Matchmakers

by Moabite

Discovery

"Anyone coming?" asked Pinkie, her voice slightly muffled by the small paper bag she held in her teeth. She stood beside Applejack's bed, empty save for a disposable cup she had put on top of the sheets.

Rainbow Dash resumed her lookout at Applejack's bedroom window. The Apple family were currently all either in town or in the fields and the house was vacant. They were taking the opportunity to set up a few pranks for their unsuspecting friend.

"Nope," she replied. "The coast is clear."

Pinkie upended the bag into the cup and a torrent of sparkling confetti filled it to the brim. She tucked the empty bag into her mane and picked up the cup, smiling widely.

"Okie dokie lokie. Come on, we need to be on the other side of the door when I balance this on top."

Dash turned away from the window and matched Pinkie's mischievous grin.

"Oh, this is going to be hilarious. She'll be picking glitter out of her mane for days."

The two headed for the bedroom door, which was painted orange with three apples at head height (a gift from Apple Bloom for her big sister's birthday). Passing the bed, Dash spied a small piece of paper peeking from beneath.

"Hey, Pinkie, you dropped your bag." she said, bending down and picking it up.

Pinkie patted the back of her mane and was met with a crinkling sound.

"No, I still have it."

"Then what's this?" asked Dash, turning the piece of paper over and checking the opposite side. Her eyes widened.

"Uh, Pinkie? You should take a look at this."

Pinkie looked curiously over Dash's shoulder at the paper she held. It was a pencil sketch of a pony sleeping in the sun. The subject was immediately recognisable: her long silk mane flowed about her head and three butterflies adorned her flank.

The sketch dominated the page but the eyes of the two viewers were drawn to the top-right corner, where the artist had drawn a large love heart in heavy pencil.

Dash and Pinkie stared dumbly at the drawing for a minute, letting the significance sink in before Dash finally broke out of the trance. She hurredly shoved the paper back under the bed and turned back to Pinkie.

"Oh, man. That's a bombshell. AJ and Fluttershy. Do you really think -?"

She stopped. Pinkie was frozen with her eyes wide and her mouth gaping.

"Pinkie?" said Dash, waving a hoof in front of the pink pony's unseeing eyes. "Equestria to Pinkie Pie! Come in Pinkie!"

Pinkie's eyes widened further and her chest swelled as she took in a huge lungful of air in the loudest gasp that Dash had ever heard, rattling the window in its frame. Her hooves left the floor and hovered a few inches above the boards for a moment before clattering back down.

"Oh wow!" squealed Pinkie, dancing giddily in a circle. "This is so unbelievably incredibly huge! Applejack's got a crush on Fluttershy! That's so sweet. They'd be adorable together!"

"Whoa! Pinkie - quiet down. Remember we're supposed to be sneaking here." Dash furtively glanced at the doorway. Applejack could take a prank but she dreaded the wrath they would face if they were found leafing through her sketches.

"Yes but - eeeeee - do you think Fluttershy knows?"

"I dunno. The picture could have been drawn from life or it could have been original."

"Only one way to find out!"

---

Pinkie raised her hoof and knocked on the wooden door of Fluttershy's house for the second time. Silence responded from within.

"I don't think she's home."

Dash released a breath that she didn't realise she had been holding.

"Thank Celestia for that. What did you intend on saying to her anyway?" Dash raised her voice in a falsetto imitation of Pinkie. "'Hi Fluttershy, we were just snooping on your personal relationships and I was wondering if you were dating Applejack, tee-hee.'"

Pinkie ignored the parody and circled around to the back of the small cottage. Dash followed after a moment. By the time she caught sight of Pinkie again, the pink pony was cutie-mark-deep in one of Fluttershy's compost bins.

"Pinkie! What the hay? Have you gone mad?" she hissed. "Wait, what am I saying? Of course you have."

Pinkie emerged again with a banana skin balanced precariously on her head and several stained pages of writing paper in her hooves. Her normally bright coat was discoloured a sickly green. Dash stepped back involuntarily from the stench of rotting food that wafted toward her.

"Hnngh," she choked, holding her nose in her hooves. "Whad have you god dere, Pinkie?"

"I've a twitchy feeling," replied Pinkie cheerfully, "that there's something juicy right here."

She smoothed out the pages on the ground, doing her best to remove half-eaten carrot slices and bird seed from the paper. The top page was a letter written in elegant cursive.

Applejack,

I'm writing these words because I worry I would stumble over them in person. I don't think I would even have the courage for this if it weren't you I was writing to.

The last line had been crossed out. Pinkie turned over the second page.

Applejack,

I'm writing these words because I worry I would stumble over them in person. I love you. I've always loved you. When I think of you, it's like a rock - a steady constant in my life that

She flipped to the third page.

Applejack,

I'm writing these words because I worry I would stumble over them in person. I love you. I've always loved you. When I think of you, I feel stronger - like I can do anything if it were for your love. You've always been kind to me, been supportive of me when I struggle with my fears, and I know I do that a lot

The rest of the pages continued the theme. The final draft was still barely a few lines and it looked like it had been balled up before being dumped.

Dash, reading over Pinkie's filthy shoulder yet carefully trying not to touch it, widened her eyes in astonishment.

"Guess that answers that. Fluttershy feels the same, but neither of them has told the other."

Pinkie whirled in place and placed her hooves on either side of Dash's head, holding it there while she stared into her eyes with a grave look on her face.

"Rainbow Dash, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Gah! Pinkie let go of me, your hooves are covered in sh- !"

Pinkie suddenly released the struggling pegasus, who slumped heavily to the ground, wiping muck from the side of her face. She reared back on her hind legs and raised one soiled pink hoof to the sky.

"We'll make sure those two get together!"

Comments

[Swagg]

Oh gawd... this can't end well

[The Incredible Werekitty]

This is going to be a comedy of errors.

[GodsJesusHolyBilly]

Y U no have more comments?
This is brilliant, Mah Boi!

[TLC]

And it begins...Oh Pinkie.

[Joseph Raszagal]

Let's match the matchmakers! *Does a happy dance*

[Fervidor]

Pinkie's reaction was adorable.

[TheMobFighter]

"Gah! Pinkie let go of me, your hooves are covered in sh- !" Said The Cyan Pegasus
So I'm Gonna Add A "It" To That Sentence
"We'll make sure those two get together!" Said The Pink Party Pony

[Just Because]

"We'll make sure those two get together!"
Or, we could help you two get together, too.