//------------------------------// // Ch. 7: A Walk In The Park - Part 1 // Story: Rekindling the Flames // by CoJoThom98 //------------------------------// Flash walks down the middle path of Canterlot High’s front courtyard. It is a beautiful day: a few clouds dot the sky, the sun is shining brightly, and the birds are singing their songs. It is also peacefully quiet. He is the only one walking towards the school. There are not any other students out and about. Is he late or early? He cannot remember what time he woke up. No matter, he is not going to let an odd setting ruin this beautiful day. He ascends the steps and walks through the front glass doors. When he enters, he’s struck with confusion and curiosity. There’s not a single person in the building, at least not in the atrium. The building is filled with silence; there are no sounds of chatter, yelling, or laughing. Where is everyone? he thinks. He tries to listen and looks down halls to see or hear something. He stops at one hall entrance when hears a faint noise. It’s hard to make out what it is but he can still hear it. Hopefully there’s someone down there. He begins walking down the hall towards the noise. As he walks, the noise grows louder. He’s able to make out what it is. It sounds like someone’s crying. Flash picks up his pace to a fast walk. He rounds a few corners, following the noise to its source. He quickens his pace to a jog as he gets closer. He rounds a final corner when he reaches the rundown, dead-end hall with the faulty lighting. The source of the noise is coming from here. Flash walks towards the end where he sees a figure curled up, facing the left corner. He slowly walks closer, as to not frighten the individual. He stops when he sees the strands of red and yellow hair cascading down the person’s back; it’s Sunset Shimmer. Why is she crying? I’ve got to help her. He slowly moves closer, inch by inch. When he’s within arm’s reach, he places his hand on her shoulder. Sunset looks up, turns, and sees Flash giving her a comforting smile. “Hey are you ok?” he asks her gently, “What’s going on?” Before he can react, Sunset stands up and pushes him away, hard. He stumbles a few feet back. Shock covers his face when he sees Sunset looking at him with a terrified expression. She holds out her hands in front of her, preparing to push him away again. Tears stream down her cheeks, her hands shake out of either fear or concern. “Get away from me!” she shouts. “I don’t want to hurt you again!” “Sunset, you’re not--,” before he can finish, everything around him becomes pitch black. He cannot see anything, not even his own hands. He calls out Sunset’s name, but he gets no response; silence fills the void. Suddenly, Flash hears a faint whisper, it’s hard to understand what it’s saying. Another whisper appears, this one a little louder, then another, and another, each one louder than the last. Each whisper is Sunset’s voice berating Flash, old memories from their past relationship. “You wouldn’t say no to your girlfriend, would you?” “Don’t stand in front of me or you’ll get hurt.” “You’re nothing, you only have value because of me!” “I don’t need you, I’ve never needed you!” “What made you think I loved you to begin with?” Flash drops to his knees, covering his ears trying to block out her voice. He feels his mind going insane, each phrase stinging worse than the last. He pleads for it to stop, but it’s no use, the voices keep coming. He finally has enough and screams, “That’s not you anymore!” Flash’s eyes shoot open and he sharply inhales. He leans forward and looks around the room. It’s Sunday morning, he’s still Applejack’s living room with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Sunset Shimmer. They are all still asleep, he didn’t wake any of them, thank goodness. He rubs his face with both of his hands, trying to compose himself after that nightmare. What the hell was that all about? he thinks. He looks over at Sunset and thinks back to what she said in his dream. “I don’t want to hurt you again!” Does she really think that? He looks back down at the ground and slowly shakes his head. Soarin’s right, these emotions really are going to eat me alive unless I do something. But what can I do? Flash’s train of thought is broken when a familiar aroma fills his nostrils. Maybe a cup of coffee will help clear my head. He gets up from the couch and quietly walks over to the kitchen. He walks into the kitchen and sees a three-fourths full pot of coffee sitting on its brewer on the far counter. He walks over, grabs one of the mugs sitting next to the pot, and pours himself a cup. “Good mornin’ Flash,” says a familiar young voice in a country accent. Flash looks to his right and sees Apple Bloom sitting at the kitchen table reading the Sunday comics while drinking a cup of orange juice. Next to her, at the head of the table, is a chunky, elderly green skinned lady who’s reading the paper while sipping on her cup of coffee. “Morning Apple Bloom,” Flash says with a tired smile. He walks over to the table with his coffee and takes a seat across from her. “Granny,” says Apple Bloom as she taps the lady's arm to get her attention. “This is the boy I’ve been telling you about. Flash, this is my grandma, Granny Smith.” “Ah, so yer’ the one who’s been-a smitten with Applejack’s friend,” Granny says as she folds her paper. “Well, um, I wouldn’t say that,” says Flash as he rubs the back of his neck. “Oh come now sonny,” Granny says as she lightly slaps Flash’s arm with her paper. “Lil’ Apple Bloom has been tellin' me all about you’s and Sunset’s romance.” “Has she now?” Flash says as he squints his eyes at Apple Bloom. Applebloom sheepishly grins and awkwardly chuckles. “Oh that reminds me,” she says. “I need to, um, take a shower before breakfast.” She shoots back to the rest of her OJ and dashes away, leave a dust cloud in her wake. Flash places his elbow on the table and rubs his eyes with his right index finger and thumb. “Is there something botherin’ you sonny?” Granny asks, seeing the signs. There are plenty of things that are bothering me. “No, not really,” Flash says, trying to be polite. But Granny Smith is persistent. “Oh, there’s definitely somethin’ wrong. Do you mind tellin’ me about it?” Yes, I very much would like to. “That’s okay, I don’t want to trouble you,” he says. Wrong answer moron! “Ah phooey,” Granny exclaims. “At my age, hardly anythin’ is trouble. If you don’t get that trouble off yer mind, you’ll end up lookin’ like me before yer’ thirty. ‘Sides, I like some juicy gossip.” Granny chuckles lightly at the last statement. Well that’s an interesting argument. “Okay then,” Flash starts. “So whatever Applebloom has told you about me and Sunset, it’s only partly true.” He tells her about how Sunset and him decided to start over again as friends, how they’re friendship has been getting stronger since they made up. He tells her about how he’s even starting to develop feelings for her again, but isn’t sure how to act on them. He even tells her about Sunset’s drunk confession last night and the out of the blue kiss. “I kept telling myself it wasn’t real, over and over again. But through out the night, there was a part of me that kept wondering if it was real. Then last night I had a dream where she wanted me to... stay away from her.” Flash leans forward and places his head in his hands. “Now I don’t know what to do, I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.” “Let me see if I got this right,” says Granny, “You like Sunset and you think what she said last night was more true than what you originally thought?” Flash slowly nods. “Hm, well a drunken confession ain’t exactly a good one…” “I know,” he says leaning back, “That’s why I kept telling myself--” “Ya didn’t lemme finish,” Granny interrupts. “It ain’t a good one, but it’s still a confession.” Flash looks at her with a confused look. “Booze can make ya say plenty of things, but it can’t make ya say things you don’t believe at least a little, and it can even reveal your deepest secrets. I once told someone how I felt about ‘em because the hooch had a hold of me. Only, it was how much I hated ‘em. I still haven’t forgiven Cousin Hardwood for that.” “What are you saying, Granny?” Flash asks. “I should take what she said last night at face value?” “Of course not,” she exclaims. “I’m sayin’ you should take it with a grain of salt. It’s hard to tell the difference between a genuine drunken confession and one that’s half-true or less. When you get the chance, ask her how she truly feels, then you’ll have your answer.” Flash rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t know if I should,” he says. “I don’t want to embarrass her or get my head bitten off… again.” “Sonny, you’ll never get yer answer unless you man up and ask her.” Flash spreads and lays out his hands facing up on the table. “But what if that really was just the booze talking?” he exclaims. “What if she doesn’t really like me in that way? What if--” “Flash,” Granny says interrupting him. “If yer’ just gonna sit there askin’ ‘what if’ then you might as well be paddlin’ upstream. If yah get one answer, you’ll be happy. Get the other, and you can move on. Find someone else. Either way, forget the consequences for just a bit and get your answers before yer’ eaten alive.” Flash leans forward and places his head in his hands. “I’m sorry, this is all just so… uncertain.” Granny Smith gets up from her chair, walks over to Flash, and places a hand on his shoulder. Flash looks up at the elder, who gives him a soft smile. “Life’s all about uncertainty sonny,” she says warmly. “That’s what makes it so excitin’.” She walks over to the fridge and begins to pull out milk, eggs, and butter. “Now go wash up, I’m makin’ flapjacks for breakfast.” Flash drinks the rest of his coffee, gets up from his seat, and walks towards the kitchen exit. He stops at the door and turns to face Granny Smith. “Granny Smith, why are you helping me?” he asks her. “You barely even know me.” “I’ve been helpin’ people since before you were even a gleam in yer pappy’s eye,” Granny says. She stops her work and looks around at Flash. “I know a tortured soul when I see one.” Later that week, Flash and Soarin spend their Saturday at Rarity’s boutique. This wasn’t how they originally viewed spending today. Originally, they had planned on spending the day playing their favorite dungeon raiding game, but their big mouths got them in trouble yesterday. They were eating lunch with the girls yesterday when the topic of prom came up. The girls were gushing over getting to finally see their dresses within a few weeks. Rarity made sure to keep the hype alive by dropping a few hints here and there. When they asked the boys on what they planned on wearing, they told they planned on just getting some hand-me-down tuxedos from the local Goodwill. They made the mistake of telling this right in front of the fashionista. Now, instead of fighting orcs and dark elves, they are getting their bodies measured and fitted. Soarin stands on a platform surrounded by three mirrors in a t-pose position while Rarity gets his measurements. Twilight stands off to the side with a pencil and clipboard, writing down any measurements Rarity takes, being sure to properly label them. Pinkie Pie and Flash sit on a lounge couch, playing card games while Flash awaits his turn. Soarin begins to impatiently fidget; he’s been on the stand for about thirty minutes and is a little eager to get off. The fidgeting starts to make it difficult for Rarity to measure. “Could you hold still dear?” Rarity asks. “I need to get an accurate measurement. I only have one more to make.” “You’ve said that like a million times now!” Soarin groans. “And I’m going to say it a million and one more,” scolds Rarity in frustration. “Now hold still!” “Is all this really necessary?” Flash asks as he scans his hand of cards. “We don’t mind just getting some hand-me-downs, plus I’m not sure if I can pay you back. Got any six’s, Pinkie?” “Go fish,” Pinkie responds, prompting Flash to draw a card from the stack in between them. “I am not going to have you boys go to the biggest night of your high school career wearing torn, urine stained suits,” Rarity argues as she wraps the tape measure around Soarin’s waist. “And never mind paying me, I design all my friends outfits for free. 30 inch waist, Twilight.” Twilight writes down the measurement. “Uh could you check that again?” Soarin asks, his cheeks slightly blushing. “I’m pretty sure my waist size is different.” Rarity wraps the tape measure around Soarin and doubles checks the measurement. “Ah you’re right dear, it’s not 30 inches. 32 inch waist, Twilight.” Twilight scratches out the original number and writes down the correct one. Soarin lets out an annoyed breath. “Sounds like someone needs to hit the gym after this,” Flash jokes. Soarin holds up a lewd gesture in Flash’s direction. “Oh Flash,” says Rarity, diverting his attention away from his game and to her. “Have you given any more thought to our discussion last week?” Twilight looks up from her clipboard, her curiosity taking a hold of her. “What discussion are you two talking about?” she asks. “We talked about Sunset and… how I feel about her,” Flash explains. Pinkie looks up from her cards and looks at Rarity, wide eyed. Twilight gives her narrowed eyes of disapproval. Rarity doesn’t react to any of their glances, self-assured of her innocence. “Rarity,” Twilight says, her voice sounding like a mother trying to get a child to admit their guilt. “I thought we agreed we would be hands off in our approach?” “We did,” says Rarity, not looking up from her work. “But Rainbow and I decided we needed to talk to Flash about this. We made sure to get Applejack’s blessing before we approached him. Anyways, Flash, you still haven’t answered me.” “Yes, I have,” he answers. “I’ve decided that I’m going to ask her.” “Ask her what?” Pinkie asks. “And do you have any fours?” Flash looks at his hand. “Go fish,” he responds, Pinkie draws from the stack. “I’m going to ask her… how she feels about me,” he says, mumbling the last part, a blush spreading over his face. “Excellent dear!” Rarity exclaims as she lays the tape measure around her neck. “Alright Soarin, that should be all.” Soarin puts his arms down and walks over to wear Flash is sitting. Flash hands him his cards and walks over to the platform. As Rarity works, she continues her conversation. “When are you going to ask her?” “Next Friday evening,” he responds. “Why next Friday?” Twilight asks. “Is it because she’s presenting her project that day?” asks Rarity as she stretches the tape measure down his leg. “Yep, I plan on taking her to the Food Truck Festival at Canterlot Park,” says Flash. “She’s been working hard, and, whether she passes or not, she deserves some reward for her efforts.” “Awww, that’s so sweet!” Pinkie says gushing. “At what point in the evening do you plan on asking her?” Twilight asks. “I don’t see why that’s your business,” Flash says uncomfortably, “But I was thinking after dinner we could take a walk on Duck Pond Bridge. Once we’re in the middle of the bridge, I’ll ask here right there.” “A very romantic setting with all the lamp lights and duck families, an excellent choice,” Rarity comments. “Do you know what you’re going to say?” “Oh, I can make some note cards for you if you don’t!” Twilight says, her face lighting up. “That’s okay,” says Flash, throwing up his hands defensively. “I think I’ll be fine without note cards.” Twilight’s eager face saddens and her head droops in disappointment. “No one understands the value of note cards,” she murmurs. “What is your script then?” Soarin’ asks as Rarity wraps the tape measure around Flash’s waist. “I’m just going to get straight to the point,” Flash says. “Rip it off quick, like a band-aid.” Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie look at each other with looks of uncertainty. Flash and Soarin see the girl’s faces and look at each other through the mirror with looks of confusion. “What is it?” “I’m not sure that’s the best option,” suggests Pinkie. “Asking someone about their feelings towards you is a really, really big question.” “Especially in this situation, this really isn’t something you can blunt with,” says Twilight. “This requires a degree of delicacy. Especially considering something Sunset said about you and… her.” Twilight tries to stop herself but the words fall out of her mouth. “What? What did she say?” Flash asks with some concern. “Weeeell,” Twilight rubs the back of her neck and purses her lips. “When Fluttershy and I tried to convince Sunset to confess her feelings, she said…” Twilight trails off and starts having second thoughts. “What. Did. She. Say?!” Flash asks, increasing the emphasis of each word. “Twilight, I need to know if I want to make this work.” Twilight closes her eyes, takes in a deep breath, and says, “She said that there can’t be anything between you and her.” Twilight opens her eyes and winces. Flash’s face becomes raked with sadness and confusion. The girl that he is falling for said that a relationship between him and her is impossible. Perhaps not those words exactly but it amounted to the same thing. He thought that she felt the same way about him, that she too wanted their relationship to be something more, he thought that… they were telling the truth. He suddenly feels an anger growing inside him, but it subsides when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He looks over and sees Rarity giving him a comforting look. “I know how it sounds darling,” she gently says. “But don’t believe for a second that she doesn’t have strong feelings for you.” “Oh totally!” exclaims Pinkie Pie as she skips over to his other side. “Sunset is head over heels for you. She just refuses to admit it.” Soarin gets up from his seat and walks over to Flash, getting on Pinkie’s side. “Listen man, everything I know about Sunset, I’ve heard from Rainbow Dash,” says Soarin. “From what it sounds like, she’s got walls that she’s too afraid to tear down. You need to help her tear those walls down.” “But you have to be delicate when you ask her,” says Twilight as gets by Rarity’s side, looking at Flash in the mirror. “Emotional compartmentalization is a tricky psychological state. I’ve not studied the psychiatric literature on it as much as I’d like to , but I know an individual can be angered by an attempt to get them to confront the contradictory…” “I think what Twilight is trying to say, Darling,” Rarity says, gently interrupting Twilight’s impromptu lecture, “Is you should choose your words carefully. Flash looks at himself in the mirror and grimaces. This isn’t going to be easy. In fact, standing in front of a crowd and getting ready to perform without a set composition seems far easier by comparison. But this needs to happen: it’s been pushed off for too long now, and the stress has been eating him alive. He likes her. Oh let’s face it, I love her.. This is going to be a difficult challenge, but the desired outcome would be oh so worth it. The other, though… Anyway, if I’m going to do this right, I’ll need the proper tools. He straightens himself up and looks at Twilight. “Twilight,” he says grabbing her attention. “Break out the note cards.” Twilight’s face beams as she leaps and squeals with joy. The bell, signalling the end of first block, rings. Students begin filing out of their classrooms and heading towards their second class for the day. Flash and Sunset walk out of their AP World History class together. They walk down the hall towards Sunset’s AP Statistics class. “Do you feel ready for your presentation?” Flash asks as they walk. “Absolutely not,” says Sunset as waves of nerves and stress come over her. “What if something goes wrong? What if the slide show doesn’t show up on the projector? Or I fall as I make my way up to the front? Or what if I suddenly forget everything I’m supposed to say?” She feels her heartbeat picking up, her hands begin to sweat, and her breathing quickens. Her nerves ease when she feels Flash wrapping his arm behind her, his hand gently clasping her upper right arm as he rubs it, trying to ease her. She looks up at him giving her a comforting smile. This physical connection between them causes a rapture to come over Sunset. His arm wrapped around her makes her feel warm, safe, secure, and still. Feelings she hasn’t had in a long time. “Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Flash says reassuringly. “You’ve performed in front of people before, this isn’t any different.” “But those times I was performing music,” says Sunset with waning confidence, “I wasn’t talking about statistics.” “Ha. Fair enough,” says Flash with a chuckle, “but you’ve prepared for this. Since you started on this project two weeks ago, you’ve been a well oiled machine.” He walks around in front of her, stops, and looks her in the eye with both hands on her shoulders. “You’ve conducted your experiments, you have your results, and you’ve made your presentation. All you have to do is talk for five minutes, and then you’ll be done.” “But what if my research wasn’t good enough?” Sunset argues. “What if I fail?” She looks down at the ground with a lack of self-assurance. Flash gently lifts her chin up to get her to look at him. “The final grade be damned,” he says. “You poured your head, heart, and hands into this project. If your teacher doesn’t recognize that, then that’s her loss.” His words bring waves of needed relief and confidence to Sunset. He can be a goofball, but he sure knows his way with words, Sunset thinks. She closes her eyes, takes in a deep breath, opens her eyes, and gives Flash a smile of confidence. “Alright, I can do this,” she says. “I can do this!” “That the spirit,” Flash says with a growing grin. He walks back around to her left side and the two continue their walk to AP Stats. It doesn’t take long until the two reach their destination. They stop in front of the door, facing the entrance. “You got this Sunset,” Flash says, patting her back. Sunset takes a few steps towards the entrance then stops. She turns around, walks back toward Flash, then wraps her arms around, holding him close, the side of her face pressed against his chest. “Thank you, for everything,” she says, “I couldn’t have done this without you.” The action catches Flash off guard, but he quickly adapts. He wraps his arms around her and rests his head on her shoulder. “You’re welcome,” he responds. The two hold each other for a few seconds, letting their emotions take over. Not newly born emotions, but ones that have been buried for a long time and are finally being resurrected. An old flame, long thought to have been blown out, being rekindled. “Ahem,” a voice calls from behind them. They pull apart and look at the source of the voice, it’s Vice Principal Luna. “Ms. Shimmer, Mr. Sentry,” she says in a stern tone. “Need I remind you about the school’s policy regarding public displays of affection?” “No ma’am,” they both say with looks of embarrassment. “Good,” says Luna, maintaining her strict persona. “I’d rather not give two of our Magna Cum Laudes detention six weeks from graduation.” She walks pass the two students, leaving them to wallow in their embarrassment. After a brief moment of awkward silence, Flash and Sunset look at each other and chuckle. “Well, I better head into class,” says Sunset stifling her laughter. “Yeah, I should head to class as well,” says Flash. “I’ll see you at lunch?” “Yes, I’ll meet you in the caf,” Sunset responds. The two bid each other farewell for now. Sunset heads into her classroom while Flash makes his way further down the hall to his next class. The bell rings, signaling the end of the second block. The students file out of their classroom. Some make their way to the cafeteria for lunch while others head to their third class for the day. Flash is one of the last students to walk out of his class. He makes his way to the cafeteria, trying to weave through the crowded halls. When he reaches the entrance for the caf, he’s suddenly stopped when a force from behind pulls on him. He turns around to see the source of this force. Sunset is standing in front of him, beaming with joy. “Hey, what’s going on?” he asks. “How did your presentation go?” Sunset doesn’t say anything, only handing him a sheet of paper. Flash takes a look at the paper: it’s a grading rubric with six different subjects. He looks down the list and sees the numbers listed. Original Topic:10/10 Research: 9/10 Experiment: 9/10 Presentation: 10/10 Slide Show: 4/5 Time: 5/5 Total: 47/50, 94% “Good Job!” Flash’s eyes widen; he looks at Sunset, looks back at the paper, then back at Sunset. Excitement grows on his face. Without thinking, he picks Sunset up and swings her around, both of them laughing ecstatically. “I knew you could do it!” Flash says. He sets her down and asks her, “Were you nervous?” “I was internally screaming the entire time,” says Sunset, giggling. “But once I got started, it was smooth sailing from there.” “And it shows,” he says, holding up the paper. “I’m so proud of you!” Rarity and Applejack come running up to Flash and Sunset, catching their breath. “Woo,” Applejack exhales, “finally caught up to you, Sunset. You ran out of that classroom faster than a prize horse out of a derby gate.” “I presume you already told him about your grade?” Rarity asks Sunset, noticing Flash and Sunset’s elated faces while fixing her hair. “She did,” Flash responds, “and I couldn’t be more proud of her!” He wraps his arm around her back and pulls her in for a tight side hug. Sunset reaches across him and takes back her rubric. “Come on, let’s go tell the rest of the gang,” she says. She pulls herself away from the side hug and walks into the cafeteria with her other three friends. The four of them walk over to their usual table where Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Soarin are already sitting, enjoying their lunch and company. The four place their bags in their chairs, marking their spots. Before they go off to get their food, Sunset places the rubric in the center of the table for all to see. Twilight is the first to pick it up and look at it. Her eyes widen and her smile grows when she sees the total grade. “You got a ninety-four?” she shouts with elation, causing some eyes in the caf to look at the group. Sunset smiles and nods vigorously. Twilight passes the paper around to everyone else at the table, each one making similar faces of joy and elation. They each congratulate Sunset on her achievement. “Dang, you nailed that project!” says Rainbow Dash. “Nice job, looks like having Flash as a tutor really helped,” says Soarin. “Hey Flash, maybe you should consider majoring in teaching.” “Absolutely not,” says Flash, holding up his hands. “Wow Sunset, you rock, woohoo,” says Fluttershy in her usual gentle tone, but still pumping her fist for emphasis. “OH! MY! GOSH!” shouts Pinkie Pie. “Do you know what this calls for? A PARTY!” “Uh Pinkie?” Rarity says tapping Pinkie’s shoulder. “Have you forgotten about…” Rarity motions her head towards Flash, reminding Pinkie about his plan. Pinkie gives a look of confusion for a brief second but then remembers what Rarity is referring to. “Oooooohhhh riiiiiiiight,” Pinkie says with a grin and an exaggerated wink towards Flash. Flash gives a nod towards Rarity, mentally thanking for her controlling the party animal. Sunset looks back and forth between the three of them with a suspicious look. “What’s going on?” she asks. “Why don’t we get some food?” Flash suggests. “I’ll tell you while we’re in line.” Flash and Sunset walk off from the rest of the gang to get in line. As the rest of the group watches the two walk off, Rainbow crosses her arms and looks over at Applejack with a smug look on her face. “So Applejack,” Rainbow says pridefully, “we gave them a small push and now things are finally moving along. Still think getting more involved is a bad idea?” Applejack looks over at the young couple. It’s hard to deny what’s right in front of her. That small push from Rarity and Rainbow Dash certainly has increased the pace. “It certainly looks like it helped,” Applejack admits. “But I can’t help but feel that things are moving a mite too fast.” “Come on Applejack,” Pinkie pipes in, “Flash and Sunset have been moving closer and closer the past two weeks and tonight, they’ll finally get their happily ever after!” “Let’s not assume that will be the result,” Twilight says, trying to keep the situation grounded. “However, I do think that they will finally put their past behind them and rekindle the flames once more.” “Oh, I can not wait to see them together at prom,” Rarity gushes. “I made sure that their outfits perfectly coordinate with each other.” “They’re going to look so adorable,” Fluttershy says, joining in on the gushing as she clenches her hands in front of her chest in glee. Applejack places one hand on her hip and rubs the back of her neck with the other while looking at the ground with a look of concern. She then looks over at Soarin, who’s been mostly quiet during this discussion, letting the girls fangirl away. “Soarin,” she says nabbing his attention, “have you got anything to say about this?” Soarin looks over the couple then looks back at Applejack and shrugs. “I mean, I’m just happy to see my boy finally getting back together with the girl of his dreams,” Soarin says with a small smile of pride. “What harm can come from a small push of motivation?” Applejack sits down in her seat and leans on the table with a look of defeat. She now stands alone in her position. “I guess not much,” she says in a weary tone, punctuating it with a sigh. “Cheer up Applejack,” Rarity says placing a hand on her shoulder as she takes her seat. “Everything will work out just fine.” Applejack decides not to argue her point any further. She instead turns her attention the sack lunch in her backpack. The entire time she eats, though, she can’t help but get a bad feeling about tonight. She briefly looks over at the couple during the entire lunch, noticing how much they are enjoying each others company. I hope you’re right Rarity, Applejack thinks. For both their sakes.