> Operation Applestar
>  by Andrew Joshua Talon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> It Begins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Post "Lesson Zero"...

Rarity looked around at her assembled friends in her boutique. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all sat around the table. Opalescence cleaned herself in the background, as the white coated unicorn cleared her throat.

"All right... How has Twilight been since... The Incident?" She asked carefully.

"We were all there, Rarity, it's not like you have to pretend," Dash scoffed. Rarity snorted.

"Some of us like to have a sense of propriety, thank you!"

"Mares, please," Applejack sighed, scowling at the two, "bicker on yer own time? Pinkie Pie? Yer report?"

Pinkie Pie saluted with her hoof, barely able to keep from bouncing out of her chair.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! I helped bake muffins with Twilight yesterday! And I kept her from even looking at a quill! Except for the times when I went to the bathroom! Or had a snack! Or saw something floating out of the corner of my eyes-!"

"Yes, thank you Pinkie," Rarity deadpanned with an indulgent smile, "for my part, I took her on a spa day. We talked a great deal-Did you know she didn't know anything about cucumbers for their beautifying properties?"

"Ah, so that's why she was readin' that frou-frou book when I watched her," Dash huffed, "it was so boring!"

"Different strokes, different folks, Dash," Applejack interjected, resigned to acting as peacemaker for the evening, "Fluttershy?"

"Uh, oh, um, I uh... I visited and read some of my Neighponese manega with her," Fluttershy said softly, "she-she seemed to like it."

"What a surprise," Dash deadpanned.

"But-But you liked it too, Dash! Um, I mean, you did," Fluttershy mumbled. Dash patted her oldest friend on the shoulder with a smile.

"I like the actiony ones with the explosions and going Super Stallion and ninjas! You like a lot of weird ones with romance and those tentacles-"

"Tentacles?" Rarity deadpanned. Fluttershy blushed heavily and pulled back behind her mane more.

"Oooh! I love those ones!" Pinkie giggled. "though the one where the guy grows out of a pony's forehead was just a little boring for me!"

"Okay, and Spike told me he'd been making sure she got sleep and food properly," Applejack said, "but honestly, ah feel terrible ah didn't notice how... Sheltered she is! She gets so involved in her studies and her work she can just explode and lose it!"

"Yes, that's positively dreadful, isn't it Applejack?" Rarity deadpanned. Applejack flushed, but nodded.

"We're all guilty of it," she said, and all the mares winced slightly, "but we need to do better to look out fer one another."

"Building healthy habits takes time, and discipline," Rarity mused, "but having somepony to help with that is good. And poor Twilight is such a shut in!"

"I know!" Pinkie Pie sighed, "she gets so hyperfocused! Like nothing else matters! Like, this one stallion asked her out to a cafe and she just asked what for! He got sooo intimidated he just left!"

"Wait, who asked her out?" Dash asked, leaning forward.

"Yes, who?" Rarity asked, also keen on the gossip.

"Caramel!" Pinkie said brightly. "I got him two double fudge and walnut cupcakes to cheer him up afterwards, poor guy!"

"Boy howdy," Applejack chuckled, "sounds like Big Mac. He just kind of pretends he can't speak or has a cold when some mare chats him up! Daisy just ran off crying!"

"Huh? Is that why he always brushes me off for weight lifting?" Dash asked. "I'm not asking him out!"

"Well, that, and Ah think his injury last year is the only time he's taken some time off fer fun in years!" Applejack chuckled. "He's such a workaholic!"

"Aw, that's a real shame," Pinkie Pie said cheerfully, "Big Mac loves reading still, doesn't he? Just like Twilight!"

"When he gets the time to, sure," Applejack says, "but he's always so busy, makin' more work for himself..."

Rarity's eyes sparkled, and she grinned devilishly. Like she did when she'd just hit upon some new inspiration.

"Idea~!" She cried.

Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy latched onto the idea at the same time. All four mares looked over at Applejack. Pinkie Pie was grinning, Rainbow Dash was smug, Fluttershy was blushing, and Rarity beamed like the sun.

Applejack blinked once or twice... Before she scowled.

"Wha-What are you-?!"

"Think about it, Applejack," Rarity began, "Twilight has never even been on a date before! She has so little social experience!"

"And Big Mac is handsome and shy," Dash pointed out.

"It would be good for both of them!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

"Um... Y-Yes," Fluttershy muttered.

"Are you kidding?!" Applejack demanded. "Big Mac's only been on, two or three dates with Cheerilee before they called it quits!"

"Which is two or three dates more than Twilight's had~!" Rarity said, sing song. "Come now! It's absolutely perfect! Twilight gets to gain more social experience, Big Macintosh does too, they both get to relax-"

"You get to play out yer little matchmakin' fantasies," Applejack deadpanned.

Rarity huffed and stuck her nose in the air.

"Say what you will, I did get Ditzy Doo and the Doctor together!"

"By shoving them into a closet together!" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully.

"Wait, that's how you did it?!" Dash demanded, scowling over at Rarity. "You said you arranged for all sorts of complicated schemes and steps to get them together!"

"Well I did!" Rarity said, waving her hoof, "but ultimately none of that worked because they were both too dense. So I shoved them into a closet together and locked the door! It worked, didn't it?"

"Yeah but that's more like something I would do!" Dash whined.

"Which just means that one should use the right tool for the right situation," Rarity sniffed.

"Yer not locking my big brother and Twilight in a closet!" Applejack declared.

"No, no, of course not!" Rarity insisted.

A beat of silence followed, as Opalescence rubbed herself up against Rarity's hindlegs.

"Unless we ran out of options," Rarity added.

"RARITY!" Applejack growled.

"What's the problem, AJ?" Dash demanded. "You know Big Mac's a stand up stallion! He won't hurt Twilight! And Twilight's not gonna do anything to him-!"

"The 'Want It, Need It' spell?" Applejack deadpanned.

"Welllll... We're just trying to avoid that happening again, right?" Dash suggested. "Besides! We can follow them around and make sure it goes well! If they like it, they keep dating. If they don't, they stop, and we try somepony else! What's the big deal?"

Applejack sighed.

"Ah jest don't like bein' deceptive and manipulative like this."

"What's deceptive about it?" Rarity asked, scooting up right next to Applejack and putting a foreleg around her shoulders, "you just tell Big Macintosh he's to take Twilight out to a social engagement! Which this is! I make sure Twilight goes with him! We keep an eye on them, make sure nothing bad happens! They have fun, they both relax, we all win!"

"Come on, please Applejack?" Pinkie pleaded, "I wanna try matchmaking! It seems like so much fun! Except when the server crashes and you can't get anything but newbs."

Fluttershy blinked.

"Newbs?" She asked.

"Yeah! Nubian Bulbs! Newbs!" Pinkie explained, "Saucier's waiter crashed and dumped a lot of those bulbs all over my triple decker chocolate cake and let me tell you, that wasn't good at all! I mean, I still ate it since it was chocolate coated but UGH! So tough!"

"Come on Applejack, we all want to avoid Twilight going Twilight again," Dash pleaded, "this'll help loosen her up! If it goes well~."

"Yer a lewd pony," Applejack grumbled.

"Am I wrong?" Dash asked challengingly.

Applejack sighed.

"Fine... Let's do it."

"YES!" Rarity cried, pumping her hooves in mid air, "Operation AppleStar is GO!"

"Wait, I thought we were going with Operation TwiMac?" Pinkie asked.

"We voted on this, Pinkie, it's AppleStar," Rarity said patiently.

"But nopony wanted to go with Operation Super Mega Awesome?" Dash growled.

"You've used that one too many times, um, Dash, no offense," Fluttershy muttered.

"Who needs any other name for an operation?!"

Applejack sighed, and pulled down her hat over her eyes to forestall her headache.

She wanted this to work out well... But with this crew of ponies on it, how well could it possibly go?

... Darnit, she was going to find out.





Big Macintosh certainly didn't dislike his life. He loved his family, his town, and working hard. He even enjoyed the intellectual side of his farm work.

And also scoffed at anypony who dismissed it out of hoof. The books of mathematics, apple botany, geology, soil science, the weather, and the numerous datasheets of apple yields, species, apples processed, and numerous other factors spread out on the work desk in the office area attested to this fact.

Maybe any Earth Pony could grow food, but it took hard work and rigorous scientific acumen to grow enough to feed an entire town.

That said, it wasn't that work was all there was in his life. He had gone on some dates with Cheerilee. But in the end, they decided they were better off as friends. They just wanted different things out of life.

Cheerilee had been ready to settle down right then and there. Big Macintosh just... Wasn't.

Not that he didn't want foals some day. He really did. But not now. Not yet.

They were just in different stages of life, and after a talk, the two had agreed to break up. No hard feelings.

He just... Found himself with a lot more extra time to do work. Catch up on things. That's all.

"Big Mac!"

Big Mac looked up from the data tables he had been working on, his large right hoof hovering over their old fashioned adding machine. Applejack stood there, scowling at him.

"Eeyup?" He asked.

"It's high time you got yer plot off this farm and out doin' something fun," she stated.

Big Mac's stoic expression tightened, just a bit.

"Ah got too much work to do-"

"You've been revisin' these life tables fer the crops nine times now," Applejack stated, picking up one datasheet and holding it up in front of him, "ah may not be as learned as you on these, but ah can tell busywork when ah see it!"

Big Mac cleared his throat.

"Would you believe I also need to work out the tax returns-?"

"Golden Gains already complimented me on yer 'excellent work as usual' on those," Applejack stated, her scowl unbroken. Big Mac coughed.

"Ah... The east field-"

"Big Mac, come on," Applejack said more softly, her face now gentle, "what's wrong?"

Big Mac sighed, and looked over the books and datasheets and tables.

"Ah suppose that whole... Incident with Miss Sparkle and the town is weighin' on me," he said.

"Come on now," Applejack said gently, "it ain't like we ain't used to weird stuff happenin' around here-"

"You are. Me? Ah..." He shook his head. "Ah don't like bein' the center of attention, Jack. Ya know that."

"Ah know," Applejack said with a nod, "but stayin' cooped up in here ain't the way, neither. You gotta go out again."

She smiled slyly.

"Sides... Ya gotta return Twilight's doll."

Big Mac winced.

"Ah... Er... Do ah really have to? Cain't I just mail it back to her?"

"You ain't gonna hold that against her, are ya?" Applejack asked. "Ah mean... Okay, so she went crazy. Happens to the best of us. And ah know right now, she's probably feelin' as low as you are about the whole thing. Even more so."

Big Mac sighed, and bowed his head.

"Ah will return it, ah will," he said, "but ah... Ya know... Cain't see it bein' a good time fer either of us."

Applejack opened her mouth... When Granny Smith hobbled in, chuckling.

"Ah now, Big Mac! There's a better way t' go about it!"

Big Mac looked at his grandmother in curiosity.

"Go about what?"

"As I recall, Miss Sparkle is quite the whiz with many an intellectual thing," she said, "you can go over there wit' your life tables and talk to her. See what she can do to help out. She gets to do somethin' nice fer us, you get out to talk to a mare, we get a genius to help us with our farmwork, and you can resolve that whole mind control debacle! All at once!"

Big Mac's eyes widened.

"Ah... Ah think that might work, Granny!" He said. Granny hoofed over the Smarty Pants doll, and Big Mac took it.

"Don't ferget, bring her a pie or two, there's a few fresh ones on the window sill," Granny urged, "and comb yer mane! You look a fright!"

"Yes Granny!" Big Mac said, getting up and practically galloping off with the doll and some of his paperwork. Applejack slowly turned and stared at Granny Smith, who chuckled quietly.

"Ah may hate that dang title those stuffy nobles gave me, but ah do know a thing or two about bein' a Baroness," she said. She winked.

"Ah have a lot to learn, eh Granny?" Applejack asked, grinning widely.

"Plenty of time fer it, dear!"





Rarity and Rainbow Dash approached Golden Oaks Library,

"Now, remember Rainbow Dash," Rarity stated primly, "let me do all the talking."

Dash looking over at her skeptically.

"If you're going to do all the talking, exactly why do I have to come along with you?" Dash asked.

"Because we should both be there for Twilight to help her out, and as long as you're with me," and Rarity smiled warmly at Dash, "Twilight will not suspect that anything is going on!"

Dash nodded... And then scowled.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It just means she won't be on guard," Rarity soothed.

"You make it sound like I'm dumb!"

"Nopony says that, Rainbow Dash," Rarity chuckled.

"You said it last night!" Dash scowled harder.

Rarity had the decency to blush. She cleared her throat, then held up a concillary hoof.

"My sincerest apologies, Rainbow Dash. That was uncalled for," she said gently, "let me put it this way: As the Element of Loyalty, why would Twilight suspect you of anything underhoofed?"

Rainbow Dash considered the matter, turning it over in her head, before she nodded.

"That sounds better. Why didn't you lead with that?"

"Believe me, I'll be asking myself that for a long time to come," Rarity muttered to herself, knocking on the door. Twilight opened the library, smiling at them.

"Hello Rarity! Hello Rainbow Dash!"

"Hey Twi! Hey Spike!"

"Hello Twilight! Hello Spike! So good to see you!" Rarity gushed, trotting in. Dash lingered, looking around. Not seeing Big Mac, she flew inside. Spike was ready with a nice spread of snacks, and with a grateful smile she dug in.

"I made your coffee just the way you like it, Rarity!" Spike gushed back, pulling out Rarity's chair for her. She smiled warmly at the little dragon, and took her seat.

"Why thank you Spike! You're becoming quite the gentledrake!"

"Th-Thanks Rarity," Spike whimpered, blushing down to his pointed toes. He turned and headed back up the stairs, practically walking on air. "I'll uh, I'll be in my room if you need anything!"

Rarity didn't bother to hide her smile. She did care for that sweet little dragon, very much.

"Mmm! Thanks Spike! Thanks Twilight! This is great!" Dash said, as Twilight sat at the table.

"Well, I figured that you two would be showing up today," Twilight said. Dash paused in her gobbling, as Rarity merely raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" Rarity asked. Twilight nodded.

"You've been coming over in shifts to keep an eye on me during my vacation," she explained, "it seemed logical you both would show up together. It was next in the sequence."

Rarity mentally frowned. She couldn't quite see the pattern... But then Twilight was a genius. What else might she discern?

Well, nothing for it now.

"Woah! Okay, that's... Kind of cool but also creepy," Dash observed. "And hey! We are not keeping an eye on you!"

Twilight sighed and shook her head.

"I'm not angry at you over it, really! I mean... I did nearly cause a catastrophe."

She looked down glumly at her own plate.

"Come on, we talked things out," Dash said soothingly, "and we're spending time with you because you need it! You get so wrapped up in your own world you kind of... Uh..."

"Go nuts?" Twilight asked flatly. Dash winced, and looked anywhere but right at Twilight.

"Well... Um... Yes."

"And I thought Applejack was blunt," Rarity muttered, sipping her coffee. She looked over at Twilight.

"We can keep an eye on you, and help you because we love you, at the same time," Rarity said gently. "And Dash is... Being blunt-"

"Which is good," Twilight said with a nod, "I hate things being sugarcoated for me. I... I did some wrong things. And I need to face up to that. I just don't know enough about the magic of friendship as I should."

Rarity saw her chance, and seized it with both hooves.

"Which is precisely why you need to branch out, Twilight. Expand your horizons," Rarity stated, baiting the trap. Twilight looked at her curiously.

"How do you mean?"

"What I mean is, you have had precious little social contact before you came to Ponyville," Rarity said, "cooped up in your library all the time! Friendship doesn't happen in a vacuum, after all! You, as a scholar, must appreciate context, and how important it is!"

Twilight's eyes lit up, already thinking things through.

"Of course...! My entire approach to friendship is still so... Sterile! Like it's a specimen in a laboratory!"

"It's something you have to feel through, not think through! I mean, not all the time," Dash contributed. Rarity held back a glare. Sure, she'd told Dash to let her do the talking, but it was making Twilight's enthusiasm rise.

That, and as much of a risk taker as Dash may have been? Rarity was exactly the same on the social battlefield.

"One of the best ways to do this," Rarity said, "is to try something new. Something outside of your comfort zone. What's one thing you have never done, socially?"

"Well... Uh... Lots of things," Twilight admitted. "I never went to any parties I was invited to. I never talked to any of the dignitaries at the castle."

"Yes...?" Rarity prompted. Patience, patience...

"Ever go out on a date?" Dash asked with a little grin. Twilight promptly blushed, and shook her head rapidly.

"N-No! No! Never!"

Gotcha! Rarity thought.

"Then that seems like the perfect place to start!" Rarity said brightly.

"B-But I'm the Princess's apprentice!" Twilight sputtered. Rarity shook her head.

"So? You're still a mare. And dating is a big part of friendship."

"It is?" Twilight asked, curious. Rarity nodded sagely.

"Of course! I've gone out with a number of gentlestallions. Romance is something everypony is interested in, in some way! And it affects everypony, too! After all, without romance, none of us would be here!"

Rarity smiled slyly over her cup of coffee.

"And we both know that the vast majority of literature checked out of your library consists of romance novels, Twilight," Rarity pointed out. Twilight flushed, and nodded.

"I... That's true..."

"Mushy stuff," Dash groaned, but she did nod, "still! Dates are a lot of fun, Twilight! Or can be. I've been on a couple bad ones. But that's also something you can talk about with your friends, cause you learn more about yourself! And what you want!"

"I... Huh..." Twilight rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "you're right! I mean, I overheard mares talking about their romances and crushes... I never had any interest in it! But given how much everypony focuses on it, I should learn more about it!"

"Wonderful!" Rarity clopped her hooves together with a bright beam. Inside, of course, she was cackling.

"But where do I start?" Twilight asked anxiously. "And, um... Well... I'm not exactly much of a looker-"

"Nonsense!" Rarity insisted, reaching out to rest a reassuring hoof over Twilight's, "you look just fine! You could use some work, of course, but being beautiful is a skill like any other! A little work, and your own natural beauty will emerge!"

She nodded to Rainbow Dash.

"Take Rainbow Dash. You might mistake her for some uncouth, vulgar tomboy-"

"That's because I am, and proud of it!"

"But she has a wild, savage beauty!" Rarity went on, waving a hoof dramatically. "One that, with the right beauty applications, shines and makes her like unto a goddess of the skies!"

"Goddess of the skies, huh?" Dash hummed. "I kind of like it!"

"But!" Rarity leaned forward, smiling at Twilight, "it all starts... With a bit of courage. Might I suggest you try asking out a stallion... Today! Just to see how it goes?"

Twilight turned so bright red, for a moment Rarity was afraid she might burst into flames. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Ask-Ask-Ask them out?! How?! Who?! I-I can't just do that!" Twilight squeaked, shaking her head. "I-I-I-I don't know-How would I-What do I-?!"

"Come on, Twi, you've faced down Nightmare Moon and Discord and a hydra!" Dash said, "what's asking out a stallion on a date compared to that?"

"Hmm... Tell you what," Rarity said, smiling, "we'll stick around, and help you out! When a stallion comes in... You do like stallions, right?"

Twilight nodded.

"Y-Yes?"

"GOOD! If you were into mares, that would have been much easier. I'd have just asked Dash to take you out," Rarity said.

"HEY! I got enough of that in Flight School!" Dash protested, "Why does everyone think I'm a fillyfooler?! It's prejudice, I tell you! I could get any stallion I wanted, any time, any where I wanted! I-I just don't want to right now!"

"As I was saying," Rarity stated, more loudly than before, "we'll stay with you, and when a stallion comes in, we'll help you ask him out!"

"I... You really think I can do it?" Twilight asked, still very red. Rarity beamed.

"Of course!"

The door opened again. Big Macintosh entered, looking around. His eyes locked onto Twilight and her friends. He coughed.

"Miss Sparkle," he rumbled in his deep voice, "ah can come back later if-"

"No!" Rarity cried, beaming warmly, "not at all, Big Macintosh! What can Twilight do for you?"

Twilight squeaked, her blush intensifying as she looked around Big Mac, but not right at him.

"Y-Y-Yes! Yes! What-What can I do for you, Big Mac?" Twilight managed.

"Ah... Ah was hoping you could help me with somethin," Big Mac began, "and uh... Also I wanted to return something to you..."

He rummaged in his saddlebags, and held out the ragged Smarty Pants doll. Twilight's eyes widened, and she shook her head.

"Uh, I mean, I-I appreciate it... I-I just... I mean, you didn't have to-It caused so much trouble-!"

Dash almost made to open her mouth, but Rarity quickly silenced her with a kick to the shin. Dash shot Rarity a dirty look as the white unicorn beamed at Twilight encouragingly. Twilight blinked, considered, thought it through...

"I... Thank you," she said, "I really appreciate it. So uh..."

She got out of the chair and trotted over to Big Mac.

She smiled as she took the doll in her telekinetic grip, still not looking directly at Big Mac.

"So uh... You needed help with something?" Twilight asked quietly. Big Mac nodded, and rummaged again in his saddle bags.

"Ah need yer help with some... Datasheets for the farm," Big Mac explained. Twilight's eyes lit up, and she managed to look Big Macintosh in the eyes for once during the entire conversation.

"Really? Datasheets? What kind?"

"All kinds," Big Mac said, "uh..." He looked askance at Dash and Rarity. "If you don't mind...?"

"Not at all, darling~!" Rarity said, ushering Dash out of her seat, "we'll be in the kitchen if you need us~!"

"Th-Thanks," Twilight managed.

Naturally, both Rarity and Dash went around the corner... And then peeked in on the two ponies through some bookshelves.

"Is it a top secret Apple family tradition?" Twilight asked. Big Mac shook his head.

"Not exactly, jest..."

He sighed, and held out an old notebook to her with his teeth. Twilight took hold of it with her telekinesis, and opened it up. Her eyes widened as she began to read through it.

There were countless illustrations of apples: Their seeds, their internal structure, and their anatomy. There were tables of numbers on variables and parameters for various apple species, ranging from drought resistance to types of pollinators. And so many charts and equations...!

"Ah'm workin' out the standard deviation of the year's mean to determine how many cider apples we can harvest. Ah do it every year," Big Macintosh explained, sounding a bit more confident,"within one deviation is just 68 percent of the apples we could have, and within two deviations is 95 percent. We've rarely had a harvest year in which we could both harvest and process 95 percent of our good cider apples. We've never yet had a year where we were able to harvest more, but someday, when there's more of us to work the fields and orchards, we just might. I'm not even gonna try and tell y'all about how hard it is to try and find variance among these here samples of our hay or other crops."

Twilight's jaw dropped, as she gazed up at Big Mac in awe.

"You... You use statistical analysis in your farming?" She gasped.

Big Mac nodded.

"Eeyup... But uh... Ah don't like it getting around," he murmured, "ah hate being seen as... Overeducated. Makes other Earth ponies think ah'm putting on airs."

"Oh," Twilight murmured, drooping a little. Big Mac shook his head with a small smile.

"But uh... Yer good with this kind of thing, right Miss Sparkle? It would mean a lot to me... To us, if you helped us out?"

"I'm afraid I'm a little rusty on my mathematics," Twilight admitted, but her smile was much warmer, "but I'd be happy to help you however I can! It's the least I can do!"

"Well... Thank you kindly," Big Mac said, trotting with Twilight to the far bookshelves.

Rarity and Dash retreated into the kitchen, where Rarity was grinning.

"This is going better than I thought it would!" Rarity giggled.

"Ugh," Dash groaned, "I can't believe he's an egghead! To think he's a nerd too!"

"All the better for our plans, Rainbow Dash," Rarity stated, "having common interests is good! It also gives Twilight some common ground! One she may have not had for some time."

"Yeah yeah, but if they start making out over a math book, I'm out of here."
> The Stage is Set
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight giggled softly, beaming over at Big Mac across the table. It was now covered in books, sheets of paper, and notebooks aplenty.

"Really? I had no idea that you published an article in Plow!" She said eagerly, holding up a volume of the publication in question. "Under an alias?"

Big Mac shook his head.

"Granny insisted ah publish mah findings," he said, "ah really didn't want the attention but... Well... She said it would help a lot of ponies out."

"Tracking these rates of infection by globber worms is fascinating," Twilight breathed, looking over the numbers hungrily, "you documented every attempt you made to deal with them so thoroughly!"

"They've been a plague on our Apples since Granny settled here," Big Macintosh explained, blushing a bit, "turns out that soil rotation was the key factor. The purple mushroom, forgot the scientific name-"

"Cortinarius violaceus," Twilight supplied, "Zecora uses them in her potions all the time. I had no idea they were mycorrhizal!"

"I don't know how it all works, mah cousin Appleseed did most of the research citations and such," Big Mac said, looking down at his hooves like they were very interesting all of a sudden, "but the records from my pa and grandpappy were very thorough. And anywhere the purple mushrooms weren't removed, the globber worms didn't infest the trees. They seemed to help the trees resist the globber worms, gettin' water n' nutrients from the trees in exchange for helpin' defend them from infestation. Pretty simple."

"Don't be so modest!" Twilight insisted with a grin, "this is fantastic!"

She looked Big Macintosh over a bit more thoroughly. He had always been big, certainly, and handsome-Twilight wasn't blind. But his shy smile just made him seem so much... More.

"Well, thank you kindly, Miss Sparkle," Big Mac said with a small smile, "ah appreciate it."

"Y-Yeah! Trust me, it's always nice to have your work appreciated," Twilight replied, blushing and looking down. "Uh... Um... S-So... Uh..."

She tapped her hooves together. Big Mac waited in silence.

"Um..." Twilight tried again. "H-Hey! How about I get us some plates so we can eat your pie? I-I mean the pie you brought?"

Big Macintosh nodded.

"Eeyup. Can ah help-?"

"N-N-No! No! It's fine, I've got it!" Twilight said hurriedly, lifting the apple pie with her telekinesis and hurrying off into the kitchen.

Much to her relief, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were still there. Much to her confusion, Rarity was posing like a casual fashion model in a catalogue in one of the kitchen table chairs, while Dash had apparently landed hard on her back and was reading a Daring Do book... Upside down.

"Oh I'm so sorry, I lost track of time-" Twilight began, but Rarity waved her hoof dismissively.

"Nonsense, darling! Rainbow Dash, would you please keep Big Mac occupied?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," Dash said, zipping off into the library. Twilight looked anxiously at Rarity, who was smiling.

"So, how's it going?" Rarity asked innocently.

"Uh, um, gr-great!" Twilight said, beaming, "but um... I just..."

"Yesss...?" Rarity prompted, leaning closer.

Twilight wilted.

"I... How do I ask him out? I mean, wh-what would we do? Where would we go? How much should we pack? What kind of apples does he like? Or wait, would he be expecting apples? Wait, of course he would be-!"

"Twilight," Rarity insisted, resting her hooves on the nearly hyperventilating Twilight's shoulders, "breathe. Calm down. Relax. It's just a date."

Twilight nodded furiously.

"R-Right! Right! A date!"

"It's clear you both like one another," Rarity said with a smile. Twilight frowned.

"Wait, were you spying on me-?"

"Observing you, darling, nothing nefarious!" Rarity said quickly, "besides, we're here to help, right? Can't very help if we don't know what's going on, can we?"

"I-I suppose not," Twilight nodded, "so, um... What do I do?"

"Just ask him out," Rarity said with a smile, "simple and straightforward. We can even practice here before you try, would that help?"

"Yes, yes it would," Twilight agreed.

"All right... You're going to ask him out," Rarity coached, "and you say...?"

Twilight beamed.

"H-Hello, Big Macintosh! Uh, I find you mentally and physically attractive. Would you like to go socialize with me with the possibility of sexual intercourse later?"

Rarity stared. She slowly lifted her forelimb up, and rubbed the bridge of her snout with a wince.

"Too much?" Twilight asked.

Rarity sighed. Twilight cleared her throat.

"Um, okay, review, revize, reapply... Um, Big Mac, would you like to engage in sexual intercourse with me, with the possibility of socializing at a later date?"

"Sweet Celestia, no, Twilight! Socialization first! If you just want sex without obligations, you should have let Caramel woo you!"






Ugh. Rarity and her scheming! It took so long and was so boring!

If these two were going to get together, action had to be taken! Aggressive action!

It had always worked for Rainbow Dash!

... Well it had mostly worked for her.

At least 50 percent of the time.

Which was still pretty good!

With that in mind, Dash flew up to Big Macintosh as he tried to look like he wasn't hurriedly putting away his notebooks and data sheets and whatnot. She hovered right next to him, and crossed her forelimbs in front of her chest.

"Big Mac? We've been friends for a while, right?"

"Eeyup," Macintosh agreed, discretely trying to cover up some graph of apple seed sizes.

Dash nodded.

"Okay good. Then you'd say we know eachother pretty well, right?"

"Eeyup."

"So when I tell you I see something, you'll listen, right?"

"Eeyup."

Dash looked up at the ceiling innocently.

"Like say... That you had a crush on a certain egghead?"

"Ee-" Big Mac nearly choked in his shock, his green eyes going very wide. He looked up at Dash, who was hovering smugly.

"Ah, no, it-it ain't like that-!"

"Pfft," Dash scoffed, "come on, Big Mac! Again, how long have we known eachother?"

It was hard to tell through his red fur, but Big Mac definitely blushed. And hard. Dash's smug grin grew wider.

"Hey, relax! I'm actually glad! I mean, a stand up stallion like you won't try anything bad with my best friend... Right?"

Her eyes narrowed. Big Mac stared back evenly, not even a little intimidated. Dash liked that.

"Nope."

"So... Why not ask her out, huh?" Dash pressed. Big Mac coughed and looked aside.

"Ah... Nope."

"Why not?" Dash asked. Big Mac shook his head.

"Ah jest broke up with Cheerilee-"

"Which means it's the perfect time to get back out there!" Dash enthused. Big Mac winced.

"She's... The princess's apprentice-"

"And? So? She's still a mare. That you like," Dash stated firmly, "she's not gonna send you to the moon if you ask her out!"

Big Mac's eyes widened a bit more. Dash quickly threw her hooves up.

"Okay, okay, sorry, she probably won't-"

His eyes went even wider. Dash groaned.

"Oh come on! Listen, Big Mac... You like her, right?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"So do something about it," Dash stated, "I mean, Caramel tried to ask her out!"

Big Mac's eyes narrowed.

"Oh?" He asked, his deep voice grinding a bit more. Dash nodded.

"Uh huh. Now she didn't notice it... But she's not gonna remain ignorant forever. You really want to let a chance like this pass you by?"

Big Mac looked down.

"Jest... Happening a little fast-"

"Life happens fast, get over it," Dash stated matter of factly. "I mean, what are you really afraid of?"

Big Mac was silent for a time, chewing on his ever present stalk of grass in his mouth.

Finally, he spoke.

"I jest... Don't want to hurt her. Or get hurt. If yer wrong."

Dash looked deeply unimpressed. She was going to lay into Big Mac some more... When she hit upon an idea. As though a lightbulb lit up over her head. She grinned slyly.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Dash said, "I know the perfect way to ask her out! She won't say no! It's foalproof!"

Big Mac looked at Dash skeptically. The rainbow pegasus grinned.

"I've used it myself and it worked every time! Every mare I tried it on, went out with me!"

Big Macintosh's eyebrow went up.

"Eeyup-?"

"And stallions!" Dash said quickly. "Uh, I mean, I like stallions! But I also kind of like mares! But not like that, ya know?"

"..."

"I-I mean, I'm not a fillyfooler! I want a stallion and to get married and have foals and all that!" Dash continued quickly, her cheeks turning red, "but I wouldn't mind a co-wife! Just-Just to make things interesting!"

Big Mac's mouth dropped open.

"Like, maybe your sister-If she was into it! Maybe! Just a thought!" Dash continued to babble.

Big Mac continued to stare. Dash scowled.

"Listen: You do exactly what I tell you to do... And we just forget I said anything about this, okay?"

"... Eeyup."





Twilight took several deep breaths. She focused, the brushes running through her mane helping to calm her down even more.

"All right," Twilight said with a smile, as Rarity pulled back her various tools of beauty, "I'm ready!"

"All right... Once more, you're going to...?" Rarity prompted. Twilight stood at attention, as though she was giving another lecture back at Magic School.

"Go out there. Coyly wave my tail. Throw back my head to let my mane wave in the breeze," Twilight recited, "then smile seductively..."

"And then...?"

"Say..." And here Twilight's voice dipped into a more seductive timbre, "Hey. Big Mac. You wanna take me out some time?"

Rarity clopped happily.

"Bravo! Bravo! Maybe a little too deep on your voice, but I think he'll like it."

Twilight blushed.

"Aw, you think so? I-I mean, I've never done any acting-"

"Most of acting is in acting like you know what you're doing, even when you don't," Rarity stated, "along with acting confident. If you act like it, you will be!"

Rarity smiled warmly.

"Now! Go out there, mare, and show your stuff!"

Twilight nodded firmly.

"Right!"

Twilight checked her reflection one last time in the mirror over the kitchen sink. Her hair was smooth, glossy, and almost shined. Her coat was the same. A touch of make up emphasized her eyes, and she blushed happily. She turned and grinned over at Rarity.

"Okay! I'm ready... I'm ready...!"

Twilight trotted out, back into the library's main floor... Only for her confident strut to be interrupted. Big Macintosh stood there, tall and almost ominous. He looked very serious.

"Ah... Uh... B-Big Macintosh!" Twilight tried, "I was just about to see you! I'm sorry I took so long..."

Big Macintosh took a deep breath, and snorted through his nostrils. He trotted up to her with slow, deliberate strides. Twilight found herself backing up, unconsciously, and she almost squeaked when her plot hit the wall.

Big Macintosh loomed over her, and she got a good sniff of him.

He smelled... So male. Of soil, hard work, grass and trees and... Stallion. She flared her nostrils, her instincts compelling her to take in as much as she could.

She felt so very small and vulnerable...

And surprisingly... She liked it.

BAM!

"Eep!" She quietly squeaked, as Big Macintosh slammed his right hoof into the wall right over her. Her heart pounded faster than the time she had almost been late delivering her report in Advanced Enchanting. She trembled.

Twilight stared up in astonishment as the big stallion finally spoke.

"Twilight. Ah wanna date you."

Date you. Date you. Date you.

Twilight nodded slowly.

"O-Okay..." She squeaked.

Big Macintosh twitched slightly, looking like he couldn't believe it. But just as quickly, his face became stoic again, and he nodded.

"Gustav's. Tomorrow at 7?"

"That... That works great," Twilight managed, "I'll shift my schedule around."

Big Macintosh nodded again.

"Good... Well..."

He cleared his throat, and backed away slowly.

"... See you then," he said.

"W-Works for me," Twilight stuttered, bright red.

Big Mac nodded, turned, and trotted out the doors, his saddlebags full of his books and datasheets. Rainbow Dash looked up from the Daring Do book she had been pretending to be reading from, and grinned.

"Well, how about that?" Dash said. "You've got a date!"

"A-A-A d-d-date?!" Twilight managed. Her eyes widened... She squealed and jumped for joy.

"YES YES YES YES YES-I-I've gotta write Princess Celestia right now!"

She teleported off in a flash of purple energy, leaving a disbelieving Rarity staring at the smug Rainbow Dash.

"You... How...?"

"Pfft. You act like I don't have any social intelligence!" Dash laughed.

"Well... Usually because you don't," Rarity pointed out.

Rainbow Dash's smirk grew.

"Anyway, I got Big Mac to ask her out, didn't I? She said yes, right? I owe him a hoofbump, that was classic wall slamming!"

"'Wall slamming'?" Rarity asked, raising an elegant eyebrow, "isn't that a common cliche in those Neighponese romance comics Fluttershy is always reading?"

Rainbow Dash blushed heavily, and coughed.

"Uh... Um... Well... Ya know... It's based on a real thing... And it worked, right? That's the important thing!"

Rarity nodded.

"Yes it did! I'm quite impressed, Rainbow Dash!"

She gave the athletic pegasus a sly smile.

"Perhaps you and I should collaborate on more matchmaking attempts in the future, hm?"

"No thanks," Dash snorted, "besides! We're not even done with this one yet!"

"That's true," Rarity nodded, "we must see this through to the end. Come! Let's report our success to the others!"

"Right!" Dash cried, as both headed out the door.





Unbeknownst to either Rainbow Dash or Rarity, three little fillies had been watching the entire scene from start to finish via the windows into the library. And these three fillies soon commiserated together.

"Ah cain't believe they're trying to hook up Big Macintosh with Twilight!" Applebloom cried.

"Well, that whole thing with him and Cheerilee didn't go very well," Sweetie Belle pointed out.

"Yeah, but they said we were 'immature' and 'reckless' when we did it!" Scootaloo pouted.

"We did use a love potion-" Applebloom pointed out, but Scootaloo shook her head.

"Beside the point! They're doing it, when they told us we shouldn't do it! That's not fair!"

"So, what should we do?" Sweetie Belle asked, cocking her head curiously. Scootaloo grinned.

"Simple! We'll make sure they have the most romantic date ever... Even better than your big sister and Rainbow Dash!"

"But Scootaloo, considerin' how things went last time-" Applebloom tried, but Scootaloo scoffed.

"Come on! We're not using a love potion, and they've done most of the work for us! We'll show them! Come on fillies! We can't just let them show us up like this!"

She grinned slyly.

"Besides... If we pull this off... Imagine the Cutie Marks we might get!"

"Oooh," the other two fillies said. They nodded.

"I'm in!"

"Let's do it!"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS-AWAY!"





It was good that Big Macintosh's coat was red. Otherwise, everypony would be able to tell he had been blushing from the moment he had left Golden Oaks Library.

She said yes. She said yes. She said yes...!

"Hey Big Mac! How'd it go?"

He looked up as he trotted through the gate. Applejack and Granny Smith were waiting on the farmhouse porch. Granny rocked back and forth in her rocking chair, doing some knitting. Applejack was sipping some ice cold juice as she relaxed in the shade.

"Fine," he said.

Granny Smith gave him a shrewd look, like she could look right through him.

"Oh? Jest fine?"

Big Mac cleared his throat, and looked to the side.

"Ain't a big deal... Goin' on a date with Miss Sparkle tomorrow."

He had hoped his nonchalant delivery would prevent any prying. The last thing he needed was his relatives getting involved or teasing him or-

"Sounds good!" Applejack said with a smile and a nod.

Granny nodded as well, still knitting. She gave him a smile.

"Glad to hear it," Granny said. "Where ya goin?"

"Uh... Gustav's," Big Mac said, taken aback, "ah've been saving mah bits fer-"

"Oh nonsense, take some out of petty coin!" Granny said cheerfully. "You deserve some fun, and Miss Sparkle don't deserve a cheap date!"

Big Mac nodded.

"Ah... Thank you Granny!"

"Don't mention it," Granny said, "now, you'd better get on in. Dinner's almost ready! Set the table!"

"Yes Granny," Big Mac said automatically, though he threw a suspicious look over at Applejack. His younger sister wasn't meeting his gaze and was just smiling. It was... Strange.

Still, he could sort out the mysteries of mares later. Like when he'd figured out something easier to unravel, like turning apples to oranges.





Granny and Applejack watched Big Mac trot on in. When he was inside the house and out of sight, Granny lifted her hoof. Applejack bumped her own hoof into her grandmother's, as both grinned.

"Dang Granny, you are slick!" Applejack chuckled.

"Comes with experience, dearie," Granny explained.

"Ah can't wait to see their date go! Ah'll make sure it'll be perfect down to-"

"What in tarnation are you blatherin' about?" Granny demanded. Applejack gulped.

"Uh, Granny? But we want it to go well-"

"It ain't gonna go at all if you and yer friends are constantly interferin'!" Granny scoffed, "that ain't how it works! Ya cain't force love!"

"But ah wanna make sure it goes over well-" Applejack protested. Granny shook her head again.

"Ah get that, but if you meddle too much, yer jest askin' fer disaster! You gotta let things go naturally!"

Applejack sagged a bit.

"Sorry Granny."

"That said... Ain't nothin' wrong with keepin' an eye on 'em, jest to make sure they're doing okay... And fer gossip later," Granny said conspiratorially.

Applejack flushed deeply.

"Granny!"

"Ah ain't wrong, am ah?"

"Ah... Ah reckon not."

Granny grinned.

"Good!"





Back in Golden Oaks, Spike was performing his usual duty of transcribing Twilight's words into a letter to Princess Celestia. Usually, he liked this job. Or at least, didn't complain too much about it.

In this case though...

"Twilight, seriously," Spike groaned, "this is the fifth revision!"

"I've got to do this right, Spike!" Twilight insisted, still swooning.

"'Dear Princess Celestia. I have a date with a stallion. Love, Twilight'," Spike deadpanned, "that's all you need!"

"It is not all I need!" Twilight hissed, "I need to tell her so much more-!"

"Then do it after the date," Spike emphasized, "it's late, I wanna go to bed!"

Twilight paused, and then looked out the window. She checked the nearby clock, and winced.

"Oh... Um... Sorry," she murmured.

Spike sighed.

"It's fine... Look, how about I just send her a quick message? Dinner's all set in the fridge. I'll send it, you start eating."

"I don't want to eat without you!" Twilight said. Spike smiled and shook his head.

"It's all right. It won't take long, promise," he said.

Twilight nodded.

"Well, if you're sure Spike," she said. Spike nodded.

"I'm very sure. Besides... You need your rest for your daaate," he teased.

Twilight flushed heavily.

"I-It-I don't need that much-I don't-!"

"They say Big Mac can wear a mare out, after all," Spike chuckled. Twilight's face burned bright red.

"SP-SPIKE! Where did you hear such a-a foul, unsubstantiated rumor?!"

"Rarity," Spike answered. Twilight flushed.

"I... Well I guess that tracks," she muttered. She shook her head. "Anyway! You send off the letter, I'll see you soon!"

"Right, right," Spike said, waving her off. She trotted into the kitchen. Spike quickly jotted down the note, and breathed green flames to send the note off to Princess Celestia.

He then began writing another note, very quickly, and then sent it off with green flames too. He chuckled.

"Finally... Something to report."





In Canterlot, a pink alicorn was studying a wall decorated with hundreds of photos and notes. These notes and photos were linked with variously colored strings-Pink, blue, red, green, and other hues. It formed a gigantic web of ponies, and the pink alicorn studied it with the intensity of a laser beam.

"Hmmm... But if I place Nightwing with the Guard, will that make Silent Echo make a move?" She mused aloud.

A green flame burst behind her, over a table. She spun around, and saw a note drift to the table top. She picked it up with her telekinesis and opened it. She read through... And smiled.

"At last!" She turned to her massive wall. She found a photo of Twilight Sparkle, and seized a length of pink string. With great ceremony, she stuck a pin through the string, and pinned it to the photo. She then maneuvered the string over to a photo of Big Macintosh from the Ponyville Gazette, and with similar solemnity, pinned the other end of the string to it. Her horn lit up, and magical words formed over the string:

FIRST DATE.

"Hahahaha... Hahahahaha... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The pink alicorn cackled, as lightning flashed and thunder boomed behind her.

"Cadance!" Whined a male voice elsewhere in the room. "Seriously, are we going to do this or what?"

Cadance coughed, and blushed. She looked over at her coltfriend, currently tied up in a chair.

"Sorry Shining. Inspiration struck and you know how that can go," she apologized.

Shining Armor frowned.

"What's that picture of my sister for anyway-?"

"Do you want to ask questions, or do you want the Evil Professor Lotta Quim to begin her sensuous torture of Agent Double O'Horseshoe?"

A short pause.

"... You'll never make me talk, Professor Quim!"

"That's what I thought!"





Celestia trotted slowly into the living room of Twilight Velvet and Night Light. The two unicorns stared intently at their princess, Twilight Velvet deeply worried and covering her mouth with her hooves.

"Princess? Is everything all right?" Night Light asked urgently.

"Is Twilight okay?" Velvet inquired, fearfully.

Celestia smiled gently.

"It is all right, Velvet, Night Light," she said soothingly, "I bring news of your daughter: Good news!

The two parents sagged in relief. Celestia flushed.

"Oh my... I suppose me dropping in like this and just telling you I wanted to talk about your daughter was a very poor way to start this-I deeply apologize-!"

"Nonono, it's all right, it's all right!" Velvet insisted, waving her hooves around. "I'm just glad to know it's good news! So... Uh... What is the news?"

Celestia beamed.

"You'll be pleased to know that your daughter... Is going on her very first date!"

The two unicorns leaned in.

"With... A stallion?" Night Light coughed. "I-I mean, we'd be fine if she went with a mare-"

"Nothing wrong with that!" Velvet insisted.

"Yes, with a stallion, and a very fine one, too," Celestia said cheerfully. "He's a Lord of a minor noble farming house in Ponyville. Not the direct heir, that would be his younger sister, since she actually went to charm school."

"Who? Do we know him?" Night Light asked.

"Unlikely," Celestia said, "though he did publish a paper on apple agriculture statistics in a local journal."

She presented said journal to Night Light and Twilight Velvet. They read through the article.

"You know... He's quite erudite, if uh... Concise," Velvet observed.

"And he's a very good stallion," Celestia said with a smile.

"Now now, let's not get carried away here," Night Light stated, "it's just one date. With a stallion she barely knows, who is published in a scientific paper."

"And is quite handsome and kind, too," Celestia said.

Twilight Velvet grinned and leaped off the couch.

"I'll start planning the wedding!"

Night Light got off the couch next, also grinning.

"I'll tell Shining he can take it easy-No need to give us grandfoals just yet!"

Celestia just chuckled.

Ah, my wonderful, amusing subjects...
> More Preparations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

- - -

Big Macintosh always got up before the sun rose. That was the life of a farmer, and he'd taken to it happily. There was something almost... Magical about watching the sun rise over the horizon, in the stillness between night and day. The golden rays stretched out over the apple orchards, like paint on a canvas. There was no breeze, just the stillness of nature.

He had gotten up just a bit earlier than usual this morning, for something important. He stood in a little field in the northern orchard, and cleared his throat.

"Hey Pa. Hey Ma. Jest wanted to see you this mornin'. Sorry ah haven't stopped by a lot lately. Been busy."

He smiled slightly, and nodded.

"Eeyup. Ever since Princess Luna got back, it's jest been... Non-stop. Not makin' excuses. Coulda spared the time, but..."

He sighed softly through his nostrils.

"Ah'm goin' on a date tonight," he said. "Ain't like last time, no love poison nonsense. Cheerilee was nice-You'd have liked her, Ma-but... Yeah. Jest didn't work out."

He chewed on his ever present grass stalk between his teeth.

"She's... Special. Really special. Apprentice of Princess Celestia herself. Yeah, ah told you about her before. She's a... A heroine. She's bright and smart and kind... Beautiful, too."

He smiled again as the trees above turned orange and red in the dawn sunlight.

"Ah don't know if it'll work out," he admitted, "though Granny says that's always the risk with this sort o' thing. Ah mean, what could some high class national heroine want with some plow horse like me? Don't make no sense."

He was silent again, chewing on his grass stalk.

"Ya told me t' go wit mah feelings. To trust 'em. Well... Ah do feel something special with Miss Sparkle. But... Ah might've felt that with Cheerilee, too. Ah was mistaken then. Though she's still a good friend."

Big Macintosh looked to the east. The sun was now fully above the horizon. He shook his head, his mane waving a bit.

"Ah do know ah want this date to be a good one. She's a hoof full though. Don't rightly know if ah'm the stallion fer her. She can seem larger than life... And other times, like the loneliest pony in the world. She's got so much weight on her shoulders, but she bears it as best she can. It's like there's... A Destiny around her. She pulls everypony in. She ain't borin', that's fer sure."

He smiled again, and nodded his head.

"Anyway... Ah wanted t' let ya know. Ah hope it goes well. But, no sense in forcin' anything that ain't meant to be."

He paused.

"But ah really want it to go well. So... Hope you and Ma are watchin' over us. Hope ya'll approve. Ah'll talk to ya later."

With that, Big Macintosh turned and trotted off to begin his daily chores, leaving the apple tree shaded tombstones to their rest.

- - -

Twilight Sparkle had barely been able to sleep that night, she was so excited. Finally she had to spell herself to sleep, and awoke the next morning with a bright, happy smile.

One reflected on the face of her mother leaning over her.

"AHH! MOM?!" Twilight cried, tumbling out of bed and onto the floor.

"Morning sweetie!" Velvet said cheerfully, unperturbed by her daughter's roll. "Spike and your father are getting breakfast! Come on down!"

"W-Wait, why are you here?!" Twilight demanded. "I-I mean, not that I'm unhappy to see you Mom-"

"Oh, your father and I had some free time so we decided to come visit you!" Twilight Velvet said cheerfully, "we're in the guest room, don't worry about a thing!"

"The guest room-I have a guest room-?"

Twilight followed her mother down the stairs, through the library, into the kitchen proper. Her father Night Light was just trotting in, bringing with him several muffins... And an eagerly grinning Rarity.

"Hello sweetie! I got breakfast with Spike! Look who came along?"

"It's so wonderful to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle," Rarity gushed, "oh! Twilight! Good morning!"

"Uh, morning," Twilight said, still blinking in confusion even as Spike handed her a muffin and coffee. "Thanks Spike. I'm glad to see you, really I am, but-WOAH!"

Night Light grasped Twilight's shoulders and maneuvered her into a chair at the kitchen table. While her mother, Rarity, and Spike took their seats around the table. Night Light joined them, and everypony wore smiles.

It was honestly a little unsettling.

And suspicion entered her mind.

"Not that I'm unhappy that you're here, but why so sudden?" Twilight asked.

"We wanted to surprise you, pumpkin," Night Light said cheerfully, "After all, we're both off of work right now!"

"And you and your friends have saved the day so many times," Twilight Velvet added, "we thought we'd come by and pamper you a little."

"I don't need pampering!" Twilight said, her reflexive distaste for parental coddling coming out, "I'm a grown mare who's saved the world! And tonight I... Uh..."

"Tonight? What?" Twilight Velvet asked, still smiling but the tone was a tad bit more... Smug. Her father was sipping his coffee, hiding his face. Rarity was sipping her own coffee, but in a more lady like fashion. Spike was reading a Power Ponies comic, apparently tuning everything out.

It was all so... Strange. The timing was off. But why?

Still... Twilight did not lie to her parents. It just wasn't in her nature.

"I... Have a date," she said.

Night Light spewed his coffee out in shock. Twilight Velvet grinned, stars shining in her eyes as she clopped her hooves.

"OH MY! FINALLY! AT LAST!"

Twilight Velvet hugged her daughter happily.

"Urk! Mom, please, it's just a date-!"

"Who is he?" Night Light demanded, glaring angrily as he slammed a hoof on the table. Rarity thoughtfully caught all the silverware and plates with her telekinesis as she smiled.

"Oh, don't you worry, Mister Sparkle! He's a fine, upstanding stallion! I assure you, he's wonderful!"

"He'd better be," Night Light grunted, glaring at Twilight, "only the best for my daughter."

Indignation rose up in Twilight's heart as she glared back at her father.

"He's a very good stallion! He's smart and erudite-!"

"The most handsome and eligible bachelor in all of Ponyville," Rarity went on, "a dreamboat of stallionity! A pillar of strength and goodness! ... With flanks made of steel-!"

"RARITY!" Twilight shouted.

Spike groaned, still hiding behind his Power Ponies comic.

"Please... I just ate," the little dragon protested.

Twilight Velvet just kept squealing happily, cuddling her daughter.

"Ohhh! I'm so happy, Twilight-Do you have a picture of the stallion, Rarity-?"

Rarity calmly held up a photo of Big Macintosh. Twilight Velvet squealed. Even Night Light blushed a little.

"THE GRANDFOALS WILL BE SO PRETTY!"

"MOM!" Twilight shouted, gently but firmly pushing her mother away with her telekinesis, "look! It's just a date! Okay?"

Twilight took a deep breath.

"Look, I really like this stallion so please... Don't do anything... Crazy?"

Twilight Velvet blinked.

"Like what? When have I ever done anything crazy-?"

"My tenth birthday party with the clowns?" Twilight asked sarcastically.

Twilight Velvet blushed and looked aside.

"Ahem... Well I had just done my course on pile drivers and they seemed to be in wrestling tights-"

"MOM!"

Twilight Velvet held up her hooves.

"All right, all right! We won't interfere!" She beamed and nuzzled her daughter. "But we are very happy for you!"

Twilight sighed.

"Thanks Mom... Dad... I-I do mean it, just-"

"You don't want your parents to embarrass you in front of your first coltfriend," Night Light chuckled, nodding, "we get it. Bad timing. Don't you worry, we'll stay out of your way."

Twilight beamed, and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Thanks Dad. I appreciate it."

"Now, eat up," Night Light said.

Twilight was hungry. She gobbled down the muffin and coffee... Before turning to the newspaper. Rarity though seized her in her telekinetic grip and began to pull her along with her.

"Come along, no time to waste!"

"What?!" Twilight gasped.

"We must get you ready~!" Rarity declared. She held up three suitcases in her telekinesis. "Don't worry, I brought everything we will need!"

"But-But Rarity, it's only nine in the morning-!"

"Yes!" Rarity said with a nod, "which means we have just enough time to get you presentable! Come along~!"

Rarity dragged the confused and frightened looking Twilight Sparkle out of the kitchen. Night Light and Twilight Vevelt chuckled.

"Ah... Reminds me of our first date, darling," Velvet cooed, hugging Night Light happily.

"Hopefully there won't be as many explosions."

"What? That was the best part!"

Spike sighed and kept eating his cereal. And ponies wondered how he was able to deal with all these shenanigans without panicking...

- - -

Cadance wasn't too inclined to get up early that morning-Not after the night before, rowr.

But a Princess of Love's work was never done! So after leaving Shining in their bed (with a kiss to his cheek as he slept happily), she had returned to her lab and cleaned it up. She then got back to her Shipping Wall, arranging and rearranging the endless web of romantic possibilities.

Hey, Twilight had to get her obsessive compulsive tendencies from somewhere.

The door to her lab opened, and Prince Blueblood trotted in just as she was considering two more lines.

"Blueblood! You're up before the afternoon," Cadance said cheerfully, "what's the occasion?"

Blueblood gave her a most unamused look, as he slapped down a pile of royal forms onto her desk.

"Trading negotiations with Yakyakistan," he stated, "the new railroad line is still in dispute."

"Again?" Cadance sighed, trotting over to the papers. She began to look through them, as Blueblood, without asking, trotted over to the vast wall. He scrutinized it with an unfailingly keen eye for detail.

"Well, I'll be," Blueblood whistled, "no wonder Aunty was in such a tizzy this morning. Twilight Sparkle's actually going on a date?"

"I'm so proud of her," Cadance chuckled fondly, sorting through the paperwork, "and it's not like you can talk. When's the last time you were on a date that wasn't just to keep those bit diggers away?"

"Far too long," Blueblood admitted. He winced as he spotted Rarity's picture.

"I do need to apologize to her," he said, "I had no idea she was that Rarity. Friend of..."

He trailed off. Cadance looked back over her shoulder, curious. His eyes were locked onto a picture of Applejack... And tracing a green thread line between her and Caramel.

The look on Blueblood's face was stony... But would have been shocked and horrified on any other pony's face.

"Something wrong, Blueblood?" Cadance asked.

"... Lady Ponyville is... Seeing somepony as well?" Blueblood asked.

Cadance froze. She scrunched her face up in remembrance...

Some years ago...

Cadance was taking a break from foalsitting Twilight Sparkle to mind a few noble foals. Most of them were fairly well behaved around her in the royal gardens-A few were already attempting to suck up to her, just as their parents would.

She turned a corner in the hedge maze, and saw three foals, dressed to the nines, confronting a burnt orange Earth filly with freckles and nice, if simple, clothing.

"Whoever heard of Ponyville?" Sneered the tallest unicorn, "you mudponies should go back where you came from!"

Cadance was just about to intervene, anger burning through her... When a bench slammed into all three ponies and sent them flying into the hedge. She and the orange filly looked in shock over at the young Prince Blueblood, whose horn was burning with magical energy as his eyes burned in fury.

"If I ever hear you lot say another bad thing about Lady Ponyville again, I'll do worse!" Blueblood declared, trotting over to stand next to the Orange Filly as the three unicorn bullies groaned.

The orange filly, rather than stutter or swoon over the young prince... Smacked him in the back of his head and nearly bowled him over.

"Idiot! What in tarnation are you thinkin'?!" The filly demanded in a thick country accent. "Ah could handle 'em all jest fine!"

Blueblood stood up, wincing, but defiant.

"If you hit them, their families can cause problems for yours," he said, "if I hit them... Well..."

He puffed up his chest.

"It's just a Prince of Equestria protecting his friend."

The orange filly flushed a bit.

"Yer an idiot, Larry," she huffed.

"D-Don't call me that!" Blueblood protested, his own cheeks turning red... Just before the same bench smacked him in the face and he went down.

"YOU LOWDOWN VARMINTS!" The Orange filly roared at the three unicorn bullies. "YOU'D HIT YER PRINCE WHEN HE AIN'T WATCHING?!"

"Some prince! He goes down like a chump!" The lead unicorn shouted, before galloping with her cronies as fast as they could out of the maze. The Lady Ponyville knelt over him, checking him over. He groaned.

"Owww..."

"Dropped yer guard, didn't ya Larry?" The Lady Ponyville chuckled.

"Yeah..."

"Gotta not do that."

"Maybe I'll do better if you stopped calling me that. My full name IS Polaris Blueblood. What's wrong with that?"

Lady Ponyville snorted.

"Are you gonna stop callin' me 'Lady Ponyville'?"

"... No."

"Well then, we're at an impasse," the filly said, her country accent becoming soft and refined. "Now come along-Let's get you to the nurse so you don't have to explain to your aunt how you got a black eye."

"I could just say you gave it to me," Blueblood muttered, as Lady Ponyville helped him to his hooves.

"And have your family declare a blood feud against mine?" Lady Ponyville asked with a laugh.

"If that's all it would take, we're have been in a blood feud from the day we met," Blueblood mumbled, as Lady Ponyville guided him out. Cadance hid herself with an illusion spell, watching the two little nobles as they trotted away.

"Heh. You asked for that one," Lady Ponyville said.

Blueblood smiled softly.

"I suppose I did at that..."

Cadance covered her mouth with her hooves. It was all she could do to cover up her squee.

So cute!

The present

Now, Cadance had set that string up in preparation for a possible shipping offensive to get Applejack into a relationship with Caramel. The Earth Mare was almost as bad of a workaholic as Twilight, and Caramel was apparently a bit of a playcolt. Maybe they could balance each other out.

That, and while she knew Blueblood had been foalhood friends with Applejack (AKA Lady Ponyville), she hadn't picked up any emotions stronger than dear friendship from him over her.

But this... Hmmm...

No. There were some things Cadance would do in the pursuit of love, but not this.

"Not really," Cadance said, waving her hoof, "it's just a speculative pairing."

Blueblood relaxed, just a tiny bit.

Cadance smiled.

"However," she said, "Caramel has hit on her before. Many times. He doesn't seem to know when to give up, really. And since Twilight is thinking about romance... Her friends might start thinking about it as well."

Blueblood stared intensely at the picture of Applejack. His eyes narrowed.

"... I see," Blueblood said with a nod. He turned to his butler-A tall, older, grim looking unicorn stallion in fine black clothing. He had appeared out of nowhere, but Cadance wasn't worried.

He was known for that.

"TOMBS! Prepare my airship! We're off to Ponyville!"

"As you wish, Your Highness," Tombs stated, nodding and opening the door for the quickly cantering prince. He nodded respectfully to Cadance, before he headed out after his employer. The door shut behind them.

Cadance did manage to restrain her evil cackling... At least until Blueblood was gone.

She woke up Shining, but thankfully, he was used to her doing that.

- - -

Pinkie Pie's secret Party Planning Headquarters was now filled with more than one pony. It was pretty cozy, in Pinkie Pie's opinion.

"Keep your hoof out of my eye!"

"Keep yer eye out of my hoof!"

But not everypony had the same opinions as Pinkie Pie, which was fine! It made things so much more interesting!

She slammed her hooves onto the table, dramatically (like there was any other way, HA!) and grinned at her friends Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash.

"Okay! Listen up, mares! We only have ONE SHOT at making sure this date is super duper amazing! We can't screw it up!" She declared. "Rarity is getting Twilight ready right now! Fluttershy?"

"Oh, um, I uh, I've made sure that my animal friends will warn us of any threats or dangers so we can handle it outside the town so-so they won't be disturbed," Fluttershy said, "I-I asked them, very nicely. And they agreed. Especially Angel."

"Angel? Why would you demonic little bunny agree to help us out?" Dash asked, raising an eyebrow.

"H-He's not that bad... And it's mostly because he likes to cause harm to big monsters," Fluttershy mumbled, "b-but I promise, I'll talk with him about it more!"

Much staring. Gummy, Pinkie's baby alligator, chewed on her tail. He was always adorable when he did that.

"Okey dokey!" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. "Rainbow Dash?"

"I made sure Gustav got them the best seats in the house!" Dash said proudly, "nice and isolated so they won't be gawked at!"

"How did you manage that?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow. "Ain't he still sore with you over what happened to his Mouse Moose?"

"Yeah, but I smoothed it over by helping take down some bandits with the Hipporeans," Dash said, "they were attacking his spice shipments from Griffinstone! But I helped take 'em down!"

"And took all the credit," Applejack deadpanned. Dash puffed herself up.

"Naturally! Hipporeans don't care about that! They're all stoic and 'this is the way' and junk!"

"All right!" Pinkie Pie said happily, "and I am cooking up their desserts, and prepared a nice little picnic blanket for them with Twilight's telescope, so they can stargaze together! Big Mac likes stargazing too! Ooh, this'll be perfect! So perfect!"

She turned to Applejack, beaming.

"Sooo, how goes your part in all this, Applejack?"

Applejack coughed.

"Well... Big Mac's gonna be ready, but... Ah dunno, mares... Granny told me we couldn't force this to happen."

"We're not forcing it," Dash argued, "we're making sure it goes as well as possible! I mean, this is Twilight Sparkle and Big Macintosh we're talking about! They have the social skills of bucking rutabegas!"

"I love rutabegas!" Pinkie Pie said happily.

Dash rolled her eyes.

"What I mean is, we're not gonna hang over them and cut their food for them, but... We should do everything we can do make sure it's a great night and that they start dating! Because I've gotta tell you, I do not want to face an evil Twilight!"

"Eh? E-E-Evil?" Fluttershy asked. Dash nodded.

"Yeah! Princess Celestia told me that Princess Luna got jealous of her! And got isolated and socially awkward and ya know, other stuff like that! And she's incredibly powerful! If Twilight gets isolated and junk, she might turn evil!"

"Are you sayin," Applejack began, "that Nightmare Moon wouldn't have happened if Princess Luna had jest... Gotten laid?"

Dash nodded eagerly.

"That's exactly what I mean! Come on, you saw how she looked! Total dominatrix pony! Only some twisted up virgin would be into stuff like that!"

Applejack opened her mouth... Thought about it... Lowered her hoof.

"Yeah, that tracks."

"Ooh! Glad I'm not the only pony who thought that!" Pinkie cheered.

"Y-Yes," Fluttershy mumbled.

Dash smirked and polished her right hoof against her floof.

"Not that I'm too worried about that, but it's better to be safe than sorry!" Dash said quickly.

"Wow Rainbow Dash," Applejack said, "that's... Actually kind of sensible!"

"Yeah, really," Fluttershy said.

"Which is what makes it so surprising," Applejack deadpanned.

Dash puffed herself up more.

"Yeah, I'm totally-HEY!" She scowled at Applejack. "I am not taking horseapples from Rarity or you!"

"O-Oh, please, don't argue again," Fluttershy mumbled.

"APPLEJACK'S RIGHT!" Pinkie cried. "ALSO RAINBOW DASH IS RIGHT! WE'RE ALL RIGHT!"

She held up her hooves and frowned.

"Or am I all Left...? ANYWAY! We shouldn't try too hard... But given how Twilight goes Twinanas, we are going to need a mare on the inside!"

She beamed at Applejack and Dash.

"Which means, somepony's gotta be on a date inside the restaurant too!"

Rainbow Dash and Applejack glanced at eachother... And then glared at Pinkie Pie.

"Ohhh no!" Applejack grunted. "heck no! Ah ain't goin' with her!"

"And I'm not going with her!" Dash declared. "I'm a Wonderbolt-sexual, thank you very much! And maybe a Daring Do-sexual!"

"What the hay does that mean-?'

"I DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN MYSELF!" Dash shouted. "Except that on MY scale, you are like... A 6."

"A SIX?!" Applejack shouted, leaning over the table and glaring dangerously at Dash, "ah will have you know ah am at least an EIGHT!"

"HA! Not by my scale, Cornpone!"

"Ummm... I didn't say you two had to go as a couple," Pinkie Pie pointed out. Dash coughed, and nodded.

"Of-Of course! I knew that!"

Applejack sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Buuuuut, it can't be me since I'll be setting everything up," Pinkie Pie said cheerfully, "it can't be Dashie because she'll be helping guard things outside-"

"And I-I just don't have a date for the night!" Dash said quickly. "Not that I couldn't get one! I totally could! But they're uh, they're all busy! I checked!"

"Fluttershy..."

"Meep!" Fluttershy whimpered, bright red and now hiding under the table. Pinkie shook her head.

"Rarity... Her standards are too high! Plus, Spike's underaged! Sooo..."

Pinkie grinned at Applejack. The farmpony glared back.

"And what in tarnation makes you think ah can get a stallion to go out with me like that?"

"Just a feeling!" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. She twitched. "OH! Applejack, you need to be outside in two minutes!"

Applejack blinked.

"Wait, how do I get out there-?"

Pinkie Pie went to the far wall, and pulled a lever. A trapdoor opened underneath Applejack. She had just enough time to gape before she fell. Pinkie Pie waved her hoof after her.

"BYE APPLEJACK! GOOD LUCK!"

"PINKIIIIIIEEEEEE!"

"Wow," Rainbow Dash said, grinning, "you've got trap doors like that all over? How? Why?"

"Trap door emergencies, of course!" Pinkie giggled.

- - -
> The Date Begins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight leaned back in the stylist's chair nervously, as Rarity smiled over her.

"Why did you have a stylist's chair with you-?"

"For styling emergencies, darling," Rarity said cheerfully. Twilight gulped as numerous implements of styling and beauty products floated around her, held in Rarity's powerful telekinetic grip. Certainly, Twilight was very strong magically, but Rarity had a lot of practice with manipulating multiple items all at once.

"Um, are you sure all of this is necessary?"

"Absolutely!" Rarity said. "You're not some old nag, Twilight, but everypony needs some help to bring out their best! And so that's what we're going to do~!"

"She did wonders for me, dear!" Twilight Velvet said, beaming and waving a hoof from nearby. Rarity chuckled and waved her hoof back.

"Oh, Mrs. Sparkle, that was just a bit of work! No need to thank me!"

Night Light was doing the same thing he'd been up to since Rarity had finished her work on his wife: Drooling and blushing over Velvet. She giggled as she threw back her mane, and her husband followed her every move.

"Mom! Dad!" Twilight groaned.

"Huh? Wha?" Night Light asked, briefly shaken out of his trance. "Oh! You'll do fine, sweetie!"

"Now, just lay back and relax," Rarity said brightly, looming over Twilight with her beauty tools, "this won't hurt a bit! ... Unless you have split ends."

"Split ends-? GYAHHHHH!"





Blueblood decided he would try the Golden Oaks Library first. After all, Twilight Sparkle was Applejack's friend. Starting there seemed as good a place as anywhere.

He trotted up to the front door, and knocked on it.

"EEEEEYYAAAAAAHHH!"

His eyes widened at the blood curdling scream! He used his magic and forced the door open. He charged in.

"Unhoof her you-!"

Blueblood stopped short. The Element of Magic, Auntie's own apprentice, was in a stylist's chair, her mane held up in a dozen curlers as she cringed away from a bottle of shampoo. Next to her, a familiar white unicorn's gorgeous blue eyes lit up in hateful recognition.

"YOU."

Ever the diplomat, Blueblood attempted to salvage the situation.

"Ah, this is a misunderstanding-"





Applejack grumbled as she trotted towards Golden Oaks Library.

"Buckin' Pinkie, always having to pull some surprise with her freaky senses," she muttered, "it's nearly been two minutes and there ain't been one damn thing-!"

BOOM! CRASH!

A white unicorn stallion flew through one of the windows of the library, landing in a heap at Applejack's hooves. He looked up, wide eyed.

"Lady Ponyville?"

Applejack's jaw dropped.

"Larry?!"

"REVENGE!" Screamed Rarity, leaping like a mare possessed with an array of sharp, pointy things floating around her like a wrathful angel's wings.





Despite the occasional joke about her mental aptitude, Applejack was not stupid. Nor was she slow-In any sense of the word.

So when she saw Rarity descending upon Blueblood like the Angel of Death (or Celestia when the Witches from the Volcano of Gloom stole all of her cake-Spoilers, there ain't no such Witches around now), she acted quickly and decisively.

By grabbing Rarity out of the air with her hooves and slamming her down to the ground.

"OOF! Apple... Jack...?!" Rarity managed, confused and stunned.

"Give us a minute, huh Larry?" Applejack asked, far too sweetly to be authentic. Blueblood nodded weakly.

"Of-Of course, Lady Ponyville..."

Applejack speedily dragged the seething Rarity away, behind the Golden Oaks Library. It took her just long enough for Rarity to pull the wind back into her lungs and begin cursing up a storm.

"What the buck Applejack?! Who is Lady Ponyville-NEVERMIND! That cur, that pig, has the audacity to show up here and you don't let me carve it out of his plot?! VENGEANCE! I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE-!"

When Rarity was in this state, there was little that could get her out of it that was subtle. So Applejack very calmly loomed over Rarity, and slammed her right hoof into the ground right next to the fashionista's head, digging out a crater with a soft but powerful boom!

Rarity gaped in disbelief, looking down at the hoof, the crater, and then back up at Applejack's stoic face.

"Yer gonna calm down and let me explain things, all right?" Applejack said, slow and calm.

Rarity scowled, but slowly nodded. Applejack backed up, and Rarity got up. She used some of her remaining implements of beauty to clean herself up.

"Well?" She demanded.

Applejack heaved a very large sigh.

"Okay... Ya know Princess Celestia gave mah family land, right?"

"Of course I do, what does that have to do with you being buddy buddy with that cad?!" Rarity hissed.

"Well, technically, that's all ya need t' be a noble. As in... Part of the Peerage," Applejack said slowly.

Rarity's eyes widened, and she paused in brushing her mane.

"You mean... Lady Ponyville-?"

"Technically, Granny Smith is 'Baroness Apple'," Applejack went on, "mah Pa was gonna take over fer her but... Well..."

"Oh, Applejack," Rarity's anger dipped as she recalled that tragic day. Applejack sighed.

"Well... Granny was gettin' on in years. Big Mac... Well, he's got the smarts but he clammed up. Applebloom was too young, and me? Ah'm the only one who went to charm school. So, ah got to be heiress. Lady Ponyville."

Rarity's eyes bulged.

"You mean... Wait, all those monthly trips you take to Canterlot-?!"

"Eeyup," Applejack stated, in perfect imitation of her brother, "had to go up and learn th' game, make sure those nobles don't screw us over. Granny helped me a little..."

She cleared her throat, and then spoke in a dulcet, refined tone that seemed completely at odds with the hardy farm mare's appearance.

"And speaking like a proper lady did too. Though I still have to get through on grit. What they call 'authenticity' up there-"

"Okay, okay, but how do you know Blueblood?!" Rarity hissed in disbelief. "You were going up to Canterlot since your... Younger... years..."

Rarity's jaw dropped. Applejack rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"That's... Kind of a long story. Short version: Some o' those same nobles' bratty foals were tryin' t' bully me on account of me bein' a minor lady. In comes Larry... Princes Polaris Blueblood, scion of the line of Platinum, boldly tryin' to 'save a fair mare'."

She chuckled nostalgically.

"He gets his keister kicked, ah give those so and sos a black eye, he takes the blame... Then ah gave him a black eye fer that. And I suppose we've... Kind of been friends ever since."

"You gave the Crown Prince of Canterlot and Equestria a black eye?!" Rarity gasped, astonished and envious.

"You were about to gut him like a fish," Applejack deadpanned.

"That was... That's-ANYWAY!" Rarity shook her head. "That's not important right now!"

"Ah sure bet it ain't," Applejack said dryly.

"But wait! If you knew he was-If you were friends, why in the hay didn't you tell me at the Gala?!" Rarity demanded.

Applejack winced. She took off her hat, and held it to her chest.

"Ah'm awful sorry about that, Rarity. Part of it... Well. Larry's had bitdiggers after him since we was both foals. Jest see him as a prize t' be won. Ah've helped him out with a few. Ah though you'd've cottoned on that he didn't want nothing t' do with you..."

Rarity's face fell. Applejack sighed.

"Ah'm sorry Rarity. Ah didn't know you felt that strongly about 'im. Landsakes, half the nobles in Canterlot are named 'Prince', so ah didn't even know you were shootin' fer the top-"

"Have you known me to do anything less?" Rarity retorted. Applejack winced again.

"Really... Ah am sorry," she said, "ah got used t'... Ya know... That world bein' separate from this world. You've seen how everypony treats th' Princess and even Twilight. Larry's respected that. Acted like he don't know me in public... Most of the time."

She sighed.

"Listen... Ah'm really sorry. It's jest that... Larry's got powerful few friends in Canterlot. Everypony's all social climbin' over eachother like apple crabs in a bucket, backstabbing and all. If ah'd known you were really serious about him, and it weren't jest some fancy-"

"No, no," Rarity said, having been quiet and thoughtful for a time, "I'm reviewing that night and... Honestly? I probably deserved some of what he threw back at me. Coming off as some kind of strumpet throwing myself at him... When you were already well and truly friends with him..."

Rarity smiled. She grasped Applejack's hoof and dragged her back around the library tree.

Blueblood was waiting there, trying very hard not to look like he had been pacing nervously. He cleared his throat, but Rarity held her hoof up.

She then bowed, very low.

"Prince Blueblood, I must ask your pardon. My behavior at the Gala was atrocious. I admit... I thought I was going to have a fairy tale romance with you, and even thought of you as a prize to be won. That's not fair to you, and is certainly not how I should have acted. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me... I won't bother you any longer."

She turned and trotted back to the front door of the library.

"Wait."

And she spun right back around.

"Yes?"

Blueblood bowed his own head.

"I too must apologize. I didn't even recognize one of the heroines of our nation, and I treated you appallingly. I have gotten so used to mares throwing themselves at me in such a transparent manner that... Well, I just tune them out. In all honesty, I don't blame you for your actions. It's not how a prince should treat a lady... Especially one who is a friend to one of my dear friends."

He nodded to Applejack, who smiled back at him in a familiar, friendly way. He turned back to Rarity, with a soft smile on his face.

"It is for that reason I have come, to hopefully resolve the issues between us. After all... You and your friends saved my aunt, and the sun itself. I have heard that many ponies consider that quite important."

Rarity smiled back, warming to him.

"Yes, well... We do what we can," she said.

A scream erupted from the library. Blueblood again made to gallop in. Rarity merely raised her voice, calm but direct.

"You're doing fine, Twilight darling!" Rarity called out.

"WHY DOES IT BURN?!"

"That just means it's working! Spike, dear, please rotate the cucumbers!"

"On it!" Spike shouted through the door. Blueblood arched an eyebrow.

"We're gettin' Twilight ready fer a date tonight," Applejack explained.

The eyebrow went up a bit further.

"Indeed? I hardly saw her at the castle at all when she was my aunt's student. Now she's going on dates. This town truly does produce miracles and marvels," he turned a charming smile to Rarity, who beamed back.

"As a matter of fact," Rarity said, "Applejack here is going along as insurance to keep an eye on the happy couple."

Blueblood's face twitched. Rarity studied his expression closely, and then Applejack's confusion.

While she was very disappointed in the situation with the Prince, Rarity was also quite glad he was not the cad he had appeared. Her ardor had died down quite a bit.

And despite his obvious noble training in expression and facial control... Rarity was a keen student of body language. Knowing the context behind Blueblood's actions, along with how he responded to that, and with his backstory with Applejack now known to her...

A wicked little grin nearly forced its way onto her face, but she kept it on her inner mental Rarity.

Oh ho ho? So! The Prince's tastes lie more in the rough and tumble?

Was she jealous? A little. She now knew the Prince was a good stallion, much too late.

But to make two brilliant romantic matches in one go?!

That was something Rarity simply couldn't resist.

"Well, ah mean," Applejack muttered, "ah think they can get along jest fine-"

"But it wouldn't hurt to have some back up, would it?" Rarity asked, "And Prince Blueblood could certainly fit the bill! As your escort for the evening?"

"What?!" Applejack demanded.

"Ah... Are you sure that's appropriate?" Blueblood asked.

Rarity beamed, the glint in her eyes now nearly fiendish.

"I absolutely insist! She'll see you at six!"

"Now wait a-URP!"

Rarity dragged Applejack into the library as well, beaming at the dumbstruck Prince.

"She'll be ready~! Ciao!"

"RARITY WHAT IN TARNATION-EEK!"

The door slammed shut.

"Now now, Applejack, since you're here anyway~!"

Rarity couldn't hold back the cackle, and she didn't bother to.

Was it a bit petty? Yes.

But it was in the service of her friend. So she was being generous and getting her revenge.

She so loved being efficient!

"RARITYYYYY!"





Blueblood, for his part, just blinked. He blinked again.

Had the mare that had covered him in cake at the Gala, whom he had humiliated in public, just set him up on a date with the mare he... Rather cared for?

Just like that?

He shook his head.

Perhaps his aunt's sage advice held true: Mares be crazy.





Applebloom gaped in disbelief.

"Ah don't believe it! Rarity set that stallion up on a date with mah sister, Sweetie Belle!"

"What?!" Sweetie Belle grabbed the binoculars away from Applebloom and peered through. She gasped.

"That's the stallion Rarity mooned over fer ages! AGES!"

"So, why is she setting him up with Applejack?" Scootaloo asked, confused.

Sweetie Belle dropped the binoculars, and held her hoof up high.

"She thinks she doesn't have a chance... Which means... It's up to us to make sure she does!"

"But ain't we already makin' sure mah brother and Twilight-"

Sweetie Belle grabbed both of her friends with magic and dragged them off.

"I'm not letting her sob and wail and whine for another six months over lost love! We're changing the plan! Operation Rutabega is go!"

"'Rutabega?'" Applebloom asked.

"It's off the top of my head, COME ON!"





"Right, just a few clips here and there..."

"This cologne should do nicely, it will compliment your earthy, apple scent."

"Yes Baroness Apple. I believe this boar bristle brush will do nicely-"

Big Macintosh was a very patient, usually calm individual. Especially with friends and family. But even he had his limits, as he shook his head and backed away from Granny Smith and her friend, Tombs.

"Nope," he stated, "think that's enough."

"Are you sure, sir?" Tombs asked, "I could apply lemon scent to the brushes-A fourth go over-"

Granny elbowed the butler, who coughed.

"Of course sir. My apologies," he said.

"Don't have to call me sir," Big Mac said, for the twentieth time.

"Of course, sir," Tombs replied, for the eightieth time.

Granny Smith chuckled, and nodded approvingly as she looked her grandson up and down.

"Not bad. Jest like yer pa at yer age!"

Big Mac flushed, and smiled.

"Thank you, Granny."

"Now, git! Don't lollygag!" Granny harrumphed, "ah hate stallions what make a mare wait jest to make 'em nervous!"

"Eeyup," Big Mac said, and with a final smile he turned and trotted out the door, down the path, and to the road to Ponyville.

He heard something... Applebloom? He scanned around. Nothing.

Huh. Well... Maybe they'd learned their lesson from last time about his love life.

He trotted into the town, his thoughts... Not nervous, but certainly excited. But not too excited.

It was just a date. A date. With the princess's apprentice. Who was a cute, very intelligent mare.

Yes. One just as nervous about this as he was. He was sure.

He trotted up to Golden Oaks Library. He lifted his hoof to knock... When a purple mare barreled out, right into him.

"OOF!"

Big Macintosh, being Big Macintosh, didn't even budge. Twilight Sparkle, on the other hoof, fell in a heap at his hooves onto her back, her hind legs spread wide. Her eyes spun a bit, before she looked up.

"O-Oh! Big Mac! Uh, hi!"

"Oh my!" An older mare who resembled a white colored version of Twilight gasped, covering her mouth with one hoof... And holding up a camera in the other.

"You're so forward, Twilight!" The mare went on, grinning. "Just like me! I knew you were just a late bloomer!"

"No, she didn't tackle him to the ground, dear," an older stallion (must be Twilight's father) stated.

"True enough," Twilight's mother sighed. "Twilight! If you're going to bring him down, you have to-!"

Twilight teleported herself up right, and grabbed onto Big Mac.

"Ohlooklet'sgetgoingbyeMomandDadLATER!"

She teleported them away, right up in front of Gustav's. Big Mac blinked, but soon got his bearings as Twilight breathed hard.

"I am so, so sorry about that," Twilight insisted, "my parents-they just showed up-they're... Um... Well..."

Big Mac nodded slowly, discerning the reason behind Twilight's sudden reticence.

"Eeyup. Mah folks... Could be a hoofful too, sometimes," Big Mac explained. Twilight relaxed, which let Big Mac get a good look at her.

She had also been well groomed, her mane practically shining, and she wore a very nice blue dress. Simple but elegant.

She noticed his gaze, and blushed heavily.

"Oh, um... Y-You look nice!"

"You too," Big Mac said, and Twilight's blush deepened.

"S-So... Uh... Let's go eat, huh?" Twilight asked. "Unless you're not hungry. We could trot around or read or-"

"Dinner sounds good," he said, gently guiding Twilight into the restaurant. She smiled and nodded in appreciation.

"Thanks... I think I'm running into decision fatigue," she groaned, as the host led them to their table, "Rarity kept asking me all these questions, what shade of eye liner, what conditioner..."

Big Mac pulled out the chair for her, and she sat down with a grateful smile. He took his own seat across from her.

"Eeyup. Too much of that, tires you out," he said, pointing at his noggin. Twilight hummed.

"How do you deal with it?"

"Well..."

Big Mac paused, and glanced out of the corner of his eye. He could have sworn he saw his sister... But Granny had told her to stay out of this, right? She wouldn't watch his date, right?

"Big Mac?"

"Hm? Oh... Ah try to figure out mah tasks, their components. Break 'em down, and work on each, figure out how to combine them."

"Really? That's interesting!" Twilight enthused. "Tell me more!"

Well... Even if Applejack was watching, so far, this night was turning out nicely. A mare interested in how he organized things?

That sure was something.