Soaring through the evening sky Celestia quickly made her way towards Sweet Apple Acres. The lack of stormy weather or a picnic lunch made the trip so much easier. Though the cloudless sky and lack of wind was unsettling to her wings she was glad. For it made the perfect weather for what was going to happen later that night.
Crossing a high ridge she began to brake slowly as the farm came into sight. The princess had no intention of crash landing twice in a row. As she approached, the lone red figure of her date outside the main house started to come into view. Slowly an unroyal, yet playful smile crossed her face. "Okay Celestia, its show time."
Silently the princess began to glide towards the roof. Landing without a sound she tip toed over to the edge. Peering over she saw Mac glancing around nervously with a bouquet of flowers.
'Awe, they're beautiful. He such a sweetie.' thought the princess, feeling a little guilty for what she was about to do, but the thrill outweighed the guilt.
Taking careful aim the princess leapt from the rooftop. Ill prepared for the sudden assault from above Mac felt his legs buckle under the impact. Despite the surprise arrival of his date and panic stricken heart he couldn't help but notice how soft Summer Crisp was.
"Soft." The stallion instantly bit his tongue to stop further thoughts from escaping.
However his efforts were in vain as the princess had already heard him. Starting from the base of the neck she began to gently nuzzle him as she made her way towards his ear. Upon reaching her destination she gave it a light puff before whispering.
"Soft? What's Soft?"
Turning his head away from the intrusive mare, Mac did his best to hide his embarrassment.
"Was your landing soft?"
'So that's how you want to play, shy boy.' echoed Summer Crisp, as the princess slid off. Walking around the stallion she stared him in the eyes.
"Hmm~, is that so?" Mentally she was tucking away the note that he liked soft things. Unable to hold her stare into Mac's flustered face the princess found herself breaking out into laughter. "Hahahaha, was my landing soft? Hehehe, honestly a marble statue would've been softer. Just what are you made of? Hahahe."
Mac was relieved to see that Summer wasn't hurt. He was just glad that this date was starting out on a different hoof. Grinning slightly at his dates merry nature he held out the bouquet. "These are for you."
Sweeping up the flowers the princess filled her lungs with the delicate aroma. Glowing brightly she nestled her nose in the colorful petals, gazing softly at her date. "They're wonderful, thank you."
Having spent his life growing up as the sole male in a house of four, Mac had gotten use to many different gazes from the female species. Granny's stern yet kind gaze that could pierce his soul, Applejack's eye rolls and glazed looks of indifference, and Apple Bloom's puppy eyes that softened his heart were just to name a few. However Summer's eyes were something else entirely. They unnerved him, comforted him, and seemed to hypnotize him all at once. He was lost for words as he felt the image of those priceless pink diamonds burn into his brain.
Peeking out her window blinds Bloom saw her brother acting like a toad caught by a vipers stare. Giving a disparaging sigh she ran downstairs to save her brother. "Bushels of crab apples Mac! I warned you to be careful around her!"
Rounding the stairwell Bloom made a mad dash for the front door. Slamming the full force of her body against it. While not as robust as her brother, she still managed to send the door flying open. "Big brother is she..."
WHACK! Bloom tumbled back into the house stunned by the violently returning door. From within the walls of the house the pair faintly heard the filly's voice ring out. "I'm okay."
The spell of the moment was gone, which greatly upset Celestia. She hadn't spent the better half of a millennia practicing for nothing. None the less she swallowed her bitterness and followed Big Mac in checking in on his sister.
'Bet you fifty bits she did that on purpose.' whispered Summer.
'Oh I know she did.' replied the princess.
Purposeful or not the young farmer was lain out on the floor by the blow. A deep purple mark was spreading across her left side. Already it was no smaller than at least two grapefruits and it was still growing.
Gingerly Mac picked up his injured sister and started walking towards the kitchen. "Well then, guess I'll start this date off by giving you a short tour of the house. First off this is the kitchen."
The old-timey fashioned kitchen made Celestia feel like she'd stepped back in time. Handmade hot pads, cast iron pots and pans, crooked hand carved shelves, lace, lace everywhere, and a giant mound of freshly baked cookies. Though judging by the empty trays some had already been tested for quality. Silently the princess shoved a few into the pockets of her dress.
Walking behind Mac, the princess followed him through the kitchen into the next room. She was sure he was saying something, but she was to busy focusing on the show in front to pay attention. Like the marble statues of old, Mac couldn't hide the clear cut bulk that was his muscles. The princess marveled at how gently they could support and comfort the injured Apple Bloom. Jealously biting her lip, she secretly wished to trade places with the filly.
Then she found herself alone with the filly, who was resting on the couch. To her surprise as soon as Mac had vanished Bloom sat upright like a bolt. The princess then found herself confronted by the biggest brightest pair of starry eyes she had ever seen. They were brimming, no gushing with joy. So much so that the princess had to take a few steps back not to be blinded.
"I can't believe this is happening!" squealed Apple Bloom, shaking with excitement. "This is amazing! I mean I knew you liked him. But going this far to date him!"
Celestia stood dumbstruck unable to follow what was happening. She had fully expected the little devil sister routine to come at her full force. Instead Apple Bloom was acting like her personal cheerleader. "To be fair Canterlot isn't to far from Ponyville for a pegasus."
Resting her head between her hooves Apple Bloom was grinning ear to ear. "Oh come on, you know that's not what I meant, Princess Celestia."
"How?" gulped Celestia, trying her best not to panic now that her cover was blown.
"Seriously?" started Apple Bloom, with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I've seen you giving my brother doe eyes for half a year now. Heck, you can't stop blushing and playing with your mane in front of him."
Celestia was in a mental state of denial. There was no way she could be that obvious with her crushes after a thousand years, right? "That still doesn't explain how you knew it was me."
Giving an exasperated sigh Apple Bloom realized that Celestia was in denial. "Two words. Maiden. Stare. Out of the three mares in the world that can use that weapon none are pegasi. Meaning, the only other option was one of the three was using magic to disguise herself. With Pinkie Pie and Bon Bon out of the picture that only left you, princess."
"But..." started the princess only to be interrupted by Apple Bloom.
"Even if the situation were a pegasus from Canterlot developed the maiden stare without you knowing did happen, my brother wouldn't be dating her today. After all she would be directly challenging either the Crimson Tyrant of the Blood Sun or Princess Molestia, depending on how you felt this century."
Celestia's mental alarms boomed out at maximum capacity. 'MAKE IT STOP!' screamed Summer in pain.
Even the princess herself was getting a headache from the cacophony being made. "Why do you know those titles?"
Slowly a vile smile carved its way across Apple Bloom's face. "Silly little princess, did you honestly believe you could erase everything? All it takes is one living mouth to reveal the truth." Suddenly Apple Bloom's expression softened. "Do you have any idea how much you talk when drunk?"
"Wha!" squeaked the princess in shock. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought of herself as a rambling drunk. "How much have I said over the years?"
"To much for me to tell you." replied Apple Bloom shrugging. "Ask Pinkie Pie to show you the club records if you really want to know. But enough of that princess, just how far do you plan to go with my brother?"
Before the princess even had a chance to speak, Bloom already knew the answer. It was written clear as day on her face. A small devious smile, the gentle licking of her lips, and heavy breathing, all gave away the princess's intentions for the future. "Oh, the things I plan on doing with that stallion on our honey moon."
'SNAP OUT OF IT!' yelled Summer, 'You're a millennia old maiden in love, not a horny teenager!'
'Awe why can't I be a little bit of both?' whined Celestia.
'Molestia! Bucking Molestia, that's why. Do you really want to have that title branded onto you again?'
'Phooey, Summer why do you always have to make sense? Fine I tune everything back down.'
'Better be back to ground zero with the way you're acting. The guy isn't even present and your already falling over the edge with your hormones.'
"Would you like a helping hoof making that come true?" asked Bloom, reaching out her hoof.
Returning from the land of future fantasies and voices in her head Celestia pondered the idea for a moment. She wasn't sure how things would go, but it sounded like a lot of fun triple teaming Big Mac with Apple Bloom's and Summer Crisp's help. "What do you have in mind Apple Bloom?" replied Celestia, firmly grasping Bloom's outstretched hoof.
"Oh please future sis, just call me Bloom. Now as for the plan..."
Meanwhile Big Mac was having the worse time of his life trying to find even the smallest spec of ice for his sister. The freezer in the house was empty, as was the barn side cooler, even the cellar fridge was clean. His only remaining hope was the old icebox in the store house on the far sides of the yard. As he dashed across the open stretch of grass he was unaware that he was retracing his sisters steps from when she disposed of all the ice the night before.
Reaching the ancient machine Mac swung its rusted old doors open. From within its confines all the ice Bloom had previously gathered tumbled out on top of him. The rush of coolness was a very welcome feeling after running around in the summer sun, but he couldn't stop wondering why so much ice was here.
Digging his way out of the sudden winter storm he felt his hoof connect with something that wasn't frozen water. Giving it a kick the sturdy stallion sent the object flying into the wall. With a thud a large tube of apple sherbet fell to the floor with a note attached. Mac chuckled as he read the letter.
'Sorry about causing such a ruckus. Just wanted to meet Summer Crisp for a bit. Feel free to use this to help cool off after your tour.' - Apple Bloom.
Having lived with two little sisters for so long Mac was use to this type of tactical move. For him it was just another part of life that popped up every once in a while. It was always nice to get a friendly surprise like this, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why they injured themselves so much doing it.
Knowing now that Bloom's injury wasn't too serious, Mac took his time putting everything back in the icebox. He intended to give the two girls enough time to get themselves acquainted. Little did he know how acquainted his date and sister really were.
Upon hearing the front door open Apple Bloom quickly flopped herself back down on the couch. Carrying a large bag of ice, Mac missed the quick exchange of glances and smirks that passed between the two girls as he returned.
Handing his sister the bag Mac turned to his date. "Sorry about that. We seem to be out of ice on this farm. Took a while to round this up."
"Thank you Big Mac." said Bloom, placing the ice gently on her bruise. "Now I believe you owe Summer a grand tour. Don't worry about me, I'll just holler if I need anything."
Big Mac was going to protest, but Summer had already wrapped herself around his foreleg and was leading him out. "Listen to your little sister, and let the injured filly get some rest."
As the two were leaving the room Mac winced in fright as his sister called out to him. "Why don't you show her around the new apple cellar? Bet she'll love that."
Out of all the places on the farm that was the last place he wanted to take Summer on this date. No telling what would happen between them once they got down there. While he was hoping that his date would forget about the suggestion he missed the wink that the two girls gave each other.
Hearing the front door shut Bloom relaxed her head on a pillow. Wondering what type of storm her brother was in for. Be it a drizzle or a hurricane she was sure it was going to be a mess. A fun mess that she was now a part of.