//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 Come Ship With Me // Story: Twilight and Cadence Ship Equestria // by Mani-Roar //------------------------------// “I can’t believe I agreed to even entertain this idea.” Cadence picked a few leaves out of her mane. She and Twilight were crouched behind the bushes beside the road to Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight looked at Cadence anxiously and put her hoof to her mouth. “Shhhh, They’ll be here any second. I don’t want them to hear us.” Twilight crouched lower wearing her Daring Do safari hat. She pulled her vintage Daring Do binoculars up to her eyes and stared down the road through a small gap in the bushes. She made absolute care that nopony could see her from the road. Cadence just sort of sat there half covered by the foliage. “Twilight, I would tell you to get out more, but it looks like we may need to hide you from society after all.” “Howdy y’all.” Twilight and Cadence both jumped at the sound of Applejack. Twilight turned and eyed her with the binoculars. Applejack looked like a giant titan pony through the magnifying lenses. “What’re y’all princesses doin’ hidin’ by the road? Birdwatchin’? “ Applejack was pulling a large cart stacked to the brim with pies. “Applejack, get down, you’re going to give us away.” Twilight motioned downward with her hooves. “Seen by whom? Y’all in trouble or something? You must have messed up pretty bad to get two princesses in trouble.” Twilight reach out and grabbed Applejack by the neck. In true wrestler fashion, she pulled Applejack under the brush with them. “What in tarnation you do that for?” Applejack tossed Twilight’s arm aside and sat up in the brush. "I'm all for playful rough housing but maybe a little warnin' next time?" "Sorry, it's just that they're almost here." Twilight motioned for Applejack to be quiet. "Who's almost..." "Shhhhh" "Who's almost here?" Applejack lowered her voice to a whisper. She had a tired and annoyed expression on her face which was just about the same as Cadence's expression. "Look," Twilight handed Applejack the binoculars. AJ peared down the road through them. She saw a dainty yellow pony singing to herself as she walked. "It's Fluttershy, y'all are hidin' from Fluttershy." Applejack looked at Twilight like she looked at Apple Bloom when her chores went undone. "Now look over there." Twilight pointed down the other side of the fork in the road. Their bush was right at the intersection where the roads met. Applejack gave a quick look down there with the binoculars. "That's Big Mac comin' up from the school house." Applejack looked up from the bulky spectacles unimpressed. "So what's the plan? Twilight takes out Fluttershy while Cadence and I sneak around and take down Big Mac?" Applejack rolled her eyes. "Very funny," Twilight scrunched her face in contempt. Cadence finally cracked a smile. "I dunno Twilight. I kinda like that plan. Are you sure you can take Fluttershy by yourself?" Cadence and AJ snickered. "I reckon I know all of Big Mac's best moved. I can probably counter him by myself if you wanna give Twilight a helpin' hoof." Now AJ and Cadence were rolling in the grass with giggles. Twilight folder her arms with a frown. “Oh hardy-har you two. Now be quiet they’re almost here.” Twilight went back to vigilantly inspecting the road with her large spectacles. “I still have no idea what this is about.” Applejack politely return to a hushed speaking volume. Cadence rolled her eyes and also spoke very quietly. “Twilight is trying to make me regret my life decisions.” Even though Cadence was hesitant about the whole ordeal, she tucked herself further behind the bush to make sure she was hidden. “I’m trying to prove a point to Cadence.” “What point? That this road is well traveled by ponies we know? Doesn’t seem like a hard case to make.” Applejack looked over to her delivery cart. She was suddenly worried about being late for her delivery to Sugar Cube Corner. Big Mac reached the intersection first. He turned and saw Fluttershy a few paces away, so he waited for her to reach him. "H-hello Big Mac. Nice to see you again." Fluttershy looked away from from Mac so that only her right eye, covered by her hair, was facing him. "Eeyup" "Everyday, Fluttershy comes home from the market right at the same time Big Mac comes home from volunteering at the schoolhouse. They always meet right here at this intersection." Twilight pointed to the ground with confidence. "I didn't know that. Twilight, how come you know my brother's schedule better than I do?" "Is this supposed to convince me that they are 'destined' to be together? I'm failing to see the sparks fly." Cadence gestured toward the awkward duo. "Wait, what in the hay do you mean by 'destined to be together?'" Applejack gave a confused look to Twilight. "Just shush and watch the magic happen, or rather not happen." The three of them watched intently from their snooping spot. "So um, have you been looking over your music for the Pony Tones?" Fluttershy fixed her gaze on the ground. "Eeyup" Big Mac hadn't moved since he stopped at the intersection. He kept his eyes fixed at the top of Fluttershy's hair. "I think the Billy Colt ballad is really pretty. I can't wait to hear how it sounds with everypony together." "Eeyup" Fluttershy looked like she was about to panic. Cadence was starting to get a little restless. "Why doesn't she just ask him to come over to her place for a drink or something?" "Hey, that's my brother you're talkin' about." Applejack gave Cadence a little nudge. "Oh right, cause he should totally wait for a nicer mare to come along in his life." Cadence shot back at AJ. "Point taken."  Twilight looked at Cadence like she had just won an award. "See, I told you. It's so obvious that they like each other." "I never said you were wrong about that. I just don't think we should take such extreme measures." "Extreme measures?" Applejack looked confused again. "Oh, um, I'm glad to hear you like it too. I helped Rarity arrange it." Fluttershy shuffled her hoof in the dirt, not sure what to do with herself. "I wish I was brave enough to sing with you guys on stage. I just... something makes me panic in front of other ponies. I don't know if I'll ever find the courage." "Nope" Fluttershy's face showed a flash of devastation before she hid behind her hair again. "Oh yeah, you're probably right. I never will get the courage." Tears started to form in Fluttershy's eyes. Big Mac finally broke his stance with a mild gasp. "N-nope, uh y-yep, uh, uh..." Big Mac was playing with his hooves in the sand now. "You don't have to explain yourself Big Mac. It's ok, I know the truth." Big Mac firmly planted his hoof into the dirt and whinnied a quick snort. Fluttershy flinched at his sudden movement. "You have a beautiful voice, Fluttershy."   Cadence and Twilight stared with their mouths gaped open. Fluttershy stopped shifting nervously and froze in place. “Did Big Mac just talk? Like talk, talk?” Cadence nudged Twilight. “This is fascinating, I’m going to have to record the time and date.” Twilight pulled a note pad and quill from under her Daring Do safari hat. “Why are y’all actin’ like Big Mac never says anything but ‘eeyup’ and ‘nope?’” Twilight and Cadence both looked at Applejack. “He talks… sometimes.” Big Mac wasn’t sure what to do now that he had blurted out his compliment. He and Fluttershy avoided eye contact with each other. “This is getting ridiculous. Will one of them just say something?” Cadence shifted her position like she was trying to get comfortable. “Fluttershy I can understand, but I didn’t realize my brother was such a yellow bellied scaredy colt when it came to talkin’ to mares.” Applejack tipped her hat to punctuate her accusation. “I dunno Applejack, I think he might want even more yellow on him than that.” Cadence looked at AJ out of the corner of her eye. “Cadence! What kinda language is that for a Princess?” Applejack looked disappointed. Cadence giggled and put her hoof over her mouth like she had been a bad girl. “Come on Cadence, what more evidence do you need?" Twilight continued to scribble in her notebook. “Evidence of what exactly?” Applejack’s ears perked up. “Evidence that Fluttershy and Big Mac are perfect for each other. If Cadence would just cast her love spell, they would stop beating around the bush and get on with it.” Twilight’s face suddenly turned red as she thought about her last sentence. “I mean… they would become a couple at last.” “Oh no you don’t. Y’all better not be bewitchin’ my brother with some hocus pocus mind control love spell.” Applejack’s expression went from confusion to furious. “We had enough of that garbage last time Apple Bloom and her friends tried to play matchmaker.” “But Applejack, you have to admit there’s something between them. Are you telling me you’ve never noticed the way they interact with each other?” Twilight tilted her head and readied her writing quill. “Well, I do reckon that Big Mac gets distracted from work whenever Fluttershy comes by. And I have noticed Fluttershy brings him up in conversation a lot more than she used to.” Applejack tapped her front hooves together a few times. “See? It’s not just a filly crush… or a filly’s perception of an adult crush that’s not a filly crush.” Cadence’s horn glowed. “I dunno know Twilight. I reckon you could be right, but using magic? Shouldn’t they just, let it happen if it’s supposed to happen?” Applejack and Twilight failed to notice the flash of blue light that briefly flew from Cadence’s horn. “Have you been paying attention? Big Mac and Fluttershy are so stubborn and shy, respectively, neither of them is ever gonna act on it and they’ll never know how happy they could be. Is that what you want AJ? Don’t you want your brother to be happy?” Twilight’s overzealous and wide eyed face was right in front of Applejack’s. “Well, yes, of course I want him to be happy… I just…” Big Mac and Fluttershy jolted as if they had been stung by a bee at the same time. They turned and looked at each other in the eye for the first time in the whole conversation. Big Mac smiled like he was satisfied form a hard day’s work. Fluttershy smiled back like she had just rescued the cutest kitten. “Um Big Mac, do you want to come over to my cottage and catch up on… well… everything that’s ever happened to either of us?” For once, Fluttershy didn’t look like she was afraid of the response. “Eeyup” Big Mac pointed down the path that led to Fluttershy’s house. There was less than an inch of space between them as the headed down the path. “Did that just happen?” Twilight suspended her binoculars over her eyes while trying to furiously write with her quill. “Hah, ain’t never gonna happen my hoof. Looks like Fluttershy went and grew herself a spine. Hot diggity.” Applejack clasped her hooves together. “I know, it’s almost like it came out of nowhere.” Twilight looked at Cadence just in time to catch her wink. Twilight smiled knowingly back at her and giggled a little. “Guess you won’t be needing your hoodoo-voodoo magic spell after all.” Applejack shot a smug look to Cadence and Twilight. The two of them exchanged nervous looks. “Nope, we won’t need that at all, no sir, not even a little bit, heh, heh.” Twilight turned to Cadence who looked away from her. “Now she better not play with his heart none or I swear to Celestia I will tie her up and drag her around Sweet Apple Acres.” Applejack got suddenly serious again. “Play with his heart? Applejack, you’re talking about the element of kindness.” Twilight raised her eyebrow. “I know, I know, I’m just sayin’.” Twilight’s mind was racing with excitement. All of the potential couples and romances were running through her head. The thought of making her fiction writings a reality was giving her a rush of adrenaline as strong as the time she fought Tirek. She grinned deviously. Oh this is perfect. This so perfect and it’s only the beginning.