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*Thursday 8/17*

-Morning-

Twilight arrived at Sweet Apple Acres just in time to see Big Macintosh and Caramel hauling baskets on their backs towards the orchard. The sun was beating on her, one of the hottest days of the year, causing her to sweat before she had even started to work; she could only imagine what the day would be like.

The unicorn snorted. The old Twilight would have feared and whined at the idea. Not her. She could do this. She just needed to keep herself hydrated and stay in the shade if possible. Besides, Applejack was counting on her.

Twilight approached them, ready to work through the heat, when she noticed said pony missing.

"Hey, where's Applejack?" she asked.

"She's in her room." Big Macintosh said, his deep voice dragging out his words, "She just got a big chewin' out by Granny. Ah didn't listen in, so Ah don't know fer sure what about, but Ah got a feelin'. If ya wanna see her, go right ahead. We can start workin' without ya." Caramel followed Big Mac without getting his own words in and they both disappeared into the trees. Twilight didn't hesitate in going to check on her friend.

She walked in to see Granny Smith knitting in a rocking chair, something Twilight thought she'd only see in books. Granny Smith looked up, her wrinkly face showing signs of slowly dwindling anger.

"Good luck tryin' ta talk ta that hard-headed filly. Thinks she knows what's best fer the farm. Can't even notice the trouble swallowin' 'er up." She started to mumble through her words and returned to her knitting, not paying any more attention to Twilight.

Twilight walked up the stairs and found the door slightly ajar. She nudged it open and poked her head inside to see her friend sitting on her bed, silence in the room. Her eyes were wide open, revealing an empty gaze leading to nowhere. Her body was rigid, not moving save for the slight rising and lowering of her chest as she breathed. The bewildered unicorn gathered the nerve to take a step into her friend's room uninvited, only now seeing signs of life in her when she turned her head to look at the unicorn.

"Applejack?" Twilight was hesitant, wondering if it was alright to disturb her friend at all right now.

"Heya Twi." Applejack was quiet, rivaling Fluttershy even. "Wassup?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." Twilight couldn't help but let concern cross her face, "Is everything OK?" She took a cautious step, wincing at it as if she was stepping on glass. The sound of her hoofsteps seemed to echo in her mind, setting off alarms. She took another cautious step, and then another, until she was inside, though only enough so that her hind legs were still by the door.

Right then, the normally strong and independent farmer started bawling. She tried to walk over to Twilight, but her hooves slipped when she got off the bed and she fell to the floor. She didn't even try to get up as she sobbed at her friend's hooves. Twilight reflexively took a step back, but forced herself to remain in place. She couldn't help but stare at Applejack's crying and vulnerable state, sweating, and finally breaking her stare to look around the room for a clue. When her frantic searching proved fruitless she sighed, knowing that all she could do was to wait until Applejack could speak. After a few minutes, she was finally able to speak somewhat coherently between sobs.

"Twilight… No, everythin's not alright! Everythin's terrible! Ah shoulda listened, but Ah didn't! An' now, the farm might end up bein' the price fer my ignorance!"

"You mean-" Twilight had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"The farm really is in danger o' goin' bankrupt. That would mean the loss of the farm, our home, everythin' we have! We'd have nothin' and it'd be mah fault!"

Twilight audibly gasped, failing to hide her increasing anxiety. "How can that be?!"

"Our sales have been goin' down since new products started comin' into the market. We usually earn enough every year ta get by, but with apples and some small desserts bein' our only products we couldn't keep up with the change." Applejack was managing to speak through her harsh hiccupping and sobs, though Twilight was having slight trouble understanding her.

"Soon, ponies were losin' interest in our apples in favor of the new stuff. Big Mac warned me about it last season, sayin' that we needed ta do somethin' soon, but the sales hadn't dropped by that much at the time and Ah didn't pay no attention to it! Our sales are still fallin' and with the way it's goin' we won't have enough money to support ourselves or our farm!"

Applejack started to cry uncontrollably again. Twilight raced through ideas and things to tell her. Whatever she did, it would have to be said gently. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Applejack, I might have a way to save the farm."

Applejack shot her gaze straight up at Twilight, pools still under her eyes and streams staining her face. She quickly stood back up to be eye-level with her.  "Really? Ya do?!"

Twilight recoiled a bit, now not being able to take it back, though she wouldn't. "Yes, but it's kind of risky. Well, anything at this point would be risky, really." She noticed Applejack's eyes showing collapsing trust and quickly got to the point. "Look, I have a way to get the farm more money, but it's going to take some time for the sales to rise." If they do. she thought to herself. "But I have to ask you to trust me." Her face became stern with that demand.

Applejack almost went for the obvious answer, but thought about it for a moment. She hesitated, then eventually gulped down the knot in her throat and spoke."Yes Twilight. Please, help me save mah farm. Ah trust ya. Ah don't really have a choice…" she finished her promise quietly.

Twilight smiled, "Good. Now, stay here and clear your mind, it'll help you get through today. If you see Big Mac or Caramel, tell them I won't be working today. I'll come back with good news as soon as I can." With gusto, she quickly galloped out of the room, out the front door, leaving a puzzled Granny Smith in her wake, and over the hill back to Ponyville.

-Afternoon-

Twilight raced through the streets of Ponyville, getting to her library as fast as possible. When she finally saw the large tree house in the distance, she lit up her horn and surrounded herself in magic. In a bright flash, she disappeared off the streets and landed in the middle of her first floor.

Twilight groaned dizzily, catching herself on her hooves before she could fall over, soon recovering and galloping upstairs to fetch quills, ink, and scrolls. She'd barely scribbled a few notes on the parchment when she heard a knock at her door. Bringing her stuff with her in a magical grasp, Twilight trotted back downstairs and opened the door to see Fluttershy and Rarity.

"Hello, darling!" Rarity greeted Twilight. "We were just in the neighborhood and thought to drop by." She noticed the paper and quill floating next to her fellow unicorn and seemed ready to take back what she said. "Oh, are we interrupting something?"

"Well," Twilight thought her words carefully, "actually, I am really busy."

"Oh…" Fluttershy looked down, disappointed, "That's okay. We're sorry to have disturbed you…" Her whisper dropped down even lower. They turned around and were about to walk away when Twilight called them back.

"This might be a stretch, but I need help. I'm trying to figure out a way to save Sweet Apple Acres from going bankrupt and-"

"Oh dear!" Rarity raised a hoof up to her mouth in shock. "I had no idea it was in such bad shape!"

Twilight nodded her head. "If they don't start getting sales up now, then at the rate it's going the Apples will lose their farm." Her ears fell flat on her head as she looked to the side, hopelessness and sadness creeping across her face as she realized the task she had signed herself up for. "I had the idea of coming up with a new product for them to sell, but I don't have any idea about what that product should be! And forget about business techniques! I can't just learn them like I can with magic!" Her voice grew louder as she went on, her anxiety from Applejack's room returning tenfold. She was sweating now and breathing hard as she felt her mind crumbling on itself.

"We'll be happy to help." Rarity returned with a smile, like a ray of sunlight forcing its way to Twilight's panicked mind. "Won't we, Fluttershy?" She turned to the pegasus, who smiled and nodded her head in reassuring silence.

Rarity turned back to Twilight as she thought aloud, "I do own my own business, and the first thing I learned was that a new product puts you back on the map, so you have a good start there. However, I'm no good at baking…" Rarity drifted off into her own mind, putting a hoof up to her chin.

"What about Sugar Cube Corner?" Fluttershy piped up, "They always make the best desserts and they're really popular. I'm sure they can make something mostly out of apples."
Rarity took over the brainstorming, "If the Cakes can whip up something that everypony will enjoy, then they can cut a deal with the Apples to share the profits. They could also include the recipe for a separate price-"

"Which they'll have to buy apples to make!" Twilight finished with excitement. "This is genius!"

"Another thing I know is that a dazzling appearance attracts attention. That drab, old cart of theirs is so rickety and brown. If it stood out, ponies would have to take a look!" Rarity clapped her hooves at the idea. "I can't wait to design it myself!"

"That settles it!" Twilight said, "Rarity, you go and start designing a new paintjob for the cart. Fluttershy, lead me to Sugar Cube Corner so we can make an order!" She pulled her bag from the house and placed her equipment inside for the journey.

"W-what?" Fluttershy's eyes widened like saucers, "D-do I have to? I think I should help Rarity with the designing…"

"But I don't know my way around here yet. Rarity sounds like she can take care of the cart by herself, anyway." Rarity had already taken off in the other direction.

Realizing she had nowhere to hide, Fluttershy slumped and sighed, "Okay. Follow me."

***

Twilight could see a large, gingerbread-like house, the same one she spotted when she first arrived in Ponyville, down the street. She was ready to race in and get things done quickly, but Fluttershy seemed to have other ideas. The pegasus was slowly losing pace, and eventually stopped at the door.

"Okaythereitisgoodluck!" Fluttershy spoke faster than she could ever run. With a quick turn-around, the pegasus was galloping in the other direction, only to be stopped by Twilight's magic.

"If they need taste testers, it would be best to have more than one opinion!" Twilight walked through the doors with Fluttershy clutching as much of the earth as she possibly could before bumping up the steps and onto the hardwood floor of the sweet shop. Once the door was closed, Fluttershy was released from the magical grip and they both stood at the counter.

"Hello!" A mare cheerily welcomed them as she stepped through a door standing far behind the counter. The smell of baked goods flooded the front room, teasing Twilight with their delicious scent. The blue mare straightened her apron with a hoof as she approached the counter, making sure she looked presentable to her customers.

Twilight couldn't help but look at her pink-red mane, topping her head like a tuff of whipped cream. She noticed the mare still smiling at them and quickly stopped staring at her mane.

The mare didn't seem to lose a single friendly beat, "What would you girls like?"

"Actually, we're here on business." Twilight answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh my, what's this all about?" Her smile drifted into a curious, if worried frown.

"You see, Sweet Apple Acres is having a rough time with sales. At this rate, they could go bankrupt soon." Twilight got out her notes and quill and readied them next to her head, "We were hoping that your store could make something new, mostly made up of apples, for them to sell. They could sell this new product and split the profits with you."

The mare cut Twilight off, "That poor farm! And those ponies are such nice folks. We've done plenty of business with them in the past. You don't have to convince us, we'd be happy to help them! Right, Sugar?" The mare called out, facing the door she had come from.

A gold-colored stallion with an orange mane popped his head through the door. He was wearing a small baker's hat that pressed the top of his mane down between his eyes. The strands were thick like spines, continuing along the top of his head and down his neck in a straight line. "Of course we would, Honeybuns!" He retreated behind the door again.

"We'll even split it 25-75, the 75 being for them." "Honeybuns" offered.

"That's very generous of you!" Twilight felt hope rising in her. "We would also like to include the recipe, if we could, to sell at a separate price. Since the recipe would call for apples-"

"Then the customers would have to buy apples to make it themselves. Of course we'll include the recipe!" The mare just kept going along with it, as if she were doing this for a child of her own. Twilight couldn't help but frown in concern.

"I don't mean to turn down the offer, it's very generous of you, but I just had a thought. Are you sure this won't hurt your store's profits, if not soon, eventually?"

"Don't worry about our shop. We earn more than what is fair for that farm. Besides, this adventure will improve our reputation, so we'll end up getting more customers as well. It's win-win!" the mare turned up to a set of stairs on the far wall. "Pinkie, we have a job for you!"

"Oh no…" Twilight heard Fluttershy from underneath the counter. She had her hooves up to her ears, as if protecting herself from an audio assault.

As if there was a jump in time, a pink pony with a cotton candy-pink mane had popped into existence next to the blue mare. A smile that could put Celestia's sun to shame stretched her face from ear to ear.

"I'm ready, Mrs. Cake!" The pony saluted, her squeaky voice piercing Twilights ears. Is that… frosting I smell? Twilight pondered. Don't be silly, Twilight! We're in a bakery. There's nothing strange about that!

"I need you to make something new, something made mostly out of apples." Mrs. Cake didn't seem fazed by this pony's presence.

"Not a problem, Mrs. Cake!" The pony looked ready to race through the back door until she turned to Twilight. "By the way, sorry for not giving you a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party yet. I've just been soooooo busy playing with the new foals that I haven't been able to plan a proper party yet! I promise it will be soon, though!" The smell of frosting seemed to assault her nose even more as she spoke at her. Her breath?! Twilight did her best to hide her astonishment. Pinkie peered over the counter and continued. "Hi, Fluttershy!"

"Hello Pinkie…" Fluttershy was shaking with her hooves still over her head.

"Well, time to work!" Pinkie disappeared as fast as she had appeared, almost as if she was never there, her escape visible only by the swinging door behind the counter.

Mrs. Cake noticed Twilight frozen in place and couldn't help but giggle behind a hoof. Despite being Celestia's prized pupil, she was having trouble processing what she just saw. The pink pony's energy seemed so unreal; Twilight couldn't understand how that pony functioned in such an abnormal way.

"She's on the energetic side, but she has a good heart." Mrs. Cake said after getting over Twilight's expression.

When Twilight finally regained her composure, she had too many questions. "What did she mean by a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party?"

"Well, she knows everypony in Ponyville. Literally. She could tell you anything she knows about anyone. So, when a new one comes to town, she sets up a party for them; she just has to look for the ponies she doesn't recognize.

"The parties usually turn out fun for the newcomer, so everypony's happy. Throwing parties is her special talent, after all." Mrs. Cake paused for a moment. "Believe me, that was the short version. Anyway, we only have enough apples for one experiment like that. Could you take this bag of bits and get us another shipment?" She plopped down a sack from behind the counter in front of Twilight.

Twilight gasped at the sack of bits in front of her, realizing something that had been pushed from her mind since Pinkie's sudden arrival, "The Apples!" Twilight grabbed the bits with her mouth, not even thinking to use her horn, and turned to make a run for it when Fluttershy tugged at her tail.

"Why don't I go get those apples?" She asked pleadingly.

The unicorn wanted to just yank off the meek pegasus, but only let that thought linger for a moment before repressing it. She looked at the pegasus as politely as she could through her racing mind, "Feh Ahhles-"

Twilight let out an annoyed grunt as she levitated the bag from her mouth, "The Apples are in a really tight spot and probably won't trust just anypony with that shipment. I have to go." She noticed Fluttershy open her mouth to say something and, against her better judgment, spoke before she could give a rebuttal, "And if they finish the new recipe before I'm back you should be here to taste it."

Twilight lifted her tail as fast, but gently, as possible from Fluttershy's grip and started for the door. She did remember she had the use of her horn this time and swung the door open in a purple aura.

Just before she left, she called back, "Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can!" Her magic hadn't even fully shut the door before it released itself. Her fast hoof steps were kicking up dust, causing discomfort for the ponies around her. She couldn't care about that, however, as the sound of ticking echoed in her mind, ticking faster than her hooves could run and chasing her all the way down to the farm.

***

"I… can't believe… I actually…" Twilight huffed for breath with her head low, exhausted and sweating. She was standing at the gate of Sweet Apple Acres, the barn clearly in sight. She had managed to keep up her speed for the whole trip, which turned out to be just a little farther than it was from the library. Have I always had this much stamina? I couldn't have possibly gained that much musc- Twilight shook her head. This wasn't the time to ponder that.

She continued at a trot down the hill and to the front of the barn. She had managed to catch her breath by the time she reached the door and put a hoof to the doorknob. She was about to enter when she heard the familiar sound of bucking close by. But Big Mac and Caramel's fields aren't even close to the barn… She allowed her curiosity to control her for the moment, running through the possibilities of who it could be. Though, Twilight figured, meeting any of them would suffice right now.

She entered through the break of trees to find the one pony she actually was looking for. Applejack turned her head after another hard buck and saw Twilight running towards her.

"Hey, Twi." Applejack did her best to sound cheery. "That was quick." She turned her head to the sky and spotted the sun hiding behind her trees, giving her the time of about 2:30pm or 3:00pm. "Anythin' yet?"

"Definitely something, but I still want to wait a while before sharing my plan." Twilight pulled out the sack of bits. "Sugar Cube Corner needs another shipment of apples."

Applejack's smile lost part of its anxious edge. "Sugar Cube Corner, huh? They were always kind ta us fer business." The Earth pony loaded up the wagon next to her with three full baskets. "Not that Ah don't trust ya Twi, but I'd feel better knowin' these apples got there safe. It's a lot farther than to the barn."

"I understand."

Applejack cleared her throat and sucked in as much air as she could. "CARAMEL!!!" Her voice shattered the air and echoed throughout the farm, forcing Twilight to cover her ears. In what seemed to only take seconds, Caramel had galloped from his end of the farm, at attention. His boss turned to him and pointed to the wagon. "Take these here apples to Sugar Cube Corner with Twilight. Don't waste time, though. Ya still got a lot o' work ta do here."

"Right away, Jack!" Caramel quickly strapped himself to the wagon and started to pull. It was slow going at first, but soon he was pulling it along with relative ease. Twilight, confused, turned to Applejack.

"Are you sure you want Caramel to take those apples? Didn't you say he was really accident prone?"

"Fer some reason he causes a lot fewer accidents when pullin' somethin'. He actually lugged the baskets around like you do now before you came along. Jus' watch out around ya when ya follow 'im." Applejack gave a reassuring smile and let Twilight turn to leave. Just before she was out of earshot, she called out again. "And Twilight… Thanks. Fer everythin'."

Twilight smiled back before turning around again to follow Caramel up the hill and to town.

***

Twilight left Caramel at the door. The walk had taken them quite a while considering they were pulling a load. Normally Twilight could make the trip to the farm from her library in half-an-hour's time, even getting there in only twenty minutes when she raced there earlier from Sugar Cube Corner. This time, however, took them a whole hour-and-a-half. It was almost four-thirty.

While Caramel went to the back to meet Mr. Cake, she would see if the dessert was ready. When she entered, an explosion of confetti and noise went off right in her face, knocking her backwards and back down the steps to the ground. When she recovered from her daze, she could see Pinkie standing right in the doorway, still smiling that same huge grin. Twilight was about to growl in anger when the delicious smell of baked goods filled her nostrils and overpowered her judgment.

"That's just a preview of what you're going to get at your party!" Pinkie giggled through a kazoo in her mouth that was letting off a low buzz with each word, "But that's all I'm going to tell you! I want it to be a surprise, of course!"

She bounced to the side so Twilight could walk safely into the sweet shop and see a steaming plate of delicious cupcakes. She continued to bounce at Twilight's side to the plate, letting her motor mouth go.

"I just pulled them out of the oven a couple minutes ago! It took a lot of work to think up a cool design but I think they turned out really good I hope they turned out really good do you think they turned out really good?" Pinkie eyed Twilight eyeing the cupcakes, waiting with baited breath for the unicorn to give her creation a shot. Twilight looked over at Fluttershy, who was sitting farther along the counter and enjoying her own free sample.

Twilight reached for one herself and inspected it. Each cupcake was covered with yellow, green, or red frosting.  On top of the frosting was a chocolate-covered apple slice. She felt the base of the cupcake with a hoof, the nice, solid, not mushy sensation making her mouth water from the feel alone. She dared to take a bite, first swallowing the apple slice with unanticipated delight, then savoring the green frosting that was on her cupcake. It tasted of delicious granny smith- the apple, not Applejack's granny- and finally the cupcake itself.

She was surprised when a cool mush covered her tongue and coated the chewed-up cake in her mouth. She immediately thought about spitting it out when the strange combination of textures danced on her taste buds, but thought better of it when the flavors meshed together. Twilight couldn't help but let out an audible "Mmm" sound, closing her eyes in pure delight at the deliciousness that graced her senses. Before she could give her opinion, Pinkie went ahead to give the details.

"I used as many apples as I could, just like you asked!" She smiled proudly. "The cake is dotted with very small apple squares to give that chewy texture and provide a blast of apple flavor before you taste the awesome applesauce in the middle! The frosting was a little difficult, but it turns out that apple juice works really well for flavoring! I made each frosting separate so that each cupcake would taste exactly like the apple I used in the frosting! I even used the same apples for the slice on top!"

Twilight couldn't help but stare at the cupcake in her magical grip after hearing the ingredients. She could now feel the small apple bits combine perfectly with the applesauce and frosting, the chewy texture giving it surprising character that only made her want more.

"These are magnificent!" Twilight exclaimed louder than was probably necessary, but the cupcakes were just too good to not shout to the heavens about. Despite wincing in embarrassment at her outburst, she wanted to devour the rest, but thought better of it until Pinkie offered her more. Once the tiny cakes were consumed, Pinkie gave her a proper greeting.

"My name's Pinkie Pie, party thrower extraordinaire! Also, bomb cake maker!" She raised a hoof to Twilight.

"Twilight Sparkle, uhh… Learner from Canterlot! And great lecturer?" Despite the effort it took to give herself titles, she returned Pinkie's hoofshake.

"I'm happy I could help that farm!" Pinkie beamed and waved vigorously good-bye as Twilight and Fluttershy turned to the door. "We'll make sure to make lots for them to sell tomorrow!"

Fluttershy let out a heavy sigh. "So, what now?"

Twilight pondered a moment.  "I don't know. Do you think Rarity's done designing their cart?"

"She would come looking for us if she was." Fluttershy looked up at the sun. It wasn't setting yet, but with it being summer it wouldn't set until around seven. She let out a small gasp as she realized the time. "Oh, my, it's getting late. I have to get home quickly or my animals will have a late dinner. It's a very strict dinner time. Rarity's house is on the way to my cottage, so is there anything you need me to tell her?"

"Just that she should bring the finished design to Sweet Apple Acres with me tomorrow so we can show Applejack."

"Got it. See you later, Twilight!" Fluttershy galloped off in a surprising hurry for such a meek pony.

Twilight pulled out her list from her bag and stared at the unfinished words marking its incompleteness. It bothered her, it really did. How am I supposed to know if I've done everything? The thought of losing track frustrated her. She was about to dwell on it longer until she yawned, her mouth stretching farther than she thought possible. Wow, didn't realize how tired I was with all that running around. And I thought working at the farm was tough. She made her way back to her library home, ready to tackle the rest of this issue tomorrow.