//------------------------------// // Apple Pie // Story: Apple of My Eye // by musicalreader //------------------------------// Chapter 4- Apple Pie AKA: Eat Your Hearts Out, Shippers! After one last dinner with the Princesses, Orion and the Elements were whisked away to a large chariot pulled by four members of the royal guard. Rainbow Dash of course insisted on flying back to Ponyville herself, so off she zoomed, leaving Orion alone with five well known Mares in a royal carriage… He was pretty sure he’d seen a romantic comedy that had this kind of setup, but he couldn’t remember the name. Oh well… “So Orion, I have to ask, and please don’t think me uncouth for wondering, but why do you not have a cutie mark?” Rarity asked as they took off, “I wasn’t staring, but I couldn’t help that your flank is, well, blank…” Why would she need to tell me she wasn’t staring? Aren’t we all naked anyway? He thought to himself before answering. “Oh… well, where I come from, ponies don’t really get cutie marks… there are those that eventually get a mark of sorts… but those are usually by choice.” Orion tried to explain, clearly seeing the confusion on the faces of his new friends as he tried to put the concept of a tattoo into something they could understand. “I’m sorry darling, but that just raises more questions… Can you perhaps explain it again?” Rarity asked politely. “To put it simply, I’ve never found my special talent, and if I have, then I’ve simply not acknowledged it for one to appear… And it’s a rather common sight for other ponies where I come from to not have a cutie mark at all.” He reiterated, this time seeing a few nods from the mares that were looking at him. “Well that’s no good then is it?” Pinkie pie said, pouting a little as if she were deep in thought. “I know! You can join the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” “Uhhh… Pinkie… you sure that’s a good idea?” Applejack asked, her face and Rarity’s both showing signs of worry. “Ah mean, you know what kind of craziness they get up to…” “Of course silly! I mean, how much trouble could they get in if they had an adult watching them while they try and find their talent? And it might help Orion figure out his talent!” Pinkie responded, shocking every other passenger in the chariot at how sensible that actually was. “Well, let’s just see how things go when we reach Ponyville. I mean, if you’re serious about me helping at Sugarcube Corner, then I’ll probably be busy with that a lot of the time anyway.” Orion said, looking out over Equestria as they rode along through the sky. “Oh don’t be silly!” Pinkie exclaimed, “The Cakes give me plenty of time off!” “That’s just so ya don’t wreck the place in a cupcake bakin’ frenzy.” Applejack said, looking sideways at the pink baker, “Or they might just have him running errands. In any case, let’s not make plans ‘til we know what’s gonna happen.” “Thanks Applejack.” Orion said, welcoming the voice of reason that the orange farmer offered, “Besides, according to Luna, I’m supposed to meet with the Mayor first thing and explain my situation. Then from there I’m free to do what I like as long as it’s not disruptive to the town, so even I’m not sure what I’ll do yet.” “Well ya know that you’ve got a place to stay on the farm for the time being. But if ya don’t do something to earn get out on your own, we might just strap ya to the plow for awhile.” AJ joked, tipping her hat up slightly and giving Orion a friendly smile. “As enticing as lugging a giant hunk of metal sounds, I think I’ll try and see what I can do at Sugarcube Corner.” He responded, laughing and turning to look out over the side of the chariot once more. He had gotten a good look at the land below when he had practiced flying from his tower room back in Canterlot, and of course he had studied maps of the land when he was learning about this world from Luna and Celestia… well, mostly Luna… Unfortunately, his thoughts were interrupted by a purple blur whizzing past his nose. “Hello… Orion? Did you hear what I said?” Twilight asked, waving a hoof in front of his muzzle. “Wha-who-where… sorry… I was kind of zoning out there… what’s up?” He responded, blinking and shaking his head. “Ugh… I was telling you some things about Ponyville that you might find interesting.” She answered, “Now if you were paying attention, you’d have heard that the town was founded by earth ponies. Every year Spring is ushered in with Winter Wrap-up, and has to be done without magic. The split in the sexes is roughly five and a half mares to one stallion. Certain noticeable landmarks are the town hall, Quills and Sofas, Carousel Boutique, Sugarcube Corner, Sweet Apple Acres, and the Library, and the Spa. You’ll be working at Sugarcube Corner for now assuming Pinkie can convince the Cakes to let you work, and you’ll be staying at Sweet Apple Acres. Wednesdays are half price at the market. And lastly, the Everfree Forest is extremely dangerous to go in alone. Do you have any questions?” Orion raised an eyebrow, “Yeah… why did I need to know half of that stuff?” “Well excuse me for trying to keep you informed about your new home.” Twilight groused, frowning and marking Tell newcomer interesting facts about Ponyville off her checklist. “And some of that stuff is pretty dang important you hear?” Applejack interjected, “Specially that part about half price Wednesdays at the market. You’re gonna be livin’ with the Apple family for awhile, ya’ll are gonna pull yer weight one way or another. And if Pinkie Pie ain’t using ya at the shop, yer gonna be working for the farm, that means chores and errands.” “I think I can do that.” Orion answered confidently, “But that still doesn’t explain why I needed to know there’s seven mares for every one stallion.” “I said five and a half.” Twilight corrected, smirking with an air of mild superiority. “Anyway, why would that make a lick of difference in my living in Ponyville?” He continued, voicing his confusion. “That’s because of what happens in the Spring and Summer…” Fluttershy answered, looking to the rest of her friends for confirmation and receiving nods of approval. “And considering that it’s already early spring you’ll learn about that stuff when we get there… I’m sure Big Macintosh would be happy to explain…” “Explain what?” he asked again, this time only receiving cryptic smiles from the other passengers of the chariot. “It’s just that being a male in Ponyville comes with a few perks.” Rarity explained, trying to steer the conversation in a slightly different direction, “Think of it this way darling, if there were only one mare for every stallion, how do you suppose the males would treat her?” “Well, they’d probably try and be really friendly, give her things and earn her affections and just be closer. I suppose she’d be rather popular…” Orion responded, still not quite getting the point. (Hey, I never said he was exceptionally bright…) “Now just flip the roles silly, and you already know how you’re probably gonna be treated by everypony in Ponyville!” Pinkie said, giggling at his confusion. “So… what you’re saying is that I might have multiple mares hitting on me?” (Let’s hear it for the boy, he finally gets it.) “That doesn’t sound so great…” he muttered, just loud enough for a certain white unicorn to hear. I’ve never been good around girls… even the ones that thought I was alright still scared the hell out of me! What will I do if I suddenly become a rare commodity in this town? “Why wouldn’t it be good darling?” Rarity asked, trying to be discreet by pulling him off to the side with her magic and lowering her voice to speak with him, “What could possibly be better than to be surrounded by eligible mares, most of who will by vying for your attention?” “I’m just… it’s nothing… I guess I just feel more comfortable around other males…” he answered, remembering all the times that girls in his life had strung him along or used him to get something for free. “Guys are more straightforward about things and they’re easier to get along with…” Now, it should be noted that for those reading, his meaning is quite clear, he has had a bad history of women in his life not being honest and even leading him on for their own gain… What a certain Miss Rarity was hearing was an entirely different story. Oh my goddess, he’s into Stallions… This changes everything! Although… that would explain why he keeps stretching his wings in front of Fluttershy without a care… and that could be why Princess Luna was so familiar with him. After all, no need to worry about indiscretions if the other pony simply isn’t into your entire gender… “Are you alright there Rarity?” Orion said, waving a wing in front of her face, the unicorn’s eyes unfocused as if she were on another planet. I wonder what kinds of stallions he likes… Oh, I’ll bet he’s really one of the cute silent types when he’s around the other males, like the main characters in my books! He’ll probably fall for a strong, hard working stallion of few words, but he’ll coax Orion out of his shy ways with tenderness, and they’ll become one under a moonlit sky near a lake after confessing their undying love for one another! And then Orion will tell the stallion of his dreams about his darker side, and that’s when they’ll get out the riding crop and the bit… Oh I’ll bet he’d look marvelous topping a well built powerhouse of a stallion… He’d hold the crop in his mouth, and he’d make his mate hold the bit in place and moan as he was whipped… His wings would even unfurl to their full size as he takes his lover from dusk to dawn… By this point, Orion was growing worried about Rarity, her usually porcelain white coat was starting to grow a pinkish red hue over her entire body. Her face in particular looked like it was heating up to the point that steam would billow out of her ears. And creepier still, she had a weird look on her face that made her seem like she was about to start drooling. “RARITY!” he yelled, clapping his hooves in front of her face, finally getting a reaction out of her in the way of an embarrassed squeak and her horn lighting up in shock. “Oh I do apologize dear… I was just imagining some things that might look, well, particularly good on you…” She explained, the redness in her face growing a shade darker for a second there before she magically cooled her body down and returned to her normal pale self. “Oookaaayyy…” Orion said, sufficiently baffled by this point, “If you’re already getting ideas about that, then I was wondering if we could stop by the boutique tonight so you could get my measurements. Not that I don’t enjoy going around in my natural colors like everypony else… but I feel more comfortable with at least something on…” “Oh of course darling!” Rarity said, lighting up at the thought of making clothes for her new friend. “And I can get you outfitted to attract just about anypony that might catch your eye… and just out of curiosity, how do you feel about latex?” She added, winking at him suggestively. “Errrrr…. It’s good for some things I guess…” he said, suddenly feeling rather uncomfortable. “Just don’t bother wearing any of those fancy clothes when you come to work at the bakery!” Pinkie chimed in, rescuing Orion from the fashionista. “If you aren’t careful, you’ll be wearing what you’re cooking!” “Oh don’t worry darling… anything I make for Orion will be stain resistant.” Rarity said, her voice taking on an almost creepy aspect and a blush flashing across her muzzle again. “So what does everypony do for fun in Ponyville?!” Orion asked, his voice gaining a tone of mild hysteria as he tried to get away from whatever topic was making Rarity act so weird. Pinkie Pie perked up at the mention of fun, then calmed down enough to be understood when she spoke. “Ohmygoshthere’sthisplaceyouhavetogotocalledtheHangingNotethathastheseawesomemusicianscomeinandtheyplayandit’samazing!” …Okay, so she tried to calm down…… “Uhhh… what?” he asked, simply staring at her blankly. “She said that there’s a club called the Hanging Note that hosts various musicians and they play really good music…” Fluttershy said, trying to be helpful, and then proceeding to go back to hiding in her hair. “Aw shoot. There’s lots more to do around town than some new fangled club. We’ll give ya a tour once we touch down.” Applejack said confidently. “Speaking of which, how much farther is it?” Orion asked, trying to see ahead and only getting a face full of white guard flank for his troubles. “We’re about five minutes out sir.” One of the guards said, turning his head to look back at the passengers in the chariot. “And please stop looking at our flanks, it’s not very polite.” Orion blushed while the rest of the group laughed, and a few minutes later, they touched down in the main square of the town. “Thanks for the ride guys. Here’s something for your trouble.” Orion said, digging few bits out of the pouch of money Luna had given him to get settled. She had said there was enough to get him a week of supplies and a bit extra, so hopefully he wasn’t giving the guards too much. Each of the pegasi guards took the money without question or comment and flew off back to Canterlot while Orion turned to see the rest of the chariot’s passengers and a newly arrived Rainbow Dash standing in a semi circle and staring at him. “So… where to first?” he asked, not entirely sure what to say. “Well, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia told you to go to the Mayor as soon as you arrived, but I need to get back to the library and check on Spike, anypony else want to show him around town?” Twilight said, looking around at her friends. “I’ll show him to the mayor’s office. I know how to get there faster than anyone.” Rainbow Dash said, stretching her wings and hopping into the air, hovering in place and looking at Orion expectantly. “I’ll come along and show him to the Cakes after that!” Pinkie answered excitedly, “And then I can get started on planning his Welcome to Ponyville Party!” “I will tag along as well,” Rarity said, “As much as I’d love to go back to the boutique and see Opal, I’m sure the little dear will be fine until I can get Orion over to take his measurements.” “And I’ll need to show him how ta get to the farm from here.” Applejack replied matter-of-factly. “I need to get home and check on Angel Bunny and the others… the last time I left him in charge of things, I came back and everyone was playing a game where they stacked the feed bags into walls and were throwing my dishes at each other…” Fluttershy said, looking down at the ground and scraping her hoof through the dirt. “I don’t think that was a game Fluttershy… I think your animal friends had a war in your house…” Twilight noted, one eyebrow quirking up and a concerned look showing in her eyes. “I’m sure they were just playing pretend… but either way, I’d rather not leave them alone long enough to find Angel in some kind of trouble.” Fluttershy said, “So if it’s all the same to you, I’ll be going now…” “Alright Fluttershy, see you later.” Orion said, wrapping a wing around her side and leaning his head in like Luna usually did to him when he stayed at the castle. Fluttershy blushed a furious red, mumbled something that sounded like “okaygottagobye!” and zoomed off out of town leaving a dust cloud trailing after her. “Geez… You sure you’re the fastest flyer in Equestria, Dash?” he asked, his eyes growing in surprise and turning to look at the sky blue pegasus. “Shut up Orion. Now are we gonna get going or what?” Dash responded, giving him a withering look for suggesting that somepony else could be faster than her. “Lead the way.” He said, opening his wings and springing into the air to follow the Wonderbolt hopeful as she tore across the sky. V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V After an hour of going over and filling out forms that were sent to the Mayor’s office in advance, most of which designed specifically for him given his unique way of coming to Equestria, Orion and Rainbow Dash both left town hall and were greeted by a small crowd of less than happy mares. “Dashie! You guys took forever!” Pinkie complained, picking herself up off the ground where she had most likely been throwing a mild tantrum at the delay. “Even I have to complain a bit darling… Had I known that simple paperwork would take so long, I’d have at least dropped by the shop to check in on Opal.” Rarity said, pouting as a handkerchief levitated to just under her horn and wiped away a bit of nonexistent sweat. “Sorry about that you guys, I didn’t know there was so much paperwork involved in moving to a small town like this.” Orion apologized, “But that’s probably the worst of it, so now we’re free to go so whatever else you guys want to the rest of the day.” “Snack time!” Pinkie cheered, grabbing Orion by the foreleg and zooming across town to an all too familiar building that looked like it was made of gingerbread, icing and gumdrops. “How did you… weren’t we on the other side of town?” Orion asked, trying to make sense of being effectively teleported by an earth pony dragging him. “Well we could have gone slower silly, but then I’d be late to start planning your party!” Pinkie replied, as if this were the most normal thing in the world. “Now, let’s introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Cake… HEY MR. AND MRS. CAKE! I GOT SOMEPONY TO SHOW YOU!” As Orion began rubbing his ears to get his hearing back, an orange and blue coated couple walked in from the back with strained smiles on their faces. “Why hello Pinkie dear, we thought you were in Canterlot on Element business…” Mrs. Cake said, greeting her assistant baker. “What brought you back so soon?” Mr. Cake asked, before his eyes drifted to Orion, who was still sitting down, still a bit jittery from the high speed kidnapping. “And who’s your new friend?” “That’s why I’m back early!” Pinkie answered, jumping in place and inhaling for another patented Pinkie Pie tirade, “This is Orion, he’s new to Equestria, and me and the girls went to Canterlot, and I shot Luna in the face with the party cannon, then she got revenge while dressed like a pirate by shooting everypony else with the cannon, and I accidentally put Orion into shock, but then I helped him get better. And now Princess Luna wants him to live here and I said that we could use some help around the shop, and since he’s a pegasus I figured he could help us do the deliveries that we’d normally have trouble with and he can help us with customers and stuff like that. So can he work here pretty please?” To their credit, the Cakes were used to Pinkie’s antics, and actually followed her little spiel, turning to look Orion over once she was finished talking and just sat there grinning. “Hmmmm…” Cup Cake muttered, “It would be nice to expand our deliveries to places like Cloudsdale, and we could even use him to pass out fliers at the market… Plus it’d be an extra pair of hands to clean the shop and work the register… What do you think sugar bun?” Carrot Cake looked at Orion and seemed to be weighing the options, “Well, he would be able to help us out a bit, but are we doing well enough to pay for Pinkie AND him AND the kids?” “If we take him on, we could drum up more business and make any extra money we might need.” Cup Cake argued, “And he looks like he’d pull in some of those mares that keep leaving us because they say we’re bad for their figures…” “True… Still, only one way to be sure if he’s got the know-how to call himself an employee of Sugar Cube Corner…” Carrot conceded, looking Orion square in the eye and closing the distance, trying to look intimidating. It might have worked if Orion hadn’t noticed how skinny Carrot Cake was. “What is the most important ingredient in any good piece of baking?” he asked, completely serious. Orion’s mind went into overdrive trying to figure out an answer that would satisfy the angry looking orange stallion. “………Love?” Orion guessed, cringing as the clichéd line left his lips. He saw Pinkie Pie looking solemn out of the corner of his eye, that couldn’t be very good… “Well actually, it’s usually sugar or flower, but Love works too!” Carrot Cake said, his face breaking into a smile and his hoof wrapping around Orion’s neck as he pulled him into a friendly hug, “Welcome aboard kid, you can start tomorrow afternoon around two.” “WHEE! Orion gets to work here! Orion gets to work here! Orion gets to work here!” Pinkie said, singing and hopping around in a circle as Mr. and Mrs. Cake laughed along with her and Orion just sat there dumbfounded. “I got a job? Just like that? No resume, no application needed?” He asked, his jaw hanging lower and lower as he realized that he had literally been dragged into a sweet shop and been hired on the spot. “Why would anypony need something like an application?” Mrs. Cake asked, “I mean, it’s not like you don’t have a reference, Pinkie Pie vouched for you, and the Princesses themselves sent you down here, the least we could do is help you get on your feet.” “That’s just… wow…” Orion sputtered, a grin slowly creeping onto his face as he let it sink in that he was actually someone special here. This might not actually be one crazy event following another after all… V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V After the Cakes giving him instructions for his first day on the job tomorrow, Rarity and Applejack had finally managed to catch up to Pinkie and him. They didn’t look too happy at having been ditched, and after Rarity threatened to ignore her party invitations for a week if she ever did it again, Pinkie apologized. From there, Rarity had yanked Orion out of the sweet shop by his tail, and Applejack, Rarity, and he went off to Carousel Boutique, with Orion suspended in a levitation spell in case Pinkie tried to kidnap him again. After being gawked at by ponies for a good five minutes, he finally convinced Rarity to let him walk on his own four hooves. As soon as he was back on the ground, the first thing he did was stretch out as much as he could. He probably looked like an idiot with his flank in the air and his wings stretched out as much as he could get them, but it felt so good he didn’t care. Seriously, you have no idea how restricting those levitation spells can be… “Oh my, Darling, please don’t do that out here in the street where everypony can see you… you’re attracting quite a bit of attention, and I don’t believe it to be the good kind…” Rarity cautioned, her eyes casting about the market street they were in at the time. “What do you mean?” he asked, his head tilting to the side, the total picture of innocence. “Well hey there stud.” A voice said from behind him, a pink hoof wrapping around his withers and a green haired mare getting in his face, “Was that little display for me?” Apparently her words meant something important, because Rarity and Applejack both had the same shocked expressions on their face when the strange mare called him a stud. “What? I’m sorry, who are you?” he asked, trying to be as calm as possible while hiding his confusion. “Oh come on now sweet heart, don’t bother trying to play hard to get… I saw that little move you just did… I have to say, I really like that wingspan you’ve got going on…” as she was talking, her tail kept flicking against his flank, and the hoof that wasn’t acting like an unwanted scarf was busy tracing the edge of his wing… okay, that part actually felt kind of good… “Dangit Daisy, can you not let the poor fella get himself settled in before trying to hit him up?” Applejack said, separating the bewildered pegasus from the rather touchy earth pony. “Oh come on Applejack, you’ve already got Big Mac working at that farm all day, are you gonna hog this stallion too?” the mare called Daisy retorted, looking upset at AJ’s interference. “One, Mac’s mah brother so Ah ain’t hoggin’ him, and two, ain’t no way in Tartarus I’m letting the new guy in town get roped into whatever you and yer little flower group has planned fer him.” Applejack rebutted, as Rarity started guiding Orion away from the conflict. He wasn’t going easily though, he genuinely wanted to know what the problem was. “Oh please! He’d have liked it!” Daisy shot back angrily, her nostrils flaring. Suddenly, she noticed Rarity trying to drag Orion away and immediately tried to recompose herself. “Whatever, I’ll see you later stud!” she called out, winking at Orion and turning around, her tail swishing to the side a bit more than it probably needed to as she cantered back to the flower stall she was running with two other ponies. “Ughhh! The nerve of some mares!” Rarity said huffily, this time using her magic to nudge Orion along beside her at a steady clip while Applejack caught up to them. “Ah know, ain’t no cause to be calling him that. I’m amazed you didn’t just shove her away after what she did.” Applejack said, nodding her head at Orion. “I’m sorry…” Orion said, “But I’m still confused… what did she say that was so offensive? And what did I do that she apparently thought I wanted to talk to her?” “She didn’t think you wanted to talk darling, I’m afraid that’s part of the problem.” Rarity answered, her nose firmly in the air in indignation. “And Ah ain’t gonna repeat what she said that was so wrong, cuz’ there ain’t no cause fer that kind of language among friends.” Applejack affirmed, shooting glares at any mare that looked at Orion more than once. “Here we are Orion, if you could be a dear and wipe your hooves on the mat before coming in…” Rarity said, opening the door to Carousel Boutique. Despite having seen the show plenty of times, and the boutique quite a bit as well, Orion had to admit that it was quite a sight to see in front of him. Everything just seemed to fit so perfectly in here. Every color matched or was coordinated with the section of the store it was in, and there was a simple elegance that couldn’t have been duplicated in boutique in the human world… “Wow…” was all he said after looking around. He noticed that Applejack had taken a seat on the couch and was already looking bored, while Rarity was beginning to pull multiple bolts of various materials out from a shelf on the wall. “Orion, could you be a dear and fetch me that measuring tape from the bench next to you?” Rarity called out, walking over to a stand in front of at least half a dozen mirrors while placing various fabrics around the steps. “Sure thing Rarity.” He answered, scooping up the tape she mentioned in his hoof, then flew carefully over to where she was setting things up. “Thank you dear, now, please lift your wings up so I can get your measurements.” Rarity said, manipulating the measuring tape as if it were a snake. Orion spread his wings out for her and noticed her blush when he did so. Wasn’t this what she’d asked him to do? He couldn’t be doing anything wrong could he? Oh well… Rarity quickly snaked the measuring tape around his neck, barrel, forelegs, and even the base of his wings. He had to admit yet again that those things were pretty damn sensitive… Finally, the tape dropped to the floor again and Rarity told him to relax and stand on the stage. As he stood up there, Rarity’s magic gripped various pieces of fabric and held them up to his coat before she decided on a couple different fabrics and discarded the rest in a pile near the wall organizer. Orion fluttered his wings nervously as the materials Rarity had picked out started circling him in a glowing aura of magic. Scissors levitated near his wings and a sewing needle followed it close behind, stitching pieces of cloth as soon as the scissors had worked their magic on the material. Before he knew it, he was wearing a white vest that buttoned halfway up and had slits for his wings to fit through. “Now I normally don’t do something this plain with my pieces, but your coloring and style just screams simplicity… and those wings of yours definitely need to be showed off without you constantly flexing them like you do…” Rarity noted as she finished with some of the smaller details of the vest. “Rarity?” Orion asked, trying to move as little as possible while the scissors and needle were still whizzing around in the air. “Why do I need to not flex my wings as much?” “Well darling, it’s just not something one does in polite society… and besides, there are the connotations it carries…” She answered, visibly uncomfortable. “I’m sure if you asked Rainbow Dash, she could give you a much more in depth answer, but for now, just promise me you won’t go around stretching them in public at least.” “Still don’t get why, but alright…” he replied. Thank you dear. Now don’t move… just this one last little thing, and, voila!” the alabaster unicorn said, stepping back with a flourish, gesturing Applejack over to inspect her work. AJ whistled in appreciation, “I gotta say Rarity, ya did some good work on him. Heh, yer gonna have to beat the mares off with a stick when yer walking around on your own tomorrow!” “Applejack, could I have a word please?” Rarity said, yanking her friend’s tail and dragging her to a corner of the shop, leaving Orion to admire the handiwork on his new piece of clothing. He had to admit, the vest was a piece of art as far as clothing went. It had some pockets on the sides that could have looked at home on a pair of cargo pants, but they were blended in with the color of the vest so well that they weren’t easily seen unless you knew where they were. He even found that he could use the tips of his wings to get into the pockets, so for the time being, he wouldn’t need saddlebags. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the fabric wasn’t even a flat white, but it actually had stripes woven into it that made him seem sleeker, more athletic. And the silver buttons down the middle were beautifully crafted in spirals. He was in the middle of unbuttoning the vest to get a better look at what the inside was like when Applejack’s startled voice cut through the shop. V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V “Dear Applejack, I don’t know if you’ve noticed any of the signs, but I don’t believe Orion will have to worry about beating any mares off with a stick…” Rarity said when the two of them were out of earshot from Orion. “What are ya talking about Rarity? I know Ah’m not the only one that thinks that is one nice looking stallion. And you’ve seen how he keeps… flexing… even I know those are some nice wings, and Ah’m normally not into flyers.” “Darling, what I mean is that I don’t believe Orion is into mares at all. I talked to him on the ride over, and he said he always felt better around other stallions! He even said that a lot of attention from the mares in this town would be bad.” Rarity argued, trying to get her friend to see what she felt was obvious. “That just might mean that he’s had some bad experiences in the past. That don’t mean anything.” AJ rebutted, her nostrils flaring a bit. She had been fighting on Big Mac’s behalf for years when rumors about him being into colts were first starting up. There was still the occasional gossip monger that needed reminding that nopony was anything until proven otherwise. “Darling, you saw his reaction to Daisy’s advances. He didn’t even flinch when she called him that derogatory slur.” Rarity pressed, determined to prove her point. “Well that could just be a cultural difference. He’s from someplace that don’t even have cutie marks, who’s to say they have the same slang as Equestria?” “And you saw how he hugged Fluttershy. Stallions don’t hug other ponies like that! And to top it off, look at his hair! It’s almost as long as Fluttershy’s. Not that it doesn’t look marvelous the way he’s wearing it pulled back like that… but still.” “Ah’ll admit, he’s a bit different, but dangit Rarity, quit trying to kill my fantasies!” AJ said, growing frustrated at her friend. “Ah think Ah know what’s going on here… you just want to keep him to yourself. Why would you try and keep him from everypony else by saying he’s a colt cuddler?” “I’m not making it up!” Rarity said passionately, her usually calm demeanor breaking slightly as she tried to contend with the stubbornness of the apple farmer. “Besides, I have a sense for this sort of thing, and it’s never been wrong before.” “Oh well if you’re gut says it’s true then it must be. Like the time you were convinced that Zecora was a witch…” Applejack retorted, not buying the fashionista’s story for a moment. Rarity was about to say something else, but she got distracted by something behind Applejack that made her eyes pop out of her head for a moment before turning back to AJ with a smug look on her face. “Then if I’m so full of it, tell me when was the last time you saw a straight stallion doing that?” Applejack looked back and saw Orion stretching his wings out and inspecting the details of his new vest. “So he’s admiring yer handiwork Rarity, I hardly feel that’s a reason to think he’d be in the same crowd as Caramel.” “Well now he’s undressing in front of us…” Rarity said, her eyes boggling in her head once again, a large red blush crossing her face. “He’s what?!” AJ said, turning to see that Orion was indeed trying to undo the buttons of his vest in front of the two mares. “ORION!” Applejack yelled, startled and embarrassed at having seen a stallion taking his clothes off. Even she knew that you were only supposed to take off or put on clothes in private. Orion jumped, spinning around to see a beet red Rarity sitting on the ground with her tongue hanging out slightly, and Applejack pulling her hat over her eyes as she tried to cover up a blush that was growing across her muzzle. “What’s wrong?!” He asked concerned, still leaving the vest half unbuttoned, and his wings flared out in surprise. “Nothing at all sweetie, please continue…” Rarity said goofily, all trace of her usual grace evaporating at the sight of a half dressed stallion on her modeling stand. “Put yer clothes on and yer wings away!” Applejack said, still hiding her eyes. Orion looked down confused, his vest was still on him… was this some kind of joke? Regardless, he did at least fold his wings. “Is yer vest buttoned back up?” AJ asked, daring to take a peek and instantly growing a shade darker as her blush spread to her entire body. “Here dear, let me help you with that…” Rarity said, using her magic to finish undoing the buttons and taking the vest off him entirely. “Thanks Rarity. It’s a really nice vest by the way. And I really liked the detailing on the buttons and the fabric with that little cross weave.” Orion said, figuring that complimenting the fashionista was the fastest way to avoid any trouble he may have gotten into just then. “Oh not at all darling… the pleasure was entirely mine I assure you…” Rarity said, something about her voice suggesting that she wasn’t exaggerating about the last part. “Just take this with you, and if you need anything else in the future, or you just wish to hang out and chat about whatever, do feel free to drop by.” “I’ll remember that Rarity, thanks again.” Orion said, stretching his wing out to pull her in for a hug and a nuzzle like he had given Fluttershy. “You ready to go now AJ?” he called behind him, releasing the dress maker from his grip and walking past her to the now orange and red farm pony. As he walked past Rarity though, he could swear that he felt her tail flick against his flank. Oh well, might have just been a breeze. “Sugarcube, if you promise not to put that thing on in front of me or anypony else, then Ah’m ready to show you to the farm.” Applejack said, trying to get her mind out of the gutter, but storing the image of him with his wings spread and that vest half undone for later use. “Is it a bad thing to put clothes on in front of others?” he asked, genuinely curious. “Yeah… Yeah it is.” AJ replied simply. “Huh… weird… that’s like, the opposite of what it’s like where I came from… But alright. I promise not to get dressed in front of others.” Orion mused out loud, bringing his wing up in a mock salute as he promised. “Alright then… now come on, it’s gettin’ late and Ah wanna be home in time for dinner.” And with that, Orion and Applejack left the boutique to head off into the sunset, bound for Sweet Apple Acres.