# A Delicate Balance

## by JapaneseTeeth

### Daybreak

Why did I think that this was a good idea? This dinner is just going to be one big awkward moment!

STAY, O sweet and do not rise!

The light that shines comes from thine eyes;

The day breaks not: it is my heart,

Because that you and I must part.

Stay! or else my joys will die

And perish in their infancy.

--Daybreak,

John Donne

Rarity and Twilight sat not-quite-exactly across the table from each other. They had already exchanged all the expected pleasantries concerning the state of the weather and at the moment they sat quietly, each trying to build up the nerve to be first to speak. Spike sat at the third place at the table, ignoring the tension in favor of shovelling a pile of nachos onto his plate. He could start paying attention when they started talking. No doubt it would be an interesting conversation.

He was still a bit surprised that Twilight hadn’t sent him to eat upstairs or in the kitchen. She had said that he could act as a mediator, but he wasn’t sure exactly how to go about that. He didn’t even know exactly what had caused the whole fight. The only contribution he could think of consisted of distracting them if they got too worked up. Either that, or she just wanted him around as comic relief. He’d have to be careful about that, though. No reason to make things more awkward.

“So…” Rarity said softly as she poked at her plate. “Am I right in assuming that you wish to discuss our little tiff yesterday?”

Twilight nodded. “I thought it would be good to talk things out,” she said in a voice that didn’t sound like she wanted to be talking about anything.

“Clearing the air, then?” Rarity asked.

“That was the idea,” Twilight said tersely. Spike wondered if Twilight was thinking twice about whether this had been a good idea.

“Do you mind if I begin, then?” Rarity asked. “I’ve been thinking about this, and I have something to say.”

“Oh.” Twilight blinked in surprise. “Sure, go ahead.”

“Well, then.” Rarity cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “Twilight, I want to apologize.”

Twilight and Spike both stared at her. Then they turned to each other, then back to her. Spike shrugged and popped a nacho into his mouth. Apparently this wouldn’t be as much fun as he thought. At least he got to see Twilight caught off guard.

“I overstepped my boundaries and didn’t listen when you told me that you didn’t want my help. And just because I might have helped you get through the early stages of your relationship, doesn’t mean that you want my help now. Regardless of what I think you should do, it’s ultimately your decision whether or not to listen to me.” She leaned back in her chair, clearly glad to have that over and done with.

“Well, now that that’s taken care of, who wants jalepeños?!” Spike asked, holding up the bowl.

“Wait.” Twilight held up her hoof. “Just a second.” She turned back to Rarity. Her eyes narrowed. “And…?”

“Hm?” Rarity blinked. “And what?”

“Is there anything else you want to say?” Twilight tapped her hooves on the table. “Concerning your insinuations about my ability to handle things myself?”

“What? Whatever are you talking about?” Rarity said. “I never said anything about that!”

“Well, you didn’t have to say anything, I guess,” Twilight poked at her plate of food. “I got the message.” She stuffed a bite of nachos into her mouth.

“Twilight, I don’t know what I said to upset you, but I’m sorry. I am not trying to weasel out of apologizing! If you’re willing to explain why you’re so angry, I’ll do what I can.” She frowned. “But if you’ve decided to be angry regardless of what I say, I see no reason to stay.”

“Hey, what about the nachos?” Spike said indignantly. “That’s a reason to stay!”

“Okay, fine,” Rarity rolled her eyes. “No reason to stay and continue this conversation.”

“That’s more like it.” Spike said. “Of course, the nachos don’t really do much if you don’t eat them.”

“You honestly don’t have any idea what I’m talking about?” Twilight asked in disbelief, ignoring the nachos.

“No!” Rarity gasped. “At least, I don’t think I do. I realize that you don’t want me interfering with your romantic life, and I admit that I overstepped those bounds, but other than that I don’t know what the problem is.”

“The problem isn’t just you butting in, it’s that you apparently think that I’m incapable of continuing this relationship without you hovering over my shoulder as I do it.”

“What? Wait, wait, wait a moment!” Rarity waggled one hoof in the air as she put the other one too her forehead. “I think I understand where we went wrong.”

“Enlighten me,” Twilight grumbled.

“Well, it seems that you are under the impression that my only motive for… intruding on your personal business is to make you do things the way I want?”

Twilight snorted. “What other reason could you possibly have?”

“I see now…” Rarity sighed. “It seems that I—”

She flinched as Spike chomped down on a clawful of chips with a loud crunch. He paused, his mouth full, and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“Like I was saying,” Rarity continued, “it seems that my… enthusiasm has given you entirely the wrong idea. You must believe me when I say that I had no intention of forcing you to make your relationship into anything that it isn’t. Furthermore, I never meant to imply that you weren’t capable of dealing with things on your own.”

“And all that stuff about ‘how could you know what you’re doing after only a year?’ What about that?”

“I…Did I say that? I don’t think I ever said anything like that.”

“Actually, I think you did,” Spike said. “I couldn’t hear exactly what you were arguing about, but I’m pretty sure I heard something like that.”

“See?” Twilight said. “Even if you didn’t say it, you definitely implied it.”

“Well, I didn’t mean to.” Rarity rubbed her temples with her hooves. “Let me start over and explain myself properly. Twilight, I want you to know that I have every confidence in your ability to handle this relationship. It’s just that when I see the two of you planning for special occasions, I just want everything to be perfect. And especially so in the case of something as momentous as a marriage proposal!”

She sighed, and her whole body seemed to deflate a little. “Unfortunately, sometimes I forget that other ponies often don’t share my idea of perfection. So when you turned down my offer of help, I… I got a bit defensive, and said some things I shouldn’t have. I suppose that in a way, you were right. I was too preoccupied with what I could do and didn’t listen, and insulted you as a result. And for that, I apologize.”

“R-really?” Twilight mumbled.

“Yes. I got so wrapped up in wanting to help that I felt a bit insulted when you refused. And then… well, I’m sure you remember the rest.” Rarity avoided Twilight’s eyes, looking instead at her cup of tea.

“Oh, I certainly do,” Twilight said softly. “And I also remember that I… didn’t exactly help things along. I… uh…” She nervously tapped her hooves together and smiled sheepishly. “I sort of assumed that you were just going to try to take over everything and I never gave you a chance to tell your side of the story. I guess I had already decided to ignore whatever you said, and I got mad even though you were only trying to help.”

“Well, I did come on a bit strong,” Rarity said. “I can hardly blame you for reacting that way.”

“Even if you don’t blame me, I still messed up. So I guess I owe you an apology as well. I should’ve given you the benefit of the doubt rather than jumping on you as soon as you walked through the door.”

“Great! Apologies all around!” Spike announced dramatically. “Now that that’s settled, maybe you should get back to the food before it gets cold!”

“Spike!” Twilight glared at him.

“What? I spent the last two hours in the kitchen. It’s not like we can just go and reheat the chips. It’ll make them all soggy.”

Twilight shook her head.

“You know, he is right,” Rarity said. “Why don’t we just put this whole debacle behind us? I think we can agree that neither of us did a stellar job handling the situation, so why don’t we try it again and not yell at each other this time?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Twilight answered. “I really am sorry, though. You’re my friend. Even if I am frustrated, I should be able to treat you better than that.”

“Think nothing of it, Twilight. Nopony can be properly composed all the time. Believe me, I know. Now, why don’t we get around to enjoying the meal that Spike has put together for us?”

“Yeah!” Spike nodded. “If anypony wants more spice, I have a gigantic jar of Black Tartarus Pepper in the kitchen. Want me to go get it?”

Both mares turned to him in tandem. “No!”

Applejack sighed as she surveyed the nails, screws, bolts, hooks, and other miscellaneous things that littered the barn floor instead of sitting in their boxes on the shelf.

“Y’know, if you hadn’t made such a big mess in here, we wouldn’t have to be cleanin’ this up,” Applejack said. “You gotta learn to think ahead more.”

“It wasn’t me!” Apple Bloom groused as she plucked up the nails and dropped them into the box. “Sweetie Belle decided she was going to try to get the ladder off the hook with her magic and she dropped it!”

“And you didn’t think that you should’ve been ready to catch it in case that happened?” Applejack asked with a smirk. “You know, instead of lettin’ all the shelves get knocked over. Did you think that I wouldn’t notice?”

“No! Of course not!” Apple Bloom said with an awkward smile.

“Really?” Applejack gave her a sideway glance.

“Okay, fine! We thought that you wouldn’t see it until tomorrow mornin’ and you’d think that maybe a raccoon did it or somethin’. Sorry.”

“Is that so? I should make you clean up the whole thing yourself.” She shook her head. “Or at least I would if it weren’t almost your bedtime. But next time I’m not helpin’. You gotta clean up your own messes.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Apple Bloom grumbled. “So, uh, about that bag…”

“I told you, that’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“But what for? It’s not Hearth’s Warming Eve, and I’m pretty sure that it’s not Twilight’s birthday either. Did Pinkie make up another new holiday or something?”

“What, like I need an excuse to do something nice for my very special somepony?” Applejack gave her sister a playful shove. “Why are you pokin’ your nose into my business anyway?”

“I’m just curious, that’s all!”

“Well, you don’t let that get the better of you, okay? Now you get back to the house and start gettin’ ready for bed.” She pushed Apple Bloom towards the door. “You got a lot of stuff to do tomorrow. Like actually startin’ to ride in that cart of yours.”

“Right!” She nodded and darted out the door.

Applejack took a slow breath as she surveyed the barn. It wouldn’t take more than ten minutes to finish cleaning up, which was fine with her. It was the first time today she had a chance to relax. All things considered, today had gone well. She had managed to complete her personal errands, her farm duties, and help Twilight out with the crusaders to boot. She was still a bit surprised that Twilight had them so well in hoof. That was one less thing to worry about.

Right now, she just had to worry about making sure she got all the screws back in the jar. She smiled as she began to pick them up. Now she just had to be patient. Tomorrow was only a night away.

“No, that won’t work either,” Twilight said as she dunked another plate into the sink. “I’m supposed to be helping the crusaders more with their project tomorrow. I don’t suppose you could come by after lunch?” She retrieved the plate and began to polish it vigorously with a sponge.

Rarity shook her head as she took the dish and began to dry it. “Unfortunately not. I’ve already scheduled fitting sessions with a bridal party. There’s no way I can reschedule. I won’t be freely available until after I close up shop.” She thought for a moment as she carefully placed the plate in the drying rack. “Oh, I have an idea! You are able to talk while you work, right?”

Twilight nodded. “As long as I get everything done, Bon Bon doesn’t mind. And I’m usually there during the slowest part of the day. Unless Hearts and Hooves day is coming around, we usually don’t get more than one or two customers while I’m there.”

“I suppose I should leave all of my samples at home then,” Rarity said with a smirk.

“I don’t think we’ll need those anyway,” Twilight answered, examining a bowl for any traces of cheese. “We just need to bounce some ideas around. Nothing I can’t do while sweeping or cleaning the display case. We can always talk later if we have to.”

“Well, I’ll drop by then and see what we can do. Who knows, maybe Lyra will be able to help as well. Though from what she told me she doesn’t exactly have a great deal of experience in the matter either.” Rarity chuckled. “And if I get in your way Bon Bon can always kick me out.”

“Sure, stop by. Hopefully I’ll be out front rather than stuck in the back doing inventory.”

“Ugh!” Rarity shuddered and stuck out her tongue. “Doing inventory is truly the bane of any business. Though I can’t blame Bon Bon for pawning off that duty on you.” She laughed. “Was that the last dish?”

“Yep.” Twilight nodded. “Are you heading out now?”

“Yes, I think I should be getting home. It’s been a long day, and I’d like to get a head start on my beauty sleep.” Rarity yawned. “We can continue our conversation tomorrow, this time without exploding at each other.”

“Well, have a good night, then,” Twilight said. “Spike will see you out.” She waved goodbye as Rarity trotted out of the kitchen and then busied herself with putting away the dry dishes. “It’s good to have that sorted out,” she mumbled to herself. The whole prospect of proposing to Applejack was daunting enough without being at odds with her friends.

At the very least, it would be nice to have somepony to talk things through with. Or at least, somepony who wasn’t Pinkie Pie. It wasn’t easy having a serious conversation with her, even if she did manage to make good points amidst her rambling. At least when Rarity rambled, she stayed on topic.

She yawned, and decided to go to bed early tonight. Being needlessly angry was too tiring.

The next morning, Twilight galloped out the door. She had slept well. Too well. She hadn’t overslept, but she had come as close to oversleeping as somepony so tightly scheduled was capable of. Still, if she wanted to stop by the apple cart on her way to work, she had to hurry. She turned the corner, and saw Applejack parked at her usual spot, dealing with Pinkie.

“I get that, Pinkie,” she was saying. “I’m just sayin’ that” —her eyes caught sight of Twilight— “We can talk about this later, Pinkie.” She waved. “Hey, Twilight!”

“Good morning!” Twilight grinned widely as she gave Applejack a peck on the cheek. “Sorry, I can’t stay to chat. I’m in a bit of a rush.”

“Well, you are four whole minutes behind schedule,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “Want an apple for the road?”

“Of course I do. Unfortunately, you have to stay here.”

Pinkie burst into giggles. “I get it! Because she’s a—”

“I get it too, Pinkie.” Applejack shook her head. “No need to point it out. But seriously, Twi, take a couple.” She pulled a basket out of one of the compartments of the cart and began to shovel apples into it. “I’ll give you some extras for Lyra and Bon Bon.”

“Thanks. I’ll tell them you said hello.” Twilight carefully balanced the basket on her back. “I’ll see you again this afternoon. After I finish up helping the crusaders, then we should have some time to spend together. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Awwww!” Pinkie clapped her hooves. “This is so cuuute!”

Applejack snorted. “Pinkie, what are you talkin’ about?”

“You two! You’re totally having a moment!”

“Uh… not really,” Applejack mumbled. “We’re just talkin’. Not like anything special is goin’ on.”

“Ooooh! I get it.” Pinkie grinned widely and winked. “Yeah, there’s nothing special going on! No specialness here. None whatsoever!” She spun around and pranced down the street. Three steps later she stopped and turned back to Applejack. “Oh, if I buy a bushel of apples, do I get a discount?”

“Pinkie, you already get the family discount, remember?”

“Oh, right. See you later!” She nodded and ambled away, singing to herself as she went.

Twilight chuckled awkwardly. “Wonder what’s up with her?”

“It’s Pinkie. I got nothing,” Applejack said with a shrug. “ I’ll see you tonight. I’m lookin’ forward to it.”

“So am I.” Twilight smiled. “I’d better get going. Business and all that.”

“Yeah, if you keep hangin’ around I’m not gonna sell anything.” Applejack playfully shooed Twilight down the street. “You don’t want to get on Bon Bon’s bad side.”

“No, I don’t! See you later!” Twilight waved once, and galloped away.

Twilight had known from the beginning that Lyra would likely get drawn into the conversation fairly quickly. Lyra could be drawn into any conversation easily; she prefered talking to working, so that was a given. What Twilight hadn’t expected was for Bon Bon to join in as well.

“Well, as nice as Mon Cher may be, I believe that someplace with personal significance for the two of you would be more appropriate,” Bon Bon said. She had started out just tossing out occasional observations when she brought chocolates out from the kitchen. Now she was sitting at the table with Lyra and Rarity. She looked up occasionally to make sure that Twilight was still doing something that might qualify as work.

“It is personally significant!” Rarity said. “It just so happens to be where they went on their first date! Isn’t that right, Twilight?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, it is. Bon Bon, do you want me to put out the rest of the chocolates?” She listened for an answer and didn’t get one. “Hello?”

“See? Personally significant,” Rarity said smugly, ignoring everything after the “Yes, it is.”

“And that way they wouldn’t have to cook,” Lyra added.

“Do you really think that Twilight would choose the location of her proposal based on whether she’d have to cook?” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “I don’t think that’s really a factor here.”

“Um, hello?” Twilight waved her hoof. “What should I do with these?”

“Just put them in the display case,” Bon Bon said absently.

“Okay then.” Twilight shrugged and got back to work.

“So the restaurant is out, then?” Rarity grumbled. “I still think it would be fitting. You know I would be perfectly willing to do the dresses free of charge.”

“Ooh, ooh! I know!” Lyra grinned. “Why not both? They could go and have a nice, expensive dinner or whatever, and then go someplace else for dessert and Twilight could pop the question there!”

“The best of both worlds approach, huh?” Bon Bon nodded in assent. “I suppose that could work.”

“It could, though the logistics could be problematic,” Rarity tapped her chin with her hoof. “Still, I think it would give the occasion the gravitas it deserves without losing the personal touch. And I seriously doubt that Twilight of all ponies would have the slightest difficulty with keeping everything lined up.”

“See? I told you that would work.” Lyra looked back over her shoulder. “Isn’t that right, Twilight?”

“It would make for a special evening,” Twilight said. “Usually, we only do one or the other, so doing both would show that it isn’t just another date. And that way I could—”

“Twilight!” Bon Bon interrupted. “Why are you putting all of the molds in the display case!”

“I asked you what you wanted me to do with them, and you told me to put them in here.”

Lyra giggled, and Rarity shook her head.

“Touché,” Bon Bon said. “Just leave them on the counter and I’ll put them away.”

“I don’t suppose you have any ideas, Twilight?” Lyra asked, a wide grin on her face. “I mean, it is your proposal after all.”

“Everything I could think of was pretty close to what you were talking about,” Twilight said as she stacked the molds carefully on the counter. “I thought we would have a nice dinner, and then go out to somewhere quiet for the main event.” She smiled. “And I think I know just the place.”

“So we have a plan, then!” Rarity clapped her hooves in triumph. “See? I told you that I would be helpful.”

“I beg to differ,” Bon Bon said with a smirk. “It sounds like you just came to the same conclusion that she would’ve reached all on her own. If anything, you only made it take longer.”

“‘You’? What you do you mean, ‘you’?” Lyra poked Bon Bon in the flank with her horn. “You were talking about it as much as we were!”

Bon Bon wrinkled her nose. “Fine, be that way. I’ll let Rarity have all the unsellable chocolates, then!”

“Awwww,” Lyra pouted. “That’s no fair!”

Twilight tried not to chuckle too loudly. “The plan you came up with might be basically what I had in mind, but I think it’s good that all of you think it’s okay. It means I’m not too far off the mark.”

“Does this mean I should bring some dress patterns for you to look at?” Rarity asked, her eyes gleaming in anticipation.

“At some point, but not right now.” Twilight said, shaking her head. “It would be kind of hard to keep things confidential if you’re dragging your cloth swatches into the shop, especially since half the town knows I work here. I’m pretty sure word would get back to Applejack pretty quickly. After you’re finished up at your shop for the day, we can get into the specifics.”

“Yes, my shop.” Rarity nodded. Then her eyes widened and a massive twitch shook her entire body. “My shop! I have have a fitting scheduled in…” Her eyes darted to the clock. “Three minutes! I’m sorry, Twilight, but I must be going.”

“That’s fine, I’ll see you” —the bell above the door jangled as Rarity galloped out— “...later.”

“I never realized that Rarity was quite that fast,” Lyra said, observing the dust trail that Rarity had kicked up outside the door.

“That’s because unlike somepony I could mention, she actually exercises.” Bon Bon poked Lyra’s stomach, which jiggled slightly. “And I’d bet she doesn’t overindulge in chocolate, either.”

“I live in a chocolate shop! What do you want me to do?!” Lyra grumbled. “Besides, I know you like that I’m pudgy. That’s why you leave all that chocolate lying around.”

Bon Bon just snorted and turned to face Twilight. “Be warned, if the two of you do get married, this is what’s in store for you. I should warn Applejack not to spoil you with too much apple pie, or you’ll end up in the same situation.”

“See?!” Lyra pointed dramatically at Bon Bon. “She admits that it’s her fault that I’m extra squishy!”

“Yes, it’s purely because I stuff you full of chocolate, and not because you eat it of your own volition and rarely exercise!” She turned her attention back to Twilight, who was standing behind the counter, wiping it off for the fifth time in the absence of any other instructions. “I think that’s clean now, Twilight. Just refill the brittle pans and then it will be about time for you to head out.”

“Will do.” Twilight nodded. “And thanks for letting Rarity and me talk through all this stuff.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Bon Bon said dismissively. “You still work when you’re distracted at least, and Lyra would’ve been distracting you anyway. I figure if you’re going to be talking while you work, you might as well be talking about something important.”

Twilight smiled. Bon Bon smiled back. For a moment.

“Now get back to work.”

Fluttershy poked her head into the library. As always, the silence felt almost oppressive, and she felt a bit guilty for breaking it. “Twilight?” she said softly. “Spike said you wanted to talk to me?”

“Fluttershy!” Twilight galloped out of the stacks and skidded to a stop in front of her. “It’s great to see you! How have you been?”

“I’ve been fine. Nothing interesting is going on.”

“Well, that’s great!” Twilight smiled widely. “I feel like we haven’t talked in forever.”

“I don’t think it’s been all that long,” Fluttershy said. “Did you need my help for anything? Spike sounded a bit urgent.”

“Ah, yes. I just…” Twilight swallowed. “I have a favor to ask. I really really don’t want to impose on you or anything, but it’s really important and I’ll owe you forever!”

“A favor? Of course. You don’t need to owe me anything, though. What did you need?”

“Well, it’s…” Twilight eyes darted back and forth, even though the library was empty. She leaned in close and whispered into Fluttershy’s ear for half a minute.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “R-really? You want me to do something so important?”

“Of course! I trust you to… take care of everything, and I know that you won’t make a big deal out of it.” Twilight smiled. “There’s nopony else that I’d entrust this to.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Definitely. But obviously, only if you want to. If you’d rather not, I won’t make you.”

“No, I want to help you.” Fluttershy said with a determined nod. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Thank you so much!” Twilight pranced in place in excitement. “Now, here’s what I need you to do…”

The horseshoe clanked as it caught on the pole. Rainbow Dash did a triumphant flip. “I win this round! You really let yourself get rusty, Applejack!” She landed and poked Applejack with her elbow. “Double or nothing on the next one?” She glided down to the post and began collecting the horseshoes.

“Fine,” Applejack said with a snort. “Not my fault I got better stuff to do than hone my horseshoe throwin’ skills.” She took one of the shoes and hurled it, landing cleanly on target. “Not that I need to. Just needed to get warmed up.”

“Great. I was afraid you were going easy on me or something!” Rainbow Dash tossed her shoe. It landed in the dirt with a thump. “Ah, horseapples. Oh well, I can’t make it too hard for you, I guess.”

“And just what makes you think you gotta go easy on me?” She took her turn throwing a shoe.

Rainbow Dash watched the throw land. “That’s why,” she said with a grin. “Are you sure that Twilight’s egghead-ness isn’t rubbing off on you?”

“You kiddin’? We spend a lot of time together, but it’s not like I stopped bein’ a farm pony just ‘cause I’m goin’ out with her. Maybe I started rubbin’ off on her? You ever think of that?”

“Huh, good point.” Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. “She has been spending a lot of time on the farm, lately.”

“You got that right,” Applejack said. “I’ll have you know that she’s on the farm right now, helpin’ the crusaders with their science project.”

“I still can’t believe you got her to agree to that,” Rainbow said, shaking her head. “I mean, I can hang out with them sometimes, but trying to get them to work together on something like that?” She shuddered. “That’s a bit much.”

“Which is why she’s helpin’ and not you.” She watched quietly as Rainbow Dash took her turn. “So, uh, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” Rainbow grimaced as the horseshoe landed wide of her target.

“Do you think that goin’ out with Twilight has changed me? I mean, things aren’t the same, obviously, but do you think I changed a lot because of our relationship?”

“Huh, wasn’t expecting that.” Rainbow Dash scratched her head for a moment, then shrugged. “I… I dunno, honestly. I don’t really try to keep track of how my friends have changed unless it’s really really obvious. I mean, yeah, I guess you’ve changed a little, but it’s not like that’s a bad thing. I mean, if you didn’t it would be even weirder. It’s like… you’re the same, only different.” She scratched her head. “Sort of.”

“So your point is that I might’ve changed, but just a bit?”

“My point is that it doesn’t really matter. As long as we can keep hanging out, and I get a chance to prove that I’m totally more awesome, it’s not really a big deal.” She shrugged again. “Ponies change. It happens. Though if you’re gonna start sweating the small stuff like that, maybe Twilight has worn off on you a bit.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Applejack shook her head. “I can’t get bogged down by that stuff. There’s no reason it should bother me anyway. It’s not like there’s anything wrong.”

“Right. Now why don’t you focus on the game. Otherwise when I beat you you’ll be all ‘Oh, I wasn’t really payin’ attention so it doesn’t count.’”

“Fine, fine. Even though I don’t need to pay attention to beat you.”

“That’s more like it!” Rainbow Dash waggled her eyebrows before taking her turn. “So Twilight is helping your sister and her friends, huh? They wreck the barn yet?”

“Nah, Twilight’s keepin’ them away from anything where they might do any real damage. To anything besides their clubhouse, at least.”

The air suddenly echoed with the sound of a crash, and a brief shout of dismay. Applejack dropped the horseshoe she had been holding and galloped towards the sound.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Wonder what they smashed up this time.”

As Applejack came around the barn, she was greeted with the sight of the cutie mark crusaders’ cart pancaked against the trunk of a particularly large and solid apple tree. As the airbag deflated, she could make out the form of her sister extricating herself from the crash.

“Well, at least we know the airbag works…” Apple Bloom mumbled as she removed her helmet.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were already coming down the hill, followed closely by Twilight.

“Come on, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo shouted. “How on earth did you manage to hit the one tree by the hill? Why didn’t you turn?”

“The steerin’ didn’t work!” she grumbled as she tossed the helmet aside.

“I told you, we needed to tighten the bolts more!” Sweetie said.

“Aren’t you glad that I had you wear a helmet?” Twilight stepped in between the three fillies. “You’d have gotten hurt without it.”

“I wouldn’t have gotten banged up at all if the steerin’ wheel actually did somethin’ when I turned it!” She kicked at the helmet.

“I was wondering why you didn’t steer away from the tree,” Twilight said as she examined the wreck. “I told you that you needed to triple-check everything. You aren’t hurt, are you?”

“No, the airbag cushioned me pretty well,” Apple Bloom answered. “The helmet isn’t even dented.”

“Well, the good news is that the structural integrity of the cart is still intact. Most of the damage is cosmetic, and… uh…” Twilight noticed for the first time that Applejack and Rainbow Dash were watching. “Since we can’t really do much more with the cart like this, I think we’re finished for the day. Next time, we’ll fix it up and try again. Why don’t you three tow it back to the barn, and then you can go.”

The crusaders grumbled, but acquiesced. Twilight watched them for a few seconds, then made a beeline for Applejack.

“Applejack! I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something!”

“Oh, she wants to talk,” Rainbow Dash said with a grin. “That can’t be good.”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I just have to ask her about something.”

“Suuurrre it’s not.” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow to go with the grin.

“Can we get a moment of alone time, please?” Applejack gave Rainbow Dash a less-than-subtle shove. “Why don’t you go keep an eye on the crusaders as they put that thing in the barn?”

“Fine,” Dash flicked her mane and fluttered away. “You and your privacy.”

“So, what did you need to talk about, Twilight?” Applejack asked as she watched Rainbow Dash depart. “My sister wasn’t actin’ up, was she?”

“No, no, she was fine. I just had something I needed to ask you.” She swallowed. “I was wondering, do you have anything planned for next Friday?”

“She just wanted to take you out to dinner? That’s it?” Rainbow Dash hovered along behind Applejack as she trotted back towards the horseshoe pit. “Why did you need to send me away just for that?”

“Relax, Dash. We just wanted some time to ourselves. It’s a couples thing.”

“A couples thing, huh?” Rainbow Dash said suspiciously. “What are you two planning?”

“Plannin’? What makes you think that we’re plannin’ anything? Aside from the dinner, I mean. It’s not like we’re tryin’ to keep anything secret.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Rainbow Dash said, her voice thick with sarcasm. “Something is up with you two.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I’m not sure…” Rainbow Dash said, still eyeing Applejack with suspicion. “Call it a hunch.”

“A hunch, huh?” Applejack returned Rainbow Dash’s glance. “If you were Pinkie, that might mean something. You don’t have a twitchy ear or anything, do you?”

“Very funny,” Rainbow Dash discontentedly wrinkled her nose. “I can’t put my hoof on it, but I know that this isn’t just any date. You’re being all… secretive about it.”

“I didn’t even know that she was goin’ to ask me to dinner.” Applejack reached the horseshoe pit, picked up one of the horseshoes. “Besides, if we were tryin’ plan something secret, we’d have the sense not to do it in front of you.”

“Good point,” Rainbow Dash snatched up one of the other horseshoes. “Guess then it’s just Twilight planning something.” She thought for a moment, and then a smug grin formed on her face. “Maybe she’s gonna propose!” She hurled the horseshoe backwards over her shoulder. It landed with a clang on the horseshoe stake. “Oh yeah! Did you see that? Perfect throw!”

“Proposin’? Seriously?” Applejack hadn’t sounded so incredulous since Apple Bloom told her that she had found a sea monster in the swimming hole. “You really think that’s why she wants to go out to eat?”

“Well, why not?” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “It’s possible, isn’t it?”

“Rainbow Dash, you know as well as anypony just how high-strung Twilight can be, right?”

“Do I ever!” Rainbow Dash nodded vigorously. “Remember when we went to Canterlot that one time and she freaked out because the train was like twenty minutes late?”

“Exactly! If she was plannin’ on something that big, don’t you think she’d have been a mite more jittery? She probably just wants to do something special. Just not something that special.”

“I guess I could see that…” Rainbow Dash admitted. “I still think something’s up, though.”

“Trust me, Rainbow Dash, if Twilight was plannin’ on something that big, she’d be havin’ a total freakout right now.” She turned back to the horseshoe game, and made her throw. It landed outside the box with a dull thud. “Ugh, I really can’t throw today.”

“I can’t believe I actually did it maybe it’s too soon though maybe we should a have a normal dinner this week and I can do the whole proposal thing later but then I might get cold hooves again and just keep pushing it back further and further and I want to just do it and all of my preparation will have been a waste of time but then again that would be a sunk cost fallacy because there’s never any chance of getting that time back whether or not I end up actually proposing…”

Rarity and Spike watched placidly as Twilight wore a circular hole in the carpet in the middle of the library, rambling to herself as she went.

“Does she do this often?” Rarity asked in a low voice. “Perhaps we should stop her. This can’t be good for her psyche.”

“In my experience it’s usually better to let her get it out of her system,” Spike answered as he popped a clawful of popcorn into his mouth. “I remember once she thought that she had accidentally turned in one of the drafts of her research papers rather than the final draft. She was pacing for like a solid six hours after that. She’s only been going for” —he looked at the clock— “about half an hour. She’s really improved.”

“I think it’s been quite long enough,” Rarity said. “I’ve had a painfully long day, and she called me over here to talk, not to watch her make herself dizzy.” She stood. “Twilight, calm down!”

Twilight continued her circuit, continuing to mumble something about whether or not Applejack would want to dress up. Rarity sighed, and readied her magic.

“TWILIGHT!” Mustering as much telekinesis as she could manage, she latched onto Twilight’s tail. For a moment, Twilight didn’t notice, and continued to trot in place, her hooves scratching what was left of the rug. Then she paused, noticing that she wasn’t moving forward any more. She looked around, trying to figure out what was impeding her progress.

“Huh? Rarity, what are you doing?”

“Preventing you from wasting any more time.” She released Twilight’s tail. Then briefly took hold of it again to straighten out a few stray hairs. “Really, if you’re going to go to the trouble of having me come over, I’d rather use the time to actually talk through your… idiosyncrasies. Would you care to tell me exactly what happened that has you so worked up?”

“Y-yeah.” Twilight tapped her hooves on the floor, but managed to stay in place. “Well, you know how I decided to pop the question to Applejack at the restaurant where she had our first date? I’m taking her out there this Friday.”

“Congratulations!” Rarity patted Twilight on the back. “That’s wonderful! You’re one step closer to… well, you know.”

“Yes, I know. I’m just not sure if it’s the right step.” Twilight took a long, stuttering breath. “I don’t know if I picked the right place, or the right time, or the right date. Like, maybe I should have asked her to go out somewhere else, or maybe I should’ve waited for a more significant day. Like an anniversary or something. There are so many things that could go wrong!” She dropped to the floor and curled up in a ball. “Maybe I’m not ready?”

“Twilight, you’re totally ready!” Spike said, shaking his head. “You just need to stop overthinking everything.” He sat next to her. “I mean, okay, maybe you’re right and a lot of stuff could go wrong. But it’s always going to be like that. Stuff can always go wrong. But seriously, what if it does? You really think that Applejack is gonna turn you down because you asked on the wrong day?”

“Spike’s right, Twilight,” Rarity said. “Didn’t you and Bon Bon already talk about this?”

“We did, but it’s just… so much more real now that I actually started the whole process. I just… I’m not worried so much about things not working out. But I want everything to be as good as I can possibly make it. For her sake.”

“And that’s admirable, really. But there’s only so much that you can do. Think about what Spike said!”

“Yeah, listen to me!” Spike said, a smirk on his face. Rarity rolled her eyes at him and the smirk vanished.

“Let’s say that you decide against this particular venue at this particular time. When the matter comes up again, do you really think you’ll be any more capable of ensuring that everything goes exactly as you want?”

“I… maybe?”

Rarity glared at her. “Be honest, Twilight.”

“Okay, I’d probably worry about it just as much!” She put her hooves to her forehead. “How am I supposed to keep from freaking myself out?”

“If you want the truth, Twilight…” Rarity put a hoof around Twilight’s shoulders. “I don’t think you can. I think that no matter how much planning you do, when it comes time to actually go through with it, you’re still going to be nervous and you’ll still second-guess yourself.”

“Well that’s just great,” Twilight snorted. “What am I supposed to do now?”

“You can stop letting every little thing get to you!” Spike said with surprising volume. Both Rarity and Twilight turned their heads to stare at him. “Seriously, you go through this whole ‘Ahhhh I don’t know what to do, I’m going to mess it up!’ thing like every single time that a new relationship issue comes up and it’s really starting to get old!”

Twilight kept staring. “S-spike…”

“And seriously, it makes no sense! So, you’re nervous. It’s not like that’s ever stopped you before. I mean, all through school you were a nervous wreck before your tests, but you never let that stop you! And with Applejack, you’ve been all terrified of getting it wrong, but you totally haven’t! Okay, so maybe you had one or two little fights, but nothing you couldn’t handle. By most ponies’ standards you’ve been doing really well! Now can we please get the moping out of the way and do something?!”

They continued to stare silently at Spike. He bit his lip nervously and took a step back.

Twilight swallowed laboriously. Then she hung her head, breathing heavily.

“Twilight?” Rarity asked.

Twilight made a sound. It wasn’t loud enough to be sure whether it was a sob, or a groan, or growl. Whatever it was, it sounded like it was forcing its way out of her mouth. Then with a shout, Twilight leapt to her hooves. Rarity sprawled backwards in surprise.

“AAARGGGHH! HE’S RIGHT!” Twilight shouted. Her body shook, not with nervous jitters, but with a giddy, nearly uncontained energy. “This is ridiculous! I made such a big deal out of wanting to be able to do this myself, and I’m going to do it. So what if I’m nervous? I was nervous when I first asked her out, and it turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

“That’s great, Twilight!” Rarity said as she got to her hooves, keeping a safe distance in case Twilight made any more sudden movements. “I was planning on giving you some advice about how I deal with stress, but it looks as if you don’t need that.”

“Actually, I probably do,” Twilight said, her voice suddenly a bit shaky. “I’ll still be nervous. I just have to deal with it better.”

“Why don’t you just do whatever it is you when you have a big test coming up?” Spike asked. “You manage to handle that stress just fine.”

“I handle that stress by studying so that I’m well prepared,” Twilight shook her head. “And previous experience has told me that it doesn’t really work when it comes to romance.”

“In that case, I should be able to help you,” Rarity winked. “Needless to say, I have plenty of experience working under stress with frayed nerves. It doesn’t matter how many fashion shows I’ve done; my knees always seem to get wobbly as the first dresses go out.”

“Well, how do you get through it?”

“The first step is to refocus your attention. Stop thinking about the things that are beyond your control, and think about what you can control.”

“Okay,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath. “Well, I’ve already taken care of the reservations. I know that my schedule is free, and I know Applejack didn’t have anything going on.”

“Good, good.” Rarity nodded. “What else?”

“You offered to take care of the dresses, so I won’t have to worry about that…”

Rarity nodded.

“And Spike is going to keep Pinkie distracted while I’m gone.”

Spike grinned. “She’s going to teach me how to make Maud’s Crushed Quartz Eclairs!”

“In that case,” Rarity said, her voice thick with anticipation, “the only thing left is” —her eyes gleamed— “the ring!”

“Actually, not quite,” Twilight said, “I won’t have a ring.”

“What?!” Rarity’s jaw dropped, and for a moment it looked like she would faint. “T-twilight! I know that you’re by no means obligated to hold to tradition, but even so, I—”

“Relax, Rarity,” Twilight said, a grin on her face. “You’re being too literal.”

“W-whatever do you mean?”

“Come on, you know what you do with the ring, don’t you, Rarity?” Twilight asked, still smirking. She glanced knowingly at Spike, who stifled a giggle.

“Of course! It’s given to one’s beloved as a symbol of dedication and intent for the relationship to endure!”

“No,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “Well, yes, but that’s not what I asked. What do you do with it.”

“Well, you give it to the pony you intend to marry and place on their…” She paused for a moment. “Oh.”

“Yeah, it confused me at first, too,” Twilight said. “Earth ponies obviously don’t use horn rings; they have other types of engagement jewelry.”

“Oh, I see,” Rarity let out a sigh of relief. “Don’t do that, Twilight.” She cleared her throat and regained her composure. “I’m assuming that you’ve put plenty of thought into deciding what, exactly, you will be giving her? You realize you’re cutting it quite close.”

“I’ve done more than just think about it.” Twilight turned and began to ascend the stairs to her room. “Follow me.”

A few minutes later, Rarity watched Twilight drag an old trunk out from under her bed. After half a minute of some sort of complex spellwork that Rarity couldn’t even begin to understand, the latch popped open. “I’ve known for months that I was going to ask her eventually,” Twilight said as she lifted the lid. “It just wasn’t until recently that I resolved to do it sooner rather than later.”

Rarity craned her neck to look into the trunk. Obviously, the majority of the contents were things of sentimental value to Twilight. But what caught her attention was the upturned, familiar-looking hat. Tucked into the hat’s opening was a small box, of the sort that jewelry was stored in.

Twilight gently lifted it out and opened it. “Take a look.”

Rarity’s eyes widened. The radiance was so great that it seemed to glow. “Twilight, is that a…”

“A Fire Ruby? Yes, it is.” She snapped the case closed and gave it to Spike, who began to examine it closely. “Spike has been helping me age it properly for the past few weeks. I’ve arranged to have Fluttershy drop it off at the jeweler’s tomorrow to be put in a necklace. I was briefly thinking of having it put in a bracelet, but I think that would bother her while she walks, and it would bother me because it would throw off her symmetry.”

“Of course.

“So do you think that the Fire Ruby is a good idea? Do you want to see the type of necklace I was planning to have it put in?”

“Twilight,” Rarity said with a smile. “I don’t think you have any cause to worry. That ruby is absolutely magnificent, and I can’t possibly imagine Applejack thinking that it’s anything but beautiful. The only real question I have is how you managed to work yourself up so much when you clearly have everything well in hoof.”

“At least you don’t have to deal with it all the time.” Spike mumbled. He held up the ruby, which he had been examining through a magnifier. “Well, it’s definitely ready for the jeweler.” He handed it back to Twilight. Then he muttered to himself. “Waste of a good snack, though.”

“Thanks, Spike.” She put the precious gem back into the trunk. “I know that I have everything planned out, but that’s part of why it’s so frustrating. I know in my head that there’s no good reason to be worried, but the rest of me apparently didn’t get the memo.”

“Worries tend to be like that,” Rarity said. “The key is to not let them overwhelm you. Now then, why don’t we go and look through some dress designs. It’ll be one less thing for both of us to worry about if we can get an idea of what you’d like to wear. Normally I would be going to bed soon, but I believe your excitement is rubbing off on me!”

“Sounds like a plan!” Twilight smiled as she closed the trunk. “Let’s get going.”

Spike cleared his throat. “Do you need a pincushion, Rarity?”

“No, I’m afraid not. We’re simply looking over some designs,” she said, gently tweaking his spines with her hoof. “Though if I’m ever in need of assistance, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

He nodded dumbly.

“Besides, it’s getting late, and you need to get your sleep,” Twilight said as she headed down the stairs. “Goodnight, Spike.”

“Goodnight.” he waved at the two ponies as they went.

Rarity looked back over her shoulder. “You really did do a spectacular job with that fire ruby, Spike.”

“T-thanks!” He beamed.

Rarity returned the smile, and followed Twilight down the stairs.