Chapter 14 – Love and War - Part 2

Pinkie leapt from one apple tree to the next, pulling her mane and tail as close to her body as possible to hide herself. She took a brief glance from behind the tree. Confident that she hadn’t been spotted, she leapt to the next one in line, imagining that she was a secret agent on a life threatening assassination mission. She had already taken down the criminal mastermind of Sweet Apple Acres, a devilish temptress known to some as ‘La manzana de la morte,’ real name: Applejack. The next target was her brutish henchpony, a colt by the name of Macintosh. Known to many for his lucrative apple laundering business, he would surely stop at nothing until his family ruled Ponyville with an iron hoof!

Pinkie was close enough now, perched between the branches of a tree that he’d just bucked. He was casually picking up a few stray apples that had toppled from their baskets. He hadn’t seen her. Good… Poised and tensed like a coiled spring, Pinkie took her chance and threw herself to the ground. Her hooves thudded against the soil, but before Macintosh could take a look around him, Pinkie had already jumped forward in a fraction of a second and wrapped her hooves around his eyes to finally deliver the killing blow.

Macintosh tensed up in surprise, lifting his head as if he could somehow peer over that which had obscured his vision. “Uh…” he murmured.

“Dingdingding! We have a winner!” Pinkie cried, removing her hooves from his eyes and finally revealing herself to him. “Your prize is… well… I don’t actually have anything,” she said, tapping her chin. “Oh! Except for this! Victory hug!”

And with that, she threw her forelegs around his neck, causing the colt’s breath to catch in his throat. After a second or two of near suffocation, he was released.

“So what gave me away, huh? Do you have like a super-secret sixth sense? I think I might have one of those. So how did you know?”

“Not to mention ya did it to me just a minute ago,” said a somewhat irritated Applejack, who was working not ten yards away.

“Well yeah, but I didn’t want anypony feeling left out,” Pinkie said matter-of-factly. “I could’ve hurt your brother’s feelings if I hadn’t included him, and we wouldn’t want that, would we?” She turned to Macintosh, who responded with little more than a blank stare.

“Well that’s all well an’ good,” Applejack said, wiping the sweat from her brow, “but me an’ Mac are workin’ an’ we ain’t gonna get our work done if we’re gettin’ distracted.”

“Oh don’t worry, I understand,” Pinkie replied, giving a quick salute. “Which is why I planned for this to last for no longer than two minutes. Goodbye for now! And if you’re planning on something fun, don’t forget about your pal Pinkie Pie! And if not, I’ll see you at school on Monday!”

Pinkie beamed back and began her journey across the orchard. She still had a few more friends that she wanted to say hi to before she needed to get back before Mr and Mrs Cake’s curfew. She glanced back over her shoulder at the two ponies who were now lifting baskets of apples onto a wagon. She’d desperately wanted to be friends with them ever since she found out about their parents. Anypony that had to deal with something so terrible needed as many reasons to smile as possible, so Pinkie had taken it upon herself to make that happen. Even if she failed sometimes, that was no reason to give up completely.

She’d spent a decent amount of time with Applejack, but the same could not be said for Macintosh. He wasn’t in the mood for fun stuff very often, although that might have been because he’s a colt, and colts tend to hang out with other colts. From what Pinkie could understand, that was just how things worked. But it was such a shame! Who said that fillies and colts couldn’t be friends, anyway? He was a lot nicer than most colts she knew, too. He never had a bad thing to say, and he didn’t act all awkward around her. And knowing that he went through something so terrible, Pinkie just wanted to cuddle him until all those bad thoughts went away. She’d just need to hang out with him alone and not have Applejack butting in all the time, but that was hard since the two siblings were together a lot of the time. But maybe one day…

Pinkie let out a faint chuckle. “You’re going to have to do better than that, Dashie.”

Rainbow Dash groaned and lifted her hooves from Pinkie’s eyes. “Aw, come on! I totally worked on that voice for like, five whole minutes. What gave me away?”

Pinkie cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “Well first of all, I knew it had to be a pegasus, since I didn’t hear any hoof-steps or collisions with the ground before you grabbed me, and there was no flash of light that might come from a unicorn’s teleportation spell. That, and the sound of your beating wings was a giveaway. It definitely wouldn’t have been Celestia or Luna ‘cause they’re far too busy for silly games. I knew it couldn’t be Fluttershy, ‘cause she’s at Sweet Apple Acres right now, and anyway, she wouldn’t do something like that. If it was somepony that I didn’t know very well they wouldn’t try masking their voice as much as you did, and it would be super rude and super unfair to do that if they barely knew me, so I didn’t think there was much chance of that happening. Therefore by process of elimination, the evidence points to the one and only Rainbow Dash.” Pinkie clapped her hooves together as she finished her long-winded explanation.

Rainbow Dash simply stared at her friend for a few seconds before sighing. “Okay, at least your logic makes sense this time around.”

“Well, um… I guess this is kind of a prize,” Rainbow Dash replied, rubbing the back of her neck. “I need you to follow me, okay?”

“Dashie, you and the girls aren’t throwing me a super-secret surprise birthday party, are you? My birthday is still months away.”

Pinkie gasped. “But that would’ve been a great surprise! Oh… Now I don’t know what it could be.”

“No, Pinkie, it’s something else, okay. Just follow me and you’ll find out.”

“Is Gummy allowed to come with us?” Pinkie asked, planting her ever stoic pet atop her head. “I’d have to hold you accountable if this surprise of yours is unsuitable for baby crocodiles.”

“Yes, it’s fine. Now are you coming or not?” Rainbow Dash asked hurriedly, gesturing with one hoof.

“Right. Sure.” Rainbow Dash began flying just a few feet above her friend, at the pace of a brisk jog, which Pinkie easily kept up with while Gummy kept a grip on her mane.

“Is it far away?” Pinkie asked. “My surprise isn’t in Canterlot, is it? That would be super tiring, even for me! And Gummy would need to take a nap.”

Pinkie followed Rainbow Dash for the next minute or so in silence, feeling more than a little pleased that her day was to be injected with some excitement. She was still a mite upset that Applejack hadn’t invited her to the family reunion while Fluttershy had been asked to come. Was Applejack angry with her? That was probably the most likely reason, and it was completely understandable. But the fact that Applejack wasn’t storming up to her house demanding an apology probably meant that she just needed some time to cool off. In truth, everypony needed some time to cool off after everything that had happened.

Maybe, she thought, Rainbow Dash heard about me not being invited and it just trying to cheer me up. It wasn’t often that others went out of the way to bring a smile to her face. In a way, it felt like it was her job to do that for everypony else. But today was a day when she could definitely do with having the favour returned.

Pinkie looked up to Dashie, wondering what she could possibly have planned. She said it wasn’t a party, but that made sense. Fluttershy and Applejack were at the reunion, and from Pinkie’s visits that very morning it seemed that Twilight and Rarity were busy doing their own thing. Normally, if it was something Rainbow Dash was excited to show off, she wouldn’t keep quiet about it. The one time she got a signed picture from the Womderbolts team she didn’t stop talking about it for a whole day, and carried it around with her in a frame that even Rarity would consider ‘fancy.’ But Rainbow Dash didn’t appear particularly excited, which was odd. It could be that she was simply putting on an act, but it wasn’t like her to pretend that she was disinterested. In fact, the way she looked and the way she flew along at much slower than her usual pace, it was almost as if…

Pinkie stopped in her tracks, leaving a long groove across the dirt path. “Dash-ie!” she called, her forelegs folded grumpily.

Rainbow Dash groaned and swooped to the ground, shooting Pinkie an annoyed glare. “What is it now?” she scolded, rubbing her forehead. “Look, Pinkie, we don’t have time for a game of twenty questions.”

Pinkie trotted up to her friend with a curious expression until their noses were barely a few inches apart, staring intently into Rainbow’s eyes. She took in a deep breath through her nose and frowned.

The question shattered Rainbow’s brash demeanour in an instant and her cheeks exploded with red. “Uh… no.”

“Yes you have,” Pinkie affirmed, harrumphing dramatically. “Even Gummy can tell,” she added, pointing to her pet which was staring off into the distance, not even looking in Dash’s direction.

Rainbow Dash sighed deeply and pulled her hoof down her face. “Okay, so I’ve had a little, tiny bit of cider today. Is that a crime? I’m not working today.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Okay, so maybe a bit more than just a tiny bit. But where’s the problem?” Rainbow snapped back, almost stumbling as she pointed an angry hoof.

“It’s a problem because it’s not very healthy to be drinking alone in the morning on such a beautiful day, Dashie,” Pinkie retorted. “And the fact that you lied about it tells me that I have something to worry about.”

“Look, can you just drop it? You’re making a scene! There’s nothing to worry about, okay? Can we get a move on?”

Pinkie shook her head. “I’m sorry, Dash. I’m afraid I can’t do that. As your friend, it’s my job to make sure you’re okay. I care about your well-being. So tell me, why shouldn’t I be worried?”

Rainbow Dash slumped to the ground and hung her head in defeat. “Okay, so I know it’s not healthy, and I probably shouldn’t have drunk as much as I did.”

Pinkie’s anger disappeared from her face within seconds, and the pink mare placed a hoof on Dash’s shoulder, offering a friendly smile. “That’s okay, Dashie. The first step is admitting to the problem.”

“Weren’t you just…? Nevermind.” The pegasus got to her hooves again, looking thankful that Pinkie’s ‘bad cop’ had decided to go into hiding for the time being. “But it isn’t a problem, Pinkie. It’s not like this has been happening for a long time. This is like, the first day since ‘that one time.’ I promise!”

“A friend of mine just happened to give me a whole load of cider as a… gift, okay? And I was so excited by it that I got carried away and had some this morning.”

“No more questions, please!” the pegasus pleaded. “I’m supposed to be taking you to your surprise, remember? Can’t you just let it go?”

“Good.” Rainbow Dash took to the air once more, wiping her saliva-soaked hoof on her flank with mild disgust. “Now come on!”

Pinkie followed once again, breathing a silent sigh of relief that Rainbow Dash hadn’t fallen victim to alcoholism. But I’ll still keep an eye on her, just in case. As the pair left Ponyville Proper, Pinkie began to wonder who the mystery gift-giver could possibly be.

Fluttershy kept running through the orchard as fast as she could. She just wanted to get away, to escape from the world that seemed so intent on ripping out her heart and spitting on its remains. Tears streamed down her face as she cried out in anguish, blurring her vision into a watercolour mess of green and brown. She didn’t want anypony to see her like this. She didn’t want Ponyville to see ‘poor, pathetic Fluttershy’ blubbering like a foal. How could Applejack do this to me? I thought we were friends! But Pinkie would understand… She wouldn’t judge her.

All of a sudden, Fluttershy tripped over a loose branch poking up from the soil and skidded to the dirt. She landed hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her, and tumbled head-first into a tree. With the world spinning violently, she held her hooves over her eyes, curled into a ball and took deep breaths. Her head throbbed, her legs ached, her eyes stung, and she felt sick to her stomach. Her left wing was pulsing with what felt like a sprain, so she held it as tightly to her body as possible. Everything was in pain, but what hurt most was the cruel trick that life had played on her. All she wanted was to have a pleasant day with a good friend. All she wanted…

No. Don’t find me. Don’t tell me you’re sorry. I don’t want to hear it. I just want this day to end.

I was an idiot. I should’ve listened to my paranoia all along. This shouldn’t have happened. What did I do to deserve this? I thought things would get better.

The voice that had been calling the pegasus’ name fell silent. As Fluttershy sobbed into her mane, her heart threatening to leap into her throat at any moment, she heard the steady plodding of hoof-steps approaching. And then for a moment or two, they fell silent.

Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes to see Braeburn sat to her side, his face plastered with worry. “What’re you doing here?” she whimpered, turning away.

“Thanks,” Fluttershy said in a voice barely above a whisper, not wanting to meet the stallion’s gaze. “You can go now.”

“I’m not leavin’ you like this,” the stallion replied softly, placing a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, causing her to flinch. “You look hurt. Do you want me to take you to a hospital?”

“Okay, but maybe it might be worth getting’ checked over, don’t ya think?”

Braeburn let out an exasperated sigh. “I couldn’t possibly just leave you here, not like this.” The stallion took a seat on the grass beside her, leaving a gap of about a foot between them.

Nothing else was said for the next few minutes. All that could be heard was the steady breeze, the rustling of the leaves, the odd chirps and tweets from wild birds, and Fluttershy’s heavy breathing as she reigned in the tears.

The pegasus had thought about simply flying away so she didn’t have to deal with Braeburn, or indeed anypony else that might’ve thought to follow her. However, her left wing didn’t feel like it would be up to the task, and even if she could make it to town, taking a brief respite to calm down and let the pain subside made sense.

Whatever was happening at Sweet Apple Acres, Fluttershy could only imagine. Applejack had never looked so guilty, not in all the years that they’d known each other. But as cruel as it made Fluttershy feel, she wanted Applejack to drown in guilt and pay for her betrayal. Not very kind of me, but then that wasn’t very honest of her. How could she manipulate me like that? How could she take my trust and use me because of it? I hope she’s hurting right now.

Fluttershy clamped her eyes shut. No. I can’t hate her. I know Applejack. She’s not vindictive. She was probably doing what she thought was best. She doesn’t know what it’s like to feel for somepony the way I feel about Mac. She just didn’t understand. But then why didn’t she want me to find out? Why hide it? Was she… Oh, I don’t know what to think. I’m just… lost.

“Hey, Fluttershy,” Braeburn said quietly. “I was thinkin’, maybe we should go back and see Applejack. I’m sure if you two talk things over, you can work somethin’ out.”

“I can’t,” Fluttershy replied, wiping away at her cheeks. “Not right now. I’m… I’m too angry at her. I’m afraid of what I’ll say.”

“Okay, that’s fair enough.” The stallion paused for a few seconds before leaning in closer. “D’you wanna talk about it?”

Fluttershy nodded, feeling a conflicting whirlpool of emotions at hearing his name. She took a deep breath, straightened herself up and began to survey the damage that had been done by the fall. A bruise on each of her hind legs, one on her flank, and a smattering of dirt across her torso. Not as bad as it could’ve been, she supposed. However, trying to extend her left wing made her wince. That was almost certainly a sprain. No leaving in a hurry, then.

Braeburn shot her another worried glance and shook his head as if to say, ‘stay put,’ which Fluttershy made no effort to disobey. “I guess it was pretty serious,” he said, staring into the sky. “I wish I’d known before… well, you know. Applejack didn’t exactly fill me in with all the info.”

Fluttershy couldn’t help but blush at Braeburn’s first comment. It hardly helped to stake her case considering the most she and Mac shared was a dance and a kiss, and he wasn’t the one to initiate either of those. Not wanting to correct Braeburn about that, Fluttershy could only think to respond to his other comment. “So what did Applejack tell you?”

“As far as your situation goes, pretty much nothin’. I didn’t even know Mac had any involvement until this mornin’ when she pulled me aside. Somethin’ about you two havin’ a thing, or whatever. All I knew was that Mac wasn’t even gonna be spendin’ time with us folks or it’d be too awkward. O’ course, that made me all the warier about this whole set-up.” Braeburn chuckled nervously. “Applejack did seem weird about it, like she didn’t want it to happen, but at the same time she was pushin’ it, I dunno.”

Fluttershy mulled this over for a few moments. “That means Applejack might’ve just been doing what Mac asked her to do.” It wasn’t enough to completely absolve Applejack’s actions, but it did infer that she was just put into a difficult situation, and happened to make a bad choice. “But how did you get involved?”

Braeburn sighed. “Probably ‘cause this is what the family’s been tryin’ to do with me for years – set me up with a mare.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? But I… So this was just…”

“Seems to be,” Braeburn said with a nod. “Just another in a long line of tryin’ to pair me off. But don’t take any offence when I say that, o’ course. You’re a nice mare, and actually, I didn’t feel like I was talkin’ to you just for the sake of pleasin’ the family. I enjoyed our time together, even if I felt a little awkward at times. I couldn’t just be myself, could I? I’ve got to keep makin’ moves, even if it ain’t me, just ‘cause I’m put in front of a pretty mare who likes me, and if I screw up then it just gives the family more to talk about, like how I might be—” The stallion looked to Fluttershy, and quickly cut himself off. “Sorry. You’ve got more than enough problems to deal with. Forget I said anything.”

“No, it’s… It’s fine.” Fluttershy twiddled her hooves awkwardly. “It’s kind of a relief, actually.”

“We were both put into a similar situation, except for me, it was about trying to make me…” You can say it. You know it’s the truth, “… get over my feelings for Mac, after he… he rejected me.” A new bout of tears began trickling their way down Fluttershy’s cheeks. “I guess they thought putting another stallion in front of me would just change my mind. And I mean no offence to you, Braeburn. You’re a nice, good-looking stallion, and you treated me really well today, but that’s not… That’s not the same as having feelings for somepony. I j-just thought they might’ve underst-t-t-t—”

Despite every effort to contain it, the waterworks started once more. As Braeburn leant forward to comfort her, Fluttershy buried her head into his nape and wept. As she closed her eyes she could see Big Mac and Applejack sat in their family home, plotting away the lives of others, all so Mac could be with Pinkie, ignoring all the pain and suffering that had come before today. How could he care about feelings? Did he view them as silly little phases that ponies forgot about as soon as another hunk of meat showed up? Was that how he viewed mares? Pinkie and I went through all this heartbreak over a heartless beast, Fluttershy said inwardly. If only I could bring myself to hate him.

With every step, Pinkie became more and more suspicious of whatever Rainbow Dash was planning. While the two of them weren’t taking the most direct path via the walkways, possibly because Rainbow was so used to flying to her destination, but they were definitely going in the general direction to reach…

Rainbow Dash was looking antsy, too, and it wasn’t just her drunkenness, which was still a worry as they pressed on. But then again, it could be a good thing. Maybe Applejack had a change of heart and sent Rainbow Dash out to get her so she could join the party! Or even if the reunion was coming to a close, Applejack might’ve just wanted to speak with her anyway, to clear the air. That would explain why Rainbow Dash might not have outright explained what was going on. Pinkie considered that if they thought she was avoiding Applejack, that she’d make an excuse not to see her, and they wanted to get around that.

But then why would Rainbow Dash be involved? Pinkie asked herself, switching to a three-legged trot as she scratched her head. It was possible that Rainbow Dash could’ve just come from the family reunion, which would have also given her a reason to be drunk that didn’t require some mystery pony giving her a strange (if welcome) gift. It would also explain why she couldn’t be found earlier that day. But even still, it seemed odd that Rainbow Dash would be invited unless…

Unless I was the only one who wasn’t invited. Pinkie’s heart dropped as she considered that possibility. Twilight and Rarity could have been invited, but simply declined. After all, they were both busy with other, perfectly reasonable things. But then, why would they all get invited to an Apple Family Reunion, when that had never happened before? Sure, Fluttershy had been invited, but she’d said it was because Applejack wanted to spend some time with her specifically. But could that be believed? Everything was beginning to make sense. Applejack hated her, and planned to have the entire group there, except for her, to spite her. And then Fluttershy would have spoken up and asked Rainbow to grab her. But then if that was the case, why dress it up as a surprise? Why not just come out and explain the situation!? There were too many variables, too many possibilities…

Pinkie came to her senses and looked to where Rainbow Dash was hovering a short distance away. Unknowingly, she’d begun making her way down a different path from the one she was being guided towards. “Uh… sure,” she answered bashfully, still trying to make sense of the situation.

“You zoned out for a second there,” the pegasus replied, swooping in closer. “We’ve gotta go this way.”

Not wanting to argue, Pinkie did as she was told. After all, the sooner they got to their destination, the sooner she’d find out the truth. Even if she was better off not knowing.

Two days earlier

There was a moment of silence as Rainbow Dash mulled over the proposal. Having been personally asked out to a spot just north of Sweet Apple Acres, next to an old, batten down shelter, she was highly suspicious of what might come next, especially considering the pony in question and the fact it was late in the evening. It might have even been a tad creepy, if Big Mac hadn’t come across like a desperate puppy begging to be let outside.

“Then it ain’t worth doing,” Rainbow Dash said dismissively. “I’ll keep quiet about this, but only ‘cause I’m not a tattle-tale. But you can forget about getting any help from me.”

“Wow, don’t get all plot-hurt. You started this mess, y’know. You need to stop playing games with my friends and just get over it! You failed, big deal, move on. You’re just embarrassing yourself!”

“No!” Rainbow Dash bellowed, stomping her hoof on the ground. “This is just pathetic, is what it is. I don’t know what’s up with you, but you need to grow up.” Rainbow blinked and smiled to herself smugly. “Wow, that’s gotta be the first time I’ve been on the other side of that comment.”

Mac sighed and walked past Rainbow wordlessly, opening up the creaky door to the shelter. He gestured inside it with a serious expression. “You do it, it’s yours.”

The pegasus peered inside confusedly. “Some old work tools? A barrel? Or are you talking about this flimsy, dusty old shack?” She let out an almighty growl and angrily stuck a hoof in Mac’s face. “I’m not homeless, you dolt! Just because I sometimes sleep on clouds doesn’t mean I don’t have a home! Dearest Celestia, you’re even stupider than I thought.”

Big Mac face-hoofed. “No, not the shack!” he exclaimed, pointing at the barrel. “That.”

It took all of five seconds before Rainbow Dash’s eyes grew wide and frantic. “Y-you mean…?”

Rainbow Dash started breathing heavily. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Her mouth became dry. She ran her hoof across the ridges of the barrel, trying to quantify just how much was inside. Involuntarily, she began to lick her lips. “And… This is just a totally unrelated question, since I’m of course not even slightly tempted by this,” she said coolly, “but… how long is it until the next cider festival?”

“F-f-f-f-five m-m-m-months!?” Rainbow Dash spluttered. She stared intently at the barrel, grinding her teeth, almost on the verge of hyperventilating. One of her rear legs began to twitch. She could all but manage a crooked, sinister smile. “T-t-that s-soon, huh?”

“But since ya ain’t helpin’,” Mac said, pulling Rainbow from the shack by the tail as she reached out towards the barrel frantically. He slammed the door closed and pulled the latch into place. “Ah guess Ah’d better dispose of it.”

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it!” Rainbow Dash wailed, almost snapping the latch in two as she pried the door open. “I promise! Just let me have it! I’ll do anything!”

“All yours,” Mac declared, not even phased by the pegasus who was now kissing the barrel and whispering to it. At this rate, his plan just might work.

Fluttershy stared at her reflection and her brand new red dress, unsure how she felt, or even how she should feel. She could see her life leaping forward into new territory, an unprecedented, scary, but all too enticing place. Her dreams just might be coming true, and all because she’d been forced into something against her will. But for once, she was thankful for it.

Rarity still hadn’t recovered from the ‘shock’ of how amazing her latest creation was, and had already started sketching a similar design while muttering to herself about how good she’d look in it when it was completed. Pinkie had finished explaining her plan on how to arrange the perfect party for Fluttershy and Big Mac to have a romantic evening and was now casually flicking through one of Rarity’s glamour magazines, humming a tune to herself and occasionally remarking at how she could ‘throw a hundred parties for the price of this scarf!’

“It’s a shame you couldn’t wear that dress twenty-four hours a day,” Rarity said, smiling wistfully. “Not that you aren’t beautiful just the way you are, darling. I’m sure Big Macintosh would agree.”

“Please, Rarity,” Fluttershy said sheepishly, her cheeks glowing redder after each and every compliment. “I’m shaking like a leaf just thinking about it.”

“Fluttershy, my dear, you haven’t any reason to be so nervous! I know a thing or two about stallions, and this really couldn’t be any more perfect.”

“But Rarity,” Pinkie piped up. “If you know so much about them, why don’t you have a stallion of your own?”

The fashionista’s face fell like a rock. She shot Pinkie a disgruntled glare and turned her nose up. “Because maybe I haven’t met the right one for me,” she said haughtily. “And who’s to say that I can’t draw from my past experiences? Not that that’s any of your business, Pinkie.”

“Whoops, sorry,” Pinkie replied apologetically. “I’ll keep my mouth shut then, shall I?” She pulled a hoof across her mouth and mimicked it being zipped up.

“That’s better,” Rarity said, dropping her frown. “But on that subject, Fluttershy, I wouldn’t worry about the problems I’ve faced. I’m not sure I could imagine a better fit for you than Big Mac.”

Fluttershy nodded nervously, feeling somewhat put off by Mac being deemed a ‘good fit,’ though that was likely just Rarity leaning on her description of clothing. “I’m still a little worried about Applejack, though. Do you think I should talk to her first?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Applejack isn’t her brother’s keeper. It’s not like you need permission to dance with him.”

“Not unless you start dating him in secret or go all the way after the dance,” Rarity said casually, failing to notice Fluttershy’s wide-eyed expression. “Just let her know after you hit it off. We’re all adults, here. Besides, what reason would she have to get between two ponies who deserve to be with each other? Unless she wants to preserve the family’s earth pony lineage, but frankly, that’s been in need of disrupting for quite some time. Sometimes I think the Apples have less of a gene pool and more of a gene puddle.”

Fluttershy remained silent, the same recurring thought pushing its way to the forefront once again. That maybe, this was the first step towards the rest of her life, to the family unit, to the foals, to having someone who loved her, and that she loved in return, to having the deathly black void in her heart finally being filled. No longer would she feel so alone, even while surrounded by friends. Mac could be the one to finally make her whole.

“What are you daydreaming about?” Rarity asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively. “It must’ve been good or you wouldn’t be smiling.”

“Well,” Rarity began with a sly grin, “I think you’ve got a lot to look forward to.”

Not a word had been said for at least ten minutes. Fluttershy could only relive the days gone by, with Braeburn’s shoulder to cry on. She’d been led to believe that everything she wanted was just around the corner. Oh, how cruel fate had been. I should’ve known it wouldn’t be so easy. And now that promise of happiness looked further away than it had ever been. Of course, she knew that she had no chance with Mac. And the experience had allowed her to grow closer to Pinkie, a mare who she now trusted more than any friend she’d ever had. But somehow, somewhere in the deepest recesses of her mind, she’d hoped for something to change, hoped for the world to keep turning until a time would come when Mac would extend a hoof to her. Despite the fact that every logical, sane thought told her the same story, that it was a lost cause, that she was to accept this new life, that she should be thankful for what she’d learned, that she was growing and becoming stronger… The void remained.

Out of the blue, Braeburn started speaking. His voice was just above a whisper. “Listen, don’t be too harsh on AJ an’ Mac. I know you’re mad, but take it from me. Sometimes ponies do dumb things because they’re stubborn enough to think they can solve all the world’s problem by ‘emselves, an’ ya can’t get much more stubborn than the Apple family. An’ then you have stallions, who are famous for makin’ fools of themselves whenever mares are involved. They get crazy ideas about how they’re gonna make it up to ‘em, and end up makin’ things worse. So I know you’re angry an’ upset, an’ you have every right to be, but I think it’s worth keepin’ in mind that they didn’t do this to spite you. Maybe they thought we were bound to hit it off.”

Fluttershy slowly pried herself from Braeburn’s embrace and wiped her eyes. She shook her head. “So what if they though that? Did they really expect me to just hook up with any old stallion they put in front of me?”

“It’s just so infuriating!” Fluttershy exclaimed, putting a hoof to her forehead. “They knew my feelings for Mac and how much he means to me.”

“But maybe they didn’t, Fluttershy. Especially if they’ve not felt somethin’ like that themselves. Or maybe they thought you were over it.”

“That’s not the point! They knew what happened, they knew about the tension between me and Pinkie. How could I get over it all so easily!?” Fluttershy’s emotional see-saw tipped back from sadness to full-blown rage. “Why would I blindly accept another stallion in his place? Do other ponies think I’m so simple-minded? Do they think I’d just move to somepony else if they happen to be handsome? Don’t they realise who I am!?”

Mac could be the one.

could be

No pitter-patter of a foal’s hooves.

lonely

The empty cottage. The lonely cottage.

completely alone

“I just don’t know what it is, but sometimes, I get so lonely. I just want somepony to be there for me.”

Big Mac

somepony to be there

Big Mac nodded, pressing on to Sugarcube Corner. Fluttershy watched him for a few more seconds, her heart still pounding against her chest.

heart

And yet, that moment outside Sugarcube Corner had changed something. Right now, what she wanted most was to be huddled up next to him. She wanted it so much; she thought her heart might burst.

that moment

As the stallion was welcomed inside, she turned away, continuing her journey home, not looking back. What point was there in looking back at something she would never have?

never have

…

that moment

…

could be the one

…

Mac

…

“Um, Fluttershy?” Braeburn gazed at the pegasus concernedly. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I get it now,” Fluttershy said softly, staring blankly into the distance, her eyes flooding with tears. “It’s been staring me in the face this whole time. I… I think I finally understand.”

Rainbow Dash dropped down to Pinkie’s level and slowed her to a halt. “Um, okay, Pinks. I need you to wait here for a sec. No following me, alright?”

Pinkie smiled nervously, feeling completely unable to return to her usual, fun-loving demeanour. “Okay,” she said, feeling anything but okay with the situation. Rainbow Dash darted over the hill, and Pinkie took the moment of solace to exhale deeply and let the falsity drop. Now she was on edge.

Just beyond the path ahead was Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie could just about see the very tip of the Apple family home, as well as the rolling hills with acres and acres of orchards and crops stretched across them. Looking up, a singular cloud hovered in the sky. That was unusual. If her instincts were correct, that cloud belonged to Rainbow Dash. For one reason or another, the pegasus must have brought it with her. Why? It was just another question to add to the mystery. Pinkie wanted to simply see it as Rainbow Dash getting ready to present something amazing to her, a nice surprise after everything that had happened. But she couldn’t. It didn’t take Pinkie sense to know that something was wrong.

Two minutes or so had passed, and Rainbow Dash hadn’t returned. In a moment of trepidation, Pinkie couldn’t bear to be left in the dark any longer. She padded onwards up the path. Sweet Apple Acres came into view. Wagons and carriages were lined up outside, with some on the fields beside the farmhouse, with a line of tents adjacent to them. There were crowds of ponies — undoubtedly the extended Apple family — dotted across the grass, but she couldn’t make out anypony in particular. Pinkie ventured closer. She could hear lively chatter. The ponies appeared to be having fun, by all means. The closer she got, the more it seemed like this was a normal, family get-together in full swing. No sign of Fluttershy, or Mac…

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash appeared in the sky and zoomed towards her. “Pinkie!” she cried. “I told you to—”

“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie interrupted anxiously. “What is going on!? What are you doing here!? Tell me!”

“Well there’s been a slight change of plan…” the pegasus answered tentatively. “There’s kinda been a bit of a… thing that’s gone wrong.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Oh man, I promised Mac and everything. Look, Pinkie, I’m sorry I dragged you out here, but the surprise kind of got ruined while I was gone, so why don’t we go back into Ponyville and I’ll buy you something real nice, maybe that giant plushie you saw a while back.”

Pinkie was seething with anger. Ignoring Rainbow Dash completely, she sprinted towards Sweet Apple Acres and leapt over the fence, the pegasus’ calls for her fading into the background. Whatever secrets were hiding here (could Fluttershy and Mac be…? All this time, this was their plan?) she refused to ignore it any longer. She received a mixture of annoyed and bemused glares as she ploughed on through the crowds, storming her way towards the farmhouse.

“Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash bellowed, darting to the ground in front of her. “Pinkie, slow down! You don’t know what you’re doing!”

“Then tell me!” Pinkie demanded, pushing her hoof in Rainbow Dash’s face. It was the first time she’d seen her friend look so terrified of her, but in that moment, she didn’t care. “I want answers! What’s going on!?”

“Okay! Okay! Just calm yourself for one second.” Rainbow Dash took continuous deep breaths. “I promised Mac I’d bring you here. But Fluttershy… The plan didn’t work out and she… She ran off. Applejack spoke to her just before she left but I… I don’t know what happened.”

“Applejack!?” Pinkie questioned furiously. All the thoughts of her friend conspiring against her sprung instantly to mind. “What’s she been up to?”

“She’s over there,” Rainbow Dash said, pointing further up the hill. Pinkie spotted the mare instantly. “But she’s not in a good way right now. Pinkie, she’s—”

Pinkie had already gone. She barrelled towards Applejack, towards the mare she’d called ‘friend,’ but was part of some conspiracy. Mac had convinced Rainbow Dash to get involved. And Fluttershy… she’d run off? Where? And with who? With Mac? Who else was left to conspire against her? Who else could she trust?

Applejack didn’t respond to Pinkie’s presence at first. She looked downtrodden, bleary-eyed and at the end of her tether. This was enough for Pinkie to lend just an ounce of sympathy as she approached her. The farm pony looked up, and with a distraught expression, managed five words.

“Applejack, what happened?” Pinkie asked, unsure what to make of her friend’s state.

Pinkie stepped closer, and looked desperately into Applejack’s eyes. “Where is Fluttershy?”

Pinkie took a few moments to steady her nerves. Her emotions were a raging storm, threatening to break the bough into a torrent of anger, despair, frustration, or all of the above. But she knew she couldn’t jump to any conclusions, not until she had all the answers. Everything so far was failing to add up. So she said the only thing that made any sense.

Applejack winced at those words. “Ah’m not sure Ah can call myself a friend, not after what Ah did.”

That revelation didn’t make Pinkie feel any better, but she tried to ignore it and move on. “Then you’ll have to make it up to her, okay?”

Wordlessly, Applejack complied. Rainbow Dash joined them a few moments later, and Pinkie explained that they needed to look for Fluttershy. Applejack directed them to where she’d last seen her, and the search began. Pinkie could only hope that whatever had happened here today, the wounds would heal. But hope was in short supply. Fear, on the other hoof, was plentiful.

Pinkie The Match-Maker

by Ficta_Scriptor

Chapter 14 - Love and War (Part 2)