//------------------------------// // Culture Clash // Story: Apple of My Eye // by musicalreader //------------------------------// Apple of My Eye- Ch. 27 Culture Clash AKA- One, Two, Three, Four, I Declare a Shipping War… Luna had seen many things in her lifetime… she had seen her kingdom rise from nothing, seen friends become enemies, and enemies become friends. She had seen things that no living historian could ever imagine. She had even seen the turning of the centuries from her lunar prison… But she had never seen a battle fought with crayon drawings… The latest missive she’d been made to deliver to Applejack from Rainbow Dash had been a crudely drawn picture of Applejack being kicked to someplace labeled “Timbucktu” by Rainbow Dash while she was kissing Orion. “I’m not sure that this is a good idea…” Luna said, keeping her voice low as the others around them were digging into their respective meals. “I mean, this truly does not seem like something that the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony should be sending to each other.” “Just pass it over like you did the others…” Rainbow Muttered, glaring daggers at Applejack, who was digging into a plate of pasta. Luna sighed and hoofed the drawing over to Applejack, who glanced at it, giving it the same look that one might have if they were to look at a pile of fresh manure. “Ah told ya once already Rainbow…” AJ said, narrowing her gaze at the cerulean mare. “Ah was alright with exchangin’ words with ya through Luna… but Ah ain’t gonna send back a scribbled out picture every time ya get too angry ta let me know what yer thinkin’.” “Are you two still on about this?!” Twilight huffed, slamming her fork down on the table angrily and glaring at her two friends. “If I have to take away the crayons and just make you both mute for the rest of dinner, I will!” “Easy there Twi…” Sun said, trying to calm his marefriend down. “They’re staying quiet for the most part, so it’s not like anyone’s being bothered by this whole thing, right Orion?” Orion, to his credit, knew when to keep his mouth shut… and when two of the toughest ponies Ponyville looked over at him like he would be the final deciding tie breaker, he suddenly remembered that he had to go to the bathroom… “……… Well crud…” Sun said, “He’s just gonna make it worse if he runs away…” “Makes what worse?” Twilight asked, turning her glare to her coltfriend. “Do you know what’s going on here?” “Uhhh…… I need to use the restroom?” “Oh no you don’t.” Twilight said finally, keeping him rooted to his seat before he could scoot to freedom, “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what the hay these three are acting so weird about…” “Uh Twilight… not sure that this is the best place to talk about it…” Sun said evasively, looking to the three guilty mares for some backup, but they were each too busy either scribbling messages to the other, or they were busy passing said messages to their intended recipient. Twilight’s horn lit up, a small bubble shimmering in the air for a split second, encapsulating the purple Unicorn and her coltfriend. “There, now nopony can hear us… so spill it. What’s going on between those three?” “Really not sure if it’s my place to say or not…” Sun said, still uneasy. “They are my friends! And you will tell me why they are acting so… so WEIRD!” She said emphatically, still maintaining a perfect poker face despite the rising anger and concern in her voice. “……… Okay… but you did NOT hear this from me, okay sweetie?” he answered, still trying to watch his own flank. “…I promise not to tell anypony that you told me…” she said, calming down slightly. “……Long story short, I’m about 90 percent sure that at least Applejack and Rainbow Dash are trying to get Orion’s attention so that they can ask him out… I’m also kind of beginning to think that the Princess is trying the same stuff, just really quietly…” Sun admitted, holding his hooves up innocently. Funny thing about magic… it’s a very powerful force, but it needs very powerful focus… this is why most unicorns will do anything beyond levitation with their eyes closed. After all, the less distractions or scares or shocks, the more likely that the spell in question will succeed… but when you have a Unicorn casting such a complex spell as a ‘Sphere of Silence’ charm, and said Unicorn is surprised… well, the magic tends to not do its job… Which might explain why every patron in the restaurant turned at once when Princess Celestia’s famous student screamed out in frustration after hearing a… bothersome… piece of news. “Uhhh… is everything alright?” Applejack asked, looking over at a seething Twilight and scared Sun Storm. “We’re fine… just need to have a word in private…” Sun fibbed, dragging his marefriend over to a hallway in the back that lead to the restrooms. “Sweetie, I need you to take a deep breath for me… come on now hun… in through the nose, out through the mouth… you calming down at all?” “I think so… I still want to strangle them… but at least now I’m calm enough to know not to do it in public…” Twilight grumbled, following Sun’s instructions and breathing deeply. “I just don’t get why in Equestria those three are acting like a bunch of school filly’s though!” “Look at it from their perspective Twilight… there’s a new stallion in Ponyville, and from what you told me of the mares that live there, single stallions don’t last long… Don’t you think they might feel at least a bit of possessiveness over him?” “That’s no excuse!” Twilight bit back, “Don’t you think I was scared when I was trying to get your attention? But I still didn’t act like those three are right now…” “I know… But trust me. If there’s one thing I know about relationships, it’s that things are always different between everypony’s individual experiences.” Sun said sagely. “…Since when did you become an expert on relationships?” Twilight asked suspiciously. “I uh… read it in a magazine… somepony left it lying around the barracks and I liked the cover…” “What magazine?” “…………Cosmare……” he said, the white streaks of his coat now tinged a lovely red as he coughed and looked away nervously. “…… Oh I am never letting you live this down…” Twilight replied, smiling deviously. “But for now, we are going to go out there and get those three to calm down long enough for us to enjoy our dinner.” “Fair enough… but will you at least let me do the talking?” Sun asked, hugging his marefriend comfortingly. “……Don’t take this the wrong way sweetie… but you aren’t exactly the best pony to talk to about romance…” “Hey! I’m plenty romantic!” she objected, trying to push him away and failing. “Heh. You thought that a good first date was giving me a tour of the castle library that I had been guarding for the three weeks previously..” “The book said to do something that was familiar but fun! Libraries are fun!” “You also said that I should wear a bowtie…” he replied dryly. “…In my defense, bowties are cool…” she said, huffing and looking away. Her coltfriend catching her by surprise the moment she let her guard down, and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I think I’m plenty cool without the bowtie… and you know the deal, if you ever want to see me wearing one, you have to wear socks for me in return. And I’m talking about the black silk ones with the frilly tops.” He said teasingly, laughing warmly at the embarrassed look on her face. “Now come on. I think we’ve left the other diners defenseless for long enough.” Still grumbling, Twilight followed Sun back into the main dining room. Luckily, none of their friends had started throwing food or upturning tables, but they did seem to be involved in an argument of some sort… but at least they were keeping their voices down now… V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V “I’m telling you, it doesn’t matter if he DOES stretch his wings out in front of you, it does not mean that he is interested!” Luna said emphatically, pounding a hoof down on the table and shaking everypony’s plate. “And Ah’m tellin’ ya, just cuz he’s comfy sleepin’ in tha same place as ya, doesn’t mean yer datin’!” Applejack retorted, glaring at Luna. “Yeah! And what’s the deal with you snatching him up after that party just to crawl into bed with him anyway? I don’t care what you said it was for, I say you just wanted to try and make a move.” Rainbow agreed, siding with Applejack against Luna. “Don’t get me started on you, Ah’ve still gotta bone ta pick with ya after that stunt ya pulled at the club…” “How many times do I have to tell you that I wasn’t going to try anything?!” “Shhh… the both of you. Twilight’s coming over…” Luna said, trying to hastily end the conversation. “Uhhh… hey there Twi!” AJ said, grinning uneasily and waving at the purple Unicorn. “We were just talkin’ about…… stuff…” “Uh huh… does this ‘stuff’ have anything to do with you three acting excessively possessive and territorial about Orion?” Twilight asked, looking around at her friends with a textbook poker face that would have raked in the bits in Las Pegasus. “Wh-what art thou implying Twilight Sarkle?” Luna asked uneasily, sharing a guilty look with Rainbow Dash. “Well… ain’t no sense in tryin’ ta keep it in tha dark now…” Applejack said, nodding her head, her face lacking the guilty expression of Dash and Luna, but her brow furrowing slightly as her mind’s eye wandered off to Celestia knew where. “Ah don’t know if ya remember that kissin’ game from the sleepover, but Ah kissed Orion, Aurora… whichever… an Ah did it cuz Ah… well, Ah have feelin’s for ‘em. He’s just got this… air about him… Ah can tell he’s been through a lot, and he’s still so nice ta everypony… he’s stronger than Ah think Ah could ever be, but Ah wanna be there fer him, and Ah wanna help him be happy… and Ah feel like if we were together, then Ah could be happy too… Plus, just between us, Ah ain’t seen a Stallion that looks that good since Ah picked up one’ve Rarity’s special magazines. But Ah also feel guilty. Fer mah whole life, the farm, and mah family have been the most important part of my life… Now Ah feel like I’m being greedy by wantin’ him in mah life…” “……If Applejack can talk about her feelings, then I suppose that I have no excuse. I too have a… fondness… for Orion.” Luna admitted, employing a trick for speaking that has been used by public figures for centuries; she looked at a particularly interesting piece of wallpaper just behind Twilight’s ear. “I feel guilty about it, because I know that he is my protégé, but there is a spark in him that I have not seen in another in over a millennia… And he is one who I feel truly appreciates me… It is a pleasant break from the lingering feelings I still have of isolation. He makes me feel as if I actually matter, as more than just the sister that lowers the moon. He makes me feel… balanced… but I suppose it is because it has been so long, that I have been acting so possessive.” “There’s nothing wrong with having feelings for somepony, either of you… but you have to balance everything out. How do you think Orion will feel if he thinks that he’s the reason you three have been acting so UNfriendly to each other? Don’t you think that that would hurt him just as much as it’s hurting your friendship right now?” Twilight asked, looking between the Earth Pony and the Alicorn across from her. As they looked at each other, Twilight’s words sinking in. “Now, since your part of all this Rainbow, why don’t you tell the group how you feel about things…” “I mean, there’s not much to tell… I think Orion’s hot, and he’s pretty cool… I can’t remember how many times I’ve crashed into him, but no matter how many times it happens, he just kind of lets it roll off. He doesn’t even poke fun at me for it. He’s like, the opposite of me, you know? He doesn’t care about flying fast, or doing tricks, or even if he comes off as cool or not… he just, IS, and it kinda makes me feel like I can relax around him without having to worry about being judged about anything… plus he’s like, adorably, blissfully ignorant… and it just, gets me… and I want to protect him… and I want him to protect me, and be there for me…” Rainbow said, her words flowing out as a smile crept across her face and her mind drifted off to a fantasy realm. There was a heavy silence that hung over the table after everypony had said their piece… But it wasn’t the heavy, awkward silence that happens after a long fight… it was the peaceful quiet that follows a turning point in one’s life. And at that very moment, there were more than a few major revelations that were flying through the minds of those seated at the table. Even Sun Storm, who hadn’t said anything, was thinking about what the mares had said. He began to smile as he reflected on his own feelings for Twilight, and began to realize just how important she was to him… “… Sunny? Are you alright?” Twilight asked softly, breaking the silence as she nuzzled her coltfriend, a tear drawling down his cheek. Sun sniffled, “I’m… I’m fine Twilight… I just… I love you…” he said, smiling and kissing her on the forehead, just below her horn. Twilight smiled back at her stallion, breaking the kiss gently. “I know you do… and I love you too… You realize of course that if I ever tell Shining about you blubbering over something this sentimental, that you'll never live it down, right?” “I know, but I don't care... I’m gonna go get Orion from the bathroom now… he’s been in there for a while.” Sun said, getting up and heading towards the back, the considerably calmer mares smiling as they each imagined pulling Orion to the side and simply telling him everything… V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V In the land of Equestria, there is an exceedingly rare creature. This creature is known for its unique purple and grey coloring, which does little to help camouflage the creature within its usually bright surroundings, and the unique fact that it is NOT, in fact, a native fauna of Equestria… This alien creature, which is nearly indistinguishable in build from any other native creature, is known scientifically as the Borealis Oblivious. But more commonly, it is known as an “Orion”. The wild Orion, in its natural habitat, is a surprisingly shy creature that is most at ease when it is hidden within its shell. It will poke its head out of the durable shell once in a while for the sole purpose of spending time with its friends… and while it is not always a quick process for the Orion to accept another creatures offer of friendship, it will give most creatures a chance… However, an interesting facet of the wild Orion, is its complete lack of social awareness. In fact, it has been suggested by those who have studied this strange creature, that it consciously makes an effort to avoid being the center of attention in whatever setting it finds itself in. While this is a remarkably effective substitute for any visible camouflage, it also is one of the Orion’s greatest weaknesses… For example, this subject was recently observed being put in a position to try and settle a dispute between two of its known companions, its head retreated into its shell, and it removed itself completely from the conflict in question, thus preserving its existence for another day… A knock at her chamber door interrupted Celestia from her thoughts, looking up from the mirror laying on the floor in front of the cushion she was currently stretched out on. “… You may enter…” she said, careful to make the formal words softer with her carefully practiced tone. The door cracked open, and the head of a bespectacled pink mare with a blonde mane poked inside. “Excuse me your Majesty, I’m filling in the order forms for the monthly restocking of the castle pantries, and I need to know how many tubs of ice cream you’d like, as well as which flavors of cake you might crave over the coming weeks…” the mare said, still a bit overwhelmed that she had managed to land a job in the castle. “Oh! Of course… um… forgive me, but I’ve forgotten your name…” Celestia answered, blushing. She normally made a point of remembering the staffs names, but she’d been a bit preoccupied recently. “Oh! I’m sorry Princess. I’m new, you see, so I’ve never really interacted with you… I work with the treasury, specifically the part that deals with the budget for food and other necessities around the castle-” “That’s lovely my dear… but what is your name?” Celestia said, cutting her off gently in the hopes of avoiding any chance of the poor mare talking herself up into a frenzy (a common occurrence with new hires meeting the Princesses for the first time). “Oh! My name is Tally, your Highness, Tally Point.” “Well Tally, I’m not too sure about what kinds of snacks I’ll be craving later this month… but if you could please put me down for at least three four tier chocolate cakes with strawberries, a triple layer vanilla cake with dark chocolate buttercream frosting, and… one MMMM from Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville? Oh, and I suppose that a couple dozen or so cartons of assorted flavors of ice cream would be lovely. Just please, no raspberry ice cream, and at least three cartons of rocky road, and two chocolate peanut butter ones as well…” Celestia responded, smiling bashfully. She knew that she had a bit of a… problem… when it came to desserts, but she still felt a bit talking about it out loud. Tally checked the appropriate boxes on her form, nodding once she was done and bowing to leave. As she made her way out the door, she turned and smiled at the Princess. “Thank you for your time Princess Celestia, I’ll be going now so you can finish playing wildlife narrator…” Celestia just sat there, smiling uneasily and chuckling as the door closed behind Tally, and Celestia looked down at her spyglass guiltily. “……… I really need to stop thinking out loud…” she said, shaking her head and focusing back in on her little sister’s dinner date. V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V A shiver ran up Orion’s spine… either someone was talking about him, or the stall he was hiding in was right under a vent… “………this is really boring……” he lamented out loud, frowning, “Why the hay am I even hiding in here? Why didn’t I just make those two take their issues outside?” Because you don’t want to be the bad guy… you don’t want to drive them away and be alone again… he thought to himself, sighing. “That’s still not a good enough reason…” he grumbled, ears perking up subconsciously as the door to the restroom creaked open. “You alright in there?” Sun asked, his voice echoing slightly. “Yeah. Are things a bit less… catty?” Sun chuckled, “Yep. Things mellowed out surprisingly quickly once they started talking… you sure you’re alright?” “Dude… I don’t even know…” Orion admitted, his head sagging, “I feel a bit tired to be honest… maybe going out so soon after the spell wore off was a mistake…” “Heheheh… yeah… I remember I didn’t really feel right afterwards either. I talked to a doctor once, and he said that it had something to do with lingering traces of foreign magic mixing with the hormones… In any case, there’s not really anything for it except for getting out there and getting on with your life.” Sun advised, standing on the other side of the stall door. “Should I at least tell them that you didn’t fall into the toilet?” Orion chuckled dryly, shaking his head. “Nah, that’s fine… I was about to go back out anyway. I’m getting pretty hungry, and those desserts sounded good.” “Okay then. You still need a moment though?” “Nope.” Orion stepped out of the stall and gave his friend a half smile, “I suppose it’s not exactly polite to just leave the girls waiting, is it?” Sun Storm shrugged, “Depends on how badly they were behaving. I’d say you’re in the clear though. But a public bathroom, even one as nice as this, isn’t the best place to hide out for any length of time…” Orion agreed, chuckling softly and walking out of the restroom, Sun following right behind him. … Meanwhile, in the stall next to the one Orion had recently vacated, a young colt let out a sigh of relief. “I thought they’d never leave…” he said, relaxing and letting nature take its course. V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V Dinner progressed normally. Well, as normally as it can when you’re dining with a royal guard, a Princess of the land, and half of the mares responsible for saving the world multiple times……… on second thought, a better phrase might be “dinner continued without anypony accidentally unleashing an ancient evil bent on the destruction of all life”. … Yep… that’s definitely more accurate… “So where exactly are you planning on staying when you’re in Ponyville?” Twilight asked, looking at Luna as the Princess lifted another spoonful of some sort of vegetable stew to her lips. “Mmm… well, the plan was for me to get a small stipend for the week. You know, just enough for a hotel room for myself and my guards, and maybe a bit more for some fun here or there…” she responded, shooting a quick glance at Orion, who was staring off into the depths of his own bowl of soup, seemingly hypnotized by a floating piece of celery. “Don’t ya have a bank account of yer own?” Applejack asked, “Ah figured you and Celestia had a pile of bits, what with ya both bein’ royalty and all…” “Well… We did have a small account with the royal treasury before being banished… but it is highly unlikely that there is anything left.” Luna admitted. “But did you check yet or not?” Rainbow asked, leaning forward curiously. “I mean, no offense and all, but it’s pretty stupid to just assume that you’re broke without at least asking.” “……That… makes an odd amount of sense for you…” Luna said, blinking. “Thanks!” Rainbow said proudly, the backhanded part of the compliment flying right over her head, making a small whistling noise as it did so. “What are ya gonna do in town though, regardless of where the cash comes from?” Applejack asked, ever inquisitive. “Well… I was thinking of working on a little ‘project’ while I was in Ponyville.” She answered, drawing skeptical looks from both AJ and Rainbow Dash. “And I believe that Hearts and Hooves day is coming up, correct?” “That’s right!” Twilight said excitedly, “That reminds me, Sunny, do you think you can get off that day and come to Ponyville? There’s a surprise I have planned, and it’s kind of counterproductive if you’re not there to enjoy it with me.” Sun actually looked a bit caught off guard at the sudden invitation, but smiling nonetheless. “I think I can see about working something out…” he finally said, kissing Twilight softly at the base of her horn. “Just do me a favor, promise not to cast a want-it-need-it spell on anything while I’m in town?” Twilight simply rolled her eyes in response… and may or may not have smacked him in the side with her hoof. “…… Who’s coming to town?” Orion asked, the piece of celery having finally sunk to the bottom of his now cold soup. “Sunny’s going to be in town this week for Hearts and Hooves Day!” Twilight answered happily, getting a confused look from the grey Pegasus. “… Hearts and Hooves Day is this week?” he asked, blinking like he was trying to either stay awake in a math class, or trying to wrap his head around a new concept. “I thought that had already happened…” “Nope. Happens in the middle of Spring every year.” Applejack informed him smiling kindly, “And seein’ as it’s already mid Mārch, that means that the Spring Equinox is comin’ up, and that very same day is Hearts and Hooves Day.” “…… You know a lot about the calendar…” Luna noted, impressed by the apple farmer’s knowledge of celestial events, and their impact on the calendar in Equestria. Applejack shrugged, “Ah got talkin’ ta Twilight about crop rotation once, and it kinda snowballed from there.” She explained simply enough. “… So what exactly happens on Hearts and Hooves Day?” Orion asked, looking around, slightly confused. “Well…. It’s a bit weird to explain…” Rainbow said, “It’s kind of this thing where everypony spends the day with their special somepony… it’s a big deal in Ponyville because there’s not a lot of stallions, so everypony kind of gets into a bit of a frenzy.” “How does the population stay the way it is if there’s so few guys?” “Well sugarcube, it ain’t like movin’s out of the question… and it’s not like everywhere has the problems Ponyville does… Las Pegasus has pretty much the opposite balance of mares and stallions that Ponyville does.” Applejack added. “Hmmmm…. I guess that kind of makes sense… but aren’t there a lot of mares that get left out then?” Orion asked, still trying to wrap his head around the idea of a holiday built around interpony relationships, and not enough ponies to go around… Twilight shuffled in her seat awkwardly for a second, clearing her throat and getting his attention, “Well… one of the reasons that it’s so popular is also due to the high concentration of mares that are into, well… other mares…” “…… huh… well, that would explain some of those clubs then…” Orion said, simply accepting this new information. “Heheh, yeah… You were actually pretty popular at that one me and AJ took you to. At least, that’s what the word around the market place was a couple weeks ago.” Rainbow confessed, blushing and fiddling with her napkin. “Is something bothering you Dash?” Orion asked, leaning forward and looking concerned. “Nah, she’s fine.” AJ answered, kicking Rainbow under the table in an attempt at getting her to act normally. “Better question is, are you alright? Yer not actin’ like yerself tonight sugarcube…” “Hmm? Oh, yeah… I think my hormones are just a little out of whack still… I mean, I was a mare for an entire month, that’s nothing to sneeze at.” Orion answered, his words coming out slow and deep as he looked up from the table to smile softly at his friends. “And I think I’m kind of falling asleep on my hooves as it were…” “Perhaps the three of us should walk you back to the castle then?” Luna said, gesturing to herself, Applejack and Rainbow, “I’m sure that Twilight and Sun wouldn’t mind the privacy, since it is their date after all…” Twilight looked at Orion worriedly, “She’s right Orion, if you’re not feeling well, you should probably get some sleep.” Orion tried to object, but he couldn’t even get the first word out before he let out a yawn. “… Maybe you have a point…” he conceded, his eyelids suddenly feeling like they weighed a ton. “Sorry everypony… I guess I’m not completely rested up yet…” “Shucks Orion, don’t ya worry about it none. Ah’ll help ya get back ta the castle. Ah’m kinda feelin’ bushed mahself.” “Yeah… I didn’t really get my nap today either, so I’m beat.” Dash agreed, ruffling her wings in an attempt at stretching. “Then it is decided. We will go back to the castle, and Twilight Sparkle and her coltfriend may continue their date unhindered by our presence.” Luna said finally, smiling across the table. “Well… if you’re all sure…” Orion answered hesitantly, looking to his left at Sun Storm and Twilight. “Sorry for bugging you two tonight. It was really fun to meet you though, Sun.” “Hey, the pleasure was all mine. And don’t worry, it’s kind of impressive that you were out and about at all after some of the stuff Twilight told me you went through.” Sun responded kindly, tapping his hoof to Orion’s in a show of friendship. “Now get some rest, you look worse than some of my recruits after their first week of basic training.” As the quartet left the restaurant, Sun and Twilight shared a look. “Ten bits they get into a fight about who gets to spend the night with him ‘just in case something happens’…” Twilight said sarcastically. “I’m putting forty bits on Luna starting the argument.” Sun replied, chuckling, “I wonder how long before one of them out right tells him how they feel?” “We’ll all probably be old and grey before they get up that kind of courage…” V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V “Whoa nelly… he wasn’t kiddin’ about bein’ tired.” Applejack commented, looking over at the Pegasus hovering beside her in a field of blue magic. They'd made it about a block from the restaurant before Orion stopped to 'rest' on a bench, and promptly nodded off, nearly falling face first onto the stone street. “Yes… perhaps it was a bit foalish to rush him off tonight so soon after recovering… I’d say that it was all my fault, but I believe it was all of us that wished to spend an evening with him…” Luna commented, nodding in agreement with the Earth Pony’s words. “Yeah, but that’s still no excuse… we shoulda been more considerate of him…” “I agree with Applejack.” Dash chimed in, “And since I’m positive that you two are just as stubborn as I am, maybe we should come up with some ground rules?” “Ground rules?” Luna asked, stopping in the middle of the road. “I thought the saying was, ‘all is fair in love and war’ Rainbow Dash.” “That might be true in some cases… but I don’t think I’d feel right seeing him as any less than completely happy…” she replied quietly, almost sounding sad. “I mean, yeah, I’d probably be the happiest mare in Equestria if he wanted to be with me, but if one of you two was able to make him happy… I think I’d be happy with that too…” Applejack and Luna just stood there, searching their hearts and finding that they too shared the speedster’s bittersweet sentiments. “…… So what do we do then? We don’t wanna risk him getting’ hurt by us bein’ selfish, and we all deserve a fair shot at our own happiness…” Applejack pondered out loud, looking at the other two mares, then at the sleeping form of the stallion they were all chasing after, hovering just inches away and hopefully lost in a sweet dream. “… Well for starters, we all need to have a fair chance at wooing him… so I believe that we can all agree not to interfere with each other’s business where he is concerned.” Luna said, “That would include sabotage or undermining of any dates…” “And what about you Luna? Don’t you have that thing where you can go into other pony’s dreams? That’s kind of giving you an edge.” Rainbow noted. “Then I’ll promise not to enter his dreams aside from carrying out my duties as guardian of dreams. I’ll only enter his dreams if he’s having a nightmare, and I’ll leave immediately after.” Luna conceded, frowning and muttering to herself, “Although, I was going to try and invite him on a date in his dreams so that it would be a one of a kind experience…” “Well just think of it as a challenge then. We’re not royalty, so we’ve got our own limitations from the start.” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. “And besides, we’re all going to have to deal with the other mares in town anyway, the least we can do is make it so we each have a fair shot. So another rule should be that if one of us asks for a bit of time to try and work on him alone, the other two honor it and help them out.” “Ya wanna maybe make that a bit clearer?” Applejack said, sharing a confused look with Luna. “In Flight School, we called it a ‘freebie’. If one of us, say you, Applejack, wants a day to yourself to try and get closer to him, you tell us ahead of time, and we not only promise to back off, but we also help you out by keeping others away that might interfere… but since we’re all trying to get him to choose us, and we’ve only got one week, we’re each limited to two ‘freebies’… make some more sense now?” Though they still looked unsure, AJ and Luna both nodded their assent to Rainbow’s idea. “So, so far we each got two freebies, Luna can’t do her dream walkin’ thing, and nopony can interfere with the others just ta get ahead… so far this is all soundin’ pretty fair ta me… but what if he doesn’t choose any of us by the weeks end, or he ends up with somepony else entirely?” AJ summarized, finally voicing the nagging fear in the back of all their minds. “……Then we let him…” Luna said, “Tia once told us, ‘if you love something, let it go… if it comes back, it’s yours. If it doesn’t then it was never meant to be.’” “Dang Luna…. Talk about a downer…” Rainbow tsk’d shaking her head. “But I get your point… in the end, we can only really hope that we’re good enough…” “I fear that the main obstacle in our endeavor is not necessarily our own worthiness… but in getting him to see that he is worthy of feeling loved…” Luna said sadly, leaning into her own magical field and nuzzling her protégé. “There is a reason that he was able to beat that monster… and I believe that it is because he bears a far heavier burden than any of us can truly know…” “All the more reason fer us ta show him that we care fer him… that he’s the kinda pony who deserves as much love as any of us can give him…” Applejack said, frowning to herself, “Even if he doesn’t choose me, Ah wanna make sure that he knows how Ah feel… how much I wanna see him smile, and know that he means it…” “Yeah… If nothing else, he deserves to know that he’s not alone… not anymore…” Rainbow agreed, sidling up beside Applejack. “You two might be my rivals form here on, but I can at least respect you both for wanting him to be happy just as much as I do… well, maybe not quite as much, but pretty close…” “Then it is done. The rules are set, and come tomorrow, we shall fight for Orion’s heart in earnest.” Luna said, holding a hoof out to the other two in a sign of respect. “You bet.” Rainbow answered, pounding her hoof against Luna’s. “Eeyup.” Applejack agreed, touching her hoof to the other two. “Now let’s get back ta the castle… Ah’m feelin’ pretty bushed mahself.” Nodding in agreement, the three mares and one unconscious stallion began their trek/float back to the center of the mountaintop city. V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V Meanwhile, in a castle spire overlooking the city, a certain Solar Princess was watching everything unfold on a large mirror, munching away at a bowl of popcorn and digging into a carton of Rocky Road. “Oh my… this is going to get interesting a bit sooner than I thought…” she muttered to herself gleefully, pulling out a scroll. “Hmmm… you know, Orion’s an excellent name for that new character I’ve been missing for this story…” “Princess? Don’t you feel at least a little bit awkward watching your little sister’s love life like this?” Celestia’s Mare-In-Waiting asked, shuffling uneasily in her seat next to the Daybringer, “And is it really proper to use real ponies as a base for your… saddle ripper stories?” “We’ve been over this before Silver… I don’t write saddle rippers. I write classy romance novels that happen to involve multiple trysts between two or more characters that I think are perfect for each other… As for watching over Luna, it’s been ages since she was so much as interested in another pony, and I want to make sure that she doesn’t get hurt…” Celestia explained calmly, scribbling some notes. “Besides, having a vested interest in my subjects lives is to be expected of a mare in my position… Now, please be a dear and bring me a refill of Rocky Road. I feel like I’m going to be rather busy tonight…” “Yes… busy writing more smut and shipping your subjects like you do every year…” Silver Polish muttered, leaving the room and beginning her walk to the kitchen. “I just hope that she leaves me out of it this time around…” Back in her room, Celestia giggled and scribbled a few more notes on her paper. “Note to self… find a nice Night Guard for Silver Polish. See if it’s possible to get her to hook up with two guards…”