1 - Love's Shadow

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The setting sun just touched the horizon as Twilight and her friends boarded the train to Ponyville. Defeating King Sombra, saving the Crystal Ponies, and restoring the Crystal Heart had all been quite a lot of work, not to mention having to put on the Crystal Fair. Everypony was exhausted, but their spirits were high. Well, most of them.

As the train started moving, Applejack took a seat next to Twilight. “Congratulations, sugarcube! What you managed today was nothing less than amazin’.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Twilight answered, staring out the window. She hadn’t looked at Applejack since they boarded the train. One hoof sat on the windowsill while her head rested on it. All of the energy she had finding out she passed Celestia’s test seemed drained from her.

Applejack decided to probe a bit. “I mean, we did what we could, but it wouldn’t have meant anythin’ without you findin’ that Crystal Heart.” She put a hoof around Twilight’s shoulder and squeezed her, but before she could continue, Twilight seemed to twitch and pull away from her.

Applejack blinked, watching Twilight create space between them. She’d known Twilight to be uncomfortable with too much physical contact in the early stages of their relationship, but that was several moons ago. This was new.

But she’d also learned the hard way that the best thing to do was ask. “Did I do somethin’ wrong, sugar?”

Applejack could practically feel Twilight become tense at the word, ‘sugar’. The unicorn turned her gaze to the window. “I don’t know. Something just doesn’t feel right.”

“Well, let’s talk about it, then.” Applejack slid closer and moved to put a supportive hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, but Twilight’s magic stopped her.

“Please don’t,” she insisted. “I don’t want to be touched right now.”

Applejack scooted back away from her. “Alright. I’ll just…uh…give ya some space, then.”

“Thanks,” Twilight answered, still not looking at her.

Applejack stood up and walked to the other end of the train, where the rest of their friends were busy discussing the day’s events. “Did you seriously make a hat out of three pieces of hay and a drinking straw?!” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously. “That’s amazing!”

“Well, I had to do something,” Rarity answered. “I was out of materials and she wanted a hat!”

“Yeah, I can vouch for that,” Applejack added, joining the conversation. “Saw it for myself. It was very creative.”

Rarity blushed. “I work well under pressure. Um…” Rarity glanced over Applejack at Twilight, still absently watching the scenery roll by. “I don’t mean to pry, but is something the matter? We’d agreed to let the two of you have some time alone after everything that happened.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I thought you two would be over there being all mushy together until we got back to Ponyville. What gives?”

“Ya got me,” Applejack admitted. Hopping up onto the seat next to Rarity, Applejack turned up her hooves in a show of confusion. “She’s mad about somethin’, I can tell that much, but she’s all clammed up about it.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Rarity told her. She put a supporting hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll come around. Twilight adores you.”

Rainbow Dash whispered, “Uh, maybe not.”

Applejack followed Rainbow Dash’s gaze, turning around to see Twilight staring at her with one of the meanest scowls she’d ever seen on the unicorn’s face.

When she realized she was seen, however, Twilight’s features softened. She blinked, then started to look frantically around the cabin. “I…I’m sorry, I don’t know what….” She got up suddenly and stormed off towards the door at the rear.

“Sugar,” Applejack called to her, “That’s a cargo car!”

Twilight didn’t stop. She raced through the door and shut it behind her.

Rainbow Dash nodded to Applejack. “Okay, that was weird. Did anypony else notice it get suddenly colder in here, or is that just me?”

Twilight paced back and forth in the cargo car. Secured crates filled most of the car, taking up much of the space. The lighting was dimmer than in the passenger car as well. Worst of all, she was having difficulty silencing the voices in her mind.

She wanted to be happy. She and her friends had defeated King Sombra and saved the Crystal Empire. She’d passed her test from Princess Celestia. They’d even sung a song about her success. By all rights, she should be happy. So why wasn’t she?

“Good things are better when they’re a Rarity.”

“What the hoof does that even mean?!” she shouted to nopony. Back and forth, she walked, trying to get those stupid words out of her head, but they just wouldn’t leave. They were stuck in her mind, slowly festering as they played over and over.

There was something toxic in them and Twilight felt like they were poisoning her. Her feelings towards Applejack felt like they were rotting in her heart every time she thought about it. But whenever she tried to think of anything else, it was right there in the back of her mind. The words were invasive and intruded on her mind at every opportunity. It almost reminded her of….

Twilight stopped for a moment. She sat on her haunches, centered herself, and recited. “Princess Celestia moves the sun, Applejack and I have been together since just after the Gala, I work at Golden Oak Library, my BBBFF is married to Princess Cadance, and my assistant is a dragon named Spike.” Then she sighed and looked back at the door.

She was almost disappointed by the lack of difficulty remembering her past. She supposed that answer would have been too easy.

She needed somepony to talk to. Somepony to explain why these noxious words wouldn’t leave her mind. She was supposed to be talking to Applejack, but what was she supposed to say? “Applejack, I’m mad at you because of something you said that had nothing to do with me, but that I can’t stop obsessing over for some reason.” She tested the words in the empty car, but they just sounded crazy.

She needed to talk to somepony who might understand what she was going through. Ordinarily, she would talk to Rarity when she was having hurts, doubts, or misgivings about her relationship, but that certainly wasn’t an option. Perhaps it never should have been. If Rarity was going to twist a knife on her like this, then maybe it was a mistake from the beginning to--

“Why am I mad at Rarity?!” she shouted to the car. “She didn’t do anything wrong!”

Plopping onto the floor, she put her front hooves over her eyes as she struggled to think. Rarity was one of her friends. Applejack was her Very Special Somepony. She trusted them both and she knew neither would ever do anything to betray that trust. There was no reason for her to feel this way. Still….

“Good things are better when they’re a Rarity.”

If their relationship was good, then was she trying to say that starting one with Rarity would be better? No, that would be stupid. That wouldn’t fit the context at all. Rarity had been saying something, what was it….

“Good things are better when they’re a Rarity.”

No, that’s what Applejack said. What did Rarity say?

“Good things are better--”

Twilight realized she hadn’t caught it. She’d been so swept up in talking to Shining Armor and Cadance that it had completely slipped her notice. She sat up, took a deep breath, and focused her mind against the vicegrip on her heart. Maybe it made sense in context.

She should go ask Applejack what happened. That made sense. But what if Applejack didn’t tell her the truth? Or worse, what if Applejack was mad at her after the way she’d acted? Or worse, what if asking Applejack about it made her mad at her?

“I can’t believe after everythin’ we’ve been through together that ya don’t trust me. I thought you knew me better than that, sugarcube. Maybe askin’ ya out was a mistake! I’m hittin’ the wagon trail! Bein’ with ya’s been good, but good things are better when--”

Twilight shook her head. Enough of that sentence! Still, the last thing she could do was talk to Applejack. Maybe she could talk to Rarity? Rarity could tell her. Unless Rarity’s secretly hiding something and telling an honest answer would reveal it!

“Oh, of course it was harmless, darling. Absolutely harmless. Why, we were just discussing which kind of gems are more precious. By the by, I expect you to have your things moved out of Sweet Apple Acres by sundown. I’ll be coming by to pick up Applejack’s from the library. It’s nothing personal. She likes you, it’s just that good things are--”

“No!” Twilight stomped. “I am putting my hoof down. Good things are NOT better when they’re RARITY! Good things are just fine as TWILIGHT!”

“Um…I’m afraid I don’t know what that means,” Fluttershy whispered from the door. Twilight had no idea how long she’d been standing there watching her slowly melt down, but she immediately froze at the sound of her voice. “Could you elaborate?”

“Fluttershy?!” Twilight was abruptly aware of how frizzled her mane had become. “What are you doing here?!”

Fluttershy shrank down from Twilight’s question. “Well, we decided that somepony should come and talk to you. Rainbow Dash volunteered me because, she said, I work with out-of-control animals all day so this shouldn’t be any different.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “How kind of her.”

Fluttershy stepped towards Twilight. “Are you okay?”

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t want to…actually,” she realized, “this might be perfect! You can be Rarity for me!”

Fluttershy gasped. “No, I can’t. I don’t know the first thing about fashion.”

Twilight started pacing again. “I have this problem and I don’t know what to do about it. It feels like there’s this hollowness eating away at my heart. There’s this stupid set of words I can’t stop thinking about, and every time I look at Applejack or Rarity, they keep coming back. It’s like they’re poisoning me against my friends, and I don’t know how to stop it.”

“Oh, my. That sounds awful.”

“It is!” Twilight shouted. “I’m hurt and I’m angry and I don’t even know why. It was just a stupid thing Applejack said. It shouldn’t be bothering me this much.”

“So, why don’t you talk to her about it?”

Twilight stared bluntly at Fluttershy for a few seconds. “It’s not that simple.”

Fluttershy pouted. “Oh. Then I guess you’ll just have to live with it.”

“But I don’t want to live with it!” Twilight shouted again. “I want it gone. I want it to stop eating away at me. I want to stop feeling hollow inside.”

“Is being away from her helping you to stop hurting?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight hesitated. That was a good question. Was locking herself in here away from Applejack actually helping her, or was it just giving the sentence time to fester and claw its way deeper into her heart? “No, I don’t think it is.”

Fluttershy put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Then why don’t you come back out and spend time with your friends?”

Twilight nodded. “Maybe I should. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

Twilight followed Fluttershy back into the passenger cabin. On the far end, she saw Rainbow Dash teetering on her hind legs on one of the seats, emphatically saying something to the others. Pinkie sat on her haunches between the seats and seemed to be nodding along to the story, while Applejack and Rarity had the seat opposite Rainbow Dash. The two were still seated next to one another, with Applejack leaning back against the bench while Rarity sat forward, holding herself up with her front legs.

Before she even realized she was doing it, Twilight had estimated a measurement of 5 inches between Applejack’s front left hoof and Rarity’s hip. This bothered her, but once again she couldn’t quite place why.

Rainbow Dash fell forward onto her hooves. “So then I told him--hey, Fluttershy pulled it off!”

Fluttershy smiled sheepishly. Twilight picked up her pace as Applejack turned around, propping herself up on her hooves.

“Ready to talk, sugarccmf--” Applejack was abruptly silenced by Twilight stepping up on the seat with her front hooves and kissing her. Surprised, she tried to pull away, but Twilight matched her motion and pressed deeper into the kiss.

“WHOA!” Rainbow Dash shouted, raising a hoof to shield her eyes. “I was NOT ready for that!”

Rarity smiled and let out a quiet, “D’aww,” which was next to impossible to hear over the sound of Pinkie squealing.

After several seconds, Twilight broke the kiss and dropped back down onto the floor. Applejack blinked at her, then asked, “So does this mean ya ain’t mad no more?”

Sitting down just in front of the bench, Twilight shook her head. “I don’t know what I’m feeling right now,” she admitted. “I just knew I had to do that.”

Applejack nodded. “Well, we’ll work it out together. Care for a spot on the bench? I can scoot over.”

Twilight watched Rainbow Dash make room for Fluttershy and thought about it, but shook her head. “I’m happy right here,” she told her partner before laying her head on the cushion just in front of her. Applejack began to softly stroke her mane, and she was acutely aware that it was the left front hoof doing the task. Somehow, the hollowness inside of her seemed to abate. It was still there, but it had stopped actively hurting her. For however long it would last, it seemed satisfied.

Twilight and Applejack parted ways with the other ponies after getting off the train. Pinkie needed to check in with the Cakes and see how business was doing and what she’d missed. Rarity had to tend to her shop. Fluttershy’s animals needed her as they always did. Rainbow Dash had missed a day of weather and needed to catch up.

Everypony had their lives to get to. Twilight and Applejack were no exception. As they approached Golden Oaks Library with Spike, Twilight nuzzled Applejack’s neck. “Are you coming in?” she asked hopefully.

Applejack shook her head. “Nah, I gotta get goin’. Haven’t seen the family in a couple days, and Big Mac’s just this side of hopeless without me to keep his head on straight,” she joked.

Twilight nodded. “I understand. Go on inside, Spike. I need to say goodbye.”

“On my way,” Spike answered and headed for the door.

Once her assistant was out of earshot, Twilight looked back at Applejack. “Thanks for walking me home.”

“My pleasure, sugarcube. You comin’ by tonight for supper?”

“Of course, I am. Granny’s making her sweet potatoes. You know I wouldn’t miss those for the world.”

“Then I’ll see ya in a couple hours.” Applejack gave her a soft kiss, then teased, “For luck.”

Twilight’s face dropped. “I only did that once.”

“Never stopped bein’ cute, though.”

As the farm pony started down the road, Twilight felt the hollowness beginning to return. The rot began clawing away at her heart again while her stomach began to churn. “Applejack!” she called after her, trotting to catch up.

Applejack stopped and waited for her. “Somethin’ wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight answered truthfully. “I just…do you think we’ll make it?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What, dinner? Long as ya don’t show up too late, I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

Twilight shook her head. “I’m talking about our relationship. I love you, but I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time. Most of what I’ve read usually ends at those words. And there’s been….” The hollowness gripped her heart, preventing her from forming the words. She deflected, “I mean, we had that fight. That was pretty bad.”

Applejack smiled. “Listen, sugar. I know we ain’t exactly been a storybook romance. We got our troubles, but that’s the same as any couple. But so long’s we remember to talk about ‘em and keep our heads, we’ll surely do just fine. Love ain’t all we need to make it work, but I reckon it’s a good place to start.”

Twilight stepped into Applejack, resting her head against her partner’s neck. “Thank you. I need to hear that.”

Twilight closed her eyes, listening to soft repetition of Applejack’s breathing. Learning how to share a bed had been one of the trickier aspects of the relationship, she’d found. She had always thought that lovers were supposed to hold each other all night. There was a certain sweetness and romance about it that she’d been looking forward to. Early trial and error, however, had shown her that it wasn’t always logistically feasible.

Sometimes ponies moved in their sleep. Sometimes they talked or rolled or flinched. On one particularly error-filled occasion, Applejack had even kicked her in the hip with those powerful, apple-bucking hind legs of hers. She’d apologized profusely and Twilight had forgiven her, but she still had to limp for a week.

Sharing a bed could be surprisingly dangerous and sometimes it was best to simply give her partner some space. This was also easier to do in some beds than others; Twilight’s bed was small and could only fit two ponies when they snuggled up, but Applejack’s was larger. She thought there might be enough space for four, though it’d be a tight fit. Two was a comfortable fit; two and a half was also manageable when Apple Bloom had nightmares.

She had found she enjoyed snuggling with her partner when the opportunity arose. Her favorite spot, she’d decided, was right up between Applejack’s front legs. She’d rest her ear against her chest and listen to her heart. There was something comforting about the way it beat that made her feel welcome in ways she’d never even known existed before.

But on the nights where space was called for, she settled for the breathing. A few weeks ago when they shared a bed for the first time, Twilight had mistaken the breathing for snoring. She was startled to learn of her mistake one night when Applejack actually did begin to snore. She’d tried to bear it for the better part of an hour before she was forced to wake her.

The breathing was definitely not snoring, she now understood. She appreciated the breathing. She could lay her head down, stare into the apple print of the pillows, listen to her Very Special Somepony breathe, and gently be lulled into sleep. Usually. Tonight, however, was tainted by the same miserable emotion that had followed her home from the Crystal Empire. The hollowness clung to her insides and fought to keep her awake.

She spent the better part of the day wrestling with the hollowness. She thought she knew how to combat it now. It needed reassurance, she’d realized. A reminder that Applejack loved her and only her. “Applejack?” she asked in a whisper. “Are you awake?”

She heard Applejack’s breathing disrupt and a small snort, followed by, “Mm-hmm. I’m listenin’, sugar. Just restin’ my eyes.”

Twilight closed her eyes. “Did you know we’ve now been together for longer than we were platonic friends?”

Applejack yawned and nuzzled into her pillow. “Is that so?”

Twilight nodded. “This has become the standard for our relationship. Instead of comparing what we have now to what we had before, being a couple is the baseline our future experiences will be compared to. It will be interesting to see how….”

Twilight stopped talking when she realized the rhythmic breathing had returned. Applejack had faded back into the realm of sleep. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “We can talk about it in the morning.”

The hollowness was still there, but it seemed to have been eased a little by the conversation, however small it might have been. Twilight stared into the apple print and listened. Maybe sleep would find her now.

Twilight awoke to find herself alone in the bed. The moon hovered in front of the sun, blotting it out and creating a ring of light that seemed almost to shine across the plaza. She stepped down onto the cobblestones and followed the light until it brought her to the Carousel Boutique.

She opened the door to the Boutique and stepped inside, where she found that the walls were now lined with books. A small table sat in the center of the room with a roaring fire on it. Rarity’s assistant, Spike, held a small pan over the open flame.

“What are you making?” Twilight asked curiously. Spike held out the pan and showed her the sliced apples in it, soaking in a brown solution.

“They’re cinnamon-spiced,” he explained. “Gives them a little extra kick. That’s how she likes them.”

“That doesn’t sound right.” Twilight walked towards the stairs leading to the upper floor. “Have you seen Applejack? I’m supposed to meet her. It’s very important.”

“Everypony’s seen Applejack,” Spike answered, placing his pan back onto the fire. “Why haven’t you?”

“I don’t know if she wants to see me,” Twilight admitted, looking down at the floor. When she looked back up, Spike was gone. A long hallway stood ahead of her and at the very end of it, she could see an orange light. “Applejack?” she asked, but the light began to grow dimmer.

Twilight took off galloping into the hall. She had to reach Applejack. Her gut was screaming at her that if she didn’t get to the end, she might just lose the farm. How would she ever face Granny Smith again?

She felt a pair of eyes fall upon her in the tunnel, but she kept galloping for all she was worth. Finally, she exited through the other side and skidded to a stop on the crystal floor. The barn had never looked so immaculate before. Gone were the hay bales and pitchforks, now replaced by brilliant gemstones the size of three ponies put together.

The Crystal Princess Rarity turned to greet her as she entered. “Welcome, Twilight. Do you like what I’ve done with the place?” Her crystal wings flared up around her, illuminating the room. She stood two heads above Twilight and her crystal flank seemed to reflect every surface at once.

Twilight bowed to Rarity. “It looks beautiful. I’ve never seen the barn so shiny before.”

Rarity nodded to her. “Yes, it’s the first improvement I plan to make. This farm is so dusty and everything’s covered in mud. We must fix that immediately.”

Twilight hung her head. “I liked the farm the way it was, though.”

Rarity scoffed. “The dirt and insects may have been fine for you, darling, but Applejack can’t expect me to hang around like this. Some changes must be made to accommodate my lifestyle.”

Twilight nodded. That made sense, of course. “Can I see her? It’s very important.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “Why, whatever would you need to see Applejack for? I can’t imagine any business she might have with you.”

“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted, looking down. “I just need to see her.”

“Then you’re too late,” Rarity growled. “You had your chance but you didn’t take it.”

“That’s not true!” Twilight insisted. “I loved her! I’ve never loved anypony the way I loved her!”

Rarity snickered. “Maybe that’s your problem, then. How could you have been good enough to make her stay? You just don’t have the practice.”

Twilight closed her eyes. “That’s not true. I was….” She tried to find an answer but the words wouldn’t come.

When Twilight opened her eyes, Rarity was gone. The light of the sun was beaming in through the window. She rolled over, but found nopony beside her. To her dismay, she had the bed alone. Glancing across the room, she spotted the hanger that should have held Applejack’s hat, but it was empty.

Twilight blinked a couple of times, then she realized Applejack had probably gone down to get an early start. She was set for a busy day today after the couple she’d had off to visit the Crystal Empire.

Propping herself up on her front hooves, Twilight let out a long yawn, then stretched. The previous night’s dream was already starting to fade from her mind. She remembered something about cooked apples and…Rarity was made of crystal? Weird.

Still, something bothered her. It was something Crystal Rarity had said.

“How could you have been good enough to make her stay?”

Twilight shook it off, but even as the words faded away, the hollowness remained. Why wouldn’t it leave her?

She opened the door and started into the hall, but nearly tripped over a fast yellow lump streaking down the hall. She jerked back with a start, but the little filly paid no heed. “Mornin’, Twilight!” Apple Bloom shouted as she raced downstairs, saddlebags in tow.

Twilight shook her head. She still needed to get used to waking up in a crowded house with an excitable filly and a hard-working family. She only stayed about two or three nights each week, and it was just enough time to forget about the early morning hustle of the farm before her next stay.

Trotting downstairs and into the kitchen, she found a set table, a plate loaded with pancakes, and Applejack mixing up a storm at the prep counter. “Eggs up!” Big Macintosh shouted, pulling a pan off the stove. At the same time, Applejack dropped a pair of pans onto it and poured her mixture into each.

Big Macintosh rounded the kitchen table with his pan. Five places were set and each plate got a portion of scrambled eggs, after which the pan went straight into the sink.

The oven dinged and Applejack shouted, “Biscuits up!” She pulled one of her pans off the burner and flipped the spongy pancake inside it while Big Macintosh popped the oven open and pulled out a tray. The stallion kicked the door closed as he parted and Applejack replaced her pan on the stove, grabbing the other and flipping it.

Twilight silently watched the pair cook. There was a certain grace to the way they moved about the kitchen. The last time she’d tried to make breakfast, Spike was cleaning the kitchen until noon. She’d become so accustomed to having an assistant that she’d simply never developed the skill, but Applejack was a master of it and her brother seemed just as capable.

“Mornin’, sugar!” Applejack greeted her as she deposited another set of pancakes onto the plate at the center of the table. “Hope you’re feelin’ up to flapjacks ‘cause we made four batches of ‘em!”

Twilight giggled. “I see that. They look delicious.” She took her place at the table and watched the siblings finish up the last batch of pancakes. The mornings around the farm might be hectic, but they were certainly worth it, especially when she got to see her Very Special Somepony comfortable in her element.

I don’t want to lose this.

The thought came unbidden to her mind, but once it was there, it wouldn’t leave. She watched Applejack drop the last of the pancakes onto the plate in the middle of the table and tried to focus on how beautiful she looked, how comfortably she moved, the power in her steps, but it all just made the hollowness bite harder into her.

She was shocked back to awareness by Apple Bloom’s voice beside her. “Why do ya look so sad?” the little filly asked. “I thought ya liked flapjacks.”

Twilight wasn’t sure how long Apple Bloom had been standing there watching her. She felt a pang of guilt at bringing her dour feelings into this family meal. “I’m sorry,” she told Apple Bloom, flashing the best smile she could manage. “I was just thinking about something.”

“Anythin’ we can do?” Apple Bloom asked innocently.

Applejack dropped to her haunches on the other side of Apple Bloom, scruffing her mane with her hoof. “Leave her be, Apple Bloom. Crystal Empire was a rough ride, and Twilight got it worse than anypony.”

“Thank you,” Twilight told the sisters, then looked down at Apple Bloom. “I’ll be fine. I just need some time to think about a few things.” She levitated a couple pancakes onto her plate, then waited for Granny Smith and Big Macintosh to find their places. Once everypony was settled and had their food, she took her first bite and savored the taste of home.

As the sun approached its highest point, Twilight trotted up the road into Ponyville. The family had already started on their daily chores and Apple Bloom was off to school. It was now Twilight’s turn to head home to the library and get started on her own work. She had spells to practice and a few new books to read. She also needed to see if anything had come from Princess Celestia. She didn’t expect a new assignment this soon after the Crystal Empire, but recent successes were no excuse for lapses in diligence.

As she entered the town proper, she heard a voice call out to her. “Oh, Twilight! I’m glad I caught you.” Rarity and Fluttershy were headed down the road towards Fluttershy’s cabin, but the unicorn changed direction when she spotted Twilight. “Be a dear and let Applejack know that I’m terribly grateful for her assistance yesterday.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Assistance with what?”

“Why, my latest design, of course! I needed to see how it looked in motion and she was in the area, so I asked her to pose for me. It was quite a mess trying to negotiate that hat off of her head, but the results were absolutely fabulous! I couldn’t have done it without her. Do be sure to tell her I said thank you.”

Twilight blinked. “Oh, uh…of course I will.”

“Thanks ever so much. Now, I must be going. Fluttershy’s found the most darling flower pattern. Unless you’d like to come along?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, I’ve got to get back to the library. Thank you, though.”

“As you wish. Have a good day.” Twilight stood and watched Rarity saunter off to rejoin Fluttershy, feeling the hollowness begin to grip at her once more.

Applejack didn’t mention she ran into Rarity. Why would she lie to me?

Twilight tried to shake it off as she began trotting towards the library again. Applejack hadn’t really lied to her. She just hadn’t mentioned it. That was fine. It wasn’t like Twilight kept her apprised every time she spent time with one of their friends. It simply hadn’t come up.

She said she was going home to see her family. Why would she stop at Rarity’s?

But did she stop there? Rarity said she happened to be in the area. She might have just seen her passing by.

Applejack lied to me.

No, she did not! Twilight shook her head, trying to shake off these noxious thoughts that were intruding in her mind. At no point in their relationship had they ever made a rule about telling the other when they were spending time with somepony else, nor would they ever make a rule like that. In fact, it would violate the agreement they did make to never put their relationship ahead of their friends.

Her arguments made sense, her logic was sound, and her reasoning was flawless. So why was the hollowness still there inside of her? Why wouldn’t it just leave her alone? Twilight hated this new feeling. Applejack loved her, loved only her, and that was final.

But she might have loved Rarity more. I just got there first.

That was…well, there was no way to prove that. That would have to be good enough.

Twilight spent the day studying the new reading material Princess Celestia had assigned her. She was almost through the first book when there came a knock at the door. “Spike, would you get that?” she called downstairs.

After a few moments, an answer came back. “Pinkie wants to talk to you!”

Twilight descended the stairs to find the pink pony bouncing in the foyer. “Hello, Pinkie. What can I do for you?”

Pinkie grinned. “I’m having a Welcome Home to Ponyville Party tomorrow night at Sugarcube Corner! It’s to welcome us all home to Ponyville! But don’t tell us.” Suddenly, she was right next to Twilight, whispering in her ear. “It’s a surprise.” She giggled, then bounced back towards the center of the room. “So, can you make it?”

Twilight laughed. “Of course I’ll be there.”

“Great! And remember: don’t tell any of us. Especially Pinkie. She’s such a blabbermouth!”

Twilight shot a look at Spike, who simply shrugged and went back to the kitchen. “…I’ll be sure not to tell Pinkie.”

Pinkie perked up all of a sudden. “Tell me what?”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Have a good night, Pinkie.”

“Applejack!” Twilight shouted in the dark. “Where are you?” Frantically, she galloped down the hall, chasing the ever dimming orange light.

“Whatever seems to be the rush?” Rarity’s voice asked in the void. “It’s not like you have the space for her anyway.”

“I’ll make room!” Twilight shouted back at her. “I can find space.”

Rarity’s voice snickered. “Darling, you don’t expect her to sleep in that dingy little thing you call a bed, do you?”

“I can start using the guest bed,” she offered, though she felt a pang of hurt at the thought of giving up her own.

“Well, that would certainly be a start. Why, just look at your mane. It’s so unkempt!”

Twilight looked down. “I’ve been sleeping….”

“And your hooves! When was the last time you got a hooficure?!”

She bit her lip. “I did a lot of sliding at the Crystal Empire. It was important.”

“And that’s before we even get into your skin, dear. I don’t want to tell you how to exfoliate, but I will tell you that maybe you should start. Can’t imagine how you think you can keep a pony like Applejack when you aren’t even willing to make the slightest effort to look good for her.”

Twilight took a step backwards, glancing around in the dark. Once again, she felt a distinct pair of eyes on her, as if she was being studied from a distance. “Why are you saying these things? Where’s Applejack?”

But the voice never answered. Twilight tried to find the orange light, but it had gone dim. She began to gallop in the direction she thought it had been, but no matter how far she ran, she found nothing. “Come back!” she shouted into the hall, but there was no answer.

She kept going until she started to feel something in the air wrap around her hooves. She fought and wrestled with the substance, wresting it from her and, with a yelp, crashed onto the floor below. Her blanket tumbled around her while her pillow remained tauntingly on the bed above.

Levitating the blanket off of her and replacing it on the bed, she rubbed the shoulder she’d landed on and took a look around. The moon was still in the sky and was just beginning its descent, which meant it was still hours before morning. She briefly considered returning to bed, but the idea left a sour taste in her mouth.

She lit her horn to illuminate the room, then began the process of tucking her blanket in. She wasn’t getting any more sleep tonight, she decided. Instead, she walked slowly around the bed, carefully examining it. She climbed on top of it, then shifted over to one side. She made a mental note of where she fit, then shifted to the other side and tried to squeeze in. Applejack was about her size, maybe a tiny bit larger from all the meat on her bones. She could estimate about how much space she’d need.

Applejack had spent a couple nights at the library already but they’d always had to squeeze onto the bed. Those were the nights where cuddling was mandatory. She still had that larger bed downstairs, but she liked her bed. Doing the calculations, however, she wasn’t sure it was fair to Applejack to make her squeeze in like this. Then again, Applejack had never complained.

She dropped off the bed and sat down by the window, levitating a quill and a sheet of paper to her. Glancing back at the bed, she began to sketch. She estimated the bed’s length and width, then added her own measurements to it before calculating Applejack’s.

Looking off the edge of her bedroom loft, she started to wonder about the rest of the library. Perhaps the bed wasn’t the only thing that could stand to be more Applejack-friendly. Levitating a few more sheets of paper, she headed downstairs to the table and set to work.

The sun had just made it above the horizon when Rarity clicked the latch on her door. Pinkie’s Top-Secret-From-Herself party was tonight and that meant stopping in at the spa first thing. Her mind was filled with beautifying regiments she intended to undergo when she heard a voice call out to her from across the way.

“Good morning, Rarity!” Twilight stepped down off a bench and trotted over to her.

“Good morning.” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Were you waiting for me?”

Twilight waved off the question with her hoof. “Only for three hours, sixteen minutes, and thirty-two seconds. That’s not important.”

Rarity stared bluntly at Twilight for a moment, then carefully stated, “If this is an emergency, darling, you could always knock.”

Twilight shook her head. “No emergency. I just thought you’d probably be going to the spa and I should probably go to the spa and maybe we should go to the spa together. Let’s go to the spa!”

Rarity blinked. “You sat outside my home for three hours in order to invite me to the spa.”

Twilight nodded quickly. “So let’s go.”

She started to turn, but Rarity stopped her with a hoof on her shoulder. “Darling. You’re clearly not yourself. Come inside and let’s talk about what’s bothering you.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Twilight insisted. “Can we just go to the spa? Please?”

Rarity narrowed her eyes, studying Twilight for a few seconds, then asked, “Is this about Applejack?”

Twilight blanched. “…I….”

Rarity sighed. “You’re not having another fight, are you? Because I still have nightmares about the last time you were on the outs with each other.” She gave a full-body shudder.

“No, we’re not fighting. I just….” Twilight took a step back and started glancing around. She seemed strangely evasive.

Rarity wanted to press, but she knew that look only too well. She’d tried to warn Applejack about this before, though the words hadn’t quite come out right. She suspected she may need to try having that talk again with cooler heads. “It’s okay. If it’s too hard to say, then you don’t have to. Just know that I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”

Twilight nodded with a smile. “Thank you.” Twilight looked down sheepishly, then offered, “…I want to look good for Applejack tonight.”

Rarity started walking. “Of course, you do.” As she expected, Twilight kept up with her. Rarity knew Twilight was about the same age as the rest of them, but whenever the topic of Applejack came up, Rarity had begun to feel like an older sister to her. Twilight was developing real feelings for Applejack, and that posed a significant danger to all of her relationships. Somepony needed to guide her through the emotional roller coaster she’d embarked on, and it certainly wasn’t going to be Rainbow Dash, now was it?

Besides, it was good practice for whenever Sweetie Belle reached that point in her life and became interested in somepony. Preferably at a younger age than Twilight had; Rarity couldn’t even imagine going through all the hurdles of first love as a full-grown mare. She’d realized from the start that Twilight’s relationship was a time bomb ticking down to disaster. She wasn’t sure if it had finished detonating yet, but that first blast had somehow managed to exceed expectations.

Per their usual routine, Fluttershy was waiting for Rarity as the two approached the spa. “Good morning, Twilight,” she greeted. “Have you come to join us?”

Twilight nodded. “I thought it might be a good idea to get a hooficure and…uh…other treatments?”

“Don’t worry,” Rarity told her. “We’ll help you. By the end of today, you’ll be glamorous!”

Yes, Rarity decided. Twilight was very much like a younger sister around the subject of Applejack. Throughout their spa visit, it had been impossible to shake her. Seaweed wrap? Twilight’s getting one too. Mud bath? Make sure there’s one for Twilight. Pony pedi? Twilight had been nervous about her hooves at first, but she volunteered this time without a second’s thought the moment she found out Rarity was getting one.

This morning had started off strange and was just getting downright eerie. “Twilight,” Rarity insisted, “you don’t even like having your horn polished. You’ve told me that multiple times. I had to promise to help you alphabetize the library to get you to even try it.”

“Sure,” Twilight admitted, “but I want to look my best tonight.”

“With all due respect, so far your best has been following me around like a shadow. Applejack loves you just fine with split ends, uneven eyelashes, and a dull horn. She’s certain to be impressed by the treatments you’ve already had.”

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t want split ends and a dull horn. I want to look beautiful for her, and I had some other ideas but I need your help with them.”

Rarity sighed. She mentally set her countdown to disaster for “Brace” and acquiesced. “If that’s really what you want, then who am I to argue?” Some lessons could only be learned on their own.

As she trotted into Ponyville, Applejack made a mental checklist. She had her hat? Check. Ponytail? Check. Eeyup, she was ready for the party. All she was missing was her date. She’d stopped by the library earlier, but apparently Spike hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Twilight all day.

Rounding a corner, she started towards Sugarcube Corner. She spotted Rarity and Fluttershy up ahead, chatting with some strange new pony she’d never seen around before. Curious, Applejack trotted over to investigate. Her hooves were polished to the same reflective gleam as Rarity’s and her dark blue mane was curled up in the same fashion as well.

Rarity was dressed in a purple gown with a gold trim and green frills. Her guest had a very similar design on, but it was primarily orange with purple frills. From a distance, Applejack guessed it was probably some cousin of hers that must have been in town to visit.

As Applejack approached, the mysterious new pony seemed to light up at the sight of her and an awfully familiar voice exited her snout. “Good evening, Applejack!”

“Evenin’, y’all, I—HEAVENS TO BETSY, you’re Twilight!” Applejack jerked back at the recognition. Her eyes scanned desperately over Twilight looking for something, anything familiar in her.

Twilight smiled wide and took an elegant step towards Applejack. “Do you like how I look? I spent all day on it.”

“Uh….” Applejack looked up at her curled mane. “Did…um…did ya do something to--with! Did ya do something with your mane?”

Twilight turned her head to the side, trying to flip her mane over her shoulder, but it wound up knotting around her neck instead. “I had it done at the spa today. Do you like it?”

“Like’s a strong word.” She hadn’t meant to say it, but it just slipped out. She couldn’t take her eyes off the monochromatic blue of Twilight’s hair. “What happened to your stripes?”

“I had them dyed. …you do like it, don’t you?”

Applejack circled around Twilight. Sure enough, the stripes were missing from her tail as well. She shot a glance at Rarity for help, but the sunken look and slight shake of the head she got in return told her she was up a creek on this one.

Twilight shook. “You don’t like it.”

“I didn’t say that!” Applejack insisted. “Ya look…well….” She sighed. Some ponies could come up with a sweet lie on the spot, but it had never really been her talent. “You look like ya lost a fight with Rarity’s mane curler.”

Twilight smiled sweetly. “Thank you. I tried to curl my tail too, but it was too stubborn and there just wasn’t any time left. Come on, let’s get inside. I can’t wait for everypony to see me!”

Receptions were about what Applejack expected. Fluttershy and Rarity had watched this disaster occur, but Rainbow Dash’s jaw hit the floor when she spotted Twilight. While Twilight made small talk with Fluttershy, Applejack overheard Rainbow Dash hissing to Rarity, “What did you do to her?!”

“She did this to herself,” Rarity hissed back. Rainbow Dash stared blankly at her as though trying to find an explanation in her face, to which Rarity followed up with, “I don’t know.”

Slipping away from Twilight, Applejack joined their conversation. “So I ain’t the only one finds this weird, right?”

Rarity nodded in agreement. “You should have seen her at the spa today. She did everything. She even got a horn polish.”

“She dyed her stripes out,” Applejack complained. “Why would she do that?”

Rainbow Dash insisted, “Somepony needs to talk to her.”

Applejack nodded, glancing over her shoulder at Twilight. She was still enraptured by her talk with Fluttershy. “Yeah, but that ain’t going to be a fun talk for which of us does it.” She looked back at the group and found both Rarity and Rainbow Dash giving her fish eye. “…what?”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Given that only one of us is Twilight’s Very Special Somepony, I should think the matter of who has this talk with her should be obvious.”

Rainbow Dash stepped forward and started pushing Applejack towards Twilight. “Sorry, AJ, but you’ve got the short straw on this. Good luck!”

“And so then I told her--oh, Applejack!” Twilight gave her partner a quick nuzzle upon noticing she was back. “I was just telling Fluttershy about a wonderful conversation I had with Bon Bon the other day.”

“Yeah, you mentioned,” Applejack answered her. “Uh…hey, Twi, do you think you and I could talk for a--”

“Oh, look at the time.” Fluttershy whispered. “She’ll be here any minute. We need to get to our places.”

Applejack was simultaneously grateful and disappointed for the interruption. She and Twilight stashed themselves behind the counter and waited, while the other three found hiding places of their own. Twilight took advantage of the opportunity to steal a kiss, but as much as Applejack appreciated it, it just didn’t feel right.

After a few minutes of hiding, a set of hoofsteps approached the door. As soon as the door opened, everypony leapt from hiding and shouted, “SURPRISE!!!”

At the door, Pinkie Pie gasped in shock. “Oh, my gosh!”

Rainbow Dash blew a party popper that exploded into confetti while balloons started to fill the room.

“This is so unexpected!” Pinkie shouted.

“I know.” Twilight agreed. “What a lovely surprise. Thank you, Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie grinned. “You’re welcome! It was--” She stopped suddenly, then squinted her eyes and stared at Twilight. “Wait a minute. I don’t remember inviting an evil Changeling Rarity.”

Before Twilight could answer, Rarity cleared her throat and stepped forward. “I think Twilight looks lovely. Wouldn’t you agree, Pinkie?”

Pinkie’s eyes went wide with recognition. “Ohhhhhh. Why do you look like an evil Changeling Rarity?”

“So, Pinkie,” Applejack interrupted. “How did ya manage to find so many balloons so quick?”

Pinkie smiled wide. “That was easy! I buy them in bulk.”

“Bet ya can’t blow one up in one breath.”

“WATCH ME!” With that, Pinkie vanished to the back of the store to grab some excess balloons.

“Very smooth,” Rarity complimented Applejack.

Pinkie’s party lasted well into the night. Applejack struggled multiple times to find a moment to talk to Twilight, but it just seemed impossible with everypony around. Twilight seemed to be enjoying herself, so she figured that might just be good enough for tonight. She’d all but given up when Twilight sidled up to her and asked, “Can we talk? Alone?”

Applejack blinked. “Sure thing, sugarcube.” She followed Twilight into the back of the store. “Glad ya asked ‘cause I’ve been wanting to-mmf!” The moment the door clicked shut, Twilight was right in her face, kissing her. While not entirely unwelcome, it did come as a shock to Applejack, who pulled away and broke the kiss. “What in tarnation are--” She stopped suddenly, watching Twilight take a couple steps back and then collapse on the ground, beginning to cry.

Applejack sighed, then stepped forwards and tried to stroke Twilight’s mane. The curls made it all but impossible, so she settled for spot on her partner’s shoulder. “C’mon, Twi. Talk to me.”

“I can’t,” she whispered.

“Please, sugar,” Applejack urged her quietly. “I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Twilight shook her head, sobbing out the words. “I can’t tell you. I can’t.”

Applejack caught motion in her peripheral vision and looked up to find herself staring at a rock the size of two hooves put together. Clasping the stone were a familiar set of pink hooves belonging to an interloper she’d half-expected to find her way in here.

In a deep, guttural voice, Pinkie gestured at Twilight with the rock and whispered, “Yesss. Hide your feelings. Keep your secrets. Your turmoil gives me POWER!”

“Would you get out of here with that!” Applejack shouted at her. Pinkie backed off and whisked out the door. Once it was closed, Applejack turned back to Twilight. “Pinkie’s a mite insensitive but she ain’t wrong. You’re supposed to be sharin’ your feelin’s with me.” She lifted up Twilight’s chin with her hoof. “Way we are now, ya know I got a right to ‘em. Even the bad ones.”

Twilight sniffed and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she nodded. “…what do you think about Rarity?” she asked.

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief, looking around the storeroom. “Land’s sakes, Twilight, is that what all this is about? You’re worried me and Rarity don’t get on well? I know we ain’t got nothin’ in common on the surface but friendship’s supposed to run deeper than what y’all do for a livin’. Rares might be a bit prissy, but she’s also kind and gentle and always lends a hoof to help a pony in need, even when it might scuff her hide or chip her hoof to do so. Ya don’t need to dress up all prissy to make me see that. I already have loads of respect and admiration for who she is and what she does.”

“Oh,” Twilight squeaked out. When Applejack looked back down at her, she’d expected to see a smile but instead, Twilight looked as if she’d just found out her pet owl was dead. There was a sullen horror in her eyes and an eerie stillness to her movements as she slowly stood up. She had stopped crying but her mood wasn’t improved; if anything, she seemed beyond the point of tears.

“Twi, what is it?” Applejack asked, concern dripping from her voice.

“I have to go,” Twilight answered. She trembled, then opened the door and ran from the room.

“Wait!” Applejack shouted, but Twilight magically closed the door behind her before she could follow.

Rarity opened the door for Applejack, who stepped out into the party. The festivities had stopped with Twilight’s race through the room and now all eyes were upon the farm pony. Rarity asked, “What just happened?”

Applejack shook her head. “Your guess is as good as mine, Rares. She kissed me and then she just started cryin’.”

“I was afraid of this,” Rarity whispered.

“Well I certainly wasn’t!” Applejack shouted. “What in Equestria is goin’ on with that mare?!”

“You are,” Rarity answered her. “Twilight is so in love with you that she can’t think straight, and it’s beginning to affect her behavior.”

“I love her too,” Applejack answered. “Consarnit, I loved her first. Ya don’t see me acting this way.”

“Of course not. You and I have both made our mistakes in the past, as has everypony else in this room.”

Fluttershy raised a hoof. “If you’re talking about romance, then I haven’t.”

“Noted,” Rarity answered her. “Point is, we earned our scars, learned our lessons, and moved on with our lives. We became more emotionally mature ponies, learned to temper our feelings, and became capable of acting on our emotions without completely being overtaken by them.

“Twilight, however, grew up isolated from other ponies. You have to understand that it is very likely you are the first pony she has ever had these kinds of feelings for.”

“I know that,” Applejack countered. “Why does everypony think I don’t know that? I already had this talk with Princess Celestia. Ya don’t know awkward ‘til you’ve looked her royal majesty in the eye and had a one-on-one heart to heart about smoochin’ on her favorite student.

“Twi’s sheltered. She’s so sheltered, her shelter was sheltered. Like a layer of pie tins all stacked on top of one another, and she’s the apple slice at the bottom. I know this better than any of y’all ‘cause I’ve actually been inside her shelter. Forty feet off the ground, wall to wall books as far as the eye can see, and a great big window takin’ up a quarter of the wall so she can look out and see the world she ain’t takin’ part in.”

Rarity stepped sternly forward, looking Applejack in the eyes. “Then you should understand the predicament. I brought this up before but I was absolutely terrible in the way I approached it. I’m still sorry for that. But the point remains relevant: Twilight is likely experiencing all of these feelings for the first time, Applejack. She may be a full-grown mare like the rest of us, but in matters of love, she has a filly’s heart.

“Think back to your first love and how you handled it. Every raw emotion is hitting her with all its might, and she has no idea how to manage it. Now, I've been waiting for her to, at some point, become unbearably clingy towards you. I expected that to be the extent of it, but after all, she is Twilight Sparkle. She always goes above and beyond expectations.”

Applejack needed time to stew on that. She turned to Pinkie and uttered, “I’m sorry we ruined your party.”

Pinkie didn’t look upset, though. Concern was blazing in her eyes. “Is Twilight going to be okay?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Applejack answered. “Thanks, Rares. Ya gave me a lot to think about. I should probably get goin’, then. Have a good night, y’all.”

Without another word, Applejack left the sweets shop and headed for the farm. Twilight seemed like she wanted to be alone, so Applejack would give her that time. She’d find her in the morning and see if she was willing to talk again.

Twilight paced frantically in the library. The mane was a mistake. She saw that now. Applejack was very polite about it, but she’d clearly hated it. Worse, she might have even pushed Applejack and Rarity closer together, if her answer was anything to go by.

She helped me do it, too. Of course she helped me do it. I humiliated myself in front of Applejack and she helped me do it!

She crumpled a pair of diagrams she’d made of herself with Rarity’s coiffure. What was she even thinking?! She tossed those into the fireplace, then turned back to the chart she’d hung on the wall. She’d graphed out Applejack and Rarity’s proximity to each other in group hangouts over time since she’d come to Ponyville. It was based on memory, but it was the best she could do. She added another data point based on that conversation she and Rainbow Dash had with Rarity while Twilight was talking to Fluttershy.

She levitated a sketch of herself and Applejack together that she’d color in with paints. It was sloppily done but the point was the color schemes. Purple and orange. Were those a good match for each other? Rarity would know, but Rarity wasn’t here and Rarity couldn’t be here because then Rarity would know.

She glanced over at her eye chart. Applejack and Apple Bloom had green eyes, while Granny Smith and Big Macintosh had red eyes. But her eyes were purple. Maybe there was a spell that could turn her eyes a different color, but which color? Green or red?

“Spike!” Twilight called out. “Spike, I need your help!” She waited for several seconds, but no answer came. She trotted upstairs to see if he was sleeping, but as she reached the bedroom, it was strangely absent. Instead, there was a long, black hall with an orange light at the far end.

“Wait, this isn’t right.” Twilight turned to go back down the stairs, but they were mysteriously absent. She was alone in the tunnel with only the light to guide her. She knew now what she’d find at the end. Crystal Princess Rarity was waiting for her, possibly with Applejack. She started galloping towards the orange light, but the closer she got, the farther away it seemed.

“Have you found your answer?” Rarity asked in the dark. “What makes you more deserving of Applejack than me?”

Twilight felt the strange eyes upon her once again, but she ignored everything and kept galloping. She tried to block out everything and just focus on getting to Applejack.

“You’ll never keep her without an answer, darling. She’s better off with me. You know it, I know it, everypony knows it. It’s only a matter of time before she sees it too.”

“That’s not true,” Twilight whispered to herself as she ran, but the hollowness gripped her heart despite her words. She didn’t even notice that she’d started to cry, but as soon as the first tear hit the ground, a bright light illuminated the tunnel.

“What is--” Rarity began, but she was abruptly silenced. Twilight stopped and looked up, only then noticing the tears in her eyes as a mighty alicorn with a star-spotted mane emerged from the white space.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight shouted. She gave the princess a courteous bow.

“Good evening, Twilight,” Luna greeted her. “I apologize for the interruption, but I’ve been watching you have this same dream each night. It seems to be taking quite a toll on you each time, but I’m not sure I understand the meaning behind it. Could you explain it to me?”

Twilight blinked and slowly began to compose herself. This was a dream. Of course, this was a dream. What else would it be? She must have fallen asleep in the library while working on her diagrams. If she could just--

“Twilight, focus,” Luna snapped her back to the dream. “Don’t try to wake up yet. This is important. I need you to explain the meaning of this dream that’s been haunting you.”

Twilight blinked. “Right. I’m sorry. Well, the orange light seems to represent Applejack.”

“Oh, I remember her.” Luna smiled. “I believe you called her one of the most likable ponies in Ponyville, if I recall correctly.”

Twilight nodded. “She’s my Very Special Somepony.”

“That’s it,” Luna realized. “That was the piece I was missing. Thank you.” She cleared her throat. “Twilight, jealousy is a dangerous toxin. Once planted, it grows within you and it taints every experience you have. It works through you like a virus and turns you against those you love the most.”

Twilight shook her head. “I’m not jealous.”

“Are you not?”

“No,” she insisted. “Applejack loves me. My friends all care about me. My brother and Cadance are there to support me and I have a wonderful new family with the Apples as well. I’m doing great in my studies and I think Princess Celestia is really proud of me.”

“She is.”

Twilight nodded. “Everything in my life is wonderful. What could I possibly have to be jealous of?”

“That,” Luna answered, “is an excellent question. It’s one that I believe you should take some time to really think about. Until you find your answer, I’m afraid these dreams will likely keep coming.”

The bright light shone, illuminating the hall and revealing the Crystal Princess Rarity. She was still frozen in time, her sneering snout open in mid-sentence. Luna continued, “This is not a foe I can defeat for you. Only you can face this enemy and overcome it.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you, Princess Luna. I’ll find my answer.”

Luna smiled, then backed away into the folds of reality. “Very well. I will be watching.”

Twilight woke in the dim light of the library. She lifted her head up and felt one of her charts stuck to the side of her face. Telekinetically pulling it off, she had a look around the room. Luna told her that she needed to answer the question. It was very important. And the question was…?

“What makes you more deserving of Applejack than me?”

That’s right. She remembered the Crystal Princess Rarity demanding that of her. Trying to imitate Rarity was a mistake, she knew that now. She shouldn’t be trying to recreate what makes Rarity special to Applejack. She should be emphasizing what makes her special. If she could find something that made her more special than Rarity, that made her a better partner than Rarity could be for Applejack, then that would be her answer.

She would do that. She would absolutely do that. She would find her answer and defeat the Crystal Princess! The Rarity one. Not Cadance. She adored Cadance. Point was, she would definitely do that. But she’d do it tomorrow. Right now, she needed Applejack.

“Bet you ten bits you can’t knock down that tree!” Flutterdash snickered at Applejack behind her pink bangs while her rainbow tail swished casually behind her.

Applejack chuckled. “Make it twenty and I’ll do it in one kick.”

“You’re on!”

Applejack smiled, shooting a glance sideways at her wife. “Kiss for luck, Mrs. Apple?”

Twilight giggled. “Of course.” She took one step towards Applejack and the world shook with a loud bang. She took another step, which caused another bang. Applejack looked around, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from, and as Twilight took her third step, the world faded into pure black.

Applejack struggled to open her eyes. The pounding sound was still there and it seemed to be coming from downstairs.

Opening her door, Applejack spied Apple Bloom in the hall. “Get on back to bed,” she told her little sister.

She heard Big Macintosh downstairs, confusedly asking, “Twilight?” Applejack put her hoof to her forehead and sighed, then headed down to join him.

Twilight was standing in the living room looking absolutely frazzled. Her mane was unkempt and her eyes kept darting around the room until they found Applejack, then fixed on her. “I got this,” Applejack told her brother. “Go on and get some sleep.”

As Applejack came into the living room, she whispered, “Do ya know what time it is, Twilight?”

Twilight seemed to shrink away from the question. “I know. I’m sorry. I just needed to see you.”

Applejack gave her a frustrated sigh, but she remembered what Rarity had said. Twilight was dealing with raw emotions and was liable to make some plum stupid mistakes. She was angry, especially after all the weirdness from today. On a personal note, she was still a bit hurt that Twilight’s stripes were gone.

But there was a limit to just how mad she could be at her right now, given the circumstances. Watching Twilight stand nervously in her living room in the middle of the night with dyed hair clinging to her face, Applejack couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d done this to her. The guilt didn’t quite outweigh the frustration, but it certainly came close.

“Would ya step outside with me?” Applejack asked her, opening the back door.

Twilight’s eyes bulged. “Are you going to break up with me again?”

“What? No! I’m showin’ ya where we keep the spare key, so come on.”

Twilight followed Applejack to the back of the barn, where there were five hay bales alongside each other that never seemed to get moved. Applejack popped one of the bales up, revealing a small key underneath it. “Second bale from the right. Next time ya get a hankerin’ for a late night visit, don’t knock. Just come up and find me.”

Twilight nodded. “I will. I’m sorry. Thank you.”

Applejack gave Twilight a quick nuzzle. “Come on, let’s get to bed.”

Twilight nodded in agreement and followed Applejack upstairs. There was no telling what tomorrow would bring and tonight was way too late to talk about it, but Applejack was sure of one thing: whatever was going on with Twilight, they would figure it out together.

2 - Love's Lament

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Rainbow Dash blazed across the sky over Ponyville, punting clouds into vapor. She fought the urge to make a beeline for Sweet Apple Acres and instead opted for a ninety degree turn, straight into another cumulus. The other pegasi had done a fair job keeping the weather on schedule, but they weren’t exactly Rainbow Dash.

She zipped over Sugarcube Corner and beat her wings, sending a pair of clouds tumbling eastwards with the wind. Next, she lined up a straight shot and rocketed to the south, hitting five all lined up for her.

She kept up the pace, hitting one cloud after another until the skies over Ponyville were clear. Hovering in midair, she wiped the sweat from her brow and turned her sights towards the farm. It was time to go see how her wingmare was doing after last night.

She came in low over the farm and saw Big Macintosh pulling the plow. Granny Smith was out in the carrot patch, but there was no sign of Applejack. Zipping down towards the house, she landed on the porch and knocked on the door.

“Hey, AJ, you in there?” she shouted and knocked again. “Come on, we’re throwing horseshoes! You still haven’t beaten my record!” As the door started to open, she continued, “Plus we got to figure out what’s up with – TWILIGHT, HI!” All the color managed to drain from Rainbow Dash’s face when the purple unicorn answered the door.

Twilight smiled politely, holding the door open with her magic. “Good morning, Rainbow Dash.” Her mane was still straight purple from the previous night, but some of the curl had started to come out of it, replaced by stray ends and a flat spot where the pillow must have been. “Would you like to come in?”

Rainbow Dash took a step backwards, still processing Twilight answering the Apples’ door. She knew in her head that Twilight had begun sleeping here from time to time and had even seen a few of her books lying around Applejack’s room, but this was the first time it really clicked on an emotional level.

Over Twilight’s shoulder, Rainbow Dash could hear the sound of rummaging echoing through the house. Raising an eyebrow, she answered, “Maybe I should pass.”

Twilight frowned. “But I’m sure Applejack would be happy to see you.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Really, I’ll just--”

She was silenced by a loud pounding sound as Applejack dropped a jug of fluid on the living room floor. “Alright,” the farm pony announced, “we got vinegar. We got lemons. Let’s get her done.”

Twilight stepped aside. “Rainbow Dash is here to see you,” she told her partner.

“Huh?” Applejack looked up and spotted Dash through the door, who sheepishly waved a hoof. “Consarnit, that’s right, we was supposed to be playin’ horseshoes today. I’m sorry, Rainbow, but I’m gonna need a rain check on that. We got somethin’ of an emergency.”

Twilight blushed. “I promised Applejack that I’d let her try to wash the dye out of my mane and tail.”

Applejack nodded firmly. “I’m bringin’ those stripes back if it’s the last thing I do.”

Rainbow Dash shot a confused look at Applejack. “So…vinegar and lemons?”

“Granny’s idea. It’s an old family secret.”

Twilight stepped forward to explain. “As I understand it, the acids break down the dye so that it comes out easier.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “So, wait, Applejack’s going to burn your scalp off with acid to make you stop looking like Rarity? That sounds awesome! Hey, AJ, if I go get them to turn my mane purple, will you do me next?”

Twilight laughed. “It’s not going to be quite that dramatic. The acids just weaken the dye. There’s no burning involved.”

“Oh.” Rainbow Dash pouted. “Well, that’s lame.”

Applejack hefted the vinegar jug into her saddlebags. “Anyway, I’m sorry to run out on ya but the sooner as we can get this over with, the sooner we can hopefully get everythin’ back to normal. Twi, can ya grab the lemons?”

Twilight levitated the lemons with her magic. “I can probably take the vinegar too, if you’d like.”

“Nah, I got it.” Applejack pointedly hoisted up her saddlebags and started for the door. “I’ve handled much heavier loads than this.”

Rainbow Dash backed off the porch, fluttering into the air. “Well, I guess I’ll be off, then.”

Applejack nodded as Twilight stepped out to follow her. “Sorry again, Rainbow. Rain check. Tuesday work for ya?” Twilight stopped for a moment to nuzzle Applejack’s neck, giving Rainbow Dash a cold shiver.

With what enthusiasm she could muster, Rainbow Dash answered, “Yeah, Tuesday’s great. See you then.” With those words, she rocketed off.

She careened through the sky to nowhere in particular. What SHOULD have been a fun day with one of her best pals was now left completely open and she had no idea what she was going to fill it with. Now she was angry and hurt, and she had nopony to be angry or hurt towards. Again.

She hated this. She hated every minute of this. She’d thought Twilight and Applejack might have a little fling and then everything would go back to normal, but it wasn’t. That was moons ago, and they were still a couple. It felt like it was just getting weirder and weirder with each week that passed.

She hated the gooky looks they gave each other. She wished Cardinal hadn’t taught her how to recognize them so easily. She hated how hard it was just to get a few hours out of Applejack’s day that weren’t dedicated to either work, Twilight, family, or some group activity. She hated feeling this way about Twilight, because Twilight had been her friend before all this and now, more and more, she was just becoming AJ’s marefriend.

Most of all, she hated this hollow feeling that crawled out of her gut every time Applejack and Twilight acted mushy together. She wished everything could just go back to the way it was.

Idly, she noticed Fluttershy passing by below her. She’d drifted out over the cabin, it seemed. “Hey, Fluttershy,” she called down weakly.

“Oh, good morning,” Fluttershy answered, looking up. “How are you today?”

“Been better,” Rainbow Dash answered honestly. She thought for a couple seconds, then asked, “Hey Fluttershy, how are you at horseshoes?”

Fluttershy looked down at her hooves. “Um. I’ve worn them when I had to, but--”

“No, no, I mean throwing them!”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Why would you throw horseshoes?”

“Ugh!” Rainbow Dash grunted. “Never mind.” Frustrated, she took off back towards Ponyville.

Twilight stood under a waterfall while Applejack scrubbed her mane with her hooves. A light purple trail in the water told her it was working, but it might take a bit more of the remedy before she would see the familiar pink in Twilight’s mane.

“How is it coming?” Twilight asked.

“We’re getting’ somewhere,” Applejack answered her. “Tip your head out for a sec so I can squirt a bit of lemon.”

Twilight leaned out of the waterfall. Applejack lifted up a lemon and pressed it between her hooves, dripping the juice into Twilight’s mane. “Alright, back under the water.”

“Where did you learn to do this?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Granny taught me when I was a filly.” Applejack started scrubbing again. “Ya should have seen the trouble I used to get up to. Granny was at her wit’s end a time or two.”

“I have trouble picturing you dying your mane.”

“Yeah, well, ya didn’t know me back when. Time was, I got to thinkin’ I might make it as a big city pony. That was….” For the moment, Applejack was grateful to be behind Twilight so she couldn’t see the single tear that dripped down her face. “It don’t matter none. Point is, I had all sorts of youthful misadventures before I met ya.”

Twilight sighed. “I didn’t. I read about them, of course, but I just didn’t see the point. I had my studies to complete and my books to read when I wasn’t working on them.”

“What?!” Applejack stopped scrubbing for a moment to lean over and look Twilight in the face. The effect was lost, however, due to Twilight’s eyes being shut tight against the rushing waters. “Ya mean you ain’t the social pony of our group? I’ve been livin’ a lie!”

“Ha.” Twilight coughed out a single feigned laugh.

Applejack resumed her work. The pink stripe was now visible in patches, but the purple one was still masked by the dye. “For serious, Twilight, what possessed ya to do all this? It can’t just be ya thought Rares and I didn’t like each other.”

“I don’t know,” Twilight answered. “It’s stupid. You’d probably just laugh at me.”

“Well, now I’ve got to hear it.”

“No. It’s…it’s really personal.”

Applejack stopped scrubbing for a moment to stare sarcastically into the back of Twilight’s head. “Can’t be more personal than that time we--”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Twilight insisted. “I just--”

“Sugar, I know what you just,” Applejack answered her, resuming her scrubbing. “I just thought we were past all this secret keepin’.”

Twilight fell silent and for a few minutes, the only sound was the rushing of the waterfall and the scrubbing from Applejack’s hooves. She was making great progress with the mane. The purple trickles in the water were letting up as Twilight’s mane returned to normal. It’d be time to start on her tail soon.

It was Applejack who broke the silence. “Hey Twi, did I ever tell ya about my mama?”

“No. I’ve never heard you talk about your parents.”

“It’s a hurtful topic, so I don’t like to talk about it. My mama was an Earth Pony from Manehattan. She weren’t ever much for farmin’. She was a cook at a fancy diner, but she came on out to Ponyville ‘cause she loved my daddy a whole lot. We owe a lot of our cider recipe to her. She didn’t invent the drink, but she sure did perfect it.”

Applejack stepped back. “Your mane’s done.”

Twilight stepped out of the water and shook her head, trying to get some of the water out of it. “How do I look?”

“Well, the front of ya’s good as new. Let’s head downstream a bit, then we can get the vinegar into your tail.” Applejack led Twilight over to a nice, calm spot in the river. Twilight sat down on the bank while Applejack hefted up the vinegar jar and poured a bit out onto her tail. She began working her hooves through the long hairs, working the vinegar into them.

Once she was finished, Applejack trotted out into the water. Twilight moved over to the edge, sticking her tail into the stream so that Applejack could begin scrubbing it.

“Anyways,” Applejack continued, “The point I was gettin’ at is, my mama weren’t much of a farm pony, but she loved us all the same and we loved her more than anythin’.”

“What happened to her? If it’s okay to ask, I mean.”

“’Course, it’s okay. She got sick. Real sick. I don’t know much more than that. One day she was squeezin’ me and tellin’ me everythin’ would be okay and the next, she’s gone. Apple Bloom don’t know any of this; she was too young to remember, but it hit the rest of us hard.

“Especially my daddy. Losin’ mama just broke him. He quit the plowin’, quit the tendin’, even quit the parentin’. Then one day he went out on a delivery and he just never came back. Not a one of us ever heard from him again, and believe me, we’ve asked ‘round. Can’t prove nothin’, not really, but everypony knows he’s with mama now.”

Applejack took a deep breath, staring down at Twilight’s tail. She stopped scrubbing to process. “That was a long time ago. I ain’t never shared it with nopony. This is….” She sniffed and pushed back tears, then looked up from the tail to see Twilight looking over her shoulder at her. “This is a first for me, Twilight.”

“I’m glad you did,” Twilight whispered. “Thank you. You didn’t have to tell me this.”

“Yeah, I did.” Applejack started scrubbing again. “I love ya, Twilight. More than I’ve ever loved anypony, I reckon. I bared my soul just now ‘cause I don’t want no secrets between us. I want ya to take me as I am. Even the parts that hurt the most, I want to share that hurt with you.”

Applejack heard Twilight let out a faint sob and pulled back, returning her full attention to the scrubbing. She wondered if she’d pushed too hard, but her fears were soon put to rest when Twilight spoke up. “There was something you said back in the Crystal Empire. That’s what started all of this.”

Applejack perked up. “Somethin’ I said?”

“Yes. It’s been going through my head since we left. You said, ‘Good things are better when they’re a Rarity.’ I’ve tried and I’ve tried to figure this out, but I just don’t understand what that means. All I can think is that you were trying to say that Rarity’s…I don’t know. Prettier than me? Better?”

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s what’s been eatin’ ya? Sugar, Rares was hurtin’ ‘cause she’d just lost her Crystal Pony shine. My mama once told me that the reason we can’t have what we want all the time is ‘cause ya get too much of a thing, even a great thing, it stops bein’ so great. Even if it’s somethin’ ya love, too much of it becomes a burden on ya.

“Now, I like me some apple fritters. One of the finest dishes ever invented in all of Equestria. When I can, I’ll nip me up some fritters and have a fine, delicious dessert. But if I ate fritters at every meal, three times a day, I’d get sick of ‘em. They wouldn’t be special no more. They’d just be a borin’, regular ol’ meal.

“For just that little slice of time, Rares got to be a Crystal Pony, but what made it special ain’t the crystal. It’s that it ain’t what’s normal to her. Ya take my meanin’?”

Twilight nodded her head, then shot another look back at Applejack. “I think I do. Being crystal was special for her because of the way it interferes with her standard of normalcy. It was a unique experience.”

Applejack smiled, then started scrubbing Twilight’s tail again. “Eeyup. I passed on my mama’s wisdom ‘cause she’s my friend, and I wanted to try and cheer her up. Slippin’ her name in there was just a clever bit of wordin’ I came up with on the spot.”

“Oh.” Twilight hung her head. “That makes a lot of sense, actually. Now I feel silly for not talking to you about it in the first place.”

Applejack smiled, looking down at the tail between her hooves. The pink and purple were both starting to come through again, contrasted against the natural blue that was emerging. She was nearly finished. “It’s okay, sugar. You’re still learnin’, and I got to be patient with ya. I get that.”

After a couple seconds, Twilight asked, “Do you think I could ever become a burden?”

“Ain’t gonna lie, there’ve been some times ya ‘bout near drove me up the wall. Last night stands out for one. But that’s what happens. Bein’ together like this means havin’ a lot more of each other around and figurin’ out if we can actually stand that much. It ain’t all sunshines and roses. It’s takin’ an honest look at the good and the bad and figurin’ out if that’s somethin’ we want to live with the rest of our lives.”

“Oh.” Twilight shot another look back at Applejack. “Am I something you’d--”

Applejack cut her off with a scolding tongue. “Twilight Sparkle! I would not be out here scrubbin’ out your tail if I didn’t think you were worth every minute of it.” That answered seemed to appease Twilight, because she smiled sheepishly and returned to staring into the distance while Applejack worked.

After a few seconds of scrubbing, Twilight spoke up again. “I feel bad about Rainbow Dash. I didn’t mean to intrude on her time with you. Do you think we might have violated our Pinkie Promise this morning?”

Applejack shook her head. “Nah, I’m sure Rainbow’s fine. I’ll make it up to her tomorrow once I finish up in the West Orchard.” Applejack released Twilight’s soaked tail and took a moment to admire her work. “Tail’s done.”

Twilight stood up and swatted her tail, trying to get the water out. “Thank you. I’m sorry again for not talking to you sooner.”

Applejack stepped out of the river and shook herself. “Feelin’ any better?”

Twilight nodded. “I am. I think I’m going to be okay.”

Twilight found herself in the black hallway once more. She saw the orange light at the end of the hall, but this time she didn’t run. She strode confidently towards it until she heard the Crystal Princess Rarity’s voice.

“Welcome back. Have you found your answer?”

Twilight held her head high as she spoke. “Applejack was just trying to cheer Rarity up. This was all a misunderstanding. I have nothing to worry about.”

“Don’t you?” Rarity chuckled. “That’s cute.”

Twilight stopped and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Applejack wasn’t saying that Rarity’s prettier or smarter or better than me. What could I possibly have to worry over?”

A light filled the corridor and suddenly Twilight could see Rarity in all her shining glory. Beating her wings, she lowered herself to the polished marble floor. “Look at me, Twilight,” she commanded. “Do you feel beautiful next to me?” She reared up on her hind legs and flared her wings, letting the light shine off her crystal hide.

Twilight took a step backwards and raised a hoof to shield her eyes. “That’s not a fair comparison,” she insisted. “It doesn’t matter anyway!”

“Doesn’t it?” Rarity dropped back down on all hooves.

Twilight shook her head. “Applejack likes me for who I am. I don’t have to compete with you.”

“Is that right? Have you asked her?” Rarity smirked. “Because it seems to me that she went out to the river with you today because you weren’t pretty enough.”

Twilight’s heart sank. Rarity’s words struck a chord in her. Applejack had made a big deal about the stripes in her mane. “But,” she whispered, “she didn’t like me when I tried to look like you.”

“That’s because you can’t pull it off, darling. But I can and you know it.”

Twilight shook her head, looking for an answer. “No, you’re wrong, there’s…there has to be something about me that you don’t have.”

“Better find it fast,” the Crystal Princess teased. Twilight looked over and saw Applejack walking slowly away from her.

“Applejack!” she shouted. “Come back!” She took off galloping towards Applejack.

Rarity simply waved at her as she left and uttered a cheerful, “Toodles!”

Twililght pumped her hooves as fast as they would take her, but no matter how fast she raced after Applejack, her partner just seemed to get farther and farther away. “COME BACK!!!” she screamed after her, to no avail. Heedless, Applejack disappeared into the distance.

Twilight crashed out of her bed and scrambled to her hooves. She took a moment to get her bearings and, realizing where she was, immediately decided on what she had to do. The library faded into her vision as she scrambled down the stairs. Frantically, she lit a candle and levitated her data sheets to the table. She drew an X over the sketches of herself with Rarity’s curls and then floated a mirror over to closely examine her mane.

“Twilight?” Spike called out, slowly stumbling down the stairs. “What’s going on?”

Twilight cursed internally. She must have woken him up when she fell out of bed. “It’s nothing,” she assured him. “Go back to bed. I’m fine.” After a couple seconds’ consideration, she whirled around, shouting, “WAIT!”

Spike, however, was still standing right where he’d been, staring sarcastically at her. “Nothing. Right.”

“Spike, am I....” She took a moment to center herself and try to find the right words. “Would you consider me pretty?”

Spike walked through the question, his gaze now turned to the charts and graphs Twilight had laid out on the table. “What are all these for?”

“They aren’t important,” Twilight insisted, but Spike picked one up in his claws and raised an eyebrow.

“Estimated measurements of Applejack’s bone structure?”

Using her magic, Twilight snatched the paper from Spike’s claws. She swept up all the sheets and piled them together at the far side of the table. “Not important! Focus, Spike! Am I pretty?”

Spike scratched his head nervously. “I…I don’t know. I mean, sure, I guess so?”

“Prettier than Rarity?”

Spike laughed. “Twilight, nopony is prettier than Rarity.”

“UGH!” Twilight shouted, “You’re not helping!”

Spike put a claw on Twilight’s shoulder. “Twilight, what is all this?”

Ignoring him, Twilight levitated a hand mirror and began scrutinizing her reflection. Applejack had been incredibly thorough at getting the dye out, but that was something she’d expected from her. Her strong work ethic was one of the things Twilight admired most about her.

So what did Applejack admire in her? It couldn’t just be the way she looked, could it? She hoped Applejack wasn’t so shallow, but the more she thought about the way her partner had reacted to her new look, the more she began to worry. What if Applejack only liked her because she was pretty?

She had to admit, that would mean Applejack leaving her for Rarity might just be a credible worry. Rarity was gorgeous. And she was kind and compassionate and empathic. Who wouldn’t want to be with her?

“Spike, I’m empathic, right?” She looked up and spotted Spike creeping over towards the pile of papers. She floated them sideways, away from him. “SPIKE!”

“Uh….”

Glaring, Twilight shoved her head in Spike’s face. “I’M EMPATHIC!”

“Okay, okay! You’re empathic! Twilight, what is going on?!”

Twilight felt the energy start to go out of her. She sighed, laying her head down on the table. “I’m sorry, Spike. I just can’t stop thinking about Rarity.”

“What?!” He grabbed at her shoulder with his claws. “Twilight, you CAN’T! You-you already have Applejack and-and-and it’s Rarity! You wouldn’t do that to me, you couldn’t do that to me, please!”

“What?” Twilight looked at him for a moment, and then it clicked. “No, not like that, Spike. Calm down.” She sighed. “I just keep thinking about how pretty and nice she is. How can I compete with that?”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Why would you need to compete with her? She’s one of your friends.”

Twilight huffed. “You don’t understand.”

“No, I really don’t. What does any of this have to do with Applejack’s bone structure?”

“THAT’S PRIVATE!” she shouted. “Just…go back to bed, Spike. I have work to do.”

“Twilight, it’s barely even past midnight. You need to get some sleep.”

“Already slept. Good night, Spike.”

“What, for a couple of hours?” Spike tried to pull Twilight towards the stairs, but she wouldn’t budge. “You’re going to make yourself crazy staying up like this.”

“I’ll be fine.” More firmly, she added, “Good night, Spike.”

Sighing, Spike headed over to the stairs. He stopped just before ascending, shooting Twilight one last glance. “Rarity doesn’t shut out her friends when she’s hurting. Maybe start there.” Then he climbed the stairs, leaving Twilight alone.

She fumed for a few minutes, thinking about what Spike had said. She wasn’t shutting out her friends. She’d just talked to Applejack earlier today! She explained everything! The important parts, anyway. And it’s not like anypony else would understand. This was between her and Applejack.

Taking a deep breath, she started a new sketch. If Applejack liked her stripes so much, maybe she’d like a few new ones? But what colors? Should she ask her? Maybe provide a couple color palletes and she could choose….

CLANG

For the third throw in a row, the horseshoe struck the metal post and spun to the ground. Rainbow Dash glowed as she shouted, “HA! Beat that!”

“Nice throw,” Applejack complimented. “Wait ‘til ya see this one, though.” She lined up her shot and then lobbed her horseshoe. It sailed towards the post but went wild at the end, landing a few inches from the post. “Consarnit, I almost had that one.”

Rainbow Dash snickered. “This one’s in the bag!” She lobbed her final horseshoe, which landed almost gracefully around the post. She pumped her hoof victoriously.

“Good game, Rainbow,” Applejack told her. “Bet ya can’t keep it up.”

“YOU’RE ON!” Rainbow Dash zipped over to the post and began collecting the horseshoes.

Applejack trotted towards her to help. “Sorry I had to bail on ya yesterday.”

“Nah, it’s no big deal,” Rainbow Dash lied. “Stuff comes up. I get it.”

“Yeah. It’s just that things with Twi have taken a turn and--”

“Whoa whoa, hold on,” Rainbow Dash insisted. “This is my make-up day. I’ll talk to you about the farm, the family, work, whatever. Anything but Twilight Sparkle.”

Applejack glared at Rainbow Dash. She’d started to notice a few weeks ago that Rainbow Dash seemed to have something against her relationship, but it hadn’t really bothered her until just then. More and more, Twilight was becoming a larger part of her life and she had hoped that as one of her best friends, Rainbow Dash would support that.

A part of her wanted to bring it up right then and there, but Rainbow Dash was right. She did blow her off yesterday and she owed her a day to make up. As it was, she’d had to squeeze her into just a couple of hours between chores and supper, and she certainly didn’t want to spend that time bickering. Instead, she shrugged and started picking up horseshoes. “Alright, sure. So, uh…how’s the weather?”

Rainbow Dash grunted. “Ugh, you would not BELIEVE how much this stratus was fighting me this morning….”

“Good afternoon, little birdy,” Fluttershy greeted a small robin sitting just inside her bedroom windowsill. “How are you this morning?” The bird replied with a series of chirps, to which Fluttershy smiled. “That’s good to hear. What can I do for you?”

A knock at the door prevented Fluttershy from hearing the bird’s answer. “Excuse me,” she apologized to it and slipped downstairs to answer. Biting the knob, she pulled the door open to find Twilight Sparkle waiting on the other side.

Several hairs stuck out in places and Twilight’s sunken eyes suggested she hadn’t slept. She seemed to be fidgeting as she waited; her right hind leg was bouncing and her eyes darted around outside the cottage, refusing to remain fixed on anything. Fluttershy’s attention was immediately drawn to the pieces of paper Twilight had levitating beside her.

“Twilight?” Fluttershy asked curiously. “Are you okay?”

“Better than okay!” Twilight shouted. “I think I’ve solved this thing!” Fluttershy stepped away so that her friend could enter, and Twilight immediately began laying out her papers on the table. Each sheet had a different sketch of her mane with sloppily-applied colors added to them.

“What are these?” Fluttershy stepped over to examine the sheets. One had Twilight’s mane with an extra green stripe added next to the pink with a yellow stripe beside the purple. The second had alternating pink and purple stripes covering her entire mane. On the third, her stripes had been replaced by a series of alternating stripes forming the colors of the rainbow.

Fluttershy looked up and her eyes were immediately greeted by Twilight’s devilish grin. “Twilight, what is going on?”

Frantically, Twilight explained. “Applejack likes my stripes. That’s what I have that she doesn’t! I just need MORE. Which set looks better?”

“Oh, no.” Fluttershy shrank down from Twilight. “Am I still Rarity? I told you I don’t know anything about fashion. I think the stripes you have look nice already.”

“You’re no help either!” Twilight planted her face into Fluttershy’s table.

Carefully, Fluttershy approached her. “Why not just ask Rarity for advice? She could probably tell you.”

Twilight mumbled around the wood. “Cammdock Rirty.”

“I’m sorry? I didn’t get that.”

Twilight turned her head to look weakly at Fluttershy. “I can’t talk to Rarity. I tried to get her to help me the other day and you saw what happened.”

“Twilight, I was there. You made yourself crazy trying to do everything she was doing.” Fluttershy took another look at the sheets of paper Twilight had laid out. “All of this is for Applejack?” Twilight nodded, but said nothing. “Have you thought about asking her which one she’d like?”

“She’s out spending time with Rainbow Dash.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Surely, she’s not going to be spending all night with Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight shot straight up. “You’re right! I should go meet her!”

“Um….” Fluttershy started to speak, but then she saw how fragile Twilight looked and thought better of it. “Never mind.”

Twilight quirked her head to the side. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing, really.”

Twilight glared daggers at her, causing her to reflexively shrink into herself and step away. “Fluttershy….”

“It’s just…have you been working on this all day?”

Twilight nodded. “Yesterday too.”

Fluttershy rubbed the back of her head. “I was just thinking. Don’t you have assignments from the princess to do?”

Twilight drooped at Fluttershy’s words. The glare remained fixed on her face. “That’s…I mean, she hasn’t sent me much since the Crystal Empire. I’ll get to it, but this is important. We’re talking about my entire future, Fluttershy! Nothing is more important than this.”

“Nothing is more important than putting highlights in your mane? Twilight, you don’t sound like yourself at all.”

Levitating her sketches, Twilight huffed and marched for the door. “You wouldn’t understand,” she retorted angrily.

Fluttershy watched her leave, then took a look around her solitary cottage. “No, you’re right. I probably wouldn’t.”

Spike watched the sun approach the horizon through Twilight’s bedroom window. He tapped his claws impatiently on the windowsill. Twilight was supposed to be back tonight; it wasn’t one of the evenings she typically spent with Applejack. She was very meticulous about her schedule; he usually knew when she’d be gone.

This last week had been so strange. He still had no idea what her behavior the last night was about. Why was she being so evasive? And where had all those papers she’d had with her gone? She must have stashed them somewhere, but snooping through her room didn’t feel right.

Suddenly, he felt a bulge of magic inside his lungs. Stepping away from the window, he let out a burst of magic flame that coalesced into a letter with Princess Celestia’s royal seal. He knew at once that it had to be a response! Breaking the seal, he unfurled the scroll.

Dear Spike,
Thank you for writing to inform me of Twilight’s erratic behavior. It is good to know that you are still keeping a watchful eye over her. My sister Luna has also informed me that Twilight may be undergoing a stressful situation and is at risk of becoming irrational. Rest assured that we are monitoring this situation and are prepared to intervene if matters get out of hand.
I have faith that it will not have to come to that, however. Twilight has often proven herself to be a talented student and takes to her lessons very quickly, even the ones that can only be provided by life. It is my hope that these events will merely be another hurdle in that road.
Cadance has devised an idea that we all believe may help her. There will be another letter to follow once she has finished preparing. Please pass it along to Twilight and her friends when it arrives.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia

Spike set the letter aside. It wasn’t at all what he’d hoped for. He wanted the princess to fly down here and talk sense into her student like she’d done when Twilight enchanted that doll some moons ago. Instead, he found himself feeling helpless. Twilight was coming apart at the seams and there was nothing he could do.

Rainbow Dash’s words were still weighing on Applejack’s mind as she trotted through the gates and into Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow Dash was getting bolder about her disdain for Applejack and Twilight’s relationship, and it was beginning to grate her nerves.

Twilight wasn’t going anywhere. At least, she certainly hoped not. She prided herself on her ability to roll over, get back on her hooves, and keep right on going after a heavy loss, but maybe Twilight was different. With a bit of luck and a bit of work, she thought this might actually work out barring some hideous surprise or another. Even then, given the curveballs life had started chucking at them since Twilight came to Ponyville, her threshold for what constituted a hideous surprise was on the rise.

Rainbow Dash was going to have to deal with that, she decided. There might be times when she’d want Twilight to come with them on whatever adventure they were having or game they were playing. Would Rainbow Dash be okay with that? What if they got married? It was much too soon to start considering, but if it did happen, would Rainbow Dash just sit there and scowl through the entire thing?

Applejack huffed to herself. Twilight was about the best thing that had happened to her and Rainbow Dash was going to have to deal with that. Twilight was smart, she was kind, she was standing on the porch, she always seemed to know how to--

Applejack stopped suddenly, taking in the sight. Twilight was on the porch smiling at her and waving her hoof. She wasn’t supposed to be here, but she was. Applejack had seen an awful lot of unexpected Twilight this week.

“Bein’ together like this means havin’ a lot more of each other around and figurin’ out if we can actually stand that much. It ain’t all sunshines and roses. It’s takin’ an honest look at the good and the bad and figurin’ out if that’s somethin’ we want to live with the rest of our lives.”

She felt a tremor in the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t sure if it was nerves or something else, but Twilight’s presence on the farm again so quickly had rattled her. Meanwhile, the fact that it even bothered her at all set off entirely different pangs of guilt and self-reflection. Was more of Twilight a bad thing?

“Uh, hey, sugarcube,” she awkwardly greeted her. As she got closer, she noticed the bags under Twilight’s eyes and the unkempt hairs sticking out. She swallowed hard. Clearly, the unicorn wasn’t feeling any better from yesterday. If anything, she actually looked worse than she had in her faux-Rarity getup. “What brings ya out here?”

Twilight’s entire mood seemed to brighten as Applejack approached. “I needed to see you, but I didn’t want to interrupt again.”

“Thanks for that.” Applejack didn’t want to think about how Rainbow Dash would have reacted to Twilight walking in on their make-up day. Stepping up onto the porch, she invited, “We’re just about to sit down to supper if you’d like to join us.”

“I know!” Twilight beamed. “I helped make it.”

Applejack stopped suddenly. “Beg pardon?!” Twilight had cooked? Twilight didn’t cook. Spike cooked. The family cooked. She cooked. But Twilight didn’t cook. Nowhere in her skillset was preparing food. She’d had so many people to prepare it for her that it was never a skill she needed to develop. Applejack’s mind flooded with images of Twilight dumping eggs into a bowl, shells intact, or burning a pot of water on the stove or slipping on a spill and dumping scalding soup all over her--

“I made the pie,” Twilight explained. “Granny Smith set me up with one of her old cookbooks and told me to just follow the directions. Once I had a set of instructions on hand, it was simply a matter of following them to the letter.”

“Huh.” Relief swept through Applejack like cider in Pinkie’s gullet. Her grandmother was a clever old pony, and if Twilight was insistent on helping, that was certainly the way to do it. She’d need to remember to compliment the old pony on her quick thinking.

“Before we eat, I was hoping you’d help me with something.” Twilight opened the door and entered the house, heading straight for the stairs up. “I brought a few things I need your opinion on, but I left them upstairs in our room.”

“Uh, sure…” Applejack answered vacantly as her mind fixed on those two words: Our room? She hadn’t stumbled on it, hadn’t tried to backpedal. She just said it. Either she hadn’t noticed she’d said it or she just didn’t see anything unusual about it; Applejack wasn’t sure which she hoped was true.

Applejack could hardly believe it was just a couple moons ago that she’d been fretting because she thought Twilight wasn’t into her. If anything, Twilight now seemed to be moving a bit more quickly than she was comfortable with. She remembered what Rarity had said the previous night; Twilight was becoming clingy, which meant she had to take some time to figure out if she was okay with being clung to.

Stepping into her room or their room, she now wasn’t sure, Applejack found herself staring at several levitating sheets of paper. “Uh, Twilight? What are these?”

“Well….” Twilight smiled coyly at her. “I know you like the stripes in my mane so I was thinking, maybe you’d like a few more? I spent all night coming up with ideas.”

Applejack paled at the sight, taking in the different variations. “I really wish ya hadn’t.”

Twilight quivered. “You don’t like any of these?” She pushed forward the sheet with the rainbow coloration of stripes. “Not even this one? It’s very colorful.”

Applejack pushed down the paper with her hoof so that she could look Twilight in the eyes again. “Sugar, if I wanted to be datin’ Rainbow, I’d have asked out Rainbow.”

Twilight levitated the paper back to her and scrutinized it for a couple seconds, then replied, “Oh. That does kind of look like Rainbow Dash, doesn’t it?”

Applejack sighed and stepped further into the room, taking a seat next to the bed. “Listen. I don’t really know what you’re on about now, but if ya want to change up your mane, I ain’t gonna stop you. I just want to know you’re doin’ it for you. Not ‘cause ya think it’ll make me like you more.”

Twilight lowered the papers to the ground. Her body sank as the energy seemed to deflate from her. “You really don’t like any of them?”

Applejack reached a hoof over and lifted up Twilight’s chin, the way she had at Pinkie’s disastrous party, so that she could see her eyes. “Look, I like your stripes ‘cause they’re a piece of you that’s special. Ain’t nopony else I’ve ever met got stripes like that. That don’t mean I go crazy over stripes like some stripe-addicted ciderhound.”

“Oh.” Once again, Applejack’s words didn’t seem to cheer Twilight up and, if anything, had the opposite effect. Twilight’s mood completely plummeted. “I can fix this,” she insisted, but as she started to move for the door, Applejack put herself in front.

“Granny’s right hoof, ya can. I ain’t sendin’ ya home to spend the night scratchin’ up another crazy plan. You’re stayin’ with me tonight and you’re sleepin’. Whole night.”

Twilight protested, “But I have to--”

“Nope. No arguin’. Ya made a pie for me and it’s probably goin’ cold downstairs; I’m gonna be personally insulted if ya don’t stay and eat it with me.” It was a cheap gamble, she knew, but Applejack remembered what it felt like when she wasn’t sure if Twilight cared about her. She vividly remembered the fear of doing anything that might mean Twilight didn’t love her. It made her feel sick inside to do it, but if playing to that fear was what it took to get Twilight to be rational again, it was worth it.

I’m sorry, Twi. I’ll make it up to ya.

She watched that familiar dread creep across Twilight and her eyes glimmer with equal parts realization and trepidation. “I’ll stay,” she whispered.

Applejack immediately softened and put a hoof around her, pulling her in and nuzzling her neck. She got what she needed. Next came the reassurance she’d wished many times she could have gotten back then. “Means a lot to me. I love you, Twilight.” Feeling Twilight melt around her and relax the tension in her muscles was all she needed to know she was making the right call.

“I love you too,” Twilight whispered back to her as she pressed her head into Applejack’s neck and gently nuzzled.

“I know ya do. Come on. Let’s get downstairs before supper gets too cold.”

Supper was delicious as it always was. Twilight hadn’t mentioned it to Applejack, but she had no idea what she was doing in the kitchen. Fortunately, when she volunteered to help, it took Granny Smith two seconds to recognize her aimless attempts to make sense of the ingredients. She’d pulled Twilight aside, set her up at the table with a family cookbook, and told her to just follow the directions. Twilight was very talented at that.

End result was that the pie was edible. It was far from the best pie Twilight had ever tasted in her life and was definitely a far cry from some of the Apples’ finest recipes, but the family seemed to appreciate the gesture all the same and she didn’t hear a single pony complain about it.

She also found she felt a weird sense of pride at having made it. She knew it was nothing spectacular, but she’d never felt more like a part of the Apple clan than she did watching Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom take their first bites of something she’d baked with her own hooves. Well, metaphorically, anyways; moving things with magic was second nature to her.

Being with Applejack’s family always made her feel welcomed and loved in a way she hadn’t felt since she’d left Shining Armor to learn from Princess Celestia. Even so, the dark passage was still waiting for her that night when she closed her eyes.

“Have you found your answer?” the Crystal Princess Rarity’s voice greeted her once more, as it always did.

“I think I might have,” she offered. She was less sure of this than ever, but it was all she had. “Applejack told me she liked my stripes because they’re a part of me. They make me unique. She doesn’t like me because of the way I look; she likes the way I look because of me. So I think that’s my answer?”

“Really.” Rarity emerged from the dark so Twilight could see her roll her crystal eyes. “Your answer for what makes you a better partner is that you’re better at being Twilight Sparkle than I am? You do realize this is simply a rephrasing of the question, I hope.”

“What? No, it’s not. It’s….” She took a moment to think about her answer. “It is a rephrasing of the question, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is, darling. Being the best Twilight Sparkle in Ponyville isn’t going to stop Applejack from leaving you if she decides she'd prefer the best Rarity, and you, darling, make a poor Rarity. Hilariously, we have already tested this.

“Ultimately,” Rarity continued, “your assertion proves nothing because it contains nothing about Applejack. Her interests, her desires, her goals in life. What do you have to offer to the farm? To her? Will you even still be here in a few years? Because I will. I don’t have a princess waiting to call me back to Canterlot as soon as my studies are complete.”

“…I hadn’t thought of that,” Twilight admitted.

“Of course, you hadn’t. Your answer is rejected, of course. Say goodbye to Applejack.”

“Wait!” Twilight insisted. “I made a pie today. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. I could learn how to cook. Then I’d fit in with the family. You’re into fashion, so you probably aren’t that talented in a kitchen, right?”

The Crystal Princess laughed at Twilight’s attempt. “Cooking? That’s what you have? You made one pie. Apart from that, you’ve always had somepony to make your meals for you. Whether it was your parents, the castle staff, or Spike. You’ve never had to subsist on your own. I built my own business from…well, let’s presume the ground up. I don’t have an assistant to cook for me.

“You’re welcome to try your pie against one of mine tomorrow, if you really think you’ve found your hook. But for now, you have once again failed your test.”

Once more, Applejack was in the hallway walking slowly away from Twilight. “Applejack, wait!” Twilight shouted after her. She broke into a gallop, once more pursuing the slow-moving Applejack that nevertheless simply became further and further away the harder she ran.

“Come back!” she cried to her. “Please, don’t leave me!”

“Twilight!” she heard Applejack call to her, but this only prompted her to push her legs harder. “Twilight, stop!” She couldn’t stop. She had to reach her. It was the only way to--she felt one of her hind hooves collide with something hard and stopped moving suddenly.

The dark tunnel shattered to pieces around her, slowly being replaced by the dim of Applejack’s bedroom. “OW!” Applejack shouted. She was seated upright in the bed, gently rubbing her eye with the side of her hoof. “Land’s sakes, that smarts! What in tarnation’s gotten into you?!”

As Applejack turned to look at her, Twilight could make out the imprint of a hoof around her left eye. Her heart immediately plummeted. She shook her head and tried to back away from what she was seeing, but the edge of the bed came sooner than she expected and her rump swiftly discovered where the floor was.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight whispered. She tried to move around the bed to get to the door but Applejack dropped in front of it, blocking her.

“Twilight, stop!” Applejack shouted to her, putting herself in front of the door. Twilight’s horn began to crackle with magic, but Applejack urged her, “Don’t teleport, Twi. Please, I can’t stop ya from leavin’, but I need ya to stay here and talk to me.”

“I kicked you,” Twilight whispered through rapid, panicked breaths.

Applejack said nothing and simply stepped forward, putting a hoof around Twilight and nudging her back towards the bed. Twilight’s muscles weakly complied and she took a seat in front of the mattress, resting her head against Applejack’s shoulder.

“I kicked you,” she repeated. “I kicked you in the eye. I’m a terrible Very Special Somepony.”

“Yeah, I’d appreciate if ya didn’t do that again,” Applejack admitted. “That’s going to sting like an unwanted hoof in a hornet’s nest tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know ya are, sugar. I’ll be okay, though.” Despite herself, Applejack chuckled. “Way I reckon it, ya finally got me back for your hip.”

Even through the tears, Twilight couldn’t help but laugh at that. “With interest,” she added.

“Eeyup. Now come on back to bed.”

Twilight lifted her head up and looked at Applejack’s eyes. “I can’t. I have to get back to the library. I need to--”

Applejack stuck a hoof to Twilight’s snout, quieting her. “Ya need sleep, s’what ya need. All night, sugar. You kicked me in the face. Ya owe me that much.”

“I can’t,” Twilight whispered. “I can’t lose you again.”

Applejack put a hoof on Twilight’s head and pulled it into her chest. The fluttering in her heart cut silent any protests on her lips, while the stroking of Applejack’s hoof on her mane and the gentle beating sound of Applejack's heart began to lull her back into the thorny embrace of sleep. She was distantly aware of Applejack lifting her back onto the bed, followed by the warmth of the blanket being pulled over them, but so long as her partner continued holding her, her fears and insecurities gently slipped away, replaced by acceptance and love.

Twilight woke up the next morning and stretched. Her dreams had been mercifully vacant for the second half of the night. She didn’t remember seeing Crystal Princess Rarity again all night after the incident with Applejack’s eye, and she was grateful for it.

Approaching the stairs, Twilight caught the scent of breakfast. She hoped she wasn’t too late to see Applejack whirl around the kitchen again and rushed downstairs. “Good morning,” she greeted the living room.

“Good morning, Twilight,” Spike answered her, seated on the Apples’ couch. Applejack sat on her haunches on the other side of the coffee table while Granny Smith reclined in her rocker, paging through an old book. There was a terrible smirk on Granny Smith’s face that left Twilight feeling unsettled, but Spike drew the focus of her attention.

“Spike?! Is something wrong? Do you need me back at the library?! Is this an emergency?!”

“Probably would do ya some good to head home for a bit,” Applejack admitted. “Not that it ain’t been a pleasure havin’ ya, but you must be neglectin’ some duty or another for the princess.”

“A few,” Twilight admitted.

Spike coughed. “Anyways, it’s not an emergency but we need to get everypony together. Princess Celestia sent me a letter last night that everypony needs to see.”

Twilight nodded. “Alright. Let’s go round up the group right after breakfast. …I didn’t miss breakfast, did I?”

Applejack gave her an apologetic smile. “’Fraid so, sugarcube. You were out like a rock. We saved ya some leftovers, though.”

Twilight pouted. “That’s okay. I’m not very hungry anyway.”

Spike hopped off the couch. “Before we go, Applejack was just about to tell me what happened to her eye.” The eye had swollen over the night, while the hoofprint had now turned an unsightly purple.

Twilight lowered her head sheepishly. “Oh, um…I accidentally kicked her in bed last night.”

Granny Smith snickered in her rocker, but said nothing. Applejack shot her a glare. “She’s been doin’ that every time I tell that story too.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, curiously scrutinizing Granny Smith, but the old mare said nothing and resumed reading her book.

“Alright, we’re all here,” Rainbow Dash grumpily asserted. “What’s the big news?”

It had taken Spike the better part of an hour to find everypony and get them together in the library. Fluttershy and Rarity sat together while Rainbow Dash hovered overhead. Pinkie hopped restlessly back and forth. Applejack and Twilight were the last. As they came through the door, Spike began. “This morning, I got this letter from--”

Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof at Applejack and interrupted, “Whoa! Before we get to that, what happened to your FACE?!”

Applejack shot Twilight a sideways glance. “You want to tell them or should I?”

Twilight sheepishly admitted, “I kicked her last night.”

“TWILIGHT!” Pinkie popped up between the pair. “That is NO WAY for lovers to act! You should be ashamed of yourself!”

“It sounds like a pretty bad fight,” Fluttershy agreed.

Defensively, Twilight insisted, “What? We weren’t fighting. We were in bed!” With those words, an awkward silence fell over the entire group. Rarity exchanged an awkward glance with Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash opened her snout to say something, then seemed to think better of it and close it. Then she opened it to speak again, only to close it once more.

Rarity finally broke the silence. “I have so many questions,” she muttered quietly.

Rainbow Dash followed her up, commenting, “And I don’t want to hear any of the answers, so let’s move on.”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, that would probably be best.”

Twilight and Applejack approached the table and took a seat. Twilight looped one of her hooves around Applejack’s as she listened for Spike to read. The young dragon cleared his throat. “Anyways. Like I was saying, I got this letter this morning.” He walked over to the writing desk and picked up a scroll. “It’s from Princess Cadance, by way of Princess Celestia.”

Twilight perked up. “Cadance sent us something? What is it?”

Spike opened the scroll and began to read.

Dear Twilight,
You and your friends are cordially invited to attend the Crystal Ball, a celebration of the love and friendship that allowed us to liberate the Empire from the brutal reign of King Sombra. The Crystal Empire will be hosting this event at the palace on the Saturday to follow this letter’s arrival.
I hope to see you all in attendance as the Empire’s guests of honor. If possible, please come to the palace first thing Saturday morning so that we may have some time to confer before the ball.
Love,
Princess Cadance

“They’re throwing a party for us?!” Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof in celebration. “Sweet!”

“Did she say anything about letting me cater it?” Pinkie Pie asked eagerly, but Spike shook his head.

“From the sounds of it, the Crystal Empire’s planning on handling it.”

Pinkie stared blankly at the little dragon. “…but they’re going to want my help, right?”

Twilight placed a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “I think Cadance is planning to take care of everything.”

“But she can’t!” Pinkie shouted. “How can it be a super special Pinkie Party if I’m not there, making it the best super-special Pinkie Party it can be?!”

“More importantly,” Rarity mused, casting a glance at Twilight and Applejack, “while the two of you certainly seem to be covered already, I’m not sure where the rest of us are going to find dates on such a short notice.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Who said anything about dates?”

Narrowing her eyes, Rarity stated, “We’re going to be attending a ball,” as if that was sufficient answer to the question.

Rainbow Dash blinked vacantly. “…isn’t that just a fancy word for party? Like the gala?”

Before Rarity could answer, Pinkie interrupted. “A ball is a social gathering where a large number of attendants are expected to gather together and participate in a social dance with their dates.”

“What?!” Rainbow Dash paled. “Then I’m not going!”

Pinkie gasped. “You have to go! It wouldn’t be a party without all of us!”

“Pinkie is absolutely right,” Rarity added. “We are the guests of honor, Rainbow Dash. It would be an insult to Princess Cadance for even a single one of us to refuse her invitation.”

“Oh,” came a tiny squeak from Fluttershy in the corner of the room. “I was going to sit out too, but I don’t want to insult Princess Cadance.”

Rainbow Dash looked from Pinkie to Rarity, then back at Pinkie, then over at Twilight and Applejack cozily whispering to each other. “Well, fine!” she shouted. “But if we’re all going, then those two don’t get to go together!”

Applejack jerked up at Rainbow Dash’s assertion. “Now, you hold on just a cotton-pickin’ minute--”

“It’s only fair!” Rainbow Dash insisted. “If the rest of us have to spend the night being awkward and uncomfortable around some jerk, then it’s not fair for you to get a pass just because you two are all gushy over each other now.”

Pulling her hoof out from Twilight’s, Applejack stood up and began to stomp towards Rainbow Dash. “Alright, I’ve had just about enough of--”

“Actually, I think that sounds like a great idea,” Twilight interrupted.

Applejack froze, then slowly turned to look back at Twilight. Her eyes studied her partner carefully, as though scanning to see if she was real. “Ya do?”

Twilight stood up and walked around towards Rarity and Pinkie, then shot her gaze back to Applejack. “I think it could be fun. Think of it like a--”

“Sugar, I love you, but if you say ‘experiment’ I might just have to throttle ya. Right here in front of all our friends. And that’d be real embarrassin’ for me.”

Rarity raised a hoof. “I would help.”

Twilight giggled. “I was going to say a game, actually. Why don’t you start? Applejack, choose somepony to be my date to the ball. It can be anypony in Ponyville, but if we go outside our group, we might have to do some explaining.”

Applejack stared at Twilight for a few seconds and then a devilish grin spread across her face. She knew exactly who she was going to pick. She turned her attention to her target with an almost predatory glee, like a Timberwolf closing in on an injured sheep. “Rainbow. How would you like to take Twilight to the Crystal Ball?”

“Wait, what?!” In that moment, all of the color drained out of Rainbow Dash’s face. Even her mane seemed to turn pale. She looked at Twilight and found her staring back expectantly, then shot her gaze back to Applejack. She blinked a few times as though trying to make this reality disappear.

“It was your idea,” Twilight insisted. “Please, Rainbow Dash?”

Gritting her teeth and closing her eyes, Rainbow Dash muttered, “Fine. I’ll take Twilight. But you owe me for this, AJ!”

Twilight smiled warmly. “Then that’s settled and now it’s my turn.” Applejack watched her carefully. She was trying very hard to be positive, but Applejack caught her shivering for just a second.

Twilight took a deep breath, then turned to the others and asked, “Rarity? Would you be willing to take Applejack to the Crystal Ball?”

Now it was Applejack’s turn to panic. Twilight had no idea what she was doing. She couldn’t know; she hadn’t been here that long. And if this had anything to do with how strange Twilight had been acting, that was all the more reason to put a stop to it. “Hold on a second, sugar,” she interrupted. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

Twilight turned back to her and, for just a moment, Applejack caught a glimpse of vulnerability behind Twilight’s cheerful façade. “Of course, it is. It’s just a game.”

Applejack shook her head. “I think it’s more. You’ve been jumpier than a tree frog on a hot skillet since we got back, and I keep noticin’ Rares at the center of it all. You’re doin’ somethin’ with this shindig and ya don’t want to tell us about it.”

Twilight shook her head. “It’s harmless. Really. It’s not….”

Applejack walked towards Twilight, closing the distance. “It ain’t harmless, Twi. Ya ‘bout near took my eye off last night ‘cause of what’s ailin’ ya.”

Twilight shrank down and started to back away, muttering, “Please. I need this.”

“No, ya don’t. You think you do, but you’re just hurtin’ yourself more and--”

“I’ll do it!” Rarity shouted, stepping between Twilight and Applejack. Neither had noticed, but she’d watched them start to bicker with panic beginning to surge on her face. She stood between the lovers, separating them and almost seemed to be protectively shielding Twilight. “It’s alright, Applejack. I know we’ve had our…differences…but I’m willing to do my part.”

Applejack studied Rarity up and down, then squinted her eyes and asked, “Are ya sure? Rares, you and I ain’t exactly--”

“I know,” Rarity cut her off. “But it’s for Twilight. Please, I can’t bear to see you fight. If this is what she needs, then I want to help her.”

“I don’t know about this,” Applejack replied. “It don’t feel right to me and I don’t buy that this is helpin’ Twi any.”

“Then don’t do it for her,” Rarity answered. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and continued. “Do it because you owe me.”

Applejack’s heart stopped in that moment. She shook her head slowly. “Ya don’t mean….”

“I do.”

Since the day that Twilight had come to Ponyville, Applejack and Rarity had never even spoken about it. They’d made a silent agreement to tolerate each other due to their mutual fondness for Twilight and the others, but that tolerance had somehow grown into a friendship. For the first couple of moons, Applejack wondered when it would come back up to haunt her, but with time she’d let it go and enjoyed being Rarity’s friend. Now, at last, the unspoken history was here and she had no defense against Rarity’s words.

Curiously, Twilight stepped around Rarity and shot a confused glance at her. Rarity’s eyes were burning with determination, but there was a slight moistness around them as if she was struggling to keep her tears in check. Twilight turned her attention back to her partner. “Applejack, what is she talking about?”

“Old piece of history,” Applejack answered. “Don’t fret about it.”

“Will you do it?” Rarity asked firmly.

Applejack sighed. “Yeah. Reckon I have to. I don’t like one bit of this, Twi, but if ya really need it, then I’ll do it.”

“Thank you.” Twilight stepped into Applejack, putting a hoof around her neck and nuzzling her mane. “This means everything to me.”

“I know, sugar.”

Letting go, Twilight turned around. “Thank you too, Rar--” There was no pony where Rarity had been standing.

“She left,” Rainbow Dash explained. “Bolted out the door just as soon as you weren’t looking.

Twilight started for the door, but Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder to stop her. “Leave it, Twi. She needs some time. Let’s just talk about we’re all going to be doin’ at the ball. She’ll come back when she’s ready.”

Twilight nodded and returned to the table, but despite her own words, Applejack couldn’t stop thinking about it. Twilight had no idea what she’d just stepped in the middle of, and Applejack had no idea what was going through her head. One way or another, she was certain the Crystal Ball would end in disaster.

3 - Love's Fracture

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Twilight paced back in forth in the foyer, trying to think about what to do from here. She’d gotten what she wanted. Applejack and Rarity were going on a date. She hated every ounce of it but if she was ever going to find what made her a more fitting partner for Applejack than Rarity, she had to know whether or not they would click together.

She was worried the experiment might be tainted by Applejack’s feelings for her. Worse, she wouldn’t actually be able to observe the results, so she’d just have to rely on Applejack to communicate them. It wasn’t the perfect plan but consarnit, it was all she had.

Heh. Consarnit.

She stopped for a moment and giggled to herself. “Consarnit ya low-down apple…varmint?” She’d probably never get countryisms down, but it was fun to try them out every now and then. Where was she? Oh, that’s right. The Crystal Ball was coming and she needed to be ready.

A knock pounding on the door shook Twilight out of her daze. “Be right there!” she shouted. She slipped quickly into the birthday dress Rarity had kindly made for her, then trotted over to the door and opened it.

Rainbow Dash chipperly greeted her with a simple, “Good evening, Twilight!” She was dressed in a fine tuxedo with her rainbow mane slicked back. “Are you ready to be my lady this evening?” She held out her hoof for Twilight to take.

“I’ve been looking forward to it,” Twilight answered with another giggle as she entwined her hoof in Rainbow Dash’s as they set off for the train station.

Passengers were still boarding as they arrived at the station. Rarity and Applejack had gotten there ahead of them and, to Twilight’s dismay, seemed to be having the time of their lives. Applejack was laughing at something Rarity had just said, and Twilight wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Rarity smiling so brightly.

“Hello, everypony,” Twilight greeted.

“Evenin’, sugarcube,” Applejack answered her. “Do you want to tell her?” she asked Rarity.

Rarity dismissively waved her hoof. “No, dear. By all means, you do it.”

Confused, Twilight cocked her head to the side. “Tell me what?”

Applejack grinned. “This is such a great idea ya had. It worked out so great for us, we went ahead and got hitched!”

Twilight’s heart sank. “What?! You got married?! In two days?!”

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Rarity scolded. “Being with Applejack has been an absolute dream. I can’t imagine why you would ever have given it up.”

"It...it was supposed to be temporary!" Twilight insisted.

Putting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, Rainbow Dash tried to console her. “That’s okay, Egghead. You’ll always have me.”

Twilight jerked away from Rainbow Dash, shooting frantic glances between Rarity and Applejack. When Applejack leaned into Rarity and began to kiss her, Twilight shook her head. “I can’t watch this….” She turned and bolted, leaving a confused Rainbow Dash behind her.

Twilight galloped from the station and through the town plaza. She kept going as she passed the library. She galloped out of town and passed Fluttershy’s cabin. Finally, she entered the Everfree Forest. As she fled, she saw an orange light beginning to fade into the distance, so she started to chase it.

Her muscles hadn’t felt so tired in a long time but she kept pushing them, trying to get to the light. Then, suddenly, she skidded to a stop. “Wait a minute. I’m back in the dream, aren’t I?”

Crystal Princess Rarity’s voice boomed in the dark passageway. “I was wondering how long that would take you. Have you found your answer?”

“Not yet,” she admitted. “I’ve set up a test that should produce some results in a couple of days, though.”

“So you have no data for tonight, then?”

Twilight thought for a moment. “Um…I practiced my countryisms?”

“That was in the dream, darling.”

“But it counts,” Twilight insisted. “I don’t know that Rarity could do a countryism if her life depended on it.”

“I’ve heard your attempt. I’m not convinced you can either.”

Twilight lowered her head. “That’s all I have. Maybe I could work on that while I’m waiting on my test? If I could find ways that I can contribute to the farm or to Applejack personally that Rarity couldn’t, that might be my answer.”

“You do that,” the Crystal Princess answered with a yawn. “In the meanwhile, you’ve failed tonight's exam once again.” Applejack appeared once more and began her slow walk away.

Twilight started after her, but stopped herself. “…I shouldn’t. The last time I chased her--”

“Oh, that’s right!” Rarity laughed. “You kicked her! In the eye! That was amazing. I’m surprised she didn’t break it off with you right then and there.”

Twilight closed her eyes as the hollowness squeezed her heart. “I know. I am too.”

When she opened them again, she was in her bed in the library. The moon was still high in the sky as it often was when she emerged from the dream. Pushing the blankets off of her, she slipped out of bed and quietly crept towards the stairs, mindful of the sleeping Spike.

At the bottom, she lit her candle and summoned her papers. Levitating a quill, she began to scribe. What were Applejack’s interests? Her goals? Her dreams? Hobbies? Desires? Where were there openings to introduce herself into Applejack’s life more fully?

The sun finished rising over the horizon as Applejack knocked on the door to the Carousel Boutique. It opened with a puff of magic and the words, “Come in!” Stepping inside, Applejack found Rarity hard at work at her sewing machine. Pinned behind her were a variety of colorful sketches notated at various points.

“Mornin’, Rares,” Applejack greeted her. “Reckoned it might be a good idea to talk.”

“I don’t have a lot of time,” Rarity admitted as she levitated a bolt of cloth towards her work desk. “I have two days to make dresses for the six of us and, frankly, two of those are going to be quite the challenge. I’ve just started on Twilight’s, but I spent all night drafting up designs.”

Applejack turned and saw a simple gown on one of Rarity’s mannequins. The gown was a bluish silver with a green and gold trim running around it, which brought a smile to Applejack’s face. “I like the trim,” she complimented.

“I should hope so,” Rarity responded. “That trim’s for you.”

“Beg pardon?”

Taking a deep breath, Rarity stepped back from her workstation and explained. “It is my hope that Twilight will come to her senses about this hideous double date idea of hers. There’s not going to be time to make entirely separate sets of dresses, however, so the ones you are wearing will have to suffice.

“What I am trying to do with this dress is to make something that will complement the visual assault on good taste that is Rainbow Dash’s color scheme, but can also be aesthetically matched with the dress I will be making for you. So now I have to make four dresses paired three ways between them in less than two days, and that’s before I even get started on Fluttershy’s and Pinkie’s!”

Applejack blinked. “Sounds like you got your hooves full. I’m awful sorry about that. I don’t know what’s come over Rainbow, and Twi’s been nuttier than a hog in a peach orchard this last week.”

“She can’t help it,” Rarity argued. “She loves you, and hasn’t quite learned the grace she needs to do that in moderation. Does that bother you?”

“I don’t know,” Applejack admitted. She took another look at Twilight’s dress. “Bothers me somethin’ fierce she ain’t goin’ to the Ball with me. Same time, I should probably let ya work but instead I’m hangin’ out here ‘cause I’m afraid she’s gonna jump out of the shed or somethin’ if I go home.”

Applejack’s words piqued Rarity’s curiosity. “Would that be so terrible? I should think you’d be thrilled to see her.”

“You’d think.” Applejack sighed. “Time was, all I could think about was when I’d see her next, but right now I feel like I’m drownin’ in Twilight. Ya know what she said to me the other night? ‘Our room.’”

“And you don’t approve?”

Applejack idly kicked at the floor with her front hoof. “Maybe? I don’t know if I’m ready for my room to be ‘ours’ just yet. I mean, where does that lead? Our orchard? Our library? Our assistant Spike?” For a moment, images of Spike struggling to try and move the plow flashed through Applejack’s head. She shuddered, hoping to never have to deal with anything of the sort.

Turning her attention back to Rarity, Applejack asked, “Does that make me a bad VSS?”

Rarity smiled warmly to her. “No, Applejack. It just means that you need your space from time to time. Every couple goes through this at some point. Let me ask you this: do you still love her?”

Without hesitation, Applejack nodded. “Course, I do.”

Dryly, Rarity added, “Even though she kicked you in the face?”

“She didn’t mean nothin’ by it. She was havin’ a nightmare and I was tryin’ to help her. It was an accident.”

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s good to hear. A touch less spicy than I’d hoped, but good all the same. Then I think the question you need to answer is this: what would it mean for the room to be both yours and Twilight’s?”

Applejack sat on her haunches next to the mannequin and tilted her head up in thought. “Don’t rightly know. Ain’t never had nothin’ this big be an ‘ours’ before. I’ve had little ourses. Our flowers. Our diner. Twi picked out an ‘Our Constellation’ one night but I surely can’t find it. Just looks like a gaggle of stars in Luna’s sky to me.”

Applejack sighed. “It’d mean openin’ a part of my life I ain’t never shared with nopony, but I’ve done that with Twi.”

Carefully, Rarity set two pieces of cloth into her sewing machine and began to push them through. “Then what are you afraid of?” she asked.

“Afraid? I ain’t…well….” Applejack thought for a moment. Was she afraid of having Twilight around so much? “Maybe I am scared. Givin’ up my room means not havin’ a space where we ain’t ‘us’ no more. It means she ain’t just a part of my life; she’s in all of it. Might as well get hitched at that point.”

“Does it? It would mean a loss of your sanctuary, but I imagine there are many parts of your life where Twilight wouldn’t quite fit. Further, you still haven’t said whether it would be so terrible.”

“That’s ‘cause I don’t know if I’m ready.”

Rarity sighed. “I don’t think anypony ever really does. The best you can do is follow your heart and see where it guides you. If you need more time, I’m sure Twilight will understand, but you should take some time to think about it first.”

Applejack nodded. “I’ll do that. Thanks, Rares. How do ya know so much about this stuff anyway? I ain’t never seen ya with a stallion or mare of your own. I suppose there was that one at the Gala….”

Rarity glared at Applejack for a couple seconds before answering. “Setting aside the matter of your rudeness, I work in an industry where many of my customers have a Very Special Somepony of their own or are trying to obtain one. They need a dress for a date or an anniversary or Hearts and Hooves Day. Sometimes even for a wedding. Those clients like to talk, and their favorite topic is their partner. You and Twilight are hardly the first to while away the hours sharing stories of your tumultuous romance right here in my boutique.”

“Huh.” Applejack blinked. “Guess that makes sense. Reckon ya know all kinds of secrets about Ponyville?”

Knowingly, Rarity grinned. “You’d be aghast to hear some of the things I know, but it would hardly be proper to share them.” Changing the subject, Rarity commented, “I’m worried about Fluttershy.”

“She and Pinkie still need dates to this shindig, don’t they?”

Rarity nodded. “Pinkie will be fine, I’m sure. She’s probably already found somepony to go with. I fear Fluttershy may need our help, though.”

Applejack nodded. “Yeah, I don’t see her workin’ up the nerve to ask somepony to the Ball. Do ya know what her type is?”

Rarity shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t.”

“…do ya even know if she likes stallions or mares?”

“She never talks about it.”

Applejack sighed. “Needle in a haystack, then. I hear some ponies don’t like neither. Hope she ain’t one of those.”

Rarity thought for a moment. “Mmm…well, I certainly wouldn’t rule it out, but let’s not make presumptions. She could just be very shy. It’d hardly be unusual for her to simply be uncomfortable discussing the matter.” Her eyes brightened up as an idea struck her. “Why don’t you ask your brother?”

“What, Big Mac? Don’t reckon he even knows she’s alive. What makes ya think he’d know what kind of pony Fluttershy likes?”

Rarity narrowed her eyes and glared at Applejack until the idea clicked in her head as well.

“Oh! Ask him to take her. Ehh…reckon I could, but ain’t that kind of like a blind date?”

Still glaring, Rarity turned her eyes back to her work and answered, “Yes, which make it still more legitimate than this farce of a spectacle you and I will be putting on for Twilight Saturday night.”

Applejack shook her head. “Hog in a peach orchard. All I’m sayin’.” She sighed and looked up, closing her eyes in thought. “And here I am hidin’ from her. What kind of Very Special Somepony does that?”

“An excellent question,” Rarity replied. “If you should happen to get home and she is waiting for you after all, what will you do?”

“I don’t know. Deal with it, I guess.”

“If I might make a suggestion? It might be time for you to let her in.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What, the farm?”

Rarity looked up from her work again, and her gaze was as cold as daggers. Applejack remembered that look. It was an expression she hadn’t seen in several moons. “You know what I mean,” she uttered sternly, more like a command than a statement.

In that moment, Applejack felt a pang of guilt strike her heart. She closed her eyes and slowly nodded. “Yeah, Rares. I do.” She looked out the window. The sun was still high in the sky, but she suddenly felt more unwelcome than she had in a long while. “I should probably get goin’, then.”

“Best of luck, then.” Rarity hesitated, then added, “I do mean that, Applejack. I’m not trying to be mean, but it’s time you stopped running. Remember: the next time you break up with her, she might just let you.”

With a smile on her face and a mission in her heart, Twilight trotted through the gates into Sweet Apple Acres wearing her blue saddlebags. “Good morning, Big Macintosh,” she greeted the stallion as he set his baskets for applebucking. “Are you having a good day?”

“Eeyup.”

“I’m glad. I need to stop at the house, but I’ll be back to help you shortly.” With those words, she started off towards the porch.

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh answered. He set down his last basket, then jerked up suddenly. “Wait, what?”

Twilight was already gone, however. Inside the house, she cheerfully greeted the family matriarch. “Good morning, Granny Smith.”

Seated in her favorite rocker, Granny Smith looked up from her quilting. “Oh? Mornin’, Twilight. We sure are seein’ a lot of ya this week.” She squinted her eyes, studying Twilight closely. “Y’all didn’t go and get yourselves hitched in the Crystal Empire, did ya?”

Twilight shook her head. “Oh, no, we’ve done nothing of the sort.” She looked up for a moment in thought, then turned her attention back to Granny Smith and asked a little too eagerly, “You don’t think she’d want to, do you?”

Twilight’s question warranted a laugh out of Granny Smith. “Ha! It’s much too soon and y’all are much too young to give that thought the time of day!”

“Oh.” Twilight pouted, but she knew Granny Smith was right. She was getting ahead of herself. “Where is--”

Before she could finish, Granny Smith shot her a knowing smirk and answered, “Hold your horses. Applejack had to run into town for a bit. Why don’t ya take your bags up, then come on down and sit a spell? I can tell ya the story of old Apple Sprout, who was workin’ late the night when Nightmare Moon was banished.”

Twilight smiled. “That sounds lovely, Granny Smith. There’s something else I have to do first, but I’ll be back to listen.”

Twilight climbed the stairs to Applejack’s room and set down her bags. She levitated a set of calculations she’d performed out of them and gave them one last glance over. She’d created a comprehensive analysis of Applejack’s musculature and visibly measured her position, stance, and angle of attack.

Taking a deep breath, she set down her paperwork and returned downstairs. She marched out the door and trotted into the orchard, where Big Macintosh had already filled half a cart’s worth. “Excuse me,” she greeted him. “May I borrow a few baskets?”

“Eeyup,” he answered her before landing a powerful kick on his tree. Twilight watched the apples pour down into the baskets below.

“Thank you.” She levitated three of the empty baskets from his cart, then trotted over to a nearby tree and set them down around it. She carefully measured out their spacing to be identical to what she’d seen from the Apples.

Big Macintosh loaded up his filled baskets on the cart, then glanced over and noticed Twilight slowly and meticulously arranging her baskets. Stepping over towards her, he asked, “Uh, Twilight? What are you doing?”

“Helping,” she answered cheerfully. Seeming content with her last basket, Twilight stepped around in front of the tree and took up the familiar position with her hind legs towards its trunk.

“That ain’t a good idea,” Big Macintosh insisted with a gulp.

“Don’t worry, I’ve been studying all night. I’m sure I’ve got this.”

“If you say so.” Big Macintosh walked away, not being able to watch this. He returned to his cart and began pulling it to the next set of trees he was scheduled for. As he passed the road, he saw Applejack coming through the gates.

“Mornin’, Big Mac,” Applejack greeted him. “How’s the buckin’ comin’? Ready for me to take over?”

“Talk to her,” Big Macintosh urged. Applejack looked over his shoulder at Twilight who was nervously shifting around in front of one of her trees. What was she…no. No. She couldn’t be….

“Butter my biscuits! Twilight, stop!” Applejack shouted and broke into a gallop, but her voice went unheard. Twilight took a deep breath, then tucked in her hind legs, kicked off the ground, and--

“OW! Ow ow ow ow owwww….” Twilight whimpered. She was propped up on the living room couch with her right hind leg stretched out and resting on the table. Granny Smith cautiously dabbed a damp cloth over the torn muscles.

“Does it hurt here?” Granny Smith asked and pressed down on Twilight’s hip. A shriek gave her all the answer she needed. “Think ya might have cracked the bone. We should see about gettin’ ya to the hospital.”

“No, I can’t, I’ll be okay,” Twilight muttered through gasps of pain. She shot a pleading look up at Applejack, who returned only fury.

“What in tarnation did you think you were doin’ out there?!”

“I was trying to help. I studied your stance and angle and….”

Applejack planted her hoof on her forehead. “Twilight, Apples train our bodies for years before we’re ready for our first applebuck. It ain’t just somethin’ ya go out and mathematics your way through. It takes muscle work.”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh added.

“Apple Bloom does it,” Twilight countered.

Applejack shook her head. “Apple Bloom’s been trainin’ her buckin’ legs like the rest of us, and that ain’t all she exercises. No offense, sugarcube, but if ya want to hoof-wrestle, my bits are on her.”

Twilight looked down at the arm of the couch, gritting her teeth against the sharp spikes of pain shooting out of her leg and hip. “Did I even get a single apple?”

“Ain’t sure the tree even noticed you were there.” Twilight plowed her face into the cushion and let out an ambiguous groan. Applejack sat down on her haunches on the other side of the cushion and stroked her mane. “Look, sugar, this ain’t unicorn work. I don’t reckon you could get the body for it if ya wanted to.”

Granny Smith looked up to Big Macintosh. “Think ya can cart Twilight to the hospital?”

Applejack shook her head. “No, don’t.” She took a moment to look at Twilight’s leg, still stretched out, then gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, next to her horn. The guilt shot through her once more. “Rares is right; I did this. Ain’t nopony’s fault but mine, so I’ll take her. Big Mac, can ya cover me this afternoon?”

“Eeyup.”

Applejack put Twilight’s right front hoof over her shoulder to help her limp out to the cart, then hoisted her into it. She stepped into the harness and pulled the cart into town in mostly silence. The only sound came when Twilight whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Softly, Applejack answered, “I know. I am too.”

Rarity was still hard at work when a soft knock came to her door. With a tug of magic, she yanked it open while her hooves pushed another set of cloths through the sewing machine. “Come in,” she muttered through clenched teeth, unable to be opened lest the pair of needles gripped in them be dropped.

“Is this a good time?” Fluttershy asked, stepping through the door. “I wanted to ask you about fashion.”

Rarity blinked. This was a first. She decided she could certainly afford to take a break and levitated the pins out of her mouth, setting them down on the desk. Taking her hoof off the sewing machine’s pedal, she let herself down from her chair and came around the desk to see Fluttershy. “I’m always interested to talk fashion, dear, but I can’t say this isn’t a surprise. What’s on your mind?”

“I’m worried that Twilight is going to ask me to make a dress,” Fluttershy admitted. “She told me I have to be Rarity.”

Rarity blinked. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that. “Did she, now? When did she say this?”

“On the train, when she was going crazy about good things.”

Rarity dismissively waved a hoof. “I wouldn’t worry about it, dear. I’m already halfway finished with her dress. Oh, but I’m glad you stopped by because I wanted to let you know that Applejack and I have been talking, and we think it would be a marvelous idea for you to go to the Ball with Big Mac!”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Thank you, but I’m already going with somepony.”

Rarity took a moment to process those words. This was quite a day of surprises from Fluttershy. “I’m sorry, but…you’ve already asked somepony? You asked somepony?”

Fluttershy smiled widely and nodded her head. “We’re just going as friends but I thought it would be a good opportunity to get to know him a little better. We met when we had to create the tornado for Cloudsdale’s water supply, but there’s been very little time to talk to one another. He seems nice.”

“Oh. Well. Good luck with that, then.” Rarity’s spirit dropped. She’d somehow managed to take a modicum of comfort from the thought that she’d be able to commiserate with Fluttershy as they stuck it out through the awkward nightmare that the Crystal Ball would inevitably be, but now that hope was dashed.

“Have you spoken to Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked. “I haven’t seen her all day. She’s usually not very hard to find.”

Rarity shook her head. “Darling, I’ve been cooped up in here since sun-up and intend to remain so until these dresses are finished. I’ve hardly seen anypony today.”

Fluttershy lowered her head. “I see. I hope she’s okay.”

Secreted away in her hidden basement, Pinkie pored over her files. She’d emptied the cabinets and spilled their contents all over the floor. Every surface was covered in manila folders as the party pony swept from one folder to another. Cheerilee! Bulk Biceps! Fluttershy! Spike! Shining Armor! Princess Celestia! Surely, there had to be somepony that would be a good match for her.

“Aha!” She shouted, flipping through a folder. Reliable, dependable, and a trustworthy friend. She’d known her for years and could depend on her to be open and honest. If anypony would make a good date, it’d probably be Appleja--

Pinkie slapped her forehead with her hoof. “No, Applejack’s going with Twilight.”

Pinkie slapped her forehead with her hoof again. “No, Applejack’s NOT going with Twilight. Why isn’t she going with Twilight?! WHAT KIND OF SENSE DOES THAT MAKE?!” she screamed at the empty basement.

“The kind where your friend is hurting and needs an awesome party from an awesome party planner,” the basement replied. “And there’s nopony better to plan that party than Ponyville’s number one party planner, Pinkie Pie!”

“You make a good point, disembodied voice in my head that I should be concerned about!” Pinkie grinned. “I’m going to throw them both the best party--” She stopped suddenly and her grin degraded into a frown. “No, I can’t throw them a party. They’re already going to a party and it’s not going to be a super-special Pinkie Pie Party.”

“Wow. Sucks to be you.”

“That’s not helping!” Pinkie huffed. “Stupid imaginary head voices.”

Dr. Horse stepped into Twilight’s hospital room, levitating a clipboard with him. Applejack sat at the side of Twilight’s bed, her hoof clasped delicately between both of Twilight’s front hooves. Clearing his throat, the doctor explained, “I have some bad news, Miss Sparkle. The leg is fractured, I’m afraid. You will have to avoid putting pressure on it for a few weeks while it recovers.

“WHAT?!” Twilight shouted. “I can’t do that! We have a ball coming up in two days and I have to be there!”

The doctor raised an eyebrow. “A ball? Miss, I’m sorry, but that’s just not going to be possible. We can set you up with a wheelchair, but it’s going to be at least three weeks before you’ll even be able to walk, and it will still hurt even then. Dancing is absolutely out of the question.”

Twilight’s heart felt like it was about to fall out of her chest. “I can’t miss the Crystal Ball….”

Applejack reached her other front hoof up and set it over Twi’s. “Ain’t like we were gonna do much dancin’ anyway. You should write Princess Cadance and let her know--”

Twilight shook her head. “No, we still need to go.” She looked up at the doctor. “Not being able to dance doesn’t mean I can’t at least be present, right?”

The doctor shrugged. “I can’t tell you not to. Just be sure to keep pressure off your leg. I’ll see about getting you that wheelchair.”

Applejack waited for the doctor to close the door, then pushed. “Twilight, if this shindig goes any further South, we’re liable to smack into Appleloosa. I’m callin’ it off.”

“You can’t!” Twilight shrieked. “Please, just…have a good time with Rarity and don’t worry about me.”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure Rainbow’s gonna be thrilled to be shackled to a wheelchair all night.” She tilted her eyes up in thought. “Come to think of it, that might be funny to watch.”

Twilight saw her opening and pressed it. “See? I’ll be okay. What’s important is you and Rarity.”

“What’s so important about me and Rarity? Why’s this still eatin’ ya so bad?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “I have to know, though. I have to be sure.”

“Sure of what?! Twilight--” Applejack didn’t get to finish, because the doctor returned at that moment, pulling a wheelchair through the door.

“Hello again, Miss Sparkle,” the doctor greeted. “Let’s get you down the hall and see about putting that cast on.”

“Will I be able to go home afterwards?” Twilight asked.

“I can’t recommend it. You’re going to need at least a few days of bed rest. But I don’t suppose I can stop you, either.”

“I have an assistant at home,” Twilight assured the doctor. “If we can make arrangements, Spike should be able to take care of everything for me. He….” She looked down sadly. “He always does.”

“You’ve always had somepony to make your meals for you. You’ve never had to subsist on your own.”

“Well,” the doctor replied, “that does make me feel better about letting you go. Very well, Miss Sparkle. We’ll get your cast put on, then we can talk about medication and bedrest. I’ll send a nurse to check in on you a couple times each day.”

“Thank you.” Twilight turned her attention back to Applejack. “Stay with me until they let me go?”

Applejack gave Twilight the best smile she could to hide the growing discontent in her heart. “You know, I will. Somepony’s going to need to wheel you home.”

“I should be able to do it with my magic, actually,” Twilight corrected. “But I’d prefer if it was you.”

Applejack leaned up and gave Twilight another kiss on the forehead, prompting the doctor to awkwardly shift his gaze. “Oh!” he commented. “You two are….”

Applejack bristled, turning to glare at the doctor. “Yeah. That a problem?”

“Not at all,” he backpedaled with a grin that Applejack was sure looked fake as a set of udders on a bull. The doctor wheeled the chair over for Twilight. With a bit of magic and some lifting from Applejack, they were able to navigate her off the bed and into the chair.

“Stay with me,” Twilight whispered to Applejack once more just before the doctor took control of the chair with his magic and pushed it towards the door. Despite herself, Applejack took a deep breath, let out a sigh, and followed.

As the sun approached the horizon, Rainbow Dash skipped another rock across a wide stream in front of her. She hovered upright a couple feet off the ground, lowering herself to grab another rock before floating back up and skipping it.

She’d gone by the Apple farm again today to see if Applejack was there. She wanted to talk about this crazy double date situation, but she hadn’t seen her. She thought about knocking, but wasn’t looking up to another Twilight shock.

That’s probably where she was anyway. Out with Twilight and having a blast. That’s all she ever seemed to do anymore: hang out with Twilight.

Did you see the way they were draped on each other last night?

Yes, stupid hollow spot in her heart, Rainbow Dash had seen it. It was weird and gross and she’d hated every minute of it. Apparently now Twilight and Applejack couldn’t even be in the same room together without having to remind everypony around them about how they like each other so much more than all of their friends.

Rainbow Dash lobbed another rock, but it hit the water’s surface with a plot and sank straight down.

They’re probably laughing at me. I have to take Twilight to this stupid ball and I’m sure AJ just thought that was so hilarious.

Rainbow Dash picked up another rock and tossed it. Then she sat down and tried to think about anything but how great a time Twilight and Applejack were assuredly having without her.

“Here ya go, sugar,” Applejack told Twilight as she wheeled her to the library’s door. “You’re sure ya don’t want me to stay?” The sun had almost finished sliding under the horizon.

Twilight shook her head. “No, I’ve taken you away from the farm enough already. I’m becoming a burden.”

Applejack released the wheelchair and dropped back onto her front hooves. She couldn’t dispute Twilight’s statement, so she settled for, “Ain’t been all bad.” Stepping around the chair, Applejack leaned in and gave Twilight a parting kiss.

For a brief moment, Twilight’s breaking heart felt secure and warm in the embrace of her partner’s lips. The kiss ended too soon, however, and it took her confidence with it. “You were right,” she muttered. “We aren’t a storybook romance. I don’t know what we are anymore.”

“We’re just us. Same’s we’ve always been. I know your head’s all mixed ‘round right now, but I’ll still be here when ya find your way back.” She put a comforting hoof against Twilight’s shoulder for a couple seconds. “See ya tomorrow, sugarcube.”

As Applejack headed down the road, Twilight opened the front door with her magic and wheeled herself into the library. “Spike!” she called out as her magic wheeled her up to the center table.

Spike stepped out of the kitchen with a pan full of batter and a couple of gems in his claws. “Twilight? I didn’t think you’d be--WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR LEG?!” He dropped the pan as soon as he saw Twilight’s condition and scrambled across the room to get a closer look.

Twilight gave him a sheepish smile. “I might have accidentally broken it this morning. But it’s okay. I just need to give it some time to heal.” She glanced at the splattered batter on the floor. Spike would clean that up once he stopped fussing over her, she was sure.

“You were going crazy about Applejack again, weren’t you?”

“I confirm nothing,” she answered quickly, then faked a yawn. “Besides, the doctor told me to get lots of bed rest so I should probably get up there.” She turned her wheelchair and pressed it right up against the stairs. It hit the first step with a thunk and stopped in place.

Twilight stared at the staircase for a few seconds, then looked down at her wheels. Then she looked back up the stairs, now an impenetrable barrier standing between her and her bedroom. “Ohhh…” she vocalized as realization dawned on her. She turned her head slowly to look at her beleaguered assistant, smiling as wide as she could force herself to. “…Spiiiiike? Could you do me a favor?”

Applejack slipped into the house and headed upstairs. She crept quietly down the hall to avoid waking up anypony, then slid open the door to her room as quiet as she could. She took three steps into the room, then tripped and slammed her chin into the floor. “What in tarnation?” she whispered as she picked herself off the ground.

Still planted in the middle of the room were a pair of saddlebags. They were hard to make out in the dark, but Applejack had a hunch they were light blue with a six-pointed star on them. The pockets were stuffed with books and papers. A few loose pages now littered the floor, scattered by the impact.

Applejack couldn’t make them out in the dark and assumed they’d make about as much sense in the light. Probably some kind of fancy mathematics work regarding Twilight’s first and hopefully last applebuck. She tried to put them out of her mind and laid herself down in bed, but sleep refused to come. Those pages were nagging at the back of her mind.

“Twi doesn’t feel like part of the family,” she whispered to herself, turning over to stare up at the ceiling. “She needs a space where she can belong.” She nodded to herself, acknowledging what that had to mean. She wasn’t sure if she was prepared for this, but it didn’t matter anymore. As she lay sleepless in her bed, she made her plans for tomorrow.

Twilight felt guilty for having Spike drag her bed down the stairs when she didn’t have any intention of actually sleeping. Her latest attempt at finding her answer had ended disastrously and she knew Crystal Princess Rarity was waiting for her in her dreams.

Once Spike had gone to bed, she set to work. Sitting up in her bed, she levitated all the notes she’d made thus far from the various stashing places she’d found in her bookshelves. She needed to start over from the beginning. Everything she knew about Applejack, about the family, and about herself needed to be scrutinized, analyzed, and studied.

By the light of her horn, she started once more to write.

In the light of the afternoon sun, Rainbow Dash descended towards the Golden Oaks Library. She’d spent the last day putting it off, but she knew she eventually had to talk to Twilight about this stupid not-date Applejack was making them go on tomorrow.

As she dove towards the ground, Rainbow Dash noticed Spike pacing back and forth outside the door. He seemed frustrated about something.

Rainbow Dash pulled out of her dive, flared her wings, and caught herself. She fluttered down towards Spike, calling out, “Hey! What’s going on?”

“Would you talk to her?!” Spike shouted back, wildly gesturing at the door.

Rainbow Dash peered in the window. A variety of charts, graphs, and other sheets of paper hung around the library. The table was overflowing with paperwork and the walls seemed absolutely covered with them. Twilight sat upright on her bed with her blankets wrapped around her waist, frantically scrawling with her levitating quill, seemingly oblivious to the world around her.

“What is she doing?” Rainbow Dash asked Spike.

Spike threw up his claws in consternation. “I have no idea! She won’t talk to me. She’s been going crazier and crazier over this stupid Rarity thing.”

“Rarity thing?”

Spike sighed. “She wants to be prettier than Rarity or something. I don’t know, she won’t say anything!”

Rainbow Dash popped an eyebrow. “That’s weird. I’ll try to talk to her.”

Pushing the door open, Rainbow Dash called out. “Hey, Twilight! Whatcha up to?” Twilight sat silently in her bed, continuing to scrawl.

Rainbow Dash stepped into the room and took a look at one of the hanging leaflets. “Estimated hoof sizes?” she read aloud. There were measurements of Twilight’s hooves followed by other statistics labelled as Applejack, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Apple Bloom.

“That’s private,” Twilight murmured, not looking up from the sheet she was working on.

“Uh…okay….” Rainbow Dash took a couple steps away from it, looking around the room. “So…what are you working on?”

“Do you really care? Or did you just come here to be passive-aggressive about me and Applejack again?”

Twilight’s words stung Rainbow Dash deeper than she could have expected. “I care because we’re friends,” she insisted.

“Are we? It doesn’t seem like it anymore.” Twilight’s voice sounded flat and drained, like she didn’t have the energy to put much emotion into it. She spoke in a cold, matter-of-fact tone that chilled Rainbow Dash, and her words cut into the hollow place in the pit of Rainbow Dash’s stomach.

Rainbow Dash took a step towards Twilight, but she was cut off by another set of stern words. “Please leave me alone. I can’t have distractions right now. I need to find the answer.”

“Um. Okay.” Rainbow Dash returned to the door, casting one last confused look at Twilight who still refused to even look at her. “Bye.”

Stepping out the door, she looked down at Spike’s hopeful face and shook her head. “She won’t talk to me.”

“So…Applejack?”

“Applejack.”

Applejack loaded the last basket of apples onto her second cart, then trotted around to the harness. Before she could step into it, Rainbow Dash appeared out of nowhere, shouting at her. “Twilight’s gone crazy! We need your help!”

Applejack let out a frustrated sigh. Her thin hope that Twilight’s antics ended at the wheelchair shattered into pieces. “Course, she has. What’d she do this time?”

“There’s no time to explain! Follow me!” Rainbow Dash rocketed off towards the library.

“What?!” Applejack broke into a gallop, chasing after Rainbow Dash and shouting at the sky where she’d vanished. “THERE’S PLENTY OF TIME TO EXPLAIN!!! Get back here and start talkin’ sensible!” But Rainbow Dash never came back. Applejack galloped in silence until she arrived at the library, where Rainbow Dash and Spike were waiting for her.

“Applejack!” Spike greeted her. “Maybe you can help. Did Rainbow Dash tell you what’s going on?”

Applejack shot a stern glare at Rainbow Dash. “No. She could have been jabbin’ at me on the way here, but apparently, there was ‘no time to explain’.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Look, it’s crazy town in there. If you think you could explain it, be my guest.”

Applejack rolled her eyes and pushed the door open, followed shortly by Rainbow Dash and Spike. She took a look around at the sheets hanging from the walls and the mountain of paperwork on the table. “What in Sam Hill is all this?” she asked.

Twilight jerked from the sound of Applejack’s voice. Her quill abruptly dropped to the ground and she spun around to face the others. “Applejack?!” she squeaked out. “You’re not supposed to see this.” Throwing off the blankets, she struggled to get up, but let out a pained gasp the instant pressure was placed on her broken leg and ceased.

“Whoa! What happened to your leg?!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“I broke it,” Twilight answered, her eyes fixed on Applejack who was coming dangerously close to some of her research.

“Estimates of my shoulder width?” Applejack asked skeptically, reading off one of the sheets. Twilight plucked it with her magic and shoved it into the pile on the table.

“That’s nothing important!” she insisted.

“She’s got hoofprint stuff over by the door,” Rainbow Dash added. That sheet also got plucked, but Applejack had already wandered over to another pile pinned to the wall.

“Optimal applebuckin’ angles based on the curvature of my buckin’ legs? Color analysis of my mane? Are….” She squinted to get a closer look. “Are those some of my stray hairs taped to that one?”

“I needed the data….” Twilight sheepishly confessed.

Applejack shot a frantic look around the room. Rainbow Dash was right; it was a room full of crazy and it made her feel physically ill to even be present in it. Worst, it was all about her. Twilight had run amok through the library trying to scientifically explain her.

Taking a deep breath, she took a few steps towards Twilight’s bed. “Listen. Twilight. Because I love you, I ain’t gonna scream, run away, and come back with fire. Yet. I ain’t sayin’ this is a dealbreaker. But we are in dealbreakin’s neighborhood. I’m gonna need ya to start explainin’ quick, ‘cause a torch is lookin’ mighty temptin’ right now.”

“It’s data,” she explained.

“No, Twi, it’s creepy. What could ya possibly need all this for?!”

“I don’t know. I keep searching and searching but I can’t find the answer. No matter how hard I try, it just isn’t there. What if there isn’t one?”

“Answer to what?” Applejack took a seat on the bed next to Twilight. “You ain’t tellin’ me everythin’. It can’t be the Rares comment. We talked about that. What’s hurtin’ ya so bad?” She shot a glance at Rainbow Dash and Spike, who simply nodded and excused themselves out the front door.

“I’ve been having nightmares,” Twilight admitted. “Every night, it’s the same dream. I’m in a dark tunnel and Rarity’s there. She’s an alicorn princess and a Crystal Pony, and she looks amazing. Every night, she challenges me to find something about our relationship that couldn’t be just as special with Rarity. Something about me or how I fit in or…or something.”

“That’s why you ain’t been sleepin’?” Applejack asked.

Twilight nodded. “I can’t. Not until I have my answer. I need to find out what makes us uniquely suited for each other. What makes me a better partner for you than anypony else? Why is our relationship special?”

Applejack shook her head. “There ain’t nothin’, Twilight.”

Twilight placed her front hoof on Applejack’s shoulder, looking desperately into her eyes. “There has to be! There must be something about us that makes us different or else…or else we can’t be special.”

Applejack let out a frustrated sigh. “Twilight, we ain’t special. We’re just two ponies found a little slice of happiness in the other.”

“We’re special to me,” Twilight whispered. Her eyes fell away from Applejack’s, but the earth pony put her hoof under Twilight’s chin, tilting them back up.

“Then why can’t that be enough?”

“Because I still feel hollow inside,” Twilight answered. She put her hoof over her heart. “It doesn’t go away. No matter what I try, this feeling won’t leave. It’s not even a pain, exactly. It’s more like the absence of everything. It swells until I can’t feel or think about anything but how empty I am.”

Applejack pulled Twilight’s head into her chest and cradled it. “How ‘bout now? Do ya feel empty right now?”

“No,” Twilight murmured into the orange fuzz. “But you can’t hold me forever.”

“No, I can’t,” Applejack agreed. She let go of Twilight and hopped down from the bed. “I’ve got work ain’t getting’ done while we’re sittin’ here frettin’, and my family’s had to put up with a lot of that from me this week, so here’s what we’re doin’. Pick out a couple of your favorite books and come keep me company while I get the buckin’ done. Tonight, we're goin' up to our special hill to watch the sun go down.

“Ya want to find out what makes us work, so we're just gonna be us and let it work. No more cockamamie schemes and ideas to try and make me like ya more. No more of…whatever this is!” Applejack gestured emphatically around the library. “And none of this Crystal Ball switcheroo, neither.”

Twilight reached for Applejack, but she was too far away. “We have to! Please, Applejack, I need this. I have to know if Rarity is more compatible with you than I am.”

“She ain’t,” Applejack assured her, stepping back towards the bed. “Don’t matter none if she was, neither. You’re the pony I want with me at the Ball.”

“Please,” Twilight pleaded. “I have to know.”

Applejack grunted in frustration. “No, ya don’t. That’s your hollow place talkin’. Ya haven’t made a lick of sense all week because of it, and it’s just tryin’ to get ya to make another fool mistake.”

“Then how do I stop feeling this way?” Twilight challenged. “If you know the answer, I’d be happy to listen. What do I have to do to make this feeling go away?”

Applejack hesitated. She didn’t want to say the words, but they were the only answer she had. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I ain’t never felt nothin’ like it.”

“That’s why I need you to go with Rarity. I hate this as much as you do, but I have to find my answer or I’ll never sleep again. I need to know, and this is the only way.”

Applejack sighed. “I hate this, Twilight.”

“I know. So do I.”

“How is it going?” Spike asked Rainbow Dash. The pegasus had propped herself up on her hind legs to peer in the window.

“AJ looks livid,” Rainbow Dash answered. “She’s waving her hooves around, and Twilight…what happened to her, anyway?”

“She wouldn’t say,” Spike answered. “Pretty sure it had something to do with Applejack, though.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Of course, it did.” She wanted to be grumpier, but seeing Twilight in that state had jarred her.

“Are we? It doesn’t seem like it anymore.”

She rolled Twilight’s words through her head, trying to make sense of them and something uncomfortable rang true. Had they stopped being friends? In the pit of her stomach, she could feel that hollow place beginning to emerge once more, threatening to--

The door slammed shut behind Applejack as she emerged into the plaza. “Alright, y’all, here’s what’s goin’ on. Twi’s inside pickin’ out some of her books. She’s comin’ home with me tonight while we figure things out. Soon as we’re gone, y’all gather up all that crazy in there, stick it in a pile, and set it alight.”

Spike scratched at the back of his head nervously. “Did Twilight say it was okay? I mean, it bothers me as much as you guys, but I don’t want to upset her.”

Applejack turned her focus to Spike. “Part of bein’ the way we is means sometimes I have to talk for her, and this is one of those times. Ain’t none of that doin’ a lick but keepin’ her stuck in this loop of hers. She’s got a problem, she can yell at me over it.”

Spike took a deep breath, then nodded. “Okay, Applejack. I’ll do it.”

Applejack looked up at Rainbow Dash next. “We’re still on for this Crystal Ball nonsense, so I’ll need you to show up to the house just past dawn and pick up Twi. She’s supposed to meet Princess Cadance early, and that ain’t gonna be easy in that chair of hers.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash replied, “I wanted to ask about that. What the hoof?!”

“Long story, short time. Can ya get this done for me?”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Sure, AJ. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

The door chose that moment to open again. Twilight wheeled out in her chair, pushed by her own magic aura. “Are you ready to go?” she asked Applejack.

It tugged at Rainbow Dash’s heartstrings to see Twilight in this state. The differences they had seemed minor compared to whatever had happened to her friend. Still, the hollowness inside of her whispered in her mind and wouldn’t let up.

She already told you. She isn’t your friend anymore.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day for everypony.

4 - Love's Revelation

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Within the throne room of the Crystal Empire, the Crystal Princess Cadance paced nervously. Preparations for the Ball were already underway. She’d recruited the best caterers and performers the Empire had to offer. She’d checked and double-checked the guest list. She personally approved each song that would play over the course of the night. For Twilight’s sake, it all had to be perfect.

“I don’t think it’s going to help anypony if you carve a groove in the floor,” Shining Armor teased her as he approached. “It’s still early and they’ve got a long ride ahead of them. Give them time.”

“I know,” Cadance agreed. “I just hope they enjoy it. We haven’t had much of a chance to get to know Applejack. What if she doesn’t like the food? Or the music?”

Shining Armor shrugged his shoulders. “Then she won’t like some parts. I don’t think she’s going to break up with Twili because we played a bad song. Besides, as much as I’m looking forward to seeing them, the Ball isn’t just for those two. It’s supposed to be a celebration for the Empire.”

Cadance nervously lowered her head. “It sort of is just for those two. It’s great that everypony’s going to get to enjoy themselves and I’m happy for her other friends being here, but the point of the Ball is to give Twilight some better atmosphere and see if it helps get her mind off her problems.”

“Twilight’s having problems?” Shining Armor asked.

“We can talk about it when she gets here. The point is, it has to be perfect for Applejack too. Otherwise, the whole thing will be ruined.”

Rainbow Dash tapped her hoof impatiently as she stood at the door to the Apple family homestead. The sun had only just peeked over the horizon, but Applejack asked for early and she was getting it.

She knocked on the door for the third time, then let out a combination of a yawn and a groan. She hoped Twilight wasn’t planning on talking on the train, because she saw nothing but sleep in her future plans.

After a few more seconds, the door mercifully opened. Letting out a yawn of her own, Twilight rolled her wheelchair outside. “Good morning. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear the door.” She blinked a few times to try and get the sleep out of her eyes.

“Isn’t Applejack usually up by now?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“She’s out in the South Orchard. Do you have our dresses?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Rarity said she’d bring them with her. She needs a little more time to finish them.”

Twilight nodded. “That’s good.” Her eyes closed slowly and she yawned again. “We should probably get to the…pumpkin patch….” Her head rolled to the side and she began breathing lightly.

“Come on, Egghead.” Rainbow Dash stepped around behind Twilight’s wheelchair and began pushing her down the road. In the driest, most sarcastic voice she could muster, she muttered, “A night of fun awaits.”

“Mmhmm,” Twilight whispered in her sleep. She reached her head back and lightly nuzzled Rainbow Dash’s hoof. “Thanks, Applejack….”

Rainbow Dash fidgeted, not sure whether to wake her up or just let her keep dozing. Stuck for a response, she answered simply, “Uh…yeah. You’re welcome.”

Twilight let out a light giggle. “I really do love you.”

Rainbow Dash turned beet red. “Um. Yeah…uh…you too, Twilight.” As she pushed Twilight through the gates of Sweet Apple Acres, she sent a silent wish into the sky that Twilight would just stop talking.

Rainbow Dash’s hopes were mostly answered. Twilight was silent for most of the trip to the train station. She woke up on the train in a cold sweat, shouting, “Rarity!” After that awkwardness, the conversation was relatively brief. Rainbow Dash had set Twilight’s chair between a pair of benches, and she seemed mostly content once she was awake to watch the scenery go by.

Well, this is weird.

Rainbow Dash sat on the other side of the train, trying not to think too much. She felt intrusive more than anything else. She wanted to chat with Twilight like friends, but her gut was screaming at her that she shouldn’t even be here. Applejack should. She felt like a thief, stealing Applejack’s time with Twilight away from her.

None of this would even have happened if Twilight hadn’t stolen my pal.

There was that as well. The hollowness within her was starting to claw its way out of her gut, challenging her for feeling the way she did. Should Applejack be here, nuzzling up with Twilight and whispering dumb, sappy sentiments in her ear? Or should she be out in the field cracking jokes and challenging Rainbow Dash to a hoof-wrestle?

One of them was intruding; that much was certain. She just wasn’t entirely sure which.

Twilight kept to herself after the short conversation. She’d seen Crystal Princess Rarity in her dreams again. Applejack had kept her company through the night and it had done a fair job keeping the nightmare at bay, but her snooze on the way to the train was interrupted by the alicorn demon embedded in her dream space.

She had trouble talking to Rainbow Dash. She remembered what she’d said to her the night before. She had called her out on her behavior, questioning whether or not she was even a friend anymore. She wanted to say that she was speaking out of the hollow place within her, but she wasn’t sure. How much did she actually mean? Any of it? All?

She’s trying to come between me and Applejack. She wants my Very Special Somepony for herself.

She hated feeling like this. It was bad enough when it was just Rarity she had to feel threatened by, but now Rainbow Dash was challenging her for Applejack. Where would it end? Was she going to have to defend her right to be with Applejack from Fluttershy next week? Or Pinkie? Lyra and Bon Bon? Princess Celestia?!

When would it be enough? When would the world leave her alone and let her just have this…what had Applejack called it? Her slice of happiness? When would it be good enough?

As the train rumbled onwards towards the Crystal Empire, neither pony spoke to the other. It was going to be a long ride.

“Ow! Ow ow ow OW!” Applejack clenched her eyes shut and grit her teeth while Rarity’s brush tugged its way through her mane. She was seated on a stool in the middle of the Boutique. The walls were lined with the dresses Rarity had made for everypony. Against her better judgment, Applejack had been convinced to let down her ponytail for the ball, but actually straightening it was proving to be a nightmare.

“It won’t hurt like this if you stop struggling,” Rarity insisted, giving the brush another tug.

Applejack could swear that she could feel tufts of hair being ripped out with every pull. She let out another shout of pain as the brush yanked and pulled again. “OW! What’s even the point of all this tuggin’?!”

“The point is that you are going to be walking through those crystal doors next to me, and we are going to sparkle like nopony in the Empire has ever seen. We can hardly do that with…is this mud?!” Rarity levitated a small chunk of dirt off the back of Applejack’s neck and turned it over a few times. She stared at it as though she was afraid simply being in a room with it would give her cancer. “How long has there been mud under your mane?!”

Applejack shrugged. “Dunno. When did it rain last?”

With a flick of magic, Rarity lobbed the intruding dirt out the window and shuddered. “Oh, this simply will not do!” She yanked the brush through Applejack’s hair again, eliciting another pained grunt from her.

Applejack fumed, bracing herself for the next pull. Bitterly, she grumbled, “Twilight likes me covered in dirt just fine.”

“Twilight doesn’t know any better,” Rarity retorted. “But when she gets a look at how you glow with a little bit of actual effort put in, she will positively melt into your hooves and this whole nightmare will be over, I sincerely hope.”

Applejack scoffed. “Yeah, that, or she’ll go hog-wild and start accusin’ me of prettyin’ up for you more than I do for her. You’re a bit of a sore spot for her.”

Rarity blinked. “Me? Whatever did I do to cause her such distress?”

“Nothin’, near’s I can tell. Twi’s just goin’ through some things.”

“That’s strange,” Rarity mused, pulling her brush down for another tug and eliciting another set of grunts from Applejack. “Ordinarily, she comes straight to me when the two of you are having a lover’s quarrel. I fear I may be becoming something of a crutch for the poor dear.”

“I’m aware,” Applejack replied. “And don’t think that ain’t awkward as all get-out, neither. You don’t talk to her about--”

“Don’t be absurd,” Rarity cut her off before she could finish her question. “Heavens forbid Twilight should ever have to learn any of that sordid business.”

Applejack nodded. She breathed slowly and bit through a few more tugs of the brush, then quietly whispered, “Thanks, Rares.”

“Think nothing of it, darling. Now sit still and let me get these last few tangles. Then I can show you how to cover up that unsightly bruise around your eye.”

At last, the long-awaited moment arrived. As the grand doors to the Crystal Ballroom opened, Cadance leapt to her hooves.

“Cadance!” Twilight’s voice filled the hall.

Cadance raced across the room and landed eagerly in front of Twilight. “Sunshine sunsh--TWILIGHT?!“ The usual greeting ritual was interrupted by the sight of her sister-in-law’s wheelchair. The cast around her right hind leg prevented her from being able to return the gesture, and she smiled a sad smile in greeting.

“Clap your hooves?” Twilight offered weakly, holding out her front hoof.

Cadance nodded. “Clap your hooves.” She clicked her hoof against Twilight’s. “What happened to you?”

“She kind of went crazy,” Rainbow Dash explained, stepping forward. Cadance blinked a couple of times. She’d been so fixated on Twilight’s injury, she hadn’t even noticed the pony that was missing.

“I’m sorry, um…Rainbow Dash, right? Why isn’t Applejack here?”

“Trust me,” Rainbow Dash assured her. “That’s the question on everypony’s minds right now.”

Cadance looked back at Twilight. “Twilight? Where is Applejack?”

Twilight tried to speak, but under Cadance’s concerned gaze, words failed her. All the stress and pain and fear of the last week began to well up inside of her. She felt like she was four years old again, slipping on ice and scraping her knee on the stairs. She had so much she wanted to tell her that the words got stuck on each other as they tried to escape, and her eyes began to well up with tears.

Cadance stood up on her hind legs to embrace Twilight in her wheelchair. “It’s okay.” She shot a look at Rainbow Dash. “Do you think we could have a moment?”

“Uh, sure. Go right ahead.” Rainbow Dash headed out the door and closed it behind her.

Pulling away and sitting down on her haunches in front of Twilight’s wheelchair, she put her hoof on Twilight’s. “Start at the beginning,” she urged, “and tell me everything.”

“Oh, Twilight.” Cadance sighed. “I know what this is.”

“You do?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, I do. It’s a terrible affliction. You’ve allowed jealousy into your heart.”

Twilight shook her head. “Luna said that too, but I can’t be jealous. That’s something that happens to ponies who want to be with somepony and can’t. I’m already with Applejack. There’s nothing to be jealous about.”

“Twilight, there isn’t just one form of jealousy. It takes on many forms and it has many voices. It can happen between crushes, yes, but it can also happen between lovers or even between friends. It sounds to me like you’ve discovered territorial jealousy. You have Applejack, but you’re afraid that you’re going to lose her. You’ve become defensive and a piece of your heart has become blackened with that fear. Instead of enjoying your time with her, your mind is busy searching for threats to your happiness.”

Twilight looked down at her cast. She’d earned that cast with her antics; she knew that. She just didn’t know what to do next. “I just don’t understand what’s so special about Rarity. Other than that she’s driven and classy and beautiful and…I’m just me.”

Cadance smiled. “I think ‘just you’ is pretty special already. I know Applejack thinks so.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I know I’m special. Princess Celestia chose me for my talents. I just don’t know what I have to offer her. I can’t do farm work, I’m not a very good cook or a seamstress or anything that might help out. I read books. I can’t even….”

Twilight trailed off, but Cadance wasn’t about to let her stop when she was finally letting out all the hurt. “Can’t what, Twilight?”

Twilight shook her head. “It’s embarrassing.”

“I want to hear it. You can talk to me about anything. You know that.”

Blushing furiously, Twilight sheepishly admitted, “…we can’t have foals.”

Curiously, Cadance turned her head to the side. “Is that important to you? I don’t remember you ever talking about it before.”

Twilight shook her head. “It’s not, but when I look at her family, sometimes I feel like I’m…intruding, if that makes sense. Her grandmother and her siblings love me, but Applejack has this huge extended family and they have so many foals. She’s the middle of three herself! And with me, she’ll…well, she won’t have any. Because we can’t.”

“And Rarity could?”

“…well, no,” Twilight admitted.

“Have you even asked if she wants any foals?”

Twilight looked down. “No.”

“Then maybe you should talk about that. You told me she started all of this. It seems to me that if she’s looking for a mare to be with, foals probably aren’t as big of a deal to her as you’re making them out to be.”

After a few seconds, Twilight slowly nodded. Cadance continued. “I think it’s very important for you to talk to her. Find out what attracted her to you in the first place and start from there. It can’t be that she’s so shallow that she was just taken in by your pretty mane.”

Twilight winced. “Princess Luna told you about that, didn’t she?”

“She did. Ask yourself this: what kind of ponies is she interested in?”

“I don’t know. I just know she liked me. We’ve never talked about it.”

“Okay.” Cadance stopped for a moment, thinking, then changed approach. “Then what about you? What kind of ponies are you interested in?”

“I’m interested in Applejack,” Twilight answered, deadpan as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Right, but setting her aside, what would you look for in a potential partner?”

Twilight blinked a couple of times. “…I’d look for Applejack.”

“Twilight….” Cadance said sternly.

Twilight threw up her hooves. “I don’t know, okay! I’ve never thought about this before! I agreed to start seeing her because I thought it would be a great opportunity to advance my studies, but then everything started happening so fast and before I knew it there were all these feelings…and then there were even MORE feelings!”

Twilight choked on a sob. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to will the tears to leave. Quietly, she resumed. “Before I knew what was happening, I was in love. I don’t know what kind of pony she likes. I don’t even know what kind of pony I like, because the only pony I’ve ever felt this way about is her.”

Cadance gave Twilight a skeptical smirk. “Come now, Twilight. That can’t be entirely true. You’ve never been attracted to a pony before? Even just the surface?”

Twilight opened her eyes and looked straight into Cadance’s. “No,” she answered honestly. “I never have.”

Shaken, Cadance tried again. “You’ve never looked at a pony and gone, ‘Wow, he or she is really good-looking!’”

“…well, Rarity is very pretty.”

“I’m not talking about pretty, Twilight. I mean you wanted them. On a completely superficial level, you saw this pony and were filled with desire for him or her.”

More insistently, Twilight answered, “No, that’s never happened. I’ve read about it, but I never understood it. It just doesn’t happen to me, I guess.”

Cadance blinked. “…but you are attracted to Applejack?”

“I think I am?” Twilight answered unhelpfully.

Cadance took a deep breath. “Okay. Describe it. She comes through the door after a hard day of work. She’s glistening in the afternoon sun. She takes off her hat and wipes sweat from her brow, and you feel…?”

“I…” Twilight’s eyes drifted upwards as she pictured it. “I feel a warmth in my heart and….”

“Just your heart?”

Twilight blushed furiously and shouted, “I am not comfortable talking about this!”

Cadance studied her curiously. “Well, that’s an answer. Twilight, there are some ponies who don’t feel attraction for either mares or stallions. I don’t think that’s quite what’s going on with you, but it does seem related. When did you first start to notice these feelings?”

Twilight thought back. “After our third date, I asked her to kiss me. It was a test of my feelings. I felt my heart flutter, and that’s the first time I recorded being attracted to her.”

Cadance shook her head. “That’s not attraction, Twilight. That’s the first inkling of romantic love. When was the first time that you felt your body urging you into physical contact with her? The first time you kissed her or touched her because you wanted to, not because you felt like you should or because it would help your research?”

Twilight thought back. “…that would be…a couple months after we started seeing each other. We were both wearing these costumes because we wanted to teach Rainbow Dash a lesson in humility. She looked amazing in hers and I’d just stopped a dam from flooding, so I had a lot of adrenaline pumping through me.

“When I saw her, she looked different. It was like seeing her through somepony else’s eyes. Everything in me was urging me towards her. It was like in that moment, I needed her like I’d never needed anything before.”

Cadance focused on one part of Twilight’s story. “That was months later?” Twilight nodded. “Then it sounds like you only started feeling attracted to her after you’d already begun to fall in love. That complicates everything. It’s no wonder this is all having such an effect on you.”

“What do I do?”

“I wish I knew, but the only pony who can actually uncover the truth about your feelings and make peace with them is you.”

“That’s what everypony says.” Twilight pouted.

“I know, and I’m sorry I don’t have more answers but I am here to talk whenever you need it.” Cadance rubbed Twilight’s hoof with her own. “Try to enjoy the ball. This is all for your and Applejack’s benefit. I’d hate to think the two of you didn’t get a single dance.”

Twilight looked down at her wheelchair. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to do much dancing.”

Cadance shook her head. “Love finds a way, Twilight. All you have to do is give it a chance.”

“Oh, wow!” Pinkie shouted, bouncing excitedly up and down at the train station. Rarity and Applejack had arrived with a rolling dress rack in tow. “These look amazing, Rarity!”

“I should certainly hope so. I’ve been working non-stop on them. Um…pardon me for asking, Pinkie, but where is your date?”

Pinkie glanced over at the side of the train, twiddling her mane with her hoof. “He’ll be meeting us there,” she explained.

Applejack stepped up onto the platform. “He ain’t from Ponyville?”

Pinkie shook her head quickly. “Oh no no no, he’s from Manehattan. We, um…we met at the Gala.” With her eyes closed, she stretched her snout into a wide smile.

“Huh.” Applejack clapped Pinkie on the shoulder with her hoof. “Good on ya, Pinkie. Least somepony’s bound to have a good time tonight.”

Rarity blinked, staring off the platform. “Maybe more than one. Is that Fluttershy’s date?”

Fluttershy approached with a hulking beast of a pegasus trotting along beside her. His white bulk towered over everypony they passed. Even without Twilight to measure them, Applejack and Rarity could easily tell that his individual muscles were larger than most ponies and his mane was buzzed short.

“Fluttershy, this is your date?” Rarity asked, jaw hanging open.

Fluttershy giggled as the massive behemoth reared up on his hind legs and pulled his front hooves in, flexing his pecs with a grin. “Oh, no, we’re just going as friends. Everypony, this is Bulk Biceps. We met a couple months ago while performing the tornado for Cloudsdale’s water supply.”

“Oh my.” Rarity took a couple steps back, still trying to take in Bulk’s size. “I wish you’d brought him to me sooner. I don’t know if there’s a tuxedo in Equestria in his size, and there’s just no time to make one.”

“Oh, no, he’s fine,” Fluttershy reassured Rarity. “He’s already covered.” She pointed at a tiny bow tie mounted on what appeared to be a dismembered shirt collar around Bulk’s neck.

Rarity winced at Fluttershy’s definition of ‘covered’. “I see.”

“WE’RE GOING CLASSY!!!” Bulk shouted. “YEAH!!!”

Bulk flexed his forelegs, prompting Fluttershy to laugh. While she was distracted, Rarity stepped over towards Applejack, murmuring quietly to her. “Good news, Applejack. I have revised my definition of ‘uncouth’. You are now merely an inelegant partner for Twilight.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “I’m leapin’ for joy over here.”

Rarity wheeled her rack of dresses through the doors to the Crystal Palace. There were still a couple of hours before the ball would start. Plenty of time to find Rainbow Dash and Twilight and get everypony dressed up. One of whom would be easier than the other, Rarity realized, as Rainbow Dash was pacing impatiently within the foyer.

“Rainbow!” Applejack called out to her, catching her attention. “Where’s Twi?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged her shoulders. “Princess Cadance wanted a few minutes alone with her. That was hours ago, so you tell me.” She looked over at Rarity’s carrier. “Are those the dresses?”

“Indeed, they are,” Rarity answered her.

Fluttershy and Bulk entered behind them. Bulk seemed positively starstruck, gazing around the palace with wide eyes and an open jaw. Every few steps, he seemed to find something new to capture his interest. It reminded Rarity of how impressive all this had once seemed to her. Not just the palace, but rubbing hooves with royalty as well. In their humble town of Ponyville, it was so easy to forget that Princess Celestia knew her and her friends by name. There were even murals in the royal palace dedicated to them.

“IS THIS REAL CRYSTAL?!” Bulk shouted as he ran his hoof along the palace’s wall.

“Of course it is, dear,” Rarity answered him. She made a sweeping gesture to the hall. “This entire palace is fashioned from crystals grown right here in the….” She droned off, realizing that Bulk was no longer listening to her.

“IS THIS A REAL PALACE GUARD?!” Bulk shouted as he hoisted one of the guards into the air.

Fluttershy giggled and sidled up next to Rarity. “It’s his first time in a palace. Let him have this.”

“So how’s she doin’?” Applejack asked Rainbow Dash.

The pegasus scoffed. “Like I know. She didn’t even talk to me on the whole train ride. It’s not my business anyway.”

Applejack scowled. “Should be your business. She’s your friend too, Rainbow.”

“No, she’s not!” Rainbow Dash insisted. “She told me that last night. We’re not friends. She’s just your special somepony.”

“Last night, she was up to her horn in crazy, Dash. You can’t take that personal.”

“I’ll take it how I--”

Rainbow Dash was cut off by a pair of large doors on the far side of the hall opening and a palace guard trotting out. “Lady Applejack? Is the Lady Applejack among you?”

Applejack winced at the title haphazardly stapled to her name. “I’m Applejack,” she answered, turning away from Rainbow Dash to approach the guard. “Just Applejack, thanks.”

The guard gave her a quick once over, then cleared his throat. “Lady Applejack, please accompany me to the throne room. Princess Cadance would like to speak with you.”

Nervously, Applejack stepped into the throne room. Princess Cadance lay across her throne, her eyes scanning the wall as if lost in thought. Applejack coughed to announced herself, then approached the throne and bowed. “You, uh…ya wanted to speak at me, your highness?”

“Hmm?” Cadance snapped out of her trance, turning her attention down to Applejack. “Oh, yes. I’m sorry, I’m just worried about Twilight.”

Applejack scratched at the back of her mane with her hoof. “Yeah, uh…if you’re about to tell me how she grew up lonely and ain’t never learned people-talkin’, I don’t want to waste your time ‘cause I heard it from Princess Celestia. I mean, not that I would presume to tell ya what you can and can’t talk about, I just….”

Applejack kept her eyes low and tried not to look directly at Cadance. It would seem she noticed, as the princess asked her, “Is something wrong?” Cadance stood up from her throne and began descending the stairs before it.

“Nothin’s the matter,” Applejack answered her. “Just…tryin’ to stay respectful in your majesty’s presence, is all.” She could feel herself starting to sweat under Cadance’s gaze. She wasn’t accustomed to speaking to royalty herself, especially without any of the others with her. Her talk with Celestia had been awkward enough, but this was Twilight’s sister-in-law!

“Applejack,” Celestia said carefully as she approached. Applejack remained in her bowed state, eyes to the ground, and squinted them shut as she heard Cadance approach. “Stand up, Applejack.” Applejack did as she was instructed, but kept her eyes pointed at the ground. Cadance followed with another command. “Look at me.”

Applejack raised her eyes and saw Cadance standing, smiling, before her. Cadance assured her, “You have nothing to be nervous about. We’re practically family.”

Applejack took off her hat and wrenched it nervously between her hooves. “I know, your highness.”

Cadance shook her head. “Nuh-uh. Not ‘Your Highness’. Not ‘Your Majesty’, either. Call me Cadance and don’t even think about slipping a ‘Princess Cadance’ through there, either. I didn’t call you here to speak to Applejack the farmer from Ponyville. I want to speak with Applejack, the mare who stole my sister-in-law’s heart. If you’re going to be with Twilight, you must become accustomed to seeing those of us who wear a crown on a more regular basis.”

Applejack nodded again. “Yes, your maj—uh…Cadance.” She tested the name on her lips and it just didn’t feel right. Her gut was screaming at her that this wasn’t her place. She’d overstepped her boundaries. She’d stepped out of turn by being with Twilight. If this was what being with Twilight meant then it was meant for a pony of better breeding and noble stature. Speaking casually with royalty wasn’t a place for a farmer like her.

“In any case,” Cadance continued, “the reason I wanted to speak with you was that I would like to compliment your handling of matters so far. It’s not easy to wrestle with a partner who’s succumbed to jealousy.”

“Jealousy?” Applejack perked up; the subject of Twilight successfully dragging her away from her insecurities. “That what all this is? I already told her that Rares ain’t a threat to her.”

Cadance shook her head. “Jealousy isn’t that simple, I’m afraid. It takes root in the heart and festers, turning feelings of love, infatuation, and even friendship sour. It’s working its terrible magic inside of her now, turning her against the ponies she loves.”

“How do I make it stop hurtin’ her?”

“There’s nothing you can do, I’m afraid. The hardest part of Twilight’s jealousy is that it isn’t about you at all. It’s not even about Rarity. It’s about Twilight. Even if you could convince her that Rarity isn’t a threat to her, the jealousy would remain rooted in her heart. It would grow, waiting for its next chance to strike out.”

Applejack looked down at the ground again, pawing at it uselessly with her hoof. “What am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t have the answer for that.” Cadance put a comforting hoof on Applejack’s shoulder, eliciting a wince from the farm pony. “All you can do is support her and give her the time she needs to come to terms with her feelings. I would ask you for patience, but I’m sure you’ve already heard that.”

She withdrew her hoof and continued. “But I won’t hold it against you if you can’t, either. Many great relationships have been destroyed by jealousy. Sometimes, that can even be for the best when jealousy grows too great and too terrible. I just want you to understand that this is not your fault.”

Applejack hesitated as she digested Cadance’s words. It was not her fault. Wasn’t it, though? Was she not the one who pulled Twilight into this emotional roller coaster? “Due respect, Princ--uh…Cadance. But that ain’t right. Twi ain’t never known a lick of feelin’s like this ‘til I came along. I did this to her.”

“That’s not untrue,” Cadance answered her. “It’s not the whole truth, either. You opened her eyes to a world of love she’d never known before, and I would never hold that against anypony. She loves you, Applejack, in ways she’s never understood before. This is an unpleasant side effect of that. Don’t blame yourself for bringing something wonderful into her life.”

“I understand.” Applejack wasn’t sure she did completely, but Cadance’s words did make sense to her.

“Good. Now, we’ve only got an hour or so left before the Ball and I’m sure you have some preparations to make. I’ll let you go. But please, Applejack, think about what I’ve said.”

“I will. Thank you, your high--Cadance.” She fought back the urge to bow before departing and settled for awkwardly shuffling out the door. As soon as she was out of sight, Applejack collapsed against the wall and spent a few seconds hyperventilating. She was expected to speak casually with an alicorn princess! Being with Twilight got stranger with each passing month.

As a crowd of ponies gathered in the ballroom below, Princess Cadance stepped out to the landing of a grand staircase at the end of the room. Twilight and her friends gathered behind her, waiting to be prompted, as she addressed her subjects.

“Ladies and gentlecolts, welcome to the first annual Crystal Ball! On this day, we gather to remember and celebrate the brave efforts of seven friends whose courage and determination gave us the strength to free ourselves from King Sombra. Unfortunately, Spike the Dragon could not be here today because he was called away by Princess Celestia herself for a very important royal duty.”

Far away in Canterlot, Spike loaded the last of a set of books onto a set of shelves in the Canterlot Royal Library. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he looked up to Princess Celestia standing over him. “Alright, that’s another one done. It’s strange, though. I feel like we’ve been through here already.”

“It’s the size of the library,” Celestia explained. “It’s much larger than it looks, and the shelves can blur together at times. I can’t thank you enough for coming here to help me reorganize. I’m terribly sorry you had to miss out on the Crystal Empire, though.”

Spike waved off the princess’s apology. “Nah, who wants to go to a silly ball and watch a bunch of ponies make googly eyes at each other? I get enough of that back home.”

Celestia smiled. “I’m glad to hear you’re not too upset. Perhaps if we finish early, you might make it in time to catch the tail end.”

“I’m not holding my breath,” Spike responded. “There’s still a lot of books in the pile that need to be sorted. We don’t seem to be making a dent.”

“Oh, I’m sure we are,” Celestia answered him. “It just may take a while before it’s noticeable. The library really is quite large. Let’s go take a look at the section on the metaphysical laws of magic.” Celestia led Spike around the corner and towards the other end of the library. Just before she left the aisle, she gave her tail a quick, subtle flick.

Luna caught the signal and crept down the aisle. With a gesture of magic from her horn, she levitated all of the books off the shelves and returned them to the unsorted pile.

Back in the Crystal Empire, Cadance gave the crowd a minute to let out their murmurs of disappointment. “I know, I know. But the work of a great hero is never done.” Behind her, Twilight and Rainbow Dash exchanged confused glances. “But we still honor him tonight. Now, may I present to you Twilight Sparkle and App--” Cadance caught herself. “Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash stepped forward and, lifting Twilight’s wheelchair as Twilight used her magic to prop up the bottom, carefully descended the stairs into the ballroom. The crowd parted to let them pass, with whispers and murmurs rising from the crowd. Twilight smiled as wide as she could and waved to the assembled Crystal Ponies at the bottom.

Rainbow Dash smiled nervously, pushing the chair behind her. She had caught Cadance’s slip and felt immediately guilty. She tried not to look at any of the Crystal Ponies. She had no reason to believe they knew, but their eyes still reflected the judgment in her heart. She’d stolen this moment from her friend and there was no way to give it back.

“Presenting Applejack and Rarity!” It was now their turn to descend the stairs. Applejack still didn’t know what Twilight had been talking about with the hollow place in her heart, but she certainly did feel a touch of bitterness towards Rainbow Dash for taking her spotlight. Still, she reminded herself that she was doing this for Twilight. That was enough.

As they reached the ballroom floor, Rarity smiled wide, waving to the crowd as Twilight had. Beneath her breath and through gritted teeth, she muttered to Applejack, “…and now everypony thinks I’m into mares. That’s okay, though. It’s for Twilight. And it’s not like it can follow us back to--”

Rarity’s eyes fell on Lyra and Bon Bon in the crowd. Lyra waved excitedly to her. “Hi, Rarity!”

Applejack could feel Rarity’s façade crack, but all she said was, “Twilight owes me for this.”

Cadance called out to the crowd. “Presenting, Fluttershy and her date, Bulk Biceps.” Fluttershy and Bulk were next to descend the stairs. Bulk had a perpetual look of excitement on his face, like a foal stepping out into the world for the first time. Fluttershy followed behind him, using his size to shield her from the eyes of the gathered ponies.

“Presenting, Pinkie Pie and her date…um…” Cadance stopped and looked back at Pinkie, who stood alone on the landing. Aside, she whispered, “Where is your date, Pinkie?”

Pinkie smiled brightly, closing her eyes. “He’ll be here. He’s just late. He has a long train ride from Appleloosa.”

“Uh-huh,” Cadance answered skeptically, then returned to announcing. “Presenting Pinkie Pie, whose date is unfortunately delayed on the train from Appleloosa.”

“Appleloosa?” Applejack whispered from the far end of the ballroom. “Ain’t her date from Manehattan?”

Realization dawned on Rarity’s face. “Oh, dear,” she whispered.

Pinkie started down the stairs alone, but stopped and dashed back up. Whispering to Cadance, she asked, “Are you sure you don’t need more streamers? What about confetti?”

“Pinkie, please just enjoy the party. We have everything under control.”

“But-but--”

“No buts, Pinkie.” Cadance smiled warmly. “It’s okay to take a night or two off. You don’t have to be on the job all the time. Go downstairs and enjoy the festivities.”

Dejected, Pinkie answered, “…okay.” She slowly descended the stairs and crossed the ballroom to join the others.

As one hour wore into the next, Rarity urged Applejack to join her in leading the next dance.

“Is all this really necessary?” Applejack asked belligerently. “I like a good dance much as any pony, but my hooves ain’t used to so much fancy steppin’.”

“But, of course, darling. Twilight certainly can’t dance in that chair of hers and Fluttershy wouldn’t if her life depended on it. With Pinkie’s,” she faked a cough, “’missing date’, you and I are the only ones left to lead. As guests of honor, it simply wouldn’t be proper to abandon the dance.”

“I know,” Applejack griped. “Just feels like a hot mess of bad choices.”

“Don’t remind me,” Rarity hissed as she held her hoof out to begin the next dance. “Remember. Step, step, twirl--”

“You don’t got to keep tellin’ me,” Applejack fired back at her. “I got it the first time.”

“You tripped on my hoof the first time.”

“I meant after that.” Applejack set her hoof against Rarity’s. As the music began, they began to circle each other, keeping their hooves pressed together.

“You--” Rarity started, but she caught herself. “I’m sorry. I thought I was past all of this, but….”

“But Twilight,” Applejack explained for her. “Nah, I get that. I ain’t stupid, Ra--”

“Do you love her?” Rarity asked out of the blue. That stern look from before had returned to her face, but Applejack had caught the thin tone of fear in Rarity’s question.

Applejack twirled away from Rarity, then held up the same hoof she’d pressed against Rarity’s before and began circling the opposite direction. “Course, I love her. What kind of question is that?”

Rarity shook her head. “I don’t mean, do you like her or do you enjoy being with her. I mean do you really, truly love her? So much that you’d fight all of Equestria if it meant being with her?”

“I….” Applejack hesitated, stuck for an answer. She and Rarity came back together, crossing forelegs and circling. “Twi’s got more cunnin’ than a fox in feathers. She’s talented, she’s kind, and anypony would trade a right hoof to have what I got with her.”

“That’s a compliment,” Rarity hissed. “It’s not an answer.”

“What do you want me to say, Rares? The sky fills with light when she’s around? The world is bleak and cold when she ain’t in it? Somethin’ sappy like that? Or ya want to hear how my heart beats faster than a hummin’bird in a flower patch when we kiss? I ain’t got the words you’re lookin’ for.”

“What I want is to know that you aren’t going to try to run at the first sign of trouble. That you’ll stay and fight for her.”

Applejack and Rarity reached the end of their circle. They released each other’s foreleg and clicked their hooves against each other. The ballroom echoed with the sound of couples doing the same.

Applejack and Rarity bowed to each other, then swept outwards in opposite directions. At their point of intersection, the pair reared up and clasped both forelegs together, then began taking alternating steps to the left and right, moving behind Applejack.

“Seems like I already did,” Applejack answered. “Fought for her just fine when Cardinal tried splittin’ us up.”

“No, you didn’t,” Rarity answered. “Twilight fought for you. You don’t get points for letting her succeed, especially when you didn’t even have the guts to approach her. As I recall, you left her a note.”

After several steps, Rarity twirled Applejack, who spun a couple feet on her hind legs before falling back down on her forelegs. Rarity dropped to her fores as well, holding out her hoof as she had at the start. Applejack stepped forward and met Rarity’s hoof with her own, and they began to repeat the routine.

After a few seconds of silence, Applejack spoke again. “I’m sorry--”

“Don’t,” Rarity hissed. “Do not apologize to me. I can handle it being you if that’s what Twilight truly wants, and I can try what I can to help because I do want to see this work out. Despite everything, you are a dear friend to me and I would never want to lose that. I’m sure you’ve spent a lot of time thinking of the words you can say, but words can’t take back what happened, and I wouldn’t accept them even if they could.”

“I never meant to hurt you,” Applejack confessed.

“I know you didn’t, and I hate that I feel this way. I wish to Celestia you could have just left her well enough alone. If you’d asked me before setting out on this, I would have begged you to find somepony else. I enjoy being around you both, but I hate feeling like I have to protect her from you.”

Rarity took a deep breath. “But that’s where we are now, and it couldn’t be taken back even if you wanted to. I’m not ready to forgive you, Applejack. I don’t know if I’ll ever be. But if you truly wish to make things right with me, then don’t give me words. Just be better. For Twilight’s sake and for yours.”

“Well, those two seem to be having fun,” Twilight muttered from her chair. She was seated by the buffet table while Rainbow Dash loaded up a tray.

“You’re kidding, right?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“They’ve been at it since the ball started. They must be having the time of their lives.” She moped, resting her head on a hoof.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Was this really your plan tonight? Sit here and mope ‘cause AJ and Rarity are just doing what you told them to?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted.

“Well, I do.” Rainbow Dash gestured briefly in the direction of the dance floor. “Look at them. They’re miserable. AJ keeps rolling her eyes and huffing, and Rarity’s had this veiled scowl on her face all night. She’s smiling, but she’s angry with her eyes.”

Twilight squinted, trying to make out what Rainbow Dash was talking about, but all she could see was Rarity’s smile. “What are you talking about?”

“Look at her eyes, Egghead. You can tell a lot about a pony by their eyes. That’s, uh…” She awkwardly scratched the base of her mane. “It's, uh...it's something Cardinal showed me.”

Twilight glared into space for a moment. Dryly, she asked, “We’re taking relationship advice from Cardinal now?”

“That’s not the point!” Rainbow Dash insisted. She lobbed an apple at Twilight, who caught it with her magic and looked at it, carefully turning it over in midair. “Look, AJ’s nuts about you. Whatever this whole thing with you is right now, it’s stupid, ‘cause we all know AJ puts you above the rest of us already.” Rainbow’s voice was full of more bitterness than she’d meant it to be, but she didn’t regret saying it like that either.

Twilight stared at the apple for a moment, listening to Rainbow Dash. The hollow place in her heart gripped at her, trying to whisper its poison, but she quieted it for a moment. Curiosity overtook jealousy, bringing a question to her lips. She looked up from the apple and sent her gaze straight into Rainbow Dash’s eyes, asking, “Is that why you don’t like me?”

Twilight’s question struck Rainbow Dash like midflight lightning. “What are you talking about?” she asked nervously. “I mean, we’re friends. Or we were before last night, I thought.”

Twilight shook her head and looked back at the apple. “Applejack and I spend a lot of time talking. We talk about our days, about our friends, about our hopes and our goals. She tells me about the way you’ve been acting about me. I saw it for myself when we got the invitation. I never stopped being your friend, Rainbow Dash, so why did you stop being mine?”

Rainbow Dash was struck once again. In her heart, she felt the hollow place starting to claw at her. It told her that Twilight was lying, that she was trying to turn the talk against her. “You wouldn’t understand,” Rainbow Dash insisted. Her heart screamed at her to be anywhere but here, so she set down her tray and tried to walk, but the crowd of ponies pressed in from every direction.

As Rainbow Dash scanned the air for a route, Twilight insisted, “Don’t leave, Rainbow Dash. Please talk to me. I want to understand. Are you in love with Applejack?”

“What?!” Rainbow Dash stumbled a moment as her mind filled up with images of Applejack advancing on her.

“Golly gee, Rainbow Dash. I sure do love ya a whole lot, eeyup. Come here and kiss me, ya hot streak of lightnin’.”

Rainbow Dash shuddered and pushed away the image. “No! You just don’t get it.”

Twilight wheeled over to Rainbow Dash and reached out a hoof for her, but Rainbow Dash pulled away. “Then help me ‘get it’. Please. What can I do to fix things between us?”

“I don’t know, okay! It’s just this feeling I have. I don’t know where it came from. It’s like there’s an empty spot inside me, and it….” she shook her head. “This is stupid. You can’t--”

“It’s like the absence of an emotion inside you,” Twilight continued, looking back at Applejack and Rarity. “A void of feeling that claws its way out of your stomach and wraps its claws around your heart until all you can think about is how much you’re missing. It doesn’t even hurt, really. It drains your feelings until you wish it could just be pain, because at least then you’d feel something.”

Slowly, carefully, Rainbow Dash turned back around to look at Twilight. Her eyes met Twilight’s and for the first time, she felt as though she was truly understood.

Twilight continued. “It’s jealousy,” she admitted both to Rainbow Dash and, finally, to herself.

“Whoa, back up,” Rainbow Dash insisted. “I just told you I’m not into AJ like that. She’s like a sister. Or, she was, anyways.”

“Jealousy doesn’t have to be romantic,” Twilight explained. “It takes on many forms and it has many voices. It can even happen between friends.” She could hear Cadance’s wisdom in her words as she spoke. “It just requires you to feel threatened about your place in her life.”

Rainbow Dash turned her attention to the table for a moment, looking for anything to look at other than Twilight. She wanted to be doing anything but having this conversation, but at the same time, she suddenly felt a kinship with Twilight she hadn’t known before. Twilight understood. Twilight, of all ponies, was the one to understand. “Look, this isn’t easy to admit, but I didn’t have a lot of friends before all of you came along.”

“No, really?” Twilight asked dryly. “Can’t imagine any of us would know what that’s like.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Rainbow Dash grumpily conceded. “Point is, AJ’s really important to me. I mean, I’ve got you and Fluttershy and everypony, but I can’t throw horseshoes with Rarity. Pinkie doesn’t like racing. I don’t even want to think about Fluttershy in a daring contest. AJ’s…well, she’s kind of like what I always imagined a big sister would be like.”

While Rainbow Dash began compiling treats from the buffet table again, Twilight took a moment to consider what Rainbow Dash had told her. “I don’t throw horseshoes either,” she thought aloud, more to herself than to Rainbow Dash.

“Huh?”

Having been heard, Twilight had no choice but to commit to her words. “I’m not very good at racing and the last time I tried to do a daring contest with you two, I had bees in my mane.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “I remember that! That was great.”

Twilight turned in her wheelchair to face Rainbow Dash. “None of the things you’ve mentioned are ways that I like to spend my days. They aren’t anything I care for, but they’re important to her. No matter what happens between us, friends will always be important for both of us because there are needs that we both have, that the other can’t fulfill.”

“Great,” Rainbow Dash replied grumpily. “So she’ll make time for me as long as I’m the fastest in Equestria? I mean, that’s easy, but--”

“You misunderstand,” Twilight cut her off. “Applejack isn’t your friend because you’re really good at competing with her. She likes competing with you because you’re her friend. There are probably thousands of ponies out there that she could be competing with. Some might even be better than you.”

Rainbow Dash scoffed. “As if.”

“But those ponies aren’t her friend. She competes with you because she chose you. Because she likes who you are. And if you weren’t into competition, she’d find something else to do with you, because that’s what friends do. There is a place for you in her life that is all your own because of the special relationship you share. Nopony, not even me, could ever take that away from you.”

Rainbow Dash set down her tray. For the first time in months, when she thought about Twilight and Applejack, she didn’t feel empty or hollow inside. She felt fear. She felt hurt. Most importantly, she felt. Tears threatened to come to her eyes, but she refused to cry in public. Not here, and definitely not in front of Twilight.

“Come over here and give me a hug,” Twilight told her.

“No,” Rainbow Dash answered, shaking her head. She knew that if she hugged Twilight, she might not be able to keep from crying.

“Rainbow Dash, please. I’m crippled. I can’t come to you.” It was a lie, of course. Twilight could move Rainbow Dash with her magic if she wanted to. But it was important that she take this step herself. “Please. Come be my friend again.”

Rainbow Dash stared at her tray. She didn’t feel hungry anymore, and it was getting harder and harder to hold back the tide of feelings inside of her. “Not here,” she whispered. Getting behind Twilight’s wheelchair, she pushed it towards the door leading out to the courtyard.

Once outside, Rainbow Dash found a secluded part of the courtyard where nopony would see her. She took a deep breath, embraced her friend, and let herself cry. “I know,” Twilight whispered. “It’s rough, but you’re through the hard part. I’m here for you and so is she.”

After a couple minutes, Rainbow Dash felt the well of tears dry up. She lifted her head off of Twilight’s shoulder, stepped away from her, and rubbed her eye. “This, uh…this didn’t happen,” she insisted.

“Of course.” Twilight smiled, holding out her hoof. “Friends?”

Rainbow Dash returned the smile and bumped her hoof. “Friends, egghead.”

Twilight turned her head and looked back at the Crystal Palace. An idea was forming in her head. “Do you think you can help me get back up to the throne room? I think I’ve finally figured out a few things.”

With Rainbow Dash pushing her chair, Twilight threw open the double doors leading into the throne room. She rolled into the room with a sense of purpose. Cadance lay draped across her throne, whispering something to Shining Armor when the sound startled them both.

“Twili?” Shining Armor leapt down the stairs. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m sorry,” she told him. “I’ll just be a moment.” She conjured as much magic into her horn as she could and fired it into the crystal overlooking Cadance’s throne. The magic reflected into the floor, vaporizing a large section of it and revealing King Sombra’s secret passage.

“How long has that been there?!” Shining Armor shouted in surprise, leaping back from the entrance.

Ignoring the question, Twilight looked at Cadance. “You were right. I have been letting jealousy run away with me. The truth is, I saw some things down in this passage that shook my image of myself. I lost sight of what’s special about me and started trying to find it in Applejack. I took a piece of King Sombra’s torturous spell with me when I left the Crystal Empire, and I’m never going to sleep again until I return it.”

Cadance stepped slowly down the stairs, her eyes fixed with concern on the stairs leading down. “Twilight, are you certain about this? I’ve heard King Sombra’s traps are terrible.”

Twilight stared at the stairs with determination. “I’ll be okay. I wasn’t prepared for them before, but I am now. He’ll haunt me with my worst fears, but that’s been every night this last week. Besides, I’ve dealt with an intelligent illusion before. I think I can handle a pre-targeted one. It’s time to silence the Crystal Princess once and for all.”

Cadance raised a confused eyebrow and pointed her hoof at herself.

“…not you,” Twilight backpedaled. “It’s complicated.” She looked back at Rainbow Dash. “I just need some help with the stairs.”

Shining Armor stepped forward. “I’ll help too.” He took a look down the passage, which seemed to descend forever. “That’s a lot of stairs. The more hooves we have on this, the better.”

Cadance nodded. “I agree. Rainbow Dash, if you’ll lend me a hoof, we might be able to lower Twilight down the passage without using the stairs. Shining Armor, will you support us with your magic?”

“Of course.” Cadance took the lead and, working together with her husband and Rainbow Dash, together they were able to navigate Twilight to the bottom of the pit.

“Stay away from the door,” Twilight warned the others. “I’ll see you all soon.” Taking control of her wheelchair, Twilight rolled herself in front of the looming nightmare crystal above the door to the Crystal Heart’s vault and allowed it to seize her mind.

The gem had threatened her before with failure under Celestia, but that wasn’t her fear anymore. As she expected, the world around her turned to black and she found herself once more in the dark tunnel. The orange light shone at the end, as far away as ever, and she heard Crystal Princess Rarity’s voice fill the passage once more. “Is that you, darling? Seems awful early. How has your experiment come along? Have you found your answer yet?”

“I have,” Twilight answered, voice dripping with confidence. She stood on all four legs within the realm of the dream, liberated from the constraining chair. “But I’m not talking to a shadow.” With a burst of self-confidence, Twilight lit her horn up, illuminating the dark hallway and revealing Rarity.

The Crystal Princess’s hide was cracked in several places with tufts of black smoke curling out of them. The feathers were missing from her wings, as was her entire horn. Instead of beautiful, her face was curled into a malevolent snarl that looked absolutely hideous even through Rarity’s naturally graceful features.

“How dare you?!” Rarity shouted. “I’m not presentable!”

Twilight allowed her to bellow and refused to back down. “I dare because this is my mind, and I’ve allowed you to define me for too long. My answer to your question is that there is no answer. Your question is wrong. There is nothing about my relationship with Applejack that makes us any better than any other couple. We don’t have to be. Maybe there are other ponies out there who would make a better partner for her. Maybe even Rarity. I don’t know. But they aren’t her Very Special Somepony. I am, because she chose me, and that’s the only thing that matters.”

“Now that just sounds pretentious,” the crystal demon replied.

“I’m not finished. I know you won’t accept my answer. I know that because it’s what you were made for. I created you out of doubt and fear. I never meant to, but I did. You were made to give a voice to the insecurities that King Sombra made me realize I had within myself, and you did that job very well.

“But I realize now that I let myself become something I never wanted to be. I let you turn me into a pony I barely even recognized, one that even I hated being. I let you sabotage my relationship and my friendships with fear. That’s not who I want to be.”

Twilight turned around in the tunnel, facing away from the orange light and the desiccated illusion. “So go ahead and reject my answer. It doesn’t really matter what you think, because my answer is enough to satisfy me, and I don’t need you anymore.” With her head high, Twilight trotted down the tunnel away from the Crystal Princess Rarity and the empty threats that had haunted her dreams.

“Come back here!” Rarity screamed at her. “You haven’t earned this! You don’t deserve a moment of it!” But Rarity’s words fell on deaf ears as Twilight stepped beyond the borders of the nightmare. For the last time, it flickered away, revealing the reality of Sombra’s secret passage and her concerned friend and family around her.

“Is it over?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight nodded. “I’ve done what I came here for.” As Shining Armor, Cadance, and Rainbow Dash lifted her back up the tunnel, Twilight smiled. For the first time since her last visit to the Empire, her heart was clear and free. She felt the love glowing from her brother, her sister-in-law, and her friend. She could even feel the love from Applejack, despite their distance.

Tonight, she would go to bed without fear in her heart, and she would dream of anything other than the Crystal Princess. She knew that deep inside and it felt right. But there was something else she had to do first.

Applejack sat along one of the walls of the ballroom, having finally persuaded Rarity to let her take a break from dancing. She sipped from a cup of the fruit punch from the buffet table. It wasn’t bad, but it certainly wasn’t the Apple family’s secret recipe, that’s for sure.

"I hardly see what the fuss is about," Rarity insisted. "Cadance wanted to speak with you. You've spoken to her just fine before."

"That was different," Applejack insisted. "Ya hear what that guard pony called me? 'Lady'. Like I'm supposed to be some froo-froo noble unicorn or somethin'. And then there's the princess! She insisted I address her casual-like. Like we're equals or somethin'."

"In her eyes, I think you are."

Applejack shook her head. "Nothin' doin'. I know exactly who I am, and I ain't the pony sits on a gilded throne and gets worshipped 'cross Equestria. I work hard, I do my part, and Equestria shines a little brighter for it, but wearin' a crown ain't what I was born to do. It's a special privilege for a special pony, and that pony ain't me."

"And yet," Rarity mused, "Twilight."

"Yeah, I know what you're thinkin'." Applejack sighed. "Scares me to death, y'know. Thinkin' 'bout who she is. Where she comes from. Born and raised in the royal capitol. Personal student to Princess Celestia herself. I look at her past and I think, 'How can I compete with that?' But then I see her full of questions 'bout life and love and the way ponies are, and I remember she ain't so high above me neither. Ain't like she's a princess, y'know? She's just like us and that's good enough for me."

"That, she certainly is," Rarity answered fondly.

Applejack caught the tone in her voice. “You really care about Twi, don’t ya?”

“Of course, I do.” Rarity smiled, closing her eyes. “There are more kinds of love in this world than just the kind shared between lovers, Applejack.”

“Don’t got to tell me.” Applejack took another sip, then looked off over the crowd. “Got a whole family of cousins and second cousins and third cousins fourth removed.”

Rarity shook her head. “I will never understand how you--oh! Twilight!” Rarity spied Rainbow Dash pushing Twilight through the crowd of ponies towards them. “How are you enjoying the ball, darling?”

“It could be better,” Twilight admitted. “Should be, in fact. Would you mind if I borrowed Applejack for the rest of the night?”

“Borrow?” Rarity grinned. “Darling, you can have her.”

Suddenly getting her second wind, Applejack leapt to her hooves. “Your test’s over? What changed?” she asked.

Twilight shot a smile at Rainbow Dash and answered, “I just had a very good talk with a dear friend.”

Rainbow Dash blushed. “Alright, alright, enough with the sap. You two go on before I start gagging on my own awesomeness.” Catching herself, she added, “Oh, and AJ? Have a good time.”

Applejack pushed Twilight’s wheelchair away from their friends. “So ya worked everything out?” she asked curiously.

Twilight nodded. “Yes. I’ve solved the problem that’s been bothering me.”

“So no more crazy?”

“No more crazy.” Twilight thought for a moment. “…well…no more of this crazy. I can’t promise there won’t be any crazy in the future.”

Applejack stopped Twilight’s chair at the edge of the dance floor. She stepped around to the side and surprised her partner with a kiss. Twilight closed her eyes and felt her heart flutter the way it used to. It filled with love unrestrained by jealous paranoia. Whatever the future might hold, this moment was hers and nopony could take it away from her.

Applejack broke the kiss and then pounced around in front of her. “C’mon, I saved ya a dance or three.”

“Uh…” Twilight looked down at her chair. “I don’t think I can dance like this.”

“No, ya can’t dance well like this, but it ain’t like that stopped him.” Applejack jerked her head at Bulk Biceps, who was slowly and arrhythmically flexed his muscles and contorted himself on the dance floor. The other ponies had given him a wide berth except for Fluttershy who sat motionless and giggled at his antics. It was hard to watch, yet they seemed to be having the time of their lives.

Twilight stared at the unholy sight for a few seconds, then answered, “I accept your counterpoint.”

Twilight wheeled her chair towards Applejack, who backed onto the dance floor and began swaying back and forth to the music playing through them. Twilight felt the rhythm move through her upper body and swayed her forelegs in tune with her partner.

Rarity watched Applejack and Twilight disappear into the crowd, making no effort to hide the smile on her face. Despite herself, she found herself beginning to believe they might just be able to make things work after all.

She’d been wrong about Fluttershy, after all. Repeatedly, in fact. She’d thought Fluttershy would never be able to ask somepony to the ball, but she’d done it without a moment’s fuss. Now she was out on the dance floor despite Rarity’s insistence that could never happen. She wasn’t dancing, of course, but she was happily basking in Bulk’s unrefined enthusiasm.

She had to admit that Bulk was a good friend for Fluttershy to have. He grabbed attention at the slightest provocation, making it easy for Fluttershy to simply slip by ponies’ notice in his wake. Fluttershy had insisted that they were only here as friends and she’d known her long enough to believe it, but she was glad to see the pegasus actually make friends outside their group.

“Look at that,” she commented to Rainbow Dash. “This night might not be such a disaster after all.”

“Have you seen Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously. “I haven’t seen her all night.”

Rarity gestured at the wall by the front door, where Pinkie sat as still as a board, watching everypony have fun. “She’s been there all night. Waiting for her ‘date’, one imagines. The poor thing.”

Rainbow Dash gave Rarity a confused glance. “What, she doesn’t have one? She’s Pinkie. Why wouldn’t she have a date?”

“As you said. She’s Pinkie. She’s simply not comfortable being on this side of the party cannon. I doubt she even asked a single pony.”

“But…that’s awful!” Rainbow Dash insisted. “We should do something for her.”

Rarity spied Applejack’s abandoned punch cup and downed the remainder of it. She certainly wasn’t coming back for it. “We absolutely should. I just wish I knew what we could do to make this experience more comfortable for her.”

“I think I know.” Rainbow Dash left, trotting towards Pinkie.

Pinkie sat in her self-imposed exile putting a quick smile on her face for anypony that came too close. “Waiting for my date,” she insisted. Rainbow Dash saw the way she closed her eyes when she smiled, refusing to look anypony in the eye. She could feel the lies emanating from the party pony.

She took a moment, found her approach, then sidled up to Pinkie. “Lame party, huh?”

“Hmm?” Pinkie looked over at her. “Oh, hi, Rainbow Dash! Where’s Twilight?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “My date dumped me for some two-bit earth pony. Can you believe it?” She grinned to show she was kidding, eliciting a giggle from Pinkie.

“I’m still waiting for mine,” Pinkie said, glancing at the door to avoid looking Rainbow Dash in the eyes.

“I don’t think he’s coming, but that’s cool. I’m planning to get out of here. I mean, Cadance tried, but it’s not exactly a super-Pinkie-party, is it? The music’s so slow and there’s not enough streamers.”

“Oh? Where are you going?”

Rainbow Dash stretched her wings. “Thought I’d take a fly around the Empire. You know, I haven’t really gotten a chance to get out and explore these winds. What kind of thermals does a magic hot spot like this generate? How high can I go before I hit the cold northern winds? I want to get out there and really break in these skies.”

“Oh.” Pinkie smiled. “Well, have fun.”

“You should come with,” Rainbow Dash insisted. “It will be fun, and I doubt you’ll miss anything at this loser party.”

Pinkie hesitated. “How will I fly?”

“You can sit on my back. You weigh, like, three pounds. It’ll be fine.”

Pinkie weighed her options for approximately three seconds, then grinned widely and answered, “Okie dokie lokie!” She hopped down from her chair and followed Rainbow Dash upstairs towards the balcony.

Rarity watched Rainbow Dash and Pinkie leave, then bowed out and exited out into the courtyard. She took a deep breath of the cold night air and took a seat on her haunches, staring up at Luna’s starry sky. Everything had worked out wonderfully for everypony, it seemed. She wouldn’t hold tonight against Twilight, she decided. It all wound up for the best.

“Rarity? Is that you?” She heard the familiar voice of Fancy Pants from across the courtyard. “Whatever are you doing out here?”

Leaping back to her hooves, she shot a quick look over and saw the unicorn approaching her in a fine tuxedo. “Oh, um…my date has run off on me, I’m afraid,” she answered quickly. “What about you? What brings you out here?”

Fancy Pants smiled. “Of course, I wouldn’t miss a royal ball. Of course, I came with somepony too but I’m afraid he seems to have run off as well. It’s just as well. You know how fickle friendships can be in this business.”

Looking up, Rarity saw a streak shoot off the balcony and thought she could faintly hear a high-pitched shriek of joy. She smiled warmly, then answered Fancy Pants, “They don’t have to be.”

Applejack clicked her hoof against Twilight’s and circled around her, keeping her eyes locked on her while Twilight rotated left in her chair to follow her. They had to part hooves when Applejack moved behind her, but the unicorn twisted to the right to meet her coming back around, pressing hooves together again.

“Seems this switcheroo wound up bein’ a good idea after all,” Applejack conceded.

Twilight shook her head. “No. This was a stupid idea, and I’m ashamed that it took something like this for Rainbow Dash and me to simply talk to each other. It turns out, we were going through a lot of the same things. If we could just put aside our separate hurts, we would have realized there was a lot that we could learn from each other.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight apologized. “I let my fears run away from me and turn me into something terrible. I hurt you, my friends, and myself in this crazy pursuit of an impossible answer. You were right, Applejack. We aren’t special. We’re together because we chose to be. We could have chosen other ponies, and those relationships would be just as valid.

“We aren’t perfect. We aren’t a storybook romance. We’re just us, and that’s all we have to be.”

“I made Spike burn all your notes,” Applejack confessed.

Twilight blinked. That was abrupt. “That’s…well, it’s probably for the best.”

“Pardon, you were just bein’ all sweet and I had to get that out.”

“Mood-killer,” Twilight teased.

“Where is Spike, anyhow?”

Twilight explained, “Princess Celestia called him to Canterlot for an important task. Cadance told me that tonight was supposed to be about you and I rekindling, and for some reason him being here would have been distracting? I don’t really get it.”

“This was supposed to be about us, huh?” Applejack glanced back at the stairs they’d come down. “Guess we made a right mess of that.”

“Perhaps,” Twilight admitted. “It worked out in the end, though.” She lean forward in her chair to put her lips closer to Applejack.

Taking the cue, Applejack stepped forward, putting her hoof on Twilight’s left leg. “Reckon it did,” she answered, placing her left forehoof on the side of Twilight’s face and capturing her lips once more. In that instant the music, the crowd, and the ballroom all seemed to fall away, leaving them blissfully alone together.

On the other side of the ballroom, Bulk Biceps shouted at the top of his lungs, “WATCH ME LIFT THIS TABLE!” He hoisted one of the buffet tables over his head with the trays still on it. Several caterers scrambled around him, desperate to bring it back down to earth but not sure how.

Fluttershy let out another giggle. She didn’t have much to compare a non-Pinkie party to, but this was certainly more fun than she’d had at the Gala. Tonight was a good night.

Through the door beside her, Rarity trotted through the courtyard with Fancy Pants beside her. “Did you make all those dresses you and your friends are wearing?” he asked her.

“Why, of course I did,” she answered. “It was a bit of a rush so they’re not as polished as I would have liked.”

“Not polished?” Fancy Pants asked. “They look positively delightful to me. You must tell me how you got the patterns on the green one to line up the way they did!”

Rarity laughed. “That old trick? Why, here’s what you do….”

In the skies above her, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie came around for another pass, buzzing the very top of the Crystal Palace. “Hold on tight,” Rainbow Dash warned Pinkie. “We’re going for a rainboom!”

Moments later, the Empire was rocked with an explosion of light and a rainbow filled the sky over the palace. A horde of ponies abandoned the dance floor to race out to the courtyard and gaze up and the beautiful sight emerging over their beloved land.

Twilight and Applejack followed them out shortly after and stared up at the fruits of Rainbow Dash’s work. “I made you somethin’,” Applejack whispered, sitting on her haunches beside Twilight’s wheelchair.

“What’s that?”

Applejack smiled. “Been workin’ on a bookshelf to store some of your favorites for when you come over. Ain’t much, but I thought it might be nice to have somethin’ that makes the room…well…ours.” She tested the word on her lips. She still had some apprehensions, but it felt right and that was the most important part.

“Thank you,” Twilight answered her, leaning her head over to rest on Applejack’s shoulder. “You’re what made it ours. You didn’t have to do that. But I’m glad that you did.” She let herself sink into the warmth of Applejack’s shoulder and the beauty in the sky above, and everything was right with the world.