Timed Ramblings

by Midnight herald

The Tiara

“I’m sorry for all this,” Twilight mumbled, making a vague sweeping gesture with her hoof. Like with that one, vague gesture she could condemn the whole park full of ponies.

“How d’you mean that?” Applejack asked around a mouth full of greens, raising an eyebrow.

Twilight grimaced, her wide eyes darting through air. “I mean how everypony’s looking at us right now, AJ,” she explained. That awful edge was back in her voice, the one that meant Twilight had it in her head that she’d disappointed somepony important. Applejack could still remember when only Celestia got that, a few years back. As distressing as the tension in Twilight’s voice was, Applejack couldn’t help the spike of guilty pleasure that came with it, as a reminder that she was important too, these days.

“I reckon they would be, Twi,” she answered neutrally, digging through the wicker basket beside their old gingham tablecloth. “Seeing as they’ve got eyes and all. That’s what eyes are for, looking.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Twilight snapped, ruffling her wings in agitation. Applejack figured she had another five minutes of this before total meltdown, the way things were going.

“Well, what did ya mean, then?” she asked, placing a steady hoof over Twilight’s, pinning it. She hid the betrayal that flashed when Twilight drew her hoof away again and went back to tracing circles in the wrinkled, worn cloth.

“...It’s nothing,” Twilight whispered. But her eyes told different. Heck, all of her told different, but the eyes were worrying. The twinkling joy Applejack could normally see in them was just plain gone right now, leaving her mare looking more lost and hopeless than Applejack had seen her since Discord tore the six of them apart.

“Doesn’t look like ‘nothing’ over here,” she snarked. “Or does ‘nothing’ mean something else in Canterlot these days?”

“You’ll think it’s stupid, alright?” Twilight sighed, grabbing a biscuit in her magic and breaking it roughly before reaching for the butter. “Let’s just get back to our lunch, okay?”

Applejack frowned and swiped the butter back, holding it until Twilight looked up in utter confusion and met her eyes. “Sugarcube, nothing you ever say to me is stupid. You should know that by now. And you should also know that I can’t have a good time when it’s so clear to me that you aren’t. Now spill.” This wasn’t the gentle coaxing Applejack had tried earlier. This was full-on Big Sister Mode, complete with an unwavering stare and a voice that brooked no argument.

Twilight sighed again as she realized she was completely outclassed in this. “Applejack, does it … bother you, being seen on dates with a Princess?” she asked, cringing down and tensing her wings as if to guard herself from some sort of attack.

Applejack raised her eyebrow again and made a show of looking around,lifting up the picnic basket to look underneath, examining the bottoms of her hooves. “What Princess?” she asked.

Twilight blinked and looked at her in total shock. “Applejack... you know I’m...”

“So here I am,” Applejack interrupted with the grace of a haybale to the face, “In the beautiful Canterlot gardens, right? Everything’s great... Sun’s shining, … birds are putting on a symphony in the trees... but most of all, I’m here with my girlfriend, Twilight Sparkle. Maybe you know her.” Twilight giggled a bit at that, her wings folding neatly and her shoulders relaxing. “She’s about this tall,” Applejack tapped her on the head, “About this color, and she’s the sweetest little thing.

“She used to run the Ponyville Library, and she did a great job of it, too. Not a book out of place, not a late fee unpaid. And she has the cutest smile I ever did lay eyes on, and a laugh I could listen to forever. She’s been the best friend to me and mine. She’s made me better than I used to be, more forthright, less prideful, more accepting of the kindness others show me. And I love her more than anything.”

TIME LIMIT---------

Twilight let out a strangled sob and threw herself into Applejack, tears of relief and something else soaking into Applejack’s mane. She stroked Twilight’s wings soothingly until she calmed down, and very carefully helped her regain her legs before silently offering her a cupcake.

“Twi, you silly, the tiara stays at home,” she chuckled, wiping a stray splotch of frosting from Twilight’s quivering lip. “You know why, too, don’tcha?”

“You don’t love me for the Tiara,” Twilight answered, her voice rough from crying.

“That’s right, sweetheart.” Applejack pulled her back into a hug. “I love you for everything else.

Author's Note:

My first thought for this prompt was some time travel angst-drama involving Twilight sending her friends forward to a future without her because she knows they'd die otherwise, but I'm glad I went for some fluffy TwiJack instead.

Comments

[Loeden]

The Tiara: There's nothing wrong with a good bit of fluff. Honestly, I'm starting to get worried, a lot of the season-compliant Twi shipfics are really taking a pretty bleak line on things; Twilight outliving everyone, Twilight having to choose duty over being happy, Twilight freaking out (oh wait, that's normal, for her.) Anyways, this gets at the heart of the reason I love AJ so much as a character.. Because she can be all 'Okay, dramatics blah blah blah are you done yet? This is how it really is."

Although, just sayin', that time travel idea does look interesting! Between 350 (which was aweeeesome) and that one where she accidentally goes ten years into the future, it might be fun to see things done the other way around!

[Midnight herald]

2336738 I have enough drama IRL that I just wanted a nice, uncomplicated feels-fest. So I made it happen. Also, that's why AJ is best pony... she ain't give a damn about nobody's bullshit. Which is awesome.

[Silvernis]

Aww, that was sweet and fluffy.

[DarkwingSnark]

You really make me want to ship many things I wouldn't normally think of. Not that I oppose things. I am willing to read any pairing, if done well. And I think you have that ability to write any characters together and make them work.

And I can easily see Twi having troubles with being a princess. It would be way more attention than she is used to. And with her paranoid nature...last thing she needs is all eyes on her. But thankfully she has a special somepony like AJ to keep her down to earth.

[Midnight herald]

2399185 I'm of the opinion that even crack-ships are entirely plausible so long as you write the characters the right way. One of my friends challenged me to ship Gilda and Queen Chrysalis, and I'm seriously working out a premise for exactly that at times when I can't sleep. My brain is a fertile ground for crack-shipping, and I enjoy foisting my visions onto others so they can enjoy the glory if ... I dunno, Sombra and Cheerilee??
I don't know either, okay? Regardless, I'm glad that my ships are sailing in your head; it means I'm doing my job right.