sounds delicious. I should get one of those!” She waved her hoof to flag down the waitress. Frustrated, Rainbow Dash waited for the waitress to come and go, then tried to pick back up the conversation. “So, point is, we made up, we did it, and now everything’s great. There was something I wanted to talk to you about, though.” Nervously, Twilight asked, “It’s not about, ahem, ‘doing it’, is it?” “No, it’s just this feeling I had. Pinkie made me breakfast this morning and when I ate it, there was this weird happy feeling in the back of my head. I don’t get it. I’ve had cupcakes before, but this was different. It sorta reminded me of the afterglow from when we….” Deciding to spare Twilight’s fragile sensibilities, Rainbow stopped and selected her words carefully. “From last night.” “That’s probably love,” Twilight explained. “It’s the special feeling you develop from spending time with your special somepony. You felt that sensation because you were eating food she prepared for you.” “Huh.” Rainbow Dash rest her forelegs on the table, thinking back. “Is this the first time you’ve felt that way that wasn’t about….” Twilight hesitated for a moment, as if trying to figure out what to say. “…you know….” “I guess so?” “Then that’s a good sign.” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “I was starting to think you were only interested in Pinkie for…that,” she admitted. “This is good progress, and knowing that she loves you too means you have a good chance at making things work.” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Yeah, we’re doing awesome. So, when should we do our next double date? You two free tonight?” “Actually, we have other plans,” Twilight answered. “Besides, I think the next thing you should try is a solo date. It doesn’t sound like you two have been on any.” “What?!” Rainbow reached across the table and grabbed Twilight’s hoof between hers. “You can’t do this to me. I need you to be my wingponies on this. I wouldn’t know what to say to her!” Twilight carefully extricated her hoof from Rainbow’s. “Just ask her about her day. See how she’s feeling, what she’s thinking about. Share your feelings and your day. Just talk to her like you would a friend.” “But what if it turns awkward? You weren’t in the store. It got really awkward when I couldn’t think of anything to say.” Twilight sighed. Rainbow Dash wasn’t getting it. “If you don’t have anything to talk about, then don’t. Applejack and I have spent plenty of evenings enjoying the other’s company without saying a word. Just being together is the most important thing.” “Okay.” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “The most important thing. I can do this.” After lunch, Rainbow Dash caught Pinkie bouncing down the street from Sugarcube Corner. Her saddlebags were loaded for bear but the weight didn’t seem to disturb her at all. Descending to greet her, Rainbow called down, “Pinkie! Up here!” Pinkie stopped and looked up. “Good afternoon, Rainbow Dash! How’s the weather?” “Today’s my off day,” Rainbow Dash answered. “What’s up with you? In a hurry to get somewhere?” “Yeppers!” Pinkie’s head bounced as she spoke. “I’m throwing a birthday party today. Pipsqueak’s the lucky birthday colt who’s going to get a Pinkie Pie Super-Deluxe Ultra-Birthday Bash. They’ll be talking about this at school for weeks.” “Oh.” Awkwardly, Rainbow Dash asked, “I don’t supposed you’d like to check out Cloudsdale’s weekly pegasus races instead? They’re in the area, so I thought it might be a good idea for tonight.” “Instead of a BIRTHDAY PARTY?” Pinkie asked as though Rainbow Dash had just suggested desecrating Princess Celestia’s castle. “Nonono, there is nothing more important than celebrating somepony’s birthday.” “Okay, I’m sorry.” Hopefully, Rainbow Dash asked, “Then maybe I could come with you?” Pinkie shook her head. “This is a birthday party, Dashie. There’s nothing more special than that, except for a Cute-Ceañera. I couldn’t let it be anything less than perfect. I’m really sorry, but I’m going to be very busy with this.” Frantically, Rainbow Dash asked, “Then what am I supposed to do tonight?!” “Uh…enjoy life?” Pinkie offered. “Fine. I get it.” Dejected, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and took off into the sky. She couldn’t believe this. Pinkie was supposed to be her special somepony but here she was, dumping her to go do something else for some other pony. “Are you sure you’re ready?” Spike challenged. “Eeyup.” Big Mac answered him. “It’s going to be dangerous.” “Eeyup.” “Could cost us our very lives.” “Bring it.” Spike grinned from his spot. He stood across from Big Mac at the center table in the Golden Oaks Library. “We enter the dark, secret caverns of Gorrak-Ur, the last known location of Vainglorious the Bold. Dread fills our hearts as we march.” The sound of two dice crashed across the table. “Suddenly, three cave spiders descend from--” Spike was interrupted by the sound of the library door crashing open. “Twilight!” Rainbow Dash stormed into the library. “Twilight, I need to--Big Mac? What are you doing here?” “We’re having a guys’ night,” Spike explained. “AJ’s taking care of Twilight while her leg gets better, so Big Mac’s been coming over here to hang out. We’re talking about making a regular thing of it.” Rainbow Dash soured. “They’re not here? I already checked the farm.” “Try the barn,” Big Mac offered. “Applejack said Twilight was going to help her make the bales sturdier.” Twilight lay on her side on a hay bale. She clutched a book close to her chest, eyes fixed lovingly on Applejack. Short, rapid breaths shot out of her and her snout hung open as she watched her partner approach her. Wrapped in a black cloak, Applejack stepped forward. “You could never understand the cravin’ inside of me.” “But I want to,” Twilight pleaded. “I want you to share yourself with me! Even the spooky parts!” Reaching out, she cried, “See these hooves? These hooves yearn for your dark embrace!” “Never!” Applejack whipped around, sending the cloak twirling about her. She raised a foreleg to shield her eyes and shouted, “You must never know of the hunger that torments me so. It is my curse to bear!” “Please, Count Apple, there must be some way to save you,” Twilight insisted. “And if you cannot be saved from your curse, then let me share it with you so that we two may be cursed together! We will travel the night, alone from the world but together in our cruel, eternal fate!” “Together,” Applejack whispered. She turned around and lunged for the bales, leaning over Twilight. “Every day without you is a curse, for only your love can…uh…can….” “Burning darkness,” an enraptured Twilight whispered. “Can quench the burnin’ darkness of my soul!” “Then drink,” Twilight exclaimed. “Drink my love and be free for at least a little while.” Applejack leaned her head down and kissed Twilight, pressing her head slowly back against the bale. Her hoof slid to Twilight’s neck, cradling her as she-- SLAM The barn door flew open and banged against the wall as an enraged Rainbow Dash stormed inside. “SHE BAILED ON ME!!!” Rainbow Dash’s shouts echoed through the barn. Slipping out of character, Applejack whispered to Twilight, “Beg pardon, sugarcube, but I have to go show Rainbow what my burnin’ darkness looks like.” Rainbow Dash stormed over to a hay pile and threw herself down on it. “What am I supposed to do now?” Pointedly, Twilight glanced over at Rainbow Dash and asked, “Do you think you could give us an hour? Or three?” Oblivious, Rainbow continued. “I had plans tonight! There were going to be sky races and a diner in Cloudsdale whose name I don’t know how to say. But no, she had to throw this stupid birthday party!” Embarrassed, Twilight looked into Applejack’s eyes and silently pleaded, “I’m sorry.” As Applejack climbed down off the bale, Twilight rolled over to face Rainbow Dash. Setting down the book in her hooves, she asked, “So. Pinkie Pie. She was too busy for a date tonight?” “Yes!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “She ditched me for to go blow balloons for some colt,” she sneered. “She said birthdays are supposed to be really special. Like I’m not special. She wouldn’t even let me help! I could have made Pipsqueak’s birthday the most awesome thing that ever happened to him!” “Maybe she--” Twilight began, but she was cut off by Applejack raising a hoof. Applejack stepped towards the pile of hay Rainbow Dash was reclining on. “Rainbow, ponies got lives. They can’t always drop ‘em when you’re feelin’ restless.” Bitterly Rainbow Dash whined, “Pinkie’s supposed to be my special somepony.” Sighing, Applejack shucked off the cloak she’d been wearing and dropped into the hay pile next to Rainbow Dash. “Listen here, Rainbow. Bein’ a special somepony don’t mean her life’s all about you now. Twi and I’ve been together several moons now, but I got responsibilities to the farm and she’s still Princess Celestia’s best and brightest. We still got lives. We just make time for each other, is all.” “Yours seems to be making a lot of time for you lately,” Rainbow Dash pointed out. “Do you think I chose to be spending this time here?” Twilight asked. “The Apples have been kind enough to take care of me while my leg’s recovering. As soon as this cast comes off, I’m going home. I’ve been able to keep up with my studying, but I’m going to be weeks behind on practical spellcasting. Princess Celestia sent me a spell on transmuting apples to oranges that I’ve been dying to try out, but I can’t practice in this state.” Applejack nodded in agreement. “Been sweeter than cider havin’ her, but Twi ain’t fixin’ to stay. You got to appreciate that Pinkie Pie’s got her life to lead too. She ain’t got every day to dedicate to you, especially as hard-workin’ as she is.” “But I want her with me every day,” Rainbow Dash complained. “What if I asked her to marry me?” “Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shouted sternly. “You’ve been officially together for a day. That’s far too soon to be thinking about marriage.” “But then she’d be with me all the time,” Rainbow Dash insisted. “We could live together like the Cakes do. She could quit her job and come live with me in my cloudo. It’d be perfect.” “Sakes alive,” Applejack muttered to herself. More loudly, she asked, “You really reckon there’s anythin’ in the world would convince Pinkie Pie to quit what she does? That mare loves her work more than I do.” “No,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “I don’t know. I just miss her. She’s supposed to be with me.” Twilight took a moment to choose her words carefully. She knew what needed to be said but wasn’t sure how to say it without crossing Rainbow Dash. “Perhaps some time away from her could be a good thing,” she tried. “What?! How is it a good thing?!” Hesitantly, Twilight explained, “I’m worried about how quickly you’re becoming attached.” “That’s crazy,” Rainbow Dash responded defensively. She leapt from the pile she was lying on, asserting, “I’m attached because we’re in love, Twilight. We’re completely in love, we’re going to be happy together, and we didn’t need a stupid research journal to figure that out!” “HEY!” Applejack shouted, standing up from the hay. “No, let her speak,” Twilight insisted. She saw Rainbow breathing heavily. Her words came out mean, but Twilight could tell she was on the verge of panic. “It’s okay, Rainbow Dash. Let it out.” “I…I can’t do this,” Rainbow Dash replied. She fluttered her wings and made for the window at the top of the barn. Then she stopped, looking back at Twilight. “I’m sorry I called your folder stupid. That wasn’t cool.” Calmly, Twilight answered her, “It’s okay, Rainbow Dash. Whenever you need to talk, I’m ready to listen.” “Yeah. I need that. Thanks, Egghead.” With those words, Rainbow Dash took off into the night. With Rainbow Dash gone, Twilight closed the door. She considered locking it, but the mood was already gone. It wasn’t likely to come back. Idly, she asked Applejack, “Do you think she’s going to be okay?” Applejack laid herself down beside Twilight, wrapping her forehooves around her special somepony. “Don’t reckon I know, sugarcube. She’s in love. Ain’t no more dangerous feelin’ than that.” “How much simpler this would be.” Twilight sighed. “I’m afraid she’s letting her feelings run away with her.” “What? She ain’t in love with Pinkie?” “No, she certainly does seem to be feeling the beginning stages of emotional attachment. That feeling’s taking control of her, though. I’ve read about this. It happens to a lot of mares, especially those of us who date other mares. They move too quickly. The feeling of being in love overpowers any actual feelings they might have for their partner. Within days, they’re moving in together and talking about spending their lives together, but they barely even know each other.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What? Like some kind of love addiction?” “Something like that.” The farmer shrugged. “Don’t see what’s so bad about that. So Rainbow’s movin’ a bit fast. That’s just different strokes for different couples, is all.” Twilight shook her head. “You don’t understand, Applejack. Those feelings burn out. Once they’re gone, there’s nothing left to sustain the relationship, and those ponies are left trapped in a shared life they don’t understand why they wanted so badly anymore. Then the resentment starts.” Realizing what Twilight was saying, Applejack swallowed hard. “I think I get it.” Twilight looked up at the window Rainbow Dash left through. “If she keeps going like this, it won’t just break off her relationship. It could ruin her friendship with Pinkie Pie forever.”