How Did Applejack and Rarity Become Friends?

"Pardon?" Applejack asked.

"I asked how you and Rarity met, and how you became friends," Twilight said again. "You were both born here, right? Surely you've known each other for a long time."

"Now, Twi, you're really asking two diff'rent questions at th' same time. Yeah, Ah have known Rarity fer a while. She'n I were in kindergarten together. Would you believe she wuz just'z prissy then as she is now? She wouldn't hoofpaint with th' rest of the class cuz she didn't want to get dirty."

Twilight giggled. "That certainly does sound like something Rarity would do."

"...But y'know, for a while, Rarity and Ah did get along, even if she wasn't a team player all the time. Ah'd go to her place for tea, or she'd come to mine, and we'd run about in the fields. Rarity may be exercise-'void'nt these days, but back then, she had that crazy energy all kids've got."

"So what changed?" Twilight asked.

Applejack sighed and readjusted the strap on her cart. "We forgot what our friendship meant."

"What do you mean? Did you have a big fight? Did one of you break something of the others, or say something she didn't mean?"

Applejack shook her head. "No, nothin' like that. We just... forgot. 'N all of a sudden, her prissiness was too much for me to let live like'n I used to. And Rarity, she thought mah farm was too rustic for her. We never fought or yelled at each other. We just... one day, Rarity stopped comin' to the farmstead, and I stopped comin' by her place."

"I'm sorry," Twilight said.

"Ah, don't be, Twi," Applejack replied. "Y'all didn't have nothin' to do with it. 'Sides, we survived 'thout each other. Ah had my apples, and Rares had her Boutique. Ah'd forgotten about those days, when the orchards felt empty, until you went and asked about it."

"I'm sorry!" Twilight repeated, more insistently.

"Like Ah said, ye've got nothin' to apol'gize for." By this point, the two of them had arrived back at the farm. Applejack set the cart by the door and gestured to the door. "Would y'all like to come in for somethin' to drink?" she asked.

"I'd love that," Twilight replied. "But you haven't answered my other question yet."

"Hmm? Oh, right. Rarity 'n I met back in foal school, but once we were older, we stopped bein' so pleasant with each other."

"So how did you two become friends?" Twilight asked.

"Ah'd've thought that wuz obvious, c'nsiderin' who Ah'm talkin' to." Applejack winked, then pulled out a tray of cookies and set them on the table.

Twilight hardly noticed them, so much in shock she was. "...You mean, you weren't friends until after I came to Ponyville?"

Applejack laughed. "Don't you remember that time Rarity 'n I stayed in yer library cuz'f all the rain? We could hardly stand each other!"

"Well, right, but I thought for sure that was just because you were forced together in close quarters. I didn't imagine--"

"Twi, I think there's something you should know." Applejack sat down and looked at her closely. "You learned an important lesson back when y'all moved here, but so did we. The truth is, 'ceptin' Pinkie Pie, none of us were friends with t'other before you came here. Not. A. One. And even Pinkie... well, there weren't nearly as many parties here as there are now."

The cookie in Twilight's magic fluttered, then fell to the ground and broke in two. "That's... that's not possible. Rarity and Fluttershy?"

"Didn't know each other 'til they went in that forest with you."

"You and Rainbow Dash?"

"Mostly just yelled at her when she napped in mah trees."

"Rainbow and Fluttershy?"

"Hadn't spoken to each other in years."

"I... I didn't know..."

"Well, now ya do." Applejack smiled. "You brought us together, Twi, in a c'mpletely special way. There ain't any friendship Ah've got quite as nice as th' ones in our little posse. Y'all should be proud of what ye've done."

"It wasn't me, it was the Elements and Celestia..." Twilight murmured.

"Be that as it may, you kept us together after all that. Think Ah could've noticed the c'nexion 'tween the Elements 'n us? Think Ah could've given up them G3 tickets? Think Ah could've org'nized that dinner date fer Princess Celestia? No, that there was all you, Twi."

Twilight blushed. "I think I have something to send to Princess Celestia now."

"Twi, you don't have to do that anymore, remember? Yer a princess now, too."

"I know. This one is special." Twilight magicked up a piece of paper and a quill. "Now, how should I begin this? 'Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that friendship is a special gift, one that should not be taken lightly. It is a power that can bring together old connections, overcome bitter grudges, and mend broken fences. It is a beautiful, harmonious thing, and I am glad I got the opportunity to come to Ponyville and truly experience it for myself. And I never could have imagined that, for all the friendship I gained, I also brought friendship to the ones who gave it to me. Friendship, you see, is a feedback loop: by giving, you receive, and by receiving, you give again. That's what makes it so beautiful.'

"...How do I sign it off?"

"How 'bout... 'Your friend?'"

Twilight smiled. "Perfect. 'Your friend, Twilight Sparkle.'"

"Great," Applejack said. "Now, I've gotta go put those apples away. Y'all still good to help me?"

Twilight smiled again. "I always will be."

Author's Notes:

The Rain Falls Twice

Why are there no tears?

Twilight sits at the front of the crowd during the funeral. Her seat is special--a gold-lined cushion that prominently states that she is royalty, a god. To her left is Cadance, quietly sobbing for the loss of her step-aunt, and to her right is Princess Luna, grief-stricken over the death of her beloved sister.

And I, seeing my teacher cold and dead in front of me, feel nothing.

The hall is mostly quiet for the moment. Lightly, delicately, a quiet melody floats in the air. It is "The Rain Falls Twice," an old melody long-forgotten. Twilight had found it in an ancient book, written in a notation that hadn't been used in centuries, and had taught the unicorn band how to play it. The Lyrics were in Old Equestrian, but she had translated them flawlessly. That had been her contribution to the ceremony.

Is that what she would have wanted? Does it even matter?

An old earth pony hobbles his way to the front of the hall. His name is Vintage, and he is--was--Celestia's head butler. He speaks slowly; with reverence or with sadness, Twilight cannot tell. "I long believed that it would be my time to go to the Forever Home before the Princess made her way. I believed... as we all did, I think... that she would live forever."

A foolish idea. I didn't think that anypony believed in the Forever Home anymore. What evidence is there to suggest that there is anything after this life?

"We don't know why that madpony took her life. We don't know how he knew the Black Voidstone could end her existence. What we do know is that he is safe in the asylum; in time, perhaps, he will be repaired of his mental distress."

Should I want him dead? Should I hate him for taking her from me? Would a more loving student seek revenge? But what good would any of that do?

"What we do know is that she is gone, and she will never return. Time marches ever onward. We can only keep on with our lives and wait for the day when we will see her again."

Of course. That's all he's doing. Hope in the face of hopelessness. Belief in the irrational to prevent despair. Simple as that.

Vintage returns to his seat, and "The Rain Falls Twice" picks up again while the other ponies mourn. Twilight takes this moment to listen to the lyrics she translated. Sweetie Belle's voice captures the emotion of the song perfectly. "The sun is long behind the clouds/we set the rain to fall/and tears come bitter to our eyes/to brother, friend, and all."

All but me.

Princess Luna is next. She begins her speech with her balanced, royal control, but it swiftly falls apart. She sobs, "Sister, this cannot be! You can't leave me!"

Can has nothing to do with it. She did, and that is all there is to it.

Luna chokes back more tears, and continues, "You were the better of us. You were never filled with envy, rage, or evil. You never did one thing wrong."

Is that why they are sad? Because something beautiful and good is gone from the world? There must be something more than that. Something I lack.

Luna snaps. "It should have been me! When he came bounding up the stairs with the Voidstone, I should have taken your place! And when I saw you dead... I wanted to touch it as well, to go with you! I thought I couldn't live without you... I'm still not sure I can."

And how would that have helped? You couldn't bring her back. Equestria needs you, and dying would only make it worse.

Princess Luna collapses to the ground. "Sister, forgive me for that." And with that, she returns to her cushion next to Twilight.

Is that what grief requires? Some great act before everypony else to show how truly bad you feel? I can't do that. It would be too self-serving.

Even before the music starts up again, Princess Cadance is moving forward to begin her own speech. She stands before all of the other ponies and performs a motion Twilight recognizes: a hoof to the chest, then out, to calm breathing.

A performance, just like every other.

"My name is Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadance for short. I'm not sure all of you know me. I am the princess of love, and I can sense the love in here that all of you had for my dear aunt." And then, to Twilight's shock, Cadance smiles.

Huh?

"I have lost somepony very dear to me, but I also know how much she meant to all of you, and that means she lives on, in a way. She lives on through your joy, your peace, your goodness. When I see laughing and playing out in the sun, I see my aunt smiling back at me."

I... I don't understand.

"I am sad because she is gone, but is she really? If I keep her memory close to my heart, is she dead, or is she right next to me? It's not the same, no, but that doesn't mean it is worse. I am making my peace, slowly but surely, with the idea that my auntie Celestia has become something new."

Is... Is that what grief is? Coming to terms? Have... Have I done that yet?

"There is a wound in our hearts, today and onward, but we can grow from it, bit by bit, to regain our joy. You all have so much love, more perhaps than you could match for anypony else. Keep that love, hold it close to you, and Celestia is never really gone."

Hold it close?

"Thank you." Cadance returns to her seat next to Twilight. She closes her eyes and leans in close to Twilight. "Are you ready, Twilight?"

...

"The Rain Falls Twice" starts up again, and ends. Sweetie Belle, confused, looks to Twilight. Twilight is looking straight forward, unblinking. Without any options in front of her, Sweetie simply begins the song again. It isn't until it is almost finished again that Twilight finally walks up to the front. She pauses for a moment, coughs once, and frowns.

All right. Here we go.

"They say there are five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. When I saw Celestia fall, I know denial was quick to my mind. I sought out every other possibility in my mind before the inevitability of her death came to me. Anger, too, came quick to me. This wasn't supposed to happen; it was wrong, somehow. But after that, I jumped quickly to Acceptance. Who would I bargain with, and what good would being sad do? She was dead, and there was nothing that could be done to fix it."

Twilight pauses. "I am a pony of rationality. I look at problems logically, not emotionally. So far, nopony has seen me cry over Celestia's death. I'm not sure I ever will. One of my friends called me a monster because of that. I forgive her for that; I understand where she came from in saying that. She was upset, and I was not. But where I erred was in believing that my approach was superior to hers, to all of yours. That I was somehow better for having overcome my need to grieve.

"But, listening to all of these speeches, giving myself time to think, I realized: I haven't overcome grief at all. I've only buried it, rationalized it. I simply pretended that Celestia was gone forever, beyond my reach, and that she couldn't affect me anymore. Rather than accept that she is dead, I erased her from my heart completely. Now, if you will excuse one last delay, I want to bring her back."

Twilight turns to look at Celestia's body. She is radiantly beautiful, even in death. Though her hair no longer billows and she no longer smiles, she is still Celestia, through and through. Twilight closes her eyes and searches for her within.

There.

The memories of long ago: the first Summer Sun Celebration Twilight attended, that awe and wonder. The joy at being accepted into the Academy. The nervousness and desire to please her at party after party. The sorrow of failing her, and Celestia's sage forgiveness afterwards. In those moments, in those flickers of interaction, Celestia lives on.

"...There are many kinds of grief. There are many ways to show it. Perhaps you can't see it, but I am hurting. I am ashamed that I kept her at hoof's length for so long. I am broken because there was a report I wanted to give her that she will never hear. I am cold without her holding me close to her. Rather than dismissing those feelings away, calling them illogical, I accept them into me. I hold them close to me, because they're all I have left of her.

"Now, having done that, I must decide how to go on. Grief demands a new way of thinking. I... I will be doing what I have before. I will do my best to lead this country, to share the magic of friendship that I have gained from my friends. It may not seem like much on the outside, but on the inside, I will have devoted my life to Celestia's memory. It may not be a huge change, but to me... it is resolution. I think... I think Celestia would understand. I think she would be happy."

Colts are from Mars, Mares are from Venus

It was early in the morning when Twilight heard a knock at her door. Still yawning, she made her way down the glittery staircase and discovered it was her brother, come to visit her.

"Shining Armor?" Twilight asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing," he said. He laughed to himself. "Just a fight with the missus."

"So you took a five-hour-long train ride to come here?"

"Okay, so maybe it was more than just a fight."

"Well? Don't keep me in suspense! Come in and tell me what happened!"

"It's really not a big deal. Ooh, that couch looks comfy!" Shining Armor threw himself on a long outcrop of crystal and laid his head against a crystal pillar. Twilight didn't have the heart to tell him it was just a decoration, and probably not very comfortable at all.

"Shiny, just tell me!" Twilight urged him.

"All right. All I said was that stallions had it really difficult these days. Cadance got all huffy and said that mares obviously had it more difficult than stallions. And I told her that was ridiculous."

Twilight sighed. "Really? You got into a fight with her over that?"

"Like I said, no big deal." He hopped up from the "couch" and looked around, saying, "So, where's your kitchen?"

"You are not staying!" Twilight told him. "Soon as the first train to the Crystal Empire comes in, you are going right back to apologize to Cadance!"

"No need for that," said a charming, pleasant voice just outside. Cadance flew in through the front door and snatched up Shining Armor in a massive hug. "I was so worried! What were you thinking, running off?"

"I thought, after our fight, that you wanted some space," Shining said.

"Honey, we have an entire castle. I have all the space I need." Cadance frowned and backed up from him. "Do you really think I could be so mad at you that I'd want you to run away from home?"

Shining Armor snorted. "Well, considering you said, and I quote, 'Oh, Shining Armor, I am so mad at you right now, I can hardly stand to look at you!'"

"Okay, I did say that, but I was exaggerating!" Cadance smiled and flitted her eyes. "Besides, I can never get enough of you, Mr. Big and Studly..."

"Okay, back it up, you two, save room for Celestia," Twilight said, hurriedly putting herself between the two lovebirds. "So," Twilight added, "you're really not mad?"

"No, of course not," Cadance said. "I may not agree with him, and he may have said some things that were a tad hurtful, but I still love him."

"Wait, what did I say? Because I distinctly recall you saying, 'Stallions have no idea how easy they've got it.' I think I was in my rights to respond to that."

"What, by saying, 'Stallions do all the real work in this society?' What do you think my aunts do, then, huh?"

"Cadance... BBBFF..." Twilight called out to them, but Shining Armor pushed her to the side.

"I didn't say 'real work,' I said 'the backbone of Equestria.' You were the one who said stallions were too stupid to become alicorns."

"Only because you said mares 'can't understand the vast intricacies of military strategy.'"

"Hey, I'm just sayin', all my female officers preferred latrine duty over strategy meetings."

"Well, you'd better double-check with those officers, bucko, because there's no way that's true!"

"Please, stop fighting!" Twilight pleaded.

"Twilight! I'm sorry, I totally forgot about you," Shining Armor said.

"This is my house," Twilight replied, deadpan.

"Well, it looks like my house, and... anyway. C'mon, back me up here!" Shining Armor said. "Tell her about how stallions are the battered workhorses of today's society!"

"Twilight, tell him that mares have it way harder than stallions do!"

Twilight was perplexed. Her brother was looking at her with his "big brother in need" eyes, while Cadance was looking unusually upset, like she needed some sympathy.

"...I don't know. My brother does have a point," Twilight said slowly.

Cadance shook her head and laughed. "You've betrayed your gender, Twilight," Cadance joked. "Celestia will hear about this."

"Thanks, Twily," Shining Armor said. "I knew you'd take--"

"Not so fast, BBBFF. I'm not saying you're not wrong, too."

"Bwuh?"

"Yeah, stallions do get the short end of the stick sometimes, but that doesn't mean we mares don't have our trials, too! Life isn't a whine-off to see who has it worse. We have to work together in harmony if we want to be happy."

"Yeah, you're right." Shining Armor stood by Cadance and smiled sadly. "The truth is, I work hard all day getting the Crystal Guard up to snuff. Before that, I was Captain of the Guard; before that, I did my time down in the Canterlot Harvesting Fields. And all of that just seems to be... expected. I've never gotten any recognition for it. Sometimes I just feel totally invisible."

"Oh, honey, I appreciate you!" Cadance said. "I'm sorry if I haven't shown that for you enough. I promise I'll be more receptive to when you do something for me."

Twilight waved a hoof. "Now it's your turn, Cadance. I doubt you jumped on him because you thought he was a chauvinist."

"No, I guess not..." Cadance thought about it for a moment. "The truth is, what really bothered me was how quick to jump to conclusions you were. You don't think through what you say. And it's not just that! You feel like I'm angry with you, so you decide to run off to your sister's house. You buy a brand new set of decorations without thinking about the cost or how I might feel about you. You never think about how I feel!" Cadance started to tear up. "You didn't think about how I'd worry."

"Cadance..." He held her close, and their horns touched, giving off sparks. "I'm so sorry for running off. And for all those other things, too."

Cadance hiccupped through her tears. "I thought... I thought you were abandoning me..."

"No, never," Shining Armor told her. "I'm sorry that I don't always know the right thing to do or say. I'm sorry that I don't always think my plans through all the way. I promise to be more considerate for your feelings before I shoot my mouth off."

"Aww..." Twilight couldn't help but react to the beautiful moment her brother and sister-in-law were having.

They eventually pulled away from each other. Shining Armor joked, "So, while I'm working on my mind-reading, what are you thinking about right now?"

And Cadance, sweet Cadance, replied innocently, "I want to start a family."

Shining Armor's eyes grew 'til they were as big as dinner plates. He whipped his head to Twilight, who gave him the "hoofs-up" sign. He turned back and said, "Aw, what the hay. Yes, of course!" He spun her about and gave her a kiss. A... rather long kiss...

"Wait, eww, not right now!" said Twilight.

A World with Ma and Pa

There were five voices beneath her. They were muffled through the floorboards, but Applejack thought she could hear them laughing. Granny's, Apple Bloom's, and Big Mac's she could identify immediately, but the other two, a mare and a stallion, sounded like strangers. She wondered who could possibly be visiting Sweet Apple Acres so early in the morning. She got up from her bed, brushed her mane, and headed down the stairs to see what was cooking on the stove this morning.

"AJ, precious, how good o' ya ta get up!"

"...Ma? Pa?" It wasn't possible! It couldn't be!

"What's tha matter?" Pa asked her. "Ya look like ya've seen a ghost!"

"Ah have!" She stepped backwards, afraid too look at either of them too long, for fear they would vanish. "Both of ya'll... back when Apple Bloom was born...!"

"Precious, what on Earth are ye talking about?" Ma asked her. "D'ye need to go back to bed?"

"No!" Applejack shouted. "Ah just... don't know what to think!"

"Well, don't think, then!" said Granny Smith. "Just c'mon over here and have breakfast with'n yer family!"

Reluctantly, AJ did as Granny Smith asked. She sat down next to Big Mac and Apple Bloom, who were happily chowing down on what looked to be apple flapjacks. Applejack looked at one, sniffed it. Ma's cooking. Granny burned 'em, and Big Mac didn't step hoof in a kitchen if he didn't have to. AJ had tried to imitate Ma's cooking, but she could never do it. She took one off of the center plate and tried to control her pounding heartbeat. "These look... mighty good, Ma," AJ offered.

"Why, thank ye kindly, precious, but they're just flapjacks," she replied. "Make 'em every mornin', same as always."

"Ah know, but... they're special this mornin'," AJ said. She cut off a tiny corner of one and put it in her mouth. It was like eating pure honeycomb. The blend of buckwheat, butter, and apple pieces melted in Applejack's mouth and brought tears to her eyes.

Just as Applejack started eating, Pa stood up, put his plate on his back, and carried it over to the sink. "Well, Ah'm off to the fields. Ya'll be good now, y'hear?"

"Wait!" Applejack called out. She stood up, dropped her fork with a clatter, and pushed her plate away. "Let me come with you!"

"Don't be silly, precious," Ma said. "Stay and eat. 'Sides, no need for you to go on out when we got two strong stallions to do it."

"Oh, right." With Ma and Pa having gone to the Forever Home, Applejack had been forced to step up and take on the stallion's role outside as well. Reluctantly, she sat back down. She leaned over to Big Mac and said in a whisper, "Does any of this seem strange to you?"

"Eeyup," he replied. Applejack brightened, but he added, "Can't talk now. Wait 'til noon."

"Who else knows?" AJ asked.

"Just you and me, sis," Big Mac said. Then he, too, put away his dishes and headed out to the fields to work.

With the two of them gone, it was oddly quiet in the main room. Granny and Apple Bloom had finished eating and were cleaning up their spots. Granny looked to Applejack and asked, "And what was it you were whisperin' to MacIntosh there, whippersnapper?"

"Uhh... nothin'! Nothin' at all!" AJ squirmed underneath her family's penetrating gaze.

"Well, I know what we're gonna work on today!" said Apple Bloom. "The quilt!"

"The quilt?" AJ asked. "What quilt?"

"The quilt we've been working on for the past couple months?" Ma replied. "You really don't remember?"

"No, I mean... course I do!" AJ said. "I was just thinkin' about... some other quilt, I guess."

"Well, while'n the stallionfolk are out plowin' the fields, we've got the quilt to get finished!" Granny Smith said. She pulled out a huge, fluffy quilt from one of the storage closets and threw it over the table like a tablecloth.

"Precious, won't you come sit over by me?" Ma asked AJ. AJ could hardly respond, her throat was so dry. She simply nodded and nestled close to her mother's side. The warmth and kindness... it was like a dream. All of it was. She looked around at her family: Ma doing her perfect stitching, Granny whistling off-key as she worked, Apple Bloom cheerfully humming and trying her best. Her family, the one she'd always known, had never been so happy. She could never bring them together like Ma and Pa had. She couldn't possibly tell if this would continue on forever, but if she could have let it, she would have.

"So..." Applejack started, "how has school been, Apple Bloom?"

"Fine, I guess." Apple Bloom scowled and returned to her quilting. "I don't see why I have to go, though."

That doesn't sound like the Apple Bloom I know, Applejack thought. "Ya gotta learn yer 3 R's, ya know. 'Sides, isn't it a great time to meet up with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?"

"What about 'em?" Apple Bloom asked. "Ah barely talk to them. Sweetie Belle's a teacher's pet, and Scootaloo can't shut up."

"That's no way to talk about your friends!" AJ replied, aghast.

"They ain't my friends!" Apple Bloom shouted. "I can't stand 'em! They're annoying and mean and, and, who needs 'em!" She sobbed once and returned to her work.

"Look what you did, young filly!" Granny said. "You've gone and riled her up. Apoligize at once, missy!"

"Ah'm sorry," AJ said, "Ah'm just really confused."

"Don't worry 'bout none of that, precious," Ma said. "Ah'm sure little Bloom there knows you were just tryin' to be helpful. Why don't ya help me with this patch here?"

"All right, Ma," Applejack said. Ma was always the peacemaker. Best she'd ever known. But cutting into their conversation wasn't fixing the problem, only letting it fester. Was that something she had learned by herself after all those years? She let that question hang over her head for the rest of the morning until Ma excused herself to start making lunch.

"Ah'm sorry 'bout what I said earlier," said Applejack. "Ah was thinkin' about somethin' else."

"I forgive you," Apple Bloom said. "Though yer not usually so gung-ho 'bout my book-learnin'."

"Like Ah said, it's important. Gotta have a wide v'riety of knowledge to be a good Equestrian citizen."

"But you don't use any of that! You just do housework all day!"

"Ah do not! Ah do the..." Applejack trailed off. In this world, she probably wasn't out at the stand; that was stallion's work as well. She didn't have to do the finances, since Pa and Ma did that together, and rest of the work around the house required no higher learning, just as Apple Bloom claimed. Even in the other world, she'd only needed it when she was with...

"Twilight Sparkle. When was the last time Ah spent time with her?"

"Uhh... four years ago?" Apple Bloom said. "Back when we did the catering for the Summer Sun Celebration and Night Mare Moon showed up and ruined it all?"

"Four years!?" AJ replied, shocked. "But what about the Elements of Harmony?"

"What about them?" Apple Bloom asked. "That Twilight mare went into the forest with Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Carrot Top, and they all found the Elements and stopped Night Mare Moon."

"No..." It was all wrong. It was supposed to be her out there saving the day with Twilight and the others. This couldn't be how things had changed! "Ah'm gonna need to head out for a bit, all," AJ said. "Not too big a deal."

"What, and miss lunch?" Apple Bloom said. "Y'can't go out on an empty stomach!"

"Oh, lunch. Right..." Applejack said. She'd promised to talk to Big Mac anyway.

Speaking of, he and Pa came in just as she thought of him. "Howdy ya'll! How've ya'll been?" said Pa.

"Oh, just fine, young'n," said Granny Smith. "Been workin' on the quilt, same as always."

"Go on and wash up, ya'll!" Ma called out from the oven.

Applejack made sure to wash up last, right behind Big Mac. While he cleaned his hooves, she asked him, "So what's goin' on exactly?"

"Dunno," he replied. "'Fore you said somethin', I was sure I was in a dream. Now? Your guess's is as good as mine."

"I just don't know what to think of this!" Applejack said. "It's so nice to have Ma and Pa back, but what's happened because of it..."

"For want of a nail," Big Mac said simply.

"Right, 'xactly." AJ considered her options. "Ah bet Ah could go talk to Twilight, see what she could tell me."

"And if she says she can send us back?" Big Mac replied.

"...What do you think?" she asked him back.

"It was great havin' Pa out there plowin' with me. But I miss havin' you there with me," he stated.

"Then I think that's what we'll do."

---

Lunch came and went, and Applejack said goodbye to everyone. They treated her as though she would only be gone for a few hours, but only she and Big Mac knew the truth. She gave Ma and Pa one last hug; then, with a tear in her eye, she headed down into Ponyville to find the alicorn of the hour.

Ponyville was pretty much the same as she'd always known it. Twilight's crystal tower still loomed like an ancient sentinel over the horizon. Applejack made her way straight to it. The rest of the townsfolk stopped and stared wherever she passed by. It was awfully uncanny, like she'd been presumed dead or had something nasty caught in her mane. But she shrugged off the odd looks and found herself out in the canyon where the crystal tree stood tall. She rapped her hoof against the door and waited patiently for Twilight to arrive.

When Twilight opened the door, Applejack felt a wave of disappointment. She was... much the same, it seemed, as she was in the other world. Twilight stared at Applejack. "Can... I... help you?" she asked.

"Twilight, Ah need yer help," she said. "Ah need you to figger somethin' out for me."

"Of course... Applejack, right? Come in." Twilight stepped to the side, but as Applejack walked in, she got a faceful of wing. "Oops! Sorry about that," she added. "I can never seem to keep those in control."

"It's fine, Twi."

"So, you were about to tell me what you needed from me?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, Ah have a story to tell you. Ah know it'll sound a mite weird, but Ah promise it's true." Twilight didn't react, so Applejack went on, "So, this mornin', I woke up and found mahself, well, here. Only, Ah'm not here. Usually, I mean. Usually Ah hang out with you 'n Rarity 'n Rainbow Dash 'n the others, 'n mah parents aren't alive, 'cuz they died after Apple Bloom was born, only not here fer some reason. And it's been just plum wonderful to see 'em again, but Ah miss you all, 'n Ah'd rather have that world than this'un, and, well, I just want to know how to get back, or if it's even possible. An' if it ain't, well, maybe we could start over?"

Applejack cringed at how horribly inept that explanation had been. But to her surprise, Twilight smiled. "I believe you. I mean, yeah, it does sound pretty unrealistic, but I've heard of crazier. And whether or not you're telling the truth, the best way to make everything better would be to do whatever I can to make you feel at ease. So what do you actually want me to do?"

"I..." It suddenly came to her that she hadn't planned out this far. "Well, I was sorta hopin' you could figure out what was wrong with me, an' if there was any way to send me back to my world."

"Sure! We can do that. Give you a brain scan, do some magical analysis, test your memory. No sweat. Follow me!" Twilight led Applejack down to the basement of the crystal tower and started peering about. "Now where in Equestria is my multitool?"

"In the backroom? That's where you keep it in my world," Applejack said.

"Oh, right. Duh! Thanks, Applejack," Twilight said. "Go ahead and get under that phrenometer over there. I'll be with you shortly."

Applejack settled underneath the forbidding device. It fit snugly around her head, putting just enough pressure on it to stay on. She took a look around the lab. It was unusually cluttered, like she hadn't been taking care of it properly. Her Twilight would never have let things get like this. She wondered why Spike was letting her get so out of sorts.

"Back!" She waved the multitool around Applejack's head, then clucked her tongue and put it to the side. "Huh. Never had a reading like that before. Let's try this baby!" She flipped a lever, but the machine didn't respond. She tried it a few more times, but nothing. "I don't understand. It was working just this morning!"

"Y'all unplugged it when you walked through here," Applejack reminded her.

"How did I not notice that? Seriously, how do I survive without you?" Twilight joked.

"What are you paying Spike for if'n he can't keep ya stable?" Applejack replied.

"Spike's a baby dragon. He can barely keep track of himself." She activated the phrenometer for real, then stood by as it spat out the incomprehensible wobblings Twilight called data. While she waited, she noted, "The fact that you say that so casually suggests to me that you really do know me, but in a different world." She lost herself in thought for a moment, then asked, "What was it like over there?"

"Ah'm sure it was much like over here. I did what Carrot Top does here. Quiet, homey, unassuming, yet dependable when needed. Though I do have funny stories about the time you, me, 'n Rarity were cooped up in yer library, or the time Rainbow 'n I cheated during the Running of the Leaves."

"Sounds nice. Carrot Top... doesn't have those stories. Hers are more about getting angry and saying something she doesn't mean. B-But she's sweet and dependable, too! Just not quite the same way." Twilight squirmed in her seat, embarrassed. Out of the silence, the machine confirmed the work with a "ding!" "Ah, there we go! Let's see..." Twilight pored over the data, clearly entranced.

"Well?" Applejack asked.

"...Huh." Twilight set the paper down and readjusted her seat. "It's not often I discover I'm a figment in a dream. That's... an existential crisis in the making, to be sure."

"What do ye mean by that, exactly?"

"It means... well, I'm not real. Not really, anyway. I'm apparently some kind of... construct inside your brain? Somepony made a wish that this world would exist, and now it does. But it, and I, are only temporary. You'll wake up back in your world in a couple hours with everything back to normal."

"Ah don't recall making a wish like that. So why can I remember the old world?"

"Honestly, I don't know. In any case, it doesn't matter. You'll be back soon enough, and all of this will just be smoke." Twilight thought for a moment. "You mentioned that in your world, your parents are dead?"

"Yeah?"

Twilight smiled. "Well, I know you wanted to bond with me some more, but you know, you'll have me as much as you want when you go back."

"I get what you mean. Ah'll see ya on th'other side, Twi. Oh, and thank ye kindly for believin' me."

"It was nothing." As Applejack headed upstairs, she added wistfully, "Really."

---
The first sign that the wish-dream was ending was the growing shadows. It started subtly at first, at the edges of Applejack's vision, like a silent predator. They cast the room deeper and deeper into darkness, leaving Applejack blind and confused. The next sign was the blur that appeared around Ma and Pa, obscuring their faces and leaving them half-in and half-out of reality. Finally, in the timespan of the blink of Applejack's eyes, everything returned to normal. Ma and Pa, the quilt, the smell of home cooking, all vanished in an instant. The house returned to its old, quiet self, and everything seemed a little less beautiful. Applejack and Big MacIntosh, who had been standing near each other, gave each other a look, then returned to the main room. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom seemed a bit fazed. "What was Ah... there was somethin' I was doin' just now..." Granny Smith said.

"Ah feel really weird," Apple Bloom said. "All happy and stuff, like I was doin' somethin' nice."

"Everythin's all right now," Applejack said. "It's all back to normal."

"We still don't know how it all happened," Big Mac said.

"Ah think Ah've figgered it out," Applejack told him. She knelt down and looked Apple Bloom in the eye. "Didja make a wish fer somethin' this mornin'?"

"Yeah, I mean... Ah wished I could have known Ma and Pa 'fore they went Home, but nothin' happened, really."

"Apple Bloom..." Applejack felt a heavy weight in her throat. "Ah'm so sorry. Can ye still feel that happy feelin' you mentioned before?"

"Mm-hmm," Apple Bloom said.

"Hold on to that tight, 'cuz it's Ma and Pa tellin' ya that they still love you." She went over to Granny Smith and continued, "Granny, do you remember Ma and Pa, either?"

"'Course I do! They were mah kids, after all." Her eyes darted back and forth. "It's not my fault my memory's goin' soft in my old age..."

"No, it ain't," Applejack said. She felt tears building up at the edge of her vision. "But maybe Big Mac 'n' I should tell you two another story or two about them."

Wordlessly, Apple Bloom jumped up onto the couch, and Granny Smith curled up by the fireplace. Applejack and Big Mac took up spots together in the front of the room, and Applejack set the scene. "Pa was the strongest, smartest stallion I've ever known, and Ma was sweet, kind, and the best cook in all of Equestria. It was about fifteen years ago, when Ah was just a little'un, when the timberwolves made to snap up some of our biggest, brightest apples. Pa wasn't gonna let 'em do that, no sir. So he..."

Sun and Sunset

Sunset could only watch in horror as Celestia jumped in front of the Dark Lord's death ray. It felt like the entire universe was crumbling in front of her. She had fought to regain Celestia's love, completing a redemption arc that was long and extremely emotional, only for it all to collapse in a single moment. She galloped to Celestia's side and cradled her close.

Celestia, to her credit, was holding back the deadly effects of the magic, but she was fading fast. She struggled to maintain breath. "Sunset... there you are..."

"No, Celestia, you can't die. The ponies of Equestria need you! That blast was meant for me!"

"I know. But I've had my time... It's up to you now..."

"I'm not ready!"

"You are. I know it. You've earned your redemption, and now it's time for your true story to begin."

"My... true story? I don't understand."

"You will understand in time. But I want you to know..."

"Yes?"

"That you were always... my favorite daughter." And with that, Celestia faded at last.

"Your... your what?" Sunset was shocked to hear something like that.

"That's right, her daughter." Sunset turned around to see Twilight Sparkle in front of her! "A few years ago, Celestia gave birth to seven daughters. In the event of her death, they would compete amongst themselves to decide who take over Equestria. Now, all seven of us are alicorns, and we can begin."

"But I'm not..." She looked back to see that somehow, she had gained her own set of wings and horns. There was only one explanation: Celestia, in her dying breath, had passed on her alicorn magic to Sunset!

"Shall we begin?" said Twilight Sparkle. Five other alicorns gathered behind Twilight; Sunset knew them all. The red-coated Lady Dusk Spark, as powerful a mage as ever has been; Nightfall Gleam, the Witch of the Lambs, whose indigo coat mirrored her shadowy personality; Evening Glimmer, the Light of the North, with a coat as yellow as gold; Gloaming Twinkle, the Green Aedile of Fate, whose magic could rip a body in two; and--

"Trixie? You're one of the daughters of Celestia?" Sunset questioned.

"That's right," claimed Trixie. "But Trixie is just my stage name. My true name is--"

***

"Okay, okay, stop." Twilight threw the fanfic down onto the table. "Really? Trixie is actually Celestia's daughter?"

"Which would make you two long-lost sisters!" Pinkie squealed and hopped up and down in glee. "Isn't that just the best plot twist ever?"

"It's completely impossible is what it is!" Twilight said. "Celestia dedicated her life to celibacy, you know that."

"That's just what she wants us to think!"

"And you've met my actual parents!" Twilight told her.

"Another cunning ruse to throw us off the trail!"

"Anyway, everything else is just kind of silly. The plot twists, the names... and alicorn magic definitely doesn't work that way." Twilight shook her head. "I'm sorry, Pinkie, but I think you're gonna have to go back to the drawing board on this one."

"Aw, but this was the leadup to my 150-part epic, 'The War of the Seven Daughters!'" said Pinkie, crestfallen.

"I think it needs some work before you put it out there, is all." Twilight smiled. "Once you've got another draft ready, though, I'd love to read it."

"Sure." Once Twilight left Pinkie's room, Pinkie sighed and went to her wardrobe. "All right, you can come out now. I guess it didn't work."

Celestia stepped out from all the dresses and party supplies, shaking confetti out of her mane. "How do you make it bigger on the inside like that?"

"Narrative magic. But that's not important right now." Pinkie gestured to the story. "I guess she's just not ready to hear this yet."

"Someday, perhaps," Celestia replied. "Until then, I will keep watching over her and her sisters, awaiting the day when the war will truly begin."

"And I'll record it, just like I always have," said Pinkie.

"Yes, I know you will. It has always been your duty to record the stories of the ages and save them for future generations. I know you will do it admirably, here as you have before... Starswirl."

DUN DUN DUN!

***

"...Really?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie shrugged sheepishly. "I thought it was a good twist," she replied.