//------------------------------// // Part Two // Story: Couples Retreat // by bats //------------------------------// Applejack slumped back in the chair and rubbed her face. The other attendees of the group therapy session got up from the sitting circle en masse and headed out of the room with mixed levels of enthusiasm, some lingering to talk to each other or grab a word with the therapist, others bee-lining their way out into the convention hall. Applejack sighed and got to her hooves. Rainbow stretched out her back and popped a kink in her neck. “Anything?” “Nah, not really, just li’l stuff here ‘n there. Them city-slickers from Manehattan ain’t none too happy with each other, but, uh … I don’t think we can help ‘em out.” Rainbow raised an eyebrow as they stood in place and lingered in the room, watching the others slowly file toward the door. “Why not?” The corner of Applejack’s mouth curled up. “The problem with them’s in the bedroom, if ya catch my drift.” “Oh.” Rainbow snickered. “Yeah, no, not that kind of friendship lesson.” Her eyes glittered with amusement. “They actually told you that? Must be a pretty big problem.” “They didn’t say it in so many words, but they didn’t really need to. Any luck on your end?” “Nah. I mean, a lot of ponies are here because things are a little rough between them, but, like, it isn’t really the same sort of thing that the map likes sending us places for, you know? They came to a couples retreat because they want it to work. They’re trying.” Applejack nodded. “Eeyup, they are. That don’t always mean much if they’re tryin’ in a way that makes things worse, but goin’ to a couples retreat don’t really feel like that sorta problem, feels like they’re doin’ what they can.” She let out a long sigh and shrugged. “There might be somethin’ we can find that’s more like what was goin’ on with Double Diamond and Party Favor, where somepony’s tryin’ to make up for problems by comin’ here and just puttin’ a bandaid on top of somethin’ that’s rotten. ” “We’ll probably need more than a group therapy session and ten minutes of talking to find something like that, you know.” “Eeyup,” Applejack huffed. “Been a couple’a things I seen that felt like they might be that sorta problem, I guess, like them two derby girls that ain’t willin’ to have it out with each other over nothin’, but the two of ‘em said they make it work when playin’, so I ain’t so sure there’s even a problem there at all. Plus maybe it ain’t even a couples problem, it could have to do with the staff, too. I think we’ll just have to keep lookin’.” She gave Rainbow an encouraging smile. “’Course it ain’t like it’s been a bad time so far, they got some nice books here.” Rainbow grinned. “And that yoga class made me forget about lunch.” Applejack winced and patted her stomach. “I wish it did for me.” With the crowd mostly filtered out, Applejack headed toward the exit. “You saw that schedule thing, remember what’s goin’ on now?” “Not much before the meet and greet thing after dinner, worse comes to worse we can meet everypony there, maybe it’ll be obvious after that. ‘Til then, the spa’s open now, we could go get massages.” Applejack chuckled. “You and your massages.” “Hey, you just said that it might be a problem for the staff, we have to get massages to check on the spa ponies, it’s our duty to the map.” “You are so full’a—” “Excuse me, you two are Applejack and Rainbow Dash, correct?” Applejack paused just before they left the room and turned back toward the therapist, standing in the circle of benches with her clipboard floating in front of her face. Applejack smiled. “That’d be us, what can we do ya for, Mornin’?” She gave them a practiced professional smile, and flipped a page over on the clipboard. “I have you on my list for one-on-one therapy sessions as part of your package.” A quill floated from behind her ear and she scribbled on the sheet. “Would you like to schedule times for those now over the weekend?” Applejack’s eyes widened and she glanced at Rainbow out of the corner of her eye. Rainbow met the look, her expression just as surprised. “… You are under no obligation to attend any one-on-ones,” the therapist said, her expression shifting to understanding. “Many couples select the deluxe package for its other add-ons. If you’d like to schedule sessions we certainly can, but there’s no pressure.” She scribbled on the sheet, then raised a brow. “I do have time for a session now, if you wanted to give it a try and see how you felt about the rest of the weekend.” Applejack shifted her weight from one hoof to another, glanced at Rainbow, then gave the therapist a polite smile. “Mind if we talk it over for a sec?” She returned the smile. “Of course not, take your time,” then turned and walked a few feet away, her snout buried in the clipboard. As she wrote, chairs started lifting up in her magic and rearranging themselves in the room. Applejack turned to Rainbow and lowered her voice. “You up for a session?” Rainbow blinked, then frowned in confusion at her. “What? Why? We don’t need therapy, AJ!” She crossed her hooves over her chest, her expression turning grumpy. “Unless you’re gonna try and get her to gang up on me about sleeping in your orchard, because that’s not fair.” She chuckled, then shook her head. “I’m not sayin’ we should do it for us, the therapist’s staff, too, ya know.” “Oh.” Rainbow chuckled nervously. “I get it. I mean, I guess we can.” “How ‘bout we do this, then go get massages, then grab supper.” Rainbow immediately brightened, jumping back up straight. “Yeah, okay, that works.” She turned toward the therapist and hurried over. The room had been rearranged during their conversation, with the sitting circle replaced by a single chair facing a foldaway bench. “Okay, we’ll do the thingie now, miss, err … doctor …” She glanced back at Applejack with a chagrined look. “Morning …?” “Morning Breeze,” she said again. “Morning’s just fine.” She gestured at the bench as she sat down on the chair. Applejack heard the door click shut behind her, and she headed over to join Rainbow at the bench. “Is there anything you two would prefer to go by?” “Applejack or AJ are both fine ‘n dandy for me.” She gave Rainbow a smug smile from the corner of her eye. Rainbow stuck out her tongue and grinned. “I saw that, you think I was going to say Spectrum. Well I wasn’t. Rainbow, Dash, or Rainbow Dash are all fine. Codename’s Spectrum, though, but that’s a secret.” She jabbed Applejack in the side, making Applejack giggle. Morning Breeze smiled and flipped to a fresh page on her clipboard. “Well, Applejack, Rainbow, I took note of the fact that you didn’t participate much in the group therapy, but you seem to be a warm couple. Did you have any issues you would like to discuss today?” Applejack clenched her jaw and winced internally as Rainbow snickered. “Well, uh, to tell ya the truth, Mornin’ …” “We’re not a couple,” Rainbow finished, her snickering growing louder. “We’re just friends.” Morning Breeze’s gentle, professional smile faltered for a brief second, then smoothed out again and she raised an eyebrow. “Really? That suggests that there’s an interesting story that has led a pair of friends to a couples retreat. Would you care to share it?” Applejack’s nerves settled and she smiled, prodding Rainbow to try and get her to stop giggling. “Funny you should ask, we’re here tryin’ to help somepony else out.” “It’s royal friendship business,” Rainbow said, her smile widening. “O-oh. Oh.” Morning Breeze looked up from her notes again, her gaze darting back and forth between the two of them. “You’re Princess Twilight’s colleagues?” She smiled and scribbled on her clipboard at a furious pace. “I thought the names felt familiar for some reason …” she shook her head. “An official friendship mission, then? I imagine those could be quite stressful, depending on the circumstances.” Applejack shifted on the bench. “Yeah, guess so. Depends on the circumstances is doin’ a heck of a lot of heavy liftin’ there, though.” Rainbow snickered and flashed a grin at Applejack. “It is kind of a toss-up whether or not we have to do something like teach a griffon how to bake or escape from being held prisoners by a cult.” Chuckling, Applejack nodded. “This’n seems more like the bakin’ sorta thing, ‘less you seen anypony on the retreat tryin’ to take over Equestria, Mornin’. We were thinkin’ we were here to maybe help somepony out who’s on the retreat ‘cause them and theirs are on the ropes. Sorta what you’re tryin’ to do, I guess.” Applejack frowned and shuffled her hooves on the bench as a wave of unease settled over her. “I’m not … real sure why we’d be any better at doin’ that, though. We ain’t therapists.” Morning Breeze raised an eyebrow, her quill halting in midair. “So you’re unaware of what your missions are?” Rainbow shook her head. “Nope, no idea. Some sorta … like … spirit of magic in the tree of harmony just tells us we need to go somewhere, because somepony needs our help. Yeah?” She glanced at Applejack, who nodded. “It’s kind of hard to explain, I dunno that Twilight understands it all the way.” “Alls I know is our cutie marks started flashin’, and when we went to check the map, it had us floatin’ over the Whinnypeg Convention Center, so that’s where we showed up. Dunno for what, dunno for why.” Morning Breeze nodded along as she wrote. “So it’s only an assumption that you’re here to help another attendee.” “Eeyup. Might be somepony workin’ here. You ain’t havin’ no trouble gettin’ along with nopony, are ya, Mornin’?” Morning Breeze frowned in thought and tapped her chin. “Can’t say that I have.” Rainbow shrugged. “Figures. It’s probably a couple of the guests, there’re more of them than anypony else here, just makes sense.” With a sigh, Applejack turned to Rainbow. “Yeah, but it don’t make sense, though, if ya think about it. They’re here for a couples retreat, if they’re havin’ couples problems, what’re the two of us supposed to be doin’ about it? We ain’t therapists, what’re we gonna offer ‘em that they aren’t gonna get better from somepony like Mornin’ Breeze?” Rainbow straightened and frowned, her tone getting an edge of defensiveness to it. “I don’t know, when do we ever know what we’re doing, AJ? We just stumble into stuff and hope for the best, and then it usually ends up working out because we have, like, something special that makes us the right mares for the job somehow. I just try to not think about it and go with the flow.” Letting out a long sigh, Applejack sunk into her shoulders. “You ain’t wrong,” she muttered. Morning Breeze brushed her bangs away from in front of an eye. “Interesting, it must require a lot of improvisational talent. Are there any special qualities that you share that might make you well-suited for helping a couple?” Applejack knit her brow. “Uh …” She turned to Rainbow. Rainbow smirked and jabbed her in the side. “Well we do know what it’s like for a relationship to burn to the ground.” She jabbed Applejack again, earning a snort and a slap to the shoulder. Morning Breeze looked back and forth between the two of them, leaving a gap of silence. “Sorry, inside joke.” Rainbow chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. “We, uh, used to date a long time ago, we were still pretty much foals. It kinda didn’t go very well.” Applejack felt her face warm up, but forced herself to smile. “I’ll say.” “We’re friends, though, and, like …” Rainbow shifted back and forth on the bench. “I dunno. Maybe hearing from two mares that their relationship didn’t work out but they’re still friends isn’t gonna make anypony feel better about stuff.” The quill flew across the page on the clipboard. “How did things end between you two?” Applejack clenched her jaw and froze in place for a moment, then rigidly turned to Rainbow, who returned the look with a grimace. Applejack cleared her throat. “We, uh … what’s it matter how things ended at this point?” Morning Breeze gave a small shrug, focusing more on her notes than either of them. “This is a one-on-one couples therapy session, even if you are a couple of friends rather than lovers. Processing through these things out loud with each other could be cathartic for your friendship. Have you discussed your break-up in depth out in the open?” Applejack turned back to Rainbow and their eyes met, then they both looked away from each other. Applejack took a deep breath and shrugged. “Not, uh … really.” “… It’s been easier leaving things in the past,” Rainbow mumbled. With a polite smile, Morning Breeze leaned forward on her chair. “Perhaps you’d like to talk about it now?” Applejack looked at Rainbow from the corner of her eye and shrunk in on herself. “We, uh … erm … the mission,” Applejack mumbled with growing anxiety. “I’m afraid I can’t be much help for either of you there,” Morning Breeze said. “I haven’t had any interpersonal drama in my life recently, and even if I didn’t have doctor-patient privacy concerns to worry about, you two are the first ponies I’ve spoken to individually this retreat, so I couldn’t even point you in a helpful direction. What I can do is give you a safe space to speak to each other.” Applejack slowly lifted her head and met Rainbow’s gaze, seeing the same trepidation in Rainbow’s expression as she felt. She chewed her lip. “… You wanna, Dash?” “… Okay.” Swallowing the lump in her throat, Applejack nodded. “Alright.” She turned back to Morning Breeze. “Where, uh, do we start, I guess? Ya asked how we broke up …” “Seems weird talking about that first,” Rainbow said. “There was … a lot that led up to it, huh?” “Eeyup.” Morning Breeze pursed her lips and nodded. “Let’s start with a more basic question. Is there a memory you could each think of, in a time of your lives when you were together, that sums up the nature of your relationship as a whole?” She exchanged another look with Rainbow, this time both of them smiling. Rainbow puffed up her chest and said, “I know the perfect one!” She leaned forward. “It was back maybe eight or nine years ago, we’d been dating for a few months, and Applebuck Season had just started on the farm …” As Rainbow spoke, Applejack didn’t need to pay that close of attention to follow along. She had thought of the same memory, too, and couldn’t help having it come to her mind and play out as Rainbow told the story. She closed her eyes and remembered. “C’mon, AJ, I’ll race you, it’ll be fun!” “Fun ain’t work, sugar, I gotta get the harvest in.” “Aw, c’moooooon.” Rainbow stuck her head out from inside the canopy, hanging upside down and letting her mane dangle, snarled with twigs and leaves. She grabbed Applejack’s cheeks. “You’re just afraid I’m gonna win.” “Fat chance,” Applejack said through a laugh. “You ain’t never done a hard day’s work in your life, what makes ya think you could beat me at buckin’ trees?” “Psh, you’re just scared.” Her grin widened and she rubbed her snout against Applejack’s, then they both started laughing. “Get down outta that tree, or I’m gonna buck you out, Dash.” She leaned in and whispered in Applejack’s ear, “Do you promise?” Applejack shivered, feeling her chest swell up. She grabbed the back of Rainbow’s mane and yanked. With a surprised laugh, Rainbow tumbled out of the tree, corkscrewed in mid-air, and caught herself in a hover just off the ground, muzzle to muzzle with Applejack. “Hah, thought you could surprise me?” She pressed their snouts together. “I’m gonna beat the everlovin’ tar outta ya at buckin’ trees, sugar.” “Yeah right.” Both grinning, they turned and rushed away from each other, up and down the rows of trees in a flurry of kicks and shouts. Neither of them started with any finesse, and a rush-job that would earn a frown of disapproval from Granny Smith a few hours later quickly turned dirty, with them spending more time thwarting each other than actually kicking any trees. The air filled with the sound of their panted laughter. Rainbow shoved Applejack aside as they got to the final tree in the orchard and turned in place to kick it, only for Applejack to grab her under the forelegs, heft her off the ground, and throw her into a heap in the clearing. With a shout of triumph, she turned and bucked the tree without squaring herself, stumbled away, and fell down on top of Rainbow. She grinned down, panting through her clenched teeth. “I won.” “Did not.” “Did too.” “Did—” Rainbow’s words were swallowed up by a kiss. Applejack shoved her way into Rainbow’s mouth with a burning need, forcing air in and out of her snout as she pressed Rainbow into the ground. Rainbow’s hooves flew into her mane and wings wrapped around her back. Rainbow moaned into her mouth and pulled her down closer. A hoof slid from her mane, down her back, lower and lower and— “And then we started kissing, and, uh, yeah.” Rainbow chuckled nervously, dots of pink on her face. “Think I’ll stop there, you can guess what happened after that.” Morning Breeze flipped to a fresh page. “And how about you, Applejack, what event … oh, pardon, is everything okay?” Applejack swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to will her stomach to untie itself from a rat’s nest of knots. “Mm?” She swallowed again and focused on getting her heartbeat to slow down. “Oh, uh … I thought of the same memory, too.” Her voice sounded rough and wavery to her ears and she coughed. “Tryin’ to, uh, one-up each other was a big part of how we got along. Is a big part. Most of the time it was pretty fun.” She gave Rainbow a weak smile, who frowned in worry at her. She forced in a breath and cleared her throat. Rainbow reached out a hoof, but hesitated, hovering a few inches away from her shoulder. “You okay?” “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” she said, turning away. She could feel her cheeks burning. “Just, sort of, uh … made me think about stuff that I don’t …” She looked at Rainbow from the corner of her eye. “Us buttin’ heads was how we broke up, too.” Rainbow pulled her hoof back. “… Yeah, it was.” She looked down. “A lot of our bad times have to do with that competitive streak, huh?” “Our good times, too,” Applejack said softly. She rubbed Rainbow’s shoulder until their eyes met again.. “Mostly it’s been fun all these years. Heck, we were doin’ it this mornin’. I just … thinkin’ about that time felt a li’l close to the end of it, I guess.” Rainbow gave her a sad smile and patted her hoof. Applejack turned back to Morning Breeze. “Couple months after that buckin’ race in the orchard, we were doin’ the same thing again, almost. There was a whole ‘nother crop to bring in ‘n it was all hooves on deck. All hooves. Includin’ my little sister’s. Apple Bloom was maybe…five or six? Somethin’ like that? It was her first year really helpin’ out as best she could, and she was stickin’ awful close to Big Mac—my big brother—for it. He was the whole world to her when she was that age …” Applejack closed her eyes and pulled the brim of her hat down low, her tone dropping. “So, uh … me and Dash thought we had the whole section to ourselves …” Rainbow sighed and hugged herself around the middle, her ears drooping. “It … started out pretty much the same. We raced around and fought dirty, ruining each other’s bucks and stealing trees back and forth, and it turned into shoving and throwing, and … then …” Applejack closed her eyes again. The memory was still sharp and fresh, like it happened that same morning. She didn’t know if it would ever not be fresh. She kicked out, braced for her back hooves to connect with the trunk, but a sudden tug around her middle made her glance off, and she tumbled over and upwards. She let out a laugh of surprise as she saw Rainbow under her, throwing her out from the orchard. She grinned and clenched her teeth, flexing for when she’d skid along the dirt, ready to bounce back to her hooves and race to the next tree. “Howd—” The chipper squeak of Apple Bloom’s voice cut through her thoughts like a knife through butter. The thump and gasp that followed gripped her heart in an icy claw as she felt herself slam into something warm, soft, and small. She relaxed her muscles and tried to ragdoll herself away, maybe twist off and land somewhere else, do something, anything to stop— The tree knocked the air out of her lungs as she slammed into it, just below her shoulders. She could feel the bark prickling on her neck and lower back, everywhere along the contact, save for the small, soft, warm lump in the way, pinned between her and the tree. She flopped to the ground and spun to her hooves, her breath hitching as she tried to refill her lungs. “O-oh …” She heaved in air as she looked down at the tiny, crumpled body at the base of the tree. “Oh, Celestia, Apple Bloom!” She fell to her haunches and fought against every instinct in her body screaming at her to grab her little sister, shake her, make her open her eyes and smile. Grateful to feel the stern, steady hoof of Granny Smith and Big Mac both in her head, reciting every little thing she needed to remember about dealing with farm accidents, she forced herself to be slow, deliberate, and careful. “Okay,” she forced out breathlessly, “Don’t move her, check for … check for …” She gingerly pressed a hoof to Apple Bloom’s neck, and a shiver of relief almost drove her to the grass as she felt the heartbeat, steady and normal. She felt under Apple Bloom’s muzzle, feeling little puffs of breath with the same sedate, unconcerned pace. She could’ve just been sleeping. “Oh, thank Celestia,” she moaned, the adrenaline still vibrating in her skull. “Please don’t be hurt too bad, please don’t, I can’t, I’ll never forgive …” She gingerly patted and moved Apple Bloom, looking for bleeding or anything broken. Apple Bloom stirred with a grumpy, dazed mumble, and she opened her eyes. “… Whuh …?” Applejack shot up from checking a back hoof and pulled Apple Bloom’s lids up, checking her irises. “AB! You doin’ okay? Does it hurt anywhere? Can you move everythin’? Say somethin’!” “What happened?” Apple Bloom sat herself up and rubbed her head. “Did I die?” “No, sugar cube,” Applejack said, a breathless, delirious chuckle forcing its way out. “No, you didn’t die. You don’t have nothin’ broke, do you? Anythin’ hurt? Can ya walk?” She got to her hooves and trotted in place. “Seems fine. My back’s a li’l itchy. What hap—” Applejack swept her into a hug and pinned their chests together. “Thank the stars,” she breathed. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.” Apple Bloom squirmed against her and she loosened up, wiping her face. “Sorry, AB, I just … you came up at the wrong time and I crashed into you, and we laid up good against this tree together.” She turned and looked around. “Oh, wow, it must’a been somethin’ … AJ! You’re bleedin’!” She frowned, her eyes watering as she touched Applejack’s shoulder. Feeling the sting from the contact, Applejack looked over her shoulder, seeing a crisscross of little cuts and scrapes all down her back. She shrugged. “Eh, I’ve had worse.” She spun Apple Bloom around, getting an indignant squeak of protest, and checked under Apple Bloom’s mane. “You, on the other hoof, ain’t got a scratch on ya. Somepony’s watchin’ out for ya, thank Celestia.” She let out a breath. The adrenaline had drained away and she felt worn down and shaky. “Did Mac or Granny send ya to check on somethin’, or were ya comin’ over to help me for a bit?” “Oh, uh, I was comin’ to see if you needed some help, Big Mac’s takin’ a break.” Applejack nodded. “I think I’m gonna need a breather myself right now after that. What I want ya to do is go back in the house and have yourself a drink of water.” “Aw, but I’m okay, I can help, I wanna help!” “I know ya do, AB, but this ain’t no laughin’ matter. Ya seem fine and I don’t think you got a concussion or nothin’, but it’s hard to tell right away sometimes, and last thing me, you, or anypony else wants is for you to buck some trees ‘n fall over ‘cause you got knocked around more’n either of us thought. Your job right now’s to listen to your body and make sure you ain’t hurt for real.” Apple Bloom gave a pout. “Before you start, this is a real job for grown up ponies, li’l missy, if’n you were any younger you’d be bawlin’ your eyes out right now for attention, ‘stead of wantin’ to help. That’s why I’m trustin’ you to listen to your body and make sure you ain’t hurt for real, judgin’ that ain’t a job for little foals. If I didn’t think you could handle it, I’d just be takin’ you straight away to the hospital to make sure you’re okay.” Apple Bloom’s pout faded and she nodded. “Okay …” “If you get real dizzy or somethin’, or start feelin’ really bad, I want ya to ring the dinner bell right away, okay? Can ya do that for me, AB?” Apple Bloom only had a hint of annoyance in her tone when she said, “Yeah, I can do that, Applejack.” “If after a half hour or so you’re feelin’ fine and dandy, come back and find me or Big Mac and we’ll keep workin’.” Apple Bloom nodded, smiling again, then took off toward the farmhouse. As she walked with a spring in her step, almost skipping, Applejack let out another long breath, sinking toward the ground. She closed her eyes and started shaking. “Oh, Celestia, thank you, thank you, thank you, she ain’t hurt, I wouldn’t have—” “Hah!” Rainbow shouted. “I won! Take that, in your face, AJ!” She landed next to Applejack and prodded her in the shoulder. “Oh, c’mon, don’t be a sore loser, I just mopped the floor with you, that’s all that—” Applejack sprung up from the ground, her eyes stinging and a crushing weight in her chest. “You dang fool, you threw me into Apple Bloom, do you have the faintest idea how close ya came ta—how close I—what in tartarus were you thinkin’, ya daft good-fer-nothin’!?” Rainbow’s eyes widened, then narrowed into a scowl. “What I was thinking? Maybe you should’ve watched where you were landing if somepony else was here!” “Don’t you dare, Dash!” “Don’t blame me for your problems and I won’t!” “Ya reckless, irresponsible idiot!” Applejack grit her teeth and glared daggers at Rainbow, who was muzzle to muzzle with her own scowl. She could feel her pulse pumping in her ears and her chest burn with a swarm of hot white emotions. “What did I even do that was so bad, huh? I threw you at Apple Bloom? She isn’t even here!” The indignation and confusion cut through the burning anger and shame enough for Applejack to bite her lip and step back. She forced in a breath and tried to cut the edge out of her tone. “I—we, we came really close to hurtin’ Apple Bloom, Rainbow Dash. I crashed into her and we both smacked into that tree.” Applejack pointed, then turned and showed the crisscross of cuts along her shoulder. “I sandwiched her into the tree, Dash, knocked her out cold, it’s an honest to goodness miracle she ain’t laid up in a hospital bed right now.” She swallowed a lump in her throat and clenched her eyes shut, turning away. “I’m angry and scared and wanna cry and scream at the same time.” Rainbow’s anger faded to a wary frown. “Okay. Um. That sucks, but, like, she’s fine, though, right? She’s not really hurt?” “No, thank Celestia. She got knocked out, but woke up not hurtin’ or nothin’. I sent her up to the house to sit ‘n have a glass’a water, and she’s supposed to ring the dinner bell if she starts feelin’ bad.” She sighed and rubbed her face. “Okay, so what’s the problem then?” Applejack’s eyes snapped open and she stared at Rainbow, anger churning hot again in her stomach. “The problem is that we could’a k … the fact that it’s a miracle she’s okay should say dang well enough, Dash!” “But she is okay, so who cares?” “I fuckin’ care!” Applejack snapped. “She’s my little sister! If you don’t care none, that’s fine and dandy, and you can get the hell off’a my farm.” “But she isn’t even hurt!” “Get outt’a here, Dash!” she shouted, ramming her shoulder into Rainbow, not in playful fun or to get by to get to a tree, but with years of hard-working muscle thrown into it. Rainbow scrambled to stay upright, then crashed down, splaying out in the dirt. “Ya won the race and against all odds didn’t hurt my little sister while doin’ it. Good job! You’re amazin’! Now get outt’a here before I throw you out!” Rainbow got to her hooves, her jaw squared and eyes narrowed. She snorted through her snout. “Fine. When you cool off, you’ll know where to find me.” “I ain’t gonna be lookin’,” Applejack hissed. “You’re a self-absorbed layabout that ain’t got room in your heart for anypony but yourself. I don’t know what I ever saw in you.” The anger in Rainbow’s eyes crackled with sudden, sharp hurt. She glared harder, snorted again, then spread her wings. “Whatever. You’re too boring for me, anyway. It was a fun, meaningless fling while it lasted. See you around, AJ.” Rainbow flapped, leaping into the air, then streaking away from the farm as a blur. Applejack watched Rainbow leave, then let out a scream of frustration. She pummeled the tree she and Apple Bloom had crashed into with her forelegs, knocking loose a few hard, unripe apples and a shower of leaves. The bark came away in strips, and then with a loud crack, a branch overhead snapped off, tumbling into the path. She forced in several heaving breaths. With one last glare toward the sky, she turned and walked back toward the farmhouse on shaky hooves, nursing the start of a limp in her back left leg. Applejack opened her eyes and looked at Morning Breeze, unsure if she had the strength to look at Rainbow square in the face. “We, uh … didn’t see each other much after that for about a year, just some here and there stuff. ‘Bout two months after it happened, we saw each other in the market, and Dash said she was glad that Apple Bloom weren’t hurt or nothin’.” Rainbow nodded. “We were, like, polite after that, but that was about it. Then that year or so later was the town getting ready for winter and we got teamed up together. It was a little awkward at first, but by the end of it we could talk to each other again. We weren’t really friends at that point, though, that wasn’t for another couple years, when, uhh …” “When Twilight came into our lives,” Applejack finished. “We started over then, more or less, and learned how to get along and be real close friends again. Best friends.” She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. “I, uh … never really did tell you that I was sorry for blowin’ up at you like that, Rainbow. I was scared outta my mind over what almost happened, and so angry I couldn’t think straight, and some of that anger was at you, but most of it was at me. I was just as much of a reckless idiot runnin’ around them trees, and I knew AB might’a come to help us out, I knew that. I lashed out at you, ‘cause you were there, and I was sixteen and scared and angry, and you didn’t deserve to get a face full’a that when you were sixteen and just tryin’ to have some fun helpin’ your girlfriend with her chores. I’m sorry, Rainbow.” “I know,” Rainbow said, her tone low. “I figured it all out later, thinking back on it when I wasn’t pissed off and feeling attacked. I get it. You don’t need to apologize.” She cracked a half-smile. “Thank you for apologizing, though.” She turned away and rubbed her foreleg. “And … I’m sorry for trying to push all of it away and pretend like it didn’t matter just because nothing bad happened. I knew that didn’t change that what happened was dangerous and stuff, but I figured that if we could make it not a big deal, then you wouldn’t expect me to apologize for anything.” She turned back to Applejack with a chagrined smile. “Because I was sixteen and proud and full of myself, and didn’t like apologizing for things, which a scared and angry sixteen-year-old definitely didn’t need to deal with from her girlfriend, just to protect her girlfriend’s pride. I’m sorry, AJ.” Applejack returned the smile. “I knew all that, too, without you sayin’ it. Thanks for sayin’ it all the same, though.” Rainbow held her hooves out. Applejack scooted across the bench and into the hug, crushing Rainbow back. “I’m sorry we ended that way,” she murmured. “We just … brought out the worst in each other. And the best a lot of the time, too, but the worst was always there, no matter what we did about it.” “Yeah,” Rainbow breathed. “I’m just … glad we met Twilight.” “Me too. Even just because it means we got her in our lives, I’m glad we met her, but if I’d be lyin’ if I said that havin’ you as a friend again didn’t mean somethin’ special to me.” Rainbow hugged her tighter. She returned the squeeze, then sat away, scooting back to where she’d been on the bench. She wiped her face and pretended not to notice Rainbow doing the same. “Going through something traumatic like that can be hard,” Morning Breeze said. “I’m glad to hear your little sister’s okay, Applejack, and that despite your falling out, you’ve both moved past it. Normally I’d recommend different exercises for helping to heal rifts in damaged relationships, but honestly, I think you’ve both done that on your own.” She smiled and flipped back several pages on her notepad. “I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise that friends of Princess Twilight Sparkle are good at mending relationships with each other.” Applejack smiled and shrugged. “Well, if nothin’ else, I’m … real glad we talked about this today.” She turned to Rainbow. “I dunno if apologizin’ would’a come up some other way, and I’ve been thinkin’ about you deservin’ that from me for a real long time.” “Yeah,” Rainbow said, smiling back at Applejack. “Same.” Rainbow glanced down at her side, then let out a mock sigh. “Darn, the tree didn’t send us here to make us get those apologies off our chests, guess we still have work to do.” Applejack laughed and shook her head. “Ain’t never that easy, huh?” She stepped down from the bench. “Thank ya kindly for the time, Mornin’. I ain’t sure we’ve got no reason to take up any other one-on-ones with ya this weekend, but maybe if ya run across anypony who’s in hot water that ya can’t help ‘em with, you can let us know? Maybe just point ‘em our way, if’n the whole privacy thing makes it sticky.” “I’ll keep an eye out,” she said as she got down from the chair and walked them over to the door. “I hope you both have the chance to relax and enjoy your friendship some this weekend, too.” “Thanks,” they both said, then headed down the hall at a sedate pace side by side. Rainbow let out a long breath. “So, uhh …” With a grin, Applejack bumped their shoulders together. “Massages?” “You read my mind.” She picked up her walking speed and they headed through the convention hallway, looping past the hotel. “I dunno about you, but, uh, going through all that again left me a little tensed up.” “Yeah, I ain’t gonna say no to a massage right now, neither.” She let out a long breath. “But I am glad we went through all of it still.” She smiled. “Made comin’ here worth it for me, don’t matter what else the weekend throws at us, I think. Too bad it wasn’t why the dang tree sent us here, though, still have to look for somepony, huh?” She jabbed Rainbow and chuckled. Rainbow’s brow knit and she met Applejack’s gaze. She opened her mouth, closed it again, then mumbled and turned away. Applejack raised a brow. “What’s up, sugar cube?” Rainbow stiffened for a split second, then she shook her head and waved Applejack off. “Nothing, just had a dumb idea, but I realized it was dumb before I said anything. C’mon, let’s go find out if the spa ponies are, like, fighting with each other, then maybe we can find some real food somewhere.” “All right,” Applejack said, frowning at Rainbow. “Sounds good to me.” As they walked down the hall, a smile slowly grew on Applejack’s face. “Hey, Dash, you think we’d get enough ponies up for it in Ponyville that we could start a roller derby team?” Rainbow’s eyebrows shot up and she grinned. “Man, I hope so, because that sounds awesome.” Grinning at each other, they paused at the room that had been transformed into a miniature spa, then stepped inside. “Go sit down, I said I got this one.” Applejack raised a brow. “You sure? You brought bits? Where’re you even carryin’ ‘em?” “Pegasus trade secret. Go on, AJ, jeez.” Applejack chuckled and sat at a diner table, then watched Rainbow head to the counter. At some point during the exchange, Rainbow had a bag of bits in her hooves to pay, and Applejack had no idea where it came from. She stared in bewilderment as Rainbow counted some out on the counter, and then made the bag vanish again. Applejack smiled to herself and shook her head. A few minutes passed, then Rainbow flew over with three trays balanced precariously on hooves. She plopped two down on the table, both sporting identical bundles of food, wrapped up in paper like a pair of hayburgers, then carefully slid the last tray with their drinks into place. With a flourishing bow, Rainbow sat down opposite her and grinned. “There! Real, actual food, I hope.” Applejack chuckled and dragged her tray closer. “Breakfast was actual food.” Rainbow crossed her hooves over her chest. “Buffets aren’t food, AJ, they’re traps. We’re lucky we got out of there alive.” She laughed. “It ain’t my fault you ate biscuits ‘n gravy.” “Yes, it is, you actually said to me, oh, I bet you can’t eat this without passing out.” “I did, but that don’t mean you had to eat it.” “Yes, it did!” They both grinned at each other, then Applejack shook her head and unwrapped her food. “With all the times ya end up buggin’ me, it’s only fair I get to bug ya back. What’cha get, anyway? This don’t look like poutine.” “They didn’t have plain poutine,” Rainbow said with a sigh. “I asked the salespony about it, and they said that if you want for real, actual poutine, you gotta get it from a street cart.” “Ah, gotcha. Didn’t know that, ‘cause they always just had it for ya at the Wonderbolts shows?” Rainbow nodded as she peeled back the wrapper, finding a sandwich on thick-sliced bread toasted crispy. “What’cha get, then?” “They’re poutine grilled cheeses,” Rainbow said, and Applejack raised her brows. “Hey, it sounded good to me, and I already just destroyed my diet on this trip, might as well go as hard as possible at this point.” She grinned and held half her sandwich up. “Cheers, AJ.” Giggling, Applejack lifted hers up and tapped it against Rainbow’s. “Cheers, sugar cube.” She took a bite. “…Mmf, dang.” She took another bite. The cheese, soft, mild, and melty, held everything together, and each bite had crispy bits of hay and unctuous pockets of gravy. She savored the mouthful, then swallowed and took a sip of iced tea. “This what poutine tastes like?” Rainbow slowly chewed on her own bite. “Not really, but I’m not complaining.” She stuffed almost a quarter of the grilled cheese into her mouth. “Mmmoh, myeah …” “Chew with your mouth closed, Dash.” Applejack smacked her lips and took a huge bite of hers, stooping forward as gravy threatened to dribble out the back of the sandwich. She wiped her face, took a sip, then sat back on the bench with a sigh. “Well, at least we got one good thing here.” “Hey, the massage was nice, too.” Rainbow crammed the rest of the half into her mouth, then got the second wedge of grilled cheese from the wrapper. “But I know what you mean.” “I still can’t believe that meet ‘n greet, never been so dang disappointed to meet a bunch’a happy ponies.” “And of course Party Favor and Double Diamond had to patch everything up between lunch and then instead of asking for our help.” “Dang selfish a’them.” Applejack grinned and shook her head. “And stars almighty, sleepin’ in that room.” “Ugh, I know, it’s worse than trying to stay in Canterlot. Canterlot’s at least the real deal, here it’s like they’re trying to fake it and just don’t really know what it’s like being in the castle.” Applejack forced a smile and nodded, thinking to herself that it wasn’t just the décor that had made it awkward with Rainbow pressed up against her all night, but she kept silent. Rainbow gave a lopsided smile and rested her cheek on a hoof. “Course, I guess most ponies haven’t been in the castle a bunch of times. Our lives are weird.” Applejack chuckled. “They are. Whinnypeg’s weird, too, though, more I see around it. It ain’t like Canterlot for lots of reasons. And everypony’s nice ‘n friendly, it’s like we’re in Ponyville or somethin’, but instead it’s a whole city and it feels wrong, as stupid as that sounds. Maybe I’m just used to Canterlot ‘n Manehattan.” “Nah, this place is definitely strange, I noticed that the few other times I’ve been here. Didn’t say anything because, like … how do you say ponies being nice gives you the heebie-jeebies without sounding like you’re totally crazy?” Applejack popped the last bite of her sandwich half in her mouth. “Ya can’t really, but I already knew you’re crazier’n a fox in the henhouse.” “Oh, psh, you love it.” “I do, wouldn’t change you for nothin’.” She smiled fondly at Rainbow, then felt a twinge of unease. Her grin faltered and she dropped her gaze to her tray to unwrap the second half of her lunch. “Startin’ to get a li’l worried about all this. Don’t usually take so dang long to find somepony who needs help.” Rainbow sighed as she wiped the crumbs from her muzzle. “Yeah, guess so. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out why the map sends us anywhere, this must just be one of those times.” “Eeyup, that it is, but even then, I can’t think of a time it’s taken a whole dang day to figure out. Takes longer’n that to solve a lot of the time, but that’s the part that takes work. We checked in ‘bout this time yesterday, we’ve been here workin’ on this for twenty-four hours. At this rate, we ain’t just outta the runnin’ for fastest friendship problem, we might end up bein’ the slowest. What’re we doin’ wrong?” Sighing again, Rainbow shook her head. “No idea, AJ. I keep trying to think if maybe we, like, did figure out who needs our help already, but just haven’t realized it yet? That’s happened a few times. Definitely isn’t Double Diamond or Party Favor, did you see them at breakfast?” Applejack snickered. “We might have’ta start shoppin’ for weddin’ presents pretty soon there.” “Totally. And the only other thing that even felt like it might be a problem was, uh …” Rainbow’s cheeks turned pink and she looked down. “That, uh, one-on-one thing we did yesterday. But, like, not that it was a problem, more like it felt like we were …” “… Solving one we didn’t really know was there,” Applejack finished. The unease ate at her and she focused on the few bites remaining of her sandwich. She chewed slowly for a moment, buying herself a bit of silence. “… You ain’t … still sore at me over all that and are just bundlin’ it up, are you?” “What?” Rainbow sat forward. “No, AJ, absolutely not. I’m …” Her frown deepened and she sunk back on the bench. “I’m not angry at you about it.” “… But you are angry still.” Rainbow turned her head away, averting her gaze from Applejack. “… I really came close to seriously hurting AB back then, huh?” Applejack winced and looked down at her sandwich. “I didn’t really, like, see you or her when it happened, AB had already gone inside, so I just saw you a little scuffed up and didn’t have anything else to go off of but what you said to me then. The way you told Morning Breeze about it, though … it was almost really bad, wasn’t it?” “… I told Mornin’ about how after I kicked the crud outta that tree that I limped my way inside, right?” “Uh-huh.” “I was limpin’ because I broke somethin’ when I hit the tree. Fractured my pelvis. Had to wear a cast on my keister for a bunch’a weeks. One of the reasons you didn’t see me none after the fight.” Rainbow gave a wan smile, then looked down at the table. “That sounds funny and I want to laugh, but …” “Yeah. I dunno how Apple Bloom came out the other side’a that just a li’l shaken up. Part of me thinks it really was a miracle. Some force of magic or fate smilin’ on me, sparin’ me from … from that.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “… I’m really sorry, AJ. I wasn’t trying to hurt Apple Bloom, and it would’ve torn me apart if I had.” She rubbed her muzzle. “I maybe didn’t get all that close to her until later, but all the same. I get why you blew up at me so hard. I deserved it.” “… You didn’t deserve it, sugar. You didn’t see it happen, all ya saw was me shook up and angry at you for somethin’ that the both of us did all the time.” Rainbow fidgeted, casting a surprised look at Applejack, then turning away. “What?” “Y-you, um … you called me sugar just now.” Her cheeks darkened. “You haven’t called me sugar without the cube in a long time.” Applejack felt her face heat up. “S-sorry.” She stuffed the rest of the sandwich in her mouth. A pause dragged out as she chewed. She felt eyes on her and slowly looked up, meeting Rainbow’s uneasy gaze. She swallowed the last of her sandwich and took a sip of tea, still holding the eye contact. A blanket of tension fell over her, getting heavier and heavier, suffocating in the silence. Rainbow opened her mouth. “Hey, Rainbow, AJ, you two are here!” called out Double Diamond. A flash of panic crossed over Rainbow’s expression, then was quickly replaced with a smile. “Hey, Double! Party!” she called, waving as they headed over. Applejack searched Rainbow’s face for a moment, still feeling a chasm of tension that had opened between them, making the table feel like it was miles across. She shut her eyes and pushed all her thoughts aside as she turned toward Double Diamond and Party Favor. She smiled at them. “How’re you two doin’ today?” Party Favor pressed into Double Diamond’s side and nuzzled his neck. “We’re doing great.” Redness rose to Double Diamond’s cheeks and he nuzzled Party Favor back. “I don’t know if you’ve talked to Morning Breeze—she’s the therapist—outside of the group therapy sessions at all.” Applejack and Rainbow Dash both nodded, looking at each other sidelong for a moment. “Isn’t she nice? She helped me think through some stuff about my parents and put things in perspective.” Applejack raised a brow and grinned. “Yeah?” He smiled back and kissed Party Favor’s cheek. “Yeah.” Party Favor, who’d been smiling so hard since he’d walked in that Applejack felt sympathy pains in her face, pressed into Double’s neck with a sigh of happiness before straightening up. “So this place any good?” “We’re desperate for something other than that awful restaurant in the hotel,” added Double Diamond. Rainbow nodded. “Get the poutine grilled cheese, it’s awesome.” “Might wanna take a nap after, but eeyup.” “Sounds good,” Party Favor said. He raised a brow at Double Diamond, who nodded. “I’ll get this one, babe.” He winked and headed for the counter. Snickering, Rainbow shook her head. “You two are gonna make me barf.” “It’s cute and you know it, Dash.” “That’s why I’m gonna barf, AJ.” Applejack chuckled, then turned back to Double Diamond. “Glad to hear things’re smoothin’ out more’n more for the two of ya, Party Favor looks like he’s over the moon. What’d Mornin’ say?” He shuffled his hooves on the ground, looking down with a pleased, if shy smile. “Honestly? She just asked me what I’d think would happen if I did have a falling out with my parents right now, if things would go the same as they did the first time, or if things were different now, and … they are different now, and it isn’t going to go the same way, either between me and them, or between me and Allie.” He shrugged. “It was a good conversation and I’m less worried about things now. I’d still rather it didn’t get back to my parents before Allie’s out of there, but I was thinking if it did, that would mean it was all over and I’d let Allie down just like I did before. But it only means that if I decide to walk out of her life all the way again, mom and dad can’t force me to do that, Allie’s too old for that now. I was just worrying about the wrong thing.” Applejack pursed her lips and nodded. “Ain’t a bad way to look at it at all.” “Yeah.” Double Diamond’s smile faded and he looked between her and Rainbow Dash. “I-I’m sorry, we meant to just say hello, not go into all of this with you, I’m sure you two are busy dealing with your friendship mission.” Applejack waved him off. “It’s fine, I was the one askin’ about you two, don’t worry none.” “Still, if I’m interrupting, I can go wait on the food with Party Favor.” The vast expanse of the table between Applejack and Rainbow seemed to shudder as their eyes met. She searched Rainbow’s face with unease, as Rainbow searched her back, making her feel exposed. For a moment, she was sure Rainbow was going to say whatever she’d been about to say earlier, but then it passed and Rainbow turned to Double Diamond with a smile. “You’re not interrupting anything, we were taking a break from all that junk anyway. You and Party want to join us?” She grinned and winked. “Or do you want some privacy?” Double Diamond blushed and cleared his throat. He glanced over at Party, who headed toward the group with a tray on his back. “We’ve been invited to join Rainbow Dash and Applejack, Party.” Applejack matched Rainbow’s mischievous smile. “Ain’t no pressure, though, if’n you lovebirds want some alone time.” He smiled and slid the tray onto the table. “Sitting at lunch with some friends who know we’re together and it’s all out in the open? You’re spoiling me, Double.” He sat on the bench next to Rainbow, who slid over, and Applejack made room for Double Diamond. Party Favor turned to Applejack. “There, almost like it’s a double-date now.” He grinned and Applejack kept her gaze carefully on him, refusing to look at Rainbow and trying to keep heat out of her cheeks. “Though let me guess, he’s been talking your ears off about us all this time, hasn’t he?” Double Diamond pouted through a grin as he pulled his wrapped up sandwich closer. Applejack cleared her throat. “It ain’t his fault, I was busy askin’.” He shot a teasing look at Double Diamond as he unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite. “Mm, that is good. So how’s Whinnypeg treating you both? Have you found whatever friendship problem you were sent here for?” Rainbow groaned and sunk down on the bench. “Not yet.” She straightened up again. “And Whinnypeg’s been nice. It’s cool to see more than just the stupid stadium. Though I guess I’ve mostly just seen the stupid convention center …” The conversation shifted and jumped as Party Favor and Double Diamond ate their food, covering gossip from both Ponyville and Our Town, the convention, and the various catastrophes that threatened to destroy everypony’s way of life every couple of months. As they chatted, Applejack caught the occasional little glance between her and Rainbow, before they’d both focus back on hanging out. The unease in the pit of her stomach grew. Daisy smiled as Applejack crossed paths with her in the hall. “Hello again, Applejack, is your girlfriend around? I wanted to ask her about Rainbow Falls.” Applejack felt a shudder run up her spine and she tried to keep the wince off her face. “Sorry, Rainbow’s off somewhere else, Celestia knows where.” She cleared her throat. “And she ain’t my girlfriend, we’re just …” Applejack shifted her weight from one set of hooves to the other and forced herself to say, “we’re just friends,” for the thousandth time that day. Daisy looked at her blankly for a moment in the silence, then sucked in a breath and said, “O-oh, right, sorry, I keep …” She shuffled her hooves on the carpet and looked down. A few ponies circled around them, heading off to somewhere else in the convention, while Daisy let out a long breath. “I know in my head that I don’t know either of you, or Princess Twilight, or any of the other amazing ponies in your group. You’re strangers to me, and the things you all put into your diary are just a part of you that you’ve shared with everypony else. I don’t know the real you, I know an image of you that I’ve made up in my own head from what I’ve read. I know that.” Applejack gave her a strained smile and nodded. “It’s all right, Daisy, I get how it’s hard to see sometimes.” “I just ought to stop …” she shuffled her hooves again, meeting Applejack’s gaze for a moment and looking down. “In hindsight, reading into an implicit romance is kind of creepy if both of the ponies are real.” Applejack blinked. “Come again?” With a sigh, Daisy chewed her lip, transformed back into the mousey first impression Applejack had gotten of her. “In reading the diary, I kind of thought that … maybe you and Rainbow Dash were together.” Applejack felt her face warm up. “I assumed you hadn’t said it directly in the diary proper because you wanted your privacy, but the pieces seemed to fit, and, um …” she cleared her throat as dots of pink rose on her face. “I … um … maybe have written fanfiction of the two of you together.” “Wh-whuh …” Applejack felt another shiver go up her spine and tried to will the blush away. Her face felt hot enough to fry an egg. “We, um—it ain’t—” “I understand,” Daisy blurted out. “I was just reading into things and picturing you as characters in a book, not real ponies. I’m sure the last thing you want is some mare your parents’ age shipping you with your friends.” Applejack shook her head slowly and muttered, “Even in the dang diary,” to herself. She rubbed between her eyes. “What, uh, what sorta stuff in the book made you think me and Dash were together?” she asked, feeling miles away from the conversation. “Oh, uh, there were lots of things, I suppose. The biggest is how much you two remind me of my daughter and her husband, though.” She smiled fondly to herself while Applejack felt out of focus and numbed. The more she spoke, the more confident she sounded again. “You remind me a lot of her, very down to earth and dependable, while her husband is more like Rainbow Dash. Their relationship always has little competitions, like I was telling Rainbow Dash the other day, it’s just like your chapter on the Running of the Leaves.” “Uh-huh,” Applejack said weakly. “It isn’t just that, though. It’s clear in the diary how close of a friend group the six of you have, and I’m sure you all care for each other deeply, but it always felt like there was something deeper between you and Rainbow Dash. I suppose what I was seeing in that was just that you’re best friends outside of the group dynamic, but in reading it, it didn’t just feel like that, it felt like something more. Like there was a real history there.” Applejak’s ears drooped. “It was just for a couple’a months …” she mumbled under her breath, “we were sixteen, and it was over in just a couple’a months …” “I’m sorry if my assumptions have made you uncomfortable,” Daisy said, dropping back into a reserved tone. “I’ll do my best to remember that you’re only friends in reality. If you want me to leave you and your friend alone for the rest of the convention, I will. I know I’ve crossed enough lines already for that to be fair.” “Huhn?” Applejack shook herself all the way awake again and gave Daisy a strained smile. “It’s all right. I maybe didn’t think it’d ever happen growin’ up a country girl on a farm, but I’ve gotten the chance to get used to bein’ in the public eye. Important thing’s that you can see where them lines are, because a lotta ponies can’t. No hard feelin’s.” Daisy let out a breath of relief. “Good, I’m glad. I-I should go find Guff, excuse me.” She turned to leave, then paused. “Oh, and thank you. Not just for being understanding, or everything you and your friends have done for Equestria, but for writing that diary. I know when it was brand new a lot of the conversations around it weren’t the most fair to you all.” A smile cracked through Applejack’s expression and she let out a low chuckle. “I got caught up in it, too, to be honest. But after the initial … excitement died down and everypony had a chance to just judge it for what it is and not what they were imagining it ought to be …” She smiled warmly at Applejack. “It changed my life for the better. And I know it’s done the same for a lot of other ponies, too. So thank you.” Applejack returned the smile, feeling a well of pride push out some of the butterflies, and she said, “You’re welcome.” As Daisy left, Applejack let out a long breath and sagged where she stood, nearly sinking to the floor. She glanced around the hallway at what rooms were open, and let out a sigh of relief when she spotted the little library. She dragged her hooves inside, finding it completely empty, and dropped into a bean bag chair, letting the silence of the room swallow her up. “It was only a couple’a months …” she murmured to herself. “That’s all it ever was, a couple’a months. We were just a pair of firecrackers. We caught fire together, burned white hot, and then everythin’ exploded so big and so loud that there wasn’t nopony in Equestria who couldn’t tell it was over. It was just a li’l fling between two teenagers figurin’ themselves out, didn’t work, and that was that, it didn’t matter none.” She sighed and pulled her hat down over her eyes. “… So how come it don’t feel like it don’t matter none?” she asked the empty room. Her own voice sounded miserable to her ears. “How come I feel like there ain’t nothin’ in the whole world that matters more? Why can’t I just forget it and leave it alone?” She rolled over on the bean bag and felt her hat slip off and fall on the floor as she stared up at the ceiling. “Dash leaves it alone,” she told herself. She covered her eyes with her foreleg and shook her head slowly. She wanted to feel driven by the thought, like it was a challenge, something she could rise to and prove to Rainbow Dash that she could leave it alone just as well, too. Instead the thought made her feel hollow. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Dash leaves it alone,” she whispered again. “I need to leave it alone, too. I have to.” She let out a long breath. “I don’t want to, but I have to. I just want …” She grimaced and shook her head again, rubbing her eyes on the inside of her foreleg. “I just want for it to’ve gone some other way back then. I can’t do nothin’ about it, I just … I just wish there was somethin’ more to it than there was. That it wasn’t the end of our story.” She heard the rustling of hooves on the carpet and lifted her hoof off her face. A pair of unicorns crossed over toward the shelves. One of them glanced over at her, smiled, and mimed zipping his lips before heading for the books. Applejack grimaced and sat up in the bean bag, then rubbed her face with both hooves. She turned to scoop her hat off the floor and stood up. Back in the hall, she glanced one way, then the other at the ponies heading back and forth through the amenities of the convention center. A small grin broke through her melancholy, and she glanced back over her shoulder at her flank. “Dang it,” she said, “the friendship mission wasn’t gettin’ Daisy to start seein’ me and Dash as real ponies, neither. Guess I gotta keep workin’.” She straightened up, let out a steadying breath, and waded her way back into the convention.