“Oh mah’ goodness gracious. C’mere, sugarcube, getta look at that.”  

The train had just turned the last corner on the side of the mountain and was now on the straightaway that led right into the great city of Manehattan. I leaned over Applejack to get a good view out the window of the train, and there was the magnificent skyline just a few miles in front of us. The silhouettes of the skyscrapers were even more glorious given the sky behind them; the sun was setting, and the sky was brilliantly orange in the west and dark purple in the east. There were a few clouds over the city that were a beautiful shade of pink given the angle of the setting sun’s rays.

“Well, we ain’t on the farm any more, honey,” said Applejack with a nervous laugh. I gave her a quick chuckle in agreement, and when she turned her head back to look at the great city, both of our smiles faded as I took a deep gulp. We both awed at the undeniably gorgeous city, but we were still nervous. Applejack hadn’t been in a city like this since she ran away from the Oranges many years ago when she was just a little filly. I was nervous because I was about to be in a city filled with ponies, but more importantly, I had a second shot at getting the Oranges approval.  Ok, calm down, you can do this. Alright, time to run through the plan again. We go straight from the train station to the Oranges’ apartment, where we stay until it’s time to leave for the ball. Then we go to the ball, Applejack and I dance and have the usual magical time together, and then we go home on the late night express with the sleeper car and everything. Sounds simple, right? The plan itself may have been simple, but given the fact I wasn’t a pony, and the awkwardness that plagued us in our last meeting, I had no idea what to expect.

Up to that point, I had a wonderful train ride with Applejack. We sat in the very back of the passenger car (to avoid attention) in the left isle and laughed and talked the whole way there, without a care in the world. We played games, invented games, admired the countryside, teased each other, and clicked like peas in a pod the entire way there, but never once did we talk about the ball or the Oranges. It sure seemed like Rarity was right; if we were with each other, how could we not enjoy ourselves? It was just the usual peaceful time between husband and wife, human and pony, best friend and best friend. Applejack had an amazing ability to make me completely forget about anything bad whatsoever, but once I saw that skyline, I had to swallow the fact that we would soon be getting off the train and making our way through the crowded streets to the Orange’s apartment. For better or for worse, everyone on the train was pretty much silent at this point; they were too busy looking out the window in awe at the majestic view of the city, Applejack and I included.

The train went up elevated tracks as it moved into the city, and before we knew it, stone streets that were littered with ponies could be seen beneath us, with buildings as tall as the clouds all around us. There were coffee shops, teashops, restaurants, salt flocks, saloons, and all kinds of stores on every street corner. The first things I saw were billboards and huge posters on the sides of some of the buildings. The first one I noticed was a picture of the city skyline at night, and over the buildings in big white letters read the words, “The Manehattan Moon Mingle.” The first “o” in the word ”moon” was represented by (you guessed it) a full moon. Just under that in smaller letters, it read, “Tonight at nine-thirty at Manehattan Castle, hosted by the Mayor of Manehattan herself.”

I heard Applejack make a gagging noise of disgust, so I turned my head to see what she was looking at. It was a billboard that had picture of a light blue unicorn mare with a snow-white mane. She was giving everyone a very confident, almost cocky sly smile, and she had a large, purple pointy hat with stars on it. The words beneath her read “The Great and Powerful Trixie: Tomorrow Night at 8 at the Convention Center.” I wonder why she’s disgusted. The smile, maybe? That’s certainly not a very friendly, loving smile, not like the one Applejack always has.

I knew that we were far away from Sweet Apple Acres when I saw one stallion on the ground with a monocle that extended from his fancy suit. The mares of the city were all wearing glittery, flowing dresses with all kinds of different manes. One thing was certain; Applejack was going to be turning the head of every stallion with her incredible dress and unbelievably beautiful mane, coat, and everything else.

I was extremely nervous as we approached the train station in the middle of the city and I thought about all of the attention that I was about to get from the ponies of Manehattan. I was going to have a lot of pony eyes on me from every direction, and whether it would be good or bad remained to be seen. I certainly didn’t want to find out. Deep breaths, AJ, deep breaths. Don’t let Applejack see you nervous; it’ll just make her upset. I can’t make things work with the Oranges unless I calm down. That was the worst part. All I wanted was to win the approval of Applejack’s whole family so they could go back to being one again.

To calm myself, I did the only thing that could bring me peace in any difficult situation; I thought about Applejack. I glanced over at her as she looked out the window with mixed emotions at everything in the city, and an inevitable little smile came over my face. I love you so much. You… are just… the most amazing wife a human could ask for. I hadn’t forgot what she told me in the barn the other night, and I had something I was going to give her to make her feel better. I wanted it to be something timeless like the locket I gave her at our wedding. Something that would really let her know that she was anything but a useless, uninteresting mare on a farm to me, but rather the sweet-to-the-core, unbelievably charming, humble, and incredibly hard-working pony that she was. Don’t worry, you’ll find out what it is soon enough; just bear with me for this moment. I wasn’t going to give it to her yet; I was saving it for the best, most romantic moment possible.

The train came to a halt, and I put my hands on my knees and looked down with wide eyes, sucking in air and blowing it all out with an open mouth. Suddenly, I felt a strong hoof on the side of my face that turned my head until I was staring Applejack in the face, her big green eyes full of sentiment. She lowered her hoof and gave me a great big smile, and then she wrapped her arms/front legs around me and pulled me in against her for a hug. She certainly knows how to comfort me; even after all the time we’d been married, I still blushed deeply with delightful embarrassment everytime she held me lovingly against her soft, warm self.

“Don’t be nervous, sugarcube. Ah’ know we both belong back at the farm, but that don’t mean we can’t have a darn tootin’ good time here,” she said in her sweet, country girl voice. That was all I needed to give me the strength to walk off that train, but she’s such a sweetheart; she took it a step further. “Hey,” she whispered in my ear. “Make ya feel any better to know that ah’ love you, sugarcube?” she said, pulling her head back with a friendly smile. I looked surprised for a short second, then I laughed quickly but loudly. That was the funniest thing I’d heard in a long time. Those three words were the only words I needed to hear for the rest of my life.

“You have no idea,” I said, finding my usual deep consolation in her wonderful eyes. The smile faded on my face as I looked down at the floor of the train and took a deep, long breath. “Well, time to find out if Rarity is as good as we think she is.” Applejack let out a laugh that sounded like it was from a young filly version of herself (and I thought her usual laugh was adorable).  

“Oh, ah’ wouldn’t worry bout that, honey. Yer cuter then a lamb drinkin’ out of a baby bottle!” she said. I stood up and reached my hand out help her out of the isle.

“It’s time I started acting like a gentleman. Come on,” I said teasingly with a warm smile. She happily reached out and grabbed my hand as I pulled her up into the isle. I didn’t take two steps forward when she lowered her head right under my arm and lifted it back when it was around her neck. Then we walked toward the door to get off of the train together. My heart was beating out of my chest as I looked out the windows of the right side of the train where the platform was and saw mares and stallions young and old walking across in big crowds. Well, here goes nothing.  

I was exactly right about Applejack. The second she stepped down the stairs of that train, heads of ponies all around her were turning in her direction. She stepped right onto the platform and turned around and waited for me with a nervous smile as I stood behind the door at the top of the steps. One group of five young stallions who were all wearing the same black suit were walking along smiling and talking, until they saw Applejack; they stopped walking and stood right where they were with wide open mouths and eyes.

Stallions everywhere were stopping in the middle of the platform and staring blatantly at my wife. I saw one middle-aged stallion that was by himself crash right into a group of mares bowling-ball style because he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Two mares with glamorous dresses who were standing just to her whispered to each other in awe and admiration, while a group of mares to her right were looking at her with downright jealousy. As her husband, I knew full well that Applejack was looking downright beautiful, but even I wasn’t expecting a reaction of this magnitude. I took a deep breath and smiled back extremely nervously, ready or not for all the attention. Rarity’s analogy was repeating over and over in my head. Just like a dragon with handsome scales, that’s all you are to them. Rare, but handsome. I hope.

I gave my slick hair one quick touch, straightened my jacket, and slowly stepped down those steps with nothing fear and nervousness in my eyes, and an open mouth. Sure enough, heads were already turning towards me from every direction, just as they had with Applejack. Amidst the sounds of a thousand hooves on cement and all of the other noises that come from the big city, pony eyes that were big to begin with were huge as they pierced me from every direction. I could hear all kinds of voices from around me “Is that a human?” “Oh my gosh, look at that amazing tuxedo!” and I even heard one young mare say to her friend “I think he’s gorgeous.”

At first, I was terribly embarrassed as we walked toward the exit. I looked nervously to my left and saw ponies tapping their friends and looking over at me. I looked to my right and saw a group of young stallions looking directly at me with perpetuation; I couldn’t tell if they were just looking at me like that because I was a human, or because they were impressed with what Rarity had done with me, or a combination of both. Suddenly, I realized I was making direct eye contact with them. Do something! I did the only thing I could think of; I smiled and waved my hand at them, and to one of the biggest reliefs of my entire life, they friendlily smiled and waved right back. No way! She did it! Rarity did it! Applejack gave me a slight push and we smiled at each other in triumph. Confidence that I’ve never felt was suddenly surging through me as Applejack and I made our way out the great stone train station and into the stone streets of Manehattan, where the looks and gasps were still coming from all angles. Applejack and I looked at each other with love in happiness; the night was quickly falling into the hands of a couple of farmers in Manehattan, and suddenly, the Oranges were the last thing on my mind as we walked through the city toward their apartment.

As we approached one street corner, I noticed one group five or six stallions standing in front of a thriving fancy restaurant, staring at Applejack. I suddenly wanted to have some fun, so I leaned over and whispered in her ear.

“Hey, can you do me a favor and flutter your eyelashes when we pass this group of stallions up here on the left?” I said. Applejack put her hoof on her mouth as she giggled wildly. We walked right past the group of stallions and Applejack shot them a smile and did as I asked her, moving her eyelashes up and down at them. Each one of them turned a deep hue of red and smiled embarrassingly, and we both broke out in laughter as we passed them.

“Alright, now it’s yer turn. See that group o’ mares up there on the right? Smile and give ‘em a salute as ya walk by,” she said, trying to contain her laughter. I looked up and saw two young mares admiring my appearance, and I threw my hand over my eyes and smiled as wide as a mile as I pictured it. Applejack and I walked forward, giggling all the way; I don’t think either of us could have done this on any other day or in any other situation, and we certainly couldn’t do it by ourselves. I straightened my face out as we approached the two mares, and as I walked by, I shot them a friendly smile and raised my right hand to my forehead before throwing it towards them. The two of them looked at each other with squees of delight, then looked back at me and waved.

“Don’t ya’ll go gettin’ any ideas, this here’s mah’ husband!” yelled Applejack with a big grin. I couldn’t tell if she was serious or just playing, but either way, it didn’t matter. I felt like a six-year old child walking along with his schoolyard crush, and I was having as much fun as I’d had in a long time. We continued our walk to the Oranges as though we were on clouds, smiling at each other the whole way there.

When Applejack and I arrived at the Oranges apartment, the stars were brightly and beautifully shining above us, and I contemplated giving her the gift I was keeping, but I decided not to. It wasn’t quite romantic enough yet, even though we were having the time of our lives. Applejack was super special to me, and I wanted to give the gift at the most special time possible.

The Oranges’ lived in a very tall skyscraper, made of marble on the inside and outside. We pushed through the glass door and the city noise disappeared as we made our way through the lobby of the apartment, whose walls were decorated with magnificent paintings of different street intersections in the city. We made our way to the flight of round stairs that were on the left side of the building and walked up, pushing and shoving each other playfully all the way up. She stopped us when we got to the fifth floor; the richest ponies in the building did not live at the top of the apartments, but at the bottom. We made our way down the hall until we came to a door with a picture of Oranges on it. Applejack reached out her right hoof and pounded loudly on the door, then stepped back and gave me a big smile, and a quick hug with her left leg. I wasn’t uncomfortable at all anymore as we waited for the door to open, not after the experience we just had. My heart was overflowing with so much affection for my wife that I was too joyful to be nervous.

Aunt Orange opened the door with a huge, gracious smile on her face. They were having a party, and I could see lots of high-class ponies talking and mingling behind her as noise and music came out into the hall. Just like before, she had her mane done in a huge bun so that most of the hair on her neck was above her head. Her dress was dark orange but very frou-frou-y, and she had fine jewelry on a gold necklace across her neck. Before Applejack or I could say anything, she threw herself around her niece first, talking fast.

“Oh my goodness, Applejack, dear, thank you so much for the second chance! We are so sorry about what happened the other day, but we are so deeply grateful that you have honored our request!” she said, squeezing Applejack tightly.

“Howdy there, Aunt Orange! It ain’t no problem at all. We just, uh,” she said, laughing uncomfortably as the air was being squeezed out of her. Aunt Orange took a step back and gave us both another look of shock.

“Goodness, you are both absolutely stunning!” she said, moving back and fourth between Applejack and me. “You are one handsome fellow!” she said, reaching around me and giving me a very awkward hug. I looked over her at Applejack in mild shock, but I smiled when I saw that Applejack was giggling with delight. I looked down wrapped my arms around the bottom of her neck and squeezed about one eighth as tight as she was hugging me.

“Oh, sorry. You’ll have to excuse me. Every year we have this big party before the mingle, just to get everypony ready,” she said. Applejack and I laughed it off.

“No problem at all! Everyone likes a good party,” I said, smiling at her. Aunt Orange then looked at me as though she just remembered something.

“Oh, that reminds me, would you be up to meet my husband down at the Prancing Pony salt flock? That way you the guys can spend some time together, and the ladies can stay here and talk about all of our lady things,” she said, smiling smugly at Applejack. “Then we will of course meet back up with each other at the mingle,” she continued. I stopped and thought about it for a second. I was in a mood where I felt like I could talk to anyone, and even though I wasn’t really looking forward to something like that and would much rather spend time with Applejack. I knew that Applejack would be out of her element to stay here at this party; she didn’t know how to behave in front of those ponies, and I was worried that she might embarrass herself or something, so I wanted to be there if that happened to help her and comfort her. But on the other hand, it would mean a lot to her if I could rescue her relationship with her uncle by maintaining one with him myself, and she was a strong, charming, not to mention radiantly beautiful pony, regardless of how good (or bad) her manners were. I realized I had been silent for a good while, and Aunt Orange was still looking at me.

“Oh! Sorry! I, uh, I mean, yes of course I’ll do that. Just, uh, where exactly is that?” I said, rubbing the back of my neck with my hand. It’s not like I had any idea where the salt flocks in this city were.

“Oh, I’m so sorry about that, my dear, how silly of me! To get to the Prancing Pony, you just walk outside this apartment and turn right, and six blocks down, it will be on the corner of Hoofington Avenue to your left,” she said. I nodded in understanding, and then she piped up again. “Oh, and by the way, don’t be afraid of my husband, he’s just a little weird sometimes. If you want to get him to talk about something, just ask him about his glass vase that he bought in Canterlot, he paid a thousand bits for it and he won’t shut up about it!” she said, throwing her hoof out at Applejack and laughing. “Well come on inside, Applejack, darling. This divine beauty needs ponies to admire it!” she said, causing Applejack to turn a deep shade of red.

“Aw shucks, Aunt Orange, you don't need to get into that. Ah’ll be right in, just gimme one minute with mah’ sugarcube,” she said, turning to me with a warm smile.

“No problem! I know how couples are, just come on in when you’re ready,” said Aunt Orange, closing the door and leaving Applejack and me by myself in the hallway. Applejack walked right up to me and rested her head against my chest innocently. I can’t even begin to describe how warm and fuzzy I felt when she did that. Deeply in love with her, I placed my hand on her mane just as innocently and petted it without messing it up.  

“You gonna be alright here? Just remember to eat the salad first,” I said teasingly, and Applejack laughed.  

“Ah’ll be alright, as long as ah’ can just eat with mah’ mouth and not mah’ hooves,” she said, as we both chuckled again. “Ah’ really appreciate what yer doin’ sugarcube. Ah’ hope ya know how much ah’ love you. Jus’ don’t be nervous, please, it’ll be alright,” she said sweetly. She pulled her back and looked up at me with a friendly smile. “Oh, and try not to have too much fun without me,” she said, resting her head back where it was. That’s impossible. I was thinking of giving her the gift now since I wasn’t going to see her until the ball.  

“Hey,” I whispered in her ear. “When am I gonna see you again?” Before she could answer, we heard Aunt Orange calling for her from the other side of the door. Applejack pulled her head away from me and looked back at the door before swinging back around.

“Tonight, at the ball. That’s too long for me, too,” she said, knowing exactly what I was thinking and wrapping her arm around me for one final hug. I agreed with her to the fullest extent, and I wrapped both of my arms around her neck and squeezed tightly. Give her the gift. Now. She pulled herself away from me and we got into another one of our soulgazing moments, which I loved so dearly as I got the chance to stare deeply into her eyes and admire her. We stared silently and lovingly for a long moment. Then she smiled and turned around to head inside. Give her the gift! You’re blowing it!

She took two steps away from me and put a hoof on the door before I finally stepped forward and tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around eagerly, and I made a point of smiling as deeply and lovingly at her as I could I as reached into my left pocket inside my jacket and pulled out a plain white cloth that was folded and carrying something inside. I grabbed her right hoof gently and brought it upward slowly. I looked back up at her and smiled one more time before letting the smile fade on my face as I looked into her eyes. I took my hand off of her hoof and stepped backward, and realizing that I timed it perfectly, I shot a huge, friendly smile at her that she deserved as I turned away and headed down the hallway.

When she opened up the folded cloth in her hoof, she found inside a picture of the two of us lying down against an apple tree, with one of my arms around her. We were both smiling wide and looking like extraordinarily content, but I picked the picture because I wanted her to see just how happy she made me. Underneath, I wrote with in black ink “You are the most interesting pony I have ever met, and you are and will always be my hero, my role model, and my best friend. Love, your sugarcube.” I know, I know, pet names are sappy. But sugarcube was different. That was her trade mark, and the most pleasant thing I’ve ever been referred to.

I walked down the hall, and just before I headed down the stairs, I looked back to see her reaction. Even though she was smiling at me with overwhelming happiness, she was crying. The strength and timeless of true love was shining in her eyes, which is all I had wanted her to know, was that I loved her, and that she was anything but just a mare on a farm to me.

I gave her one last smile as I went down the stairs, and then I sprinted across the lobby and through the glass doors out into the crowded streets of Manehattan, on my to the Prancing Pony. I was full of energy and life, and I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I paced down the sidewalk, picturing the image attached with this testimony. I opened my eyes with content. Now I go bond with Unlce O, and this night is perfect. What could possibly go wrong?