Chapter 1
Ponyville's lavender librarian paced to and fro among the volumes. Her horn emitted a soft, shimmering glow as she telekinetically summoned various books to herself. She was curious about one subject in particular, and eager to read up on it.
Twilight submerging herself in study was nothing new. What was new, however was the area she had chosen to research. Her usual literary fodder of science, biographies, and spellbooks was now replaced by flowery romance novels. Twilight, it would seem, had a crush.
She wasn't exactly sure when it had started, nor how it had developed, but now, whenever she saw him, heat filled her face, butterflies filled her stomach, and she developed a nasty case of tachycardia. The female protagonist in every love story she had read so far suffered the exact same symptoms, and always ended up falling in love with somepony. By the simple logic of transference, she saw that this was her problem, and she knew exactly the stallion who was causing it.
With her nose buried in a book, Twilight noticed the sound of footsteps coming up the path. It wasn't the equine clip-clop of hooves, but rather the pitter-patter of draconic claws. Spike was returning from his errands. Twilight frantically gathered up her reading material and magicked it under her bed. Spike was a good assistant and a close friend, but this definitely wasn't the sort of thing she would be comfortable telling him, at least not yet.
"Hey, Twilight, I'm back!" the dragon announced as he came through the door, a grocery bag in each arm.
"Hi, Spike," she said, grabbing the groceries from him with her magic. "I'll go put the food away. Thanks for going to the market for me."
"No problem," he responded.
The unicorn levitated the items into the kitchen and began to store them in their proper places. The bag of oats went under the cupboard; the fruits and vegetables went in the icebox. Twilight did the monotonous task absent-mindedly, her thoughts drifting back to the colt causing her conundrum.
She was soon snapped out of her reverie by a familiar, drawling voice calling, "Twilight, ya here?"
The purple mare trotted back into the main chamber of the library and saw an orange earth pony standing there. "Hi, Applejack!" she said cheerfully.
"Hey," the farmer replied. She reached into her saddlebag and drew out a book. "Ah'm here to return this."
"Of course, let me see," Twilight remarked, and took the book in her magic. "Most Treasured Pony Poems," she read the title aloud, "that goes... A-ha! Over here." She then re-shelved it in its proper place.
"Also, Ah was wonderin' if ya have any more good poem books?" Applejack inquired.
"Sure," came Twilight's quick response, and she pulled out several volumes almost instantly.
Applejack read the titles of the books before her, and decided on one named Songs for the Soul. Twilight recorded this withdrawal on the library's register, and AJ put the book in her bag and turned to go.
"Wait, Applejack."
"Did ya need somethin', sugarcube?"
"Well, I... I wanted to tell you something."
"Ah'm listenin'."
"Well, I... I think..." Twilight trailed off and rubbed the back of her head nervously. "I think I might be in love with your brother."
AJ's jaw dropped slightly. "Really?"
"Well... yeah," Twilight said sheepishly.
A smile now crept to the farm pony's mouth. "Well ain't that somethin'!"
"You're not mad, are you?"
"Mad?" Applejack laughed heartily. "Why would Ah be mad?"
"Well, I mean, he is your brother. I just thought maybe you'd think it was weird."
"Twilight, trust me," Applejack said, "as far as mares go, Big Mac could do a lot worse than you. Ah think it's kinda cute that ya like him."
Twilight giggled bashfully. "Thank Celestia!" she said. "You're the first pony I told about this, and I was worried about what you might think."
"Ya didn't have nothin' to fear."
"Thanks, Applejack. Can I ask you something now?"
"Anything you like."
"Well, I was reading," Twilight began, "and this book on romance said that if you like somepony, you should take an interest in what they like. So what I'm asking is: what does Big Mac like?"
Applejack put a hoof to her chin and thought for a moment. "Well, besides his apples and such, he likes these poems," she said, gesturing to her bag.
"Huh?"
"C'mon, Twi, ya know me. Did y'all really think Ah was readin' all these mushy poems?"
"Well, no, but... really?"
AJ nodded. "Yep. He's embarrassed to come ask for 'em, though, so he has me come get the books for him."
Twilight grinned. "That's adorable, actually."
"Sure gets to be a pain in the flank, though," AJ said in half-faked annoyance.
The librarian chuckled at her friend. "Thanks, Applejack. I think I've got an idea now."
"Yer welcome. Guess Ah'll see ya later. Bye."
"Bye."
As Applejack walked out the door, Twilight turned back to her books and began pulling out as many poetry-related ones as possible. She now had a plan, but it wasn't going to be easy.
Several hours later, her desk was littered with open, rifled-through poetry guides and crumpled, ink-blotted sheets. Twilight groaned in frustration as she surveyed the blizzard of failure that spilled over her desktop and slopped onto the adjacent floor. Each had been technically sound as far as literary techniques and rhyme schemes were concerned, but had failed to fully translate the overflowing emotions in her heart. Her head dropped to the surface of the desk with a hollow thud and she sighed. Maybe this plan was stupid; maybe she just couldn't write poetry. When Applejack had told her of Big Macintosh's secret hobby, it had seemed like the perfect way to impress him, but now she was stuck. The unicorn who had been hoof-picked by Princess Celestia to be her personal student, the very same unicorn who had single-hoofedly saved Ponyville from an ursa minor, was now stale-mated by a most formidable foe: writer's block.
Twilight lifted her head and gazed toward the window. She was surprised to see that night had already fallen. She looked at the clock and saw that it was past 10 P.M. Coming to the sudden realization of just how tired she was, she gathered up the scattered papers with her magic and put them in the garbage. Yawning, she walked quietly past the softly snoring form of Spike, who had crawled into bed without her realizing it, and extinguished the light. As she slid into bed among her silky sheets, feathery pillows, and fuzzy blanket, Twilight thought, "Maybe I'll try again tomorrow."
* * *
Twilight Sparkle stood in an orchard. Apple trees stood all around, their branches laden with ripe fruit, ready for harvest. The sweet, fresh scent of the apples flavored the light breeze that ruffled her mane. Overhead was a cloudless sky in which Celestia's sun shone gloriously. Underhoof was a ground crackling with stray twigs and dead leaves dropped from the trees.
Suddenly, a sound in the distance caught the mare's attention. It was a sharp sound, almost like the crack of a whip, and it was repeating at a regular interval. Her inquisitive mind prompted the unicorn to turn in the direction the noise was coming from and walk off to investigate.
When she reached the sound's source, Twilight's heart rate increased in a way that had nothing to do with physical activity. The noise was coming from a large red stallion with a golden-brown mane, glistening with sweat and flexing his powerful muscles as he forcefully bucked his hind legs against the trunk of a tree, causing fruit to tumble from above.
Twilight watched Big Macintosh for a while as he went about his work. Eventually, however, she figured she'd better say something. She opened her mouth to speak, but it immediately felt as though it had been stuffed with cotton. She swallowed hard, tried again, and this time managed to audibly say his name.
Big Mac turned to her. "Hello, Miss Twilight," he said in his deep, earthy voice, "can Ah help y'all with something?"
Twilight bit her lower lip nervously. He indeed could help her with something, if she could work up the courage to say it. She took several deep breaths, steeled her will, and dove headfirst into the confession.
What she said, and how she said it, was one of the most beautiful, honest, and eloquent things Twilight had ever heard come out of her own mouth. It completely summed up her feelings without being too wordy or complex, and had just enough emotion without being too sappy.
As she concluded, the unicorn stood anxiously awaiting Macintosh's reaction. She couldn't see it, though.
* * *
Twilight Sparkle woke up, back in her dark bedroom, and immediately sat straight up in bed. She cradled her face in her forehooves, trying to preserve the fresh details of the dream she had just had in her mind. She wanted especially to capture that speech she had made at the end.
Not wasting any time, she went quickly to her desk, lit a small candle, hoping that the light wouldn't awaken Spike, and got out paper, ink, and a quill. She wrote quickly and feverishly, capturing the details of the dream before they had time to dissipate. The library was silent except for Spike's snores, and the furious scratching of Twilight's quill.
After she finished, the mare read over the paper one more time. Satisfied, she folded it in half and placed it in her desk drawer. She then put her writing supplies away, snuffed out the candle, and crawled back into bed. Just as she was on the edge of slumber, she heard Spike talking in his sleep.
"Oh, Rarity," he muttered, then made a comical kissing sound.
Twilight chuckled. "I guess I'm not the only one," she whispered. She then fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Twilight told Spike to watch the library for her, and set off for Sweetapple Acres. Now that she had a suitable poem prepared, she would need Applejack's help for the rest of her plan. Of course, going to the farm meant there was a chance she'd see Big Macintosh, and the thought of that filled her with an odd mixture of nervousness and glee.
Nearing the outskirts of Ponyville, the bookworm saw the houses getting farther and farther apart, and before long she was at the Apple family's homestead. Fields of apple trees stretched off in all directions, their laden branches waving slightly in the breeze.
"Hi!" said a voice off to Twilight's left. She turned and saw a little yellow filly with a big red bow in her scarlet mane.
"Hi, Apple Bloom. Do you know where Applejack is? I needed to talk to her."
"Sure," said Apple Bloom, "she's over in the North field, buckin'."
"Thank you very much," Twilight responded, and went off toward the orchard to find her friend.
She found Applejack by following the sound of hooves on wood coming over the fields. The earth pony was hard at work, but stopped momentarily as she saw the unicorn approach.
"Hi, there, Twilight," she greeted. "What can Ah do fer ya?"
"Listen, Applejack," Twilight began. "I'm going to tell Big Macintosh how I fell tonight, and I'd like your help."
"Well, sure. What'd ya need?"
"Can you get him to come into the big barn tonight, after he's done with all his work?"
"Oh, that's easy, Twi. Big Mac'll do pretty much anything I tell 'im, bless his heart." Applejack laughed slightly at her big brother's passive nature.
"Good. Oh, thank you, Applejack!" Twilight pulled her friend into a sudden hug.
"T'ain't no trouble, sugar. Like Ah said, Ah think you'd be great for him," Applejack stated.
Twilight released the embrace. "I guess I'll see you tonight, AJ."
"See ya."
The purple mare then teleported back to her library, in order to be there as quickly as possible. There were still a few preparations to be made.
* * *
Big Macintosh yawned mightily as he made his way back to the farmhouse. He'd been hard at work in the fields plowing all day, and now that it was after sunset, the thought of a hot supper and a warm bed was very appealing to him. He trotted up the steps to the house, eager for a rest, but was suddenly stopped by his sister Applejack.
"Whoa-ho, big brother, not so fast," she said.
"What is it, AJ?" he asked.
"Ya need to go in the barn before ya go inside," she informed him. "It's important."
Big Macintosh shrugged. The sooner he got this done, the sooner he could eat. "Okay."
He walked nonchalantly to the large, red building. He was surprised to find that the door was ajar, when he didn't even remember coming in here today. Even more surprising was a faint, flickering glow coming from inside.
"What in Equestria could that be?" he wondered.
As he went inside, he saw what was creating the glow. There were two candles placed on the opposite side of the barn from him. They had obviously been placed there with a purpose. Big Macintosh assumed that this was the "important" thing Applejack had spoken of, and that he was supposed to find it, so he moved closer to investigate.
He found that the candles were illuminating a piece of paper placed between them. There was clearly something written on it, so he leaned closer and read.
If you look behind violet eyes
You would see into my heart's disguise;
You would see into secret fires,
Kindled by smoldering desires;
You would see love, hidden so long,
Not given to whom it belongs;
You'd see the love for you that lies
Behind this pair of violet eyes.
At the bottom, it was signed "Twilight Sparkle". Big Macintosh looked around, hoping to see some sign of the poet.
Twilight took this as her cue. She had been hiding in the shadows off to the side, waiting for him to finish reading. Now that he had, she stepped into the light and spoke.
"Hello, Big Mac," she said.
He turned to face her. "Oh... um, hi," he said. "Miss Twilight, did you really write that?"
She nodded. "Yes, I did. And you can just call me Twilight."
Big Mac laughed nervously. "Okay, then," he said. "That poem was beautiful, by the way."
Twilight blushed. "Thank you. It was... inspired by you, you know."
Now it was Mac's turn to go red. "Oh, well, Ah had a feeling it was," he remarked. "Ah never knew you felt that way."
Twilight moved closer to him, close enough now that she could smell his scent: a mixture of fresh hay, sweet apples, and an underlying pleasant musk from his perspiration. If heaven had a smell, she suspected it would be very similar to Big Mac's aroma. "To be honest, I've liked you for a while now. You're a great stallion, Big Mac. You're big and strong, but you're so nice and gentle, too. Also, you're very handsome."
Big Macintosh now blushed even deeper. "Oh, Ah ain't nothin' special," he said modestly. "Ah mean, you're the one who's so smart and sweet and pretty."
Twilight giggled at the string of compliments. "See, that's what I mean," she said. "You're always so nice to everypony, Big Mac." She then leaned her face in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "That's why I like you."
"Well... Ah... Ah like you, too, Twilight. A lot."
"Oh, really?" Twilight grinned in the candlelight. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Unable to contain herself any longer, Twilight planted a kiss on his lips. Big Mac let out a slight groan of pleasure at the feeling of the mare's soft lips pressed up against his, and kissed her back passionately, now enveloped in her scent, a combination of floral shampoo and the sweet, earthy smell of the old books she was around all day.
After the kiss broke, they stood in silence for a moment.
"Ya know," Big Macintosh said at last, "one thing Ah can't figure out is how ya knew Ah like poetry. Ah never told told anypony about that except...." A look of sudden epiphany came across his face. His eyes narrowed. "AJ told ya, didn't she?"
"Well... yeah, kinda."
Big Mac shook his head. "Ah told her that was our secret."
"Well, at least she had good intentions," Twilight said reassuringly. "Now kiss me again; that was amazing."
Big Macintosh shrugged and did as he was told.