//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2:  Secrets Revealed 
// Story: The Way the Pears Fall 
// by Darkblaze15 
//------------------------------//

The next day, Pyre trots into Ponyville for yet another day of work, yawning all the way to the bookstore.  He had woken up earlier than usual in order to make sure he did not miss Bright Mac before he left for the fields.
"Are you sure she said, 'Whitetail Woods'?" Bright Mac repeats.
"The very same," Pyre states, "Is there a problem with that?"
"No, not at all," Bright Mac says quickly, "I just have no idea how I'm gonna sneak away for so long."
"Well, love always finds a way, I guess," Pyre says, winking at his Apple friend, who smirks sheepishly in return.  "Anyways, I'd better get going," he adds, "You two have fun now!" and he trots away from Sweet Apple Acres.  When he arrives at the bookstore, the owner, Mr. Cogsworth, is already waiting for him.
"There you are," he croaks in his old age, "I was wond'ring when you'd get here, sonny!" and he unlocks the store.  For the rest of the day, Pyre continues his routine of keeping the shelves stocked and helping any ponies who walk through the door.  At the end of the day, as he makes his way home, he passes by the Pear orchard again in hopes of saying hello to Pear Butter again.  He sees various ponies working amongst the trees, even Grand Pear himself, but the orange-maned mare was nowhere to be seen.  She and Bright Mac must still be out, he thinks to himself as he continues on his way, thinking nothing more about it.
Several days pass in a similar fashion, with Pyre working all day and trotting home without seeing Pear Butter - or Bright Mac, for that matter - ever since he first sent them off to Whitetail Woods.  Fearing the worst, he begins to speculate about the whereabouts of his two friends.
"I hope everything's alright," he says to himself after yet another day without seeing them, "Maybe they're just staying out in the woods later than usual.  Or what if something really bad happened to them?  Or worse, what if somepony found out about them and told Grand Pear and Granny Smith?!" He then vows to try and find them the next day, and if he fails, then he will go straight to Granny Smith or Grand Pear to ask about them.
The next day, on his lunch break, Pyre scouts all throughout Ponyville, looking for any sign of his friends.  After nearly an hour of searching, he is about to give up and go back to the bookstore when he notices Chiffon Swirl, the baker's apprentice at Sugarcube Corner, departing from the store, looking determined.  Even if he didn't know that she and Pear Butter are close friends, Pyre could have surmised that she is on her way to see her due to the large, pear-themed cake resting on her backside.  Seeking answers, he secretly follows behind her as Chiffon Swirl continues on her journey.
He tails Chiffon to the outskirts of the Apple family farm, where she peers over the fence looking for any sign of her friend.  "Looking for somepony?" he finally asks, startling her.
"Who-" she whips her head around and breathes a sigh of relief, "Oh, it's just you, Pyre.  Have you seen Pear Butter?"
"Not lately," he admits, "Have you?"
"Well, we work together every so often," Chiffon says, "but she hasn't been coming into the store as of late.  I wanted to thank her for all her help with this cake, but I don't know where she can be."
"Then how did you know to come here?" Pyre asks suspiciously.
"Well, whenever I pass by here around this time," she explains, "I've seen her walking along this path and straight into the Apples' orchard.  I tried to get her attention, but she acted like she didn't even hear me."
"Ah, that makes sense," he thinks out loud.
"Why do you say that?" Chiffon asks.
"I guess you'll find out soon enough," Pyre states as he trots into the trees, with Chiffon following close behind.
They eventually poke their way through some bushes along the Pear-Apple farm border; they immediately hide in the bushes again when they see two ponies having a picnic in the clearing.  They quickly recognize Bright Mac by his infamous Stetson, sitting next to Pear Butter; he then proceeds to give her a bouquet of buttercups, only to sneeze them all over her mane.  They share a hearty laugh and suddenly lean in to kiss each other; "Ohmigosh!" Chiffon squeals, startling Pyre and causing him to step noisily on a pile of leaves.  Bright Mac and Pear Butter look up, horrified looks on their faces at being found out, but they eventually relax when they recognize the intruders.
"Sorry," Chiffon apologizes, blushing as they emerge from the bushes, "I just wanted to bring you a little something to say thank you, but I see you're, ah. . .busy," she adds, winking at the couple, who blush and chuckle lightheartedly.
"Well, thank you very-" Pear Butter begins to say, but they suddenly hear a rustling coming from bushes in the apple orchard as Granny Smith trots out into the open.
"Where in Equestria did that noise come-" she begins to say, then gasps as she notices Pear Butter with Bright Mac, "What in tarnation are you doing, Bright Mac?!  We do not fraternize with Pears!" She grabs her son by the ear and forcefully drags him away, but not before he winks back at Pear Butter, who smiles and waves in return.
"Wait, Pyre," Chiffon suddenly asks once Granny Smith is out of earshot, "You knew about this?"
"He figured it out the first time we even met," Pear Butter says.
"Well, I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," Chiffon comments, "Your families hate each other!"
"I can't help it," Pear Butter says innocently, "We just sort of. . .happened," she finishes, looking off dreamily in the direction Granny Smith dragged Bright Mac away.  she is suddenly pulled out of her reviere when they hear a shout from amongst the trees.
"Pear Butter!  Where are ya?" Grand Pear calls out, "That darn girl better not be sleeping on the job again."
"Oh, I'd better get going!" she says as she heads in the opposite direction towards her father.  Before disappearing among the bushes, she turns towards her friends, "Promise me you won't say anything about us?"
"Oh, of course not!" Chiffon says eagerly.
"You have my word," Pyreadds, bowing dramatically.  Pear Butter smiles and trots off to meet up with Grand Pear as Pyre and Chiffon make their way out of the orchard.
"My, this is certainly exciting, isn't it Pyre?" Chiffon asks the stallion enthusiastically.
"It sure is," Pyre says, then becomes very serious, "but don't forget what we promised Pear Butter.  We can't let anypony know, not even our closest friends.  You never know who you can trust to stay away from the Apples and the Pears."
"I know, I know," she says, collecting herself, "I guess I just got a little ahead of myself there.  It's just, we're part of something pretty big here; I can't help but be excited for them!" She looks up at Pyre as they exit the fields, "Where do you think this will go?"
"I'm not sure, Chiffon," he says honestly, "but I certainly hope for the best for them." The baker-in-training agrees as they split away for their own homes, thinking about their friends' potential future.