Chapter IX: Nothing Equals Nothing
Assumptions IX: Nothing Equals Nothing
The sunlight silently pierced his heavy eyelids, its warm rays tickling his tired mind from unconsciousness. As soon as the stallion became aware of his being, a sharp headache split his forehead in two. He winced and opened his eyes to stare at a beamed wooden ceiling, suspended slightly lower than he was used to back home. He tried to sit up, the piercing headache chipping away at his resolve. Slouching, he looked around the cosy room, noticing the small, worn out divan and a few simple bookshelves, filled to the brim with books about animal care.
He turned around slowly, his hooves meeting a heavy object, which slid across the floor towards the exit. The red stallion flexed his muscles and stood up. He dragged himself to inspect the book which he had just accidentally kicked away. Supernaturals: Household Pests. A small, pink note had been attached to the front cover. Big Macintosh zoomed in on the delicate, shaky script.
Dear Mr. Apple,
I trust this is the book you’ve been looking for. If you need to pay the fine, I will of course repay you, or your sister. Thank you for your kindness.
I sincerely apologize for yesterday’s incident. I may have been too eager to return the book, which resulted in your injury. I’ve taken care of it to the best of my abilities, but should any complications occur, do not hesitate to go see nurse Redheart, as I am not a properly trained to tend to ponies.
Also, I’m sorry I could not be there when you finally wake up, I have some emergency duties over at Foggy Bottom Bog that needed to be handled early in the morning. I trust you are able to show yourself out.
Sincerely,
Fluttershy
He re-read the note again. She didn’t wait. She can’t even stand the sight of me. He slowly made his way to the door, which swung open with incredible ease, expelling him from the dwelling of the mare his heart dwelt on for so long. The world was basking in the glorious winter sunshine, but the colt turned away from it and trotted on. The physical pain had gone just as quickly as it had come, but the emptiness in his chest squeezed the breath out of him. As he emptied his lungs, a wail of desperation condensed in the air, sounding over the valley that lead to Sweet Apple Acres.
Fluttershy watched silently from above, peering over the edge of her thatched roof. She looked longingly at the retreating stallion, a small needle piercing her heart with every step he took. He doesn’t care about you, a voice inside whispered defiantly and deviously. See how fast he took off, he only came for the book. You shouldn’t try to force anypony to love you. Fluttershy was shaking wildly, and turned away, laying her head on the smooth, moist, moss-covered roof.
“Please-please don’t go,” she whispered to herself as her tears rolled down the roof of her cottage, her pleas lost to the distance and falling on deaf ears of Everfree Forest’s thick canopy.
>>
Caramel trailed off home after a busy day of work. Every step he took was agony, his muscles resisting his every move. I can’t imagine how making me ache all over for the past two weeks will improve my chances with Applejack. He clenched his teeth and trotted on, hoping to slump into bed before another one of Rainbow Dash’s crazy workouts.
Tossing his saddlebags down behind the door of his apartment, he noticed a draft and a faint smell of cloves wafting through his apartment. He froze, his heart beating wildly, his ears pointed upward in alertness. Somepony has broken in. He took a cautious step forward, trying to make as little sound as he could. As he shifted his weight onto his outstretched hoof, the floor gave a high-pitched squeak. DARN IT.
“You might want to work on your stealth technique,” a slightly grating, but strangely monotonous voice called from above, causing the tan stallion to jump up. Recognizing the voice, Caramel looked up, the rainbow-colored strands of hair hanging from the mare above now tickling his muzzle. She did a graceful somersault in mid-air and landed next to him.
“What are you doing here? Don’t we usually go exercise a bit later?” he whined.
“I know, but there’s been an emergency. Applejack’s been away for a week now and we just received a letter from her she might not return… B-but don’t worry. All of us girls will go looking for her,” she quickly added as she noticed Caramel’s jaw drop.
The rest of his face remained expressionless. “Why is she gone?” he finally blurted out.
“Beats me,” the mare shrugged “I’m just here to tell you to continue your training while we’re gone, but…” she continued after seeing a sly smile on Caramel’s lips “don’t you dare think you can slack off now that I’ll be gone. You’ll be helping Big Macintosh with his chores after work.”
“And he’s not against it? I mean, I’d probably screw everything up anyway…” he protested weakly.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that. It’s just repairing and moving some of the tools that will be used for this coming Winter Wrap-Up. I think it’s a bit too early, but Twilight wants to do everything according to some plan…” she waved her hoof dismissively, as if the whole idea of making plans was completely ridiculous. “Anyway, Macintosh isn’t doing very well. He completely broke down when we received the letter. I think he just needs somepony to keep him company…”
“I’ll do my best…”
“I’m counting on you.” She placed her hoof on his shoulder and lowered her head. “I hate seeing them all sad like this,” she whispered, her voice broken.
“Don’t worry Dash, it’ll be fine,” he raised her chin up with his and looked into her eyes.
She looked back at him and gave him a tiny smile. “We’ll find her. We’ve had worse,” she spoke, her voice almost her confident self. “I’ll see you soon, I guess?”
“Yeah... see you” he mumbled as the cyan pegasus departed in her usual fashion, gliding through his bedroom window into the setting sun.
>>
Caramel heaved under the weight of a large crate full of gleaming ice-skates. He looked at his large, red co-worker. “Wait, Macintosh!” he called out at his companion. “I think that snow plough has already been taken out and inspected.”
“Wha-?” the crimson stallion asked absent-mindedly and stopped pulling the piece of equipment, now standing in the middle of his farm’s large barn.
“It’s just that our preparations for the upcoming Winter-Wrap up have been somewhat slower than planned, we can’t afford to continue screwing up.” He pointed at the large parchment pinned to the barn door. There, the original, conscientious script has been almost obscured by various scribbles, including NO NEED TO HAVE DONE ALL THIS TWICE, CHECK BAGS FOR HOLES BEFORE PUTTING IN SEEDS and ORDER MORE STRAW FOR NESTS, BM USED THE REMAINING STOCK AS FUEL (HOW AND WHY???).
Macintosh turned around and approached the list with suspicion. He squinted and gasped. “We’re five days behind. How is this possible?”
“I have no idea, especially seeing how we’ve only worked for four days,” Caramel spoke, barely managing to suppress the sarcasm in his voice. “I guess it’s just the combination of my non-existent farm-work skills and you being constantly distracted.”
“Ah… what?” the red stallion looked around, more confused than ever.
Caramel took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a minute. “You’re the most reliable and responsible worker in town, but here you are, messing up half the chores on the list. Can you at least tell me what’s going on?”
“Ah’m… Ah don’t know,” Macintosh whispered.
“Is it Applejack?” Caramel asked as he patted his work partner on the back.
“Eee… not entirely,” he panted pathetically.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Caramel asked, his voice strained. He bit his lip. Even before the other pony spoke, he knew he has gone too far.
“Eenope. I’ll be just dandy,” the red giant grumbled, his snout scrunching as he let out the blatant lie. He looked away from Caramel, “why do ya care anyway what a big brute like me thinks?” The floor of the barn shook as his weight collapsed down on it.
“Everypony can always use more friends,” Caramel replied as the thought of a pink pony flashed through his mind. “I might not know what got you down, and you might not be ready to tell me, but I’ll try to help you in any other way I can. If that means making a mess of this year’s Winter Wrap Up, so be it.”
“Thanks Caramel,” the farmer grunted as he got up. “Now, where are those ploughs?”
“We’ve just inspected them,” the small stallion threw his hooves up in the air and pointed at the heavy piece of machinery still positioned in the middle of the space. “Maybe we should take the day off. Let’s go to town and order that extra straw… You know, clear our heads,” he motioned at the door, raising his hooves off the ground, beginning to trail of slowly.
The red giant followed Caramel. The air outside was still, the apple branches of the orchard were covered in the white powder, unmoving. The only sound was the shuffling of their legs and their hooves crushing the frozen snow cover beneath. Caramel was trotting quite slowly, deliberately placing one hoof in front of the other, careful not to slip up. He stopped to admire the scenery. The vast silent landscape was strangely overwhelming. Only a red dot in the distance indicated a presence or another pony. Not again…
“MAAAAAC!” Caramel shouted, releasing a small cloud of condensation, “Hurry up!” Unbelievable, usually, I’m the forgetful one, he sighed and trotted on slowly, hoping his companion would eventually catch up. What’s his problem anyway? Applejack has been away for days on end before. Is he always this mopy when she’s gone? Isn’t he pretty much living every stallion’s dream? Caramel exhaled deeply. There must be more to this.
Both stallions lost in their own thoughts entered Ponyville. Caramel, still making over-exaggerated, deliberate steps, Big Macintosh following a bit behind, his head drooped down as he dragged his hooves through the snow. Caramel was past the point of caring any more, and just wanted to get home as soon as possible. As Celestia’s sun began to set, the windows of the buildings began forming radiant yellow blots against a deepening blue background. The smaller stallion, realizing the lateness of the hour, broke into a light gallop in the direction of the post office. As the small building appeared in sight, they could see lights emitting from all the windows, and broke into full gallop.
The building was approaching fast now. Instinctively, Caramel tried to stop, but his hooves slipped on smooth compacted snow, sending him flying into the door of the post office, which swung open under the impact, sending Caramel sliding on the floor into the middle of the small waiting room. He looked up to see a giant red mass hovering momentarily overhead. Macintosh, evidently trying to avoid bumping into Caramel just a second ago, had slipped in a similar fashion. The smaller pony winced and braced for impact.
Luckily, the large Apple stallion landed by his side with a low, loud thud, both of them escaping relatively unharmed. Caramel broke into a silent giggle, not bothering to stand up. The ponies around gave them inquisitive looks, some of them leaning towards each other, whispering something in each other’s ears.
“What is he doing with Big Macintosh?”
“Doesn’t he usually hang out with that tomboy?”
“No, I think he formed a support group with her or something…”
A mint-green mare with a golden lyre cutie mark gave a silent squeak at the sight of the two stallions sprawled on the cold stone floor. Caramel ceased his giggles and closed his eyes, but could see a large shadow pass his eyelids. Big Mac standing up. He then felt a light breeze across his face and heard a faint flutter of pegasus wings.
“Dash!” he shouted, voice full of joy, as he swiftly sat up and opened his eyes. As the mare came into focus, his wide smile became a thin, straight line. Opposite him, a gray mare, with golden eyes and equally radiant mane looked back at him. Or, one of her eyes did anyway. The other seemed to be surveying the rest of the room.
“You got the D right” she said in a slightly low, nasal voice. “What can I do you for?”
Macintosh just stood next to her, thoroughly puzzled, as she hovered erratically a few inches above the ground.
“Wha- Excuse me?” Caramel muttered.
“Name’s Derpy,” the gray mare took a deep breath, her chest rising with pride, displaying a badge with D. Hooves written on it “and I work for the Equestrian Postal Services. How may I be of assistance?” she finished the practiced phrase, her left eye still focused on Caramel.
“O-Oh, of course. We need to send a telegram to Appleloosa… could you help us please?”
“Yes, sir.” She saluted and flew off behind the desk.
Like Dash, Caramel thought, his mind strangely calm, or maybe all pegasi are like that. “Anyway,” he turned to Big Macintosh, “do you remember the address of the farm supplying the straw?”
“Eeyup,” the farmer replied after a while and slipped Caramel a small piece of paper.
At that same moment, Derpy came back with the form. “OK, I’m ready when you are”
The tan stallion took a pencil into his mouth and composed a brief message. He then slid it across the counter to Derpy. She looked over the message and gave Caramel one last glance, then looked down at the telegraph. She nodded her head and handed to to one of her colleagues. She then swiped the coins Caramel had placed on the counter that. “You be good to Rainbow Dash,” she muttered under her breath as she counted the bits.
“What?” Caramel replied flustered as heat rose into his face.
She looked at him, both of her golden eyes focused on him, piercing him for a few seconds. Her right eye then slowly drifted off to observe the ceiling. She closed her eyes and gave a wide smile. “Next!” she shouted and waved the two stallions goodbye.
>>
Rainbow Dash? But I’m doing this for Applejack, aren’t I? Caramel wondered. He walked on home, completely unaware of the larger stallion following him. Just as he was about to unlock his door, a low grasping voice caught him unaware.
“Caramel” Macintosh asked. “Why are ya doing this for Miss Dash?”
Caramel jumped up and turned around to face the crimson stallion. “I… No!” he shook his head adamantly, but could not stop himself from blushing again.
“Are ya doin’ this for Applejack?” the farmer continued.
“I’m… I’m doing this for her. And for you, for all of you.” Who am I doing this for again?
“That’s mighty nice of ya, Caramel.” The large stallion spoke as he stepped forward, closing in on Caramel. “Applejack an’ mahself are always glad when a friend helps us, and we in turn, will always help our friends.”
Caramel couldn’t help but notice Macintosh was putting a great deal of emphasis on the word “friend”.
“Ah just don’t want there to be any disappointments on anypony’s side. Besides, ya heard Miss Hooves just as well as Ah did.” He gave Caramel a friendly punch on the shoulder and walked off, in the same downtrodden manner he walked into town not an hour ago.
Caramel just stood on his doorstep, befuddled. He shook his head vigorously and opened the door. I need a drink.
>>
Rainbow Dash looked out of the window. Another day, another train ride. At least we found her. Applejack sat opposite her, looking out onto the landscape. Her face still bore a guilty expression, but her big smile countered it quite well. The dry desert scenery in on the outside was slowly replaced with more temperate landscapes, and eventually the snow-covered forests of the Ponyville proper. They were almost home.
Five minutes before their scheduled arrival, Twilight and Fluttershy had already gone to wait outside their compartment, impatiently trotting up and down the corridor, glancing outside in the process. Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack nervously and a knot formed in her throat. She gulped loudly. Now or never.
“Say Applejack; what do you think of Caramel?” she asked, feigning innocence. Needless to say, her enquiry lacked any of the intended subtlety.
“Ah guess he’s a good pony. He helped Applebloom when she broke her leg crusadin’, an’ he was a perfect gentlecolt during our little dinner.” Applejack replied; the implied question lost on her. “Ah hope ya still don’t believe all that nonsense ‘bout him bein’ a foal-fiddler. I felt pretty silly believin’ it mahself”
The pegasus mare ground her teeth in frustration. This is not want I want to hear. I already know all this. “Don’t you think there’s something strange about him?”
“Well, everypony handles their problems differently. Some act all tough on the outside and others just become a little bit withdrawn. Why does it bother ya?”
“It doesn’t… Why should I care?” the pegasus snorted.
“Ya tell me.” The farmer mare said gravely and winked at her cyan friend.
Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow. Applejack is possibly even more oblivious than that idiot, she thought. But does that mean she doesn’t like him? Will she reject him, or not?
“Ah’m just glad y’all got me to come back. Ah really can’t wait tah be back at the farm. Jus’ me and mah apple trees and mah friends. That’s all Ah ever need to be happy. Ya know?” The train came to a halt at the Ponyville station and the earth pony put on her signature hat as she stood up to leave.
“Is that really all you want in life?” Rainbow Dash asked and looked up at Applejack.
“Eeyup… though beatin’ ya in the next Iron Pony Competition would be pretty sweet too,” the orange mare smiled at her friend.
“Yes, yes it would” the pegasus answered and threw herself at the confused farmer, almost knocking her down. “Now come on, we have a little surprise for you.”
>>
“Oh my gosh! I totally have it. Maybe I should name them Chimmycherrychangas. That would solve all my problems, although maybe that name might be too long for some ponies to remember. I really, really have to make them in when I get back to Sugarcube Corner. Maybe I should try making them with apples, you know to help AJ and her farm. But then I’d have to rename them. What do you think Rarity?”
Rarity sighed. Here she was, in the middle of nowhere, sweat dripping down her luxurious mane, her whole body aching from operating the pushcart. Being with her overly hyperactive pink friend was just a cherry on top of this whole mess. Stupid puns, she thought and continued pushing down the lever. I thought she’d get tired and shut up eventually, but even without a steady supply of sugar, Pinkie is unstoppable.
“Anyway, we just need to get to the next town over. Can you believe we chased Applejack this far out? Wow, I wonder when we'll arrive at… ”
Suddenly, the pink pony’s flood of words stopped. Rarity had leaped over the lever and kissed Pinkie Pie squarely on the lips. Locked for a few moments, the unicorn eventually withdrew and wiped her mouth with her front hoof.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, we have a train station to get to and some place where I can at least take a shower… And we’ll get there quietly” she said in her usual, autocratic manner, pushing down the cart’s lever with new-found vigour.
Pinkie Pie blinked several times and ceased operating the vehicle completely. She touched her lips, where not a moment ago, her marshmallow friend’s lips met hers. She gave Rarity an incredulous look. The unicorn just kept pushing the lever mindlessly, avoiding all eye-contact. The Pink Pony nodded slowly and resumed her duties, this time in complete silence. The only sound that could be heard for for the rest of their journey was the swift motion of the cart though the warm desert air.
Rarity breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she’s quiet now.
>>
The walls and columns of the Apples’ barn was covered with half-ripped streamers, remains of colourful confetti mashed on the ground. The welcome party was over, and Applejack stood in the middle of the barn, opposite her brother, beaming. He almost failed to return her smile, the corners of his mouth simply twitching upwards, then falling back down.
“Ah’m sorry, but Ah’m back for good now. Can ya forgive yer sister fer bein’ a foal?” the orange mare pleaded.
“That ain’t it,” the stallion replied, looking down at the ground. “Ah could never stay mad at ya”
“Well what’s wrong then?” she enquired.
“Remember the time Ah went to get the book back from Miss Shy? Remember I didn’t return ‘till next mornin’?” the stallion sighed.
“Sure. Mah brother: no mare can resist ‘im” She said, swelling with pride, extending her hoof to her brother, expecting a high-five.
Macintosh remained motionless, except his head, which sank low. “She knocked me out openin’ her door. When Ah awoke in the mornin’ I found a note tellin’ me to go away.” His front hoof met hers, and he gently brought both to the ground. “Ah’m just glad yer back.”
“Don’t ya fret Mac. She’ll come around. And if she don’t, it’s her loss!” Applejack said resolutely and embraced her brother. “If Ah’d known, Ah would’ve come home the instant the rodeo was over,” she whispered as she pressed him tighter, large tears once again falling from his eyes. “It’s gonna be all right. Shhhh…”
>>
Outside, a small yellow filly was peering through the cracks of old barn the door. Gee, big brother seems awfully lonely and sad. She sat down, a strange weight pressing on her chest as she observed her two elder siblings crying it all out. Pondering the situation for a while, she took a deep breath and a huge smile slowly appeared across her face, her eyes lighting up. I know what will cheer him up…
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SHAMELESS PROMOTION INCOMING
Author's notes are here.
My lame tumblr
And the TV Tropes page, courtesy of Poptard. (Thanks a bunch!) And, no, I did not commission it, I'm not that vain.
My heart is breaking now
Dammit FlutterMac. Nice segue to next week's episode anyway. Can't wait for more.
Then there's that Rarity scene. Are you planning what I think you're planning?
Applebloom....Don't do anything reckless. That's Scootaloo's thing.
I was wondering when you'd be updating. I was just thinking about this when you did. When did you get ESP? Another awesome chapter, can't wait for the next!
Lol, that explains next weeks episode.
Is this...three ships in one fic? Two and a half? I'm liking this more and more. Looking forward to the rest.
I am so in love with this story!
No joke, I get so excited every time you put up a new chapter! Keep on doing what you do!
Fluttermac is kind of boring anyways. Oh well! I mean really... They're too good for each other. There's no real interesting synergy there, just saccharine filler. I prefer shipping foils, to be honest. Character development AND romance, thank you very much. It can be done!
Like what you're doing with Caramel and Dash. Fantastic work, as always. Is it odd that this was my headcanon from the start? It's not fair to the characters to make assumptions on their sexuality based on appearances alone. And to ship two of the most commonly-portrayed-as-homosexual characters together in a heterosexual relationship... Huzzah! I love this fic. It's well-written and serves as a big "Fuck you!" to those who would rush to conclusions.
i wonder what mare caramel is going to go with? i cant wait for the next chapter!
195108
It's going to be Rainbow, i'm sure.
194020 Regarding Rarity: Well, I was planning this, and the whole pushcart incident just saved me tons of awkward dialogue.
. I guess rom-coms are always hard (or easy) to spoil, since there's always a point at which the couple becomes obvious. But it's the story behind that you still want to see, so I hope y'all will keep reading.
194078 I figured the whole "Let's force ship Mac and Cheerilee" would be Applebloom's idea, but if that's not the case, I can always write the rest of the CMCs into that scene.
194209 I figured people like to see the events unfold "in real time", unless you're in Australia, where it's summer now.
194235 Let's see, so far, we have three pairings: the obligatory FF, the MM (Lucky and Chance-A-Lot will make an appearance again in the last chapter) and the flagship of this story, CaraDash. There's also Caramel's unrequited crush. SO it's more like 3.5 ships. With the possibility of CheeriMac after next Saturday's episode.
194279 Thanks, I certainly will
194511 FlutterMac is boring, but they have their differences. Fluttershy has her strong moments, and Macintosh has been known to break down like the softy he is. But I agree on the foils. And as much as it pains me to admit, the initial concept of the story is a kind of "Fuck you", so I actually expected a lot more raised eyebrows (if not worse). I thought people would see it as a borderline trollfic.
195108 Caramel is pretty dense, so there will be a little bit more drama along the way.
195172 I mean, yeah, way to spoil the story for all of us
Thanks a bunch for all your comments. I appreciate all of you.
196015
The main question is: How will you recreate the famous classroom scene where Minori confesses she loves Ryuuji but wants Taiga to have him instead? That's one of the things i'm REALLY waiting for.
196631 Ah, that one. While the core premise of the story was indeed inspired by Toradora (the unlikely couple: the tomboy and the domesticated guy, Dash being a tsundere, and of course the food at Caramel's) and some scenes were borrowed (the one with Rarity at the end of dinner) I have taken some steps away from Toradora, which also means that a "Kitamura" is absent, and our "Ami" was really only teasing Dash, and has no interest in Caramel. So that particular scene will not be there, although I'll probably write a version of the UFO talk, the difference being that "Minori" only sees "Ryuuji" as a friend and will never be able to see him as anything else. So that's that. There'll be a bit more, but I don't want to spoil it. You can look forward to a more original ending, I guess. Hope you're not disappointed.
196934
Not in the slightest, it is after all an original story and quite a good one at that. I had just drawn conclusions from the fact that you loosely based parts of the story off of Toradora. I was just reading this and imagining how you would be able to relate that scene into the story and was drawing a blank. I'm actually glad to see you taking the story in your own direction, and can't wait to see your take on it.
idk............i do want AJ to be with caramel because she seems more into him and more open..........but i do also want him to hook up with RD
198073 Applejack? She is the element of honesty, so of course, she is not only incredibly honest with herself but also with anypony who asks. She does like Caramel, as a friend. She acknowledges that she misjudged him, and is grateful that he helped Applebloom when she broke her leg, and I'm pretty sure she's also very grateful for Caramel being there for her brother when he needed it the most, but she has never, ever expressed, wittingly or otherwise (at least that's the way I tried to write it) feelings for Caramel any deeper than that. In chapter VI, Rainbow Dash actually said: "She calls everypony [sugarcube]." AJ is only more open to everypony and makes friends quite fast, because she knows herself, unlike those other clowns in this story. Along with Derpy, she is the voice of reason.
Thank you >.> I had to register to this site just to comment!
Oh well, it's worth it. Nice fic, interesting seeing how Caramel and Dash play off each other, character wise. And Fluttershy and Big Mac, weeeell...
I'll say I outgrew such type of romance years ago. Honestly, now I know what Fluttershy does for a living (treating the odd pet nonwithstanding): she really is the writer under the alias of Stephinny Neigher. That's the only way so much angst can pile up in her mind.
Also, for some reason, I'm now imagining Lyra eventually berating Rainbow Dash for "trying to turn Caramel straight" or "helping him sneak back in the closet".
fantastic
I've been tracking this for a little while, it's definitely a fantastic story. I'm just wondering how you're going to deal with the newest episode! Caramel stars in it, and that completely clashes with your story! HOW WILL YOU COPE WITH THIS MADNESS?!
207360
Of course, I will have to ignore those few seconds for the sake of this story. Canon-denial is common when it comes to shipping. But it was nice seeing Caramel getting some luvin' in the show. I also promise never to ship Caramel in another story.
If you ship Rarity with Pinkie Pie after it was made perfectly clear that Spike/Rarity was canon, I will blow a fucking gasket.
28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lossakMJsY1qfk6bfo1_500.png
Wait, I didn't comment on this chapter! Inconceivable!
With that out of the way ... Applebloom. Applebloom. Applebloom ...
... go for it, filly!