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Twisting Between the Sheets

by HoofBitingActionOverload

Chapter 1: Part One

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Rarity hummed while she worked, fading in and out of vague, tuneless melodies. Her needles slid back and forth together in steady rhythm, needle through loop after loop, row after row of yarn coming together in easy stitches.

There were very few things she enjoyed quite as much as giving a gift to one of her friends. The feeling of pleasant, dry heat on her skin at the sauna, or the precise moment at which unexpected, fleeting inspiration for a new design struck her, perhaps, came close. It was the smiles, always the smiles her friends gave her in return. Simply the knowledge that she was the pony who’d caused those smiles was enough to make any amount of work worthwhile.

She slowed her needles, taking a moment to admire her work. It was a simple affair. A basic scarf. Nearly solid purple wool, not unlike her mane, with an occasional streaking highlight, arranged in rows of loose stitches, designed more for comfort than style. A pony who spent as much time outside as she did would surely appreciate some added protection from the autumn cold. Rarity folded it over with her magic and exchanged her knitting needle for a sewing needle before—

A ring of the door chime interrupted her thoughts. “Just one moment, please,” Rarity called over her shoulder, sliding the needle into the fold. She cocked her head to the side and chewed on her cheek. Perchance it was too simple. Her friends really did deserve the best, especially her. And as much as she valued functionality, perhaps she wouldn’t mind a small taste of extra flair.

“Oh,” a soft voice behind her said. “If you’re busy I can come back later.”

“No,” Rarity said, making sure to smile before turning around and trotting into the front room of Carousel Boutique. “It’s no problem, Fluttershy. Did you need something?”

Fluttershy’s smile mirrored her own as she poked at one of the many dresses on display near the front window. Such a shame she didn’t wear formal dress more often, Rarity thought. Her figure was perfect. “Applejack and I were going to go to the spa today, and I thought you might want to come too.”

“Applejack?” Rarity repeated, eyes coming awake. It hadn’t been long before that Rarity had first convinced the cowpony to visit the spa with her, a treasured memory. They’d both had the most wonderful time together. “I’ll just go grab my shawl, and then I’ll be right out,” Rarity said, turning with a giggle.

“Okay,” Fluttershy said, following her into the work room. “This scarf is lovely.”

Rarity stopped cold at the foot of her stairs. “Scarf?” Oh no…

“I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished.” Fluttershy stroked it delicately, as if it were a wounded rabbit.

Rarity spun around on her hooves, grabbed the scarf up in her magic, and pulled it away from her friend. “I’m so sorry, but I just remembered that I have a very important, eh, prior engagement, and I really must finish all of my work before then.” Rarity flashed one of her most brilliant smiles, hiding the scarf behind her tail.

“Oh, sorry,” Fluttershy said, drawing back a little and lowering her head. “Maybe we could all go a little later then. I’m sure Applejack wouldn’t m—”

“No!” Rarity said too loudly. She flinched at the force of her own voice. “No, I’m afraid I’m much too busy tonight. Perhaps some other time.” She set about feigning keen interest in a nearby spool of linen.

Fluttershy frowned. “Oh, okay then." She turned and walked towards the door, stopped halfway, and turned back around. “Are you okay?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” Rarity answered, turning her attention to a stray shred of fabric on the floor.

Fluttershy rubbed the inside of her leg with her hoof. “I just wanted to make sure. You seem a little, um, stressed.” Fluttershy’s head shot up. “Not that you don’t look nice! I just meant that, um—”

“Really, I’m fine,” Rarity said with a wave of her hoof and a strained, hasty laugh.

Fluttershy didn’t answer right away, silently rubbing her leg some more. “Well, alright. See you tomorrow then.”

“Of course,” Rarity replied, her eyes following her friend to the door. A gust of cold air rushed inside as Fluttershy stepped outside and waved goodbye. When she was finally gone, Rarity floated the unfinished scarf back to its place. The needle had fallen out at some point.

She looked between the scarf and Fluttershy’s retreating figure through the window and then back and forth between the two again. “What am I doing?” she asked no one in particular as she searched the floor for the missing needle.

_________________________________________________

Twilight took a breath and focused, not on the toy, but on herself. She looked inside her chest, feeling around in the stifling dark until she touched a familiar warmth, prickly and electric. Its embrace always made her shudder. Slowly, she coaxed a little tendril away and out into the room, poking and prodding into cold, open air, until it discovered the soft faux fur of the miniature pony figurine. Immediately, the warmth surged out along the strand, writhing, twisting, and pulsing around the toy, swallowing it whole. Then, just as quickly as it had come, it rapidly shot back inside her, settling down somewhere deep in her stomach.

She released her breath and smiled at the results of her newest spell. Where before the toy’s coat and mane had been a dull green, now they shined a mix of yellow and crimson. Her smile dropped as she levitated it around. Its eyes, unchanged, had remained a stubborn blue.

She looked up from her seat in the library’s corner and glanced around. There were only two other ponies in the library. Rainbow Dash, lying back with her head on a pillow and staring up at a novel, and a pinkish-red unicorn Twilight didn’t recognize, staring very seriously at a row of books. It struck Twilight that the unicorn didn’t appear to be actually reading any of the titles, simply staring at them between careful, quick glances over her shoulders. If Twilight didn’t already know how little value the library’s books held outside of their knowledge she might have suspected there was a thief in the building.

She sighed and floated her copy of Illusions, Phantasms, and Transfigurations to her hooves. She flipped through its pages, confirming what she had already suspected. She had followed all of the steps correctly. The eyes should have changed too.

“Uh, hey there,” a voice by her side said, breaking her concentration.

Twilight turned around. The pinkish-red unicorn stood before her, smiling strangely and drawing a hoof through her mane again and again. “Uh, you’re the librarian, right?”

“Yes,” Twilight said, putting on her best librarian smile and pushing her own book aside. She made a mental note to request another guide to transformation spells the next time she sent a letter to Princess Celestia. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“I think so,” the mare said, smile growing. “I don’t really do this a lot. I was looking for a romance novel. One with, like, lots of, uh, lots of…” The mare bounced a little on her hooves as she spoke, causing her mane to flit about in her face. “…You know,” the mare finished with a shrug.

Twilight didn’t know. She shook her head. “Are you looking for a specific author?”

“No.” The mare groaned. “Uh, lots of, uh, kissing and… like, physical romance. That’s it! Physical romance,” the mare finished, practically shouting as she grinned. “Oh, and I’m Sugar Sweet.”

“I’m Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight replied, nodding. “Sorr—”

“Your mane is really pretty, Twilight Sparkle,” Sugar Sweet interrupted, leaning in a bit too close. Twilight could smell her breath, hot and sugary. She had golden yellow eyes that matched her mane, shining with vibrant and laughing life. “Especially that cute little pink bit in the middle.”

Twilight tried to back away, but found herself pressed up against a table. “Uh, thanks. “Sorr—”

“Can I touch it?”

Twilight blinked. “What?”

“Can I touch your mane?” Sugar Sweet giggled. “I mean, not weird like. It’s just super pretty.”

Twilight blinked again. “…No.”

“Oh, okay,” Sugar Sweet said, not moving away.

Twilight cleared her throat, biting back her irritation while she edged around the still smiling mare and back into the freedom of open space. If there was one thing she had learned about dealing with other ponies, it was patience. “About that book you wanted, I’m sorry, but I’m not very familiar with the genre myself. I’m certain I have a few of the better-known authors in circulation though, if you would like a list.”

“Uh…” Sugar Sweet brought her hoof up to her mane again. “Uh, actually I’m, like, not really looking for a romantic book.”

“Oh?” Twilight tilted her head to the side, her mane falling onto her cheek. “Well, I know my friend Rarity returned one the other day that she seemed to enjoy, if you change your mind.”

“No, I mean I’m not looking for a book at all—wait, Rarity?” Sugar Sweet asked, looking up, her eyes quick and eager.

“Yeah.” Twilight nodded. “Do you know her?”

“Uh-huh, oh.” Sugar Sweet dropped her head and turned away. Twilight noticed that the sides of her coat were bare. She didn’t seem to have any cutie mark. “I mean, no, not really. Kind of, like, a little, I guess.”

“Um… okay?” Twilight tried when it became clear Sugar Sweet wasn’t going to explain. “You said you weren’t looking for a book? Are you looking for something else?”

“Yeah,” Sugar Sweet said, her cheeks going red. “Do you know Applejack? She, like, hangs out around here, right?”

“Sure,” Twilight answered, brightening. “I could introduce you if you wanted.”

“No, no!” Sugar Sweet cried, throwing up her leg as if to shield herself from Twilight’s suggestion. “Don’t tell her I asked! I just, like, I need to, uh, I just wanted to know what she’s like.”

Twilight opened her mouth to reply when she heard the front door open. She turned and watched, as if on cue, the pony in question step inside. Applejack quickly stepped towards her, smiling.

"Hey, Twilight," Applejack said. "Me and Fluttershy are goin' to the spa. Wanna come along?"

“Heh, the spa.” Dash snickered, her face hidden behind her book. “Lame.”

Applejack smirked. “Says the pony readin’ one of Fluttershy’s romance stories.”

Rainbow Dash grunted and pulled the book closer around her head.

"No, sorry," Twilight replied, covering a laugh with her hoof. She turned back around with a start. Sugar Sweet had disappeared. "Uh, I'm having trouble with this spell. I'll probably be up working on it all night."

“Oh well, some other time then. Have you seen Apple Bloom anywhere?” Applejack asked with a frown. “I can't find her anywhere. She's supposed to be cleanin' out the chicken coop.”

“Yeah, Apple Bloom and the girls were here earlier,” Twilight answered, noticing Sugar Sweet back beside the shelf again, eyes carefully trained to book bindings. “They came to see Spike, and then I think they all went over to Fluttershy’s. Something about Cutie Mark Crusaders fire eaters.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “And you let them go?”

“Well, both Fluttershy and Spike are there too. I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Twilight said, wondering if she should mention the strange conversation she had just had with Sugar Sweet.

Applejack’s smile fell back into the beginnings of a scowl.

“But I can go check on them,” Twilight blurted, “if you’re worried.”

“Hey Twilight,” Sugar Sweet said from behind her, walking towards them with an uneasy smile. “What book did you say Rarity liked?”

“You know Rarity?” Applejack asked before Twilight could make sense of the unicorn’s behavior, her voice dubious. “Prissy unicorn with the dress shop?”

Sugar Sweet dropped her head a little further. “Uh, well, yeah.” Suddenly, her head shot back up, sending her mane lurching behind her in an embarrassingly obvious attempt at surprise. “Oh my gosh! You’re Applejack.”

Applejack’s eyes widened for a moment before narrowing again. “Uh, yeah. Why?”

“Wow.” Sugar Sweet soundlessly moved her jaw back and forth for a moment before continuing. “You’re so pretty. Like, really, really pretty. I didn’t know you’d be so pretty. That makes sense, I guess.”

Applejack didn’t respond. Her face contorted, rapidly flashing between several different emotions before settling somewhere between disgust and anger. “I am not that kind of mare, and neither are any of my friends. You don’t know Rarity. She wouldn’t know somepony like you.”

“I do too! What do you know?” Sugar Sweet stomped her hoof on the ground. “We’re mar—er, friends, and I’m gonna go hang out with her tonight. So there!” She stuck her tongue out at Applejack, whose expression remained unchanged.

Applejack’s jaw rolled back and forth. Twilight thought she could hear a growl. She backed away, preemptively wincing at the coming encounter. But the blowout never came. Instead, Applejack turned with a grunt and a flick of her tail, walking towards where Dash was sitting.

Twilight couldn’t think of a time she had seen her friend more upset. Every one of her muscles was drawn tight like a coiled snake. With the cowpony's back turned away Twilight could only imagine what the glare in her eyes must have looked like.

Sugar Sweet snorted, beaming. “Can I have that book now?” she asked quickly, turning to Twilight.

Twilight mentally debated whether to ask what was happening, glanced between the two, decided against it, and turned to Sugar Sweet. “Yeah, if you’ll follow me, I can get it for you.” Better to wait until Applejack had calmed down before asking questions. She led Sugar Sweet towards her record book and away from impending confrontation.

“Okay, if you could just sign here, I’ll go find it.” Twilight indicated an empty space on the open page before looking to the returns pile. She frowned. In spite of herself, she found her mind searching for a way to decrease the time between the returning of a book and its re-shelving. The returned books really should have been organized by then.

“Alrighty,” Sugar Sweet said, surprisingly chipper. If her spat with Applejack had upset her, she did an impressive job of hiding it. “Done.”

Twilight nodded and floated the novel Rarity had returned the day before, From Dusk, out of the pile. Suddenly, another force tore it from her aura’s grip, forcibly pulling it to Sugar Sweet.

The other unicorn ripped it open, excitedly flipping through the pages, but not resting on any one passage long enough to actually read. “You said Rarity liked this, right? I bet it’s really good then.”

“Mm hmm.” Twilight nodded. “I think she enjoyed it.”

Abruptly, Sugar Sweet dropped the book into one of her saddlebags. “I need to go. It was really nice meeting you though.” Sugar Sweet smiled.

Twilight glanced at Applejack before smiling back. “Yeah, you too.”

“See you around.” Sugar Sweet trotted out the door, the book back out of her saddlebag again and floating before her.

Twilight slowly walked to where Rainbow Dash was shooing Applejack away as she searched for the best way to broach the subject without further angering her friend.

“Could you go look angry someplace else? I’m trying to read here,” Dash said, annoyed.

“I’m not angry,” Applejack growled under her breath, obstinately standing in Rainbow Dash’s reading space.

“So…” Twilight let out a little laugh that didn’t sound quite right. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard Rarity mention Sugar Sweet before. I wonder how long they’ve known each other...”

“That’s because Rarity doesn’t know Sugar Sweet. She lied,” Applejack said simply.

Twilight bit her lip. “Oh. I wonder why she doesn’t have a cutie mark.”

“Because only ponies get cutie marks,” Applejack replied. “She’s just filth.”

Twilight cocked her head to the side. She tried and failed to recall a time she’d heard her friend say something so awful about another pony. “How do you know she lied?”

Applejack snorted. “It’s just what she does. She’s a liar by trade.”

“Seriously, I’m trying to read.” Rainbow Dash groaned from her place between them. “Go somewhere else.”

“By trade?” Twilight asked, stepping away from the cyan hoof swatting at her legs.

“She’s an escort.” Applejack spat out that last word like a thick lump of snot that had caught in her throat.

“Oh...” Twilight sighed. She hated ignorance. And, far more than that, she hated being ignorant. “So, what does she escort?”

Rainbow Dash groaned again and Applejack looked at her like she’d just declared that apples were a vegetable. “Don’t you know what an escort is?”

Twilight looked up into the corners of her eyelids. “Escort. Noun. A group of ponies, or a single pony, accompanying another or others for protection, guidance, or courtesy: An escort of sailors accompanied the Princess.”

This time Rainbow Dash snickered and Applejack facehoofed. “Sugarcube, no. She’s a”—she leaned in close, whispering conspiratorially, as if they weren’t the only three ponies in the building—“mare of the evening.”

“A what?”

Applejack sighed and pulled back. “Twilight, please don’t make me say it.”

“Say what?”

“She’s a hooker,” Rainbow Dash said bluntly, not looking up from her book. “Go talk about it somewhere else.”

Twilight smiled at what she assumed was a joke, but her smile fell when Applejack’s frown stayed put. “What? But she seemed so nice.”

“Exactly,” Applejack growled. “Wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

"But how do you know?" Twilight asked, looking between her two friends.

"Seriously, Twilight?" Dash asked, sounding bored. "Everypony knows about Sugar Sweet. You really need to get out more."

“So you think she was lying about knowing Rarity?”

Applejack turned her glare on Twilight. “Do you think Rarity, the pony who hates all things dirty, would ever sink low enough to associate with somepony who wriggles around in the dirt for a livin’?”

“What do you care if Rarity’s seeing a hooker?” Dash asked, still not looking up from her book. "Who cares what she does when she's in bed?"

For a moment, Twilight was certain Applejack was going to kick the book out from between the pegasus’s hooves. “I care, and you should too. Those kinds of ponies are dangerous. I refuse to believe that somepony I call my friend would ever have anything to do with somepony like that.”

“Well, whatever.” Dash shrugged. “She said she was going to go see Rarity tonight.”

“She lied.”

“I don’t know.” Twilight brought a hoof to her chin. “Why would she lie about something like that?”

“How should I know?” Applejack spat. “They’ve got no integrity. They’d say anything to get a few bits.”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said, pointing her hoof at nothing in particular. “I don’t think Rarity would ever do… that, but it didn’t seem like Sugar Sweet was lying either.”

“Then go there,” Dash said, waving a hoof in the general direction of the door.

Applejack paused. “What?”

Dash finally looked up from her book, letting it drop onto her chest. “Go talk loud at Rarity’s right in her face while she’s trying to read. If Sugar Sweet doesn’t show up, you win.” Dash lifted her book back up. "Ugh, I lost my space."

Applejack looked between her two friends before flicking her tail to the side. “Fine. We’ll go ask Rarity herself. She’ll tell you the exact same thing.” She quickly turned and walked up to the door, holding it open with one hoof. “Twilight.”

Twilight shrugged and followed her friend out the door and into the dark. “See you later, Rainbow.”

“Hey, wait up!” Dash called behind them. Twilight glanced over her shoulder to see the pegasus hovering towards them, the book left forgotten on the floor. “I’ll come too.”

“I thought you were too busy readin’ your sappy book?” Applejack almost smirked.

“I’m not gonna sit in the library all by myself.”

“Owlowiscious is upstairs,” Twilight said, pointing to the second floor window.

Dash grimaced. “I said ponies.”

Twilight raised a brow at that. “You didn’t say anything about ponies.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Whatever, I’m going too.”

Twilight shrugged and cantered to catch up with Applejack, who had already begun walking in the direction of Carousel Boutique. Twilight fell in step beside the earth pony, hearing Rainbow Dash fluttering somewhere behind her. A cold breeze swirled around them, and Twilight, shivering, soon regretted not bringing any warmer clothing. Applejack trudged on, seemingly unaffected.

“Oh, shoot!” Rainbow Dash said. “I completely forgot.”

“What?” Twilight asked, stopping.

“I promised Pinkie I would help her give Gummy a bath tonight,” she said as she rose higher into the air. “I’ll be right back!” she cried, somersaulting and darting off in the opposite direction.

Twilight paused for a moment to watch her leave. Nose tilted over her head, she quickly lost sight of her friend in the starless, cloud-filled sky. A few little flickers of moonlight glinted through cracks in the clouds, leaving the road in darkness save for a handful of glowing streetlamps. Applejack shrugged at Twilight and continued walking.

__________________________________________________

Applejack didn’t talk, which told Twilight more than enough. Though, she wasn’t precisely sure what it was that it told her. Something was wrong, but she didn't understand what. She walked carefully behind her friend, listening to the rhythmic clatter of hooves on stone. The cold had scared most ponies indoors for the night, and the few that were out rushed by with little more than a nod in passing greeting. Twilight picked up her own pace.

“It sure is chilly out.”

“I suppose.” Applejack didn’t look back.

Twilight opened her mouth to try once more, but almost immediately closed it again. Yellow light shone behind windows on either side like flushed eyes peering down at the two ponies trotting in the dark. Occasionally, a blurry outline would pass behind one of the windows, sending long shadows and fleeting, muffled laughter sprawling over the street.

She trotted up beside Applejack. "Back at the library you said ponies like Sugar Sweet were dangerous. What did you mean? You don't think she'll hurt somepony, do you?"

"I think I was mighty clear," Applejack said curtly.

Twilight paused. "Does it have to do why you're so angry about this?"

Applejack stopped abruptly, her neck bristling.

"I'm sorry!" Twilight said quickly, feeling another chill sweep over her back. "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Applejack dropped her head, blowing a long sigh out her snout, misty white breath falling from her mouth. "No, I should have said something before... It's just..." She looked back up, her mouth set in a grim frown. "They ruin families. My Uncle Russet... he was a plum idiot, ignorin' the mare he already had for some scummy floozies. My cousins and poor Auntie cried for weeks."

"I'm sorry," Twilight said, offering her friend a nuzzle.

"It's not me you should be feelin' sorry for." Applejack pulled away, walking forward.

Twilight frowned as she followed her friend. "She said she was looking for you. Sugar Sweet, I mean."

"Why?"

"She didn't say. She wanted to know what you were like."

"Hmmm..." was Applejack's only reply, marching on.

The pair rounded a corner and Carousel Boutique was in sight. The showy, multi-floored building stood burning bright like a challenge to the surrounding cold. Applejack trotted up to the front door and roughly knocked on the wood. Barely a moment later, the door swung open.

“Applejack!” Rarity smiled brightly, her coat shining and extravagant, a sharp contrast to the dark around her. Twilight had never noticed just how similar to her home the other unicorn looked. “You’re early.”

Applejack’s forehead creases crumpled together. “You were expectin’ us?”

“Why, of course I—” Rarity’s eyes fell on Twilight, apparently noticing her for the first time. Her smile disappeared.

Twilight waved. “Hey, Rarity. Can we come in?”

Rarity rapidly looked back and forth between them for a moment before smiling again. “No, no, no. I’m very sorry, but I’m expecting an, eh, important client soon. Yes, an important client, and I simply don’t have the time to entertain guests at the moment.” She began inching the door shut.

Applejack’s forehead crumpled further and further. “But I thought you said—”

“No, no.” Rarity laughed. “I’m sorry, but I really am much too busy at the moment. Perhaps another time. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The door slammed shut. Applejack stood, silently regarding the closed door, as if it was responsible for all of her frustration, before slowly turning around.

“Well, that was strange,” Twilight said.

Applejack grunted in reply, walking back down the road.

“So…” Twilight fell in step beside her. “Rarity said she was meeting a client tonight…”

“Mm hmm.” Applejack kept her muzzle pointed straight forward as she walked.

“And Sugar Sweet said she was meeting Rarity tonight…”

“Mm hmm.”

“Maybe Sugar Sweet is just one of Rarity’s customers,” Twilight said, slowing down a little. “That would explain everything.”

“Maybe.”

Twilight looked to her friend, but Applejack didn’t say anything more. She sighed and settled for examining the ground around her hooves. She stepped on a smooth rock, well-worn and packed into the dirt—

“Move!” Applejack hissed into her ear.

Before Twilight had a chance to ask what her friend meant, she abruptly felt two hooves on her side, pushing her over into a bush. The branches scratched at her cold coat and legs, and made a mess of her mane.

“Applejack!” Twilight cried, spitting leaves out of her mouth. “What was that for?”

“Shhh.” Applejack pointed out at a pony walking up the road. “It’s her.”

Twilight leaned forward a little and brushed a branch away from her eyes. Sure enough, Sugar Sweet trotted by carrying a pair of saddlebags down the same path they had just come from. She hummed happily as she went, practically skipping, oblivious to the cold and the two ponies watching her from inside a bush beside the road.

Twilight watched until the skipping pony was out of earshot. It was hard not to smile at the cheerful unicorn. “You know,” she turned to Applejack, “she could be going anywhere.”

“Maybe.”

“And even if she is—”

“Why are you guys sitting in a bush?”

Twilight yelped at the unexpected voice and jumped out onto the road. Standing in front of her were Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.

“Oh, were we supposed to surprise you? Surprise!” Pinkie cried, throwing her forelegs into the air.

Twilight took a deep breath to calm her nerves. The cool, dry air bit at her throat and snout. When she looked again, she realized that it was really only Rainbow Dash who was standing in front of her. She looked like she’d just been dragged through a shower. Water and soap suds dripped down her coat and off shining strands of her mane.

Pinkie, significantly drier, was sprawled over the pegasus’s back. Her hooves dangled, straddling down Dash’s sides, not quite touching the ground. Twilight turned. Sugar Sweet was still absentmindedly half-skipping down the road.

“Are you looking for an ice cream sandwich?” Pinkie asked, patting Rainbow Dash on the head. “I found one in a bush once.”

“No,” Twilight answered, watching Applejack crawl out from beneath the leaves. “Sugar Sweet just walked by.”

One of Dash’s soaking brows climbed up her forehead. “So?”

“We didn’t want her to see us,” Twilight said.

“Why?” Dash asked.

“Because…” Twilight searched the ground for an answer, quickly realizing that she didn’t have the slightest clue why they didn’t want Sugar Sweet to see them. She looked to Applejack for the answer, who promptly ignored her.

“Were you playing hide and seek?” Pinkie asked. “I played hide and seek with her once. She was really bad.”

“You know Sugar Sweet?” Applejack scowled, looking at Pinkie.

Pinkie giggled. “Duh, I know everypony.”

Applejack chewed on her cheek for a moment before turning her scowl onto Dash. “Why did you bring her?”

“Bring who?” Dash shook her head to the side, flinging water every direction.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Her,” she said, pointing up at Pinkie.

“I didn’t bring her,” Dash replied, still trying to shake water out of her mane.

“She’s sittin’ on your back!” Applejack cried, her voice rising.

It was Rainbow Dash’s turn to roll her eyes. “It’s not like I put her there.”

Twilight sighed and turned just in time to see Sugar Sweet round the corner onto Carousel Boutique’s road.

Applejack rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. “Whatever, let’s go.” She quickly trotted towards the corner Sugar Sweet had just turned onto, Twilight and Dash following close behind, Pinkie readjusting her rump on Dash’s back.

When they reached the corner, they stopped, looking around its bend. Carousel Boutique shined just as brightly as before, and Sugar Sweet stood before it, a vibrant painting in its light.

Applejack made a pitiful noise like she’d been bucked in the gut.

Sugar Sweet stood perfectly still a few steps from its door, her eyes closed and horn coming to life. At first, it was just a faint glimmer, but it grew, brighter and brighter, until it rivaled the light from the dress shop. Then the light passed from her horn and curled down Sugar Sweet’s neck. It spiraled across her withers, down her legs, over her flank, and to the tip of her tail, until it covered her body like a cloak.

Twilight gasped. “That’s a transformation spell!”

The light dispersed, fizzling and dying in the cold air. Sugar Sweet smiled, showing off a new set of freckles. Her coat had turned a familiar orange, and three red apples had appeared on her flank. She opened her saddlebag and floated out two red hair bands, tying them around her tail and mane. Finally, she pulled a brown stetson hat out of her other bag and set it crookedly on her head, hiding her horn. The only hint that the pony in front of them wasn’t Applejack was her yellow eyes.

Applejack remained silent. Twilight couldn’t even tell if she was still breathing.

Sugar Sweet trotted up to Carousel Boutique’s front step and knocked on the door, smiling.

The door swung open, and Rarity smiled back.

“Howdy, beautiful!” The other-Applejack said in the most exaggerated accent Twilight had ever heard. “May Ah come in?”

“Of course,” Rarity said, moving aside to let the other mare in. “It’s so nice to see you, Applejack.”

The other-Applejack walked in and kicked the door shut behind her.

For a long time, no one said anything. They stood where they were, stealing quick glances between Applejack and the closed door. Applejack was the first to speak.

“What?”

Next Chapter: Part Two Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 18 Minutes
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