Twilight yawned as she sat up in bed. She stretched, feeling good about the day ahead. And what a day it was! She looked out the window and saw Celestia’s sun shining on Ponyville. She smiled and got up from bed, getting a closer look. The ponies of Ponyville were out and about, in the middle of their morning routines. Some ponies were opening shops, some were entering shops, some were glancing up at the town’s clock tower-

Wait.

Twilight blinked and looked at the clock tower. She blinked again, certain she was seeing things. She rubbed her eyes. And looked again.

11:30.

The time was 11:30.

She was supposed to be awake hours ago! Twilight gasped as she quickly moved from the window. “Spike!” she called as she ran downstairs. “Spike!”

Spike looked up from where he was dusting the books. “Morning Twilight!” he greeted. “Want some breakfast? Or lunch, I guess?”

Twilight rushed towards Spike. She stopped right in front of him and put her face near his. “Spike! I was supposed to be up hours ago to get the library ready! Why didn’t you wake me?!”

Spike nervously took a step back. “W-well…you were hanging out with the others last night and didn’t come home until it was late. I figured you’d want to sleep in…”

“B-but…” began Twilight. “What about the chores I had to do this morning? Some of that needed to be done before the library opened!”

“I know!” said Spike. “That’s why I did them for you!”

“You…did?” asked Twilight. She looked around. The library did seem to be cleaner and more organized than it did when she got home yesterday. “You did everything by yourself?” asked Twilight.

“Yeah!” said Spike. He walked towards a nearby table and picked up a checklist. “Everything on your ‘Things To Do Before the Library Opens’ list.”

Twilight looked at the list and back at the library. She took note of each item on the list and gazed at the areas that needed cleaning or organization. From what she could see, Spike had done everything almost perfectly. There were a few books out of place, but nothing to get upset about.

“Wow.” said Twilight. She smiled at Spike and said, “I’m sorry for freaking out, Spike.” She pulled him into a hug. “I should have known you had everything handled.”

Spike chuckled sheepishly. He pulled away from the hug and said, “Could you wake up early tomorrow, though? There’s a lot of stuff to do on that list…”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Sure. It is a lot of chores for only one pony… or dragon in this case.”

Spike smiled gratefully. “Thank goodness.” He pointed towards the kitchen. “Do you still want me to make you some lunch?”

“Sure.” Twilight said. “While you do that, I’ll take care of any customers that come in.” She smiled. “In fact, after you do that you can have the day off. You’ve done a lot this morning.”

“Really?” asked Spike excitedly.

“Really.” confirmed Twilight. “Maybe you could even go visit Rari-”

The door to the library slammed open and Rarity rushed in. “Twilight!” she yelled. Her frantic gaze locked onto Twilight and she rushed over to her. “Darling, you need to come quickly! It’s an emergency!”

“E-emergency?” asked Twilight. “What kind of emergency?!”

Rarity rushed behind Twilight and started pushing her towards the door. “There’s no time to explain! We simply must head back to the boutique right now!”

“Ok, let’s go!” said Twilight. She looked at Spike, who had a crestfallen look on his face. “I’m sorry Spike! I’ll be back as soon as I can!”

Spike looked at Twilight and grinned, the crestfallen look disappearing. “I know you will! Now go deal with this emergency for…Rarity…” he sighed longingly at the white unicorn.

Twilight rolled her eyes and headed outside with Rarity. They rushed through Ponyville and soon arrived at Rarity’s store. Rarity rushed in and Twilight followed close behind.

“What’s this emer…gen…cy…” she trailed off as she looked at the mess that used to be Rarity’s boutique. Scraps of fabric, gems, thread, crumpled designs, and many other objects littered the floor of the boutique. “What happened to this place?!” she asked as she tried not to step on anything.

“My design process.” said Rarity. She rummaged through the mess, her head disappearing underneath a large piece of cloth. “Where are they…” she muttered. After a few minutes, Twilight heard Rarity go, “Aha!”, and watched her friend reappear. She was holding two designs in her hooves. “I need your opinion on something, darling.” Rarity set the designs down on a cluttered table.

“You just wanted my opinion on your dresses?” asked Twilight incredulously. “That’s the big emergency?”

“It is a big emergency!” exclaimed Rarity. She spun around and faced Twilight. “I have a very important client expecting something new and original in a few days! I’ve managed to work out two fabulous designs for her, but I can’t decide which one to make!” Rarity put a hoof to her head and sighed. “What is an attractive yet indecisive fashion designer to do?!”

Twilight sighed. “Ok, ok.” She gave what she hoped was a friendly, not-at-all-annoyed smile at her friend, “What designs are they?”

Rarity smiled and lifted up one of the designs. “This one is, I feel, sleek and elegant. It has a simple, somewhat understated elegance to it. I have all the material I need for it, and yet I feel as though it’s a little dull.”

“Ok…” said Twilight, looking at the design. It was simply an elegant looking dress in one solid red color.

“And then there’s this!” said Rarity, holding up the other design. This one looked like a dress Discord would find appealing. It had frills and ruffles, and was a mix of bright colors. “This one is part of an all new look that is all the rage now. It’s chaotic mix appeals to ponies’ sense of individuality and eccentricity, although I can’t help but feel like it is too flashy.” Rarity held up both designs and looked pleadingly at Twilight. “Which one should I go with?”

“Well…” said Twilight. She looked at both designs again. “Um…maybe…”

“Yes?” asked Rarity.

Twilight paused. She looked at both of the designs again. “Maybe…you should…”

“Yes?!” said Rarity.

Twilight sighed. “Maybe you should decide?”

“…” Rarity stared at Twilight for a moment. “Run that by me again, darling?”

Twilight pointed to the designs. “I mean, they both have their strong qualities so it’s hard for me to decide which one’s better. And you know much more about fashion than I do, so maybe the decision should be left to you.”

Rarity sighed. “Well, I suppose so. I just hoped you could do something to help me decide.”

Twilight winced. “Sorry! But I really don’t know.”

Rarity nodded distractedly. She went to the table with the designs and stared at them, deep in thought.

“So…” said Twilight. She started heading towards the door. “I guess I’ll just leave you to it, then?” She waited for Rarity to respond, but the other pony was silent. “Ok…bye.” Twilight walked out of Rarity’s shop and shut the door behind her.

She sighed. “I wish I could have helped, but I don’t know anything about fashion.” She looked at the clock tower. The time was one o’clock. “I can still make it back to the library in time to give Spike a day off.” Twilight said. She started making her way back.

“Twilight!” yelled a voice.

Twilight looked around, and was tackled by a pink blur. The wind was knocked out of Twilight and she looked around wildly. “What-?” she wheezed. She looked up and saw Pinkie Pie looking down at her.

“Oops.” giggled Pinkie. She helped Twilight up. “Sorry Twilight.”

“Hi Pinkie.” said Twilight, looking at her friend. “Why did you tackle me?”

“I just wanted to get your attention!” said Pinkie. “I need you to come with me!”

Twilight paused and looked at the clock tower again. “Can it wait? I really need to-”

“Please Twilight?” pleaded Pinkie, her bottom lip quivering. “It’s an emergency!”

Twilight sighed and said, “Ok Pinkie. Lead the way.”

Pinkie smiled and grabbed onto Twilight’s hoof. She led Twilight through Ponyville and, soon, they arrived at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie rushed in, practically dragging Twilight inside with her.

“Did ya find Twilight, Sugarcube?” asked a familiar voice. Twilight looked up and saw Applejack walking out of the kitchen.

“Uh huh!” said Pinkie happily. She turned towards Twilight and asked seriously, “So what do you think, Ms. Sparkle?”

“Um…” began Twilight. “What do I think about what, exactly?”

“Did you fill her in on our problem?” asked Applejack.

Pinkie smiled sheepishly. “I might have forgot to…”

Applejack rolled her eyes and gestured to Twilight to follow her. She led Twilight into the kitchen, which Twilight noted was unusually warm.

“Me and Pinkie have been bakin’ all day, so the ovens have made this place pretty warm.” explained Applejack, answering Twilight’s unspoken question. Applejack pointed to the counter, where dozens of pies, cakes, muffins, and cupcakes were sitting. “Pinkie asked me to help make stuff for Sugarcube Corner’s big bake sale.” explained Applejack. “We got most of the stuff done, but-”

“But we need a super-special-awesome treat to be the feature of the sale and really get ponies excited!” said Pinkie.

“Ok…” said Twilight. She forced herself to ignore her stomach growling as she looked at the mountain of food on the counter. She turned towards the two ponies and asked, “So what’s the problem?”

“We each have a different idea about what to bake.” explained Applejack. “Ah think we should make the Apple Family’s Super Special Cinnamon Apple Pie.”

“A pie?” asked Twilight.

“A big pie!” said Applejack, spreading her hooves to emphasize her point. “It’s easy to make and tastes like nothin’ you’ve ever had before!”

“And I think we should make Pinkie Pie’s Perfect Pineapple Upside-down Cake!” exclaimed Pinkie. She leaned in and whispered to Twilight, “It’s a cake…that’s upside-down.”

“I got that.” said Twilight.

“Oh.” said Pinkie. “It is a little hard to make, but it tastes really yummy and it would be perfect for the sale’s featured treat!”

“Ah still say we should make the pie!” said Applejack, glaring at Pinkie.

“And I say let them eat cake!” replied Pinkie, returning Applejack’s glare.

“Pie!”

“Cake!”

“Pie!

“Cake!”

“Pie!”

“Pie!”

“Cake!”

“Ha!” laughed Pinkie. “I fooled you!”

Applejack groaned and looked desperately at Twilight. “Can you help us out, Sugarcube? Which would you rather eat? Dry, tasteless cake? Or warm, sweet, delicious pie?”

“Or would you rather eat soggy, sour tasting pie?” asked Pinkie. “Or soft, tasty cake?”

Twilight thought for a moment. “To tell you the truth, girls,” she began, “I prefer ice cream to either of those.”

Applejack and Pinkie stared at Twilight. Applejack shook her head and grinned, “That’s cuz you need a refresher on how good an slice of apple pie can taste, Sugarcube!” She pushed Twilight towards the counter and put a pie in front of her.

Pinkie rushed forward and put a cake near Twilight’s pie. “And when you choke that pie down, you can eat a really tasty piece of cake!”

Twilight stared at the two desserts in front of her and then at the bickering ponies. “Oh boy…” she said.

Twilight left Sugarcube Corner sometime later. Her stomach was stuffed and fit to burst. She shuddered as she recalled Applejack and Pinkie shoving dessert after dessert in front of her. “They seemed disappointed that I couldn’t decide for them.” said Twilight as she slowly walked back to the library. “I hope it isn’t too late…” She looked at the clock tower and gasped as she looked at the time. It was 5 o’clock. “I need to get back and let Spike take a break!” she said. “Maybe I’ll let him have tomorrow off too; he’s been working alone all day.” She stepped up her pace and started to head back.

“TWILIGHT!” yelled a voice.

Twilight looked up and saw Rainbow Dash flying towards her. “Rainbow?” asked Twilight. “What are you-”

“No time!” said Rainbow Dash, picking Twilight up and flying off with her. “You, me, Flutteshy’s! Now! It’s an-”

“Emergency,” finished Twilight, “I know.”

Rainbow Dash carried her to Fluttershy’s home. The animals looked on with curiosity as Rainbow set Twilight down. She started to knock on the door. “Fluttershy! I got Twilight!”

The door opened slowly and Fluttershy poked her head out. “Oh, she didn’t have to come. We could have-”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Rainbow, pushing past Fluttershy and walking into the house, “She didn’t have to come, we could have solved it on our own, you’re still shy, we get it.”

Twilight walked inside and smiled at Fluttershy, “Hello Fluttershy. How are you?”

Fluttershy smiled. “Oh, I’m alright. Rainbow and I just-”

“Fluttershy won’t let me do my stunt!” cut in Rainbow Dash.

“Stunt?” asked Twilight, looking from Fluttershy to Rainbow Dash. “What stunt?”

“My new stunt!” said Rainbow Dash happily. She started to fly around the room. “It’s going to be the most awesome thing I’ve ever done!” She landed and glared at Fluttershy. “Or it would if someone let me use some of her animals for it.”

Fluttershy gulped, but stared Rainbow Dash down. “And I think that Rainbow is perfectly capable of being awesome without using my animals. They could get hurt.”

“Wait, wait.” said Twilight. “What type of stunt is it?”

Rainbow Dash smiled and said, “I’m glad you asked!” She grabbed a sheet of paper off of Fluttershy’s chair. She unfolded it, and said, “It starts with me doing a barrel roll with some of Fluttershy’s birds…”

Time passed as Rainbow went over her stunt. Twilight had to admit that it did sound awesome, but the various stages of the stunt involved putting Fluttershy’s animals into dangerous situations.

“…And then we fly towards the alligators and just barely miss getting eaten!” finished Rainbow Dash. She threw the paper behind her and grinned at Twilight. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“Well-” began Twilight.

“There is no way you’re doing that with my animals!” said Fluttershy loudly. She noticed the other two looking at her and she looked down. “…If that’s okay with you…” she continued quietly.

“Well, it’s not okay with me!” said Rainbow Dash. She got right in front of Fluttershy. “Come on, Fluttershy! This is probably the most awesome thing I’m ever going to do, ever!”

“I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy firmly, “But no.”

“You-”

“Girls!” said Twilight. “Arguing about this isn’t going to solve anything!”

Rainbow Dash turned towards Twilight and smiled, “You’re right, Twilight. So tell Fluttershy that my stunt won’t hurt her animals and she should let me use them.”

“Well-”

“Or,” cut in Fluttershy, “You could tell Rainbow Dash that her little stunt will definitely hurt my animals and she shouldn’t use them.”

“I-”

“Tell her!” said Rainbow Dash, pushing Twilight towards Fluttershy.

“No, please tell her!” said Fluttershy, pushing Twilight towards Rainbow Dash.

“Tell her!”

“Tell her!”

“Tell her!”

“Tell-”

“ENOUGH!” shouted Twilight. She stepped away and looked at the two shocked Pegasi. “Look girls, I know this is important to you. But I can’t think when you two are playing tug-of-war with me!” She sighed. “Look, I’ll give it some thought, ok? But Spike has been working at the library all day and I want to give him a break.” She walked towards Fluttershy’s door. “I’ll see you girls when I make my decision, alright?” She left, letting the other two to argue with each other.

Twilight left Fluttershy’s house and started walking back to the library. She sighed as she walked back into town. “First Rarity, then Applejack and Pinkie, and now Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. I couldn’t help any of them…” She looked up at the setting sun and then at the clock tower. The time was 7:30. “And Spike’s been working hard all day…”

Twilight arrived at the library and pushed open the door. The library was empty, but was a complete mess. Piles of books were on the floor, mysterious purple stains were everywhere, and Spike was standing in the middle of the room, a broom in his hands.

“Spike?” asked Twilight. A soft snore was her only response. She walked around Spike in order to see his face. Spike’s eyes were shut and his face was pressing against the broom handle. A trail of drool was hanging out of his mouth.

Twilight lifted Spike up with her magic and took him upstairs. She entered the bedroom and placed Spike on his basket. She attempted to pry the broom from Spike’s claws, but his grip was too tight. She sighed and walked back downstairs, leaving Spike to cuddle with the broom.

Once she was downstairs, Twilight looked at the mess that used to be her library. “Why aren’t ponies this interested in books when I’m here?” she asked herself as she started lifting the books back onto the shelves with her magic. She looked at the purple stain on her floor. “Grape juice? Don’t they know that there’s no food or drink allowed in the library? If I were here, I would have made them drink it outside.” She sighed as she looked towards the stairs. “If I were here, Spike could have had his day off. And now all of the girls have problems that I don’t know what to do with.” As Twilight continued, she failed to notice a book drifting towards her head. “I wish that I was able to list the good and bad sides of each of the girls’ suggestions. I could figure out if the creativity of Rarity’s dress, Pinkie’s dessert, and Rainbow’s stunt would be more important than the practicality of Rarity’s other dress, Applejack’s dessert, and Fluttershy’s concerns about her animals.” She groaned as the book drifted closer and closer to her. “I’ve just got too much on my mind!”

The book hit her in the back of the head and fell to the floor.

“Ow!” said Twilight as she rubbed her head. She looked at the open book and read, “Got too much on your mind? Do you feel like your logic and creativity aren’t working together? Did you forget someone special because you were too busy trying to decide between creativity and practicality?” Twilight paused and muttered, “That’s…oddly specific…” She continued reading. “Try this spell on for size. It will separate the logical and creative sides of your brain. The two sides can work out their differences and come up with a solution. With this spell, you‘ll never waste time on a decision again!”

Twilight looked up. “I’m not sure about this…but…” she glanced at the stairs. “It might be the only way to come up to make everyone happy. If I come up with solutions for all of the girls’ problems, I could give Spike the day off he deserves!” Twilight smiled confidently. “That settles it! I’m doing this spell!”

She looked at the book and started to focus her magic…