• Published 8th Dec 2015
  • 2,629 Views, 90 Comments

A Game of Hearts - AugieDog



Despite herself, Twilight starts to think that Rainbow Dash might be right about Rarity having a crush on Big McIntosh. And, well, friends help friends out in situations like this, don't they?

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Third

"Oh, my," said Fluttershy.

At the end of the table, Rainbow slumped in her seat and groaned.

Turning to glare at Rainbow, Twilight saw that Applejack was already glaring at her. So she turned back to Fluttershy and had to sigh. Judging from her friend's pinprick pupils and quivering lip, Twilight could only conclude that asking if Fluttershy had time to answer a few questions hadn't been the ideal way to start this conversation...

"It's not a big deal," Twilight said, trying her best not to look like a policemare. She raised the cup of tea Fluttershy had insisted on bringing her when she and Applejack had arrived: Rainbow had already been seated, a half-empty mug of cider in front of her, and Fluttershy had brought Applejack a stein of it as well when they'd all joined Rainbow.

Twilight sipped her tea, lowered the cup, and hoped her smile didn't look as phony as it felt. "We were just wondering if Rarity had perhaps mentioned to you whether she was interested romantically in Big McIntosh."

"Oh. Ummm..." Fluttershy combed a hoof through the locks of pink hair covering half her face. "I'm pretty sure I would've remembered her saying anything like that. And besides, I...I don't think Big Mac is really...her type."

Applejack snapped her glare over to Fluttershy, but when Fluttershy winced, the glare softened into something closer to a regular look; Twilight was glad to hear Applejack give a little chuckle, too, when she said, "I'm gonna assume you ain't saying there's anything in particular wrong with my brother, sugar cube."

"Oh, no!" Fluttershy sat forward, earnestness practically a scent around her. "I've always found him to be very nice! For a stallion, I mean. But, well, he is very big. And his hooves are so very clompy that it's sometimes just a little bit scary to think that he might be too busy making sure the cart he's pulling is rolling along properly to notice if a baby duck or a baby bunny is running across the road ahead of him, so he might accidentally—" She pressed her front hooves to her mouth. "Not that I'm saying he's clumsy or careless! Because I'm not saying that at all! I just—! He seems—! I didn't—!" Her voice crumbled to nothing, and she seemed to pull back behind the curtain of her mane.

The silence in the cottage went on for several long seconds, a blush turning Applejack's cheeks almost as red as her cutie mark. Twilight cleared her throat. "But you've never heard Rarity express any feelings toward him?"

"Well, duh!" Rainbow smacked the table, the mugs and cups rattling. "She's not gonna come right out and say anything, Twi! She's gonna be all sneaky and secret! Especially around us!"

Twilight blew out a breath. "Y'know, that's another thing I've never understood about love and romance and all this—" It took some effort to stop herself from saying 'nonsense,' but she managed to. "Why keep it so hush-hush? I mean, we're best friends! If one of us wanted to start dating anypony, why wouldn't she tell the rest of us? We'd be happy for her, right?"

It was only because she was looking around the table at that exact moment that she saw the expressions flash across all three of her friends' faces: not nervous exactly and not ashamed, either, but something that combined elements of those with other elements Twilight didn't recognize.

The looks were gone almost immediately, and Applejack was saying, "Of course we would, Twi, but, well, it's like I was saying earlier. None of this stuff likes to be rushed, and telling folks about it, that just plain puts roller skates on it. Takes it to a whole 'nother level entirely."

"Oh, yes," Fluttershy muttered. "If I ever had a crush, I'd never be able to mention it, not to her or to anypony else. I'd barely even be able to think about it most of the time because it would make me so happy and so sad, I wouldn't be able to do anything else all day long."

The way Applejack's eyebrows shot up, Twilight was sure she'd noticed the 'her' in what Fluttershy had said. But before Twilight could ask about it, Rainbow had begun speaking: "See? Like I said! When you've got it bad, you're wrapped up in a world where it's only you and only him. And if you open that world up by telling anypony else, well, that's just more ponies to get hit by the shrapnel when it all blows up!" She raised a hoof like she was going to smack the table again, but then her eyes went wide, and she jerked upright like she'd suddenly noticed a bee on her nose. "Not that that's gonna happen to Rarity and Big Mac! 'Cause we're not gonna let it happen! Right?"

"Right-a-roony!" a high-pitched voice shouted directly into Twilight's left ear.

Startling sideways, Twilight had to flare her wings to keep herself from falling over. With a whirl, she saw Pinkie Pie sitting beside her, a scoop of chocolate ice cream slowly oozing down the sides of the pointed sugar cone balanced on the tip of her hoof. She gave the drizzling ice cream a lick, leaned toward Twilight while glancing toward Rainbow, and whispered loudly, "What're we talking about?"

Not a single word came to Twilight's mind: would the concept of romantic love even have a place in Pinkie's thought processes?

"Hey, Pinks," Rainbow said, taking another swig of cider. "We're talking about Rarity and Big Mac."

"Ooo-ooo-ooo." Pinkie's mane somehow poofed up even fluffier than usual. "Is this about smootchie-wootching?"

At Rainbow's nod, Twilight couldn't keep herself from blurting, "We don't really know! We have a few observations from which some of us have drawn a conclusion!" She aimed a pointed glance at Rainbow. "But that's all!"

With a roll of her eyes, Rainbow pushed her mug away. "Which is why I've called this meeting."

"What?" Twilight blinked. She hadn't felt this unsure of herself while battling Tirek. "Rainbow, what are you talking about?"

Rainbow didn't seem to notice the question. "We've heard AJ's report on Big Mac and Fluttershy's report on Rarity." She turned to Pinkie, their friend still lapping at her ice cream cone. "Pinkie? Your twitches picking up anything romantic?"

Pinkie pursed her lips and squinted one eye closed. "Hmmmm." Opening her mouth, she shoved the rest of the cone in and swallowed, Twilight staring as its pointed shape traveled all the way down her neck. "Something's in the air. I thought maybe it was Bon Bon's latest batch of fudge chunkies—" a grin spread over Pinkie's snout like melting butter, and she slumped back, her eyes unfocused "—'cause those're so cream-de-la-creamy, they're, like, the best thing in the whole entire world except maybe love." She straightened. "So yeah, in my expert opinion, the sweet, delicious twitching that's rustling all over town right now is either love or chocolate." Her ears perked. "Or maybe both! Y'know, I've always thought that Bon Bon and Lyra might be more than just—"

"Yeah, thanks, Pinkie." Rainbow cocked her head at Twilight. "So, if you'll admit that something's happening, Twi, I'll admit that we don't know enough yet about what it really is."

Twilight felt her lower left eyelid give its own sort of twitch. "I'm not admitting anything!" But in all honesty, she had to add, "Except that second one. And that first one, too, I guess." Gritting her teeth, she blew a breath out through them. "Fine! Something's happening, but we don't know what it is! Is that what you want me to say?"

The innocence in Rainbow's expression wouldn't've looked out of place on a cuddly little kitten's face. "I'm just trying to get to the truth, here, Twi." She spread her hooves to include everypony at the table. "That's all any of us wants, right?"

"Umm," said Fluttershy.

"Well, now," said Applejack.

"You betcha!" said Pinkie. "'Cause 'special somepony' parties are so much fun, and I haven't gotten to do one for any of my very bestest friends yet!" She tapped her wrist. "Clocks are ticking, girls: I'm just saying."

"And there it is." Rainbow's smile made Twilight want to clench her teeth even harder. "Looks like we're all in, and that means we're gonna need a plan. And that means—"

"Me." Twilight almost succeeded in keeping the edge out of her voice. "No offense, Rainbow, but your plans usually involve more crashing into things than this situation calls for. So how about I give this some good, solid thought for the rest of the day, then get back to you tomorrow after breakfast?"

"Thought?" Rainbow had about five or six different edges in her voice as far as Twilight could tell. "We don't need to—!"

"Yeah, RD." Applejack leaned toward her. "We do. And more'n that, we ain't doing one single thing without us all agreeing on it. Y'understand?"

Rainbow seemed to vibrate in place, and Twilight was sure she was going to start yelling. But instead, after a long moment, she just folded her front legs across her chest and said, "Fine!"

Applejack nodded and turned to face Twilight. "Reckon the whole bunch of us oughtta show up to the castle after breakfast, Twi? Or might that be a mite suspicious, us five being there without Rarity?"

"Oh!" Fluttershy had been watching Applejack, Twilight noticed, with an odd little half smile on her muzzle, but now she suddenly sat up straight. "Tomorrow's Friday, so Rarity and I will be meeting at ten for our regular spa appointment!" And her smile then seemed to light up the whole room. "The rest of you can meet at the castle, and I'll pay extra special attention in case Rarity says anything about Big McIntosh!" She clapped her hooves, her eyes curling closed. "Oh! This is so exciting! And so romantic! Can you imagine if Rarity really is in love?"

If Twilight had still retained any capacity to feel surprise, she was fairly certain Fluttershy's burst of enthusiasm would've surprised her. As numb as she was by this time, though, she simply nodded and got to her hooves. "Well, Fluttershy, we don't want to keep you from your raccoons, so—"

"The raccoons!" Fluttershy leaped into a hover, her wings a blur behind her. "I almost forgot! Oh, dear! I hope they won't be upset that I'm—" she whirled toward the cuckoo clock on the wall "—only half an hour early!"

"Whoa, now, sugar cube!" Applejack sprang up. "Don't get yerself in an uproar! We'll head on over there now, and if'n they tries to give you any guff, well, I reckon I can persuade 'em otherwise."

Fluttershy settled back to the floor. "Oh, thank you, Applejack. I'm sure they'll be fine." That half-smile drifted across her face again. "They should have another barrel or two of berries ready for you, though, if you want to come get them."

Applejack nodded, the same sort of smile pulling at the edges of her own mouth. Rounding the table, she poked Rainbow in the shoulder as she passed, then turned to Twilight. "Till tomorrow at ten, folks."

"Whatever," Rainbow grumbled.

With a laugh, Applejack crossed the room, held the door open for Fluttershy, and the two of them left.

Only then did Rainbow unfold her front legs, groaning and flopping back in her chair. "Ten o'clock tomorrow! That's, like, four hundred hours from now!"

Twilight couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Try seventeen."

"Don't mind if I do!" Pinkie popped up between them, dozens of origami animals scattering across the table where the stack of napkins Fluttershy had set out earlier had once sat. "As long as you mean seventeen lemon tarts." She licked her lips. "'Cause I could really go for ten or twenty of those right about now."

"So go already." Rainbow's wings flexed, and she swooped for the door. "But don't be surprised, Twilight, if I get to your place early tomorrow. We've gotta get cracking on this thing, y'know?" She didn't seem to slow down, but the door leaped opened and slammed shut, leaving Twilight and Pinkie standing in Fluttershy's front room.

Twilight pressed a hoof to her forehead. As far as she was concerned, it had been four hundred hours since Rainbow had first pointed out Rarity and Big Mac talking down in the marketplace. So much had changed since then—

Except, of course, that nothing actually had.

"How 'bout you, Twilight?" she heard Pinkie ask.

"Me?" Twilight looked up, Pinkie looking back with her head cocked. "I honestly don't know, Pinkie. I mean, love? Romance? I just—" She sighed. "I don't know."

Pinkie reached out and took Twilight's hoof in hers. "I was talking about the lemon tarts, but, yeah. All us girls have been kicked sideways by love one way or another. Except you, of course."

As was often the case when talking to Pinkie, Twilight found herself asking, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean— Bagels and baguettes! Look at the time!" A pink blur streaked toward Fluttershy's front door. "I'm gonna be late for the dinner shift at Sugarcube Corner!" The door flew open. "See you tomorrow, Twilight!" And with another slam, Twilight stood alone.