On the Progress of the Soul
I don't believe it. I did it. I really did it. We're together. Now I just need to make sure we stay that way.
Who could not lack, what'er this world could give,
Because she was the form, that made it live;
Nor could complain that this world was unfit
To be stay'd in, then when she was in it;
—On the Progress of the Soul,
John Donne
The library was silent save for the scratching of a quill on paper, and the occasional yawn. Twilight sat in front of her desk, which was strewn with crumpled spreadsheets. The rejected budgets were illuminated by the few stray shafts of moonlight that poured in through the window. Her schedule allowed sufficient time for four drafts, five if she hurried. At the moment her ninth attempt was in progress. She glanced at the clock, noted that it was far later than it was supposed to be, and turned back to the most recent budget attempt. The movement of the quill ceased as she weighed the prospect of losing even more sleep against her desire to fully balance her budget. With a sigh, she crumpled the paper into yet another ball, tossed it to the side, and slid a new one to the center of the desk. It had to be perfect.
“Twilight?”
“Huh?” Twilight looked over her shoulder to see Spike descending the stairs from the bedroom. “Spike, what are you doing up?”
“What are you doing up?” He yawned. “I know you pull all-nighters and everything, but you don't even have anything due. You should get some sleep.”
“I know, but I've been trying to get my finances figured out all evening and I can't get it to balance!”
“Really? You spend a lot of time on a lot of stuff, but I've never seen you spend so long on your budget before.”
“That's because up until now, our expenses have always been more or less constant. However, since I started going out with Applejack, they've been thrown off slightly. Look at this.” She held the binder in front of Spike. “First there was our date, which cost me over a hundred bits, then there were those roses I bought her, which cost another thirty bits. Then another five bits for that card I left her yesterday! If you add everything up, I've spent over two hundred bits on her this week alone! And that's not even counting all the advice books, the new dress, and all of the hair care products I bought to get ready for the date.”
Spike took the binder and examined it. It didn't make any sense. He turned it upside down, and it remained exactly as comprehensible, which was to say not at all. He handed the book back to Twilight. “Sooooo... why don't you just cut back a little?”
“No!” Twilight barked it as if Spike had just suggested she saw her horn off. “That's out of the question. If I'm going to make this relationship work, I'm going to have put my money where my mouth is!”
"I didn't say you had to cut back on Applejack...”
“I know I need to reduce expenses somewhere, but I don't know where!” She groaned. “I've been skimping on our food budget already, and I can't stop paying for maintenance on my equipment either. I guess I could cancel some of my magic journal subscriptions, but it would make finding sources for my research papers really tough. I guess I could switch to bargain brand cleaning materials, but that doesn't save us all that much.”
“Wow, I never realized that we were so tight on cash.”
“We aren't, really. I have a fair bit saved up for emergencies, so we aren't going to starve or anything. It's just that being a student doesn't exactly pay a lot. You have no need to worry, Spike. I'm sure I'll figure something out.”
“Oh, I know!” Spike raised his claw. “I have an idea!”
“You do? What is it?”
“I could get a job,” he said. “I know I eat a lot of the food, so I could work somewhere and help pay for myself. Like at Sweet Apple Acres or something.”
“Thank you for the offer, Spike.” Twilight ruffled his spines. “But I don't think that will be necessary. I need my number one assistant, after all. Besides, you work hard enough around here already. Speaking of which, you should get back to sleep. But really, don't worry. I'll come up with something.”
“If you say so, Twilight.” He yawned again. “Don't stay up too late.”
Twilight smiled. “I won't.” She watched him as he retreated back into his room. No way he could get a job at the farm. Not only had he been integral in keeping the library running while she had been occupied with her romantic endeavors, but given his previous attempts at working on the farm his offer likely wouldn't be appreciated. However, he had given her an idea. She closed the binder. I should probably get to sleep, she thought. I'm going to have a busy day tomorrow.
Apple Bloom grunted as she slammed her hooves into the trunk of the tree. A paltry four apples dropped into the baskets.
“Aw, I'm never gonna be good at applebuckin'” She stomped her hooves. “How am I supposed to get an applebuckin' cutie mark if I can't knock any apples off the trees?”
Applejack resisted the urge to be visibly amused by her sibling's consternation. “You're doin' fine, Apple Bloom. You're still just a filly after all. That and all the power from a good kick comes from your haunches. You're tryin' to kick with your knees. You'll get it figured out eventually. Nothing's ever easy when you're first gettin’ started. You just gotta stick with it.”
“I guess...” Apple Bloom kicked at a pebble. “I'm just sick of bein' stuck in the 'gettin’ started' part of it. How long are you stuck there anyway?”
“Believe me, everypony wishes they didn't have to slog through the tough bits of learnin' how to do something. When I was your age I wished I could jump past all that stuff, too. Sometimes I still do.”
“Yeah, right. You already got past most of it.”
“That's only 'cause I'm so much older than you. By the time you're my age, you'll be the same way.” Applejack noted the length of the shadows. “You can go run along now. I have some stuff I gotta take care of.”
“Is it date stuff?”
“No! Well, kind of. Twilight said that she was gonna drop by soon, and I wanna be there to meet her is all.”
Apple Bloom smirked. “Okay then. If it's for Twilight I guess I can let you go. I got a crusader meeting soon anyway. See you later.” She turned and galloped down the hill.
Applejack called after her, “We'll practice some more tomorrow, okay!?”
Apple Bloom slowed her gallop to a trot. The meeting wasn't that soon. She had about fifteen minutes to kill before Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo would even show up. That was such an annoying amount of time. Too long to go to the clubhouse and wait, not long enough to run back to the house. She decided to take the long way, and cut around the front of the house. Maybe Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle would come early, and she could catch them as they came up the walk.
She didn't see either of them. She did, however, see somepony else.
“Hey, Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy jumped as Apple Bloom emerged from behind one of the apple trees that lined the path. “Oh, uh, hello, Apple Bloom. Is Applejack around? I was wondering if she could help me with the annual badger survey.”
“She's home, but I think she's busy. Twilight was gonna come over or somethin' and she's gettin’ ready.”
“Oh.” Fluttershy moved her head so her hair fell across her face. “I'll come back later then.”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “Nah, I doubt that Twilight was comin' over for anything important. Applejack wouldn't mind if you dropped in for a bit.”
“No, no. I wouldn't want to get in between them or anything. I mean, I do have some things I've been meaning to talk to Twilight about, but—”
“Then why don't you just go talk to 'em both? It'll solve both problems at once!”
“I wish I could, but...” Fluttershy pawed at the ground. “I couldn't. It's just... I really need to talk to Twilight when she's by herself. It kinda has to do with your sister and it would just be awkward to try to talk about it with her right there.”
“Somethin's goin' on with Applejack?” Apple Bloom scratched her head. “I didn't think there was anything weird goin' on with her.”
“Well, there isn't. Not really.” Fluttershy lowered her head even more. “It's really more my problem than anything else. It's just that I want to spend some time with Twilight, but she’s been spending most of her time with your sister. Not that that’s bad or anything; I just wanted to talk to Twilight about it and maybe see if we could... hang out or... actually, it’s nothing important. Not really...”
“So you wanna spend more time with Twilight?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re kinda scared that Twilight doesn’t want to spend time with you anymore?
“A little bit, I guess.”
“So you want to try to make sure that she likes you and wants to spend time with you?”
“Um, I suppose you could put it like that.”
“Hmmm...” Apple Bloom hummed as she processed the information. “Ooooohhhh!” She winked at Fluttershy. “I see.”
“If you don't mind, could you not tell Applejack or Twilight about it?” Fluttershy said. “I'd much rather talk to them about it myself.”
“Sure thing, Fluttershy!” Apple Bloom winked again. “Your secret is safe with me. I'll see you later!” She took off towards the clubhouse, leaving Fluttershy standing alone and confused.
Twilight sat on a bench in the town square, perusing the latest edition of the weekly paper. Specifically, she had opened to the “help wanted” pages, most of which were now marked with Xs and circles. It was mostly Xs. She had a full checklist of variables that needed to be considered, and distressingly enough, almost none of the listings met them all.
She slid her hoof down the page. A kitchen job at the local cafe? That required previous cooking experience. X. Administrative position at the post office? That was a full time commitment. X. A part time job as a clerk in the Mayor's office, with flexible hours? She had seen the Mayor's organizational style (or rather the lack thereof) and wasn't about to get herself involved. Straightening out that mess would be a twenty-seven-hour-a-day job. She put an especially large X next to that one.
The listings ended, and Twilight began to review the meager possibilities that she had circled. Her choices boiled down to three or four various waitress jobs, a few foalsitting requests, and being a janitor at the spa. None of those options held much appeal. She skimmed the pages again, hoping that somewhere there somepony had listed a request for someone willing to work part time in a bookstore. No such luck. Maybe she could strike up a deal with one of her friends. Surely Rarity could use an assistant to take care of her inventory, or perhaps the Cakes could use another hand in Sugarcube corner to help with the finances. Or perhaps Fluttershy needed some help with... Twilight recalled the last time she had helped Fluttershy with the animals. Snakes, a beehive, and skunks all factored rather heavily in the memory. Twilight put a mental X next to that one as well.
“Hey, Twilight!” Twilight jumped at the sound of a semi-familiar and needlessly bubbly voice that was far too close to her ear. She hurriedly fumbled the paper closed.
“H-hello, Lyra.” The mint unicorn was grinning wider than Twilight had ever seen. “How are you doing today?”
“I'm doing fine. What about you?” With the last word, Lyra craned her neck forward. “Anything... interesting going on?”
“Uh, what are you...” A light flipped on in Twilight's head. “You know, don't you?”
Lyra's head bobbed up and down. “Congratulations!”
“I, uh— thank you?” Twilight wasn't quite sure of the proper response.
“I saw you and Applejack at the restaurant last week!”
Twilight didn't want to suspect Lyra of spying, but she did have a bit of a reputation for being... eccentric. A bit of that suspicion slipped into her voice. “You did?”
“Yeah! I've been one of their musicians for a few months now. I'm lucky I was playing an easy section of music when I saw you two. I just about snapped half the strings on my harp when I realized that the pony with you was Applejack. Never would've guessed that she was the one you set your sights on.”
“Never heard that before...” Twilight mumbled. “Who did you think it was?”
“I dunno. Maybe Cheerilee.”
“Of course,” Twilight said flatly.
“What?” Lyra took a seat upright on the bench next to Twilight. “I just didn't think you'd go for somepony who's so rough-and-tumble.”
“Well, I wouldn't have thought of you ever going for somepony as serious as Bon Bon,” Twilight said.
“Touche.” Lyra chuckled. “She is a bit no-nonsense sometimes. It's a miracle that she puts up with me like she does. But hey, opposites attract, right?”
“I suppose they do, sometimes. It certainly took me off guard.” Twilight allowed herself a smile. “Although what really surprised me is that she was so willing to give the relationship a try. I guess the chocolates really helped. I suppose I should thank you and Bon Bon for that.”
“You're welcome. Bon Bon's happy for you too, you know. More than she lets on.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, she does run a chocolate shop, after all. She sees a lot of couples come through to buy candy for each other.” She leaned over to Twilight and whispered. “You didn't hear it from me, but part of the reason she started her shop was because she likes the romance of it. She can be a bit of a grouch sometimes, but she's a big softie at heart.”
Twilight couldn't help but smirk at the idea. “Don't worry, I won't tell anypony.”
“Good, Bon Bon probably wouldn't be too happy about that.” Lyra leaned back on the bench. “So what were you so interested in? I was like right there and you didn't even see me.”
“Oh, that. I was just looking at job listings.”
“Job listings? I thought you already had a job. You work at the library, don’t you?”
“Well, yes and no,” Twilight said, attempting to nod and shake her head at the same time. “Part of the deal I made when I came to Ponyville was that I would maintain the library in exchange for being allowed to live there free of charge. I do get a small salary for it, and I get a stipend from Celestia to help pay for living expenses and research materials, but other than that I don't really have any source of income.”
“Oh. I didn't realize that you lived so... frugally.” She spoke with a hint of apology in her voice.
“It's not like that!” Twilight suppressed a giggle as she noted Lyra's sudden discomfort. “Spike and I aren't living on the verge of starvation or anything. It's just that this relationship with Applejack has been a bit of a drain on my finances and I think it would be prudent to earn a little extra spending money.”
“Yeah, bouquets are expensive, aren't they?” Lyra let her head flop back, her eyes glued to the sky.
“I only wish there was better work available. There's nothing in here that I'm not completely underqualified or overqualified for. I guess I can't really be choosy. Have you ever worked as a waitress before? Is that easier or tougher than foalsitting?”
“I worked at an Equestrian House of Pancakes for a month or two back in high school. It wasn't too bad, but you'd probably be the only adult in the place other than the manager. Foalsitting depends on the foal. Bon Bon did some foalsitting in college and wasn't a fan.”
“Well, that just leaves working as a janitor at the spa.”
“Ew!” Lyra recoiled.
“What's wrong with that? Ponies go to the spa to get clean, don't they?”
“Well, yeah, but where does all the stuff that gets washed off go? And who's got to clean it all up? Lotus and Aloe certainly don't do it themselves.”
Twilight was still for a moment, and then shuddered. “Yuck! Maybe I should just ask Rarity if I could work with her at the boutique. I'd really hate to resort to that, though.”
Lyra cocked her head. “What's wrong with working at the boutique? Sounds way better than any of the other options you mentioned.”
“It's not working at the boutique, it's that I'd have to bug Rarity for the job. It would be imposing on her, and it sort of feels like cheating to just go to one of my friends rather than finding a job myself. Sometimes I just feel like I've been mooching off of the princess, and I really wanted to try to get a job on my own.”
“Heh, that's right. Sometimes I almost forget that you're the princesses' personal student.”
“Thanks, I guess.” Twilight flushed slightly. “I do try to fit in.”
“Well, you're doing a good job of it. You might as well have been born he— OOOH!” She sprang upright and clapped her hooves. “I just thought of something!”
“I-I see,” Twilight said, taken slightly aback.
“I can't promise anything, but I just might have a job offer for you.”
“Really?”
“Yep!” Lyra nodded so quickly it looked like her head was vibrating. “Should I look into it for you? It shouldn't take long.”
“You'd do that for me?”
“Sure. Bon Bon helped get your whole romance thing started; no reason I can’t help out a bit. I'll just run off and check on that for you and see if it'll work. What say we meet at the Bon Bon's shop in... two hours? Is that good?”
“That works for me. Let's see, two hours from now is—” Twilight looked at the clock tower. “AHHH! I'm late! I was going to stop by the farm to see Applejack!” Twilight's limbs turned into a blur as she shoved the newspaper into her saddlebags. “I gotta go!” She attempted to leap off the bench, tangled her legs together, and flopped to the ground.
“Whoa, slow down there a bit. I'm sure Applejack won't mind if you're a minute or two late. You don't want to seem too clingy, you know?”
“Clingy?”
“Yeah, no matter how much you love somepony, you don't wanna smother them. But yeah, you don't wanna be late either. You better get going.”
“Yes, of course! I'll see you later! And thanks for doing this for me!”
“You're welcome!” Lyra called. Twilight was already halfway across the square. Lyra shook her head. “Can't believe I used to be that crazy.”
Apple Bloom didn’t really know why she had bolted to the clubhouse. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were nowhere to be seen, so Apple Bloom simply circled it, murmuring to herself about Fluttershy. What would her sister think? Applejack wasn't really the jealous type, but she probably wouldn't be too big on sharing Twilight, either. Then again, Twilight probably wouldn't want that much attention, anyway. If Apple Bloom believed what her sister said (and of course she did), then Twilight had nearly driven herself bonkers just worrying about one very special somepony. If she had two of them to keep up with, she'd probably go off the deep end.
“Um, Apple Bloom? What are you doing?”
She ground to a halt. Scootaloo had arrived.
“Scootaloo, you're never gonna believe this!”
“You got your cutie mark!?”
“Don't I wish.” She wiggled her flank, which was still pure yellow.
“Did you think of some way for us to get our cutie marks?”
“Nope.”
Scootaloo thought for a moment. “You figured out how to put that slide on the clubhouse?”
“Nope. I'm still workin' on it, though.”
“Well, what is it, then!?” Scootaloo's wings buzzed in anticipation.
Apple Bloom shook her head “I'm not tellin' you until Sweetie Belle comes.”
“Not cool.” Scootaloo plunked her bottom down and crossed her forelegs. “Getting me all excited like that.”
“Sorry, it's just that it's a bit of a secret and I don't wanna have to say it more than I have to. Anyway, I was thinkin' about the slide. Rather than knockin' a wall out of the clubhouse, we could put some steps up to a higher branch and put the slide—”
“Hey, Sweetie Belle's here!” Scootaloo spun around. “Hey, Sweetie! Apple Bloom says that she has something cool to tell us!”
“Really?” Sweetie's eyes sparkled. “What is it?”
Apple Bloom gestured for them to come closer. “Now you can't go and tell Twilight or Applejack about this, okay?” She drew in a preparatory breath before blurting it out. “Fluttershy has a crush on Twilight!”
Sweetie Belle gasped. Scootaloo said “Huh.”
“Well, she didn't say that specifically, but I could tell.” Apple Bloom nodded with mock sagacity.
“That's it?” Scootaloo sounded like she had been promised ice cream, but only been given brussels sprouts.
“I don't believe it!” Sweetie Belle trotted in place. “What are they going to do?”
“I dunno.” Apple Bloom shrugged. “I guess they could try to share Twilight, but that would be kinda awkward.”
“Can you even do that?” Sweetie Belle asked. “It doesn't sound like it would work very well. Like when they went on a date they wouldn't be able to sit across from each other. And how would Twilight kiss two ponies at once? She'd probably figure out a way to do it, but it would be tough to get it right.”
“Maybe Applejack and Fluttershy could take turns,” Apple Bloom said. “Like Twilight spends every other day with one of them.”
“Nah.” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “I doubt anypony would go for that. Rarity says that one of the things that makes being a very special somepony different from being a friend is escu—, exlu—... somethin' you don't have with other ponies. Besides, what if Twilight doesn't have a crush on Fluttershy?”
“Well, my sister didn't have a crush on Twilight, and they worked things out. I don't think it has to go both ways. Scootaloo, what do you think?”
“I, uh, I'm not sure. Maybe Fluttershy could... get a crush on somepony else?”
“Ooh! That would sure solve the problem!” Apple Bloom thrust a hoof into the air. “If she has a crush on a different pony, then it won't matter if Twilight is my sister's very special somepony! Come on, we gotta figure out what pony we should try to give her a crush on!”
“That’s a great idea!” Sweetie Belle's grin nearly split her face in half. “Let's go! We gotta find a good pony for her!” She rushed up the ramp, followed closely by Apple Bloom. Scootaloo trudged behind them, the corners of her face downturned.
“Not this again...” she grumbled.
Applejack didn't mind in the least that Twilight had dropped by. Neither did she mind that Twilight had stayed for a bit longer than anticipated; in fact she rather enjoyed their talk. She did mind that she had a fair bit of work she had to get done today, and every passing moment meant less and less daylight to do it in. Yet she still couldn't bring herself to ask Twilight to leave. Twilight was obviously enjoying herself far too much for Applejack to rain on her parade. So what if she had to push herself a bit harder to fit everything in? It would be a hassle, but nothing she couldn't handle...
“Hey, Applejack.” Big Macintosh poked his head in the door. “I hate to interrupt, but I thought you were gonna help me load up the apple cart.”
“I'll be right with you, Mac,” she said. He nodded and withdrew his head. “I'm sorry, Twilight, I'd really love to stay and talk some more, but I really do have to go help him out.”
“No, no, it's fine. I understand.” Twilight looked at the clock, which had advanced far further than either of them had thought. “I'd hate to get in your way. I have my own work to do anyway. I'll see you later. Bye, Applejack!” She gave Applejack a quick peck on the cheek and departed.
Applejack sighed as she flipped her hat onto her head. This had been Twilight's fifth visit so far that week. Each one had cost her at least half an hour of valuable work time, and they were gradually getting longer. Today, Twilight had hung around for nearly an hour. If Big Macintosh hadn't shown up, it could have been even longer. She muttered to herself as she made her way to the barn. “I really gotta tell her to start comin' by after I have all my work done.”
“Quit floating away!” Rainbow Dash grabbed the chunk of cumulus that had attempted to return to the sky and shoved it back into the mound of cloud that sat at the base of her platform. This time it stayed in place. She took to the air for a moment to survey her work, and her attention was immediately grabbed by an orange and purple shape moving down the path. “Hey, Scootaloo!” She glided towards the filly, who was trudging lethargically along. “What's up?”
“Not a lot.” Scootaloo didn't even look up. That's weird, thought Rainbow Dash. She's usually happy when I start talking to her.
“You look kinda gloomy,” she said. “Is something wrong? You didn't have a fight with your crusader pals, did you?”
“Not really. We just got out of a meeting.”
“Then what are you so down for? You're usually all pumped up after your meetings. You know, your whole 'Cutie Mark Crusaders Pastry Chefs!' or whatever. Don't you have some cakes to bake or an ice sculpture to carve or something?”
“Not this time. We did come up with a plan, but I honestly think it's kinda boring.”
“Well, if that's boring, why don't you help me out for a bit?”
Scootaloo's ears perked up. “Really?”
“Sure, I'm working on a new launch method, and it hasn't exactly been working. See, I've been trying to put together a bounce cushion, so I can—” She gestured at the cloud pile and realized that half of it had dissipated. “Oh horseapples. I was going to jump off that platform and bounce into the air, but it keeps floating away. Can you hold these in place while I get ready to jump on it?”
“Of course!”
“Great!” Rainbow Dash flipped into the air and began shoving the clouds towards Scootaloo. “So what's this boring plan that your friends are dragging you into?”
“Well, I'm supposed to be lookin' for somepony to help out with it.” Scootaloo took a cloud and pressed it into the pile.
“Maybe I could help out.” Rainbow Dash grabbed the last cloud. “What's the plan?”
“I doubt you'd want to help out. Actually, if you knew what the plan was you probably wouldn't be able to do much, anyway.”
“What? Why? Go back to the beginning and tell me what the hay is going on.”
“Well, I found out that Fluttershy has a crush on Twilight, and—”
Rainbow Dash tried to say “WHAT!” and gasp at the same time, and made a rather indistinct but obviously shocked sound.
“Are you okay?” Scootaloo asked as she watched Rainbow Dash struggle to string a coherent sentence together.
“I'm fine!” Rainbow Dash managed. “I just, uh, there was this— there was a bug, and it flew up my nose!”
Scootaloo stuck out her tongue. “Ew.”
“Yeah, it's nasty, I know. That’s why I blew it out. Now what were you saying about Fluttershy?”
“Well, apparently she has a crush on Twilight. But since Twilight's already Applejack's very special somepony, that wouldn't work out. So now Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom think we need to find somepony else for Fluttershy to have a crush on. And this time we have to do it without using any of those love potions or anything, 'cause that didn't end well. I don't suppose you'd be willing to do it?”
“Uh, I think I'll pass on that. And come to think of it, I have something really important to take care of that I just remembered. Let's just try this out once real quick and then I should really get going.”
“Aw, really?” Scootaloo's ears drooped.
“Don't worry, we can try it again tomorrow or something. You got all the clouds in place?” Rainbow Dash landed on the platform.
“Yeah.”
“Alright, see you later then! Oh, and don't tell anypony else about Fluttershy, okay? I doubt she'd like that. Bye!” She waved once and jumped off the platform. The cloud pillow squished for a moment under her before throwing her into the air.
Scootaloo sighed as she watched Rainbow Dash vanish into the distance. “I wonder what that was about.”
Twilight poked her head through the doorway of Bon Bon's Chocolate Shoppe. The bell above the door dinged, and the few ponies in the shop turned to see who had entered. Twilight took a few steps in and felt Bon Bon's narrow gaze follow her. She turned away and tried to make herself inconspicuous by surveying the selection of chocolates that sat on the table, but she could still feel Bon Bon's eyes boring a hole in the back of her head. Hadn't Lyra said that Bon Bon was happy for her? What had she done to deserve the glare?
“Lyra, Twilight is here!” Bon Bon said. Twilight didn't turn around, but she could somehow feel that Bon Bon's eyes were no longer on her.
“Twilight!” Lyra bounded out of one of the side rooms. “I have great news for you!”
“Really?”
“Yeah! You can have that job I was telling you about! Well, if you want it, anyway. Which you should. It's way better than any of those other things you were looking at.”
“Well, I guess I'll consider it, then.” Twilight tried not to sound surprised by Lyra's enthusiasm. “If I would take this job, where would I be working?”
Lyra grinned, threw her forelegs in the air and spun around. “Here!”
“...And then nothing went wrong at all!” Pinkie banged her head on one of the boutique's walls out of frustration. “All they did was sit and talk. There weren't any hilarious misunderstandings, Rainbow Dash never crashed into their table, it didn't accidentally start raining, and neither of them mistakenly ordered a durian without being warned about the smell!” She flopped onto her back and waggled her legs in the air. “It was boring.”
“Maybe it was boring to you.” Rarity looked up from the pattern she was sketching. “But Twilight and Applejack seemed to have enjoyed themselves. I made sure to check in with Twilight so she could give me a status update on how the relationship is proceeding, and she had quite a nice time.”
“Yeah, if by 'nice' you mean 'dull',” Pinkie grumbled. “The first date is never supposed to go that smoothly! Somepony should have released some chickens into the restaurant or something.”
Rarity smacked her pencil down on the table and stared at Pinkie. “Why on earth would you want something like that to happen? I would have thought you'd be glad that they had a good time.”
“Well, I am!” She rolled herself back onto her hooves. “But think about it. Sure they might have had a good time that night, but what about every other time it comes up? What about the memories!? What are they gonna say when somepony asks about their first date? 'Hey Twilight, what was your first date like?' 'It's was fine. Nothing interesting happened.' What kind of a memory is that? At least if I had crashed the date with my party cannon they'd be able to laugh about it later!”
“Pinkie, think of it like this: if nothing interesting happened, it means that you didn't miss anything. How would you have felt if something like that happened, and you weren't there to see it?”
Pinkie gasped. “That would have been terrible! I wonder if I can find a way to tag along next time!”
“No! No tagging.” Rarity shook her head. “The next time they go on a date, you do exactly what it was you did last time, and let them enjoy it the way they want to enjoy it. If they decide they want it to be boring, then so be it.”
“Are you sure? I bet if they did something more interesting they'd totally enjoy it! Like maybe on their next date, I could—” She never finished the sentence. Rainbow Dash crashed through the boutique's front window and landed amongst Rarity's fabric rolls.
Rarity shook her head and decided that the damage was the least of her worries. “Rainbow Dash, how nice of you to drop in. Would you please tell Pinkie that she can't go mucking about with Twilight and Applejack's relationship?”
“Forget that!” Rainbow Dash leaped to her feet and gasped for breath. “We have a way bigger problem on our hooves.”
"Really?" Rarity raised an eyebrow. "And what, may I ask, is this problem?"
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and braced herself for the reaction. "Fluttershy has a crush on Twilight!"
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CMC didn't you learn to stay out of shiping back when you tried it with Cerilee and Big Mac
(okay granted from what i saw in this fic soemthings going on between these two, but still)
I can't blame applebloom for getting the wrong impresion, but why do you tell fluttershys secrets to your friends?
And Scootaloo, why do you bring it right to RD, a friend of all partys included?
ozhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/double_facepalm.jpg
Ah misunderstands. Delicious, lets make things more complicated.
Uh-oh...
You know you should add the sentence "Fluttershy got a crush on Twilight!" at the end. Way more dramatic than the bigger problem one cause then we readers will have the fun to imagine Rarity´s and Pinkie´s reaction till the next update. Plus it fits RD`s chara more to break out with the news instantly instead to wait for a cliff hanger. XD
Daaaaaaaaaaaang, doesn´t seem to good for the Twijack ship. D:
Twi´s clingy, every day visiting and that to times where AJ needs to work, that IS clingy. And then Twi has money problems cause dates with AJ are expensive. Maybe a talk with AJ would bring to light that she rather wants to have a picknick and one flower of Twi than a restaurant visit and lotsa flowers while wearing fancy dresses.^^;
And AJ isn´t honest to Twi, not telling her that she actually is bothering her a bit cause she gets less and less time to work and she needs to do that work to keep the farm running. :/
Maybe Twi´s intelligence and smart plans could help out to improve the farm´s financials but i dunno if AJ would ask her marefriend. She´s too proud for that.
What i loved loved loved, where the CMC, "finding out" of Shý crush on Twi (aka they assumed XD), telling it accidently to RD who goes to tell Pinkie and Rarity who just had a talk about Twijack date. Glorious, best chapter. Espically cause it does show that Twi lost focus on her other friends with the many times she visits AJ but not the others as much as she used to.
The only thing I missed was SPIKE. Or better Spike trying to tell Twi in a subtle way (for a baby dragon) that Shy is sad that her purple nerd friend isn´t spending much time with her anylonger. And that she wants to see her more often, if she doesn´t mind that is ofc. :P
Keep it up, next chapter is promising to be interesting cause RD/Pinkie/Rarity will talk and have a crisis meeting regarding SHy´s crush on Twi while CMC tries to find another pony for Shy to fall in love with (cause that´s so easy^^^;) whole Spike tries to make Twi more sensetive to both AJ`s needs and Shy´s wants while Twi tries to struggle with extra work, marefriend time and friend time and the next letter to the princess and so on while Shy is still running circles how to tell Twi that spending time with her sets off butterflies in her stomach while AJ tries to figure out how to keep this relationship running smothly without cutting into her work time while... did i forgot anypony? XDDD
DRAMA BOMB!!!
Dramatic irony is so delicious. What each character is aware of now has diverged so much that the reconciliation is going to be marvelous.
Really liked the chapter! Always look forward to this story updating.
If I may: I can't help but feel that Fluttershy was too quick to tell Apple Bloom what was going on, especially after her hesitance in previous chapters.
Just a minor niggle (and a subjective one, for sure), I really enjoyed it otherwise!
Very much my idea of 'setting up conflict' leaving the natural growth out...
Sad to see, but I suppose there's no helping it.
2009543 The CMC have never really been good at reigning in their impulse control.
2009576 There are SO many comments I could make about these theories, but that would only blow the surprise that I have planned. Although I will say that there seem to a be a few unfound assumptions about certain things floating around that might throw people for a loop later. Hopefully It doesn't come back to bite me when I go for the payoff.
2009702 I tried to write it so it's more Apple Bloom simply reading into Fluttershy's answers.
2009750 Out of curiousity, in what way?
To that end, here's a little thing for all you guys to look into: Go back to the "Confined Love" chapter, and read AJ's explanation of what a crush is. Then reread her conversation with Fluttershy.
Also, I feel compelled to point out that while yes, the CMC have gotten a bit involved, I have no intention of wasting too much time on shenanigans. It would be too easy to make them lead to disaster.
Clingy Twilight and either Fluttershy really does have a crush or an incoming misunderstanding disaster. Either way...
i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/136/232/incoming%20shitstorm.jpg
2009578
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Let the shenanigans begin.
Poor Twilight... She's not good at this whole relationship thing, and I don't know that the odds are with her calming down and learning the ropes without the lesson coming the hard way. Regardless of how AJ feels about Twilight herself, she doesn't seem to be all that into the relationship itself...
We aren't really what? I think you may have a missing sentence or two here.
2010361: I wasn't quite going for "punchable", but yeah, she has a way of creating trouble. I'd comment on the rest, but I like it when you guys go in blind.
2010404: AJ's thoughts on the matter are... complicated.
2010438: What the crap? One of the lines must have glitched when I imported it from gdocs. Will fix.
2009576 I forgot to mention this before, but yeah, Dash is supposed to tell them that. The end got cut off for some reason. Apparently the gdocs to fimfic conversion has a lot of glitches.
DUN DUN DUN DUUNNNNNN
Commence read.
Go misunderstandings.
Fluttershy tells Scootaloo not to tell anyone...
Apple Bloom tells Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle not to tell anyone...
Scootaloo tells Rainbow Dash not to tell anyone...
And now RD is probably going to tell Pinkie and Rarity not to tell anyone...
BETRAYALS OF TRUST ALL AROUND! (including one from the element of loyalty...
)
2009576
I wouldn't say things aren't looking good for Twilight and Applejack. Most of these are very normal relationship problems that couples encounter and work through in real life, and both of them are already working on or at least hinting at solutions, indicating that they won't be problems in the future. I've worked through similar issues with girlfriends before, mostly the finance related one.
For all the good this story does, I am a bit let down that we're getting this tired "wacky misunderstandings" plotline. (I refuse to believe that Fluttershy x Twilight is a looming possibility, as it would train wreck everything established over twelve excellent chapters.) Oh well. At least I can enjoy a well written tired misunderstandings plotline.
-Immediately tells Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell.
Seriously Applebloom, wtf.
Sometimes I hate those fillies. This would totally happen by the way. You are nailing the plot
2011006 Just to nitpick, Fluttershy told Apple Bloom not to tell Applejack or Twilight. She technically never mentioned anyone else. As for Scootaloo... yeah she probably sucks at keeping secrets. Also, Scoots never swore RD to secrecy, so RD isn't really betraying her trust or anything. For all RD knows, it's common knowledge and she's just the last to hear about it.
2011251 Oh believe me, I'm fully aware of how this sort of "wacky misunderstandings" plot typically plays out, and I don't have any intention of following the pattern. The setup for it is there, but the question is whether it'll actually happen that way...
Ok, I'll be honest. I love this fic and everything. But your characterization of Fluttershy is starting to get on my nerves. Like, seriously putting me off... -_-
...Just saying. It's not gonna make me stop reading this or anything, but I just skim along when she's on scene for the most part now. XD
OH boy, what shenanigans to the CMCs have up their sleeves...
Why does it HAVE to be Fluttershy?!?!
I have to say, I don't anticipate any kind of happy ending for Twilight and Applejack so far. Twilight is thinking too much and too much thinking is the bane of any healthy relationship. Applejack isn't even in love with Twilight, and so still too much Mind and even less Heart from her.
Put in Fluttershy in the works and I aspect everything to end with a big letter to Princess Celestia on how much important is to not mix friendship and love is.
Luckily the voyage to this crash will be fun to read so keep giving us MOAR!!!!
(if you want … if that will be alright … )
naah i don't really think Fluttershy would be stupid enough to tell Applebloom. She hesitated a lot to even tell Spike, and Spike is way more reliable, with his dragon code and all.
but aside from that, great chapter.
Oh my, this is going to be fun. I can already tell.
Good progress, I was kind of wondering where this story was going to go. Though honestly, I find it hard to believe that Twilight doesn't have an absolutely huge stipend already. I'd think Celestia would keep her knee deep in bits, since she's practically adopted her. But that's just me.
*reads as it all falls toward the metaphroical fans* Well....This is gunna get mess, and its gunna get messy fast. Good thing I got my umbrella.
pffft.
I was briefly worried this was going to devolve into that weird "herd" thing some people really like to do ever since xenophilia managed to do it really well, but it looks like we managed to avoid that pitfall. Now to hope we didn't accidentally jump over a shark while we were at it...
I'm seeing this turn out like an older fic that I think I liked better, if only because that one was more convoluted, and thus the plotting(a key part of a fic like this) had more intersections allowing for random chaos. But then, for me the joy isn't in guessing where it's going and being right, but in being wrong. I like nothing more than being taken off-guard by a well written surprise ending, hard as they are to come by.(note- not the same as a twist. A twist forces the narrative thus far to shift to accommodate it, changing your perception of the movie/story. A surprise ending takes everything you know, as you know it, and surprises you by following a different solution)
I'm not sure I'd qualify what we have so far as "shipping". Applejack clearly isn't into the dates, she's just into the idea of dating Twilight(which is a subtle but important difference), and instead of treasuring their time together, she's counting the minutes and complaining in her head. Not conductive to becoming closer. Yes, Twilight is being overly-clingy, but this happens in every relationship, and if Applejack can't enjoy that time too, than the relationship ain't gonna last.
Oh, and because FlutterTwi/TwiShy/whatever mash up you use is OTP. Clearly we need to fix the unpleasant interruption of what would otherwise be some awesome Twishy through the surgical excision of Applejack.
ALWAYS the CMC who feather up these matters.
I have about seven different thoughts on this story, and they are all mashing together to form an unintelligible grunting noise. Suffice to summarize that this story is incredible and you are awesome.
I don't know what to think about Fluttershy's part in this, other than I am eager to see where it goes. Like Pinkie, I am bewildered that their date went so smoothly, but unlike her I am thrilled to see it. And what will ultimately end up happening between Twilight and Applejack remains to be seen as well. You have consistently been keeping me guessing throughout this story, all without pulling anything out of some unexpected corner or breaking anyone's characterization even a bit. And by Celestia's sparkly horseshoes, the pacing! The story has taken its time with absolutely every aspect, and yet nothing feels like filler or like it's dragging ever. You are a magnificent writer, and every new chapter of this story confirms it ever harder into my list of favorite fics of all time.
I have one nitpick here
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy have known each other since they were fillies yet Rainbow Dash just goes and tells the others about a touchy subject regarding Fluttershy without confronting said pony first based on info gotten by someone who never stated where she got the source from.
But then again, I have been somewhat critical recently as a result of Spike at Your Service which reminds me...
NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!
The recent episode was good though as was this fic. Nice update
P.S. Just now noticed how eerily disturbing yet interesting your avatar is
Applebloom...
No...
jamesmarks.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/when_the_shit_hits_the_fan_321595.jpg
dun dun DUNNNNN....
And the plot thickens. I didn't know whether or not to expect a Fluttercrush misunderstanding (probably a misunderstanding?), but I'm glad it happened. She deserves a little awkward weirdness after all her attempts to sink TwiJack.
And Crusaders, will you never learn? Well, I supposed they technically did learn a little bit from the CheeriMac incident if they've decided not to use love potions. For all the good it'll likely do anypony. At least Scootaloo has the sense to keep her head down and limit her involvement in all this.
Finally, it looks like I was right about Twilight's clinginess becoming a problem. Hopefully Lyra and Bon Bon can give her some advice on how not to strangle Applejack, because there's zero chance she'll get it right on her own. Also, I'm very interested to see how her new job will go. That's yet another thing this story is doing differently; I can't recall ever seeing something as boringly realistic as the financial challenges of a relationship coming into play in a shipfic. And I love it.
Grah, I'm getting way too used to people using "buck" as a pretend cuss. I don't even like it when people do that, yet all I could think at Applebloom's troubles with the tree was, "I'm never gonna get an applebuckin' cutie mark on my applebuckin' flank!" with Samuel L Jackson-esque enthusiasm.
Anyway! Whoo, I'm finally all caught up again! This last chapter is starting to remind me a little of Fixing Up Miss Smartypants, by the way.
Also, unfortunate how right after you include the idea that Fluttershy is taking care of Peewee for Spike, the show goes and says he brought Peewee back to his parents. And in the same chapter as your note about trying to keep everything canon and after the events of the show too. It's like they're trying to mess things up in just the right kind of annoying little ways that are hard to change. Or maybe not-so-little ways.
So yeah, AJ clearly doesn't want the relationship to be a big, fussy, distinct-from-everything-else-and-sucking-up-lots-of-time time deal. Obviously the solution is for Twilight to start working on the farm. That way they're spending time together in a more authentic situation AND getting work done so AJ doesn't have to resent wasted time.
Poor Scoots, though. She and Fluttershy are going to end up conspiring together at this rate.
Oh man, I don't think I haven't groaned this much during a good fic in forever.
Not because anything was bad but because "Oh gawd, this is gonna go south so badly" or at least feels that way.
Crusaders.
What are you doing?
Crusaders!
STAHP!
Anyways, a well done chapter IMO.
This is gonna get "deliciously complex".
Ohh my, the anxiety this chapter places upon a reader, it is almost frustrating to watch a rumor bomb washing ashore the beach of contentment.
Well seems like you are taking the serious relationship approach, what with the finance and time constraint problems. The rumor mill also throws a hell of a wrench into the flow but it's nice to see it mixing on up. Gonna keep on reading see where this goes, all i know is there is a nosedive coming in soon and it ought to be fun.
2009848
As soon as I read that exchange between Applebloom and Fluttershy, I stopped mid-chapter and went back to read how Applejack had explained a crush to Apple Bloom. To see how it fit so perfectly. You've been planning this. I've got my eye on you.
2214756 Something else that I found interesting was that while applebloom technically got the right answer she got it for the wrong kind of reasons and fluttershy has the same problem twilight had at the very start but has no rarity to tell her what's wrong. She definitely has a crush on Twilight but she doesn't know it yet.
Damn it rainbow....
Pinkie needs to learn how to judge 'success' in terms other than those of a romcom script.
This story has vexed me for sometime and I think I have finally understood why. Your story is both my least favorite and most favorite story on this site.
Ah, let me explain.
As I've been reading this, or rather rereading this to catch up as I've had to do with several stories since I've found more time to read, I think I've nailed down what makes this story terrible and perfect at the same time.
Your story is unequivocally, undeniably boring. Believe it or not, that's a compliment. The plot of this story is dreadful. It moves at a crawl that would cause lichen to be ashamed. Yet I promise you that if I were to open this story up to any random chapter and picked two adjacent lines it would be the most enjoyable thing I've read in the pony fandom for the entirety of the day.
Your characterization is perfect. There is an not a single qualifier in the English language that can properly express your characterization, but "perfect" is about as close as I can get. I read the story not to find out what happens to Applejack and Twilight. I could honestly care less. I read the story to see how Rarity's thought process will play out. To see a perfect Pinkie-ism, creative and tangential in just the right proportions. To see Rainbow's boasting and Fluttershy's insecurity presented so spot on, it is indescribable. Even the CMC, which I believe are hardest of the cast to write, are perfectly captured.
Everything is believable. Never has a character in this story surprised me, and that is certainly not a bad thing.
Even more bewildering is that from what I gather, this is entirely intentional. You wanted to explore character interaction and it shows. Beyond all measure. You've created the ultimate slice-of-life fic. It is about nothing. Sure, one could argue there's the romance driving the fic, but really the only thing that's going on here is raw character interaction. And it's simply beautiful.
Please. Continue to bore me. I beg of you.
so flutters has a crush on twi lol
And another long looking chapter... well might as well get started.
Last i looked it didn't really pay anything. I'm just wondering if since you brought it up, the story will actually take a definite stance on where her money comes from.
Well she gives valid reasons, but not the one I was thinking. That if he did, it would essentially just be Applejack paying Spike, so Twilight could spend more money on Applejack.
And here I hoped this sub-plot was nearly done. And the story goes and makes it keep on going, while actually making it make sense and start to be a good part of it....
So she tells the CMC about it and we get them trying to help don't we? Also, well this was, pretty good. Yeah, not disliking the sub-plot anymore.. so.. good job.
Seriously? Going with Twilight gets a second job? I mean I thought hat might be where it was going but, just didn't feel right, well see how this plays out.
Heh, even funnier after reading a fic about the mane siz each taking turns as mayor, and come Twi's turn, she goes nearly insane within a day from trying to make sense of all the bureaucracy and redundant paperwork and filing. (only Fluttershy actually got anything right.)
They ummm, need a lot.. floors mopped? 'massage' tables sterilized?
May this joke never die.
And pretty much what I expected. Now, Twilight.. have you, I don't know, thought about just asking Celestia to increase that stipend on account of your increased need for money?
Depends on the restaurant and the foal.
EHOP just, doesn't sound right.
Same thought i had?.... okay not quite but good point too.
Okay, makes sense. Or could just, you know, consider "Saving Equestria every few weeks" as your job.
Hmmmmm, This should be good. Thinking with Bon-Bon, but that might be to easy. But it is Lyra so... gong with that.
<insert 'Humans' joke here>
She... she... she isn't? no... no.. she is....
This is not going to end well. hilariously, but not well.
I know I just did it, bu this is big enough to require a double facehoof.
........ nah, to obvious.
I'm with you Scoots.... you'd think they learned their lesson... just.. don't try the love potion thing again...
Big Mac to the rescue, nice timing. So, going to run into an issue of Twi trying to spend TO much time with AJ?
Yup, that should be an inter sting thing to see them deal with.
And the probable hilarity quotion just skyrocketed. this is going to be good.
So, Rarity, or Fluttershy? Which doe she suddenly have to dash off to tell?
Again that sounds SO damn fun.
CALLED IT!
Good call on hiding the location Rarity. Who knows what Pinkie would have done... or might do now.... and, goddesses help any pony that goes on a first date with her.
Oh crap, she's digging herself in deeper isn't she?
So Rarity. And with pinkie there.... this is going to be really really fun to watch explode.
Hmm, decent chapter, and, really nothing major to say about it. Just same good story as before. Setting up a few things that will be interesting to see pay of later.