The Blessing and the Curse

by Equestria Buck Yeah

Chapter 16

For a moment, Matt thought the line had gone dead until he heard the sobs away from the phone on the other end. It wasn't often that he heard Rachel cry back home, but he knew these tears weren't thanks to sorrow. He gulped down the aching that was rising in his own throat.

Waiting patiently for her to return, he quickly checked over his shoulder for any guests. Nothing so far. Must have been far enough away that they couldn't hear him over the crackles of the fire they made. Hopefully it'd stay that way.

He took a deep, calming breath. Even before the phone made the connection, Rachel must have been going nuts after what undoubtedly happened to her however long ago she arrived. Matt needed to remain collected for her. Sounding panicky could easily make things worse for her than they already were.

Still, hearing from the man she spent years of her life dating for the first time in what must have felt like forever probably made things a little better.

The phone rattled in Matt's ear followed by the voice he'd missed screaming at him. "Oh God! Oh my God, it's really you! Matt, what the hell happened to ya?! Ya...y-ya just up 'n...a-a-and disappeared! We didn't know what happened! Nobody had any idea where ya went o-or how or why! You were just...gone!"

"Rachel, I–"

"Where'd ya go?! Why'd ya go?! Why didn't ya call or somethin'?! W-We all started thinkin' you were dead 'n we weren't gonna see ya again a-a-and Ah didn't wanna believe 'em–!"

"Babe, listen–"

"–but you're alright! Oh God, please tell me Ah'm not just imaginin' things!"

"No, no, you're not imagining things, I promise," he chuckled.

"Ah have to be!" she insisted. "A-Ah mean, a few days ago, some weird yellow...light...thing happened all over the apartment – Ah don't even know how ta explain it – a-and then the lights went out 'n Ah saw out the window that the sun just...vanished or somethin' 'n it was nighttime outta nowhere 'n the next day, half of the apartments 'n half the parkin' lot weren't there a-and now you somehow call me when Ah haven't been able ta get a hold o' anybody 'n... Oh God, Ah can't believe it's you! Oh my God!"

His throat started to ache again and water pooled in his eyes as Rachel sobbed into her phone. Another breath was needed.

"I didn't think I'd ever hear from you again either, Rach," he said, smiling.

"Matt, please tell me ya know what's happenin'! It's like the world just went crazy or somethin'!"

He paused briefly. There was no way he could describe all the details to her without sounding insane or confusing her further.

"I do, but I doubt...actually, I know you wouldn't believe me. Well, you might if you saw the kinds of friends I've made here."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"Let's just say they're a hell of a lot different than what you're used to seeing and leave it at that for now." An idea came to mind – a great idea if it worked. Matt raised an eyebrow and turned around, facing east. "Rach, do you still have your truck?"

"Yeah, it's downstairs. Why?"

"It came with, alright," he muttered under his breath. "Really hope I don't send you on a wild goose chase here. You know how much gas you got?"

"Err, Ah filled it up a couple days before...this all happened. Why?" she asked again, chasing away a sniffle.

He chose his next words carefully. "Babe, you trust me?"

"Course Ah do."

Sighing, he spun back and not-so-subtly implied what he wanted. "Do you think you could pack a couple days worth of clothes and some food and stuff?"

"What, ya want me to come find ya?"

His eyes sparkled at the thought. "I do."

"Ah do too, Matt, but Ah don't have any idea where ya are! Ah don't even know where Ah am!"

"Just...just listen to me. You've gotta be sorta close to be getting this call. The other day when you looked outside, did you see any odd landscapes or anything?"

"Uh...no, Ah don't think so. Buncha grass everywhere."

"Dammit," Matt growled. He gritted his teeth and squeezed at his temples. Figures it wasn't going to be easy but having no idea at all which direction she could be wasn't exactly helping either. "Okay. Before you turn in tonight, pack up the stuff I said. When the sun comes up in the morning, head toward it – that's east. When you hit the coast...well, I'm not honestly sure then. I want to say turn left and head north, but you could be further north than either of us realize. Only reason I'd guess that you'd want to make a left is because me and my friends are still heading in that direction and I'm figuring you're in the general area, sort of, even if it's a couple hundred miles away." He curled his lips. "Though we're only a bit over a hundred miles away from where we're going. Hm."

"What's up north?" she asked. "Not only that, how would Ah know if Ah'm goin' the wrong way?"

"If you drive for a few hours and don't see New York, then you're going the wrong way."

Ugh, perhaps he shouldn't have just blurted it out like that. As Matt repeated it in his head, it sounded just as out of left field as he was afraid of. Rachel was already in hysterics and something as overblown and dramatic as that wasn't going to help matters. Well, the cat's out of the bag now, but he should still try and corral it.

"...Why in the hell did ya run off to New York without sayin' anythin' to anyone?!" Rachel shrieked.

And now would be an excellent time to do so.

"We're not in New York. Not yet. This is going to sound bizarre, but it's not supposed to be here."

Oh good, that's not going to sound even worse or anything. He slammed his eyes shut and bit his lip. Definitely needed to tone it back before he dug himself too deep and simply get back to the driving directions.

"What...? Matt, hon, you're not makin' any sense. What's goin' on? Please tell me!"

"Look, there's...a city real close to the place, and the mayor stopped by a few days ago to pay us a visit. He said there was something really weird going on, even for here. So, we were asked to go check it out by the people in charge. Like I said before, when you see my friends, it'll make things a little easier to understand...I hope. Anything I try and explain on the phone isn't going to make any sense whatsoever. But, anyway, we're not there yet. I just need you to do one thing for me when you get there, and I'll tell you now, something's going to look a little...off...when you get there."

"What's that?"

"Call this number and let me know when you get to the city, but don't go into it until I say. We've been on the road for a while and it hasn't exactly been a fun experience. We were probably going to head to bed soon, but I was thinking about trying to find us a room at a hotel or something. I'm sure there's a way we can finagle one if we had to. I really haven't thought about where we'd stay yet, but I'll let you know once I figure it out."

"A-Alright. Alright, Ah'll do that. What all's gonna look off, by the way?"

He winced and hissed uneasily through his teeth. Could he maybe stop bringing things up that would be best left unsaid for now?

"Ehhhh, well, you know New York's an island, right? Err, Manhattan, whatever. Anyway, it's...not much of an island right now."

"...What? What do ya mean?"

"Like I said, Rachel, lot of weird shit. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Do you still have your gun?"

"Yeah, why?"

He gazed north into the softly moonlit distance and narrowed his eyes. He was hoping to see a flood of rectangular electric stars painting the horizon and forming the outlines of various-sized skyscrapers by now. Eh, maybe they were just out of reach where they were.

Though who's to say they even had power? Matt didn't know the layout of the island and had no idea if any of the utilities were actually controlled from inside the city itself or were fed in from the outside.

He certainly hoped everything was functional, including the water. He really didn't want to go too much long without a shower if he could help it. Rarity would definitely see eye to eye with him there.

"I have a pretty good feeling that it's gotten pretty insane over there. Couldn't hurt to have it just in case. I don't have one, but I'll be alright cuz my friends are...well, if I can hide them from the public, we should be able to do what we need to do without any interruptions, but if it comes right down to it, they can handle themselves pretty well."

"Okay, Ah'll throw it in my bag too then."

"Okay, good. Take it easy on the drive over. I obviously don't have any idea what the landscape is like where you are and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Ah'll be careful." A quiet sob sighed into his ear as Rachel started to cry again. "Ah just...Ah wish Ah knew what was happenin'. Ah know Ah've already said it a dozen times, but Ah can't believe Ah'm hearin' from you again!"

Smiling softly, he replied, "Me too, hon. But hey, we're gonna be seeing each other again soon, right?"

She sniffled into the mic and hopefully wiped away some of her tears. "Right."

"Pack up your things and get some sleep, okay? I'll get in touch with you once we've settled down in the city."

"Okay." The waterworks turned on again. "Ah missed ya, Matt."

His eyes glistened again. Damn...dust in the air or whatever. "I missed you too." He wished he could continue until the sun came up, but it had been a long day and they weren't going to be up much longer. Tomorrow was probably going to be harsh too, and they needed their rest. "G'night, Rach."

"G'night."

The line went miserably silent as he hung up the call. For several minutes, he stood there staring at the screen, still in shock at the turn of events. Fortunately, the jolt was downplayed by the warm feeling in his chest and the uncomfortable yet welcome knot in his stomach.

It was all so odd as he thought about it. He had accepted his fate a few months after his arrival. He had forced himself to move on after it was determined he couldn't go home. Now, only a handful of days apart, their favorite song was gifted to him and then he hears what was his favorite sound in the world – one he had nearly forgotten.

He likely would have never completely erased her from his mind; they had spent years together and made many fond memories. Heck, in not so many words, he even admitted to Rarity on that crazy day when the Ursa stomped through town that he had been thinking about asking Rachel a certain dreaded question before he landed there.

The corner of his lip curved and he slid the phone back into his pocket. Shivering as another breeze blew by, he spun about and headed back to the warm fire. Time to break the news!

-----

The crunching of dry leaves beneath his shoes and the squeak of his hand being dragged across the hood of the car told the girls Matt was coming. As the conversation carried on and they shifted their attention back to each other, Applejack stayed focused on the young man, smiling as he got closer.

His rather boisterous and relieved sigh drowned them out for a moment when he practically crashed onto the ground beside the cowgirl, but they paid it little mind. While they talked, he sat patiently and with stars in his eyes, gradually catching up on the conversation.

"So, where'd you run off to?" Rainbow Dash eventually asked.

He cleared his throat and smiled even brighter. "I, uh, got in touch with someone."

Nearly all their eyes widened. "You mean with your phone?" Fluttershy asked.

"Mhm!"

"Oooo, that's so exciting! Who was it, who was it, who was it?!"

He shifted a bit and it felt as if his face reddened. Though it might just be the heat from the fire. Jeez, he was acting like a teenager all over again, even with the half-assed way he was communicating with them. "It was, ummm...it was Rachel!"

"Your old girlfriend?" Twilight asked.

The word struck a terrible chord with Applejack. She stared numbly at him, as if he just told her a loved one had died. In a way, a part of her suddenly started to believe that to be true.

Beside her, Rarity had frozen up too. She herself had dealt with love-related pains more than once and was waiting to see what all her country friend would do. She knew Applejack hadn't had any real experience with such things based on some of the girl talks they'd had. Thus, the designer wasn't sure if A.J.'s temper would explode or if she would go sulk in the corner. Care had to be taken either way if things escalated.

"Yeah, she's going to try and make her way to New York in the morning. If we get lucky, she'll meet up with us later or the next day or something. So, yeah, we're going to have a visitor. Hope that's okay. I mean, I know we're supposed to be checking out what that cloud thing is and all," Matt explained, shrugging bashfully.

"Hey, that sounds great!" Twilight declared. "I know I'd want to see my friends or family again if I hadn't seen them in a long time and was given the opportunity to. I think it'd be interesting to meet her."

While the others nodded and agreed, Applejack's ears folded and her eyes fell back to the crackling fire where she watched the branches burn up in the cold night just like her hopes. She fought tooth and hoof to keep her cheeks dry and to keep her expression as neutral as possible. She wasn't going to sit and talk about what was bothering her if somepony asked, especially with Matt right next to her. Even the supportive white hoof tenderly gripping her own garnered no reaction.

Meanwhile, Matt discussed with them what to expect the next day: the city itself, the potential chaos, the possibility of martial law, the hotel room he wanted to get for them, and that Rachel was going to contact him once she was nearby. The one thing he stressed repeatedly was that, for safety's sake, the only time they should get out of the car was when they came across the hotel he was hoping to shack them up in for the night: the Waldorf Astoria. He didn't know where it was – nor did he know how he was going to score a room – but hopefully he could get the location out of one of the locals without any fuss if they happened to spot one.

Besides, if they were going to be doing the hero thing again after everything was said and done, why not live like kings for an evening? Well, a king and several queens.

"I'm going to go get the truck set up for bed. It's getting kinda late," Matt said as he got back to his feet.

"What do you mean? I thought we were going to sleep sitting up or something," Twilight asked.

"Oh no. There'll be a lot of room, but one of you might have to curl up on the chair up front. Don't know if we'll all be able to fit in the back."

The troupe aside from Applejack shared a quizzical look until Rainbow Dash sighed.

"I guess I can do it. I'm used to doing so on the clouds."

"It may get cold. We only have the one sheet, and I'm...starting to wonder if that'll be enough."

"Eh, I'm a pegasus. I can handle the cold," she smirked.

Shrugging, Matt turned and got to work. He opened the back doors and tossed the saddlebags to the front, allowing himself to unhinge the locks and let the seats fold down. It wasn't quite as flat as he wanted though and adjusted the driver's and passenger's seats until the make-shift floor couldn't go down any further. Still, the very slight angle it finally laid at could prove relaxing.

He reached into the open back and snatched up Pinkie's and Rainbow's saddlebags – and his own backpack – tossing them with their counterparts. An extra shove was needed when Pinkie's bag refused to fall to the floor. Spotting the cable hanging from the cigarette lighter, Matt reached into his pocket, leaned in and plugged the phone back in. However, with the car being turned off, it wasn't going to get any more juice. No big deal. There was going to be plenty of time for that tomorrow.

The only thing left was the large garbage bag with all their linens and pillows. Closing the four passenger doors, Matt stepped to the tailgate and popped it open. All but the miserable orange mare turned to gawk at the loud rustling as their friend rummaged through the bag. Occasionally, he glanced around too, wondering if some hungry animal wasn't going to jump out of nowhere, attracted by the commotion. He assumed the fire would keep them away, but you never know.

The last pillow bounced softly off the floor followed by the slightly unfolded pair of sheets. He spread the first out to lay on, moving their fluffy cushions out of the way as he went. He couldn't imagine trying to rest on an itchy carpet. The second he opened up halfway for them to crawl under when it was time to turn in. Hopefully there wouldn't be any fighting over the thing.

He crawled inside to set Rainbow's pillow in place as well as his own. It'd be the best option to sleep against one of the sides himself. That way, one of the girls could lay perpendicular to everypony else, provided the space was there for it. Though if they could all lay side by side, why not?

With a stretch, Matt removed his shirt and lobbed it over the driver's seat. The air breathed against his skin and the hairs on his arms perked up. Whew, it was chilly out! Maybe he should've waited until he was ready to lay down before getting topless, but what's done is done. Even in his bed on frigid nights, he could never wear much more than a sheet and blanket. Those were always relaxing nights.

Closing and locking the tailgate with the key, he stepped around the Hummer to the passenger's side back door. Pinkie whistled provocatively at him.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, rolling his eyes as the girls giggled. "It's...it's been a day, that's for sure. Rainbow, make sure to lock the door behind you, and whoever comes in last too. Oh, if no one's going to use the shovel, I'll put it away."

Dismissive grunts and shrugs were his reply.

"Eh, I think we can find a bush somewhere nearby if it came down to it," Twilight remarked, floating the tool over.

"Or simply hold it in," Rarity added with a cringe.

"Suit yourself." With a quick scratch, Matt crawled inside and wedged the shovel into a convenient place. The shorts came off soon after. "Come to bed whenever you're ready. G'night."

-----

One by one, the tired mares called it a night and filed into the SUV. Fluttershy went first followed by Rainbow Dash. A short while later and Pinkie Pie was feeling the effects of the sandmare. After a few more minutes, Twilight joined them, leaving only Rarity and a melancholy Applejack by the dimming fire.

The unicorn took a quick glance behind her toward the dark vehicle. Seemed quiet enough. Didn't appear to be any movement in the windows.

She turned back to her pouting friend. Now that they were alone, Applejack could let her eyes water.

Rarity broke the ice as delicately as she could. "You've been awful quiet."

"Come on, Rares, what do you expect me to say? Was stupid of me to wait until we fixed all this to tell him. I should've said something! Figures his old girlfriend has to show up and she's on the way here," she grumbled. "What am I supposed to think, huh?"

The designer sighed and curled her lips. One thing she knew about the country girl was that she was sometimes a little short sighted, and it seemed to be evident here too. Not wanting to step on any hooves, she continued carefully. "Listen, I'm not saying you're right or he's right or anything. But I can understand why he'd insist that she try and find him."

"Yeah, I know why too," Applejack snarled.

"Actually, I think you're missing a rather important point, dear. Let's say that...your parents simply disappeared one day instead of...passing on. After a while, yes, you'd believe they'd have gone on to a better place. But then, one day, they manage to contact you. Why they couldn't get in touch with you before then is irrelevant. Don't you think you'd do anything to find them, especially when they give you directions to where they are?"

The country girl peered gently at her white friend only to hang her head further in shame. It did make a heck of a lot of sense.

Rarity further explained, placing her forelimb around the farmer, "Do you remember what Matt said that day when we were listening to those...horrid songs with him? Well, actually that last one was pretty nice, but–"

"Y-yeah, yeah, I remember."

"Err, yes, well... Anyway, when he saw that one in particular, he told us that he had moved on and seeing that record brought some memories back up to the surface. I'm sure that before Twilight revealed that she and the Princesses couldn't figure any way to send him home, he was thinking about...Rachel quite a bit, and I'm sure she was thinking about him as well. They did spend several years together after all."

The cowgirl glared as the conversation went on. "If you're tryin' to make me feel better, Rarity, you ain't doin' a good job."

"Let me finish. My point is that Matt had moved on and only because of a strange circumstance did she even enter his mind again. If I was seeing somepony or...somedragon for a long time and they suddenly vanished one day, it would be hard, sure, but eventually I would have to move on. I can assure you that she did as well and only because of a strange circumstance, such as hearing him on that phone thing for the first time in what must have felt like an eternity, did he enter her mind again."

"And what if she never did?" Applejack countered. "What if she practically tackles him as soon as she sees him again, if she does find us?"

"Well, I'm sure they'll be happy to see each other again regardless, but..."

As hard as she searched for a more positive answer, Rarity couldn't find one. She had hoped not to hit such a brick wall so soon. Even though Applejack knew she was just trying to help, it was rubbing raw one of her last nerves and staring into the normally relaxing fire wasn't making things any better.

Sighing long, Rarity went on. "Look, I can't pretend to know what that girl is thinking or what's gone on in her life since Matt came here. I know this is going to sound really...tacky, but...maybe once we take care of this problem we're up against, maybe everything that's landed here will...go back – including her. At least then you could talk to Matt like you originally planned."

"And what if we do succeed in fixin' things and everything that's here now is stuck?"

Rarity's eyes joined Applejack's in the campfire. "I don't know. But–" The unicorn took A.J.'s chin in her hoof and their eyes met. "–I do know one thing. Matt isn't the kind of pon...person who'd set out to deliberately hurt you. Regardless of what happens after everything is said and done – and I've said it before and I'll say it again – you know as well as I that he cares about each and every one us, especially you. He wouldn't spend so much of his free time with you if he didn't."

Her green eyes rained down her cheeks and her lips quivered. "Why does it have to hurt so much?"

The ivory mare smiled. "It'll do that when it's genuine. Let's just wait and see what happens, okay? No need to jump to any conclusions." Rarity turned and gazed off nervously in the direction of the massive city. "Besides, if what Matt said about this New York is true, we're going to have to keep our wits about us, and we're very well not going to do so if we're worrying about what an old flame may or may not do." The dressmaker faced her friend once more, grinned again, and wiped her orange cheeks clean. "Come on. We should probably get some rest."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Just...give me a few minutes, okay?"

The fashionista pulled Applejack in close as she got to her hooves, nuzzling her affectionately. "Of course! Don't be too long, alright? Who knows what all's out here."

"Yeah. G'night, Rares."

"G'night, dear."

Glowing a faint blue, the back door swung open and the designer hopped in, finding a spot available next to Twilight. She fluffed her pillow and curled up beside the bookworm, a bit peeved at the accommodations. Why couldn't it be in her own comfortable bed they were nodding off in? Hopefully this 'Waldorf Astor-whatever it was' will be better suited for a mare of such class.

That was for another day though, and Rarity didn't feel like having any insects buzzing around her face or anypony else's. The other occupants stirred just slightly as she closed the door as quietly as she could.

Finally, Applejack could be alone with her thoughts and stare contemplatively at the flickering, popping flames. She wished they could tell her what to do – or the twinkling stars above. She didn't care which. It wasn't like the idea of seeing Matt happy wasn't something she wanted. Quite the contrary. But, why couldn't it have been with her already so none of this would have been a concern to begin with? Sure, it wasn't like she wasn't happy with the girls and all, but this was something more, something bigger.

Thank Celestia she could go to Rarity about it this, at least. She was the only other one in the group who had any kind of knowledge about such things. Who knows how badly things would've gone if she had no one to turn to; it was the last thing she wanted to think about.

Still, Rarity was correct – they weren't mind readers. For all they knew, Rachel was seeing someone and now they were going what she went through a year and a half ago. Regardless, she can take her sweet time finding them. Or getting lost, whatever.

Bah! Why can't somepony just...click their hooves and make everything go back to the way it was?

With a frustrated sigh, Applejack stood and kicked some loose dirt onto the fire with her hind legs, snuffing it out. Making sure to stomp out any excess soil from her hooves, she trotted up to the tiny quarters, studying the finger-friendly door handle. Honestly, she sometimes wished she had a horn or wings.

It was a bit of a struggle, but she managed to pop the knob and wiggle the end of her hoof under the handle enough for her to pull the door open. Jeez, they were really crammed in there, weren't they? Fortunately, there looked to be some room by their hooves, up against the tailgate.

With a tap, she woke Rarity, who hadn't quite gotten to sleep yet anyway. Applejack suddenly found herself being lifted into the air and floated to the far end of the car. Her hat took its own flight path to the driver's seat. As the country mare touched down, the door was closed and locked for the evening.

Despite the dipping temperature outside, the plethora of ponies and the lone human made the inside rather warm and cozy. In comparison, the cool sheet felt extra soothing as she slipped underneath and laid her head on her apple-decorated pillow, giving Rarity's hind hoof a thankful squeeze. She waved back and promptly nodded off.

Applejack's spine popped a few times as she stretched out and got comfortable. A second later, her breath stopped short when she accidentally brushed her hooves against the unmistakeable feel of bare skin. Matt twitched in his sleep, worrying the young mare into thinking she woke him. He didn't say anything, however, and she let her heart start back up again. As a result, a bit of extra blood rushed right to her cheeks.

She eventually let her eyes close once she rolled over and faced the wall. It was already turning into a long night.

Comments

[lumberjack]

Figures Rachel would also have the country accent going on. Applejack should see that as a point in her favour when they meet up.

And I've got a world-building theory here. Let's say that this cloud-thing in NYC gets resolved, and all of the stuff that was enveloped in the yellow glow and transported to Equestria goes back to Earth. Matt would not be included. He was brought via Discord, a different magical process altogether. I'm supposing here that magic is almost like it's own section of elements on a periodic table; each type of magic has its own characteristics and properties.

In short, I see this as a way for Matt to give some kind of goodbye message to all of his friends and family, but he won't be able to go home.

If it wasn't made clear, I'm rooting for AJ here.

[Markuma]

Dang it! Poor AJ Gotta love the drama!

[Equestria Buck Yeah]

4764788 And she has an even thicker accent than our favorite cowgirl, too! Dun dun duuuun!

[Lab]

Dueling accents!

[kotor511]

Rarity's eyes joined Applejack's in the campfire. "I don't know. But–" The unicorn took A.J.'s chin in her hoof and their eyes met. "–I do know one thing. Matt isn't the kind of pon...person who'd set out to deliberately hurt you. Regardless of what happens after everything is said and done – and I've said it before and I'll say it again – you know as well as I that he cares about each and every one us, especially you. He wouldn't spend so much of his free time with you if he didn't."

UUuhrgh... Rarity, you really have NO idea what you're talking about.

Of course he wouldn't want to hurt AJ, buuut since AJ and Rarity were both too stupid to tell him sooner about AJ's real feelings for him, why would he know how far he can go without hurting her? The way I see it he is currently ignorant of her deeper feelings, since nopony was clever enough to tell him about it. Now, his ex-girlfriend comes along, searching for safety and warmth.

Why would they let an old flame, flare up again?

As long as he doesn't know AJ's true feelings, he doesn't know the limits he can overstep, thus hurting her badly, though unintentionally, in the process. If she doesn't start to talk about this with him very soon, both Rarity and AJ are going to regret it dearly.
I mean they haven't seen each other for a long time, missing each other dreadfully, and are now desperately eager to see each other again, plus on the contrary to AJ, she is the same species as him.

How does the saying go? Longing makes love?

...

You'd expect Rarity to gauge such a circumstance better, with all the Romance stuff she has been reading.

I also just don't get how the Element of Honesty, doesn't manage to tell him her true feelings already. AJ who is so damn bad at lying, at faking, at hiding things, that mare in particular can't blurt out her feelings, even if she gets riled up by certain events?

Dammit Rarity, you suck as an adviser in love.
And AJ is deliberately betraying her element.

They could be easily on the save side, just let Rarity talk to him if AJ doesn't have the courage, but Noooo! They really want to play this on risk.

Neither of them has any idea what they need to do, all the while their precious human guy is left in the dark.

[Equestria Buck Yeah]

4766313 Sir, you have no idea how important and relevant this comment will be in the end.

As far as AJ's reluctance overall, it relies on a bit of head canon that, if the show went into more serious or adult themes, could very well be actual canon quite easily I think. Considering just about all of AJ's time is taken up by work, family-related things, and 'missions' either by the Princesses or something minor like the mission she was on at the trade fair to get that pie tin, I simply can't see AJ having much of a social life. Even if it was just work and family stuff, you'd figure she'd probably be pretty tired at the end of the day. No matter how long you do that kind of backbreaking labor, you're ready to crash when the sun goes down.

Because of this head canon, and show canon, ie no parents to ask, AB being too young, Granny's ideas on dating probably being horrendously outdated, and Big Mac simply not being experienced enough in the field (I can easily see Cheerilee being his first girlfriend. He talks to others about as much as Fluttershy.), I don't think it'd be hard to argue that AJ would have a bit of a hard time with potential rejection in the matter as well as the entire subject to begin with. Also, because of her stubborn pride, I can see her having a tough time asking for advice from anyone.

And you are spot on about Rares too. Despite what she may think, thanks to what we've seen her do in regards to Blueblood and Trenderhoof, I think she's more in love with the idea of being in love. She may know a few basic things like how to dress or when to give a guy a little wiggle, but when it comes to serious stuff and rejection...well, we've seen how that turned out. She basically lives in a romance-novel, Disney Princess idea of romance and love in her head and not necessarily the real thing. That's why her 'advice' works so well with its badness.

[Adjier]

AJ will win... I CAN FEEL IT! *starts to cry in a corner* I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE! TELL HIM NOW! TELL HIM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. You need to AJ.

Rachel having a country accent though... A deep one at that... gets my thoughts going...

MORE AJ LOVE PLZ!
~Adjier

[Equestria Buck Yeah]

4781963 Well, a romance should be mutual. Matt is unfortunately not aware of it.

[ANTIcarrot]

I think the earlier story was much stronger than this one. Discord is mysterious enough and canon-dangerous enough that any way of dealing with him is impressive and justifiable. Plus jumping down the Ursa's throat was genuine out the box thinking.

Compare and contrast with Luna, Celestia, and Twilight not being able to solve a very basic navigation problem. This version of equestria is a round planet, is it not? So just by comparing the exact timing of (say) moonrise you can work out longitude to within a few meters. And Luna can do several moonrises in rapid succession to ensure they get it right. Talk to them while looking at the stars and establish (roughly) what is the lowest/highest constellation/star they can see? Okay, now you know precisely where anyone they can talk to is.

Also, why not load the truck onto a flat-bed carriage, and go as far as you can on the reliable and comfortable way of getting there?

Science Fiction Writers Have No Sense of Scale. This applies not only to physical distance, but social size and knowledge base. I find it difficult to credit that a society that can build canterlot castle doesn't know this stuff.

[Therisinghero]

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