Sweet Apple Acres. Even the mention of the place filled Celestia with a sense of nostalgia. This magnificent estate had been a tiny cottage in the woods once. A smooth road running evenly through veritable forests of apple trees and potato fields had once been a timid path carving its winding way through the dark and twisted vines and roots of the Everfree Forest. The only mare crazy enough to settle it had been a lime green earth pony with a shocking white mane and fire in her eyes. When Celestia had first met her she'd been barely past teenaged and better known for sour moods than good business. Now her empire of agriculture was large enough that Celestia could muse on the entire span of its history just walking across the property.
Waiting for her near the clearing that led to the barn and farmhouse was another pony who'd grown into something beautiful in the years since they'd first met. Twilight was wearing a pair of bulging saddlebags that bore her cutie mark and an excited grin, taking a few steps to let off excess energy. Celestia settled in step beside her. "You seem to be in good spirits."
"Rarity told me all about the big spa day! She spent half an hour talking Spike's ear off about all the stuff she's going to have to change for the opening, and how happy she was that you asked to come." Twilight glanced around, then gave her a tender nuzzle to her side.
Celestia accepted graciously yet cautiously, her eyes also searching for potential witnesses. "It isn't like we've never embraced in public," she reasoned more to herself than to Twilight, "I think we can still get away with those without our ruse being guessed."
"Right. Well, I told Applejack you were coming, but she wanted to know why and seemed suspicious when I froze up a little. I don't know how long we'll be able to hide from her, because she'll want more than just 'a friendly visit' as justification for why you're here." Celestia's face fell.
"Luna also will not be fooled for long. I have distracted her during our evening and morning meetings by discussing a recent worrying habit of casting magic in her sleep that she seems to be developing, but she is more than ever suspicious of why I have been out." Celestia cast a glance down at the tiny gem resting upon her peytral. "And also of this."
Twilight immediately honed in on the crystal and its magical signature. Her eyes went wide, and her expression went from worried to awestruck in the blink of an eye that it took her mind to process what she was seeing. "Already?!" She hissed, eyes wide.
"Yes. As you yourself said, things with Rarity went well. Quite well. It is barely formed, and will have to withstand any strains on our friendship that may occur, but I think Rarity and I are truly beginning to see each other as friends. The Elements, as you predicted, have been reacting in turn."
"B-but this is great!" Celestia felt herself nod, only now noticing her comfortable smile and that her thoughts of Luna had vanished. "Well, now we just need to see if...well, obviously, if you still want to..."
"Which I do."
"Right! Well, I could ask around, or...no, I should let you do this. But if there's anything I can do to help, I'm right here!"
"That attitude alone has done more for me than I can ever repay. But come, I believe the Apples are expecting us." Celestia spread her wings, and took a leap into the air with a carefree laugh. Twilight was stammering something about waiting up, but a few rapid flaps of her own wings and her faithful companion was right there beside her, as Celestia knew she would be. Celestia's wings spread wide and soaked in the sun she had risen earlier that morning, her eyes closing to better soak in the sensation of air rushing over her.
Snapping her eyes open, she made a quick diving bank towards the Apple household, calling Twilight's name and using the tilt of her wingspan to beckon her forward. Ever the over-achiever, Twilight shot under her barrel like a bullet, body spinning in a tight corkscrew. Celestia watched her trajectory, realizing with a start that Twilight had too much speed and not enough experience for the maneuver she was about to attempt. Realization turned to fear, and she yelled out Twilight's name with a gasp. Then came the thud.
In a heartbeat she had folded her wings into a dive and landed beside her companion, whose face was currently planted directly into the ground in a trough of her own making. She silently chided herself for being so foolish as to not watch where Twilight was going. "Twilight! Are you alright? Please, tell me if you can stand." Twilight's chest began to shudder, a rhythmic noise muffled by the soil coming from her buried partner's face. "Say something, Twilight, please." She hauled Twilight up, trying to throw up her best supportive smile at what were surely going to be sobs of pain and regret.
Twilight's giggles took her off guard, as did the fact that the mare was grinning from ear to ear. Celestia watched Twilight wipe the dirt away from her face with a hoof, and her anxiety was wiped away with it. "Now I know how Dash feels. Oh, that was about eighty percent amazing and twenty percent embarrassing. I can see it now. Twilight Sparkle's Spinning Faceplant, the next Sonic Rainboom!" She noticed Celestia's look of worry and shrunk a little.
Applejack's laugh cut in, and the two mares turned to see her setting down her apple cart. "Howdy, yer Majesties!"
"Applejack--"
"I know, I know, no titles." Applejack rolled her eyes, pulling up her stetson to better look the two over. "You didn't sprain anythin' in that there crash, did ya Twi?"
"Please. I crashed way harder than that after Shiny launched me on my coronation." Twilight's gaze followed Celestia's ears. At the expected droop, she clarified. "I'm not hurt, really. I calculated that we weren't flying high enough to actually hurt myself if I picked up speed and missed my mark. I wouldn't try to impress you and leave room to fail so badly I got hurt." Celestia opened her mouth to reply, but Applejack was quicker to the draw.
"Next time could ya maybe pick a backup plan that doesn't involve making craters in my front lawn?" Applejack winked, and Twilight blushed at this.
"Yeah...I can fix that." With a sheepish grin, she began smoothing the dirt over such that the trough she had dug into the Apple property started to even itself out. She shot a reassuring smile back to Celestia, who gave the tiniest of nods in response.
"So what brings you here to our orchard today, Princess? Twilight said you was here for a 'leisure visit', but I'd buy a family's worth of life insurance from Flim and Flam before I buy that. What do you have ta keep hush-n'-hush?" Applejack's squint followed both of their faces in equal measure.
"Twilight spoke the truth, I am pleased to say. You may be aware I spent some time with Rarity recently--"
"--Me an' everybody else in Ponyville--" Applejack rolled her eyes.
"--and I greatly enjoyed the visit, as I am sure you have no doubt also heard." Applejack chuckled at Celestia's wink. "Twilight has been taking on more of our shared duties recently," The little alicorn beside her puffed up her chest at this mention, "and I now find myself with some time off."
"So whatcha doin' at little old Sweet Apple Acres, then? I'd thought you'd wanna go sightseein' in Manehattan or take a vacation or somethin'." Twilight giggled at that, putting a hoof to her lips to stifle the gentle sound.
Applejack blinked. "Somethin' funny?"
At a look from Celestia, Twilight waved a hoof. "Sorry, sorry. I should let Celestia explain."
"Well, alright." Applejack glanced over at the alicorn in question.
"I am older than most of Equestria's monuments, Applejack, and have had opportunities to attend their openings, centennials and bi-centennials each in almost all cases. And beyond that..." Celestia held her tongue, unable to find quite the right words for the rest of her explanation.
"And beyond that, ponies mean more to her than statues and buildings ever will anyway." Twilight waved a hoof, finishing the smoothing over of her indent in the Apple family lawn with a final flick of her magic. "It's why the palace has stained glass of all the stuff everyone's ever done for Equestria, not landscapes or portraits of the four of us. This is a vacation to her, Applejack."
"Quite." Celestia's expression relaxed ever so slightly, meeting Twilight's eyes to give a silent thanks. Twilight gave a proud little smile at that.
"Well, uh, I mean you're welcome as long as you'd like to stay." Applejack opened the door and gestured for them to enter. "Just wasn't expectin' you to just sorta show up."
"I understand, Applejack. It is a common reaction." Celestia ducked her head to fit under the door, and Twilight followed suit. "I was hoping I might speak to Granny Smith. Would that be possible?"
Applejack put a hoof to her chin. "Well, I ain't certain how lively she'll be, but I can try for her. Granny!" Applejack trotted up to the foot of the stairs and stomped a hoof. "Granny! Visitors!"
"I'm comin', I'm comin'! Saw through the window. Just can't take these infernal stairs like I used to. Applejack, could you be a dear and help this old mare down?" Applejack jumped to the task with a simple 'on it!', and shortly Granny Smith was seated at the head of the table, with Applejack on one side and Celestia and Twilight on the other. Granny looked the two visitors up and down--or, more accurately, she looked the space between the two up and down and then clicked her tongue and smiled to herself. Celestia and Twilight shared a glance, which she also took note of.
"So what brings you to our humble neck of the woods, yer Majesty?" Granny narrowed one eye and widened the other, leaning across the table.
"You and I know better than most that there is nothing 'humble' about Sweet Apple Acres, Missie."
Applejack and Twilight shared a look of confusion. Granny simply chuckled. "Best not to use my real name in front of the youngins. They get mighty confused to hear my name isn't 'Granny'."
"You might understand why I would find calling you 'Granny' to be a tad ironic." Any tension that might have come from meeting Applejack had already left Celestia's body, though the mare in question was looking between Celestia and her grandmother with growing confusion.
"Ha! Well, nice to know the Celestia I remember wasn't just my imagination. So I take it this isn't royal business, then?" She looked between Twilight and Celestia.
"I admit this is more of a friendly visit." Celestia's gaze saw past Granny rather than into her. "If this is an inconvenient time I can come back later."
"Nonsense! T'ain't a crime to visit a pony for friendly reasons." Granny smirked. "Tried to flag ya down at the Summer Sun Celebration last year, but ye seemed a mite distracted by somethin'. Or someone." She gave a nod to Twilight.
"How does Celestia know Granny exactly?" Twilight whispered.
"Granny bought the deed to our land from her." Applejack responded. "An' every time we needed to buy a new plot, she asks the Princess about it again."
"Wow. How long has that been going on?"
"How come you never stopped by before, anywho? Surely you'd know by now yer welcome here on Apple land when e'r you please." Granny sat back in her chair a little.
"Since Sweet Apple Acres was founded." Applejack replied.
"Really?!" Twilight turned to Celestia. "Princess, you didn't tell me you'd known Granny that long! We could have started with her!"
"Started what?" Granny blinked, and Twilight shrank back into her chair with a blush and a bashful smile.
Celestia wrapped a wing around Twilight, squeezing her companion's shoulder to calm the both of them. "Twilight's recent crowning has allowed me some time off, and she recently convinced me to start using the new spare time more effectively." Celestia looked down, but a tiny smile was upon her lips. Applejack blinked. Was Celestia...nervous? "We thought I might...reconnect...with my subjects. I admit I've been much more distant from my little ponies than I would have liked for much longer than I would have liked." She looked back up at Granny with a smile that was as strained as it was genuine. "I had...hoped...that I might...visit an old friend?"
Applejack again tried to fit this shy and nervous pony into her vision of the calm, patient and wise Princess she'd grown up with. It was hard for her. She could tell she was missing some of the pieces that made the puzzle fit together.
"Well, that's mighty big of ya, Princess Sparkle." Granny nodded to Twilight, who waved off the praise. "I'd be happy to talk a little more close-like with a business partner as reasonable as the likes of you." Celestia flicked an ear, returning it to its former height. "And yer partner here." She nodded over to Twilight.
"Umm...well, yes. Partner." Granny was grinning for some reason and Twilight wasn't sure she liked it. "I, um, like to think of myself as more of an assistant..." Granny's smile turned predatory.
"Applejack, where are your manners? Get our guests some refreshments!" Applejack jumped out of her seat with a 'yes, Granny Smith!' and set off toward the kitchen. Granny clicked her tongue. "That pony. Didn't even ask what ye wanted neither. Hope you still have a taste for apple juice."
"From your farm? Always." Celestia's wing still rested upon Twilight. Granny's eyes traced the appendage from Celestia's chest to Twilight's shoulders.
"And I s'pose I have you to thank for all this? I knew it'd take somepony special to haul this old mare away from her throne. Shoulda seen it sooner, fool that I was, but I'm not as sharp as I used to be and the farm takes a lot out of me."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Well, I mean, I am the Princess of Friendship. But Applejack said you two went back. Surely you two have talked as friends before? What do I have to do with this?"
"More than yer lettin' on, that's what. Celestia weren't a pony for makin' friends before. Awful quiet-like and never speakin' her mind, 'fore you came along. You got her visitin' Ponyville just to check up on ya. She'd go decades without visitin' Ponyville, but she ain't gone a month without visitin' you." Twilight suddenly very much disliked where this was going.
"What I mean is I've seen pegasi doin' cartwheels in the skies together before, yer Majesties." Both of the ponies in question failed to keep their eyes from bulging at the accusation. "Ye sit too close together, too. Lookin' at each other when you think others ain't lookin'. Never thought I'd see you of all ponies actin' like a filly at the dance, Princess Celestia." Granny Smith rested her chin on her hooves, a look of incredible smugness only growing with the panic forming on both ponies' faces.
Applejack trotted back into the room to see this strange tableau, setting a tray of apple juice glasses and roasted oats. "Granny, what in the hay did you say to our guests?" Granny's smugness continued.
"Just that I'm proud of little Twilight here for what she's been helpin' her Majesty with." Twilight tried her best to hide behind Celestia at this, a blush spreading across her face. Granny cackled at the display
"You mean the papers? Yeah, it's mighty kind of you, Twi." Applejack herself settled back down at the table. Granny's grin only spread to reveal her dentures.
"Papers? Oh hoo, hoo hoo he ha ha!" Granny's cackles turned into howls of laughter. Applejack gave Twilight a look of sympathy. Twilight gave Applejack a look that begged for the sweet release of death. "Mighty kind indeed. So how long has all this been goin' on, Princesses?" Granny smiled a cozy smile. She was rewarded with Celestia, mighty ruler of the vast and proud country of Equestria, portent of the sun itself, trying to find words that would not come. At last the regent of sunlight found something to offer the apple farmer.
"We agreed upon the arrangement about three weeks ago." Celestia had branded it in bureaucratic terms. But that wouldn't do. Not when it was plain to see how much more it meant to her than bureaucracy.
"'Round about Hearts and Hooves day, then. Seems about right. Was it this one who asked, or did you work up the nerve?" Again the scramble for decorum began, and Granny had some of the finest entertainment she'd seen since that pink pony had burst into the barnyard with a genealogy tree.
"Twilight had asked me about it."
"But Celestia was the one to really talk about it! I just had some vague ideas of what I wanted to do. Celestia, um, showed me how it all worked." At last Twilight herself chimed in. Applejack was beginning to suspect they weren't talking about papers anymore, though what it all meant was still eluding her. Granny turned to her again. Another chore?
"Applejack, isn't it time we fed the pigs? Lookin' like the sun's in about the right position." Applejack had to fight back a sigh, standing up with a 'yes, Granny Smith'. Applejack, for her part, shot Twilight and Celestia a look on her way out. A look that asked for explanation. For some reason that seemed to fill them both with a kind of mortal terror.
"Now what're you two doing going and hidin' all this from my granddaughter anyway?" Granny looked between the two.
"Missie, Twilight was my student once."
"Yeah, and?"
"Well you can see how ponies would see that as a grave imbalance of power. An abuse of Twilight's affection for me." Celestia's wings flicked even at the mention.
"Sounds like those ponies'd need to get their heads out from between their flanks. Not a lot you kin help that you have a history with most everypony in the country you're runnin'. Take anypony in our little town. Misses Rarity? You tax her business and yer popular enough to yay or nay her whole fancy-schmancy career. Pinkie Pie? Parents own a rock farm on crown property. Any o' my grandkids? Have to go through you to expand the farm and pay yer taxes on our business. Anypony you know probably owes you somethin' like that down the line, unless you'd be plannin' on gettin' involved with that draconwhatchamacallim' varmit what made me dance till my hip near gave out." Twilight visibly gagged at the suggestion.
"'Sides, if it's what ponies think that yer worried about, he'd be top o' the list of choices they wouldn't approve of." Granny rubbed her hip. "Me included. That hurt, consarnit." The apple farmer looked back at them. "Point bein' I don't hardly think Applejack would be against it with a little forethought, long as you're both happy and y'know what you're doin'."
"Eheh, know what we're doing, yeah..." Twilight tapped her hooves together, her pupils pinpricks and sweat running down her face.
"Ya can't tell me you just jumped at Princess Celestia without ever bein' in a relationship, misses Twilight?" Granny had meant the question rhetorically, but Twilight only seemed to get more tense at that.
"It just, um, sort've...happened?" Twilight squeaked.
"...Oh dear."
"But we are both happy." Celestia confirmed, placing a wing on Twilight. Instantly the tension began to melt away, Twilight looking up at her with gratitude. "But we are also leaders of a country, and cannot be seen as immoral or improper lest our ponies lose faith in us."
"I woulda thunk that'd have happened by now if it was gonna. Thousand years is a long time, ponies make mistakes."
"But you can see why I wouldn't want Twilight to be considered one of them." Twilight wilted at the implication, so Celestia pulled her in a little closer. "I certainly don't see her as one."
"Girl is a bundle of nerves, that's fer sure. But if you two are confident it won't matter what nopony thinks. S'how me and my husband did it. An Apple marryin' some hooligan what spends all his time climbin' around the Everfree Forest? But we made it work. Made it into a business, point of fact. If'n it's gonna work with you two, you two will have to accept that it's not gonna be popular with everyone."
"But you can understand why I would wish to explain it delicately." Granny cackled at this.
"Sure, sure, you always were a bit of a stick in the mud. Do it in yer own style, but you gotta do it one way or 'nother or the relationship's gonna die. And that'd be a cryin' shame. It's good to see somepony's finally gettin' you out of yer rut."
Applejack took this moment to come back, wiping sweat off her brow and toweling off the mud flecking her hooves and coat.
"Applejack! Good to see yer back! Was just talkin' business with the royals." Granny looked over at Celestia, who swallowed. "These two have somethin' they outta tell ya. Leastwise if'n their as committed to it as they look ta be"
Celestia pursed her lips.
"Listen close, I'm only gonna tell you once. Y'said you wanted to be more friendly-like with us Apple folks? A friend of the Apples is plain and honest, simple as that. Don't matter if yer some fancy-pancy student of the Princess," she nodded to Twilight, who shot Celestia a supportive grin, "or some moneybags from the center of town or some crazy pink pony what pulls kayaks out of her mane. Yer good 'as family here at Sweet Apple, but only so long as yer willin' to treat us like it. And family deserves to know what yer sittin' on."
"Ha! You were hidin' somethin'. I figured from the way Twi was acting all squirrely." Granny gave Applejack a proud smile, which Applejack took in stride.
"Of course I wished to tell you, both of you. But I am...Well, it is hard to shake old habits. Especially bad ones. So I hope you will forgive me, now and in the future, if my nerves catch up with me and my honesty fails me." Granny accepted this with a nod and a quiet smile, then looked at Applejack expectantly. Celestia swallowed, turning to the farmer in question. "Applejack, I...have been seeing your friend. Seeing Twilight."
Applejack did not seem to catch her meaning. She prepared for the worst. One word left to say. One word that might destroy Applejack's respect for her forever. One word that could brand her a deviant and a manipulator in the other pony's eyes until the day she died. "Romantically." Applejack's eyes widened. Here it came.
"Wuh?" Applejack pulled back her stetson, light on her hooves. Celestia lowered her gaze and buried her muzzle in the crook of her neck, looking for all the world like a filly waiting for a scolding. A reddish-purple aura nudged a chair towards Applejack, who sat down with a prominent 'thud'. After a moment of silence, Applejack spoke up again. "You, uh, you mind runnin' that by me a second time?"
"We've been...dating." This time Twilight was the one who spoke up. "Since Hearts and Hooves day. That's why I keep getting Spike to stay at Rarity's or Pinkie's. We've wanted the, um, privacy. I know, I know, it's weird and it's irresponsible and it isn't exactly your textbook romance, but..." She ruffled her mane with a hoof, staring at the floor.
"Well that's...definitely somethin'." Applejack looked between Celestia and Twilight. All the pieces of the puzzle were in place, but they still seemed to form a strange shape in her mind.
"'Somethin' good, or 'somethin' bad?" Twilight pressed.
"Well, it definitely explains some things. I just didn't know. 'Bout you swingin' that way, both of you, 'bout you seein' each other that way. Seems like a lot of stuff went over my head, and it's a lot to take in at once. Can you gimme a minute?" She tilted her stetson back into its usual position. The table continued in silence that way. Celestia could feel her heart racing. If it weren't for Twilight leaning into her wing, she was certain she'd have excused herself by now, and without Granny's patient smile, she was certain she'd be squirming and retreating back into herself even with Twilight there.
At last Applejack looked back at the two of them. There was, mercifully, no venom in her expression. Just confusion. Celestia would take confusion for the time being. "So, uh, why? I don't think I fully see it, if'n ya don't mind me sayin'. I just figured you two were close like Twi was with Cadance, or with Spike. Honorary family and all that."
"T-to be fair, Cadance was like that with Shiny before they--y'know..."
"What Twilight means is that bonds can change over time. We only re-interpreted ours recently, and only after a great deal of confusion."
"A great deal of confusion." Twilight stressed. "It almost didn't happen. I missed a lot of signals and stepped on her hooves a lot--"
"--And I did not explain my intentions well and misinterpreted several of Twilight's viewpoints." Celestia refused to allow Twilight to blame any failings in her personal relationships squarely on herself, no matter how much the mare was prone to doing so.
Twilight brightened. "But in the end, we learned from our mistakes and became closer. And it's still not perfect, it's...I'm really not sure how this is supposed to work--"
"And neither am I--"
"But we're making it work. The best way we know how." Twilight concluded, resting her head against Celestia. Celestia placed her head above Twilight's, closing her eyes in harmony. Applejack chimed in, causing them both to crack their eyes open and look towards her.
"Well, it is a lot to take in, but...it looks like it's good between the two of ya, and that's what counts far as I'm concerned. But just don't...expect me to have a lot of good advice about it or anythin'. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."
"You are already far more receptive than I had hoped." Celestia said this softly. "Any change in my lifestyle is bond to make ponies uncomfortable. Thank you for having the patience and maturity to give my life decisions respect."
"And thank you fer havin' the honesty to tell us." Granny gave an affirmative 'mhmm' from the head of the table.
"I'll, uh, I'll try to appreciate that it can be hard on ya. I know Shy has trouble sayin' all she means to. And sometimes Dash has trouble sayin' things she doesn't mean." Applejack gave an exasperated glare at that, then looked back at the Princess.
"Thank you, Applejack. In turn I will be understanding if my indirect nature offends you at any point. I will try to uphold integrity regardless." Celestia looked over at Granny. "I must ask you both for some secrecy on this matter, however. The more that this spreads the more strained my relationship with Twilight will become, and while Missie is correct that our relationship will have to endure that strain in order to survive regardless, I would like some time for it to solidify and strengthen more before we come to the obstacle of public backlash."
Applejack nodded. Granny only giggled at this. "Not many ponies gonna ask for this old mare's story when it comes to Equestrian royalty. But yer secret's safe with me."
Celestia smiled, and the tension in the room seemed to dissolve. "I am very glad to hear that."
"Now then, if that's all the business there is outta the way, let's get to some more casual-like speakin'. How's that little flyin' rat of yers, Celestia?" Granny rocked back in her chair.
"Philomena is still the minor terror I've always known and loved. Recently she's taken to hiding my favourite quill in the hopes of extorting treats from me." Celestia sighed, a patient smile reaching her face.
"And ye haven't been spoiling the wretch fer that, have ya?" Granny peered over.
"It is my official policy that Equestria does not negotiate with terrorists, yes." Celestia proudly reported. "But it does not make the search any easier."
"Could always put a tracking spell on it." Twilight supplied. "Or just use a sensory alteration to make it taste like bitter paste."
"I could do that, yes. But that would be an admission of defeat, you see." Celestia's eyes lit up, and Twilight immediately realized the carefree nature of the feud. "Eventually I'll simply find all the good hiding places on the bookshelf. And then she will have to find some new way to torment me."
"Verminous critter." Granny shook her head, but her words did not match the knowing smile on her face. "Winona's been doin' mighty fine. Ever eager to please, always runnin' off whenever it's time for chores so she can git a head start. Model of a pet, that dog. 'Cept that she took off Carrot Top's weather vain the other day. How in the name of Equestria she managed to pull it off we still don't know, but Mrs. Top doesn't seem inclined to forgive and forget either way."
Celestia noticed Twilight's bittersweet smile and frowned. Something in their discussion was upsetting her. Time for a change in conversation. "How is Apple Bloom? Still as ferociously dedicated to her cutie mark as ever?"
Granny blinked. "How'd you know 'bout all that?"
"Twilight has been keeping me up to date on her life here. The antics of the Cutie Mark Crusaders are not an infrequent topic. Some of her most interesting stories have come from them."
"I, uh, hope that wasn't meant to be private." Applejack waved a hoof.
"Yer practically family anyway, Twi. But I wouldn't want my sister's life spread around to a bunch o' strangers. Keep it to friends and family and we outta be good." Twilight nodded.
"Just how much has little Twilight been tellin' you 'bout us, then?" Granny scrutinized.
"Well, it's more about her life than about yours. It's not like she's been spreading around gossip." Twilight giggled at the suggestion.
"Twilight Sparkle, closet socialite." She rolled her eyes. "I just tell her about my week really. Nothing too out of the ordinary. It'd be like pen pals if we couldn't teleport into one anothers' houses when we wanted to."
"So kinda like the world's most convenient long distance relationship, then." Applejack pulled her hat back. "Must be mighty nice havin' that goin' for you."
"It is!" Twilight stressed. "She's been wonderful to me."
"And you to me. Missie was correct in noticing that Twilight was helping me to reconnect with my fellow ponies. But that isn't all she has helped me to reconnect with. I should explain the full extent of what she's been doing in helping bring me close to ponies I wished to know better." Celestia pulled back her hair to display the tiny dot of opal on her collar.
"She helped ya bring back yer fashion sense?" Granny Smith blinked.
"Why is it that that looks so consarn familiar..." Applejack put a hoof to her chin. "Did Rares do that for ya? Looks pretty, but it's a little small for her."
"In a sense, Applejack." Celestia for the second time that morning lowered her head to obscure her face partway with her mane. It was at that moment Applejack noticed just how similar to Fluttershy's the curtain of aurora strands really was, and how unlike it Twilight and Cadance's manes were. "It is small, and may yet be lost if I do it disservice, but it is the beginnings of an Element of Generosity. My time with Rarity has been helping me to nurture it."
Applejack's jaw dropped. Granny waved a hoof. "Oh, that all? Well, it's mighty pretty on you, yer Majesty. What does it mean, exactly?"
Celestia chuckled. "It means that I am reforging my bonds with the Elements of Harmony, and with it developing genuine friendships once more."
"How in tarnation' did ya get one of those?!" Applejack was nearly standing in her seat.
"Twilight had a theory that I could rekindle my own connection with the Elements if I started rebuilding some of my friendships. It seems to be correct, though I confess it will take some time and a great deal of effort on my part."
"Effort how?" Granny peered at the tiny stone.
"Well, for example I clearly owe you some form of apology, Missie. I'd need to work at that if I were to find a proper common ground with you again, beyond simply resolving to be more open."
Granny waved a hoof. "Ya don't owe me squat. But if'n it makes ya feel better, we kin work out somethin' for ya to give out in return for the debt ya feel ya gotta pay."
"Well, ain't that somethin'!" Granny smiled and nodded. "Well, like I say, was mighty good of Twilight to bring all that up then."
"I will endeavor to visit more frequently, and be more honest. I only hope you can forgive my stumbles."
Applejack chimed in at this. "'Course! Twilight here tried to cheat her way through Winter Wrap Up her first year in Ponyville." Twilight blushed and looked at her hooves. "Didn't stop her from bein' the best Winter Wrap Up planner this town has ever had, once we gave her the chance." Twilight stopped blushing, but still did not meet Applejack's gaze. Applejack frowned a little, but continued. "And it's not like I haven't made my own pigheaded mix-ups." She gave Twilight a teasing smile. "Remember that time you had to round up the girls and haul my stubborn behind outta Dodge Junction on account of not winnin' some medals?"
Twilight looked up at this, a little grin on her face once more. "I think Pinkie Pie would have dragged you back all by herself if we hadn't stopped her." The two chuckled, Applejack turning back to Celestia.
"The point bein' we Apples aren't afraid to get our hooves dirty. S'long as we own up to what we did wrong and make a move past it."
"A welcome sentiment, but I still feel I must do something in exchange. Especially since hard work seems such an important part of the Apple tradition." Granny nodded at this. "Perhaps..." She gave the room a quick scan for ideas. The Apples clearly needed a better carpenter. But she wished to repay Granny with her own gesture. Apples were interested in hard work and dedication. Rarely did she engage in rustic activities, enjoy them though she did. She seldom had a chance to build, nurture or grow more than her... "Missie, how do you feel about flowers?"
"That's a great idea, Princess!" Twilight beamed.
"Could take er leave them." Granny waved a hoof. Celestia pursed her lips. Perhaps not... "Why?"
"Few of my hobbies would likely be of much interest to you. Historical fiction, teaching, magical theory, chess, harp. But I do keep a garden. I could never match the food you grow yourself, but I could always bring some flowers with me on my next visit." Celestia gave a humble little smile.
"That'd be a welcome start, Celestia. We could throw in some produce and make ourselves a nice little potluck." Granny gave a firm little nod at this. "S'long as yer the one what's growin' them."
"Did you say teachin', um, yer Majesty?" Applejack chimed in.
"Of course. You don't think I taught Twilight just because I had to, did you?" Applejack had not in fact thought much on Celestia's desires in teaching her friend, but pressed on nonetheless.
"How good is that little garden of yours?" At Twilight's look Applejack backpedaled. "What I mean is...do ya keep any herbs? Apple Bloom is lookin' into growin' herbs for Zecora in the gardens and she doesn't have anypony to teach her how. Earth pony magic don't work the same for zebras and we know 'bout as much as a prince in a potato field when it comes to medicine herbs."
"I confess it has been a while since I've studied applied earth pony magic. But a return to a favourite subject is never an unwelcome thing for a scholar." Celestia stood up in her seat, giving her wings a stretch. "Twilight should gain some lessons on how to use her earth pony magic anyway."
"I have earth pony magic?" Twilight blinked. "I mean, I knew it was a little weird that I've stopped needing Spike to water the geraniums, but I thought that was the castle..."
"I rest my case."
"Right, well, if you could spend some time with Apple Bloom showing her how, that'd be very welcome." Applejack gave a quick smile.
"'Course, ya don't have ta start all at once, and if'n yer too busy..." Granny cut in.
"Nonsense." Celestia folded her wings back into place, one of them wrapping its way around Twilight. Applejack still couldn't help but wrinkle her brow at the gesture, puzzling on where this jump had come from. "If I can teach for a full class of unicorns I can find room to start teaching earth ponies about their own magic, too." She looked at Granny apologetically. "And I have been far too quick to dismiss ponies over work in my past. You more than most. The least I can do is make time for your granddaughter."
Granny closed her eyes, giving a firm nod and a gentle smile. "Apple Bloom'll be thrilled. You have our thanks, Celestia."
"Just don't burn yourself out." Applejack scratched the back of her neck. "Too much work can do wonky things to a pony's brain."
"I distinctly remember that letter, yes." Celestia's smile turned playful for the first time since she and Twilight had met with Applejack. "Something about worms and muffins." Applejack pulled her stetson down a little, grumbling.
"If you start using my letters to blackmail my friends, I'll just stop sending them." Twilight stuck out her tongue and crossed her hooves. Applejack tipped up her stetson and held in a laugh.
"You wouldn't dare."
"I...shouldn't play poker, I'm told. But the threat alone should be enough." Twilight gave an affirmative nod.
"Cheater." Celestia stuck out her tongue right back. The room fell into a comfortable silence.
Granny paused a minute. "Applejack, Twilight? Can you leave us old mares alone a minute. Need to speak with her Majesty in private."
"Alright, Granny. Twi?"
Twilight glanced back at Celestia and squeezed her hoof under the table. They shared a quick nuzzle, and then Twilight got up and trotted after Applejack. Celestia's eyes followed the pair out of the room.
Applejack led Twilight down to the pond. Sunlight danced with sparkles on the water, giving the water body a magical appearance. A lazy breeze shifted the water from time to time, and ducks drifted to and fro in the current, occasionally flipping upside-down in a most undignified way to go skimming for mosquito larvae.
"That all was a lot to take in, Twi." Applejack began.
"And you don't approve." Twilight finished.
"Hey! I didn't say anythin' about that. But do ya ever think what might happen if'n it went wrong?" Applejack looked down at the currents, their changes rapid and at the whim of a halfhearted breeze. "Ponies depend on the both of ya. A lot of 'em. If you two were to start hatin' each other."
"That could never happen." Twilight's tone didn't invite discussion on the subject, but Applejack pressed on.
"Ya never know. What if she up'n decides her crown comes first? If she's been hidin' away all these years, what if she decides your one of the things she needs hidin' from?" Applejack grabbed a stone and skipped it across the water. Twilight sat, but to Applejack it looked more like her entire body had wilted. "Has she even ever disappointed you? You two ever had a fight?"
"Well...not as a couple yet, exactly, no. But she's hurt me, yeah. More than a few times."
"Really? I know about any of these?" Applejack stopped to look at Twilight, who retreated further into herself.
"Well, mostly to do with Discord..."
"But not all." Twilight nodded. "And some of them you don't wanna talk about?" Another nod.
"But not because of her."
"Why, then...because o' me?" A smaller nod. Applejack could already see pinpricks of light shining in the corners of Twilight's eyes. The alicorn rubbed a hoof against her eyes.
"Because of everyone. That day was a lot of things to me. I had a lot to think about. And I don't want to talk about it because we moved past it, we grew stronger from it. I've never had a fight with her that made me think she wasn't worth it anymore. Same as all of you."
"Well, that's mighty sweet of ya, Sugarcube. But you need ta think maybe somethin' like that could happen again." Twilight nodded glumly, sniffing a little.
"B-but if it does, I...I love her, Applejack. Really, and truly. She's used me, accused me, crushed me when I needed her most. But she's always come back, and always made it better. I know she's worth it." Applejack could practically see the old scars healing over a second time as Twilight talked. "And she knows I'm worth it, too." The little alicorn whispered as much to herself. And suddenly, even though she was doubled over on herself and her wings were stuck to her sides, she seemed a whole head taller, and a whole lot bigger.
"Well...alright. But I'm worried for ya, Twi. This is a big step, and it can break a pony if somethin' goes wrong down the line. I just...want ya to be safe, Sugarcube. And her too. You both deserve that much." Twilight nodded, wiping her tears away.
"I know. And she felt the same way when I went to live here. But do you know, that thing about the worm muffins? That memory's funny to me. I don't remember it because of how wacky the stuff you did was or how important the lesson was. I remember it because of the harvest we all did together at the end." Twilight looked down at the lake, at the rippling waters and the changing streams. "That was the happiest I'd ever been in my life."
"Really?" Applejack adjusted her stetson, eyes widening.
"Yeah. Really. Everyone pitched in to help, and it wasn't because Equestria was in danger or there was some evil staring all of us down. It was because you needed help, and you trusted us to give it." Twilight looked up at her, directly into her eyes. "I never had that before." She shifted her wings, expanding them out and pulling herself up into a sitting posture. "And it was the greatest thing in my entire life. It still is."
"I'm real happy to hear ya say that, Sugarcube. But what's it mean in regards to you and the Princess?" Applejack looked back out across the pond, eyes searching for all the possibilities in their future.
"It means she'll always be my friend. Even if this fails. I got hurt a lot between you and the girls, and maybe Celestia will hurt me like that, too. Maybe it won't work out and I'll feel a little empty inside whenever I see her, know that something broke and we'll never be able to fix it." Twilight turned her eyes out to the pond as well, then looked back to Applejack. Something in her resolve hardened. "But I wouldn't let it rip Equestria apart. I would come back for my friend. Friends have been the greatest thing in my life." Twilight looked into Applejack's eyes. "And nothing has ever kept me from them. I'll fight as hard as it takes to make sure nothing ever will."
"Well...it sounds like you've already set yer mind to this, and I know how you get when that happens. Just promise me you'll be careful, and that you'll come to the girls and me if things get rough between you two. I'm just tryin' to look out for you." Twilight gave the smallest, warmest of smiles at that.
"I know Applejack," she whispered, "I know."