# A Delicate Balance

## by JapaneseTeeth

### A Lecture Upon the Shadow

So many things happened today. Bon Bon didn't fire me after my first day, so I must have done alright, even if she doesn't seem to want me around. Spike is taking over the library, so I don't have to worry about that anymore... well, I still probably will for a while. I need to make sure he knows what he's doing, but he's done alright so far. It won't be long before he gets the hang of it. I hope. No, he'll be okay. T hen Applejack came by... I wonder what she's planning for the date. She certainly wouldn't want to go to another fancy restaurant. Not unless she goes to Rarity for ideas, at least. I'm sure whatever she does, I'll enjoy myself. I'll be with her, after all.

Stand still, and I will read to thee

A lecture, love, in love's philosophy.

These three hours that we have spent,

Walking here, two shadows went

Along with us, which we ourselves produc'd.

But, now the sun is just above our head,

We do those shadows tread,

And to brave clearness all things are reduc'd.

So whilst our infant loves did grow,

Disguises did, and shadows, flow

From us, and our cares; but now 'tis not so.

That love has not attain'd the high'st degree,

Which is still diligent lest others see.

—A Lecture Upon the Shadow,

John Donne

Princess Celestia was enjoying her evening spot of tea on the balcony when the scroll popped into the air next to her. Naturally, it appeared in the one moment when her head was turned the other direction, and she only noticed that it had arrived when it landed with a plop on her slice of cake. She sighed as she plucked the letter out of the frosting. It was how her whole day had gone, really. Her beautiful sunrise had been mostly blocked out by clouds. Then she had had to spend three hours humoring a bad-tempered griffon ambassador, four hours mediating a resoundingly pointless dispute between some donkeys and a pack of Diamond Dogs over the precise location of a mine entrance, and wasted another hour getting the proper paperwork in order to make her ruling official. And then she had spent the rest of the day stuck in a meeting whose dominant subject had been whether the new carpet in the throne room should be Mulberry or Phlox. And to top it off, when she had finally escaped from the banality, she had discovered that Luna had stolen her last donut.

She smiled as she unrolled the letter, and for the first time that day the smile was genuine. It was always a bright spot in her day to receive a message from her prized pupil. As of late, the letters had been particularly intriguing. As she read Twilight's words, her smile grew wider. The unicorn seemed to have things well in hand. Her newfound romance hadn't clouded her judgment. It was truly a fine friendship report. She continued to read, and her expression changed to one of mild bemusement as Twilight's language took a sudden turn for the formal. “Hmm...that's quite interesting.”

“What is interesting, sister?” Luna stepped out onto the balcony.

“The latest report from Twilight.”

“Ah. I must admit I have been rather remiss in reading them. I fear I am several weeks behind.”

Celestia gently rerolled the letter. “You ought to catch up, then. Her life has recently become a bit more... complicated, though in a good way.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“If you must know, she has taken on a romantic pursuit.”

“Really?” Luna barely concealed her excitement. “With who? Wait, do not tell me. I wish to hazard a guess!”

“Guess away.”

“Hmmm...” Luna screwed up her face in thought. “Is it perhaps... that teacher whose name escapes me? She seemed quite bookish when I talked to her last Nightmare Night. A suitable match, I would think.”

“Guess again.” Celestia shook her head. “I’m no expert on romance, but I know it is not so simple as sharing an interest in books.”

“Then maybe it is that handsome red stallion, the brother to the Element of Honesty. He always seems to be quite popular with the mares. Perhaps Twilight has fallen for his charms.”

“It isn't him, either.” Celestia smirked. “You're getting closer though, although probably not in the way you think.”

“What, exactly, is that supposed to mean?”

“The pony who has captured Twilight's interest is Applejack, the Element of Honesty.”

Luna's eyes widened. “I would not have expected that.”

“I didn't see that one coming either.” Celestia chuckled as she passed the letter to Luna. “But it's true. I'll let you read the letters and find out the rest for yourself. I must admit, it never crossed my mind that Twilight might have a crush on anypony. She was always so studious, I suppose I assumed she reserved all that passion for books.” She took a bite of cake, and followed it with a sip of tea. “Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. I sent her to Ponyville so she'd grow closer to other ponies. It's only natural that she might have grown closer to one of them than I anticipated.”

“You do not sound as enthusiastic as I would have expected. Are you not happy that Twilight has found love?”

“Of course I am. It's just...” She sighed. “Romance is one of the few things I don't believe I can advise her on. Every time a new letter arrives, a small part of me is afraid that she'll ask for help, and I won't be able to give it.”

“Ha! Is that it?” Luna guffawed. “Twilight is no foal. If this is any indication,” she held up the letter, “she has the matter well in hoof. Her friends are more than capable of advising her.”

“I don't think they have any more knowledge of romance than I do.”

“But they know one another well. They are friends, after all.” Luna rolled up the letter to read later. “If you cannot advise her, they can. If she asks, that is what you can tell her.”

“It would be the first time I wouldn’t give her an answer.”

“Just as well. She ought to know that as old and experienced as you are, you are still a pony, same as her. Her world will not fall to pieces because you do not know all.” Luna grinned. “Although if she ever learns the truth about your propensity for certain baked goods, or your love for those tawdry romance novels—”

Celestia silenced her with a venomous glare.

“Um, romance aside,” Luna said cautiously, “it appears that Twilight intends to give Spike her role as Ponyville's librarian.”

“Yes, that was a surprise as well. Although that is something I should have seen coming. I can't imagine Spike giving up his role as Twilight's assistant any time soon, but it isn't surprising that he’d want more responsibility. I just didn't think it would be so soon.”

“Do you believe that he is capable of doing so?”

“Twilight would know that better than I do. I may have raised Spike after he hatched, but Twilight is the one who trained him for his current position. If she believes that he can do it, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.”

“Well, you are more familiar with both Twilight and Spike than I am. If you see fit to approve of her idea, so be it.”

“Approval has nothing to do with it.” Celestia took another sip of tea. “Even if I thought it was a bad idea, I would tell her to go ahead. Just because I'm her teacher doesn't mean that I get the final say on every aspect of her life.”

“Of course.” Luna stared pensively into the sky for a moment. “What if you did not approve of her romantic endeavors?”

“I would tell her what I thought, but ultimately leave the decision up to her.”

“Knowing how much Twilight thinks of you, I'm not sure there would be a great deal of difference between giving her advice, and giving her orders.”

“Then I guess it's a good thing I don't have to worry about that at the moment.” Her horn began to glow, and the sun drifted towards the horizon. “I have no reason to disapprove of Applejack.” She smiled as she watched the sun disappear behind a mountain range in the distance. “That's all I have to do today. I'll leave the rest to you.” She began to walk back inside.

“Of course. Have a nice evening, sister.”

“I will.” Celestia looked back over her shoulder. “Though my evening would be better if somepony hadn't taken my last donut. I would appreciate it if I wake up tomorrow to find a fresh box of them.”

Luna chuckled awkwardly and turned away from her sister. “I will certainly keep that in mind.”

Applejack rolled back and forth in her bed. Two things kept her up. The first was that one rogue spring in the mattress that always jabbed her in the back. The second was the way Apple Bloom's question kept bouncing around her head. Sure, she was going out with Twilight, but getting married? When she had agreed to give the romance a shot, marriage had been the last thing on her mind. Now it was the only thing on her mind. She had never seriously considered the possibility. Come to think of it, she had never really considered any of the possibilities. Maybe she should have.

What did she even want out of this relationship, anyway? She certainly hadn't gone into it with intent of getting married. But what were the alternatives? Staying right where they were? That wouldn't work. You couldn't just be very special someponies forever. You either had to bump things up to the next level, or else... Or else what? Break up? That was every bit as far from her mind as a wedding had been. She groaned and buried her face in her pillow. There was too much stuff to think about now.

You gave Apple Bloom the right answer, she thought to herself. You've only been goin' out for a few days, really. It's too early to be thinkin' about that stuff. You gotta go on more than one date before you start worryin' about it. Don't get ahead of yourself. Just make sure that tomorrow's date goes well.

She rolled back onto her back and grunted. She really, really needed to fix that spring.

Twilight mentally double checked her double-check checklist for the third time. It had been difficult enough to resist the urge to do some organizing before she headed to her new job. That was Spike's job now and she couldn't do it for him. Of course, it didn't stop her from making sure he'd know exactly what all needed to be done in the library. He had to be sure to check the list of overdue books, reshelve the books that had been returned, check to make sure each book was shelved in the proper section, double check the list of overdue books, water the plants, double check that none of the adult fiction had accidentally been shelved in the foals' section, check the books' condition to see if any needed to be replaced— she gasped. She had forgotten to add “triple check the list of overdue books” to the list.

She looked back over her shoulder. If she ran, she might have enough time to get back to the library to fix the list before running back to the chocolate shop. She stopped herself mid-turn. Spike was smart enough to figure it out on his own. The world wouldn't stop turning if he accidentally skipped a book. It might slow down, or bump a little, but it wouldn't stop. Besides, her chances of actually making it to the library and back in —she checked the clock tower— five minutes were slim to none. Any brownie points she had gotten from Bon Bon yesterday would fly out the window if she was late on day two.

She rounded the corner. Sure enough, Bon Bon was waiting, wiping the outside of the glass door. Twilight began to wrack her brain to think if she had cleaned the door yesterday. Either she had, but hadn't done a good job, or she had missed it. Neither option reflected well on her.

“Good morning, Bon Bon!” she said, trying to sound more cheerful than she felt. “I didn't forget to clean the door yesterday, did I?”

“No, you did not,” Bon Bon said. “As a matter of fact, you may have made it too clean.”

“Too clean?”

“Lyra told me that yesterday afternoon, Berry Punch came by to pick up some cordial cherries, and failed to realize that the door was, in fact, closed.” She took a step back and pointed at a face-shaped smear on the glass.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I guess today I could leave it a little... less clean?”

“You clean it the same way you did yesterday. If somepony is too oblivious to watch where they are walking, that's their problem.”

“Alright.”

“Now you come with me.” Bon Bon nodded at Twilight to follow her. They went around to the back of the shop, where a large cart full of boxes sat. “I'll need you to move all these boxes into the storeroom. Arrange them on the empty shelf according to the shipping numbers, and compare them against this” —she held up a shipping manifest— “to make sure that all of the boxes are accounted for. I'm sure that with your—” she waggled a hoof in the direction of Twilight's horn.

“Telekinesis?”

“Yes, that. I'm sure with your telekinesis it should not be a problem. Will it?”

“Of course not.”

“Good. When you are finished with these, you can return to cleaning the entranceway. I will be in the kitchen. And please be careful with the boxes. Any damage is coming out of your paycheck.”

“I'll see to it that everything is just fine!” Twilight saluted. “Just leave it to me.”

Applejack had planned to make a beeline straight for Sugarcube Corner to pick up her cupcakes and get back to the farm as quickly as possible, but her plans had changed. Sure, she knew that the chocolate shop and Sugarcube Corner were on the same street, but it wasn't until she caught a glimpse of Twilight through the front window that she truly noticed. There was no reason not to stop by and say hello.

She poked her head into the shop.

“Welcome to the Ponyville Chocolate Shoppe!” Twilight chirped, a wide smile on her face. “Oh, Applejack!” The smile turned genuine. “It's so nice to see you. What brings you by?”

“I was just... in the neighborhood. Thought I'd stop in to say hello.”

“Hello!”

Applejack turned to see Lyra waving at her. “Oh, hey. Good morning. Twilight's doin' good job so far, isn't she?”

“Of course she is,” Lyra said, nodding. “I've never seen the stock room so neat before. And the floor is probably so clean you could eat off it. You probably wouldn't want to do that, though.”

Applejack looked down. The floor was so shiny that she almost felt guilty for walking on it. “You weren't kiddin'.”

“I wanted to make a good impression,” Twilight said. “After spending so much time reorganizing the library, organizing and categorizing a few dozen boxes of chocolate was trivially easy.”

“I shoulda figured that.” Applejack chuckled. “If there's anything Twilight's good at, it's organizin' stuff.”

“You're telling me!” Lyra said. “You should see the janitor closet. I've been to doctor's offices that aren't that neat.” She giggled. “But seriously, I guess I should congratulate the two of you. So.... yeah. Congratulations. You probably didn't come here to listen to me, so I'll let you two talk for a bit.”

“Thanks, Lyra.” Applejack turned to Twilight, but barely got a chance to open her mouth. The door behind the counter swung open, and Bon Bon emerged.

“Welcome to the Ponyville Chocolate Shoppe!” she said. Her wide smile wavered a bit as she recognized Applejack. “What can I do for you on this fine day?”

“Uh...” Applejack crossed her forelegs. “Well, I wasn't plannin' on buyin' anything—”

“Oh.”

“—but while I'm here, I might as well.” She stepped up to the counter and perused the rows of confections, most of which had fancy names that she didn’t want to try to pronounce. “Um, you have any variety packs?”

“Of course.” Bon Bon indicated a stack of boxes on the counter. “This is a selection of all our most popular candies.”

“Um, I guess I'll take one of those, then. How much do I owe you?”

“Normally, it would be fifteen bits, but you get an employee relationship discount.” Bon Bon pushed a box toward Applejack. “For you it's only ten.”

“Well, thanks! I didn't think that just goin' out with Twilight would be enough to get that.” She stuck the box into her saddlebags and left the bits on the counter. “There you go.” She turned back to Twilight. “Uh, well, I was just droppin' by to say hello, and I did that, so I guess I should get goin'. I'd love to stay and chat, but you've probably got some work to do.”

“Indeed she does,” Bon Bon said.

“Well, I'll let you get to it, then.” Applejack started for the door, but stopped mid-step. She quickly moved forward, planting a kiss on Twilight's lips. “You have a nice day, okay? I'll be around to pick you up around six-ish.”

“O-okay,” Twilight mumbled. “See you later.”

The bell above the door rang as Applejack headed out.

Lyra giggled. “That was so sweet!”

“That it was,” Bon Bon said. “I wouldn't have guessed that Applejack would be so... openly affectionate.”

“I wasn't talking about that!” Lyra said. “I was talking about you giving her a discount. You never give discounts.”

“Yes, thank you for that.” Twilight smiled. “I didn't realize that working here would have those kinds of perks.”

“Consider it a bonus for the extra care that you took in the stockroom. Unlike somepony” —she narrowed her eyes at Lyra— “you know better than to stack the boxes upside down.”

“I only did that once!” Lyra snorted. “At least I didn't use the boxes to build a fort.”

“A fort?” Twilight tilted her head.

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Do not ask.”

Applejack all but skipped down the road back to the farm. At first she had been a bit apprehensive at the idea of dropping in to see Twilight, but it had been worth it. She still wasn't sure what had possessed her to give Twilight such a big kiss. She had just intended to go in for a quick touch on the cheek, and had gotten caught up in the moment.

A week ago she had almost been afraid to so much as give Twilight a hug. She couldn't think of anything that felt weirder; they had been friends, just friends, for so long that sometimes it was a bit hard to remember that they were something more now. You didn't kiss your friends, not like that, not like she had kissed Twilight. But she had done it. Not because Twilight had reminded her or because that was what she was supposed to do, but because in that moment, she had wanted to.

It had been oddly liberating. For some inexplicable reason, the fact that her relationship with Twilight had become common knowledge had made her a bit... wary. She wasn't embarrassed or anything, there was no reason for that. It was just that with that tidbit of gossip drifting around town, she could've sworn that sometimes ponies looked at her a bit differently.

But now she didn't care. If they wanted to give her weird looks, fine. What did it matter? So she had a very special somepony. She was hardly the only pony in town who did. It would be news in the gossip circles for a week or so and then something else would take over. The fact that she and Twilight were together wouldn't be news anymore, it would just be a fact.

The previous night's anxiety seemed almost laughable. She still didn't have any idea what was coming a year down the road, but did that really matter? Nopony knew where things were headed. Today, at least, was going wonderfully. Twilight was doing well at her new job; that was no surprise. The cupcakes Applejack had ordered had turned out great, and better yet, she hadn't been forced to deal with Pinkie when she picked them up. And the weather looked perfect. Then again... she paused.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which probably meant that Rainbow Dash had forgotten to put the clouds up. If the pegasi had skipped a shower again, it meant they'd have to make up for lost time. And if previous experience was anything to go by, they'd catch up on their rain quota when it was most inconvenient for everypony else. This time of day, there was always at least one cloud hanging around, and Rainbow Dash would be lounging on top of it.

She scanned the sky again, and her eyes locked on a dark blob hanging just above the fields where Rainbow Dash usually practiced. Applejack picked up her pace. As she closed the distance, she could see a multi-colored tail dangling beneath it. She could even hear Rainbow Dash's distinctive snore. Either Pinkie and Rainbow Dash had gone to an awful lot of trouble to set up a prank with a miniscule chance of a payoff, or there was a certain pegasus napping on the cloud. Applejack craned her neck, caught the tip of the tail between her teeth, and tugged.

“Ow!” Rainbow Dash's head poked over the side of the cloud. “Why did you do th—” She blinked a few times and recognized who had roused her. “Oh. Hey, Applejack. What's up? You finally decided to start helping me out with my practicing again? Help me build that giant slingshot?”

“Uh, no.”

“Really?” Rainbow Dash sniffed. “It's been weeks since you last gave me a hoof with that stuff.”

“I know,” Applejack said. “I've just been real busy lately. I'll start helpin' you out with your flyin' tricks again, I promise. I just have to get things with Twilight figured out first.”

“Don't worry about it,” Rainbow Dash said. “I got Scootaloo helping me out now. She's got a bit to learn about it, but I'm sure she'll get it figured out pretty quick. Besides,” —she raised her eyebrow— “I'm sure you and Twilight have more important things to do.”

“Uh, you could say that, I guess. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm takin' her out on a date tonight.”

“Really.” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Where to?”

“I ain't tellin' you. I want it to be a surprise. All I'm gonna say is that it's gonna be outside. I wanted to check with you ahead of time to make sure it isn't gonna rain and ruin the mood. You don't have any big storm scheduled or anything, do you?”

“Well, we are a bit overdue for some rain...”

“Oh, horseapples.” Applejack kicked at a rock.

“...but I think we can push that off for another day. It's not too dry yet, and I'm pretty sure that like half my cloud-pushers are out with feather flu anyway.”

Applejack grinned. “Thanks, Dash. I guess I owe you one.”

“You can pay me back by giving Scootaloo a few pointers on helping put my obstacle course together. She's been wanting to hang out lately, so I figure I might as well use that time to teach her some of my sweet moves.”

“Sweet moves? She can't even fly on her own yet.”

“Yet,” Dash said. The amount of conviction in her voice caught Applejack off guard. “But anyway, you and Twilight have fun doing... whatever it is you're doing. Just check in with me earlier next time. I can't go throwing off the weather schedule every time you want to go outside.”

“Sure thing. Thanks, Dash.”

“You're welcome.” Dash flopped back on her cloud and almost immediately began to snore.

“Does my hair look okay? I want to make sure I don't have any split ends!”

“Do you really think Applejack cares about that stuff?” Spike looked up from his ruby pot pie to roll his eyes at Twilight. “As long as you don't show up with an afro, I think you'll be fine. It's not like she's going to drag you to a fancy restaurant or anything.”

“I know, I know.” Twilight skittered in and out of the kitchen. “I just want everything to go well!”

“You already took Applejack to the cushiest place in town and it wasn't a disaster. Why wouldn't it go well?”

Twilight paused to think of a reason, and couldn't. “You're right. It'll be fine. I'm sure Applejack thought of something fun for us to do.”

“Of course she did.” Spike shoved the pie into the oven. “There! Now, what was the deal with the card catalogue again?”

Twilight sighed. “It's an organized record of all the books in the library by title, author, subject, and category! Each book has its own card, so you'll have to go through and check each of them to make sure the information is up to date, and that the cards are organized properly. If the catalogue doesn't accurately reflect the contents of the library, it's useless.”

“Do I even want to know the last time we checked it?”

“Uh...” Twilight glanced at the pile of cards on the table. “Probably before we came to Ponyville. I started on it a while back, but I only got about halfway through before Rainbow Dash crashed into the library and mixed them all up. I could never get the motivation back to fix them all up.”

“So that was the plan, huh? Leave that until I take over?” he snorted. “Thanks.”

“It was never that big of a deal before. Most of the time one of us was in here to tell everypony where things are. But now that I'm going to be out more, it's something we should take care of. Unless you want to sit in here all day to tell everyone where the books are.”

“Fine, I'll get to work on it while you're out. You have to help me with it, though.”

“Of course. I'm not just going to leave you to do everything on your own. When I get back, I'll-” She was interrupted by a knock on the door. “That must be Applejack! Is my hair alright?”

“Your hair is fine.” Spike shoved her towards the door. “Get going. You don't want to keep her waiting.”

“Right!” Twilight threw the door open, and to her relief, Applejack was every bit as informal as usual.

“Hey, Twilight! You ready to go?”

“I sure am!”

“Well, let's get on our way, then,” Applejack said, a wide smile on her face. “Just gotta take care of one thing first.”

“Huh?” Twilight barely had time to blink before Applejack had wrapped a wide bandanna around her eyes. “What's this for?”

“I said I wanted it to be a surprise, remember?”

“Oh, right!” Twilight nodded. She didn't bother trying to open her eyes. If Applejack wanted to surprise her, that was great. “Let's go!” She took a step towards where she thought the door was.

“Whoa, there.” Applejack stopped her. “You just about walked right into a wall. Why don't you latch onto my tail? I'll make sure you won't run into anything.”

“Okay.” She felt the tip of Applejack's tail brush against her muzzle, and grabbed hold of it. “Mrt's mgo!”

Applejack led her out of the library.

Twilight tried to keep a picture of Ponyville in her head, but after the first few turns she lost count of whether they had taken two or three lefts, and how far down the street they had walked. Within a few minutes, she had no clue where she was going. Her only clue was the crunch of the gravel path under her hooves. Suddenly the gravel turned to grass. She sniffed. It was familiar. Then the path began to go uphill.

“Almost there!” Applejack said. The ascent began to level off, and Applejack began to slow down. “Alright, Twilight. We're here!”

Twilight peeled the blindfold off of her eyes, and blinked a few times as they adjusted to the light. The scene dropped into focus. She found herself standing on top of a familiar hill. A red and white checkered blanket was spread neatly before her, a large picnic basket, a small cider barrel, and several boxes sitting on it. In the distance, the sun had just begun to set, framed between two distant mountains. The fading light smeared a colorful collage over the scene.

“Applejack, this is beautiful!”

“I thought you'd like it.” Applejack beamed, almost as brightly as the sun. “It's nothing fancy, but I figured that—”

“I love it!” Twilight smiled. “This is the same hill where we...uh...”

“It sure is. Stars aren't the only nice view you can get from here.” Applejack sat on the blanket, and gestured for Twilight to do the same. “I like to come out here after a long day and just sit and watch the sunset and enjoy the breeze. I just thought it would be nice to show you.” She opened the picnic basket. “I made some sandwiches. I hope you like fennel. Or cabbage. I got some of that, too.”

“Sounds good.” Twilight nodded. “Good thing you made them. You remember how much trouble I had making a sandwich, don't you?”

“Huh?”

“You know, when I pretended not to know how to make a sandwich?”

“Oh, that!” Applejack chuckled. “Yeah, I thought you had just about lost your mind there. I mean, I know I cook more than you do, but a sandwich is...well, it isn't that hard to make one.”

“You're not that far off. I was really acting ridiculous. I mean, I totally should've known that it would do more harm than good.”

“Well, stuff like this has a way of makin' ponies act... different.” She paused, and stared at Twilight for a long moment, wondering if she should mention the kiss in the chocolate shop. “But anyway, why don't we get this here grub out before the sun goes down all the way?” She flipped the picnic basket open, taking each thing out as she listed them. “I got the sandwiches, some potato salad, carrots.” She tapped the barrel. “Got some cider...” She tapped the box. “And I got some cupcakes.”

“That sounds lovely.”

“Oh...” Applejack fished one last thing out of the basket. “And we got those chocolates.”

“Right, I had almost forgotten about those...” Twilight chuckled awkwardly, a hint of blush on her cheeks. “Sorry about that. I didn't think Bon Bon would try to get you to buy something.”

“Aw, don't worry about that. I mean, it is a shop, after all. I know what it's like when you're tryin' to get some work done, but somepony shows up and just takes up your time without buyin' anything. Besides, Bon Bon makes real good chocolates. I still have a few of the ones you gave me. I wanted to save 'em.”

“You do?”

“Yep. I still got your card stashed in my drawer. And I'm plannin' on keepin' it there.” She turned her attention to the plate of sandwiches. “So... uh... you want cabbage or fennel?”

“I don't care. I'm sure either one will be delicious.”

“Ugh, no wonder Twilight put off organizing this thing for so long!” Spike reached into the card catalogue's N drawer and pulled out a clawful. Only two out of the two dozen cards actually began with N. He sighed and added them to the pile of cards at the table. The only viable option at this point was to empty the thing completely and re-sort every single card. He hadn't even gotten a paycheck yet and he already wanted a raise.

Suddenly the door flew open and Pinkie Pie poked her head in. “Hey, Twilight, you here? I need to borrow your copy of Colonel Schleswig's Daunting Text of Magical Frivolity and Practical Japery!” She trotted in and noticed Spike half-buried in a pile of catalogue cards. “Hey, Spike! Is Twilight here? I need her copy of—”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you.” He extricated himself from the pile. “She's out right now.”

Pinkie gasped. “I totally forgot! She has a date! Forget Colonel Schleswig's Daunting Text of Magical Frivolity and Practical Japery! I need a telescope!”

“A telescope?”

“Yeah! I asked Rainbow Dash if she wanted to help me sneak a whoopie cushion into Rarity's bed, but she said that Applejack had asked her to make sure that the sky was clear. And that means that Applejack and Twilight are probably outside someplace, which means I can probably see them!”

“You want to spy on them?” Spike's eyes narrowed. “I'm pretty sure Applejack and Twilight wouldn't want anypony bothering them.”

“That's what the telescope is for! If I have a telescope, I can watch them from here without bugging them at all! And I can eat popcorn while I watch and it won't matter how loud my chewing is.” She grinned and leaned in disturbingly close to Spike. “So can I borrow one of Twilight's telescopes? I know she has like fifteen of them so can I borrow one pleasepleaseplease?”

“Uh... I don't think Twilight would like it if I let you use her stuff...”

“PLLLEEEEAAASEEEE!?” Pinkie's stared at him so hard that he swore her eyes popped out of her head a little. He turned his head to avoid her gaze, and his eyes settled on the card catalogue.

“Okay, I'll let you borrow one of her spares-”

“Awesome!” Pinkie did a celebratory bounce. And then three more, just for good measure.

“But there are two conditions!” The bouncing stopped. “One, the telescope stays in the library.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “I can do that.”

“Two, before you get the telescope, you have to sort at least a hundred cards into the right drawers.”

“Hmmm....” Pinkie tapped her chin with a hoof. “Okay!”

“Great!” Spike rubbed his claws together. “Just look each card and put it into the drawer of the letter it starts with. And do it library style. If the title starts with 'A', 'an', or 'the', ignore those and use the next word, okay?”

“Got it!” Pinkie saluted. “I'll have it done in a jiffy. I think. I'm not sure how long a jiffy actually is.”

“Good.” Spike smiled. Maybe sorting the catalogue wouldn't be so bad after all.

“It really isn't that bad,” Twilight said. “Yes, Bon Bon seems a bit rough sometimes, but as long you stick to her rules things are fine. She certainly appreciates a job well done. That and my only jobs so far are cleaning the entryway and stacking boxes in the storeroom.”

“No wonder it's so easy for you. Cleanin' and organizin' is like half of what you do in the library, isn't it?” Applejack took a bite of her sandwich.

“Yeah, pretty much. At least in the chocolate shop I don't have to worry about Rainbow Dash crashing in and knocking everything off the shelves.” She popped the last bite of her own sandwich into her mouth.

Applejack chuckled. “I bet that if that happened, Bon Bon would have a heart attack.”

“I don't even want to think about that! Mainly because I'd have to clean it all.”

“Eh, it isn't that bad.” Applejack shrugged. “At least not if you got pegasus insurance. If Dash ever does have a crash landing in the shop, just give me a call. I've got plenty of experience with fixin' stuff like that. Can't even count how many times I've had to rebuild the barn.”

“How many times has your barn gotten wrecked, anyway?”

“I just said I couldn't count 'em!”

“Oh come on!” Twilight laughed. “It can’t possibly be that many!”

“What, you really want me to list ‘em all?”

“Uh...sure. Why not?”

Applejack scrunched her face as she tried to remember. “Let's see, first time I can remember is when it burned down; that was before you came to town, back when I was just a filly. Don't even think I had my cutie mark yet. It really freaked me out; I try not to think about that very much. Then a few years later it got struck by lightning and was so messed up we had to demolish it. That was the first time I got to help with the buildin'. Had no clue what I was doin', which is probably why that barn collapsed durin' a windstorm a year or two after that.”

“Wow, you really have gone through a lot of barns.”

“You're tellin' me. Lemme think, the next barn lasted a pretty good while, till the parasprites got it.”

Twilight blushed slightly. “Sorry about that.”

“Eh, it's okay.” Applejack said. “Kept them from eatin' our orchards, so I'll count it as a win. Barns are easier to replace than trees. That barn got messed up by a storm, so I had Rainbow Dash demolish it for me. Then the barn we had after that got termites, so we had to build another one. That one got about halfway together before that gaggle of Pinkie Pies knocked it down again, so we had to build it twice.”

Twilight nodded. “I remember that.”

“That barn must have had some serious bad luck or something, ‘cause it was only a few months before I accidentally wrecked it with fruit bats durin' our family reunion. So then we built that barn.” She pointed at it. “And it's been holdin' strong so far. It's probably got a good few years left in it.” She paused for a moment as she tried to remember what she had originally been talking about. “But yeah, if Bon Bon's shop gets knocked down, I could probably fix it up right quick, although it might look kinda barn-ish.”

“I'm sure she'd appreciate it if it ever came to that. If the initial shock didn't make her explode. But really, things have been going well. Better than I thought at first.”

“Don't get ahead of yourself, Twi,” Applejack said. “You've only been workin' there for two days, after all. Once you settle in, it won't be so fun any more. Cleanin' the floor probably gets more boring every time you gotta do it. And that goes double what with how much you have to clean the library.”

“Actually, I might not have to clean the library quite as much. Starting this week, Spike is the official Ponyville Librarian.”

“Really?” Applejack stopped, her cider mug halfway to her mouth. “How'd that happen?”

“Once I decided to start working at Bon Bon's shop, I realized that I wouldn't have as much time to take care of matters in the library.”

“Ah, so you let Spike do it for you?”

“Yes. He's been doing most of the work anyway, and it's about time he got some more responsibility. I got the official approval from Princess Celestia this morning. One week from now, the official title transfers to him.”

“Good for him then!” Applejack said. “I just hope he's better at doin' library stuff than he is at workin' the farm.”

“If there's anything he's good at, it's this. He's been my assistant for his whole life, after all. He can do it.”

“I see.” Applejack nodded, and stuffed the rest of her sandwich into her mouth, chewing slowly as she thought about the best way to phrase her question. “So, uh... are you sure you're okay with all this?”

“All what?” Twilight asked.

“Changin' so much stuff just cause of me. I mean, didn't you say that you took this job so you could pay for our dates and stuff? Or am I just rememberin' wrong?”

“No, no, that was most definitely a factor. Granted, I had always intended to branch out a bit from book-related pursuits, but our relationship was the thing that motivated me to finally do it. I suppose I should thank you for that.”

“So I guess that means you don't mind?”

“Mind?” Twilight tilted her head, her confusion evident. “Why would I mind?”

“Um, it's... it feels weird that you're doin' all this stuff for me. It's not that I don't like it or anything, but we've only been goin' out for what, like two weeks?”

“This is the sixteenth day,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Right.” Applejack paused for a minute as she counted up the days. “I was just thinkin' that it's a bit early to go changin' everything up just for my sake. There's no reason for you to go to all that trouble.”

“It's no trouble at all! I'm doing it because I want to be able to do things for you.”

“Yeah, I get that. But, well, you don't need to go and do all that stuff. All those things ain't necessary.”

“Really?” There was a hint of apprehension in Twilight's voice. “I mean, if you don't like it...”

“No, no, if you want to do it, it's fine!” Applejack bit her lip. She should never have brought it up. “I'm just sayin' that I liked you just fine before you started buyin' me flowers and whatever. I'm not gonna start gettin' second thoughts just because you don't bring me chocolates every week. That's not why I decided to give this whole relationship a chance.”

“Are you sure you don't mind?” Twilight asked hesitantly. “I wouldn't want to make things awkward for you...”

“It's fine.” The words came out sharper than Applejack intended. “You just keep doin' what you want to. Forget I brought it up.” She tried to think of something else to talk about. “So I, uh, I got some cupcakes special ordered from Sugarcube corner.” She pushed the box towards Twilight. “And I got those chocolates I bought today, if you want them.”

“Ooh, what kind of cupcakes?” The enthusiasm in Twilight's voice made it clear that she was glad for the change of subject.

“Vanilla cream. Mrs. Cake said they were your favorite.”

“They sure are!” Twilight opened the box. “Oh, that's so cute!”

“Heh.” Applejack blushed slightly. “That was Mrs. Cake's idea, too. You want your own cutie mark, or one of mine?”

Twilight grinned and drew a cupcake out of the box, three red apples traced elegantly in the frosting. “I think I'll take this one. It looks much tastier than the others.”

“Ugh, this is so boring!” Pinkie snorted. “I told Applejack that she needed to get a bouncy castle! All they've been doing is just sitting there! Not so much as a trampoline! Ooh! They have cupcakes, though. That's definitely a step in the right direction. Eat enough of them and you don't need a bouncy castle because you can bounce on your own!” She hopped up and down to emphasize her point, even though no one was listening to her. “Although even then you'd need a whole lot more than a dozen. Unless you were a filly, but they aren't.”

Spike emerged from the kitchen. “Hey, Pinkie, you want any cookies?”

She looked up from the telescope. “Of course! Wait. How much time do I have left?”

“You have another...” Spike looked at the hourglass that sat on the table. “...Seventeen minutes. Then you have to sort another two dozen cards.”

“If I'm not using the telescope, does the timer keep going? I want cookies, but I think their date is almost over, and if I stop to eat cookies and run out of time, I might not have enough time to sort the cards to see the end of it!”

“That's okay, I'll stop the clock.” Spike took the hourglass and laid it sideways on the table. “I've got chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and quartz chunk. You probably don't want the quartz chunk though. Twilight had one once and chipped a tooth. They're on another plate.”

“Chocolate chip, duh!” She skipped down the stairs, and stopped dead as she saw the plate of cookies on the table. Her face went white as a sheet and she gasped as if she had seen a ghost, or maybe a zombie. Zombies were scarier than ghosts. “D-did you put both the chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies on the same plate!?”

“Um, yes.”

Pinkie reared up and flailed her forelegs. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

Spike just stared. “What's the big deal?”

“You never put oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies on the same plate! If you eat one, you don't know which one you're getting and you always always always pick the wrong one! Do you know how awful it feels to take a bite of what you think is going to be a sweet and ooey-gooey-chewy chocolate chip cookie and realize that it has raisins? It's one of the greatest disappointments in life, right up there next to not getting into the Wonderbolt Academy or being sent back to magic kindergarten!”

Spike blinked. “That bad, huh?”

“Well, maybe not that bad. But it's still pretty bad.”

“Can't you just like, smell the difference or something?” Spike asked. “Raisins and chocolate smell different, don't they?”

“That's just what they want you to think!”

“What who want you to think?”

“The cookies! They want to trick you into eating the wrong ones!”

“Why would the cookies care?” Spike scratched his head. “Don't they want to be eaten?”

“Exactly! That's the problem!” Pinkie stomped her hooves. “The oatmeal raisin cookies want to be eaten, so they try to smell like the chocolate chip cookies! Sometimes they even smell more like the chocolate chip cookies more than the real chocolate chip cookies. They're very devious.”

“Yeah...”

“But the chocolate chip cookies know that, so they start trying to smell more, too! Unfortunately, the Oatmeal Raisin Confederacy tries to counteract it! They infiltrate the ranks of the Chocolate Chip Alliance and leave raisin smell everywhere so you'll think that the the chocolate chip cookies are the imposters! But they know that you know that they do that, so they leave some of the raisin smell on themselves so when you pick up a cookie that you think is a chocolate chip cookie that smells like raisins, but it's actually a genuine oatmeal raisin cookie! Watch!”

She leaned in close to the cookie bowl and began to sniff. “Hmmm... see?” She picked up a cookie, and balanced it on her hoof. “It smells just like chocolate!”

“So, does that mean it's....”

“I have no idea!” Pinkie declared. “It's my theory that right now, this cookie is neither chocolate chip nor oatmeal raisin! It currently exists in an unknown state, which will only be determined when I take a bite. At that point, it will turn into whatever cookie I didn’t want. I call it 'Haflinger's Cookie'.” She took a bite, and her face scrunched. “See? Raisin!”

“Huh, that's quite something. Maybe Twilight has a machine that can analyze the cookies and tell you what kind they are. Or maybe a spell.”

“Or you could just keep the cookies on separate plates next time.” Pinkie grabbed a second cookie and tossed it into her mouth. “Much better!” She bounced back up the stairs. “I better get back to the telescope! I don't want to miss anything!”

“Why do you care so much about watching their dates, anyway?”

“Because I need to make sure they're having fun! If they aren't enjoying themselves, what's the point? Having a very special somepony is supposed to make you happy! Gotta make sure they're keeping up.”

“And how are they doing?”

“Well, they're smiling, that's a good sign. I still think they should have rented a bouncy castle, though. Those make everything better.”

“That's good to hear!” Spike chuckled as he shoved a gemstone cookie into his mouth. He checked the hourglass. “What would you do if they weren't having a good time?”

“I'd... uh...?” Pinkie tapped her chin with her hoof. “A party?”

“Um, I'm not sure how that would work.”

“Hmm....” Pinkie scratched her head. “I'll have to think about that. A problem you can't solve with a party is... really bad. Oh well, they look happy enough already. I'm sure they'll be fine. Ooh, Twilight is feeding Applejack a cupcake with her telekiwhatsis! That's so cuuuute!”

“I bet it is.” Spike's eyes darted to the pile of cards on the desk, then to the hourglass. “Eleven minutes and counting.”

Applejack and Twilight trotted down the hill. The darkness had encroached just enough to force them away from their picnic. The new moon wasn't bright enough to light the hilltop. They ambled in the general direction of the library.

“...So it turns out Big Macintosh and Cheerilee have been havin' lunch together every month since then,” Applejack said.

“Does that mean that they're a couple or... is it just a ‘friend’ thing?”

“I'm not entirely sure myself.” Applejack shrugged. “Either way I'm happy for him. Goodness knows he doesn't get himself off the farm enough. Maybe I should have him take the apple cart to the market more often. Would be good for business anyhow. He's always got mares linin' up when he does.”

“I dunno if Cheerilee would like that, though,” Twilight said with a chuckle.

“Knowin' her, she'd probably think it was funny. I can just see her teasin' him about it. She'd probably even fix his hair up for him so he'd bring in more bits.”

“I guess I could see that. She can get a bit goofy.”

“You're tellin' me. Not to mention that Mac would never actually go doin' anything untoward to anypony, and Cheerilee knows it. He gets flustered just talkin' to mares. When they start flirtin' with him, it's really something. You wouldn't think he could get more red, but he manages.”

Twilight giggled. “Poor Macintosh!”

“Yeah, there are probably only like half a dozen mares around his own age that he isn't awkward around. I mean, there's me, Cheerilee, and he knows Carrot Top pretty well since she's been our neighbor since forever. I think he’s gettin' a bit more comfortable around you too, since you've been droppin' by so often, but other than that he's a bit shy around pretty much everyone. Sure it's not that bad most of the time, but any time they start givin' him any... special attention, he gets giddy.”

“Well, in that case, maybe he and Cheerilee should start going out for real.”

“I agree that they'd probably make a cute couple, and I'm all for getting' him out and about more, but how's that gonna help him get less awkward around everypony else?”

“Well, if everypony knows that he's going out with Cheerilee, maybe they'll stop giving him 'special attention' and just talk to him normally once they know he's taken.”

“Uh, I might not be any expert on this kinda thing, but I don't think it's that easy. If they think he's gonna be a very special somepony, they might go and try harder to get him. Or at least that's what Rarity thinks. Then again, Rarity's always been a bit—” She paused as she realized that Twilight's attention had drifted. “Twilight?”

“Okay, don't look now, but I think we're being watched.”

“Bein' watched? By who?”

“If I had to guess I'd say Pinkie.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Well, I looked over at the library, and I could see a reflection on one of the top balconies. Somepony set up a telescope. And I don't think Spike would go to that much trouble.”

“Huh, you're right.” Applejack craned her neck and squinted at the library.

“Don't look!” Twilight grabbed Applejack's head and turned it. “We don't want her to know we know that she's watching!”

“Uh, why?”

“I...I don't know. It just sort of seems like we wouldn't want her to know.”

“Huh, well, I got a reason. Let's have some fun with this.” She raised an eyebrow and nodded for Twilight to follow her into a nearby alley. “Follow me.”

Twilight gave Applejack a puzzled glance, but followed nonetheless. “Applejack, there's nothing back here.” She was right, other than an empty trash can and some cardboard boxes, the alleyway was completely deserted.

“We know that, but Pinkie doesn't.”

Twilight thought for a moment. “Ooooohh!”

“Exactly. Why don't you shoot out some flashin' lights or something. Maybe confuse her a bit.”

Twilight suppressed a laugh. Her horn lit up like a disco ball, spraying a burst of multicolored light into the alley.

“Ooh, that's pretty!” Applejack chuckled. “Can you do an apple?”

“Of course!” An illusory apple appeared above Twilight's head and drifted out of the alley, hanging in the air for a moment before bursting into a cloud of smoke. “Come on, let's take the other way back to the library. Pinkie's not gonna have any idea what that was about!”

The two of them trotted down the alley, giggling as they went.

Spike scurried around the library, sweeping up the crumbs that Pinkie had left everywhere. The library was supposed to be clean and organized. That and he had a sneaking suspicion that Twilight wouldn't be too happy about the fact that Pinkie had been spying. The telescope was back in its case, which was back in the closet. All the dishes were washed. The various cookie varieties had been painstakingly sorted out onto different plates. The cookie sheets were cleaned. Pinkie had been sent home, despite her rambling about flashing lights and a giant floating apple. That had caused Spike to briefly wonder if the raisins had fermented or something before he put them into the cookies, but ultimately he chalked it up to Pinkie being Pinkie. He had sent her out the back way so she wouldn't run into Twilight on her way out the door. At first he had thought that she had been cutting it close by hanging around so long, but in retrospect he shouldn't have worried. Twilight and Applejack had stopped on the doorstep to talk, and had been there for —he checked the hourglass— almost twenty minutes. Their muffled voices were still going outside the door.

He stopped to take one last look around the library, mentally checking off everything that was in its place. He blinked. I've only been librarian for like a day, and I'm already thinking like Twilight. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. His claws stopped halfway to his face. Whoa, I’m even starting to turn purple! Wait a second... He shook his head. Maybe there was something weird in the cookies. Or maybe he just needed to get more sleep. He hadn't gotten much last night. Or maybe he was just starting to go crazy from listening to Pinkie Pie for the past two hours.

The door swung open, and Twilight took a half step in. “I'll see you tomorrow, then. Goodnight, Applejack,” she said. She stepped inside, closed the door, and noticed the dragon standing in the middle of the room, staring blankly at nothing in particular. “Spike, are you okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, I'm fine!” He shook his head. “How'd your date go?”

“I had a fine time,” Twilight said. “Applejack set up a nice picnic for us up on the hill so we could watch the sunset. It was lovely.”

“That sounds nice.”

“It was. How was your evening?”

“Eh, kinda boring. I organized the card catalogue and made some cookies. Want one?” He pointed at the plates.

“No, I'm fine. Applejack brought cupcakes.” She patted Spike on the head. “Are you sure you're okay? You look a bit out of it.”

“I'm just tired.” He gave an exaggerated yawn. “In fact, I should probably go to bed. Goodnight!” He started up the stairs.

“That's probably a good idea.” Twilight grinned. “Dealing with Pinkie would make anyone tired.”

Spike froze mid-step. After a long moment, he slowly turned around. A wide and obviously fake smile was plastered on his face. “Pinkie? What makes you think she was here?”

“Well, I could see the telescope on the balcony. I doubt you were doing astronomical studies, and since Pinkie has used the telescope to spy on us before...”

Spike bit his lip and nodded. “I see...”

“Also, it smells like frosting in here. Unless you frosted a cake while I was gone, it's pretty obvious Pinkie was here.”

Spike sighed. “Sorry. I should've told you. I guess you don't want her watching you on your dates, huh?”

“Well, I was actually more worried about her damaging my telescope, but yes, I would prefer you not enable her. I'll let it slide this time, though. You've been working really hard lately, and you've been doing a great job.”

“Uh, yeah.” Spike nodded. “Next time I'll tell her to talk to you about the telescope.”

“Great. Now you get some rest. You look like you're about to fall asleep on your feet.”

“Yeah, I think I'm going to do that.” He yawned again. “Goodnight, Twilight.”

“Goodnight, Spike.” She smiled as she watched him go up the stairs. He had gotten a surprising amount of work done. The stack of cards on the table was much smaller than she had expected it to be. “Oh, Spike, where would I be without you?” She turned her attention to the two plates of cookies that sat on the counter and took a long whiff. “Mmmmm! Chocolate! I guess one cookie couldn't hurt.” She popped one into her mouth. She began to chew, and her snout puckered. “Bleah! Raisins!”

Lyra yawned as she laid her head back against Bon Bon's chest. The bed was more than big enough for them to lay next to each other, but she preferred invading Bon Bon's side of the bed. It was so much warmer and softer. She edged her head in between Bon Bon's face and the book that Bon Bon was reading.

“Are you mad at me?” she asked.

“Of course not.” Bon Bon craned her head around Lyra so she could continue reading. “Why would I be?”

“Well, you know. Getting Twilight to work in your shop.”

“Oh, that. I am... a bit miffed that you made the offer without consulting me first, but I would hardly be angry at you over such a minor thing.”

“Is it really that minor of a thing, though? I mean, it is your shop, after all.”

“It is. But it turned out well enough. Certainly better than last time, though that is not saying much.”

Lyra cuddled a bit tighter. “So you think Twilight is doing okay?”

“She is, though she's also only been working for all of two days. There is more than enough time for her to make a mistake. But as of now, she has been surprisingly helpful. I just hope she continues to be a help rather than a hindrance.”

Lyra smiled. “I'm glad I didn't screw things up too badly.”

“Not at all.” Bon Bon lowered her book. “Though I must ask, why did you offer her the job so quickly? I know you can be impulsive at times, but you know how important the shop is to me. Why did you do that?”

“Well, at first I was just going to talk to her. You know, see how she was doing. And then she mentioned the job. I know I should've asked you first, but... well, remember when she dropped by the shop?”

Bon Bon nodded.

“Well, just seeing her being all giddy about Applejack and everything... I know it sounds stupid but she reminded me of... of me, back when we first started going out. Back when I thought I had to bend myself over backwards to make it work between us. I know it’s not quite the same, but I just thought that, well, when I was in that position, I needed all the help I could get if I wanted it to work. I just figured that I could make it easier for her. I know I was being an idiot, but I couldn’t help it.”

Bon Bon chuckled. “You may be an idiot, but you're a very sweet and well-meaning idiot, and most importantly, you're my idiot, and I love you. You know what really makes you sound foolish?”

“Most of what I say?”

“First, if you would have just told me that to start with, I would have no reason to be even the slightest bit angry at you. Second...” Bon Bon kissed Lyra on the forehead, taking care to avoid her horn. “...you most certainly did not need any help to win me over.”

Lyra smiled. “How long do you think it'll take Twilight and Applejack to figure it out?”

Bon Bon smiled. “Hopefully not as long as it took us.”