The Orange Apple and the Bookworm

by Some Person

Chapter 2

Twilight stood motionless inside her den, staring blankly at the door, as the previous sequence of events slowly soaked in. I'm... going on a date... with Applejack?! She started pacing around the room. "What am I going to do?" she asked herself. "What do I say? Is she going to expect me to be romantic? What if she sees this as a waste of time and stops talking to me? This could jeopardize the friendship I've built with her!"

She suddenly froze in place, her eyes widening. "Wait... this could go far beyond myself and Applejack. What if we do have a falling out and the Elements of Harmony stop working?" She began pacing faster. "What if one of the others also has feelings for me and they become jealous? Did I just place the safety of Equestria at risk over a date? No no no, why did I have to say yes? That was a horrible idea! I should... I..."

Twilight felt blood rush to her head, and caught herself before falling face first onto the floor. She rested her temple against her forehoof as the sensation passed. Once all was well, she slowly opened her eyes and sat on her haunches. "Let’s take this easy, Twilight." She looked around her den, comprehending the amount of illegible notes and dishes with half-eaten food were spread sloppily about. "Maybe I did get too wrapped up in this. And what do you know, I ended up finding my answer, after all."

She sighed. "If I'm going to do this, I'd better do it right. I need some sleep." Twilight walked up the stairs towards her bed. "One-fifteen, huh?" She noted as she studied her cuckoo clock. "Setting this to ring at Six o’ clock should be early enough." With her alarm prepared, she crawled underneath her covers and slowly closed her eyes. What a day... she thought as she gradually drifted off to sleep.

**********

Applejack opened the front door to her home and stepped outside. “Y’all don’t need to wait on me for any supper,” she explained to Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh, who stood behind her. “Ah had some leftover stew, so ah’m set for the night.”

“Where are you goin’, sis?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Ah’m gonna go see a movie with Twilight.”

“What are you gonna see?”

“Dunno yet. Ah reckon we’d figure that out once we got there.”

“Well, have fun,” Big Macintosh stated.

“And ah’ll be sure to wake you up if you oversleep tomorrow!” Apple Bloom added.

Applejack scoffed. “Don’t worry, you won’t need to.” She then turned towards town and walked off, hearing Apple Bloom’s farewells as she walked farther away. She looked at the orange sky and smiled. It’s almost time. As she eventually neared the corner of the movie theater, she leaned against the gravel wall as she took a deep breath. "Okay, girl. You can do this," she muttered to herself. She started to tremble, but shook her head. “No, this has to happen, one way or the other.” She nodded and stated, "Here goes nothin'."

She turned the corner to see the front of the theater, but stopped. There were a few ponies standing around the front kiosk, but no Twilight. Applejack walked closer to the entrance, making sure she didn't miss her somewhere. She looked at the clock above the kiosk, which read 6:55. That's odd, thought she would've been here by now. She walked towards the kiosk, where a light-blue stallion waited within.

"What can I get for you, ma'am?" he asked.

"Have you seen a purple unicorn go in here anytime soon? She's got a dark purple mane with a pink streak in it."

"You mean Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yeah, her! You see her?"

The kiosk pony shook his head. "Sorry, ma'am. My shift only started a few minutes ago. She might be in the lobby, though."

Applejack nodded once. "'Kay, ah'll look there." She walked away from the desk and entered the theater lobby through the doors to the right. She first looked at the ponies waiting in line for the concession stand, then the ponies around the arcade. Finally, she looked around the bathrooms. Unfortunately, Twilight was nowhere to be found. She walked to the outside of the theater, looking at the ponies standing around, but still no luck. She shrugged before walking to the kiosk. "Is it okay if ah wait out here for my friend?"

"By all means," he replied.

Applejack nodded and looked at the clock. 7:10. She walked towards a spot near the door and sat down. So she's a bit late. No big deal. She heard hoofsteps and perked her ears up, only to revert back to sitting around as the steps belonged to a stranger. "She'll be here," she whispered. “Just give her time.”

**********

Twilight's eyes creaked open. She yawned and sat up in her bed, stretching her forelegs as she looked for a light in her dark room. Suddenly, her eyes shot wide open. It's dark?! Why is it dark? It can’t be this dark at six! Her horn lit up as she frantically looked for her nearby candle. When it was found, She lit the tip of it and brought it towards her clock. She could feel her heart sink as she observed the time. 8:30. I... overslept...?

She sprang out of bed and bolted down the stairs, startling Spike, who was busy reading on the floor below.

"What's going on?" he asked her.

"Did you hear my alarm go off?"

"You had an alarm?"

Twilight gritted her teeth. "Yes, I did! Now did you hear it?"

"I wouldn't know!" Spike answered as he held up his arms defensively. "I only got home a little while ago. Is there somewhere you need to be?"

"Yes, at seven!"

Spike looked at the clock next to Twilight’s desk. "Wow. Are you still going?"

Twilight began pacing around the den. Okay, take it easy, Twilight. It’s late. Much, much, later than it should be. But there’s still a chance! "Of course I am! I have to!" Wasting no more time, she rushed towards the door. "Make yourself something for dinner!" she cried as she galloped out of the library and towards Ponyville Theater.

**********

Applejack sat slumped against the wall, her ears drooping. She heard hoofsteps approaching and glanced up, only to look away when it wasn't Twilight, yet again. Maybe... maybe she got held up somehow. She's probably got some science books to get through, or... She gritted her teeth. Oh, who am I kidding. She probably realized going out with somepony like me was a mistake. Twilight wouldn't want to date me. She slowly got onto her hooves and trudged away from the theater, her head hanging low. She felt tears sting the corner of her eyes. "Why?" she muttered to herself as she wiped her eyes.

"Applejack!"

Suddenly, she perked back up. Applejack turned around and saw Twilight in the distance, galloping towards her. She... she made it! Applejack grinned and started galloping as well, to meet her halfway. "Hey there," she finally greeted. "Ah was almost was ready to head on home."

Twilight was breathing heavily, so dropped onto on her haunches. She held up a hoof. "I'm... sorry... I missed... my alarm..."

"It's okay, Twilight. You're here now, and that's what matters!" Applejack waited patiently for Twilight's breathing to return to normal. With her heart beginning to race, she asked, "So, shall we?"

"Let's," Twilight replied with a nod.

Both mares walked towards the kiosk, where the stallion inside smiled as they approached. "Well, hello again, Twilight Sparkle."

"Hello, Brawny Steed," the librarian replied.

"You kept your friend here waiting a long time, you know that?"

"...Don't remind me." Twilight stated as her ears folded back and she looked away.

"Okay then, what can I do for the two of you?"

"Whaddya got showin' left?" Applejack asked.

Brawny looked through a pamphlet while humming. "Seems most showings are done by this point, but we have one last timeslot for Les Misérables, if that interests you."

Twilight's face lit up. "They're still showing Les Mis here?"

Applejack turned to Twilight and whispered. "What's this Lay Miss thing, now?"

"It's a musical that takes place during the Prench Revolution. I've read the book and only seen it as a play, but I have yet to see the movie version."

"Well, ah'm all for it if you are."

Twilight nodded and smiled as she walked to the kiosk. "Two tickets to Les Misérables, please!"

Brawny pulled a roll of tickets out and tore off one for both Twilight and Applejack. "Enjoy the show, you two."

"Thank you," Twilight replied as she lifted both tickets in the air and handed one to Applejack, who pulled open the door.

"After you," she stated, pointing her free foreleg indoors.

Twilight smiled and walked inside.

It's finally happening. Applejack noted as she smiled and looked above. Wish me luck.

Both mares walked through the lobby and towards the hallway leading towards the theater rooms, where a pony stood waiting. They approached the greeter, who dispensed part of their tickets in a box before directing them towards their room. Applejack and Twilight walked towards the room at the right end of the theater and walked inside. There were only a few ponies scattered about the stadium-seating chairs, which still left plenty of room.

“Where do you wanna sit?” Applejack asked.

Twilight scanned the available seats, then pointed to the area towards the back. “The middle-back seats,” she stated. “That’s the best spot, as far as sound quality is concerned, and it leaves the screen at the perfect size.”

“No arguin’ with that.” Applejack led Twilight to their desired seats, where they both sat and waited for the movie to begin. She and her date looked around the theater, sitting in the awkward air around them. Come on, think of something to say! She cleared her throat. “So, uh. You want me to get some food for us?”

Twilight held up a hoof. “Um, that’s okay. I’m fine.” She rubbed her foreleg as her eyes darted around, before turning back to Applejack. “But if- if you want to get some food, then by all means, go for it.”

“N-no, that’s fine. Ah- ah was just wonderin’.”

“Okay, um… okay.”

They were both quiet again, unable to sit still in their seats.

“So,” Twilight began, “have you heard much about… the… the upcoming theories which could potentially revolutionize the definition of energy?”

“A-ah, uh…” Applejack bit her lower lip, and slightly squinted her eyes. “Ah can’t say ah have, sorry.”

“Oh… well… It’s okay if you haven’t. It’s not exactly a trending topic, so I’m not surprised that... you don’t know.”

Applejack looked away, her ears flattening and her cheeks reddening. You got your date, now talk to her! She rested her left foreleg on an armrest and pressed her right hoof against her forehead as she started racking her brain for anything to discuss.

Meanwhile, Twilight glanced at Applejack’s available hoof. She started to shake as she gingerly moved her right foreleg away from her body and towards the armrest. She took a quick glance at Applejack, then back to the armrest, and repeated this process a few times. She clenched her eyes shut and pushed her hoof towards her date’s.

Applejack brought herself out of her thought frenzy and looked where their hooves made contact. She then looked at Twilight, who was shaking and looking away. Applejack gulped before slowly wrapping her hoof around Twilight’s foreleg, their hooves now in full contact.

Twilight looked at Applejack, neither one of them breaking the line of vision. Slowly, they both started smiling at each other and began blushing once more. Next, the theater room started to darken, and trailers began showing on screen.

Applejack leaned towards Twilight and remained in that position. When Twilight picked up on this, she hesitantly moved to meet her date halfway. They took another glance at one another before finally breathing easy after this close contact.

“Thank you for givin’ me a chance, Twilight,” Applejack whispered.

“You’re welcome.”

**********

"Ah'm just sayin';" Applejack began as she and Twilight walked away from the theater. "What in Equestria would make a mare decide to point a spear at herself like that?"

Twilight sighed. "I admit, that scene was better done in the book and the musical than in the movie. See, in those versions, Éponine shielded Marius from getting skewered by sticking her hoof in front of the blade."

"So why couldn't that have happened instead? If she's got enough time to point the spear at herself, then she could've pointed it to the sky, the ground, anywhere!" Applejack went deadpan. "But no, she's gonna point the spear at her chest and then tell her love bird that she fancied him the whole time as blood's flowin' outta her wound." She sighed. "If she'd have just told him how it was beforehand, she could've gotten some closure or somethin'! Maybe she could’ve lived and they would’ve had some sorta decent endin’!"

Twilight chuckled. "I had no idea you could get this worked up over a small part in a movie."

Applejack smiled as she looked away. "Well, when you get me talkin' 'bout somethin', ah can go on and on if nopony stops me."

“So what did you think of the movie?”

Applejack curled her lower lip and hummed. “Okay at best,” she replied. “Not my kinda movie, but it was at least sorta worth the time.”

For a moment, both mares remained silent as they passed through the mostly clear streets of Ponyville.

"So... Applejack. Would you like to... um... go to dinner?" Twilight asked, stopping her friend in her tracks.

Applejack looked towards the moon before sighing. "Much as ah'd like to, ah should probably get on home. It's gettin' pretty late, and ah told Big Macintosh ah’d be home in time to sleep before the mornin’ chores."

Twilight looked towards the moon as well. "Oh... right. It is pretty late..." Her head drooped as she weakly stated, "I'm sorry..."

"Hey, Twilight. It ain't your-"

"But it is, Applejack. If I had woken up when I was supposed to, then we could've gone out to get some food to eat after that movie. We could’ve even have gone to see a movie you actually would’ve liked. Now the night’s over, and it's all my fault. I'm so sorry..."

Applejack looked towards the moon, then back to Twilight. She sat herself down, bending her head to look her friend in the eye. However, her stomach growled rather loudly at that moment. She stood up in shock before laughing for a bit, which made Twilight smile. "Ah was gonna say a bunch'a things to cheer you up, but ah think things like that are best discussed over a nice meal."

Twilight lit up. "Really?"

"Yep! Ah'm actually pretty hungry, myself. Know of anywhere 'round here that we can grab a bite to eat this time of night?"

"Well," Twilight began as she put a hoof to her chin, "there is that Stabley's near my house. They're open twenty-four seven."

"Sounds good to me. Lead the way!"

Both mares walked to the edge of town, where Stabley's was located. It was a cozy, green building that had the smell of delectable comfort foods wafting through the doors. Once inside, Twilight and Applejack were seated immediately at a booth and had their orders taken. Both ponies ordered water, but Twilight went for a hayburger combo, while Applejack stuck with a hearty vegetable stew.

A few conversations occurred before a pressing thought came to Twilight's attention. "So, Applejack..." she began. "There's... something I wanted to ask, if it's okay with you."

"Sure," Applejack replied.

Twilight rubbed her hooves together and looked around the restaurant for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Why me?" she murmured. Applejack raised an eyebrow, urging Twilight to continue. "I mean, there are so many different mares and stallions in Ponyville. What makes me so special?"

Applejack's face became slightly red, but she covered this up by removing her hat and placing it on the open seating next to her. "First things first, a-ah can tell you for a fact that ah wouldn't be interested in any stallion."

"Not even one? What makes you-" Twilight's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Oh... really?" Applejack nodded in response. "Have you told anypony?" This time, Applejack bit her lower lip and looked away before shaking her head. "Not even your family?"

"It's, uh... it's a bit complicated in that regard, Twilight."

"Do you think they wouldn't approve?"

Applejack frowned and rested her head against her foreleg as she began tapping the tabletop. "Ah don't wanna think my family would shun me or nothin', but Granny's said a couple things before ‘bout it, and now ah just don't know." She started rubbing her hair. "Ah've heard stories of gay ponies who'd thought their folks would approve, only to be kicked to the curb the same night they confess."

Twilight slightly leaned back. "Family members would actually kick out their own?"

"That and possibly other things."

"I had no idea," Twilight replied as she began staring at the table.

“Then there’s all the times Granny goes on ‘bout how she’ll love to see the foals ah’ll bear one day. She’s brought it up so many times that ah’m pretty sure she wouldn’t… well…”

“There are ways for gay and lesbian couples to have children, but I don’t think any of that’s what Granny Smith has in mind for you, is it?”

Applejack shook her head. "Ah wanna tell 'em, really. If nopony else, my family deserves to know the truth ‘bout me. But ah need to wait for the right time."

"Makes me wonder how my parents would react..."

"Just do what you think is right," Applejack stated as she sat up straight. “If it’s worthwhile, then go for it. If not, then there ain’t no need.”

A waiter had soon arrived to give them both their waters before promptly heading off to see to other tables. Twilight took a drink before staring intently at Applejack. "I'd still like to know what makes me stand out to you, Applejack," she commented.

"Oh, 'course," Applejack replied as she set her water to the side. She rested her hooves on the table. "It... it didn't start as much. Ah mean, ah always enjoyed the time ah spent with you, but then things started changin'." She began rubbing her hooves and folded her ears back. "You started becomin' all ah could think 'bout. You also kept showin' up in my dreams, and the sight of you or just talkin' to you brightened up my day.

"Sure, you ain't the most coordinated, you can get frazzled easily, and you need an instruction book for anythin' new, but that don't even matter to me. You're talented, kind, and smarter than anypony ah know. First ah thought 'No way, it can't be. That don't make no sense,' but then there was one time we were all hangin' out. Rarity started talkin' 'bout those romance stories she loves so much. Some of the things she mentioned the characters feelin' for one 'nother sounded a lot like things ah've thought 'bout you." Applejack blushed and looked away. "It's... probably too early to say somethin' like this, but after that day, ah realized somethin'..."

Twilight, sporting an intense shade of pink on her cheeks, swallowed the lump in her throat. "And... what was that?"

Applejack closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then looked at Twilight and said, "You're the kind of pony ah'd wanna spend the rest of my life with."

For a while, Twilight could only stare at Applejack. Then she slowly brought her hooves to her mouth before looking down at the table, doing her best to stop her trembling fit.

"Ah-ah'm sorry!" Applejack stammered. "Ah didn't mean-"

"Nopony..." Twilight reluctantly brought herself to look back up, her breathing slightly faster than normal. "N-n-nopony's ever said that t-to me before..."

Applejack felt her face heat up. "R-really?"

Twilight shook her head.

"In... in that case... ah'm glad ah got to be the first."

Neither pony could bring themselves to speak. For a while, their eyes wandered around, occasionally glancing at each other before quickly averting their eyes. Despite this, neither pony could help but smile the entire time. Their silence was broken when their food had finally arrived. After getting some food in their stomachs, a sense of normalcy finally returned to their dinner and they started discussing several different topics until their food was completely finished. Applejack and Twilight later split the bill, left a tip, and walked out of the restaurant.

"Ah gotta say," Applejack remarked, "eatin' somethin' before headin' back home was definitely a good idea, and their soup sure hit the spot!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it!" Twilight added. She turned to her left. "Well... the library isn't too far away from here, so I'll let you get back to your farm."

"Would you, uh... would you mind if ah walked you home?"

"Would that inconvenience you?"

"Not at all."

Twilight looked to her left for a moment before answering, "Alright."

Applejack smiled and walked alongside Twilight. "So, did you have fun tonight?"

"I did, actually. Tonight wasn't anything over the top, but sometimes I like it that way."

"I'm glad."

Without even thinking about it, Twilight briefly brushed herself against Applejack. Both ponies froze for a brief moment and forced a quick chuckle before attempting to resume their pace.

Why did I do that? Twilight thought as she started shaking again. That’s not something a pony does on their first date, is it? Was that too forward? Was that some sort of sign I never knew about?

Applejack peered down at Twilight, who kept her head hung low. After a moment’s contemplation, she moved to brush herself against Twilight as well.

As the librarian looked up, eyes wide open, Applejack smiled. Twilight started to grin as well, and moved herself closer to her date. As Twilight had mentioned, the walk to her house wasn't more than a minute or two, and both ponies were at the front door. "Well... here we are," she stated.

"Yeah," Applejack added. She started shuffling her hooves as she asked, "Do you think that you'd... wanna do somethin' like this again sometime?"

Twilight looked away, dragging a hoof along the floor. "D-don't get me wrong, Applejack. I really did have a good time tonight, and I think I felt something tonight. But I still don't know about... well..."

"Us?"

"Yes... about us." Just leave, we can leave it as a one time thing and that will be that. Twilight had almost listened to this thought, but her hooves remained in place. This delay in her legs allowed enough time for a different thought creep in. One that brought a smile to her face. "That being said... this is an experiment, right?"

Applejack stared for a moment before nodding slowly. "Y-yeah, in a sense."

"In my experience... experiments are best conducted with... m-more than one t-test run."

"So... are you sayin'..."

Twilight nodded once. "I guess that makes this… me the one asking you out. I-if you wouldn't mind d-doing this again, that is."

Applejack's smile went wide. "Absolutely!"

"G-great! What would you like to do?"

"Ah'm okay with whatever you'd like to do."

Twilight put her hoof to her chin. "Well, I'd like to do something that you like doing. So what’s it going to be?"

Applejack sat on her haunches and crossed her arms. "Let's see," she stated as she closed her eyes. Soon, her eyes opened and she smiled. "Do you know anythin' 'bout how to use a lasso?"

Twilight blinked her eyes a few times before shaking her head.

"Perfect! How 'bout the day after tomorrow you come on over to Sweet Apple Acres, and ah teach you some rodeo tricks?"

"That's, um... a little unexpected. But I don't see why not. Sure!"

"Then it's a date!"

Both ponies started chuckling, dragging their hooves along the dirt.

Applejack scooted herself a bit forward, now being rather close to Twilight. They stared at each other as Applejack slightly leaned herself inwards, her ears folded back.

Twilight could feel her teeth chattering, her her hooves trembling, and her head burning up, so she instinctively reached up for a quick hug and pulled away in an instant. "Well, if that's everything, I'm calling it a night!" Twilight hastily added with a smile on her face. "I've got to catch up on sleep."

Applejack stared for a moment longer before smiling and nodding. "Don't let me stop you, now." She turned around. "Ah'll see you then, Twilight. And ah can't wait."

"Until then, Applejack," Twilight chimed as she waved her friend goodbye. She found herself staring at Applejack until she was completely out of sight. What a night. She turned to her house and opened the door, but stopped and groaned as she held her hoof to her nose. "How many nachos can that dragon make?" she muttered as she walked inside and closed the door.

Comments

[Cawfee]

I'm actually starting to cheer for AJ.
I don't recall ever doing that before in a shipfic.

...
Carry on

[Humanarian]

A wonderful continue of a great story! I'm so looking forward to read what happens next.

[Jamin P Rose]

I really like this story. And your mention of Les Misérables, that really made my day.

[raw666]

Good update, hope you keep up the good work.

[Satto Kez]

I love it!
I would love so much more of this!

[OmniFox]

Don't pull a Twilight.

[Nightheart]

man, nice chapter.
this im liking alot and im normally not even in to a.j. ships.
well with the exception of 2 really good lunajack fics i read. but those were for the luna.

[Oddish]

great so far! I'll be waiting for more!

I MUST SATISFY THE HUNGER FOR TWIJACK

[White Glint]

Interesting first date. I was expecting Applejack to try and pay for Twilight's meal as well as try to kiss her goodnight. Feel's like she took a more detached route which you could argue makes sense because of Twilight's indecision.

[Carbuncle]

A typical first date. It felt so awkward.
I enyojed it. Keep going.^^

[Hobbestc]

I almost didn't bother with this story. That would have been a mistake.

[livinthelife]

Very cute. Lovin' it so far.

[Little Patch Dreamer]

Haha so awkward and cute

[Tome]

Good stuff

[Darth Link 22]

Good first date. Just the two playing off of each other, not much more to say.

I need to see Les Miserables...

[Bryan Luna]

4423124 It's been forever since I last saw that movie or read the book.

[Just_A_Nopony]

All the vegetable stew!