//------------------------------// // 153. Just Say "I Love You" // Story: Azure Edge // by Leaf Blade //------------------------------// Pinkie Pie had her head all slumped on the table of like an outdoor eating area of a cute little milkshake shop. There were only a few other ponies in the eating area, but there were a ton of ponies going to and fro on the street nearby; Bitsburgh was a pretty busy town since it was one of the biggest mercantile towns in northern Equestria. And normally Pinkie would be pleased as punch to just sit around people watching, especially since the winter snow did such an amazing job covering the town in a layer of marshmallowy fluffy goodness, but right now all Pinkie wanted to watch was Fluttershy, and she wasn’t here. “Hey, Pinkie,” Applejack said as she walked over to Pinkie’s table, two big cups in hand; and hearing her voice immediately made Pinkie sit upright with a big smile on her face, partly cuz she loved Applejack so much but also cuz Applejack had milkshakes! “I got yer strawberry cheesecake birthday cake cookies and cream milkshake you wanted.” “Yes! Gimme gimme gimme!” Pinkie beamed and held out her hands, wiggling her fingers in anticipation. Applejack handed Pinkie the milkshake and took a seat across the table from her, and Pinkie took a big gulping sip of the shake before sighing in contentment. “That’s real good.” “I’m gladja like it, hon,” Applejack chuckled and took a sip of her shake, and Pinkie made a very similar sigh to the one she just made from drinking the shake; she always loved when Applejack called her ‘hon’, it was so cute. “How’re you feelin’, by the way?” “Oh,” Pinkie deflated and flomped her chin onto the table again. “Ooh, that bad, huh?” Applejack bit her thumbnail, and while Pinkie didn’t want to worry Applejack, she couldn’t muster much more than a shrug in response. “Well at least yer hair ain’t deflatin’ yet, that’s a good sign.” “Oh, yeah, it’s not that bad!” Pinkie pushed herself up quickly with her hands and cringed. Just the thought of going full Depreche Mode made her stomach turn. “I just miss Fluttershy, y’know? I wanna be with her! But she’s off with Rarity, and I’m glad her and Rarity are having their moment, but I’m still sad and I miiiiss heeeerrr!” “I know, sugarcube, I know,” Applejack stood up and moved her chair over beside Pinkie’s, which was pretty impressive considering the chairs had been bolted to the ground. “Ooh.” Applejack winced when she noticed what she’d done, and Pinkie tried not to laugh. “Uhh, I’m sure we can fix that before we leave, right?” “Totally,” Pinkie nodded, grinning ear to ear. “Anyhoo,” Applejack sat in her chair and put an arm around Pinkie’s shoulders. “I know how you feel. I was the same way first time Rainbow Dash went on a Slayer mission after we started datin’. Girl, I was so stressed. “But then when she came home and I was holdin’ her in my arms, it was like none of that stress ever even happened. Everything was right in my world again. So just be patient with Fluttershy, okay? Soon enough y’all’ll be huggin’ and smoochin’ to yer heart’s content, I promise.” “You’re right,” Pinkie pouted and blew bubbles in her shake. “I know you’re right, but—” Pinkie’s cheeks puffed up and her face got all scrunchy and she just started bawling out of nowhere. “I miiiiiiiss heeeeer!!!” Pinkie cried, sobbing and weeping like a child being dragged out of the toystore. Pinkie half-expected Applejack to try to shush her, or turn her attention to the other ponies nearby who were staring at her and try to placate them— that’s what Pinkie’s parents would’ve done, heck that’s probably what Rarity would’ve done too— but Applejack didn’t. Applejack gave Pinkie a kiss on the nose, and wrapped her big strong arms around Pinkie, gently humming and rocking Pinkie back and forth. “It’s okay, sweetie,” Applejack whispered as Pinkie held onto her for dear life and sobbed into her chest. “I’ve gotcha.” Pinkie sniffed and took deep breaths, getting her emotions under control and steadying herself by holding onto the table. “Thanks, Applejack,” Pinkie giggled. “I needed that.” “Any time, Pinkie,” Applejack playfully slapped Pinkie’s back. Pinkie Pie cooed in awe as Applejack walked her around the town of Bitsburgh with Pinkie sitting on Applejack’s shoulder; Applejack had figured that’d be a pretty good way to help Pinkie get her mind off of Fluttershy after they finished their milkshakes and fixed the chair Applejack broke. And she was right! Mostly. Pinkie did think about Fluttershy for a moment as she was thinking what a good idea this was to get her mind off of Fluttershy. And then Pinkie started thinking about how all she really wanted to do was curl up in bed with Fluttershy, Pinkie humming in delight at the thought of her body pressed up against Fluttershy’s. But then she thought about Applejack again. It’d been a while since they’d slept in the same bed together, and Pinkie found she missed it. Applejack’s big strong comforting body was like the coziest comfort a girl could ask for, and Pinkie found herself yearning to have those strong arms wrapped around her and hear Applejack’s gentle snoozing snore playing in Pinkie’s ear like the sound of the ocean when you listen to a shell. Huh. Pinkie hadn't noticed before, but her sleeping experiences with Applejack and Fluttershy were so similar. Pinkie slept naked with both of them, and they both slept naked too, and they were both warm and soft and big. It was nice. And now Pinkie was blushing for some reason? That was weird, she never blushed when thinking about Applejack before, yet for some reason the thought of Applejack taking her to bed and cozying under the covers with her felt so tempting right now. She would’ve loved to be sleeping with Fluttershy right now, but she realized that she would be equally okay sleeping with Applejack too. And that was nice! And yet, it felt weird? Like there was a swarm of butterflies rumbling around in Pinkie’s tummy as she thought about Applejack. How funny, that’d never happened before. But then Pinkie was distracted from those Flutter Thoughts and Apple Thoughts by Applejack talking about how a local shopkeeper was obviously scamming their customers, right within earshot of said customers, causing all the customers to leave and Applejack and Pinkie to laugh at the fuming redheaded unicorn twins running the shop. It was funny watching Applejack point out super easily which shops in the big merchant city she thought were legit, and which ones she was convinced were scams, and Pinkie didn’t doubt her judgment for a second. And heck, Applejack probably would’ve gone to each and every scam shop and shook the shopkeeper around by their ears if she thought she could get away with it, and that was pretty funny too. Applejack was making small talk with Pinkie, and while she was trying to listen, she kept getting distracted; she thought Applejack was so cool and smart, and looking at her from above— which was only possible by sitting on top of her considering what a big chungus Applejack was— Pinkie couldn’t help noticing how beautiful Applejack was too. The way her cute blonde hair framed her face, the way her features were so strong and tough, like you could tell just by looking at her that she wasn’t a pony you should be messing with. And of course her face was dotted by all these cute little freckles that Pinkie just adored. Not to mention: BICC GORL! STRONK! LARGE PONY!! She was so cool. Fluttershy was cool too. Aw gosh dang it, now Pinkie was thinking about Fluttershy again! But how could she not, when Fluttershy and Applejack were so similar? Pinkie hadn't really thought about it before, but they really were similar weren’t they? They were both big, they were both cute, they were both girls… hm, maybe they weren’t that similar. But they were both beautiful, and cool, and fun to hang out with! They both made Pinkie feel safe around them, and seeing either of them made Pinkie’s heart go doki doki, and of course the thought of cozying up in bed with them was— Well it was almost like… Pinkie was… In lo— Oooooooooooohhhhhhh. WHAT?! “Y’alright there, Pinkie Pie?” Applejack asked, and when Pinkie realized she had like the goofiest disgruntled frown on her face, she laughed it off. “Yeah, I’m good,” Pinkie smiled at Applejack, and Applejack smiled back and Pinkie felt like her heart was gonna burst with emotion. “Hey, Applejack, you mind if I ask you something?” “Not at all, hon,” Applejack shrugged as she kept walking down the busy main road of Bitsburgh, “what’s on yer mind?” “What’s the difference between romance and friendship?” Applejack stopped in her tracks and looked up at Pinkie with an inquisitive furrowed brow. “What brought that on all of a sudden?” Applejack asked amusedly. “Oh, y’know,” Pinkie sweated and blushed, “just the brain doing its brain thing, jumping from thing to thing, you know how it is!” “Well that’s a good question, Pinkie Pie!” Applejack sat on a nearby bench, clearing the snow off of it before she sat down and Pinkie hopped off her shoulder to sit next to her. “Never really thought about it, to be honest. I guess I’d have to say uhhhh… “Ummm…” Applejack pondered. She opened her mouth to speak, but then thought better of it. “Hmmm…” she looked really pensive now. She was biting her thumb. “Uhhh…” “Yeah that’s what I thought too!” Pinkie laughed. “Like I said,” Applejack chuckled, her cheeks turning red as she rubbed the back of her neck, “I ain’t never really thought about it.” “I never thought about it either until recently,” Pinkie hummed, “when I started to think ‘oh, maybe there isn’t any difference’.” “I mean I guess you smooch yer romantic partners,” Applejack said. “And sleep in the same bed with them, yer okay bein’ intimate with them.” “We sleep in the same bed,” Pinkie said, and while she didn’t say ‘and I would love to smooch you’, she absolutely thought it loudly. “And we’re intimate all the time! We’ve touched bits!” “Our bits have definitely touched before,” Applejack nodded. “Not on purpose though, far as I know.” “Sure,” Pinkie shrugged, “I mean it’s not like we’ve swordfought or anything.” Applejack laughed, and Pinkie snorted out a laugh too. “We could though!” “Oh yeah,” Applejack scoffed, “that’s a great idea! I’d—” “Crush me like a grape,” Pinkie giggled. “Your sword’s practically bigger than my whole head!” “It is not!” Applejack screeched and her whole face turned bright red, but Pinkie couldn’t stop laughing, and Applejack started laughing too. “I’m just saying,” Pinkie said calmly, even though her whole body was practically shaking, “I’m not sure there is a difference for me.” “That’s cool, sugarcube,” Applejack pat Pinkie’s shoulder. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.” Pinkie smiled but on the inside she was groaning in frustration that Applejack wasn’t picking up on her hints. Just say ‘I love you’ to her! “I love you,” Pinkie said, and she swore she was gonna die from shock right on the spot. “I love you too, Pinkie,” Applejack said softly, smiling brightly at Pinkie. “We’ve been friends a long time, ‘course I love you!” Pinkie smiled as big as she could, but she was still screaming internally. No! I love you in the same way I love Fluttershy! How do you not get that?! Unless? She does get it? And doesn’t feel about me that way. Oooooh noooooo. Pinkie was jittering now. She could feel her hair about to start deflating. She needed an out; literally anything that could distract her or Applejack. “Oh hey is that Big Mac?!” Pinkie shouted at the top of her lungs, pointing in a completely random direction that she didn’t even bother to look in first. Applejack squinted and looked at where Pinkie was pointing, and she gasped. “Yeah, I think it is!” Applejack said incredulously, standing on her hooves in an instant. Pinkie had to do a double-take, staring in absolute bewilderment at Applejack before looking in the direction she pointed and yeah, seeing a towering red stallion in a fashionable brown cowboy hat walking through the crowd in the distance. Huh.