//------------------------------//
// A Burnt Ship// Story: A Delicate Balance// by JapaneseTeeth//------------------------------//

	I should have waited. It's probably not a good time for her. I'm not even sure what I'm asking her. This is such a bad idea, but it's too late to turn back now.

	

	Out of a fired ship, which by no way
	But drowning could be rescued from the flame,

	--A Burnt Ship,
	John Donne
	
	
	Applejack looked out the window and blinked, trying to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. No, she had been right; a familiar purple shape was approaching in the distance. She smiled and adjusted her hat. Twilight had already dropped by once today, but it was hardly surprising to see her again. Maybe she was bringing another card or something. Applejack tried to think of a place she could put another one. The shelf over the sink was already full, and her windowsill was already covered with flowers. She could put it on the end table in her room, but there wasn't much room on there, either.
	
	She squinted at Twilight. She didn't seem to have any saddlebags or anything. That made things easier, if she was just visiting to chat. But what was so urgent that she needed to trot so quickly? Twilight usually didn't seem like she was in such a rush. Applejack's mind bounced back to that afternoon, when Rarity had unexpectedly shown up. She sighed. Maybe this wouldn't be such a fun visit. Only one way to find out.
	
	She put on her biggest smile and waved. “Hey, Twilight!”
	
	“Good afternoon, Applejack!” Twilight called back as she slowed her canter and began to walk up the path to the house. “How are you?”
	
	“Just about the same as I was when you came by before,” Applejack answered. “Been gettin' ready for Zap Apples.” She gestured for Twilight to come inside. “They'll be poppin' up any day now.”
	
	“Ah. That explains the paint job...” Twilight nodded at the walls, which were coated in bright polka dots.
	
	“Yeah, some years the signs start showin' up early. Granny heard some timberwolves last night, so now we're tryin' to get everything set up ahead of time so when the zap apples show up we can focus on harvestin’ them.”  She tapped the table, which was covered by rows of jam jars.  “And processin’ them.”
	
	“Sounds like a good plan.”
	
	“Well, that's why we're doin' it.” Applejack took a seat at the table and gestured for Twilight to join her. “So, uh, what brings you by again? If you wanted to have dinner you'll have to come back later. My eatin' schedule is all messed up. Had a real late lunch, so I won't be ready for more grub for a while.”
	
	“I thought you were always ready to eat,” Twilight said with a chuckle.
	
	“Yeah, yeah, I usually am. I just got done havin' a snack, though.” She shrugged. “Is that even what you're here for?”
	
	“Um, no.” Twilight shook her head. “Actually, I just came out here to talk.”
	
	Applejack felt her muscles involuntarily tighten at the hint of seriousness in Twilight's voice. She was beginning to understand all those jokes and stories that began with “and then she said she needed to talk.” She took a deep breath. There was probably nothing to worry about besides some awkwardness. Probably. “What did you want to talk about?”
	
	“It's just... well...” Applejack tried not to smile as she listened to Twilight stumble over the words, “I've just been thinking about... us.”
	
	Applejack nodded. “So have I.”
	
	“Something has just been bothering me, and I... I just wanted to get it figured out. It's not a big deal or anything. At least, I don't think it's a big deal.” Twilight rubbed her hooves together. “But even if it's not, I just want to make sure it doesn't turn into one.”
	
	“I know what you mean.” Applejack nodded. “I've been doin' a lot of thinkin' myself. It would be real good to make sure we're both thinkin' the same way or things could get rough. What've you been thinkin'?”
	
	“Well, I... you just mentioned something on our date, and I know you said it didn't matter, but it's just been bugging me. I tried to just forget about it, but I couldn't. I thought it would be good to just ask about it.”
	
	“Ah.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Does this have something to do with Rarity? She showed up a little while ago and was all kinds of curious about us.”
	
	Twilight bit her lip. Her eyes darted away from Applejack's for a moment. “Was she really?”
	
	“Yeah, she was. I know she's a bit more into romance than you or me, but even so it was kinda weird. She's usually way more tactful about that kind of stuff. I mean, it coulda just been 'cause she was really tired, but even so...” She narrowed her eyes. “Did you put her up to that?”
	
	“I... uh...” Twilight sighed and hung her head. “Yes and no. I was talking to her, you know, asking her for advice. She wanted to find out a bit more about what you thought before she gave me any advice on what to do.”
	
	“Well, that's a big old waste of time,” Applejack snapped, a bit more harshly than she had intended. She let her expression soften. “If you want to find out what I think about something, you just gotta ask. No need to go beatin' around the bush like that. I'm not gonna lie to you.”
	
	“I know, I know.” Twilight's ears drooped as she forced herself to look at Applejack. “It's just that, well, after what you said on our date, I thought it would be too weird to bring it up again. I mean, it felt like we had things figured out, and I didn't want to bring it up. Not if you were fine with it.”
	
	“Well, it's obviously not fine with you, so you might as well ask anyway.”
	
	“O-okay.” Twilight swallowed. “It's just... what you said about all the gifts and things I was doing for you, it made me wonder. I know you said that I should just keep doing it, but... I don't know what to do. I just couldn't help but try think of why. And, well, the only thing I could think of why it might bother you is that...” Twilight's voice was strained; as if it hurt to force the words out. “That maybe you thought I was trying to... to...”
	
	“You were tryin' to what?”
	
	Twilight looked down at her hooves. “...that I was trying to... I don't know quite how to say it. That I was doing so much for you because you wouldn't be interested in our relationship if I didn't.”
	
	Applejack stared blankly at Twilight. “Huh?”
	
	“I know that you weren't as... enthusiastic as I was about getting together at first. I was afraid that you might think that I was doing everything for you to... to make it worthwhile for you. Like I was trying to buy you off or something because you wouldn't want to be in this relationship otherwise. I know it's dumb, but I couldn't get it out of my head that you were just... putting up with me.”
	
	“Wow.” Applejack turned the words over in her mind. “Twilight, I gotta tell you...”
	
	Twilight leaned forward, a mix of expectation and apprehension on her face.
	
	“...you were right.” Applejack stared into Twilight's eyes as Twilight tried not to flinch. “That really is dumb. You oughta know that I know you better than that. There's no way I'd be able to think that you'd try to buy my affection.” She snorted. “Seriously, that's just crazy. Even you wouldn't think somethin' like that.”
	
	“Oh,” Twilight said. “Well, I'm really glad to hear that. I mean, obviously I had no intention of trying to do that, but it's good to know that we're on the same page. It's been driving me crazy!”
	
	“Well, it shouldn't have been. You got no reason to buy me off. Besides, if you're aimin' to get on my good side, it would take a lot more than some flowers and the occasional card.”
	
	“Really.” The sudden flatness in Twilight's voice told Applejack that she hadn't phrased that quite right. “Y-you don't like the flowers?” Applejack bit her lip as Twilight continued, her voice shaking. “Or the cards?”
	
	“I, uh...” Applejack spoke carefully. “I like what they mean, I guess. I like the fact that you bought them for me.”
	
	“But what do you actually think of them?”
	
	“Well... uh...” Applejack leaned back. Twilight leaned forward.
	
	“Come on, Applejack. I just want to understand how you feel.”
	
	“Okay, okay!” Applejack sighed. “I just wanna be honest with you. I don't really need any of the flowers and such. I like that you care enough about me to want to give me stuff, but I really have no idea what I'm supposed to do with all this!” She waved at the windowsill, which was cluttered with vases. “I got a regular garden growin' over there. I already have enough plants to take care of without havin' to remember to water a bunch of flowers. I got no use for that stuff.”
	
	“That's what was bothering you?” Twilight's voice had no discernible tone. “You didn't have any use for my gifts?”
	
	“That's part of it, yeah.” Applejack scratched her head. “When I was growin' up we never really spent much on... extra stuff like this. There was always somethin' else that the bits would be better spent on. New plow, materials to patch up holes in the roof, apple carts to fix, barns to build.”
	
	“So that's it? You don't like it because it isn't practical for you?”
	
	“That's not it either. Not all of it, anyway. The reason it feels weird is because I'm worryin' that it's impractical for you.”
	
	“For me?”
	
	“It's... well, it's hard to explain. I really appreciate that you think I'm worth spendin' all those bits on, but at the same time I don't know how much I like the fact that it's makin' so much trouble for you.”
	
	“Trouble? What trouble? It's no trouble at all!”
	
	“You can go sayin' that all you want, Twilight, but it just ain't true!” She stomped her hoof. “It is trouble. Sure, it might not be a whole lot, and you might be totally willing to go through all of it, but it's still there. You can't tell me that you haven't been puttin' in a ton of work. You ordered like a gazillion books just to get ready to talk to me and you said yourself that you were bendin' over backwards before you even told me anything!”
	
	“Well, yes, but that was then,” Twilight said. “This is now. I'm not consulting all those books anymore! Not as much, anyway. And I did not order a gazillion books. I only ordered about two dozen. A ‘gazillion’ isn't even a real number.”
	
	“I know that! I was just— you know what, it's not important whether a gazillion is a real number or not. What is important is that you're still pushin' yourself too much. I mean, think about it for a minute. It might not seem like you're goin' to much trouble for flowers and whatever, but you totally turned your life upside down! You got Spike to take over the library for you, and you went and got a whole new job just so you could afford to get me stuff that I don't really need!”
	
	Twilight stared, dumbfounded. “Y-you don't like that I'm... that I'm doing so much for you?”
	
	“You want me to be honest?”
	
	“Of course.”
	
	Applejack took a deep breath. “No, I don't like it. You're doin' it because you want to be able to give me stuff and take me out on dates or whatever. I get that. And I like the fact that you're willin' to do that for my sake. But it just bugs me that you're puttin' yourself through so much toil ‘cause of it!”
	
	Twilight's mouth moved silently, trying to form a word. “I-I just do it because I want to do something nice for you!”
	
	“I know, and I appreciate that. But...” Applejack paused to think of whether or not to say what she was thinking. “It's just... you might want to think for a moment about whether or not I'd want you to do any of that stuff.”
	
	“Really,” Twilight said. “Is there anything I've been doing that you wanted to talk to me about?”
	
	“Actually, yeah, there is. Now don't get me wrong, it's great when you come by, but... well, sometimes it can be kinda inconvenient.”
	
	“Inconvenient?”
	
	“Yeah, inconvenient. I'll be tryin' to get something done, like helpin' Apple Bloom with her homework or buckin' trees or bakin' or somesuch, and when you show up I gotta stop so we can talk. I mean, I like talkin' to you and everything, I really do. I really like it that you visit so often, but sometimes it can just be tough to get anything done when I gotta stop what I'm doin' and put it on hold til we're done. It ain't like you gotta stop visitin' or anything, just do it after I'm done with my work for the day, or maybe tell me ahead of time so I can plan to have a break for lunch or something.”
	
	“So basically, you only want me to come by when it's convenient for you?”
	
	“Well, you don't have to put it like that,” Applejack said defensively. “I'm just sayin' it would be nice you took a bit more time to figure out when it would be good to drop by, that's all. I mean, I try not to pop in at the library when I know you're studyin', and I don't show up while you're workin' at the chocolate shop. I got a lot of work to do on the farm, and I can't keep puttin' it off whenever you show up.”
	
	“Alright, so I guess I have to work around your schedule then.”  Twilight snorted. “It’s not like I haven’t completely overhauled my schedule already.”
	
	Applejack cringed. “See, this is why I decided not to bring it up. I'm just makin' myself sound ungrateful.”
	
	“Yeah, you kind of are.” 
	
	“I know that, Twilight. I just thought it would be better to get all this out in the open. I know that you're doin' your best to make this work, but—”
	
	“Yeah, I am!” Twilight slammed her hoof on the table, rattling the jam jars. “And apparently, that isn’t good enough for you!”
	
	“Now wait just a minute—”
	
	“I've been doing everything I can think of because I want you to know that I care! Because I want you to know that I want you to be happy! You know what, you're right! I have been working my flank off! I could barely sleep because I was too worried about what I was going to say to you! I completely overhauled my budget, my schedule, my personal life and it's all for you. And... and you...”
	
	“And I haven't done anything.” Applejack said flatly. “Is that it?”
	
	Twilight's eyes widened for a split second before turning harsh. “Yes. That's right. I've done so much! I've worked so hard...” Tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes. “...and it feels like I’m the only one who’s doing anything!”
	
	“I’ve told you a thousand times already, you don’t need to do anything.”  Applejack tried to keep her voice level. “And you’re just not listenin’ to a word I say!”
	
	“I'm driving myself crazy for you, Applejack!  The gifts, the fancy dates, the new job... and you don't care about any of it!”
	
	“I don't care about it because all that fancy shmancy stuff is a big ol' waste of time!”
	
	Twilight took a step back as if she had just been kicked in the face. The room was silent. Both ponies were on the verge of speaking when Apple Bloom clattered down the stairs. Halfway down, the foot of her bunny suit snagged on an edge and she tumbled the rest of the way. Twilight and Applejack stared. Half a second later, Apple Bloom sprang to her feet, none the worse for wear.
	
	“Granny Smith patched up the holes in my bunny costume!” she said. “She wants to know if you got anything that needs mendin', and—” She noticed Twilight. “Oh, hey Twilight. I'm not interruptin' anything, am I?”
	
	“No, I was just on my way out.” Twilight sighed, and her whole body seemed to droop. “I'll talk to you later, Applejack.” She turned around and walked out the door.
	
	“Twilight, wait just a—” The door slammed shut. Applejack stomped her hoof. “Oh, horseapples.”
	
	“Uh, are you guys okay?” Apple Bloom asked. “Did somethin' happen?”
	
	Applejack groaned and shook her head. “Just me bein' an idiot.” She looked over her sister. “You okay? You took quite a tumble there.”
	
	“I'm fine.” Apple Bloom said. She looked at the rump of her outfit. “Aww, I tore it. Granny just fixed it up, too!”
	
	“Well, you shouldn't be wearin' that thing around the house for no reason. Now go take it back to Granny and have her sew it up. And then put it back in the drawer until it's time to actually use it.”
	
	“Alright.” Apple Bloom began to hop back up the stairs. She got about halfway and looked back. “You and Twilight aren't breakin' up, are you?”
	
	“I don’t think so.  Not if I got anything to say about it, at least.” She waved her hoof at her sister. “Now get on up there. Careful this time.” She watched as Apple Bloom disappeared up the stairwell. Applejack turned her gaze out the window. Twilight was already gone.
	
	
	
	Twilight resisted the urge to turn back and run back to the farm. As much as she wanted to burst back into the kitchen and say that she hadn't meant any of it... she couldn't. For the first time in weeks, she didn't want to talk to Applejack. She stared at the ground as she walked along. She had expected to feel something. Anger, sadness, regret... maybe she felt some of them, but she couldn't tell. Maybe it was a little of everything at once. As much she wanted to apologize for turning the conversation into a fight, she couldn't help but think that she was right. At least partly. After all the effort she had put in, Applejack ought to appreciate it a little. Sure, in retrospect Applejack might have had a point about how far she had gone and she knew that Applejack was never big on stuff like flowers, but to say that it was a waste of time was almost certainly overstating it.
	
	She trotted sullenly towards the library. Should she try to explain to Spike what had happened? It wasn't like they had broken up or anything; it needn’t concern him. He had enough to worry about. Then again, he'd probably realize that something was wrong anyway. She needed to tell him something. Maybe she should just go back to the farm. Sort all this out before she had to discuss it with any—
	
	Whump.
	
	“Oh, hey Twilight!” said Pinkie Pie's voice. “Um, I know I smell like frosting, but can you get your face out of my tail? It's not very comfortable.”
	
	Twilight took a step back and plucked the strands of pink hair off her snout. She sneezed and rubbed her nose. When she opened her eyes, Pinkie’s face was distressingly close to her own.
	
	“You okay?” Pinkie asked. “You look really droopy!”
	
	“It-it's nothing.”  She tried to step around Pinkie, but Pinkie somehow managed to stay in front of her.
	
	“It is totally not nothing!” Pinkie shook her head wildly. “And if it's not nothing, that means that it's definitely something!”
	
	“It’s nothing that concerns you, then.”  Twilight darted around Pinkie and cantered down the road. She turned back.  Pinkie was nowhere to be seen.  Twilight sighed in relief.  Then she turned forward and found Pinkie’s face once again hovering in front of her own.
	
	“Did you get fired from the chocolate shop?  If you did, it’s nothing to be ashamed of, because—”
	
	“No!”  Twilight shouted.  There was a flash of purple sparkles, and she found herself in a nearby back alley. She shook her head and muttered to herself. “I’m sorry, Pinkie, but right now I’m just not in the mood for—”
	
	“Is it Princess Celestia!?”  Pinkie chirped as she popped out of a nearby trashcan. “Did she give you a bad grade?”
	
	“No!  It has nothing to do with her!”
	
	“Hmmm....”  Pinkie scratched her head for a moment. “Ooh! I know what it is!” She gasped, inhaling a few of her hairs in the process. She coughed and turned her attention back to Twilight. “Sorry about that!” She cleared her throat. “It's something to do with Applejack, isn't it?”
	
	“...You could say that,” Twilight grudgingly admitted.
	
	“Really? What happened? Did something happen to her?” She whipped her hooves up to hold her mane back and gasped again. “Did you have a fight!?”
	
	“Pinkie, shhh!” She pulled Pinkie close. “Don't tell anypony, okay?”
	
	Pinkie nodded.

	"Promise?

	Pinkie nodded again, very solemnly.
	
	“We...” Twilight began. “I don't know if it really counts as a fight. It was more like a... heated discussion? Maybe an argument. I don't think it was a fight, though.  Although it might have been.”
	
	“Well, why did you have a... heated discussion that was maybe an argument? I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to have those.”
	
	“It's... it's hard to explain.” Twilight looked up and down the street. “Why don't we go back to the library and I'll explain there. It's not something I really want to talk about where anypony could hear.”
	
	“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie spun around and began to pronk down the road to the library.
	
	Twilight shook her head and shuffled along after her.
	
	
	
	Applejack stood in her room staring blankly at the stack of cards that sat on her beside table. Sure, there were a ton of better things that Twilight could have spent her bits on, but was that really worth starting an argument over? So she had some unnecessary vases of flowers in the kitchen. That wasn't a big deal. And Twilight certainly didn't seem to mind working for the extra money it had taken to buy them. Did it really count as imposing on her when for all appearances she seemed to be having fun with it? Had any of her complaints had any point? Maybe the one about Twilight showing up in the middle of the day, but even that could definitely have waited for some other time. Some other time that wasn't the worst possible moment to bring up the subject.
	
	A loud knock on her door broke the silence, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She took a few deep breaths. “What is it?”
	
	“Um, Applejack?” Apple Bloom's voice was barely audible through the heavy wooden door.
	
	Applejack tried not to sound as exasperated as she felt. “Hey, Apple Bloom. What is it?”
	
	The door creaked as Apple Bloom slowly pushed it open and poked her head in. “Um, I was just wonderin' was goin' on with you and Twilight. Are you okay? You looked really sad when you came up the stairs.”
	
	Applejack smiled weakly. “C'mere.” She sat on the bed and gestured for Apple Bloom to join her. Apple Bloom hopped up next to her. “Listen, I'm not gonna lie to you. Me and Twilight had a bit of a... a fight I guess.”
	
	“A fight? About what?”
	
	“Nothin' you need to know about. All I'm gonna say is that I got a bit mad and said some things I shouldn't have.”
	
	“Are you still mad at her?”
	
	“To be honest, I don't know.  A little, maybe.” Applejack sighed and put her foreleg around her sister. “She said some stuff that was kinda uncalled for. I don't think she meant to say anything nasty, but it still hurt a bit.”
	
	“You think she's still mad at you?”
	
	“I got no idea. Wouldn't surprise me, though. Twilight's got just as much reason to be angry as I do. I said some things that were downright mean. I didn't want to make her angry or anything, but I was real frustrated and my mouth started goin' faster than my brain did. By the time I realized that I had said something awful, it was too late and she was on her way home.” She sighed and gave her sister a squeeze. “Let me tell you somethin', when you're old enough to get a very special somepony, you gotta remember to stop and think before you start talkin'. Runnin' your mouth is just gonna get you into trouble.”
	
	“Uh...” Apple Bloom cocked her head. “You didn't set up this whole thing just so you could give me that lesson, did you?”
	
	“Nope.” Applejack ruffled her sister's mane. “It's just something I realized that I'd rather tell you about now rather than have you learn it the hard way. I don't want you to ever feel how I'm feelin' right now.”
	
	“O-okay. So what're you gonna do now?”
	
	“I wish I knew. I gotta do something, but I don't know what. I can't think straight.”
	
	“Well, I think you should go talk to her and say you're sorry,” Apple Bloom said, as if that settled the matter.
	
	“I wish it was that easy,” Applejack said with a sigh. “You're right, though. I do have to talk things out with her. Although I really need to think things through a bit first.” She hopped off the bed. “In the meantime, though, I think I really need to find something else to occupy my mind. Just thinkin' about it is makin' my head hurt. Come on, why don't we go and make sure we got all the zap apple stuff set up?”
	
	“You sure you're okay?” Apple Bloom asked as she followed her sister out of the room.
	
	“I reckon I am. It's not pleasant, but I'll get it figured out. Now come on. Zap Apples are gonna pop up any day now, and we have to be ready.”
	
	“Alright,” Apple Bloom said. “I'll go out to the barn!”
	
	“Okay. I'll be there in a couple minutes. And Apple Bloom...”
	
	“Yeah?”
	
	“Don't tell anypony about what happened, okay? It's none of their business.”
	
	Apple Bloom nodded and trotted down the stairs.
	
	Applejack sighed and gurmbled to herself. “Don't worry yourself; you'll get it figured out.”
	
	
	
	“—and then she said that it was all just a waste of time!” Twilight flailed her limbs. “The nerve! Can you believe that?”
	
	“Hmmm...” Pinkie tapped her chin with her hoof. “Actually, yeah, I can believe that. Applejack can be sorta blunt sometimes.”
	
	“I know that!” Twilight said with with a groan. “I just can't believe she doesn't appreciate everything I've done for her! I'm doing everything that a very special somepony is supposed to do, and she doesn't care about any of it!”
	
	“I'm sure she cares about some of it.”
	
	“You know what I mean! Applejack might not care much about flowers or cards, and I know I'm going to a lot of trouble, but you'd think that she'd focus more on the fact that I'm doing it all for her!” Twilight sighed. “I mean, it's the thought that counts, right?”
	
	“Yeah, the thought is really really important!” Pinkie nodded like a bobblehead. “You just want Applejack to be happy, right? Can't go wrong with that!”
	
	“Exactly! You get it, why can't she?”
	
	“Yep! It sure is weird that she isn't having fun with all the stuff you gave her.” Pinkie paused for a moment. “Although I guess I can see why she might not think flowers are all that fun. All they do is sit there. They don't do anything funny or cool or useful. They don't really do much of anything.”
	
	“I, uh...” Twilight blinked. “Okay, I guess she never did care much about stuff that’s just for decoration.”
	
	“That's right.” Pinkie continued to nod. “Come to think of it, she probably wouldn't care much about the cards either, cause it's not like you wrote any of them.”
	
	“Okay, I guess that makes sense too, now that I think about it.”
	
	“But you're totally right about everything else, though,” Pinkie said. “You'd think somepony like Applejack would be able to appreciate hard work, even if you are doing it so you can buy stuff that she doesn't really want or need. I mean, even if you're wasting your time, she should totally care about the fact that you're wasting all that time because of her!”
	
	“Exactly! I— wait, what? You think I'm wasting my time, too?”
	
	“Come on, Twilight, think about it. Isn't the point of buying her gifts and whatever to make her happy?”
	
	“Well, yeah.”
	
	“Is all the stuff you're doing making her happy?”
	
	“Not really.”
	
	“Then why are you still doing it?”
	
	“I— uh...” Twilight froze for a moment.
	
	“Twilight?” Pinkie waved a hoof in front of Twilight's face. “Anypony home?”
	
	“ARRRGHH!” Pinkie jumped backward as Twilight released a frustrated scream. As the shout abated, Twilight flopped forward, her forehead landing on the table with a solid thud. “I'm such an idiot!”
	
	“Twilight?” Spike poked his head out of the kitchen. “Are you alright?” He turned to Pinkie. “What happened to her? You didn't give her one of my crushed quartz cupcakes, did you?”
	
	“No, she's just being an idiot, apparently.” Pinkie shrugged. “I'm not sure why being an idiot would make her bang her head on the table though. I'm an idiot sometimes and I don't bang my head on the table. Sometimes I knock on doors with my head if my hooves are full, though.”
	
	Spike patted Twilight on the head. “Why would you say you're an idiot? You're like the smartest pony in town!”
	
	“I'm an idiot because I somehow convinced myself that I had actually put some thought into things!” Twilight lifted her head just enough to look at Spike. “This whole time I've been going on about how 'it's the thought that counts' when I haven't been putting any thought into it at all!” She thumped her head on the table a second time and emitted a long, low groan.
	
	“What are you talking about, Twilight?” Spike scratched his head. “What haven't you been putting any thought into?”
	
	“She had a not-fight with Applejack,” Pinkie said. “She just had an epi-pone, er, efiphan? No, that's not it either. An epipepifany? Um, a realization that the problem is because she wasn't thinking about it enough.”
	
	“Oh. What do you mean you haven't been thinking about it enough? You haven't been thinking about much else lately.”
	
	“That just makes it worse! I was thinking about all the wrong things! I should have been thinking about what would make Applejack happy! Not I what I thought I was supposed to be giving her! So what if most very special someponies would like getting flowers? Applejack isn't most ponies! Why on earth couldn't I see that!?” She let her head drop to the table again, but this time Pinkie slid a pillow under her. It squished as she put her head down. Her voice was barely audible through the feathers. “I'm a terrible special somepony.”
	
	“No you aren't!” Pinkie grabbed Twilight's horn and lifted her head off the pillow. “You're just new at it! Most ponies aren't that great at stuff they've never done before. Remember when Spike tried to help out on the farm?”
	
	“Hey!” Spike glowered at Pinkie. “I didn't mess things up that badly.” Both ponies gave him sideways glances. “Okay, so maybe I did. At least I tried.”
	
	“See? Spike's got it!” Pinkie said. “You tried, messed it up, and now you know that you messed up so you won't do it again. It happens to everypony. How do you think I learned how to bake the best cakes ever?”
	
	“Since when have you ever had trouble baking?” Twilight asked sullenly.
	
	“Yeah, I don't tell many ponies about it, but the first time I tried to make a cake on my own it didn't really turn out that well. I figured that since cakes are great because they're sweet, and if sugar is what makes the cakes sweet, and salt isn't sweet, the cake would be totally awesome if I replaced the salt with sugar. And also replaced the flour with sugar, because flour really doesn't taste like much of anything. Mr. Cake had to use a power sander to clean the pan after I baked it.”
	
	Twilight chuckled weakly. “Yeah, that is pretty bad.”
	
	“The second cake didn't go much better,” Pinkie said. “I didn't realize that you were supposed to frost the cake after you bake it. But I actually put the flour in, so it was a step in the right direction.”
	
	“So what you're saying is that this argument is sort of like your first cake?”
	
	“I guess you could say that. You might have messed it up a bit this time, but now you know how not to do it! Once you and Applejack get everything figured out, everything will be even better!”
	
	“That's easy enough to say, but... I don't know. What if Applejack is still mad at me?”
	
	“I'm sure if you say sorry, it'll all be fine!” Pinkie patted Twilight on the back.
	
	Twilight sighed. “I sure hope it's that easy.”
	
	
	
	“You think the zap apples are coming soon?” Apple Bloom bounced excitedly behind her sister as she dragged another basket underneath one of the trees. “Do you? I can almost smell the Zap Apple Jam already!”
	
	“You'd have to ask Granny to be sure; she's the only one who knows all the signs. Big Macintosh is well on his way to learnin' 'em, though.”
	
	“Don't you know any of them?”
	
	“I know some. Want me to tell you about one?”
	
	“Yeah!”
	
	“Okay. See that tree?” Applejack pointed.
	
	“Yeah, I see it.”
	
	“Go give it a buck.”
	
	“You sure?” Apple Bloom tilted her head. “There's no apples on it.”
	
	“Just go kick it.”
	
	“Okay, then.” Apple Bloom scurried over to the tree, wound up and kicked it as hard as she could. The tree shivered for a moment before a pulse of crackling energy poured down the trunk. “Whoa!” Apple Bloom squealed as the shock hit her, blasting away from the tree. She flopped on her back in front of her sister.
	
	“You okay, Apple Bloom?”
	
	“Yeah, I just feel a bit... tingly.”
	
	“Good, that means that Zap Apples will be along in a day or two. If you don't get that tingle after you get zapped it means you got like a week to go.”
	
	“R-right...” Apple Bloom shakily made her way to her hooves. “I, uh, I think I did enough getting' ready for today. You mind if I go back to the clubhouse and see if Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are around?”
	
	“Sure. You already did more than your fair share of stuff. I'll see you later. And remember, not a word about what happened with Twilight, okay?”
	
	“Okay.” Apple Bloom nodded and stumbled off towards the clubhouse.
	
	Applejack sighed and began to stack the extra baskets.
	
	“Um, Applejack?”
	
	She turned around. Half of Fluttershy's face was peeking out from behind a tree.
	
	“Fluttershy? What are you doin' back there?”
	
	“I'm sorry. One of my squirrels ran away because he didn't want to take his medicine.” She shrank back, so that only her eye and the curl of her hair was visible. “I couldn't help but overhear. I won't tell anypony. I didn't mean to eavesdrop.”
	
	“No, no, it's okay.” Applejack gestured for Fluttershy to come out. “I need to talk to somepony about it anyway.”
	
	“O-okay.” Fluttershy slowly stepped out from behind the tree. “So what happened?”
	
	“Well, me and Twilight were talkin', and it kinda turned into an argument. The short version is that I feel like I'm bein' a burden on her 'cause she's always spendin' bits on gifts for me. Problem is she's doin' entirely 'cause she wants to, so I couldn't think of a way to tell her how I felt about it without soundin' like I didn't care about what she was doin'.”
	
	“That sounds reasonable.”
	
	Applejack took a few steps towards Fluttershy and sat down.  “That's what I thought, too. At least at first.  I mean, I got no reason for her to do all that stuff, right?  Problem is, things got a bit heated, and I ended up yellin' that I thought it was all a waste of time.”  
	
	Fluttershy's eyes widened as she walked over to Applejack. “Oh my.”
	
	“Tell me about it. I just feel like such a jerk. I should never have said any of that.”
	
	“Well, um, you could just tell her that, I guess.”
	
	“I know that! If it wasn't for the fact that I promised my sister we'd spend some time together this afternoon, I mighta very well have gone down to Twilight's to apologize already!”
	
	“Uh, in that case, maybe you should do that, then.”
	
	“I want to, but...”
	
	“But what?”
	
	“But I... I know this probably sounds kinda bad, but I really do think I kinda have a point. As sorry as I am that I blew up on Twilight like that, I'm still not comfortable with what she's doin'. I still think that there’s no reason for her work so hard for my sake, I’m just sorry for how I said it. But the fact that I messed up and said it in a mean way doesn’t make it any less true.”
	
	“So you really do think she’s wasting her time?”
	
	“Well, kind of. It’s nice that she’s thinkin’ of me, and I like to know that she cares, but...” She sighed. “She doesn’t need to go throwin’ bits around willy-nilly for me to know that.  Just talkin’ to her is enough. I just don’t wanna see her put so much time into something that she doesn’t need to worry about.”
	
	“I see, I guess.  But if she likes doing it, I mean, couldn’t you just go with it anyway?  It’s not like it’s causing you too many problems or anything.”
	
	“I wish I could just stop carin' about it, but I just can't. I don't want to go and sweep this whole thing under the rug. I tried that already, and it obviously didn't work. I gotta think of the right way to say everything before I try to apologize or else we'll end up right back where we started. I want to solve the problem, not just push it off.”
	
	“Um, can you tell me why you're uncomfortable with her giving you so many gifts?” Fluttershy scratched her head. “I'm not sure why that's such a bad thing.”
	
	“It's not a bad thing. It's just... when I was growin' up, things were real... practical. We used all of our bits for useful stuff; food, farm equipment, stuff like that. It's just tough to wrap my head around the idea of somepony spendin' so many bits on something that doesn't have any real use. She could be usin' that money for books, or cleanin' supplies, or food, or whatever it is that libraries need! But instead she's spendin' it all on me! I'm usin' up a big chunk of her resources for no good reason!”
	
	“Sort of like a leech?” Fluttershy asked as she sat down next to Applejack. “Although it's not really like a leech because you aren't really benefiting from the situation. It's still sort of the same idea, though.”
	
	“I don't want to be a leech! That's the whole problem!”
	
	“Of course you shouldn't be a leech. Relationships should be symbiotic.”
	
	“Symbowhat?”
	
	“Never mind.” Fluttershy kicked at a dirt clod. “Does Twilight know that you feel like you're being a leech?”
	
	“...No. I just told her that I thought it was pointless.” She shook her head. “That was a regular stroke of genius there. She probably thinks I'm an ungrateful jerk. And she wouldn't be all wrong, either.”
	
	“I don't think Twilight would be that bitter,” Fluttershy said as she patted Applejack on the shoulder. “I'm sure that if you explain why you feel that way, she'll be perfectly understanding. Maybe you should go tell her. Would now be a good time? ”
	
	“I doubt it'll be that easy. She looked really mad,” Applejack said with a sigh. “I think it would be better to give her some space. We both gotta cool down a bit. Besides, it's just about time for dinner, and I gotta get back to the house for that.”
	
	“Dinner?” Fluttershy asked. “Is it that late already?”
	
	“Yeah, it's probably... I dunno, a quarter after six.”
	
	“Oh my! I need to find that squirrel so I can get the food ready for my animals! You don't mind if I go, do you?”
	
	“No, it's fine. We all got stuff we gotta do.” Applejack smiled. “I'm glad we could talk a bit though. I'm still not entirely sure what to say to Twilight, but I got a better idea now than I did before you showed up.”
	
	“Um, you're welcome, I guess. I really hope things between you and Twilight turn out well.” She hung her head. “It's never fun when my friends don't get along.”
	
	“Don't worry, Fluttershy. I plan on doin' my level best to patch things up. Now go take care of your animals. They probably need you more than I do. I'll get things fixed up, I promise.  And good luck findin’ that squirrel. ”
	
	“Okay, then.” She smiled. “See you later, Applejack.”
	
	Applejack sighed as she watched Fluttershy trot away. “I hope so, at least.”
	
	
	
	“Come on, Twilight, you gotta eat something.” Spike waved a sandwich in Twilight's face. “I can practically hear your stomach growling.”
	
	Twilight didn't even bother lifting her head from the table. “I'm not hungry.”
	
	“Yes, you are. You just don't want to eat because you feel bad about this whole Applejack thing.” Spike shoved the fruitbowl towards her. “I bet you'd feel better if you ate something.”
	
	“I doubt it. I've been totally ignoring everything that Applejack actually wanted. And then when she tried to set me straight, I blew up at her! I don't think that eating some grapes is going to make me feel better.”
	
	“How about an orange then?” Spike said. “Or maybe a banana!”
	
	“I don't think so, Spike.”
	
	“Okay then.” He grinned. “How about an apple?”
	
	“Spike.”
	
	“Sorry.” He put the apple back in the bowl. “Seriously, if this is bothering you so much, why don't you just go apologize already?”
	
	“I want to, but I don't know if I have it in me right now. I just need to think it over, and right now I just can't. It's like my brain just won't work.”
	
	“That's probably because it needs food. How about some of my famous nachos? They're your favorite!” 
	
	Twilight stared at the bowl for a moment. “Thanks, but I think I'll pass.” She stood up. “I'm going to bed. Maybe if I sleep on it, I'll be able to figure out what to do.”
	
	“Sleep?” Spike's eyes darted to the window. “It's not even dark out yet.”
	
	“Then I'll close the blinds.” She started up the stairs. “Goodnight, Spike.”
	
	“Goodnight, Twilight.” Spike watched as she vanished into her room. He sighed. “I thought for sure the nachos would cheer her up.” He shrugged. “Oh well. At least she’s not eating a whole boxful of chocolate granola bars again.”
	
	
	
	Applejack stared at the ceiling. Never in her life had she been so completely and totally awake. It wasn't fair. If she had had the same clarity of mind during her conversation with Twilight that she had right now, none of this would have happened. Her eyes drifted to the clock. 2:34 A.M. and she wasn't even a bit sleepy. She sat up. Her attention turned to the stack of cards on her nightstand. They sure weren't something worth starting a fight over.
	
	She opened the drawer. There was another card in there. This one she cared about. She gently lifted it out of the drawer and opened it.
	
	“I'm sorry, Twilight.” she whispered. She placed the card back in its place and closed the drawer. “And I'm gonna make this right.”
	
	