• Published 11th Sep 2012
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Unexpected Confessions - Dianwei32



Rarity and Rainbow Dash both confess their love for Fluttershy at the same time. Shenanigans ensue.

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Expected Confections

Unexpected Confessions

Chapter Thirteen

Expected Confections

Twilight dropped her fork onto the table, sitting back with a contented sigh. A few splotches of pasta sauce on her plate were all that remained of the spinach lasagna that had been there minutes earlier. “Mmm... that was delicious. Thanks for lunch, Spike.” She stood up and made her way back to the stack of books she had been reading before the aroma of her assistant’s meal lured her away.

“No problem, Twilight.” Spike waved a hand, deflecting the compliment. “We both know that if I didn’t pull you away from studying every now and then, you’d read until you started eating the pages.” He chuckled to himself, picking up the plates and utensils from the table and carrying them to the sink. When he turned back around, the unicorn was staring at him, aghast.

“Eat... a book?” She looked at him like he had suggested she try and overthrow Princess Celestia. She lifted the book she had been reading, The Magic of Mathematics, glancing between it and her assistant for a few moments. “Why would anypony even do that? While paper is made from plant fibers, the process of turning the fibers into sheets of paper destroys virtually all of the nutritional value. Also, ink can be harmful if ingested in sufficient quantity, causing-” She stopped, belatedly noticing Spike giving her a disbelieving look. She cleared her throat and trotted over to the couch, hopping up onto the cushions. “Right.”

Chapter Fifteen: The Various Varieties of Vector Calculus and Their Effects on Gravitational Theory. She couldn’t help but smile at the opportunity for new knowledge. She settled into the cushions of the couch and began reading. Vector calculus, also known as vector analysis, is a branch of mathematics concerned with differentiation and integration of vector fields, primarily- She startled as a clawed hand landed on her shoulder.

“Ah!” Twilight turned, facing her assistant. “What was all that about?”

“Sorry.” Spike pulled away, rolling his eyes. “I tried calling you, but you were too busy reading.” He walked back toward the kitchen, talking over his shoulder. “Didn’t you say you had to head out to Sweet Apple Acres after lunch?”

Twilight quickly compiled a list of possible reasons she could need to go out to the farm before remembering her training session with Applejack. “Oh shoot, I’m going to be ta- late. I’m going to be late.” She placed a bookmark in her mathematical text and closed it with slightly more force than necessary, floating it over to rest on top of the nearby pile. She hopped down from the couch and trotted over to the door, pulling it open with a brief pulse of magic. “I should be back in a couple of hours, you’re in charge until then.” She shut the door behind her, leaving the baby dragon alone in the library.

“Alright, Spike’s in charge.” He rubbed his claws together, looking around the room. “What to do... What to do?” He continued gazing around the main room for a moment before walking over to a beanbag near the window and flopping down. He grabbed a comic book off the floor and flipped it open.

*

Twilight walked down the dirt road to Sweet Apple Acres, basking in the sunlight as it shone down from the mostly cloud-free sky. A nagging thought tugged at her mind, but she pushed it away. Not yet. Instead, she focused on identifying the various flowers along the road that had already bloomed. A splotch of color in the sky caught her attention, drawing her gaze upward. She spotted a familiar rainbow-hued tail hanging off one of the few clouds in the sky, and the sight brought the image she had spent fourteen chapters of advanced mathematics trying to suppress to the forefront of her mind. The memory of Rarity and Fluttershy kissing flashed through her head. She gulped, looking at the cloud for any signs that its occupant was awake.

A small green head poked over the edge of the cloud, a smile growing slowly on its face. Tank activated the magical device strapped to his shell and lifted off of Rainbow Dash, floating down to Twilight. The sudden absence of her pet’s weight caused Rainbow to stir, rolling over on the cloud.

“No, Tank. Go back to Dash.” Twilight whispered. She chewed on her lip as he kept falling. Can’t use normal telekinesis. No idea how it will react with the magic powering his heli-pack. She lit her horn and sent a light wave of telekinetic force skyward, hoping to lift the tortisecopter back to the cloud. Tank merely slid along the wave of force until he fell off, and continued his gentle descent to the ground. The wave kept going upward and clipped the edge of Rainbow’s cloud, bumping it off to the side. The pegasus stirred again, scooting to peek over the edge of the cloud as she cracked an eye open.

“Hmm?” Rainbow gazed down, looking for anything that could have woken her. She saw Tank floating down to the ground, headed for Twilight. “Oh, hey-” She stopped as the urge to yawn overpowered her. “Hey, Twi. How’s it goin’?” She stood up and stretched, flapping her wings a few times. She lifted a rear leg and kicked the cloud, causing it to burst into a fine mist, and spread her wings to join her pet in gliding to the ground.

“Fine.” Twilight replied, narrowing her eyes at Tank as he finally reached the ground. Her gaze shifted as Rainbow landed next to him. “Don’t get up on my account. I’m just passing through.”

“Nah, it’s cool. I needed to get up anyway.” Dash rolled her neck, eliciting a series of cracks. She glanced around, getting her bearings, and spied the top of the Apple family barn over a hill behind her. “Headed out to the farm, huh? Does AJ need help with something? Or do you need to buy some apples?” She perked up as an idea struck her. “Oh! Did AJ find a hidden barrel of cider leftover? Can I have a cup or two... or five?”

“Wait, what? No.” Twilight tried to think of a possible excuse, but came up with nothing. “I... asked Applejack to help me train for the Running of the Leaves this year, and today is our first session.”

“Really?” Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “No offense, Twi, but don’t you have a book to read or something? Racing doesn’t really sound like your thing.”

“Well, I did beat both you and Applejack in the Running of the Leaves that one time.” Twilight replied with a smile.

“Beginner’s luck.” Dash snorted.

Twilight nodded. “Exactly, which is why I want to actually train this time... believe it or not, I enjoy the Running of the Leaves and getting to race with you girls. It would be even better if I could actually keep up with you two.”

That got a smile out of Dash. “You know, Twi, you’re pretty cool... for an egghead. Anyway, that sounds like fun. You mind if I tag along? I could use a good run.”

Twilight wanted to refuse. This was supposed to be her time alone with Applejack. She quashed that impulse as quickly as she could, knowing she couldn’t stop Rainbow from coming along if she wanted to. Besides, saying no would just be impolite. “Sure thing, Rainbow. The more, the merrier.” She fell into step next to the pegasus as they headed off in the direction of the farm.

Dash looked back over her shoulder and called to her pet. “Come on, Tank. Up, boy.” The heli-pack on his shell powered up, lifting Tank off the ground to fly over and land on Rainbow’s back. “Good boy.” She flexed a wing around and patted him on the head. She turned her head to talk. “So... what’s with the sudden urge to train? You’ve never really cared about where you finished in the past. Something about the journey being more important than the destination, or some other philosophical thing.”

Because I want to spend time with Applejack. Alone. Twilight commented to herself as she searched for a less awkward reason to share with her friend. “Well, over the years I’ve finished fifth and fourth most of the time, and even third one year, but I’ve never been able to beat you two. I don’t think that I’ll be able beat either of you with just a few days or weeks training, but I could at least finish third consistently.” She shrugged as best she could while trotting. “Just wanted to try and push myself, I guess.”

“Yea, I get that.” Dash nodded, a familiar smirk creasing her features. “Although, if you really wanna push yourself, you should’ve come to me. AJ will wanna start off slow, build up your endurance... blah blah blah.” She rolled her eyes. “It’ll take months before you’re ready to actually run the Running.” She puffed out her chest. “Me on the other hoof, I’d have you ready in a week. Granted, you probably wouldn’t be able to walk after the first few days, but hay... no pain, no gain.”

“Maybe, but Applejack’s way is better.” Twilight snickered at her friend’s look of disbelief. “I read a book on training before our first Running of the Leaves. Her way is, quite literally in this case, the textbook method of training for a race. You have to start small and work your way up.”

“Whatever.” Rainbow rolled her eyes and turned back to the road.

They crested the last hill, bringing Sweet Apple Acres into view. She looked out over the rows and rows of trees, searching for a telltale speck of orange among the sea of green. Calm down, Twilight. She chided herself. You just saw her yesterday. Hay, you had dinner with her. It was practically a da- She stopped short. The mere thought of the word ‘date’ brought several things she would rather not think about to mind. The image of Rarity and Fluttershy kissing in front of Carousel Boutique flashed through her head again, followed by several dreams from the night before, mainly featuring a certain blond cowpony. The pony in question stepped out from between two rows of trees, pulling her hat off to wave as Twilight and Rainbow trotted down the hill. Tank started up his heli-pack, lifting off of Dash’s back and buzzing along a row of apple trees for a few seconds before Winona burst out from between two trees and started chasing him.

“Well, howdy there, Twi.” Applejack called as she pulled her hat off and wiped a leg across her forehead. She put her hat back and noticed the pegasus. Her face lit up for a brief instant before she spoke, her smile now a little tighter than before. “And... Dash. Ah, uh, wasn’t expectin’ you. Not that yer not welcome or anythin’, of course.” She paused to clear her throat. “The, uh, more, the merrier, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. I just ran into Twi on her way here and figured I’d tag along.” Dash shrugged and frowned, furrowing her brow. “You okay, AJ? Do you... want me to go?”

No!” Applejack responded before realizing she had nearly shouted. “Ah mean, no ya don’t have to leave.”

Seriously? Twilight looked back and forth between them, watching Applejack glance around nervously while Rainbow frowned. How can she not see it? Rainbow knows Applejack is in love with her, but it’s like she can’t see how much just being nearby affects her. She pressed a hoof between her eyes as the irony of her thought became apparent. Says the pony who’s only in this situation because she couldn’t handle a simple compliment.

“Well, it’ll be, um, nice to have ya around.” Applejack shifted uncomfortably before walking past the pegasus, who made an affirmative noise. Her face fell as she kept moving, passing by Twilight. “How ya feelin’, Twi? Ready to get a good workout in?”

“Huh?” The unicorn blinked, having gotten lost in her own thoughts. “Oh, yea. I had a nice lunch, so I’m all fueled up and ready to go.”

Applejack wrinkled her brow. “When’d ya eat?”

“Um...” Twilight shifted on her hooves, suddenly afraid she had done something wrong. “About... twenty minutes ago? Is that a... problem?”

“Not a problem, but not really a good idea, either.” Applejack started walking again, turning to talk over her shoulder. “First lesson: Don’t eat anythin’ fer an hour or two before yer gonna work out. It’ll sit in yer stomach like a rock. It’s uncomfortable and it’s gonna make everythin’ a little harder on ya. Now, come on. Ah figured we could run along the trail out by the eastern fields.” The other two mares fell in step behind her, letting silence reign for the next few minutes.

Eventually, Rainbow grew frustrated with their pace and cantered ahead, grumbling in frustration. She turned around and skillfully trotted backward to face the other two ponies as she spoke. “Come on we’re going so slow...” Her wings fluttered in agitation. “If we’re out here to train and run, why don’t we g-whoa!” The rest of her question was cut off as she tripped over a root and landed on her back in the dirt.

That’s why, sugarcube.” Applejack replied, stopping to lend the downed pegasus a hoof up. She held onto the contact a bit too long, staring at the cyan mare for an instant before dropping her hoof and looking off to the side. “The road out to the eastern fields has roots stickin’ out all over, and if we try and run down it, we’re liable to trip over ‘em like you just did.” She resumed walking down the path, a distinct weariness creeping into her voice as she spoke. “Don’t you fret none. The trail’s just a ways up ahead, right round this bend.”

Really? Twilight watched Rainbow, who showed no indication of noticing anything out of the ordinary.

Dash huffed dramatically and followed the farm pony, falling into step next to the unicorn again. “See? What’d I tell ya?” She whispered. “Slow. If it were just you and me, we’d be done by now... or you would have passed out from exhaustion. One of the two.” She shrugged, trying to contain her confident smirk.

“Maybe.” Twilight agreed as she tried to keep her gaze from settling on the orange flank in front of her for too long. “On the other hoof, your whole ‘fast approach’ did land you rump-first in the dirt.”

“That’s only because I was going backwards!” Rainbow shot back, her wings ruffling again, this time in annoyance. “If I had been facing forward I totally could have avoided that root.”

“Just like you avoided all those roots and rocks during our first Running of the Leaves, right?” Twilight quipped, enjoying the back and forth. The only one of her friends who she could regularly have this kind of banter with was Pinkie Pie, but she cheated by throwing out random non-sequiturs when she was losing. Dash opened and closed her mouth a few times, searching for a witty comeback, but was interrupted before she came up with one.

“Here we are.” Applejack announced as the path they were on ended at a junction with a wide dirt trail. She pointed down the road, explaining their course. “’Bout half a mile down that way, there’s a stream and pond just off the trail. Ah figure we can run down there to get warmed up, then just follow the trail ‘til it loops back ‘round to the farm house.”

“How far is that?” Twilight asked, squinting to make out any sign of the supposed stream down the path.

“Right about two miles overall. Good for a first day.” Applejack pulled off her hat and ran a foreleg through her mane. “Next time we can-” She stopped, turning back in the direction they had come as a faint ringing drifted over the trees. She chewed on her lip, glancing at Rainbow longingly. “Shoot. Dash, you take Twi and run down to the stream. I’ll go see what that’s all about and catch up with ya there. Ah reckon Twi’ll need some rest by the time you get there.” She smiled at the unicorn before galloping off toward the source of the ringing.

Twilight watched the cowpony go, silently cursing until Applejack disappeared around a bend in the dirt path. She turned back to the trail, still unable to see the stream. She gave up searching for it and started stretching her legs, loosening up before the run ahead.

“Uh... what’re you doing?” Dash watched the unicorn with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m -nnng- stretching.” Twilight replied as she limbered up. “It’s important to -nnng- make sure you don’t pull anything -nnng- while running.” She finished up, shaking each leg individually before stepping to the middle of the trail.

“Sure, okay.” Rainbow trotted over and took her place next to the other mare. She took a second to shake her own legs loose before digging her hooves in to get a good first step. “Ready?” She asked, smiling as she got a nod in reply. “Let’s go!” Dash bounded off, galloping as fast as she could and pulling away from her running partner after only a few seconds. She glanced back over her shoulder to see the unicorn sprinting down the trail, but rapidly falling even further behind. Turning back to the front, she saw the stream coming up in the distance. Letting out a light sigh, the pegasus spread her wings and leapt into the air, flapping several times and pulling up into a loop that would bring her down close to her running buddy.

“What’re... you... doing?” Twilight asked between heavy breaths, looking over at Dash as the landed and broke into a canter to keep pace with the lavender mare.

“Well, I didn’t wanna leave you in the dust.” Rainbow’s breathing was barely strained as she ran. “Besides, the whole point of this is to run together, so it wouldn’t make sense for me to run on ahead.” She glanced ahead, spotting the stream finally coming up ahead. “Come on, the pond is up here.” She jerked her head off to the left and drifted over to the side of the trail. She leapt into the air again, somersaulting as she flew over the stream and splashed down into the pond just beyond it. She surfaced moments later, spraying a jet of water into the air. “Come on in, Twi.” She waved a hoof, beckoning the unicorn into the pond. “The water’s great.”

“Can’t... breathe...” Twilight gasped as she trudged over to the stream, flopping down on the bank. She lowered her head and lapped at the flowing water, drenching her parched throat. She rolled over and clutched at her sides, groaning.

“Don’t worry, Twi.” Dash snickered as she swam around. “It’s a mistake you’ll only make once.”

After spending a minute to catch her breath, Twilight finally managed to speak again. “We have to do that three more times?” She scooted forward and dipped her head under the water, shaking the excess from her face and mane after she resurfaced.

“Huh?” Rainbow looked up from where she was floating across the pond. “Uh, maybe?” She shrugged, moving into a backstroke through the water. “I’ve never been good at math.”

Twilight shook her head, still waiting for her heart rate and breathing to return to normal. As she watched the pegasus swimming happily around the pond, feeling another pang of guilt and questioning yet again if she had any real right to tell Rainbow about what she had seen. She looked over her shoulder, down the trail, checking to see if Applejack had caught up to them yet. After finding the dirt road empty, she turned back to the pond, just in time to see Dash climbing out to come and lay next to her. “Hey, Rainbow... can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” Dash ran a hoof through her mane, pushing the wet strands out of her eyes. “What’s up?”

“Um... well...” Twilight dropped her gaze to the ground, staring at a small clump of grass between her front hooves. “Let’s say that, hypothetically, you had this friend, and they’re in l-love with somepony.” She silently berated herself for stuttering, but kept going. “But, the somepony they're in love with is in love with somepony else. What would you do?”

Rainbow furrowed her brow, trying to follow her friend’s hypothetical situation. “So, your ‘friend’ is in love with somepony who’s in love with somepony else, huh?” She tapped a hoof to her chin as the hypothetical began to sound eerily familiar. “Do you mind me asking who this ‘friend’ of yours is? Anypony I know?”

Twilight’s heart rate picked up at the question, but she maintained her calm demeanor. “Uh, nope. Sh- They’re not from around here. They live out in Fillydelphia.” She watched the pegasus’ reaction out of the corner of her eye, then glanced across the pond. She started subconsciously running calculations for a teleportation spell, in case she needed to make a break for it.

“Calm down, Twi.” Rainbow laid a supportive hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “AJ already told me everything.”

“Oh, uh... okay.” Twilight pawed at the grass, confused by Dash’s statement. “Told you what? What did she say?” Dozens of possibilities ran through her mind, and word came flowing out of her mouth. “I know she told Fluttershy she was in love with me, but then she told me that wasn’t true when I talked to her. Did she say something else to you?” She looked up hopefully.

“Wait... what?” Dash arched an eyebrow. “AJ told me she loves me, not you.” She shook her head, sending droplets of water into the grass. “I mean, I don’t know how she feels... about...” She looked over the unicorn carefully, noting the slightly frantic look in her eyes and the light blush under her coat. “Twi... how do you feel about AJ?”

“She’s, uh...” Twilight went back to staring at the ground in front of her. “She’s a good friend, and, um, she loves you a lot. She didn’t want Fluttershy to find out, so when Fluttershy asked her, she said she had a crush on me instead.”

“Huh. ‘Shy talked to AJ?” Rainbow gazed across the pond, deep in thought. After a while, she shrugged. “Sorry, Twi, but I can’t help ya. AJ never said anything about you.” She gave a friendly, if somewhat teasing, smile. “Although... it’s pretty clear that you’ve got it bad for her.”

“I... don’t know what you’re talking about.” Twilight looked back across the lake. Thirty feet to cross the lake. Another fifteen to the tree line. She started crunching numbers in her head, frowning as she realized her friend’s immense speed and inequine reaction time would allow her catch up after a teleport with ease. She toyed with the idea of layering multiple teleportation spells to jump several times in quick succession, but abandoned it when she realized Applejack would come back to find her gone with no explanation.I can’t just run off on her. What would she think? Especially after last night.

Dash’s smile grew a bit predatory. “I’m talking about how you kept staring at AJ’s flank on the way out here.” Her smile broke into a full-fledged grin as the unicorn blushed uncontrollably.

“Oh, was it that obvious?” Twilight asked, a hint of sarcasm creeping into her voice. “Because the one pony that I want to notice... just won’t! She just keeps going on and on about you! One of the main reasons I asked if I could train with her so that I could get some time alone with her, but all she can think about is you!” She realized she was nearly shouting in frustration and her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, that’s not fair. It’s not your fault that she loves you, but it’s just so... frustrating!” She crossed her forelegs in front of her and laid her head on them. “I’ve been driving myself crazy over this. Though, you might be one of the few ponies who can understand, I mean, being a part of a love triangle yourself.”

“Yea, although that one kinda worked itself out before it really got going.” Rainbow rolled over onto her back, folding her forelegs behind her head. “I really should swing by Rarity’s place. She put up a good fight, but the better mare won.”

The image of Rarity and Fluttershy kissing flashed through Twilight’s head again, and she bit her lip, unsure of whether to say something. It will hurt her if I tell her... but it could hurt her more if she finds out later. She imagined herself in Dash’s position and wondered if she would want her friends to tell her. Yes, I would... She sighed and picked up her head, turning to face the pegasus. “Rainbow?”

“Hmm?” Dash looked over and sat up, seeing the worried expression on her friend’s face. “What’s up, Twi?”

“Well, I, uh... you see...” Twilight went back to staring at the ground as she searched for the right words. “I was out getting dinner last night and I saw...” She trailed off, wondering one last time if she wanted to do this. She took a deep breath and forced herself to continue. “I saw Rarity and Fluttershy together.” She watched the other mare expectantly, prepared for a myriad of reactions, but got one she didn’t expect.

Indifference.

Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly. “Okay, so?” She looked at the unicorn as though she had just said she saw an apple fall from a tree. “It’s cool that they can still be friends. I’m not gonna make Rarity stay away from ‘Shy or anything.” She lay back down, basking in the dappled sunlight as it filtered through the trees.

Twilight sat frozen for a moment, her mind churning as she tried to process Dash’s response. “No... not just together, in the same place...” She explained further. “I mean they were together, as in, I think they were on a... a date.”

Dash didn’t move, but she visibly tensed up and her mouth set in a hard line. “Why do you think that?” She asked, keeping her eyes closed and her voice carefully neutral.

“Well, I was out getting dinner last night, like I said.” Twilight pretended to gaze out over the calm waters of the pond, but she watched the pegasus out of the corner of her eye. “I happened to see them coming out of a restaurant together.” She paused, her nerves getting the better of her momentarily.

“That’s it?” Rainbow relaxed again, cracking an eye open to look at the unicorn. “They go to dinner after the spa sometimes. ‘Shy’s told me about it before, it’s not romantic.”

“Yeah, okay.” Twilight wanted desperately to just let the conversation end, but her conscience wouldn’t let her back out now. “This one seemed awfully romantic, though.” She watched for another reaction from Dash, but the pegasus merely shook her head. “They were at a small Prench restaurant and dressed up nicely.”

Dash bolted upright, bringing a hoof to her face in shock. “Rarity? Dressed up?” She feigned surprise for a few more seconds before letting loose a fit of laughter. She spoke again after she calmed down. “No offense Twi, but Rarity gets dressed up for no reason all the time. It’s not exactly cause to freak out.”

“I, uh, I guess she does.” Twilight chuckled nervously, remembering her earlier plan to teleport across the pond and run. “But, uh, that’s not all that I saw...” She swallowed, gathering her last scraps of courage to continue. “I also saw them... kissing.” She braced herself for a more animated, possibly more violent, reaction than she got last time.

She didn’t get one.

Rainbow sat frozen in place, not even blinking as she turned the other mare’s words over in her mind. Eventually, she brought a hoof to her head and rubbed her ears, convinced she misheard. “Ya wanna run that one by me again, Twi? I coulda sworn I heard you say Rarity and ‘Shy were kissing.” Her mouth pulled up into her trademark confident smirk.

Twilight opened her mouth to repeat herself, but the words stuck in her throat, so she just nodded. Dash’s smile disappeared with such speed that the unicorn had to wonder whether it had ever been there to begin with. She tried to talk again, pushing the words out by sheer force of will. “They were, in front of Rarity’s house. I kind of... followed them. They kissed, t-tongues and all.”

Dash was on her feet before the other mare even realized she had moved. She paced back and forth along the stream as it fed into the pond, wracking her brain for an innocent scenario that Twilight could have misinterpreted as a kiss. She couldn’t think of one, especially not one for the kind of kiss the unicorn claimed to have seen. She shook her head as her pacing slowly moved her closer to the trail next to the stream. “No. They... ‘Shy wouldn’t do that. She dumped Rarity. She picked me.” She stopped her pacing, now in the middle of the dirt road, and flapped her wings a few times as her eyes darted back and forth.

“Rainbow...” Twilight got to her hooves, taking a cautious step toward the pegasus. “Please don’t do anything reckless. Let’s just talk about this.”

“Reckless?” Dash flashed a confident smile. “I prefer ‘adventurous’ or ‘daring’. Don’t worry, Twi. I’m gonna talk about it, just with Rarity.” She dug her rear hooves into the ground and checked the sky for any obstacles.

Rainbow...” Twilight repeated, a little more forcefully. She lit her horn, prepared to stop the pegasus if she had to.

Dash sighed and rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Twi. I’m just gonna go talk to her. I’m not mad or anything. I just wanna find out what was going on. You know, get all the facts and get everything sorted out instead of overreacting to something that isn’t true.”

“That’s... actually very well thought-out and rational.” Twilight blinked a few times in surprise. “Who are you, and what have you done with Rainbow Dash?” She pointed in mock-accusation.

“First, you got me reading, and now you’ve got me actually thinking before I do things.” Rainbow smirked. “I think you’re a bad influence on me, Twi.”

Twilight still felt like Dash going to see Rarity wasn’t a good idea, but the cyan mare seemed remarkably calm about the situation. For now. “Well, go ahead then.” She conceded.

“Thanks, Twi. Sorry for bailing on ya.” Rainbow looked over her shoulder just as Applejack appeared a ways down the trail. “Looks like AJ’s back, anyhow. Have fun training.” With that, she galloped a short ways down the trial and leapt into the air, spreading her wings and flapping them to climb above the tree line before angling toward Ponyville.

Twilight turned and greeted the farm pony as she trotted up. “Hey, Applejack. What was the ringing about?”

Applejack just shook her head, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Well, Apple Bloom and her little friends decided to try their hooves at makin’ chili... darn near set the whole kitchen on fire.” She reached up and adjusted her hat. “Nopony got hurt, but we’re gonna need a new stove, and some new drapes fer the window... and a new window.” She shook her head, letting out another sigh, and looked around the clearing. Her expression fell as she realized Rainbow wasn’t there. “Where’d Dash run off to?”

“Um, well...” Twilight glanced around nervously, searching for an answer. “Something came up. It’s not a big deal.” She walked back out onto the trail and got ready to get moving again. “So, you ready to run?”

“Oh.” Applejack’s entire body slumped. “That’s... fine.” She mumbled, though her tone suggested it was anything but. After a few seconds, she straightened up again. “Alright... how’d ya feel after the first half mile?”

AJ... Twilight wanted nothing more than to run over, embrace the other mare, and confess everything she felt. She ached to let Applejack know that she was loved, even if it wasn’t by the mare she wanted it from. “Not too bad.” She lied. When she fell down next to the stream after the ‘warm-up’ run, it had felt like her lungs were on fire and someone had dipped her muscles in acid.

“Good, cause Ah don’t wanna have to carry ya back to the house after ya collapse halfway through.” Applejack winked playfully, bumping the lavender mare with her flank as she got ready to run. “Ya ready?” She waited for a nodded response and then took off down the trail, kicking up a small plume of dust in her wake. She glanced back over her shoulder to see her partner running after her, but falling behind, so she slowed down a bit to let the unicorn keep up, but not quite catch up, with her.

Twilight felt the burning in her lungs returning, but pushed through it. Even though they had been running for less than a minute, she was already gasping for breath. Her eyes fell on the orange flank in front of her as it bobbed in time with the cowpony’s running. She tore her gaze away, focusing on the path in front of her and scanning for potential hazards. She tried to avoid it, but her eyes frequently drifted back to watching her friend’s rump as they ran. She was hypnotized by it, feeling her already hammering pulse spike ever higher each time the blond tail in front of her drifted off to the side a little bit. The hypnotic trance was broken when the farm pony jumped over a branch laying in the path. Twilight leapt over the fallen tree limb, forcing herself to keep running as every muscle in her body screamed for a break.

It can’t be that much farther, can it? She craned her neck up to look past Applejack and down the path, searching for the farmhouse in the distance. It feels like we’ve been running for- The rest of her thought was cut off as her foot hit a rock in the path, sending her tumbling forward. She scrambled to try and catch herself, but came down on the edge of her left forehoof, twisting it off to the side awkwardly as pain shot through her leg. She curled up, landing hard on her shoulder, and rolled several times before coming to a rest on her side.

Applejack looked over her shoulder to see her friend lying on the ground. “Twilight!” She skidded to a stop and galloped back over to the fallen mare. “Ya alright? Are ya hurt?” She knelt down next to the unicorn looking her over for any serious injuries.

“I’m okay.” Twilight rolled onto her stomach, craning her neck around to look herself over. She gathered her hooves under her to stand. “A few scrapes, but nothing bad. I’ll be-” She stopped as she stood up, pain shooting through her left foreleg. Okay... it’s not that bad. “Are you ready to- Ah!” She took a step and fell back to the dirt, cradling her forehoof.

Applejack lay down next to the injured mare and gently grabbed her hoof to look it over, twisting it lightly and feeling along the ankle for a few moments. “Well, good news, it ain’t broken.” She let go of the hoof and rose to a sitting position. “Bad news, it’s a pretty nasty sprain. Come on, let’s get ya back to the house and we’ll get some ice on it.” She snaked a hoof under the unicorn’s chest and helped her stand up.

“Thanks.” Twilight took a step, making sure to keep her injured leg off of the ground, and nearly tripped again. She tried again, letting out a grunt of frustration.

The farm pony shook her head and walked over to her friend. “Alright. Hold still for a second, Twi.” She lowered herself to crawl under the other mare and picked her up in one smooth motion, depositing the unicorn on the small of her back.

“Wha- hey!” Twilight flailed her legs momentarily as they rose from the dirt.

“Quit squirmin’, sugarcube.” Applejack shifted to keep her passenger from falling off. “We need to get ya back to the house and get that ankle taken care of. This’ll be fastest, seein’ as how yer not in a fit state to be walkin’ there. So, hold still.”

“A-Are you sure?” Twilight continued to paw at the empty air, her recently slowed heart rate rocketing back up to full throttle while her cheeks flooded with color. “I mean, I appreciate the offer but... I’m afraid I might be a little too heavy for you. Spending days on end studying hasn’t exactly done my flank any favors.” She fixed her eyes on the ground in front of her. Wait... did I just call myself fat? She immediately dismissed the thought, finding it preferable to her real, much less innocent, reasons for objecting.

“Seriously, Twi?” Applejack looked back, raising an eyebrow. “Ah make a livin’ buckin’ trees and haulin’ carts chock full of food between here and Ponyville. What part of that makes ya think that Ah can’t handle a little extra weight? Besides... like Ah said last night, ya may not be an athlete, but Ah’d be surprised if ya had an ounce ya didn’t need.”

Twilight froze, her mind searching for an alternate meaning to her friend’s words, other than the obvious one. She felt her own face heating up and was sure that it was visible through her coat. Did she just...

Applejack cleared her throat. “Well, let’s get goin’, then. Ya comfortable back there?” She asked, reaching up to readjust her hat.

“Not really.” Twilight replied. Her position, lying across her friend’s back, forced her to support all of her weight on her stomach and sternum, making it difficult to breathe. Although, I can’t complain about the view. Her gaze flitted back to the orange flank that was now barely a foot away. She ran through several possible alternate positions before settling on one. “Hold still for a minute.” She said as she lit up her horn. She lifted herself into the air and turned so that she was facing the same direction as the other mare, then lowered herself back down, straddling her hind legs and wrapping her forelegs lightly around Applejack’s neck. “There. Much better.”

“Alright then, hold on tight.” Applejack took off, galloping down the road and eating up ground in chunks.

Twilight reflexively shut her eyes as they blazed down the path and held onto the farm pony’s neck a little tighter. The wind roared in her ears and through her mane, making her feel like she was flying. After a few seconds, she forced her eyes open and watched the scenery around her blur by. She broke out in a big grin and let out a small whoop of excitement, noticing the running mare’s mouth twitch up in a brief smile. In what felt like an impossibly short time, the Apple family farm house came into view, growing closer at an alarming rate. Applejack slowed as they approached the door, kicking it open with practiced ease and trotting through without breaking stride.

“Here we go.” She stepped up to a cushion on the floor, turned around, and reared up, dropping the unicorn onto a pillow with a surprised yelp. “Now, lemme get ya some ice fer that ankle.” She moved over to the sink and pulled open a cabinet below it, emerging with a small burlap sack and heading over to the freezer.

“Uh, Applejack? Won’t the water leak as the ice melts?” Twilight asked after readjusting herself following her unceremonious arrival on the cushion. She glanced idly around the room, eventually reaching the stove, or what was left of it. Several sections of the iron appliance sagged toward the floor as though they had nearly melted. Impossible. She stared at the drooping metal, her mouth slightly agape. Iron doesn’t melt until twenty-eight hundred degrees. She looked up at the wall, which was now a charred black mess. The window was gone, though streaks of melted and cooled glass trailed down the wall below it, and any drapes that had adorned it had been reduced to cinders. What in Equestria were they cooking?

“Nah.” Applejack replied from inside the ice box. She backed out, holding the sack full of ice in her teeth by a drawstring. She walked over and laid the bag on her friend’s injured ankle. “Things like this happen pretty often ‘round here, so Ah asked Rarity to make an ice bag that wouldn’t leak. She just lined it with some rubber, but Ah had to fight with her fer half an hour to keep her from makin’ some frilly bag outta silk and lace.” She shook her head.

Twilight raised her good hoof to her mouth to stifle a giggle. She shivered as the ice pack chilled and then numbed her ankle. “So, how long do we leave this on?”

Applejack shrugged. “However long ya feel like.” She smirked as her friend raised a questioning eyebrow. “It ain't exactly science, Twi. Just keep it on there until yer ankle feels better, simple as that.” Her smirk became a snicker as the other mare rolled her eyes playfully. She leaned against the table and pretended to gaze out the window, but instead watched the unicorn out of the corner of her eye. “So, where’d ya say Dash ran off to again?”

Twilight froze for an instant, then glanced off to the side. “She just had to go get ready for her date.”

“Twi, don’t lie.”

“Huh?” She blinked in surprise. “How did- I mean, why would you say that?” She asked, trying her best to sound nonplussed.

“Well...” Applejack pushed her hat back. “Normally Ah’d go fer the whole ‘Element of Honesty’ bit, but this time Ah’m gonna say it’s ‘cause Ah know Dash barely ever bothers with a brush. Her idea of gettin’ ready is flying through a rain cloud.” The cowpony smirked and leaned forward. “Now, the real question is: What could Dash be doin’ that you would feel the need to lie about?”

Twilight’s gaze roamed the kitchen, looking everywhere but her friend’s eyes. “She’s... modeling dresses for Rarity!”

“Twi...”

“Helping Fluttershy take care of a bear!”

“Twilight!”

“Baking cupcakes with Pinkie!”

“Celestia damn it, Twilight Sparkle! Just tell me what she’s up to!”

“She’s... she’s...” Twilight gave up and dropped her head to lay on the table. “Fine, she went to go talk to Rarity.”

It was Applejack’s turn to arch an eyebrow in confusion. “Now why in the hay would ya lie ‘bout somethin’ like that?” She sat back and thought for a moment before a dawning realization spread over her face. “Dash went to talk to Rarity about Fluttershy, didn’t she?”

Twilight briefly considered lying again, but knew the other mare would see right through it. “Yes.” She admitted. “I kind of... saw Fluttershy and Rarity together while you were in the bathroom last night. That’s where I went off to. I followed them for a bit and I saw them... kiss.”

“Kiss?” Applejack repeated the word as if were her own foal’s first word. “Ya mean... ‘Shy was cheatin’ on Dash?”

No!” Twilight sat up, but then slumped. “Well, I don’t know. I didn’t hear much of what they were saying, and it sounded like Fluttershy was drunk.” She pressed her hood hoof to her temple. “Anyway, Rainbow went over to talk to Rarity and find out what was going on.”

“Is that so?” Applejack tried and failed to keep a grin from her face. “Feel free to stay as long as ya like, Twi. Ah gotta... go do somethin’.” She got up from the table and practically galloped for the door.

“Oh no you don’t.” Twilight lit her horn and slammed the door shut, locking it and placing a protective shield over it for good measure. “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re going to go over there and try and blow up the situation so that Rainbow will break up with Fluttershy.”

“Ah was not!” Applejack shot back. She gathered herself and lashed out at the door as hard as she could with both legs, to no visible effect, then sat down and let out a defeated sigh. “Look, Ah don’t want things to go bad, but from what yer tellin’ me, it seems like they already are. Ah promised Dash Ah wouldn’t do anythin’ to trouble her and ‘Shy again.” She looked up at Twilight with a pained expression. “But Ah gotta be there if things do go south. This might be mah only chance, Twi!” She looked away, moisture glistening in her eyes. “Ya don’t know what it’s like. Seein’ her every day, wantin’ nothin’ more than to just hold her and let her know that you’d do anythin’ to make her happy. Knowin’ that at the end of the day, she’s got somepony to come home to, but all you’ve got is an empty bed.”

Twilight tried to keep calm, but her frustration finally got the better of her. “AJ, think about it. Rainbow will never love you the way she loves Fluttershy, you would always be her second choice, her safety net. Don’t you want better? Don’t you deserve somepony who loves you for you?” She snorted and stamped a hoof. “But what would some bookworm shut in know about that, right? I obviously have no idea what that’s like.” She stood up from the table, the ice pack falling to the floor. “I have no idea what it’s like to be in love with somepony who loves someone else. I wouldn’t know about crying yourself to sleep at night, wishing they were there to hold you, or that you could wake up and have them be the first thing you see in the morning.” Despite her sudden anger, tears pooled in her eyes and blurred her vision.

“I... I...” She choked back and sob and grabbed a hold of her magic, weaving a quick teleportation spell to get her outside the house. She cast the spell and, in a flash of light, found herself outside the farm house, but now she was moving. In her haste, she had overcompensated for gravity, and came out of the spell with residual velocity. She slammed into a rapidly approaching tree, letting out a pained grunt. After climbing to her hooves, she galloped down the road that led back to Ponyville, ignoring the resurgent pain that shot up her leg with each step and a stinging in her side every time she took a breath.

Back in the kitchen, Applejack merely stared at the spot her friend had been standing in a moment ago, listening to hoof steps and sobs fade into the distance. She sat down as her brain tried furiously to figure out what had just happened.