//------------------------------// // The Gathering // Story: A Secret Story? // by crashlanding12 //------------------------------// Chapter Six: The Gathering Pinkie bounced happily around the kitchen of Sugar Cube Corner. She made hoof cakes, and a large pot of tea. She hummed loudly. Luckily, the twins weren’t there for her to accidentally wake up. She set a long table; pink with white fringe and yellow stars in a pattern on the top. She took out plates, napkins, utensils and teacups. She looked at the clock and it read: 7:15. “Whoops.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later that day, at 12:00, Fluttershy arrived at Sugar Cube Corner and saw Pinkie sitting at the table. “Oh, Pinkie. You didn’t need to set all of this up… When did you do this?” “Oh, well, um, at 7 in morning.” She laughed. Fluttershy shook her head and sat down next to her pink friend. “The girls should be here in a few minutes.” “Okay, Flutters. Can you tell me the news now? Please? Please, please, please?!” Pinkie battered her eyelashes. “You learn in a few minutes…” Fluttershy said, hiding her hoof behind her back. Knock, knock! “Anypony in there? Ah’m out here with Rainbow and Rares!” Pinkie opened the door to see Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash. “Hi girls! Aren’t you so excited?!” “I suppose, Pinkie.” Rarity said, seeing Fluttershy sitting at the table. “Oh, Fluttershy!” She skipped over to Fluttershy. “Can you please tell us now? We can all Twilight when she gets here.” “Well, I want all of my friends here… and it’s kinda embarrassing…” A deep blush lined Fluttershy’s cheeks as she fiddled with her engagement bracelet. The café door swung open, barely missing Rainbow. An alicorn stood at the threshold, mane and tail not brushed, her dress was wrinkled as well, and she was panting heavily. She sighed. “Thank goodness your all still here. I thought I would be late… So, what is the news?” Fluttershy stood up. “Can you girls all sit down while I freshen up?” The five other mares agreed and chatted amongst themselves, sipping tea and eating hoof cakes. Fluttershy paced in the washroom, wondering what in Equestria she was going to say. “Oh, my… What am I going to say to them…? And h-how will they react…?” She sighed. “I can do this. I can do this.” She walked out of the washroom and sat back at the table. “Okay, girls, this may seem all of a sudden, but… I’m getting married. To Discord.” Pinkie jumped into the air happily. “Yay Flutters!” Rarity became pale, or paler, Rainbow looked like she had been strangled, for it looked as she was not breathing and Applejack took off her hat. Twilight stared into open space, at the complete nothing-ness of her thoughts. “Girls? Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked. Applejack stood up from her chair. She looked at Fluttershy. “H-How…” she muttered. Rarity pointed her hoof at Fluttershy. “Y-You’re marrying that monster?!” Fluttershy sunk in her chair and muttered. “Yes…” Rainbow flew over to Fluttershy, and shook her by the shoulders. “Are you out of your mind?!” “Um, I-I…” Fluttershy sobbed and ran back to the washroom. “See what yah did, Rainbow? She clearly loves him. Yah can’t do anything about it.” Applejack sighed and put her hat back on. “She’s yer best friend, mine too. All of us, really. But you’ve known her longer.” She walked out the café door. Rainbow sat on the ground. “What have I done?” Twilight finally snapped out of her trance. She blinked slowly, before speaking. “Wow, Fluttershy…. Congrats, I’m sorry for sorta blanking out there… Where’s Fluttershy?” Rarity sighed. “In the powder room. Rainbow sorta hurt her feelings and made her cry…” Rainbow lowered her head. Twilight put a reassuring hoof on her back. “Let’s go check on her.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the washroom, Fluttershy cried. She couldn’t believe her friends would react like this. “Why are they acting like this? He’s not evil anymore. He’s been reformed for more than a year or two.” She cried louder she’d expected. “Flutters, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings… I know he’s not evil, I just… You’ve been like a little sister to me, even though you are a bit older, but still. I’m sorry okay.” Fluttershy unlocked the washroom door and stuck her head out. She saw her friends, besides Applejack anyway, and smiled slightly. She pointed at all of them. “You guys are jerks.” She joked. “Hey! I congratulated you! So did Twi!” Pinkie said. Fluttershy giggled. “I was joking. Wait. Where’s Applejack?” Rainbow scratched her head. “Well, I’m not sure where she is, but she ran out the door after I yelled at you…” Fluttershy sighed. “It’s fine. I can see why she’s angry. I’ll check on her after our “news party” is over, alright girls?” The four mares nodded and proceeded back to the table, all staring at the open chair. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack ran back to the farm. She was muttering, cursing as well, at the thoughtlessness of Rainbow’s actions. “Lazy pig-headed hypocrite….” She muttered, entering the farm. Big Mac was showing the Cutie Mark Crusaders how to buck apple trees. Let’s just say that the Cutie Mark Crusaders didn’t do so well. Apple Bloom fell on her face; Sweetie Belle tripped over her and ended up rolling into Scootaloo. She smiled at the sight of them, yet ran into the barn and sat her room. For more than an hour, she sat there and thought. “Applejack? Are you alright? You seem sorta… what’s the word?… depressed.” Apple Bloom stood at the doorway of her older sister’s bedroom door. Applejack sighed. “Sugarcube, it’s complicated, okay?” “Can you tell me please?” She looked up at Applejack with puppy-dog eyes and pouted. “Fine, but… you promise not to tell anypony, alright?” Apple Bloom nodded. “Okay. A-Ah’m jealous…” Applejack looked ashamed of herself. “Jealous of who?” “Well, you know how Ah told you that Fluttershy had big news?” “Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?” “Well, Apple Bloom… She’s gettin’ married. To Discord.” “Discord?! That dra- dra- draconequus statue that took over Equestria?!” “Yeah.” Applejack sighed. “I can tell that she certainly loves him… And I’ve never found mah other half. So, Ah’m sorta jealous.” Apple Bloom nodded, before leaving her sister to think. Once more.