Hard to Say Anything
It was another busy day at Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack hard at work in the fields, Granny Smith was off at the market, selling their products as Big Mac prepared for another far off delivery. At the same time, Apple Bloom was busy repainting part of the house, mainly painting the lower half of the door frame that she could reach. And as she finished it, Rogue the thestral flew down, having just woken up from his daytime rest.
He was eating one of his golden apples as he spotted the filly trying to stretch out to paint above her normal height limit. "Need a hoof?" He asked, getting Apple Bloom's attention. She nodded back and he took the brush, using it to paint the rest of the door-frame.
And as he did this, the voice of Sweetie Belle rang out, "Hey Apple Bloom!" They glanced back to see her and Scootaloo running up, a cardboard box floating above them. "Rarity's reorganizing her shop and look what she found!" She dropped the box and opened it up, "Its our old costumes from the talent show!"
"Oh wow!" Apple Bloom cheered as the three glanced inside, taking some of the clothes.
Rogue raised an eyebrow at this as he now saw Scootaloo laugh as she put on a rainbow afro. "I don't get it."
"We thought they'd come in handy in case we ever help a pony put on a play or need to make a quick escape disguised as clowns."
"Well I clearly missed something before arriving here," Rogue laughed as he now remembered all the stories he had heard about what the three would do before finally getting their cutie marks. His laughter was then broken when he heard a rolling sound, making him turn to see an apple rolling along the ground.
Apple Bloom picked up the fruit, glancing back up to the one that dropped it, "Here ya go, Big Mac." The stallion thanked her at this, Rogue then seeing Mac was pulling a cart full of apple barrels.
"Whoa," Scootaloo commented, "That sure is a lot of apples!"
"Are you makin' another delivery to Starlight's old village?"
"Eeyup," he nodded while putting the apple back in the barrel.
Sweetie Belle tilted her head at this, "That's an awful long way for a pony to go, isn't it?"
"Eeyup," Mac repeated as he shut the cart.
Apple Bloom hummed at this, "You've been goin' there a lot lately. What is this, your fifth trip this week?"
This question got a blush to appear on Mac's face, making him glance away as he let out a tiny laugh, "Eeyup."
"Okay," Apple Bloom replied, "Well, have fun." She then turned to her friends. "So what other costumes did you bring, Sweetie Belle?"
"Are you crazy?!" Scootaloo gasped, "We can't talk about costumes at a time like this!"
"Time like what?" The youngest Apple asked as Big Mac began to leave.
"Your brother is hiding something," Scootaloo whispered as she leaned up to Apple Bloom, "Did you see the way he was acting?"
"Yeah!" Sweetie nodded before grabbing her cheeks, "He totally blushed when you brought up how often he's been going to Starlight's old village."
"Something is definitely going on," Scootaloo finished. "And there can be only be one reason a pony would travel so far, so often."
The three exchanged a glance, all speaking up at the exact same time, Rogue unable to make out what any were saying. Apple Bloom's guess appeared to be the longest, the pony hearing the end of it. "-broccoli, and he wants to get away from the smell."
The other two stared at her while Rogue laughed. "Yeah, I'm with you on the broccoli thing." They turned to him, "I don't know what you do to it, but I can smell it all the way from the barn."
The CMC all stared at him, then turned to one another before bursting out into laughter. And before he could ask why they were asking, the trio told Rogue they were going to follow the earth pony and hid behind a bunch of hay-bales.
That is, till Rogue decided to just fly over to Mac. "Hey!" Mac glance up at him, "What's the real reason you're going to this village?" Mac raised an eyebrow in response, making the thestral fly down to him as he added, "Unless there's some kind of disease going around there that can only be cured by eating apples, I can't think of any reason why the ponies there would need this many apples." Mac was about to tell him that's ridiculous, but considering the thestral actually suffered from that kind of thing, he chose to keep his mouth shut as Rogue then asked, "So what's the real reason you're going there?"
Mac just blushed as this before whispering, "It's...a secret."
Rogue just glared at him, only to see the stallion just glance away. Seeing this, the thestral let out a sigh. "Fine. But you can't hide the fact forever. If I don't figure it out, somepony else will." With that, he flew off while Mac covered the cart with a sheet. He then landed on the top of the farmhouse, staring back at the stallion, "What are you up too?"
After another minute or so, Mac hitched himself to the wagon and began to pull it away. When he did, Rogue spotted three familiar ponies running up to the cart. "Seriously," he sighed as they hopped into the cart, "I better tell him..." Rogue whispered before chuckling, "But where's the fun it that?" He leapt off the roof and flew into the barn, grabbing his saddlebag and then zipped over to the orchard.
As he did this, Applejack was busy bucking apples when she noticed him go to his golden apple trees. She followed him, only to see him fill a saddlebag. The sight made her tilt her head, "Goin' somewhere?"
"Oh," Rogue turned to her, "I'm going with Mac to his delivery."
"Why?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No real reason. Just uh...I haven't really seen much of Equestria outside of Ponyville and the Changeling Kingdom. So I thought I'd go on a little road trip with Mac."
"Right..." Applejack replied while crossing her hooves, "Ain't he goin ta Starlight's old village?" Rogue nodded, "And yah've bin there before."
Rogue shrugged. "I haven't seen the route to the town, so that might be fun."
Applejack continued to stare at him, Rogue trying to keep a straight face. That is, till she did a small nod, "Alrighty." She tipped her hat, "Have fun."
Rogue nodded back before taking to the air, "See you later!" He called back, then came to a stop before saying, "And by the way, you might wanna tell Flash and Rarity that the Crusaders might be late getting home tonight." Applejack raised her eyebrow again, "Just got a feeling they might not be back before sundown." With that, he shot off before Applejack could ask what he meant.
He flew across the town and eventually spotted Mac travelling down a dirt road, the thestral staying high enough in the air to only be considered a bird should Mac look up and see him. And then the journey truly began, the pair making their way across the land. Rogue soon found himself having trouble keeping up, the thestral gaining respect for the earth pony since he didn't seem to be having any issues travelling at the pace he was going despite the multiple terrains he had to go over.
And as he did this, they arrived at the landscape Rogue recognized from the last time he had been here. After another hour of travelling, Rogue needing to take a quick break to eat an apple, they arrived at Starlight's old single street village. The bat pony landed on one of the rocks overlooking the town, spotting Mac as he pulled his cart into the town and came to a stop. Rogue watched as he trotted around the cart, making him realize Apple Bloom and her friends were probably about to be discovered. And sure enough, when Mac pulled the cloth away, it revealed the three fillies covered in apples.
But to his surprise, Mac didn't seem to even notice them. "Huh?" He asked as he watched Mac grab the nearest bucket and pull it off the cart without giving the three a second glance. "Weird. I can see them and my sight's terrible." He watched as the fillies poked their heads out the cart and Sweetie pulled out a pair of binoculars...which Rogue was pretty sure she didn't have on her when they leapt into the cart.
Deciding he had done enough distance recon, he flew down into the village. As he did this, he saw Mac head into one of the houses with a pink unicorn mare with purple hair. "So nothing fishy's going on," he heard Sweetie say as he landed behind them.
"No way!" Scootaloo yelped, "We came here to be spies! And no spy I know has ever solved a case that quick!"
"And how many spies do you know?" Rogue asked, causing the three fillies to freeze up before turning to see him standing there.
"W-w-what are you doing here?!" Apple Bloom gasped.
"I could ask you the same question," Rogue lowered his shades at this, "But we all know it's the same answer." They turned back to the house Mac had headed into, "Let's see what Mac's really up to."
"Oh yeah!" Scootaloo cheered before putting her rainbow wig back on, "Follow my lead!" The other two put on their disguises and nodded, Rogue rolling his eyes as they jumped off the cart.
And as they walked over to the building, which they saw was a bakery, they saw Mac dropping his apples down onto a massive pile of the fruit. As he did this, he was staring at the mare known as Sugar Belle as Apple Bloom commented, "Whoa...she sure likes her apples."
Scootaloo nodded beside her before Sweetie lifted the two onto her back, the filly tower staring into the shop. "What is she doing?" The unicorn asked, "Making the biggest apple pie in Equestria?"
Rogue then competed the tower and lifted the three onto his head, now staring inside as the mare walked up to Big Mac and said, "Thanks for coming all this way, Big Mac." He responded by letting out an unintelligible sound before breaking out in a whinnying laugh.
"What's with the laugh?" Rogue commented, "She didn't say anything funny."
The fillies shrugged as the mare continued, placing a hoof on Mac's chest. "It sure is nice seeing you again so soon." This caused Mac's eyes to shrink, his face becoming pink as he made a shaky smile, "All I used to bake were boring old muffins." She then trotted over to her display case. "But thanks to your apple deliveries, I get to bake all kinds of delicious treats! Apple pies, apple fritters, apple turnovers, caramel apples, caramel apple cakes..." Mac and the others all licked their lips, those treats looking as good as anything Pinkie could make before she let out a sigh, "I just wish I had more room to display it all. My shelves only hold so much."
"I'm tellin' you," Apple Bloom added, "This pony reeeeaaally likes her apples."
"She might like them a bit too much," Rogue continued as he stared at the large pile. "Most of those are gonna go bad before she can use them."
It was then that Sweetie let out a gasp. "It's not the apples she likes. It's Big Mac!" This statement was met with a round of 'huhs' from the other three, "Just look!" They watched as the mare, picked up a pie and turned to Mac, only for her nose to accidently bump into his.
"Ooh!" She pulled back and blushed, "Uh..." She let out a giggle, Mac replying with his own.
Apple Bloom's jaw hit the floor, "Sweetie Belle, I-I think you're right!" She began to shake in excitement, "I think my brother has a crush!" She almost screamed, jumping out of the tower before Sweetie Belle yanked her back down and shushed her.
"Huh," Rogue turned back to the window and saw Mac head for the door, "So old Mac-ster's in love." Having spent most of his life in a cave by himself, Rogue knew he didn't really know social skills and relationships, making him then say, "I wonder if this could be interesting..."
As he said that, the door opened and Mac walked out, Rogue swearing he could see hearts in his eyes.
"Psst!" Apple Bloom whispered, catching Mac's attention. "Big Mac!" The hearts vanished as Mac shook his head, then turned to Rogue and the Crusaders. As he walked over, the apple filly turned to the others. "Now remember, my brother's super shy, so he's probably gonna be embarrassed about his crush. Just try and make him feel comfortable." The others nodded and turned back to the stallion. "Hey Big Mac, it's me!" She took off a pirate hat, "Apple Bloom!"
"Eeyup," Mac slowly replied, Rogue unable to tell if he was confused or not.
"We're here, too!" The other girls added, Mac nodding before turning to Rogue.
"I just came to make sure they didn't get lost," he sighed, knowing it would be a good excuse.
As he said that, Apple Bloom spoke up, "I'm gonna ask you a very personal question, and I want you to answer honestly." She gestured for him to come closer, which he did before she whispered into his ear. "Do you...have a crush on...Sugar Belle?"
To their surprise, the oldest Apple sibling smiled as the hearts showed up again. "Eeyup."
"Well, that was easy," Scootaloo giggled.
"This is so excitin'! My big brother has his very first crush!" She leapt up at this, Scootaloo raising an eyebrow.
"First crush? What about Cheerilee?"
"It doesn't really count when you trick a pony into drinking a love potion, does it?"
Rogue's eyes went wide at hearing this while Mac let out an angry sounding 'nope'. "What did you three get up to before I showed up?" Rogue yelped, only for them to not respond as Apple Bloom started dancing.
"My brother has a crush! My brother has a crush! My brother has a crush!" The ponies all turned to them, staring as they saw her start moon-trotting before she came to a stop. "Wait!" She went back to Mac, "Does Sugar Belle even know you like her?"
"Uh-uh," Mac replied while shaking his head.
Apple Bloom let out a gasp before shaking him, "Then you gotta tell her!" This was met with Mac stumbling over his words, a rare sight considering he usually only said about fifty a day, only to start gulping and shaking his head.
"What's up with you?" Rogue asked, "Just tell her. What's the big deal?"
"It's not that simple Rogue," Sweetie chimed in, "Confessing one's feelings is a difficult things, and it requires a great amount of courage to do so, and there's always the possibility the other pony could reject you."
Rogue raised an eyebrow at the lecture from the pony younger than him. "That sounds...way too complicated."
"But its a great thing!" The filly responded before turning to Mac, "We're pretty sure she likes you! I mean, she keeps ordering apples just so she can see you again."
This made Mac's eyes go wide. "Eeeyou think so?"
"Totally!" Scootaloo nodded, "But you'll never know if you don't try."
Mac frowned at this, only to see Apple Bloom shine a big grin. The sight made him smile before saying, "Okay!" He reached down to a nearby patch of flowers and plucked one into his mouth.
"Go get her, Big Mac!" Scootaloo cheered as they watched him head to the door, Apple Bloom trotting over to Rogue and nudging him in the leg.
"Pay attention. You'll wanna know how to do this for when you confess your feelings for your special somepony." Rogue raised an eyebrow at this as Mac took a deep breath and tried to slick his mane back before knocking on the door.
A moment later, the door opened and Sugar Belle smiled up at Mac. Mac smiled back, his eyes filling with hearts again. But before he could say anything-
WHAM!
A cream colored earth pony with a brown mane and tail appeared, ramming Mac out of the way before blowing his bangs out of his face. "Hey girl," he chuckled while shining a giant grin, "Heh-heh. I was writin' poetry by the pond when I saw these flowers." He held up a bouquet of roses that were arranged in a heart shape. "I thought I'd show them how pretty you are."
"Oh!" Sugar Belle gasped before taking them, "Heh. Thanks, Feather Bangs."
Mac looked up at this and let out a sad snort, getting up as Rogue wrote what was happening in a notepad. "So you knock on the door, smile at the mare, and then get body checked to the ground by somepony else." He hummed, "Wonder who I can get to do that for me." Sweetie Belle glared at him and grabbed his notepad in her magic, ripping off the paper, "Hey!"
"That's not what's supposed to happen!"
But before he could yell at her, Scootaloo spoke up, "Um, is it possible to have two crushes at once? Because it looks like Big Mac may not be the only pony Sugar Belle likes." Rogue shrugged at this, not answering as Apple Bloom ran up to her now retreating brother.
"Hey, Big Mac!" She yelled, "Where ya goin'?!"
"Home!" Mac barked back.
Apple Bloom shook her head at this, "You can't let that Feather fella get in the way of your one true love!"
"You've gotta take him down!" Scootaloo added, making Rogue wonder if battling for the mare's heart was a common thing in the world of love.
"What can he do that you can't?" Apple Bloom asked, Mac stopping before pointing back without even looking.
"That!" They all turned to see Feather Bangs was juggling a trio of balls, Sugar Belle and a few other mares watching all impressed by the sight.
"Heh-heh," he laughed as he continued to juggle them. "These balls are like you. I'll always catch you if you fall." He threw them into the air, as the mares behind him all swooned before he caught them in a perfectly balanced tower.
"Seriously?!" Scootaloo yelped, "That line worked?!"
"Note to self," Rogue wrote, "Learn to juggle."
Mac sighed and shook his head, "She'll never pick me."
"Sure she will," Apple Bloom exclaimed as the other crusaders nodded. "Cause we're gonna help you."
But as she said that, Mac turned to glare at them, "No love potions!"
The fillies came to a stop before bursting into laughter, Rogue raising an eyebrow at this. Apple Bloom then wiped away a tear before saying, "Don't worry, Big Mac. We learned our lesson the hard way."
"Yeah!" Scootaloo nodded. "We're never gonna do that again."
"Besides," Sweetie continued as she pulled a book out of...thin air, "I know exactly what to do! When I was younger, I read all the fairy tales."
Scootaloo gave her a smirk. "When you were 'younger', huh?"
Sweetie blushed before whispering, "Well, I was younger on the way here!" Scootaloo continued to smirk, "It was a long ride!" Rogue blinked at this as the girl continued, "Anyways, as long as we do what the book says, you're pretty much guaranteed a happy ending!"
She opened it up and began flicking through the pages. "Are you sure this'll work?" Rogue asked, "Those stories were written for little ponies. Of course they're gonna have a happy ending. From what I've seen, the real world doesn't make things that easy."
"Relax," Sweetie replied while waving her hoof, "The publicist wouldn't have let it be sold if it lied. There has to be some way to help Mac get Sugar Belle to pick him. Um...how about this one?" She pointed to a picture of a pony fighting a dragon, "Rescuing a damsel-pony-in-distress. Its perfect!" She then shut the book. "Of course, we'll have to improvise without a dragon."
"Huh," Apple Bloom hummed, "too bad Spike isn't here...not that he's very threatening."
The crusaders laughed before Scootaloo added, "So what should we do? Wait around for Sugar Belle to get herself into a scary situation?"
Apple Bloom shined a grin at this, "Or...we bring the danger to her." The others turned to her, grimacing as they saw her smile, "We'll stage an incident that makes it look like Sugar Belle needs help, which Big Mac can put a stop too and win her heart."
"What are you gonna do?" Rogue asked, "Roll a giant boulder at her for Mac to smash with his earth pony strength?"
Apple Bloom put a hoof on her chin, "Not a bad idea." Rogue went wide-eyed, only to see the filly giggle, "I was joking. One mistake and Sugar Belle, plus half the town, will be flatter than Sweetie's singing."
"Hey!" The filly yelped.
Apple Bloom then shined a grin at Rogue, "You know...I think I know how we can make this work without putting Sugar Belle in danger."
The bat pony raised an eyebrow, the others catching on as they saw her stare at him. "What?" He asked, "What's everypony looking at me for?" The four's smiles slowly made Rogue put the pieces together, his eyes going wide. "ME!"
"It's perfect!" Scootaloo cheered, "You pretend to attack Sugar Belle and Mac'll stop you! That make him look like a hero in Sugar Belle and the whole town's eyes!"
"And make me look like a villain." Rogue growled, "No way. Not happening."
"Why not?" Sweetie asked, Mac giving Rogue a pleading look. "It's not like you'll get in trouble for it. Just pretend to attack, get scared off by Mac and then run away."
"Then what? Spend the rest of my life hiding whenever Sugar Belle shows up. You realize if they get together, she'll probably start spending time at Sweet Apple Acres. What, am I supposed to leave whenever she shows up?"
"You can wear a disguise," Scootaloo pointed out while holding up the wig and glasses.
"No way," he crossed his hooves and glanced away. "I might not know much about love, but I've learned enough about honesty from Applejack. Starting a relationship off with a lie is a terrible way to do things." He glanced back at Mac, "What are you gonna do whenever somepony asks how you got together? I'm pretty sure the guilt will eventually become so overwhelming that you'll end up telling Sugar Belle the truth and probably make her hate you."
Mac's eyes went wide at this, only to look down at the ground. The Crusaders frowned at this, Sweetie looking back at the book, "Maybe you're right...maybe staging an accident isn't the best way to do this."
"Well, we gotta do something," Apple Bloom responded, "Come on girls, think! What's a great way to get a pony to like another pony?"
Sweetie kept flipping through the book, but couldn't find anything that would work. The idea of kissing her while she was asleep was quickly shot down by Rogue, who stated in a deadpan voice that that was just asking for a restraining order. That is, till he asked, "Say...I know I don't know anything about romance, but how did the other relationships you know about start? Like Flash and Twilight. How'd they get together?"
The three exchanged glances at this, Scootaloo replying, "Uh...that might be a bad idea. Especially with those two."
"Why?"
The three grimaced at this, Scootaloo twiddling her hooves before saying, "Well, according to Princess Cadance, their relationship is years of mane-pulling, annoying tip-hoofing around one another...followed by almost dying in a blizzard, getting eaten by a yeti, and a raging argument about Flash's purpose in life. Or something like that."
"Huh. Okay..." Rogue responded, rapidly blinking before asking, "Alright, what about Iron and Fluttershy? What brought them together?"
"A revenge plan against the one that killed his parents and saving her, followed by being knighted."
"Alright...what about Pinkie and Wild Smile?"
"They had to fight each other in a battle royale in Canterlot, and then some pony named Cheese Sandwich got involved and both of 'em got jealous of him." Apple Bloom replied.
"Like a love triangle!" Sweetie added, "And it was a musical!"
Rogue sighed at this, "That sounds like them. Rarity and Lightning?"
"Rarity went on a week long exercise diet to win a bet with Lightning, then she forced him to ask her out."
"Seriously?! Even theirs is weird?!" Rogue growled before rubbing his face, "Okay...what about Rainbow Dash? She's in a relationship too, right?"
"Yeah." Scootaloo nodded, "Rainbow saved Soarin with a Sonic Rainboom and they started getting to know one another until they confessed to each other at the Wonderbolt Academy."
"Now that we can work with," Rogue pointed at her.
Sweetie raised an eyebrow at this "You want them to join the Wonderbolt Academy?"
"No."
"Didn't we just rule out saving her?" Apple Bloom added.
"I'm talking about getting to know her," Rogue almost yelled, the others raising an eyebrow, "Doesn't it make sense that Sugar Belle would want to be with somepony who knows her the best?"
"Huh," Sweetie Belle began flipping through the book, "I'm not seeing anything about that in here. Usually they end up falling in love and getting married the same day they met."
"Well that sounds like lazy writing," Rogue grumbled before turning to Mac. "It's your call. Try and win her affection in one big gesture, or get to know her a bit better and make sure she's actually the one for you. What's it gonna be?"
Mac frowned at this, glancing down at this as he didn't reply. The sight made them all sigh, knowing that he was conflicted. That is, till Scootaloo pointed at Rogue, "How about this, you go talk to Sugar Belle and learn as much about her as you can, then come back and tell us. Then we'll use that info to find out how to best make Mac look awesome to her."
"I don't know..." Rogue replied, "Isn't that being dishonest as well?"
"No way!" Apple Bloom countered, "There won't be any dishonesty in it. Just say yer Mac's friend and talk to her. And if she happens to tell you something we can use, there's nothing wrong with that. It's...market research."
Rogue gave her a deadpan stare, only to see all three fillies stare at him, making him sigh, "Alright, fine." They all cheered before he walked over to the bakery, glancing in to see Feather Bangs now gone and Sugar Belle placing a bunch of apple turnovers on a counter. "Here goes nothing." With that, he walked inside and said, "Hello?"
Sugar Belle turned to him, "Oh, hello. You're a new face." She then noticed his wings, "Wait...are you...a bat pony?"
"Last time I checked," he joked as he moved over to the counter. "Name's Rogue. I'm a friend of Big Macintosh and we came together. He said you make great desserts."
"Oh, I'm sure he was overexaggerating." She blushed before gesturing to the treats, "I'm still learning. But feel free to try whatever you want. I need to make some space before I can start baking more stuff."
Rogue nodded and asked for a turnover, taking a bite out of it and nodding. "Hmm...this is really good." He took his saddlebag off and dropped it on the ground, taking more bites out of the dessert. "Like...really good. Pinkie level good."
Sugar Belle smiled before noticing something poking out of his bag, "What's that?" She asked, Rogue then glancing down before taking out an apple, Sugar Belle's eyes going wide at the sight. "Wow. I've never seen a golden apple before."
"Really?" Rogue asked, "Would have thought Mac would have told you about it. Well...I guess he's not the most talkative pony in Equestria."
"Not really," she giggled, "But he's sweet and a really good listener."
"Well, when you don't say much, listening's kind of the only way you can have a conversation." Sugar Belle laughed, "But he's a good guy." She nodded at this while Rogue placed the apple back in with the others. "Tell you what. Next time Mac comes, I'll make sure he has one or two of them for you."
"Oh?" Sugar Belle tilted her head at this, "Are the ones you have important for something?"
"Yeah," Rogue nodded, "My life." She went wide-eyed at this before he told her his particular deformity.
"Oh dear," she whispered, "I'm...sorry."
"It's fine," he replied, "It's not easy, but I'll get over it eventually. Plus, if I didn't have this, I might never have met Mac and the rest of his family."
"I get that," Sugar Belle nodded. "I remember meeting Applejack the last few times she was here. She's a nice pony. I liked her a lot." As she said that, she noticed Rogue nod as a particular smile appeared on his lips. "Oh," she gave him a smirk, "you must like her a real lot."
"Of course I do," Rogue responded, "She was one of my first friends."
"No," Sugar Belle shook her head, "I mean, you must like her more then just a friend."
Rogue tilted his head at this, only for his eyes to slowly go wide, "What?!" He blushed, making her laugh. "No I don't!"
"Your face tells me different," she giggled as he turned away. "There's nothing wrong with that. It's great that you like her. I guess growing up in a cave did little to ruin your male urges." Rogue turned to glare at her and grabbed the rest of his turnover before shoving it in his mouth, Sugar Belle laughing at this, "You should tell her you like her. If you don't, you'll spend the rest of your life wondering what might have been."
"Well, what about you?" Rogue asked after swallowing, "You clearly like Mac." Sugar Belle's eyes went wide at hearing this, "Why don't you tell him? You never know, he might like you too."
Sugar Belle flinched at this, tapping the counter as Rogue lowered his shades to see the indecision on her face. "I know he likes me," she whispered, making Rogue almost go wide-eyed, "It's not that hard to tell. I mean...his eyes literally turn into hearts whenever he looks at me."
"So I'm not crazy," Rogue replied, thinking to himself to ask a doctor on that later, "So what's the problem?"
As soon as he said that, the door of the bakery opened up and a certain earth pony stepped inside. "Hey girl," Feather Bangs smirked as he flicked his hair out of his eyes. "Thought I'd come by and treat myself to some of your delicious treats." Rogue watched him move over to the counter, Sugar Belle now blushing at him. "Got anything as sweet as you? Oh, what am I saying? Nothing could be a sweet as you. Oh well, guess I'll make do with a piece of pie."
"Sure thing," she whispered before cutting up a piece.
Feather Bangs smiled as he accepted the dessert and began chowing down, speaking sweet nothings into her ear and making Sugar Belle giggle like a schoolmare. Eventually, he finished his pie and licked his lips slowly. "Delicious. But as if any you make could be anything but."
"Oh..." Sugar Belle put her hoof in front of her mouth to hide her smile.
"Well, as much as I would happily gaze into your tender eyes all day, I've gotta get back to work. Equestria shattering poetry won't write itself." He flicker his hair out of his eyes and winked before leaving, Sugar Belle blushing as Rogue rolled his eyes.
"Seriously?" he told her once he was gone, "Him?"
Sugar Belle turned to him, "What's wrong with him?"
"Nothing...I guess. But I can't believe you would fall for those sweet words."
Sugar Belle glared back at him, "What's wrong with him complimenting me? I mean...Mac's never done that. He's just stared at me and eaten my desserts. I mean, I know he likes them, but he never says so. If he really liked me, you'd think he'd say something." Rogue opened his mouth at this, only to close it as she continued, "I mean...Feather Bangs is nice. He's always polite to me and...well, he doesn't live halfway across Equestria."
"Oh," Rogue nodded, "Now I get it. You don't want to be in a relationship with Mac because of how far away he lives."
"It's not just that," she replied, "I wouldn't mind dating somepony that lives far enough away as long as I'm sure the relationship will actually go somewhere." Rogue raised an eyebrow at this. "Before I moved here, I had two friends who both had long distance relationships. One of them managed to make it work and eventually married the pony, but my other friend ended up getting her heart broken because the pony she dated was secretly seeing other ponies on the side because of how little they saw each other."
"Oh...ouch," Rogue gulped, "I uh...huh." The stallion picked up one of his golden apples, twiddling it in his hooves as he tried to find words, "Well...I can assure you that Mac would never cheat on you. That's not the kind of pony he is."
"I know that. But until I'm sure a relationship between us can work out, I'm not gonna risk a long distance relationship."
"Then maybe you should tell him that," Rogue finished off his apple. "Because just stringing him along isn't a nice thing to do. You're better than that." Sugar Belle flinched at this, only to glance away as he put his bag back on, "Well, I'd better be off. It was nice meeting you."
Sugar Belle nodded as he walked away, the bat pony glancing around to find Mac and the Crusaders now missing. "Mac? Girls?" He called out, but nopony responded. "Oh no...don't tell me they're gonna do some crazy stunt...oh, who am I kidding?! Of course they are!" He flared his wings, "Let's see what they're doing..."
Five seconds later...
He didn't get a few feet off the ground before finding Scootaloo, following her to an alleyway before he yelped, "What the heck?!" In front of him was Apple Bloom working on painting a large tarp while Mac was busy writing something on a piece of paper and Sweetie was tuning a banjo. "Oookay...I clearly missed something here."
"Rogue!" Sweetie looked up and smiled, "Did you find something out?"
"Well..." Rogue muttered out, only to sigh, "I did find out she's a little worried about a long distance relationship." This made Mac stop his writing and almost break his pencil, the earth pony looking up. "Apparently, she's seen how hard those can be. So unless you're willing to move here, you're gonna have your work cut out for you."
Mac gulped at this, only for Apple Bloom to jump in front of him, "But there's still a chance, right?"
Rogue nodded back, "As long as she sure the relationship's worth it, she's willing to give it a try."
"But how are we supposed to do that?" Scootaloo asked, "That's what you were supposed to find out!"
Rogue glared back at her from behind his shades, "Well sorry, but getting a mare to admit how to make her fall for you isn't exactly something that comes up in polite conversation. Hi, I'm Rogue. I'm interested in hard working ponies that like apples, what about you?" They all sighed as Rogue crossed his hooves before remembering what Sugar Belle had told him. "Well...there was one thing she mentioned that might help." The others raised an eyebrow, "She really likes it when ponies compliment her. And I don't mean just shoveling down her food and making pleased sounds," He stared at Mac at this, "I think she wants to be shown some appreciation."
"So she wants to be wooed?" Sweetie asked, Rogue blinking at her words.
"Um...I think she just wants an occasional compliment."
"But Feather Bangs has been doing that already," Scootaloo replied, "If we wanna catch up, we gotta go big. Luckily, our plan should work for that and get us even with him. Then Mac can start complimenting her."
"What exactly is your plan?" Rogue asked, glancing over at Mac and seeing he had written a bunch of sentences that rhymed. "Are you...writing a song?"
"Exactly," Sweetie chimed in, "All we need is one big romantic gesture to show Sugar Belle he cares, and then we can move onto the compliments."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Rogue asked, "What if Sugar Belle doesn't like the song?"
"She will," Apple Bloom smirked before leaning against Mac. "My brother's a great singer. You've seen him with the Pony-Tones, right?" Rogue nodded, "So we'll serenade Sugar Belle with a love ballad, then she'll be all Mac's." She laughed, "I'd like to see Feather Bangs outdo that."
The others nodded and continued to get to work, Rogue just sitting there watching. As much as he wanted to help Mac get with Sugar Belle, he didn't want to be seen as part of the group if it went wrong, instead hanging back and telling them he would keep an eye out for Feather Bangs. "Great," Scootaloo nodded, "Don't let him anywhere near the bakery."
With that, they grabbed all the equipment they had prepared and ran off to the bakery. Rogue took to the air at this, landing atop one of the houses, watching as the four snuck inside while Sugar Belle wasn't looking. A minute later, music began to radiate out of the bakery. While Rogue couldn't tell what was happening in there, he hoped that Mac's little display would help him impress Sugar Belle.
However, a hitch soon showed up when he spotted Feather Bangs and his friends trotting down the street. "Uh-oh," he then flew down at this, "Hey! Feather Bangs...right?"
The earth pony laughed with a hair flick, "The one and only." He replied as Rogue landed, "Hey...you're that bat pony I saw at Sugar Belle's place."
"Huh," Rogue whispered, "Surprised you noticed me. You seemed so focused on her that you didn't even give me a glance."
"Oh, I gave you a glance," Bangs flicked his hair again, "I just didn't see any need to talk to you." Rogue rolled his eyes as Feather Bangs made a gesture, making the trio of mares from before swoon off to the side.
"You ever think of getting a mane-cut?" He asked, "It looks like it's getting in the way." The mares growled at him, one even cracking her hooves.
"Naw. I gotta look my best if I wanna impress my lady." As he said that, his ears picked up. "Do you hear that?" Rogue's eyes went wide, now hearing the music Mac was currently playing for Sugar Belle. "I feel like I can hear music."
"I don't hear anything," he replied, but now Feather Bangs' friends seemed to be hearing it as well. "Hey," he held out his wings, "Why don't we go somewhere more private and you read me some of that poetry I heard about. I've been interested in learning about it for a while."
But as he said that, Feather Bangs walked past him and up to the bakery. "What the?!" he yelped as he looked through the window. "So that farm boy things he can steal my girl?!"
"Come on," Rogue responded, "You got a bunch of ponies swanning over you. Can't you let this one go and let them be happy?"
"Not after all the work I put into her!" Feather flicked his hair away. "Boys, we've got a song to set up. Good thing I had one in reserves. Let's ride!" The other ponies nodded and they walked into the bakery, Rogue letting out a groan as he leaned against the wall of the building.
"I can't watch." He grimaced, only listening instead as he heard the two ponies begin to do a battle of the bands for Sugar Belle's heart. The stallion couldn't help but envision the ridiculous things the pair were doing to try and out-stage one another.
But as the songs began to come to a close, they suddenly stopped as a loud crashing sound filled the air. Rogue was jolted out of his attempts to block out the scene, quickly zipping into the bakery to see Mac, Feather Bangs and Sugar Belle piled on top of one another where Sugar Belle's display case once was. A pie then fell down from the ceiling and crashed into Sugar Belle's face.
Mac and Feather Bangs flinched at this while Apple Bloom facehoofed. But before Rogue could ask what happened, Sugar Belle threw the stallions off of her, "What in Equestria has gotten into you two?!" She turned to glare at them. "If you think I'm the kind of pony that likes all this nonsense, then you clearly don't know me at all! I wish everypony would just...LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Everypony in the shop all went wide-eyed before frowning, all turning to leave. First was Feather and his friends, then the CMC and finally Big Mac. But not before he glanced back at Sugar Belle, who turned away to stare at her destroyed display case.
Rogue sighed at this, only to see Mac run past him and the rest. Rogue quickly followed behind, the two disappearing into the alleyway where they had made their music equipment. "You okay?"
"Nope," he instantly replied while moving over to the tree where Sweetie had left the storybook. He sat down and stared at a page a dashing prince and beautiful princess together.
"I'm sorry," Rogue chimed in, "I...I guess I should have tried harder to stop Feather Bangs."
"It ain't yer fault," Mac sighed.
"Big Mac?!" yelled three voices, making Rogue turn to see the CMC step into the alleyway. "Big Mac!" They ran over as Mac shut the story and pushed it away.
"Are you okay?" Sweetie asked, Big Mac shaking his head.
"Nope."
The three flinched at this before Apple Bloom placed a hoof on his back. "Sorry it didn't work out with Sugar Belle."
"We all are," Rogue added as he leaned against the tree.
As he did this, Sweetie moved over to pick up the book. "We don't get it. Big, grand gestures always work in the fairy tales."
"But Sugar Belle's not a fairy tale princess," Mac told them. "She's a real pony. She's kind, and she works hard, and she's sweeter than everything in her bakery."
"There!" Rogue gasped before pointing at him, "That's the kind of thing she wanted to hear! She didn't want you to say something to make yourself sound like something you're not. She wants to hear what you really think of her."
"He's right!" Apple Bloom yelped before running up and kicking the book over the horizon. "We shoulda been thinking about what would mean a lot to Sugar Belle!"
"Didn't I just say that?!" Rogue asked as Mac hummed, then shined a big grin.
"I know just the thing!" He said, "But I'm gonna need ya'll's help!"
"Really?" Apple Bloom replied, "Even after we messed it up?"
"Eeyup," Mac nodded before waving them to follow, "Come on!" With that, he ran off as the the four followed, Max explaining his idea before giving each of an assignment. They all left to gather supplies, all of them soon returning and hiding in an alleyway outside Sugar Belle's bakery. Sweetie used her binoculars to look through the window and saw Sugar Belle had cleaned up the destroyed baked goods and threw the remains of her broken display case out the back.
And as she left, Mac turned to the group, "Alright, you all know what to do?" They nodded as Sugar Belle began to walk off, not bothering the lock the door since she trusted everypony in the town. And once she was out of view, "Go!" He, Apple Bloom, Rogue and Sweetie ran into the bakery with their supplies before anypony else spotted them.
Supplies down on the ground, Rogue flew out the building and took to the roofs to look around. At the same time, Scootaloo was keeping watch disguised in the glasses, nose and moustache. They stared out at the town and kept a close look around to make sure Sugar Belle wasn't coming. And luckily, they managed to go ten minutes before she finally showed up. "Alright," he spread his wings, "Let's do this." He quickly glided down to her, "Sugar Belle."
The unicorn glanced up at him, "Oh..." she gave him a low glare, "It's you. I figured you left with Big Mac."
"Yeah..." he scratched the back of his head, "He's really sorry about what happened. And I'm sorry for not talking him out of it. I'm still new to this whole feelings thing, so I don't know what's a good idea or not."
"Well fighting over me is definitely not a good idea." She growled before glaring at him, "Wait...did you tell him what I told you about wanting a compliment?"
Rogue gulped, her glare increasing. "It...might have popped out." he glanced away for a second, "But I didn't tell him to do that dance thing. He was just...worried that starting now would be too late, so he tried to even the playing field with that musical number."
"Well it worked," Sugar Belle hissed, "Now him and Feather Bangs are both banned from getting anywhere near me for a long time!"
She started striding off again, making Rogue facehoof. As he did this, an orange blur shot past him and jumped in front of the unicorn. "Hello!" Scootaloo stated in a low voice. "My name's Shimmering Spectacles, and I'm a librarian with a mysterious past."
Rogue groaned, but Sugar Belle actually smiled. "Oh, okay." She pointed to herself, "I'm-" She stropped and shot the filly a glare, "Wait a minute. You look familiar."
"I shouldn't," Scootaloo replied before circling around her. "Um, uh, I'm new in town. Mind showing me around?"
"Uh...sure?" Sugar Belle gestured to the area around them, "That's the whole town. It's just the one street." Rogue facehoofed again as Sugar Belle continued walking to her store. Scootaloo ran over to her and spotted a loose thread on the unicorn's saddlebag, the filly grabbing and pull.
Moments later, the stitches of the bag came out and the whole thing fell apart. A bunch of bananas fell out, making Sugar Belle stop. "Oh, no! Clumsy me! Here," she began picking up the fruit, "Let me help you clean it up!" But before she could, Sugar Belle's horn glowed along with the banana and they all floated into the air. "D'oh!"
"Stupid unicorn magic," Rogue groaned as Sugar Belle continued down the street.
"Uh," Scootaloo jumped in front of her, "N-n-now hold on a minute. Are you sure I can't buy you a new bag?"
"I'm good," Sugar Belle assured her. "It's no big deal."
"But...um..." She suddenly felt her back hit something, making her look back to see the door of the bakery, Scootaloo grimacing before slamming her body up against it to try and blockade the door.
"Okay, what's going on?" Sugar Belle glared at her, Scootaloo now sweating before the mare pushed her to the side and opened the door.
"Ahhh!" She screamed, "The cupcake has landed! Repeat, the cupcake has landed!" She then leapt away from the door, rolling as Sugar Belle stepped inside and spotted a certain stallion.
"Big Mac!" She yelled as she dropped her bananas. But before she could yell anything else, Mac stepped aside and she saw what he had been working on. A new counter and display case that was painted green with pink hearts, along with a certain giant display case. The sight made her stare at it in amazement, a loving smile appearing on her lips. "You made me a new display case?!"
"Eeyup," Mac nodded as she walked up to it.
"And you made it bigger!" She gasped, "You remembered!" Mac scratched the back of his head, blushing as she added, "Now I have twice as much room for all my desserts! And that means..." Her eyes suddenly filled with stars, "I can make even more!" She practically hugged the new display case. "I've been dying to try baking cream pies and whoopee pies and icebox cakes and, of course..." She turned to Mac, the loving smile returning, "More apple treats!" She moved over to him. "Oh Big Mac, thank you so much. This is the sweetest thing anypony's ever done for me."
Mac continued to giggle like a schoolgirl, trying to form the words until Sugar Belle placed a hoof to his nose before giggling. "I like you, too." With that, she lowered her hoof and the pair leaned until their noses touched. A new couple had just been born.
Rogue smiled at the door while the bakery was filled with the cries of three fillies. "Awwwww!" They all turned to the Crusaders, Apple Bloom smiling at them. "That was the most romantic thing ever!"
Sugar Belle raised an eyebrow, "Wait a minute," she pointed at them. "I recognise you fillies." She then turned to Mac, "Have they been with you this whole time?"
Big Mac's eyes shrunk at this, only for Apple Bloom to jump up next to him. "I'm Big Mac's little sister, and these are my friends." The girls waved, "We're sorry for everything we put you through today, Sugar Belle. Big Mac never would've gone through with that crazy..."
"Over-the-top," Sweetie continued.
"Downright ridiculous," Scootaloo added.
"Attempt to impress you if we hadn't put him up to it."
"Just be glad I was here," Rogue laughed, "You probably would have suffered through much more if I hadn't talked them out of it."
Sugar Belle giggled as Apple Bloom continued, "But we learned our lesson. Romance isn't about impressin' somepony. It's about doin' somethin' that means somethin' special to that pony you love-" She stopped with a giggle, then cleared her throat, "Like a lot."
"Uh, Apple Bloom," Sweetie pointed behind them as Mac and Sugar Belle touched noses again. "I think they get it."
The pair pulled away and kept smiling at one another while the fillies backed out of the store. Rogue laughed at this, "Why don't I take the cart...and these three, back to Ponyville for you. Give you two some...alone time." Mac nodded back at them as the four walked outside, only to be greeted to the sound of music and a familiar pony's voice.
"Sugar Be-eee-eee-elle!" Feather Bangs sang, carrying a record player above his head. "Yeah!"
The girls all laughed as they trotted past him. "Sorry, Feather. You're a little too late."
"Yeah!" Apple Bloom pointed at the store, "Sugar Belle's already picked her special somepony!"
Feather looked inside and saw it was true, his eyes going wide at seeing Mac and Sugar Belle hugging one another. He frowned as Rogue patted him on the back while Sweetie pointed over at the trio of mares from earlier. "But don't worry. You've got three not-so-secret admirers right behind you!"
He glanced back at them, the three sighing as they stared at him dreamily while Rogue moved over to the cart to get it ready for transport back. He listened as Feather admitted his lack of actual romantic knowledge and laughed when the fillies agreed to help him, hoping this wouldn't take long.
Luckily, it didn't and Rogue was able to leave with the cart and girls as soon as Feather chose his own special somepony and they began the long trek home. It wasn't an easy trip, but Rogue pushed on and got them through the multiple terrains.
And as the sun began to set, the crusaders all drifted off to sleep a few miles away from Ponyville. The moon raised above the horizon as he dropped Scootaloo and Sweetie off at their sibling's houses before heading home, only to see Applejack at the entrance.
"There ya'll are," she yelled as she galloped up to him, only to skid to a stop at the sight of a sleeping Apple Bloom. "Don't tell me she went with yah and..." She glanced around, "Where's Big Mac?"
"Back at the village," Rogue smirked. "I decided to bring the cart and girls home so he could spend some more time with his special somepony." Applejack's eyes went wide at this, Rogue laughing at her expression, "It's a long story."
"Well yah better be ready to tell it," Applejack sighed as she picked up her sleeping sister. "Put the cart back in the barn and ah'll put on a pot of coffee." Rogue nodded and with a salute before pulling the cart off. And as he did this, his eyes glanced back at Applejack as she carried her sister inside. The sight made him remember what Sugar Belle had said earlier and the insane things that could happen when it came to romance. But as those thoughts drifted into his head, he just shrugged before putting the cart away. Only time would tell if the apple family romance would become two for two, or if Mac was the only one who got to enjoy it
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Well, glad you give Rogue his spotlight and it's nice he get to learn about romantic stuffs with Big Mac and Sugar Belle situation so he can prepare himself for Applejack!
I assume you took a lot of stuffs from Silver Quill since Rogue prevent Mac and Crusaders from doing dumb stuffs
Good work.
Here's highlights
I smell the ship tease!
Well, she's not Pinkie Pie for sure…. I don't have the answer for that!
Okay… 2 things
1. So… Mac-ster is a nickname that Rogue use, huh?
2. I knew he going to learn about romantic stuffs for Applejack!
You will understand how he feels when you deal with Applejack, Rogue.
Does Apple Bloom know about Rogue's crush on Applejack? 🤔🤔🤔
Wow Rogue! Some guy ram up to Big Mac before he can get a chance with Sugar while you are more concerned with winning Applejack's heart? A best friend, huh?
At least, Sweetie call him out
Superman/Indiana Jones reference?
He got a great point.
Spits drink
She definitely a shipper on deck with Rogue and Applejack…. Let's hope she's not ultra crazy with those stuffs like Cadence with Flash and Twilight.
I would have agree with Rogue but I don't want to get my ass whopped by them
I have a feeling that Mac won't be only one to enjoy the romance.
Although, did Feather pick one of his fan girls as his special somepony or he made them as his harem?
very nice, glad Rouge got a chance to shine, and we see more he like Applejack tho did not expect you to skip two episodes tho I was also wondering if you would pair Big mac with Sugar Belle or not.
Look forward to the next one.
This was another adaptation that was a surprise. But including Rogue here was actually pretty fun. He stopped the Crusaders from having Big Mac do a few more questionable gestures to impress Sugar Belle, and helped him in his own way.
I think my favorite part was him learning how all of the Mane 6 but Applejack got into a relationship, and how they are all basically crazy and weird, except for Rainbow and Soarin.
That certainly would be interesting, considering neither of them can fly!
Now we just have to wait and see how long until he and Applejack eventually hookup, and see how "out-there" it is for them.
Another sweet adaption, plus we get to see Rogue getting some courtship lessons regarding AJ (about what *NOT* to do at least!
) Pretty enjoyable chapter Banshee! 
Highlights include :
lol good thing the CMC didn't try to get their cutie marks in spying, cause that was an epic fail!
*shudders* trust me Rogue, you don't wanna know!
Pretty sure AJ wouldn't be amused if you try that Rogue, at least Sweetie set him straight!
Try telling Malafear that Bloom!
You know, looking back at all of these I'm surprised Rainbow/Soarin relationship is the normal one of the whole lot!
Amen to that Rogue!
And another ship has set sail!
Till the next one Banshee!
First my critique: So we're not even going to acknowledge MarbleMac in the slightest? We're just going to forget about it like Becky Wangberg and the other Season 7 writers? I mean it wasn't until Micheal Vogel in Best Gift Ever was it recalled. As for this story, Banshee, you had since Jan. 2020, well over a year since you published your take on HearthsBreakers, and since May 2017, over four years since the Source episode aired to address and resolve that plot hole.
Now for the praise: Nice use of Rogue. Having him stop the CMC and Big Mac from doing the less intelligent things from the canon episode. Nice conversation between Rogue and Sugar Belle and informative. The reason why Sugar Belle was willing to entertain Feather's advances was sound, logical and actually very good. Also I love Rogue's critics on the Mane 6 minus Applejack's relationship origins (Flash is not Mane 7, you will not convince me other wise) and pointing out the closest to health start is Rainbow and Soarin.
However I am now worried about how Honest Apple will be handled, will Banshee bastardize AJ's character like the show, or will the focus be kept on Rarity with AJ as an unintentional antagonist of Rarity's own making, or will Rarity have the intelligence and wisdom she's been shown to have and not ask Applejack to be a judge and we can safety progress into A Royal Problem and Honest Apple never happened, it doesn't exist... I really hope it's the last one.
But more so I am looking forward to Rogue in The Perfect Pear, granted it might be a wise call to show at some point that being up during the day is detrimental to Rogue's health, as he is a nocturnal creature, also might want to address his lack of shown meat consumption as he is also carnivorous (hence his fangs and his venom).
11003820 I'll let you know now that none of those chapters are gonna show up. A Royal Problem will be mentioned, but that's it.
11003823
While I think not taking a swing at A Royal Problem is a massive missed shot, I understand it is perfect as is, but thank God the episode that shall no longer be named will be relegated to in-show fanfic. That leaves Not Asking for Trouble, Discordant Harmony and The Perfect Pear.
11003873 Have you seen Fire Brand's review of that episode. I'd love to know what you thought of it if you did.
I have, I hate the use of the 'Voices Are Mental' trope (because voices are a product of the moving of vocal cords and thus are Physical) in the 'body-swap' of Firebrand and Arumum that was gimmick of the review's framing device. Beyond that, I don't recall much, but I likely enjoyed it, I agreed with Firebrand in some places and disagreed in others. But yeah what sticks out to me is the damn employment of the 'Voices are Mental" in the review.
11003930
Just rewatched it. It was a well.done review, baring the employment of the Voices are Mental. Anything in particular part of the review you want discuss it you want my thoughts on?
Well, nice to have Rogue involved in an episode. It's also oddly entertaining to see him talk sense to the Crusaders and react to all the previously established romances in the story.