//------------------------------//
// Model Behavior 
// Story: Felt Heart 
// by Tchernobog 
//------------------------------//

Granny Smith snorted as a noise tore her from her dreams, making her blink in bewilderment. She squinted at the clock—a couple hours had passed since Applejack’s return. She yawned and stretched, wincing as her joints complained. She then noticed the noise again. Somepony was knocking at the front door, and was being rather insistent about it.

Muttering imprecations at being rudely interrupted from her much needed sleep, she slowly trotted to the door and pulled it open.

“Hey, Applej—Oh. Uh, Hi Granny Smith!” The rainbow-maned pegasus on the other side of the door stirred the older mare’s memory, and Granny Smith smiled as she remembered that she’d been looking for this exact pony. She barely noticed as the young mare kept talking.

 “Is Applejack around? I needed to talk to her about some weather.”

Granny raised an eyebrow as she looked over the young mare. Poking out of a saddlebag was a very familiar behatted orange head. Ha! Ah knew it. Nice try, filly, Ah might've even believed ya if Ah hadn't seen that. “Ah ain’t seen her, dear. But you look mighty thin fer a healthy pony, are you eatin’ right?” she asked, an idea forming in her head. What’s her name… Rainy Smash, was it? Her memory was horrible these days. The young mare blinked owlishly at her, seemingly lost.

“I… uh. Huh? I guess? I’m a pegasus, we’re pretty thi–”

“Ne’er mind all that.” Granny Smith waved her hoof around, and stepped away from the door. “Ah’ve got some fritters and apple juice in the kitchen, if ya want some.” That seemed to get the mare’s attention. No… Dashing Crash? The young mare beamed widely, her wings fluttering against her sides.

“Awesome! I am kinda hungry…" The pegasus followed her to the kitchen, and sat at the table as Granny Smith pushed the remaining plate of fritters towards her guest. She quickly grabbed two glasses of juice, brought them to the table, and offered one to her guest. Oh, right—Rainbow Dash! That was it.

“So,” Granny Smith began, as Rainbow Dash chugged down her drink, “yer datin’ my grandfilly, aren’t ya?” She chuckled as her guest’s eyes flew open, and she spat her drink all over the table before dissolving into a coughing fit. That would need to be cleaned later.

“I—n-no, w-what gives you that idea?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking absolutely petrified. Granny Smith held a smirk back. Y’ain't foolin' no one…

“Saw that doll y’made for her. Good for you! Now, don’t you go breaking her heart!” She gave the young mare her fiercest glare, which softened after a moment. “Thought everyone’d forgot that ol’ tradition. Y’missed a bit, though. They’ve gotta have a little heart on their chest,” she added, pointing a hoof to where her heart was. She then waved it at Rainbow Dash, shooing her away. “Applejack’s in the north fields, dear. Have fun, will ya?”

She smiled as Rainbow Dash blinked again, nodded slowly, then walked out on shaky hooves before taking to the skies. The old mare chuckled at the youngsters and their crazy antics, and stepped towards the sink to wash the dishes. Chores still needed doing.





Now usually, Applejack was happy to see Dash. They were both good friends, and had been ever since they met. More than friends, in fact, as they’d finally stopped dancing around the subject, and admitted that their feelings for each other ran much deeper. Every day since then, she felt like she must have had a spell cast on her hooves, because she was walking on clouds. She was laughing more, smiling more, and generally just felt like life was, to borrow a certain pony’s term, awesome. Merely by being present around her.

So when the pony who made her feel that way crashed into her and started babbling incoherently, she was more than a mite surprised, and worried. Rainbow’s voice, that scratchy, slightly high pitched tone she loved, was almost unrecognizable. It had become a squeak that almost hurt her ears, and her words were strung together so quickly that she could barely make out anything the pegasus said.

Her own words had failed to get any reaction from Rainbow as she continued pacing back and forth, so Applejack plucked the hat off her head, unslung the little Dash doll, and flung her Stetson at Rainbow. Her aim was true, and it landed on the rainbow mane, half-covering Dash’s wide-open eyes. She finally stopped talking, came to a halt and lifted up the hat, turning to stare at Applejack.

“You slowed down there, Sugarcube?” she asked, receiving a shaky nod. “Good. Mind tellin’ me what’s eatin’ ya?”

Rainbow sat on her haunches and took off the hat. She stared at it, twisting it in her hooves before speaking. “She knows, A.J..”

“Come again?”

Rainbow looked up, her eyes wide and filled with fear. “Granny Smith! Your grandma knows!”

“Knows what, Sugarcube?”

“A-about us!”

Applejack blinked, then started smirking. “What, did ya tell her?”

“No!” Rainbow almost yelled, glaring at Applejack.

The farmpony held up her hooves, the smile still on her face. "Whoa now, Dash. I was just kiddin'! How'd ya figure–"

“The dolls!” Dash interrupted, nodding to the Applejack doll peeking out of her saddlebags.

Applejack blinked at Dash, her eyes bouncing back and forth between the doll and the pony holding it. “Er… what?” She threw a glance to her own doll, clutched in her tail, and sat it on her back.

“I don’t know! She just gave me some fritters then asked if I was dating you!” Dash’s hooves were now twisting the hat so vigorously that Applejack was slightly worried she’d damage it. “She said she saw the doll I made for you… but I wasn’t the one who made it!”

“I know, Sugarcube.” She glanced at the Dash doll she’d placed on her back. “Looks too nice to be somethin’ you made.”

“Yeah, exact—hey!” Applejack smirked again as Rainbow glared at her. The pegasus pulled out the miniature Applejack from her bags, and placed her in Applejack’s Stetson. “I just wanted to show her to you.”

Applejack fought to keep her grin from getting wider. “Her?”

“It!” Rainbow blushed. “Her. You.”

“Yer adorable, y’know that?”

“Sh-shut up!”

Applejack chortled, shaking her head.The pair remained silent until the farmer broke the silence once more. “So? Gimme the story!” She rolled her eyes as the pegasus tilted her head in confusion. “How’d she take it? Didn’t have a problem, did she?”

“Of course she had a–” Rainbow stopped as she seemed to think about it, then frowned as she stared at Applejack, her expression changing to one of bewilderment. “Actually… she sounded really happy about it.”

Applejack’s grin grew even wider. “Told ya.” She chuckled as Rainbow crossed her legs and huffed, the doll still in the Stetson. “We should tell them, y’know.”

Rainbow jumped back to her hooves, looking more worried than ever. “What? Who? Why?”

“Our friends? About us. They oughta know.”

Rainbow shook her head frantically, creating even more of a mess with her mane. “N-no! I have a reputation to maintain!”

"Dash, they care about you, just like I do. They don't care about your reputation."

“But I do! Others ponies do!”

Applejack rolled her eyes again, and sat down next to her friend, gently placing her Dash doll next to the miniature Applejack in the Stetson. She’d been a bit surprised by Rainbow’s attitude when they first began their relationship. She did understand how Dash felt—she herself had the image of being the dependable, honest pony, and Dash held on to her own reputation in much the same way.

Applejack just hadn’t expected the pegasus to take it quite so far. There were no public displays of affection, and no revealing of their relationship, not even to their closest friends. Rainbow did not want to ‘look mushy’ to others. Applejack had humored her, knowing that Rainbow would eventually come around.

And if she was honest to herself, Applejack had to admit that she enjoyed some of the secrecy. She knew things about Dash that nopony else did. "All right. We don't need to tell them that you're a lil' cuddlebug who loves having her ears nibbled and her wings stroked." She held back a laugh as Dash’s face became redder than a tomato, and leaned in to nuzzle the Rainbow’s neck. "That's our little secret. But our friends oughta know about us, at least."

The physical contact seemed to calm the other mare down, and Applejack felt a wing wrap around her. 

“… Just your family.” Rainbow leaned back to stare Applejack in the eyes. “I’m not ready to tell anypony else yet.”

“Granny already knows, Dash.”

“I mean Big Mac and–”

Applejack’s snort cut her off. “You wanna tell Bloom? Really?” She watched her marefriend hesitate, giving it some thought. “Give ya three reasons why that’s a bad idea. Th’ first is she’s a bit young for this sort of stuff. The other two hang around with her, going on ‘crusades’.” 

Dash shuddered.

“Right, thought not.”

“Just your brother, then.”

“Alright. That's fair, Sugarcube.” They sat in silence, enjoying each other’s closeness. But as much as she wanted to stay like this, a thought nagged at the back of Applejack’s mind. “So Granny knows what these dolls are?”

Rainbow nodded. “She seemed to. Why?”

“Maybe she can tell us what they are, then. And we can tell the girls later.” She raised an eyebrow at Dash’s sudden grin. “Why are ya so happy?”

Rainbow’s giggled. “We found something out before Twilight! Oh, I’m so gonna rub her muzzle in this.” She bounced into the air, her wings keeping her aloft. “Let’s go!”





“It now no longer has anything to do with siblings, or parents. It’s a purely romantic gesture. Where a horn ring or a cutie mark earring would signify an engagement to marriage, the dolls could be considered a first step. It shows the desire for a serious relationship with another pony.”

Luna fell deep in thought as Celestia finished her tale. “I see now why you reacted that way. I’m sorry for the confusion.”

Celestia shook her head, smiling gently. “But you couldn’t have known, Lulu. I know what this means to you, and I love it. Thank you.” The younger princess’s smile warmed Celestia’s heart.

“But wait,” Luna asked, tilting her head. “Cutie mark earrings? What is this?”

“Something that popped up quite recently!” Celestia giggled, holding a hoof to her muzzle. “It’s something pegasi and earth ponies came up with, since they lack horns. An earring is crafted with gemstones, in the shape and color of their own cutie mark, and given to the pony they wish to marry.”

“I see.” Luna nodded. “I have missed much.”

“You have no idea.”





“… and that's what it means. Had one m’self, from yer gran’pa, but Ah buried both our dolls with him before either of ya were born.” The old mare fell quiet as she wiped away a tear. “It was an old-fashioned thing ta do even when Ah was a schoolfilly, but he was always a sweet ol' fool, and Ah loved him for it.”

Rainbow Dash had tuned Granny Smith’s voice out once the older mare had started talking about Applejack’s grandfather, now that she’d heard the answer to the burning question. Rainbow stared at their two dolls, propped together in the middle of the table—the dolls that pretty much told the entire world they were together.

Granny Smith said that this type of thing had died out when she was still young, which came as a bit of welcome information. No one else was likely to recognize it unless they were Granny’s age, and Granny and Big McIntosh had already promised to keep the secret. This was good; things could have gotten awkward very quickly otherwise.

Rainbow’s ears perked as the old mare smacked a hoof onto the table, glancing up to see Granny Smith staring at the two of them. “Now, remind me why Ah’m keepin’ yer relationship a secret?”

“‘Cause we haven’t told anyone else, Granny.” Applejack replied.

“Why not?” The elder mare asked, glaring at Rainbow. “You ashamed of my granddaughter?”

The fire in Granny’s eyes would have made most ponies flinch, but Rainbow prided herself on resisting the urge. Mostly. “N-No ma’am. I’m just not ready to tell others yet.”

Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to satisfy Granny Smith. “Why?” She pressed, her gaze never moving from the pegasus.

Rainbow’s own eyes flicked towards Applejack. Thankfully, the orange mare seemed to catch Rainbow’s desperation, and answered her grandmother’s question.

“ ‘Cause she thinks she’s the cock of the walk, and doesn’t want anypony else thinkin’ she’s a big softy.” Applejack smirked as Rainbow glared at her, before the smile softened. “Helps she's got the skills to back it up.”

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with bein’ sensitive,” the eldest Apple countered, before shrugging. “Ain’t no skin off my nose. That there’s you two’s business.”

Rainbow sighed in relief. That wasn’t so bad.

“So,” Granny Smith continued. “How are you two gonna give me great-grandfoals?”

Okay, it isn’t bad. It’s worse.

Applejack sputtered, her face as red as the apples on her flank. “G-granny!”

Rainbow thought quickly, glancing around for any distraction, until her eyes fell on Big McIntosh. They’d found him in the orchard and dragged him into the discussion. He hadn’t said a word the entire time, but she could see him smirking slightly at his sister’s discomfort.

She knew how to wipe that smirk off his face. “Eh. That’s Big Mac’s job!” Aaaand there it goes. Hah.

The old mare focused on her, raised eyebrow and all. “So you’ve got eyes for Maccy too, now?”

That… wasn’t what she’d expected. “Wait, what–”

Granny Smith eyed all three of them, but seemed to spend more time peering at Rainbow herself. Finally, she shrugged. “Ain’t no sweat off my back. You youngsters and your funny new relationships…"

“Granny!” Applejack groaned, pulling her hat down to hide the increasingly vivid blush.

“I-it’s not like that,” Rainbow stuttered. “I mean, he can find a mare for himself!” She grinned as an idea struck her, and turned to the stallion. “Tell you what, I’ll set you up with Fluttershy. She’s quiet, just like you! You’ll love her!”

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, and turned towards the source. Applejack was glaring at her, a hoof still in the air. “Don’t you go settin’ my brother up with Fluttershy like that!”

Rainbow rubbed the back of her head as she glared at Applejack. “You could’ve just said!” She turned back to the stallion, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere other than where he was. “Fine, not Fluttershy, then. Rarity’s too fussy, Twilight’s too much of an egghead. Ooh, how about Pinkie? She’s loads of fun—ow! Quit it!”

“I’ll stop smackin’ ya when you stop buttin’ in on mah brother’s love life!”

“But it’s fun!”

“I’m home!”

Everypony froze as they heard Apple Bloom’s voice through the door. Applejack pointed at the dolls, giving her family a pointed look. “Remember, not a word ‘bout this. She’d tell everypony.”

Rainbow quickly nodded, and sagged with relief as the other two ponies seemed to agree. If the three fillies knew about her and Applejack, she’d probably never hear the end of it.

“Howdy, y’all!” Apple Bloom greeted her family as she walked into the room. She then noticed Rainbow with the rest of them. “Howdy, Rainbow Dash! What’re you doin’ here?”

“I, uh, I’m here about the weather! Aren’t I, A.J.?” Rainbow turned to the farmpony, mentally smacking herself. That’s still the best I can come up with?

Applejack didn’t seem to have any ideas either. “Uhh, yup. That rain. And wind. And stuff!” Her smile was beyond awkward.

Thankfully, the filly seemed satisfied. “Oh, okay.” She craned her neck to the side, looking straight at the table. “Hey, what’re those dolls? They look like you!”

Horsefeathers. Rainbow had absolutely no idea what to say. Not good. She glanced at Applejack, who looked just as lost. But their salvation came from an unexpected source.

“They made them so Miss Smartypants would have some company,” Big McIntosh explained, and Rainbow Dash blinked. She’d heard about the doll from Twilight after the Want It Need It incident, but hadn’t known where it had ended up. The big stallion had clearly taken it, and the rest of the Apple family knew of it too, judging by their lack of reaction.

Wait. Made them? Oh no…

“Ooh!” Apple Bloom’s eyes lit up as she ran to the table, taking a closer look at the dolls. “They look great! Can y’teach me how to make ‘em?”

Rainbow had hoped she wasn't going to say that. “Uhh…" Her eyes were wide, and Applejack’s expression probably mirrored her own. “I dunno kid, it’s not easy.”

“Aww, please? I really wanna try making one of these… uh…" she paused. “What’re they called, anyway?”

“Felt Hearts!” croaked Granny Smith.

“Tell ya what,” Applejack said loudly, throwing a hoof around Apple Bloom’s shoulders to turn her away from their grandmother. “How ‘bout you try ta make your own? Then we can give you tips afterwards?” Rainbow nodded in approval. Hopefully that would stall the filly. But she was quickly proven wrong.

“Okay…" Apple Bloom’s ears drooped, then sprang back up as her expression brightened again. “Hey! Maybe I can get Scoots and Sweetie t’make one too! Then we can be Cutie Mark Crusader Dollmakers!”

“There you go!” Applejack grinned, pushing her sister towards the door. “Now go have fun, and don’t forget to be back for dinner!”

As the filly sped away, Rainbow let her head drop to the table. “That was way too close.”

The rest of the Apples could only agree, and Big McIntosh summed it up perfectly. “Eeyup.”





“C’mon girls! This might get us our cutie marks!” Apple Bloom groaned. This wasn’t going as well as she’d hoped.

Scootaloo snorted. “Dolls? Seriously? What are you, eight?”

“Only fer another month!” she groused. She turned to her other friend. “C’mon. Sweetie? Whaddya think?”

“I think it’s cute!” the young unicorn gushed. “And it’s safer than zip-lining again.”

“You’re never gonna let that go, are you?” Scootaloo grumbled, glaring at the other two.

“Nope!”

“Nuh-uh.” Apple Bloom giggled. “Look, it can’t be that hard. Applejack and Rainbow Dash each made one!” She jumped as Scootaloo suddenly appeared in front of her face.

“Wait, there’s a Rainbow Dash doll?” the pegasus’s eyes shone with excitement as Apple Bloom nodded. “Awesome! Do you think she’ll make me one?”

“I dunno, Scoots. They wouldn’t even teach me how to do it.” She sighed before perking back up. “Hey! Maybe y’could make one yourself?”

“Maybe…" Scootaloo shrugged, frowning. “But it wouldn’t be made by her! It’s not the same!”

“My sis said to make one first, then she’d help out afterward.” Apple Bloom grinned, and leaned towards Scootaloo, nudging her side. “Maybe y’could get Rainbow to help with yours.”

The shift was immediate. “I’m in!”

“All right!” Apple Bloom cheered, and lifted a hoof into the air for the other two to bump and join in with their usual catchphrase. “Cutie Mark Crusader Dollmakers, yay!”

“So… How do we do this?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“I dunno.” Apple Bloom shrugged.

Scootaloo held her hooves out in front of her. “Hey, don’t look at me!”

Apple Bloom stared at the ground, lost in thought. She lifted her eyes back to her friends, and uttered one word.

“Library?”

The other two nodded. “Library.”

“Cutie Mark Crusader Researchers, yay!”





Rarity winced as she flung the door to Carousel Boutique open, having put a little more force into her magic than she’d intended. But she didn’t care. She’d even galloped home, and she knew that never helped her mane. But she still didn’t care.

All of her other frustrations were overshadowed by one thing—she was annoyed. At herself.

She’d managed to find what she’d been looking for—a book that explained the entire tradition, and its history, in detail. It was everything Twilight needed to figure everything out. Rarity just hoped that Twilight would be able to find it, as she herself had only known where to look because of what she had overheard from the princesses.

Still, this was Twilight. She was bound to find the book eventually, even if she had to go through every single tome in her library.

But finding the book first, however, was a good thing, and wasn't in any shape or form the source of her annoyance. 

That came from two distinct sources.

Firstly, she’d discovered that she’d missed a crucial detail while reading about the Felt Heart dolls. She had overheard plenty from the princesses, but they’d never mentioned one thing: the heart itself. As it was, every doll was supposed to have a little heart sewn onto their breast, to convey the meaning of the gift. The tradition had even been named around that detail, centered around it.

And none of the dolls she’d made had one.

The second source of her annoyance was none other than herself. Out of all her friends, she was the only one without a doll. She’d done it again. She’d been in the zone, caught up in the moment, and hadn’t thought it through. She’d been so eager to share the dolls, and share herself with Twilight, that she’d sent them out before she could start on the last one.

At the time, she’d simply been too eager. Why not share this wonderful idea with her friends, as soon as possible? But now, it singled her out. She alone did not have a doll, and that made her suspect.

She had to correct this immediately.

She trotted back to her room, and her eyes settled on the remaining materials. A few pieces of the other dolls were still strewn around—here and there, after she’d snipped them off.

In fact, quite a bit had been left over. She had enough material to craft an entirely separate doll. She shuddered as she pictured the end product. An amalgam of six different coat colors, a dozen mane colors, a few wings and a horn. It would, frankly, be an abomination.

She shoved those thoughts aside, levitating several pieces in front of her eyes and focusing on them. The dark indigo of her mane, with the small strips of purple and pink. The amethyst gemstones, for her shining purple eyes. The lavender of her coat. The pink and white of her cutie mark.

She stared at them, prompting herself to start her work. To put every effort into crafting her masterpiece. To make a doll of the one she loved.

The one… I love.

She couldn’t.

She couldn’t do it. Especially after having read the book—she now knew the depth of the emotions the dolls were meant to convey. She’d already understood it, as a giver. She’d shown her heart to Twilight, even if the dear didn’t know it yet.

But the other way around? It would be presumptuous. The doll of Twilight was supposed to be a symbol that Twilight reciprocated the feeling.

As much as she wished it was so, Rarity simply did not know if this was the case.

Her eyes widened as she realized her possible faux-pas. Had it been such a good idea to make the dolls for her four other friends? Had she, in a sense, undermined their relationships by crafting them herself?

No, she reasoned. She knew what she’d seen. What existed between Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The sparks between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. She’d just… helped them along. And if push came to shove, they could always make another set of dolls of their own.

But Twilight?

She couldn’t. She couldn’t presume that her friend felt the same way. Rarity couldn’t make the doll herself.

Only Twilight could do that.

“Oh Opal, what shall I do?”

“Mrow?”

The knock on the door to her room shook her out of her reverie, but the muffled voice that accompanied it froze the blood in her veins.

“Rarity? Are you in there?” came the familiar voice.

Twilight! What is she doing here?

“O-one moment please!” Rarity called out, frantically searching for a place to hide the materials. She spotted one of her open closets out of the corner of her eye, and swept everything into it. Scraps, manes, coats, and gems all flew through the open door. She spun around as it slammed shut, and trotted over to the door, opening it with a flick of her magic.

“Hello, darling! What brings you here?”

The other unicorn smiled. “Hey Rarity. Your sign said the boutique was open, but nopony was around, so I figured you might be back here.”

Rarity dipped her head. “I... was cleaning up. I apologize. But again, what brings you here? We only saw each other a few hours ago.”

Twilight nodded, her horn shining as she opened the saddlebags she was carrying. A moment later, the Rarity doll floated out of it. “I was just doing some research on these, and I wanted to ask you a few questions.”

“Y-yes? What about them?” So soon? She thought, dismissing a vague sense of déja-vu. She looks happy… maybe she’s found the book already?

“Well, the books I read listed a number of different materials that this could be. I think I narrowed it down though. Is this fabric minky?” Twilight asked, floating out a notepad and quill.

“I—why, perhaps! Let me have a look.” She lifted a hoof, and Twilight floated the doll closer. Of course, Twilight was right. She’d chosen minky because of its softness, and how closely it matched the feel of a real pony’s coat. She ran her hoof over the doll, wishing that she could touch Twilight’s coat instead. Her mind drifted back to that time on the train when they were returning home from Canterlot after their adventure in the Crystal Empire. The memory of Twilight’s hoof on her own—that touch—still burned brightly.

She blinked, catching herself before her mind wandered too far. Hopefully Twilight hadn’t noticed. “You’re right. It is minky.”

“I knew it! She’s so soft!” Twilight floated the doll back to herself, and giggled as she ran a hoof over its back. Rarity’s eye twitched. It was a strange sensation, but she could have sworn that as Twilight did so, she felt a touch on her own body where Twilight was stroking the doll. Once again, she had to forcibly pull herself away from her fantasies.

“I love the eyes, too. The gems totally match all our eyes!” Twilight gushed.

Rarity watched as the doll floated next to her, until she felt it against her cheek. Twilight giggled behind a hoof, as she compared the doll to Rarity. "See? Two pairs of sapphires!"

Rarity wasn’t sure how much more her heart could take. Her entire being was screaming at her to come clean, to reveal herself as the source of the dolls.

But still, she held back. She couldn’t. Not until she knew how Twilight felt.

“Any idea where they came from?” Twilight asked. “You’re the only gemhunter I know.”

“Er, not offhoof, no. There is also Jewel Bearing, he runs the jewelry shop in town.” Rarity explained. “I sometimes bring gems to him to get them cut, if the ones I find aren’t good enough.” She shrugged, hoping it looked nonchalant enough. “He might be of help.”

Twilight nodded as she wrote into her notepad. “All right, I’ll check with him.” She stuffed her writing implements back into her saddlebag, along with the doll. “Thanks Rarity!”

“You’re welco—wait, that’s it?” Rarity asked, surprised.

“Yep! Why do you ask?”

“Uh…" Perhaps I shouldn’t have stopped her. “It just seems like very little to go on. Did you not find anything else?”

“Not really,” Twilight huffed, visibly disappointed. “All I’ve found so far are various guides or how-tos. Nothing to explain where they came from, or what’s up with the pairings. Not that it wasn’t interesting!” she added. “At least now I understand just what goes into making them.”

“They are rather good, aren’t they?” She swelled with pride—she couldn’t help it—but the feeling was suppressed by the realization of just how little progress Twilight had made. 

Maybe… Maybe she could give a helping hoof. 

But was that wise?

It was a considerable risk. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be drawing attention to herself. Twilight might ferret her out as the culprit, before finding out what the dolls meant.

But if she pulled it off, she’d be pointing Twilight down the right path, saving both Twilight and herself much frustration.

Well. As Applejack would say... ‘You’ve gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette.’ 

She decided to break an egg. “Twilight, perhaps you are looking in the wrong place?”

Twilight looked at Rarity, confusion plain on her face. “Uh, what do you mean?”

“W-well. You’re looking for who made these, correct?” Rarity asked, earning a nod from Twilight. “Does that matter?” That got her a raised eyebrow. She gulped. Careful. Don’t overplay your hoof. “I mean, couldn’t you look at the ‘why’, instead of the ‘who’?”

Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof as she thought. “You’re right. And if I can find out why, that might lead me to the who!”

Rarity held back her sigh of relief. “Exactly!”

“I don’t have much to go on, though. The books didn’t really help much.” 

Rarity couldn’t tell what disappointed Twilight more—the lack of information, or the fact that her precious books hadn’t been of use.

She had to do something. But what hint could she give, without admitting she knew what the dolls meant already? There was nothing about the dolls to reveal their purpose. The name ‘Felt Heart’, perhaps? But how… A thought struck her—Twilight had never seen her fictitious doll. Did she dare risk it?

“I may have something that could help.” She swallowed the lump in her throat as Twilight’s eyes locked on her. “My doll has a little heart sewn on it, made of felt.”

“Really?” Twilight interrupted. “That's odd. The others don't have that. Why is yours different?”

Rarity could only shrug. “I don’t know, dear. I’m sorry.”

Twilight beamed. “Don't worry! This is a good piece of information! Certainly something worth looking into!”

“Good, good.” Rarity smiled back. It looked like it had worked. She’d given Twilight a much needed hint, without rousing suspicion.

“So, can I see me?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Your doll! Can I see her?” Twilight’s grin was wide, and filled Rarity’s heart with warmth. But her words chilled it right back. Her ears fell flat against her head.

“I-I don’t have her,” she said, before perking up. “Sweetie Belle has her!” she blurted, tossing out the first excuse that came to mind.

Twilight seemed to buy it. “Aww. I wanted to see how I looked!” She pouted.

Rarity smiled at the adorable gesture. “Perhaps later, dear–” She froze as her eyes caught sight of what Opalescence was doing.

“Er, say! Do you want some tea?” Rarity blurted. “I have some lovely tea!”

“Uh, sure?” the other unicorn replied, confused at the sudden switch in topics.

“Come along then!” She smiled, holding open the door. She quickly closed it behind them, hiding what she’d spotted as she’d glanced behind Twilight.

She couldn’t let her see what Opalescence was playing with: a piece of minky, sticking out of her closet.

A piece embroidered with Twilight’s cutie mark.





Two thoughts held sway on Spike’s mind at that moment.

The first was an idle musing: when would Ponyville realise that the Library was just as much a public building as it was Twilight’s home? She’d often told everypony that there was no need to knock, that they could enter without announcing themselves. Still, the vast majority of Ponyville stubbornly continued to be polite. Not that this was a bad thing.

The second thought was directly related to the first, as he opened the door to see who had knocked.

Now, Spike prided himself on being able to stay calm under pressure. Usually. Not counting the time he’d thought that Fluttershy had exploded twice. Or the entire fiasco with Owlowiscious. But pretty often, he’d been the calming presence next to Twilight’s frantic outbursts, and had remained level- headed.

Seeing the Cutie Mark Crusaders standing on the doorstep to the library, however, did warrant a bit of panic.

Their arrival tended to herald chaos. Not just the Discord kind, but the kind that would leave a mess he’d have to clean up afterwards. The best way to deal with them was to nip the situation in the bud, and engage in preventative measures.

“Hey, girls!” he said, standing firmly in the doorway. He wasn’t very big, but hopefully his presence would deter them from barging into the library. “What brings you here?”

“Books!” Sweetie Belle cried out, bouncing in place, as Scootaloo rolled her eyes at her friend.

“Uh, yeah? This is a library!” The pegasus filly turned back to Spike. “We’re looking for books!”

“Hey, I just said tha–”

“Felt Hearts!” Apple Bloom interjected, rolling her eyes at her friends. “We’re lookin’ for books on ‘Felt Hearts’!”

“Never heard of it,” Spike answered. “Stay here a sec, I’ll go see what I can find.” He shut the door, ignoring the complaints. He remembered Twilight’s instructions for what to do if the Crusaders ever showed up together and unescorted: be polite, get them what they wanted, and get them out of the building as quickly as possible.

He rushed over to a catalogue, and leafed his way through the book. He quickly found something on the subject, and ran a finger down the list of books. He then darted from shelf to shelf, amassing a dozen books on the subject—every book he could find.

He then opened the door once more, and dropped the books in the fillies’ cart. “There you go! That’s everything. Have fun!” he said, and slammed the door shut.

He sighed as he sat down against the door, wiping his brow. The crisis had been averted. He’d followed Twilight’s instructions to the letter. He figured he’d done so well, in fact, that he deserved a treat. Once he was sure that the fillies were gone and he had marked the loaned books into the library’s ledger, he was going to pay a visit to Sugarcube Corner.

He’d earned it, after all.





“Really, Rarity. Spike and I can find the book! You don’t need to tag along.”

“I insist! Since I can’t show you my doll, the least I can do is help!”

That was, at least, what she’d told Twilight. The truth of the matter was slightly different. The tea had just been a pretense, to get Twilight as far away from the risk Opal presented as possible. Twilight herself had been quite animated, discussing her plans for her research, now that Rarity had dropped her hint. Twilight was still planning on visiting Jewel Bearing at some point, but had prioritized the research of the felt hearts instead.

Rarity had seen it as an opportunity—not only could she help Twilight directly, but she’d also be right there when Twilight finally discovered what the dolls meant. She’d see, first-hoof, how the other unicorn would react.

For better or for worse.

“You’re sure you’re not busy?” Twilight asked again.

“Not at all! I’m glad to help.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Twilight smiled.

If nothing else, Twilight’s smiles made it all worth it.

Yet she couldn’t help but be filled with trepidation as they approached the Golden Oaks library. When Twilight magicked the door open, she fought the desire to turn tail and run, to hide in her room and bury herself under her blanket.

But that would simply be delaying the inevitable. And now that she’d followed Twilight into the library, and her friend had closed the door behind them, that option had vanished. She took a deep breath, and attempted to shake off her fears. It was time to face the music.

While Rarity was lost in her thoughts, Twilight had busied herself. She was already checking the library’s catalogue, and quickly turned towards the relevant shelves. But she soon started frowning, and it grew deeper with every shelf she checked. “That’s odd.”

Odd? That doesn’t sound good. “Is something wrong?” Rarity asked.

“Yes, I can’t find any of the books on the subject! They’re all gone!”

“G-gone?”

“Not a single one here.” Twilight trotted to a large ledger at the back of the room, and gave it a quick glance. “Oh! They were checked out today!”

“Can you get them back?” Rarity asked, glancing at the shelves. She knew exactly where the book she’d found was supposed to be. Her eyes narrowed as she found the empty spot where it had once stood. It was gone. She turned back to Twilight, only to be met with silence. The other pony was staring at the ground, unable to meet her eye. “Twilight?”

“I…" Twilight hesitated. “I shouldn’t. It wouldn’t end well.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, you know how I can get a bit, um… particular about books? Intense, maybe?”

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘obsessive’, my dear.”

Twilight winced theatrically at the friendly barb, before continuing on. “Well, I’ve learned that I have to be very careful about not letting myself go too far when books are involved.” Another wince, genuine this time. “My family has never let me forget the Paper Golem incident…" she finished in a mutter.

“ ‘Paper golem incident’?”

Twilight scratched the back of her head with a hoof, clearly embarrassed. “Well, when I was a foal, I couldn’t stand to be parted from my personal library for long. So I started carrying books everywhere. At first I just took the book I was reading. Then I started bringing along a spare, in case I finished that one. Then a couple more, so I’d have some choice of what to read next.

“By the time I was hauling around books by the wagon-load, my parents put their hoof down: when I went to school, I could take no more than I could carry by myself. Well, that obviously wasn’t enough, so I got to thinking: What if the books could carry themselves?”

“Oh, my. I think I can see where this is going.”

Twilight nodded. “Suffice it to say, it didn’t end well. The golem made something of a mess at home. And at school. And, ah, everywhere in between. It followed my every command literally, you see, and I hadn’t really thought things through. I don’t think Shining has ever quite forgiven me for that. You know, nopony believed him when he said it ate his Guard Academy term paper? Well, not until I offered to demonstrate it for his professor—that was the first time I got published! … also the first time I got arrested.”

“Arrested?”

“In retrospect, after what happened the first time, it was rather foalish of me to do it again. In a room full of military reference manuals, no less! Oh, the princess took care of that one in the end. Covered the damages and got me off with community service.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good to hear. How’d it get you published, though?”

“Well, once everything was over, the professor approached me, and we coauthored On the Military Applications of Animate Paper. I covered how to make and control them; he covered how to use and fight them. But, yeah, getting back on topic: I can’t let my book-hoarding instincts get away from me. If I started going after legitimate loans just because I wanted to read them, well, I’d never lend anything.”

Rarity chuckled along with Twilight, once again marvelling at the mare’s quirkiness and passion to anything relating to books. But she fell silent once again, a question on her lips. “So… you won’t go get the books?”

“No. I’ll just wait for them to be returned in due time. It’s only a one-week loan, anyway.” She shrugged. “I still have other avenues of research, and other projects for that matter. Have you read Mollusks and You? It’s fascinating!”

Outwardly, Rarity smiled, eager to let Twilight bend her ear.

Inwardly, she was screaming with frustration.





Applejack couldn’t help herself, breathing in deeply as she burrowed her nose in between Rainbow’s feathers. They covered her face, tickling gently, but she paid it no mind. It was a simple nuzzle, but she couldn’t get enough of the sensation. Not even Rainbow’s wonderful mane or her soft coat could match the feeling of those feathers caressing her face. It sent shivers down her spine every time.

And Rainbow knew just how she felt, often caressing her jaw with a wing when they were alone. She’d even joked that Applejack could always ask Fluttershy to do the same thing if Rainbow wasn’t around, but the cowpony had vehemently rejected the idea. If it wasn’t Rainbow’s wings, it wouldn’t be the same thing.

She breathed out, snuggling closer against Rainbow’s body, as the pair lay on a pile of hay in one of the barn’s lofts.

“Enjoying yourself?”

Applejack opened an eye, and stared up at Dash’s grinning face. “You know it.”

Rainbow chuckled, shaking her head. “Never seen a pony enjoy wings so much.”

“Not even yerself?”

“Well, yeah. I’ve kinda always had them though.” Rainbow shrugged. “But you’re just funny.”

Applejack tried to fake a pout, but the attempt was ruined by her grin. “Funny, am I?” She ran a hoof along Rainbow’s primaries, and snickered as Rainbow shivered with delight. “So you sayin’ you don’t like that?”

“I-I never said that.” Rainbow closed her eyes, clearly enjoying the sensation. She then leaned closer to Applejack, burying her head against the farmpony’s neck. “Remind me to thank Granny Smith for inviting me to dinner.”

“Y’already did that, Sugarcube.”

“Well, I need to do it again!” Rainbow leaned away to stare Applejack in the eye. “I haven’t had a dinner like that in ages.”

“That’s just her way of welcomin’ ya to the family, Dash.” Applejack nuzzled the blushing pegasus’s cheek. “See what happens when you open up to folks?”

“Yeah, well…" Rainbow fell silent. “I still wanna wait on telling anypony else. I’m just not ready yet.”

Applejack nodded, knowing to not press her luck. “Take your time.” She grinned as her eyes fell on the two dolls sitting next to them, leaning against each other. “After all, it looks like we were made for each other.”

“That was awful.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, but her grin matched Applejack's. “Yeah, they’re pretty cool.” She poked the Dash doll with a hoof. “I’d say they got my good side, but all my sides are good.”

Applejack chuckled at her marefriend. “Whoever made ‘em did a really good job.”

“Yeah, whoever.” Rainbow’s grin suddenly faded, as she stared intently at the dolls, then directly at Applejack. “A.J., you didn’t make these, right?”

“Nope.”

“Neither did Granny, or Big Mac?”

“ ‘Course not!”

“And I know I didn’t make them.” She paused, her words hanging in the air. “So… who did?”

“Ain’t that what Twilight is tryin’ to figure out?” Applejack asked, not seeing Rainbow’s point.

“Yeah but that’s not the point!” Rainbow paused, a hoof in the air. “Or wait. It is, but not the main point.”

“Then what is?”

“The dolls mean a relationship, right?” Rainbow asked, to which Applejack nodded. “I mean, if we each got a doll of ourselves, I wouldn’t worry about it. But this sounds exactly like that thing Granny Smith was talking about.”

“Felt Hearts?”

“Yeah. You got me, I got you.” Rainbow stared at the dolls again. “That means, somepony else knows.” She glanced back at Applejack, her eyes wide. “Somepony else knows about us.”

Applejack remained silent, finally having caught up to Rainbow’s thought process. When she put it that way, it made sense. “Huh. Guess so.”

“You guess so?” Rainbow repeated. “That’s it?”

Applejack shrugged. “What do you want me to do?”

“We gotta find out who knows!” Rainbow exclaimed, getting to her hooves and pacing about.

“Twilight’s already on the job, remember?”

Rainbow paused mid-step. “Oh yeah. Well, maybe we could help?” She flexed her wings in preparation of flight, before her face fell and her wings drooped. “Wait. Bad idea. We’d have to tell her about us.”

“Is that really so bad?” Applejack asked, rolling her eyes. Rainbow was becoming more paranoid by the minute.

“Yes! No! I-I don’t know.” Rainbow glared at Applejack. “Not yet, okay?”

Applejack shrugged. “Well, not much else you can do other than hunker down, is there?”

Rainbow slumped down onto her haunches. “Yeah, you’re right.” The barn was silent for a few moments before she perked up once again. “You’re right! That’s exactly what I’ll do!” Applejack could only stare as Rainbow leapt off of the loft, and flew out of the barn.

Before Applejack could drag herself out of the hay, Rainbow returned, and pressed her lips against the farmpony’s, pushing her back through the sheer force of the kiss. She was breathless as they parted, staring with wide eyes at her lover.

Rainbow was beaming at her. “I love you,” she whispered, leaning in close. She then lifted herself away, before speeding off with a yell. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Applejack shook her head, once again wondering how her heart had settled on the incorrigible pegasus. She made her way back to the barnhouse and the comfort of her bed, to dream of feathers, rainbows, and dolls, and to look forward to a day of good, honest work.

She hadn’t, however, expected to wake up to see a cloud above her home. It was huge, with rainbow fountains and a large tower. But Rainbow’s home, for it was indeed the pegasus’s mansion, had taken on a few changes. Not only had it moved itself above Applejack’s barnhouse, but a cloud-wall surrounded the home, extending to the fences surrounding Sweet Apple Acres. Towers dotted the walls at lengthy intervals, with enough room for a pegasus to sit in each.

Sweet Apple Acres had apparently become the home of a cloud-fortress.

“Y’gotta be kiddin’ me.”





Being the Royal Archivist had many perks, Footnote mused. First and foremost, of course, were the books. So many books.

An entire library’s worth of books. The Castle’s Royal Library, to be precise.

He loved his role. It was his passion, his life’s calling, as the stack of books on his flank pointed out so readily. His job was to make sure that all the documents—be they scrolls, books, or even tablets with writing chiseled onto it—were in the right place in the Library. He made sure that they were sorted, categorized, organized, and accessible to whoever may have need of them.

This meant he had to read them all. Maybe not thoroughly, and in most cases, he could only skim them, but the fact still remained: he was being paid to read all day.

Yes, the perks were truly great.

It was a benefit that some of his subordinates didn’t seem to appreciate. They seemed to stick to the organizational aspect of the job, taking pleasure in keeping everything sorted and proper, rather than delving into the mountain of knowledge available at their hooftips.

It’s a shame, really, he thought. Few ponies seemed to take pleasure in the simple joy of reading. Except for that one filly he’d met years ago. She was young enough to be his daughter, yet her appetite for knowledge rivaled the greatest scholars of history. It took her a scant few years to read several entire rows of books. Such a feat had taken him more time than the filly had then been alive. It had been both a shock, yet utterly unsurprising to find out that she was Celestia’s student. She would be a grown mare by now, he figured, briefly wondering where she was. She hadn’t visited in quite a while. He chuckled. She was probably still embarrassed about the book fort incident.

Footnote’s growling stomach reminded him that there were still some drawbacks to the job. Such as the library being on the opposite side of the castle from the kitchens. He’d barely had time for a piece of toast that morning, and had completely missed the castle’s breakfast hour, lost as he’d been to one of the many volumes on the shelves. He’d only been snapped out of it by his stomach growling so loudly that it had caused a few nearby snickers.

Thankfully, the kitchen remained open all day, so a trip there would solve this minor problem. If only the trip wasn’t quite so long, he grumbled, as the corridors flowed past him. He paused as he approached the doors to the Royal Throne Room. It seemed like Princess Celestia was having a late breakfast as well, if the unicorn hoofservant with the large floating tray was any indication. Footnote briefly watched the hoofservant, wondering what was under the domed lid they carried, before his eyes wandered towards the princess.

Footnote squinted, trying to make out the small object that was currently floating in Princess Celestia’s magical grip. It had an equine shape, with a sizeable barrel, four long legs, and the beginnings of a neck. A doll, he realized, in its early stages. He’d also noticed something on what would have been the doll’s chest. It looked like… a heart.

He blinked as the door slowly swung shut, startling him out of his thoughts. He cleared his throat and trotted off, escaping the guards’ raised eyebrows. He’d been staring at the throne room for a while, and couldn’t fault the guardponies for thinking something was off.

As he made his way to the kitchen, he couldn’t help but think about what he’d just seen. Something about the doll tickled the back of his mind. It felt familiar, but he couldn’t quite place any of it.

More than anything, it was the little heart that stood out most prominently. He felt that it reminded him of something. A book he’d recently perused in the archives.

The heart of felt was tantalizingly familiar. That book had been about… Festivals, was it? Or traditions? Yes, old traditions, long forgotten. Words crawled from the depths of his memory.

A stanza from a poem.

And bear a heart of reddest felt,
sewed tightly as can be,
upon its breast, to show the world
your love for all to see.

Felt Hearts. An old tradition, that hadn’t been mainstream for nearly a hundred years.

He tried to recall what he’d seen in the throne room. The doll had been white, larger than the average pony, with long, graceful, slender legs. 

Typically found on an alicorn. A tall, white alicorn.

Princess Celestia was making a Felt Heart doll. Of herself.

The princess… is in love?

“Wait, the princess is what now?”

Footnote jumped, his eyes focusing on the pony in front of him. He’d somehow ended up where he’d wanted to go: the castle kitchens, and was standing in front of one of the cooks. But instead of ordering some food, he’d apparently spoken out loud.

He really needed to stop doing that.

Several cooks had overheard him, and were now crowding close. “The princess is in love? Which princess?” one voice said.

“Who’s she in love with?” asked another.

“Who told you?” asked a third.

By then, the entire kitchen staff had crowded around him, blocking any route of escape. But he found he didn’t actually mind. He was surrounded by ponies, eager to learn, eager to listen to knowledge he had gleaned from the library.

Who was he to deny them this knowledge?

“Well,” he started, his voice reaching everypony present, “I just walked past the throne room, and let me tell you what I saw…”





Scootaloo wasn’t sure what she was reading was even in Equestrian anymore. It probably was, but the words had started to run together and turn into random squiggles, but that was probably because her eyes had glazed over a while ago.

She still thought that dollmaking was a dumb idea, and would much rather have been outside doing something cool, but the possibility of a Rainbow Dash doll, hoof-crafted by her idol herself, was much too strong a temptation to resist.

Still, she could practically feel her mind oozing out of her ears from sheer boredom. In fact, it was so quiet, she was quite sure she could hear it happen. The clubhouse tended to be either completely silent, because they were off crusading in and around Ponyville, or noisy, because they were inside thinking up plans for more crusading.

But right now, the clubhouse was in a rare state of being both occupied and quiet at the same time. All because of some stupid research. She’d tried, she’d really tried, but after the first few books, she just couldn’t focus anymore. She let her head sink towards the floor, burying her face into the book. “This sucks! There’s nothing here!”

“Found something!” Sweetie Belle cried out.

Scootaloo lifted her head back up, squinting at the unicorn. That seemed awfully timely. “Really?”

Sweetie Belle nodded. “Felt Hearts. There’s even a little poem.” She cleared her throat and began reading. “ ‘A symbol used by rich and poor / to show love true and great. / To make a doll that means much more, / your replica create.’ ”

Scootaloo groaned loudly. “ ‘Love true and great’? Ugh, boring!” Her face once more met the book in front of her.

To her side, Apple Bloom sighed. “That don’t sound right at all. 'Your replica create'? What does that mean? This ain't tellin’ us anything 'bout how to actually make these dolls!”

Sweetie Belle shrugged, and tossed the book aside. “So what do we do now?”

Scootaloo saw this as her chance to escape. As much as she wanted that Rainbow Dash doll, if she spent another minute reading, she’d scream. “Hey, how about–”

“I know!” Apple Bloom yelled. “How ‘bout we just make the dolls anyway?”

Scootaloo lifted her head and frowned at the interruption, but her curiosity was piqued. “What, just like that?”

The earth pony filly nodded. “Yeah! I mean, my sis and Rainbow Dash made one. How hard could it be?” She stood up and trotted to the clubhouse table, and grabbed a pencil in her mouth. She scribbled on a sheet of paper for a few seconds, and turned back to face the other two Crusaders. “So we need fabric, thread, needles, and gems. Where’s the best place to get all that?”

Sweetie bounced where she stood. “Oh! Oh! Rarity’s boutique!” She grinned at her friends. “She probably won’t mind!”

Scootaloo felt a smile spreading on her face. This actually was starting to sound fun. She quickly joined her friends, and bumped hooves with them.

“Cutie Mark Crusader Boutique Raiders, yay!”





Big McIntosh once again rolled his eyes as he caught sight of the large cloud above his home. Or rather, the home above his home. The rooster had only just crowed a few minutes before he’d first caught sight of it, the light of dawn only barely lighting the path as he strode towards the orchard.

But as he’d returned with the first set of baskets, filled to the brim with apples, he’d nearly dropped them in shock. The cloud had turned out to be one of those fancy pegasus homes, with a huge tower and several rainbow fountains. The latter of the features had made it pretty easy to guess whom it belonged to, if he hadn’t known already. Only one pony in town had a home like this.

He’d shrugged and gotten back to work. It wasn’t as if he was able to do anything about it.

No, he’d leave that to his sister, and her… marefriend.

The sprig of grass in his mouth twisted around as he chewed on it. The revelation of his sister’s relationship with the colorful pegasus had been a bit of a surprise to him. Though when he thought about it, he should have seen the signs. The other mare was always hovering around Applejack, who seemed to tolerate the other’s presence, even while working. Especially while working. And whenever Applejack talked about her friends, the conversation inevitably found its way towards one in particular. 

There were a dozen other signs he should have picked up on.

But it didn’t matter. While he thought that Rainbow Dash was a loud, brash pony, she clearly made his sister happy, and that was the most important thing.

He smirked. It also made the pegasus Applejack’s responsibility.

As he approached the apple cellar, a pair of voices from inside the barn told him that Applejack was already on the job.

“Dash,” his sister began. She sounded calm, but he could tell she was anything but. Her marefriend responded quickly.

“Yeah?”

“Why is there a cloud-fortress above my farm?”

“This is a defensible position, A.J.! If anypony tries to come here to find out if we're together, we can keep them away!”

It took all of Big McIntosh’s self control to not put a hoof to his forehead. And clearly, Applejack felt the same way.

“So, ya' practically moved in with me, to keep folks from findin' out about us?”

“Yeah! … wait. Uh. I may have to rethink this.”

This time, the hoof did indeed meet his forehead.

“I’ll give ya somethin’ else to think about. What do trees need to grow?”

“Huh? Uh, water?”

He could practically picture Applejack nodding slowly. "Yeah, and?”

“Er… earth?”

“Good. And?”

“Uhh… Oh! Sunlight, of course.” 

He resisted the urge to snort. He’d always thought his sister would fall for another farmer. Clearly, this filly was anything but.

“Eeexactly,” Applejack continued. “Now, have a look at them there trees. Which of those do they have?”

“Well, they've got plenty of earth, and I did the rain just yesterday, and there’s plenty of sun—see how clear the shadow of the… cloud… oh. Ohmygosh I’m sorry A.J. I wasn’t thinking–”

“Y’don’t say?”

“I’m sorry! I’ll move it now!”

“You better. I’m still gonna ban you from our dinner table for a month though.” 

Big McIntosh couldn’t hold back a snort at that threat. After seeing the pegasus’s appetite the previous night, she’d clearly acquired a taste for the traditional Apple family meals. The threat was probably a good thing though—if they had to feed both Applejack and Rainbow Dash regularly, the orchard might not have enough apples to keep up with their stomachs.

Rainbow’s gasp covered the sound of his laughter. “A month?”

“Yup. That’ll teach ya to come up with these featherbrained ideas.”

“But! But! A month?” 

Big McIntosh rolled his eyes. She must have really liked the dinner.

Applejack’s voice was firm. “A month.” The pair fell silent, and Big McIntosh turned to get back to work, but paused as he heard his sister’s voice again. “Dash… Dash, stop. Stop. Not the puppy-dog eyes. No. Stop.”

He blinked. It sounded like Applejack was wavering.

“Darn it Dash, stop lookin’ adorable!”

He smirked gently. By the sound of things, Rainbow Dash was using every trick in the book against his sister. He knew precisely her expression right now, as it was one that both Applejack and Apple Bloom often used against him.

And it usually worked.

“Stop makin' it hard for me to be mad at ya!” Applejack growled. Big McIntosh heard her sigh. “Fine! A week!”

“Awesome! You’re the best!”

“I know. Now get movin’!”

“You got it, boss!”

Big McIntosh shook his head, smirking, and trotted down to the cellar. As sweet as that might have been, there was still work to do.