Twilight stood in the produce section of the market, two containers in the stall her primary focus. To the left were peaches, juicy, delectable looking fruits that were a favorite. To her right, pineapples, the prickly exterior hiding a wonderfully juicy and tasty inside. She gazed down at her bit pouch, noticing the meager amount of coins that clinked together as she quickly rummaged through them with her magic. She wanted to get both, but there was also the new set of books, quills, and ink to pay for at the next stop. Twilight mentally counted the bits she had on her, then looked to the fruits once more.

Peaches, one for three bits, two for five bits! The sign read, a small smiley face after the exclamation point. Pineapples, one for five bits, three for twelve! Twilight sighed, her mouth watering as she reaffirmed that she only had five bits to spend at this particular stand. She looked around, noticing a distinct lack of the yellow pineapples and lovely peaches among the other stops she had planned.

Mentally she began making a list, as she often did when faced with a dilemma... or any facet of her life. On one side, the virtues of a peach, on the other, those of the pineapple. The peach was easy to prepare, just a small amount of work to remove the fuzzy skin, and it was good to go. Of course, there was the pitt, but that was easy enough to eat around and then discard afterwards. A pineapple, on the other hoof, required knifework to prepare, but after a little bit of cutting it was perfect. Plus, as she weighed the sizes of the various peaches against those of the pineapples, it appeared as if she would gain a little bit more from a pineapple than two peaches.

She began pacing back and forth, not even aware of the odd looks she was beginning to receive from a few shoppers, while even more simply sighed and gave her a wide berth. Twilight continued to mentally extoll the various aspects of each fruit, unable to make a decision as she carefully weighed each of them. The reddish orange skin of the peach and its yellowish colored inside reminded Twilight of a cool, soothing moment of relaxation, a nice distraction from her hectic schedule. But the cool yellow of the pineapple, each bite, reminded her of the trip her family had gone on years ago to the tropics. Full of life, zest, and energy, every bite a small trip in its own way.

"Um, Twilight... do you need any help?" The earth pony behind the stall quietly asked, slightly on edge at the familiar, and dangerous, signs Twilight was showing. The mare continued to pace in front of the stall, her voice unheard.

A lavender glow encased a selected pineapple and two peaches, stopping inches from Twilight's face, allowing her to closely scrutinize each one. As always, the skin of both peaches were unblemished, perfect specimens of their genus. Her other eye focused intently on the pineapple, noting the fauna at the top, a healthy mix of green leaves acting as a crown to the spiky exterior of the wondrous fruit. Both were equally amazing to her sight, not a flaw to be seen.

Twilight closed her eyes, carefully smelling each one in turn. The delectable aroma of perfectly ripe fruit met her nostrils, further deepening her hunger and causing her mouth to water even more. Even the smell of the pineapple was there through its thick skin, tempting Twilight to choose it before the aroma of the peaches fought back, standing its ground and attempting to push the pineapple back. The two smells waged war, and in the end neither was the victor.

A hoof reached out, smell and sight had both been unable to decide for her, therefore it was time for touch to step up. She tenderly squeezed the peach, the skin barely giving way beneath her grasp. Perfect, as to be expected. Twilight shifted her gaze to the pineapple, a curt chuckle rumbling from her throat as she carefully poked and prodded it.

The formerly full area was now deserted, the only other occupant the mare who stood behind the stall, quivering in her hooves. She watched on in fear as the edges of Twilight's mane began to fray, curling in random directions as a creepy look overcame her customer's face.

Touch had failed her as well, and Twilight knew very well that unless Pinkie appeared, there was no way to listen to the fruits. Therefore, only one avenue was left to her now in order to make her decision. With only a slightly manic grin on her face, Twilight quickly raised a hoof towards town hall, in the opposite direction from her home.

"It's a manticore! Run!" Twilight yelled, causing the shopkeeper to yelp and dive underneath her stall, fear finally overcoming her senses. Within seconds, Twilight scooped up a peach and pineapple, determined to get to the bottom of her issue, and teleported home.

With a flash Twilight arrived in the kitchen, each virtuous fruit finding a place on the counter as she whisked the cutting board front and center. With a whirl of magic, the hard exterior of the pineapple quickly gave way to the juicy insides, drops whirling off the knife as it moved as amazing speeds. Seconds later, the fruit had been skinned and cored, falling to the board in diced pieces.

Twilight carefully brought a piece to her mouth, biting a small section from it. She basked in the sensation of the juices trickling down her throat, the taste of the tropic fruit exploding in her mouth. She slowly swallowed before poppig the remainder of the chunk into her mouth, moving her attention to the peach.

A quick twist in her magic removed the fuzzy skin, leaving the peachy flesh visible underneath. She slowly brought the majestic fruit to her mouth, the aftertaste of the pineapple still lingering behind. A nibble of the peach erased the previous fruit, fighting for dominance on her tongue.

Twilight sighed, setting down the peach, a visible amount of it now missing. She shifted her gaze between the two fruits, her mind finally decided.

"Definitely the peach."