//------------------------------//
// Part 5 - The Trouble With Eavesdropping (Side B) 
// Story: Shipping, Do You Speak It? 
// by Nightsky Rain 
//------------------------------//


The sight of her own sun often helped Celestia's mind clear and calm. Her symbiosis with it was a reminder of her duty to Equestria – the qualities she had to embody – stability, dependability, a radiant force that encouraged and sustained life, a seemingly eternal entity that rose each day no matter how bad things may be.

It wasn't working today.

She stood on the balcony attached to her private chambers, and for the first time since this particular castle had existed, she had to stand up on her hind legs to see over its railing.  Her chin rested atop her forelegs folded upon the railing, her gaze panning down, first to Canterlot below, and then the expansive scape of the Ponyville area further still. They had always looked small from up here, however no less important. But today, for as long as she could remember, she felt just as small herself.

The fact that she was, in fact, no taller than her own student right now probably had a lot to do with it. In truth, whatever spell she'd unconsciously woven upon herself, it had only affected her appearance. It was her appearance, rather, that was affecting her mind – one might think that suddenly becoming younger would be a boon, but then most weren't an eternal goddess of the sun whose expected place was to preside over Equestria, and be the largest and most regal, pristine looking example of their species known, in the opinion of many, if not most. 

But it was more. Celestia possessed great power, of this there could be little question. Her past spoke in places more like the tale of a warrior Princess than the almost infinitely patient, seemingly unflappable, steady, level-headed, empathetic one she was known as. Granted, the only time in living memory she actually rose to fight directly she was cast down effortlessly, but in her defense, even the queen of the Mimics herself wasn't aware she was that powerful at the time. And the sun was in her eyes.

It was precisely because of that great power that an unknowable amount of time, effort, and practice went into attaining flawless self-control. How could the ponies have total confidence in their Princess if the sun moved every time she sneezed. How could the castle staff carry out the unending, interconnected procession of tasks that kept the kingdom running if they grew a mustache every time she stubbed a hoof. What neighboring ruler would make peace, if every meeting with Celestia was in fear that they could be launched out a window if her tea was hotter than she expected.

And so to have unconsciously cast a spell on herself at all, much less one with an affect that directly impacts her duties, was a deeply troubling notion for the Princess of the sun to contend with. She would never claim to be above the inherent nature of the mind, that her subconscious unlike any other was plainly knowable or contained nothing she was not aware of. But what subconscious musing would warrant such a spell, and be so powerful as to make her cast it?

The answer, as Luna instructed, was to be found within. In her mind, and in her heart. But a thousand years of rule, alone, had left Celestia with so little time for anything else, her heart was in truth, a very shallow thing. Her only hobby was Twilight Sparkle and the things she did for or with her student. The things she did solely for own enjoyment, all related to Twilight somehow – all else she did was, ultimately, a duty to Equestria, be it a literal responsibility or task, or simply an appearance at a time and place that reassured or encouraged the Ponies.

And while referring to Twilight as a mere hobby, when she was truly so much more, made the Princess feel guilty, the fact remained that even this one “hobby”, she had nowhere near the time for that she would like. Was this the answer she sought? Could it really be so simple? A great and selfish desire for more time to do anything besides all but live solely for Equestria? Surely not. Such a desire had existed in her heart for a long time. Why would it only be expressed now, and in so simple a form.

Even if that were the cause it would be faulty. The Princess of the sun may have already delegated all of her duties to the care of her younger sister, but the arrangement is temporary. The decision itself was in equal parts a temporary solution for breathing room and an excuse to ween Luna off her self-imposed exile – to show her that she has the capability to be the Princess that she already is, and that the Ponies of Equestria are ready for her to be such.

No, if Equestria needed her, or if the younger Princess was in true need of reprieve, Celestia would return to duty be damned of her appearance without pause or second thought. This she knew too deeply and too completely for a mere subconscious desire for free time to have any hope of piercing the walls of her self-control.

The Princess releases her contemplation with a deep sigh, closing her eyes and taking slow, steady breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth until her mind clears and the weight lifts from her shoulders. There was surely a more effective way about this, she just had to find it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two travelers continued down the long road between Fillydelphia and Ponyville, their brief stop on the way over, and the destination that much closer than when they started. They still made an unlikely pair, but the air between them had changed somewhat – it wasn't overt or immediate, but reflected in subtle changes.

They didn't quite walk at the extreme opposite sides of the road now, and one was no longer slightly ahead of the other. The silence in the air wasn't so much cold and impersonal as somehow more incidental. Where one once chose not to speak out of aversion to ill-mannerisms and was coolly inattentive, her expression spoke more of quiet, calm respect that some difficult, personal things had escaped the other in a fit of frustration.

The other wore a look that illustrated a certain relief and the smoothing-down of their rough edges from expressing some long pent-up unwanted truths, but also small embarrassment in doing so. Her head wasn't held quite so high now, but not out of shame – the hollow pretense for doing so was gone, and a reminder of sorts that it was never her choice, allowed her to relax the normal strain in her neck.

“My parents were not much better” Octavia reports calmly, her eyes remaining set to the road ahead. “But rather the opposite. They believed my special talent was...impractical, and that pursuing it a waste of time. Time spent practicing my music could be better spent learning to work the family business”.

An almost amused sigh escapes her as the gray mare's eyes close, and her head turns down lightly. “The family business being carpentry or Good, honest, salt of Equestria work, as they would constantly point out. Wanting to become a successful musician wasn't an aspiration, but rather evidence I was born lazy. No successful musician ever raised a barn, after all”.

The Griffon by now couldn't help but show surprise in her expression, as she turned an eye aside to observe the Pony. While the tone of Octavia's voice remained the same, the inflection and pronunciation of her words had begun to dull, if slightly.

“All the time and effort that went into refining my talent was, of course, just avoiding doing any real work. Earning a place in the school band was similarly just an excuse” she continues, as her hooves began to make slightly sharper crunches on the dirt road. “They attended my first recital just for proof I was doing something, rather than simply off somewhere sleeping”.

Her hoof-falls soften again as her eyes open once more. They were not set to the road ahead now, but somewhere further. “The encouragement to seek a place in the Royal Canterlot Orchestra did not come in the form of words or assistance, but rather the determination that I had taken my lazy dream as far as I should, or could. They attended my audition for the chair simply to see it proven”.

Octavia's eyes narrowed now, paired with the creases of a faint anger in her face. “They introduced themselves by apologizing that I was wasting the agent's time. They answered his questions of my reliability and commitment with statements of my irresponsibility and lack of work ethic, as they saw it. As though my common speech and crude manners weren't already against me. Little wonder, of course, that I was rejected for the chair. I don't think the agent even bothered with the customary we'll let you know”.

“Harsh...” Gilda observes in quiet recognition. 

The Earth Pony returns a small shake of her had with a softening of her expression, closing her eyes once more. “Inevitable. I had little experience of the world beyond my small town home. The most civilized Pony I knew up to that point was my teacher, who read books with the assistance of a dictionary and was in a relationship with her cousin. No, I had little hope of passing that interview even without my parents' assistance”.

The griffon at once seemed almost incapable of reconciling the idea of the mare coming from those sorts of roots, evident in the quietly bemused expression painted across her face, though she uncharacteristically holds her tongue at this point.

“So I sought a wider experience of Equestria, and life in general” the Pony began to explain, pausing to take a calming breath, and continuing once her composure cooled. “I traveled, hooking up with groups, giving solo performances, and participating in showcases as I moved about Equestria. I never stayed in the same place very long, but I gained a much broader view of life along the way”.

“Can't do it, like, forever though, right?” the Griffon observes with a modicum of genuine recognition. 

The Earth Pony returns an affirming nod to this in reply. “No, you can't”.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A sound, like somepony speaking through a long tube while underwater, begins to rouse Fluttershy back to consciousness. As the mass of dull color that was the world around her slowly began to form proper shapes, she recognized wood, books, book-shelves. It looked strangely like she was inside a tree with the curtains drawn, but a nearby window open to deliver a steady stream of fresh air, and the voice was somehow familiar.

It finally dawned on the yellow mare where she was, the recognition tempered by the confusion of everything being the wrong way up. It takes her another moment or two to determine she was laying on her back, on the sofa in the back room of the library. There was a damp cloth on her forehead, which was initially surprising, but quickly became soothing. She'd forgotten how comfortable this sofa was – she didn't sit on it very often.

Twilight sat on her haunches close by, lightly leaned over the Pegasus in concerned observation. Upon noticing her friend was now awake, she offers a thought smile and tone to match.

“Hey, you're back”

“Oh, my. Hello Twilight” the yellow mare responds softly, blushing faintly. Her voice grows ever quieter. “W-...why am I on your sofa?”

“You fainted” the Unicorn reports. “So I brought you inside to make sure you were okay”.

The shy one took an embarrassed look as she slowly shifts to an upright sitting on her haunches on the plush seat, offering her head forward slightly as the Unicorn uses her magic to retrieve the damp cloth.

“Oh, you didn't have to go to all that trouble. I mean...um, the ground's a little uncomfortable, but I wouldn't have minded really” the yellow mare offers in typical self-deprecation.

Twilight could only shake her head at this, returning a gently disapproving look. “Fluttershy, I wasn't going to leave you on the ground like that”.

This, of course, only serves to make the Pegasus blush even more, and reply with a tiny voice. “Th-thank you...”

“Now you wait there” the Unicorn continues, taking a more instructive tone, “you shouldn't move too quickly”. She then proceeds toward the kitchen, “I'll just get you a glass of water”.

After first nodding in confirmation of the instructions, despite the fact the other mare hadn't waited for a reply, Fluttershy took the opportunity to glance around the room. She didn't see this part of the library very often, as the group more often tended to assemble in the larger, more open main room. Not that it was particularly different from the rest of the library anyway, but it was a convenient excuse to make this particular paragraph a little longer.

Twilight returned momentarily with the previously ascribed glass of water levitating in the grasp of her magic, carefully guiding it into the grip of the yellow mare, who took hold of it with both hooves just to be safe.

“Thank you, Twilight” the Pegasus semi-echoes coyly, before going to take a large mouthful. Predictably, it was in that precise moment the yellow mare's mind recalled what had caused her to feint in the first place, which in turn caused her face to turn bright red as she consequently swallowed the water the wrong way and began to choke.

The Unicorn instantly startled into concerned response, moving in to pat her friend on the back with a hoof while retrieving the glass from her grip with magic. “Whoa, easy there. Water doesn't go down that way”.

Somewhere between trying to nod in response, the passive assistance of the hoof patting her back, and coming close to fainting again, Fluttershy finally manages to regain herself and slumps somewhat in her seat, blushing profusely as she catches her breath again. She could now only stare at her friend in deep embarrassment, as the mental image of what she'd seen refused to go away.

Twilight, in turn, began to blush lightly as the Pegasus' stare remained fix upon her, knowing full well the cause. This begins to make her nervous, despite simply being mildly unsettling, and she takes on a forcefully casual, dismissive air.

“So! It was great to see you...” she announces, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. “But I was on my way to Apple Swee-”, she pauses and shakes her head, “Apple Acres Swe-”, she shakes her head once more and facehoofs, “AJ's place, before you showed up. So if there's nothing else I can do for you...”

The Unicorn concludes with an exaggerated smile and a not so subtle repeated nodding of her head in the vague direction of not here anymore. To her prompt deflation, the Pegasus doesn't seem to get the message – rather, she continues to stare, but returns a slow nod.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twilight, it seemed, had forgotten Fluttershy's home was in the same basic direction as Sweet Apple Acres, and that the majority of the walk to either could be done along the same paths. And so it was to her visible discomfort that her walk to the aforementioned farm was in the continued company of the yellow Pegasus, in lieu of the heart to tell her to … well, lets just say not follow her, to be kind.

It wasn't that the Unicorn didn't like the daffodil mare. On the contrary, she counted Fluttershy amongst her best friends without hesitation. It was more an issue of the fact that she was persistently and it had to be said, at this point, rather creepily, staring at the Unicorn, with an expression that actually suggested admiration.

“You really are amazing, Twilight” the Pegasus reports in wonder. “I mean, kissing in public? I could never do that”.

“So you keep saying...” the Unicorn retorts in suppressed annoyance under her breath, keeping her eyes fixed ahead.

“What was it like?” the yellow mare goes on to query, presenting a wide-eyed look, “could you feel everypony watching you? Or did it feel like nopony else was there?”, she lowers her head and blushes. “I mean, if you don't mind me asking...”

Would you really stop asking if I did? the lavender mare bemoans to herself internally with a roll of her eyes. But she shakes it off and returns a calm, if somewhat curt tone. “Honestly? I only really noticed Derpy at the time. I thought about it just before, and decided I shouldn't care anypony was watching”.

“Wow, it was really that simple?” the Pegasus observes in yet further wonder. “You really are amazing, sometimes”.

The lavender mare's eye twitched. If she says that just once mo-. She pauses mid-thought, as her ears are made to perk up at an oddly familiar, tiny sound. Did she say something?

“What was that? I couldn't-” Twilight's inquiry trailed off, as a cursory glance back over her shoulder showed her friend now hiding behind her mane, as she often did when, and in the aftermath of, saying something she doesn't quite have the courage to loud enough for anypony to actually hear it.

Whether it was payback, or the Unicorn had just finally decided she'd had enough of only getting half of what the Pegasus says on the rare occasion they actually spoke, she decided just this one, she wasn't going to play fair. The lavender one's horn lit up with a small pulse of magic, which seemed to momentarily vacuum in tiny effervescent particles, and then began to release Fluttershy's voice, sounding rather like it had been recorded on tape, but with the volume up high enough to actually hear.

“I haven't even told the pony I have a crush on. I couldn't. I wouldn't even know how...”

“Wow, Fluttershy. You have a crush?” Twilight observes with a mixture of mild surprise and an impressed smile.

The demure yellow mare replied by fainting. Again.


It was familiar to find the world around her a mass of color and light, albeit significantly brighter this time, as Fluttershy's eyes drifted open again. What was less familiar, though, was that those colors, and the shapes they were steadily defining into, were moving. As her vision finally clarified enough to determine she was on the familiar farm track road to Sweet Apple Acres, the yellow mare found it odd that the dirt beneath her appeared to be slowly drifting by.

Then she got a nose full of a distinctly familiar scent, but at much greater clarity and proximity to the source than she could remember ever getting before. Lilac and something else pleasant that she couldn't identify, accompanied strongly but in subjugation with books, parchment, and ink. In a word, or two, Twilight Sparkle.

“O-oh my...” the Pegasus squeaks softly, as she realized her form was neatly overlaying the purple unicorn's – stomach to back, with her head resting down the side of her neck. Her hooves were just barely off the ground as a consequence of being a little taller than her friend, courtesy of being similarly a little older. Twilight, it seemed, had opted to simply put Fluttershy on her back and keep walking.

“Welcome back” the Unicorn acknowledges calmly. “But just so you know, I'm not letting you near any water this time. It seems to be in your best interest”.

The yellow mare couldn't process a response. Her blush was so deep it extended partway up her ears. Even her mane was pi- oh, right, that's normal. Anyway, she was deeply embarrassed, and it was rather clear to see. She could feel her heart beating in double time, but also beneath it, couldn't help but feel another heartbeat. It was steady and calm, not even showing the strain of carrying her weight. It almost seemed too big to possibly belong to such a small Unicorn. But somehow, it was soothing, and made her feel more at ease.

“P-please don't tell anypony...” the Pegasus requests timidly. It was in that tiny voice that was normally difficult to understand, but her head was close enough to the Unicorn's for her to hear it clearly now.

“You faint all the time, Fluttershy” the lavender mare returns calmly. “Pretty confident everypony knows about it by now”.

The timid one shook her head softly against the Unicorn's neck. “No...not that...”

“I know” Twilight affirms with a slightly softer tone. “Don't worry. I'm very good at keeping secrets. Plant-pot soil doesn't taste very good”.

Fluttershy can't help but submit a soft giggle at the memory, unevenly looping her forelegs around the Unicorn's neck and chest to hold onto her lightly. It struck the Pegasus as odd she didn't feel embarrassed about this, or nervous, self-conscious, even shy. It was comfortable and calming, but it wasn't the physical contact itself – it was a sense, an almost tangible aura that seemed to be coming from Twilight, that somehow reassured her, and made her feel safe.

“Aren't you...going to ask? Who it is, I mean” the yellow mare queries quietly.

The lavender one turns her head down slightly, noting the way she was being held on to, but seems to simply accept it calmly. “That depends. Do you want to tell me?”. She felt her friend nod softly against her neck in reply. “Well, I'm all ears then”.

“You remember when I was a popular model for a little while?” the Pegasus begins.

“And how” the purple mare returns with a light shake of her head and an amused tone.

The daffodil one gives another small nod of her head. “Well, I got a lot of fan-mail at the time. Most of it was just empty flattery, love letters...things like that. But one Pony in particular...”. She pauses, as if in memory, a small smile forming on her features. “she was very supportive, and made the whole thing a little less terrible”.

The Pegasus tightens her hold on her friend just slightly, the peaceful smile on her face growing a little more. “I think you know her, actually”.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“...-you hear me?”

The patterned mare groaned in protest as consciousness came with a distinct pain all along her left side. The world was a swaying blur of colors and half-intelligible shapes, but the familiar voice slowly draws her out of her daze. Her first attempt to move informed her she was winded, and the pain in her head wasn't being helped by the incessant wail of junk noise assaulting her right ear. With more than a little protest from her left side, the Pegasus climbs to her hooves, having to fight disorientation all the way up.

“You shouldn't move yet, I think you hit your head” Derpy insists in concern, trying to coax the other mare to sit back down with her hooves.

The darker Pegasus complies, sitting on her flank heavily as she turns her head down to check the music player attached to her left front leg. Sure enough, it was smashed – still powered on, but so badly damaged it was just putting out garbled junk sound. The mare frowns, but simply brings her right hoof across, smacking it two or three times, forcing it to concede to the damage and power off. Nearby, there was a smashed watermelon cart with a few randomly twitching cyan bits sticking out of the mass of busted fruit, not that either Pegasus seemed to notice.

“Hey, look up” the blonde mare instructs, drawing the patterned mare's attention to herself. She leans down, carefully gripping the earpiece from the other mare's left ear and pulling it away, revealing it to have snapped off from its cable. The darker one again frowns to this, but continues to comply to the manipulation of Derpy's hooves, allowing her to repeat the process and pull the other earpiece from her right ear.

“I should take you to see nurse Red Heart...” Derpy continues.

But this only draws a disapproving look from the other mare, who proceeds to stand up on her hooves again. The first attempt to take a step comes with an uncomfortable brace of pain down her left side, and a small shift in her balance she has to widen the stance of her hooves to steady through.

“...will you at least come back to the office and take a break?” the blonde mare concludes, now with a firmer tone of disapproval underscoring her concern. 

The patterned Pegasus submits a defeated sigh, lowering her head in conceit. “Alright, Dee”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Elsewhere in Ponyville, another pair of Ponies were drawing close to their destination, thanks in large part to the efforts of one in particular. Though in truth they had been walking along part of the perimeter of Sweet Apple Acres for a short while now, the old familiar sign which designated its proper entrance was still a short distance ahead yet. For some time now the breeze had carried the scent of the apples, only now at this proximity one could practically taste them in it.

The near-legendary delectable taste of the farm's produce and how much she could go for some of it right now, however, was a mere background thought for Twilight Sparkle. As had every moment since its arrangement, distractions aside, her thoughts were primarily centered on a certain gray Pegasus and their ever-looming “private” lunch date in just a matter of hours. She thought it odd she was so calm about the prospect – rationally, she knew there was plenty of cause to be nervous and lack confidence – she hadn't yet actually read a single book on the subject of romance and the many complex variables and nuances to it.

As a subject of study, the Unicorn knew more about the behavior of magic in a vacuum than she did about the procedure and nuances of courting and romantic partnership dynamics. It's not like nopony had ever tried, of course – her efforts to prioritize study over the “distraction” of friendships throughout magic school weren't helped by more than a few attempts to gain her affections, but Twilight had always concluded it was simply the byproduct of being Celestia's protege.

On the rare occasion she did relent and accept a “date” to attend a school function or student social, it was only at the subtle prodding of her mentor, and only ever one with specific other student of the magic school – a particular, slightly older Unicorn against whom Twilight's resilience somehow just didn't hold up. The lavender one never did work out what exactly it was about her that caused it, only that she vaguely reminded her of somepony else.

And it's not like Celestia hadn't tried to teach her about the subject, either. Twilight recalled more than a few occasions when her beloved mentor had suggested a book or tried to start a discussion on the subject of romance, but the Unicorn had always brushed it off as unnecessary down-time from real subjects – just the caring measures of a thoughtful teacher trying to avoid her student becoming overworked or burnt out. She did it in other ways too, of course – walks in the gardens and grounds of the castle, days off to attend Wonderbolts shows or accompany the Princess to the many society functions she had to make an appearance at, girls-night-ins where the most productive thing they would get around to was to see how long they could huddle by the fire without discussing or debating the subject of a lesson before they fell asleep.

No, nothing in the lavender mare's past had really prepared her for how to approach a romantic relationship, but it still didn't concern her. Something inside her provided continual, gentle, but steady reassurance that things would work out. It didn't tell the Unicorn how they'd work out, or how to make sure they worked out – it wasn't anything as plain and direct as confidence – it was an unobtrusive whisper from somewhere she didn't quite understand, that she was sure wasn't there until recently, and yet was comforting and familiar. Somehow, Twilight didn't feel the need to even try and work out what it actually was.

But for now, these musings would have to wait. The sight of the daffodil Pegasus still draped over the Unicorn's back, gently cuddling into her neck from behind was, probably, a heart-warming sight – but it would also almost certainly prove to be to their mutual embarrassment if anypony actually saw it. As peaceful and comfortable as she looked now, Twilight knew full well Fluttershy was liable to spend the next couple of days as a near-mute from the jokes at their expense that were inevitable in the eventuality.

Which was an overly fancy way of saying Twilight would get annoyed, and Fluttershy would spend a couple of days imitating a mouse.


And so it was unlikely to anypony's surprise that Applejack just happened to be standing by the old farm sign when the pair drew near it. The orange Earth Pony was currently preoccupied trying to kick one of its support beams back into a strait position without inadvertently kicking it so hard that she breaks it. This was illustrated by the uneven alignment of her eyebrows in concentration, and the way the tip of her tongue stuck out as she lined up each measured thrust of her hind leg.

The orange one misses her next kick with an awkward stumble upon sight of the approaching pair, simply lost in a long moment of staring at them somewhere between disbelief and confusion.

“...oh. Hey AJ...” horseapples! Twilight greets in an awkward attempt to be friendly, despite her desire to facehoof. “I guess this must look-” ridiculous... “-a little odd”, she turns her head slightly toward the Pegasus on her back, who was already blushing profusely.

Applejack returns a slow shake of her head as she replies, “naw ah've...seen weirder things, livin' 'round here”. She sounded a bit more like she was trying to convince herself than was probably intended, but gives a second, more vigorous shake of her head and attempts her usual friendly tone. “What can ah do for y'all...?”

Fluttershy at this juncture takes the opportunity to climb down off her friend's back, and attempt to shrink small enough to hide on the far side of her from the Earth Pony. The Unicorn gives a weak shake of her head at this, but decides it better to just move on. “Actually, I came by to drop something off and pick something up” she reports with as casual a tone as she can muster.

The orange mare returns a gesture of her head toward the farm-house, prompting the lavender one – and the daffodil Pegasus still trying to hide behind her – to follow along an idle walk further into the farm proper. 

“After discussing it with the Princess, I drafted up a plan for that idea I told you about” Twilight continues, her magic reaching out to open her single saddlebag and retrieve a large, rolled up sheet of parchment from it. For her part, the Earth Pony just listens along in distracted interest. “As you know, the runners in the Running of the Leaves collectively generate minor seismic ripples just substantial enough to make the leaves fall from the trees...”

The Unicorn's magic unrolls the parchment, showing it to be a partial map of the orchard with mathematical formula following a route through it, scribed over the top. “Now, the bulk of the runners tend to bunch up in clusters due to the average gallop speed of the typical Pony, and of course basic crowd psychology. But if the width of the track was carefully controlled, it should be possible to artificially induce them to form a consistent stream with a controlled flow rate...”

AJ was visibly understanding less and less of the explanation, not that the lavender one seemed to notice at this point. “And then by plotting the route through the orchard correctly, it should be possible for them to shake the vast majority of the apples from the trees as they go through it. All you guys would have to do is get the receptacles...the buckets, that is, set out and positioned correctly beforehoof, and bring them in afterward”.

Twilight's magic levitates the map in front of the Earth Pony's face as they stop to sit out-front of the farm-house, as though to fully illustrate the proposal. Applejack stares at it for a long few moments with a look that suggested bubbles were going to come out of her nose at any second, but ultimately submits a slow shake of her head.

“Does soun' like a mighty helpful idea there, Twi” she reports, still visibly trying to wrap her head around it, “but th'aint no way we c'n pay all them Ponies for the work. We ain' doin' so bad jus' now, but that's a long ways off doin' great”.

“Oh, that's the best part” the Unicorn retorts with an illustrative gesture of her hoof, “you wouldn't have to pay them. When the idea of making the Run longer was put up as a potential for this year, the overwhelming majority welcomed it quite enthusiastically. Technically, they'd be paying you back for letting them use your land as an extension of the track”.

She still didn't really grasp how it all worked, but the latter part of it at least, did make plenty of sense to the practical orange mare. She brings a hoof up to rub her chin and slants an eye skyward in thought over it. “All them hooves through the orchard would do a bit'a damage we'd have'ta fix after, but ah cain' ver' well argue how much time 'n work it'd save us...”

After another moment or two of consideration, the orange one submits a shrug of her shoulders, “tell ya what, leave it with us fer now. Ah'll talk it over with 'Mac, 'n we'll get back to y'all about it”. The Unicorn seems satisfied with this, her magic rolling the map back up and setting it down on the work-bench near the farm-house door. “In the meantime, y'all c'n tell me what y'came by to pick up”.

“Oh, of course” Twilight returns, inherently having momentarily about it. She takes a carefully measured warm smile and looks away, “I'm having a little private lunch date with a certain Pegasus today, and I was just looking to grab something nice for us to eat together. You know – nothing fancy, just a nice little personal meal to share...”

The Unicorn trails off, bringing a hoof up to rub the back of her neck. “Well, I'm sure you don't need all the details. But good old Apple family home cooking was the first thing that came to mind”.

Applejack slowly looks back and forth between Twilight and Fluttershy for a few moments of visible surprise, but ultimately gives another shrug of her shoulders and presents a warm smile. “Well shucks, y'all. Ah had no idea y'all had it in ya. Of course, y'just go right in 'n pick out whatever nabs yer fancy”.

“Thanks...AJ...?” the Unicorn returns with a tilt of her head in confusion at the sudden shift in disposition. But she shrugs it off and reaches out with her magic, opening the farm-house door and proceeding through it.

The orange one nudges the brim of her hat up with a hoof as she watches this, then turns back to the daffodil mare and gives an amused shake of her head. “Ah didn't realize y'all were so close. But fer what it's worth, ah think it's Jim-Dandy”.

“Oh, thank you, Applejack” the yellow Pegasus returns, seeming to calm out of her withdrawal a ways. “I mean, it's true. We don't talk very often, and we never seem to hang out much, but it turns out we're even better friends than I thought”.

“Y'dont say...” the Earth Pony returns with a subtle sarcasm, raising an eyebrow. 

The Pegasus, however, seems oblivious to it, sagely nodding in reply. Just a moment later, Twilight comes back out of the farm-house, her magic simultaneously slotting a small bundle of apple fritters and an apple pie into her saddlebag. “I left a dozen bits on the table. Is that okay, AJ?” she inquires, pausing between the two.

“W-...a dozen? Now ah told ya 'bout over-payin' me fer-” the orange mare begins in polite protest, but the Unicorn simply raises a hoof to it, indicating she isn't going to hear it, which the Earth Pony hesitantly accepts with a slight mumble under her breath. “Well, alright...y'all just enjoy yer lunch date, y'hear?”

The Unicorn returns a warm smile with a nod of her head in reply, before starting back toward the gate out of the farm. The yellow Pegasus lingers a moment to tilt her head at the Earth Pony curiously, but ultimately turns and takes to a low flutter to follow the lavender one, leaving Applejack stood out the front of the farm-house. She waits for her friends to be a bit too far away to see it, and relents a concerned look with a slow shake of her head.

“RD ain' gonna take this well...”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Twi? Bookworm Twi?”

Applejack rubbed the side of her head with a hoof, visibly still trying to process the information. “We're talkin' 'bou th'same Twilight that makes to-do lists t'manage her free time, right?'

The Earth Pony sat in the shade of a tree under the glaring orange sun of a summer long since passed, wearing a mask of confusion and skepticism as she looked up at Rainbow Dash. The cyan Pegasus hovered a short distance off the ground just in front of her, submitting an exasperated augh! emphasized with a forward gesture of both front hooves.

“I know, okay? I know. It's totally bananas” Dash retorts, floating down closer to her friend and nudging at her own head with a hoof. “But it's like, I just can't get her out of my head. I keep thinkin' about her all the time. And then I try to be...you know, cool around her...”, she slumps her shoulders and head heavily, “but she thinks I'm being a show-off”.

The Pegasus floats back up, giving the air a frustrated kick with a hing leg and taking a more serious look. “I don't know why. I just...need her to like me back. But it's like, nothing I do works!”, she brings her hooves up to hold her head, “man, it's crazy! I've tried...everything! Being nice, being cool, being honest...but we have like, nothing in common besides you guys...”, she releases her head and shrugs her shoulders, letting her forelegs dangle down her sides. “So we don't really spend much time together...you know, just the two of us. I keep trying to convince her to come to my training sessions, but...”

“She ain' bitin'?” the orange mare offers, taking a thoughtful tone. “Y'know, RD...Twi don' really strike me as...havin' much in the way'a sense in these things yet...”. She can't help but give an ironic laugh, “probably th'only thing she ain', fer that matter. What ah'm sayin' is she jus'...might not be ready fer that”.

“Well I am” the Pegasus retorts, perhaps a little childishly, crossing her forelegs over her chest and frowning. “So I guess I've just gotta make sure I'm right there when she is ready”.

The Earth Pony can't help but bring a hoof up to her face, pressing her forehead into it and straining to hold her patience. “It don't jus' work that way, RD. It might be some other Pony that gets throu-”

“No way” Dash interjects, landing on the ground and pointing a hoof at her friend, almost challengingly. “Rainbow Dash does not loose. There's no way I'm lettin' some nopony beat me to what I want. You should know that by now”.

“Thas' what ah'm afraid of...” Applejack returns, brushing the pointing hoof aside with her own. “How y'all gonna deal with it if yer wrong?”

The Pegasus didn't need to answer, though. That almost intolerably egotistical self-assurance was written all over her face as she turned away and lifted off the ground again in a hover. She was Rainbow Dash – she wasn't going to loose.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The walk back to the library was no shorter than the walk from it, naturally, but it was in largely different circumstances. With the lunch date she was so looking forward to now looming closer and closer, one could swear Twilight Sparkle actually had a slight proverbial spring in her step. The weather wasn't perfect, the day already featured an awkward experience, she had absolutely no idea how the date itself was going to play out, and she didn't care – that curious gentle inner-whisper continued to assure her everything was going to work out.

Fluttershy walked alongside her friend, rather than riding on her back for the return trip. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was still embarrassed it hadn't occurred to her to climb off at any reasonable point earlier, and couldn't really work out what had possessed her to stay. She also noted, with no less understanding, that comforting “aura” she'd perceived from her friend was still there, but notably weaker at a distance, giving her enough “shy room” to actually wonder what it was.

“You're not planning on trying to attend my lunch date, are you?” the Unicorn jibes, albeit gently and with a smile, as she noted how close they were getting to the library with the Pegasus still following her.

The yellow mare promptly began to blush. “O-oh...no, I wouldn't do that” she insists, looking across at Twilight, “I just got distracted. Do you want me to leave now? I don't mind...”

“You mean to make the trip almost all the way back we just came?” the lavender one replies with a returned glance, “Derpy and I didn't set an exact time, I could have two and a half hours to go yet. I mean, I'd rather not have to kick you out when she shows up, but I'm not about to tell you to scram, either. So if you want to hang out a bit more, I'm not going to say no”.

“Well, I would like to talk about...” the daffodil one begins to return, her natural shyness steadily creeping in and lowering her head, “...you know...what we were talking about earlier, some more that is...if that's okay”.

The lavender mare visibly contemplates over this a moment with a thoughtful look, until a spark of conception alights her features and she looks across at her friend once more. “Actually, I have a better idea. What you need is a positive experience, something to help you gain confidence that you can do it...”, she smiles thoughtfully, “how about we go on a date tomorrow?”

An unintelligible squeak of shock escapes the Pegasus as she nearly trips over her own hooves in double-take. Twilight submits a gentle laugh, holding her thoughtful look. “I meant as friends, Fluttershy – that's exactly why I think it would help you more than just talking about it”, she gestures her head at the daffodil mare, “it obviously wouldn't be the same, but it's a start. Something to get you started”.

Her blush refused to dissipate so quickly, but Fluttershy took the idea in with a tilted look of consideration – it made a lot of sense, really. Self-confidence was her first and foremost problem, it always has been. Twilight was a mare, one who's own confidence and status she found similarly, if unintentionally intimidating, but came with the safety-net of being her friend no matter what happened. If she could make it through a “date” with her, it wouldn't seem so much of a great hurdle moving forward.

“Oh...but...”, the yellow Pegasus' composure weakened, taking a lightly concerned look. “Is that really okay? I mean, are you sure Derpy won't mind? I wouldn't want to be a bother...”, her eyes open widely in mild panic, “or cause a problem. Oh goodness, I couldn't ask you t-”

“Fluttershy” interjects Twilight with a carefully measured firmness, arresting the daffodil one's building panic. She relaxes to a reassuring tone afterward, presenting a smile to match, “it's okay. Really. I'll explain the idea to Derpy, I'm sure she won't mind. We'll just have to meet up later to work out the details”.

She didn't look completely convinced, but the pink-maned mare submits an appreciative smile all the same. “W-well...if you're sure...why don't you stop by my house for dinner, and we can talk it over then...”, she lowers her head a little, “...I mean, if that's okay”.


~ To Be Concluded in Side C ~