//------------------------------//
// Finding Feathers In The Midst Of Ashes 
// Story: Of Tricks And Treats 
// by Starlight Shadow 
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Applejack, clad in a scarecrow costume, tapped her hoof somewhat anxiously while she waited for Twilight to open the door of her leafy sanctuary. She still couldn't believe she was going through with one of Pinkie's plans. When Pinkie had a plan, bad things happened.

Ever since Fluttershy had went and hooked up with Luna, Twilight seemed strangely distant. She had painted on a smile, spewed platitudes of congratulations to Fluttershy, and left for the library as soon as she could, staying there for several weeks. The others had been worried for her, but decided that she would come out when she was ready. Fluttershy was worried she had upset Twilight somehow, but Pinkie had quickly reassured her that everything would be oki-doki-loki and pulled Applejack aside. 

Applejack was going to take Twilight out on a walk tonight, maybe take part in a few Nightmare Night games with her, in the hopes of introducing her back into society and helping her accept Fluttershy and Luna. Why Twilight had a problem with Fluttershy and Luna was anypony's guess, but Applejack was just as worried about Twi as everypony else. And this particular plan of Pinkie's didn't seem too outrageous. On the surface it doesn't...

Right when Applejack was considering knocking again, Twilight opened the door, clad in a simple black robe. Part of her mane was tied in a thin ponytail while the rest was loose, and her eyes looked tired and somewhat sunken. Despite this, she smiled. "Hi, Applejack." 

"Hi there, Twilight." Applejack tipped her hat in greeting. Twilight nodded in response. 

"Is everything okay?" Twilight skimmed a hoof along the ground. 

"I was thinkin' we could just go for a walk. You've been locked up in here for a while now." Applejack absently rubbed the back of her neck with one hoof. Maybe it was the fact that this tired Twilight looked remarkably similar to how she looked in the first few stages of insanity before she brainwashed the whole town using a doll, but Applejack was nervous dealing with her. "Who are ya dressed as?" 

"Padma Patil. She was a major contributor in the field of Charms. Spells that add certain properties to objects or creatures." Twilight explained to a confused Applejack. "Charming creatures is illegal now unless it's for medical reasons." 

"Oh. Well, that's good." Applejack's laugh was breezy. Why had she been so nervous? Twilight was still Twilight, just a bit tired and sad for reasons that were as of yet unclear. "So, are ya wanna go?" 

"Sure." Twilight's stomach growled. She blushed. "I really would like to get something to eat before we go walking." 

"Well, let's do just that!" Applejack turned to go. "C'mon." 

Twilight followed suit, shivering a little from the sudden chill of the outdoors. Soon enough she was saying hello to almost everypony she passed, explaining that she was okay, just a bit under the weather for a while. They had apple muffins and juice near the edge of town at Applejack's booth, which Apple Bloom was running in her stead quite well. Girl's growin' up fast. Pretty soon she was going to be dating, like Granny had been nagging her to do. 

Eventually they were headed toward the Acres, circling through the orchards. They looked enchanted in the moonlight, the leaves glowing blue and the apples themselves dark, shadowy red. It was a good place to take a walk. Applejack glanced at Twilight, monitoring her enjoyment of the whole affair, and saw her eyes flash with a bolt of sadness when she saw a yellow pegasus and a dark blue alicorn flying together toward town. 

"I suppose you've been wondering why I've been so upset." 

"Yeah, we've been kinda worried about ya." Applejack rubbed the back of her neck again. That was becoming a tic. 

Twilight's tone was heavy when she spoke. "I had been crushing on Luna for a pretty long time. I admired how regal she was, how knowledgable she was about every inch of the cosmos. I imagined stargazing with her, not saying a word, just enjoying each other's presence. I started spending time not doing anything, just sitting and indulging in these fantasies. I wanted to act on them, so badly it ached sometimes, but she would always be looking over at Fluttershy whenever there was a pause in our conversations. She respected me, and liked me - just not the way I wanted her to like me." Twilight sighed. She looked like a puppet with its strings loose. "I knew she was going to get together with Fluttershy at some point. It was inevitable. Fluttershy liked her too. But I kept denying it, pushing the thought aside, and then Fluttershy told us. I felt this bolt of jealousy shoot through me, startling me a little with its sheer ferocity. I wanted to get back to the library as soon as possible, get over my grief all alone - but that just made it hurt worse." 

Applejack rested her hoof across Twilight's withers. "I'm awful sorry. We shoulda realized how badly you were hurtin'." 

Twilight brushed the contact away. "No, it's okay. This has helped a lot, Applejack." She looked right into Applejack's eyes, and for the first time the farmer realized just how pink they were. "I'd like to do this again sometime." 

Applejack barely noticed the next words that came out of her mouth as she continued to stare into those pretty pink eyes. "I wouldn't mind that."