> Princess Twilight Sparkle and her curious love life
>  by Idsertian
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Lonely Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Lonely Night



This is the story of a mare named Twilight.

Twilight was a student at Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, where she was Princess Celestia's personal student. As the princess' personal student, Twilight's life was simple: she studied magic. Whatever theory, field or practical application the princess assigned her, Twilight studied it; learning how to manipulate the various magical fields, which ones to manipulate, and in what order. This is what Twilight did every day, of every month, of every year. And although others might have considered it hard work or boring, Twilight relished every moment of discovery, as if she had been made exactly for studying.

And Twilight was happy.

And then one day, something very important happened. Something that would forever change Twilight; something she had never even considered would happen to her until just then. She fell in love.

You see, Twilight thought falling in love was something that happened to other ponies. She would hear acquaintances, and later, friends, talk about boys, the colts and stallions that surrounded their lives, and would be utterly disinterested with the topic.

'What is the point?' she would think to herself. 'Why bother discussing something that will never happen to me?'

And she was right. What was the point? After all, didn't Twilight appreciate the graceful curves of her own gender, more than the angular lines of the other? She did, of course, but kept that little fact to herself. After all, filly-foolers, as ones such as herself were known, were considered to be oddities at best. Less charitable ponies might have referred to her as “unnatural”, “freakish”, or even “disgusting”. There were recorded instances, albeit old ones, of ponies being driven out of communities, even chased out of Equestria entirely in some very extreme cases, simply because they had the unfortunate luck to be born with a particular inclination.

Twilight had read all this in the books she avidly devoured between magical studies, and, even taking into account the efforts made by her own benefactor and mentor to change such attitudes in the past, decided to keep her proclivities to herself. At first she’d feared being cast out by her family, then expelled from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but as time went on, she began to fear getting found out by her friends. The thought of being chased from Ponyville by her friends, not to mention everypony else in the town, and having to return to Canterlot in disgrace was too much to bear. Yes, better that she keep her “interests” to herself.

This had the resultant effect that Twilight was left without a significant other in her life, a fact that she tried not to let bother her. Even after being sent to Ponyville by Princess Celestia to learn about the magic of friendship, Twilight convinced herself that she preferred being on her own, nose buried in her books. After all, a partner would have just been a distraction, right?

And so this was how Twilight lived her life: hiding her real feelings, lonely romantically, though not wanting for friends, and doing her best to get by on a day-to-day basis.

But then she became a princess. And everything changed.


[/)]


Twilight was reading. This was a very common occurrence. Indeed, one was more likely than not to stumble upon Twilight reading. She was laid down on some cushions in the main room of her library, book propped up against a stack of similar tomes, purple eyes silently tracking each line on the page with a speed that could only be attained through long hours of practice. Her wings were very slightly open, allowing the gentle evening breeze from her open front door to circulate underneath them, teasing the soft feathers on the underside. Wings had their uses, she supposed, but they made the sides of her barrel uncomfortably warm at times. The pleasant feelings caused by the air moving underneath them were just an added bonus.

But the breeze wasn't the only visitor allowed in by the open door. Drifting along on the currents Twilight welcomed into her home, were the strains of music; music that had a distinctly disco feel to it. Had Twilight been inclined to muse on such matters, she would have supposed that the annual Hearts and Hooves day festival was in full swing, and that Miss Cheerilee had finally convinced Ponyville's Mayor Mare to host one with the theme of the teacher's favourite music genre.

However, Twilight was trying not to be inclined in any such way and so attempted to concentrate on her book, with only the occasional ear twitch in the direction of her door, when the wind brought a slightly louder than usual burst of music.

Sighing, she turned the page with her magic, a deep pink glow briefly enveloping her book as the page flipped over, seemingly by itself. With Spike, her young dragon assistant, out enjoying the dancing and other festivities, Twilight was left alone in the library. A state she normally relished, but for the time of year.

Tonight, her friends were out enjoying themselves and having fun, searching for that special somepony amongst the crowd. Not so for the purple alicorn. On yet another Hearts and Hooves day, she would be without a marefriend on the one night the whole of Equestria celebrated love; a sad state of affairs indeed.

'No,' Twilight thought, frowning to herself. 'No pining for something you can't have, you know it’s not acceptable. You can’t afford losing everypony, least of all now. Just keep your eyes on the book and this night will be over before you know it.'

Twilight's frown tried to ease itself from her face as she once again lost herself in study, but her situation continued to play on her mind, making it increasingly hard to pay attention. All she really wanted was to be happy in life. That wasn't too much to ask, was it? Sure, she had great friends that made her happy, but… She wanted somepony who offered a little more. Somepony for comfort when life got too stressful, one who would offer a shoulder to lean on and a warm body to curl up close to at night. Was that so much to ask? Twilight's frown deepened.

“Stop it,” she spoke aloud, attempting to admonish her errant sub-conscious. The quaver in her voice robbed it of any authority, failing to convince even herself. “Aside from anything else, you're happier on your own. You know this.”

But she wasn’t. She really, really wasn’t. As she did every year when this realisation hit her, Twilight began to cry.

It was the same every year. She would try with all her might to put aside her feelings on this one night, but her loneliness would inevitably win out. She would then start thinking about all the fun her friends would be having, the fun she could not share in, and the tears would start. Slowly at first, as they are now, but soon Twilight would be face down, muzzle cradled between her legs to try and hide the sobs. As if on cue, her imagination broke free and visualised her friends having fun without her.

Rainbow Dash would be showing off on the dance floor, exhibiting her athleticism and her dance moves for all to see, making sure as many eyes were on her as possible. Pinkie Pie was no doubt well in her element, helping ensure everyone there was having as good a time as they possibly could, and maybe even better. Rarity was most likely sashaying around in one of her dresses, made specially for the occasion, sipping a drink and making eyes at the more presentable stallions. Even Fluttershy was probably having a good time, sat quietly somewhere away from the biggest group of ponies and enjoying the music.

And then there was Applejack. The only pony she cared for more than her other friends. Not that her other friends weren’t worthy of her feelings, it was just that Applejack was special.

From the moment Twilight had first laid eyes on her at Sweet Apple Acres, what now seemed like a lifetime ago, she had secretly appreciated the earth pony’s looks. Her coat was a pleasing shade of orange, her mane and tail were that rare shade of natural golden blonde and her green eyes, framed on either side by patches of freckles, glinted with an intelligence that her accent belied.

Her strength was also a wonder to behold. Entire trees were denuded of their apples with a single buck of her hind legs, she could easily pull three times as much as anypony else, even another earth pony, and still have the capacity for more. Twilight had experienced her friend’s uncanny strength first-hoof when, upon meeting her for the first time, the farmer had shaken her hoof with both of her own forehooves, holding herself up on her hind legs. The force of the shaking had been enough to make Twilight shift around on the spot, digging shallow tracks into the hard dirt underneath her with her hooves.

But it wasn’t just Applejack’s appearance and strength that had endeared her to the bookish pony, it was her personality as well. She cared for her friends and family deeply, often going far out of her way to help them, such as the time she volunteered to carry Fluttershy the long way up a mountain trail, simply because the fearful pegasus was too scared to move on account of the dragon above. Or taking the opportunity to earn more bits in Canterlot, so Granny Smith could get her hip replaced, when she could have been taking part in the festivities at the Grand Galloping Gala instead. She could also be stubborn sometimes, refusing help when it was offered to her. Infamously among her friends, she had tried to harvest the entirety of Sweet Apple Acres orchards all by herself, while also attending other engagements around Ponyville, ending up with the earth pony nearly dead on her hooves from exhaustion. But that was just her way, never wishing to burden anypony else around her and it made Twilight adore her even more.

And even though it could grate on other ponies, especially when she was being particularly brutal with it, Applejack’s honesty was a trait Twilight truly admired. When other ponies would be at least partially dishonest, Applejack simply told the truth as she saw it, however little the other party or parties involved didn’t want to hear it. She just wished that she shared the earth pony’s integrity enough to-

No. She wasn’t going to think about Applejack, not tonight and not like that.

The tears finally started rolling down Twilight's cheeks, then, as her imagination disobeyed her and spat a myriad of images into her mind of the one pony she had eyes for. The salty drops clung briefly to her chin, before falling and spattering onto the wooden floor. A small whimper escaped her throat and she dropped her muzzle to her legs, a sob heaving its way out her chest, followed by another. Soon she was crying quietly, but openly, her forelegs becoming wet with her sorrow.

“Why?” she demanded of the empty room. “Why can't I be like everypony else? Why can't I have somepony to love?” She continued in this way for a short time, matting the fur on her legs with her tears.

“Twilight?”

The voice came suddenly, so suddenly in fact, that the tearful alicorn didn't even hear it at first, wrapped up as she was in her sorrow.

“Twilight? Is everythin' ok?”

Twilight's ear twitched. There was no mistaking that country accent.

'Oh no,' she thought. 'Not her, not now! She can't see me like this!'

Hurriedly, Twilight lifted her head and faced away from the voice, using a foreleg to quickly dry her face.

“Oh, App… Applejack,” she sniffed. She turned towards her friend, who was stood in the open door, and hoped she didn't look too much of a mess. “I uh, didn't hear you come in! Was…” she cleared her throat. “Was there something you wanted?”

The Earth pony took a step into the library, allowing Twilight to see the look of concern on her face.

I was walkin' by on my way home, when I heard somepony talkin’ to themselves,” replied the earth pony, walking up to Twilight and hugging her. “Next thing I know, I see you with ya face buried in yer knees, practically bawlin' yer eyes out.”

As Applejack stepped back to look at her, Twilight's nose tickled as the other mare's mane dragged lightly across her face. She noticed that, while her friend was wearing her trademark hat, the red ribbon she usually wore to tie her mane back was missing.

'She must have taken it out for the festival,' mused the alicorn. 'She should do that more.' She realised she was staring and looked away, trying not to blush.

“Oh, I wasn't… that is… I, um…” Twilight cast about desperately for an excuse, something she could use to explain away her red eyes and wet forelegs.

“Twilight, all’s I got to do is look at yer face ta see somethin’s wrong, so don't bother tryin' ta tell me otherwise,” Applejack said, not unkindly. Twilight felt a hoof on her shoulder and she looked up into Applejack's eyes. There was a gentle smile accompanying them. She lowered her ears reflexively, ashamed at trying to deceive her friend despite the insignificance of the lie, though the orange pony showed no sign of minding.

“Sorry, Applejack. I- Wait, how much did you hear?”

“Less than I’d like, but enough to be worried, sugarcube. Now, what's wrong? Why’re you in here cryin’? Some jerk stallion stand you up or somethin’?”

“No, nothing like that.” Twilight looked away from Applejack, down at the floor. She couldn't admit what was wrong, or at least how she felt, not to Applejack. Her wings fluttered, betraying her agitation.

“Then, what? I didn’t think that lessons on wing preenin’ could be so moving.” Looking back up, Twilight followed her friend’s gaze to her book, which was still lying open against the other books stacked up in front of her. She chuckled weakly at Applejack’s attempt at humour.

“Heh, no, it isn’t. It’s just…” Twilight trailed off. She really didn’t want to tell her friend why she was so upset. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Applejack, she just didn’t want to risk her friend getting weirded out because of the way she felt. Even if she didn’t find it weird, there was still the risk that she might put two and two together and-

“Twi?”

She was taking too long. She had to think of something, and fast. But what could she say? I’m crying because I like mares? Because my preferences will make me a social pariah? Because I secretly have a crush on you and don’t want you to know in case you’ll hate me and stop being my friend and tell the others who’ll also hate me and then I won’t have any more friends and that will disappoint Princess Celestia and then I’ll have to leave Ponyville forever and never see you again and-

“Equestria callin’ Twilight! You still there, sugarcube?”

Twilight snapped out of it and focused on her friend. The other pony was looking at her with a mix of amusement and concern. Well, she didn’t have to tell her the entire reason she was upset, did she?

“I'm just lonely, I guess,” conceded the alicorn. She looked away from Applejack, trying to hide her face and missing the nonplussed expression of the other mare.

“Wha- Lonely?!” she cried. “What about your friends? Me an’ the others? And your family?”

Twilight looked back up at her friend, a deadpan expression on her face. She watched as confusion dominated Applejack's face for a moment, before realisation dawned.

“Oh,” came the reply. “Well, why don'cha get a date? Plenty'a ponies still at the dance when I left. I'm sure you'll fin-”

“I can't.”

“Come again?”

“I said I can't.” For what seemed the millionth time that evening, Twilight looked away from her friend again in shame.

“Course you can, Twilight,” said her friend matter-of-factly. “It's exactly the same as makin' friends, all you gotta do is talk to somepony.”

“No, it's not that simple!” Twilight cried suddenly, jumping to her hooves. She started pacing, wrestling with both her desire to keep her secret, and not wanting to lie to her friend. “I can’t because… I mean… it’s not possible for me to… URGH!”

With that inarticulate shout of frustration, she sat down on the floor with a thump, her back to Applejack and head hung low. She heard her friend approach, but didn’t look up. Instead, Twilight wished she would just leave, or that she herself could disappear into a hole somewhere and never come out, just so she wouldn’t have to be in this conversation any longer.

“Twilight,” she heard Applejack say. “Twilight, obviously somethin’s bothering ya. Now, I don’t know what it is, and you don’t have ta tell me anything you don’t want to, but y’all should know you can talk to me.”

Twilight smiled up at her friend, ears flat, but grateful.

“Thank you, Applejack. I want to tell you, really I do, I’m just scared to.”

“Scared? Why?”

“I’m scared of losing you as a friend. Of losing the others. Of being forced to leave Ponyville and disappointing the princess. Please Applejack, please don’t make me tell you.” Twilight looked at her friend with pleading eyes.

“I ain’t gonna make you do squat, Twilight,” replied the farmer, gently. She sat down in front of her royal friend. “I just said you don’t have ta tell me anything. But why would you think any of us would stop bein’ yer friends? Heck, Twilight, if bein’ shy were such a bad thing, plumb none of us would hang around Fluttershy!”

“It’s not shyness. I… I’m just not like other ponies, ok?”

“Now there’s an understatement if’n I heard one! Element of Magic, alicorn princess formerly a unicorn, saviour of Equestria… Do I need ta go on?” She cocked an eyebrow at Twilight.

Twilight smiled again, in spite of herself. Applejack certainly had a way of making her feel better. Suppose she did tell her what was really bothering her? Would it be so bad?

“No,” she answered, chuckling slightly despite her unease. “But I didn’t mean like that. I meant… Argh.” Twilight fell silent again. No. Bad idea. She wouldn’t understand.

“Argh? That’s what you meant?”

“Yes. I mean, no! I mean, ugh, AJ I’m not, I mean I am, no…” Twilight struggled once again with her feelings. She’d been at this deception so long now, it was tiring. No one around her knew who she truly was. Not her friends, not her family, not even the princess knew (she hoped). Which was a good thing, right? But she was so lonely, so tired of keeping the facade up, and she just wanted someone to talk to…

‘No,’ said that irrational, yet oddly sensible part of her mind that helped keep her secret. ‘Tell her, and it will all fall apart. You’re better off on your own.’

Twilight knew her mind was right, of course, it always had been. What sense was there in ruining it all now, just because her crush was cracking a few jokes and making her feel good? Reluctantly, she abandoned the idea of telling Applejack what was really going on.

“Look, Applejack,” she began. Her head dropped again. “I can’t tell you what’s wrong. It’s just too personal a-and I’m ashamed of it. If anypony found out… You’d all abandon me, my family would probably disown me and I don’t know what Princess Celestia would think. She probably wouldn’t care, personally, but she’d have to be seen to do something, which probably means she’d take away my title and maybe even my wings, and-” Twilight felt herself hushed by a hoof against her mouth. Her startled eyes discovered the owner to be one Applejack of the Apple family, albeit looking very serious. Said pony took her hoof away and sat down.

“Twilight, I want you to listen to me very carefully,” said the farmer, locking eyes with Twilight. The princess suddenly felt terrified, yet utterly calm at the same time. As she stared into her friend’s green eyes, butterflies were doing loops in her stomach, while her heart felt like somepony was injecting liquid nitrogen straight into it. The only thought that echoed in her mind in the moments before Applejack spoke again, was:

‘Oh Goddess, I said too much! She knows!’

Her fears, as it turned out, were unfounded.

“I don’t know where ya’ll are gettin’ the idea that your friends are gonna up and abandon you, but it’s going ta stop. Right now.” Her expression softened a bit, resolving to one of sympathy. “Because we’re exactly that, your friends. Now, I can’t speak fer your family, or the princess, and I don’t know what kinda terrible truth about yerself it is that you’re guardin’, but I do know there ain’t no secret that’s gonna split us all from you; least of all me.” Applejack suddenly leaned in to nuzzle Twilight's neck, the alicorn returning the gesture automatically, startled by both how easily the motion came to her, and Applejack’s kind words.

‘She smells like grass and cider,’ she thought involuntarily. Another blush threatened to rise on her cheeks at the rogue thought. The two ponies pulled away from each other again, and Applejack continued speaking.

“Like I said before, you don’t gotta tell me anything, Twilight. You’re lonely, that’s why you’re upset and that’s all I gotta know on the subject. If you ever want to tell me any more than that, that’s up ta you. You know I'll always listen and I ain't gonna judge you for nothin'.”

Twilight was simultaneously relieved and taken aback by the words of her friend, though she knew she shouldn't be. Applejack was one of the kindest ponies she knew, second only to Fluttershy, but the fact that she wasn't being interrogated by one of her friends to find out what kind of dark secrets she was carrying was an utter relief. Tears welled up in her eyes for the second time that evening.

“Applejack,” she started, her breath hitching. “You have no idea what that means to me right now, thank you.” She threw her forelegs around the earth pony, beginning to sob into her mane. “Thank you for being so understanding.”

It was barely a few seconds before Twilight felt Applejack return the hug in earnest, squeezing her tight. She began sobbing even harder.

“It's alright, sugarcube,” she heard her friend say. “You're ok. Let it out.”

The two ponies sat together for awhile, the only sound from either of them being Twilight's crying. Once she had calmed down to just sniffles, she pulled away from her friend, drying her eyes and trying to get her breathing back under control.

“S-sorry,” she stammered, wiping her eyes. “I guess I needed that.”

“Ain't no problem, Twi,” answered her friend. “'S what I'm here for.”

Twilight glanced at the clock she kept on one of the library's bookshelves. Ten o' clock.

“Oh! Applejack, I'm sorry to have kept you so late, you probably wanted to be back home by now.”

“Don't you worry about that, Twilight. I think shoulderin' a few of my chores tomorrow morning because I'm sleepin' in is punishment enough for Big Mac, seeing as how he was teasin' me for supposedly making eyes at some pegasus stallion.” Applejack wore a smug smile, causing Twilight to giggle.

“He said that?”

“Less said, more implied. Because, you know, 'Eeyup'.” Applejack's attempt at impersonating her less than verbose older brother's deep voice was too much for Twilight, who burst out laughing.

“Well now,” said the farmer. “That's a happier Twi, fer sure.” Twilight brought her laughter under control before replying.

“Well, not really,” she chuckled. “But thanks for the laugh, anyway.”

“You're welcome.”

Silence followed for a few moments. Twilight began to feel awkward, as if she should say something, but didn't quite know what it was. Fortunately for her, a certain young dragon chose that precise moment to interrupt the awkwardness.

“Hey Twilight! You wouldn't believe what a good dancer Cheerilee is when she gets going, she had the whole place cheering her on and- Oh, hey Applejack! I thought you went home?”

“Hey there, Spike. I was on my way there, just decided to stop by and talk to Twilight, since I was walkin' by and all.” Twilight was grateful the farmer hadn't told her number one assistant just why they'd been talking. But then the purple dragon innocently asked the one question she hoped he wouldn't, even as she knew it was perfectly reasonable for him to do so.

“Oh yeah? About what?” Spike raised an eyebrow curiously.

Twilight had a track record for not remaining entirely cool under pressure.
Her time-travelling escapade, the “Miss Smartypants” incident, her magical flame-out when trying to understand Pinkie Pie’s “Pinkie Sense”, her nearly disastrous entrance exam as a filly… All spoke of her tendency to over-react to, and obsess over, problems.

As a result of these shenanigans, Twilight had made considerable efforts at trying to keep her highly active imagination under wraps when stress threatened to consume her. Tonight had not been one of her better nights, but in a flash of her usually brilliant self, she came up with a get-out clause that would prevent Applejack from having to come up with one of her infamously unconvincing lies.

“Just icky, grown-up girl stuff, Spike,” Twilight lied smoothly. “Nothing very interesting for a baby dragon.” Spike “harrumphed” at that, closing the library door with a claw.

“Well, when you guys start talking about hoards of tasty gems, or need a ferocious fire-breathing dragon, let me know,” replied the dragon, walking past them to the stairs. “For now, I'm going to bed. Goodnight you guys.”

“Goodnight, Spike.” Twilight let out a sigh once Spike was out of earshot. Too close.

“Spike don't know either?”

“No,” answered Twilight. “What would be the point? He's too young to understand.”

“Hey, I'm an adult and I barely understand any of this 'grown-up girl stuff',” joked the farmer.

“I know it isn't fair of me to tell you something's wrong without telling you what, AJ, but-”

“It's ok, Twilight, I told you. It's your business, you tell me if and when you're ready. For now, I'll just listen when you need it, ok?”

“You...you'd do that? For me?”

“Well, duh. Ain't I said it enough tonight, Twilight? I'm your friend, silly filly.” Applejack booped Twilight's nose gently with a hoof. “'S what friends are for.”

Twilight giggled. The gesture would usually annoy her, but coming from AJ, it just felt right.

“Thanks, Applejack.”

The other mare glanced out of the window in the door, before looking back at her.

“Say, Twilight,” she started, another kind smile on her face. “Nopony should be alone on Hearts and Hooves night, how's about an unplanned sleepover? Not sure I'd feel right leavin' you alone when yer this upset.”

Twilight started, again fearing her friend had realised what was going on, before her brain pieced together what was being said. She grinned, partly out of relief, and partly out of joy. Applejack wanted to sleep over! Ok, it wasn't anything to do with how she felt, but still! It was Applejack! However, it paid to be prudent, no need to drop any unnecessary hints.

“A sleepover? I'd love-I mean, wouldn't that keep you from your work tomorrow?” Applejack waved a hoof dismissively.

“Nah. This time of year, we're just waitin' on things to grow. The only stuff needin' done is feeding the animals, and Big Mac can do that. Besides, I said I'd put him in his place, didn't I?” This last was punctuated by a mischievous grin on the farmer’s face.

“Yeah, big brothers need that sometimes,” Twilight chuckled. “I'd love to have you over tonight, AJ. Thank you. I don't know about you, but I'm thirsty after all this talking. You want some hot chocolate?”

“Let’s treat ourselves. You got anythin' harder?”

“Umm,” Twilight thought for a moment. “I still have some of last year's cider in the basement, would that do?”

“Yup, I reckon it might.”

“Perfect! I'll go get it. You make yourself comfortable.”

Twilight practically danced down the stairs to the lower floor of the library, nearly face-planting at the bottom in her eagerness to find the drinks. Using her horn as a torch, she rummaged around in the basement for the crate of cider. Discovering it tucked away under one of her workbenches, she pulled it out and lifted one of the bottles close to her face with her magic, inspecting the glass container for cracks, or any sign the drink had gone bad.

As she turned the bottle, she came face to face with Applejack. Or, at least, her photographic doppelgänger on the label. She was stood alongside her family, with Big Mac as stoic as ever, Granny Smith delivering a warm and comforting smile and Apple Bloom, who was grinning ear to ear, enjoying what was likely her first time being photographed for the label.

Twilight stared at the image of her friend, feeling that sensation of her stomach flipping once again. It was just a picture, there were hundreds like it in Ponyville, but to Twilight, it had captured her friend's essence perfectly. None of the rest of it mattered. Not the family around her, not the barn behind her, just Applejack herself. Her happy smile, her cocksure stance, that glint in her eye that said she could handle anything-

“Twilight? Ya need any help down there?”

The real Applejack's voice cut through Twilight's daydream, startling her. She shot a guilty glance back up the stairs.

“No thanks,” she called back. “I got it!”

She looked back at the bottle longingly.

“I love you,” she whispered. Gasping, she clapped a hoof over her mouth. The words had left her unbidden before she could stop them. It wasn't a true admission, she'd spoken them to a bottle after all, but somehow she felt better for having said it. Not a huge amount, but her thoughts were calmer now, at least.

Now that she'd said them, Twilight was no longer certain her conviction to not tell her friend those exact same words would hold forever. The thought terrified her, but she pushed the feeling to one side. Tonight, Applejack was still her friend and so tonight, she was going to get drunk with her.

Bringing the bottle to her lips, Twilight laid a gentle kiss on the picture of the farm mare. Levitating it onto the workbench she'd found the crate under, she left it positioned so that the picture of Applejack appeared to be watching over the basement.

Satisfied with the placement, Twilight picked up the crate with the rest of the bottles and trotted back up the stairs to where her friend was waiting.

Yes, tonight might not be so bad after all.

For the rest of that evening, and indeed some of the following night, Twilight stayed up with Applejack chatting, playing games (albeit in a slightly drunken manner, including an ill-advised attempt at flying while under the influence) and generally doing the things that friends do when having a good time together. When they both finally tired enough of their antics to fall asleep, Twilight did so with her head resting on an orange back, the scent of grass and cider filling her nose.


[/)          (\]

> Princess Twilight Dreams - Grass and Cider
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Princess Twilight dreams – Grass and Cider



The smells of grass and cider filled her nose, as did the sharp scent of apples being pressed and the slightly unpleasant odour of silage. Trees surrounded her on both sides, full and ripe apples hanging from their branches. A gentle breeze blew among the boughs, making the leaves whisper as she wove her way slowly between the trunks.

Thock

The noise was distant, or seemed to be, at least. It was hard to tell, the way the trees baffled the sound.

Thock

It was definitely wooden, whatever it was. Perhaps somepony was chopping wood here in the orchard? Perhaps felling a dead tree?

Thock

She wasn't concerned. She was safe here. Even though her hooves were carrying her inexorably towards the noise, she instinctively knew she would be safe. Nothing would hurt her. Besides, she had a message to deliver. Or was it a confession? She couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter. She’d remember when she got to where she was going, she usually did. And she would get there, no matter what.

Thock

Closer now. It was definitely the sound of wood being struck, though there was another quality to the sound, something just underneath it that came after. A low sort of rumble. Feathers brushed against bark as she passed another tree.

Thock

Getting closer still, she felt her heart begin to beat faster. There was a warm feeling growing inside her, the sensations of excitement and contentment warring within her chest. A subtle shift of the breeze brought the smells of cider and grass to her nose again, stronger than before.

Thock

She was almost on top of the noise now, could almost see its source. Her breathing was faster now, as if she had just taken a long trot. The rumbling after the noise was clearer now. No, not rumbling, the sound of lots of small, hard objects falling in a neat pile.

Thock

She was almost at the tree line, flashes of orange, of… something were visible between the trunks. The sounds of a pony hard at work could be heard, moving heavy loads around and winding up before-

Thock

She emerged from the trees into the sunshine, the bright light causing her to shield her eyes with a hoof for a moment. When they adjusted, she saw she was stood on a path, another line of trees marching on into infinity in both directions in front of her. She stared at them, turning her head left and right, trying to grasp how such a thing was possible. Her mind told her it wasn’t, but her eyes begged to differ.

Thock

Her attention was brought back to the treeline, where the most beautiful earth pony mare she had ever laid eyes on was bucking the trees with impressive force, causing their apples to fall neatly into the baskets arranged below. She couldn't help but admire such strength and skill, but also the beauty of what was in front of her. The orange coat, the blonde mane and tail, the strong muscles toned to perfection by years of hard work…

She realised the other mare had seen her, and was watching her in turn. She struggled to remember the words she’d journeyed all the way here to say. She wracked her brain, trying to force the words out, but the harder she tried, the further from her mental grasp they danced. She watched as the simple path between the ranks of trees suddenly seemed like an impassable gulf, a divide never meant to be crossed, stretching out between them infinitely, yet remaining exactly the same width.

As she felt her breath quicken further at the thought of not being able to cross and her mind screamed as yet another impossibility was forced upon it, she felt herself frozen in place as the other mare just smiled and stepped across the path as if it wasn't there. She saw, she saw the path just… snap, instantly shrinking back to its proper width as the only other pony in existence stepped over it. How? How was that possible? How could she do that?

It didn’t matter, she was here now. All she had to do was say something.

She watched her new companion approach and felt an orange hoof on her shoulder.

“Twilight.”

The voice startled her, its country twang like honey in her ears. But... how did she know her name? She hadn't told her, much less spoke-

“Twilight.”

Again, her name. She wanted to reply, but still her lips refused to part, as if glued shut by some unseen force. She suddenly felt faint, as if she'd not had enough to drink on a hot day. The world started to recede from her. The other mare's hoof applied a gentle pressure to her shoulder.

“Twi.”

She felt herself sinking to her knees under the hoof, her eyes slipping closed…

“Wake-”

She murmured something as she finally slipped from consciousness, though she couldn't make out what.

“-up, sleepyhead.”

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, taking a moment to focus on her surroundings. Her bedroom. Her window. And, just in front of her, a smiling orange face framed with freckles and a tousled blonde mane, green eyes almost glowing in the morning sunlight.

“There ya are,” giggled Applejack. “An' I thought Granny Smith was a heavy sleeper. Fancy some breakfast? I make some pretty mean pancakes when the mood strikes me.”

Twilight sat up suddenly, her mind taking a moment to process everything. Applejack, in her room. In her bed. Clearly, they'd slept together. Had they… done that as well?

The memories of the previous night loomed out of the fog of drowsiness in her head then, providing clarity. No, they hadn't. Her secret was intact and this was nothing more than the morning after an innocent, if slightly drunken, sleepover. Her head ached slightly and her mouth felt dry, as if to confirm that memory. Her stomach growled, bringing her attention back to Applejack's question. Pancakes sounded wonderful about now.

“Yeah, that sounds great,” she answered, smiling lop-sidedly at the noises her stomach was making. Applejack laughed softly.

“Alrighty then, I'll get started. See ya in a few minutes.”

Twilight watched her friend leave, gazing in wonder as the shadows from the leaves outside played across the earth pony's coat in the early morning sun. She laid back down on the blankets underneath her, feeling the warmth still in them from Applejack's body. Scrunching them up with her hooves, she nuzzled into them like she did with her favourite doll as a filly. Breathing deeply, she caught Applejack's scent from the soft wool, strong and vibrant as the mare herself. Smiling slightly, Twilight continued to doze in the warm embrace of the blankets. She knew she would have to get up in a moment, but for now she was quite content to just lie there, savouring the comforting smell of her friend.

The smell of grass and cider.
> Honest Surprise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Honest Surprise



It had been two weeks since Twilight's near confession to Applejack, and she had been feeling surprisingly chipper ever since. Usually the aftermath of Hearts and Hooves day left her feeling depressed and more than a little fraught, but this year Twilight's mood had lifted considerably. Perhaps venting some of her feelings had helped more than she thought it would, no matter how few of them she'd actually revealed.

As she trotted happily down the streets of Ponyville, saddlebags bouncing gently against her wings, the alicorn reflected on how even the day seemed a little bit brighter than usual; Celestia's sun beaming down just enough warmth to ward off the mid-spring chill. Other ponies could be seen on the streets around her, the odd one here and there still wearing a scarf, but most were happy to wander without a care.

Having grown up in Canterlot, Twilight was similarly without attire. The constant winds made the mountain city particularly bitter during winter, but down here on the plains, Twilight found she only needed to rely on her coat's natural thickness to ward off the cold during the early part of the year.

After a few minutes trotting, she found herself outside her destination; Carousel Boutique, the simultaneous residence and workplace of her dress-making friend, Rarity. As she approached, however, she could hear voices drifting out of the open door.

“... as if it actually mattered. Some ponies have a nasty habit of pokin' their noses where they don't belong, if you ask me.”

Applejack? What was she doing here? It wasn't unheard of, but it was unusual to find her in the unicorn's shop.

“Oh Applejack, I agree, but I didn't take any offence. It was an innocent enough inquiry, after all.”

Twilight stepped through the door of the shop into the airy showroom at the front. She sensed the tingle of magic as she passed inside, the flow of power directed into the bell above the door. It rang, causing one of the occupants inside to look up from what she was doing.

“Twilight, darling! What a pleasant surprise! How are you?”

For anypony who saw her for the first time, Rarity was a feast for the eyes. Her white fur was conditioned to an almost dazzling shine, her purple mane and tail were perfectly coiffed at all times and the hint of mascara the unicorn wore, as well as giving her lashes some impressive volume, made her rhinestone-coloured eyes all but shine out of her face. It was enough to make most ponies stop in their tracks.

Twilight, however, had seen her friend more times than she could count, so the unicorn’s fabulous appearance was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Hey, Rarity,” she replied. “I’m good, thanks. Didn’t expect to see you here, though, Applejack.” Cocking an eyebrow at the farmer, she felt a small measure of disappointment at the fact she had her mane tied back again. Both ponies were sat at the small, round display stage off to the side of the showroom.

“I normally wouldn’t be, ‘cept those dang fieldmice’ve been chewing at my grain sacks again,” she held up one of the offending articles, a hole clearly visible in the bottom. “And since I can’t sew for nothin’, I asked Rarity to fix ‘em.”

“And I’m happy to oblige!” The unicorn beamed at both of them, her horn glowing blue. Twilight then noticed the sacks between her two friends, another one under the hooves of Rarity, needle and thread hovering in a blue aura.

“Yeah, even though ya won’t let me pay ya for it,” came the reply through gritted teeth.

“Nonsense, Applejack! I won’t accept even a sliver of a bit for helping out a friend.”

Applejack made a frustrated noise while Twilight stifled a giggle with a hoof. The fashionista’s generosity was well meaning, but occasionally grated with some of her friends.

At least, Twilight hoped it was Rarity’s generosity that was preying on Applejack’s mood, and not that she’d figured out Twilight’s “problem”. Twilight felt herself begin to sweat as she noticed Applejack glance at her before looking away again, a wrinkle on her muzzle. Was that… disgust?

Twilight discovered an entirely new sensation as her heart sank. Panic gripped her chest in a vice, forcing her breath out in short bursts.

Perhaps telling Applejack something was wrong hadn’t been the right thing to do after all. Now she’d gone and lost herself the farmer’s friendship and it was all her own stupid fault! Her eyes widened as another thought occurred to her. Not just Applejack, but her other friends too! All because she didn’t have the resolve to keep her secret! Because-

Applejack picked up another sack, scowling at the hole in the bottom of it.

Oh. Right.

‘You idiot, Twilight,’ she cursed herself. ‘Don’t be silly, of course she hasn’t figured you out.’ And it wouldn’t matter if she had; hadn’t Applejack herself said she’d be there to listen just a couple of weeks ago?

“Besides,” continued Rarity, focussing on the coarse sack once more and unknowingly snapping Twilight out of her brief, and neurotic, reverie. “Despite the, er, practical nature of these sacks, a simple task such as merely sewing something back together is a refreshing change of pace every once in a while.”

“Hmph, whatever you say, Rarity.” Applejack looked back at Twilight. “Anyway, Twi, what’re you here for?”

“Well, I-” Twilight was cut short by a sudden cry from Rarity.

“Oh dear me, of course! Where are my manners? Twilight, I do apologise, was there something you needed?”

“Actually, yes, but I can come back later if you’re busy-”

“Nonononononono! Of course not! Just tell me what you need, and I’ll get on it as soon as I can.”

“Well,” the alicorn started again. “It’s about this…” Her horn glowed, opening her saddlebags and pulling out a folded square of magenta fabric, a white bow attached to the middle. A brief flick of magic, and the square opened out to reveal Twilight’s coronation dress. Rarity blinked rapidly, apparently confused.

“Your coronation dress? What’s the matter with it?”

“Oh, nothing. But I have to attend a formal function at Canterlot in a few months, and I might need this. I was wondering if you could, you know, make it a little more practical? Maybe remove the trailing hem and some of the bows? I need something formal, but not as showy as thi-” Once again, Twilight was suddenly cut off mid-sentence, this time by a flash of blue and a white unicorn suddenly nose-to-nose with her.

“Twilight! Are you insane?!” Rarity’s face was a mix of incredulousness, concern and fashion-based horror. The young princess fell back onto her haunches in surprise. “This is your coronation dress! I cannot alter this any more than I could alter one of Hoity Toity's works! To do so would be a travesty to both fashion and Equestrian history alike!” The unicorn took a deep breath, calming herself. “I will, however, make you a copy with the changes you want. I can at least do that for you.”

Utterly nonplussed by Rarity's outburst, Twilight simply passed the dress to her friend, the magical aura shifting from deep pink to blue. “Uh, yeah, ok. A copy. I guess that could work. Er, that is, if it's not too much trouble?” she added, smiling lop-sidedly.

“Think nothing of it, darling,” Rarity replied, offering a smile of her own. The unicorn quickly turned towards the back of the shop. “Just give me a few minutes to hang this up on one of my dress forms upstairs, I wouldn’t want it to get rumpled at all.”

“I don't get it,” Applejack suddenly piped up. Twilight looked over at her. She'd been quiet throughout Rarity's sudden outburst. “It's just a dress.”

Out the corner of her eye, Twilight saw Rarity freeze on the first couple of steps leading up to her workshop. After a few seconds, she spoke, her tone sharp.

“I'll just pretend I didn't hear you call this a mere “dress”, Applejack.” With that, she disappeared up the curved staircase at the back of the shop, nose in the air.

As she watched her friend vanish up the stairs, Twilight looked back to Applejack, sitting quietly at the display podium. The farmer shook her head in bemusement.

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand that one,” she said, though amusement played in her tone. She gestured for Twilight to sit next to her, who did so. Outwardly, she was calm as ever, but her stomach felt like it was doing loops, as it invariably did whenever she was alone with Applejack.

“How’re you feelin’?” asked the farmer quietly as she sat down. “I ain’t had much chance to see ya the past couple’a weeks.”

“Actually, I’m feeling a lot better,” replied Twilight, giving the stairs a nervous glance. “I guess simply telling somepony I wasn’t happy was enough to help a bit. I’m normally pretty depressed this soon after Hearts and Hooves day.”

“Really? Ya always seem so happy.”

“Yeah, well I’ve gotten pretty good at hiding it over the years.”

“Twi, if’n I had any inklin’ you were so upset before, I’da… I dunno, done somethin’ ta help.”

Twilight risked a quick nuzzle to the earth pony’s neck.

Grass and cider.

The thought flashed through her mind and was gone as quickly as it had formed. This time, however, the scent that met her nose was simply that of hay. Perhaps from Applejack’s bed, or from working in the barn.

“I know, don’t worry,” said the princess, pulling back and smiling. “I’ve been dealing with my f-, er, problem for a long time now, I’m used to it. But the other night was really nice, so thank you.”

“Well, yer welcome. My offer stands, by the way, if you ever feel the need ta talk, just come find me.”

Twilight nodded her thanks. In order to avoid another awkward silence, she decided to change topics.

“So what were you and Rarity talking about?”

“Huh? Oh, nothin’ really. She was just tellin’ me about this one customer who’d asked after her, ah, inclination,” Applejack straightened up for a second, making air quotes with her hooves. “If ya know what I mean.”

Twilight’s attention was suddenly riveted on Applejack.

“Of all the nerve, askin’ somepony they don’t even know that kinda question! What business is it of theirs?” The farmer scowled slightly.

“Yeah,” she responded, giggling nervously. “Terrible, right?” This topic was way too close to home.

“It's just bad manners. I know I ain't exactly one ta talk, but ya just don't ask somepony somethin' like that outta the blue. What does it matter if Rarity's straight or not anyway? Ain't exactly a big deal.”

Twilight blinked several times, rapidly. The sentiment took a moment to register with her, but when it did, she felt as if she had been hit by a train. Not a big deal? Wha-

“I mean, look at this magazine Rarity gets from Canterlot,” Applejack continued on, oblivious to her friend's floored mental state. She dragged the publication over to her side of the podium with a hoof. “'Spitfire and Lily Thread spotted openly kissing in chic Canterlot district; scandal ahoof!' How in the hay is that scandalous?”

Twilight could barely hear the earth pony. She'd said it wasn't a big deal. Not a big deal. Not a big deal? How could it not be a big deal?! It had to be! There was no way Applejack meant what she just said! She was obviously covering for something, her own personal feelings, maybe, or… or something! Anything!

“What?” she said so quietly, her companion didn't hear her.

“Good on 'em, I say, whatever makes them hap- Twilight? What's the matter? You don't look so hot.”

The alicorn's breathing was coming fast in short, sharp breaths. Her chest felt tight and the shop was spinning around her. It wasn't possible. It wasn't possible! No way. This was some sort of cruel trick, or a nightmare. Perhaps they'd never defeated Discord, and this was her personal hell she was seeing right now. No way had she just spent years of her life keeping a secret from at least one friend she hadn't needed to.

Even as she thought those words, she knew they weren't true. This was real. All of it. Applejack had just said she didn't care about somepony's proclivities. It didn’t… she couldn’t… she needed space, time to think.

“Twilight?” she heard her friend ask again, worry evident in her voice. The earth pony stood up and took a step forward, reaching out a hoof to her friend.

“I… gotta go!” she replied. Twilight saw and felt the world bend around her as the teleportation spell took hold. Rarity’s shop warped around her, shelves of thread reels, fabric rolls and needles morphing into bookshelves and desks.

PAF!

The spell’s excess energy discharged harmlessly away from her, a purple bubble of magic disappearing as soon as it arrived. Twilight sat in the middle of the library, wings extended and panting for breath as her horn dimmed.

She was such an idiot! Idiot! Idiot, idiot, idiot! How could she not have anticipated this?! No matter how much she learned about friendship, she was always in the dark; one step behind everyone else! She should have known Applejack was the kind of pony who wouldn’t care about another’s preferences, she was her friend!

But why? Why didn’t she care about it? More to the point, why hadn’t Twilight noticed it before? How had it slipped by her all this time? Had she been so wrapped up in her own self-concern, her own insecurity, that she’d simply missed it? Or, worse yet, wilfully ignored it?

Calming her breathing and closing her wings, she tried to think of any other times Applejack might have hinted at this inclusive attitude of hers, but her mind came up blank. The same result greeted similar mental inquiries about her other friends. Nothing frustrated Twilight more than not knowing something, and this was no exception. What made it worse was the possibility that it was her own fault that she didn’t know.

She smacked the floor with a hoof and stood up, anger suddenly surging through her, wings jutting straight up once more. She started pacing, each hoof-fall making a distinct “clonk” on the wooden floor.

A hex upon Canterlot! That wretched city, with its gilded looks and bright lights, rotten to the core with ponies that would deny another their happiness! This was all their fault! It was because of them she was like this! Because of them she’d been hiding her true self! Because of them she’d not… not trusted her friends. Her friends who… who didn’t… wouldn’t…

A sob escaped the princess, making her realise she’d been crying since she’d stood up. Twilight’s rump hit the floor heavily, her wings sagging but remaining open. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks and hung briefly on her chin before plunging to the ground below.

“Goddess…” she whispered to the empty library through her hitching breaths. “I’ve been such a fool.”

“Twilight Sparkle! I’ve seen more’n my fair share’a fools in my life, but you definitely do not belong with ‘em.”

Twilight looked around at Applejack, who stood in the doorway to the library, leg outstretched to hold the door open. She stepped inside, gently kicking the door shut.

“Thought ya might have zapped yerself here.”

“Applejack, I… I don’t deserve to be around you right now.” The distraught alicorn closed her eyes and dropped her head down to the floor, fresh tears spilling down her face.

“And why in Equestria d’ya think that?”

Twilight sniffed before looking up at her secret love, who had moved around to sit in front of her. She looked into the green eyes staring back at her, the light of life dancing high and merry behind them, concern for her friend the only expression shaping them. But on top of that, and perhaps most importantly to Twilight, despite the suddenness of the revelation; Applejack placed no importance on romantic preference. Perhaps… perhaps it was time to stop hiding. If Applejack wasn’t bothered by it, then she was somepony that Twilight could confide in.

And just like that, all her fears and worries evaporated, leaving her feeling oddly serene. It didn’t matter that Applejack might not feel the same way about her, all that mattered now was setting this right in her heart.

Twilight took a deep breath and brushed her eyes dry with a hoof.

“Because,” she started, squaring her shoulders and tucking her wings back to her sides, where they twitched nervously. “I’ve… I’ve not been entirely honest with you. Any of you, really.”

“Whaddya mean? Wait a second, this has got somethin’ to do with a couple’a weeks ago, don’t it?”

Twilight simply nodded.

“Twi, sugarcube, I meant it when I said ya’ll could talk to me.”

Another nod was all she gave the farmer by way of reply. After a few moments, she spoke up again.

“Applejack, there’s… something I’ve been keeping secret from all of you, ever since we all met. I had good reason for not telling any of you, but now…”

The princess trailed off as she looked at her friend. She was going to do this. She had no excuse now.

“Now?” Applejack prodded. Something snapped inside Twilight’s head and the floodgates opened.

“Now I know, I mean I’m pretty sure, I don’t need to hide it any more and I was so scared you guys would find out and in Canterlot it’s frowned upon so much there I couldn’t tell anyone but now I thinkIcanfinallytalktoyouandohgodesspleasetellmeyoumeantwhatyousaidatRarity’splace!”

Twilight grabbed Applejack by the shoulders, her expression desperate and imploring at the same time. The latter pony put a reassuring hoof on the alicorn’s chest.

“Whoa, slow down there girl! Take it easy and try ta say one thing at a time.” Once again, Twilight found herself looking at the smile that somehow conveyed both amusement and concern. She took a deep breath before starting again.

“Did you mean what you said at Rarity’s?” she asked.

“Twi, ya’ll know I don’t say things I don’t mean, but uh… which thing in particular?”

“The thing you said about ponies’ preferences.”

“What? That I don’t care either way? But what’s that… oh.” Twilight saw realisation dawn in her friend’s eyes as the penny dropped. Applejack looked her straight in the eye, a strange new look on her face, as if actually seeing her for the first time.

“Oh… Mah… Gosh.” Twilight winced, looking away. Here it came, against all evidence to the contrary, Applejack was going to denounce her right then and ther-

“Twilight, are you sayin’ yer… But why’d ya keep it a secret?”

Or maybe not. She felt that part of her mind that had kept her secret all these years slip away, like a thief in the night, its prize her entire life spent in misery.

“I-I was afraid,” she admitted. “I didn’t know how any of you would react if I said anything and I didn’t want to lose any of you as friends.” She looked back at her new-found confidant.

“But Twilight, who cares if yer gay? That’s who you are and it ain’t nothin’ to do with nopony else. If somepony can’t handle that, then let ‘em rot in their foolishness. Besides, ain’t none of us gonna abandon you ‘cus you like other mares.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yup. Trust me on that.”

“But-”

“Ain’t no buts, missy, we’re all yer friends and ain’t none of us gonna care whether you like stallions, mares or both. Now,” Applejack finally lifted her hoof from Twilight’s chest and gently removed her friend’s hooves from her shoulders. “Why don’t ya get comfortable an’ tell me why you’ve got yerself so worked up over all this?”

And so, Twilight did. She explained the attitudes of her hometown that caused her to hide in the first place, how she thought that those attitudes would carry over to other places, how she felt trapped and unable to trust even those closest to her.

“And now, I feel like such an idiot when one of my closest friends doesn’t even spare a second thought about details like this. I could have said something and not had to go through all of this for so long, but I let my fear get the best of me.”

Applejack looked thoughtful for a moment, absorbing the new info. Twilight just sat where she was, looking miserable.

“Twilight,” the farmer started, looking serious. “I can’t begin to imagine what it’s been like for you, hidin’ this long. If I had any idea what ya’ll were goin’ through, I’d’ve been there for you, no questions asked.”

“I know,” Twilight responded, looking down at the floor. “I just hope you can forgive me for not trusting you guys.”

She felt a hoof at her chin, pushing her face up, forcing her eyes to meet with Applejack’s once again.

“No, don’t you ever think like that, sugarcube. There ain’t nothin’ ta forgive ya for. You were scared, and I can’t rightly say I wouldn’t be if I was in your position, neither.”

Twilight smiled, happiness suffusing the space recently vacated by her life-long secret. Here, finally, was a pony she could be honest with, one she would never have to worry about the opinion of and, if Applejack was right, the same could be said of her other friends as well. An overwhelming urge to hug the pony in front of her came over the princess, an urge she acted upon with incredible vigour.

“Oof!” Applejack uttered a surprised cry as she was pulled into Twilight’s grip. The princess wrapped her hooves behind the farmer’s shoulders tightly, squeezing her into the hug. Her wings did the same, folding around the other pony and coming together just below her hooves.

“Thank you, AJ,” she said, finally releasing her friend enough to look at her face. Tears of joy formed in her eyes, rolling unheeded down her cheeks. “I really mean it. I’ve felt trapped for so long and been so terrified of being found out, I’ve forgotten what it feels like to not have to worry.” She laughed softly at the feeling of freedom suddenly soaring through her, unable to remember the last time she felt this happy. The feeling was indescribable, beyond even Twilight’s incredible capacity for words. There was only one way she could convey this feeling.

“Well gee, Twilight, yer welcome I guess, but ya should’a s-”

Twilight leaned forward, cutting off whatever it was her friend was trying to say. Her eyes closed as her lips met those of the other mare, gently pressing the soft flesh together. She stayed there for a moment, simply savouring the feeling of the act, forgetting everything else in the world for what felt like hours, though it was little more than a few seconds. She broke the kiss, pulling back and looking at her friend, feeling a sudden heat in her face as the reality of what she’d just done registered.

Applejack, for her part, simply sat looking stunned for a moment. The farmer’s mouth was open, forming a small “o” of surprise, her wide eyes finishing the expression. Her hat sat askance on top of her head, where Twilight’s horn had pushed it back.

“Well, uh… Wow.” she said, reaching up absentmindedly to re-seat her wayward headgear. “Didn’t expect that when I got up this mornin’. Guess that answers my next couple’a questions.” Her gaze wasn’t quite on Twilight, focussing on something just past her shoulder, giving Applejack a troubled look.

The young princess immediately began to regret acting on the sudden impulse. Sure, Applejack didn’t mind her being a filly-fooler, but that didn’t mean she was one herself.

“I’m sorry!” Twilight began apologising, panic setting in. “I didn’t think and you probably don’t like that but I just felt so happy and couldn’t think of the words to say it and so I just did tha-”

A hoof, specifically an orange one, jammed itself against her mouth. It’s owner was looking at her intensely, the amused smile back on her face once again.

“Whoa there, sugarcube. Don’t go gettin’ yerself all het up over that, it was just a little peck on the lips. ‘Sides,” Applejack continued, a hint of mischief entering her smile. “I don’t recall sayin’ I didn’t like it.”

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat and seemingly teleported straight into her throat. Surely this went against all possible mathematical and theoretical odds?! She pushed Applejack’s hoof out of her mouth.

“Are you saying…?” she asked, nearly whispering and not daring to finish the sentence.

“That I’m a filly-fooler too? Yup.”

For the second time that day, Equestria’s newest princess was floored. How could she have missed so much about one of her closest friends? Did she lack some sort of ability that other ponies had? Was she just socially inept? She didn’t know, but she did know that she felt like a bad friend at that moment.

“Hey, you frettin’ again, Twilight?” she heard Applejack ask. She realised her expression looked as stunned as she felt. Twilight hung her head slightly, but didn’t take her eyes off Applejack.

“Yeah, a little,” she replied. “How could I miss these sorts of things, AJ? I’m supposed to be your friend and all this has just completely sailed over my head until now.” Applejack moved to sit next to her.

“Aw, don’t worry about it, sugarcube. I don’t exactly go around dancing on everypony’s rooftops shoutin’ it out.” Twilight giggled at the thought of her friend doing just that.

“I guess not, but I still feel bad for not noticing.” Applejack leaned into her shoulder briefly, almost nuzzling her.

“Don’t. You ain’t got nothin’ to be feelin’ bad about. You’ve been nothin’ but a good friend since I met you, Twilight.” Applejack reached out and gently pulled Twilight’s head around to look at her. The earth pony then grasped the princess’ hooves in her own. “And judgin’ by what you just did, you ain’t exactly content to leave it there, are ya?”

Twilight blushed again and she wanted to drag her eyes away from Applejack’s, but something inside her kept them locked where they were and spurred her on.

“I… n-no,” she managed to stammer out. “AJ, I… I’m in love with you. I think I have been ever since I met you. I’m sorry if that sounds weird.” Her friend just smiled and leaned up, pecking her on the cheek.

“Not to me, Twi,” the other mare replied. Her smile faded suddenly, replaced by a look of concern. “I like you too and I think things could work out between us, but…”

Twilight’s heart froze in mid-leap as her friend trailed off. Had she said something wrong?

“But what?” she asked, fear making her voice anxious.

“I ain’t long out of another relationship, is all. It… didn’t end so great. You mind if’n we take things slow? I don’t wanna end up hurtin’ you too bad if things don’t turn out fer the best. And, well, I don’t wanna get hurt again, either.”

Relief washed over Twilight, then, dousing the flames of horrible thoughts dancing in her head. Something small in the back of her mind tried to get her attention. Hadn’t she seen Applejack behaving oddly around somepony else? It was lost, however, amidst the clarion call in her mind: Applejack wanted to be her marefriend! Not anybody else’s, hers!

Every fibre of Twilight’s being wanted to jump and yell for joy, but she somehow managed to keep herself under control. Instead, she reversed the position of her hooves, making her the one doing the gripping.

“That’s absolutely fine,” she replied, grinning from ear to ear. “This is all new to me anyway, so it’s probably best we don’t jump in the deep end straight away.”

“Yeah,” chuckled Applejack. “Don’t worry, I ain’t gonna go any faster’n you want to.”

Twilight didn’t reply, instead kissing Applejack’s cheek. “I know you won’t, and neither will I.”

She nuzzled in close, pressing their cheeks together as her new marefriend slid closer to her, bringing their sides into contact. Twilight nearly gasped as she heard and felt Applejack “hmm” her appreciation of the gesture. It resonated from the farm pony’s chest, through Twilight’s wing and into her own torso. Reflexively, no, instinctively, she stretched her wing over Applejack’s back and gently squeezed her closer.

The two of them remained like that for a short while, simply enjoying each other’s company in the warm silence of the library. Eventually though, Applejack pulled away from Twilight and stood up.

“Alright, well I guess I’d better head on back to Rarity’s. She’s probably wonderin’ where we both went.”

Twilight nearly smacked her forehead with a hoof. She’d forgotten Rarity in the midst of her emotions. And her dress.

“Yeah, I bet the two of us disappearing like that doesn’t look at all suspicious,” she replied, sarcasm evident in her voice. The two mares giggled.

“Seriously though,” continued Twilight. “Could we keep this quiet for a bit? I mean, just between you and me? I know what you said, but I just don’t feel ready to tell anypony else yet.”

“Sure thing, Twilight. But just so ya know, it’s pretty normal to be a little nervous and maybe even embarrassed when you first get together with somepony.”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Thanks.”

“Yer welcome.” Applejack kissed Twilight’s cheek, sending a warm thrill up the princess’ spine. Twilight took a moment to bask in the sensation, barely aware of her surroundings as Applejack said her goodbyes. Her brain gave a polite mental cough, reminding her of business unattended. She stood up, slightly unsteady on her hooves, before rushing out the door after the orange mare.

“Oh wait, Applejack! I’ll come with you,” she said, matching pace with her. “Rarity still has to note down my changes for the new dress. And, uh…”

She heard Applejack smirk, and turned to see a knowing smile on her face.

“And…?” Applejack asked, the smile practically wrapping itself around the single utterance.

“And, well…” Twilight lowered her voice to a barely audible level, the sound of their hooves as they walked hiding her words from any eavesdroppers. “We didn’t, er, that is, I forgot to ask if you… you know, wanted to go out sometime? That is how these things work, right? Two ponies go out on a date together?”

Applejack’s laugh was hearty, but full of warmth. She stopped for a moment, collecting herself. Turning to Twilight, she reached out a hoof to her shoulder and, with apparent great effort, managed to keep her mirth under control as she spoke.

“Twilight, don’t get me wrong, but a couple weeks ago, we got drunk and ended up sleepin’ in the same bed. Now that we’ve agreed to give the two’ve us a shot, why wouldn’t I want ta go out with you?”

“Applejack!” Twilight cried out, shocked at her friends candidness and at how loud her voice seemed out in the street. She lowered her own to an almost conspiratorial hiss. “Stop making it sound like we, you know… Besides, that was your idea and we were still just friends then, not exactly what anypony would call a date.”

“Hmm,” replied the farmer, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “True enough, I suppose. Alright, how about tomorrow night?”

Twilight perked up, all pretense to secrecy forgotten in an instant.

“Really?! You mean it?!” The question was practically shouted out, leaving Twilight’s lips with all the eagerness of a young filly who’d just been told she could have the one thing she always wanted. Her hooves took on a mind of their own, dancing excitedly on the spot. Applejack simply chuckled.

“Of course. Like I said, why wouldn’t I?”

Twilight threw her hooves around Applejack’s neck, hugging her and whooping for joy. She stopped suddenly, remembering her surroundings. Dropping back to her hooves, she looked around guiltily for anypony who might’ve seen. There was no-one.

“Thank you, AJ,” she said, once she’d ascertained their privacy. She smiled at her newfound love, finally wondering just how she’d gone from waking up that morning single, to being barely halfway through the afternoon and planning a date with the mare of her dreams. Before she could contemplate too long, however, Applejack caught her attention.

“Don’t mention it, Twi.” She started off again in the direction of Carousel Boutique. “Now come on, I seem to recall that you’ve got a dress ta order.”

Twilight followed. She did have a dress to order. But she also had something more than that. She finally had her. For better or worse, however long or short a time they were together, she had Applejack. The very thought made her feel content and safe. Safer even, than when she used to curl up beside her mother during a midnight storm, or when Princess Celestia would supervise her testing of a new and difficult spell.

While she hadn’t figured out how she was going to tell the rest of her friends, or her family, or how she was going to deal with the Canterlot elite’s attitude, she did know one thing: Life was finally getting better, and the future was looking up. Applejack was right, she shouldn’t concern herself with what others thought, what mattered was that she was happy.

Still, as she walked, that little voice that had kept her hiding all these years piped up again, voicing slightly different concerns. What if she messed up and ended up pushing Applejack away? What if the two of them didn’t last? What about AJ’s ex? Who was she? Would she try to get back together with her? What if, what if, what if…

No, no more. She couldn’t afford to keep putting herself in cycles of worrying like this. She couldn’t control or predict every little thing, and if she tried, she was just going to end up ten times as worse as she had been on Hearts and Hooves day. All that she could do was meet any challenge as it came, as best she could, and enjoy her time with Applejack. If she kept that in mind, absolutely nothing could go wrong.

What Twilight was forgetting to consider, however, was that life is rarely, if ever, that simple.


[/)(\]

> Princess Twilight Dreams - Safety and Warmth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Princess Twilight Dreams - Safety and Warmth



The wind in her mane. The smell of spring flowers in her nose. The grass under her hooves. She was galloping! She was galloping through the fields outside her home, with the world’s most beautiful mare beside her! The orange coat, the blonde mane, the green eyes, the strong muscles; all added up to perfection.

Unlike most things in her life, the galloping had no rhyme or reason to it. They were running and prancing, chasing each other and hiding in the grass, simply for its own sake. The world’s troubles and cares had been shucked in favour of a moment’s fun, time spent enjoying the weather, the moment… each other.

They lay in the long grass afterwards, basking in the warm sunlight from above, tails entwined in a ribbon of colour and the breeze tugging gently at their manes. Neither of them said anything; indeed, she found herself unable to actually speak, as she often was around this perfect beauty. She was unperturbed, however, as she was content to stay with her head against her love’s shoulder for eternity, saying nothing. She didn’t need to say anything; their feelings were mutual and strong. She gazed up at her love, her orange ears twitching at every sound and watching the rolling field like a sentinel, keeping alert for anything that might try to sneak up on them.

Slowly, under the warm wind, she felt a slowly rising chill behind her. Grudgingly, she lifted her head from its safe haven and peered behind her. An indeterminate distance away, a cloud bank sat, hugging the ground. The cold wind she felt was pouring off it, pulling along streamers of vapour, obscuring patches of the field and the way back home.

As she stared at it, she caught sight of movement inside; snatches of light and vaguely familiar shapes. Suddenly, the clouds seemed to part, revealing their contents. Her mother stood in the roiling cold front, blue eyes glaring contemptuously. A powerful feeling of disgust rushed out towards her from the cloud, its reasons as clear as the sun and the sky.

She shook her head, trying to deny the unspoken accusations, but before she could say anything, the front shifted again, rapidly morphing into the form of her father, bearing a similar expression. Again, the feeling of disgust and disapproval washed over her. Her brother appeared, the same expression and feelings in place.

The clouds started changing rapidly then, the shapes and identities of her friends flashing before her. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, even Fluttershy, all with that same expression, the same airs. She felt tears start to form in her eyes, blurring her vision. Again, she shook her head, attempting to deny that she was any different to them.

Faceless, half-formed ponies appeared, replacing her friends, all attired in the same fancy dresses and tuxedos of the Canterlot elite. Scorn and hate took the places of disgust and disapproval. Her breathing quickened, coming in shorter and shorter bursts through her nose.

Canterlot’s well-to-do were suddenly replaced by her sister-in-law, the pink Princess Cadance staring down at her with the same expression as her family and friends. The princess of love didn’t respond to any of her attempts to convey her feelings, even the ones encapsulated in magic-laced thought; continuing to regard her as if she was no better than a criminal.

Suddenly, Luna took the place of the Crystal Empire’s princess, barely concealed hatred lancing from her eyes like daggers. Once again, she tried to project her thoughts and feelings at the moon princess, but it was like hurling a pebble at a cliff face. The dark alicorn stood unmoved, condemning her silently.

She began to whine, the noise creeping up in the back of her throat. Her love shifted next to her, picking up on her distress. 

As Luna faded back into the clouds, she instinctively knew what, or rather who, was coming next. The dark alicorn disappeared, revealing the silhouette of somepony much taller. A splash of different colours, shifting and effervescent. White coat, golden tiara and harness, long horn, magenta eyes…

Princess Celestia stood before her. Her mentor, her friend, the one she had looked up to her entire life, was standing there and staring at her. And not in a manner she ever had before. There was no pride here, no unconditional love, no comforting smile, impish smirk from some small joke or amused grin at her student’s antics. Not even anger or hate as there had been from the others. There was only the one thing she feared to see most on that ageless face: disappointment.

That look hurt more than anything; more than the disgust of her friends, more than the hatred of her family. To have disappointed Celestia, after so long under her wing, so soon after becoming a princess… it was unbearable.

Her hooves scrabbled in the grass, trying to claw her closer to the clouds. To what fate, she didn’t care, all she knew was she had to get to her to explain. If she could just touch her, get close to her, she would be able to convey everything and it would all be all right again. She just had to-

Green eyes framed by white freckles appeared in her vision, blocking her view of the clouds. Her whining, which had become a constant, insistent tone in her throat, died. Wordlessly, she reached out a hoof past her love, trying to… to… she couldn’t remember. She shivered, a cold breeze flowing past her orange beloved.

The other mare nuzzled her, offering warmth. She gratefully took it, nuzzling her back. That warmth spread as her companion moved to shield her from the chill wind, gently guiding her back to the ground, wrapping her purple form in a protective orange cocoon.

As she curled up in the warm embrace, closing her eyes, she became aware of her companion speaking close to her ear.

“Don’t you fret none-”

Gasp.

“-sugarcube. I got you.”

Twilight’s eyes drifted open reluctantly, taking a moment to focus in the dim light of her bedroom. Blonde hair lay across her face, obscuring most of her vision. The weight on her head, resting just behind her horn, told her she was not alone in her room.

“Wuh?” she incoherently enquired of the straw-coloured veil. The hair shifted from her vision, giving her a clear view of her room, gloomily lit as it was by the pre-dawn light.

“Sorry hun, did I wake you?”

Looking up, Twilight came face to face with Applejack looking back down at her, apologetic expression all over her face. She shook her head blearily, smiling tiredly.

“‘S okay,” she said, sleep robbing her of her usual enunciation. “Why’re you awake?”

The farmer gave her an odd look. “You, ah, were makin’ some odd noises in your sleep and woke me up. I figured it was the draft comin’ in the window, so I got up to close it.”

“Oh. Sorry.” A stab of embarrassment slid through her languid state. She had no idea she made any noise in her sleep at all. “Thanks,” she added.

“Don’t worry about it,” came the reply. “There’s a few hours left before we gotta get up, so why don’tcha get some more sleep?”

“Good idea.” She went to lay her head down, but a thought occurred to Twilight and she spoke again.

“AJ?”

“Yeah?”

Without another word, Twilight leaned up and kissed her marefriend, a thrill running through her as she felt Applejack return it. How long they stayed like that, she didn’t bother measuring. For all she cared, she could stay like this forever, wrapped up in her lover and what she represented.

Safety and warmth.
> Loyalty Confounds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Loyalty Confounds



“Okay, okay, what about that one?”

“Ummm… apple cart.”

“Apple- really? Now who's obsessed?”

“Hey! It ain't my fault I gotta work with the things all day!”

Twilight laughed. She couldn't remember ever feeling this genuinely happy. The past couple of weeks dating Applejack had been almost surreal, like a dream. Several times she had caught herself shaking her head, or surreptitiously nipping at her legs with her teeth, just to check.

Their first date had been slightly awkward to begin with, as Twilight was unsure of how she should act or what she should say. Applejack had reassured her, however, telling her to be herself, and the pair had enjoyed a lovely evening over dinner. They had enjoyed it so much that they had immediately lined up another date, followed quickly by two more.

Now, on what would be their fifth date, Twilight looked to her right, grinning from ear to ear, over at—and it still felt strange to call her this—her marefriend. The two of them were laid on their backs, front legs curled up on their chests as they cloud-watched in Ponyville park. Applejack's hat rested on her stomach, rising and falling gently with each breath.

“This has been a ton of fun, AJ,” Twilight said, not breaking eye contact. “Not just today, but these last two weeks. This is going to sound really corny, but I'm glad I finally opened up to you.”

“You’re right, it does,” chuckled the other pony. “And so am I, sugarcube. I've been enjoyin' our little get-together's a lot.”

An orange hoof fell over Twilight's own. They nuzzled closer together, muzzles almost touching. Twilight felt her breath quicken as her eyes darted from Applejack's—which now seemed to stretch out like immense fields of green—down to her mouth and back up again. A blush formed on the alicorn’s cheeks and her wings flittered at her sides. She darted forward and kissed Applejack quickly, gone almost as quick as she arrived.

The other pony blinked rapidly for a second. “Don’t tell my marefriend,” Applejack started slowly, “but I think somepony just kissed me. Did you see anyone?”

Twilight giggled at her partner’s silliness. “No-one but us.”

“Oh good. If Twilight finds out about that, she’ll- oh hey, Twi!” The grinning earth pony leaned forwards just as quickly as Twilight had done, though her kiss lasted much longer.

Twilight closed her eyes as she found herself lost in the adrenaline rush. Two weeks ago, she’d never have even dreamed she could be Applejack’s marefriend, let alone be kissing her openly in public, but now here she was, locking lips with the mare she’d dreamed about so often. In truth, she was still incredibly nervous of displaying her affection in public, often catching herself looking around to see if anypony was watching them, expecting an angry mob to come charging at them both any second. She knew that was ridiculous, of course, but it did nothing to help assuage a lifetime of fear and self-doubt.

Applejack had been a big help in battling that. She’d encouraged Twilight every time she made some sign of affection in public, reminded her that no-one was judging them when she was reluctant, and sometimes surprised her with a quick kiss or hug. By the end of the first week, Twilight had become slightly more open to displaying her affections in public, risking the occasional quick nuzzle or peck on the cheek. Over the next few days, her bravery grew and soon the two of them were hugging, holding hooves and kissing in full view of anyone passing by.

It was an astronomically fast turnaround in Twilight’s behaviour, helped in no small part by how much she wanted it. Oddly, she liked the adrenaline rush she got by being able to show her feelings for Applejack. But she also liked showing her how much she cared, how much she meant to her and how much it would destroy her if she lost her.

Eventually, Twilight had to come up for air. She broke the contact and opened her eyes, panting slightly. She could see the blush she felt on her own cheeks reflected on Applejack’s, the red providing a more than slightly alluring contrast to her orange coat.

“Don’t tell my marefriend about that,” the princess teased, booping Applejack gently on the nose with a hoof. The pair giggled together.

The farm mare stood up, sweeping her hat onto her head nonchalantly before saying, “Well, I’d best be gettin’ back to the farm. It might not be harvest time yet, but there’s still plenty to do.”

“I’ll walk with you as far as the library,” Twilight replied with a smile, getting up to join her. “Spike and I have to categorise and organise everything before the end of the week. You would not believe how often books from the cookery section end up in the biology section.” Applejack chuckled at the librarian’s frustration. Her literature-based troubles were well known in their circle of friends.

The two of them walked quietly for a moment, Twilight taking the time to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the spring day.

Ponies were scattered around the park, some walking the paths, others sat around on benches and on the grass. A breeze wafted gently through the open space, carrying with it the sounds of foals playing and the smells of new flowers growing and freshly cut grass. Celestia’s sun shone down on everything, casting dappled shadows through the leaves of the trees that lined the paths and making it just warm enough for a pony not to need any extra clothing.

As they walked, Twilight took a moment to once again reflect on her new-found relationship. Once upon a time, she hadn’t dared dream she would ever have a fulfilling relationship; such a thing seemed within the grasp of “normal” ponies only. Yet now, here she was with Applejack, her dreams being realised more and more each day. She only wished she could be more like her marefriend when it came to the relationship.

Twilight’s face must have borne a troubled expression, as Applejack gave her a gentle nudge as they walked.

“Penny for your thoughts, darlin’?” she asked. Warm fuzzies crept through Twilight at the nickname. Nopony had ever called her that before.

“It’s nothing, really,” she replied, shaking her head. “I was just thinking I wished that I could be a bit more like you.”

“Like me?”

“Yes. You’re always so confident and assured about us, and I’m still a nervous wreck every time we even so much as hug.” She glanced over at Applejack before looking away again, slightly embarrassed. “You probably think I’m just a silly filly, but I wish I had just an ounce of your confidence.”

“Heh, is that all?” Applejack chuckled. “Don’t worry, sugarcube, you’re doin’ fine. You had a lot hangin’ over your head as a kid, not to mention this is your first rodeo.”

Twilight snorted at the joke.

“There you go. See? It ain’t all bad,” Applejack said as Twilight looked over at her. “Hey, hold up a sec.” The orange pony trotted in front of Twilight and turned to face her. “Tell me what you see.”

“I… what? I see you,” Twilight answered, confused.

“Not me, Twilight, the park.” Applejack gestured at their surroundings with a hoof.

Twilight looked around for a moment. Nothing was out of the ordinary; just a regular spring day in the park. She studied her surroundings more closely. Grass, check. Trees, check. Park wildlife, check. Pony couples, check. Foals playi-

Hold on, back up.

Oh.

Oh!

Twilight facehoofed.

“You spotted it, didn’t you?”

Twilight nodded, and damn it if she couldn’t hear the grin in her marefriend’s voice. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it in all the time she’d been in Ponyville.

“So you see why I don’t give a hoot?” Applejack continued gently. “There are couples like us everywhere in Ponyville. There just ain’t no need to hide ‘cos we’ll always have support.”

Applejack was right, couples like them were everywhere in the park. Even couples of a more… masculine nature. True, there weren’t as many as the more “traditional” arrangement, but now that Twilight had seen it, she could see mare couples everywhere; walking the paths, sat on the benches, lounging on the grass…

Her eyes were drawn to one pair of mares, one an off-white unicorn with a dark grey mane and tail, the other a pink pegasus with yellow hair, making out playfully on the grass. The unicorn was gently caressing her partner’s chest, her hoof moving lower to-

Whoa, nelly! There was being open, and there was that!

Twilight hurriedly looked away, her wings popping up suddenly and a hoof coming up to shield the side of her eyes, wondering for a moment how in Equestria they could get away with behaving like that. There were children around, for Goddess’ sake!

She caught Applejack’s quizzical expression and simply nodded her head in the direction of the other mares. The farm mare looked around and let out a startled nicker.

“Whoa, nelly!” Applejack’s exclamation unknowingly echoed Twilight’s own surprised thought. Had she been less preoccupied with her own embarrassment, Twilight might have given some consideration to Applejack’s colloquialisms sneaking into her mental lexicon, but as it was she was far more concerned with present issues.

“Get a room, you two!” she heard Applejack yell out to the indiscreet couple before turning back. “Geez, ya’ll would think it was a free-for-all out here, or somethin’. Come on, Twi, let’s get along now.” Twilight felt herself being tugged gently down the path, away from the scandalous scene.

“Seriously, some ponies ain’t got no self-control,” she heard Applejack mutter under her breath. After a minute, Twilight felt her cheeks stop burning as they arrived at the gates to the park. Just inside the gates, an ice cream stall had been set up, and a sizeable queue had formed, comprised mostly of foals and their put-upon parents. Applejack nodded towards the stall and asked:

“Fancy some? I’m thinkin’ we both probably need to cool down after that. I’m buyin’.”

Twilight was about to kick into full-on bookworm mode and comment on how she was pretty sure it didn’t work like that, when her brain realised she was being offered free ice-cream. Free. Ice cream.

Her wings fluttering up and down against her sides, she replied with a smile, “That sounds wonderful, thank you.”

“Alright,” Applejack said, returning the smile with a grin of her own. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Twilight sat down at the edge of the path to wait, enjoying the warm sunshine on her coat and the breeze over her wings. Glancing back at herself, she felt a certain sense of satisfaction at the way her coat shone slightly in the sunlight. She’d been paying more attention to herself since she started dating Applejack, wanting to look nice for her, and it showed in her general appearance. An extra minute a day spent brushing her coat gave her a wonderful sheen. She wondered why she’d never bothered with it that much before. Not only did she look great, she felt great! Twilight was beginning to understand why Rarity took such great pains over her own appearance.

Spotting a couple of displaced feathers on her right wing, Twilight leaned around to try and re-align them. She still had trouble with preening her wings, despite reading every little thing she could on the matter, and she still wasn’t sure about the taste of the oils the feathers secreted. It reminded her of the time as a filly, when she’d picked up the business end of a quill in her mouth. She’d been getting better at it, though. Her feathers stayed straight and in place… most of the time.

As Twilight fussed with her errant feathers, she became aware of the presence of another pony next to her only a fraction of a second too late.

“Boo, egghead!”

“Ah!”

Twilight recoiled sharply from the loud voice, folding her ear down with a hoof.

“Hehe, you’re too easy, Twilight.”

The princess turned to her would-be aggressor, more than slightly annoyed.

“Rainbow!” she shot at the sky-blue pegasus, who was sat on the grass in front of her, a smug grin plastered on her face. “That’s not funny, it hurt!” Twilight rubbed her ear momentarily before letting it spring back up.

“Sorry, but I couldn’t resist.” The rainbow-maned trouble-maker at least had the sense to sound contrite, even if that grin was still plastered all over her face. “You were just too easy a target.”

“Ugh, don’t you have weather to move around?” Twilight asked irritably. Today had been going just fine until now.

“Nah, I don’t have a shift today,” Rainbow answered, suddenly looping into the air. She adopted a laid back position, wings flapping lazily to keep her aloft. “So how’s it goin’?”

Twilight considered upbraiding her friend further, but decided against it. Rainbow Dash was just being Rainbow Dash, there wasn’t much anyone could do about it. Besides, she wasn’t entirely sure she wouldn’t have laughed if she hadn’t been the intended target.

“Fine,” she answered after a moment, turning to examine her wing once again. “I was just trying to straighten a couple of feathers when you showed up.”

“Still getting used to preening, huh?”

“Yeah. I’m getting better, though the taste isn’t.”

“The taste?” she heard Rainbow ask. Twilight didn’t look around, instead opting to try and talk around her plumage as she continued trying to straighten the out-of-line feathers.

“Yef, you know, the tafte.” She finally managed to get the feathers lined up again. With a satisfied smile, she spat the collection of oils on her tongue into the grass before continuing, “It reminds me of ink. Not disgusting, but not exactly what I would call tasty, either.” She looked around at Rainbow who was eyeing her strangely.

“That doesn’t sound right,” the pegasus said. “Mine just taste like the cloud vapour I use to wash with in the mornings. Have they always tasted like that?”

Twilight thought for a moment. “No, not at first. The taste started coming in gradually after about a week since I got my wings.”

“And how often are you cleaning them?”

“Well… every day,” the princess answered, confused.

“Ah, there’s your problem, right there. Over-cleaning.”

“Over-cleaning?” Twilight asked, even more confused. She’d never heard of, or read about, such a thing.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, swooping closer to Twilight and pulling one of her wings out gently. “You’re just cleaning your wings too much.” She ran a hoof over the outside of Twilight’s wing, then brought it to her face for inspection. 

“Yep, just as I thought, way too greasy.” The pegasus turned her attention to the downy underside of the wing.

Twilight was vaguely uncomfortable with Rainbow Dash inspecting her like this, but was more hung up on what her friend had said. Her other, folded, wing gave a fitful jump.

“Wait,” Twilight said. “I don’t understand. How can I be too clean, but too greasy at the same time?”

Rainbow Dash let go of her wing, giving a curt nod and continued hovering next to Twilight.

“Well,” started the pegasus. “Your wings make their own natural oils, right? The oil’s supposed to keep the feathers clean and smooth, making sure you don’t get any dirt on them, or get them waterlogged. If you wash it off in the shower, your body has to make more of it to replace it. Do it too much, and you’ll make way more than you need and get greasy wings.”

Twilight looked down at her wing, slightly concerned. “Is that bad?” she asked.

“Not really,” came the reply. “It won’t affect how you fly, but your wings will look slightly damp and you’ll leave greasy marks on whatever they touch. Plus the taste, which I think you already found out.” The pegasus chuckled. “It might sound gross, but I’d skip a few showers so your wings can re-adjust.”

Twilight closed her wing and looked back up at her friend. “You’re right, that does sound gross.”

Rainbow just shrugged. “I didn’t say don’t wash, I just said don’t shower. Oh, and don’t use shampoo on ‘em. I could smell it on your down feathers, you’ll just make the problem worse. Something to do with the chemicals in it.”

“So how do I keep them clean if I can’t shower?” asked Twilight, starting to worry that she wouldn’t be able to experience the joy of her shower again.

“Oh, you can totally shower once they’ve gone back to normal, just don’t spray the outside of your wings directly or scrub at them when they’re wet. Try holding them straight up and twisted away from the water, so the flight feathers are towards your flank, it’s what I do.”

“What about the underside?”

“Oh, those? Yeah, you can just towel those off, they don’t get anywhere near as oily as your flight feathers.” The pegasus waved a hoof dismissively.

Twilight considered all of this new info. Wings sounded like a whole heap of trouble to look after. She wondered if Celestia, Luna or Cadance had this much trouble with theirs. Probably. Then again, they’d had much longer to get used to them than she had.

“Well, uh, thanks I guess,” Twilight said, just before the silence became uncomfortable.

“No problem,” Rainbow said, resuming her laid-back posture from before, forehooves crossed behind her head. “Knowing how to look after your wings is just as important as knowing how to use them.”

Rainbow gestured with a hoof at the park around them.

“So what are you doing out here? Normally you’re reading on a bench somewhere, not sat by the path.”

Twilight started. She hadn’t yet told any of her other friends about her burgeoning relationship with Applejack. But she couldn’t just lie to Rainbow Dash, that would be wrong, not to mention she’d find out sooner or later…

“Oh, I’m er… I’m just out for a walk with Applejack. She went to get some ice cream.” That wasn’t technically a lie; they were walking through the park, after all.

She waited for the inevitable bored dismissal of her answer that Rainbow would give, but it never came. Instead, something rather peculiar happened. Something Twilight would never have thought possible.

Rainbow Dash fell.

It wasn’t far, but Twilight still winced when her friend’s rump connected with the ground. The sky-blue pegasus’ wings were sticking straight out from her sides, and her face was a mixture of emotions that the princess couldn’t quite place, somewhere between confusion and… fear? That was silly. Why would Rainbow Dash be scared of Applejack? She must’ve been mistaken.

But then why had she fallen? Just then, Rainbow’s normally disciplined wings started moving, settling back against her ribs before performing a strange little fluttering dance at her sides. Twilight had never seen any pegasus’ wings so animated before, opening and shutting, shimmering and shaking, as if they were trying to jut up and clamp to her flanks all at once.

“Rainbow?” she asked quietly. “Is something wrong?”

The pegasus was quiet for a long few moments, to the extent that Twilight was about to repeat her question, before she answered flatly:

“I’m fine.” Rainbow glanced about herself a couple of times before hopping into the air again. “Listen, do me a favour? Don’t tell Applejack we talked. In fact, better not mention I was here at all.”

“Rainbow? What-”

“I gotta go, see ya.”

Twilight watched her friend disappear into the sky as if Cerberus itself was after her. What had gotten into her all of a sudden? As soon as Twilight had mentioned Applejack, her entire entire demeanour had changed. What had caused that reaction? Were the two of them fighting? She hadn’t heard of anything bad happening between them…

Twilight was pulled out of her reverie by a nudge at her side. She looked over to see Applejack sat beside her, two ice cream cones wrapped tightly in her tail.

“You alright, sugarcube?” she asked, offering the cones in her tail. “You looked a little spaced, there.”

The alicorn’s horn ignited, lifting her ice-cream from her marefriend’s tail.

“Oh, I’m fine,” she replied, taking a lick of the frozen treat. “I was just day-dreaming.” She smiled at Applejack.

“Well, it must’ve been a doozy, ‘cos ya’ll were starin’ at the sky pretty hard, like you were tryin’ to figure somethin’ out. I almost didn’t nudge you, you look real cute when you’re puzzlin’ over a problem.” Applejack took a lick of her own cone.

Twilight blushed almost hard enough to melt her ice-cream. She still wasn’t totally used to being complimented like that.

“I-I… well… that’s uh… I mean…” she stammered. Applejack just chuckled and kissed her on the cheek. Her lips felt cold on Twilight’s cheek, chilled by her ice-cream.

“I take it back, that looks cute.” She stood up, her cone still clutched in her tail. “C’mon, let’s mosey on outta here. I need to get back to the farm.”

Twilight watched, still blushing, as Applejack started walking away. It had only been a couple of weeks since they started dating, but Twilight was more sure now than she had ever been about her feelings for the other mare. She wondered if she’d finally be able to settle down and be who she was, rather than hide away, terrified every day of somepony finding her out.

And talking of finding out, what had been wrong with Rainbow Dash? Twilight had never seen anypony react like that, let alone her friend that was often the first to dive into any trouble, was possibly more loyal than even the royal guard, and who would probably die before she admitted to feeling any sort of fear. And yet, the pegasus had reacted as if the mere mention of Applejack would bring down the wrath of every threat to Equestria that she and her friends had faced. Not to mention those strange wing movements, like she couldn’t decide what to do with them. Almost as if she-

“Twilight, you comin’?”

The princess was startled out of her reverie by Applejack once again.

“Oh! Yes, sorry!”

With a glance up into the sky where Rainbow had disappeared, she stood and trotted to catch up with her marefriend. One thing was for sure, she was going to get to the bottom of Rainbow’s strange behaviour.



[/)(\]



Twilight stepped through the front door of the library, deep in thought. Rainbow’s actions in the park earlier had confounded her enough that her mind had refused to let it go, constantly evaluating and re-evaluating every little movement the pegasus had made. So far, she’d come up empty, so she’d decided to fall back onto the one thing that had never failed to provide her with an answer: studying.

Glancing across the shelves lining the walls, she wondered what kind of book might cover the kind of subject she was thinking about. Did the library even possess such a book? She doubted there was a book dedicated to pegasi behaviour, but something with at least a chapter would be a start.

“Spike?” she called out, listening for the tell-tale patter of her assistant’s claws on the wooden floors of the library. “Are you here?” After a moment, she heard him climbing the stairs from the basement.

“Hey, Twilight,” the little dragon greeted her, carrying a box of lab equipment. “How’s it going?”

“Fine,” she answered. “I need to find a book that covers pegasi behaviour, specifically anything to do with their wings, but I’m not sure if we even have anything like that here. I don’t suppose you’ve seen any books like that?”

Spike scratched his chin as he thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t think so, at least, nothing I’ve seen, but we did recently get that shipment from Canterlot. Maybe there’s something in that?”

Twilight nodded. “Thanks, Spike. Where are the boxes?”

“It’s just the one, actually,” he replied picking up the lab equipment again. The box was nearly as big as he was, but the dragon handled it with comparative ease. “It’s in the back room. I haven’t had time to sort it yet, what with packing this lab equipment you wanted to donate to the school and all.”

“Alright. Be careful with that, won’t you?”

“You know me, Twi,” Spike said, as he backed out of the library’s front door. “Careful is practically my middle name!”

Shaking her head, but smiling, Twilight turned and headed for the library’s back room. Ostensibly a study room, a central pillar with a desk ringing its circumference was the central feature. Like the main room, shelves lined the walls, filled with books on every subject. The librarian in her noted that the shelves needed reorganising, again, but put it aside in favour of searching the newly arrived books.

Scanning the room, she quickly spied the box of new books lying under the central desk. Sitting next to it, she pulled the flaps of the box back with her magic and started levitating books out, placing them on the desk as she read the titles. Annoyingly, they weren’t organised in any particular manner, meaning she was pulling out books on every kind of subject. She would have to have a word with the librarian at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.

Equestrian History, 4th Revision: The Crystal Empire & King Sombra. Contributors: Fact Checker, HRH Princess Twilight Sparkle, Geo Fizz. Not helpful, though mark that for later reading.

Going up! Basic flight lessons for pegasus foals. By Friendly Skies. Close, but not what she was looking for.

Daring Do: A collection of side-tales. A. K. Yearling. Oh, definitely mark that one for later reading!

The Great Canterlot Ring of Stars: Unravelling the mysteries of the glyphs on Luna’s monument. Fact Checker, Rose St. One, Script Theory & Zenia Fulcrum. No. That wasn’t anywhere close, either.

After five minutes of pulling these, and many more titles, out of the box, Twilight sat back and let out a frustrated sigh. Briefly, she wondered how Spike had managed to drag a box of this size, filled entirely with books, into this room all by himself with no help, but the thought quickly passed. Owlowiscious had probably helped him.

Either way, it didn’t change the fact she hadn’t found what she was looking for. This box was filled with books on every subject but pegasi and their wings, it seemed. Lighting her horn, Twilight levitated the books she’d pulled out.

Just as she was about to start putting the books back in the box, she bumped it with one of her back legs, disturbing the few books inside that she’d already looked at and knocking a few over. Looking inside so she could stand them back up, she noticed one of them had fallen open.

On its pages were not one, but two separate diagrams of pegasi with their wings extended.

Dropping the books she was carrying with a POP of magic, she lifted the book up and stared at it. Closing it, she realised she’d already looked at this one, the cover claiming it was Fancy Style’s ”Do’s and Don’ts of High Society Etiquette”. This, however, was clearly not right.

Opening to the inside leaf, Twilight discovered the cover was, in fact, a dust cover taped to the inside of the book. No wonder she’d passed over it. Words were most certainly going to be had with the head librarian back at her old school. Carefully peeling the tape away from the book’s real cover with her magic, she then closed the book again and looked over the brown cover that showed a pair of pegasus wings; one folded, the other outstretched. Above the illustration was the book’s title:

Mood Wings: Observations on Pegasus Body Language, by Keen Eye.

With an excited squeal, and a happy little dance on the tips of her hooves, Twilight opened the book to its contents and saw that it was exactly what she needed. And way better than she’d dared hoped.

After carefully peeling the tape from the back cover, Twilight teleported herself and the book to her bedroom, where she curled up on her bed and began to read…



[/)(\]



Several hours later, Twilight closed the little brown book with a thump. The sun lit her room in the early evening hues of gold, warming both her and the wooden walls it touched, lending a cozy atmosphere to the room. However, she just stared off into space, thinking.

The new information she’d soaked up was churning around in her mind, mixing with the day’s earlier events. Quickly flipping the book open again, Twilight double-checked a piece of information, then closed it again. She thought some more.

Her body had had enough of thinking, however, and decided she’d ignored its requirements long enough. Still buried in thought and running mostly on autopilot, she got up, stretched her legs, and headed to her bathroom.

As she walked, things finally began clicking into place.

Mood Wings had been a rather informative read. She’d learned about general wing-speak knowledge, and how to tell the difference between specific displays, such as aggression, friendliness and curiosity. Also things of a more… intimate nature that had necessitated a short break. A break that was going to be kept between Twilight, her bedroom and the book.

It had also been very informative about how pegasi displayed such feelings as envy, rejection and anger. It was especially informative about the strange motions pegasi often displayed in their wings, when trying to display several emotions at once.

In a word; they danced.

As Twilight entered her bathroom and sat on the toilet, her bladder’s relief barely registered as she considered this information in the context of Rainbow Dash.

Pegasi wings “danced” when they tried to show several major emotions at once. The motions in the dance were determined by the emotions they were trying to convey, usually in the order they felt them, though that varied. Twilight had recognised several of the diagrams and descriptions from Rainbow’s display earlier in the day.

She wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but from the way her wings had tilted and flittered at both ends of the display, it looked like Rainbow had been giving signals of envy and rejection, though why was a mystery at this point. The middle part, however, was plain as day. There was no mistaking the flared wings of an angry pegasus, no matter how briefly they were on display.

So Rainbow was angry at Applejack, at least in part. But why? And what did she have to feel envious and rejected about? One thing was clear, the two of them had obviously had some sort of argument, and it had not ended well.

Finishing up, Twilight stepped out of the bathroom, still deep in thought. Rainbow’s reaction had come after Twilight had explained that she was out for a walk with Applejack. That Twilight was with Applejack. Was Rainbow angry that Applejack was spending time with her? No, that was ridiculous, it’s not like the two of them were in a relationsh-

Twilight stopped walking, a sudden “o” of realisation on her face.

Oh no.

No. It couldn’t be… could it?

Words spoken to her suddenly played back in her mind. Words spoken only a couple of weeks ago. Words spoken by her now marefriend, Applejack.

“I like you too and I think things could work out between us, but…”

“But what?”

“I ain’t long out of another relationship, is all. It… didn’t end so great.”

Was it possible? Was this “other relationship” Applejack had spoken of, in fact, Rainbow Dash? If that was true, how long had they been together and why hadn’t Twilight noticed before? And why keep this from her? It didn’t make sense.

Making a decision, Twilight resolved to find out the story behind the pair’s actions, if for no other reason than to get them talking to each other again, since from Rainbow’s actions it looked like at least one of them was avoiding the other.

She turned and started to head for her front door, only to be stopped by a small, but frightening, thought.

What if she did that, if she got them talking to each other again, and Applejack left Twilight and went back to Rainbow Dash? What if she left her alone again? Twilight didn’t know if she could handle that, knowing now how good it was to have somepony to be with. To have a companion you could truly open up to. To snuggle up close to on a cold night and be warmed by. And that somepony being the one you’d had eyes for for over a year. That caused your heart to flutter every time they were near, that caused a rush like no other pony did…

No. No, she wouldn’t think like that. Applejack wouldn’t do that. And besides, the two of them were her friends, she couldn’t just let this situation carry on unabated. Even if there was some small risk that Applejack would leave her, which was minute at best, it was a risk she would have to take. She would just have to deal with the consequences later, as devastating as they may or may not be.

For a second time, Twilight headed for the stairs, only to be stopped by her stomach growling.

On second thought, she should probably get something to eat first. A yawn took her by surprise. And a good night’s sleep.

Making another decision, Twilight further resolved that she would start her investigation tomorrow, once she was fed and rested. That was probably the logical thing to do. As if in agreement, her stomach growled again. Twilight once again made for the stairs, only this time, her goal was the kitchen.

As she clip-clopped her way down the steps, however, she was determined that tomorrow, she was going to get to the bottom of whatever had come between her two friends.



[/)(\]