In Hard to Say Anything, Scootaloo realizes something embarrassing is going on when McIntosh Apple blushes when he admits he is taking the fifth delivery of apples to Starlight's old village. The crusaders hatch a plot to follow him and learn he has a crush on Sugar Belle, the baker who has been very happy baking up the apples her admirer has been bringing. When the young ponies realize Sweetie Belle's barely verbal big brother has competition in the form a handsome silver-tongued Romeo named Feather Bangs, they use what they know to help Big Mac: fairy tales. When this doesn't work well, they learn something about romantic relationships and hollow personalities.

Prompts:

Big Mac's lack of loquaciousness is his problem romantically, but Apple Bloom remember's cousin Orchard Blossom had no such problem.

Marble Pie is in tears when she learns about Sugar Belle and Big Mac from her sister. She fears it may be too late, but finds the courage to overcome the shyness ruining her life to make an attempt to win Big Mac's heart—somehow.

When the crusaders invite Big Mac's special somepony Sugar Belle to the clubhouse, she sees the picture of Cheerilee and Big Mac together. This does not go over well.

Feather Bangs knows how to compete and doesn't know how to talk to mares. When crusaders discover that the mares swooning over him are as clueless as he is about relationships, they have to teach the mares and the stallion how to reconnect with their special talents so they can be confident and interesting to be with.

Extra credit (optional): Everyone has something they don't want to talk about, but that is often what makes them most interesting to others. Entice your characters into confessing.

Deadline: June 2, 2017

Place your entries in the folder marked “Hard to Say Anything”. Please, only one entry.

Stories must be appropriately tagged Everyone, Teen, or Mature. Remember, stories tagged Mature are not visible to all readers and will not participate in any contests or after-the-fact lists. Please also select one or more story categories (like Adventure, Slice of Life, etc.). Because I understand preserving the mystique of a story, you are welcome not to provide tags for the main characters.

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