Twilight woke cold and damp, suddenly bolt upright as she took deep, gasping breaths. She wiped her brow with a hoof and rolled out of bed onto unsteady hooves, taking far longer than was usual to find her balance. She took a deep breath and forced herself to start walking down the stairs, first to the main library and then to the cellar door. Pushing it open with a hoof and igniting her horn to a soft glow, she walked into her cellar- her laboratory- and down the stairs there, to see her work laid out in front of her.
Over one hundred and fifty cylinders were laid out on the bench in front of her, each an innocuous little ceramic shell containing coiled wire and unicorn hair inside around a flawless diamond core. The hair was all Twilight’s own, the wire was a copper-aluminium alloy of her own design and the diamonds were the perfect crystal control matrix for the energy they contained, according to Twilight’s painstakingly-constructed equations. She hadn’t been wrong- by her own conservative estimates, she’d charged each of the terracotta devices with enough power to run an intensive care ward for a year, or to run a full passenger train from Ponyville to Canterlot and back with juice to spare.
Twilight picked one up at random off the bench, and dropped it on the floor. It was such a little thing, she thought. It was peculiar to think that it could have done her so much damage. She raised a hoof over it and held it there for a second or two. Luna wouldn’t lie to her, she trusted the princess that much. This was a dangerous thing she’d been doing.
But it didn’t feel dangerous.
Twilight put her hoof back on the ground and thought back over the last couple of days. It was undeniable that when she’d been under the influence of the elixirs, she’d felt things more strongly than she had in years, but could this really be why? This little thing? Twilight put the device back in its proper place on the bench, and looked over her work. If she destroyed them, what could she use her research for? The storing of energy was going to open so many doors for Equestria, for science and technology, she knew it.
Science, thought Twilight. That’s actually a really simple way of dealing with this. Twilight levitated up a device that looked no different from the ones around it- this one was half-charged, maybe a little less. Certainly not full to capacity and not too much work to replace if Luna’s theories were wrong.
Twilight levitated the device in front of her, working out the best way to break it. The diamond was unbreakable, so that was out. The ceramic coating was just so she could handle it safely without shifting the wire or hair. The hair would probably be the easiest thing to remove- Twilight concentrated, seizing the hair inside the device, and yanked it out through the contacts at the top.
Nothing happened. Satisfied, Twilight put the device back on the bench, promising herself to repair it tomorrow, and started walking back up the stairs. As she started to leave, she felt her breathing change, suddenly becoming ragged and tense, and before she knew it she could feel tears falling down her cheeks, feeling frustrated and abandoned. What had brought this on? the last time she’d felt like this was-
She’d written to the Princess for advice. She knew she was becoming distant from her friends, she could feel it, and she’d written a long, rambling letter about her friends and Spike, and how to rekindle what felt like a fading friendship. She’d asked the Princess to write back as soon as possible. Whenever she’d done that in the past, it had been followed within an hour or two by either a visit from the Princess or the advice she needed, and this time, she’d waited a whole day and a half for a reply, and when it had arrived it was only a sentence.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I have every faith that you’ll solve your problems with your friends.
Yours,
Princess Celestia
Twilight remembered how frustrated she’d been. How had she forgotten? She’d been so irritated she’d come down to do some late-night research to calm down and she’d partially charged one of the devices, and-
Oh.
Suddenly, that frustration wasn’t all that she was feeling. Twilight was all at once angry and sad and joyous, irritated and amused and lonesome for her lover. It didn’t wash over her; it washed through her, battering the sides of her mind and scouring her thoughts clean as memories bubbled up to the surface of her consciousness. After a time hard to measure Twilight picked herself up, her breathing raw and her chest heaving, back to herself again after the torrent of emotion.
This couldn’t be, Twilight thought, looking at the desk in front of her. One hundred and sixty-four little prisons for her feelings, where she’d broken what had happened away from what it meant and locked that meaning away. Twilight looked at them, and thought about how it felt to open one of them and have all that feeling rush back. She was exhausted from it, her face damp with unbidden tears, and that one wasn’t even full. She couldn’t do it a hundred and sixty-four times. She just couldn’t.
But she could do it once.
Yanking a hair from her mane, Twilight concentrated on it, feeling its essence, and found its sisters within each of the devices in front of her. One hundred and sixty-four little magenta auras appeared on the desk, one around each of the devices. Twilight took a breath and steadied herself. This would be worth it. This would be worth it. Do it. Come on, Twilight, just do it.
Wincing, she pulled at the hairs all at once, stringing them through the conduits. In less than three seconds, all the devices were destroyed, the stored magic- the stored feelings, the colour of her memories- free and charging back towards her. Twilight winced and waited for the emotional wave to hit.
She had time to open her eyes and breathe a too-early sigh of relief before it did.
-------------------
Fluttershy and Applejack both woke all at once to an peculiar sound, a great tearing noise in the front yard. The noise put Fluttershy in mind of her wedding, when she’d managed to rip her dress on one of the rocks outside the barn and Rarity had put a stop to the whole thing for half an hour to fix it, while Big Mac and Twilight stepped in to pacify the crowd with liberal quantities of cider and an impromptu magic demonstration respectively. The sound was so specific, thought Fluttershy. She’d never forget it. She thought for a moment she’d dreamed it, but her wife was already out of bed and looking out of the window.
“Aw, for Celestia’s sake- it’s Twilight! She’s teleported herself or something. You stay in bed, Ah’ll get her moving again,” said Applejack in a tired voice. Ordinarily, Fluttershy would be more than happy to let Applejack deal with a three-in-the-morning problem, but this didn’t feel right. That noise was so personal.
Outside, there was a great shrieking wail. Fluttershy was to her hooves and out of her bedroom before she realised she was doing it, suddenly fully awake. That was an animal noise, a pony in real pain. Fluttershy didn’t know why Twilight was here and right now it didn’t matter, because the unicorn was hurting. I can be mad at Twilight when she’s all better, Flutttershy thought to herself, and as she left the house she could hear Big Mac and Applejack behind her.
She couldn’t have prepared for what was waiting for her in the yard. Twilight was suspended in midair, surrounded by a great magenta glow, her eyes wide and white as she convulsed. Fluttershy had never seen such a display of raw magical power from a single unicorn and as Big Mac and Applejack exited the house behind her she felt the familiar urge to hide behind them, to let them take care of it.
That urge fled the moment she saw Spike exit the forge on the other side of the yard, sweat running down his brow as he hefted his hammer onto his shoulders. Fluttershy felt as though somepony had slid an ice cube down her spine, and a quick glance at Applejack and Big Mac told her that she was the only pony who had noticed Spike, or the fact that Twilight had seen him too.
“Applejack, I need you to get Macintosh back inside now please,” said Fluttershy firmly, catching her wife’s eyes for a moment. Applejack for her part picked up the tone, and turned to firmly push Big Mac inside. The big stallion didn’t seem to want to budge, though.
“You heard Fluttershy, you big lummox. Get inside!” Applejack growled at her big brother.
“B-but T-Twilight-” he stammered back, clearly distressed.
“Fluttershy’s going to handle it, aren’t you Fluttershy?” Applejack said in the same tone of voice, and Fluttershy turned to look at Big Mac for a moment.
“Yes,” said Fluttershy simply, and she could see the fight drain out of her brother in law. “Please, Macintosh, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be out here. I can handle this. Let Applejack take you inside, okay?”
Applejack shoved her brother back inside, clearing the yard of everypony except Fluttershy, Spike, and the twitching Twilight suspended in the air between them.
"Twilight?" Fluttershy asked clearly, pulling the Unicorn's attention to her. "Twilight, what's happened?"
"I don't- Aaa! Ah! Fluttershy, I can't find him! I need Spike! I can't, I can't, I-" Twilight gibbered as an arc of energy flared from her towards the fence, setting one of the posts ablaze. Fluttershy could see that Spike was looking to her to know what to do, desperate to help.
"Twilight, Spike's asleep in the forge," said Fluttershy, with a meaningful glance at the dragon. Spike got the hint and backed slowly into the forge, crouching behind an anvil. Fluttershy could still see the reflection in his eyes, round and worried.
"You don't want to wake him up, do you? That's not why you came here," said Fluttershy, slowly walking towards Twilight. Her voice was clear and soothing, the same tone she would use to deal with a wounded predator. The last thing anypony needed was Twilight lashing out.
"No, not wake hiiiim-" Twilight's voice stretched out the last syllable and warped into a low, hurt moan. "I've gone so wrong, I don't- I can't control it! Fluttershy, don't come any closer! I don't want to hurt you!" Another bolt of magic connected to the weathervane on to of the house, and Fluttershy heard it slide down the roof and crash into the yard behind her.
"I know you don't," said the pegasus, still advancing, still keeping the same calm tone in her voice. "You're not going to. If you can't control your magic then you can flare it away like fireworks, and that's okay. I know you're not going to hurt me when you do it."
Fluttershy advanced closer to the panicked unicorn, feeling the strange heat of magic on her face, ruffling her mane and feathers. Her heartbeat was steady and fast. As she got closer, Twilight looked directly at her with blank, shining eyes and willed her hooves back on the ground. The aura around Twilight contracted, moving away from Fluttershy, and the pegasus could feel the heat on her face start to fade away. Twilight's horn was glowing so brightly Fluttershy couldn't look directly at it.
"I mean it, Fluttershy, back off! This is dangerous! I could hurt you if I can't control this!" Twilight shouted, and her voice was more controlled than it had been a moment ago. Fluttershy felt herself breathe an inner sigh of relief.
"You'll hurt yourself trying to control it, Twilight. Just let it go, okay?" Fluttershy said, walking still closer as Twilight shrank away from her. An arc of magic crackled right past Fluttershy's ear, and it took every bit of control she had not to flinch away from it.
"I didn't realise. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to." Twilight whispered, and Fluttershy realised that the unicorn was crying, sparking tears burning trails through her lavender hair. Fluttershy looked straight into the empty white pits of Twilight's eyes, and smiled.
"Twilight, it's okay. Now just let it go."
Twilight reared, threw her head back and wailed, light pouring from her eyes and mouth into the open sky. For a moment, the farm was lit noon-bright, and as soon as it darkened again Twilight slumped forwards, caught into a hug by Fluttershy, sobbing and burbling nonsense words into the pegasus' shoulder. Fluttershy made soothing noises, stroking Twilight's mane and keeping a wing around her as she put the unicorn back on her feet.
Fluttershy looked back towards the house to see that Big Mac, Spike, Applebloom and Applejack were all standing in the yard. Spike lifted the weathervane and whistled softly, inspecting where it had been flash-melted away from its base. Fluttershy nodded to Applejack, who exchanged a brief word with the others and trotted over to talk.
"You alright, sugar? That was some light show," said Applejack, clearly concerned.
"I'm fine. Maybe a little singed, but that's all. Twilight's going to need to rest for a little while, so I need you to get three blankets and the blue pillow and put them in the living room. Spike and Applebloom should check for any fires and put them out and if Big Mac could warm up some of the soup we had for dinner and get her an apple brandy I'd be very grateful," said Fluttershy quickly and precisely, still rubbing Twilight's back with a wing.
"Whatever you say. She can't go back to the library tonight?" Applejack asked, ready to trot away and hand out instructions.
"I'd feel better if I kept an eye on her here. You understand, right?" Fluttershy asked, suddenly worried.
"Course Ah do. She ain't the first stray you've brought home," Applejack answered with an indulgent smile, and started back towards the family, handing out instructions. Applebloom had a pretty easy time tearing Spike away, since the fires were an immediate concern, but Applejack almost had to push Big Mac back inside again. He didn't seem to want to let Twilight out of his sight.
Fluttershy helped Twilight inside as the farm buzzed to life around her, a couple of hours earlier than usual. The unicorn didn't seem to really know where she was, alternating between sobbing and apologising, and it wasn't until Fluttershy had sat her down with a bowl of soup and a restorative brandy that she came back to her senses. After a drink, her sobbing stopped, and she started to eat the soup. Fluttershy stood behind her, brushing her hair and humming a tune, trying to make the environment as soothing as possible. She'd asked Applejack to keep Spike and Big Mac from coming in, and neither of them seemed to be able to do anything other than sit at the kitchen table and wait. Fluttershy hummed, and brushed Twilight's mane while she ate, and waited for Twilight to say something coherent.
After she finished the soup, Twilight carefully put the bowl down, and whispered something without turning to face Fluttershy. Fluttershy put down the brush and started to rub Twilight's shoulders, attempting to push some relaxation into the tired, tight muscles.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you, Twilight. Could you say that again?" Fluttershy asked, as gently as possible.
"I said thank you." Twilight's voice was small and raw.
"You're very welcome. I knew you wouldn't hurt me."
"I didn't mean about that. Well, that too, but I mean thank you for not letting me see Spike straight away. He might have gotten hurt. And for the care packages. And for looking after him while I've been so awful to everypony."
"You've been busy with your research," said Fluttershy, but it sounded hollow even to her. Twilight had neglected Spike badly, and it was good that she knew it, but it was hard to know what to say.
"Don't I know it," muttered Twilight to herself. "Fluttershy, I think I need your help. I hurt myself with my research. It's why I've been so far away. I think I'm okay, now, but I need to know a few things so I can work out what to do to make it right. If I can make it right. Can you help bring me up to speed?"
"Sure, that's okay," Fluttershy said, pressing out the knots in Twilight's neck. "What do you need to know?"
"Is Spike happy here?" Twilight asked, bluntly, and Fluttershy thought for a moment before answering.
"No," she said quietly. "He's got a lot to do and we appreciate his help. He's happier here than he would be waiting around the library with you ignoring him all the time. But I don't think he's truly happy."
"Oh," Twilight said softly. "Does he mention me?"
"A lot. We've been hearing all about your research. It does sound like you're working very hard."
"I have been," Twilight said, but it wasn't defensive. There was a tone of resignation in her voice. "What about Big Mac? And Applejack? How do they feel about me?"
"You know how Big Macintosh feels about you," Fluttershy said softly. "He hasn't changed his mind for years, even if he doesn't really understand you any more. Applejack's angry at you on Spike's behalf, for leaving him to deal with things on his own, and she's angry at you for me too. She understands what it is to have to work hard and she appreciates that your work needs solitude, though. She misses you, I think."
"What about- What do you think about me?" Twilight asked, and Fluttershy could hear the fear in her voice. She stepped around in front of Twilight, sat down and took a deep breath before replying.
"I think you worked too hard. I think you forgot what was important. I think you were cruel to Spike, and to me, even if you didn't mean to be. I can forgive you for me but I worry about you hurting Spike in the future. Rarity does too." Fluttershy took another breath before continuing, seeing Twilight on the verge of tears again.
"I'm worried about you, Twilight. You were really scary out there. What happened tonight?" she asked.
"I destroyed all the things that were making me sick. I didn't know they were making me sick until just now. All the magic came out at once and I didn't want to burn down the library so I tried to control it and then I wanted to see Spike or Macintosh, I didn't know which, and then I was here and you talked me down.
"I think I'm better now. I really do, and I think I need to start apologising, and I think I've worked out where I have to start. Listen, Spike's nearly grown, but he still needs parenting. I'm going to get my head back in the game there but I still don't think I can do it alone. I don't know him as well as I should. I was thinking that maybe, if it's okay with him, you would want to formally adopt him. With me, alongside me, I mean. I know you love him. I know you look out for him so much more than I do but I can't just hand him over and say he's yours, I love him so much, I swear I didn't mean to-"
Twilight started sobbing again as Fluttershy swept her up into an enormous hug, shushing her gently and holding her tight, letting her cry until she sniffled to a stop. She was back again, Fluttershy thought to herself. She wouldn't abandon Spike but she wasn't pretending she could do it on her own. Her solution had been carefully thought through, and she was trying to make sure everypony was where they wanted to be. That was just like Twilight used to be, Fluttershy thought happily. She gently rocked the mare in her forelegs and felt herself let go of a tension she'd been made to hold for far too long.
Unseen by either of them, a third white star flared back to brightness in Twilight's cutie mark.
"I got your mane all wet," Twilight said apologetically as she finally pulled out of the hug, wiping her nose and sitting down heavily on the sofa. "I've got so much to do today," she said to herself.
"The first thing you've got to do is get some rest," said Fluttershy, and a quick look silenced Twilight's reply. "I'll wake you at nine, Twilight, don't worry."
Fluttershy pulled a blanket around Twilight as the unicorn lay down, and she fell asleep almost instantly. Fluttershy smiled at her old friend, and silently left the room, latching the door as quietly as possible.
"Up you get, Twilight. It's eight. We've got ourselves a busy day."
The voice slowly permeated Twilight's mind and as she cracked her eyes open she identified the speaker before she remembered where she was.
"Applejack? What are you doing at the library?" she asked blearily, rubbing at her eyes as she rolled to her hooves. The pony in front of her didn't change her carefully neutral expression, or break eye contact. When she spoke, her voice was carefully, consistently level.
"Ah ain't at the library. You're at the farm. Eat your breakfast-" Applejack nudged the table next to her, which had an apple and a glass of water on it- "and Ah'll expect you in the yard in five minutes, so don't be dallying."
Applejack turned and walked out of the door without another word. Twilight stood and tried to eat the apple, but she couldn't find the appetite. She'd been hoping, she admitted to herself, to put off this particular conversation until last. After she'd had a chance to speak to Rarity and Big Mac at the party, perhaps. Twilight drank her water, took a last, half-hearted bite out of the apple, and went to the yard.
Applejack was sweeping up, and seemed a little suprised to see Twilight.
"You're on time," she said bluntly. "Didn't expect that. Now, Ah want a word with you but Ah want to be on the move while Ah have it. Helps me think. Shake a leg, we're walking into town the long way."
Applejack set off at a trot, not looking to see if Twilight was following. Taking a deep breath, Twilight followed after her on shaky legs. Applejack turned to talk to her almost as soon as she'd caught up.
"Don't worry, Ah'm not gonna push you too hard. Fluttershy said you'd be all wiped out after last night. Ah expect she's right?"
Twilight nodded. She felt exhausted.
"You know Ah had a bunch of stuff Ah was gonna yell at you and you've gone and ruined more than half of it," said Applejack with a peeved expression. "Fluttershy says Ah ain't to shout about her because you two're most of the way to made up again and she don't want me rockin' the boat. Ah was gonna shout about you not caring properly for Spike but with what you're offering, sharing custody with Fluttershy and all? Ah guess you do care more than you've been letting on. And even that was some magic sickness thing Ah don't quite understand, so Ah can't even be angry at you about that!"
As she'd been speaking, Applejack had unconsciously sped up to a canter, and she slowed down again to let Twilight catch her breath.
"The point is, Twilight, Ah'm still powerful mad at you but Ah don't have that many good reasons any more," admitted Applejack.
"If there aren't any good reasons, maybe that's a good thing?" Twilight asked cautiously. "I'm not asking to be best friends straight away again. I know I let you down even though I didn't mean to. But it would be nice to spend some time with you again, and I'd at least like to be on speaking terms. If Fluttershy and I share custody of Spike then I'll be visiting the farm a lot."
"Ah didn't quite say there were no good reasons, Twilight," Applejack said as they walked along. "There's still some stuff you did that Ah ain't ready to let go of. You treated Big Macintosh awfully."
Twilight's heart sank. She'd been hoping, unreasonably hoping, that Big Mac just wouldn't come up in this conversation. She really wanted a chance to speak to him first.
"Look, Ah know he's not me, he's my brother, and he's free to make his own mistakes," Applejack said, and Twilight felt the sting in it more than she'd expected. "You're still the mare he's mooning over, and Ah can't control that. Can't ask a pony to feel other than how they feel. But Ah can ask you not to take advantage of that, 'cause Fluttershy said you're getting all your feelings back. That means you're gonna get lonesome, and Big Mac's gonna be right there waitin' for you and you are gonna have to be the one who says no." Applejack's voice was all business. She may as well have been talking about the best way to harvest the east field; Twilight had heard more emotion from her when she was comparing pies.
"I don't want to say no," Twilight said without thinking, and Applejack stopped in the road.
"Say again?" the earth pony asked, looking away from Twilight.
"I don't - I wouldn't say no. If Big Mac asked me to be part of his life again." As she was saying it, Twilight realised how uncomplicated the whole situation was to her. If he wanted her back, she'd be with him, and she'd be happy. More than happy. If he didn't, she could cope. Her feelings were set.
"You are the most selfish pony Ah ever knew, Twilight Sparkle." Applejack said quietly, her voice almost cracking with the strain of not shouting. Then a dam burst somewhere inside the farmer and she turned, screaming at Twilight.
"You didn't say no! You didn't say yes, neither! You left him hanging for six months without an answer because you weren't sure and you disappeared into your work! He made himself sick with worry and you barely noticed! Thank Celestia for Rarity, Ah certainly couldn't talk any sense into him, but the day you left- the day he asked you to leave the farm- he started getting better. You made him sick you cared so little about him! You never loved him!"
A slap echoed across the path, and for a second both ponies looked equally stunned by it.
"Don't you dare, Applejack. I have never loved anypony like I love your brother." Twilight's voice was cold, and she could feel a stinging pain in her hoof where she'd slapped Applejack.
Applejack looked pensive for a moment, and sighed. She stood up straight, looked Twilight square in the eye, and punched her in the face.
-------------------
Twilight came to a moment later and Applejack was standing over her with a worried expression.
"You loved him?"
"Yes," Twilight said, regaining her senses. Her face really hurt.
"You still love him?"
"Yes! Ow! You punched me in the eye!" Twilight shouted.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. Just- why in the hay didn't you say yes when he asked you to marry him, then?" Applejack asked, helping Twilight to her hooves. The anger seemed to have left Applejack at least, thought Twilight, even if it had been through her face.
"Because I didn't know if it would be a good idea," Twilight admitted. "I had a lot of research to do. I'd already started hurting myself with the magic I was doing, I think, so that had some part of it, but I was suprised by the proposal in any case! I was worried it would change things."
"Well of course it would!" Applejack almost laughed. "You'd be married. What'd be wrong with that?"
"Well, nothing. I'd like it. I really would. I mean, I would have liked it then. I really started hurting myself around that time, though. I think I forgot why he was so important to me. I can't believe you punched me in the eye!" Twilight felt her face- her eye was hot. It was going to come up as a real shiner, she was certain.
"Well you slapped me in the face!" Applejack said defensively.
"You said I never loved Big Macintosh!" Twilight could feel herself getting angry.
"Ah thought you didn't!"
"I do!" Twilight shouted, and just barrelled on. "I still love him! I'd marry him today if he asked me to and you can like it or lump it but I am not going anywhere. Everypony says he still loves me and I don't know if it's true but I intend to ask him. Today! So get used to it!"
"You'd really fight for him, wouldn't you?" Applejack asked, a wondering expression on her face.
Twilight sighed in exasperation and started cantering towards town before realising how tired she was. And that she'd just been hit in the face. And that Applejack could catch her up anyway. It wasn't long before the orange pony did, and the two of them walked next to each other in a tense silence. Twilight broke it, a nagging question bubbling up to the front of her mind.
"You mentioned Rarity earlier. Is it her who convinced Big Macintosh to break up with me?" Twilight asked, her voice brittle.
"Yep," Applejack said, her voice low. "Ah couldn't do it, but you should know Ah tried. Rarity talked him round, got him to see that you weren't as happy with him as you were with your research."
"I wasn't happy anywhere," Twilight snapped. "Still. It's probably best that he did break up with me. If I'd been stringing him along this whole time I don't think I could repair things with him. Or you. Or Fluttershy and Spike, I guess. Or anypony." Twilight raised her head, and it felt like she was seeing things more clearly.
"I'm sorry I slapped you. I didn't mean to lose my temper," Twilight offered. After a few seconds Applejack responded.
"Ah'm sorry Ah hit you in the eye. Ah did mean to lose my temper but Ah only meant to shout. It was a stupid thing to do and Ah'm sorry, too. And Ah'm glad you still love Big Macintosh."
"You really belted me, you know," smiled Twilight.
"Ah know. You didn't exactly hold back either though, did you? You're near as protective of him as Ah am." Applejack returned the smile, and the two of them went back to walking.
The silence was a lot less tense, now, as the two of them made their way into town. It almost reminded Twilight of the walks she and Applejack used to take, back when she lived at the farm. They both loved the scenery of nature, and of their friends they were the two who appreciated it in the most similar way- Rarity would get either bored or inspired, Fluttershy would inevitably find new animal friends who needed her help, Pinkie would monologue incessantly about how great everything looked and Rainbow Dash didn't seem to understand the appeal in a slow, contemplative walk. The two of them had made it a little afternoon ritual, every Thursday. They never said much, but it had brought them closer together than Twilight had ever thought possible. Twilight turned to tell Applejack, and saw that the farmpony had her head tilted back and her eyes closed, sniffing the crisp morning air.
"Ah've missed this," she said to nopony in particular.
"Me too," said Twilight, and Applejack turned to look at her and gave her a wide, honest grin.
"Ah'm still mad at you," Applejack said, as one of the stars on Twilight's cutie mark brightened to a steady white. "Friends again?"
"I'd like that," Twilight said happily, and the two of them walked into town, standing a little closer than before.
---------
Applejack whistled low as she accompanied Twilight into the library. She hadn't been in here for a good while, and with Twilight in her current state she'd been half-expecting the library to be a creaking, dilapidated mess. It was actually tidier than she'd ever seen it.
The shelves were all dusted, and the returns cart was almost empty. The card catalogue actually looked like you could use it to look up a book, if you were so inclined. Fresh posies adorned a little vase by the writing desk and the whole place smelt faintly of lemons.
"Twilight, Ah gotta say Ah'm impressed. Ah figured you'd be too busy to keep this place running smooth. It looks better than it ever used to."
"Hmm?" Twilight looked up from the writing desk, where she was laying out papers and unscrewing a pot of ink. "Oh, yeah, that's not me. Spike takes care of the place, really. I honestly couldn't tell you who's got a book out at the moment."
The unicorn sighed to herself and looked straight at Applejack, and for the first time today Applejack could see how tired the unicorn was.
"I couldn't tell you when I stopped caring, either," Twilight said wistfully, before returning her attention to the task at hoof.
"First things first, I have to write these letters. I should be getting a reply in about an hour for each one. Then I need to put on a load of laundry, and perform a fairly complicated spell, and tidy up the cellar- what time does Spike's party start?"
"It starts at one. We got about four hours before we should start moving."
"That's okay. I've got time, then. Now, would you say that Scootaloo is a pony of good character?" Twilight asked and stared at Applejack. The shift in conversation faintly unsettled the farmpony, and she found herself stumbling over her words at first.
"Ah don't- Ah mean she's a good pony, Twilight, and she's real good for Spike. She works hard at both her jobs and that counts for a lot with me. She's neat and tidy and good with the foals at the flight school, so Ah hear from Rainbow, and if you're thinking of-"
"Applejack?" Twilight interjected, amused. "I just meant would you please say that she is a pony of good character? Out loud? I need to put references down on here."
"Oh, uh, sure. Scootaloo is a pony of fine character."
"Excellent. Then I've got to make sure that I get the right forms on this one, and I should probably pen a letter to Celestia to let her know I'm on top of this, and- oh! Luna'll want to know, maybe she can make the party after all."
Twilight was almost mumbling to herself as her quill danced across the parchment, and Applejack cleared her throat pointedly.
"Twilight? Is there something Ah can do to give you a hoof?"
"Oh! Actually, yes. Could you go upstairs and strip my bed? Just put the sheets in the laundry basket, I'll get to them later. And then if you could I'd really appreciate it if you started packing my personal effects up."
Applejack frowned. Twilight was packing? Was she moving out?
"Twilight, Ah don't know that this is the best thing to do. Ah mean, you got stuck in this mess because you were running away from your responsibilities an' your friends. Ah don't see how doing that again is going to help."
Twilight signed and furled one of the letters before she replied.
"I know it looks bad. But I promise I have thought this through. I'm going to do what's best for everypony, and that includes me." Twilight started furling another letter, levitating some documents from her writing desk into it. "That means I'm going to have to leave the library. I don't really belong here any more."
Applejack stamped a hoof and pushed Twilight away from the letter she was working on.
"If you think after this long- after that apology you made- Ah'm just gonna let you up and run off? You came and found me once, Twi. Made me take a hard look at myself. I will follow you to the end of Equestria to find you and do the same for you. So why don't you just-"
The door to the library burst open, and before either pony could properly react to it a figure dashed into the library and shoved Applejack away from Twilight, interspersing themselves between the two ponies. It took Applejack a moment or two to realise it was Spike, fists balled and eyes tight with fear, flames playing around the edges of his mouth.
"Get away from her! I don't want you to hurt her!" he shouted, chest heaving. Applejack let him take a good look at her before replying- her hat was on straight and they'd had time to recover from the walk. It was clear, she knew, that she hadn't been brawling, and it was best to let the dragon work that out. As soon as she saw a flicker of confusion in his eyes, she spoke quietly.
"Ah ain't gonna hurt her, Spike. Ah don't want to. You're a good kid for standing up for her, but she don't need it."
"Don't give me that! You think I didn't see her eye? What could she have done to deserve that, huh? You don't hurt her!"
"Spike?" Twilight said from behind him, and as the unicorn walked between herself and Spike Applejack could see the dragon's bravado disappear.
"I actually hit Applejack first. She and I had an argument about Big Mac, and we both know we were wrong to get physical about it. We've apologised to each other," she said, and as she did so she wrapped a foreleg around Spike, pulling him into an awkward hug. "Thank you for looking out for me."
Spike dropped his eyes from Applejack's, returning the hug just as awkwardly, and Applejack could see the dragon deflate, his nervousness leaving him as he started to relax. She smiled at the dragon, raising an eyebrow.
"What in tarnation are you doing here anyway? I thought Fluttershy had got you and Applebloom on fire control duty."
"We finished that ages ago. I was in the forge, trying to relax. Then Applebloom needed it for her sculpture, and it was already half past eight so I thought I'd check in on Twilight. Granny Smith said she'd gone with you to town and Big Mac and Fluttershy looked so worried I came chasing after you." Spike smiled at himself, leaving the hug and sighing in relief.
"I honestly didn't know which one of you I was trying to save! I figured you'd have gotten into a fight but I didn't know who'd come off best."
"Hah!" Applejack couldn't resist a laugh. "Spike, you honestly thought Ah couldn't hold my own against Twilight? She's the skinniest darn thing Ah ever saw. Ah mean- whoah!"
Applejack suddenly felt a pressure around her tail, and suddenly she was staring at the floor. She'd forgotten just how much Twilight could lift, even on short notice.
"You've made yer point," she admitted, as Twilight let go, dumping her in an unceremonious heap.
"Well, it didn't help me earlier." Twilight indicated her eye, which had already swollen half-shut and was starting to turn an impressively dark colour. "Spike, I'm definitely going to make your party. Applejack's going to help me with all my chores today. You're free, and I won't have you spend your birthday tidying the library. Go do what you like!"
Spike frowned slightly, and after a nod from Applejack he rolled his eyes and held his hands up in agreement.
"Okay, okay. But don't file anything, you don't know where it goes. And don't touch the card catalogue. Oh, and there's an unopened shipment of books in the storage room, but you can-"
"Spike, Ah'll handle it, Ah promise. Twilight and Ah both want you to have a free day. Why not go meet Dinky and her folks for breakfast? When they replied they said they'd be getting in on the first train."
Spike brightened at that, and let Applejack gently herd him out of the door.
"Okay, but you two can't fight. And please don't be late to the party? And the brass could use a polish and I keep that under the sink, so make sure-"
Applejack ejected Spike and shut the door on him, and his voice muffled slightly.
"Okay. You've got it. I'll get moving."
After a moment, Spike strode off towards the train station, and Twilight interrupted Applejack before she could say anything.
"Applejack, I'm not leaving Ponyville, okay? I just don't belong in the library any more. I'll still be around and I'm not running away," she explained quickly. "Although- there's something you can do other than pack my things, if you like? I've left a bunch of debris downstairs. I think. I could do with having it tidied up and thrown away, and it's likely safer for you to do it than me."
Applejack nodded and opened the door to the cellar, raising an eyebrow as she looked around the place. The whole cellar could do with a darn good sweep and mop, in her opinion, and the little notes attached to everything reinforced the impression.
Spike! DO NOT TOUCH, very sensitive
Spike! This is NOT TO BE CLEANED it is very delicate
Spike! Leave this alone please, it is an experiment
That last one looked like it had been absently stuck to a coffee mug, the bottom of which was now sprouting a veritable forest of mould.
"Blech!" Applejack said to herself, before she spotted what Twilight had been talking about- a pile of little broken ceramics, gems, wire and hair. As she stepped towards it, there was an odd trembling to the debris with her every hoofbeat, as though she was stamping hard enough to shake the floor. Applejack shrugged and grabbed a broom and started sweeping up.
After a few minutes, Twilight stuck her head around the door.
"I've sent all my letters! I've got to start packing now. Could I ask you to separate out the diamonds? They still have some value and I might need them." Twilight said before ducking back upstairs.
Applejack nodded, and returned to her work, but as she separated the diamonds out, she found the darn things didn't want to let go of her hooves. They seemed to be the thing that was reacting to her hoofbeats, as well, forming in little arcing lines away from her every time she stepped heavily. She ended up having to use a test tube rack as a sort of makeshift scraper, tugging the things away from her hooves and into a bucket. It took a lot longer than she'd thought- after an hour or so she was interrupted by Twilight, who had a peeved expression on her face.
"Applejack, I've got to go to Canterlot. I'm getting tied up in bureaucracy and I think it's going to be faster to get some of this stuff done face to face. I'll be back in time, okay? And, er, could you finish my packing as well? I keep getting distracted by these stupid letters."
"So long as you're back in time," Applejack said cautiously. "What exactly did you do to these diamonds, by the way? They're all sticky."
"Sticky?" Twilight frowned. "Maybe there was something on the floor. I mean, I didn't really keep this place sterile. I've got to get going- catch you later!"
Clutching a fat file of documents in her horn's grip, Twilight's eyes went blank as she concentrated hard- in a flash of magenta magic, she was gone, leaving a smell of ozone as the only evidence of her presence. Applejack knitted her brows. She hoped Twilight would be back in time, but there was a knot of worry in her stomach that reminded her of every moment Twilight had let somepony down over the last couple of years. There was only one way to deal with that sort of fretting, Applejack thought to herself, and buckled down to the task at hoof, losing herself in the work as the hours ticked past.