She noticed the pony for the first time when she was young, not long after she'd received her cutie mark. He became her oldest friend.

Note: comments contain spoilers; please don't read them first!

Cover art by DaisyAzuras • Featured in the Royal Canterlot Library

Reading by Neighrator Pony • Spanish translation by Spaniard Kiwi

Since their first day being Power Ponies, Spike's marefriends have returned to Canterlot's House of Enchanted Comics for more adventures. One afternoon, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash are enjoying a supertastic escapade as Radiance, Mistress Marevelous, and Zapp. The number one written rule of these enchanted comics is simple: the fantasy will not end until the narrative plays itself out. One problem, though. For this particular "adventure" to end, it's written that Mistress Marevelous and Zapp must kiss. Passionately.

Look, I heard you the first time! Yeesh, I wish you'd stop staring at me, as if you're reading my thoughts. 'Cuz if you could, then you'd know that while this is the first thing I'd want to do, it's also the last! I mean, horseapples, things would be a heck of a lot easier if I'd known ahead of time that Twilight and the rest of the girls had only packed three sleeping bags instead of six for this mountain hike! For realsies, if you had any friggin' clue how many restless nights I've spent thinking about you, fantasizing situations like this, then you'd know... you would freaking know how impossible it is for me to actually... sh-share a sleeping bag with my totally not-sexy-in-any-way best friend... (*ULP*) ... overnight... s-so that we could keep our bodies warm in the cold, cold forest. Grnnnng! Alright... alright! I'll do it! Of c-course I'll do it! I'm awesome! I'm not afraid of anything! Okay... I can do this... I can totally do this... I can... I can... I-I...

There's a crisis in Ponyville. Some mysterious magic is turning everything into fashion nightmares. But never mind that.

Rainbow Dash is stuck in a dress, and she desperately needs a place to crash and wait out the spell. Where else than on Applejack's couch?

When a freak science experiment at Twilight's library zaps Rainbow Dash with temporary aphasia, it's up to Applejack to get her a cure.

One would think that the wounded Trixie would appreciate Twilight Sparkle taking her in to nurse her back to health. But for some ponies, leaning on someone else isn't so easy. Their crossing of paths sets them both on a journey that neither of them would've expected...

After a recent cluster of calamities cursing her farm, Applejack's livelihood stands on the brink of financial ruin. Desperate, she asks Twilight Sparkle for a loan to keep Sweet Apple Acres running.

But when Twilight's unexpected answer inadvertently causes the two mares to butt heads, the stalemate threatens not only Ponyville's food supply but also their friendship.

With the two obstinate mares sticking to their principles come Tartarus or tidal surges, can Pinkie Pie bridge their ideological gap and save Applejack's farm?

What happens when you realize that your feelings for one of your friends aren't quite the same as your feelings for the rest of them? Do you just prefer some friends for others, or is it a sign of something deeper? What do you do with those feelings? Hide them? Admit them? And how will the rest of your friends react when they find out?

Twilight is going to have to do her best to find the answers, because they're anything but obvious.

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Yes, this is a story about romance, but I'm trying to use it to explore the relationships between the characters and see how they'd really react if romantic feelings ever did crop up, and how such a development would impact the cast as a whole.

Now with a TvTropes page!

There's also a dramatic reading in progress on youtube, here.

And also an updated verison of the cover, courtesy of Novel Idea.

This story is a sequel to Twilight Verbs Article Nouns

Having defeated the scourge of news stories about her banal personal life, Twilight must now face a far greater and more embarrassing threat:

News stories speculating about her nonexistent love life.

She's beginning to get a little annoyed.

Not a one shot anymore, because reasons.

Once upon a time, there was a little purple pony.

And for Spike, still so young despite centuries of age, it was all he saw sometimes in his memories.

That little purple pony, nose deep in a book with a cup of tea beside her.

So why did nopony else see her the same way?

A story for my other son. Be brave. And remember the important things.