It's almost time! Did I remember everything? Maybe I should have worn the yellow dress. Applejack has never liked getting all dressed up. What if she's wearing something plain? It'll look like I'm showing her up! But then if she gets herself all dressed up for my sake, it would look like I'm not taking it seriously! I should have discussed this with her ahead of time! It's our first date. It needs to be perfect.

Applejack trotted along more quickly than one was supposed to when wearing such an elegant dress. Never in her life had she felt more conspicuous. Despite Rarity's best efforts, Ponyville had never been a fashion hub, and any mare making her way through town in a dress worthy of the Grand Galloping Gala stuck out like a sore hoof. That went double if there was nopony with her. A pair of glitzed up ponies might catch one’s eye, but nopony would think more about it. But a mare gallivantin' down Mane Street all on her own? There had to be a story there, and there were more than a few nosy ponies in Ponyville.

And her story wasn't just any story. Most mares would just be a curiosity, but in her case it would be different. She had a reputation, one that revolved around being willing to get her hooves dirty. In fact, she didn't even consider gettin' her hooves dirty to really even be gettin' her hooves dirty. Her hooves belonged in the dirt. Gettin' her hooves all nice and shiny was what bugged her. Wearin' a dress in one of Rarity's fashion shows, for instance. That certainly hadn't been her favorite thing. What on earth would everypony say if they saw her strollin' down the way in a getup that most ponies would save for the most special of special occasions? Sure her first date ever was a special occasion, but everypony else didn't need to know that. With any luck she could get to the library without anypony noticing her.

“Applejack, is that you?” She clenched her teeth as if she had just stepped on a particularly large nail. Then she put on her most neutrally natural face and turned to see who had called to her.

“Good afternoon, Cheerilee. How are you doin' this fine day?” Applejack didn't wait for an answer. If she could get a quick word in she could preempt any questions about her attire. “Apple Bloom hasn't been givin' you any trouble has she?”

“No, no, not at all.” Cheerilee shook her head. “She's been quite the little angel lately. Her grades have even been up this semester, especially in math.”

“They oughta be after all the time me and my brother spent helpin' her with it. Although if it's math, it was probably Big Macintosh's doin'. I don't know a variable from a... an integer, I guess. That's a math thing, right?”

“Yes, it is,” Cheerilee said with a chuckle. “How is your brother doing, by the way?”

“Oh, he's doin' fine. He's been a bit busy for the past few days. I haven't been able to help out with stuff quite as much because of...” Applejack bit her tongue. “...reasons.”

“Of course, there's always something going on, isn't there?” She gestured at Applejack's ensemble. “You obviously have something big going on tonight.”

Applejack silently cursed Cheerilee's ability to segue back into the unwanted subject.

“I shoulda figured you'd wonder what was with my getup.”

“I must admit I am rather curious,” Cheerilee said. “I wouldn't want to pry, but it's not every day that I see you dressed like this.”

“Yeah, it's kind of a special occasion.” Suddenly the dress felt much heavier and tighter. “Don't go spreadin' it around or anything, but I'm actually goin' on a date tonight.”

“Oh!” Cheerilee broke into a wide grin. “Well, in that case, I suppose I should let you go about your way, then. I'd hate to make you late. I hope you have a lovely evening. And say hello to your brother for me when you get home.”

“I'll be sure to do that.” Applejack nodded, glad that the Cheerilee was so willing to drop the issue. “You have a nice night, too.”

She breathed a sigh of relief and trotted down the street towards the library. Within moments she was aware of the sound of hooves following her along, so closely that they could only belong to Cheerilee. So they were heading in the same direction, nothing wrong with that. Any moment now, Cheerilee would turn down a side road or something.

Except she didn't. Applejack could hear each step, continuing to follow her. She bit her lip. The library was only a few blocks away. Cheerilee had said she didn't want to pry, and she had never struck Applejack as much of a liar. Why on earth was she still back there?

“Uh, Cheerilee?” Applejack looked back. The awkward smile on Cheerilee's face told her that she felt the oddness of the situation just as much as Applejack did. “Is there any particular reason you're followin' me?”

“I'm not following you. I guess we just happen to be going in the same direction.”

“Where are you goin' anyway?” Applejack asked.

“I was just on my way to drop off some books at the library.” Cheerilee nodded at her saddlebags. “I actually told Twilight that I'd drop them off a few days ago, but some things came up. It's kind of strange. Last time I was this late getting a book back to her she wouldn't stop pestering me about it. Something must be on her mind.” Applejack swallowed, and briefly hoped that Cheerilee wouldn't put the pieces together. “I wonder what it could— Ohhhhhhh!” Cheerilee smiled. “So... you...”

Applejack sighed. “Yeah, I'm goin' on a date with Twilight tonight. Our first, actually. I'm tryin' to not make a big thing of it.”

“Well, in that case, the books can wait! I couldn't possibly take any more of your time. You get on your way. I'll drop this off later.”

“Ah, if you want I could drop them off for you. You know, since I'm gonna be over there anyway.”

“No, no, no! I couldn't possibly ask you to do something like that. You shouldn't be doing errands for me on an occasion like this. There's only one thing that I want you do to.”

“And that is?”

“Show Twilight such a nice time that she doesn't remember that my books are overdue! Now you get going. You wouldn't want to keep your lovely marefriend waiting!”

“No, no I wouldn't. I suppose I'll be on my way then.” She once again resumed her trot down the road.

“Have a nice night!” Cheerilee called after her. “And tell Big Macintosh that I said 'hello!'”

Applejack shook her head at herself. It's only a matter of time before other ponies realize that you're goin' out with Twilight. You gotta get used to that idea or you'll go crazy real fast. Why's it such a big deal that the other ponies know about it, anyway? It ain't like I'm embarrassed to be seen with Twilight or anything. I gotta stop worrying about that stuff.

She stopped in front of the library door and took a deep breath. At the last second, she clamped her mouth shut. Her usual greeting was to shout “HEY TWILIGHT, I'M HERE!”, but that didn't seem quite right for occasion. She let the breath out silently and knocked on the door.

A moment later it swung open, revealing Spike.

“Oh, there you are, Applejack! Twilight just finished getting ready to go.” He stepped back and gestured for her to step into the doorway. “Twilight, Applejack is here!”

The door at the top of the stairs opened, and Twilight stepped out. Applejack swallowed as she watched Twilight's graceful descent. The trail of her cerulean dress flowed down the steps behind her, the silver trim shimmering in the library's warm light. The unicorn's mane was tightly bound into an elegant Chignon knot; not a single hair was out of place. Applejack felt her blood pulsing through her face, threatening to make her sweat.

“Good evening, Applejack,” she said. “You look wonderful. I really like what you've done with your mane.”

“Aw, really?” Applejack flicked at one of her braids. “I was afraid they'd seem a bit too old fashioned.”

“Not at all. They really suit you.”

Applejack's face grew hotter. Her ears threatened to burst into flame. “You're lookin' real pretty yourself tonight.” She had to admit that even though the tight bun was hardly her favorite hairstyle, Twilight couldn't be described as anything but stunning. Twilight rarely put effort into her appearance, but when she did the result was remarkable.

“Thanks.” Twilight blushed furiously. “Fluttershy and I worked on my mane all afternoon. We probably went through half a dozen different styles before settling on this one.”

“Really? That makes me feel a bit silly for complainin' about havin' to sit still while Granny braided my hair.”

“Well, I think it was completely worth it.”

“Ahem.” Spike poked his head between the two of them. “I hate to interrupt your little fashion review, but you guys have a reservation to make.”

“He's right, we better get goin'.” Applejack nodded towards the door. “Shall we?”

“Of course.” Twilight turned to Spike. “You've got the house to yourself this evening, so just kick back and relax. You deserve it after today.”

“Sure thing!” Spike saluted and grinned widely.

“And don't go emptying the fridge again! You can have a snack, but I don't want you gorging yourself on ice cream again.”

“Fine.” Spike's face fell. “I'll save some for you. Have a nice night.”

“Good, I'll see you later.” Twilight trotted to Applejack and paused long enough to give her a peck on the cheek. “Shall we be on our way, then?”

Applejack nodded dumbly, and the two mares strode out the door side by side.

Spike sighed and closed the door. He heard a sound behind him and turned.

“Looks like it's just you and me tonight, Owlowiscious. You want to go catch a movie or something? Not like we've got anything else to do.”

“Hoo.”

“Fine, it was just a suggestion. If you don’t want to do that, I guess I’ll go over to Fluttershy's and visit Peewee. You wanna come?”

Owlowiscious flapped off of his perch and landed on Spike's head. “Hoo.”

“Well, let's get over there before Fluttershy puts him to bed.”

Applejack found herself standing in front of the Mon Chère Restaurant, Twilight at her side. Her nerves had only frayed worse and worse with each step. Not because of Twilight, of course; her company was nothing but enjoyable. It was the restaurant. The doorway alone was more ornate than anything on Sweet Apple Acres. She could have taken every aesthetic consideration on the entire farm and crammed them all into one place and the restaurant’s door would still have been several orders of a magnitude more elaborate. Did she even belong in a place like this? She was an oats and apples type of pony, not a some-sort-of-weird-vegetable-with-an-unpronounceable-name kind of pony. Memories of her time spent in Manehattan drifted into her thoughts. She had decided a long time ago that she was no fan of the upper crust. But if that was what Twilight wanted...

She took a step forward, intending to hold the door open for her companion, only to find the door already held open by waistcoat-clad stallion with a slicked-back mane. He bowed cordially, and motioned for them to come inside. Applejack paused just long enough for Twilight to move, then followed a step behind her. As she stepped through the door, her throat tightened. It was as if all the opulence of the Grand Galloping Gala had been condensed into a single, smallish building. Everything was gilding, ornamentation, and lace. Even the light was golden. And she was only in the entryway.

“So, uh, do we talk to him, or what?” Applejack gestured in the direction of a gray-maned pony who stood behind a rather gaudy counter built into the wall.

Twilight giggled. “Applejack, that's the coat-check pony.” She pointed at the sign above the window.

“Heh heh, so he is.” She followed Twilight down the entryway. They turned a corner and the hall opened into the dining room. A third jacket-clad pony stood at a carved mahogany podium. He bobbed his head graciously at the couple as they approached.

“Good evening, ladies,” he said. “Do you have a reservation?”

Applejack instinctively nodded emphatically. “We sure do! Ya'll think we'd be here if we didn't?”

The Maitre'D raised an eyebrow. Applejack clamped her mouth shut and decided not to open it again until the two of them were at their table. Twilight chuckled nervously and stepped in front of her.

“Yes, we do have a reservation,” she said. “It should be under 'Sparkle.'”

“Of course.” The stallion nodded and flipped through the pages of his guest list. “Ah, here it is. You'll be dining out on the terrace this evening. Quite lovely this time of year.” He nodded at a passing waiter. “Please take these two lovely mares to table eleven.”

Applejack followed Twilight, who followed the waiter. As they ascended the stairs to the rooftop patio, she caught a glimpse of Twilight's face. She had stars in her eyes; the unicorn was obviously fighting the urge to gawk. Applejack sighed internally. The restaurant was impressive, to be sure, but so much of it seemed so unnecessary. As long as the food was good, what did it matter that the plate was imported from Saddle Arabia and had a silver edge? And why were the plates so small? And why were there so many? They could save an hour of dishwashing time by just dumping all the grub on one plate. Everything smelled real nice, though. That's a good sign, she thought. No point in goin' out to eat if the food's not gonna be any good. I just hope there's enough of it.

The scent took her mind back to Manehattan, to that fancy banquet that her Aunt and Uncle had taken her to. The food had been good enough, but each plate had only had maybe a bite and a half on it. If it hadn't been for the dessert buffet afterward she'd probably have starved. The smell faded, and she realized that they had reached the terrace. It was every bit as reserved as the inside dining room was gaudy. The gilding and glitz had given way to ivy-covered trellises, ceramic flowerpots, and the murmur of conversation hidden behind the sound of a gentle harp. Applejack closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the music.

“Come on, Applejack.” Her eyes snapped open as Twilight poked her. “We still have to get to our table.”

“O-oh, right.” They followed the waiter to a table and took their seats on the purple velvet cushions.

“I will return to take your orders momentarily.” The waiter placed a menu in front of each of the mares. “I would recommend the asparagus gratin. It goes quite well with sparkling cider.” He paused for a moment, as if waiting for questions. When there were none, he turned and strode away.

“You looked like you zoned out a bit there, Applejack.”

Applejack craned her neck slightly to look at Twilight between the arms of the candelabra. “Yeah, sorry about that. It's just a lot to take in all at once. This is the first time in years that I've been to such a fancy kinda place. There's just so much stuff all happenin' at once, you know?”

“It is pretty overwhelming, isn't it?” Twilight said. “That's part of why I had Rarity reserve us an outside table. Well, that and it's just too nice of an evening to spend inside.”

“It sure is.” Applejack looked into the distance. The sun was just touching down on the horizon, painting the sky a vivid violet. “I definitely like it better out here. On evenings like this sometimes I like to go out into one of the fields and just kick back and relax after a hard day’s work.”

“That does sound quite nice.”

“That's cause it is,” Applejack said. “There ain't nothin' like leanin' up against a tree, takin' a big bite of an apple, and watchin' the sunset. Not that this place isn't real nice. Everythings so... uh... shiny.”

Twilight held a hoof to her mouth to stifle her chuckle. “You don't really come to places like this very often, do you?”

“I'm pretty sure the last time I was at someplace like this was when I was a filly visiting my Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehattan. That was the year I got my cutie mark, actually.”

“Oh, your cutie mark? Come to think of it, I don't think you've ever told me the story behind it. I know it has something to do with Rainbow Dash's first sonic rainboom, but that's really all I know.”

“Really?” Applejack blinked. “I coulda sworn I'd told you that story.” She studied Twilight's intent expression. The unicorn seemed genuinely intrigued. If she had heard the story before, she sure didn't seem to mind listening to it again. “Well, when I was real little, I went to Manehattan for a week or so to visit some relatives. I was right at that age when you start worryin' about cutie marks and such, and I thought maybe spendin' some time in the city would help me get things figured out.”

“I guess that's where your sister gets it from,” Twilight said. “Did you enjoy your time in Manehattan?”

“It was real cool for a day or two, seein' the city and all, but it didn't take very long before I started gettin' homesick. My aunt and uncle were real nice, but they were pretty highfalutin' too. Whenever we went anywhere I had to spend a bunch of time gettin' all dolled up in fancy clothes, and I had to act all dignified and such. At first it was kinda fun pretendin' to be a princess or businesspony, but it got hard real fast. It felt like I was tryin' to be somepony else. I had to act like I enjoyed sittin' in a banquet hall and talkin' about stocks and fashion and fancy boats, when what I really wanted to be doin' was helpin' Big Macintosh carry the apples back into the barn, or helpin' Granny Smith sort them, or playin' with Apple Bloom.

Applejack began to fidget with her napkin. “I just couldn't take it any more. I told my aunt and uncle that I wasn't feelin' good and went up to my room. I don't really know what I was thinkin' of doin', so I just went to the window to see if could maybe see my house. That was right when Rainbow Dash did her first Sonic Rainboom. Left a big old rainbow right across the sky, pointin' right toward Ponyville. The next morning I was on the train back home.

“I remember comin’ down the road to the farm. As soon as I saw my family waitin' for me in front of the barn I just started runnin'. That was when I knew that Sweet Apple Acres was where I was supposed to be. I realized that I just wasn't cut out for livin' fancy. It just ain't me, you know? Getting' dressed up all the time and eatin' food with unpronounceable names.” She looked down at the menu. “I mean, I dunno what an 'Insalata Caprese' is, or why it oughtta cost fifty bits.”

Twilight gave an uneven smile. “I... uh, I'm sorry, Applejack. If I had known that you didn't like these kinds of places I would have asked Rarity to recommend someplace else.”

“Huh? Wait, no!” Applejack shook her head violently. “I don't mind bein' here or anything. It's fun to get all dressed up sometimes, like when we went to the Grand Galloping Gala, or to your brother's wedding. It's just something that I like to save for, uh, special occasions. Like, well, goin' on our first date.”

“Whew, you had me scared there!” Twilight drew a hoof across her forehead. “I wanted to get us off to a good start, and I thought I had ruined it right off the bat.”

“Nah, it's me who should be sorry.” Applejack massaged the side of her head. “I didn't mean to kill the mood or anything. It's just that... you know what, don't worry about it. I do feel a bit outta my league here, but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy myself. I mean, I'm here with you, and that's the important thing, isn't it?”

“It sure is.” Twilight nodded. “Maybe next time we go out, I'll let you pick the place.”

“Are you ready to order?” Both Applejack and Twilight jumped in their seats as the waiter materialized next to the table. “Or would you like a few more minutes to decide?”

“Uh...” Applejack looked at her menu, then at Twilight, then back to her menu, then back at Twilight. Twilight shrugged. “I think we need a few more minutes.”

“Very well. I will return shortly.”

Twilight held up her menu. “I guess it's time to find out if this place is as good as Rarity says it is.”

Applejack nodded and held up her own menu. “Yeah, I am gettin' powerful hungry.”

“Peewee sure is excited today!” Spike watched as the tiny bird hopped off of its perch and onto his claw. The baby phoenix squawked and began to clamor along Spike's arm. “You aren't giving Fluttershy too much trouble, are you? You're being a good little phoenix, right?”

“Oh, he's been quite well behaved,” Fluttershy said. “I wish all of my animals were so cooperative.”

Peewee took a long hop and landed on Spike's head. The dragon chuckled. “That's good. I really wish I could help out more, but I just don’t have enough time to take care of a baby phoenix. That, and raising one is a bit of a problem when you live in a” —as if on cue, Peewee hiccuped, bursting into flames for a moment— “...library.” He deposited the phoenix back on its perch and began cleaning the soot from his spines.

“You and Twilight do seem to have been especially busy lately,” Fluttershy said softly. “Especially Twilight.”

“Yeah, ever since that whole thing with Applejack started, she's been going crazy. Seriously, for as long as I've known her, she's never slacked off on her studies. She's trying to get back into it now, but she has a lot of catching up to do.” Spike chuckled as he watched Peewee gnaw on a birdseed stick.

“She really thinks about Applejack a lot, then?”

“You have no idea.” Spike shook his head. “I mean, I know that sometimes when I'm around Rarity I get a bit... distracted, but that's only when she's actually there. Twilight's always had a bit of a one-track mind. You remember that whole mess when she tried to figure out how the Pinkie Sense worked?”

Fluttershy grimaced. “Twilight... tried to analyze the Pinkie Sense?”

“Remember that time you got attacked by the Hydra at Froggy Bottom Bog?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Twilight spent that entire day trying to prove that the Pinkie Sense wasn't real. At the end of the day she gave up on that, but she spent like a week afterward trying to explain how it works.”

“Why did she stop?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don't know. She says it's because she had other things to study that Celestia actually assigned, but I think it's because she couldn't figure it out.”

“So, um...” Fluttershy turned the question over a few times in her head before asking it. “So, do you think that Twilight could ever lose interest in Applejack?”

“I, um...” Spike scratched his head. “I doubt she'd ever stop caring about her completely. I've never seen her so obsessed with anything since, well... ever.”

“Really?” Flutershy's voice nearly cracked.

“Well, I mean, it's not like she's always going to be going on about Applejack twenty-four seven. Once she remembers that she has a magic cutie mark rather than an Applejack cutie mark, she'll probably ease up a bit.” He narrowed his eyes. “Why do you ask?”

“There's... no reason.” She grew quieter with each word. “I was just curious.”

“Curious. Right.” Spike leaned in. “Are you sure? You've been acting kinda weird.”

“Weird?” Fluttershy's eyes darted around the room. “I haven't been acting weird.”

“But all afternoon when you were helping Twilight get ready, you just seemed kinda strange.” Spike tapped his claws on his chin. “It was like you almost weren't even talking to her. You were just... sitting there and listening to her.”

“I do that a lot.” She rubbed her hooves together. “Is there something wrong with listening?”

“Well, no, but you were really quiet, even for you.”

“Some days I just feel... quieter than others.” It wasn't quite a lie, it just wasn't the whole truth.

“Okaaaaay...” Spike scratched his head. “Maybe I'm just seeing things. I totally didn't realize that Twilight even had a crush until she told me, so I guess I'm trying not to miss anything else.”

“Yes, I'm fine, really—” Fluttershy paused as she felt something thwapping her on the back. She looked back to see Angel kicking her flank. Satisfied that he had her attention, he fixed her with a glare and crossed his forelegs. She swallowed and turned back to Spike. “Actually, there is something...”

“There is?”

Fluttershy bit her lip. Even in the best circumstance she preferred to keep to herself. But even so, maybe Angel was right. She should probably talk to someone who was actually capable of a vocal response. “Yes.” She clamped her mouth shut for a long moment.

“So, are you going to tell me what it is?”

“I— I guess I could. But you have to promise not to tell Twilight about it, okay?”

Spike nodded. “I swear on my spines!”

“Okay, well then, I—, wait, your spines?”

“Yeah, it's part of my dragon code. Although now that I think about it, 'spines' does sound kinda weird. I'll have to think about it some more.” He cleared his throat. “But don’t worry; I can keep a secret..”

“Okay.” Fluttershy swallowed. “It's just that I had a really terrible thought. About Twilight and Applejack. It was just for a moment, and as soon as I had it I knew that it was awful, but it just popped into my head.” Her lips began to wobble. “I— I wanted Applejack and Twilight not to go out with each other!” She collapsed to the floor and curled up as if the world was about to cave in on her.

“You... you did?”

Fluttershy uncurled just enough to glance up at Spike with glistening eyes. “I know it's a horrible thing to say, and I wish I had never thought of it! It's just that ever since she got this crush on Applejack it just feels like she's... I'm not really sure how to say it. Like she doesn't care about me as much anymore.”

“That's ridiculous!” Spike said with a snort. “What on earth would make you think that?”

“Well, since this whole crush happened, I just haven't really been able to talk to her. Whenever I try to, she's always talking about Applejack. And that's fine, and I'm really glad that Applejack makes her so happy, but... she always used to ask me little things about my day or how my animals were doing. I know that my life isn't really that interesting, but it was just nice that she asked. And I... this all sounds so selfish! She's been driving herself crazy over this and everypony else is so supportive! But me... all I can think about is how she thinks Applejack is a better friend than I am!” She buried her face in her forelegs and sniffed. “S-she's completely right. I'm a terrible friend.”

Spike reached out and patted her on the head. “Fluttershy, I'm sure Twilight thinks you're a great friend. She's just really excited that Applejack didn't turn her down. I'm sure that once she gets used to that, everything will go back to normal. And if you were a terrible friend, you wouldn't have spent all afternoon helping her style her mane. It's not like you were trying to break them up.”

“Of course not!” Fluttershy gasped. “I- I felt awful just thinking about it. I could never actually do something like that!”

“See, you're doing just fine, then!” Spike gave her a thumbs up.

“But everypony else is so happy for her! I-I’m happy for her too... I want them to be together, but It’s... I just can't get it out of my head. She's one of my best friends, and I feel like I'm losing her!”

“Twilight would never do that.” Spike snatched a tissue box off of a shelf and gave it to Fluttershy. “Not on purpose at least. I'm sure she still cares about you a lot. She's just a bit out of it at the moment.”

“I know that. At least, I... I think I know that. I just wish I could talk to her again like I used to.”

“Well, what's stopping you? I bet if you told Twilight about how you feel she'd love to talk to you about your animals or whatever. You could tell her all about Peewee or something.”

“I can't tell her! She's been so anxious that I couldn't possibly give her something else to worry about. Besides...” Fluttershy curled up again. “It's... I shouldn't bother her with it.”

“Really, Fluttershy?” Spike shook his head. “You've known Twilight for as long as I-, Okay, maybe not quite as long as I have, but you've known her for years. There's no way she'd be happy knowing she’s making one of her friends unhappy. You should tell her.”

“But... but I...” Her words degenerated into a squeak.

Spike sighed. “Will you at least think about telling her?

Fluttershy nodded. “I think... I think I can do that.”

“Good. Seriously, you shouldn't worry about it too much. Just because she's going out with Applejack doesn't have anything to do with whether you're her friend. I mean, just because I have a crush on Rarity doesn't mean I don't like spending time with you or Pinkie, or everypony else, you know?”

“You're right.” Fluttershy uncurled herself. “I'll think about it.” She stared at the floor for a moment as she tried to think of something to say. “So, it's, uh, time to feed the chickens. If I hold off for too long, they get a bit snippy...”

“You want some help with that? I can carry the feedbag for you.”

“No, no, that's fine.” Fluttershy briefly remembered the last time he had helped. She never would have believed that chickens disliked dragons so much. “You can just wait here and spend some time with Peewee.”

“Okay!” Spike turned his attention to the phoenix, coaxing it back onto his claws.

Fluttershy took a few steps towards the back door, and found Angel blocking her way. He gave her a thumbs up and nodded in satisfaction. She smiled. Maybe Spike was right.

“So Fluttershy is on the stage, upside down, flailing her legs in the air and barking like a dog.”

“And she just up and let you do all this stuff to her?” Applejack tried to wrap her head around the fact that such a thing could actually happen.

“Yeah, she really didn't want to be a model any longer, and didn't have the nerve to tell Photo Finish that she wanted to quit. Anyway, obviously the crowd didn't like it. They're snooty enough about ponies who are trying to be elegant, so when Fluttershy started flopping around they weren't happy. They were getting ready to boo her off the stage, when somepony started cheering.”

“It was Rarity, wasn't it?”

“Yep.” Twilight nodded. “She couldn't bear to see Fluttershy get embarrassed and tried to salvage it. So she started clapping and yelling something about how Fluttershy was revolutionizing the way modeling was done; trying to pass it off as avant-garde. Apparently, the other ponies were so impressed by Rarity’s dress that they decided she was right and started cheering.”

“See, I'll never get all that stuff.” Applejack shook her head. “I just don't know how anypony could start likin' or hatin' something just because somepony else says so. If I'm gonna care about something, it's gonna be because I care about it, not cause somepony tells me I should.”

“I don't get it either.” Twilight shrugged. “I've never understood all the fashion stuff. I mean, looking your best is all well and good, but sometimes it looks like they're just seeing who can get away with the most. At least Rarity doesn't go so far overboard.”

“Yeah, she's a bit prissy sometimes, but compared to some of those getups, she's bein' downright simple. What happened after the show?”

“Well, Rarity went back to see Fluttershy backstage after the whole debacle. Turns out that she was totally jealous of all the attention Fluttershy was getting, but she still couldn't bear to see her fail. And Fluttershy didn't even like modeling, for obvious reasons, but she was sticking with it because she thought she'd let Rarity down if she quit.”

“Oh wow, so they were both makin' themselves unhappy because they thought the other one wanted it?”

“Pretty much.” Twilight chuckled. “If they would've just spoken up, they would have saved themselves a lot of trouble.” She shook her head. “I know what that's like. I'm still kicking myself for not coming to you first. It would have saved me so much anxiety and stress...”

“Well, I can't blame you for that.” Applejack poked at the remnant of her meal. “Sometimes it can be real tough to say the stuff you're thinkin', even when you know it would be better to speak up.”

“I know, right? I'm so glad everypony else was around to give me a shove. If not for that I'd probably still be cooped up in the library. It's so scary trying to tell somepony something when you don't know how they'll react.”

“Yeah, that's sure true,” Applejack mumbled.

“But it's so much better when you do anyway!” Twilight tapped her hoof on the table. “Like when you told me about your cutie mark and everything. Now I know that we should save the fancy restaurant for really super special occasions. I wouldn't want to be dragging you out here all the time if you didn't like it.”

“It's actually wasn't too bad,” Applejack answered. “The food was real good. Don't know if it was quite fifty-bits good, but it's tasty enough, and they gave me a decent amount to boot. Still not sure what all these are for, though.” She gestured at the half-dozen odd pieces of silverware that she had elected not to use. There was a sneaking suspicion that it was a bit of a “foh-paw” or whatever that thing was called, but Twilight didn't seem to care, so Applejack decided she didn't either. “I like the music, too.”

“The music?” Twilight tilted her head. “I never knew you liked classical harp music.”

“I know, it's weird, isn't it? Back when I was in school we were doin' this music thing for the end of the year program. They brought in this professional harpist to come in and play while we accompanied her on kazoos.”

“Kazoos?”

“I guess they couldn't think of any other instruments for a bunch of foals to play. It sounded pretty terrible, to be honest. But during the rehearsals we got to listen to her play a lot. Maybe it was just because I was still feeling really good because I had just gotten my cutie mark, but I really liked listening to it.” She closed her eyes. “I actually remember her playing this song. It was always my favorite. Never could remember what the name of it was, though.” She sighed as the notes faded, and were replaced by another set.

“I'm sure you could ask if you wanted to know it that badly.”

“Nah, it's not that important. As long as I can remember how it goes, I think I'll be okay. The important thing is that I enjoyed myself tonight.”

“You don't know how happy I am to hear that!”

“Ahem.” Both mares turned to see the waiter standing beside the table. “Would the two of you be interested in dessert? We have a delightful crème brulee, chocolate ganache cake, and a delectable tiramisu.”

“Hmmmm.” Twilight tapped her chin. “Would you like any dessert, Applejack?”

“I guess I could go for something sweet.”

Twilight turned back to the waiter. “What would you recommend?”

“Personally, I have a taste for the tiramisu. It is our most popular desert.”

“Two of those, then.”

The waiter nodded and went on his way.

“Twilight, do you even know what tiramisu is?”

Twilight smiled and shook her head. “No idea!”

“Perfect!” Spike stood triumphantly as he surveyed the library, which for once didn't look like a disaster zone. “It's so much easier to keep this place clean when Twilight isn't grabbing books left and right.”

“Hoo.”

“I know, right? Sometimes she pulls books off the shelves faster than I can put them back up.”

“Hoo, hoo.”

“Of course I could! Just because Twilight is usually here doesn’t mean I need her help.”

“Hoo?”

“Oh, come on. I've been basically doing it all myself for the past few days! And whenever Twilight is out of town I take care of all sorts of stuff.”

“Hoo.”

“It can't be that bad. I mean, Twilight manages to take care of it while doing all of her studying. She's good at multitasking, but not that good. Maybe I should ask her if I could give it a shot. You know, give her a bit more time to spend with AJ. Or Fluttershy for that matter.”

“HOO!”

“I know! I didn't say I would tell her. Doesn't mean I can't drop some hints though. Besides, I owe Fluttershy for taking care of Peewee”

“Hoo, hoo?”

“Nah, you can stay up and wait for her if you want. I'm gonna go take a nice hot bubble bath and then hit the sack. Twilight is probably going to be talking about the date all day tomorrow anyway, so she can fill me in then.” Spike yawned and began to climb the stairs. “Goodnight.”

Applejack suppressed a belch. She wasn't a fancy pony, but she knew that it wasn't the time for that, no matter how good the food had been. She settled for a sip of water.

“So, uh...” She eyed the slip of paper that the waiter had left in the center of the table. “What do I owe you?”

“What?” Twilight snatched up the paper with her telekinesis. “You don't owe me anything. This is completely on me!”

“Twilight, I appreciate the offer, but you really don't have to pay for me. I mean, this place is real expensive and I wouldn't want you to use up all your bits on it.”

“No, no, no.” Twilight punctuated each word with a shake of her head. “It was my idea to come here, and I won't have you pay for that. Really, don't worry about it.”

“Are you sure, sugarcube? I feel like I'd be takin' advantage of you if I let you pay for everything. Can I at least cover the tip?”

“Nope.” Twilight rummaged through her purse. “I'm the one who asked you out, so I'm the one who pays. That's how these things work.”

“Alright, you win,” Applejack said. “I'll just have to take you out sometime this week to make it even.”

“You don't have to do that!”

“Maybe not, but I want to.” Applejack reached across the table and put her hoof on Twilight's. “If we want this whole thing to work out, we both gotta do stuff, right?”

“Yes, I think you're right.” Twilight put her other hoof on top of Applejack's. “But I'm still paying for tonight, okay?”

Applejack smiled. “If you insist.”

Steam poured out of the bathroom as Spike emerged, clad in an oversized bathrobe. “Ahhhhh!” He headed towards the stairs and stopped. His eyes darted back and forth between the bedroom door and the kitchen. Surely he would have time for a quick snack before going to bed. He took a few steps and heard a knock on the door.

“Hello?” A familiar voice rang through the door. “Twilight, are you back yet?”

Spike opened the door. “Hey, Cheerilee! What are you doing here so late?”

“Oh, I just came back to return some books. I was going to drop them off earlier, but I met Applejack on my way over here and realized that Twilight was... otherwise occupied. I assume she isn't back yet?”

“Nope.” Spike shook his head. “I can take care of them for you if you want, though. I've been pretty much taking care of things lately.”

“That's what I thought,” Cheerilee said as she put the books on the table. She noted Spike's garb. “I didn't wake you up, did I?”

“Nope.” He set about re-cataloging the books.

“Good. I know how Twilight hates it when books get returned late, so I thought I'd come by to check and the lights were on.” She watched Spike zip up and down the shelves, replacing the books. “You really are on top of everything, aren't you?”

“I sure hope so. Is there anything else I can get for you? Do you need more books?”

“No. Not now at least. I'll have to check my curriculum before I know what I'll need next.” She glanced at the clock. “I suppose I should get going. I'd hate to keep you up. Goodnight, Spike.”

“Goodnight, Cheerilee.”

She opened the door and took half a step out.

“Oh my.”

Applejack followed a step behind Twilight as they made their way back to the library. So that was how a date was. It wasn't too bad. She had expected herself to fidget her way through it, fiddling with her braids, readjusting her dress, or worrying about what fork to use. No doubt she had done all three of those over the course of the night, but her attention had been elsewhere. Her attention had been on Twilight.

“Didn't you have an amazing time tonight?” Twilight asked.

“As a matter of fact I did have a pretty good time. Even if I had to spend all afternoon gettin' my hair ready.”

“Tell me about it!” Twilight chuckled. “Fluttershy probably won't ever want to help anypony with their mane again after today.

“Maybe next time we'll go someplace where we don't have to worry about all that stuff.”

“That's up to you, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Her mind began to sort through all the restaurants in town, searching for one that would be a worthy follow up. “I'll be sure to get right on that.”

“Don't worry about it too much. Wherever you choose to go, I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time.”

“Y-yeah, of course.” Applejack bumped into Twilight and realized that the two of them had already reached the library. “So, uh, I guess this is where I head home.”

“I suppose it is,” Twilight said. “Well, I had a wonderful time. I look forward to seeing what you have planned.”

“I'll be sure it's something good.” Applejack swallowed. “Goodnight, Twilight.” She began to turn, but Twilight stopped her, putting her hoof on her cheek.

“Aren't you going to kiss me goodnight?”

“O-of course!” Applejack went in for the kiss. They bumped noses and giggled.

“Don't worry, Applejack, we'll get it right eventually.” They tried again, and this time their lips met, just in time for the library door to swing open.

“Oh my.”

They froze mid-kiss. Cheerilee stood in the doorway, blushing slightly and grinning like a loon. She raised one eyebrow. “Oh, don't mind me. I was just dropping some books off. I hope you have a lovely night.” She winked at the lip-locked ponies before scurrying away.

Twilight and Applejack stood still for a moment before letting the kiss go.

“I guess the cat's out of the bag now,” Twilight said, her cheeks nearly glowing.

“Yeah, it sure is.” Applejack breathed deeply. “I-uh, I better be on my way. Wouldn't want Granny to wait up for me!”

“Of course, of course. I wouldn't want to keep you too long.”

“I had a real good time tonight, Twilight. Even if it wasn't quite my thing. I'll see you again tomorrow, okay?”

“I'm sure we'll cross paths.” Twilight nodded. “Goodnight, Applejack.”

“Goodnight, Twilight.”

The unicorn gave her a final warm smile before retreating into the library.

Applejack let out a long sigh. She hadn't particularly enjoyed the gratuitous fanciness, but against all odds Twilight's presence had made it bearable. She actually found herself looking forward to next time. I'm responsible for next time, aren't I? I better start workin’ on that. As she started to trot back towards Sweet Apple Acres, she could still feel the heat of Twilight's lips on her own. Maybe this whole thing is gonna work out after all.

Bon Bon took a sip of her tea and flipped the page of her questionable romance novel as she sat in her bed. It was, of course, absolute rubbish. It was the story of a lowly gardener who inexplicably won the love of a princess. This was despite having only two conversations with her over the course of the story that weren't composed entirely of romantic cliches. Their perfect passion brought peace to the kingdom, ended the famine, brought the Princesses' ailing father back to full health, and caused a variety of other side effects that made less and less sense the more one thought about it. That was the point; you weren't supposed to think about it. The whole reason Bon Bon owned the thing was that it was perfect for fooling her brain into not thinking.

In fact, reading it required so little brainpower that she was able to calculate exactly what was going on downstairs: the squeak of the front door opening, the bang as it slammed shut, the thump of Lyra shoving her harp case back into the closet, the clip-clop of her wife ascending the stairs—

“Hey, Bon Bon!” Lyra burst into the room.

“Good evening, Lyra,” Bon Bon said without looking up from her book. “How did work go?”

“It worked! It worked! It totally worked!”

“What worked?”

“The box of chocolates!”

Bon Bon looked up from the book. “What box of chocolates?”

“They had me playing the background music for their outdoor dining area!” Lyra hopped onto the bed. “You'll never guess who I saw!”

Bon Bon put the book on the nightstand. “Who?”

“Guess!”

Bon Bon scowled. “Who?”

“Twilight Sparkle!”

“Really?” Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. “Was she... with somepony?”

Lyra wagged her head up and down.

“Who?”

“Well, don't go spreading it around town or anything, but she was sharing a table with Applejack!”

“Really? I never would have expected Applejack to go to such a fancy restaurant.”

“I know, right?” Lyra bounced exceptionally high and landed on her back, shaking the bed. “At first I didn't even realize that it was her. If I see Twilight tomorrow, I oughtta congratulate her on working things out. They looked like they were having a really good time.”

“If you do, give her my congratulations as well.”

“Sure thing, Bonnie.”

Bon Bon returned her attention to her book.. “So, did you want something to eat? Your sandwich from lunch is still in the icebox, and there's still some of that casserole left. Lyra?”

“Sngnrblbbl!”

Bon Bon lowered the book to see Lyra snoring soundly. She rolled her eyes, and gently drew the blanket over her partner's body. “Goodnight, dear.”

Author's Notes:

Whoo! Sorry that took so long. The conversation between Spike and Fluttershy was way more annoying than it had any right to be.

Anyway, I probably should have done this a long time ago, but I just want to thank all my various proofreaders and give them some plugs. All of them are awesome, and this story would not be half of what it is if it weren't for their constant feedback. In no particular order:
KuroiTsubasaTenshi
Blank!
CleverPun
Sereg
Meta Four
Sessalisk
And probably a few others who I've forgotten because there are a lot of them.

Also, a quick clarification about where this fic falls in the show's timeline: I haven't really decided yet. Ideally events will be such that I can just say that it takes place after the events of the show. I guarantee you it takes place after the first two seasons. The rule of thumb here is to basically assume that anything that appears in the show is fair game for this fic's backstory unless it directly contradicts something I've established. I really don't like deviating from the show's canon in terms of backstory unless I'm pretty much forced into it via retcon, so if stuff comes up in later episodes that's incompatible with this fic, I'll figure out what to do with it then. But for the moment, assume that everything in the show is canon to this story.

...yeah, that wasn't confusing at all.