Soarin sat at the kitchen table, pen in mouth. Sheet after sheet of potential candidates for the next round of Wonderbolt cadets were scattered out in front of him. A tablet of paper set beside him as he tried to figure out which were the best options and which would likely have to be passed up this time. One hoof ran through his mane as the other reached to grab another sheet, reading the information on the potential candidate.

"Woo-wee," Applejack said as she stared at the table. "Is it just me, or are there a whole hay of a lot more applicants than usual?" Picking up one of the sheets, she looked it over.

"I asked the same thing when I picked up the papers," Soarin answered, setting his pen down and rubbing his face. "I got some long explanation having to do with population growth and The Wonderbolts having become more prestigious in recent years."

Applejack put the paper down and picked up another.

"Well, I don't envy you. Never did like havin' to do paperwork myself." Setting the paper down, she turned toward the refrigerator. "I'll get ya a glass of iced tea. Might help ya relax a little."

Soarin let out a grunt as he grabbed his pen, making another note on the paper tablet.

As Applejack got a glass and Soarin picked up another application, their daughter came in through the doorway. Little Green Smith Apple had the hood of her sweatshirt up, green muzzle and lock of her dark hair sticking out from the edge. Her head was low, below her shoulders, and her body was tense, tail and wings flickering. Opening the fridge, she pulled out one of chocolate drizzled fritters and took a massive bite.

"What's got you bein' a crab apple today?" Applejack asked, slipping past the filly to grab the pitcher of tea.

After shoving the rest of the fritter in her mouth and licking the chocolate from her lips, Little Green took a step back from the fridge. Reaching into her saddle bag, she pulled out a book and held it up for her mother to see.

"Love at Last," Applejack read aloud. "What, is that one of them romance novels?"

"Yes," Little Green answered as she put the book bag. "The ninth and final one in a series, actually. It's a father telling his children how he met their mom."

"That sounds nice." Applejack's lips pursed as her brow furrowed. "Why would it take nine whole books to tell that story though?"

"That's just it!" the filly cried out, wings flaring. "It didn't!" She stamped a hoof on the hard wooden floor. "She's not introduced into the series until the last chapter of the eighth book. And they don't even give her name until the second to last chapter, even though there's a whole chapter dedicated to what she was doing during the rest of the series."

"Ah, I can see why you're a bit upset then."

A sigh escaped from Little Green as she sagged, sitting down on the kitchen floor.

"Worst of all, it's not even a happy ending." She let out a huff, wings flickering again. "The story ends with the mother dying, and the narrator going to start dating Sparkle Songbird, the pegasus he met and had a relationship with at the beginning of the first book! It would be like if I asked Papa how you two met, and he told me about dating Fleetfoot instead."

"Spitfire," Soarin said absent-mindedly as he continued to work.

Perking up, Little Green turned to look at her father, golden eyes peeking out from under her hood.

"What?"

"When I first met your mother, I was sort of dating Spitfire at the time," Soarin said.

The filly pulled her hood down as she moved toward the table.

"How did you two meet?" she asked. "Did you know it meant to be? Was it love at first sight?" She leaned in, eyes wider. "Please tell me."

Joining her, Applejack reached out an placed a hoof on her daughter's shoulder.

"Take it easy, sugar cube," she said calmly. "It ain't nothin' that impressive."

"But I still want to know now," Little Green stated. "Please, Papa?"

The sight of those big golden eyes staring up at him made it hard for Soarin to say no, even if he had wanted to. Besides, he would not mind taking a break from all the paperwork. That was not something that he had been told about when he had joined The Wonderbolts and was promoted to second position. How Spitfire put up with it, he never understood.

"Well, the first time I met your mother was at The Grand Galloping Gala," he explained. His brow furrowed. "If I remember right, it was not long after they had first become national heroes."

"Eyup," Applejack confirmed. "We had defeated Nightmare Moon not too long ago, but hadn't dealt with Discord yet."

"So the two of you saw each other from across the ballroom," Little Green said. "Your eyes met, and you instantly fell in love, dancing the night away and talking until morning." Her eyes went glassy as she imagined it, staring up toward the ceiling. Her wings slowly spread open, sticking out from her side.

This got a chuckle from Applejack, who reached out and mussed with her daughter's hair.

"Sorry, Greenie, but this ain't like one of Aunt Rarity's romance novels. Fact, I didn't even go inside the actual gala."

"You didn't."

"Nope," Soarin confirmed. "She was actually outside it." His eyes narrowed as a large grin spread across his face. "She was running a stand to sell treats she made from right here in the hopes of getting some more bits."

Little Green blinked, then shifted. Her ears pulled back as her brows furrowed, considering this. Slowly, she turned to her mother, blinking in confusion.

"But... isn't the gala catered?" she asked. "Wouldn't the ponies inside rather eat the catered food that's free?"

A small blush formed on Applejack's cheeks. Her lips pressed tightly together as she looked away, avoiding eye contact with the pair of pegasi. Soarin, however grinned, his green eyes glittering with humor as he looked at his wife.

"Very true," he stated. "Which was something she didn't think about before coming up with the plan. By the end of the night, her and the others--"

"She don't need to hear about that!" Applejack shouted, pressing both her hooves against his mouth as her face grew as red as her brother's.

"Don't need to hear what?" Little Green asked. "What happened?"

"Ain't important right now," Applejack stated. "I'll tell you some other time."

"But I want to know now."

Taking a hold of the hooves, Soarin gently pulled them away from his mouth and gave one a gentle pat on the back.

"She's right," he said. "What happened at the end of the night doesn't really have anything to do with our meeting each other the first time."

"So, how did you two meet?"

"He was my only real customer that night," Applejack answered. "Bought a whole apple pie from me." She grinned. "Practically as excited over it as any born Apple would'a been."

Slowly, Little Green shifted, her gaze moving back and forth between her parents.

"That's it?" she asked. "You two met outside the gala and you bought a pie? How did that lead to y'all getting together?"

"Well, it didn't really," Soarin answered. "At least, not directly. That was simply the first time we technically ever met each other."

"Then when did you two start dating?"

"Well, that's a little more complicated. See, before we get to that, you need to know..."