//------------------------------// // Plans // Story: A Happy Accident // by ScriptScrolls //------------------------------// Plans ~~~~~~~~~~ A Happy Accident by ScriptScrolls ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow pulled away after a few seconds. “They’re all the same, Fluttershy! All colts want is to get us into bed. They can’t be trusted, and I’m sure how nicely Caramel was acting at first was just a big facade which he couldn’t keep up.” The cyan mare’s words lit a fire under Braeburn’s flanks. As a member of the Apple family, he could immediately tell the pegasus was lying through her teeth. ‘She’s tryin’ to pull somethin’,’ Braeburn thought angrily, ‘and that somethin’ seems to be the wool over Shy’s eyes...’ The amber pony withdrew from the bushes and began to canter his way into town. He knew he had to do something about Dash poisoning Fluttershy’s mind that way and figured he would ask Twilight first. Braeburn presumed she wouldn’t have a wealth of experience in drama or relationships with the way Applejack had described her, but also deduced she was the most logical of the group. Twilight would surely have a plan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As Caramel trotted down Ponyville’s dirt road, he marvelled at how little the town had changed since his last visit a few years back. His eyes passed over the buildings while his nose took in the nearby aromas. Even the smell of the market hadn’t changed; a mixed scent of flowers, baked goods, and freshly cut grass littered the air. Braeburn sighed in delight. ‘Wish we had grass in Appleloosa,’ he thought to himself as he continued cantering along. The amber stallion noticed a few familiar faces and even waved to Lyra and Bon-Bon, both of whom seemed to be enjoying an ice cream together. The top branches of the library came into view over the roofs of surrounding houses, and Braeburn quickened his canter. He was a few hundred yards from the tree when what appeared to be a gigantic piece of pink cotton candy jumped out in front of him. Braeburn jumped back, landing with a thud on his haunches. The pink mare in front of him gasped loudly; but then proceeded to spew out words at a rate of knots. “Ohmygosh, I’m so sorry! I almost ran you over; that would have been bad! Hey, waitaminute! I don’t remember seeing you here before! You’re Braeburn, right? Gosh, it’s been SO long since I saw you! Are you moving here permanently? That makes you a NEWCOMER! And if you're new--!” Braeburn’s hoof put a stop to Pinkie Pie’s constant sputtering. “Ah have been here b’fore. In fact, ah used ta live on Sweet Apple Acres.” Braeburn held his hoof to Pinkie’s mouth until the garbled words stopped and then resumed. “Ah worked tha farm ‘til I joined tha frontiersponies years ago when ah saw that rainbow explosion come from tha west. Just knew it was where ah belonged,” he proclaimed proudly. Pinkie gasped loudly and continued her verbal hail-fire, but with a lowered speed and volume. “Wow, you saw Dash’s sonic rainboom too?” Pinkie asked excitedly, unable to keep herself from bouncing. “That was Rainbow Dash?!” Braeburn had of course heard his cousin prattle on about how Dash flew with an alacrity unlike any other pegasus, but flying so fast that it results in a colorful explosion--the very idea baffled his mind. “Of course it was! Boy, you really have been gone an awfully long time! Ohmygosh! I need to plan a party! I better get over to Sugarcube corner right away! Nice seeing you again, Braeburn!” And with that, the boisterous pink earth pony bounced off down the road. Braeburn forged on to the library, frequently shifting his gaze sideways to ensure he wouldn’t receive any other surprises along the way. The amber stallion, having safely reached his destination, knocked on the door with his hoof. Before he finished knocking, the door swung open. Braeburn looked left and right, expecting to see somepony but found none. “Uh-hum,” Spike said, looking up at the stallion. “Down here,” he muttered, slightly upset with his own lack of height. Although the purple dragon was fully aware his current stature was only temporary and he would become one of the largest creatures in Equestria, Spike retained a bit of an inferiority complex, especially when reminded he “was just a baby dragon.” “Oh sorry there, li’l fella,” Braeburn began to apologize. Spike blew a thin trail of smoke out his nostrils, clearly displeased with this epithet. “uuh, is Miss Twilight ‘round? There’s somethin’ important ah got ta talk ta her about.” The dragon’s displeasure with Braeburn now shifted to an instant dislike. Spike loathed country accents--a result of his time mingling with upper class ponies in Canterlot. Although he would never say, even Applejack’s voice made him cringe occasionally. Spike glared at the stallion in a vain attempt to intimidate him into walking away. Braeburn merely put on the widest smile he could and tried not to let his sheepishness show through. The tension snapped when a voice called from deeper within the tree. “Spike, is somepony there? Let whoever it is in please, and make sure to offer them a seat--oh, and coffee! I’ll take mine black with two sugarcubes.” Spike grunted at Twilight’s order but stood aside to let the stallion enter. Braeburn wisely did not wait for the dragon to offer him a seat and planted his haunches on the nearby couch. As Spike ran off to the kitchen to whip up a batch of coffee, Braeburn whistled softly and pressed his hooves together. He always did feel a bit awkward waiting, so he tried to pass the time in tune and thought. ‘That drake doesn’ seem ta like me much,’ Braeburn noticed. ‘Then again, he probably has an stressful life bein’ a dragon ‘n’ all...’ His thoughts were cut off by the sounds of hoofsteps echoing off the walls. Braeburn glanced over to see Twilight trotting down the stairs. Twilight, previously behind the door to her room, now was able to see her guest. She immediately identified the amber pony as Braeburn, and proceeded to show him a friendly grin. Remembering his manners, the stallion stood up as Twilight made her descent. ‘Curious,’ Twilight thought to herself, beginning to analyze his display of etiquette. ‘I never saw him as the courteous type.’ She widened her smile slightly to show her appreciation for his gesture. “Hello, Braeburn. What might I be able to help you with today?” Twilight asked, still closing the gap between them. Braeburn looked down and shook his head. “Ah think ya should sit down. This’s quite a story.” Twilight nodded and pointed a hoof at the couch, directing him to sit. Braeburn complied, but much to his surprise, the lavender unicorn sat adjacent to him on the couch instead of using the armchair opposite. Twilight crossed her hind legs, placed her hooves on her knees, and looked up at him with wide and curious eyes. Braeburn stared at her for a few seconds, admiring how adorkable she was. “Well?” beckoned Twilight, eager to hear his story. “Oh, right.” Braeburn was grateful his amber coat served well at hiding the blood that now burned his cheeks. Regardless, he told Twilight everything that occurred that morning, getting somewhat embarrassed about eavesdropping on a private conversation. The lavender unicorn remained attentive and silent most of the time, occasionally nodding or asking for more detail. When Braeburn had completed his story, Twilight put a hoof under her chin and muttered quietly, “Well, this is interesting... It’s pretty obvious to me that Rainbow Dash is manipulating Fluttershy.  We definitely have to do something.” Braeburn nodded his head, eagerly awaiting for the mare to conjure up some plan. “To be honest Braeburn, I-I’m not really sure what to do...” the stallion drooped his head and frowned slightly. He had thought for sure that Twilight would have a solution. “... but I know somepony who might... Spiiiike!” Spike walked out of the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hand. “Hold your humans, I got your coffee right here!” Spike placed the cup on the cocktail table, but Twilight looked at him questioningly. “Ah-hem! Spike, aren’t you going to offer our guest some?” she said in a patronizing tone. Spike merely crossed his arms and gave her a blank look. Twilight glared back with a fierce ‘don’t you ruin this for me’ expression. The baby dragon merely yawned in response, inducing fury from the lavender mare. Twilight opened her mouth, drawing breath for a verbal assault, but Braeburn used the time to interject. “It’s fine,” he said, grinning widely at Twilight. “Ah’m not much thirsty, anyhow.” All of the unicorn’s anger dissipated, completely melted by the friendly smile on Braeburn’s face. For reasons Twilight couldn’t fathom, blood rose to her cheeks and remained there. The lavender unicorn silently thanked the stars her dark coat mostly concealed her blush. She turned back to Spike and addressed him sternly. “Spike, the real reason I called you over is I need you to ask Rarity over.” Spike’s eyes immediately went wide and a huge grin exploded onto his face. The dragon shifted his weight, ready to make a launch for the door, but Twilight held him in place with her telekinetic aura and brought him up to eye level. “Make sure to bring her back here. This is very important,” she emphasized, knowing full well that Spike would likely become distracted. He gave Twilight a mock salute and zoomed towards the door at a rate of knots. Yet, Spike came to a halt before leaving the library and glanced back to see the unicorn sitting fairly close to Braeburn. He observed her tells--scratching the back of her neck with her hoof, looking anywhere but directly at the stallion, but most importantly, Twilight held a light blush on her cheeks. Although still a baby dragon, Spike had known the unicorn long enough to ascertain that she definitely fancied Braeburn. Spike’s brow furrowed in anger as smoke drifted in two small streams from his nostrils. He would have admitted to disliking the pony before this, but now his mind was rank with malice. “Spike?” Twilight said with a concerned look. “Aren’t you going to get Rarity?” The mention of Rarity’s name rekindled the baby dragon’s enthusiasm to leave. Without another word, Spike rushed out the door, slamming it behind him. Twilight giggled with amusement and then turned to face her guest. “So, how have you been Braeburn?” Twilight asked, trying her best to act like a normal pony. Ice-breakers had never served as her strong suit, so she relied on others to give conversations some momentum. “Same ol’, same ol’, ah guess. Jus’ got moved in at the Acres, but--” “You’ve moved here?!” the lavender unicorn interrupted excitedly. The force of her own reaction surprised Twilight, and she began to question herself. ‘Why did I say that so loud? He must think I’m a lunatic!’ “Yes ma’am,” Braeburn politely responded, causing Twilight to blush again slightly. His gentlecoltly manner was all too flattering for the city-filly. “AJ told me she was short on help out here. Bein’ family an’ all, ah reckoned I had to help. Besides, she’s offerin’ me food, lodgin’, and fair pay. The way ah figgur, that’s more than enuff reason.” Twilight nodded her head in agreement. She had noticed Applejack becoming more stressed as help around the farm faded. First, Big Mac had injured himself trying to buck a lamp post after a long night at the pub. Shortly afterwards, Noteworthy landed a record deal with the famous Vinyl Scratch, allowing him to resign from his job as a farm-hoof (which he loathed anyway). “Well, that’s terribly kind of you,” Twilight admired in a cheerful tone. She remembered briefly what happened when she had first offered Applejack assistance with farm work. Never had she seen a pony behave so stubbornly, but the lavender mare nonetheless respected AJ’s resolve. Twilight held even greater respect for Braeburn’s willingness to work alongside the adamant earth pony. ‘But blood is thicker than water,’ the mare mentally recited, ‘and Apple blood is all the thicker.’ Braeburn shifted slightly at Twilight’s compliment, not quite used to praise for his actions... In actual fact, he had become far more accustomed to hearing his name yelled in anguish. The pedantic mare next to him giggled slightly at his sheepishness and leaned a tad closer. Braeburn could now distinguish a lavender aroma in the atmosphere and surmised it was emanating from Twilight’s mane. The subtle, floral scent retained a certain spice-like sharpness, piercing the earth pony’s nostrils as he closed his eyes. The country-colt took a deep inhale and allowed the blessed air to loiter in his lungs awhile before eventually returning the gas through his nostrils. Braeburn’s eyes met with the face of a very intrigued purple mare. A light scarlet highlighted his nervous grin as the stallion attempted to recover lost time. “Oh-a, thanks, Miss Sparkle.” Twilight’s blush deepened slightly as she began chuckling loudly. “Please Braeburn, Miss Sparkle is my mother; I’m just Twilight.” Braeburn silently nodded. In all honesty, he had no idea why he was being so formal in the first place. True, he was always a polite enough stallion, but something within him told Braeburn to be on his best behaviour as if Granny Smith were speaking to him from the back of his mind. Three rapid knocks broke the stallion’s thoughts. “Come in,” Twilight called out before the door opened. “Why, hello darlings! This is quite an unexpected invitation,” sung the white mare as she pranced in, followed by a floating purple dragon. Spike’s tongue hung from his mouth in an unflattering manner, while little pink hearts jumped in his eyes. Twilight breathed heavily and rolled her eyes at him. Spike fell out of his trance and then furrowed his brow in response, nodding his head towards Braeburn. The lavender mare noticed how closely she had shifted towards the stallion and blushed. “Hello, Rarity. Please come in and take a seat with us.” Twilight pointed her hoof at the armchair on the adjacent side of the cocktail table. Rarity observed the lavender mare and her company and smiled at them both before taking a seat. “I must say this is a surprise, dear. We rarely ever have time to chat nowadays... Aren’t you going to introduce your guest?” Rarity asked, reminding Twilight of her etiquette. “Oh, sorry! Rarity, this is Braeburn; Braeburn, you remember Rarity?” “Of course ah do! Pleasure seein’ ya again, Miss Rarity.” Braeburn gave a small bow of his head to the mare. “Likewise,” came the cheery response. Twilight, satisfied that introductions were complete, proceeded to explain the situation to Rarity. “We have a bit of an issue, Rarity. Braeburn told me what he overheard at Sweet Apple Acres this morning, and it doesn’t sound good at all. Caramel and Fluttershy had a bit of a falling out yesterday. We still aren’t exactly sure about what happened, but it was enough to make ‘Shy hysterical. She crashed into AJ’s barn at top speed--intentionally. Dash was there to ‘comfort’ her, but it  seems she has an agenda of her own.” Rarity’s eyes went wide at the drama apparently unfolding without her notice. She took a few seconds to completely process the information, and then put a hoof to her chin as she contemplated. “Exactly what kinds of things did Rainbow say that would bring you to this conclusion, Braeburn?” the white unicorn inquired. “Well ma’m, she made some very sexist slurs while insultin’ mah best frien’. She said things like ‘All colts want is ta get us inta bed,’ and ‘He is a stallion after all.’ What bit me was that she was lyin’ through her teeth ‘bout Caramel bein’ a phony! Ah don’t mean to go ‘round callin’ ponies liars, but as an Apple ah can honestly say ah could tell she was spoutin’ complete garbage.” Rarity nodded silently as Braeburn finished his explanation. She had already known Rainbow to be a homosexual, but never would have pinned her as sexist. The pieces of the puzzle gradually came together in Rarity’s mind, however, as she recalled her spa visit with Rainbow. The two had been relaxing and gossipping in the sauna when Dash had let it slip she fancied Fluttershy. The cyan mare made Rarity Pinkie-promise to never tell anypony about her crush or that she liked mares. She agreed but told Dash that, sooner or later, she would have to tell Fluttershy about her feelings or nothing would change. It seemed clear now that Rainbow was allowing her desires to make her do things she otherwise never would. “... Rarity? Do you know anything about why Rainbow would act this way?” Twilight asked slowly after watching the other unicorn become lost in thought. Rarity quickly snapped out of her daze, shaking her head sharply. Rarity knew she shouldn’t betray her friend’s trust, even with noble intentions. At the same time she refused to lie to Twilight--regardless of the fact that attempting to do so would be useless with a member of the Apple family present. “Yes,” she said flatly, doing her best to hide the thought racing across her mind. Twilight paused briefly, logically expecting a more verbose response. After waiting and not receiving one, she decided to press the issue further. “... So... are you going to tell us?” Rarity sighed heavily and buried her forehead into her hoof. “I’m afraid I can’t, dear,” she confessed, shaking her head. “I promised I wouldn’t say anything... and you remember what happened last time Applejack broke a Pinkie promise, don’t you?” Both mares shuddered with horror at the memory of Pinkie’s pure rage. It was something everypony hoped never to witness again. “Well, you can’t break your oath by telling us, but perhaps if we guess correctly... Is...is Rainbow a lesbian?” Twilight asked hesitantly. She knew it was quite a conclusion to jump to, but all the evidence seemed to point in that direction. Rainbow’s attempts at comforting Fluttershy may not have proven convincing on their own, but her slander about Caramel’s character certainly affirmed suspicions. “H-how did you know?!” Rarity’s eyes shot fully open and her mouth fell slightly ajar. Twilight put on the best smirk she could muster. “It’s quite obvious, really...” Rarity shot the lavender mare a deadpan stare. “Uh-h, yeah... Dash’s snide remarks about stallions and the affection she showed Fluttershy definitely point to her being a filly-foo--” “Don’t use that word, Twilight!” Rarity broke in curtly. “It’s very offensive. To imply that anypony’s orientation is child’s play is--is just vulgar.” Twilight stared at her hooves stammering for words, completely abashed. “I-I’m so sorry, Rarity! I d-didn’t mean t-to...” Her voice trailed off, words escaping her feeble efforts to force them into a coherent sentence. Rarity’s stern look softened greatly. She knew Twilight meant no harm but felt the need to point out just how prejudiced the term was. “No, no, of course you didn’t, dear. I’m sorry for scolding you like that; it was quite brash of me.” Rarity now found herself with her chin down, unable to meet Twilight’s gaze. “It’s fine, Rarity. I really shouldn’t have used that word.” Twilight also hung her head in shame, remembering her foalhood. While loving parents, her mom and dad held very strong traditional opinions and would frequently condemn homosexuals for “indulging in such unnatural iniquities.” ~ Twilight obediently subscribed to her parents’ dogmatic lessons on social morality until one afternoon in high school, after she had directly insulted two lesbian mares. Her Equestrian teacher, Mr. Scroll, asked her in private, “What gives you the right to impose your moral opinions on another pony--especially on something as subjective as love? Just how much do you know about love? It seems to me they’re learning a lot more about it than you are.” Twilight felt so horribly about herself she broke down cried right there in front of him. After he had finished consoling the lavender mare, Twilight asked him to teach her. Confused, Scroll asked, “Twilight, what are you trying to sa--,” but was cut off by Twilight pressing her lips into his. The unicorn was incredibly inexperienced, yet what she lacked in knowledge she assuredly made up for in enthusiasm. When her teacher pulled away after a few seconds, Twilight came to an astonishing realization--that you can’t control who you fall in love with: male or female, young or old... even pupil or mentor. As she prepared to lock lips once more, Twilight Sparkle knew it would not be her last time, for she still had much to learn. ~ Braeburn mustered enough courage to break the silence and said quietly, “If y’all are done, I high think it’s time we decided what ta do ‘bout this.” Both mares looked at each other briefly before turning to the stallion and nodding, “Thank Celestia,” he muttered, completely relieved the whole awkward situation had blown over. “So what’s the plan, Twilight?” Rarity asked, her eyes fixed calmly on the purple mare. Twilight furrowed her brow a bit and turned towards Braeburn, only to view a similar expression of anticipation on his face. She turned back to Rarity and looked at her quizzically. “I thought you would know what to do about this,” Twilight stated bluntly. She had only called Rarity over for that reason in the first place. “Oh no, dear. I have absolutely no clue as to what we even can do about this, to be honest,” the white mare confessed sheepishly. The only thing she was sure of is that something certainly needed to be done. “Well, our best bet at this point would be to gather what knowledge we can. Perhaps reading up on romance and rela--” Twilight began eagerly before being cut off by the stallion’s voice. “Uh, Ah don’t think books will be of much use here, Twilight,” Braeburn dissented, shaking his head. “Hmm, perhap’s you’re right,” she admitted. Twilight put her hoof to her chin and concentrated for a few seconds before her eyes shot wide and a smile began to creep onto her face. “I’ve got a plan.”