//------------------------------// // Chapter 26: A.J. & Mal's Date // Story: TwiMacVerse Part 3: The Apple of My Bulls Eye // by ThatBronyWithTheClipOns //------------------------------// Mal was still at Sweet Apple Acres, trying to get himself ready for his date with Applejack. To say he was nervous was an understatement. The usually cool and collective stallion was now a jittery mess. Braeburn checked up on his best friend. “What’s happening, best pal of mine?” greeted Braeburn. “Ya’ll ready fer yer date with Applejack?” “Um…well…ahm getting there,” fumbled Mal. “You ok, Mal?” asked a concerned Braeburn. “Yer more jittery than teeth in a snowstorm.” “Ah’m just a bit nervous ah guess.” “You!? Malady Wesson, nervous!? Ya’ve been out with plenty of mares.” “Ah, know…but this is…different.” “How?” “Ah’ve known Applejack a long time now, Braeburn. And ah’ve had a soft sport for her for a long time as well. It just never occurred to me that she’d want anything to do with me. Since ah picked on her a bunch and all.” “Well, she’s clearly forgiven you for that, seeing as how she agreed to go out with ya.” “Spose you got a point there.” “Course ah do. Now stop bein nervous. Ah betcha she’ll look mighty pretty fer the date too. Ah hear she paid a visit to Miss Rarity at the Carousel Boutique. And Rarity has a talent fer makin any pony look fantastic.” “But…Applejack’s already beautiful…” This remark from Mal made Braeburn smile wide. “Well then, Rarity’ll make her look even more beautiful!” There was something Mal never considered. Applejack even more beautiful? Sure he didn’t admit it out loud much, but he always found Applejack striking. The idea that she could look even better began to make him fluster some more. “Don’t think too much about it, Mal. Just go out and have a good time with her. That’s what ah did with Pinkie Pie, and now we’re head over heels for each other!” “That’s awful fast, considerin ya’ll just started going out.” “What can ah say? We just click really well. Ah’m sure it’ll be even better with you and Applejack, since ya’ve both known each other since ya was knee high.” “Spose that’s true.” Mal wore a simple, but nice bolo tie and his black steston. He headed towards the front door of the Apple residence, when the door suddenly opened to reveal Applejack coming in. Mal was shocked at her new look, he remained wide eyed and slack jawed for what seemed to be forever. “Ya’ll alright there, Mal?” asked Applejack. “Ah um…sure ah’m fine,” Mal fumbled again. “Guess ah was just put off guard by your new look.” “Rarity did it. Too much?” “Not at all. “You look…you look amazing. Applejack’s face went red for a moment. She’d rarely heard a stallion comment her on her looks. “Thanks…you don’t look too bad yerself.” “So…why’d ya walk all the way back to the farm? We’re eating in town.” “Ah know. Ah just figured we could have a nice stroll together on the way.” “Oh…ah see…that sounds nice.” “Glad to hear.” There was a bit of awkward silence, then Granny Smith interrupted. “Con sarn it!” exclaimed the ancient mare. “Would ya two go already!? Aint never seen courtin so slow in mah life!” “Alright alright, Granny. We’ll be back later on tonight.” “Ah won’t be waitin up. And Malady, ya better treat my granddaughter right! Ah got that slingshot yer Grand Pappy gave me, and ah can still use it!” “Sure thing, Granny Smith.” The two made their way out for the evening. “They sure make a cute couple, Granny,” said Apple Bloom, who was peeking from upstairs. “You betcha, sugar cube,” replied Granny Smith with a warm smile. The walk into town started off with silence, as neither really knew what to say to each other. “So…” began Mal. “Ah hear you and yer friends have gone through a whole lot together.” “Ah’d say that’s an understatement,” chuckled Applejack. “Ah spose that’s true, what with facin a dragon and all.” “How’d ya hear about that one?” “Apple Bloom sent Braeburn some letters about some of you and your friend’s exploits, and he relayed them back to me. Course, she had plenty to talk about as well with her and her little friend’s club.” “Ah think ah’d rather face ten dragons than do all the crazy stunts Apple Bloom and her friends do on a daily basis. They were real gung ho on getting their cutie marks.” “Now she’s got one. So all that hard work paid off.” “Eeyup. Course she’s still gotta help her friends get theirs. So her crusading is far from over.” “Eh, it’s fairly common for kids to be wantin to get their cutie marks soon as they can. Ah know ah was that way when ah was a colt.” “True, ah was pretty anxious as well.” The two continued to share some stories as they made their way to the Blue Bridle for dinner. They were greeted by a server, who turned out to be Derpy Hooves. “Welcome to the Blue Bridle,” greeted Derpy. “Oh, hey Applejack!” “Hey there, Derpy,” Applejack replied. “Ah didn’t know you worked here. “Only part time. Gotta make some extra bits. “Do you have a reservation?” “Ah made a reservation, under Wesson,” Mal chimed in. “Ok, lemme see…” It took her a moment, but eventually Derpy came across Mal’s name on the guest sheet. “Oh! Here we go! Milkmare Windchime!” “Uh, actually that’s…” “Don’t bother with it, Mal.” “Right this way, Mr. Windchime!” Derpy led Applejack and Mal to their table and gave them a couple menus. “Hope you enjoy your meals,” Derpy said with great enthusiasm, as she left them with their menus. “She certainly is a cheerful mare.” “Yeah, Derpy’s quite a character.” “But uh…what’s up with her…you know…” “Her eyes. She had an accident as a filly. She does ok, though her vision as you may guess isn’t quite tip top.” “Ah would say, given how she pronounced mah name.” Applejack chuckled. “Don’t think anything of it.” Time passed as the two placed their orders and talked about various things. Mal talked about his various travels around Equestria. He’d made several trips to Las Pegasus and Manehattan over the years. He often made personal deliveries for the family business, and other times it was just for leisure. Applejack talked about her various adventures with her friends, besides the ones Mal already heard about. The most amusing being the incident with the poison joke. Enough time had passed to where Applejack could now laugh at that whole debacle. Mal got a real chuckle out of the time Spike became her devoted servant. Once dinner was finished, they decided to go for a walk around town. “So, ah got a question fer ya,” said Applejack. “And what’s that?” asked Mal. “If ya had these feelins fer me all this time, why’d it take ya so long to admit them?” This question cause Mal to blush. “Ah figured ya’d ask that eventually…It’s simple really, ah was scared to.” And this remark caused Applejack to chuckle. “You!? Malady Wesson? Scared?” “Everypony gets scared, Applejack. Ah treated you poorly when we were kids. Ah based mah behavior on mah older brothers and how they treated fillies they fancied, and it seemed to work fer them. But that don’t excuse mah behavior and ah figured you’d never want anything to do with me. Ah thought about writin ya letters to tell ya how ah felt, but ah figured ya’d just throw em away the second ya saw they were from me. Then Braeburn told me he had to go to Ponyville to help ya’ll out with buckin because of Big Macintosh dividin his time between the farm and becomin a daddy. Ah saw that as an opportunity to see ya again. Course ah told Braeburn ah just wanted to help out on the farm, but he can see right through me. On the train ride ah thought ah’d act differently towards ya, but once ah saw you from the window all the memories just flooded back and ah guess it caused be to regress back to my bullyin self. Once ya bucked me in the face and gave me a talkin ah finally realized how stupid ah’d been this whole time. Ah shoulda never treated ya that way. Ah guess till now ah was never all that good to ya.” “Now that aint true…there was one time.” “What?…when?” “When mah parents died…” “Oh…” “Not long after the funeral, Granny Smith took us on a vacation to Appleloosa to get our minds off things. One day ah was cryin real bad and you came to see me. Course at first ah didn’t think you were up to any good. Then you mentioned how you lost your momma a few years ago. And ya told me that anytime ah was missin them to just look up at the stars at night and they’d give me a sign they were out there watchin me. And every time ah looked up at the sky at night thinkin of them, ah’d see two stars wooshin across the sky.” “Ah can’t believe ah forgot that.” “It’s alright, it was a while ago. But it meant a lot to me at the time. Course, the next day you were back to yerself.” “Again, Appljack, ah’m really sorry fer that.” “Don’t worry about it, Mal. Ah think kickin ya in the face gave me some closure on that whole thing. You were just a silly colt at the time.” “So…um…how long have ya liked me?” Applejack blushed brightly and chuckled a bit. “Well…probably after what you said about mah parents. But ah didn’t admit anything because of ya goin back to yer old ways. But things have happened over the years to make me realize how life is short. What with Twilight and my brother gettin hitched and startin their own family, Apple Bloom finally gettin her cutie mark, and of course mah other friends meetin their special someponies. Time has flown by. Seems like only yesterday the six of us were becomin friends and have crazy adventures. And ah still can’t believe how big Apple Bloom is gettin. She’s lucky really, she got to have a fairly normal childhood and grow up at her own pace. Macintosh and ah didn’t have it so lucky. Granny Smith was only able to help with the farmin for a couple years or so after mom and dad died, then it was just me and Mac for the most part.” Tears began to form in Applejack’s eyes; this made her feel embarrassed and turn her head away. Suddenly, Mal leaned a hoof in and wiped away a tear. “Nothing to be ashamed of. Everypony cries.” Mal’s comment put a soft smile on Applejack’s face. “So…“ began Applajack. “Now what?” “Well…“ gulped Mal. “Most couples on a date would share a kiss.” “Are we a couple now?” “If…uh…you want that…” Applejack leaned in and gave Mal a kiss. “So is that a yes?” Applejack chuckled and gave Mal a playful slug on the shoulder. She then leaned on him and the two gazed at the stars.