How to Fluster your Bacon Horse

by JustNewHere

Howdy.

Four pairs of eyes watched as Applejack took her seat at their table in the sushi restaurant inside Canterlot Mall before finally asking what’s on their minds ever since they received the farmer's text regarding a plan of hers.

“So, how's the egghead?” Rainbow Dash began absentmindedly, half-paying attention as she thumbed through her phone.

Rarity continued this with knitted brows when she saw no sign of the girl in question. “You did help her, did you not? Not by letting her simply take notes while you did your chores.”

At that, AJ couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the fashion designer. “You break my heart thinking I’d go back on my word. I promised I’d do something bout her fritz bizz, and I’m one to keep a promise. Especially to my friends.”

“I mean not to offend, Applejack,” Rarity quickly defended, “it’s just from what I’ve heard lately is that this season’s a difficult one, especially on your family’s farm.”

Pursing her lips, the apple farmer nodded to show her appreciation on her friend’s concern before shaking her head. “Don’t worry bout none. We’re tough and we’ll get by the same way each year.” She leaned against the red cushions that made up the restaurant’s chairs with a laid-back sigh. “Sides, I could have used a break from stressing out on the less produce we produce and what better way than helping out a friend?”

The doors to the restaurant opened.

“And speak of the devil, here she is now.”

The hostess took a moment to look at the newcomer before discretely leading her to the table where the Rainbooms were waiting. She left with a polite smile and a quick swipe of the bill given to her by a certain fashion designer, pocketing the money as she went back to her station.

"Howdy y'all!" Twilight greeted, lifting her hat a bit

The rainbooms, sans a noticeably proud AJ, who finally took the time to look at her, stared in unbridled shock.

"Egghead? What happened to you?!" Rainbow exclaimed. "You look like another AJ!" Fluttershy nodded beside her, at a loss for words.

Rarity on the other hand turned to the apple farmer with an admonishing frown. "You were supposed to help her be more confident! Not dress her up like she's about to go to a shindig!"

"Hey now. Don't go getting your britches in a pinch," Twilight stated, proving to be the opposite of what Rarity feared that happened as she sat down with a little clang of her boots' spurs before Twilight leaned casually against the red cushions.

AJ added while slinging a hand around the bespectacled cowgirl like a proud relative. "Shoot, ain't she just the bee's knees?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head at them before uttering "Great. There's two of them now."

Fluttershy giggled at this before scooting over to make room for Twilight, effectively hiding her from view of a redhead for a while.

Pinkie Pie eyed the two similarly dressed cowgirls critically before shrugging with an announced, "these spot the difference games get harder by the year." She went back to her chair and munched on her appetizers.

Rarity pinched the bridge of her nose. "Applejack, how do you suppose this can fluster our redheaded friend? Of course, she'll turn red, but I thought Twilight wanted to do so without getting laughed at."

At said girl's sudden slumped shoulders and Applejack's glare, Rarity quickly amended. "Not that there's anything funny with the outfit,” all teens eyed the oblivious redhead working a few tables from them, “but seeing as Sunset rarely saw you in this get-up and will now hear you speaking like our dear apple farmer, she might not take this as seriously as you wanted."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Ain't got nothing to worry about, Rares. Sides, I taught her some of my pick- up lines too." She emphasized this with a casual smile directed at the fashion designer.

"Howdy."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes while Fluttershy and Pinkie giggled when Rarity started sputtering with a blush.

AJ smirked at Twilight who was staring at her with a look of amazement. "Works every darn time."

Grinning, Twilight nodded enthusiastically (her hat threatening to fall off) before she praised, "I knew listening to you insert apples once in every sentence was worth it."

AJ nodded sagely at that, ignoring the rest of their friends’ snickering, before she spotted the redheaded waitress waving a hand, signaling that she’s almost done with her current table before taking their orders. The farmer nodded at Sunset before turning to the hidden Twilight. “Okay, Sunset’s about to come over. It’s your chance. Remember everything I taught you.”

Twilight nodded determinedly, her mind racing with the multiple apple-related pickup lines and even country-inspired compliments that Applejack took the time to teach Twilight for five hours. “Right.”

The Rainbooms waited with bated breath as Sunset made her way over to their table.

“Hey, sorry for the wait.” Sunset adjusted her headpiece before taking out her notepad and pen. “So, what’ll it be?”

As planned, Pinkie began her order first to avoid Sunset noticing Twilight yet. The pink haired girl enthusiastically started rapid-firing questions regarding the amount of teriyaki sauce used or how much one roll of sushi would weigh when it was catapulted to the moon.

“You ready?” Fluttershy asked the slightly nervous girl beside her, her voice so low that it went unnoticed by the redhead, who surprisingly generated a good amount of answers to Pinkie’s questions.

“I’m scared,” Twilight whispered back, her shoulders hunched while she stared at her goddess-er-friend. Her friend…who looks like a goddess with the light shining behind her while her lips moved to make mouth words-

“Twilight, breathe,” Fluttershy stated, rubbing the hyperventilating girl’s back. "Goodness, everything seems so exciting right now." She thought as she eyed the oblivious Sunset and the blushing Twilight. "The set up feels like one scene from my favorite show!" An unconscious blush formed on the animal caretaker's cheeks when she realized what happened after that particular scene. "Oh my, I hope they wouldn't go that far though...but then again, Sunset seems like the type who would."

Rarity briefly eyed the now blushing lyricist and found herself wondering what happened.

The girls were taken out from their thoughts as Pinkie Pie praised, “Welp, that’s all I can think of on the top of my head. You’re a really knowledgeable waitress, Sunset.” The party planner then shrugged and took a sip of her iced tea. “I’ll just have the Tataki Shiro Maguro please!”

Sunset grinned, nodding and then getting the rest of the girl’s orders, who all opted to make sure that Twilight would be the last one Sunset will see. So far so good, they all thought with a mental, well-deserved pat on their backs.

The redhead was about to glance at the last member of their group before a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

All the Rainbooms (sans Rainbow who started reading something on her phone again) stared at the similarly uniformed girl who sweetly grinned at Sunset before taking the redhead’s notepad. “Sunset-chan, Sensei wanted me to switch places with you for now. She has a problem that you can only solve.”

Raising a brow but sensing the direness of the statement from her co-worker, Sunset nodded and excused herself before leaving the table.

The teens who saw the exchange watched her go, with Twilight forcing herself not to look longer than necessary. Once the redhead completely disappeared behind the employees only doors, the bespectacled sighed and turned to the new waitress to give her order but to their shock, the newcomer simply grinned before leaning closely to the surprised bespectacled girl.

“Love Rival,” she hissed at Twilight before walking away without taking said rival’s order.

Everyone, sans Rainbow, blinked in disbelief.

“W-What just happened?” Applejack was the first to say. She honestly couldn’t believe her plan didn’t work. Granted, her friend didn't get the chance to woo the girl but still!

Twilight didn’t know how to answer that if she was being honest. All she seemed to process was that all her preparation, all those notes she took, all those painful milliseconds hearing about apples in almost every single sentence during her learning time…wasted. The purple girl bowed down in defeat.

Rainbow Dash started laughing suddenly, causing the rest of them to glare at the athlete. When she noticed the looks, she raised both hands in defense as she explained. “Sorry, I was just reading this story I told you about. I finally got to the part where the main character got lover-blocked by a random third party.” She snickered, oblivious to the glare and deadpanned looks sent her way, as she continued, “called the main character ‘love rival’ and everything!” She wheezed as she wiped a tear away. “Man, she’s really not getting any anytime soon.”

Surprisingly, it was Fluttershy who sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose, before whacking the surprised athlete’s head with a pair of chopsticks and uttered a deadpanned, “Baka.”

Author's Note:

Me: Gonna make sure this will be the first multi-chapter fic I'll finish!

Also me, staring at my many world files and story ideas: If only...if only...

Anyways, no worries Twi! You're almost there, I mean, you got the confidence part almost right so...progress I guess?

Comments

[Lieral]

"The set up feels like one scene from my favorite show!"

I would like to understand her reference... But this time I didn't.
Anyway, I must say it is really enjoyable to read this fic.

[The Voice in the Water]

…

That was… unexpected.

Well played.

[Artistkun]

Surprisingly, it was Fluttershy who sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose, before whacking the surprised athlete’s head with a pair of chopsticks and uttered a deadpanned, “ Baka .”

This is so Fluttershy

[aceina]

sho is scitwis love rival what do they look like

also if this is going to become a takahashi style romance story i will favorite this story 10000X times

[Vaguely Demented]

The part where she didn’t take her order is remarkably petty. This is going to be interesting.

[Fetch]

Stop making much ado about nothing, Twilight. Before this turns into a darker work of the bard.

[lazyreader19]

"Howdy y'all!" Twilight greeted, lifting her hat a bit

I cringed so hard I lost my anus and the ability to not squint like Pop-eye.

Also woooooow, that love rival thing was harsh. Poor Two, and goddammit Baka Dash

[CrossoverFanficReader]

........*insert comic brain malfunction noise here*........

[OmniFox]

Touché love rival.