//------------------------------//
// A Wonderful Figure 
// Story: Felt Heart 
// by Tchernobog 
//------------------------------//

Pinkie Pie’s lips curled into a smile before her eyes flew open. Her nose had detected the delicious smell of baked goods, and she decided that this day, right here, was going to be a good day.

It was true that most of her days were good—with the few dark and lonely exceptions, usually fixed by a smile from her friends or herself—but it was these types of days that she particularly liked. Contrary to popular assumption, Pinkie wasn’t always the first to wake in the mornings at Sugarcube Corner. Some days, she could even give Rainbow Dash a run for her money in rising late.

On those days, the Cakes’ morning routine would wake her up instead. The smell of oatmeal, coffee, and the occasional muffin would waft through the house, soon followed by the delightful scents of the first batch of baked goods, destined to be sold to Ponyville’s early risers. And when that smell reached Pinkie, it was the best thing in the world.

She blinked as the world came into focus, and smiled even wider as her eyes took in the pile of dolls sitting a hoof’s distance away from her nose. This was the second best thing in the world—waking up to all her friends and family. “Morning, Mommy, Daddy, Inkie, and Blinkie! Morning, Cranky and Matilda! Morning, Princess Celestia! Sleep well, Princess Luna! Morning, Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake, Pound, and Pumpkin! Morning, Gummy and Spike!”

She then bent down, and swept one of the dolls into a hug. “Morning, Applejack!” She set down the orange pony, then hugged the next. “Morning, Dashie! Morning, Twilight! Morning, Rarity!”  Her smiled widened even more as she hugged the last doll. “And good morning, Fluttershy!”





Her own morning routine done, she rolled to the other side of her bed, ready to leap off and start the day, when her hoof brushed something soft. Puzzled, she glanced down, and gasped. There sat the other Fluttershy doll, looking as if it was peering up at her with those gemstone eyes. She’d almost forgotten about it! She quickly grabbed it into its own hug. “I’m sorry Fluttershy!  Good morning to you too!”  

She hugged it tightly, rubbing her cheek against the doll’s own, almost losing herself in the feeling of its soft texture. She snapped out of it as the smell of cakes wafted from below, startling her out of her daze. She’d been hugging the new doll for a long time.

Her eyes drifted to her pile of ragdolls, gasping again as she noticed her ragdoll Fluttershy had fallen on its face, almost curled up. It looked sad, even lonely. She set the new doll down, and pulled the old one into another hug. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy! I didn’t mean to hug the other one so long!” She held it in her forelegs, counting down in her head until the old doll’s hug quota matched the new one’s down to the second.

She nodded to herself as she set it down, sitting next to the new Flutterdoll. Now there’d be no hard feelings, no jealousy between either of them. Her smiled wavered slightly as she eyed the two dolls again. She’d have to be careful not to let this happen again, or it would make them sad. And she couldn’t make them sad! It wasn’t as if she had to choose which doll she had to love more, did she?

Her eyes widened as the question repeated itself in her mind.

Did she?

She’d never run into this problem before. She’d always only had one doll to love unconditionally. But now… now she had two of the same pony. Of Fluttershy, even. Somehow, that detail felt important.

And she loved them both. She really did. But she’d never had to split her attention before. Should she love her old doll more? The one she’d crafted with her own two hooves? Or the new one, which was so gorgeous and lifelike and cute and adorable that she almost expected it to come to life?

This was a really, really tough question. She’d need help answering it, and she knew exactly who she’d ask.

“Pinkie? Are you awake?”

Pinkie’s eyes widened as Mrs Cake called from below. She’d gotten distracted with the hugs, and had forgotten about the cakes! And the Cakes!

“Coming!” she sang back, leaping off her bed. She’d have to wait until her lunch break to visit the one pony she knew would have an answer to this Flutterproblem.

Fluttershy!





Twilight was normally a very focused pony. Especially where books were concerned. So focused, in fact, that it sometimes took quite a bit of effort to distract her from her reading.

Other times, though, it was a simple thing to do so. A rumbling stomach did the job quite well as a matter of fact.

She blushed as she glanced around the library, but to her relief, nopony was around to hear. She stretched as she stood up from her cushion, levitating a bookmark to keep her spot in Mollusks and You. The more she read, the more fascinated she became, and she couldn’t wait to get back to it.

She reviewed a few facts she had gleaned from the book as she made her way to the kitchen, but paused as something caught her eye. There, on the shelf, sat the doll of Rarity, observing its surroundings with its muzzle slightly upturned as the real thing might do.

She giggled at the thought, marvelling once more at how accurate the dolls were. But as she gazed at the doll, Rarity’s words floated to the front of her mind.

“My doll has a little heart sewn on it, made of felt.”

Twilight frowned as she gave the statement more thought. Why didn’t the other dolls have the heart?

Or perhaps, what made hers so special? After all, the doll of herself was the only one with this heart.

She clucked her tongue as she fought the urge to check the library’s catalogue. The books weren’t there, and she wasn’t going to track them down. It was best for everypony if she just let them come back in due time.

Maybe she could ask for relevant copies from the Canterlot Library. All she needed to do was send a request letter, and the documents would be sent to her door.

The more she considered this, however, the more she realized that the plan had a flaw. In the time it would take for the request to arrive and the texts to be packaged and shipped, the checked out books would likely already be returned, rendering the whole point moot. Maybe if she sent the request through princess Celestia, it could speed things up.

The unicorn gasped, her eyes widening. 

The Princess was a living repository of knowledge, old or new. Surely she could put her on the right track?

Twilight fairly galloped to her desk where a quill and a blank scroll waited. She dipped the quill in one of the nearby pots of ink and began her letter.

Dear Princess Celestia, she wrote, my friends and I have all received these odd dolls recently, and I was wondering if you knew anything...

The quill stopped as Twilight looked over the words she’d just written. Not only had she phrased it in an entirely too familiar tone, the subject itself gave her pause.

She remembered the last time a letter had been sent to the Princess regarding a doll. While in the end, thanks to her friends, it had all turned out well... For a while, she’d thought her time in Ponyville had come to an end.

She couldn’t imagine that this new set of dolls had anything to do with that incident. Nor did they seem to have some nefarious purpose—she’d checked her doll for any type of enchantment, and there had been none.

Despite all of that, she hesitated. And hesitated some more.

I think I’ll just wait for the books to be returned.

She sighed as her magic crumpled up the now wasted scroll, and threw it into the bin. If only there was another avenue to research, she thought, her eyes wandering back to the Rarity doll.

As the gemstone eyes glinted, she realised there was, in fact, another option.

Rarity had mentioned the town’s jeweler. Perhaps he could lend some insight on the subject?

Twilight’s horn shone as her magic quickly grabbed the doll and her saddlebags. Lunch could wait, she had some research to do!





She knew it was just her imagination.

After all, it was just a doll. There was no way it could be watching her, could it?

Watching, from the couch where Pinkie had left it the previous day.

Watching, with its gemstone eyes. Tracking her everywhere she went.

Had it just moved? No, it couldn’t have. Not unless it was enchanted. Was it enchanted? She’d have to ask Twilight.

But who would send an enchanted doll?

“I-I’m just being a scaredy cat…" Fluttershy mumbled, earning herself a raised eyebrow from the kitten sitting nearby. “Sorry!”

She hurried to the kitchen, eager to escape the doll’s gaze, and grabbed a bowl of carrots. Even if it was just noon, a few of her animal friends had adapted to her eating schedule, most notably Angel and the other bunnies. Perhaps she’d make herself something quick once she’d fed them.

She took a deep breath, and stared at the door to the living room. It’s just a doll, she thought. Get a hold of yourself. She steeled herself, and pushed the door open. She flew over to the door, and was about to lift a hoof to open it when she glanced back at the doll.

And it stared back.

She squeaked in fright, which turned into a full blown shriek of terror as something knocked on her front door. The bowl flew into the air, carrots landing everywhere as she curled up on the floor, trembling.

“Fluttershy? Are you okay?”

Pinkie…?

She scrambled to her hooves, and grabbed the door, inching it open. On the other side of the door stood Pinkie Pie, the worried look on her face disappearing into a wide grin as she caught sight of Fluttershy. “Hiya!”

Fluttershy smiled back, feeling herself calm down ever so slightly at the presence of her friend. “H-hi Pinkie…" Fluttershy stepped back, opening the door wide, letting the pink pony trot in.

Pinkie paused in the middle of the room, her eyes roving around. “Ooh, is it easter for the bunnies?”

“Easter…?” Fluttershy repeated, lost.

“You hid the carrots for the bunnies to find!” Pinkie pointed at the vegetables poking around the furniture. “You didn’t do a good job though, I can still see them.” She grinned as she turned to face Fluttershy. “Can I help?”

“Oh… Um, no thank you, Pinkie.” Fluttershy shook her head. “You just startled me and I dropped the bowl…"

Pinkie giggled, hopping closer to the pegasus. “That makes a lot more sense! And it explains this!” Fluttershy’s eyes widened as Pinkie stopped right in front of her, and moved her muzzle closer to Fluttershy’s own. She felt the heat creep onto her cheeks.

Is she…? Fluttershy closed her eyes, fear and anticipation warring inside her. She had no idea what to think right now, and could only wait.

And wait.

And wonder why she wasn’t feeling anything.

Fluttershy jumped slightly as she felt something ruffle her mane. She felt Pinkie’s presence move away, and slowly opened her eyes, to see Pinkie sitting in front of her, a carrot in her mouth.

“It was in your mane!” the earth pony explained. Fluttershy blinked, then blushed once again as she realized what exactly she’d been expecting. Hiding her face behind her mane, she attempted to look at Pinkie, but couldn’t quite make eye contact.

“Th-thank you, Pinkie.”

Pinkie grinned, scarfing down the last of the carrot. “No problemo!”

Ears drooping at the strange twist in her gut, Fluttershy nonetheless smiled back, taking comfort in Pinkie being Pinkie. “What brings you here, Pinkie?”

“Oh yeah!” The pink pony turned around and dropped the saddlebags she’d been wearing to the floor. There, she opened each flap, and pulled out two dolls. One was the same mysterious doll from the anonymous sender that Fluttershy had seen the previous day. She glanced at the couch, and flinched as her eyes met the Pinkie-doll’s. She quickly turned her gaze back to the other doll Pinkie had pulled out. It looked like… her?

“Pinkie, what is this?”

Pinkie giggled. “It’s you, silly!”

Fluttershy nodded, then blinked. That hadn’t answered anything. “But where did it come from?”

“I have no idea!” Pinkie replied, still smiling. “Well that’s not really true. Somepony mailed the big doll to me, but I have no idea who! You know, just like yours!” Pinkie pointed to the doll version of herself on the couch, and Fluttershy’s eyes couldn’t help but follow. She quickly looked back, not trusting herself to look at the doll for very long.

None of that had been news, though. She’d been there when the rest of the girls had talked about the dolls’ sudden arrival, after all. “A-and the other?”

“Oh! I made that!”

Fluttershy felt her cheeks grow warmer once again. “Y-you made a doll of me?”

“Yepperoonie!” Fluttershy could feel her chest swell, before Pinkie continued talking. “And of the other girls! And the princesses! And the Cakes! And Cranky and Matilda!”

“Oh…" Fluttershy mumbled, her expression falling ever so slightly. “It’s… very nice.”

“And that’s the problem!” Pinkie exclaimed, flinging her hooves in the air. “They’re both cute and adorable and pretty and fun! Just like you! And I dunno what to do!”

“Do?” Fluttershy couldn’t help but hear the words repeat themselves. Cute? Adorable? Pretty?

“I dunno which to like more! And that’s a big problem!” Pinkie lifted the Fluttershy-ragdoll to the pegasus’s face, then pressed it into Fluttershy’s hooves. “I made this one myself and I love it to bits!”

Fluttershy could see the truth of Pinkie’s words. The smaller doll looked cruder. It definitely had the touch of being hoof-made, but Pinkie had done an excellent job. Fluttershy could easily recognize herself, down to the tiny butterflies on the doll’s flank.

“But this new Flutterdoll is great, too! She’s so pretty and bigger and I don’t know which to love more!”

Fluttershy looked at the second doll as Pinkie kept talking. The larger doll looked almost professionally made, and the attention to detail spoke of a keen eye. The coat, the mane, the tail, and even the wings appeared almost lifelike.

And the eyes.

She couldn’t help it—her gaze flicked over to the Pinkiedoll. She shuddered as she met its eyes, unable to repress the reaction. She almost didn’t hear the other pony talk.

“Fluttershy? Are you okay?”

Fluttershy jumped, startled out of her thoughts. “H-huh? Oh, y-yes, I-I’m fine,” she said, trying to convince herself almost as much as Pinkie.

But the earth pony wasn’t buying it. “No you aren’t! You’re stuttering!  You only stutter when you’re scared!” Pinkie moved closer to Fluttershy and sat down next to her. She put a leg around Fluttershy’s withers and drew her close. “Whatcha scared of?”

Fluttershy sighed as she leaned into Pinkie, feeling the warmth of the other mare’s body. “It’s silly…"

“Then you came to the right pony!” Pinkie giggled, nuzzling Fluttershy’s mane. “I’m a professional silly!” She paused, tilting her head. “Or is that silly professional?”

Fluttershy smiled, nuzzling Pinkie’s neck. The earth pony always knew how to calm her down. She sighed again, knowing she shouldn’t hold back.  “It’s… it’s your doll.”

“My doll?” Pinkie asked, leaning her head away to look Fluttershy in the eye. Fluttershy nodded, lifting a hoof towards the couch.

“It’s… scary.” She felt a pang in her chest as she saw Pinkie’s expression fall, and her ears droop. “But you aren’t!” she said in a rush, leaning in to nuzzle Pinkie’s cheek. “Never you.”

Pinkie's smile was small, but strong. “So then why…?”

“I-I don’t know!” Fluttershy blurted out, closing her eyes. “It’s just staring at me and following me with its eyes and–” She stopped as a pink hoof touched her lips. Her eyes flew open, and she stared into Pinkie’s blue ones. The pink pony held her gaze for a moment, then winked before turning to face the Pinkiedoll.

Pinkie trotted over to it, her stare turning into a glare. She lifted a hoof, and poked the doll in the stomach. “Now listen here, me! Stop scaring my best friend! She’s too sweet for that!” Pinkie paused, lifting a hoof to her chin. Suddenly, she gasped, and spun around to face Fluttershy. The earth pony rushed to her side, grabbed the bigger Fluttershy doll in her mouth, then rushed back to the couch. She placed her own doll next to the other, and stared at the pair a moment. She then turned the dolls around until they faced each other, and spun around to beam at Fluttershy.

“There you go! Now you can keep an eye on me while you’re not here!”

Fluttershy could barely find the words for what she felt. “But that’s your doll, Pinkie! Don’t you want to keep her?”

Pinkie shook her head, smiling wide. “Nope! If this makes you feel better, then I’m happy!”

Fluttershy could only grin. Maybe Pinkie was right. “Okay. I’ll keep her for you.” She laughed as Pinkie swept her into a hug, nuzzling her cheek at the same time. Fluttershy put her own forelegs around the Pink pony, returning the hug, feeling comfortable in the other mare’s embrace.

All too soon, Pinkie pulled away, looking sad. “I gotta go back to Sugarcube Corner. Can I come back later?” She threw a mock glare at the Pinkie doll. “I gotta keep my eye on me!”

Fluttershy giggled, nodding. “You can always come by.” She blinked as a thought struck her. “But, um, not today? I’m meeting Rarity at the spa this evening.”

“Ooh! Then how about tomorrow?”

Fluttershy nodded again. “Tomorrow sounds perfect.”

“Yay!” Pinkie hugged the pegasus again, burying her face in Fluttershy’s mane. The pair stayed there, completely at ease, but the silence had to end at some point.

“Pinkie?”

“Hmm?”

“Weren’t you supposed to head back?”

“Ack!”





"What should we use for eyes?"

"I thought you already added the eyes?"

"No, those are nostrils."

"Um, maybe we should fix that."

"Scoots? Y’put the wings on backwards."

"No I did- Oh yeah you're right."

"Here, let me-"

“Careful, you’ll-”

"Ack! Uh, I can fix that..."

"Hey, how should we do the legs?"

"...Seriously?"  

"Well I don't know where to put the joints."

"Sweetie, I don't think y’put joints on a doll."

"We put nostrils on it, we might as well spring for joints."

"Okay, do we have the wings on right now?"

"Yeah, they match the horn perfectly, too."

"Wait, when did we put a horn on it?"

"Back near the start?"

"I thought that was just a piece of its mane."

“That’s because that is a piece of mane! Look!”

"Uh, is this a stallion or mare?"

"Stallion!"

"Mare!"

"..."

"Wait, who were we even making again?"

"..."

"Should we just start over?"

"We're gonna need more staples..."

"Alright, we better hurry an' find some.  We gotta have this done by tomorrow..."






CELESTIA COURTING MYSTERY PONY?

Early this morning, the castle walls were abuzz with a new rumor: Princess Celestia’s eye has been caught by somepony. A guard wishing to remain anonymous informed our reporter that the princess was seen preparing for a date, while another denied those allegations as ‘bunk’, to paraphrase the stallion’s more colorful choice of words. A third stated….


Rarity rolled her eyes as she levitated the paper back to the table. She knew the Equestria Daily was just a trashy gossip rag—if a rather popular one—but the feature article in this morning’s edition was simply ludicrous, even for them. She couldn’t even bear to read the entire thing.

She’d picked it up to keep her mind busy, but it had been to no avail. She kept thinking back to earlier that morning. She’d just come out of the fabric store, having spent a solid hour trying to discern which colors would best complement her current client best. It had proven more dificult than it ought to have, as several rolls of her best fabric had mysteriously vanished while she’d been keeping Twilight company the previous day. She suspected a certain trio of fillies. But despite her worries surrounding the librarian, she still had a job to do.

Yet who else had she met as she stepped out of the store but Twilight herself? Rarity’s heart had fluttered as they’d exchanged pleasantries, but those flutters had quickly died and turned to ice as Twilight briefly mentioned writing a letter to the Princess to ask about the dolls.

Rarity had nearly fainted in relief upon hearing that Twilight had decided against it. Yet she’d still nearly galloped home, eager to throw herself into her work, anything to occupy her mind, and hopefully drive away the thought that kept coming back.

Every time Twilight seemed close to figuring out what the dolls meant, Rarity felt like she wanted to move Sun and Moon to prevent Twilight from doing just that.

Did she truly fear Twilight’s reaction that much?

The chime of an opening door broke her away from her musings. She brightened as a smiling Fluttershy trotted into the spa. “There you are!” she said, turning to nod at Aloe. The earth pony ran off to get their usual session started.

Fluttershy’s ears folded back as her expression fell. “Oh, am I late? I’m sorry if I’m late!”

Rarity smiled and shook her head as the pair trotted into the next room. “Don’t worry about it. I haven’t been waiting long.”

Fluttershy seemed to relax at Rarity’s words. “Oh, good. I, um, I got caught in a… a daydream? And I lost track of time.”

The unicorn raised an eyebrow as they stepped into their respective bathrobes. She kept her silence until they were both seated in the sauna. “That sounds like quite the daydream. Can I ask what it was about?”

The question had clearly caught Fluttershy off guard as she blushed quite heavily. “Oh! No, nothing bad… Not at all.”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed as she took a closer look at her friend. Her question had been completely innocent, but the Fluttershy’s reaction told volumes. While it could very well just be the heat of the sauna, Rarity suspected something else was on Fluttershy’s mind.

Something pink.

She couldn’t ask directly, though. She knew her friend, and was sure that Fluttershy would clam up if she came out and asked if the earth pony was the cause. But perhaps a hint here or there would work.

“That’s good to hear,” she said, closing her eyes as she relaxed. “Say, I stopped by Sugarcube Corner earlier today. Pinkie was beaming, moreso than usual!” She opened a single eye, watching Fluttershy’s reaction. “But she wouldn’t say a word about why. The nerve!” There’s the hook.

The pegasus’s eyes had widened, and were now looking almost everywhere but at Rarity. “Um…"

“Have you heard anything, dear?” There’s the line.

“Well… Maybe…"

“Don’t hold back. You know you can tell me anything!” And…

Fluttershy swallowed, then shifted her gaze to Rarity. “She did visit me today, and helped me.”

Sinker. Rarity, you are a gem. “Helped you? Darling, is there a problem?” She leaned in, eager to hear what Fluttershy would say as the mare started shaking her head. As the yellow mare made her way through the story, it was all Rarity could do to stop herself from squealing out loud. Fluttershy’s blushes and hesitations told the unicorn as much as her words did, and Rarity’s mind filled in many of the blanks.

The pair had shared a moment. Together.

All thanks to the dolls. It was all going so much better than expected!

Well. One part was, at least. Rarity’s thoughts wandered towards the Golden Oaks library, and the mare it contained.

“… I kept telling her it was silly. Because Pinkie isn’t scary. She’s nice, friendly, and funny.” Fluttershy sighed. “I still can’t believe she left her doll.”

“Yes, quite the matching pair, aren’t you?” Rarity hummed, only half listening to her friend, and her own response. As her brain caught up to her mouth, she glanced at Fluttershy, her eyes wide. I hope she didn’t notice that.

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, we–” She gasped, hiding her mouth behind a hoof. It did little to hide the returning blush on Fluttershy’s cheeks.

Rarity winced internally. She did. She hadn’t meant to pull things out in the open. This was something that Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie needed to discover on their own.

Since the cat is out of the bag… “She’s a special pony, isn’t she?” she asked. She was still beating around the bush, but she hoped it would prevent Fluttershy from clamming up.

Instead, Fluttershy surprised her. “W-well, what about you? Do you have a special somepony?”

Rarity’s mouth opened, instinctively wanting to say the name on the tip of her tongue, but she slammed it shut before any sound escaped. Fluttershy had turned the question right back on her, and it had almost taken her completely off guard.

Her silence seemed to embolden her friend. “Maybe that nice stallion at the clock store?”

Rarity blinked, snapping out of her daze. “Time Turner?” Why him? “Oh my, no. He’s a gentlecolt, but a bit… eccentric, shall we say?”

“Maybe you’re right.” Fluttershy nodded. “Well, how about Big McIntosh?”

“Too rugged. Though his physique is admittedly divine.” But Applejack would probably kill me.

Fluttershy had a hoof to her chin, clearly trying to think of more names. “Thunderlane? He’s nice. And his little brother is cute.”

Rarity giggled. “Rumble is certainly a darling. I think Sweetie Belle might have a crush on him!” She shook her head as her friend stared at her. “I despise Thunderlane’s mane style.”

“Okay… Um. What about mares?”

Rarity was now beginning to wonder if she had disturbed the proverbial hornet’s nest. What had gotten into Fluttershy? She was offered a brief respite as they moved into the main room, where the twins began lathering her face with the special blend of mud. But even through her mask, she could feel Fluttershy waiting for her answer.

“I…" she started, hesitating as she figured out what, exactly, to say. “I am not opposed to mares.”

“Well, have you considered the other girls? Maybe… I don’t know, Twilight?”

Rarity was thankful that the horn filing hadn’t started yet, or her sudden jolt would have possibly resulted in quite a painful moment. This wasn’t like disturbing a hornet’s nest, but rather like attempting to steal from a dragon’s hoard, with the dragon present and awake.

As much as she wanted to, she knew there was no escape. She was trapped. By a bathrobe, facial mud, and the attentions of two earth ponies who owned her current prison. She could not avoid answering the questions of her pegasus jailor and interrogator.

“Wh—Twilight? Why Twilight?”

“Um… No reason. Forget I said anything,” Fluttershy replied. Even with her eyes covered by cucumber slices, Rarity could still picture her friend’s attempts to hide behind her mane.

She didn’t know what had caused Fluttershy’s sudden reticence, but she wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass. “You said Twilight for a reason.”

“Um…"

“Why Twilight?” She could hear the growing nervousness in Fluttershy’s voice. But she had to know.

“Well…"

“Why not our other friends? Or you?”

“I…"

“Or any other mare in Ponyville! Tell me!” Rarity insisted. Lotus had started filing her horn, but the normally welcome sensation was now merely distracting.

She heard Fluttershy squeak, before taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry I don’t like you that way but I do like you as a friend! And Rainbow Dash could never sit still long enough for you! And you can barely stand how Applejack acts most of the time! And Pinkie…"

Rarity’s mouth fell open as the Fluttershy fell silent. She couldn’t exactly fault Fluttershy’s reasoning. While she did dearly love her friends, strengths and faults included, their personalities would just clash far too often for any long term relationship. She squashed the part of her mind that pictured the fiery, torrid short term relationships between herself and either of her more athletic friends, instead listening to the part that noticed how Fluttershy had stopped at the mention of Pinkie.

She smiled inwardly. The connection between the two was becoming ever more visible, and it was a beautiful thing to behold.

Still, she could humor her friend. "That’s a bit overly negative, don't you think?"

"Um, well. I’m just highlighting the biggest… things.  There are other reasons, too.  Small details, mannerisms… you know."

Rarity nodded. “I fear you may be right. But what else, dear?”

“Huh?”

“Any other reasons? Positive ones?”

“Positive? Um… Twilight is single?”

“The others aren’t?” she asked. She knew otherwise, but it wouldn’t do to reveal her hoof just then. Twilight hadn’t figured things out yet.

“Um. I think Applejack and Dashie might… not be single? With each other?”

“Oh?”

“Sorry. Maybe it’s just my imagination…"

No, it isn’t. “Perhaps. But again, why Twilight? There are many single mares in Equestria.”

“W-well, she’s a unicorn too, she’s from Canterlot, and she’s purple!” Rarity’s expression must have shown through the mask, as the pegasus quickly continued. “I-I mean, you care about colors a lot. And your hair is purple too…"

“She’s lavender, dear, not purple.”

“Well yes, but–”

“And those are not real reasons for a relationship!” She struck the massage table with a hoof. “Not when there are so many others! Her wit, her intelligence, her naïve charm, her passion, her–”

She shut her mouth abruptly, her mind coming to a screeching halt as she realized just what she was doing. She thanked Luna’s stars and moon for her mud mask, and hoped the heat from her blushing cheeks wouldn’t cook it solid. She couldn’t out herself, couldn’t admit that Fluttershy’s suggestion was, in fact, spot on.

Not yet. Not while Twilight’s feelings were still unknown.

“A-as much of a catch she might be, she’s just a friend.” Rarity nodded at Lotus, and stretched out onto the table. Saying those words had hurt. More than she thought they would.

“S-s-o-o-o-o, ha-a-ave I m-m-mentio-o-oned m-y-y ne-e-ewest ch-e-e-ef d’o-o-oeuvre?”

She hoped the massage would soothe at least some of her aches. At least those of her body.

As divine as Lotus’ hooves felt, the ache in her heart was out of their reach.





“Spike, I’m heading out for a while! I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Okay.”

Twilight Sparkle held back a sigh as she magicked the door closed behind her. Spike’s response had sounded normal, but she knew something was bothering him. Once she’d gotten out of her research-zone, she’d noticed his change in demeanor.

Normally, the young dragon had a smile on his face, or was humming quietly as he went about his chores. But now, both the smile and the humming were absent. His tasks were still completed on time, and without mistake, but she couldn’t help but feel something was off.

Even when she’d confronted him, asking him what was wrong, he’d waved her concerns away. But he’d hesitated, and she’d seen a familiar crinkle in his brow.

She knew, however, not to press the issue. Trying to force him to talk would result in just the opposite, and she’d get nothing out of him. Instead, she’d try appealing to him. And the best way to appeal to a dragon, or at least one named Spike, was through his stomach.

A Ruby encrusted apple cupcake sounded perfect for the job.

She reviewed her mental checklist. Apples from the market, cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner, rubies from the Boutique. Rarity probably has a few to spare. She made her way to her first stop, easily spotting the apple stall amongst the rest. Big McIntosh was, after all, rather hard to miss.

She smiled as she approached the stallion. “Hello, Big McIntosh! How are you today?”

The stallion grunted, chewing on his usual sprig of grass. “Been better, I reckon’. What can I do for ya?”

Twilight blinked, not having expected a negative answer. “Uh, I need some apples for some cupcakes, any suggestions?” She hesitated before making a quick decision. “Can I ask what’s wrong?”

Big McIntosh shook his head. “Nothin’ you need concern yourself about, Miss Twilight. We take care of farm troubles at th’farm.” He swiftly bagged a half dozen red and yellow apples. “You want gala apples for bakin’. That’s four bits.”

“Trouble? What kind of trouble?” she asked, levitating the coins onto the stand and the apples into her saddlebag.

The stallion drew the money towards him. “Don’t want to pull you into that. Them dolls are causin' enough mess already.”

Twilight eyed Big McIntosh. She was reminded of one of Applejack’s stories, where the giggling farmer had explained that the more annoyed her brother got, the wordier he became. While he wasn’t writing novels yet, it was becoming fairly clear that Big McIntosh was not having a good day.

But more importantly, he’d mentioned something she recognized. “Dolls? Do you mean Applejack’s and Rainbow Dash’s?” she pressed on as the stallion nodded. “What trouble are they causing?”

Big McIntosh snorted. “Not just the dolls, it’s…" He paused, his eyes widening slightly, before shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Miss Twilight. Can’t tell you that.”

“What? Why not?”

“Made a promise not to.”

Twilight squinted at the stallion. She now knew that the dolls were somehow causing trouble at the farm, and it was related not only to Applejack and her family, but Rainbow Dash as well. And it was something important enough to extract a promise of silence from Big McIntosh. She had to get to the bottom of this.

“I understand. Thanks for the apples!” She made to turn around, then paused and faced Big McIntosh again. “Oh, can you ask Applejack to stop by the library? I need to talk to her.”

The stallion nodded. “About what?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh…" I guess subtlety isn’t my strong suit. “She’s got an overdue book!” She grinned sheepishly at Big McIntosh, who stared back silently. He finally nodded, and Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’ll tell Miss Dash to bring her overdue books too if I see her.”

Twilight’s smile cracked as she mumbled her thanks. Her cheeks burned as she trotted away, making her way to the next place on her list: Sugarcube Corner.





‘Bout as subtle as a brick wall, that one. Big McIntosh shook his head as he started packing the empty baskets into his cart. Still, he couldn’t exactly blame the mare for trying. She clearly cared about her friends, and had immediately offered her help once she heard the mention of trouble. Even to the point of attempting to trick him.

He understood why Applejack had accepted them as honorary family members during the whole cider trouble with those two thieving brothers. He’d been too busy at the time to question the decision, and had not spent much time afterwards on the subject. But he knew, to an Apple, that family was one of the most important things in life. The Apple family was extremely tight knit, every member supporting the other, be they an Apple by birth, or marriage.

But there hadn’t been a new honorary member since the time his pappy was alive. Sure, the family had friends, but few ever set themselves apart. But these five mares, who stood by each other and his sister through thick and thin, at times facing things from nightmares, or simply by trying to be a good friend, they truly deserved to be part of the family. And at the rate she was going, the rainbow pegasus was on the path to becoming an official family member, too.

If only she could stop having some of her bone headed ideas.

“Consarn it, Dash!” Applejack yelled next to him, throwing her hat on the ground. “What in Celestia’s name do you think you’re doin’?!”

The pegasus in question was hovering in the air, slamming a nail into the farmhouse’s walls with a hoof. She’d just finished barricading Applejack’s window, and grinned down at the pair of farmponies. “Making this place awesome!”

“How th’heck are sandbags around every door and planks on the windows awesome?”

“What? This was your idea!”

“My ide—what in tarnation are you talkin’ about, Rainbow?” His sister shook her head as he stared at her. She looked as confused as he was.

“You said all we could do was bunker down! Well, now your place is a bunker!”

“Hunker down, not bunker!” Applejack yelled. “Them dolls is making you jumpier than a rattlesnake in a pickle barrel!”

“Ooh, I’m a snake now? Awesome!”

“That ain’t a compliment, Dash!” Applejack said, smacking her forehead with a hoof. “If you don’t start pullin’ this stuff down right now, I’m banning you from dinner for a year!”

The stallion shook his head again at the still fresh memory, and chuckled. He knew that Rainbow Dash was fast, but she must have shattered records once Applejack made her threat.

He kept chewing on his sprig as he started on the path home, deep in thought. His resolve had weakened at seeing how far the unicorn was willing to go for her friends, reminding him of the bond he shared with his family. He made it clear, in his own way, that he was allowing her to help.

He just hoped that she could.





A familiar voice greeted Twilight as she walked into the bakery.  “Heya Twilight! Why the red face?”

“Hi Pinkie. I just learned I’m about as subtle as a herd of stampeding buffalo,” Twilight replied, before laying her head on a table. Maybe she could hide her mortification like that.

Pinkie Pie giggled. “Silly, I could have told you that!”

Nope. Table isn’t helping. “Thanks, Pinkie,” Twilight replied, sarcasm lacing every word.

“No problemo!”

The unicorn let her mind wander as she rested on the table, until a sugary, sweet smell reached her nose. She glanced up, only to catch sight of Pinkie sliding a tray of cupcakes onto the display counter. With a gasp, she was reminded just why she was here. “Oh, Pinkie! I need your help.”

Instantly, the pink pony was by her side. “Oooh, whaddya need? Balloons? Streamers? Emergency mustaches?”

Twilight shook her head, smiling. “Nothing like that. I just need cupcakes. Can you do a special order?”

Pinkie beamed, raising a hoof in salute. “You’ve come to the right place, ma’am!”

“I know I have.” Twilight grinned. “I need some Apple Cupcakes with Ruby Sprinkles, pronto!” she said, levitating the bag of apples towards Pinkie. “I'll get the rubies from Rarity; we can add them at my place.”

The earth pony’s eyes widened. “Ooh, fancy! Was Spike a good boy?”

The unicorn sighed, shaking her head. “No… something’s bothering him, and I don’t know what it is. Thought this might cheer him up.”

“Good idea!” Pinkie gasped, her eyes wide. “I should make one for Fluttershy too.”

Twilight blinked at the sudden shift of topic. “Fluttershy?”

“Yeah! She was a saddy-waddy scaredy cat yesterday, and I bet a cupcake would be great for her too!” She paused, tilting her head in thought. “Maybe without the rubies. Those hurt to eat. Unless you’re Spike!” She giggled.

While hearing that Fluttershy was scared was not a particularly new or unexpected thing, Twilight’s curiosity was nonetheless piqued by Pinkie’s description of the pegasus being sad. “What was the matter with Fluttershy?”

“Her Pinkiedoll was stalking her and making her all scared and jumpy, but I left my Flutterdoll there and now she’s all better!” Pinkie’s smile dipped slightly as she looked out of the window. “I’m still gonna check on her later.”

Twilight frowned, missing the change in the earth pony’s expression. As soon as Pinkie had mentioned the dolls, her jaw had tightened. As interesting as they were to study, she couldn’t in good conscience let them trouble her friends as they seemed to be doing.

If the dolls were causing problems not only with Applejack and Rainbow Dash, but Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie as well, so soon after their arrival, then she could not leave things as they were. Something had to be done.

“Pinkie, can you bring Fluttershy to the library when you go visit her? We need to talk.”

“Oki doki loki!” Pinkie replied, grabbing the floating bag of apples with her mouth. She then hopped into the kitchen, leaving Twilight alone to consider her next course of action.

She quickly realized her original list was still the best plan of action. She’d stop at the Boutique, get some rubies, and get Rarity to the library at the same time. It was a perfect plan!

It would give her time to figure out what to do with the dolls.