Applejack and Twilight Sparkle groggily woke up together, lying on a couch in the middle of the library. Twilight lay beneath Applejack, breathing with great difficulty; the earth pony resting on top of her had at least three times her mass. Still, she thought to herself, this was significantly less cramped than a singularity.
On an end table next to them sat two empty glasses streaked with cider suds, and behind that table stood Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.
"Did it work?" gasped Sweetie Belle.
Applejack shifted her posture so Twilight could breathe. Twilight held Applejack tightly in her hooves, and she began to cry like a baby.
"Oh, shoot. We're gonna be in it deep this time," moaned Apple Bloom, shaking her head. "Maybe Scoots was right after all..."
Applejack kissed Twilight Sparkle's tears away and nuzzled at her neck. "I thought we already taught you foals a lesson about doin' this sort of thing," she said, looking over at the pair. Applejack's expression was stern, even though a few tears trickled down her own cheeks.
"We're sorry!" whined Sweetie Belle. "This wasn't like the other time! You two are like, I mean, everypony sees it except you," she defended. "I mean, come on! This was a public service!"
"It's okay," gasped Twilight, wiping her eyes with telekinesis so she could maintain her grip on Applejack. "I'm okay with this. I think I'm okay. I'm okay. This, this is really okay."
"The moment I stop cryin' and huggin' this here friend of mine, I'm calling Cookie and you two are both grounded. You hear me?" growled Applejack.
Then she looked back down at Twilight's face, and a silly smile crossed her tear-stained muzzle. Applejack quickly leaned down and kissed her surprised friend square on the lips. Twilight's wings struggled against the couch beneath her, but her legs only held Applejack closer.
"Worth it!" whooped Sweetie Belle as she bounced in place, her face shining like the noontime Sun.
"Eeyup," agreed a happy Apple Bloom, and the two fillies high-hoofed.
Twilight and Applejack weren't paying attention, however. Everything else around the mares faded to black in their minds, and time itself seemed to slow to a crawl. The two friends had crossed a threshold beyond which physics no longer bore any meaning: the event horizon of a shared future.