After that, there wasn't much noise in the room except for the sound of Pinkie noisily devouring the cake. Applejack sat alone at her table, thinking.

Rainbow and Pinkie! Ah guess ah saw it comin', but . . . well, it's still suprisin'. But then again, maybe it is just a joke. They'd sure be the type to show up ta the ball together and think it was funny. Celestia knows, ah've got some experience with joke dates.

She glanced over to Rarity, who was steadfastly trying to ignore the munching noises from the next table over. It wasn't easy, especially since bits of cake kept flying into her mane. No doubt she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Maybe it had been a bit mean, stealing Fancy Pants from under her nose like that, but heck, she'd been so annoying all morning that she'd quite frankly deserved it.

Hadn't she?

The minutes dragged on; Applejack fidgeted in her seat, waiting for something, anything to happen. At last, just as she was about to head out herself, Twilight strode in with a disgruntled expression.

"Hiya Twilight!" called Rainbow Dash, perking up immediately. "How was your date the other night?"

"Stow it, Rainbow," Twilight snapped.

"Jeez, sorry," apoligized Rainbow quickly. "Come sit over here with us!"

Twilight took a seat at Pinkie and Rainbow's table. Applejack got up and sat down next to her. She noticed that Rarity, who had also gotten up, had returned to her own table.

"Well, anyway, I hope you still aren't bitter about Pinkie," contined Rainbow.

"I didn't- why not?" asked Twilight, her expression somewhere between annoyance and bewilderment.

"'Cause me and Dashie are going to the dance!" Pinkie exclaimed, hugging the cyan pegasus.

Twilight's jaw did a hasty impression of a lowering drawbridge.

"Jeez! Not like that," said Rainbow testily. "It's a joke."

"Oh," said Twilight, "so you're not taking her?"

"No, I'm going with her," said Pinkie.

"But you just said that it was a joke!" exclaimed Twilight.

"It is!" replied Rainbow Dash.

"How can you be taking her if you just said your taking her is a joke?!" said Twilight, nearly shouting.

"What she means is that Pinkie and Rainbow are going as a joke," said Applejack. "They're not "goin' out" or anything, just friends, still."

"Oh, I see. Good," said Twilight, after several moments of thought.

"Why's it good?" asked Applejack, squiniting at Twilight.

"Because, I, uh, don't want romance to drive our friendships apart," said Twilight quickly.

Rarity harrumphed quite audibly from the next table, got up, and walked out the door.

"What's up with her?" asked Rainbow.

"She's, um, mad at me," said Applejack, suddenly abashed.

"Why would Rarity be mad at you?" asked Pinkie, tilting her head.

"Ah may have, uh, er, um-"

"Just spit it out!" said Rainbow Dash. "I thought you were supposed to be the honest one!"

"Ah may have asked th' stallion who she'd fallen for to go to the ball with me."

"You did WHAT?"

This one was short, I know. It's more to scoot the story along than to provide its own mini-story.