Chapter 2: Solution
(Sweet Apple Acres)
The sun was just about dawning when Applejack came home. That trip to the Everfree forest was a long one – if not unproductive at the least. The warm embrace of the sun made her forget about those marshy swamplands. If Celestia was willing, nobody would’ve noticed her missing from the house all night all. It was exhausting to get back. Luckily apple-bucking season was still a few months away which gave her and the family more time to tend to the animals and the smaller crops. Won’t have to worry about those orchards until then. Heck, if she can do her chores early, Granny Smith might even give her the afternoon off.
But first she needed to get this forest muck off her body. A good shower by the barn should do the trick. They had that new one installed just this month to wash the cows but the family use it too for that warm morning touch. With all the money they made out of that Hooverton contract, Granny Smith has been splurging a lot on the farm. She even had plans to add another wing to the house. Something akin to a game room.
A good shower should do me some good. The Earth Pony thought to herself. Anything to distract myself from this wretched feeling bubbling in my chest about…
“BIG MAC!?” She screamed out loud when she bumped onto that stallion who came out of the showers looking haughty and nice. “Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what in the world were you doing in there!?”
The red pony raised a brow. “Uh… shower?”
No duh Applejack! Why else would a pony go into a shower to begin with!? You stupid nincompoop!
“Oh… right.” There it was again. That feeling in her chest. Her heart was thumping. Just looking was more than enough to get a reaction out. And that smell. He smelled like a fresh batch of daisies on Fluttershy’s garden – or was that the new shampoo they got? Oh crap! How long has she been standing there looking like an idiot? Uh oh. He’s looking back. He’s tilting his head. Come on, say something already!
“So… how’s your morning been?” Yes perfect! No suspiciousness there.
Big Mac looked around him and shrugged. “It’s just starting… I guess?”
“Uh right…” Crudderhead, she didn’t think what to say after that. Come on brain, think of something! You have to get me out of this rut.
“You wanna use the shower?” He asked.
“Uh. No. I’m good.”
“Really? The water’s still warm.”
“No no. I’m not all that sweaty yet.”
“Oh… ok.” Big Mac nodded. “Hey you seen turkey?”
“Ah… what?”
“Turkey.” Big Mac repeated. “One of our turkeys gone missing.”
“Uh… no?”
“Ok. Where were you?” The big guy asked switching the questioning as suddenly as it came.
“M… me?”
“Eeyup.” He nodded. “Didn’t see you in bed this morning.”
“Oh…” Crud, she must’ve left her room open when she snuck out last night. Quick! Make an excuse. Anything! “Oh well you know me. Aheh… I like to wake up at the crack of dawn and get a good exercising done. A perfect workout to get ready for apple bucking season, right?” He didn’t look convinced. More like her excuse just drew even more suspicion.
“Eeyup?” He slowly approached, touching her head with his.
“Uh… big brother? Whadyadoin?”
“You feeling alright?” Big Mac asked. “You’re looking kinda red.”
Red? Wait… was she blushing? Oh no! She was! She could already feel her freckles turning redder than the juiciest apple in the orchard! Calm… CALM!
“W… well you’re pretty red yourself!” She countered, quickly pushing him away using more force than necessary landing the guy in a stack of hay. “Oh… sorry there. I was just umm…”
“Big Mac? Applejack? Is that you?” Oh thank Celestia for small mercies. Granny Smith was here with Apple Bloom by her side. “Aren’t you supposed to be making breakfast?”
“R… right. Sorry granny. I’m on it.” She was about to bolt off when granny stopped her.
“Now hold on there. Now that we’re all here, I thought about giving you some big news.” The trio siblings looked at her with a questioning look.
“Big news?” Applejack asked uneasily. “This ain’t another big contract, is it? I think I’ve had enough travel for a while.”
“No of course not. Not all news are that good.” Granny Smith grinned. “I got a letter from Grand Pear yesterday. Looks like that old coot fell and gone and broke his leg.” Does she always start off her good news with bad incidents? Applejack couldn’t tell.
“What!?” Apple Bloom gasped. “Is he ok? Is it serious? Does he need help? Are they gonna cut off his leg?”
“Hold your yabbling. I ain’t done yet.” Granny scolded. “Grand Pear’s fine. Mostly.” She added that last part holding a spit in. “But the problem is that he’s trying to set up a new farm right down in Stalliotopolis. A ripe opportunity. Heard he got a sweet deal on a good plot of land there.”
“Stallio…what?” Applejack tilted her head in question. “I’ve never heard of that place before. And I’ve been to a lot of places.” From the Crystal Empire to Canterlot.
“Stalliotopolis! It’s this huge city on the other side of Equestria about a week away from Ponyville. Grand Pear wants someone to help get the farm started. Planting and digging and building. It’s gonna be a long backbreaking work.”
“I’ll say. Remember how we wanted to expand the farm this one time? It took us months just to get those seeds planted. And expanding the barn to take all of’em.”
“Eeyup.”
“Exactly. Which is exactly why I volunteered you two.”
“WHAT!?” Applejack gasped.
“I said I volunteered you two!”
“You volunteered us? Without telling us? You do understand what volunteer means, right?”
“Course I do It’s umm…”
“Granny. I really want to help Grand Pear, but these apples are gonna sprout in a few months. We need to be here when harvest day comes. And building a whole farm seems like too much of a job even for Big Mac and me. I mean we are amazing but even we got limits.”
“Oh relax. I’ve seen you handle tougher things than a few trees. You’ll be fine.”
“Wait.” Apple Bloom protested. “Does that mean you guys will be gone all summer?”
“Eeyup.”
“Oh I don’t want that! I wanna be with my big bro and big sis.”
“Hold your worries there, sugar cube. We ain’t decided to go anywhere just yet. That’s just granny’s wrinkles talking.” Applejack reassured her. “Volunteering requires that we agree as well.”
“Eeyup.”
Granny Smith sighed. “Alright fine. But the trip ain’t until next week. So if you change your mind, just give me a holler.”
I wouldn’t hold on that happening any time soon grandma. Can you imagine starting up a whole farm all on their own? Applejack knows that they’re capable of amazing things but there are times when she needs to put her hooves down. It would just be her and Big Mac and no one else across acres of empty field. They’ll be bucking trees and pears while planting new ones. And when the day was done they’d sit by the fireplace snuggling toge…
What!? No! Bad brain! Pull yourself together! You’re supposed to go against what the heart wants! Don’t make me come in there and whack some sense in you myself!
“Big sis? You ok?”
“Y… yeah. I’m fine. Just the thought of all that work got me all hungry. Wanna help me whip up some pancakes?”
“You bet! What about you Big Mac?”
“Eeyup!” Of course he’d never say no to food.
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Ok Applejack. Forget last night. Just focus on cooking. No need to talk about all this nonsense about love and hearts. Recite the recipe in your head. That should clear things up. First we get the milk and egg and… wait…
“Hey. Where are all the milk?” She quickly scanned the kitchen. She was sure that they just milked the cows yesterday. Unless someone was really thirsty, it had to be around here.
“Up there.” Apple Bloom pointed upward towards the bucket which hung over the cupboard.
Granny must’ve put it there by mistake. It was a habit of hers. She’d always put things in high places so that other ponies wouldn’t be able to reach it. She still thinks that they were kids and needed protection from anything that can choke them.
“Tarnation. I keep telling Granny that she needs to stop putting things in high places – or at the very least put them somewhere where we can actually reach.” She groaned. “Alright. I’ll get the ladder. Big Mac you can start off with theyoooohhwaaahh!” Her brother on the other hand had a better idea. Before she even knew it, Big Mac got beneath her and raised her up on his back.
“Awesome!” Apple Bloom cheered from the table. “You’re real strong Big Mac.”
“Eeyup.”
“Yeah. Good for you. Mind giving me a heads up next time?” Ah crud. It was that feeling again. Her heart was thumping. No. NO! Not now you stupid heart. Just grab the milk and go down slowly. No need to be weird.
“Bkah?”
“GAHH! Turkey!” Just as she grab the milk bucket, one of the farm’s turkey suddenly appeared behind it scaring her off balance. She fell right on top on Big Mac with the milk spilling over her head and the turkey itself flying off through the window, its feathers decorating them like tribal decors while it shot one egg out for each of them.
“Turkey!” Big Mac realized. “Found’em.”
Right… the missing turkey.
Dang it.
“What in the…?” Granny walked into the mess. “Are you guys making breakfast or is breakfast making you?” Ugh… good one grandma. Never gonna live that one down. “Good grief. That’s one heck of a mess you made.”
“Yes. We noticed Granny.”
“Well don’t just sit there like a bunch of lazy potatoes. Get out of here and wash up. I’ll handle the breakfast part.”
“Again?” Big Mac whined.
“Yes Big Mac. Again. No scoot.”
Dagnamit…
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Brrr… it’s freezing. Maybe she should’ve taken Big Mac’s offer this morning when the water was still warm. Perhaps they could petition granny to get a water heater. They did have the money for it. Heck, she’d even install it herself.
Stupid darn turkey hiding in the cupboard. It always was a wild one but never too smart. If it wanted to run away it would’ve chosen a better route – or better yet, run all the way to the Everfree forest and get itself eaten. Less work and less worry for her and her family.
And now to wipe this yolk out of her mane with… uh…
“Oh for the love of Celestia. Where in the world is the shampoo!? Doesn’t anypony put things where they’re supposed to be?”
“Soap?” Big Mac offered from the adjacent stall. A whole lotta bits but Granny Smith says that they can’t afford private shower stalls.
“No. The other bottle.” She repeated which the boy quickly corrected. “Thanks.”
“Need help?”
“No. I can wash my own mane, thank you very much. You don’t have to coddle me all the time you big lug-ow!” What the heck? Did her leg flinch again? “Oh for love of… what now?”
“Uh oh.” Big Mac noted. “Old wound from the trip.” What? No. That can’t be right. That ache healed weeks ago. It couldn’t have popped up again just from one fall. Applejack tried to wash her mane again but the pain returned making her grunt and groan.
“Dagnamit.”
“Need help?”
“No! I can do this… on… my… ow!” She seethed her breath between her teeth as the pain surged in again and again. “Tarnation. Confounding little…!”
“Hmph!” It went on for a good minute before Big Mac finally intervened.
“Ah! Hey! What’s the big idea?”
“I’m helping.”
“Well I’ll be the judge of tha-oooww!” Damn it leg! Now even her body wasn’t complying with her. She tried to reach out but there was little she could do with a bum leg. Heck she probably couldn’t even resist even if she tried. Big Mac was simply too strong for her.
Sensing a drop on her resistance, Big Mac quickly began scrubbing her mane, letting the shampoo run its course. It was… soothing to say the least.
“Just so we’re clear. I’m just letting you scrub me. I can still do it on my own.”
“Eeyup.” Silly stallion. Always there to give a hoof even when no one asked for it. This little situation kinda reminds her of when they were just little foals. But of course they didn’t exactly have showers back then, just a large bucket that they shared. The two of them would take turns scrubbing each other’s mane laughing all day long. Heh… thinking back they must’ve been adorable together.
“Feelin’better?”
“Yup. A little lower.” The big guy complied lowering the brush down to her back which tickled her spine. “Heh… it ain’t the same as the spa treatment with Rarity but a pony could get used to this free pampering.”
“Eeyup.”
…
Applejack enjoyed the little treatment for a while, savoring the feeling. But as it wore on, her heart began to thump again. She can only guess that this whole close proximity with the big stallion behind her was the cause. And the shower she was having along with the free back scrub wasn’t helping her case either.
“Say… Big Mac.”
“Eeyup?”
“I was kind of wondering. Had you ever thought of… your love life recently?”
“Nope.”
“Really?”
“Eeyup.”
Applejack groaned. She enjoyed the fact that her brother talked less. It made him a great pony to whine and complain but the downside is that his list of vocabulary was very limiting. Getting a sentence out of him was like trying to get a rock to talk. Though… in some cases a rock might actually hold a more interesting conversation than him.
“Wh… what about Sugar Belle? I thought you two hit it off.”
“Eeyup.”
“So why haven’t I seen her around these days? Is she on vacation or something?”
“Nope.” He shrugged. “Broke up.”
“Oh…” She paused for a bit before the words dawned on her. Her mouth lit up like a Christmas tree. “Wait what!? You broke up!?”
“Eeyu-”
“Don’t you ‘eeyup’ me, Mister!” A hoof to the face stopped him. “You had a major breakup and you didn’t bother to tell your dear old little sister?”
“Nope.”
“What happened? Was it a bad pie at the Ponyville fair?”
“Nope.”
“Was she mingling with another stallion behind your back?”
“Nope.”
“Did she unleashed some ancient horrible monster from beyond the grave and had it possess her to do unspeakable deeds!?”
“Uh…… nope?”
“Well then what did happen?”
Again the boy shrugged. “We drifted apart.”
“But I don’t understand. You guys looked so happy during the spring holiday!” He nodded back and sealed his mouth shut. Applejack wanted to press the issue but knew better for her brother to open up on something that big. “Boy. I never really noticed. I’m uh… really sorry Big Mac.”
“Meh.” He waved it off. “Things happen.”
Things happen? That’s his reason? Come on. You can’t just leave something juicy on the table and not expect anyone to just pick it up for themselves.
“So uh… I guess… you’ll be out for a new special-some-pony?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. But not right now.”
Oh… that’s good. No! Bad! The good kind of bad! Arghh! That didn’t make sense! Why was her brain melting off!? Why was she subconsciously happy that her brother was a bachelor again!?
Knowing that he was up for grabs in the market made her more conscious of her presence. And suddenly enough the water didn’t seem all that cold anymore. No. It was more like her body was heating up. She was definitely turning red. She could practically feel it on her skin.
“You sure you’re ok Applejack? You’re turning really red.” Again her brother pressed his head against hers and she swore that she was getting so hot that the shower was becoming a steam bath all on its own!
“It’s nothing really. Just the uh… water and light playing tricks on you, that’s all.” He wasn’t convinced and got in closer.
“Is something bugging ya?” He asked worryingly. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”
Oh no. She can’t resist it. Her heart was thumping. Their close proximity was making her knees wobble. At this rate she might just… pounce…
“I need to go somewhere!” She burst out loud, suddenly tossing Big Mac off. “I uh… gotta run! I forgot something really important!”
“Wait! What about breakfast?”
(Everfree forest outskirts)
Dang gone jahuzafat! That was not how she wanted that conversation to end. But at this rate she could probably forgive herself. Her heart was pacing to the point that it was about to explode – or maybe that was because she ran so fast.
Damn it. Why did she feel this way? There was deep resenting sensation going on in her mind lately. For a moment there she actually felt calm, peaceful and maybe even… super happy. Every time Big Mac brushed her mane, touched her skin or even speak softly to her, her body immediately lights up. And worse still was the fact that she actually enjoyed it.
Every fiber of her being was complaining why she ran when she could’ve savored that little slice of paradise. Maybe because it was wrong and immoral? She tried to convince herself but that didn’t stop her heart from trying to claw its way out of her chest.
Zecora can’t brew her potion fast enough. If this keeps up she’ll end up doing something she’ll regret. What if the next time she sees Big Mac and she loses control? She’ll have to rip off her own legs to keep that from happening.
Haaa… ok calm down. The moment’s passed. Just take in the fresh air. The smell of lavender was soothing for her.
Where was she anyway? She ran so fast that she didn’t have time to chart a course. She just went through the road and didn’t look back. There was something familiar though. And the scent. Oh! Wait. There’s only one place in Ponyville that smelled this relaxing. And judging from all the animals around, she must be near Fluttershy’s place.
She opted to go back but found herself conflicted. Perhaps Zecora was right. She might actually have to talk to her friends about this situation. And out of everyone in her circle, Fluttershy was the most understanding – or at the very least the most open-minded of the group. Heck if she can make friends with the High Lord of Chaos himself, her situation must look tame in comparison.
Yeah… that did sound pretty good. Maybe this could turn out for the better.
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“YOU WHAT!!!!?” Or perhaps a complete and total disaster. “YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH WHO!?”
“Shhh! Quiet down.” Applejack hushed her which the Pegasus quickly complied.
“I’m… I’m so sorry. That was very rude of me. I shouldn’t have yelled.” Fluttershy apologized, taking a deep breath. It must’ve been a pretty heavy bomb to drop so suddenly on such a normal day. And you know that it was serious if the most soft-spoken pony in the world broke her own personal sound barrier. “It’s just… you took me by surprise that’s all.”
“I don’t blame you. It’s really unnatural.”
“Very unnatural.” Gee… she could at least try to lessen the load. “I’ve seen complicated love before but… with your own brother?”
“Yeah yeah. I know. You don’t have to point it out.” Applejack grumbled. “I’m already feeling weird enough as it is. I don’t suppose you can help me, do you?”
Fluttershy shook her head but then hastily poured up two cups of tea for herself and her guest. “Well… I’m not really sure if this qualifies. I mean I have solved several relationship issues with some of my animal friends but us ponies are completely different in that regard.”
“I’m willing to try something at this point.”
“Well… have you at least told Big Mac how you feel?”
AJ coughed. “Oh heck no! That’ll just make things a whole more awkward between us. It’s already hard enough to keep all of this bottled in as it is.”
“The base of any relationship is communication.” She reasoned. “You can’t expect anything to be done if you two don’t express yourselves to one another. Remember our times with the Kirin tribe?”
“Yeah. But there are just some things you just don’t say to folk.” Applejack pointed out. “I mean… what would I do if Big Mac finds my confession weird? We’ll never be able to look each other in the eye! Then the rift between us will only get bigger and bigger that we can’t stand being in the same room together. We’ll start to fight, argue and fight! Then one of us will have to move, then our workload would increase, the farm will go under and then Granny, Apple Bloom and me will have to find other pastures to graze on! It’ll be a total disaster!”
“Hmm… that is a good point. A teeny big of exaggeration but a good point nonetheless. But what about Big Mac? How does he feel?”
“How should I know? You know he doesn’t say much nowadays. Even now I just discovered that he and Sugar Belle broke up.”
“They did?” Fluttershy gasped along with her pet rabbit. “When did this happen?”
“A while now.”
“That’s strange. They looked so happy the last time I saw them together.”
“That’s what I said! But then he told me that they just drifted apart. I hope it wasn’t because of something I did.”
“I seriously doubt you are the one at fault Applejack. But regardless, we’re drifting off topic. This is about you after all.”
The apple nodded. “So… you’ll help me?”
“Of course. But I’m afraid this problem is too big for the two of us to tackle by ourselves. We will need all of our friends to put our brains together to figure out a solution.”
“What!? No!” Applejack bolted towards the door using her own body to barricade it. “You can’t! They’ll never understand!”
“Applejack please. They are our friends. Trust them.”
“But I’m not ready to go… public with this! I’m… not sure.”
“We’ve dealt with many problems before together. This shouldn’t be any different. Besides, I’m sure they’ll be more understanding than me.”
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“Scandalous! Outrageous! Absolutely atrocious!” Or maybe not. “This is heinous. I don’t think there are enough insults in the dictionary to voice this situation!”
“Rarity, enough.” Twilight spoke up, resting her wings on the floor. “I think Applejack is sulking enough without adding insult to her injury. I mean look at her. She’s already feeling terrible for holding these affections.”
“And she should be. These immoral emotions she possess should be taken to the moon and left there to rot for all eternity.”
“Whoa. Easy on the vocabulary there.” Rainbow Dash opted. “They kinda hurt.”
“Even I’m feeling the sting.” Spike agreed, seething his dragon teeth.
“I think it’s really sweet!” Pinkie squealed. “Love should be celebrated, not constipated. I say go with your gut.”
“I still find it absolutely revolting my dear. And I’m allowed to voice my opinion on this matter.”
Twilight agreed somewhat. “I’ll admit, this problem is strange on a certain level.”
“On any level.” Pinkie added. “On a super duper level!”
Yup… a totally different level.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” Applejack sighed walking out. “I’ll just head on home. This doesn’t involve you ponies.”
But Twilight quickly used her magic to shut the door. “No no. Please don’t go Applejack. You called us for us, and as your friends we will do whatever we can to help you. And we won’t judge. Right Rarity?” The rest of the gang darted at the fashionista who rolled her eye in agreement.
“Fine. I’m sorry. I won’t say more.”
“Good. Besides, this shouldn’t be any different from what we normally do as Princesses.” Twilight nodded back. “So anyone got any ideas?”
They were silent for a while. Solutions never did come as often as problems do.
“I always believe that communication is key to solving any problems.” Fluttershy opened up. “I say we should have Applejack open up to Big Mac.”
“I already said that I’m not doing that.”
“But…”
“No.”
Fluttershy sighed but didn’t argue any further.
“Ooook?” Twilight continued. “Anyone else?”
“Why don’t we use some of your magic?” Rainbow Dash suggested. “Don’t you know some kind of spell that’ll just make this go away? Sounds pretty simple like a reverse-love potion or something.” Ha. At least someone here was making headway. Thankfully Applejack already had someone working on that.
“I don’t think magic is the solution here.” And Twilight shattered that hope. “Emotions are powerful reagents and very complex. One wrong brew or a single error in incantations could have unwanted affects. I think we should stick to the normal things we do. Something without magic.”
“I don’t suppose you can just bury these feelings and move on?”
“Believe me, I’ve tried.” Applejack replied sulking. “But it just pops back up in the worst possible time. If this keeps up I don’t think I’ll be able to hold myself back.”
“How about a pie?” Pinkie put in her two bits, showing the said pastry. “A side of apple pie always lets me forget about the worst things that ever happened to me.”
“No… but thanks… I guess?”
“Oh well I tried. Nom nom nom nom!”
“Come on friends, focus.” Twilight called out. “Applejack came to us for help. Don’t let her down.”
“No offense Twilight but we’re not exactly relationship experts.” Rainbow Dash reminded them. And obviously they were not. The gang can mend friendship and misunderstandings on a daily basis. But when it came to love – especially odd love – they were no better than rookies. “Maybe we should look for an expert. Someone who actually knows love more than we do. Maybe… the mayor or…”
“No!” Applejack hastily protested. “No more. I don’t want anyone else to know about this! Honestly I’d really prefer if we just kept this between us ponies.”
“Ahem…”
“And you too Spike.” She sighed. “Look. This is already humiliating for me. So… please don’t.”
“We won’t, Applejack.” Twilight swore. “We completely understand. Don’t we?” The others nodded in supporting agreement. “So… does anyone have any experience with… well… love?” Eyes rolled around for a brief moment before they all settled to Rarity who stood at her own corner.
Sensing their stares, the unicorn groaned and hesitantly decided to agree. “Fine. I suppose I can help.” She approached Applejack. “I apologize for my earlier outburst but you must understand that your confession left me somewhat perplexed darling.”
“You’re telling me.”
“But it seems like we are doing this all wrong.” The unicorn continued. “Instead of tackling your problem head-on with a solution, perhaps we should look at the root of the problem instead.” The gang looked around confused. “Tell me Applejack. What is it that you want?”
“What I want?”
“Yes darling. What is it you want? Do you truly desire Big Mac in such a way?”
“What? No! Of course not.”
“Then tell us. What is it you want?”
“I want to stop feeling like this!” She shouted. “I want to look at Big Mac without my heart trying to rip through my chest. I want to not feel for him. I want things to go back to normal. To the way they were before this! I want to be with Big Mac as a family. Nothing more.”
The gang froze up quietly at her little outburst but Rarity, strangely enough, was smiling. “Well I think we’re making progress here.”
“Really?” Rainbow Dash questioned.
After recovering, Rarity trotted around her depressed friend. “Tell me Applejack. How many stallions do you actually know?”
The cowgirl pony looked back, inquisitively. “What’s that got to do with this?”
“Just answer the question dear. I need to know how many stallions you actually know. With the exception of your family naturally, how many stallions have you formed bonds with? Like… close relationships.”
Applejack gave it a moment’s thought. If she had to exclude her family, she would say…
“Well other than a few guys in Ponyville here and there. Then… almost none.”
“AHA!” Rarity’s face beamed. “Then we found the root of the problem!”
“We did?” Twilight asked.
“Of course my dear. It seems so obvious now. This ridiculous affection you have built for your brother is the result of your lack of relationships with other stallions. You don’t truly ‘Love’ him but rather it’s because you have no one else to go to. Big Mac is the only stallion that you’ve ever truly bonded with. That’s why you’re feeling this way.”
That sounds stu…
“That… kind of make sense.” Twilight!? You actually agree with this crackpot idea? “You’ve been hanging out with Big Mac for so long… you actually begin to see him as something more.”
“I don’t think relationships work that way.” Rainbow Dash looked unconvinced.
But Rarity seemed to believe so. “You’re more than welcome to correct me. Or do you have some other explanation for this oddity?” Their silence answered her question.
“So what should I do then?”
“Well the answer is simple.” The seamstress answered giddily. “You need to find another stallion in your life. Someone fresh. Someone new! Someone to take your heart away, sweep you off your hooves and run into the sunset.” That last bit almost sound like a horsenapping incident but no one thought to correct her. “We can put your heart back on track and forget all this nonsense on your brother.”
Find a life partner? The thought never crossed Applejack before. She always knew that she would eventually find someone to fill her life and run the farm together. The family was always growing bigger and she was expected to contribute one way or another. She just didn’t expect it to come so quickly.
“Isn’t that a little too hasty Rarity?” Twilight said. “I mean this is love. You can’t force someone to be a special-some-pony. Relationship has to be built with time. Allow it to grow and develop on its own.”
“I agree.” Fluttershy added. “Having a special-some-pony is a sacred tradition that can’t be rushed.”
“I don’t suppose either of you have any other ideas to provide then?” Rarity challenged back which they couldn’t really confront.
“Still… this solution of yours is a bit…”
“No. Rarity’s right.” AJ spoke up much to everyone’s surprise. “I’ve been isolated in the farm for too long. With all my chores and apple-bucking, I’ve never really had the chance to do all this… playdate. It’s always just been me and my family. It’s time I did something about that.”
“Excellent!”
Twilight looked to her uncertain. “Are you sure about this Applejack?”
“No. But if I don’t do something about this feeling, I might do something I might regret. Maybe meeting someone new will help me sort this feeling out.” She scratched her cheeks shyly as she spoke. “So uh… I don’t suppose you ponies know of any stallion out there looking for a country girl like me, do ya?”
“Leave everything to me, my dear.” Rarity offered with glamor. “I know every pony in Ponyville and know every bachelor and bachelorette there is. Give me a few hours and I’ll set up everything for tonight.”
“Tonight?!”
“Absolutely. We can’t let you off with that ridiculous feeling burrowing in your chest. That simply won’t do. The sooner we get this done the sooner you can forget about Big Mac. I’ll even reserve a place in that fancy restaurant at the edge of town. It’ll be magical.”
“Nothing too fancy I hope.” Applejack trembled. “So… how does this work? Do I do my mane differently? Wear some fancy dress.”
“Of course not darling. This is a dinner date, not a gala. No need to put the extra effort. Just be your beautiful charming self.” Rarity paused as she turned over to her other friends. “But I may require some assistance from the rest of you. That is… if you’re willing to help.”
The girls and Spike cheered in agreement.