Twilight left Sweet Apple Acres with her head held high. As she passed through Ponyville, the setting sun at her back, her gait was confident but reserved. Even at her doorstep, she exuded all the certainty she had presented with Granny Smith.
The moment the door of her library closed behind her, that visage faded. Twilight hung her head and crept back to her couch.
“First Rarity, and now Granny Smith.” She squeezed her eyes shut with sadness and frustration.
It had never been her intention to own half of Ponyville, as her allegorical boast to Granny Smith had hinted. But if things like this kept happening, she might just.
It seemed now that she looked somewhat like an alicorn, everypony wanted her to solve their problems. Twilight didn't feel like an alicorn then, and she certainly didn't feel like a princess.
Twilight didn't want a princess's problems or responsibilities, like a government. Particularly the governmental prerogative of welfare, something she feared she might become. In fact, she wanted nothing more than to lay on that couch and read her book.
Twilight looked at the book. It made her sad. Why couldn't ponies have the kind of social mobility of cutie markless species. That way, Applejack could pursue some other business when her farm failed, like painting. That way, Rarity wouldn't feel compelled to work herself half to death, and need a friend to cover for her when a fashion line flopped.
Twilight sighed. She knew her thoughts where just the frustration taking. There was no escaping responsibility, so she would do her best to work within it. She didn't want Sweet Apple Acres, but what other choice would she have? Nopony with the money to help would be as kind to the Apple family.
But Twilight felt trapped. She had been lenient on the points of the contract she had proposed, kinder than she had been with Rarity. When it came time to write the thing she would probably be more lenient still. But even the smallest stipulation pained Twilight's heart.
It was easy to be authoritative and demanding when you had the upperhoof. It was difficult to be reserved and courteous. It was easy to give things away, to let things go without a care for where they might be used. It was hard to care, to place limits, to follow things through.
It didn't feel right to hold her friends and their relatives to the words, but it was necessary.
She didn't want to just give away money that wasn't hers, even if it was for a good cause. That would invite an unending horde of sweet and greedy ponies, hoping for grants and loans. And Twilight knew how quickly a free ride turned a pony's heart to sloth and arrogance.
Twilight buried her head in hooves. There was no magic which would wash all these problems away. It was time to be a big girl and face the worst part of this whole debacle.
“Spike!” She called out. “I need to send another letter to Celestia about research money.”
-
Several days later.
“Heya Twilight.” Applejack was pulling bags of seeds out of the barn when she saw her purple friend approach.
“Hello Applejack.” Twilight said lamely. “Have you seen Granny Smith?”
Applejack pulled the last bag from the barn, and began to pile them into a wheelbarrow. “She went inta town to buy a coupla things.”
“That's what I was afraid of.” Twilight whispered to herself. Granny Smith had been quick to use the extra money from selling the farm. One could only hope it was for something important.
“Hmm?” Applejack paused her work.
“Oh, nothing.” Twilight quickly responded. She was not very good with secrets. “I'll, uh, wait for her here. Mind if I walk around a bit?”
Applejack laughed. “Nopony needs permission to look around Sweet Apple Acres. Say, what'dya need Granny Smith for. Maybe I can help.”
Twilight gulped. “I, uh, bought some apples earlier and she, uh, was hoping to, uh, get some feedback.”
Applejack cocked her head. “So?”
Twilight began to sweat. “So, what?”
“So how were they? The apples?”
Twilight hated everything about keeping the truth from Applejack, not least of all the stress that went along with it. Granny might have had a reasonable reason, not wanting to worry her granddaughter. Twilight didn't want Applejack to worry either, but not because she was ignorant of the situation, but content with it.. Perhaps content was not the right word, Twilight did not want her friend to be complacent. Trusting perhaps, trust in Twilight.
Still, Granny Smith had insisted that Twilight wait until the time was right. Twilight had grit her teeth. She did not want her friend laboring under the delusion everything was fine, when they where not. Not to say things where bad, just not fine.
“I'll let you know when I try them.” Twilight finally responded, immediately regretting it.
“Were you gunna tell her they were good without tryin them?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.
“Well, they where brown and mushy in some places.” Twilight supplied weakly, her evasion falling apart.
“But you didn't try them?” Applejack looked as if she wasn't sure how to feel.
“I'm sorry.” Twilight said, talking several steps away. “I'm really sorry.” She turned tail and launched herself into the air, flying away from the confused farm mare.
“What they hay?” Applejack watched the retreating alicorn. “Somthin's eatin her.” She turned back to the task at hand, heaving the next seed bag onto the wheelbarrow.
Twilight flew until she was out of sight, then doubled back. She settled on a cloud, watching her friend carry out her chores. She kicked herself for her graceless departure, but felt that if she had stayed any longer she would have revealed Granny Smith's secret. How long would it be, she wondered, before Applejack started seeing the signs of Twilight's ownership over the farm. Hopefully never; Twilight would give up her wings before she would accept any kind of symbology on Sweet Apple Acres.
Would Applejack even care? The family farm had been the life's work of five generations of Apples. If she misunderstood the nature of Twilight's ownership, she was likely to do something foolish. Then again, Twilight did not want to sell her friend short, as Applejack was nothing if not understanding.
Twilight sighed and rolled off the cloud, snapping her wings open to glide to Ponyville. Why, oh why did Granny Smith want to make things difficult?
There might be some element she was not suppling, something which Applejack knew.
The more she thought about it, the more Twilight became sure of it. Granny Smith had been willing to take the hit to her pride save the farm. The truth delayed promised no less disaster for the Apple family. If Granny guarded a secret, it was not not for the sake of pride or image.
Twilight did not think it right that she was deceiving her own friend for the sake of a secret she did not know. Secrets within secrets. For the burden of the lie, Twilight felt she deserved to know what it was she was protecting.
Twilight mentally rearranged her schedule as she flew. Her followup chat with Granny Smith could wait until she confirmed or cleared the suspicion.
Her magical research could also be paused until this intrigue cleared. Consequently, her research progress demonstrations with Celestia needed to be pushed back. Twilight actually hadn't made any discoveries since the last one; The time consuming business with Rarity and now Granny Smith had seen to that. Celestia would be expecting a significant breakthrough considering how much money she thought she was investing.
Curiously, Twilight did not consider her lies to Celestia to be so important. Even as her stomach clenched at the thought of lying to Applejack or that Granny Smith might be lying to her, she was incurious to how Celestia may feel about the misappropriated funds, to say nothing of the lie itself.
For Twilight, it was time now to devise a strategy, to see what Applejack (and perhaps Big Macintosh as well) could knew that Granny Smith did not want coming to light.