Artist: Ilthit
Beta: Ariestess
Warnings: This gets a little dark in chapter 8. It was a dream image I could not shake and had to write. Oh, and the events of season 2 are not canon to my little AU, particularly what we know of the Elements of Harmony.
Author’s Disclaimer: "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic", the characters and situations depicted are the property of Lauren Faust, Hasbro Studios, Studio B Productions, and The Hub. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. This site is in no way affiliated with "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic", The Hub, or any representatives of the actors.
Dedication: To the fans in Ariestess' circle of friends who got us to watch in the first place!
Word Count: 24,221
Date Written: August 2011 through … March 2012. Good grief!
Notes: The origins of this tale were so much fun to write that this sequel can along quite naturally. Well, the ideas did anyway! The words themselves took some more work. Also, this was begun before season 2 and my version of the Elements of Harmony and Princess Luna are based on what little we knew of them in season 1. Okay, there's a little bit of season 2 Luna in there, I confess.
Oh, and this is written in 1st person and every chapter changes point of view, so keep an eye out.
Chapter 1
++ Twilight ++
Winter may now be my favorite time of year.
While snow and cold has Equestria in its grip, I have long hours to while away with my lover in indolent solitude. Yes, perhaps I spend not quite so many endless hours reading, but I believe the exchange of my priorities is worth it.
Things were awkward there for a while. I'm so very new to this circle of friends, to this community, to this way of life. Finding out the courageous, beautiful and valiant Applejack wanted to be more than friends had been profoundly shocking. So shocking that I reacted without thinking, jumping in without analyzing my feelings or the possibility of consequences or anything!
I'm still shocked.
However, I wouldn't trade a moment of the ride I've been on since I shyly took Applejack up on her stammering, awkward proposition. Through her I've learned to live more in the moment, not always with my head in my books or deep in my thoughts. The physicality of her existence has been thrilling and I've learned so very much. And I've gotten to be included in her amazing family, even if I had to work hard to find a place to fit in with them. I swear, I have never flirted and cajoled so hard in my young life! I still regret my first meeting with the intriguing parents of my lover, Pink Lady and Apple Cider, being so regrettably short. In them, I wanted so much to see how Applejack became who she is. Not to mention I would have really, really liked to have had a shot at warming up Pa! Applejack's Mama seems as though she could grow to like me, seeing more than just an undersized violet-horned bookworm from the big city. Frankly, I don’t think Apple Cider was impressed.
Sigh.
At least Big Mac has warmed up after watching me suspiciously for weeks. Granny Smith couldn't care less who or what I am, as long as I’m respectful of her and hers. No problem there! Young Apple Bloom peppered me with questions, some of them uncomfortable, but with Applejack's help, we got through them and now the filly is at ease with me. Our mutual friends have shifted our group dynamics around to accommodate this new relationship, even if there are still a few awkward moments. Rainbow Dash is still oddly standoffish and ever so often Fluttershy still seems completely puzzled as to the why of Applejack and me. Not to mention the gossip circles in town! Dear Equestria can ponies talk! And stare and whisper… Being under such judgmental scrutiny has been wearing, but as the winter passes, it happens less and less frequently. There are some that will never stop being idiots, but I ignore those few.
The awkward moments are jarring and exhausting, but I do my best to cope. This love, warm and uplifting, has made all of it and more worthwhile. Just seeing Applejack's frisky stride makes my heart race; her smiles can make an entire day's research fly from my mind, at least temporarily. We have made careful effort not to isolate ourselves from friends and family, even at the cost of alone time. The nights spent out at the farm see me just as likely to sleep curled on the couch, often with Apple Bloom tucked under my chin, as in the questionable privacy of Applejack's room. At the library, Spike is usually there, of course, and we are respectful of that.
But there have been enough moments of privacy that the memories make me blush furiously and tuck my face into that favored hollow behind Applejack's jaw. It's been some time since Winter Solstice, an event that will be burned into my memories for all time. After several weeks of Applejack's sly, secretive smiles that left me squirming with anticipation, I was at last treated to a romantic night that would make a terrific ballad. That's my cowpony, sweet and loving in at least equal measure to her trustworthiness and hardworking ethics. My gift of a tailor-made set of carry baskets and the saddle they match seemed so utilitarian by comparison, but she had been delighted with them.
We'd had plans to go to Canterlot after the solstice, but a series of freak storms have kept the pegasi busy and too much snow on the ground for ease of travel. So, I'd sent my small gifts to my folks and the princesses via courier. New to the process of such extensive gift giving, I had despaired what to do for my new friends until, of all ponies, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had come to my rescue. Those had been fun afternoons, full of noise and fun and chaos, where we created many lovely trinkets for our friends. Who knew that arts and crafts could be so fun? In turn, I had received some marvelous little things from my loved ones. Not the least of which is some new and fashionable warm clothes that I've been delighted with over this long, cold winter.
The latest of the seemingly endless Winter Wrap Up meetings has once again dissolved into chaos and most of us are taking a breather. I’m only here out of curiosity, as I have no established role here yet. Applejack has noted how nervous I am about where I fit in for this important holiday and has been trying to be helpful. As captain of the plant team though, she’s usually so very busy. My only strong skill is magic and this town was settled by earth ponies. To my continuing astonishment, they use no active magic to help the seasons turn. It’s mind-boggling. My friends and my lover keep reassuring me that the festival will give me a chance to find a place to fit in, but still I worry. The constant chaos of the preparations is not reassuring either.
"What’s wrong, Sugar?"
I love the endearment and it never fails to make me smile. "Can't these ponies agree on anything?"
Applejack's voice is mildly startled when she answers me. "Ah guess we are arguin'. Never really noticed before, since that’s what we always do. Huh."
I love that I can make her see things with fresh eyes, too. It’s not only me learning and adapting and growing.
"If you have better ideas," Dash's voice comes from above us. "Go stick your nose in the mayor's face and volunteer." We look up to see our pal effortlessly sprawled out on a tree limb as though she weighs little more than a cloud. "Pinkie Pie is done with that new celery cake she's subjecting us to," she adds with a shrug.
"Is that why yer bein' a peepin' pony?" Applejack mocks and Dash blows a raspberry before streaking off with her trademark jet wash of rainbow color. Things have been better with our resident jock, but there's something there I can't quite put my hoof on. It makes a pony wonder if she really isn't jealous.
Not that I can blame her. I know for a fact that I'm annoyingly happy and that might make others wish for some of this magic. That aside, Dash has a point and I make a mental note to talk to the mayor later. Once this latest contentious 'meeting' is finished and tempers cool, of course.
In the meantime, I'm perfectly content to sit in the snow and snuggle with my lover.
It will be amusing at some later point, how disastrously my first Winter Wrap Up has gone. Thankfully, the Mayor remembered my organizational skills and takes my offer to help. With Spike manning my clipboard, I quickly whipped the Ponyville denizens into some semblance of order and we managed to get winter cleared and spring begun. It was exhausting but completely worth it. Particularly when the town gave me my own vest, resplendent with the colors of all three teams, and told me that organization was now my official job. Yay!
My pleasure in the day is still marred from being dressed down by my lover in public over my breaking the rules, even if it was my own fault for using magic and destroying hours of hard work by the plant team. Still, it smarts. In fact, I'm off in the darkness, away from the rollicking festivities in the town square, sprawled out in the tender new grass raised by the ceremony. For a town unwilling to rely on magic, they sure can raise plenty of the stuff to get the job done! The chill of winter lingers in the air, a reminder of how we ponies manipulate the seasons for the good of the animals and the growth of plants. As wonderful as the winter has been, I'm happy for the new life of spring.
"Twilight?"
If I stay silent, she'll find me in a few moments anyway, but I'd rather get to the making-up part of the day. "Over here, Applejack."
Her familiar body is a deeper shadow in the night, melting from the trees of my favorite grove behind the library. With only a moment's hesitation, she steps over and burrows her face into my mane, sighing heavily. "I'm a really sorry, Twilight. Ah shouldn't a yelled like that."
"I'm sorry for breaking the rules. I just got so caught up in wanting to fit in that I over reached myself. Apology accepted."
"Me too, Sugar." With the exchange of words, Applejack lays to rest beside me, tucking up her strong body as close to mine as possible. We've become expert cuddlers with practice and shift around to accommodate the other. "We Apples are an obstinate bunch a ponies," she muses, resting her chin on my withers. I twist my head around to touch noses with her and smile.
"I know, but I still find it charming. It took some work and experimentation, but in the long run, I found a useful place in the Wrap Up. So, none of it was for naught. Even the snakes." My shudder is not feigned, remembering the creepy-crawlies that I woke when trying to help Fluttershy rouse the hibernators. It's been a very long day. Nudging my lover where she's growing heavy with exhaustion, I squirm away and stand to stretch. "I love you," I murmur, nosing at Applejack until she rolls onto her back and smiles up at me.
"Ah love you too, Twi. Happy Spring Equinox, by the way."
"Mmmm, you too, lover."
And there in the dewy spring grass, hidden from prying eyes by the deep darkness, we usher in the new season in the loveliest way possible.