"...This ain't workin', Twi."
"Why?"
"Well, it's just... it's makin' me uncomfortable."
"We're just sleeping. It's like I said, it just like when you and Rarity shared a bed..."
"No, it ain't!" the cowpony said suddenly, lifting herself out of Twilight's bed and putting her hooves on the ground. "I'm sorry, Twi. With Rare, we were just friends. Here... we just got married, everythin's awkward now..."
"Applejack..." Twilight said sadly.
"Can't ya cast th' spell now?"
The unicorn shook her head. "I'm afraid not. It's a complicated spell and I'm dead tired. I'm going to need at least a full night's sleep before I cast it."
"I don't think that's gunna be happenin' here, Twi. Can't you drag out yer spare bed?"
The unicorn looked at her oddly, getting out of bed herself. "Why? The spell made us sleep in the same bed."
"Yeah, but... maybe we just have to sleep in th' same house or somethin'. Couldn't we try that first?"
Twilight sighed. "I guess we could. I don't see what the big deal is."
"Well..." she trailed off. Trying to explain social conventions to Twilight was always a tricky business. "Did ya tell th' Princess about... all this?"
"I sent her a message, I'm sure she's already deep in investigation about it."
"Sister, I have arrived!" Luna announced, trotting into her sister's room. "I came as soon as Night Court has ended. Now tell me, what important..."
She was cut off by her sister magically shutting the door and pulling her over to her bed. She was wearing the expression of a foal in a candy store. "Luna! Come here, you have to see this!"
"Sister, what has gotten into..."
Then the tape started playing.
Within minutes, Luna was rolling on the floor laughing.
It took about fifteen minutes, with Spike mumbling that he wasn't getting any sleep, but at last the guest bed was set. Applejack crawled into bed, with Twilight into her own.
They waited for ten tense seconds. Nothing happened.
"Well... I guess that's that," Applejack said as she began to relax. "We can rest like this tonight an..."
The rings lit up again, and Applejack felt herself being jerked up and flopped over, landing directly on top of Twilight. Their muzzles touched and their cheeks burned, not helped by Spike finding the display hilarious.
It took a few seconds of awkwardness before either did anything about the predicament. They quickly untangled themselves, each falling off their own side of the bed, which Spike found even more hilarious.
"Okay... that didn't work..." Twilight said.
"Maybe if we pushed th' beds together, side by side. That'd at least give us some space..."
"It's worth a try..."
The carriage ride back to the palace took the same route, but it seemed a lot bumpier after three glasses of wine. Rarity teetered, as did Blueblood, who took every occasion, including dentist appointments, as celebrations to drink to.
"You know," Rarity slurred, "maybe it's the alcohol talking, but... but... you actually look very handsome tonight."
"Thank you," Blueblood grinned cheekily. "And you look very beautiful yourself, and I know it's the alcohol talking."
"Oh, you charmer," Rarity giggled, like anything her date said was the funniest thing ever. "I could just listen to you talk all night."
"Why wouldn't you?"
"There," Twilight said. The beds were now side-by-side. "Now, let's try this again."
They climbed into their beds. They waited.
Then the rings lit up again, and Applejack was rolled until she was resting in her wife's forelegs.
And once again, Spike laughed.
"I don't believe this," Applejack fumed, pulling herself apart from Twilight.
"I guess that's that... we have to sleep in the same bed, period."
"Well then, let's just get some sleep, then," the cowpony muttered, turning her back to her partner. At the very least, she could make this as unromantic as possible.
The rings lit up, and she was flipped to be facing Twilight.
Spike laughed again.
"Spike..." Twilight said slowly, sounding a little afraid, "please go sleep in another room."
Instantly the baby dragon stopped laughing. "What? I'm sorry, Twilight, I promise I won't laugh, please don't..."
"It's not that, Spike. It's just... I'm not entirely sure what these rings are going to make us do next."
There was silence at the unicorn's point. Then, he snatched up his basket and blanket and dashed out of the room, leaving the mares in a very uncomfortable position.
Celestia entered her room, having excused herself to use the bathroom, only to find a familiar sound playing.
"She's asking if you want to wake up next to this every morning!" The tape rewound. "She's asking if you want to wake up next to this every morning!" The tape rewound. "She's asking if you want to wake up next to this every morning!" The tape rewound.
"Luna!"
"Forgive me, dear sister, but thy student truly has a delicious flank!"
Celestia felt her eye twitch a little. "Luna... you realize Twilight is like a daughter to me..."
"Well, there's no blood you share, is there?"
"No, but..."
"Then I'll allow myself the eye candy!" She rewound the tape again. Celestia put her hoof to her face.
Applejack had nice freckles, Twilight decided. There wasn't much else to do right now but count them. Five on one cheek, seven on the other. They looked cute. She had never really noticed before. Then again, there was a lot she never noticed about Applejack's face before she was forced to stare at it for an extended period of time.
Like her eyes... they were pretty too...
Twilight was beginning to understand why Applejack found this whole thing awkward.
The cowpony squirmed and shifted on her side of the bed, trying to find a comfortable position. But nothing she did could hide the fact that there were only a few inches of personal space separating her from the other mare.
"Applejack... why is it so different now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why are things so awkward? It's not like we actually wanted to get married... shouldn't things still be the same between us?"
"It should, but it ain't."
"You mean, 'but it isn't'."
Despite herself, Applejack couldn't help but smile. "Still tryin' ta fix my grammar?"
"Well, somebody has to," she smiled back.
Then, suddenly, Applejack's grin faded and she was squirming uncomfortably.
"What's wrong?"
She sighed. "I guess I really don't know that much about talkin’ proper..."
"So? I don't know that much about farming."
"Yeah, but... it's not like you're expected to know that..."
"Applejack, stop. It really doesn't bother me how you talk. Where'd all this come from, anyway?"
Applejack shifted. Twilight felt her eyes widen. "Last night... Applejack, I think we need to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about," she said stubbornly, turning away from her. The ring lit up again, forcing her to face Twilight once again. She stared at her foreleg. "Consarn it!"
"Applejack, please..." Twilight said. She threw her forelegs around Applejack's neck, pulling her close.
"What th' hay? Twi... what are you..."
"You don't have to tell me anything tonight," Twilight said softly. "But something's bothering you. And when you're ready, you can tell me." She slipped Applejack's head under her own, so that the top of her head rested comfortably under her chin.
Applejack stayed silent. Partly because Twilight's soft words had stunned her, and partly because she was pressed up against her now. There was no personal space anymore.
Twilight pulled her closer, calmly stroking her mane, hoping Applejack would start talking. She never did. She looked at the clock hanging on the wall. A minute passed. Then ten. Fifteen. Thirty.
Applejack fell asleep. Twilight wasn't quite ready to. She was thinking.
In many ways, she knew Applejack was a simple pony. She had very little in the way of wants. Her home, her family, her friends, and a field to work in were all she really wanted. And indeed, much to Twilight's shame, when they had first met she had written her off as a mere hick.
But that was a different Twilight. She was far from the pony she was before she received the Element of Magic. And she knew better now. Applejack was deep in several ways, and that included emotions. But she couldn't figure them out here.
Applejack's lack of proper enunciation had never bothered her before. So why now? Had she unknowingly made her friend uncomfortable by pointing out her deficiency?
Suddenly that seemed like a very real possibility.
Oh no, what was I thinking! I hurt Applejack's feelings, and now she thinks that she's stupid, and she has low self-esteem, and it's all my fault! What if she tries to stop being my friend because she thinks I'm not good enough! Then the Apple Family will hate me, and the others will hate me, then Celestia will...
She stopped. She remember the incident with the Equestria Games inspector. She took a few deep breaths.
Stay calm, Twi... Applejack needs you right now. She always so strong and dependable, you can't let her down if she needs you.
She looked at Applejack's sleeping form. She looked pretty cute when asleep...
Both Rarity and Blueblood wanted to just stumble into their rooms and sleep off their intoxication, but one didn't ignore a summon from both Princesses, especially when it involved entering Princess Celestia's personal chambers.
"Alright... we're here, Auntie Celestia," said Blueblood, doing a surprisingly good job of staying professional while drunk, due to all the experience he had.
"Dear nephew, what I am about to show you cannot leave this room," she said sternly. "I've called you both here because of your friendships with Twilight. Do you understand?"
Rarity lit up. "What? Is Twilight in trouble?"
"That depends on one's definition of trouble," Luna said slyly as she played the tape.
The laughter started up again. Rarity laughed the most unlady-like laughs, and it wasn't entirely the alcohol.
"Tell me, Blueblood, does thou not think Twilight Sparkle has a most alluring flank?"
"Luna!" Celestia yelled. "Honestly!"
Rarity actually stopped laughing and glared at the prince. "You best think about how you're going to answer that."
"Oh, relax. I think your flank looks nicer anyway."
"You know... you know, I think I should be hitting you for that, but... but... it's kind of hard to... to do th..." she descended into more laughing, eventually lifting up and kissing Blueblood on the cheek.
Blueblood only grinned.