A blinding ball of thunder erupted, giving way to the young student in her torn black suit, mane disheveled, happy in the happy morning.

"Good news, Applejack!" She chirped in the farm. "I don't have to erase myself after all!"

She stopped fast, facing the brave mare and her Stetson hat holding still, a fork still in her hoof, over the table neat with napkin and sets for five. Twilight mentally counted, the four family members which meant one more plate for one more pony, and the flowers on the table were inviting.

She clapped her hooves: "Oh, great! I'm invited!"

"Uh..." Applejack hesitated, eyes fleeing.

A doorbell interrupted them and Twilight happily trotted to go answer, followed in a hurry by the farm mare who tried to stop her. But it was too late and as she opened the door the student found herself muzzle to muzzle with a grey pegasus.

"Oh hey Twilight!" Derpy Hooves rejoiced. "You're invited too?"

The door slammed on her face and Twilight, panicked, turned to her friend:

"Applejack, there is a time lord at your door!" She stressed.

Applejack sighed: "We've to talk."

She went and reopened that door to find the pegasus ever so happy and all three quickly found themselves outside, cups of tea at their hooves as the brave mare tried to keep things nice. Twilight Sparkle was very, very nervous.

"She came a few days ago," Applejack explained, "disguised as a mailmare. And she came back with mail. A lot, lot of it."

"I actually cheated" Derpy smiled, "by delivering mail from the future!"

"That... was a hint." The brave mare nodded, tipping her hat. "But then she told me the honest truth."

Twilight couldn't believe it. She had been so busy erasing herself that she had forgotten to check the time lords moves. And now they were at her friend's door.

"Applejack, she's manipulating you!" She almost spelled to her friend, both hooves pointing at the joyful and innocent mare. "She just wants to use you because she wants to know my plan!"

"Well, I kind of do" Derpy shied a bit.

But Applejack firmly shook her head: "Derpy here is a good mare who's worried sick for ya and wants to know your friends better. And she's mighty welcome to my farm."

"But she's a time lord!" The studious unicorn retorted. "A time lord! They sent phoenix bots after you!"

Applejack got a good laugh and the greyish mare happily followed.

"Come on, Twi'," the pegasus smiled, "phoenix bots just help us scan wider areas! You know, for the time trails thingies! They wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"And they sure didn't humiliate me in front of the whole town" the earth mare took time to add.

At that moment Twilight thought erasing herself was still an option, but she shook herself. She was right! She knew that time lord was playing her tricks! She had already seen her in action!

"Applejack, she is playing with you! Just like she did with me!"

"I didn't!" Derpy seemed offended. "You really are a time lord! I worked really hard so you would admit it, but you didn't listen!"

"That's... implausible." Twilight pointed out.

"Is so!" Derpy insisted.

"Is not" the studious mare denied.

"Why won't ya listen to her, Twilight?" Applejack stomped her hoof, making her friend gasp. "I'm mighty worried about ya, and so is she! Ya can't go on like that, all alone, ya need friends! She's your friend, and so am I! Right?"

Twilight's eyes were trembling at this speech.

"So..." she almost begged, "you think I'm crazy?"

"What?! No, I didn't say that!" The brave mare reacted.

"Because I'm not!" Twilight got up, victoriously angry. "I'm not a time lord! I'm not kidding around! And no! I am! Not! Mad!" She shouted. "I am working extra hard but would anypony help me? No! All I'm trying to do is to prevent you" she put her hoof on Applejack's chest "from causing next Tuesday!"

Applejack blinked, raised an eyebrow but wasn't sure if it was a good idea to ask, seeing her friend so zealous, what she could possibly mean by that.

Yet the grey pegasus seemed to wake up and hopped of joy with a yay, then began leaping around the two friends before stopping, a warm smile on her innocent face.

"So, before I go" she said while taking her report, pen between her teeth, "on a one to ten, how would you evaluate my performance?"

"Beg your pardon?" Applejack asked, completely lost, as the studious mare facehoofed.