"I neglected to answer you." Moon's horn glowed as she brought over Spike's lunch pail, hovering through the air.
Spike accepted it and slung it over his shoulder dramatically. "I didn't ask anything?"
"Not today." Moon inclined her head as if to point at some other event. "Your explanation. I was considering it. You are correct. No one book, however fascinating, could stop me from wanting to read other books. Am I your favorite book?"
"You are the best book." He threw an arm around her neck, hugging tightly to her front. "And you're actually alive, which outranks books most of the time."
Moon hiked a brow at him, turning at the same time towards the exit. "Let's not be hasty." Better than a good book? Was it possible?
"Ah'd like to chat with the princess." Applejack adjusted the hat on her head, gauging the reaction of the guard pony in front of her.
"She is a very busy pony."
Was that it? He wasn't moving. "Yeah, 'course she is. Won't take longer than a moment, promise."
"Did she call for you?" The guard inclined his head faintly to put one eye more squarely on her, judging her.
"Uh, no, but ah got what she wants." She tapped herself on the chest, putting on her most confident smile. "It's fer the Gala."
The guard relaxed suddenly, though Applejack wasn't sure why. "Then you don't want to talk to her."
"Ah don't? Why not?"
He pointed, not towards the throne room but elsewhere. "Fancy Pants oversees the management of the preparations for the Gala. You will want to speak to him if it involves it, not Celestia."
"Oh." There was a pause, the two looking at one another. "Do ya know where he is then?"
The other guard, who had been silent up until then, stepped forward. "I'll show her the way." Gettin her away from the door was a bonus prize. "This way." And he began marching with a slightly confused, but hopeful, Applejack trailing behind him. They went right out of the castle, to her mounting befuddlement. "Here." He pointed to a manor not far away, perhaps a block or two at best.
Applejack let out a little huh of a noise. "He don't live in the castle?"
"He does not." The guard pivoted in place. "Good day, ma'am." And off he marched back to his guard station.
Left to her own devices, she marched up to the gate and pressed it with a hoof. It opened with nary a sound, its hinges in clearly excellent repair. "Hello? Anypony home?" But nopony was in sight. She advanced beyond the gate with slow uncertain steps. "Wanted to chat about the Gala?"
"Are you expected?" came the abrupt voice of a cultured pony way too close to her left.
She jumped with shock. "Woah! Where'd you come from?" She quickly eyed the pony dressed up as a butler. "Um, do ya know a Fancy Pants?" She tapped a chin suddenly. "Are ya Fancy Pants?"
"I fear not." he directed a hoof at the manor. "The lord is inside. Who should I inform him has come seeking him?"
Applejack's uncertain expression brightened to a grand smile. She was on the right track! "Tell 'em a pony with great food's come to offer her family's services for the Gala."
"Very good." He turned towards the great front door of the manor. "If you'll follow me, madame, I'll see you to the waiting room." He moved, ears directed forward, head held high and stance formal with his walk. Neither too fast or too slow. A butler of his calibre did not trot unless the need was great. With a glowing horn, he bade the doors open for them, then the smaller door that hid the waiting room he promised. "Make yourself at home. I will return shortly."
Applejack stepped inside the 'waiting room' that was fancier than her family's entire home. "Wow..." They had shiny silverware laid out with fancy serving plates that already had fancy food sitting on them. She guessed they probably tasted fancy too!
The butler had ceased to exist. How he moved so silently, Applejack wasn't sure. The door was closed, but she hadn't heard it come together again. "Huh..." Well, she had to wait, and the food was there. She could learn what sort of fancy tastes fancy ponies enjoyed over their fancy tongues.
She scooped up a little pastry, a safe start she figured. It was glazed with a smooth chocolate, buttery on the inside as she bit through its light crunchy exterior to the gooey innards that were filled with some kind of rich custard. Fancy! "Mmm." But good, she had to admit. As good as home cooking? 'course not! But good.
"I trust I have not kept you long." There was the fancy pony, adjusting his monocle as he came in. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, miss...?"
"Applejack." She thrust a hoof forward. "And ah hear yer the pony in charge of the Gala?"
He paused a moment as if confused, but then returned the gesture, their hooves meeting with a faint clop. "Princess Celestia trusts me to ensure that the preparations are complete. If you were hoping for a ticket, I'm afraid I can only offer those to ponies who take part in said preparation."
"That's exactly what ah'm here fer!" She grinned at the pony that held the keys to her ambition. "We got a load of apple-themed deserts and treats fit to make yer tongues sing in delight." She coiled on herself, burying her snout in her saddlebag to draw out a closed pail. "Brought some samples. Ain't easy to judge a food just on some pony goin' on 'bout it."
"Hm, too right there." He watched her as she opened the pail and began to set out a few things. "I can't imagine they are at their best."
"Now that's true." She stepped back, dramatically waving with a roll of her hoof. "So if they're just as good as ah'm sayin', you know it's gotta be really good. Ah got here as quick as ah could." Refrigerated carrier she did not have. "Go on and give it a try."
"Before I do." He inclined his head at the selection. "How would this be better come the event? You don't appear to be a local." The fact that the food wasn't fresh was hint enough of that.
"Oh, well... no..." Applejack danced faintly, detecting her opportunity starting to slip away. "But if ya say yes... We can come prepare it here!"
He curled a leg to bring a hoof to his chin without tapping. "I see. Do you have a local kitchen?" Her expression was enough to answer that question. "You'd need use of the castle's kitchens then. That does have an effect on my decision. I have to ensure every pony can do what needs to be done in a timely fashion."
"We can clean up a kitchen, promise." She gestured at the food. "Just give it a try." She wouldn't lose without the Apple treats at least being sampled.
Fancy approached, his glowing horn lifting an apple pastry. "Since you sampled one of ours, I suppose this would be the most fair." It was not coated in chocolate, designed to be a light and fluffy apple treat. His teeth sank into it, not that she could see that exact instant. A proper pony, it seemed like he just closed his mouth and a morsel was taken, not a crumb on his fur, though he did bring over a napkin to dab at the great mess he didn't make.
"Hm. I can taste the delay." He looked to Applejack. "And it was not kind."
Applejack sagged. That was far from a word of approval!
"But there are hints of something. Something good. I cannot, in good faith, place an order for this." He set the mostly uneaten pastry down and reached for the next. "Pie, a classic." Despite his negative statements, he went right on, trying each in turn, murmuring the flaws and issues he could find. "Ma'am, I'm afraid I can't approve of this." He raised a hoof as her mouth opened to object. "Are you prepared to make that--" He pointed at the pie slice. "--locally? I would like a sample at its best, rather than its current state."
Applejack's eyes sparkled as she grabbed desperately for that hope. "How soon do ya need it? Ah'll need to get my ingredients. It ain't an Apple pie without some of our apples, after all."
"I would honestly be surprised, madame, if you didn't have a few with you."
Applejack peeked over her shoulder at her saddlebag. She did have some apples with her. It was a habit. She had forgotten! "Oh yeah."
His hoof rested on her shoulder. "Then I would like you to create it, for fresh sampling. I can secure permission for you to use the castle kitchen for this purpose. Do you agree?"
"It'll be a smaller pie." She held up her hooves closer together. She didn't bring that many apples! "But that should be fine for a taste test, ah reckon."
"Indeed." He walked past her, but his head flicked for her to follow. "I'll introduce you to the castle staff. If I do select your wares, which I do not yet assure, you will need to work alongside them, so it is just as good that you get a chance to meet them."
Applejack followed Fancy with a silly grin. It was working out! Sure, she wasn't Granny or her mom, but she knew how to make an Apple pie! She'd win her family the right to put down apple treats on that table!
A floating quill made marks on an equally hovering bit of parchment. "Your likes include athleticism, appearing courageous in front of those whose you consider worthy--" She lowered her voice dramatically. "--which is everypony--" She cleared her throat and offered a faint smile at Rainbow Dash. "And feats of exceptional skill and potential danger."
"Well, yeah, that's not a bad start." Rainbow backstroked through the air as if it were much more solid than it actually was. "I just like being the best me, and I like pony's seeing it, you know?" She suddenly landed in front of Moon. "But each pony has their own thing. Like I'm not trying to get you to get all excited about flying. Not your thing, right?"
"Correct." Moon inclined her head faintly. "Allow me to ask you instead of pondering fruitlessly myself. What do we have in common?"
Rainbow inclined her head. "Huh, that's a crazy question." Her confused expression gave way to a smile. "You are so wild." She threw a leg over Moon's startled withers.
"Is that good?" Rainbow didn't.... seem angry? She thought? She really wasn't certain, and the idea of the overly physically able pegasus already having her in a head lock felt increasingly like a bad idea.
"It's great!" Rainbow shoved at Moon lightly. "I'll take a kooky friend over a boring one any day."
Moon wobbled at the physical shove. Was that a part of things? "We are friends?" Had she already succeeded? They had scarcely begun their conversation!
"Yeah." Rainbow leaned in a little. "You're friends with Twilight, right?"
"Correct."
"So am I." She pointed at herself. "I know you. You know me. I don't hate you, so, yeah, we're friends."
"Friendship is communitive...?" Moon Dancer frowned her bushy brows with new thoughts. "I may be friends with many more ponies."
"If you've met them." Rainbow waved a hoof. "Twilight knows a bunch of ponies in Canterlot, but I don't know them and they don't know me, so we aren't friends. Get it?"
"I... think I do." She had hoped to gain a friend. Instead, she got a friend and valuable intel. "You have been very insightful! Thank you." Moon dutifully took a note of the great discovery. "Are you aware of a pony named Bon Bon?"
"Bonnie! Yeah, sure." She clopped her forehooves together loudly. "Great candies, and a good personality to match usually."
"Communitive," she breathed out, wrapping her mind around the networking effect of friendship. "She is also my friend."
"Awesome." Rainbow glanced away suddenly. "I'd love to compare friend lists, but I see some clouds that need to be taught where they belong. Talk to ya later?" Despite it being a question, she burst into the air, a rainbow streak heading towards that cloud that had wandered out of place in a fit of pique.
Moon watched her go, glancing aside at her list. That had been a short conversation, but she had been declared a friend. Success? Uncertain, she walked off.
Only to encounter Pinkie. "Heya Moon Dancer!" Pinkie began to pronk around Moon without delay or reason. "Whatcha doin'? Did you hear? Rainbow's old friend came into town!" She pointed up into the sky. That cloud Rainbow had said she needed to move? She was on it, with a strange other creature. "She's a griffon, neat huh?!" Pinkie bobbed her head quickly. "I want to meet her."
Moon turned to look up at Rainbow and her friend, pondering the meeting. "She... lied." It was not often that she was lied to outright like that. Annoyed by ponies, sure, that was all the time, but outright deception? "Rainbow Dash said she was required for weather-related work."
Pinkie inclined her head. "That isn't..." She noticed Moon's falling expression and sagging ears. "Oh! Um, she probably saw her friend on the way up and they started talking and she got totally distracted! It happens to me all the time." She gigglesnorted with a big smile, hoping Moon Dancer agreed with her logic.
"I can envision that." Of any pony, Pinkie getting distracted felt on brand. But... "I am uncertain that is what happened." She tried to assemble what she knew of Rainbow Dash, which, admittedly, wasn't a lot. What would she do if she was racing towards a cloud to push and a friend appeared?
Something loud, and physical? Surely that...Loud and showing off... Maybe dangerous? Them sitting there, maybe chatting? That wasn't any of those things. Moon Dancer was far and away not an expert at guessing the mental workings of other ponies. It was a mystery, and one that left her with a new pain in her chest. "She lied."
"Maybe you could help me." Pinkie thudded her head into Moon's from the side, cheek to cheek. "I want to figure out what's up with Rainbow's friend. You want to know what's up with Rainbow. We both want the same thing!" Pinkie pointed up into the clouds. "I was about to fetch my sky bike to go up and say hello. Wanna come with?"
Moon was successfully distracted. "Sky bike? Bicycles are not capable of interacting with the sky."
"That's because you haven't seen mine." Pinkie slammed down her whimsical bike down and hopped aboard. With a motion, she casually stretched it long enough for two ponies, pedal included. "Hop on!"
Moon Dancer had to take a moment to appreciate, and be mystified by, Pinkie's magic. She was no unicorn, but to deny her arcane nature... Focus! "I want to know." She scampered up behind Pinkie, hooves on her pink friend's shoulders. "I have not ridden a bicycle before."
"Once you do it once, you remember forever," excitedly encouraged Pinkie, bobbing her head with brimming energy. "And we're off!" She began to pedal quickly and Moon Dancer discovered her pedal was attached, spinning beneath her. At first she was thrown right off kilter in surprise, but she got her hooves back in position and was soon working with Pinkie to help lift it.
It was lifting. She was raising. They were raising. Moon Dancer's shaggy brows went up. "This should not be possible." Magic. Pinkie must have magic. She had to know more, and she made a mental note to dig deeper into that mystery, later. "How do I direct it?"
"Leave that to me!" Pinkie banked her entire body and the bike went with it, allowing them to lift towards the cloud that held Rainbow Dash. "We're comin'! I hope you're ready!"
A bird's head peeked over the side of the cloud. Oh wait, that was a griffon. Her eye narrowed as she inclined her head sharply. "Check this out."
"Check what-- oh." Rainbow leaned over to join in the view. "That's Pinkie, remember. She does crazy stuff like this all the time."
"Charming."
"And she brought Moon Dancer." Rainbow inclined her head slowly. "Oh, hey, since you wanted to exchange friend lists, here's one." She pointed at the griffon firmly. "This is Gilda. She was in flying school with me and she's totally awesome!"
Gilda buffed her chest with a talon. "Aw, get out of here."
As Rainbow laughed and began telling a story of the old days, Gilda took advantage to peer over her shoulders at the two ponies hovering with the power of their flying machine. "I said get out of here." She grabbed the propeller with a sharp snatch, causing it to come to a halt just as quickly.
The momentum moved down into the bike just as quickly, causing it to swirl in the opposite direction. Both riders squealed in terror as they spun away, Gilda having let go of it.
"Where'd they go?" Rainbow was looking back over.
"They had to do stuff." Gilda shrugged. "Stupid pony stuff."
Rainbow snorted with a smirk. "Speaking of stupid pony stuff, wanna do some stuff, like the old days?" They flew off in search of fun and comradery.
Pinkie and Moon twirled through the air, screaming in shared terror as the world went in all directions around them, until it suddenly wasn't. Striking the ground, the bicycle flew apart into its component parts as they were tossed roughly to bounce with a meaty thud before coming to a still.
Of the two, Pinkie was the first to show signs of life, sitting up and shaking the dirt free of herself. "That was rude."
"Mmn."
"You alright?" Pinkie climbed over the ruins of her bike to start dusting Moon off.
"Yeah..." She sat up, her horn glowing as she gathered the two sides of her glasses and holding them together as she redid the tape that held them securely. "I have discovered something new."
"What's that?" Pinkie tilted her head. "'Cause I can think of something."
"Maybe we have realized the same thing." Her tone implied she would have been happy were that the case. "Rainbow's friend is not my friend."
"I was gonna say Gilda seems a bit... prickly... But I know I can get through!" She pumped a hoof in the air, apparently not at all discouraged despite how things had gone. "Wish me luck, alright?"
Moon was busy getting herself back together. One of the motions of a leg was enough to qualify as a wave that Pinkie dashed away, intent on her task. Moon Dancer could not claim to understand Pinkie, but it seemed clear that Rainbow Dash had been wrong on one, possibly two, things. "Friendship is not communitive." A friend of a friend was not assured to be a friend, as she had painfully confirmed.
But also... "You lied." She pushed up her glasses, ensuring they were settled in the right place. Why had Rainbow deceived her? Was this a part of friendship? Did she misunderstand a step? She wasn't sure she enjoyed that part of it. Full of confusion, she headed home. Surely Twilight would have an answer.
Twilight's horn glowed as she set a steaming cup of tea in front of Moon Dancer. "You look rough around the edges there. Did something happen?"
Moon Dancer reached with her hooves to cradle that cup of tea, still and quiet. She could be quiet and still around Twilight. Twilight was content to wait for the answer that would come, in time, when she was ready. Moon sipped softly of the tea, making a little noise of pleasure. Twilight made lovely tea. So did Spike. Two ponies, er, creatures, she could count on. "I learned a negative lesson in relation to friendship."
Twilight inclined her head faintly. "Friendship takes effort. I've been there... Me and Applejack have gotten into quite the arguments before, but we also got past them, eventually..." She smiled with remembered times. "Oh, silly Applejack. That reminds me, I hope she's alright in Canterlot..." She could see Moon was not getting it, and that the topic had slid right into something else. "Right, for now, why not write to the princess? This feels like something she'd want to hear about."
Moon's expression softened. "You always know what to do." Moon nodded in agreement, with herself and Twilight's idea. "I will do that as soon as I finish." She sipped the tea, letting the warmth chase away the lingering aches of her day's mistakes. "I also learned that a unicorn can fly, but caution should be taken while doing so."
"Wise words." Twilight didn't press for details. She was kinda perfect like that, letting Moon Dancer decompress and process what had happened.
Greetings Princess Celestia,
Friendship, I am told, has a communitive effect, but this is far from absolute. While a friend of a friend is easier to establish commonality with, this is not an assured effect. Assuming this is a given can result in pain and injury. Oh, I am in good health. I apologize if I implied I was not. Spike has been busy lately. He has new friends. I am glad for him, but I have new feelings...
I think this may be another lesson worth learning. Besides being my ward and brother, he is my second and dearest friend. Am I jealous? I think I may be. This is beneath me. I will stop being jealous. Sorry for even bringing it up, but you insisted I not erase parts of my letters, so it remains. Have you ever been jealous before? I imagine you have not. You have so much that others would be jealous of you before you were jealous of anything they had.
Twilight received the tickets. You sent a dozen. That is insufficient to give to all the ponies of the town, but this is short notice, and I thank you for what you've done. Maybe next year? Please inform me as soon as possible so the ponies who don't go this year can be informed. That should alleviate their concerns, I hope? I am just relieved I am not the one who has to inform the ones who don't go this year. Twilight took up the task. I am grateful she is around. Though I feel the chances of her taking one of the tickets is very high.
Friendship is the exchange of favors. One ticket to dispense eleven others and bear the shouting and screaming? That is a fair trade, and I am glad to have her as a friend. I hope we exchange many favors in the future. I am making more friends, but with them come more questions. Tell me, if you have time, has a friend ever spoke falsely to you? How did you feel? What did you do? Did they remain friends, or did you sever that relationship? Can you exchange favors with a pony you cannot trust?
I will continue to explore and learn.
Yours Faithfully and Humbly,
Moon Dancer