//------------------------------//
// That Time and Absence Proves Rather Helps than Hurts to Loves// Story: A Delicate Balance// by JapaneseTeeth//------------------------------//

	This is nearly unbelievable.  To think that we’d still be together after so long. I suppose I should have known.  Applejack’s always been there for me; no reason it would be different now.  But still, it’s just crazy to think that we’ve been together for nearly a year...
	
	
	
	Absence, hear thou my protestation
	   Against thy strength,
	   Distance and length:
	Do what thou canst for alteration,
	   For hearts of truest mettle
	   Absence doth join and Time doth settle. 
	
	—That Time and Absence Proves Rather Helps than Hurts to Loves,
	John Donne 
	
	“So tell me again why we can't go camping with Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash?” Sweetie Belle glared at her sister. Or she would have, if Rarity wasn't hidden from view behind a stack of fabric rolls. Sweetie’s face scrunched up as she tried to burn a hole through the material with the strength of her gaze. Luckily for Rarity, eyebeams were not Sweetie Belle's special talent.
	
	Rarity gave an exasperated sigh. “Which reason would you like? There are so many to choose from.”
	
	“Uh, all of them!”
	
	Rarity poked her head out from behind her work station. Her mane was starting to look a bit crinkled, and the bags under her eyes were a little bigger than usual. “Well, for starters there's the fact that I'm quite busy.”
	
	“But you're always busy!” Sweetie Belle grumbled. “That's never stopped you before!”
	
	“There are different types of 'busy.' If it was a simple fitting job I would gladly put it on hold, but this is different! Twilight and Applejack's first anniversary is coming up, and I told them I'd make them new dresses. That is one deadline that I will not miss.”
	
	“Then why didn't you start on it earlier?” Sweetie asked. “You're the one who's always telling me not to put off doing my homework!”
	
	“Because I had other work due with even more imminent deadlines! I did not put this off because I was off trying to build my own hot air balloon, like somepony else I could mention.”
	
	“We'll get it to lift off eventually! We just didn't use the right kind of fabric for the balloony part.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you suuuuuure you can't bring me along?”
	
	“Yes!” Rarity's eye twitched. “Even if I had the time, this isn't a casual outing. Do you even know what they're actually doing?”
	
	“I, uh...” Sweetie Belle shuffled through her thoughts and couldn't find the answer. “Camping?”
	
	“In a sense yes, but this isn't like that camping trip that you dragged me along on.” Rarity trotted over to her design wall and started to peruse the several dozen design variations she had pinned to it. “Cheerilee specifically asked Rainbow Dash to take the pegasi in your class Cloud Camping. As in camping in the clouds. Unless you've been hiding your wings all these years, I don't think you'd even be able to stay at the campsite. You'd fall right through!” 
	
	“Well, what about that spell that Twilight used when you all went to Rainbow Dash's flying contest!? Couldn't you use that on me so I could go?”
	
	An exceptionally loud “NO!” tried to leap out of Rarity's mouth, but she swallowed it down. “No, dear, I'm afraid not,” she said through gritted teeth. “I don't have the magical skill to cast that spell, and I'm sure Twilight has far better things to do than cast it for you. Like preparing for her anniversary date. Which, coincidentally enough, I must also prepare for.” She gestured at the half-completed ensembles draped over her dressforms.
	
	Sweetie Belle crossed her forelegs and pouted. “How come the pegasi get to go on a special camping trip?”
	
	“Because it's important that they learn about weather manipulation firsthoof, and not just from books. You'd probably find it quite boring, not being able to actually take part.”
	
	“Lucky. What about the rest of us?”
	
	“Well, I've heard that the earth ponies are going to visit Sweet Apple Acres so Granny Smith and Big Macintosh can talk about how earth pony magic influences the Zap Apple harvest.”
	
	“But what about me?”
	
	Rarity plucked a sketch off of the wall. “I believe that Twilight was planning to take all the unicorns on a trip to Canterlot to visit Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and—”
	
	“We're going to Canterlot!?” Sweetie Belle's eyes lit up. “That's so much better than sitting on some clouds!”
	
	“For once, we agree,” Rarity mumbled as she unrolled a length of fabric. “I'd much prefer traveling to Canterlot to going camping. In fact, why don't you go find Scootaloo and tell her about it?”
	
	“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle sprang to her hooves. “See you later, Rarity!” She spun around and galloped out the door.
	
	Rarity sighed happily and finally turned her full attention to her projects. “Now then, Applejack really ought to have a matching hat...”
	
	
	
	Scootaloo bounced up and down on her cloud, which currently hovered over Rainbow Dash’s training grounds. “So what are we going to do on the camping trip!? Are you going to show us some cool moves?”
	
	“That's gonna be a surprise,” Rainbow Dash called back. “Are all the pylons lined up?”
	
	Scootaloo's wings buzzed. Her cloud hung in the air for a moment, and then began to drift forward. As the cloud floated towards the row of vapor columns that Rainbow Dash had set up, she spun around and powered herself in the other direction. The cloud coasted to a stop. She squinted down the row. “The third one from the end needs to go to the left a little!”
	
	“Your left or my left?”
	
	“Uh...” Scootaloo pointed. “That way.”
	
	“Got it!” Rainbow Dash gave one of the clouds a shove. “You have all the spinners together?”
	
	“Of course. I put together a bounce pad too!”
	
	“Awesome! Long range hoofbump!” She thrust a hoof at Scootaloo, who returned the gesture. “Did you go and do my laundry, too?”
	
	“Nope.” Scootaloo shook her head. “I could if you wanted me to!”
	
	“Nah, that's okay.” Rainbow Dash darted over to Scootaloo's cloud and landed next to her. “You've done more than enough. It would have taken me all afternoon to set this up on my own. Even with Applejack helping it would've taken forever.”
	
	Scootaloo's eyes lit up. “I'm a better helper than Applejack!?”
	
	“Well, for this anyway. You can actually, you know, move the clouds around without me having to condense them first. ”
	
	“Can I be your assistant on the camping trip?”
	
	“I don't know about that. Cheerilee says I'm not supposed to give any of the students special treatment. But hey, if I need a volunteer for something...”
	
	“Cool!” Scootaloo saluted. “I'll do my best.”
	
	“Thanks, kid.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Seriously, if it wasn't for you I don't know how I'd have managed. Ever since Applejack and Twilight started going out, she barely has time to help me train anymore!” She tapped her chin. “It's crazy; I never thought they'd be together for this long.”
	
	“You didn't think Twilight and Applejack would stay together!?” Scootaloo said with a gasp.
	
	“That's not what I meant!” Rainbow Dash shook her head violently. “When they first got together I just sorta thought 'Yeah, cool. They're an awesome couple' and left it at that. I never really thought much about where they'd be like a year later. I guess it just hit me how long it's really been.”
	
	“It is kinda weird that it's been a year.”
	
	“You're telling me! It's almost like I'm just getting used to it. I used to have to work to remember that they were a thing, you know? Now it's just normal.”
	
	“Does that mean you're used to having me as your training assistant?”
	
	Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. “You're definitely getting there.” She ruffled Scootaloo's mane. “Real close.”
	
	“So if I'm gonna be your assistant, you have to tell me what we're doing on the camping trip. You know, so I'll be able to help!”
	
	“Well, first we're gonna—” The realization struck Dash. “Nice try. You'll just have to wait and see like everypony else! But trust me, me and Thunderlane have got some pretty awesome stuff planned! You're gonna love it.”
	
	“Thunderlane is coming along?”
	
	“Well, yeah. I might be awesome, but there's no way I can handle that many of you at once. Besides, somepony's gotta take care of the colts, right? Thunderlane's brother is in your class, isn't he? That's why Cheerilee wanted him to come along. What was that colt's name again?”
	
	Scootaloo looked away. “W-whose name?”
	
	“Thunderlane's brother.”
	
	“Oh, him. Yeah, uh, I think he might be in my class. Um... let me think. His name was... Rumble. I think, at least. I don't really know.”
	
	“You don't, huh?” Rainbow Dash allowed herself a sly smile. “Because Thunderlane and I were discussing the plans for the trip, and he said that Rumble has a bit of a thing with one of the fillies in his class. You wouldn't happen to know who that is, would you?”
	
	“N-no!” Scootaloo did her best to keep her cheeks from flushing. “Why would I know anything about that?”
	
	“Well, he's in your class, and Cheerilee said that you two worked really well together when she assigned you a group project—”
	
	“Oh, that!” Scootaloo forced a laugh. “That was nothing. I mean, it was nice that we got an 'A' on it, but it doesn't mean I know him all that well or anything.”
	
	“Yeah. Right.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.
	
	“Yeah! I mean we talk sometimes, but... uh... that's... Oh look! It's Sweetie Belle! You didn't need me for anything else right now, did you?”
	
	“Nope, I think I'm pretty much set up right now. See you the day after tomorrow.”
	
	Scootaloo prepared to hop off the cloud, but stopped. “But what about tomorrow?”
	
	“Tomorrow I have to make sure the sky is clear for Twilight and Applejack's anniversary date.”
	
	“Oh, right. Well, see you later!” She sighed in relief and hopped off the cloud, landing on another clump of vapor below her and gliding down to where Sweetie Belle was trotting down the path.
	
	Rainbow Dash snickered. “I hope I wasn't that obvious when I was a filly.”
	
	
	
	“Hi-yah!” Apple Bloom shouted. Her rear hooves thumped against the tree trunk. Big Macintosh had told her that yelling as she bucked the trees just wasted energy, but she didn't believe him. He just didn't like talking, even if it wasn't actual words. Rainbow Dash had the right idea. When she had been talking about her karate moves she said that doing a yell helped a pony focus, or gather more juju or whatever. Apple Bloom poked her snout over the edge of the basket.
	
	Yeah, shouting definitely helped.
	
	Her basket was nearly full. She grinned. That tree had been a particularly thick-trunked one too. Another week or so and she'd be able to get a full basket. Maybe by next year's harvest she'd have caught up to Applejack and would be able to knock every single apple off the tree.
	
	Her grin faded a little. Applejack was supposed to be training her today. But nope, she was having dinner at the library tonight. Apple Bloom snorted and kicked the tree, filling another basket. Her only consolation was that Applejack had promised to bring some of Spike's famous nachos back to the house.
	
	“Nice one, Apple Bloom!”
	
	She looked up to see Sweetie Belle. “Oh, hey,” she said.
	
	Sweetie clapped her hooves. “You'll be bucking whole trees in no time!” She looked back over her shoulder. “Unlike Scootaloo! She can't even keep up with me any more!”
	
	“I can, too!” Scootaloo gasped as she finally caught up. “I was helping Rainbow Dash all afternoon! If I was well-rested, I could totally out-buck both of you combined!”
	
	“I doubt it,” Apple Bloom said with a snort. “I've been practicin'!”
	
	“Yeah, Apple Bloom has been training!” Sweetie Belle said. “And she has Applejack helping her! There's no way you could outbuck her!”
	
	“Actually, I've been trainin' on my own lately.” Apple Bloom shoved the full basket to the side. “Applejack's been too busy with her lovey-dovey stuff, so she hasn't been teachin' me half as often as she used to.”
	
	“What about Big Macintosh?” Scootaloo asked.
	
	“He's been helpin' me about as much as he always did. Which ain't that much. It's nice spendin' some time with him, but he doesn't really have many pointers. He's always like 'you just gotta keep at it, and you'll get it down.' It's not what you'd really call helpful.”
	
	“What, is he busy taking Miss Cheerilee out or something?” Sweetie Belle asked.
	
	“Nah, he's actually been pretty good about it. He never did teach me as much as AJ did. He always said she'd do a better job of explainin' stuff to me. Which she might be, if she was actually here.” She bucked the tree with one leg. She got a third of a basket. “And lately, even he's been busy. Apparently Miss Cheerilee wanted him to put somethin' together for school. A field trip here on the farm or somethin'.”
	
	“Yeah, my sister was telling me about that!” Sweetie Belle said. “She said that Twilight is going to take all the unicorns in the class to visit Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot!”
	
	“And Rainbow Dash is gonna take all the pegasi cloud camping so she can teach us about weather and stuff!” Scootaloo thrust a hoof into the air. “It's gonna be awesome!”
	
	“That ain't fair!” Apple Bloom stomped her hooves. “How come everypony else gets to do the cool stuff and I get stuck on this stupid farm!”
	
	“Uh, are you okay?” Scootaloo cocked her head to the side. “You seem a bit... grumpy.”
	
	“Grumpy? I ain't grumpy!”
	
	“Uh, you kind of are,” Sweetie Belle said.
	
	“Okay, maybe I'm a little grumpy.” Apple Bloom slumped down against the tree trunk, as if the weight of all the effort she had put into her practice had hit her at once. “It's just that nothin's been fair lately! I haven't been able to hang out with Applejack or Big Macintosh as much, we haven’t crusaded in like a week, and now everypony else gets to go do cool stuff!”
	
	“Come on!” Scootaloo took a seat beside Apple Bloom. “Sweet Apple Acres is pretty cool! I mean, it's not like there's anything in the clouds anyway!”
	
	“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “And we'll probably just have to listen to Twilight talk about boring magic stuff for hours! I'll probably fall asleep or something.”
	
	“I guess.” Apple Bloom sighed. “But at least you get to go someplace else. We're not even leavin' Ponyville! Sweet Apple Acres is great, but I live here. Why would I want to go on a field trip to my own home? And I'll have to put up with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, too!” She shuddered. “That's not gonna be any fun.”
	
	Sweetie Belle thought for a moment. “Yeah, that doesn't sound like much fun.”
	
	For a rare moment, the three fillies were silent.
	
	“WHO CARES!?” Scootaloo sprang to her hooves. “You're right! We haven't been crusading enough lately! Why don't we go and try to get our cutie marks in... uh...”
	
	“Floristry!” Sweetie Belle suggested.
	
	“Yeah! There are all sorts of flowers and stuff around Fluttershy's cottage!” Scootaloo said. “Why don't we head down there and just have some fun?”
	
	“Well, I was gonna practice some more...” Apple Bloom's eyes wandered towards the tree she had been bucking. Most of the apples were gone. “Sure! Let's go.” Apple Bloom stood. “I got better things to do than kick a tree.”
	
	
	
	“Oh my.” Fluttershy watched out her window as the Cutie Mark Crusaders manhandled the rose bush outside her kitchen. The bush would be fine; that wasn’t what she was worried about. The problem was that like all other rose bushes, this one had a built-in defense mechanism, and that it was only a matter of time before the CMC encountered it. She opened one of her cabinets and began to search for her first-aid kit.
	
	“OUCH!” It was loud enough that the window rattled. Fluttershy shook her head and began to take a bandage out of the box. A moment later, Apple Bloom tottered through the door, supported by the other two crusaders.
	
	“Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked.
	
	“No!” Apple Bloom stuck out her hoof, revealing a large thorn lodged in the central groove.
	
	“That looks like it hurts.” Fluttershy examined the injury. Short of punching the bush, she wasn't entirely sure how anypony could get a thorn lodged so deeply.
	
	“That's 'cause it does!” Apple Bloom bawled.
	
	“I see...” Fluttershy eyed the trio. She had pricked herself on that rosebush a lot of times trying to get Angel out when he hid beneath it to sulk. The thorn was stuck quite deep in Apple Bloom's hoof, but there was no way it hurt that much. Especially for a rough-and-tumble filly like Apple Bloom. “Girls?” She eyed the two unscathed— slightly less scathed fillies. “Could you please wait outside while I get Apple Bloom fixed up?”
	
	They nodded and bounded out the door. Fluttershy sighed in relief. Her furniture was safe for another day. Or another twenty minutes, at least. She turned her attention back to Apple Bloom.
	
	“Hold still, okay? It's probably going to hurt when I pull the thorn out.”
	
	Apple Bloom nodded sullenly and gritted her teeth. Fluttershy leaned forward, and as fast as she could manage, plucked the thorn from Apple Bloom’s hoof.
	
	“OW!”
	
	“It's okay, Apple Bloom,” Fluttershy said, rubbing the ear that had been next to Apple Bloom's mouth. “It's out. Let me just clean it up.” Fluttershy took a clean towel from her cabinet and dabbed at the filly’s hoof. “So, what else is wrong?”
	
	“What do you mean?” Apple Bloom sniffed. “I stepped on a giant thorn. That's it. I'm fine.”
	
	“Really?” Fluttershy made a sideways glance at Apple Bloom's face. Tears were still gathering in the corners of her eyes. “You don't look fine. You're too tough to be so sad just because you got pricked by a rose bush.”
	
	“It's... uh... nothin'...” She couldn't look Fluttershy in the eyes.
	
	“Nothing?”
	
	Apple Bloom sighed. Her sister's element had rubbed off on her. “I guess I am feelin' a bit down.”
	
	“Do you mind telling me why?”
	
	“I dunno. A bunch of stuff I guess. I haven't been able to hang out with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle as much, 'cause Scootaloo is spendin' more time with Rainbow Dash, and Rarity is actually startin' to teach Sweetie Belle how to sew. Applejack was supposed to be teachin' me how to buck apples, but ever since she and Twilight got together she hasn't had as much time. It's not fair.”
	
	“So you want to spend more time with your sister?”
	
	“Yeah. That's part of it, I guess. It's more that sometimes I get the feelin' that she's only helpin' me at all because she's supposed to.”
	
	“Really?” Fluttershy put the towel aside and began to wrap a bandage around Apple Bloom’s hoof. “That doesn’t sound like her.”
	
	“Like I used to always help AJ collect all the rotten apples that fell off the trees early, but a while back she asked if it would be okay if Twilight helped out too. It was okay for a while, but after a few times it wasn't any fun anymore. I felt like I was gettin' in the way of the two of them, so I just left them alone.”
	
	“Well, it's only natural that Twilight and Applejack would want to spend a bit more time together-”
	
	“I know that! I just wish that when she's with Twilight, it wouldn't come out of our time. I mean, she's my sister.”  Apple Bloom attempted to cross her forelegs, but Fluttershy held on to her hoof.
	
	“She may be, but unfortunately, that doesn't mean she can still spend as much time with you as she used to. There's nothing wrong with her wanting to spend time with Twilight. I mean, she isn't ignoring you or anything, is she?”
	
	“...No. Not on purpose anyway,” Apple Bloom admitted. “She still tries to make time for me. It just doesn't work out enough. It's not fair.”
	
	“So, um, would you say that you're maybe a little bit jealous of Twilight?”
	
	“I... maybe just a little bit. Does that make me a bad sister?”
	
	“I don't think so,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “Have you talked to her about it at all?"
	
	“No. That would be weird.” 
	
	“I think you should anyway.” Fluttershy finished tying the bandage. “She might just not realize what's going on.”
	
	“You think so?”  Apple Bloom stood and took a few light steps on her newly bandaged hoof.
	
	“Well, back when Applejack and Twilight first started going out, I was worried that they wouldn't have time for me anymore either. But once I told Twilight how I felt, she made sure that we had some time. I think if you talk to Applejack, she'll try to make more time for you.”
	
	“Wasn't it kinda... awkward to talk to her about that, though?”
	
	“A little bit, yes. But it was worth it. I'm sure she'll understand.”
	
	“I-I'll think about it, I guess.” Apple Bloom looked at her hoof, which was now wrapped tightly. “Uh, I should get goin'. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are probably wonderin' what's taken so long. Thanks for the advice, though.”
	
	Fluttershy nodded as she watched Apple Bloom trot away. “You're welcome! And please stop playing around in my rosebushes!”
	
	
	
	Pinkie Pie held out a hoof. “Spoon!”
	
	“Spoon!” A clawed hand pressed it into her inexplicable grip.
	
	A moment later— “Spatula!”
	
	“Spatula!”
	
	“Pastry bag!” she said.
	
	“Pastry bag!”
	
	“Mid-sized Number Three Frosting Applicator Tip!”
	
	“Mid-sized Number... uh... what number was it again?” Spike asked.
	
	“Three.”
	
	“Here.”
	
	“Perfect!” Pinkie stepped back from the cake,  which utterly dominated Sugarcube Corner’s even-more-messy-than-usual kitchen.  Sure, Twilight and Applejack hadn’t requested one quite this big, but if it was worth baking it was worth over-baking.  Besides, the bigger the cake, the more room Pinkie had to work her magic. “That looks just like Twilight and Applejack, doesn't it?”
	
	Spike hopped up on a stool to get a good look at Pinkie's work.  The technical aspects were... better than Pinkie usually managed.  The content, however—  “Uh, it sure does look like them...”
	
	“I know! It's perfect!”
	
	“I don't know about that...”
	
	“Why? What's wrong with it?” Pinkie asked.
	
	“Well, you got Applejack's hat right, and I love the detail in Twilight's mane, but... I don't think I've ever seen them doing... that.”
	
	“You've never seen them kiss before?” Pinkie tilted her head. “Have you, like, never been in the same room with the two of them? They always kiss each other hello!”
	
	“They sure do. But I don't think I've ever seen them get that... into it. You know, they're usually not that... grabby.”
	
	“It's artistic license!” Pinkie said. “Or like, symbolic or something. I just thought I'd change it up a little to make it more memorable.”
	
	“Oh, it's memorable all right.”
	
	“I'll ask somepony else then.” Pinkie spun around and yelled into the foyer. “Hey, Mrs. Cake!”
	
	Mrs. Cake poked her head into the kitchen. “Yes, Pinkie? We're rather busy dealing with the twins.”
	
	“It'll only take a second! Can you just look at this cake frosting and tell me if I got it right? Spike thinks I need to do it over.”
	
	“I suppose so. Carrot can handle the twins for a moment.” She stepped into the kitchen, stepping around the frosting splotches that covered the floor and trying not to think of how long it would take to clean up.  She glanced at the cake and instantly wished she had decided to deal with the kids instead. “Oh my.”
	
	“Isn't it cool!?”
	
	“Um, I'm not sure it's quite appropriate for an anniversary party,” Mrs. Cake said carefully, “especially if others will be eating it. Having them kissing is fine, but not with such... gusto.”
	
	“What's gusto?” Pinkie tilted her head. “Is that like spunk?”
	
	“I suppose so.” Mrs. Cake shuddered. “The art itself is quite good, but you really need to decorate the cake with something more... mild. Perhaps a simple hug.”
	
	“A hug!? But that's boring!  Anypony can hug!”  Pinkie balanced on her back legs so she could put her hooves on her hips, and promptly tottered backward.  Spike darted forward, propping her up before she fell into the gigantic mixing bowl.
	
	“I'm sure Twilight and Applejack won't mind.” Mrs. Cake turned to Spike. “Make sure she does a nice job, okay?”  She leaned in and whispered. “And please try to keep Pinkie from getting any more frosting on the ceiling.”
	
	“Yes, Ma'am!” Spike saluted.
	
	“Great. Now, I must really help my husband out. The twins are quite a hoofful, you know.” She spun around and sped out of the kitchen.
	
	“Awww.” Pinkie sighed. “I worked all morning on that! This would be so much faster if Twilight were here!” She remembered who her assistant was. “Uh, not that you haven't been helpful.”
	
	“It's fine. This sure beats doing inventory.” He groaned. “I had to sort through the botany section today. Cakes are way more interesting. Besides, it's not like Twilight should help out with her own cake.”
	
	“That's totally true! I gotta make sure this is the best cake ever! Except for a birthday cake. Or maybe their wedding cake, if they ever get married.”
	
	“M-married?”  Spike’s eyes widened.  
	
	“Well, yeah. That's what you do after you date for a while, isn't it?”
	
	“I-I guess so. I just never really thought about it.” Spike didn't sweat often. He was sweating now.  And not just because it was now his responsibility to keep the kitchen intact. “You really think Twilight is going to get married?”
	
	“Probably. It's not like she's just going to keep dating Applejack forever. That would be boring. I mean, they're probably not going to get hitched any time soon, but who knows?”
	
	“R-right.” Spike stared blankly at the frosting tub. “Soon.”
	
	“Say, do you think we should scrape the frosting off of the top of the cake, or should we just put another layer down over it?”
	
	Spike shivered as he snapped out of his thoughts. “F-frosting?”
	
	“Yeah, you're right.” Pinkie nodded. “It's definitely better to have more frosting. I'll put another layer down.”
	
	
	
	Cheerilee shuffled through one of the stacks of papers that littered her desk, searching for the report card that she could have sworn was in her hoof not thirty seconds ago.  She gave up and decided to finish her thoughts from memory.
	
	“So in summary, Apple Bloom has been applying herself a lot more this semester. She's been paying better attention in class, her math grades are up by five full points, and most surprisingly, her science fair project didn't cause any damage to the schoolhouse this year!”  
	
	“Eeyup. I disabled the rocket,” Big Macintosh said.
	
	“And thank you for that! After last year's volcano incident I don't think I have the budget to patch another hole in the roof. I bet you were behind her math grades too, weren't you?”
	
	“I helped with her homework.”
	
	“I should've known.” Cheerilee's eyelashes fluttered as she leaned further across the desk. “It's so wonderful that you've made the time to help your sister. You'll make a wonderful father some day.”
	
	Somehow, Big Macintosh managed to blush. He cleared his throat.
	
	“Sorry, sorry.” Cheerilee leaned back. “I suppose this is why Applejack normally handles Apple Bloom's school conferences. It's a bit tough to remember that you're here as her guardian rather than as my... you know.”
	
	Macintosh smiled. “Yes. Applejack wanted to come, but she's busy. Her anniversary is coming up. I told her that I would take care of it. No reason to give her something else to worry about. She can use today to get ready.”
	
	“That's right!” Cheerilee gasped. “That means that our anniversary is coming up! I almost forgot!”
	
	“Don't worry.” Big Macintosh raised one eyebrow, the rest of his face remaining exactly the same. “I have something planned.”
	
	“Really? Are we going out to dinner? A movie? A picnic? Ooh, I heard that there's going to be a concert held in town hall soon.”
	
	Big Mac cleared his throat and tapped one of the papers on Cheerilee's desk.
	
	“Oh, there it is! I guess I got carried away again. Like I was saying, Apple Bloom is doing quite well this semester. Her writing seems to have gotten a bit messier lately, and she still has difficulty getting to class on time. Though I'm sure the latter is more the fault of her friends than of your family. Still, you might want to give her a little talking to about the importance of being punctual.”
	
	“I will.”
	
	“Good. Well, I don't believe I have anything to discuss. At least not about Apple Bloom.” Cheerilee looked at the clock. “Mr. and Mrs. Rich are due to come by and I have quite a lot to say to them. I'll drop by the farm to see you after I finish up, okay?” She leaned over the desk and gave him a peck on the cheek. “See you later, Mac. Tell your family I said hello!”
	
	“I'll do that. Bye, Cheerilee. See you later.” He nodded and walked out the door.
	
	Cheerilee sighed and slumped back in her chair as she watched him go. “I hope Filthy Rich is half as sensible as he is,” she muttered.
	
	
	
	Bon Bon stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth, her face contorted in concentration as she hunched over a row of caramel-apple chocolates, all in the shape of hearts. Half of them were complete, with elegant apple patterns traced in delicate lines of colored white chocolate. The other half were... in progress. What business did Twilight have getting such a pointy cutie mark? Why couldn't she have just gotten a crystal ball, or something else that would be easy to imprint onto a tiny piece of chocolate? Bon Bon shook her head and reminded herself of how much she was getting paid.
	
	“Bon Bon! I did it!”
	
	The chocolate bag Bon Bon grasped between her hooves made an unappetizing squelching noise as it squirted its contents everywhere. She sighed, resisted the urge to kick something —all of her implements were too expensive to risk breaking— and turned to Lyra, who had just burst into the kitchen.
	
	“Did what?” Bon Bon asked, trying not to sound frustrated.
	
	“I convinced my boss at the restaurant to let me play the song that Twilight requested for their anniversary!”  Lyra struck a triumphant pose in the kitchen door.  Bon Bon silently hoped that Lyra wouldn’t proceed any further in; she had cleaned most of it already and Lyra wasn’t generally careful about tracking dirt in.
	
	“Really.”
	
	“Yeah, he says that since I've been working for so long I deserve a bit more freedom in determining what I play. Which is so much better than just playing the list of house music. Not to mention that if I play by myself I get more tips!” Lyra stepped into the room, for once making an effort to keep her tail and mane from getting into the cooking equipment that lined the walls. “What are you up to? Normally you aren't still working this late.”
	
	“I'm working on some orders,” Bon Bon said, gesturing towards the tray of chocolates. “Just wanted to get them finished.”
	
	“Ah, for Applejack and Twilight's anniversary!” Lyra sniffed loudly.  “They smell great! Which one of them made the order?” 
	
	“Both of them, actually. Applejack came in this morning to order some chocolates with Twilight's cutie mark on them. Then this afternoon Twilight came in. She wasn't sure what to order so I subtly suggested that she purchase the same kind of chocolates that Applejack requested, only with Applejack's cutie mark. I thought it would be a nice touch.”
	
	“That's great! And I'll be there to see the looks on their faces when they realize they got each other like the exact same box of chocolates.” 
	
	“You'll have to tell me all about it,” Bon Bon said.
	
	Lyra giggled. “I guess that explains why you’re working late. It wouldn’t have been much of a surprise if Twilight saw you making them. But why didn’t you at least make her side of the order? She obviously knew about it.”
	
	“Because I’d rather not have her hovering. You know how she can be.”  Bon Bon scooped more semi-molten chocolate into her decoration bag.  “She’d probably end up wanting to do it herself.”
	
	“And she hasn’t earned her way into the kitchen yet?” Lyra chuckled as she surveyed the room.  Long and narrow, and so crammed with chocolatiering paraphernalia that it was tough to even walk through it without knocking something over. 
	
	“No,” Bon Bon said bluntly.
	
	“I figured,” Lyra said with a shrug.  “I’m still kinda surprised you’ve started letting her put chocolates in the case and run the register.  She’d probably be great with decorating chocolates though.  Pinkie says she’s a great cupcake decorator!”
	
	Bon Bon’s glare nearly shoved Lyra out of the kitchen.  “Are you suggesting that I take business advice from Pinkie Pie?”
	
	“I-uh...” Lyra took a step back, and jostled a stack of bowls. “Mrs. Cake also says she’s a great decorator. Very meticulous.”
	
	“We’ll see,” Bon Bon said, turning her attention back to the tray of chocolates.  “I will admit that she’s actually been quite helpful so far.”
	
	Lyra grinned. “I told you she would be.”
	
	“I suppose you’re right.” She pushed the over-coated chocolate towards Lyra. “Do you want this? I obviously can't use it.”
	
	“Sure!” Lyra popped it into her mouth. “Mmm. That's good. Appley.”
	
	“Well, it is made with Sweet Apple Acres' apple caramel. It ought to be good. High quality chocolate, too.” She delicately picked up the frosting bag. “Now then, I really should finish these up. I'm still recovering from the Hearts and Hooves day rush, and I really want to get it over with.”
	
	Lyra carefully turned around and stepped out the door. “Of course, of course. I have to go practice Twilight's request anyway.” She looked back over her shoulder. “Oh, and by the way, my boss also got me a reservation tomorrow night. You free?”
	
	Bon Bon smiled for the first time that day. “I think I can find the time.”
	
	
	
	Celestia stared blankly at her letter. It wasn't really a letter; not yet. Right now it was just a greeting.  On a normal day, she would have no trouble filling the rest of the page, but tonight the words refused to come.
	
	The door behind her squeaked softly as Luna nudged it open. “Sister, you are late in bringing the sun down. It is nearly time for me to bring up the moon.”
	
	“I'm sorry, Luna. I was finishing something up. Or trying to, at any rate.”
	
	“Really? What could possibly be keeping you so occupied?”
	
	“Nothing that should be giving me this much trouble. Just writing a congratulatory note to Twilight and Applejack. They've been a couple for nearly a year now.”
	
	“Has it been a year already?” Luna asked. “It hardly seems like it has been so long. We ought to send them something. I believe the customary first year anniversary gift is a cheese wheel, correct?”
	
	Celestia stared incredulously at her sister. “Luna, nopony does that anymore.”
	
	Luna sighed. “I suppose it's one of those things that's changed over the years.”
	
	“What are you talking about? That tradition was obsolete even in Discord's time. It's been hundreds of years since anypony gave anypony else a cheese wheel for their anniversary.”
	
	“Well, that's a shame. What gift are you supposed to give them?”
	
	“Normally, you don't give them anything except your congratulations,” Celestia said. “Those in the relationship give gifts to each other. If they've been together for a truly extraordinary length of time, their close friends or family might celebrate with them, but one doesn't typically send them gifts on an occasion such as this one.”
	
	Luna stared at Celestia through narrowed eyes for a long moment. “As soon as I raise the moon, I'm going to go see the head chef and have him get a cheese wheel out of the larder.”
	
	“Suit yourself,” Celestia said. She put her quill back in the inkwell. She obviously wasn't going to think of anything to write. “Perhaps you can think of something you want to add to the letter. I suppose I should go lower the sun now; it's already a bit late.” She strode out of the room.
	
	Luna shrugged, and approached Celestia's desk, craning her neck over the letter. “'Dearest Twilight and Applejack,'” she read. “Huh, I would have thought she'd have gotten further than that. Oh well. I wonder if the two of them would prefer Cheddar or Gouda.”
	