# A Delicate Balance

## by JapaneseTeeth

### Break of Day

I can't believe that she actually said “Yes”! I knew that she wouldn't disown me or anything, but the idea that she'd actually be willing to go out with me... I still can hardly believe it. Part of me is still waiting for the other ho rseshoe to drop, for an alarm clock to go off and wake me up. It would be unbearable. But no, this can't be a dream. It makes too much sense to be a dream. There's no sea serpent in a rainbow wig, no giant donut balloons, no Diamond Dogs with lasers, no giant lightbulb laying waste to the town, nothing that would be in a dream. It's real. It happened. Applejack is my very special somepony.

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.

—Break of Day,

John Donne

“Come on, Pinkie! Let me have a turn!” Spike said as he ascended the steps to the balcony where Twilight's biggest and best telescope was set up. Conveniently enough, it also happened to be the one balcony with a clear view of the hill where Twilight and Applejack were currently... not doing much. For as long as Pinkie had had her eyes glued to the eyepiece, neither of them had really done anything. Well, Applejack had turned around really suddenly at one point, but other than that they were just talking. Which was all well and good for them, but it wasn't really interesting to watch.

“Yeah, they're not really doing much, though.” She backed away from the telescope. Spike scurried the rest of the way up and stood on his tiptoes, managing to just about, but not quite, get his eyes to the telescope.

“Uh, Pinkie. A little help please?”

“Sure!” A second later Spike found himself upside down, and rather high in the air. He would have worried about his landing, but by the time he managed to process the fact that Pinkie had launched him ceilingward, he had already landed on her back. “How's that?”

“Much better.” He put his eye to the telescope and found himself staring at a rather dark blur containing two other blurs, one slightly lighter, and one much lighter. He adjusted the focus. The slightly lighter blur turned into Twilight, and the much lighter blur turned into Applejack.

“Let me know if something happens, okay?” Pinkie said. “I don't want to miss anything.”

“Roger!” Spike gave a thumbs up.

“I still don't know why you insist on spying on them.” Rarity looked up from the Battlecloud board.

“Because I want to know what happens. Duh.” Pinkie shook her head in an “I thought you were smarter than that” manner. “I gotta know when they're on their way over so I know to get everything ready for the party!”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Aren't you being a bit optimistic?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You said 'they',” Rarity answered. “How do you know that they'll be returning here together? If Applejack chooses not to go through with this, do you really think that she'd accompany Twilight?”

“You're just being a pessisisimisist!” Pinkie snorted. “Why wouldn't Applejack want to be Twilight's very special somepony? They're both real good friends and they hang out all the time anyway! All they need to do is buy each other flowers for no reason, call each other mushy nicknames, and like once a month dress up really fancy and eat at a restaurant that costs too much. Besides, they'd be—”

“Adorable, I know.” Rarity turned her attention back to the game, which she was currently losing. “You do realize there's more to a relationship than just doing occasional 'couple things' and looking cute together, right?”

“Well, yeah, there's other stuff, but Applejack and Twilight are probably on top of all that.” Pinkie looked to Rainbow Dash, who was currently defeating Rarity in their fifth straight game of Battlecloud. “Isn't that right, Rainbow Dash? When you were talking to Applejack wasn't she like totally into it? You said that she said that she thought that Twilight would be a great marefriend for her!”

“Sure sounded like it.” Rainbow Dash continued to stare at her half of the game, only paying maybe half-attention to Pinkie. “I just had to give her a little nudge to actually go for it.”

“See?” Pinkie squealed. “They were practically an item already! They just didn't know it yet.”

“Really? You think that they were that close already?” Fluttershy said, her shaky voice barely obvious. “I didn't realize...”

“Pinkie is just exaggerating, dear.” Rarity wrinkled her nose as she plucked one of her clouds off of the game board. “Even assuming that Applejack is indeed positively disposed to the idea, that's no guarantee that she'll leap right into a relationship. She's far too levelheaded to rush into something of that nature.”

“You really think so?” Fluttershy asked. “That's good, I guess. I would hate to see them get hurt by trying to take things too fast. Maybe they should take it slowly to make sure that they don't mess things up.”

“Yeah, because Twilight hasn't been taking things slowly enough already.” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “You can only mull something over for so long before you gotta actually do something.”

Fluttershy fidgeted. “So do you think they'll go through with it? I think it might be a bit... hasty for Applejack to say 'yes' already.”

“Of course she will!” Pinkie called from her perch on the balcony. “I'm telling you, it's too cute for her to pass up! Think of the hat! The hat!”

“Oh, okay... Um, what do you think, Rainbow Dash?”

“Well, I don't think that it's a sure shot or anything, but I think there's a pretty good chance of them hooking up. Twilight is totally into it, and Applejack had a tough time coming up with reasons why it wouldn't work. She seemed a bit scared when it comes to actually going through with it, but I think Applejack is probably gonna give it a shot.” She turned back to her game. “Sky seven.”

“And there goes my cumulus.” Rarity sighed as she removed the last piece from her side of the board. “If you ask me, I think Twilight has an even chance of getting the answer she wants. Applejack could certainly see the merit in such a relationship, but she's no fan of changing the status quo. It's entirely possible that she might want to put things on hold for the moment. Then again, she might not. I truly have no idea. What do you think?”

“Um, well...” Fluttershy took a moment to find the right words. “I was thinking that she might want to think about it for more than a day or two, but if the rest of you think that she might not...” Her voice trailed off.

“Well, whatever happens, I'm sure that they'll be fine.” Rainbow Dash reached out to pat Fluttershy on the head. “Twilight is like the smartest pony in Equestria, and Applejack is definitely the most reliable pony I know. Even if she does turn Twilight down for some reason, she'll stick with her. She'd never leave Twi in the lurch like that.”

“You really think so?”

“Yup. I doubt it'll come to that, though. They'd totally stick together. Isn't that right, Pinkie?”

“It sure is!” Pinkie nodded so hard that Spike almost fell off of her back. “I might not know much about all that lovey dovey stuff, but I know that Twilight and Applejack would totally make each other happy, and that's what's really important. Well, that and the fact that if they join forces they'd totally be unstoppable! I mean, with Twilight's brain and Applejack's power, they could probably take over Ponyville if they wanted to! They could take all the pie for themselves!” She gasped, again very nearly dislodging Spike. “I should go check up on my secret pie stash!”

“Whoa! Hold still!” Spike managed to maintain his position by latching onto Pinkie's ears. “I can't see anything. And you don't even have a secret pie stash, anyway.”

“You're right!” Pinkie gasped again, this time keeping it reserved enough that Spike didn't go anywhere. “I have a cake stash, a cupcake stash, a chocolate stash, and a second cupcake stash, but I don't have a pie stash. I really need to get that together. Maybe I could build a secret pie compartment under my bed...”

“Why are you so worried about it, anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Sure, they don't really know what they're doing, but come on, does anypony really get this whole romance thing? They'll be fine.”

“Well, I guess I just don't want them to get hurt.”

Rarity smiled warmly. “Fluttershy, none of us want them to get hurt, but there's only so much we can do. At this point all we can really do is trust them to figure it out. Are you sure that there isn't anything else that's been bothering you?”

“Um...well...” Fluttershy briefly considered vocalizing the thought that had flickered to the forefront of her mind. Then she thought better of it. “...It's nothing.”

“Are you sure? You have been a bit taciturn lately. Moreso than usual at least.”

Fluttershy sighed. She knew Rarity probably had no intent of pressuring anything out of her, but that fact didn't stop Fluttershy from feeling the pressure anyway. She bit her lip as she searched for the answer that required her to say as little as possible. “It's nothing important,” she said. “It's just that ever since she started paying so much attention to Applejack I haven't really talked to her much. She hasn't really had the time.”

“Oh, that's it?” Rainbow Dash said. “Twilight's not gonna dump you just because she has the hots for Applejack. Sure, she might be kinda preoccupied at the moment, but what did you expect? It's kind of a big deal for her. Once she gets everything hashed out with Applejack I'm sure she'll totally hang out with you again. Anyway, you want to take me on in Battlecloud? I think Rarity is starting to get sick of losing.”

“No, that's alright. I usually lose in Battlecloud even when I'm not playing against you.”

“I still don't get it,” Rarity grumbled. “How on earth can you dominate so thoroughly at a luck based game!?”

“It's all about knowing your opponent.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Hey Spike, is there anything interesting going on?”

“Nope, not yet. They're just talking.” He adjusted the focus once again. “Wait, it looks like Applejack is doing something.”

“...but if I put the secret compartment in my closet, I'd have room for eight pies, even though it would be harder to get—” Pinkie's ears perked up. “Did you say that Applejack is doing something?”

“Yeah, it looks like she's taking off her hat and—” Spike didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before once again finding himself spiraling through the air. This time it was Rainbow Dash who caught him.

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE” Pinkie squealed and clapped her hooves as she stared through the telescope. “I was right! Applejack gave Twilight her hat! It's so cuuuute!♥ ”

“You know, you coulda asked,” Spike said as Rainbow Dash lowered him to the floor.

Rarity shook her head. “Pinkie, you could at least pretend to give them some semblance of privacy. Couple or not, they deserve a bit of—”

“Shhhh!” Pinkie waved an impatient hoof at Rarity. “They're going to kiss!”

“WHAT!?” The only pony in Ponyville with the ability to teleport was Twilight, but Rarity came close to simulating the effect. The word still hung in the air when Rarity bodyslammed Pinkie away from the telescope. “Oh my! They really are kissing!” She began to canter in place.

“What kind of kiss?” Rainbow Dash asked, lasciviously wagging an eyebrow.

“Nothing particularly fancy.” The canter slowed to a trot. “They seem to be keeping it simple.”

“Aw, that's boring,” Rainbow Dash snorted. “Still, good for them. After all that waffling I guess I gave them the push they needed to make it official.”

“Official?” Fluttershy gasped. “Can they do that so quickly?”

“Okay, so it's not like official official,” Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. “Although knowing Twilight she might have some paperwork lined up.”

“Yeah, but Applejack would never stand for that!” Pinkie bounced frantically around the library, expelling streamers and confetti from her mane. “She hates paperwork! Although I doubt she'd break up with Twilight over that. She'd probably just have Big Macintosh fill it out for her. Apparently he's actually pretty good at that stuff. Like when I had to do my taxes last year, he—”

Rainbow Dash silenced her with a hoof in the mouth. “Will you just be quiet and focus on setting up the party or whatever it is you're doing?” Pinkie nodded and went back to bouncing, this time humming to herself in lieu of speech.

“Do we really know that they're together?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, it would be kind of embarrassing if we have a party and it turns out that they aren't.”

“I'm pretty sure they wouldn't kiss if they weren't getting together.”

“I don't know.” Fluttershy pawed at the floor. “I mean, not all kisses have to be romantic. I sometimes give my animals a goodnight kiss.”

“That was no goodnight kiss,” Rarity said. “And given how they seem to be nuzzling at the moment it seems that Rainbow Dash is right!” She squealed in excitement. “They did it. They actually did it! I can hardly believe it.”

“Why can't you believe it?” Fluttershy tilted her head.

“Well, I suppose I can believe it, it's just that after watching Twilight hem and haw for weeks it's just so satisfying to see her finally get what she wants. I'm sure they'll make a lovely pair.”

“Oh, okay.” Fluttershy nodded. “I guess you're right. The two of them really would—”

“No time for that!” Pinkie interrupted. “We have to get everything set up before they get back! Fluttershy, you and Rainbow Dash get on hanging the banners and balloons! Rarity, you keep on lookout. Spike, you get the punch out of the fridge! I'll finish frosting the cake!”

“Cake?” Rainbow Dash scratched her head. “What ca— oh.” A cake that hadn't been there thirty seconds before now sat in the middle of the room on a table that hadn't been there thirty seconds ago. Pinkie was, astoundingly, not bouncing. She stood still as a statue, except for the slight movement of her pipping bag as she traced a pattern in the frosting. Rainbow Dash stepped closer. She had never seen Pinkie Pie move so slowly.

Without warning, Pinkie's head spun 180 degrees, the piping bag dropping onto the table with a splat. “What are you waiting for!?”

“EEYAAHH!” Rainbow Dash leaped backward into the air. “Okay okay! The banner! I'll get right on it!”

Spike tried and failed to stifle a laugh. “That's great, Pinkie! You've been hanging out with Owlowiscious, haven't you?”

“Yeah.” Pinkie smiled and nodded. “He plays Gummy in checkers every other Thursday.” Her brow suddenly furrowed. “Punch! Refrigerator! MOVE!”

“Will do!” He saluted and scurried into the kitchen.

“Rarity, what's our estimated ETA on the incoming couple?”

“They definitely seem to be walking in this direction. I'd estimate that they'll get here in about ten minutes.”

“You hear that, girls? We have ten minutes to get this set up, and unless they break up and then get together again, we're only going to be able to do this once! So let's make it count!”

“This is so cool!” Each of Twilight's steps shivered with nervous energy. “I never even dreamed that something like this could happen! Well, I kinda did, but I never thought it actually would happen!” Applejack couldn't help but smile. The happy fidgeting called to mind how Apple Bloom acted when she found a full stocking waiting for her on Hearth’s Warming Eve. She could feel Twilight's unbridled joy rubbing off on her.

“I know, it caught me totally off guard, too,” she said. “When you had said that you wanted to talk to me about something, I never woulda guessed it would be something like this. Never even crossed my mind that anypony would want to go out with me, let alone you.”

“Really?”

“Really. When you gave me that Hearts and Hooves Day card, it was the first time I'd gotten one in years.”

“Really?” This time the word was more emphatic. “How could somepony as great as you not get any cards!?”

“I dunno.” Applejack shrugged. “Maybe it's cause I spend so much time on the farm, or cause I don't really care much about prettifyin' myself. I guess I just don't stand out all that much next to pretty ponies like Rarity or Fluttershy.”

“But you're way prettier than they are!” Twilight stared incredulously at Applejack. “I mean, not that Fluttershy and Rarity aren't pretty or anything...”

Applejack chuckled. “I appreciate that, Twilight, though I suspect you might be a mite biased. But seriously, I was mostly just surprised that it was you of all ponies. I mean, I thought that I had you all figured out, and then whole thing happened. My mind is still spinnin'.”

“So's mine,” Twilight said. “I'm so glad it worked out, though!”

“Yeah.” Applejack paused as Twilight stopped to nuzzle her. It made her heart beat a little faster. “So, what do you think that everypony else is gonna think?”

“Oh, I'm sure they'll be happy for us. They've all been totally supportive up to this point, haven't they? It wouldn't make sense to keep giving us advice if they didn't want us to succeed.”

“I know that. Of course they're gonna be supportive. They'd hardly be friends if they weren't. I was talkin' more about what they'll do when they hear that we're together. You know, the looks on their faces and such. Pinkie'll probably smile so hard that the top of her head might pop off.”

“Well, we're about to find out.”

Applejack stopped, rather surprised to find that they were already standing in front of the library. What with their leisurely pace, and the fact that Twilight had stopped every couple steps to cuddle, she had thought it would have taken longer to make the trek. The time had careened past her.

“That's odd.” Twilight tapped her chin. “When I left, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were waiting in the library.” The only light in the library windows was the moonlight glinting off the glass.

“Were they plannin' to wait for you?”

“I thought they were. At the very least, Rarity said she wanted to be there for me in case you, uh, turned me down.” She blushed. “In any case, Spike should still be around. I'm sure he'll want to hear about it!” She giggled. “I just can't wait to tell somepony!”

Twilight reached for the doorhandle. Applejack wasn't one for thinking about things more than was necessary, but she was more than capable of processing a vast amount of information in a very short span of time if she absolutely had to. This was one of those times. In approximately a third of a second, she noted that 1) there was a faint, familiar, and suppressed giggle coming from inside the library and 2) the giggle belonged to Pinkie Pie. Her brain cross-referenced those two points of data with her knowledge of Pinkie's previous behavior. Given the situation, there was only one possible conclusion.

Granted, Applejack wasn't consciously aware of her train of thought. From her perspective, she heard a giggle, and a moment later a thought popped into her head: I have to get out of the way.

She snatched up Twilight and threw herself to the side just in time.

“SURPRISE!!!!”

The sheer force of the light, confetti, and cheering that exploded out of the doorway dazed Applejack. The blast had only grazed them. She didn't want to think of what would have happened if they had taken the full brunt of its power. As the stars faded from her eyes, a pink blur began to come into focus, and a jaunty-sounding tune poured out of a gramophone that had materialized on the doorstep.

“Dada da dum dum dum!

Congratulations, congratulations,

to you and to you!

All your hopes and dreams

are just now coming true!

At first it was really kind of tough

but you both pushed right on through,

and now you're both together

each as happy as a kangaroo!

You found a special somepony

that you just had to woo,

and it worked out oh so very well

better than you ever knew!

And now nothing will ever tear you apart,

not even a big old angry grue!

You two make an awesome couple

and we're happy for you too,

WHOOHOO!”

The music continued bouncing along for a few seconds before it faded. As the tune vanished, the air seemed even quieter than it had been. Twilight rubbed her head. “What just happened?”

Applejack blinked, and the pink blur clarified itself into one of her friends, striking a dramatic pose. “Pinkie Pie happened.” She sprang to her feet and began to help Twilight up. “Told ya she already knew what happened.”

No sooner was Twilight on her feet then both Applejack and Twilight found themselves being squeezed.

“I'm so so so so so so so so happy for you two!” Pinkie squealed, giving both ponies a shake.

“T-t-t-t-h-ank you!” Twilight managed. “I'm happy, too!”

“Pinkie, you really ought to leave them some space to breathe.” Rarity chuckled and began to peel the pink pony off of the happy couple.

“Yeah, congrats!” Rainbow Dash resisted the urge to pounce on them herself and settled for a couple tight loops in the air. “It's so cool that you guys worked things out.”

“Indeed, it really is wonderful that the two of you are together.” Rarity grinned, stars practically visible in her eyes. Then she blinked, and the stars were gone. “Unless we've horribly misread the situation, in which case you have my deepest and most sincere apologies.”

“No no, you pretty much got it right.” Applejack was suddenly aware of the heat of her blood pulsing through her cheeks. “Twilight's my very special somepony now.”

“EEEEEEEE!” The stars burst back into Rarity's eyes.

“Come in, come in!” Pinkie resumed her bouncing. “We have cake!” She waved everypony into the library.

“Cake, really? Thank you!” Twilight cantered lightly through the door, and was greeted with the sight of Spike standing next to an enormous cake, clapping enthusiastically.

“Whoohoo! You finally did it! How's it feel, Twilight?”

“It feels wonderful!” Twilight said. “Doesn't it, Applejack?”

“Yeah, it sure does.” In truth, Applejack didn't feel much of anything at the moment besides the constant twinge running through her body. The full weight of the situation hadn't quite hit her yet. She knew that she was happy, of course, but she knew it like she knew that a bushel had four pecks in it, or that two plus two was... four? Yeah, she was pretty sure it was four. In any case, the actual happiness still simmered beneath the surface, waiting to boil over. “I think this is the start of something real great.” She searched for something more to say, but was interrupted, but a gentle poke on her shoulder. She turned to see Fluttershy glancing sheepishly in her direction.

“Um, I just wanted to tell you that I'm happy for the both of you,” she said in her typical, barely-audible voice. “I hope you two are very happy together.”

“Well, thanks, Fluttershy. That means a lot.”

“It sure does!” Twilight's head bobbed. “I know I've probably said this all a bunch of times already, but I really don't think I could have done this without your help.”

“Yeah, I guess I should thank y'all too,” Applejack's face flushed. She could practically feel the weight of all her friends looking at her. There was something different in their eyes. And it wasn't just the stars and hearts. “You know, for helpin' Twilight out. And for helpin' me out too, I guess. I know you guys weren't really advisin' me for a long time or anything, but without you I'd probably still be tryin' to think of what to do.”

“You're very welcome,” Rarity said, beaming. “So....” She leaned in, an enormous smile on her face. “...how exactly did things go? I'm quite curious about how things played out. It must be quite a story!”

“Well...” Applejack turned towards Twilight. “You wanna try to tell 'em, or should I?”

“Go right ahead. I don't even know what I'd say.”

“Alright then. There isn't really a whole lot to tell. I just wanted to talk to her for a bit before I made up my mind. So we talked for a little while about how we felt about everything and it helped me realize that even if it was real sudden and I wasn't quite sure about what to do, it was worth takin' a chance on. So I thought I'd just say yes and see how things went.” She threw a foreleg around Twilight and drew her close. “And right now I think that's it's gonna turn into something real great.”

“Did you kiss!?” Pinkie sprang to the front of the group. The massive smile on her face told Applejack that she already knew the answer. “Did you? Did you?”

“I...uh...” Applejack's blood was pulsing so hard through her face that she could hear her heartbeat thumping along through her ears. The answer was only one syllable, but her tongue treated it as if it were some laboriously convoluted technical term. She didn't even attempt to answer, instead nudging Twilight.

Twilight smiled wider than Applejack had ever seen her smile before. “Yes. Yes we did.”

“Ooh ooh! Can you kiss again? Huh? Huh? HUH!?” Pinkie was leaning so far forward that Applejack was closer to kissing her than anyone else. Applejack took a step back.

“You mean now?”

Pinkie nodded like a bobblehead.

Applejack swallowed. She certainly wasn't opposed to a second kiss, but the situation was just plain off. Everypony watching with wide eyes, Pinkie staring intently, Rainbow Dash on the verge of breaking into a giggle, Fluttershy chewing nervously on her lip... And yet she couldn't bring herself to say “No”...

“No no no, that will not be necessary!” Rarity shoved Pinkie out of Applejack's personal space. “We're here to celebrate their relationship, not make a spectacle of it.”

Pinkie's ears drooped for a moment before perking right back up. “Of course! They haven't had any cake or punch yet! What kind of a party host am I? You're gonna love it! It's chocolate with a special buttercream frosting!”

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief as the attention shifted away from her and towards the massive cake. Even though she had about as much knowledge of matching colors as Rarity did about replacing a broken wagon axle, she wouldn't have ever thought that a purple cake with orange icing could look anything other than horrible, but for whatever reason, it actually seemed fitting. She smiled and turned to Twilight.

“Well, how about we get some of that cake?”

Twilight returned the smile. “I'd love to.”

Twilight smiled. The cake was moist, soft, and delicious, the punch had just the right balance of tang and sweetness, and Pinkie's music selection was impeccable. But most importantly, they were together. All of them.

That had been her final fear, the one splinter in her thoughts that Applejack's answer hadn't destroyed. Knowing that Applejack reciprocated her feelings had lifted most of the weight off of her shoulders, but the load wouldn't be gone completely until she saw her friends. It's stupid, she thought. They've been advising me the whole way, and they wouldn't do that if they didn't want things to work out. It wouldn't make sense. Then again, none of this romance stuff really made sense. It was irrelevant now, in any case. Everypony was just as supportive as she had reason to believe they'd be.

Everything had finally fallen into place.

“So we thought tomorrow the two of us would go out to dinner someplace nice,” Applejack said. “Just seemed like a good place to start. I mean, if we're gonna be a couple, a date's a good place to start, don't you think?”

“That sounds wonderful.” Rarity nodded sagely. “If I might be so bold as to make a recommendation, there's a simply marvelous cafe on Stirrup Street that has a simply divine alfalfa salad.”

“Sounds good to me,” Applejack answered. “What do you think, Twilight?”

“Of course! That's great. Wherever you want to go!”

Applejack chuckled at Twilight's enthusiasm. “Sounds like we've got a date then.”

“Yes, yes we do!” Twilight suppressed a happy squeal. “I'll come by to pick you up at...I don't know...how about six? Is that good for you?”

“Any time is fine, Twilight.” She paused to scratch her head. “Although I think I oughta come to pick you up. You live pretty close to the place, and there's no reason for you to have to walk all the way out to Sweet Apple Acres and then back into town.”

“Are you sure? I'd hate to have to make you walk further and—” Twilight found herself silenced by Applejack's hoof gently poking her nose.

“It's fine, Twilight. I usually end up makin' half a dozen runs into town every day. One more won't make a lick of difference. All you gotta do is be ready to go. I don't intend on bein' late.” She gave Twilight a poke. “You know what that's like don't you?”

“I sure do.”

The group shared a laugh. As it died down, Applejack cast an eye at the clock and sighed.

“Well, as much as I'd love to stick around here, I really need to head home. Gotta put Apple Bloom to bed and all. Can't leave my brother to do everything, no matter how much I'd rather stay.”

“Oh come on!” Pinkie would have jumped over the table if she hadn't already been sitting next to Applejack. “You can't go already! We only ate half the cake!”

“I'm sure Twilight has room in her icebox for the rest of it. I don't want to get fat or anything. Twilight wouldn't like that. Right, Twilight?”

“Oh, I don't know...” Twilight grinned. “It's not like I'd dump you if you got a bit of a pudge or anything.”

“Twilight, you ain't helpin' my case here.” She slid her crumb-laden plate away from her. “But seriously, I doubt I got any room for more cake anyway. Not that it wasn't real tasty. But really, I should be gettin' on my way.”

“Well, in that case, I suppose we ought to start cleaning up.” Rarity clapped her hooves. “We are the ones who made the mess after all. Rainbow Dash, if you would kindly collect the balloons. Fluttershy, you can take the punch bowl. Spike and Pinkie can assist me in taking the plates back to the kitchen.” She lifted the cake pan with her magic and carried it toward the kitchen. Spike deftly stacked the plates and followed her.

“Come on, Pinkie.” He balanced the plates precariously in one claw and waved at her to come over.

“What?” She tilted her head. “Rarity got the cake, and you got all the plates. There's nothing for me to do.”

Rarity poked her head out of the kitchen. “Well, I'm sure I can find something for you to do in here. Come on.”

“Nah, I can start cleaning up out here.”

Rarity's eye twitched. She grunted. A blue glow enveloped Pinkie's tail and dragged her across the floor towards the kitchen.

“Hey! What are you--” The exclamation was only halfway out when it was blocked by the kitchen door slamming shut. Pinkie snorted. “What was that about? I was going to pack up my music machine!”

“You can do that later.” Pinkie turned around to see that Rainbow Dash was hovering behind her. Apparently the two pegasi had set a new flight speed record for clearing balloons and then hiding in the kitchen.

“But I thought we were supposed to clean up!”

“Well, we are going to help clean up,” Fluttershy said, staring at the purple balloon she held between her hooves. “But first we should, you know, let them have some time with each other.”

“Huh?” Pinkie tilted her head again. “They were with each other during the whole party!”

“I think what she means is that we should just leave them alone for a bit,” Spike explained as he collected the extra frosting from the edges of the plates. “Rarity wanted them to have a little moment together or something.” He popped the wad of sugar into his mouth.

“Exactly, they ought to have a bit of privacy before they go their separate ways for the night.” Rarity patted Pinkie's head. “You can pack up that crazy contraption of yours later.”

“Ooooh.” Pinkie crossed her forelegs and nodded. “I wonder if they're going to kiss again!” She scurried over to the door and pressed her eyeball against one of the larger cracks in the woodwork.

“Oh, no you don't.” Rainbow Dash shoved her away from the door. “She said privacy. As in, 'not having one of your friends poking her eye through the door to spy on you'. You don't need to know what's going on in there. That's their business.”

“Fine, fine,” Pinkie grumbled. “Can somepony pass me some more cake?”

It took Twilight an embarrassingly long moment to realize that she and Applejack were alone in the room. “So, I guess I should see you out?”

“Sure, if you want.” The two ponies trotted reluctantly towards the door. Applejack stopped just short of actually opening it. “I feel like I oughta say something romantic, but I can't think of anything that'd sound right, so I'm just gonna say that I'm real happy this happened. It's gonna be one crazy ride, but if you're with me I'm sure it'll all turn out well. I'm really lookin' forward to our date tomorrow. Remember, I'll be by at six. You have a good night and get yourself some sleep, okay? It's been a long day for the both of us. I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep tight, sugarcube.”

She put a hoof on the doorhandle, and began to turn it. The handle only made it halfway around before Applejack found Twilight's hoof on top of her own. She turned back to look the unicorn in the eyes.

“Um...Applejack...”

Applejack swallowed. Twilight's eyes had never looked so big.

“Yeah, Twilight?”

“Aren't you going to...uh...kiss me goodbye?”

Applejack smiled, her cheeks tingling. “Oh, uh...of course. What kinda very special somepony would I be if I didn't?” She closed her eyes, pursed her lips, and leaned forward... and bumped noses with Twilight. She couldn't help but have a laugh. “Don't worry, Twilight, I'm sure we'll get that down eventually.”

“Of course we will.”

Applejack leaned forward again. This time their lips met. Applejack could feel herself starting to sweat. Her head snapped back as if she had kissed a hot coal. Maybe she'd get used to that eventually, but it would sure take a long time.

“Well, I'd best be goin',” she mumbled, reluctant to break the silence. “I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Twilight.”

“Goodnight, Applejack.”

She tore herself away from Twilight's eyes and trotted out the door.

The click of the door latch had scarcely vanished from the air as Pinkie burst out of the kitchen.

“Is it okay to come out now? She's gone, right?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, she just left.” Without Applejack there to distract her, Twilight finally had the presence of mind to check the clock. “Oh, wow. It's a lot later than I thought. I really need to start cleaning up so I can get to bed. I need to make sure I'm well rested for tomorrow.”

“That won't be necessary, Twilight.” Rarity stepped between Twilight and the mess. “We will be more than happy to take care of this. We...well, Pinkie is the one who made the mess, so it's only fair that we clean up.”

“I didn't make the whole mess!” Pinkie said. “But she's right about the other stuff. We can clean up.”

“Are you sure? Do you know where all the cleaning supplies are?”

“I got that, Twilight.” Spike gave her a thumbs up. “You just leave it to us.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash leaped over Twilight's head. “You go hit the sack and have some nice, sweet dreams, okay?”

“Well, if you're okay with doing all that for me, I guess I'll head for bed then.” She started up the stairs. “And again, I just want to thank all of you. Without you, I—”

“We know, dear,” Rarity interrupted. “Now go get your beauty sleep!”

“Alright, Alright. Goodnight, everypony!”

“Goodnight, Twilight.” Fluttershy waved at Twilight as she disappeared into her room.

“Alright, guys!” Spike cracked his knuckles. “The cleaning stuff is in the basement. Let's get this done as quick as we can. It's past my bedtime.”

Spike had once gotten a simple kiss on the cheek from Rarity and for a week had steadfastly refused to wash his face. Twilight had never understood that. Sure, it was a nice sign of affection, but as far as the physical element went, it was just a bit of lipstick. It was unhygienic, and even Twilight could tell that it looked utterly ridiculous to walk around with a frame on your face. The affection shown by the gesture was the important thing, not the physical remains of the gesture itself.

Or at least that was what she told herself as she stared at her toothbrush. Brush your teeth, Twilight. You don't want cavities. Applejack doesn't even wear lipstick anyway; there’s nothing on your face to preserve. It didn't work.

She could still feel it, Applejack's foreleg around her shoulders, their noses bumping together, the gentle touch on her cheeks...she could still feel Applejack's lips pressed against her own. Tomorrow she'd undoubtedly kiss Applejack again. She hoped. If Applejack would kiss her goodnight why wouldn't she? It only made sense. But still, she couldn't quite bring herself to lose that touch. The cool, minty bite of the toothpaste had nothing on the pulse of Applejack's heartbeat. It was the first time her life she had ever felt it, and she had to savor it.

She flopped into bed. Her teeth wouldn't fall out overnight.

She closed her eyes. In a flash, the entire day roared past. Unbelievable. Applejack had said yes. They were going on a date tomorrow. All of her closest friends fully supported it. Everything had gone perfectly. Too perfectly? An ugly, bleak thought drifted into her mind. What if she opened her eyes tomorrow morning only to find everything was in her head? She threw her blanket off.

Her magic cast long shadows through the room as she dragged a trunk out from under the bed. Nopony would know it to look at it, but outside of the royal treasure vaults in Canterlot, there wasn't a securer place in Equestria. Twilight had spent many long hours researching every magical ward and protection spell that she could find, pouring them onto the box. A Sonic Rainboom wouldn't even scratch the surface, and all the Pinkie Sense in the world couldn't see into it. Celestia herself would have her work cut out for her if she wanted to get it open. There was only one pony in Equestria who could get into it with anything resembling ease, and that was Twilight herself. She kneeled down and gently slid her horn into the hole where the trunk's lock had once been. Half a dozen subtly complex spells later, the latch sprung open.

There wasn't much in the trunk. Any thief who went to the trouble of getting it open would be sorely disappointed. A photograph of a diminutive Twilight sitting on her big brother's head at the Summer Sun Celebration. An acceptance letter bearing the names Twilight Sparkle and Celestia. A photograph of Twilight showing off the brand new magic stars on her behind, while a tiny dragon sat on her back. A well-used, heavily annotated and underlined copy of A Beginner's Guide to Magic. A group picture of Twilight, Spike, and five other ponies in front of the library. A golden ticket stub from the Grand Galloping Gala. And finally, the most recent addition, a not-quite-old, not-quite-new cowpony hat.

She reached out and gently touched the edge to make sure it was really there. She smiled. As she brushed the fabric, her heart beat a little faster. She could still feel it. She closed the trunk, shoved it back into place, and flopped back into bed. When she opened her eyes, everything would still be there.

Applejack's head swam as she sauntered towards her home. Three days ago, she hadn't had a single romantic inclination, and now she had a very special somepony. I have a very special somepony. She couldn't get over how utterly weird that sounded. And it was Twilight, of all ponies. A week ago if somepony had told her that she'd have kissed Twilight and put a date on her schedule, Applejack would have laughed her hat off because Twilight was a good friend, but not that kind of good friend.

She reached for the door handle and stopped her hoof halfway. There was a very good chance of running into one of her family members. She had to explain things to them. Keeping this hidden simply wasn't an option. Even if she wanted to, it wouldn't happen. She'd probably crack and confess the whole thing before they even realized that she was trying to hide something. They'd find out in short order, no matter what she tried. Might as well organize her thoughts as best she could and tell them as soon as possible. Get it out in the open.

She opened the door. Big Macintosh stood at the counter, washing the dishes. “Hey, Applejack,” he said. He didn't even have to look up. “Where've you been?”

“I was, uh...” She paused for a moment. As much as she wanted to explain everything, she didn't have the words. Figuring out where her own thoughts were was tough enough. Explaining it would be impossible. “...takin' care of some personal matters.”

“Personal?” Big Macintosh looked over his shoulder and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Somethin' to do with your friends?”

“Listen, I know your probably real curious, but can I hold off on explainin' it now? I'm real tired, and I don't really know what to tell you at the moment. Is it okay if I wait til tomorrow?”

He thought for a moment, then nodded. “Eeyup.”

“Thanks. You put Apple Bloom to bed yet?”

“She's getting' ready for bed now.”

“Alright, I'll put her to bed and then get some sleep myself.” She headed up the stairs. “Goodnight, Big Mac.”

“Goodnight.”

She took a deep breath and knocked on Apple Bloom's door. “You ready for bed?”

“Yeah!” The door popped open and Apple Bloom stuck her head out. “I already took my bath and brushed my teeth and everything. See?” She grinned, showing all her teeth.

“Looks good to me. Into bed!” Applejack started to tuck her sister in. “You have a good day at school?”

“Yeah, I actually got an A-minus on my math quiz!”

“Good job. That's better than I ever got.” Applejack chuckled.

“So where were you all afternoon?”

Applejack smiled nervously and tried not to look suspicious. “Just takin' care of some business with my friends.”

“Oh.” Apple Bloom digested the answer for a moment. Then her eyes widened. “Does this have somethin' to do with Twilight?”

“It...uh...” Applejack bit her lip. Apple Bloom didn't have the patience that her brother did.

“It does, doesn't it!?” Apple Bloom leaned forward and grinned. “Are you goin' out with her now? Is she your very special somepony now? Did you ki—”

Applejack stuffed her hoof into Apple Bloom's mouth. “Shhhh! Listen, I'll explain everything tomorrow, alright? Can you wait that long?” She removed her hoof.

“I guess...” Apple Bloom sighed. “...if I have to.”

Applejack groaned. She could already tell that Apple Bloom didn't get some kind of answer, she'd be up all night. “Okay, I'll give you the quick version now, and explain everything tomorrow. You just gotta promise me that you won't tell anypony until I give you the okay, and you gotta go to sleep now and wait till tomorrow to ask questions, okay?”

Apple Bloom nodded, smiling wide with anticipation. “So are you and Twilight a couple now?”

“Yeah, we are.”

“Wow! That's so cool!”

“It sure is.” Applejack smiled. “We talked for a bit and I thought I'd go with it.”

“So, did you kiss!?”

“What did I say about questions?”

“Oh, right.” Apple Bloom deflated slightly.

Applejack ruffled her sister's mane, and lowered her voice. “But between you and me, yeah, we did.”

Apple Bloom inhaled sharply, and bit down on the edge of her blanket to keep herself from squealing in excitement.

“Now go to sleep. I'll fill you in on the rest of it tomorrow, okay? Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Applejack flicked the lamp out and backed slowly out of the Apple Bloom's room, and sauntered down the hallway into her own. The door had barely clicked shut behind her before she collapsed onto the bed.

“What am I doin'?”

She stared at the ceiling. I don't believe it. I wasn't even thinkin' anything about romance, and now I went and jumped right into it. Maybe I shoulda thought about it for a few more days. I didn't want to make things any harder for Twilight than they need to be, but even so... maybe it would have been better to think things over before I decided to go for it. Make sure it was really what I wanted. This isn’t something that you’re supposed to do on a whim. What if it all goes wrong because I was too impatient to think it over a bit? What if I end up hurtin’ her somehow?

She took a deep breath and rolled over. Her eyes settled on the open window, or rather, the full moon that hung behind the glass, pouring cool light into the room. She smiled, and raised her hoof to her lips.

You know what you're doin', Applejack, she thought. You got yourself into a relationship with a pony you care about very much, and who cares about you just as much. More, probably. You're datin' your best friend, after all. It might be confusin’, but you know that you enjoy bein' with her, and you want to be the best special somepony that you can be for her. Just remember that. You care about her more than anypony else, and that's what matters.