The next few days were full of activity for the dark purple unicorn. She helped Twilight get situated in the library, helping with clean-up, reorganizing the bookshelves, and assisting with other matters. Amethyst took the guest room in the living quarters, but noticed the bed was a snug fit for her. She resolved to build a larger bed as time permitted, though she would still sleep in the slightly too-small bed, unable to stretch out completely without her hind legs dangling off the end.

Morning had come again, and Applejack showed up at the library, asking for help on the farm. Both unicorns offered their assistance and Spike rode on Twilight's back. Once they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, they helped gather apples in baskets as the orange mare bucked the trees. Amethyst got into the act as well, but was not as efficient at tree-bucking as the earth pony. Big Macintosh took a quick liking to the purple mare, as she was nearly as tall and as big as the red stallion. The purple mare winked at him seductively, and he blushed furiously.

"C'mon, sugarcube, stop teasin' 'im! We got work ta do!" Applejack chided her. The purple mare giggled in response.

The three ponies made their way into the orchard, setting bushel baskets under trees. Spike watched with mild bemusement, occasionally napping on Twilight's back.

"Ya wanna try yer hoof at buckin' trees, Ammy? Show me what'cha can do! Ah bet mah big brother we could get all these Golden Delicious in the barn before lunchtime -- he's gonna look real silly trotting down Stirrup Street in one o' Granny's girdles!" the orange mare giggled.

"I know how girl-shy he is -- why didn't you dare him to take me on a date?" the purple mare giggled.

"Ammy, yer terrible!" the orange earthy pony laughed. She placed a few baskets under a tree and turned her back to it, giving it a strong kick to the trunk with her hind legs, causing all the apples to fall into the baskets. The purple unicorn followed Applejack's example, placing baskets under a different tree. Her attempt to buck the tree met with less than desirable results, as only about half the apples fell, some of them missing the baskets entirely.

"Yer kickin' too high, Ammy. Lower yer legs when ya kick, like this!" Applejack explained, bucking another tree and making all the apples fall into the baskets again. Twilight helped place the baskets and lined up Amethyst's legs to the right spot on that tree. The purple mare kicked again, and this time almost all the apples fell into the baskets.

"That's pretty good, there. A li'l more practice and ye'll get it in no time!"

The three of them working together made short work of collecting all the Golden Delicious apples, the trio making their way back to the barn well before noon. As they trotted, Spike was picking apples out of one of the baskets Twilight was carrying at her sides, tossing the bad ones away dismissively.

"I'm glad the goal is lunchtime -- all this hard work is making me hungry," said Twilight.

"I know, right?" Spike asked, grinning sheepishly as one of the apples he tossed hit the librarian on her head. She glowered at him disapprovingly. Amethyst chuckled softly.

"Puh-lease, Spike, you've been lounging on my back while we worked all morning!" the lavender mare chided her assistant.

"You've been working so long, I missed snack-time!" the dragon exclaimed. Twilight's belly grumbled in agreement.

"I guess we'd better get some food," she chuckled weakly as Spike continued to dismissively toss apples out of the basket.

"Spike, are you going to throw away ALL those apples?" Amethyst asked, exasperation tinging her words.

"You can't see them close up like I can -- quite a few of these have worms in them," he said, before coming across a beautiful bright red apple. "A-HAH!" he cried, holding it up for every pony to see.

"Oh, Spike, that looks delicious!" Twilight exclaimed, smiling brightly. The words weren't even out of her mouth for a second before the dragon ate the apple in one large bite.

"SPIKE!" Twilight shouted at him with contempt.

"What?" he asked, almost oblivious to his gluttonous act. Suddenly he belched out a scroll in a burst of green flame. The dragon cleared his throat and read the letter aloud, indicating that Twilight was cordially invited to the Grand Galloping Gala and was allowed to take one guest with her. Amethyst watched in mild bemusement as Twilight and Applejack jumped around excitedly, shouting "The Grand Galloping Gala!"

"Ammy, aren't ya excited?" the orange mare asked, giving the dark purple mare a quizzical look.

"I've never been to the Grand Galloping Gala," Twilight said, still somewhat excited by the invitation.

"I have," the purple mare stated flatly. "It's nothing special." This drew gasps from the farmer and the librarian.

"NOTHING SPECIAL?!?" they practically shouted in unison. Spike belched out two tickets during this exchange.

"Just a bunch of hoity-toity stuck-up ponies looking down their noses at the 'less worthy' ones who dared to intrude upon their perceived 'upper crust' event," Amethyst said, her words mixed with contempt and derision.

"I know of Hoity Toity," said Twilight. "He's Canterlot's premier fashion designer."

"You mean to -- oh yeah. I've run into him -- I almost forgot he has that ridiculous name," the purple mare chortled.

"You'd better not let Rarity hear you call him that, Amethyst -- she'll be quite offended if you do," her housemate chided.

"I'm with Ammy on the Gala," Spike stated almost dismissively. "You can keep all that girly frilly frou-frou nonsense."

"Honestly, Twilight -- you've lived in the Castle all this time, and you've never gone to the Gala? I find that hard to believe," said Amethyst.

"Well, most of the time I lived there, I was studying for classes or tests or just for my pleasure," she said, grinning sheepishly. "Besides, I think a dance would be nice."

Applejack sidled up to Twilight at that point, explaining how she'd be thrilled to attend the gala, describing how she'd picture herself selling apples to the attendees, drumming up lots of business for the farm and making several improvements to the farmhouse, replacing the plow her brother pulls around and replacing Granny Smith's "saggy ol' hip." It was just after she had expressed this desire that a certain sky-blue pegasus crashed into the two mares, as Amethyst had been standing far enough away to avoid being hit by the aviatrix.

"Are we talking about the Grand Galloping Gala?" Rainbow asked, grinning sheepishly at having knocked her two friends to the ground.

"Oh, Rainbow, you need to be more careful when you're flying around like that," Amethyst chided.

Applejack rose to her hooves, dusting herself off and glared at the pegasus. "Rainbow Dash. You told me you were too busy ta help me harvest apples! What were ya busy doin'? Spyin'?"

"No. I was busy ... nappin'," the pegasus replied. Glancing up to one of the trees, Amethyst spotted a pillow and a blanket and shook her head in disbelief, chuckling softly. The pegasus then approached Twilight, dangling upside-down from the tree she had been napping in. "And I just happened to hear that YOU have an extra ticket?"

"Well, yeah, but --" Twilight began to explain.

"This is gonna be so awesome! The Wonderbolts perform at the Grand Galloping Gala every year!" she exclaimed excitedly, describing how she'd picture herself stunning the crowd and the Wonderbolts themselves with her stunts and performances, inspiring them to invite her to join their team and incorporate her moves into their program, the crowd cheering her on. She insisted the she be given the ticket, but the farmer saw things differently, pulling the pegasus' tail sharply with her teeth.

"I asked for that ticket first," Applejack said sharply, pushing her muzzle against Rainbow's.

"I can see we're going to have a bit of a problem here," Amethyst observed. "Twilight, I don't know if this is your teacher's idea of a joke, but she should have known that giving you just one extra ticket was going to strain your new friendships. Perhaps it's her idea of seeing which of your friends is more important to you, though I suppose you could give Spike the extra ticket, or me, since I'm your housemate ..."

"OH NO YOU DIDN'T!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash shouted at the purple mare in unison. "Besides, you said it's nothin' special," the farmer added angrily.

"Girls, the extra ticket is mine to give to whomever I feel has the best reason to go," Twilight interrupted. Her grumbling belly chose to interrupt in its own particular way at that point. "Let me think about this over lunch, if you don't mind," she said, grinning sheepishly. Amethyst joined her housemate and started trotting beside her.

"Oh no ya don't, Ammy. Yer gonna help me with these apples before ya join up with her again, okay?" the farmer asked her, then turned her attention to the pegasus, who was also trying to fly away. "You too, Rainbow Dash! Yer not too busy now!" The unicorn and pegasus wore dejected expressions as they assisted the farmer with the task of collecting the spilled apples and returning them to the barn. Upon finishing this task, Rainbow left in a hurry, determined not to be pressed into further service. Amethyst said her good-bye and galloped to catch up with her housemate, who was trotting by Sugar Cube Corner with Spike still on her back.

"So where should we eat, Spike?" the lavender mare asked as she walked by the front door of the bakery. The two were knocked down by a pink earth pony who crashed into them, the tickets landing on her muzzle. Upon closer inspection, she practically squealed in delight at the prospect of attending the gala, bursting into song and singing the praises of the event, picturing herself at the biggest party in Equestria, and thanking Twilight for such a wonderful gift. Amethyst caught up to her housemate at this point, nearly gasping for breath, until she saw the pink party pony.

"Twilight only has one extra ticket," the purple mare stated flatly. "Applejack and Rainbow have already had a disagreement over it. Don't tell me YOU want to go, too!"

"Well, duh, it's only the biggest, most super-colossal humongous event of the year!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing around excitedly.

Spike snatched the tickets off the ground, but then Rarity happened to trot by and noticed them, pushing her muzzle against Spike's claws in which the tickets were tightly held.

"Don't tell me those are tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala," the alabaster mare gasped in excitement, eyeing them very closely.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Pinkie exclaimed, still bounding around excitedly. "Twilight's taking me to the Grand Galloping Gala!"

"Well, actually --" the lavender mare tried to explain, but was interrupted by Rarity interpreting her vision of how she'd be received at the Gala and introduced by the Sun Goddess to her nephew, Prince Blueblood.

"I've met that stallion you regard so highly," Amethyst stated coldly. "He's no prize, believe you me. All he cares about is his own selfish desires, and he couldn't possibly allow himself to be attracted to a mare as lovely as you. All you would be to him is a pretty bauble, an ornament to add to his collection. You shouldn't waste your time on him, unless you wish to be humiliated in front of everypony."

"Amethyst Shadow!" Rarity exclaimed in contempt. "You have no business talking about royalty like that! How do you know Prince Blueblood?"

"Perhaps you may have forgotten that I come from the future, Rarity. In the timeline I left behind, I have helped you a great many times in your boutique, even learning how to master your designs. I have had the pleasure to attend the Grand Galloping Gala twice so far, and I have visited the Castle more times than I care to count. I have had the unfortunate displeasure to have met with this obnoxious, narcissistic, egotistical, pompous, bombastic, obsequious nebbish you have expressed a desire for."

"You've been to the Gala twice?!" Rarity, Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie Pie asked, nearly in unison. Their mouths were agape at this mention, but then a little white rabbit dashed up to Spike and nabbed the tickets out of his claw, taking them to a certain butter yellow pegasus who smiled softly at her pet.

"Ooh, Angel, these are perfect!" she exclaimed softly, eyeing the tickets her bunny was still holding in his teeth.

"Uh, look guys, I still haven't decided who to give the extra ticket to," the lavender mare said with a mix of exasperation and resignation.

"You haven't?" Rarity and Pinkie asked in unison, the unicorn smiling as the pink pony frowned.

Fluttershy interrupted the two, meekly asking Twilight if she could go, but was herself interrupted by Rarity, who indignantly asked the pegasus if she really wanted to go to the gala. Amethyst shook her head in disbelief, chuckling softly at the irony of the situation.

"Um, no --" the pegasus began, but was interrupted by her bunny tapping her leg. "I mean, yes -- uh, kinda --" she said softly, then proceeded to explain that it was not so much the gala she wanted to attend, but the gardens she wanted to visit, experiencing the wonders which abounded therein, including the many different varieties of birds which made their homes there.

"It sounds ... beautiful," Twilight stated, somewhat confused by the situation until Rainbow Dash made her presence known once again. Amethyst rolled her eyes and expressed her disbelief vocally. As if the situation couldn't get any weirder, Applejack showed up as well.

"I can't believe the two of you were following me," Twilight stated, her exasperation becoming quite evident.

"I can't believe all of you want to go, yet the Princess only sent Twilight one extra ticket," Amethyst mused, chuckling softly.

"I can't believe you think this is funny," Rarity chided the purple mare. Presently the disagreements with the ponies led all of them to confront Twilight, who laid on the ground and covered her head with her fore-hooves. It appeared as though she was trying to make herself disappear or wished every pony to leave her alone. Amethyst came to her side.

"It's not funny when all of you are arguing over who gets that extra ticket -- all of you should be ashamed of yourselves, claiming the ticket to be yours when Twilight has the right to be the ultimate arbiter here," the purple mare replied, a hint of anger in her voice.

"What she said," Twilight stated, pointing a hoof at her housemate. "The Princess gave me these tickets, and arguing about it isn't going to do you any good. The decision is mine to make, and I can't make it with all this noise -- not to mention, my hunger," she explained as her belly growled in protest.

"I told you you shouldn't have skipped breakfast," Amethyst chided her.

"Now go on -- shoo! All of you! I'll figure this out ... somehow," the librarian stated with some degree of uncertainty. "Amethyst? Do you have any suggestions?"

"I would suggest you go get something to eat -- such important decisions cannot be made on an empty stomach," her housemate grinned. "I'm heading back to the library, Twi. Seeya later."

The librarian and her dragon assistant made their way to a nearby restaurant to have lunch and discussed the matter upon receiving their requested orders. Twilight was about to take a bite of her sandwich when all the other ponies eating stampeded their way indoors. The waiter advised the two that it was about to rain. No sooner had the words left his mouth than a torrential downpour issued from the dark sky. Oddly enough, a small circle of sunlight beamed down upon the table Twilight and Spike were sitting at as a certain sky-blue pegasus poked her head through the hole in the clouds.

"Enjoying this sunny weather?" asked Rainbow.

"What are you doing? If this is about the ticket, you can stop trying to curry favor with me," the librarian responded. "Now close up that hole in the clouds."

"Fine," the pegasus said in her disappointment, zipping the hole closed behind her. Twilight was about to take a bite of her sandwich when the rain reached their table, drenching the librarian, her assistant, and her food as well. She groaned in frustration as Spike stifled his giggles. Rarity slowly trotted toward the two, protected from the rain by a purple umbrella.

"Twilight, it's raining," the fashionista observed.

"No, really?" the librarian responded sarcastically.

"We must get you indoors before you catch cold," Rarity exclaimed, pulling the librarian away from her food and taking her to the boutique. Once inside, Twilight shook the water from her coat, drenching Rarity in the process. She apologized for this, but the fashionista dismissed it, proclaiming herself and Twilight the best of friends, and then proceeded to give the librarian a makeover, cladding her in a cute getup. She also gave Spike an unwanted makeover as well. He responded by ditching the outfit and dashing to the library as quickly as he could. It was only when Rarity mentioned the Grand Galloping Gala that Twilight realized the ulterior motive behind the fashionista's actions, returning the outfit and practically storming out of the boutique, complaining about getting lunch.

"Did somepony say lunch?" asked Applejack, who promptly pulled the librarian out of the boutique. Her attention was grabbed by a large cart filled to the top with various foodstuffs, courtesy of Sweet Apple Acres. The farmer rattled off the names of the items, the librarian staring at the cart with her mouth slightly open. Her stomach grumbled again.

"Is that a yes?" asked the farmer.

"NO! You're not getting the ticket! This is getting ridiculous! I don't even know who to choose and I'm less sure now than this morning!" Twilight exclaimed in exasperation as she made her way back to the library. She opened the door to see a butter yellow pegasus dusting the bookshelves.

"Amethyst! What's SHE doing here?" her housemate asked, anger creeping into her voice.

"Sorry, Twi, she offered to help -- I tried to tell her no, but she was too insistent," the purple mare stated.

"Sounds to me like you wanted her to do some of the chores around here," she grumbled. "So, Fluttershy, is this about the ticket?"

"Oh, no, I'm just doing this because you're my very best friend, right Angel?" the pegasus asked. Her bunny was tossing a salad for them and smiled at her.

"Amethyst, you let them make the food, too?"

"Why turn down an offer of free help, Twi?" the purple mare grinned sheepishly.

"Can't you see? She's only helping because she wants the extra ticket to the gala!" the librarian exclaimed in disgust.

"That's right!" Fluttershy stated. "Um, you are going to give it to me, right?"

"NO! I'm not accepting any more favors until I've made my final decision, so I must ask you to leave," the librarian stated firmly as she opened the front door. She was immediately greeted by Pinkie throwing a surprise party just outside the door and pulled outside by said earth pony who proceeded to throw the librarian into the air, singing a song about how Twilight is her very best friend. Twilight was repeatedly tossed into the air and caught by a group of ponies. She had to shout Pinkie's name at the top of her lungs to get everypony to stop, but she landed on her back as they were startled by her outburst.

"Yes?" the pink party pony asked expectantly, batting her eyes furiously at the librarian.

"At least the other ponies were more subtle about their desire for the extra ticket," she replied.

"What ticket?" one of the group of ponies asked.

"Twilight has an extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala!" Pinkie exclaimed. This caught the attention of everypony around them, who proceeded to chase the librarian and her dragon assistant back and forth across Ponyville. Amethyst stepped out of the library to watch the spectacle with bemused interest and chose not to intervene. She turned around and re-entered the library, only to be startled by her housemate teleporting inside with Spike, who groggily shook off the after-effects of the jump.

"Help me lock all the doors and turn off all the lights, Amethyst," Twilight said nervously. This was done quickly, only to have the main room light turned on by somepony.

"How did all of you get in here?" Amethyst asked the assembled group of the other five Element Bearers, who somehow had managed to sneak into the library. "And how did it get dark all of a sudden? I thought it was still late afternoon."

"The super let us in the back door, silly filly!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"I just can't decide! I don't want any of you to be unhappy simply because I chose only one of you to go to the Gala! All of you are my friends!"

Each of the ponies apologized to the librarian, with the lone exception of Rainbow, who gloated about getting the ticket.

"Rainbow Dash," Amethyst stated in disapproval as everypony else glared at her as she continued to hover lazily.

"Okay -- I still haven't perfected my moves for the Wonderbolts yet, anyway," the cyan pegasus stated remorsefully and also apologized to Twilight.

"I don't want to go if I can't have all of you there with me," the librarian explained. "It wouldn't be fair to the rest of you, and I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself there without all of you. Spike, take a letter." The dragon readied parchment and quill.

"Twilight, may I?" Amethyst asked.

"That depends," her housemate stated with some degree of uncertainty. The other Element Bearers keened interest.

"Dear Princess Celestia -- As Twilight's housemate, it has come to my attention that the invitation you extended to her and one guest was insufficient to allow for all her friends to attend. It is my humble request that you send an additional six tickets so that all her friends, plus her assistant and I be allowed to attend this event as well. Twilight has learned a valuable lesson in friendship -- that choosing one friend over the other five would be detrimental to the friendship of all. Your loyal subject, Amethyst Shadow."

"Sounds pretty good, there, Amethyst," Twilight smiled. "Okay, Spike, go ahead and send it."

The dragon opened the window and blew the letter with his green breath, the parchment vaporizing to ash. Very shortly, he belched out the Princess' response, reading it aloud.

"Dear Amethyst Shadow. It is my sincere hope that you will come see me personally at this event, as there are a few matters we need to discuss. As for my faithful student, enclosed are an additional six tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, as your housemate has requested. I trust you will all enjoy yourselves at the event. Sincerely, Princess Celestia."

Everypony cheered appreciatively at this turn of events, though Twilight approached her housemate.

"Thanks, Amethyst, though I probably would have worded the letter a bit differently. I'm curious to know what the Princess wants to discuss with you."

"There are certain ... things. I suppose she also wants me to peruse the Archives again in order to find the necessary spell to return to my original timeline."

Twilight's stomach growled again and the others pulled her along to treat her to dinner.

"I just hope she isn't mad at me," Amethyst thought to herself as she made her way upstairs to her room to get some sleep.