Inside the barn of the Apple Family, Matt helps Big Mac set up the food table for the Nightmare Night party, which is happening tonight. It was a last minute decision, as the usual celebration within Ponyville was cancelled, as one of Discord’s pranks on Mayor Mare backfired greatly, putting the official in the hospital. Nothing serious, aside from a fractured hoof, but she announced the party’s cancellation, much to her sadness.
Not one to give up so easily, Pinkie Pie announced her very own Nightmare Night party, and Applejack chimed in with the idea to hold it at Sweet Apple Acres. The excitement from the townsponies was palpable, and everypony worked to make sure that the celebration would go off without a hitch.
Most of the important things are put into place; the barn is populated by lit jack-o-lanterns, there’s a table with stacks of candy of various shapes and flavors, and Vinyl Scratch has come in to set up the speakers to DJ the party. Big Mac and Applejack put together a haunted hayride; complete with elaborate props to simulate ghostly hauntings.
Even Princess Luna is due to arrive, to once again act out the role of Nightmare Moon.
Matt places the last of the sandwich plates – this one with tomato and mozzarella - on the table, with a half hour to spare until the guests begin to arrive. More than enough time to get into his Nightmare Night costume. He thought he’d be cute, and make a physical representation of his hero, The Chairman, but he felt that very few would get it, despite his reputation around Ponyville as the human with a chair problem.
Instead, he chose to do something more familiar, and dress up as a character from one of his favorite films, Evil Dead 2. This was something more ponies would understand, as this was a common film he showed at every Nightmare Night party, much to everypony’s glee and fright. Clementine didn’t see the film until last year, after she hit the age of thirteen. When asked why he hasn’t shown her the first film, he explained that the prequel was less comedic, and a bit more horrific, despite the cheesy acting of its cast.
As for Clementine, who became a big fan of Star Wars, a series of movies that Matt showed her when she turned ten, decided to go as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, with Rarity helping with the outfit, while also assisting in giving Clementine a small braid on the left side of her head, mimicking the character’s status as an apprentice. Feeling that it would be appropriate, Applejack dressed herself as Obi-Wan’s master, Qui-Gon Jinn.
Matt loved their costumes exponentially, not wasting any time to take a picture for the inevitable photo album.
Night falls quickly, and the various townsponies looking for a party arrive in their costumes, looking excited for a night of fright and fun in Sweet Apple Acres. Foals and Ponies alike pool into the barn, which was enough to hold a good third of the town, while others were more than happy to party outside, where various games and attractions, thanks to Pinkie Pie, were on display.
Matt walks around, greeting the various ponies that have arrived, wishing them a happy Nightmare Night, when…
“BOOO!” A pony in a mask akin to slasher icon Jason Voorhees pops up in front of Matt, complete with the stereotypical jump scare music that accompanies such a cliché.
“GAH!” Matt falls for it hook, line, and sinker, as he bops his foam chainsaw hand on the pony’s head, eliciting an uproarious laugh from the assailant. The Pony takes off the mask, revealing Slip Wing, with a wide smile on his face, and tears of laughter in his eyes. “Slip! You scared me!”
“I know! It was awesome!”
“How did you do the music?”
“Easy!” Slip unfurls a wing, which was hiding a compact music player. “My wing activates the music.” He elaborates by pressing his wing against the player, causing the music to play. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“That’s…ingenious!” Matt smiles, impressed. “Just don’t try that on Clementine; she might hit you with her lightsaber.”
“Heck, I was afraid you’d hit me with a chair. Thank Celestia for your foam chainsaw. Where is Clem, by the way?”
“She’s in the barn…” Matt points and looks at the barn, “….probably mingling with Skye and Terra. You should be…” Matt looks back to see that Slip has vanished. He sees the Pegasus running into the barn; effortlessly avoiding crashing into other guests. Matt smiles, when he suddenly remembers Slip saying… “Clem…” Matt repeats. “He’s never called her Clem before.”
“Are you talking to yourself again?” A familiar voice speaks behind Matt.
He turns to see Twilight, once again dressed up in a familiar Nightmare Night costume that she would wear every other year; the powerful Starswirl The Bearded. Even being an alicorn princess didn’t hinder her costume, as she put two holes within the cape to make up for her massive wings.
“Hey, I’ll have you know that it’s been a couple months since I last talked to myself. So, it’ll still be a while before I go crazy.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Twilight giggles, “Nice costume, by the way.”
“Thanks. Same to you. Familiar…but nice.”
“It’s an oldie, but goodie. Couldn’t think of another outfit; it was either this or dressing as a Princess, and…well…”
“Yeah, I can see that being a bit redundant. You should get inside. I’m sure there’s plenty of room to mingle.”
“I will, but I want to ask you…um…are you free on Tuesday?”
“I think so…” Matt thinks, scratching his head. “Why, what’s up?”
“Can you come by the castle? I want to give you something. And don’t ask what it is, because it’s a surprise.”
“Well, you know how much I like surprises…”
Suddenly, with a terrifying “HISSSSSS!!!!” and a “SREEEECCCHHH!!!!” Fluttershy, taking on the guise of a vampire fruitbat, jumps up behind him, and tackles the unsuspecting human to the ground. She lets out another “HISSSSSSSSSS!!!” before coming down on his neck, nibbling it with her sharp teeth.
“ARGH! NOOOOO!!!!” Matt flails his arms around, bumping Fluttershy on the face with his foam chainsaw. “Twilight! Get me a chair! Tell Applejack and Clementine I love them!”
Fluttershy jumps right off Matt, landing in front of him. He looks up at the rare sight of a smug Fluttershy, smiling to show her prop fangs.
“Got you.” she chuckles.
Then, Rainbow Dash, dressed up as a member of the Wonderbolts, bursts from the bushes, laughing uproariously at Fluttershy’s prank. She rolls on the ground, holding her gut as if keeping it from exploding. Matt slowly realizes what has happened. His look of shock turns into a smirk, a smirk into a smile, and a smile into a loud laugh.
“Dang it, Fluttershy! Every year!” Matt says between fits of laughter. “You get me every time!”
“The trick is to always do it when he’s having a conversation.” Fluttershy says to Twilight. “Always works.”
“Hey, y’all messin’ wit mah husband again?” Applejack comes walking into the scene. “And y’all didn’t invite me?”
“Sorry Applejack…” Rainbow Dash responds, “It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
“Well…if it was a once in a lifetime thing…”
“Oh, I’m sure they’ll have plenty more chances.” Matt shakes his head, certain that he’ll continued to be scared for the years to come. “Everything okay, AJ?”
“Ah was feelin’ a bit lonely. Slip went off with Clementine and the other girls, so ah was feelin’ a bit left out.”
“Wait…Slip’s with Clementine?”
Slip Wing, along with Clementine, Skye and Terra, stare at the adults table, which includes mugs filled with Sweet Apple Acres signature hard cider. Skye and Terra, who frequently came over to Clementine’s house to watch Sailor Moon, are now dressed as Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus, finding them to be the best characters on the show.
Skye looks over at Slip, bumping him slightly with a hoof in an attempt to get him to inch forward.
“So, are you going to drink it or not?” Skye asks.
“Why don’t you drink it?”
“Because I wasn’t the one being all cocky about having a sip. Go on, you’re older than the rest of us.”
“Yeah, by like six months.”
“Six months older is six months of extra experience.” Terra chuckles. “Clementine, back me up here. Should Slip stop being such a foal?”
“Ah think Slip should be mindful of the living force…” Clementine says in a calm and zen manner. “…but yes…stop bein’ such a foal.”
“Ugh. Me and my big mouth.” Slip says quietly to himself.
He goes over to the cider table, using a wing to quickly swipe a mug. The move is swift and tactful, with nopony noticing a thing, as they are too distracted by the music and dancing to care for such a thing as young ponies about to taste their first sip of alcohol. Slip goes back over to his friends in a hurry, unfurling his wing to show the mug underneath.
“Got it.” Slip says with a small amount of triumph. “Now…” he looks down at the mug, with the drink swirling around, waiting to be ingested. He brings the mug to his lips, taking the tiniest of sips. Putting the mug away from his mouth, he smack his lips, and gets all the flavor from his palate.
“How is it?” Clementine asks.
“It’s…not bad.”
“Cool! Gimme!” Clementine snatches the mug away, doing away with taking a mere sip, and gulps down half the mug, much to the surprise of her friends. Ceasing with the drinking, Clementine mirrors Slip’s reaction, licking the top of her palate and smacking her lips. “This stuff isn’t too bad.”
“Clementine?” Matt stands behind her. She turns quickly to see the worried look on her father’s face. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you holding a mug of cider from behind your back?”
“What…THIS mug of cider?” Clementine shows him the mug. “Oh, ah was just tryin’ ta balance it on mah back.”
“Uh-huh.” Matt nods sarcastically. “What kind of cider is that?”
“Regular cider?”
“Is that a question?”
“No?”
“Clementine, give me the cider.”
Clementine, grimacing, gives her father the mug of cider. He looks at the mug’s contents, before taking a sip himself. It doesn’t take long for him to realize what kind of cider he’s drinking.
“Clementine, YOUR cider table is over there.” He points over at the table where all the teenage ponies are drinking regular cider. “You’re not old enough to be drinking this stuff.” He then shoots a look over at Slip, “Did you put her up to this?”
“N-no! No, I would never…”
“Slip didn’t do anythin’!” Clementine defends him. “It was me. Ah wanted him ta drink the cider, and when he did, ah took some for mahself. Ah drank more than he did!”
“And that’s enough for you.” Matt says sternly. “This drink is for the adults. You’re too young for this.” He motions the ponies to move over to the normal cider table. “Go on, there’s plenty of regular drinks over there.”
“But, we’re fine! See?” Clementine spins around, in some kind of attempt to show she isn’t inebriated. “I ain’t gonna be a drunken mess after one little…”
“Clementine Rosemary Apple…please.” Matt is very serious, and they all see it.
The friends hang their heads down, solemnly walking over to the table. Matt, seeing their sad faces, goes back in front of them. The group step back at the sudden reappearance of the human, but his face doesn’t express the authority that it did not five seconds ago.
“Look, I’m not mad.” he says calmly. “But you have to know that this could have negative effects, if ingested too much. Believe me. I’m not saying you guys can never have this, just…not now…okay?”
The group likes this nicer side of Matt. His gentle tone is sincere in their ears, bringing light smiles on their lips. They nod their heads in agreement, causing the human and father to also smile.
“Good. Now go on and have fun.” He says.
The group runs off with the same enthusiasm they started the night with. As he watches them disappear into the crowd, Applejack walks to his side, noting the half drunk mug of cider in his hand.
“Ya okay? Ya ran off after ah said Clementine was with Slip.”
“I caught them drinking the hard cider.” Matt gives the mug over to the now shocked Applejack.
“Ah never! Oh, that filly…” Applejack mumbles with disappointment. “Fourteen years old, and she thinks she can do anythin’.”
“We were young once, too.” Matt admits, “Can’t expect her to be perfect. But still…”
“Yeah, but still….” Applejack looks up at Matt, seeing a surprisingly conflicted expression. “Ya okay, sugarcube?”
“It’s been a while since I was stern with Clem. Kind of a strange feeling.”
“She’s getting older. Time flew by quickly, didn’t it? Now, we’re going to have to deal with puberty, interest in colts…”
“I think she’s already got that second one covered.”
“Slip? Kind of obvious, isn’t it?”
“Very. I want them to just get on with it, but at the same time…as a father…”
“Ah feel the same way. Matt, there’s no need to fret now. This is supposed ta be a fun night. Besides, ya must save me from all the zombies that are going to come after us.”
“Save you? You’re a Jedi Master! You can use your force powers and lightsaber!”
“But ah lost em’ in the battle of Naboo!”
“Even your force powers?”
“ESPECIALLY mah force powers.”
“Really?” Matt sets the mug back down on the table. “Well then, Master. Let’s go get your belongings back.”
The night continues onward, with many ponies celebrating the night away; having fun and conversing with various townsponies wearing a variety of unique and well made costumes. Princess Luna, taking on the guise of Nightmare Moon, makes her scheduled appearance, coming down from the cloudy and stormy skies above in her Batpony manned chariot.
Like most of the events of years past, she is accompanied by her companion Trixie, who wears a beautiful masquerade dress, with a mask covering most of her face, except her eyes. While her full visage is hidden, many can tell that it’s her.
Other guests, such as Celestia, Chrysalis, and friends like Rarity, Donut Joe, Ditzy Doo, and Quill Pen also arrive for the festivities.
Matt, noticing that Rarity and Donut Joe are looking more like characters in a spy film than their normal appearances, goes over to them as the couple stands at the table of candy and sweets.
“Darling!” Rarity notices Matt first, welcoming him with an embrace. “You’re looking quite…frightening actually. What in Equestria happened to your hand?”
“It was possessed by a demon, so I cut it off and replaced it with a chainsaw. You remember the movie. I showed it every Nightmare Night.”
“Right. I’m always covering my eyes at those gory parts, so forgive me for not remembering, sweetheart. But it still looks rather nice.”
“These nights are always the best.” Donut Joe smiles. “Whenever we watch a scary movie, Rarity buries herself in my shoulder. She’s so cute when she’s scared.”
“Speaking of which, what are you two dressed as?”
“The name is Mane…” Donut Joe gets into an action pose, “…Con Mane. You remember those movies? They were the best.”
“And I am Viper.” Rarity says proudly, “His rival and love interest.” Rarity also gets into a similar action pose, back to back with Donut Joe. His tuxedo and her tight leather ensemble compliment each other well, causing the human to smile at their dedication to the roles. “It took a while for me to get the courage to wear such a tight outfit, but I have to say, it’s rather nice.”
“I’ll say.” Matt smiles, suddenly realizes that there are daggers pointed at him in the form of Donut Joe’s eyes. “I mean…it fits her well…I mean…she looks just like the character.”
“Joe, please. He’s merely complimenting my ensemble.”
“I know.” Joe’s anger becomes a chortle, and the mood dies down. “I was testing my intimidation technique. I always thought I could pull off the famous Con Mane Stare.”
“What about Fluttershy’s stare? Can you pull that off?” Matt asks.
“I don’t think anypony can pull that off…except for Fluttershy.”
Back at the hard cider table, sneaking up from the back with all the skill and precision of a master of tactical espionage action, is Clementine, staring at one of the free mugs of cider; welcoming her back like an old friend. She inches closer and closer to the table, looking around to make sure no wandering eyes have landed on her, and especially looks out for her parents.
“What are you doing?” a voice asks behind her. Startled, she whips around to see Slip Wing standing before her, still wearing his hockey mask. Forgetting that it’s him, she pushes him back. “Whoa! It’s me, Clem!” He takes the mask off.
“Sweet Celestia, Slip. Ya scared me half ta death.”
“Sorry. What are you doing?”
“Ah want some more of that cider there.”
“Why? Your Dad said that you’re not old enough. Besides, you don’t want to get drunk, do you? I mean, look at Trixie over there. Do you want to do what she’s doing?” Slip points at Trixie drunkenly making out with Princess Luna. “Okay…hold on…whoa….” Slip gasps, realizing what he’s looking at, briefly losing his train of thought.
Unfortunately his mind is so far gone, that he fails to notice Clementine succeeding in her mission. She snatches the mug from the table. With a quick glance from side to side, watching every pony, she drinks fast from the mug. The hard cider makes for a sweet drink, as she barely tastes the alcohol; one of many reasons why adults consider the drink to be dangerous for foals.
Slip has finally come to his senses, catching Clementine beginning to down her second mug of cider, though he thinks it’s still her first. Slip runs to her just as she finishes, taking the mug with a quick wing movement, and sets it back on the table, just in time for a stallion to see the empty mug, walking away disappointed that there’s no more.
“Clem, stop it!” Slip utters with genuine worry.
“Don’t be such a filly, Slip.” Clementine chuckles without a sense of irony, “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“My sense of adventure is…over there…somewhere.” Slip points in no direction in particular. “Come with me. Terra and Skye are playing games, and I’m sure they’d like if you came, too.”
“Oh, fine…ah come with you…you big cutie…” Clementine mutters that last part, with the words never reaching Slip’s ears.
In another area of the party, Applejack stands in front of Queen Chrysalis, staring at her costume. More importantly, her lack of one. Applejack’s eyes scan the Queen up and down, wondering what Chrysalis was thinking in not dressing up for the occasion.
“Ah don’t get it. Why not dress up?”
“I’m not one for Nightmare Night.” Chrysalis shrugs. “I can transform into any pony I want, so what’s the point in dressing up instead?”
“Ah see yer point, but have ya at least tried it?”
“Well, one time, as I filly, I tried dressing up as Starswirl The Bearded.”
“How did it turn out?”
“As well as it’s turning out for Twilight.” Chrysalis glances over at Twilight, who is chatting with Ditzy Doo, unaware of the Queen looking at her costume. “I mean…okay, it looks fine on Twilight, but on a changeling Queen…”
“I’m sure ya looked cute.”
“Save your sweet talking for your husband.” Chrysalis smirks, with a hint of a blush. She notices Matt talking with Pinkie Pie, who is dressed like a circus clown. “Speaking of which, you mind if I catch up with him?”
“Of course. We still on for your little visit next month?”
“Bar any objections from the human?” Chrysalis asks, with Applejack shaking her head with an amused giggle. “Of course not. We’ll talk later.”
Applejack waves her off, and she watches the Queen approach Matt, saying hello to him with a smile. Matt smiles wide upon seeing her, hugging her like someone greeting an old friend they haven’t seen in ages, despite only seeing each other a week ago. The farm pony watches this sight with a smile, but that familiar and always present twinge of jealousy presents itself.
It’s a feeling that she has constantly suppressed whenever she sees Matt being friendly with mares. There is no doubt in her mind that her husband loves her with everything that he has; that much is true, but she continuously fights this feeling…
“Hey, Applejack.” Celestia, dressed up as Daring Do, interrupts Applejack’s little moment, startling her.
“Sweet Celestia…um…Celestia.” Applejack blushes. “Sorry, got a little lost there.”
“We’ve all been there. I cannot help but notice you staring at Matt and Chrysalis. Rather intently, I might add. Are you having troubles again?”
“Troubles? No. No troubles. Matt and ah are doing wonderfully. Couldn’t be more perfect if we tried.”
“And yet, you are looking at Matt and Chrysalis like they’re going to start making out without you.”
“Ah am?” Applejack wonders. Celestia only nods in confirmation. “Ah am, aren’t ah?”
“It’s incredibly obvious. Why are you always worried about him? There’s no reason to be.”
“Ah know. It’s pathetic.”
“Well, I wouldn’t call it pathetic. Repetitive, is the word I would use. Chrysalis hasn’t caused a rift between the two of you, has she?”
“Oh, no. Definitely not. Things have been great…with and without her. It’s just…well…it’s been over fifteen years, and ah still can’t help but wonder what exactly he sees in me to make him stay. There’s an obviously beautiful mare right in front of him. They even…”
“If you remind me of their first time together, I’m going to suffer from PTSD.” Celestia says sternly, reminded of Matt’s letter once again.
“Right, sorry.”
“Applejack, he’s staying because he loves you and Clementine. Why must you continue to distrust him?”
“Ah don’t distrust him. Ah distrust…everypony else. Even after all this time, he’s still a curiosity amongst other ponies, especially mares. I’m worried they might try something, and the day would come where he doesn’t resist…oh mah, I do sound like ah distrust him.”
“It does…so stop that nonsense right now, Applejack Williams-Apple.” Celestia once again shows that unmistakable authority in her voice. Applejack hangs her head down in shame at the thoughts that permeate her mind. “I have an idea.” Celestia’s words make Applejack’s ears perk up. “It’s going to sound silly, but this works. When you two are asleep, tonight or any other night, it doesn’t matter; make sure Matt is sound asleep. Like a deep sleep. When he is, I want you to kiss him. It may take a couple tries, but it will get a response from him. If his first words are your name, then that means he is dedicated to you.”
“Really? That works?”
“It’s worked on Chrysalis.” She smiles, then blushes at the admittance. “Okay, maybe your concerns aren’t all that silly. She spends a lot of time with you guys; it’s hard to blame me.”
“Y’all can spend time with us.”
“And scare poor Matt?”
“Ah meant us going out for lunch or somethin’. We don’t do THAT THING all the time, ya know.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Sometimes we get a bite ta eat, or go to the movies or play video games with Clem.”
“Oh…” Celestia blushes. “That…actually sounds like fun. Here I was, thinking that you two were the most…um…ACTIVE beings in Equestria.”
“Ya make it sound like that, with yer talk about the subject all the time. Like ah said, Matt still gets some interested parties, no matter how much time has passed.” She looks back at Matt; still talking to Chrysalis and Pinkie Pie. Her hoof travels to her chin in that very familiar thinking stance, scratching the tip of the hoof against the fluff at the bottom. “I’ll give it shot, Celest. It sounds like a pretty good idea.”
“It’s an excellent idea.” Celestia smiles gently. Her gaze travels to another part of the party, where a sight causes that lovely smile to drop quickly and harshly, along with the jarring sight of her eyes widening in surprise. “Oh my. What’s Clementine doing?”
“What?” Applejack turns sharply to see Clementine dancing on the cider table, with nary a trace of elegance or tact to be found in her movements.
“WOOOO!!!!” Clementine yells in an abundance of joy, as her sloppy dancing knocks over perfectly good mugs of cider made for the younger attendants of the Halloween party. It’s that noise that snaps Matt out of his conversation with the Changeling Queen and the Party Pony, turning to see his daughter has become a drunken hooligan.
“CLEMENTINE!” both Matt and Applejack at different corners of the barn say in a loud simultaneous bellow.
The parents rocket towards their bumbling daughter with massive speed and determination, and the party guests part away to allow them to get to Clementine quicker than initially expected. The parted guests reveal a panicked Slip Wing, going side to side in the expectation that poor drunken Clementine would fall over, and he would be the one to catch her.
Before she could, Matt grabs Clementine, holding her up to his angered and disappointed face.
“Clementine Rosemary Apple!” Matt and Applejack once again say in tandem.
Clementine responds by scrunching her face, followed by her cheeks suddenly expanding, as if preventing her mouth from unleashing what’s inside. With speed and agility, Matt runs for dear life with Clementine out of the barn, with Applejack following with the same degree of quickness.
Once they’re outside, Matt turns Clementine around; allowing her to unleash a torrent of vomit on the grass. As she is expelling the liquid and food that she had ingested during the night, Matt sets her down; letting her vomit in peace without the discomfort of being held up while doing it.
The parents step back, giving her some wanted privacy.
“How much did she drink?” Matt asked.
“It probably wasn’t a good idea to allow alcohol at the party.”
“But, it’s worked out well the last couple times we had parties.”
“Yeah, but Clem’s growing up, and with that…”
“Comes curiosity…right.” Matt grimaces at Applejack’s correct statement. “Sorry.”
“Nah, it’s fine sugarcube. It ain’t yer fault.” She assures him with a caress of his waist. “We do have to ground her, though.”
“Oh, yeah. Totally grounded.” Matt looks back at the retching Clementine, noting a distinct familiarity in the scene. “Huh, she’s barfing where you did at that hoedown.”
“Hey, yer right. Too bad there’s nopony that’s lovingly helping her.”
“Clementine!” Slip Wing comes running in at the opportune moment. “Are you okay?!”
Unfortunately, a repeat of events from year’s past is held back by the filly’s parents.
“Don’t come any closer!” Matt snaps at the colt. Slip steps back in shock. “I asked you if you put her up to this, and you said no!”
“I did! She came back for it! I’m sorry! I tried to stop her, I swear! You have to believe me; I would never purposely let Clem do this!”
“Daddy…” Clem weakly says. “Don’t…be mad…at Slip.”
The filly’s words reach their ears. Matt and Applejack go to her side, with Matt kneeling down and putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Clementine…” Applejack says softly, “Are you okay?”
“Mah…head hurts.” She winces, “Dad…he tried ta stop me…he did. Ah didn’t listen. Don’t be mad…” her sincere words are interrupted by a loud belch. She falls over, but Matt catches her before she hits the grass.
“There there, Clementine.” Matt whispers; his voice no longer angry. Clementine soon snores, fast asleep. “She’s sleeping. That was quick.” He picks her up, putting her on his shoulder. He turns to see Slip, watching with regret. “I’m sorry, Slip.”
“No, I’m sorry.” Slip responds, “I should have been watching her carefully. I would never…”
“We know, Slip.” Applejack smile. “Ya care bout her. We ain’t denyin’ that.”
“You…you know?”
“Of course we know. We’re adults.” Matt smirks. He turns to Applejack. “We should take her to bed.”
“That’s a good idea.” Applejack nods to Slip, “Enjoy the party, we’ll be right back.”
“Wait!” Slip calls out. “Don’t…tell her…okay?”
Applejack steps forward, wanting to tell Slip that Clementine has similar feelings. However, she stops upon opening her mouth, shutting it and looking back at Matt. She steps back, responding instead with an understanding nod.
“Yer secret is safe with us.” she says.
Slip, grateful of Applejack’s decision, runs back to the party, where Skye and Terra were watching from the doorway. He briefly speaks to them, and the two go back into the party.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Matt wonders.
“Because ah want them ta tell each other. Where’s the fun in saying something before she can?”
Matt stares, but then nods in acceptance. The two turn to the house, where they walk to take Clementine to the bed in the guest room.
“Good point. Hope they’re better at it than we were.”
“Oh please, Matt. Everypony is better at admitting their feelings than we were.”
“Yeah, yeah. Rub it in, why don’t you?”
“I mean, you were so bad at it, that ya got all fussy! And ah was so bad at it, ah tried ta ask Soarin out on a date!”
“Stop reminding me of my failures.”
“Oh, they were mah failures too, sugarcube.”
“Ugh, we were so terrible at this. It turned out alright, though.”
“It turned out more than alright.”
“Then, maybe we weren’t so bad at this whole admitting feelings thing.”
“Ah made the first move while suffering from a hangover.”
“…and now the positivity is gone.”
“The make out was nice, though. Not ta mention the night that followed.”
“…and now it’s back.”