“I’m so glad everypony could be here,” Rarity said the next morning as they all gathered in the Ponyville Day Spa. “I can’t remember the last time all six of us were able to attend. Ever since Twilight’s school opened, we’ve all been so busy.”
“It’s true,” Fluttershy said, “but I’m glad we can be together now.”
Pinkie had somehow found time to set up a ‘Congratulations on All Attending the Spa Together’ party banner and was passing out cupcakes.
Applejack took a bite out of her cupcake. “Tastes good, Pinkie. New recipe?”
“Nah, I just tried a new type of flour. This one’s whole grain, so that means the cupcakes are totally healthy and everything.” She held one out to Twilight. “Give it a try.”
Twilight groaned something incomprehensible. Apparently this was her first day of being up after eating that Pinkie Special.
Rarity wrapped a hoof around Twilight’s shoulders and guided her to the door. “Come along, everypony. Perhaps a bit of time in the sauna will clear Twilight’s head.”
Soon they were sitting around that big wooden room full of steam. Rarity had to settle Twilight down onto a bench. “How are you feeling, dear?”
“Ooooaaagg.”
“What happened to her?” Fluttershy asked. “Everypony knows only Pinkie can handle Pinkie Specials, so why did she try to eat one?”
“She had to give Spike The Talk,” Applejack said.
“Yes, it nearly traumatized poor Spikey.” Rarity patted Twilight on the back. “I can see it wasn’t any easier on her.”
“Come to think of it,” Applejack said. “I ain’t seen Spike around town since then.”
“He’s been staying at the castle with Starlight,” Pinkie said. “They said something about researching a cure for sugar comas.”
“Mmgragm,” Twilight said.
Applejack shook her head. “I’m guessing they haven’t made any breakthroughs yet. Shame, I was hoping to talk with Twi here about waiving a fee against Sketchy.”
“Sketchy?” Fluttershy asked.
“A new stallion in town,” Rarity said. “He’s quite the gifted artist, but a little, shall we say, indelicate in his sensibilities.”
“Meaning he draws a lot of butts,” Dash said. “He wouldn’t stop staring at Applejack’s the first time he saw her.”
Fluttershy blushed. “Oh my.”
“Yes,” Rarity said, “he does take some getting used to, but there is a genuinely kind stallion beneath all that. Speaking of which, how did your date with him go last night?”
Everypony turned to stare at Applejack. Well, most everypony. Twilight just kinda wobbled in place.
“You took Sketchy out on a date?” Dash somehow asked with her mouth hanging open.
“Oooh, are you two in love?” Pinkie asked.
“Did you enjoy yourselves?” Fluttershy asked.
“Flurgl,” Twilight mumbled.
“Hold your horses, everypony,” Applejack said. “I didn’t exactly take him on a date, so much as Rarity,” she glared at the mare in question, “tricked us into one.”
Rarity smiled sweetly. “Well who could blame me? You two were just so cute together.”
Dash laughed. “Cute? Have you ever met Sketchy? Cute is the last word that describes him.”
“Oh really?” Rarity turned to Applejack. “Do you agree with Dash?”
Applejack didn’t know where this was going, but she suspected another trap. “I’m not entirely sure,” she said carefully. “He can be frustrating as a batch of hollow apples sometimes, but that innocent cluelessness of his can be endearing too.” She smiled. “And I like how he’s always upfront about things. Never any question if he’s telling you the truth or not.”
“So do you want to?” Fluttershy asked. “Date him for real, I mean?”
Did she? Applejack opened her mouth to say something, and then shut it again.
Rarity smiled triumphantly. “They say that silence speaks volumes.”
“Wow.” Dash patted Applejack’s shoulder. “Congratulations, I think.”
“Nurgh,” Twilight said.
Applejack sighed. “Can we please talk about something else?”
“As you wish,” Rarity said. “So, Fluttershy, how is everything at your animal sanctuary?”
Fluttershy smiled, like she usually did when the conversation turned to animals. “It’s been wonderful. New animals keep arriving as word spreads through the forest, and though it takes some time to adjust, they’ve all decided that they prefer living and working together peacefully …”
Applejack barely heard Fluttershy as she went on about her animal sanctuary. Her mind was too busy replaying that one question: did she want to date Sketchy? She wanted to shout no, but she couldn’t seem to form the word, even in her own head.
They stayed in the sauna for a good while before heading out to the lounge area to get hooficures. As usual, Applejack needed a whole heap of work. Bucking trees all day wasn’t exactly easy on the hooves.
Aloe and Lotus had to pull out the heavy-duty equipment while the rest of Applejack’s friends waited their turn.
“So I was thinking,” Dash said while the spa ponies worked. “If Rarity’s gonna get all the rich and important ponies in town to commission stuff from Sketchy, then I should get a picture drawn too. I mean, I am a national celebrity.” She puffed out her chest.
Applejack rolled her eyes.
“Nothing, you know, like weird,” Dash continued, “just an awesome sketch of me doing a stunt in my Wonderbolts uniform.”
“That would certainly help Sketchy,” Rarity said, “but drawings take time, and I can’t see how you’d be able to hold still while in the middle of a stunt.”
“Good point.” Dash tapped her forehead. “Oh, I know. I can get Twilight to hold me in place while Sketchy draws.”
Twilight groaned. “I …” She shook her head. “I what?”
“Oh my, she’s awake,” Fluttershy said. She got out of her chair and gave Twilight a gentle hug. “Are you feeling better now?”
“Better?” Twilight blinked a few times then clenched her eyes shut. “Ugh, what happened to me?”
“You ate a Pinkie Special,” Applejack said.
“Why would I-?” Twilight’s eyes snapped open. “Oh my goodness, how’s Spike?”
Rarity moved to Twilight’s other side and took her hoof. “He’s fine, dear. No need to worry.”
“Of course there’s need to worry,” Twilight said. “I had to give Spike The Talk. What if I messed something up? What if he becomes a sexual deviant because I didn’t explain something properly?”
“He’s fine,” Rarity repeated. “We had a long talk after you ate yourself unconscious, and I made sure he understood both the act and the emotional consequences involved with it.”
Twilight let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank you, Rarity.” She leaned back. “Nng, I may have to get Pinkie Specials labeled as a controlled substance.”
“Well, I’m already not allowed to sell them to children,” Pinkie said.
“With good reason,” Applejack muttered. “Anyway, Twi, I was hoping to talk to you about something.”
“What is it?” Twilight asked.
“You remember that stallion you busted for selling inappropriate art in the marketplace?”
Twilight scowled. “Yes. I do.”
Applejack cleared her throat. “I was, uh, actually wondering if you wouldn’t mind dropping the fines against him.”
“What?” Twilight yelled, jumping out of her seat. “Why in Equestria would you ask me something like that?”
Dash smirked. “He’s kinda Applejack’s coltfriend now.”
Dead silence filled the spa. Even Aloe and Lotus paused in their work to give Applejack surprised looks.
Twilight’s expression went from vengeful to terrified. “Wait, how many years was I out?”
Applejack covered her face with one hoof. “You were out for a couple of days, and he ain’t my coltfriend.”
“Not yet, anyway,” Pinkie said.
Twilight looked around at the other ponies in the group before settling her gaze on Applejack. “Maybe you should start at the beginning?”
( | )
“… And that brings you up to about now,” Applejack said.
The story had taken a lot longer than she’d expected, long enough that they finished with the hooficures and moved on to the mud baths.
Twilight sat in the bath next to Applejack’s, frowning thoughtfully. “I’ve heard of culture shock, but never to the extent that this stallion seems to be displaying it.” She blushed a little. “You’re absolutely sure he didn’t mean anything bad by asking to study my, uh, posterior?”
“I’m sure,” Applejack said. “I don’t think Sketchy’s had a dirty thought in his life.”
“Then I guess it’s only right to drop the charges.” Twilight leaned back and stared at the ceiling. “It’s strange, if he weren’t from another culture, I’d suspect him of having Autism Spectrum Disorder.”
Applejack couldn’t help but feel a little offended on Sketchy’s behalf. “He ain’t autistic, or stupid, or nothing, Twilight. He’s just a bit strange.”
Twilight shook her head. “No, being on the spectrum doesn’t mean a pony is stupid. It’s a mental disorder that makes communication and social interaction more difficult, regardless of how smart the pony is that has it.”
“If I may be so bold,” Rarity said softly, “what are the symptoms?”
“That’s part of the problem,” Twilight said. “There are many possible symptoms, and a pony doesn’t necessarily need to have all of them to be somewhere on the spectrum. Some ponies with it can barely put a sentence together, others can hold a conversation without any difficulty.” She shook her head. “But Sketchy does sound like he has some of the most common symptoms, such as difficulty reading social cues, a reduced desire for social interactions, and some repetitive behaviors, such as his fixation on drawing sexual art.”
“Just hold it right there,” Applejack said. “Do we really want to go slapping labels on Sketchy just because he’s a bit strange?” She pointed at Twilight. “How would you like it if somepony took all of your quirks and said you had to have a mental problem because of them?”
Twilight swallowed and looked down. “Well, since you asked, I might be slightly autistic myself.”
Applejack’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what?”
“If I am,” Twilight said, “it’s an extremely mild case, but I’ve identified enough of the symptoms in myself that I can’t entirely discount the possibility.” She gave a sheepish smile. “Saying that Sketchy is on the spectrum doesn’t change who he is. It just gives the rest of us a guide to understanding him better.”
There wasn’t much Applejack could say to that. She sank deeper into her mud bath, feeling oddly ashamed of herself. “He’s usually at Sugarcube Corner all afternoon, if you wanna talk to him and see if he’s on this spectrum thingy.”
“Thank you, Applejack,” Twilight said. “I’ll go talk with him once we finish here.”
“Actually,” Rarity said, “he won’t be there today. I was able to schedule an appointment for him to draw Spoiled Rich this afternoon.”
Applejack jumped out of her mud bath, spraying gunk everywhere. “You want Sketchy to draw that pain in the flank? She’s the most obnoxious, judgmental pony in town.”
“She also happens to be one of the most willing to spend money,” Rarity said. “If his art impresses her, and I’m certain it will, he can expect a steady string of commissions from her.”
“Right, assuming she doesn’t strangle him the first time he says something about her rear.” Applejack hurried to the shower to rinse herself off. “I’ve gotta tell her that he can’t make it today. Maybe after we’ve had a lot of time to practice what he should and shouldn’t say to her.”
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” Rarity said, a bit of worry in her voice. “The appointment was for three.” She pointed to the clock, which read three fifteen.
“Ah, meadow muffins!” Applejack finished rinsing herself and then took off. “You lot stay here. I’ve gotta pull that stallion’s flank out of whatever fire Spoiled tossed him in!”