Aegis Amore

by Omniscientearl

(Dis)contented Dreams

Disclaimer: The characters and setting used in this work are from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and are the property of Hasbro Inc..

The sun was beginning to set over the rolling hills of Sweet Apple Acres, painting the sky in a multitude of oranges, reds and yellows and imparting the hues upon the normally lush greens of the leaves the orchards. The warm air of the late Summer evening was filled with the pungent fragrance of fresh apples and the earthy scent of compost that accompanied many a farm.

Applejack moved at a sedate pace, taking her time, as always, to enjoy the orchard as she hauled the cart. She mentally ticked off a list in her head, and gauged how much more work needed to be done before this particular field was finished. A smile once again formed on her lips as she figured she should be done the next day, a bit ahead of schedule. She had been working extra hard to make sure she would have time for Pinkie Pie's party on the weekend.

She picked up her pace when she spotted the barn where she would be storing this particular field's cultivar: Golden Russet. They used it to make some of their strongest hard cider, a product that they sold by the barrel to various restaurants and taverns after fermenting rather than by the mug during their annual cider season. She maneuvered the cart expertly into the barn before she shrugged the harness from her shoulders.

Big Mac would be busy tomorrow transforming the fruit into cider, she figured with a giggle to herself, she had awoken a few hours early every day for the past week to make the progress she had. She exited the barn, and, with a strong kick, closed the door before she set off to the Apple family house at a light canter.

Despite her hard work, Applejack felt light and giddy. Tomorrow would be a relatively light workday, and she would be free for at least the next few days, after which the farm would become busy once more with the next cultivar's harvest.

When she arrived at the farmhouse, she noticed a wonderfully sweet scent coming from one of the windows. With a glance she saw a pie sitting on one of the window sills to cool, with steam slowly rising from its crust to glow in the light of the setting sun. She breathed in the heavenly scent and let out a contented sigh before stamping and scuffing her hooves on the welcome mat to remove any mud and dirt that still managed to cling to her.

“All done for the day,” Applejack called into the house as she opened the front door, her husky voice thick with a southern farm pony drawl.

“Shhh!” A voice called from the entryway to the kitchen, immediately drawing Applejack's attention. There, in the kitchen, stood Twilight Sparkle, a small smile on her face. Her lavender coat and dark mane stood in sharp contrast to the orange light filtering through the windows behind her.

She was wearing a frilly apron, one of several that the Apple family had owned and used since before Applejack was born. Her horn was alight with magic, undoubtedly her telekinesis, considering the freshly baked pie that was hovering just outside of the open oven, awash in the same light that shimmered around her horn.

The pie sailed through the air as though it were a leaf on a gentle breeze only to be set gently next to the pie that Applejack had seen just moments earlier as she approached the front of the house. The light from Twilight's horn dimmed only for a moment before it brightened once more, accompanied this time with a fresh towel, rather than a pie.

“Granny is taking a nap,” Twilight explained as she slowly closed the distance between the two. Her magic hung the towel around Applejack's neck before lifting the ends up to lightly dab at the farm pony's face to wick the day's sweat away. “Welcome back.”

“Sorry,” Applejack responded, before she realized she was continuing to speak, “old habits die hard, y'know? Granny's been takin' more naps lately.” Her own face softened, and a smile worked its way onto her lips as well as a fullness to her heart despite her growing confusion. “How was your day, sugar cube?” She heard herself ask fondly.

Twilight became giddy. “The ultrasound went more perfect than I could have hoped,” Twilight responded, her soft smile becoming quite coy. Applejack's face continued to smile in defiance of her growing alarm as she glanced down. Twilight's ultrasound, Applejack surmised, by the now apparent bulge in her midsection.

“More perfect?” Applejack asked, as her body took a step to close the scant distance between the two of them. “You just wanted healthy. What could be more perfect than healthy?” Motion out of the corner of her eye tore her gaze from Twilight's amethyst eyes. The two pies from earlier now flanked Twilight, held in the glow of the Alicorn's magic.

“They're going to have the best mothers,” Twilight said as she closed the remaining distance between them, before she gently pressed her lips to Applejack's.

“I love you,” Twilight's voice became tinny as it faded.

Applejack's eyes opened to reveal her bedroom, which appeared for a moment to be quite bright before dimming slightly as her eyes adjusted to the darkness properly. She glanced out the window only to see the Moon floating in a sea of stars with no hint of sunrise on the horizon.

The silence in the house was so deep that she could hear the three distinct snores from her family members. Her eyes began to burn, and she reached a hoof out from under her blankets to feel hot wetness on her cheeks. She sighed shakily, more alone in a house full of family than in a dream fabricated by her own mind.

Her own mind that seemed intent on torturing her in the dead of night, intent on stealing from her any hope for sleep. It had been happening with greater frequency in the recent weeks, and Applejack hadn't felt as tired since her attempt at handling all of Applebuck Season on her own.

Applejack rolled from her back to her stomach, and buried her face in her pillow. She stifled her quiet sobs as her tears were absorbed by the soft cushion. She stayed like that for what felt like hours, though she knew it was likely only minutes dilated by the late, or perhaps early, hour.

With a sniffle, Applejack drew her face across the pillow to wipe away the last of her tears and accompanying runny nose. She carefully rolled out of bed from under her covers and turned around to retrieve the pillow case from her pillow before tossing the damp article into a laundry hamper by her door.

Her door opened quietly, she had oiled it when she realized that dream was becoming a regular occurrence. She crept silently down the hall and down the stairs before making her way across the living room to the front door, avoiding several squeaky floor boards along the way.

Once she had made it outside, she closed the front doors, it's recently oiled hinges aided the door's silent glide close. She set off quickly, her path was well lit by the moon, which hung full in the midnight sky. She needed to clear her head.

Applejack's path wound through the many fields of Sweet Apple Acres, the evenly spaced trees allowed the moonlight to filter through their canopies to the earth. As she moved through the trees, the relatively cool air of the summer night helped to properly dry her eyes and clear her sinuses. She still felt tired, but she didn't feel as nearly worn out as when she first woke up.

She began to head back as the sky began to, nearly imperceptibly, lighten. It had become her usual routine lately to begin preparing breakfast for the house before heading out to take care of her share of the farm work. She was already running through her head as to what she would prepare for breakfast before her plans were neatly derailed by a red figure sitting in Granny Smith's rocking chair.

Applejack stood stock still for a moment while she judged her best course of action. “Dang it,” she muttered before she slowly made her way to Big McIntosh. When she arrived, she stood there under his steady gaze before either of them dared to break the silence.

Eventually, Big McIntosh nodded his head to his left, prompting Applejack to look at the small table where Granny Smith usually had her afternoon apple juice. Instead of juice, however, there rested the pillow case that Applejack had earlier soaked in her own tears. She met his eyes, her own gaze accusatory to his own apologetic expression.

“How long?” He asked in his deep and slow drawl, his general silence served to deepen the profundity of his words. Those two words snatched away the growing anger from Applejack at his earlier intrusion.

She heaved a heavy sigh as she plopped down on the ground in front of him, her ears drooped in her sorrow. “Few weeks,” she answered, her throat became itchy as she felt the blood returning to her sinuses, her eyes once more becoming wet. They sat in silence once more as she felt him weighing his next words carefully.

“Anyone else know?” He finally asked, she shook her head in response, her voice stolen by her returning tears. “Not even your friends?”

“No!” Applejack nearly shouted as she jumped back to her hooves before she cringed at the volume of her voice. “No,” she said once more, and plopped back to the ground before she turned her head to avoid his eyes, “that'd only make things worse.”

She could feel him once more carefully picking over his words while he sat there and watched as she sniffed away her tears and chewed on her bottom lip. She looked up as she heard the rocking chair creek.

Big McIntosh stood up out of the chair, his massive body towering over the wilted Applejack. “Know what I think?” He asked, looking down at her.

“What's that?” Applejack asked, her voice wavered as she spoke.

Her big brother reached a hoof back to scoop up the tear stained pillow case before holding it before her. “I think this is a whole lot bigger than a season of apple bucking.” Applejack's eyes widened at the implication of his statement. Somehow, without her even saying, he understood.

She stood and threw her forelegs around his thick neck and he responded by dropping the pillow case to wrap is own foreleg around her. They stood like that for a long while, with Applejack releasing her sorrow and frustration as tears into Big McIntosh's red coat. He stood there patiently, rubbing his hoof up and down her back, soothingly.

“Which one is it?” he asked at long last. She stilled in his arm before finally wiping her face along his shoulder one last time. He cringed at the treatment, but shrugged it off easily.

“Too smart for your own good,” Applejack stated fondly with a hiccup. She drew one of her forelegs across her face to dry up the last of her tears. “It's Twi. It's always been Twi.” McIntosh nodded once in response.

“That don't bother you none?” Applejack asked, scared at finally letting someone know her secret. He snorted in amusement.

“Ain't like you're the last Apple,” he reasoned, before bumping his forehead to hers, she smiled at the contact. “Ain't like it's anyone's business but yours.” Suddenly, the loneliness she had experienced when she woke up seemed farther away than it ever had.

“Should talk to your friends,” he once more offered before turning to the door. She nodded, though she knew he couldn't see it.

“I know,” she said softly, “you go ahead and take a bath. I'll get to work on breakfast.”

“Eyup,” Big McIntosh said as he entered the house.

Applejack placed the last plate onto the drying rack, and turned to head to the bathroom, to prepare for her chores. She paused, however, when she saw Big McIntosh standing in the entryway of the kitchen.

“Hey, Big Mac,” she said, “you go on ahead, I'll meet you out in the fields in a little bit.”

McIntosh smiled and shook his head. “Nope,” was his simple reply. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “You been workin' yourself into the ground, sis,” he explained. “You've done enough to get some time off. Probably more'n a few days, but I know that won't be happening.”

“You're darn right it won't,” she bit back, flatly.

“But you will be taking today off,” he said sternly. She opened her mouth to argue before closing it with a click of her teeth.

“Fine,” she relented, “but only one day. This farm ain't gonna run right with just one pony.” She smiled before tossing in one final jab. “It just don't add up.” Her brother snorted in amusement before turning and leaving.

Applejack made her way to the bathroom, sparing a glance out the open front door to Granny, who was already sitting in her rocking chair, with a cool pitcher and glass of apple juice next to a small cooler filled with ice.

She couldn't help but think back to her dream, especially the Granny Smith of that dream. She was getting on in years, even more than she was at the moment, and had been napping more. This Granny Smith, at least, was perhaps the only thing better than in the dream.

Applejack entered the bathroom and turned the handle of the faucet over the tub, and waited while the water warmed up. Once it was piping hot, as was her preference, she pushed the stopper over the drain and pushed it into place.

She turned to the mirror and took a good look at herself. After her little heart to heart with Big McIntosh earlier, she felt as if she had woken up, truly woken up for the first time in a long while. She looked at the bags under her eyes and pulled a face. She wasn't one to normally worry about her appearance, but it was easy to tell that she hadn't slept well in a long time.

She turned the tap off as the bathtub filled sufficiently before she lowered herself into the steaming hot water. It stung a bit, but the heat penetrated deep into her sore joints and muscles. She was startled at just how sore she had been, she hadn't realized just how much she was putting her body through as she worked extra hours with hardly any sleep at all. As the stress melted slowly away, she let her mind drift from one point to another, before settling on Big McIntosh's earlier words.

Should talk to your friends. His voice echoed in the back of her mind. She knew he was right, he usually was, the big galoot. That did nothing to dispel the hesitation, or the intangible fear that all of her years of friendship would be stomped on should any one of them know her secret.

But he had accepted it. He, Big McIntosh, perhaps one of the most stereotypical Apple family farm ponies ever, had accepted her. Ain't like you're the last Apple. Ain't like it's anyone business but yours. It was a no nonsense approach, an Apple approach. He was an Apple to the core, after all. She had no idea how she could have expected anything less from him.

“Talk to my friends, huh?” Applejack said to the empty room, before she sank deeper into the steaming water of her bath. She considered it for a while, as she idly blew air out her nose, and watched the resulting bubbles gurgle merrily on the surface of the water.

Rarity would likely be the most accepting, she thought. It was a stereotype, but the fashionable types lent themselves to be more accepting of homosexuality. Her quick friendship to Steven, who was quite fabulous, seemed to reinforce that. Applejack then struck her forehead with a hoof. There was no way to know Steven's tendencies, and it was unfair to use him as a measuring stick.

She knew the rumors flying around about Rainbow Dash, but that's as far as her knowledge on the athletic weather pony extended. She certainly had a more than healthy obsession with the Wonder Bolts and their captain, Spitfire.

Pinkie Pie was easy enough, Applejack mused. She liked everypony, with no exceptions. Whether or not she accepted a pony's quirks wouldn't stop her from being the best friend she could be. It also wouldn't stop her from trying to make you smile.

Fluttershy might be more difficult, however. She certainly remembered more than a few of her relatives saying at one time or another that it wasn't natural. How would Fluttershy react if she found it wrong? Would she scold Applejack, or would she run off and cut off contact? Applejack couldn't know, and she felt her gut twist a bit at the thought. Maybe she would leave off telling Fluttershy to the end.

Well, maybe not to the very end. Applejack let that thought run through her mind as she sank deeper into the water, and leaned her head back. With her muzzle just peeking out of the water, she took in a careful breath and opened her eyes. She sat like that for a long while, and stared at the ceiling of the bathroom.

Every minute movement caused ripples to spread out across the water's surface and served to distort the image of the ceiling. The sight was mesmerizing, and it was something Applejack enjoyed doing ever since she was a smaller filly than her little sister, Applebloom.

The first pony she wanted to talk to was Twilight, but she knew that wouldn't happen. Twilight would accept her for who she was, no questions asked. She was an academic and a scientist, she always made her judgments on a case by case basis. But if Twilight knew that, then she would know about her feelings in short order.

Applejack knew she couldn't lie to save her life. However, even if she was unconvincing most of the time, she could deter other ponies from pursuing the truth from time to time. Like when she told Pinkie Pie that they were repairing one of the barns on the farm instead of planning her surprise party. Pinkie was still suspicious, but she let it drop.

Twilight wouldn't be able to let it drop, though. It was part of what drew Applejack to the lavender mare. Her drive and dedication, and her unwillingness to leave a job half done made Twilight the bedrock of their little group of friends, and they were traits that Applejack aspired to.

Applejack sat back up, and reached out to take a bottle of soap into her mouth. She carefully tipped the bottle over, letting just enough of the unscented liquid fall into the water before she placed it back on its ledge. Once she was certain the bottle wasn't going to slip from the edge into the water, she set about methodically lathering up her coat and mane. It was an action so well practiced that her mind once again began to wander.

In her mind's eye, she could see the day she had met Twilight Sparkle. She had been very excited, as the Summer Sun Celebration had managed to bring in a lot of Apple family members from all over Equestria to help with preparing the food. It had been a sort of impromptu family reunion that sent her into a giddy euphoria.

Apple Fritter, one of her favorite cousins, and one she hadn't seen since she was a little school filly, had bet she couldn't knock all of the apples out of a tree with a single buck. She had wasted no time, and let out one of her characteristic Ye-Haws and charged a nearby tree surrounded by baskets.

With a solid kick, she had managed to knock the apples from the tree, and turned around to smile smugly at her cousin, only to get an eyeful of a pretty little mare she had never seen before. Still running high from the excitement, she foalishly greeted Twilight over enthusiastically.

She groaned to herself, as she always did, when she thought about how pushy she had been. It worked out in the end. They managed to rescue Luna from her fate as Nightmare Moon and Applejack managed to make her already close group of friends even closer with Twilight's help.

Not only that, she had become one of Twilight's best friends on account of her being the Element of Honesty. She had long since resigned herself to the idea of growing old alone, and being Twilight's friend was good enough for her.

Well, had been, at any rate. A few weeks prior they had returned the Elements to the Tree of Harmony. Suddenly she no longer had that connection to Twilight, and just being her friend didn't guarantee Twilight's presence in her life anymore. That's when the dreams started in earnest.

She had had them before, but they had been few and far between. She enjoyed them, they were a secret desire that she could enjoy as she maintained the status quo. However, with the unifying presence of the Elements gone, the realization had sunk in that at any time, Twilight could leave, and she wouldn't have any reason to be able to leave with her.

What had once been an occasional and uplifting event had suddenly become a taunt. It was her brain tormenting her with a fancy that she was certain would never be realized. And every night she had woken alone in her bed, all she could feel was the crushing weight of a future alone.

Unlike most dreams, the ones that had been haunting her nightly since the return of the Elements to the Tree had been frighteningly vivid. And the one she just had was the most soul crushingly cruel of the lot. Twilight had been with foal. Foals, she corrected herself, and somehow they had been hers. Is that even possible? She wondered. It didn't really matter, though, if it were possible or not, because the basis of the dream was something that she had convinced herself was something that could never be.

While she had been an Element, even when Twilight became a princess, she had a reason to be by her side. Without that, what was she? She was a farm pony, plain and simple. She sighed, and pulled the plug from the drain once she finished lathering up and turned the spigot for the shower head on.

The cool water shook her fully from her thoughts. And she turned a few times in the large tube to rinse all the suds from her coat before she closed the valve. She let the water run from her coat a bit before she reached out to take a towel and get ready for her surprise day off.

After taking her time getting ready and a taking leisurely stroll through the orchards, Applejack found herself aimlessly meandering the streets of Ponyville. It wasn't very often that she took a day off, or was forced to, in this case, so she had little in mind when she donned her saddlebags and moseyed into town.

The day was nice, a cool breeze was blowing though town, and there was little in the way of humidity. Add in the fact that the shade of her hat kept the bright noon sun from her eyes and it became an idyllic summer day.

The streets were not very crowded, though she expected that would be normal for the middle of a weekday. She had come across several acquaintances and made idle chatter with them. The talk consisted mostly of her explaining that she had a day off, or talking about the nice weather, before the ponies she was talking to had to get back to their day to day business.

It didn't bother her, if she were in their place, she'd likely behave the same way. Polite greeting, send the pony on their way, and back to work. She really only spared more of her time for her friends, though some she allowed more than others.

She was in the middle of deciding what do do for lunch as she wandered the town when she saw her. It was hard not to, her particular shade of lavender always seemed to draw the farm pony's eye. Through one of the windows of the Hay Burger, Applejack saw Twilight Sparkle.

She was sitting alone, staring down at a pile of hay fries, with a frown on her face. She idly twirled one of the crisp snacks through a small puddle of their cherry sauce. A frowning Twilight with a sweet tooth was a certain sign that something was wrong.

A twist in her gut told her it was a bad idea to be alone with Twilight, in light of the fact that she was supposed to talk to her friends about her own troubles, especially when those troubles centered on the very lavender mare she was currently staring at. However, she could hardly call herself the most dependable of ponies if she let that come between her and a friend in need.

With determination, Applejack entered the establishment and moved to the front counter. She kept an eye on Twilight, and kept her voice relatively low to avoid grabbing the Alicorn's attention as she ordered. Once her food was paid for and in hand, she moved quickly over to the small table that Twilight sat at, and placed the tray opposite her friend.

“This seat taken?” Applejack asked as she slid atop the stool, already knowing the answer. Twilight looked up quickly, alarmed at her own lack of awareness. She smiled briefly when she realized that it was Applejack asking the question.

“Not at all,” Twilight said, finally picking up the hay fry she had been twirling in the deep red sauce for the last several minutes and tossing it in her mouth. “What brings you here? I thought you'd be busy on the farm today.”

Applejack took a big bite of her hay burger. “I woulda been,” she explained around her mouthful of food, “but Big McIntosh said I'd been workin' too hard these past few weeks.” She swallowed and snorted. “Probably woulda kicked me off the farm for the day if I didn't agree to take the day off.” Twilight giggled at that, Applejack responded by sticking her tongue out at her friend.

“Came in here, though.” Applejack continued, “on account of seeing a pretty little mare worrying about something.” Twilight's cheeks pinked at the compliment, though she settled back into a frown. “What's botherin' you, sugar cube?”

“That obvious, huh?” Twilight asked, to which Applejack nodded. Twilight sat in silence for a moment, twirling another fry through her cherry sauce. “It's this whole being a princess thing,” she started, “turns out, you can't just get away from it.”

Applejack cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?” She asked, she wasn't certain what there was about being a princess that was troubling Twilight.

“The nobility in Canterlot,” Twilight said, “they're pushing the Princesses to assign me a security detail,” she scoffed and rolled her eyes, “like there's oh so much danger in Ponyville.” Applejack just gave her a flat stare.

“We sorta live right next to the Everfree,” Applejack countered, Twilight rolled her eyes again, but nodded.

“I know,” she relented, “but with ponies like you around, it's less of a risk and more of an inconvenience.” With a glow of her horn, she lifted a letter from her saddlebag. She waved the letter around, but didn't unroll it. “I've been talking with Princess Celestia, and she's stalled the nobles for as long as she can. They've worked out an agreement, but it's still not ideal, as far as I'm concerned. They want to assign me a knight protector, one of the members of nobility in military service.”

“That's not even the worst part, though,” Twilight continued, Applejack raised an inquisitive eyebrow. The lavender mare levitated several more letters from her saddlebag and passed them to Applejack. Applejack unrolled one of the letters and began to read.

“Dear Princess Twilight,” she read aloud, “I am pleased to see your rise to princess-hood, blah blah blah, in order to strengthen the royal line, yada— marriage proposal!?” Applejack dropped the letter in shock and looked up at Twilight.

“Seems my brother set a precedent,” Twilight explained, “I've done a bit of research and it seems that his and Cadence's wedding was the first marriage of an Alicorn princess in recorded history.” She let out a heavy sigh. “It would have been a non-issue, since the only other Alicorns other than Cadence were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and they're much too... venerable to approach in such a manner. Or that used to be the case,” she spread her wings for emphasis, “until now.” Applejack felt a lump in her throat at the thought.

“I,” Applejack began, only to falter as she felt the tears once again threaten to return, “I wish I could help you with that.”

“I wish you could, too,” she agreed morosely before her ears perked up. “You could. You know what, Applejack? I think you could help me!” That statement certainly derailed Applejack's emotional fall.

“What do y'all mean?” She asked, heart hammering hard in her chest. Twilight smiled at her wide eyed friend.

“Not the marriage thing, of course,” Twilight elucidated with a waved hoof, “I wouldn't want to trap you into something like that with me.” Applejack nodded numbly, a little put out, but touched that Twilight's given reason was that it would trap her, not Twilight. She would take what she could get. “I need a knight, but they haven't decided on who. I certainly don't want to intrude on Ponyville by bringing a military presence, but even more than that, I don't want to leave Ponyville, either.” She happily scooped hay fry after hay fry through her cherry sauce, and tossed them back in her excitement.

“Your efforts, and the others',” Twilight amended, though more as an afterthought, “has more than warranted ennoblement. That would certainly make you qualify for the position of my protector. Not that I would drag you away from your farm work, but the other nobles wouldn't have to know that. I couldn't think of a more capable pony to be my knight, could you?”

Twilight had started to ramble in her excitement, but the enthusiasm quickly spread to Applejack. The horrible clenching on her heart that started the moment her Element was set back in its proper place in the Tree of Harmony had eased greatly. This was a new link, a new way to continue to be associated with the beautiful mare across from her. She began to nod so hard, she was surprised her head didn't wobble right off her neck.

“Of course not,” Applejack answered, nearly tripping over her words in their shared excitement, “I'm the loyalist of friends and most dependable of ponies, you couldn't ask for anypony better.” Twilight sighed in relief.

“Thanks, Applejack,” Twilight said, “you have no idea how much this means to me. The proposals can be put off indefinitely, but the knight thing was pretty urgent.” She took a bite of her own hay burger and levitated the letters back into her saddlebag. “So, are you going to tell me what's been bothering you?” Applejack nearly choked on her soda.

“What makes you think something's been bothering me?” Applejack managed to ask between sputtering coughs. Twilight giggled at her friend's predicament, the sound was music to Applejack's ears.

“Oh, please,” Twilight scoffed, “you work hard, but you definitely learned your lesson way back when you tried to buck all of Sweet Apple Acres all on your own.” Applejack's cheeks darkened at the memory.

“I,” Applejack began, though she had to pause and organize her thoughts. “It's hard to talk about, sugar cube.” Twilight nodded in commiseration. “I ain't been sleepin' real well.” She explained to her studious friend.

“Nightmares?” Twilight asked, Applejack shook her head.

“Not exactly,” Applejack clarified, “They're good dreams, I think.” Twilight looked confused.

“Isn't that a good thing, then?” She asked. Applejack looked down at the table, her expression a mix of pain and longing.

“While they're happening, yeah,” she offered. “I ain't never been as happy as when I'm in those dreams. Problem is, I wake up.”

“And then you can't get back to sleep?” Twilight asked, her voice soft, and sad for her friend. Applejack smiled sadly at her empathy.

“Not even a wink,” she said. “Been working extra hard 'round the farm, too. Trying to keep my mind off it.” Twilight reached a hoof across the table and gently stroked Applejack's.

“I'm so sorry,” Twilight said, “can you tell me what they are about?” Applejack met her friend's eyes and her ears fell flat against her head. She held Twilight's gaze for a long time, and judged carefully her words.

“I,” Applejack stopped, and felt foalish at how difficult it was for her to speak. “Is it possible for two mares to have foals?” She asked quickly and as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she felt like kicking herself. Coward, she accused herself in her mind, can't even tell the truth. She could barely bring herself to keep eye contact with Twilight.

“Hmm,” Twilight hummed, her eyes going to the ceiling as she thought. “It might be possible, though I haven't heard of it actually happening.” Applejack tilted her head in confusion.

“If you ain't heard of it before, then what makes you think it's possible?” She asked. Twilight giggled once more, sending secret shivers down Applejack's spine.

“Applejack,” Twilight said, “I was able to give a reptile a mustache and turn a few rocks into a top hat when I was a unicorn.” She wiggled her wings for emphasis. “I'm certain with the right research and effort it should be possible, but what does that have to do with—” Her eyes widened when she made the connection.

“Applejack,” she began, “are you—” Applejack pressed a hoof to Twilight's mouth to hush her and nodded, her face burning in embarrassment and shame. It took a moment, but Twilight seemed to settle down, and she gave a sheepish smile when Applejack finally removed her hoof from her lips.

“Sorry,” she apologized, “I shouldn't have done that.” Applejack looked around the restaurant, thankfully it seemed that nopony was really paying much attention to them. “Can you tell me who it is?” Applejack's ears drooped, and she looked away.

“I really want to,” Applejack said, “but maybe this is enough for now. Just having somepony else know, it's more than I hoped for.” Twilight nodded in acceptance, and reached across the table once more, taking one of Applejack's hooves in her own.

“I understand,” she said, “but if you ever need anything, if there's some way I can help, or if you just need somepony to talk to, you know that I'd do anything for you.” Applejack smiled with genuine appreciation.

“Thanks, sugar cube,” Applejack said, “I promise, just as soon as I'm ready, you'll be the first pony I tell.” They sat like that for a while, hooves grasped and basking in the friendship they shared.

“Do you think you could get the next few days off?” Twilight asked, finally breaking their companionable silence. Applejack smiled and nodded.

“I reckon I could,” she answered, “Big Mac told me I earned more'n a few, though he only made me take just this one off.” Twilight smiled in response.

“Thanks,” she said, “I'll send a letter ahead to Princess Celestia, we need to take care of my problem quickly, before something drastic happens. Do you think you could meet me in a couple hours at the train station?” Applejack thought for a moment.

“Suppose I could,” she offered, “just need to swing by the farm and let the family know. How long should I pack for?”

“Not more than a few days, I expect,” Twilight said. “If it needs to be longer, then I'll think of something.” Applejack nodded, and the two of them stood and took care of their waste before heading to the door. “Applejack?” Twilight asked as they exited the restaurant.

“What's up, sugar cube?”

“Thanks for being there for me.” Applejack smiled at Twilight's appreciation.

“Not at all, sugar cube. Thank you for listening.”