It had been three weeks since Twilight Sparkle had last snuggled with Smarty Pants, and she wasn't about to go another night without her favorite education-themed doll. Big Macintosh was supposed to have given him back three days ago, but either he had forgotten about their doll-sharing agreement, or he was purposefully depriving Twilight of a good night's sleep.

Twilight wanted to believe that it was the former, but she knew that when it came to his dolls, Big Mac could be crafty.

That was why, late Saturday afternoon, Twilight hurried down the road that led to Sweet Apple Acres. The sky was a deep pink, and the frantic chirps of crickets cut through the night. She kept her face forward, hooves moving, eyes as far away from the tantalizingly beautiful sunset as possible. The operation needed to be quick. All she had to do was get Smarty Pants, have an adult conversation with Big Mac about the responsibilities that come with owning a doll, and leave. No pressure, hopefully no tears.

The house was just coming into sight over the hill when, at the edge of her sight, she saw a familiar orange splotch. Off in the distance, Applejack lay next to a large tree trunk, eyes closed. Her hat was dipped down over her head, and a short hay shoot stuck out from her lips.

What Twilight liked to call her "friendship instincts" started jumping around. She allowed herself to stop for the slightest moment, casting glances between the house and Applejack. It would be rude to come all this way and not even say hi, right? And it certainly beat having to scold Big Mac for conspiring to ruin her sleep patterns. With a smile, Twilight changed her course.

As she got closer, she saw that Applejack was still awake; the hay swirled around in her mouth, sliding from one edge of her lips to other rhythmically. She stopped a few steps away and, not wanting to startle her friend, waited for her to notice.

Applejack kept her eyes closed. Her breaths were slow and quiet.

“Hello?” Twilight tried.

Her voice seemed to echo through the trees. Applejack’s face scrunched up for just a moment, and she shot a glare at the intruder. It quickly faded. “Oh, hey Twi,” she said, not rising from her spot. “What brings you here this time of day?”

“I just needed to see Big Mac about our, uh... agreement.”

“Yep, he’s been expecting you.” She chuckled and closed her eyes again. “I think he was just hoping that you wouldn’t notice. You kids and your dolls...”

Twilight’s face went hot, but she managed her own laugh. “Y-yeah. What are you doing out here?”

“Mhm.” Applejack took a deep breath. “Just appreciating the magic.”

“Magic...?” Twilight’s ears pricked up. Since when was there magic in Sweet Apple Acres?

“Yeah.” Applejack nodded to a patch of grass next to her. “Why don’t you take a seat and join me? If you’re not too busy, I mean.”

Twilight opened her mouth to refuse, but images of Big Mac blubbering shot through her mind. She took the seat near Applejack and waited. Silence overtook the field again as Twilight gazed out upon the trees, waiting for the new magic. Applejack took another deep breath and leaned against the trunk.

A thick breeze blew through, seeping through Twilight’s fur. Shivering and frowning, she lit her horn and began probing the land around her, feeding her magic into the rocks and dirt, feeling the leaves. But the only things she felt were moss and some bugs. She clicked her tongue and overturned a nearby stone. A few worms―decidedly non-magical creatures―wiggled out of the ground, and the rock landed with a thud.

Applejack’s eyes shot open. “Is there a reason you’re tearing up my farm?”

“N-no! I mean, uh...” Twilight scratched the back of her head. “I’m just trying to find this magic. I can’t see it, or feel it.”

“Well, you don’t have to go throwing rocks! Relax!"

"I am relaxed!" Twilight’s wings were twitching. She narrowed her eyes. “Can you just tell me where this magic is that I’m supposed to be appreciating?"

"It's all around you!" Applejack said, laughing. "I don't mean to get snippy with you Twi, but this isn't that hard to get. Just take a breath and let it wash over you." Applejack followed her own directions, letting out her breath in a long flow.

Twilight took her breath, but waited until Applejack's eyes were closed again to expand her senses to encompass the entire field. Still no magical signatures. Faced with no other options, she sighed, leaned back against the trunk, and waited. And waited. And waited.

She slapped her neck and heard a mosquito buzz away.

"Okay, I don't get this." Twilight stood up, shaking Applejack out of her reverie. "It's not making sense to me."

Applejack's mouth was a straight line. She looked forward. "Alright. Whatever you say."

Twilight's stomach rotted out. She swore inwardly and touched Applejack's shoulder with a hoof. "I don't mean to be so huffy, AJ. I guess I'm just a little cranky; I haven't been sleeping all that well these past few days."

A moment passed, but Applejack soon broke out into a grin. "I understand." She pulled up her hat to look at Twilight. "Must be hard to have your entire sleeping schedule revolve around a doll."

"Yeah," Twilight mumbled, rubbing a leg. "Is Big Mac in the house?"

"Yep. Unless he noticed you coming, in which case he's in the cellar."

"Thanks." Twilight gave her friend one last smile before trotting off. The hole in her stomach had patched itself up, but her curiosity was still eating away from the inside. She took a look over her shoulder―sure enough, Applejack was back to "appreciating the magic," whatever that meant.

As the Element of Magic, Twilight couldn't help but curse herself. She had long prided herself on being able to recognize any type of magic, anywhere it came about. But apparently now there was a kind of magic that she couldn't understand? And Applejack of all ponies could sense it?

Not to imply that Applejack was dense or anything of the sort, but she was an earth pony. Earth ponies and magic didn't mix.

Unless...

She gasped and threw a spring into her step. She had never looked into it much, but most scientists argued that earth ponies did have magic―just not the kind that most ponies recognized. They could commune directly with nature, influencing plants, minerals... anything that came from the earth.

It’s how Applejack talks to trees, she thought to herself, brows furrowed. Or Maud and rocks. Or Pinkie Pie and... sugar, I guess. I’m pretty sure I saw her talking to a cake last week.

Twilight pulled her eyes up from the ground and puffed out her chest. She had some studying to do!

...At least, after she dealt with the massive red blur that had just darted behind the barn. “Hey!” she yelped, taking to the air. “You get back here!”

---

The next day, Applejack trotted, head held high and saddlebags full, through the Ponyville Market. Perhaps it was banal, but she always enjoyed the feeling of a productive shopping trip. The weight of fresh food against her side, the thoughts of the delicious dinners to come... she had just had lunch, and her stomach was still grumbling.

She was headed back home, where she would feed the animals, clean out the barn, maybe get in some applebucking before sunset, and then make dinner. What was a lazy Sunday for most was just another day for her―after all, work didn’t stop piling up just because ponies thought it should. She trotted quickly, only stopping for the occasional hello.

At least, that’s how it was for most of the trip. But just as she was leaving Ponyville and stepping onto the road leading back home, she had to freeze and stare off at the side of the road.

Standing next to a tree―rather, stabbing a tree, was Twilight. She had a stethescope hanging around her neck, and a few thick books sat on a rock nearby. A quill scribbled furiously into a notepad, it’s scratches floating through the air. But most notably, her horn was lodged into the tree bark, prying apart two decaying planks. The tree shone with a dull purple light, which pulsed and thrummed as more and more magic was pumped into it. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were scrunched up tight.

Applejack spent a full minute watching the process with a slack jaw. But when it became clear that the tree was close to outright exploding, Applejack sprinted over. “Land sakes, Twilight! Get your head out of that thing!”

Twilight opened her eyes and yanked her horn out, falling back onto her rear. Smoke poured out of the hole she had made. With a growl, she stamped her hoof. “Darn it! I was starting to feel the magic!”

“What in tarnation are you doing?” Applejack asked, laying a hoof on the tree. It was warm to the touch. “You were about to destroy this poor defenseless oak!”

“How did you know that it was hurting?” Twilight asked, jabbing a hoof at her.

Applejack frowned. “Because I have eyes?”

“Oh.” A few spots of color passed over Twilight’s face. “I was trying to simulate earth pony magic. You know, so I could appreciate the magic.”

“By blowing up a tree?” Applejack shook her head. “Listen, I don’t completely remember what I told you yesterday, but I certainly know that I didn’t advocate this.”

“I’m just trying to find this magic you keep talking about! I’ve been studying earth pony magic for hours, and I’ve been running all these different tests, but I can’t feel it!” Twilight flared her wings and pointed at her flank. “My special talent is magic, AJ. Not transformation magic, not levitation magic―just magic. This is my life! I should be able to do this! But I’ve been out here for hours, all I have to show for it are more mosquito bites than I can itch! And that’s not even mentioning the fact that I’m an alicorn; by definition, I’m part earth pony. I can use unicorn magic and pegasi magic just fine. So why can’t I manipulate this like you can?!”

There was a moment of silence as Twilight caught her breath. Then, Applejack snickered. Then chortled. It wasn’t long before it had devolved into a full-on belly laugh. She had to sit down, just to avoid falling over.

Twilight’s entire body went pink. “W-what are you laughing at? Is this a prank?”

“No, n―ha, ha!” Applejack grasped at her stomach. It took both hooves to block the mindless guffaws. Wiping away tears, she said, “I’m sorry, it’s just, I can’t believe you don’t get it! I’ve just never seen you get so worked up over something so simple! Well, I guess there was that one time with the letters to Celestia...”

“If it’s so simple, why aren’t I getting it?” Twilight’s glare dissolved. “Please, Applejack. You know how much magic means to me. And this kind of magic looks like it makes you so happy... I want to understand this!”

Applejack, still panting heavily, draped a leg around Twilight’s shoulders and shot her a grin. “Why don’t we take a walk back to the farm, and we can talk about it on the way. I’ll teach you all about this, uh, magic.”

Twilight squinted at Applejack. She sighed and gathered all her things into her saddlebags. “Alright.”

The two headed off, headed away from Ponyville and toward Sweet Apple Acres. The cacophony of sounds that was the village soon faded out, replaced by birdsong and hoofsteps. The noon sun shined down upon them.

They were silent for a few yards. “I gotta admit, I have been a bit vague,” Applejack started. “This thing I keep calling magic isn’t really magic―at least, not in the way you’re thinking of it.”

“I know that!” Twilight said. “It’s not regular magic, it’s earth pony magic. It’s subtle, and looks invisible to most, but it’s the thing that lets you talk to nature.”

“What?” Applejack glanced at her, eyebrow raised. “No, it’s not. All ponies can talk to nature―it’s just that earth ponies are usually the only ones who care to try.” Twilight’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth again, but Applejack waved her away. “But that’s not what I’m talking about either. This is a different, different kind of magic. And it’s not the kind that you can cast, or that you can manipulate.”

Twilight’s entire body seemed to tighten. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Applejack bit her lip. “I’ve never really tried to explain it before―no offense, but most ponies just feel it.”

“Well, I’m not really like most ponies,” Twilight murmured, readjusting her wings.

Applejack groaned. “I keep telling you, Twi, this has got nothing to do with being an earth pony or not! It’s not about race―heck, it’s not even about being a pony! It’s about being alive!” A flush flashed across her face. “I-It sounds weird, I know, but just hear me out.”

She stopped in the middle of the road, and Twilight did the same. She took a breath. “The magic is, well... the world.”

Twilight blinked. “I don’t understand. Do you mean, like, leylines? Because that theory was disproved―”

“No, no, no!” Applejack yapped into the air. “You’re making it so, so... scientific! So cold!”

“I don’t get it!” Twilight shot back. “The world isn’t magic! It’s a giant rock with a molten core!”

“Fine, then! Life. Life is magic! Think about it! I mean, what are the chances of us both standing right here, right now, having this exact conversation? Yelling these exact words?”

Twilight stared. “What? What is that supposed to mean?”

“Think about it!” Applejack repeated, stamping a hoof.

“Well, I would think that the chances are pretty high,” Twilight grumbled. “Since we’re friends, and I’ve been wondering about this, and you won’t give me a straight answer. It’s pretty high, yeah.”

“Consarnit!” Applejack threw her hat to the ground. “You don’t get it! You just don’t get it!”

“That’s because there’s nothing to get! You're not making sense!”

“No, it’s because you’re so close minded, so nearsighted! You can’t do that! You gotta be farsighted!” Applejack grabbed her hat and turned away. Sweat ran down her forehead in streaks. She paced back-and-forth across the road, taking deep breaths. Twilight pouted and crossed her forelegs. After a minute, Applejack turned back to her friend. “I don’t mean to get you upset like this, sugarcube. I just don’t know how to explain it!”

Twilight tried to tighten her pout, but it soon fizzled out. “Just try,” she said breathily, her eyes dark. “Just try to explain, and I’ll try as hard as I can to understand.”

Applejack nodded and looked at the dirt. “Well, okay, here: think back to when you were living in Canterlot.” She waited until Twilight nodded. “What if Princess Celestia had never sent you here? What if she had never thought to do it, and you had never left to help with the Summer Sun Celebration that year?”

“I don’t know...?” Twilight shrugged. “I guess I’d still be living in Canterlot.”

“You might not be alive, hun. None of us might. In case you’ve forgotten, the only reason Nightmare Moon didn’t take over Equestria was because we were there to stop her.” She put a hoof on Twilight shoulder. “Because you were there to make it all happen. If Celestia had never sent you, we never would have met. We never would have become friends. You never would have learned anything about friendship. You never would have become a princess―”

“Okay, I get it,” Twilight cut in. The hairs on the back of her neck were rising. “So me coming to Ponyville was important. What does this have to do with magic?”

Applejack chuckled. “Don’t you see? If Celestia had just said a few measly words different, the worst could have happened.” She leaned in. “But it didn’t! She sent you off, and everything in the universe just fell together!”

She sat down and smiled. “Now we’re sitting right here, right now, having this exact conversation. Saying these exact words.”

Twilight opened her mouth, but found her words crashing into the lump that was her throat. She took a long swallow, eyes cast to Applejack’s hooves. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“In this giant, ancient, crazy world of ours, what are the chances? What are the odds of every single tiny decision that we make leading to this exact moment? They barely exist, that’s what! That’s the magic in the world, Twilight! That’s what I’m so grateful for!

“When I say I’m appreciating the magic, I’m not saying that I’m talking to the dirt or something like that. I’m saying I’m letting myself be happy about what I have! I’m letting myself enjoy life! I’m letting myself have hope that no matter what bad stuff might happen, in the end, everything is going to be okay, everything is going to work out!”

Chills ran down Twilight’s spine. Half of her felt like it was ready to have some sort of tantrum. But yet, she smiled. “That...” She stopped, lips quivering, and turned away.

Applejack jumped forward and grabbed her, wrapping her in a hug. “I wouldn’t change a single thing,” she whispered into Twilight’s coat. “Because this is life, and I love life.”

Twilight nodded and buried her head into Applejack’s shoulder.

The two sat there for a moment, appreciating the magic.