Troublesome Train
Disclaimer: The characters and setting used in this work are from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and are the property of Hasbro Inc..
Aegis Amore
Chapter 2: Troublesome Train
Twilight Sparkle waved enthusiastically as she saw Applejack approach the train platform. She had arrived only a few minutes earlier herself with Spike in tow, and bought tickets for the three of them. She didn't need to wait long for the orange farm pony to arrive.
After they had parted ways at the restaurant, Twilight had rushed home to collect Spike. Because she had been 'moping' as he put it, her assistant had been more than happy to pen a letter to Princess Celestia at her request. Once the letter was sent, they packed quickly and hurried to the train station.
“I've already got you covered,” Twilight greeted Applejack before she could approach the ticket window. Applejack accepted the ticket and put it in her saddlebags.
“Shucks,” she smiled at the librarian, “you didn't need to do that for me.” Twilight waved her protest away easily.
“Nonsense, I'm taking you away from your farm work for my own selfish reasons.” She smiled, “the least I can do is pay for a train ticket.”
“Hi, Applejack,” Spike greeted from where he sat on Twilight's back, “haven't seen you around in a while.”
“Hi there, yourself,” Applejack returned, “been a bit busy on the farm, but I figured this is more important than waiting around for the first harvest of Applebuck Season to start.” Spike raised a scaled brow at her words.
“Wait a minute,” Spike said, “how can you be busy on the farm, but waiting for Applebuck Season?” Applejack's muzzle scrunched up, but Twilight spoke before she was able to come up with an explanation.
“Applejack said she was working hard to get ahead in her preparations,” Twilight lied for Applejack. “It's why she took a day off to relax when she came across me at the Hay Burger.” Twilight smiled at Applejack's relieved face.
“Yep,” Applejack agreed, keeping her eyes on Twilight's to avoid Spike's. Twilight couldn't help but let a small giggle escape her lips at Applejack's inability to lie. “In fact, I'm so far ahead that Big Mac said to take as long as I need to do what I need to do to help Twi here before I start back at the farm.”
Their attention was derailed momentarily as the train to Canterlot pulled in to the station. Twilight smiled at Applejack as they made their way to the train's entrance after a few ponies hopped out at the Ponyville platform.
“I really appreciate you doing this for me,” Twilight said to her friend after they boarded the train and offered their tickets to the conductor. Applejack smiled as they found some empty seats.
“Don't worry 'bout a thing, sugar cube,” she returned. The train was relatively empty, and they were the sole occupants of the car they chose.
The three of them stowed their luggage in an overhead rack and got comfortable. The seating on the train consisted of two rows of benches separated by an aisle. The benches were arranged perpendicular to the aisle and back to back, forming several small alcoves for relative privacy. Applejack and Twilight sat across from one another, with Spike next to Twilight.
“No, really,” Twilight countered, “if you hadn't had to take a day off, I'd probably still be worrying about what to do, and if I didn't act soon enough, the nobility might—” whatever she was going to say was interrupted as Spike let out a belch of green fire, which coalesced into a scroll.
“There it is,” Twilight exclaimed happily as she took the airborne scroll into her magic.
Dear Twilight,
Your proposal is an excellent one, Applejack is a perfect choice, both strong and honest. It is easy to see why you came to that decision.
Truth be told, it was surprising that you would suggest her, as Luna and I were just discussing the matter this morning. You see, she had also suggested much the same thing. I must agree with her, as I had granted the Apple family land near the Everfree Forest some time ago, the nobility would have no recourse if I were to grant her peerage.
I expect you are already on your way to Canterlot, and if not, you should make your way here as soon as you can. Luna and I will make arrangements for a ceremony to grant Applejack peerage and knighthood to take place on your arrival.
Ever your friend,
Princess Celestia
Twilight smiled as she read, Princess Celestia's approval still held heavy influence on her. She hummed happily as she passed the letter to Applejack. “This is moving along much faster than I had hoped,” she said with a grin. A sharp whistle and a sudden jerk alerted them to the train's departure.
“Huh,” Applejack grunted and scratched a hoof through her mane as she read over it, “what's peerage?” Twilight giggled at the question. She rolled the letter up and retied the ribbon around it when Applejack offered it back to her.
“It means she's going to make you a noble,” Twilight offered, as she sent the letter through the air to her bags, “I assume she'll make you a baron and tie the peerage to Sweet Apple Acres.” Her attention was taken by one of Spike's claws as it prodded at her shoulder.
“Hey, Twilight,” Spike said to get her attention, “do you think I could get some snacks from the concession car?” His expression was hopeful as he looked up at her with dewy eyes. She smiled fondly at her assistant and levitated a few bits from her saddlebags in the rack down to Spike's outstretched claw.
“Keep it reasonable,” she warned, “we have a busy evening ahead of us, and I don't want you getting an upset stomach.” Spike nodded and ran off with all of the enthusiasm of a foal preparing to do just the opposite of what his mother said.
Applejack chuckled as they watched him exit their car to the next. “He sure likes to snack, doesn't he?” Twilight nodded fondly, but frowned as she thought.
“He does, but his eyes are usually too big for his stomach.” Twilight raised an eyebrow as Applejack favored her with a small smile. “What?”
“Nothing,” Applejack dismissed, “just thinking how lucky Spike is to have you for a mom.”
“I am not his mother,” Twilight quickly denied, though she deflated quickly at Applejack's skeptical look. “Well,” she conceded, looking anywhere but at Applejack in embarrassment, “maybe I think of myself a bit like his mother.” She giggled and shot Applejack a conspiratorial look.
“For the first year after he hatched, I used to push him around in a little carriage,” she admitted. “He gets embarrassed when I bring it up, but I've raised him all his life. You should have seen him back then, he was adorable.” Twilight blushed as she noticed Applejack's smile hadn't wavered. “I know it's silly—”
“Not a bit, sugar cube,” Applejack interrupted and shook her head. “I think it's sweet, and I'm more'n sure he feels the same way.” Twilight smiled, touched at Applejack's words.
“Speaking of which,” Twilight said with a sly smile at Applejack, “you were talking about foals earlier.” Applejack blushed and averted her gaze, choosing to look out the window at the distant landscape which seemed to move lazily by.
“I might 'a been,” she said, “family's important to me, you know that. I might like mares, but I'd still like to raise a family, too.” Twilight nodded.
“Can you tell me about her?” Twilight asked suddenly, “not who, just about her.” Applejack raised an eyebrow as she returned to looking at Twilight.
“Why're you so interested?” she asked. Twilight took her turn in watching the distant landscape.
“I don't know,” she said poking her front hooves together nervously, “it's just that, when I was growing up and when I was Princess Celestia's student, I never really thought about romance. Heck, I didn't even think about friendship. Now that I've had these last few years with you girls, and how I've grown as a pony, I can see now why it's so important.”
“Outside of Rarity's crush of the month, nopony else I know ever really seemed interested in it either. Until you, that is.” Applejack nodded and smiled softly. She seemed to be mulling over how to respond.
“I can't get into too many specifics,” she finally offered, “but I s'pose it can't hurt. What'd you want to know?” Twilight smiled in relief, glad that her friend was willing to talk about it.
“How did you know?” Twilight nearly tripped over her own words as they spilled from her mouth. Applejack's smile grew fonder as she looked out over the moving terrain.
“It was strange,” she said, “I seen all manner of pretty mares all around Ponyville. I knew for a long time that I wasn't really into colts. But the moment I laid eyes on her, sure as Princess Celestia raises the Sun, I knew that she was different. I got to bein' her friend, and that was enough for me. I know she don't mind the way I am, but I can't know for sure she'd feel the same way.” Her smile was oddly content, Twilight thought, considering how much she obviously cared for this other mare.
“Why haven't you said anything to her?” Twilight asked. Applejack shook her head and looked at Twilight.
“I'm happy as her friend,” Applejack explained. “I wouldn't want to make anything awkward if she wasn't into mares. Besides, the only reason I was losing sleep over her was because I wasn't sure if she was gong to be able to stick around much longer or not. Even if she was into mares, though, I doubt she'd be interested in a farm pony like me.” Twilight scoffed at Applejack's opinion of herself.
“A farm pony like you?” Twilight repeated with an incredulous shake of her head. “A farm pony like you happens to be one of the bravest ponies I've ever met, not to mention one of the strongest, kindest, most dependable of ponies as well.” Twilight gesticulated enthusiastically as she continued, ignoring Applejack's growing blush. “You can clearly take care of a family, I mean, you've practically raised Applebloom. You've risked life and limb to save me countless times, not to mention the lives of our friends, too. Whoever this mare is, she'd be blind not to see how great you are. I'd be lucky to ever meet somepony like you for myself!”
Her ears drooped once she realized how animated she had become, and she was glad they were the only ponies in the train car at the moment. Applejack, for her part, had shrunk down in her seat as far as her sturdy frame would allow and had pulled her hat down over her face to hide a blush that was visible to the tips of her ears.
They sat like that for a moment in silence. Twilight took that time to calm herself. Applejack pushed her hat up after several long moments. She was still blushing, but she was looking out the window with a ghost of a smile on her face.
“What's she like?” Twilight found herself asking quietly, curiosity egging her on.
“She's amazing,” Applejack said without missing a beat. “She cares about her family, just like an Apple. She works so hard for everypony around her, that she always forgets to work hard for herself. And she can make friends with just about everypony she meets.” Applejack's eyes moved from the terrain to lock onto Twilight's.
“Not like Pinkie Pie, mind,” Applejack clarified, “she don't even have to try. She even got two of the most ornery of opposite ponies to put their differences aside and enjoy each other's company.”
Twilight couldn't help but blush at Applejack's enamored description. She knew that she was talking about somepony else, but the honesty with which she spoke the words held such a deep conviction that it seemed to reach out to her and tug at her heart.
“She sounds like a wonderful pony,” Twilight said, “I'd really like to meet her someday.” Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but she smiled and chuckled instead.
“You almost got me, sugar cube,” she said, smiling at Twilight, “all I'll say is that maybe you know her, maybe you don't.” Twilight smiled ruefully at her friend.
They shared a laugh, their good humor washed away any embarrassment at their conversation. Applejack's laugh was interrupted with a great yawn. Twilight smiled at her friend.
“Maybe you should try to get a little bit of sleep while we wait,” Twilight offered. “After all, like I told Spike, we have a busy evening tonight.”
“I reckon you're right, Twi,” Applejack said, “I feel like I could sleep straight through to tomorrow morning at this rate. Wake me when we get there?”
“Of course,” Twilight replied. She pulled down a book from her bags and flipped through the pages as Applejack got comfortable. She soon found a page titled Restful Respite and carefully committed the contents to memory. It wasn't a difficult spell, but it was designed to make sleep more productive by letting a well rested unicorn share the burden, something that would help out Applejack during her short nap. It was the least she could do, Twilight felt, in light of Applejack's help.
As soon as she heard Applejack's breathing take on an even rhythm indicative of sleep, she sent the book back to her bags and got up. She carefully moved to Applejack's bench and sat next to the slumbering farm pony. She reached out with her magic and, as carefully as she could, wove the energy into the desired spell.
Once the spell took form, Twilight lowered it down gently to rest over Applejack's eyes, much like a translucent eye mask. As she felt the spell take hold, Twilight's own eyes suddenly became heavy, and, with a great yawn of her own, she soon fell asleep next to her friend.
Twilight sat in a chair in the kitchen of the Apple family house, waiting patiently next to the oven. The windows of the room let in the soft orange light of the setting Sun. The pots and pans that were stacked here and there reflected the light, glowing a fiery orange. It was very cozy, and the light gave the house that Twilight had always admired a warm feel.
She looked to the sitting room through the entrance of the kitchen to see Granny Smith sleeping soundly, her snores soft, yet audible. She couldn't help but smile at the kind old mare. She stood from the chair she was sitting in and found the activity was more difficult than it should have been.
She felt oddly heavy, causing her to sway on her hooves a bit before regaining her balance. A quick glance down told her why; her belly was swollen. It reminded her of her first day in Ponyville, when she had eaten too much pie at Sweet Apple Acres. She smiled at the memory. Her reverie was broken by the sound of a buzzer coming from the oven.
She moved quickly to shut off the device. When no one else arrived, she opened the oven to reveal two apple pies. The smell of apples that seemed to pervade the house at all times intensified as the sweet confections were allowed to spread their scent more easily.
She picked one up with her magic and brought it close to her muzzle, and inhaled deeply, basking in the warmth of the pie and the delicious scent that it offered. After she placed it on the cooling rack in one of the windows, she picked up the second pie to do the same.
“All done for the day,” Applejack's voice called into the house accompanied with the sound of the front door swinging wide open. Twilight jumped at the sudden sound and turned sharply.
“Shhh!” She hissed, hoping to quiet Applejack. Her friend stood in the door, sweaty from a hard day's work. She was smiling, though her ears laid back against her head, obviously realizing her mistake. Twilight sent the pie she was carrying in her magic off to rest on the rack with the other before picking up a nearby clean towel.
“Granny is taking a nap,” she said as she hung the towel around Applejack's neck. She smiled at the abashed farm pony and picked up the ends of the towel in her magic to dab them at her friend's face. “Welcome back.”
“Sorry,” Applejack said, apologetically, “old habits die hard, y'know? Granny's been takin' more naps lately.” She smiled as Twilight moved the towel around her face. “How was your day sugar cube?”
“The ultrasound went more perfect than I could have hoped,” Twilight said. Ultrasound!? Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, lucidity returned to Twilight's mind. This was a dream, she realized. She was really sitting on a train with Applejack and Spike on her way to Canterlot. The alarm quickly fled her body as she felt relief flood trough her.
She was no stranger to lucid dreams, having experienced a fair few in her life as an overworked student. She felt her lips twist into a coy smile even as she fought to gain control of her body. She shouldn't have been experiencing so much trouble in doing so.
“More perfect?” Applejack's voice sounded confused as she closed the gap between the two of them. “You just wanted healthy. What could be more perfect than healthy?” Twilight felt her head twist and her horn light up in magic free from her own will. The two pies she had placed on the rack floated into view, and her lips smiled widely as she looked at the growing realization on Applejack's face.
Despite all of her efforts, her body continued to act on its own. Why can't I move my own body? She thought as she felt herself take a step closer to Applejack, eliminating any personal space between the two of them.
“They're going to have the best mothers,” Twilight's voice sounded from her own lips. Her body leaned in, and she felt her lips press against Applejack's.
“I love you,” she heard herself say. Her dream body embraced Applejack in a hug and over her friend's shoulders, she thought she could see a giggling Luna in the distance outside the window.
Twilight's eyes shot open as she awoke from her dream. Her vision was filled with her friend's face, and she jerked back in surprise. Applejack was still sleeping, thankfully, so she would be none the wiser for what had happened. She glanced around the train car finding no one else but a blushing Spike, holding a popcorn bag in his claws.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked nervously, “you two were almost k—” Twilight jumped down from her place next to Applejack and pushed Spikes bag of popcorn into his face.
“Not a word!” She hissed at her assistant. “This never happened, and you saw nothing.” Spike could only nod, with shocked eyes locked on Twilight's around the popcorn bag pressed against his face.
She looked out the window to find that the train was already on the incline to head up the mountains to Canterlot. Her ear twitched as she heard some commotion from where Applejack sat and she turned frantically to face her friend.
Applejack blinked the sleep from her eyes and gave a great stretch accompanied with a deep yawn. She took a moment to crack her neck before gazing confusedly at the scene before her. Twilight was standing between the two benches with a wild look in her eye, Spike was also wide eyed where he sat, covered in popcorn. “What in the hay happened to you two?”
“I must have dozed off,” Twilight offered with a weak laugh. “When I woke up, I thought I felt a spider crawling on my leg and jumped.” She turned to her assistant. “I'm really sorry about your popcorn, Spike.” Spike shook his head and shrugged.
“I wasn't really all that hungry anyways,” Spike offered in a strained voice. Twilight narrowed her eyes at the baby dragon. His mannerisms were off, that much was sure. If he was capable of sweating, Twilight was sure it'd be pouring off him at the moment.
She looked at the popcorn spread over the seat and floor skeptically for a moment before looking out the window. She took a moment to judge the incline and reassured herself that they were nearing the end of their journey, which meant she had been asleep for quite some time.
She turned her gaze back to Spike, who appeared for all the world a criminal in a dark room with a single light shining on him. Her focus moved about the him and the seat he was sitting in. Finally, she zeroed in on an inconsistency; there were several empty paper bags hiding behind him. Empty paper bags that were identical in design to the now crumpled popcorn bag sitting in his lap.
“Spiiiike,” Twilight sang with a smile, “how many bags of popcorn have you had?” Her sweet smile and tone of voice set her assistant on edge. His eyes darted back and forth, obviously searching for an answer that would satisfy her. His shoulders drooped when no such answer was forthcoming.
“Five,” he mumbled, as he looked everywhere but at Twilight. She raised a delicate eyebrow at that statement and looked more closely before spotting one last bag, which Spike was currently sitting on.
Her eye twitched. “Spike, I thought I told you to keep it reasonable,” Twilight began, her tone quickly becoming authoritative.
“Don't fret about the little guy, none,” Applejack's voice took the wind from her sails. “Applebloom would 'a done the same thing.” She hopped down from her bench before retrieving a few bits from under her hat.
“You mind getting us a few drinks?” She asked as she handed the bits to the little dragon.
“Sure thing!” Spike exclaimed as he rushed off, grateful for the easy out that Applejack provided for him. Twilight's ears drooped as she watched Applejack start to pick up the mess she had made and felt her indignation quickly drain from her being.
“You didn't have to do that,” Twilight said, before she used her magic to gather up the popcorn and stow it in one of the empty bags. Applejack shook her head.
“Aw, no sense in yelling at the little guy,” Applejack chuckled, “we should 'a known better than to fall asleep like that. He did the same thing any of us would 'a done when we were foals.” She smiled the same smile that Twilight had seen in the dream before she reached a hoof out and tapped Twilight on the tip of her nose. “Like I said, you're a great momma, but we can't keep our eyes on 'em all the time.”
Twilight stilled at that comment. You've practically raised Applebloom. They're going to have the best mothers. I love you. “I—” Twilight stuttered, certain that there was steam pouring from her ears, “I—” her tongue was tied in a firm knot. “I have to go to the bathroom,” Twilight nearly shouted as she grabbed onto the first excuse she could before she practically galloped away from her confused friend.
Twilight quickly made her way to the next train car down from the one they had been sitting in. She ducked into one of the bathrooms and locked the door behind her. She leaned heavily on the sink, staring at her own blushing face in the mirror while she tried to get her breathing under control.
The magenta glow of her own magic caught her attention and she noticed she was still firmly grasping the bag of popcorn she had earlier pushed into Spike's face. Her panic drained slowly and she released her grip on the abused snack. She allowed herself a weak chuckle, the popcorn had been crushed so thoroughly that it was nearly a fraction of its original size.
“Okay, Twilight,” she said to herself as she tossed the tiny, crumpled mass of the popcorn bag into a nearby waste bin, “get a hold of yourself.” She turned on the tap in the sink and splashed her face with cold water. “It was just a dream. A dream brought on by the conversation we had just before we fell asleep.”
She paused when she noticed her reflection in the mirror was scowling at her. She breathed out a sigh as she used a hoof to massage her brow between the eyes. “Also, you really need to stop using your reflection to scold yourself.”
She cast a quick spell to dry the fur on her face and turned to the door. She opened the door slowly and peered down the train to where she had been sitting with Applejack and Spike. There, she saw Applejack, sitting alone. Her friend was blushing again, like she had before they had fallen asleep. She had her hat off and was fiddling with the brim in her hooves.
Twilight nearly slammed the door back shut and shook her head hard to dispel the growing heat she felt blossoming on her face. She was suddenly acutely aware of her friend's charms, in a way that had never occurred to her before.
“This is bad,” Twilight said to herself, already abandoning her earlier advice to not talk to herself, “this is really bad.” She paced around the tiny room quickly, practically turning circles before she stopped and stood stock still. “Okay, think this through rationally.”
She took a deep breath and exhaled. “Our conversation obviously bled into my dream. Nothing more, I'll go out there and everything will be just fine.” She cracked her neck before taking the door handle in hoof. “If Applejack can be happy just being friends with the pony she's in love with, then I will be just fine around a mare that I'm apparently attracted to. We've been friends for years now, nothing's changed.”
She then did something she always did when she was faced with a situation that was beyond her comfort. It was something Celestia had taught her when she was a little filly, something to help her control her magic in light of her loss of control when she had taken her entrance examination.
She walked right out of the bathroom, even when she wanted to run right back into it. It was silly, she mused, that she would approach Applejack in the same manner that brought her before Nightmare Moon, Sombra, Chrysalis and even Discord.
Applejack noticed her approaching and quickly placed her hat atop her head and waved in greeting. “Welcome back, sugar cube,” she said with a smile. Twilight hopped back up in her own seat opposite the orange farm pony.
“Sorry about that,” Twilight apologized, “I must have had too much coffee this morning.” Applejack laughed in agreement.
“I know how that is,” she said, “hay, this past week I think I must 'a spent more time running back and forth between the orchard and the house than I did working.” The laugh they shared at that went a long way to settle Twilight's nerves.
“They had apple juice,” Spike's voice alerted Twilight to his arrival. He waddled up to the two, carrying three small glass bottles, each marked with an apple. Twilight took two of the bottles from his arms and sent one off to Applejack, who caught it in her hooves.
“Thanks, sugar cube,” Applejack said to Spike, “that was right thoughtful of you.” Spike waved her away as he climbed up in his seat.
“Nah,” he said before taking a quick sip of his drink, “it was easy. It's one of Twilight's favorites.” Applejack raised an eyebrow as she shifter her gaze to Twilight.
“What can I say?” Twilight laughed, “you spoiled me with Sweet Apple Acres apples.” She leaned forward and whispered, loudly enough that it could hardly be considered a whisper, to her friend. “It's what keeps me in Ponyville. Well, that and the honesty of the ponies living there.”
Applejack laughed heartily at Twilight's admission. “Well, aren't you just the sweetest thing.”
“I'm serious,” Twilight said, “I mean, this is the whole reason we have to go to Canterlot in the first place.” Applejack tilted her head.
“What do you mean?”
“The Canterlot nobility,” Twilight explained, “aside from a few shining examples of what nobility should be, is full of duplicitous ponies who say only what they think you'll want to hear as long as they think it will suit their purpose."
She pulled down the stack of letters from her saddlebags. “Take this whole Knight-protector business, for instance. It's not just coincidence that the subject came up at the same exact time as these proposals started pouring in.” Applejack nodded as she followed along.
“The ponies who suggested it would have known that I wouldn't allow a military presence in a small town like Ponyville. They likely want to have a way to get one of their own in constant contact with me to increase the likelihood of a favorable response to their proposal so that they could elevate their family's status above their peers.” She paused when she noticed that she had lost Applejack in the explanation.
“Each noble family wants to choose a knight from their own family, and hope that I choose to marry him,” she clarified.
“Oh,” Applejack said as understanding dawned on her. Her expression quickly moved to one of outrage. “Why those no good, back stabbin', lyin' sons 'a—”
“But,” Twilight said, her ears drooping in shame, “I'm using you in the same way. It seems that it kind of rubs off on you, growing up there.”
“Hold on there, sugar cube,” Applejack cut her off, “it's not the same thing. You were honest when you asked me. Well, I wouldn't say you asked, but I didn't say no.” Twilight smiled at her friend.
“Thanks,” she said, “it helps to know that I'm not like those nobles.” She laughed as her good cheer returned. “That's what I'll do,” Twilight announced with a smile as she struck her right hoof against her upturned left hoof. The proposal letters, still in her magical grip, shredded in an instant before the debris caught flame and blew out the window as a small stream of smoking ash. “I'll just make you my knight and marry you, using their own plot against them!”
Her joke was rewarded with an apple juice drenched coat courtesy of twin spit-takes from both Applejack and Spike. She let the juice drip from her fur as she waited for her friend and assistant to stop coughing.
“Twilight,” Spike complained over Applejack's continuing coughing fit, “are you trying to scare my scales off? Especially after you and Applejack almost k—” He was cut off by Twilight's hoof, and stopped any further protest at the manic look in her eye, a look that dared him to say more.
“Corn's sake, girl,” Applejack finally managed to squeeze out between coughs, her face was bright red with lack of air, “are y'all trying to give me a heart attack and drown me at the same time?” Twilight gave a nervous chuckle.
“Sorry, Applejack,” she removed her hoof from Spike's mouth, certain that Applejack had been too busy coughing to properly hear what he had said. “It was just a little joke.” With a small burst of magic from her horn, she pulled the apple juice from her fur, before tossing it out the window like she had with the ashes of the proposal letters.
“I just wish sometimes that becoming a princess wasn't so complicated,” Twilight said as she finished off her juice. “I love that it represents the culmination of my studies on friendship, but I hate that it's becoming a burden on my friends.” Applejack smiled at Twilight and reached across to pat Twilight's leg reassuringly.
“Just one friend, so far,” Applejack corrected her, “and if there's ever anything I can do to help make it easier, you just let me know.” Twilight nodded, though her frown stayed in place.
“I really appreciate that, but even one friend being bothered is one too many.” Twilight tilted her head towards Spike. “A few of the Unicorn nobles had started sending their letters through Spike. I had to cast a limiter on him so that only Princesses can send letters using his fire.” She smiled as a thought occurred to her.
“The last time something similar happened, Princess Celestia sent him gemstones for a month,” Spike smiled at her recounting, as, according to him, it had been the best month ever. “Hers was an unintended side effect of a contingency plan to make sure my friendship reports would be available if our friendship was ever in danger. I'd hate to think of how bad it would be for Spike if all of the nobles started using his fire.”
Spike's purple scales seemed to turn slightly green as he thought about that scenario. Twilight reached a hoof down and rubbed his back and giggled. She looked up at Applejack with a mischievous smile.
“You should have seen right after I cast the limit, Spike had a hiccuping fit for nearly an hour,” She jumped slightly in her seat a few times to mimic Spike's earlier condition. “Each hiccup was a letter being sent back to the sender. They finally got the hint and stopped, poor Spike almost sent a bookshelf to the Princesses.” The three of them laughed, though Spike's was more than a bit sarcastic.
They were interrupted by the train's whistle and sudden stop. It was only at that moment that Twilight looked out the window to see that they had finally arrived in Canterlot. She pulled all of their luggage down from the overhead rack.
“Here, Spike,” Twilight said as she passed each of the empty glass bottles to the dragon with her magic. “Could you please take those back to the concession train? We'll wait for you on the platform.” Spike nodded before he took off down the train aisle, his little arms full with the clinking empty bottles.
Twilight and Applejack made their way off the train and stood on the platform as they waited for Spike to return. Twilight could see the city streets outside the station from their vantage point on the platform. There, waiting for them, was a royal chariot ready to whisk them away to the Palace for Applejack's knighting ceremony.
“Last chance to back out,” Twilight offered to her friend with a nervous smile. “Unless you do something completely against your nature, this is going to be fairly permanent.” Applejack smiled at her Twilight, banishing her unease.
“Sugar cube,” Applejack returned, “the way I see it, this isn't about choice. This'll just give me one more reason to visit my best friend. And if I get stuck by your side every day in the name of protectin' ya, well,” the farm pony looked up at the sky, her voice wistful, “that wouldn't be so bad, I'm thinkin'.”
Twilight was glad that Applejack wasn't looking at her, as she was sure she was blushing again. She had been utterly wrong back in the bathroom on the train. Things had certainly changed after that dream. Things had changed, and she wasn't sure what to do about it.
Chapter 2 End
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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I'm really enjoying this one, as the interaction between the leads is really sweet. Plus, who can argue with the idea of Applejack being Nobility, or gaining a knighthood. She takes down Timberwolves and chimera all the time. I'm curious as to how Rarity and Dash would react to her new titles... And generally how AJ herself will, for that matter.
Looking forward to seeing where this goes!
while i always love a good twijack ship, it always bugs the shit outta me when both parties love each other, but one party mentions they like someone, and then the other character gets put off because they don't think they have a chance. and i know that this is one of the plots that make a good shipping story, but that doesn't mean it's not annoying. it's like when you watch or read a drama filled story. through the entire thing, your cursing the characters for being so fucking stupid, but then you praise the series because it's so enticing!
.....i'm weird.
4107898
That, my good friend, is called dramatic irony. It's a story telling device where the readers know more information than the characters. It's been a mainstay of literature for a very, very long time. It in no way means that either of the characters is stupid, and if it were truly as annoying to most readers, it would have died as a writing convention a long time ago.
4107903 exactly! it's annoying enough to be annoying, but not annoying enough to make you stop reading! it's like a freaking video game.....
Such a good story! Im to asleep to really post my thoughts on this...
But keep up the amazing work! I am loving this!
4107913
The Skinner Box of fiction.
We are moving away from what I feared could happen. That is good, and you have my interest. Handle it with care.
Furthermore, I find this story to be well written. Very descriptive without becoming too wordy or boring, and I like the characterization quite a bit.
Though I also have to say that the pacing in this new chapter is a bit fast for my taste, with Twilight already entering the romance, but that is far from a dealbreaker.
I'll agree with the pacing being a little too fast. Also, subtle hints are not so subtle. While I can believe Twilight not picking up on it, Applejack being coy about it seems out-of-character at least while maintaining a straight face.
Ohohoho, accidental dream sharing?
Me likey.
4109316
I can see what you mean with the narrative being somewhat bogged down with references to characters and earlier events of the show. It's a writing style choice, though. If you look at authors who have rather long book series, they tend to do this in each book. Take R.A. Salvatore's The Legend of Drizzt for example. In each novel, of the 25 novel series, established characters get a sentence or two for description.
Also, Applejack is definitely following her heart here. Have a safety helmet.
4109611
I hadn't realized that Applejack was coming off as coy. There are several times where she can't meet either Spike's or Twilight's eyes as she is skirting the truth of the matter. I'll keep an eye on that in the future.
4109170
Twilight hasn't necessarily entered the romance yet. While it is true that she is aware of her growing feelings for Applejack, they are far from involved. For now it's simply dramatic irony to frustrate the readers, in a good way. I think BronyPonyMan is a fine example of such a reader.
I was gonna walk past this one like I've done with hundreds of other fics. But then I saw the Aj-twi.
You had my attention.
Then I started reading. Not just some slapdash romance cobbled together out of the boredom of a writer trying to do a slightly underdone pair, but thought out, purposeful. Enticing. Bravo I say.
You have my favorite in anticipation for this going big.
4110510
I still don't know what made me click this story, as I hate any ships that involve Twi or Rainbow Dash unless it's TwiDash. But, this one caught my attention, and I have a nice paradox for you:
I hate this ship, but I love the story.
Good work on the story, so keep up the work.
I know it's been a while, but pleas don't let this die. I would love to see this update! As a Matter of fact I have been waiting for a new chapter from the first time read it!
Is Luna being a Troll. Cause I don't see any reason why Twilight should of had that dream unless Luna is trying to influence it or she is just trolling them because she is a DREAM CREEPER!
5385033
I don't think she's trolling that hard here. Since the Restful Respite spell "makes sleep more productive by letting a well rested unicorn share the burden," it's somewhat fitting that Twilight would take the dream herself since that is Applejack's "burden" during her sleep. Luna walks through dreams and knows who the dream belongs to, so I'm not surprised she finds it amusing that Twilight is now having the same dream that Applejack has been having. She may not know why, but amusing none the less.
She is, however, playing matchmaker a little by dropping Applejack's name as Twilight's knight when she knows of Applejack's dreams.
5774395 I wasn't being serious. lots of people on the internet make fun of Celestia and Luna for being trolls. I was just trying to be funny. I'm also though a bit sad that this story and many others i like sit dormant. I understand the authors have actual lives to attend to but it still saddens me to see many (Especially Twijack) stories sit in oblivion.
5775555 I'm a twijack fan myself so I feel your pain there.
I would love to see this update...
I wish this story would get an upadte, because so far it's really good!
Would you mind update this?