Applejack woke with a start, gasping for breath as she bolted upright. She could feel her body and bed were drenched in sweat, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt hot, like she had gone through a sauna, and the adrenaline was still going through her veins. She threw off her covers and shifted herself to the side of the bed, letting her hind legs dangle off the side. What in the hell was that dream... no... more like nightmare. She lightly smacked the side of her head with a hoof, as if trying to beat the pain out. Ah don’t get it, not one bit...
Two swift, quiet knocks sounding on the door interrupted her thoughts. “Come on in,” Applejack called out, figuring it was her brother.
Big Macintosh opened the door and poked his head in. “Ya all right AJ?”
Applejack nodded. “Why ya askin’?”
“Thought ah heard ya yell or somethin’.” He walked over to his sister. “That a dream?”
Applejack sighed and nodded again. “Just had a weird nightmare... that’s all.”
“Well, it’s almost time. She’ll be here in thirty minutes.” Big Mac motioned towards her sister’s nightstand. The clock read 6:30.
Applejack looked to the clock, then to her brother. “Well, guess ah better get cleaned up then. Been over a day since ah last showered...”
The red stallion sniffed the air. “Yeah, ah can tell.”
Applejack playfully pushed her brother. “Git outta here.” He promptly left the room, chuckling, and Applejack continued sitting on her bed for another minute, staring at the wall so intently that she might have wanted to burn holes into it. “Bah, no use dwellin’ on weird dreams... though ah’m a little worried that ah’d dream about Pinkie Pie drownin’ me...”
-----
With a quiet creak, Applejack turned off the shower. As soon as she stepped past the curtain, the steamy air passed into the rest of the room, and slightly cooler air met her face and body. She shivered, and quickly grabbed a towel, drying most of her body before finally reaching her mane. A knock at the door interrupted her. “Sis, Pinkie’s at the door.”
Dangit, ah know ah took a long shower, but it can’t already be seven, can it?. “Tell her to wait a few, ah’m still dryin’ off!”
Before her brother could respond, she heard a crash and the sound of door slamming from outside. There were grunts and some muffled voices, none loud enough to get past the bathroom door. Applejack stepped forward and cautiously inched open the door and asked “Big Mac? Everythin’ okay?”
The farmer heard no immediate response. Following a few seconds of silence, she heard some muffled voices, and the door to the bathroom burst open. A blur of pink raced through the door, knocking Applejack back onto her back. She opened her eyes to find Pinkie Pie standing above her, her face a bit too close for comfort. “Hi Applejack!”
Applejack blinked. She was unable to move with Pinkie standing over her like that. “Uh, hi Pinkie Pie.”
Pinkie continued staring. “What’s up?”
When she showed no sign of moving, Applejack said, “Ah was dryin’ off, but ya’ll are kinda impedin’ that, wouldn’t ya say?”
“Oh! Sorry!” Pinkie Pie hopped back a few feet, letting Applejack get to all fours and continue to dry herself off.
After a few moments, the farmer realized that Pinkie was staring, but not talking. “Is somethin’ up, Pinkie Pie?”
“I came by to get you, remember? The date? Duh!” Pinkie Pie hopped forward once and booped Applejack on the nose with a hoof. “You didn’t forget, did you? How could you for—”
“Pinkie, I remember the date, don’t be silly,” Applejack interrupted, “but why are ya in my bathroom? Couldn’t ya have waited in the livin’ room or somethin’?” Applejack brought the towel through her mane one more time, still attempting to get it completely dry.
“Well, I really wanted to see you!”
Applejack sighed, resorting to a smile. At least she’s glad to see me, though ah guess ah can’t imagine Pinkie Pie bein’ nervous about much. “Well, ah’m just about ready anyway, ah just need to fix mah mane into a ponytail—”
“Oh, let me help you with that!” Pinkie jumped behind Applejack, hair band in mouth, and started fussing with Applejack’s mane.
She sighed, letting Pinkie do her thing. Can’t really complain about this. Getting’ that tied up was always a hassle.
A second later, Big Mac appeared in the bathroom doorway. “Everythin’ alright AJ? Pinkie kinda rushed past me... still not sure how she did it.” He looked a little embarrassed, and that drew a chuckle out of Applejack.
Applejack felt a slight tug on her mane. “Not a problem big bro, she was just excited to see me!” she responded, still being pulled back slightly.
“Ah could tell.” Big Mac turned and called behind him as he walked out of the house, “Well, ya’ll have fun now. Ah’m gonna be out in the orchard.”
“Ah’ll see ya later, Big Mac!” With her farewell shouted, her head lurched forward, the force holding onto her mane no longer present. “You done Pinkie?”
“Ya-huh! Want me to tie up you tail too?” Pinkie still seemed excited by these prospects of fixing Applejack’s mane and tail, and she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why.
Applejack sighed, but gave a little smile anyway. “Sure thing Pinkie.”
After a few moments, Pinkie popped into the farmer’s vision again with a wide grin. “I’ve never had to tie up my hair before! Did I do a good job?”
Applejack glanced into the mirror, swinging her mane and tail into view. They looked exactly the same as whenever she herself had done it. “Wow. Ya got a knack for this Pinkie Pie.”
“Thanks!” she replied, happy as ever. “Should we go then?”
The farmer grabbed her hat off of the bathroom counter and placed it firmly on her head. “Ya came to pick me up, remember? Lead the way.”
-----
Evening again. Applejack was reminded instantly of the night of Aile’s arrival, though it wasn’t because of Aile or her warning. She remembered the cooler air and the sun’s fading rays, which were still much brighter that night than she remembered them being a few days prior. Applejack’s eyes were glued to the horizon, yellows and reds dancing in the evening sky and leaving ripples of all sizes going in all directions. As she gazed, she felt herself bump into Pinkie Pie, bouncing off of her rump and landing on the ground in a heap.
“You okay Applejack?” Pinkie turned and asked.
Applejack nodded as she righted herself, brushing away the dirt. “Sorry, just got a might distracted.”
“Are you having fun yet?”
Applejack couldn’t help but giggle. “Pinkie, we ain’t even been walkin’ for more than a few minutes, and yer wonderin’ how it’s goin’ already?”
Pinkie gasped. “Well, yeah! I have to make sure I’m not being too quiet or being too loud, and when we eat I have to make sure that everything I made isn’t too sweet or too salty—”
“Wait, ‘ya made?’” Applejack interrupted. “Ya got somethin’ prepared for little ‘ol me?”
Pinkie gasped and lunged forward to grab Applejack at the shoulders. “No! You weren’t supposed to know that! It was supposed to be a surprise! Oh, you aren’t upset now, are you? That you know I made you a surprise?”
“Pinkie, ah have to say that if ya didn’t make somethin’, ah’d ask if ya were sick maybe. Ya do it for fun and for all of us all the time, not a darned reason in the world. On a date? Of course ya’d make somethin’.”
“Okay, phew. Glad I’m in the clear on that,” Pinkie said, backing off of the farmer and nodding to herself. “Well, I guess it’s still a surprise since you don’t know what it is, but I’m sure you’ll like it!”
Applejack nodded along with her words. “If ya say so, Pinkie.”
The rest of the trot to Sugar Cube Corner was silent, though with Pinkie’s hopping beside the farmer, it was a comfortable silence. Applejack took a quick look around as they entered the bakery. It wasn’t late, but the store was completely empty, with only Mr. Cake at the cash register, and Mrs. Cake nowhere to be found. Before she could make any further observations, Mr. Cake dimmed all but one set of lights, making only one thing become immediately noticeable: it was a booth at the far end of the room, lit by a trio of candles. It also seemed more, uh, red than the other tables. Did Pinkie get that set up just for me? Applejack figured that Pinkie had had one or two talks with Rarity, because the booth was now made up of crimson red cushions and a matching table cloth, and any exposed wood wasn’t a bright, tan pine that most of the tables resembled, but a darker, almost dirt-brown kind of wood. Applejack wasn’t sure how she had missed it when the lights were at full brightness.
Pinkie walked Applejack over to the table. “So, the surprise I accidentally mentioned earlier is dessert, so I’ll be making us dinner!” Pinkie exclaimed with an ear-to-ear grin. “I just know you’ll love it!”
Pinkie? Cook? The idea was totally foreign to the farmer. Applejack knew her as a baker, but not a chef. “If’n ya say so Pinkie, but if this is a date, shouldn’t we be together or somethin’?”
Pinkie blinked. “Uhm!” She darted off into the kitchen, and not two seconds later she was back. “Actually, there isn’t much you can help with! I guess the Cakes prepared all the stuff I had set out before I got here!”
“But Pinkie—”
“No!” She shouted, though the farmer felt it wasn’t angry. Just, loud. “This is our date so it has to be like, the most perfectist! That surprise, that is very definitely still a surprise, is back here, so I’m gonna make you dinner and afterwards you’ll get to try that still-surprise surprise you’ll be all ‘wowie zowie that was amazing!,’ except maybe not wowie-zowie since I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that... oops, gotta run!” She gave a quick wave and darted back into the kitchen with a wink, leaving Applejack baffled yet amused at the same time.
After a few quiet moments, Applejack felt herself relax. She heard the skittering of hooves and glanced over to see Mr. and Mrs. Cake quietly leaving the dining area, heading for where Applejack knew there were stairs that lead up to the second floor. As Mrs. Cake passed out of view, Mr. Cake caught Applejack’s gaze, and seeing her perplexed face, he only gave a wink before making his ascent. The action only made Applejack more confused, and she decided not to spend more than a few lingering thoughts on it. He probably just knows how excited she must be, yeah. She had to have been bakin’ all day in here.
The sounds of cooking filled the air, and the scents saturated the room. Applejack smelled oils and vegetables cooking, but she couldn’t divine what they were on smells alone. The most she had seen Pinkie bake were cupcakes and cakes, both of which the farmer knew she was good at. Other prospects had proven not quite disastrous, but this was why Pinkie made cakes for her parties, and not pies or other such foods. Ah really should sit down and teach her how to bake a good apple pie. Ah’m sure she’d get a kick outta that. That crust she made was somethin’ awful, last ah remember.
Her thoughts drifted from place to place for some time, and she naturally started thinking about their date together. Or them together at all. As soon as her mind came upon the subject, she became fixated on the two of them, herself and Pinkie Pie. So, we’re datin’. Girlfriends. A couple? Yeah, those’re the right words all right. She sighed. Sure, she was on a date with Pinkie Pie. But that was just a sentence saying what they were doing. She had to admit that she didn’t really feel it. Sure, she agreed to this, but weren’t the feelings supposed to at least be a little bit reciprocated? This is hardly a real date if ah’m just doin’ it cause ah’d feel worse for not doin’ it. So is this like, an experiment for mahself? Is it fair to Pinkie to think of it like that? She shook her head. No! Enough of these darned questions. Just think AJ. Ah like Pinkie. Of course ah do. Sure ah do. Pinkie Pie is great. She’s funny and cheerful and full of an joy-filled energy that gets everypony jumpin’ and she throws great parties at her own expense and sometimes ah swear her extra paddin’ makes her sway just right when she’s hoppin’ along—
Applejack brought her train of thought to a complete halt, not quite sure what just went through her head. Oh mah Celestia ah just thought that. Just reflecting back on such a thought made her blush. So ah... ah guess ah like mares well enough. Am ah a lesbian and ah didn’t even know it? Am ah really so out of touch with mahself that ah didn’t even know what kind of ponies ah looked at?
Before she could explore any more, she was interrupted by Pinkie Pie opening the entrance way to the kitchen, the swinging doors opening easily for the pony. She looked different though. Applejack noted that she had a fancy, fake moustache and wore a black suit. A towel was around one of her forelegs she was using to push the cart. Applejack grinned at the entire scene. She must be tryin’ to get that restaurant feelin’ or something across, but this is a might silly still, even for her.
Pinkie stopped just short of the table. Applejack just noticed what was atop the cart: two plates, both with dome lids. Applejack was bemused that Pinkie Pie even had those. That couldn’t be regular bake ware, and she wondered if she had acquired it just for that day. Pinkie Pie walked up to the table and, very easily, placed one plate on the table in front of Applejack, and one in another spot, where Applejack figured Pinkie Pie would be sitting.
“Dinner is served,” Pinkie said, with a perfect ‘fancy’ accent. She lifted the dome, and revealed the contents.
Applejack wasn’t quite sure what she was looking at. She recognized one thing: carrots. There were definitely some thinly sliced, wide carrot pieces. She pierced a piece with her fork and lifted it to her mouth. It was soft, and she didn’t realize a thin, pale, yellow sauce had been poured over it that was slightly sour. She focused on the rest of her plate, only because she wasn’t sure about what the rest of it was. One appeared to definitely be a mushroom, but variety and cooking method were beyond her; all she could tell was that it was short and flat. Of course, she only recognized this once she removed what sat atop it. On top of the fungus, and set around it, were slices of some soft, cucumber-shaped vegetable, though she wasn’t sure if it was all the same, since some of it was yellow-white, and some of it was a pale green, but all of it clearly blackened from what she guessed was searing. She noticed that it was also covered in the same translucent sauce.
“Mmmmmh, isn’t this good?” Applejack’s head spun in the direction of the voice to find Pinkie Pie sitting next to her. “What?”
“When did ya get there?”
“Uh, like after I put your plate down?” Pinkie giggled. “When you stare at your plate for a minute, I could go anywhere without you knowing!”
“Uh-huh.” Applejack examined Pinkie Pie, noting that her clothes and moustache were gone. Typical Pinkie Pie.
“So are you confused?”
“A little. Ah’m guessin’ this is squash then?” Applejack prodded a vegetable with her fork, resulting in a nod from Pinkie Pie. “And this is some kinda mushroom then...”
“Uh-huh!” Pinkie Pie took said piece and devoured it in one firm bite, audibly and quickly chewing it down. “Try it!”
Applejack nodded. She wasn’t apprehensive about eating these vegetables, so much as she was apprehensive about the cooking. The carrot had been good though, and nothing on her plate looked so complicated that she couldn’t pull it off. She casually took a bite from the squash.
Whoa. That was... that was definitely somethin’. A great somethin’ even. In a fit that Applejack felt she had little control over, she devoured the rest of the squash on her plate, her action only causing Pinkie to react in bright, Pinkie-Pie-style laughter, full of snorts and giggles. Applejack noted, even in her ravenous moves, that she really did love the sound of Pinkie Pie laughing.
Soon enough, she had to stop, for no squash had survived her assault on the dinner plate. Pinkie Pie stopped eating to watch the show, and once Applejack noticed that her date’s plate hadn’t changed much, she blushed. “S-sorry, ah really shoulda taken’ more time ta appreciate that, ah guess.”
Pinkie Pie grinned and shook her head. “Nope! You liked it enough to wanna just eat it, which is great! I’ve only cooked this a couple times so I wasn’t sure how you’d like it!”
“Ah really liked it!” Applejack insisted.
“Well, I figured that, silly!” Pinkie giggled again. With those words, she shifted from her bright expression into something more thoughtful. “So... what else do you do on dates?”
“Yer tellin’ me ya asked me out and planned most of it, and ya don’t know?”
“I thought I’d have figured it out by now, but I guess I haven’t!” She grinned.
This time, Applejack giggled. Yeah, typical Pinkie. “Well, fer starters, how about we talk a bit?”
“Talk?” Pinkie echoed. Applejack nodded. “About what?”
“Well, talkin’ about each other, fer starters, would be a good start. If ya wanna figure out if ya like somepony, learnin’ more about them seems pretty important.”
Pinkie looked up, thinking heavily on those words, and then brought her gaze down to Applejack with a firm nod. “Okay! How about I start?”
Applejack nodded, then realized that she had just given Pinkie Pie permission to talk for an undefined amount of time.
-----
Applejack couldn’t help but smile at how dinner had gone. For no great length of time did it turn into Pinkie Pie rambling at her, and she learned a lot about the Cake twins. Pinkie Pie’s stories of their antics definitely reminded her of Apple Bloom’s younger years, and Applejack related back as much to Pinkie. Their misadventures with their cares filled a majority of the conversation that dinner, and such casual conversation left Applejack in an uplifted mood. Though her mind did wander towards recent events, whether it be her end or that of what Pinkie was going through, it was only in acknowledgement. She didn’t let such traumatic events weigh down on her as she talked with Pinkie, and Applejack figured it had something to do with the way she talked or laughed. The sounds were lighter than air, and lifted whatever worries she had clear off into the sky.
Their plates were bare, and it took a few minutes for Pinkie to notice. “Oh oh oh! I almost forgot about dessert! That super-duper-special-baked-surprise-thing I made for you! How could I forget that!”
Applejack chuckled. “Ya didn’t, since ya just remembered.”
Pinkie Pie stood still in realization for a moment. “Oh. I guess! So just wait there one itsy-bitsy second and I’ll be back with your surprise!” With that, Pinkie darted from the table to the kitchen. Applejack smiled at her excitement. She may not have planned much, but she definitely planned the dinner, which was fine with Applejack. It was said that the way to a stallion’s heart was through his stomach, and she couldn’t help but feel it was a way to her heart too.
Applejack’s thoughts came to the subject of their date again, this time diving full on into the idea of love. She wanted to give this a fair shot, so she asked herself some questions: firstly, was she in love with Pinkie? Well, no. She figured that would happen in time, or at least soon. Love is important and all, but given that ah was her first friend in Ponyville when she came here as a filly, then can ah guarantee that ah’ll change? Well, if she loves me, then maybe it’ll rub off or somethin’...
Second, did she care that... it was Pinkie she was dating? That hyper, loud-mouth, chatty mare, Ponyville’s premier party pony, Pinkie Pie? This wasn’t just another mare she would get to know or something, this was one of the most well known ponies in Ponyville, as well as one of her oldest friends. Somehow, those thoughts never even occurred to her previously. Not that she was a celebrity or anything, but with all that had been going on with the elements lately, she suddenly was having the thought that dating Pinkie Pie put both of them in danger, but she shook her head after a few moments, dismissing those thoughts. Why should ah let anythin’ come between her and me, huh? If whoever is after us appears, then ah’ll stop them. Ah can’t put everythin’ on hold for this to just blow over...
Despite her attempts to move her thoughts elsewhere, her morning with Pinkie kept coming back to her. Those visions and the necklace... that was definitely strange. She had no idea why Pinkie was so convinced of its truth, or why she apparently was keeping it. Of course, maybe that didn’t matter anymore. Pinkie had been her normal self that day. No mentions of dreams or her worries. Applejack was glad for that.
She decided to stop thinking too deeply on the subject. If she came to like Pinkie more than she did, then she would, and if she didn’t, well, she hoped they could still be friends. That’s as clear cut as ah’m gonna get it, ah think.
As if on cue, Pinkie Pie returned. She did not enter the room empty hoofed though, for she dragged behind her a cart with a pastry so tall that, if a candle had been perched on the top, it would have hit the top of the doorway and been knocked off. The cake itself was several layers tall, each layer tall enough to be its own cake. The frosting completely covered it, colored a warm red, blushed ever-so-slightly green to one side, and it was obviously meant to, even to Applejack, be emulating the color of an apple’s skin. What she couldn’t comprehend was how very large it was. The Cakes had yet to even come close to making anything so large, at least to her memory.
The room instantly smelled of apples as well.
Applejack suddenly realized that her jaw had dropped. She pushed it back up with a hoof and attempted to speak. “P-P-Pinkie Pie... this, this is...”
Pinkie nodded eagerly. “A big cake! Right?”
“Well, uh, yeah,” Applejack gulped. “But it’s just...”
“It’s amazing, right?” Pinkie had a grin that threatened to split her head in half. “Or ‘awesome’ as Rainbow Dash would say! And... and you like it?”
“Do ah like it?” Applejack repeated. “Ah... ah just can’t believe ya made this in one afternoon, and... that ya made somethin’ so huge just for me.”
“Well, of course I made it just for you!” Pinkie hopped right up to Applejack’s face. “If we’re dating, you’re my special somepony, right? At least, I think you are!”
“Well, ah—”
“And I’d definitely make a huge cake like this for my special somepony! I mean, they’re super duper special. Especially to me! So I made this cake for you!” Her face was now nose-to-nose with Applejack.
“That’s... mighty sweet of ya, Pinkie Pie...” Applejack began to blush, and found herself unable to avoid Pinkie’s gaze, staring right back at her. She realized after a few moments that it wasn’t about not being able to look somewhere else, but that she did really enjoy those eyes. Big and bright and endless as the sky, it was staring into a clear, new day. Looking into those eyes, Applejack knew Pinkie was her usual self. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew. And seeing for herself how happy Pinkie really was made her happy.
“So,” she asked, her face pressed up right against Applejack’s still, “Are ya gonna eat it?”
Applejack returned to reality with a blink. “Huh?” Realizing that she might have been staring at Pinkie for a little too long, and pulled back a bit. The pink pony didn’t seem to mind at all, still beaming.
Pinkie Pie giggled. “I didn’t make you a cake to look at all day! You’re supposed to eat it, silly!”
Applejack nodded. “Well then, why don’t you cut us our pieces then, Pinkie Pie.”
Pinkie nodded, quickly retrieved a knife from the tray, and began to cut. As Applejack watched, she felt calmer than she had all of the previous two days. Spendin’ an evenin’ with Pinkie, date or not, is what ah’ve needed for an awful long while.
-----
The cake had been absolutely delicious. Over the course of their dessert, Applejack noticed Pinkie was eating significantly more of it than she was, despite it being meant for the farmer. Applejack gave it some thought between their bursts of conversation and still wasn’t too clear on how the cake was meant for her. A gift? There wasn’t really a practical way for her to take it home. Dedication? It was their first date and probably Pinkie’s first too. Inspiration? It was... apples, after all. Well, it was Pinkie Pie, so she decided not to put much more thought into it. But whatever it was, it had been delicious, truly tasting of apples, and not the usual overload of sugar she was used to from Pinkie baking.
Once finished, the two headed up to Pinkie Pie’s room, Applejack’s date promising a fun time between just the two of them. As they entered, Applejack took note that the room looked just the same as when she had last been there. Pinkie Pie bounced over to the closet and began rummaging for things, disappearing from view.
Applejack’s gaze rested on the closet doorway, and after almost a full minute of waiting, she realized Pinkie may be having some problems. She started a slow trot forwards, but halfway to the closet, something caught her gaze and she stopped.
It was the vanity. The very same vanity that held the necklace that had been giving Pinkie Pie so much trouble the previous day.
She glanced to the closet to note that Pinkie still hadn’t reappeared, and then carefully reached out to open a drawer. She pulled it open as quietly as possible. No necklace, or pendant, or anything. She opened another drawer, this time opting for speed. Just some make up and such, nothing important found. She was opening the center drawer when she heard a door slam. Her head spun towards the sound, and she found Pinkie now out of the closet, with a board game in her mouth, which promptly dropped to the floor.
“Oh, Applejack,” Pinkie said in a low, controlled voice, “are you looking for something?”
“W-what do ya mean, Pinkie?” Applejack withdrew from the vanity, but Pinkie rushed up to her, snout-to-snout with the farmer before she could get more than a step.
“I mean exactly what I mean, Applejack. Why were you snooping through my vanity?” Her smile was unwavering.
Applejack, feeling unsettled by seeing the carefree grin with such an accusatory tone, gulped. “Ah... Ah was just a might worried about ya, okay? Ah was lookin’ for that pendant thin’ that was botherin’ ya yesterday...”
Pinkie’s demeanor changed instantly, and her smile grew brighter. “Oh, is that all? Why didn’t you say so?”
“Ah just figured it’d be a sore spot for ya, was all.” Applejack sighed with relief. “Can ah ask where it is?”
“Why? I think all the magic is used up, since I didn’t have any dreams last night.” Pinkie Pie retreated a few steps to pick-up the board game she dropped, and returned to Applejack’s side. “It’s been great!” Applejack glanced at the board game held in Pinkie’s mouth. The front of it had a picture of an island, and read “Settlers of Pegatan.” Before she could comment on it, Pinkie put it on the vanity and asked, “Do you need it for something?”
“Aile thinks that whoever is after the elements of harmony is the same pony that gave that to ya, and she says she can use it to find whoever that is, too.”
Pinkie Pie gasped, then appeared to lift off of the ground, her entire body vibrating so fast that she appeared to be floating an inch or two above the floor. “That means we’ll all be okay again, right?! You and Dash and Fluttershy and me can be all better again!”
Applejack smiled. “Yup. Should be all over soon, then. We can all get back to livin’ just like we were before.”
Pinkie stopped moving, becoming still as a statue. “Like... we were before?”
“Well sure!” Applejack threw a hoof over Pinkie’s shoulder. “Don’t ya just want everythin’ to turn back to normal? Dash and ah fightin’, you bein’ so lonely, Fluttershy bein’ so scared... none of this is right.”
Pinkie turned her head away from Applejack and muttered, “Yeah, none of this is right...”
“Hmm? Somethin’ the matter, Pinkie Pie?”
“No!” Pinkie whipped her head back around, their noses smacking into each other. Applejack fell back with a yelp, a hoof rushing to her nose to rub away the pain. “I didn’t say anything!” Pinkie grabbed the board game off of the vanity. “Hey, how about we play for a bit? It’s fun, even with just two of us?”
Applejack raised an eyebrow, but only nodded. “Sure thing, Pinkie Pie.”
Pinkie’s face brightened. “Wheee!” She made one hop and slid to a spot on her floor and began to unpack and prepare the game. Applejack sighed. Darn it, did ah do somethin’ wrong already? She’s already actin’ a bit off. Applejack took a deep breath. All right partner, calm down. This ain’t no interrogation. It’s just a fun night with yer new... new girlfriend. You wanna make this work, she wants to make it work. So make it work. Applejack made her way for Pinkie’s spot on the floor, ready to endure what would probably, if previous experience held true, an evening of profound loss for the farmer when it came to board games, but ultimately would probably be a good night of fun with her new girlfriend anyway.