Fluttershy blanched. “Oh… dear. Surely not! But… I mean, the map hasn’t sent us anywhere in so long!”
Applejack, who had been returning from the kitchen with coffee when Fluttershy had arrived, came along side her and nuzzled her cheek before finally sitting down. “‘Bout what I said, Shy.”
“Yes, it’s surprising!” Twilight responded cheerfully and clapped her hooves.
“Just the three of us? The others aren’t coming along?”
“I suppose not,” Twilight said. “But we can keep records if they want to read along afterwards!”
“Er, right,” Fluttershy said, and sat down.
Applejack opened her mouth to ask Twilight when they would be heading out, and to make some last minute plans, but before she could a familiar voice broke into their councils. Starlight, still a regular inhabitant of the palace, trotted into the room with a variety of books in her magical grasp.
“Hey, you guys. I got the books you wanted, Princess.”
Twilight beamed at her. “Thank you, Starlight! How was your trip? I forgot to ask.”
“Decent.” Starlight set the books on the table and stretched. Applejack’s attitude had continued to soften towards her over the years, and now it felt odd to remember that once she had been suspicious ever, for any reason.
Time had softened Starlight as well, and taught her patience. The mare who had once “solved” her problems with injudicious use of magic and manipulation was gone, and in her place there now lived a mature mare. She hadn’t just gotten stouter of heart and mind, however. Her mane was longer now, and most of it had been pulled back in a messy bun. A long scar ran across her face from her right temple down past her eye.
“Just decent?” Twilight asked. “Aw, you know I want more than that!”
Starlight chuckled. “Well, m’Lady, if you insist. The conference was a long and mixed affair. You know how they go. Half of the papers I heard were just awful, eye-roll inducing, miserable garbage. The other half were pretty decent. A couple of students were presenting, and that was fun.” She smirked and sat back on her haunches, leaning on the table with her forelegs flat against the map. “It was pretty cool going back with my doctorate this time.”
“I thought it might be,” Twilight said.
“It helped that it was in Manehattan,” Starlight finished, and turned her head towards Fluttershy and Applejack. Starlight smiled. “How about you guys? I know Twilight here has been freaking about the map since breakfast.”
“Well, ah, I…” Fluttershy shrugged. “You know. Kind of just the same. The hospital is up and running now, you know. I’ve been helping them more and more.”
“Glad it’s doing well. Your house still certified as a shelter?” she asked with a grin.
“Y-yes, Twilight was helpful with that,” Fluttershy said. “But I would have done it on my own eventually. Anyway, I’m glad. It’s made getting funds from the crown a lot easier.”
Starlight shifted her gaze to Applejack. “And you, cowgirl?”
“Machines,” Applejack said, and tasted ash for a moment. “Lots of machines. Farm’s turnin’ me into a mechanic bit by bit. They work wonders, though, I’ll tell you what.”
Starlight nodded. “Good. I’ve noticed the combines on my way in the last few times I’ve visited the Princess. I take it business is good.”
“Very,” Applejack replied with a lopsided grin. “Though I wish it would slow down sometimes.”
“Same,” lamented Twilight’s former student before she turned back to Twilight. “So… the books. What’s up with all that?”
“Just a bit of light reading,” Twilight said with a wave. “If we’re heading north, I need to know everything I can about what’s awaiting us.”
Starlight clicked her tongue. “Sounds ‘bout right. I’m thinking I could go for lunch soon. You’re all welcome to join.”
The three elements looked at each other, and then mutually shrugged. Starlight joined their idle talk, and more time passed.
All six were gathered by the time that lunch rolled around, and they had food brought up from the new deli on the west side of town. Starlight had insisted, and no one else except perhaps Rarity had had any opinion one way or another, and Rarity had been half-awake. She’d stumbled in, slumped into her chair and laid her head on the table before groaning about carbohydrates. Whether she was for them or against them was perhaps destined to be an eternal sort of mystery.
Over dinner, Applejack caught up with her friends. Pinkie was doing well, with her second child on the way with Pokey. The bakery was doing great, and the Cakes were seriously considering taking off on their retirement a few years early before leaving the twins and Pinkie with equal shares in the business. Rarity was dividing her time between five or six shops and two dozen soirees and events a year while also helping Sweetie get her start in Canterlot. Doing what, Applejack asked, though she knew--music. And it was a tight market, or so Rarity said dramatically.
Fluttershy lived a quiet, homely life. She volunteered at the animal hospital and kept her small shelter running, she read, she had tea at the same time every day and said hello to the same ponies when she came into town for groceries. Rainbow flew with the Bolts and kept herslef busy, and Applejack knew what she herself was up to.
Starlight had gone onto graduate programs and lectured in Manehattan at the university there. Psychology, if Applejack remembered correctly. It had seemed fitting.
Sometime after they’d finished and had fallen into chattering, Starlight and Applejack began to talk.
“AJ,” bgan Starlight, as she maneuvered around Twilight’s dining table to occupy the empty seat at the end. “How’s it going?”
Applejack flashed her an easygoing smile. “It goes, as my dad used to say. It goes.”
“Good. Mind if we chat really briefly?”
Applejack blinked. “I… well, sure, I suppose.”
“Twilight told me you’d been having some trouble recently. Before you get defensive, I’m not snooping, and she didn’t ask me to do this. You’re my friend, and I thought I might check up on you. That’s all this is.”
Applejack pursed her lips, and with fleeting eye took in a quick sight of the others. Twilight seemed oblivious, deep in excited conversation with Pinkie and Rarity.
“Alright. I’ll try not to get my dander up,” Applejack said. “‘S long as your recognize why I might.”
“Oh, trust me. I get it. I really, really get it.” Starlight reached out and touched her foreleg. “Mind telling me what’s going on, farm girl?”
“Well…” Applejack shrugged and looked Starlight over. She seemed earnest. It was hard not to imagine a brighter-eyed, younger Starlight sitting here, but then again… it was hard to imagine that Starlight wearing this open expression. “It’s dreams. I’m not sure, exactly, if I can call them nightmares.”
“Ah. Losing sleep?”
Applejack shook her head. “Not exactly. I’m sleepin’ fine. But the dreams don’t leave like they should when I get to work. They kinda stay with me for a few days. It’s almost every night, now. An’ they’re connected, too.” She shuddered. “Tellin’ a story. It ain’t always a bad one, but last night was awful. I just can’t shake it.”
“That sounds like a lot of stress to heap up on the normal stress of running a farm.”
“Ain’t that the truth. And now I’m I’m feelin’ things when I’m awake!”
Starlight blinked. “Excuse me?”
Applejack cringed. Shit. “I got a weird chill earlier when the map was showing us Henosia. Jus’ an overactive imagination.” She thought she felt the wind again, and shook her head violently. “I’d honestly rather not talk ‘bout it. It’s bad enough normally, but as soon as I get to thinkin’... You think there’s something goin’ on?
“Perhaps. But I think you should--”
Twilight clapped and cast a simple amplification on her voice. “Girls! It’s time for us to get started. I want to have this explained in time to get a few letters off before I leave.”
Starlight and Applejack exchanged a look that promised there would be a “later” and turned towards Twilight.