“Ah need yer help, Big Bro!” Apple Bloom cried out to me in front of the house. The little filly just returned from school today and came to me in a panic. I was just finishing up the last of the hay bales that needed to be done when she ran up to me. It was difficult to make sure none of the hay that stuck to my fur fell onto Apple Bloom’s pretty bow and mane.
My raised brow did much of the communication for me. Quickly conveying ‘What are you talking about?’ without a single word being uttered. Apple Bloom saw that brow and squirmed.
“Twist and her mom are doin’ decoratin’ work with Rarity for the Summer Sun Festival, and ah wanna help out! But Twist’s mom said that ah needed to have an adult come with, cuz they can’t watch fer me the entire time. Could ya come with, Macky?”
“Well that’s mighty nice o’ ya, Apple Bloom. Why don’t you ask Applejack? Ah got firewood to chop for the family comin’ soon.”
It was my expectation that Big Mac’s youngest sister would nod and run off to find Applejack. There was still a lot to prepare before the arrival of the Apple family, and even though I didn’t plan on being here when they arrived, I wasn’t about to shirk the responsibilities. That meant another busy day, and no time to help out Apple Bloom.
Or so I thought.
“That sounds like a great idea, Apple Bloom!” Applejack called out as she approached the two of us. Her smile was suspicious, very suspicious.
“Don’t ya think so, Applejack?” Apple Bloom said, and her smile became very similar to her older sister’s. There was something going on here…
“It’s too bad my big brother is too busy to go wit’ me today.” Apple Bloom whined. What are you doing-…?
“Oh now ain’t that too bad! Ah bet yer big brother would love to help out… You know what, Apple Bloom?”
Applejack gave Apple Bloom a knowing look. Whatever this was, it was rehearsed, prepared, planned and practiced before I even entered the picture. Applejack was already a terrible actor, and this was turning into the worst stage play I’ve ever seen.
“Why don’t ah take care of big brother’s work today?” Applejack said in her oscar worthy performance. If the Oscars had a worst performer award.
Don’t you dare, Applejack. “Ah got a lot to do to-“
“Uh huh, Uh Huh, lots of wood choppin’ and haulin’ to do today. Ah know. Don’t worry, Apple Bloom, yer big sister’ll take care of all that.”
“Oh really?” Apple Bloom feigned excitement, it was at least a better performance than Applejack’s. “Thank you so much, Bis Sis! Ah can’t wait to spend some quality time with my big bro!”
No. No. No, No, No. This wasn’t happening right in front of me. I wasn’t about to be coerced into a family hangout by the very pony I just confessed my deepest fears to. This was not happening before my very eyes. It took everything in my power to hold back a vicious glare towards Applejack. Surely she wouldn’t try to hurt me like this after last night.
I refused to look at Apple Bloom during this. One look at her direction would seal my fate. A staredown with Applejack was the only thing I could do. A faceoff until she finally gave up on this charade. She may have been a bad liar, but she was stubborn. So stubborn in fact, that Applejack wasn’t about to back down a single inch.
“Do ya not want ta come with me, Macky?”
A power that stood stronger than the winds of a hurricane whipped against my head and forced it down towards Apple Bloom. Everything else in the world fell to pieces underneath her big, beautiful orange eyes. An adorable beast that knew the power behind her sad expression had caught her prey, and wouldn’t release me until I gave in to her bewitching solicitation.
“… Nnnope, sugarcube, ah do. Ah’ll go with ya.”
The little filly squealed and jumped up and down. Her sadness immediately overtaken by pure, unfiltered joy. The corner of my vision caught the grin that Applejack wore now as well. A genuine smile unlike the performing one she had before. She was happy about this. Some choice words went through my head, but I dare not share them.
“Before we do anythin’, ah gotta talk to Applejack a minute. Could ya wait fer me inside?”
“Okay!” Apple Bloom said excitedly, and dashed off into the farm house. Immediately, my sights were set on that stetson wearing evil standing nearby. Who held that self same grin with such unashamed confidence.
“What in Celestia’s name was that?” I said at the lowest tone Big Mac and I’s voice could reach. It did not phase her. She continued to smile as she approached me.
“Hey, ya said Celestia instead o’ god. Startin’ to sound more pony by the day.” Applejack jested, it only made me angrier. Before I could begin to bite her head off for this, she leaned in close to whisper in my ear.
“She’s watchin’ from the window. Talk in the barn.”
A large pink bow stuck out from the window closest to them. The perfectly hidden filly just barely peeked her eyes above the window frame. The moment my eyes glanced in her direction, she ducked below the frame. Apple Bloom’s bow still stood up from it.
Nods were shared and we walked side by side into the barn. She closed the door behind us, and we waited to see if a big pink bow would pop out from anywhere. After a minute of finding zero bows in the vicinity, it was time to get to the bottom of this.
“Why did ya do that, Applejack?” Now I could properly glare at her, but it was short lived after I heard her response.
“She overheard us, Gabe,” Applejack said sternly, “Last night, durin’ our lil talk.”
Immediately, my face made the shape of an O. Eyes wide, mouth rounded, and anger evaporated. Apple Bloom overheard that conversation?! “How much of it?” I asked her.
“Bits an’ pieces. When it got loud at the end. Namely… when we were talkin’ about the whole ‘Gettin Rid’ business.”
My O became a long and worried Oooooooo… If there was anyone in this house I didn’t want to learn about this, it was Apple Bloom. I didn’t want Granny to know, but I’d at least believe that she wouldn’t tell every single pony in town about it. Apple Bloom however? The entire schoolyard would know tomorrow, and then every parent. Big Macintosh would never be looked at in the same way again.
“Ah know what yer thinkin’, Gabe, and it ain’t nearly as bad as yer makin’ out to be in that head of yours. Apple Bloom didn’t hear everythin’, and by Celestia’s mercy she didn’t hear yer name. What she did hear… well it made her scared that her big brother was leavin’ us.”
That hurt just as much as the other thought. “And that’s why ya did that?”
“Yup. She wants ta spend some time with her big brother and make sure he’s okay, since he hasn’t been very talkative lately. Apple Bloom made me do that whole scheme to rope ya into it,” Applejack said. The brow above my eye raised so incredibly high. Was there a time when Big Mac was talkative recently?
“But ah’m not her brother. Ah can’t be doin’ that.”
“Well you look like ‘im, talk like ‘im, and know all the same things Mac does. It’s either some quality time with her or she’s gonna get even more worried. She already thinks yer about to leave town.”
“Nnnope, that ain’t what ah mean, Applejack ah-“
“Don’t. Ah know what you meant. Look, we don’t gotta overthink this none. All ya gotta do is spend a day with Apple Bloom, and if ya do that she won’t worry about what she heard. She ain’t some detective tryin’ to figure out yer secrets, just an anxious lil’ filly like we once were, and you enjoyin’ a day with her with mah permission ain’t gonna steal nothin’ away from Mac. Understand?”
Applejack added “with my permission” very specifically. She knew my next argument would be that I was technically a stranger, and they shouldn’t leave strangers alone with children. That argument would have immediately been torn down when I remember that I had already walked Apple Bloom to school once, and been alone around her already. Giving permission to a “stranger”, with extra emphasis on the quotes, skipped that entirely.
I’ll never win with this mare, will I? She always has some sort of way to get the upper hoo-… hand. Even if I did get something on her, Applejack would be too stubborn to back down anyways. The worst part was that all the things she fought for were genuinely meant to help me. It really reminded me of…
Nevermind.
“Ahhhhlright.” I said with a huff.
That grin from before was on Applejack’s face again. Something told me at that moment that Apple Bloom overhearing us wasn’t the only reason that she went ahead with this trick. “Great ta hear it!” Applejack exclaimed, “Seriously, Gabe, don’t overthink it, and please, fer the love of all apples don’t beat yerself up if you have a good time with her.”
“Ah don’t hurt mahself.”
“Ya know what ah mean and ah’m not gonna take ya bein’ smart about it.”
Being a pony had one major advantage. Snorting had way more of an impact out of a pony’s snout. It had the ability to tell my entire feelings in one puff of hot air towards Applejack’s direction. Frustration, laughter, and defiance all in one shot from the nose. It was probably my favorite part of this whole body experience. Especially useful for a person who tries to talk as straightforwardly as possible.
In the end, even I couldn’t argue against this. It was just a day to reassure Apple Bloom that everything was okay with Big Macintosh. That was my goal, to make sure everybody believes Big Mac is alright. So that when he comes back he can live life normally. His family believing it was just as important. Dream Heart already scheduled another session for tomorrow, Big Mac was already found, a single day like this wouldn’t hurt.
“You’ll be okay, Gabe.” Applejack said, and as much as I stressed about it, I believed her.
Despite Apple Bloom’s excitement, she made no attempts to communicate with me on the way to Ponyville. Her expression would change from anxious side glances in my direction to bright smiles seemingly on a whim. There was a small idea in my head that thought to ask her about what she had heard specifically last night. An idea that I quickly popped and removed. It was better to do anything but that.
Soon, we were in Ponyville proper, and the town was in full swing for the Summer Sun Festival. Decorations of all sizes and types were strung up between thatch roof housing. Every light pole had a sun theme on its top, and the town hall at the center of town had a wide open stage for performances and events to be held before and after the raising of the sun. Most of that stage had yet to be completed.
A handful of ponies were currently tasked with building the rest of the stage and decorating it. Among the ponies was one mare who was overseeing all of the decorating, the resident fashionista and purveyor of the Carousel Boutique, Rarity. A white furred mare with a meticulously kept purple mane. She beat out anypony-… in Ponyville in the lengths she would go to keep up her beautiful appearance.
For a farmer like Mac, and a mechanic like me, she was about the exact opposite type of person I’m usually around.
“Hello Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh! I’m so glad you could come help today.” Rarity smiled a set of brilliant white teeth in our direction as we approached. “Assuming that is what you are here for, yes?”
“Eeyup.”
“Mhm! We’re gonna go help Twist!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, and Rarity raised a brow.
“Oh? That is sweet of you, Apple Bloom! Peppermint Twist and her mother Shimmy Shake are part of the decorating team. You can join them over there.”
Rarity pointed off to the finished section of the stage, where a small filly with red curly hair and a large snout was waving towards us. Her mother just behind her, both working with a group of ponies on the decorations.
“If you’d like, Big Macintosh, you could help the construction team? A set of strong hooves like yours would be fantastic help for them, I’m sure.”
“Ah thought Apple Bloom needed supervisin’ from me ta help out here?” I asked Rarity. The filly at my side began to shuffle her hooves nervously.
“Supervising? Oh darling, you don’t have to worry about that! Shimmy Shake already informed me that she would help keep watch of her, Apple Bloom was supposed to mention that to her family.” Rarity looked towards Apple Bloom, waiting to find any confirmation from her. There was none to give.
“Is that right?” My eyes glanced down at Apple Bloom. The filly was whistling with her head firmly pointed away. A little white lie to go along with her trickery earlier. Just how much did she want me to come with her?
“Right it is, or was, I suppose. No matter, would you like to come with, Macintosh dear? I’ll bring us over to Hard Hat to help with the support.”
So it wasn’t necessary at all for me to stay near Apple Bloom for today, and I got the chance to do a physically demanding task? “Eeyup.”
I said it almost too eagerly, falling behind the smiling mare as she guided me towards the construction site. Decorating and aesthetics had never been a strong suit in my life. A fact that Rarity already knew quite clearly from Big Mac’s memories of their interactions. That made this process all the easier to get through after such a generous offer for more fitting work.
Wait, Rarity didn’t know about my personal tastes for work. She knew Big Mac’s… why did I relate to them so easily?
“Are you alright?” Rarity asked me as I shook my head violently behind her. Clear out the noise, focus. What mattered right now? There was work to do. Hard, physical labor that would keep me busy. Surely this type of back breaking work would keep the thoughts at bay this time, right? I definitely needed a distraction after… that.
“Eeyup, ah just…” My head turned to look back at where I came from. An instinct born from many years of looking after a small child. It was an unconscious movement to check where the creature known as a kid was, and if they were still safe while I had my head turned. For some reason, this instinct kicked in now, and turned to find Apple Bloom.
What I found was the saddest image I have ever seen in my life. A small filly, eyes filled with disappointment and concern, staring back at me. Apple Bloom’s ears were pressed so tightly against her head that they tucked into the edges of her mane. Dejectedly, she turned away from us, her hooves guiding her towards Twist and her mother. Head held low and tail dragging between her legs.
If Applejack would have seen what I had just done to Apple Bloom, she would have bucked me to Canterlot. Frankly, if I had seen what I had done to her, I would have bucked myself too. So self absorbed in my own thoughts, I completely ignored the one filly I was supposed to be with today. Focusing on nothing but my own needs at the moment.
Guilt drowned my body in discomfort, and regret pounded on the beating heart at my center. Unrelenting in its fury after watching that depressing scene. Rarity looked more concerned by the second, and glanced in the direction of Apple Bloom as well. She saw the same scene I did that broke my heart. It wasn’t hard to guess that it broke hers as well. That gorgeous mare then gave me the branch I so desperately needed.
“Darling, would you prefer to go with her instead?… We don’t have to-?”
“Eeyup.” The words came out, and my body moved towards Apple Bloom without any thought of my own to follow it. Rarity was left completely behind as I had one destination in mind. She smiled towards me in empathetic understanding. Not that I looked back to see it.
“Um, Apple Bloom, is everything alright?” Twist asked her friend as soon as she joined her. The filly did not raise her head to meet Twist’s gaze.
“Uh huh… what’re we doin’ then?” She asked, and was shown how to arrange and place the sun decorations onto the stage. With the energy of a wounded tiger, she worked on the first sun decoration. Apple Bloom placed the cardboard sunrays that encircled the sun, not that the sun and its rays did anything to brighten her mood. The first sun was completed, and placed upon the stage’s side with no fanfare to speak of.
That was until a shadow cloaked her decorative sun.
“Did ya do that, Apple Bloom? Looks good.”
Her head shot up to look at the source of the shadow and voice. Only to see her big brother smiling back down at her. “Could ya show me how ta do that?” I asked Apple Bloom. A gasp escaped her tiny lips.
“Yeah! All ya gotta do is take one o’ these, and put it like this!”
For all of her enthusiasm, Apple Bloom was terrible at directions. With Twist’s help, I eventually was able to make a crude looking sun. Having hooves twice as large as any other pony made it especially difficult, but it was completed in the end. When mine was finished, I placed my sun next to the first one Apple Bloom had made. She grinned to herself as I did so.
I had to be reminded that this day was for Apple Bloom, and she wanted to spend it with Big Mac. He unfortunately is unavailable because of me, and no matter my fears, it was my responsibility to fill in for him while he’s stuck inside of his own head. Sometimes, that meant fulfilling the role of big brother. A role I was quite familiar with, and if I was honest with myself? I loved every moment of it.
The guilt was there, but I tried not to indulge it.
“Thank you again for your help today, the decorations you put up were… splendid.”
Rarity lied straight to my face as she looked at the suns decorating the side of the stage. Namely the crudest ones in the mix. Those happened to be mine. I’m surprised Rarity didn’t throw them away at first sight. She was nice enough to let ponies put their personal touch on the outdoor festivities, but she certainly wasn’t going to let me or anybody else help her decorate the town hall.
Eventually, Apple Bloom and I got bored of suns, and both of us wanted to put in some harder labor. The two of us eventually found our way into helping the construction of the stage. There were very few ponies in town with the strength I had, and I found myself being far more useful here than I had decorating. Not that it mattered at all, Apple Bloom looked happy, that’s what mattered to me.
“I also thank you for assisting the construction team in the end as well, that was actually splendid.”
Laughter spilled out of me, how painfully blunt. “Eeyup.” I said between chuckles.
“Thank ya fer lettin’ us help out, Miss Rarity!” Apple Bloom exclaimed with a joyful bounce.
“Of course, dear! You were simply delightful to have here today.”
Rarity was a unicorn, just like Dream Heart, and that meant she was capable of using unicorn magic. Apparently, Rarity’s skills included an incredible amount of control over her telekinesis. Her horn glowed a light blue, and every pony in the gathered group of volunteers soon found themselves with a small paper bag hovering in front of them.
“A small treat for helping. Cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner! Do not ask me how she was able to, but Pinkie Pie made personalized cupcakes for everypony today. So please do enjoy it on your way home!”
Once again I was left baffled by the foresight, knowledge and determination of Pinkie Pie. Only she would find out who would be here today and bake a personal cupcake for each of them. To my surprise and delight, my cupcake was the same Apple Cinnamon Vanilla sweet that I taste tested for Pinkie before. Apple Bloom’s was the same.
“What kinda cupcake is this?” Apple Bloom asked, sniffing the cinnamon with furrowed brows.
“A good cupcake. Eat it, sugarcube. Ah know you’ll love it.”
She did, indeed, love it. Her cupcake was gone before I even took a bite out of mine. I could only chuckle while I inspected mine more closely. Unlike Apple Bloom’s, this one had a cookie topping on it. Frosting was laid on top of the cookie in red and orange coloring. An intricate design of Big Macintosh’s face, smiling wide, was what stared back at me from that cookie’s face.
Maybe this was her way of telling me she saw me smiling today, or maybe she knew about my better mood in general. She was probably watching us as I thought about it. So I decided not to think about it, and ate that delicious cupcake.
It was pretty good. Everything was good. Apple Bloom had enjoyed the day together, and I enjoyed spending it with a kid as cute as her.
After two delicious cupcakes and goodbyes were shared, Apple Bloom and I made our way back to the farm. The sky was tinted a burnt orange, Princess Celestia was preparing to drop the star below the horizon and raise the moon in its place. At least I imagined she was. It was beyond both myself and Big Macintosh’s mind to understand what went into moving a celestial body. There could be an entire ritual that has to be done to complete it, or maybe she just flicked her horn and it was over with.
That is what the Summer Sun Celebration was about, after all. Giving simple ponies such as myself the opportunity to see her do it first hoof. I suppose that if I am going to be here during the Celebration, I could attend and see it. That would be a fun thing to do.
…That would… Ponies such as myself? First hoof?? What is going on with me today? I was slipping into pony speak more often than before, and referring to myself as a pony? That wasn’t right at all, Big Mac is a pony, I’m not…
“Macky, yer doin it again.”
“Sorry.”
Apple Bloom had pointed out throughout the day how I would space out suddenly. My smile would drop to a scowl and stare off at some distant object, as if the thing I was looking at had offended me somehow. This time, it was a potted plant next to somepo- somebody’s house that had apparently caught my ire. Currently, Apple Bloom rested atop my back, legs splayed out, but she didn’t need to see me directly to know I was spacing out again.
It surprised me more that Apple Bloom didn’t try to ask me what was wrong, or why I was doing that. Surely a kid her age would have more questions to ask, Daniella certainly did. An incredible amount of restraint was being kept by Apple Bloom to stop herself from prodding at me….
Frankly, I wanted her to ask something at least. Some of my favorite memories were when Daniella would ask a silly question, and me being a teenager I had no idea how to answer half of them. Coming up with a fitting answer was almost too funny. Though, I don’t think the questions Apple Bloom may have would be quite as fun.
“Ya got somethin’ on yer mind?” I went ahead and asked her. Her hooves shuffled against my back after my question.
“…Yah. Ah don’t wanna be too nosey though.”
She was far too innocent for her own good, I swear. “Ya aren’t bein’ nosey, what do ya wanna ask?”
“Okay… um, Big Brother, are ya unhappy with yer family?”
Hooves came to a clean stop on the dirt road back to Sweet Apple Acres. My head swiveled to look at the filly on my back. The shock I felt from hearing those words was apparent on my face, and Apple Bloom’s ears fell back when she saw it.
“Apple Bloom, why would ya think that?”
“Ah just- Ah may have-… Uh.”
“Overheard somethin’ last night?”
“Eyup… Ah heard Applejack yellin’ and cryin’ about you wantin’ to get rid of yerself. That made me think that ya wanna leave..”
“Is that ah’ll ya heard?”
“…yeah.”
Years of intuition taught me that this little girl was clearly lying. “Apple Bloom.”
“It was all kinda muffled, ah couldn’t understand any o’ it!” She tried to argue against me, but my raised brow was enough to convince her that I wouldn’t keep going until she answered. “…Okay! Ah heard you said you weren’t our family!”
Immediately, Apple Bloom turned away from me. A nervous twitch in her ear gave away the anxious feelings she had welled up inside. My heart wanted to shatter into a million tiny pieces. This entire time, she had bottled up that burning feeling. She wanted to spend the day with me to make sure I wouldn’t disappear- that Big Mac wouldn’t.
Before I could say anything, Apple Bloom’s words began to fall out over themselves. “You were always s-so angry all the time and ya- ya never wanted ta spend time w-wit me. Ya aren’t as a-angry and ah had a lot of fun today!… B-But ya still look unhappy a-and ah thought that a-ah did somethin’ wrong-and you don’t wanna be mah big brother anymore…”
The part of my brain that I had been following for most of my stay in Equestria warned me to proceed cautiously. To be careful what you promise, and remember who you are. This isn’t your conversation to have, don’t take it away from Big Mac. Reassure her gently and leave it at that.
The rest of my brain said screw that.
Apple Bloom was picked up off of my back and I placed her on the ground in front of me. I laid down in the dirt so that I could be eye level with the little filly. Her eyes had tears at the edges, and she did everything she could to not look me in the eye. I knew that Applejack was hurt when I first told her I wasn’t her brother, but for a filly like Apple Bloom who had no idea what the context was? It was heartbreaking, there wasn’t any other way to describe it. The poor girl could only believe that a member of her family was about to disappear.
I knew how that felt, and I never want this little sister to ever feel that way ever again. None of this was my place to say, but it has to be said. I’ll apologize to Big Mac when he returns.
“Ah’m sorry, Apple Bloom. Fer everythin’. There ain’t a single thing that you did wrong… Ah’ve let my personal feelins get in the way of bein’ here fer you and for everypony. What ah want you to understand, sugarcube, is that ah will never leave you or anypony else. The farm is mah home, and you… yer my family. Nothin’ is more important and deservin’ of love than that.”
Her quiet sobs were interrupted. Sniffling, she looked me in the eyes. I saw the fear that was present in them, an anxious fear that fed her the worst ideas she could imagine anytime she thought about me. The worst case scenarios that fueled this worry she felt, and was lit like a beacon when she overheard pieces of what I had said.
“Yer gonna stay… and still be mah brother?”
“Ah can’t imagine livin’ a life where ah don’t have you in it. That is, if you’ll forgive me fer bein’ such a bad brother..”
Apple Bloom’s ears stood at immediate attention. “O’ course ah forgive ya!” She cried, and lunged forward into my hooves. Her forelegs wrapped around my neck and refused to let go, not even the might of Celestia could break her grip. “Yer the best big brother a girl could ask fer!”
I didn’t feel like I deserved that title, but the words warmed my heart all the same. For just today, I’ll indulge that wish, and let myself feel like her brother. It won’t be long now before Big Macintosh takes his rightful place, a little moment of happiness wouldn’t change that.
Right?
Dream Heart walked out of Ponyville’s local cafe with a single paper enveloped in her magic. The meeting she had scheduled a month prior had finally arrived, and it had gone incredibly well for her. A stallion of considerable medical background had come all the way from Trottingham to speak with her after a hoof full of exchanged letters. His purpose here in Ponyville was simple, to decide if Dream Heart was a perfect fit for the Trottingham General Hospital.
He decided she was, and the paper was her invitation.
“So that’s it? You’re in?” Redheart asked, the two mares were sitting in Dream’s living room. She came to visit as soon as she heard the meeting was finished. When they first started exchanging letters, Redheart wasn’t sure that Dream Heart would have been able to get a job at Trottingham Hospital. It was one of the premier medical institutions in Equestria, and only hired the best of the best in doctors and staff. Not that she doubted Dream Heart’s skills, just that her place in Ponyville hadn’t afforded her many opportunities to add to her resume.
“I’m in.” Dream Heart said with a wide smile. She had been working towards becoming part of a larger hospital for a long time now. To say she was ecstatic that her efforts to convince the Trottingham General Hospital of her worth paid off made her entire day would be an understatement. It was the highlight of the month, no, possibly the whole year.
Redheart wanted to share in that excitement, but she knew what this meant for them. “When do you start then?”
“Two weeks, but they will have the housing arrangements ready for me after the Summer Sun Celebration. I can leave for Trottingham as soon as it’s ready.”
“That’s great! I’m really happy for you, Dreamy.” It wasn’t hard for the doctor to pick up the thinly veiled feeling underneath that sentence. The beginning of the end for them.
“Red…”
“No, don’t. I know what you’re about to do, and I’m fine!” Redheart forced a smile on her face. “This is amazing for you, and don’t you dare think to reconsider it for me. I’d break up with you if you did that!”
Dream wanted to say something to reassure her, but they both already knew the truth of it. This was the end of their little relationship. Dream Heart couldn’t let this opportunity slip out of her grasp, and Redheart was happier as a nurse in Ponyville than she would be in a big city. Neither of them would be happy for long if they were forced to go with the other’s path in life.
Not every relationship was bound to last forever. “Thank you, Red.”
“You better, there won’t be a single mare in Trottingham who will be a better marefriend than I was!”
Dream chuckled. “I believe it. Can I take you to one last date during the Summer Sun Celebration?”
“I’d like that a lot.”
The two shared bittersweet smiles, and leaned against each other on the couch. Enjoying the moments they have left before Dream Heart inevitably departs. It would be the biggest mistake in her life if she didn’t go to Trottingham. There, a future at the top of the medical field awaited her. Before she could reach it, however, she had to learn how to say goodbye, and settle the matters she has here. One particular matter weighed on her mind.
What was she supposed to do with Gabriel?