AppleDash Group Collab

by DbzOrDie

Procastrination - HapHazred

"Well," Twilight said, rubbing her chin. "It has been a while."

Spike scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah."

Two years, Twilight thought. Give or take a month. Two years since Spike had left on a long, long journey that, as far as Twilight was concerned, seemed to last forever. It turned out organising books all on ones own was tiresome. Over the long two years, Twilight had been forced to become almost disorganised. It had been a nightmare that she had become somewhat comfortable with.

Spike, now older, but no less diminutive in stature (size was apparently a trait that did not feature in his genetic make-up), had left to study. It had been an educational trip, apparently, and one Twilight sorely wished she could have joined him on.

The pair had met at the station. They had said hello, and Twilight had taken Spike back to one of the rooms in the castle, overlooking the park. Outside, the flowers were blooming, the birds were singing. It was outrageously picturesque, and Spike had insisted they go inside before he compulsively picnicked which, he assured Twilight, was in nopony's best interests since he had learned some less orthodox ways in which to picnic from fellow students he had travelled with. Some of which were dragons, minotaurs, and griffons, and none of which were delicate.

"So, ah, what's new?" Spike asked. "I mean, you did write, but they were a bit, ah... light on details."

Twilight frowned. "My letters aren't light on details."

Spike held one up in his claw. His eyebrow raised. "Do you want me to read one?"

"I would rather—"

"Ahem," Spike began, clearing his throat. "Dear Spike..."

Twilight's frown deepened. Her keen mind could already sense where Spike was going. Of course, Spike would already have figured that out. Over the years he had become startlingly academic.

"...today I learned that just because friendship brings us all together, it doesn't mean that circumstances can't cause them to part," Spike went on. He pointed at the paper. "You'll note the conspicuous absence of context, of course." His eyes drifted back to the paper. "Just because you can't change reality doesn't mean you can't still be friends, even from far away."

Twilight snatched the letter from Spike. "It's a habit."

"It's a syndrome," Spike chuckled. He poured a whole bag-ful of letters onto the castle table. "Seriously, they're all like that."

"I think it adds to the letter," Twilight muttered. She smiled. Despite Spike's complaints, she couldn't help but notice he had kept every single letter.

Spike sighed. "Well, perhaps you can help translate them," he said, and took back the letter his former guardian had stolen. "This one is from, what, a year and a half ago? What was it all about?"

"Ah, that one," Twilight said. "Do you remember Applejack and Rainbow Dash?"

"No."

Twilight frowned. "I see your time abroad has done nothing for that sarcasm."

Spike snickered. "Yeah, I remember AJ and RD."

Twilight nodded. "Right. Well, they broke up."

Spike's eyebrows raised. "Huh? How come?" He narrowed his eyes. "Also, how come you couldn't just write that?"

Twilight sighed. "Like I said, it's a habit. Anyway. Do you remember Rainbow Dash joining the Wonderbolts?"

"Yeah?"

"And remember how everypony said that it'd be hard for her to maintain a relationship whilst carrying on having a demanding career in a distant city?"

"Yes."

"And remember how it turned out that it was actually about a ten minute flight from here to Cloudsdale when you're Rainbow Dash and can break the sound barrier, so there actually wasn't any point worrying about it?"

"Yes, I remember that. You were the one that thought they'd have trouble, right?"

"Well, I was proven wrong."

"Okay. So..."

"Well, Applejack had to move to Fillydelphia. Her farm got a branch there which she needed to oversee. They bought it from Wheatland, I think."

"Ah."

"Which is the other side of Equestria."

"...yes."

"And Applejack can't break the sound barrier."

"I believe so."

"So they both decided that it was in their best interests to call it off. That's what I wrote in the letter."

Spike looked down at the letter. Twilight sensed the mood had abruptly become a bit depressing.

"Well, that's sad," Spike said. "I had hoped that everypony would have been, well, happy when I came back." He leaned back. "Now I find AJ and RD aren't together any more, Applejack left Ponyville, and your ability to write letters has gotten way past worrying."

Twilight didn't reply. Spike began to look through the window. He frowned.

"Hey, Twilight..."

"Yes?"

"So, you said Applejack had to move to Fillydelphia?"

"She has. She only comes back for week-ends to see her family."

Spike narrowed his eyes. "So why is it," he asked, "That outside this window, I can see one suspiciously Applejack looking pony sitting on a bench next to a suspiciously Rainbow Dash looking pony, kissing in an alarmingly not-broken-up way?"

Twilight huffed. "I put that in a letter too."

Spike frowned. "Explain."

"Well, they didn't want to break up right away. They wanted to ease into it."

Spike rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think I know the letter you're talking about."

Twilight smiled. "See? My letters aren't that bad."

Spike picked up one of the other letters. This one was much shorter. It could practically fit on a memo.

"Is this the one?" Spike asked, showing it to Twilight."

"Yes."

"The one that reads, dear Spike, sometimes ponies procrastinate?"

"Yes." Twilight looked out the window. "As you can clearly see, a whole year later, and they're still procrastinating." Twilight leaned back, folding her forelegs. "Demonstrably, nothing I wrote was wrong."

Spike nodded. "I can see that." He put his claws together. "Twilight, I think you should see a professional about that letter thing."

"I don't need a professional."

Spike's eyes drifted back to the window. "Rainbow Dash was always very good at procrastinating. Well, at least they're having fun."

Twilight nodded, and peered outside along with Spike. "Perhaps a little too much fun for a public place, but I'm not going to be the one to tell them to stop." She pointed at a third letter. "As you can clearly read from this letter, which says Rainbow Dash doesn't care what I think." She displayed a triumphant smirk. "I feel that says it all."

"I did wonder about that one."