Mares on a Moonlit Night

by Sheendough

Chapter 9: One Awkward Dialogue

Chapter 9: One Awkward Dialogue

The cold froze her pelt and numbed her body, but Applejack needed to keep going.

‘Just a little further. C’mon! C’mon!’ —she thought. If she failed, she wouldn’t forgive herself for the rest of her life. ‘Dear Celestia, no! NO!’ Applejack began to feel being pulled away as her lungs gasped for air again.

She awoke again panting and sweating. Her dream just wouldn’t go away. She started to wonder whether she was going to keep having these nightmares for the rest of her life.

‘Don’t be silly! It’s just a phase like wetting the bed. You’ll outgrow it’ —she thought again. Would she? She was starting to doubt and she was sure that if things kept going at this rate, then she’d go crazy in a matter of time.

She saw the sun starting to rise in the horizon, just as it did when she stayed in Manehattan as the rainbow streak of her best friend led her home.

She kept thinking of the dream as she was sure she was in for a treat of exhaustion and work. It had been days since her little “deal” with McIntosh, and while she was eager to prove her brother wrong (whatever the hay that meant), she was starting to regret the pact that was now taking its toll on her. The work was more that of a full grown stallion: more strong and apt for the job than a mare (even one like Applejack) and the more she thought about it, she came to realize just how immature the whole thing was: no winner or loser here, just two tired ponies. Applejack knew this, and she knew Mac knew this, but since they were both Apples, they were both stubborn and neither wanted to give up and accept they both were acting foalish.

Applejack got out of her bed and put on her Stetson as she readied herself for another hard day’s work. As she walked to the perch where she usually put her hat, she peeked through her door. She always left it ajar so she could easily get out of her bedroom in case of an emergency and she noticed McIntosh’s door on the other side of the hall was open. It was unusual of Mac to leave his door fully open, so she tiphoofed through the hall and into Mac’s bedroom. His window was open and a small sun beam obstructed her vision, but for what she could make out, McIntosh was nowhere to be found. She tiphoofed again, this time heading to the kitchen. Granny Smith and Applebloom were still asleep, so she didn’t want to wake them up. She went to the kitchen and made herself some cereal. After she was finished, AJ stood up and dizzily turned her head. She was still somewhat asleep so she went into the sink and splashed some water in her face to wake up. As she felt the cold drops in her eyes, the orange earth pony was ready to start working.

Applejack opened up with a lazy hoof the house door just in time to see a very nervous McIntosh heading towards the market with his mane combed and his pelt brushed.

“Weird. Big Mac doesn’t usually brush his pelt or his mane” —Applejack whispered to herself. She saw her brother walk down the path and decided to follow him. She knew she was delaying her work but her curiosity got the better of her and she went to the market to see the cause of McIntosh’s behavior.

As she approached the marketplace, Applejack could see Mac starting to assemble his apple stand. She stood there for 20 minutes looking at her brother at a considerable distance and staying hidden from his view. She started to bore and thought that going there was a waste of time, but just as she was turning around to head home and do her duties, Applejack spotted a familiar-looking, pink-maned yellow pegasus. From where she was standing, Applejack could hear the conversation that ensued. She raised her ears to make out what they were saying amongst all the ponies talking in the market.

“Howdy Miss Fluttershy!”

—“Um… Hello McIntosh.”

—“What can ah do fer ya?”

—“Oh! Um… Nothing, I just came here to buy some Apples.”

—“It’ll be mah pleasure ma’am!”

Applejack could see both ponies as red as the apples on the stand. She immediately assumed they liked each other. ‘But on second thought, Fluttershy blushes practically from everything. From this I can’t tell if she likes Mac or if she’s just nervous’ —she thought.

She got a little closer to hear the conversation, but she was suddenly startled by the presence of a third pony.

—“Aren’t they so cute together?”

—“Whoa!”

—“Applejack, dear, are you okay?”

—“Whew! Jeez Rarity, don’t startle me like that!”

—“I’m sorry. I was just walking by when I saw you among the bushes and decided to see what you were up to.”

—“Yeah, well. Ya got me” —answered AJ in a cold way.

—“I just had to see this, darling. You see, Fluttershy has been acting really weird lately. I know her very well so I started asking questions. The only thing I could manage to get was that she was interested in a stallion.”

—“Stallion?” —asked AJ. In all her life she hadn’t thought that a mare like Rarity would call her older brother a stallion the way she did.

—“Well, she didn’t say stallion, but it’s obvious. Poor thing’s been daydreaming a lot in our spa sessions.”

—“Maybe she’s just relaxin’ herself.”

—“I thought so too at first, but she babbles something in soft whispers every now and then. I’ve tried to make them out but I can’t understand them. This happens every time.”

—“Well, ah hadn’t thought that Fluttershy could fall in love with somepony. She’s always so nervous and reclusive.”

—“Me too, but quite frankly dear, love knows no boundaries. I just can’t wait ‘till all of us find our dream stallions. I can already picture them! I mean, you can date whomever you want, AJ, but still, I need to guide some of you, like poor Twilight Sparkle. If a colt came and dated her she wouldn’t know what to do.”

—“Well, ah haven’t had a coltfriend either. And ah’m almost quite sure most of us haven’t had either.”

—“Y-you haven’t?”

—“Well, ah don’t know ‘bout Pinkie, but ah’m quite sure Rainbow and me haven’t.”

—“Really? Why?”

—“Well, I can safely assure for both Rainbow and me that we haven’t had the time to think ‘bout colts.”

—“Oh well. Such shame! I need to prepare myself to train you gals into the art of seduction!”

—“Whoa there Rarity. Ah’m not takin’ any cutesy lessons from you.”

—“But AJ! What’ll happen when your first stallion comes? Will you know what to do?”

—“Ah’ll do what ah got to do when the time comes. In the mean time, ah don’t want any filly frou-frou from you.”

—“But—”

—“No buts Rarity. If ah need assistance ah’ll be sure to come to you.”

—“Well” —said a relieved Rarity. “Thank you Applejack.”

The two turned around just in time to see Fluttershy pay for her apples and turn around. McIntosh did the same as he grabbed more apples to put in the stand. Both Rarity and Applejack could see their red faces even if they were at a mile’s distance. Applejack bid Rarity farewell and returned to the farm to start working. McIntosh wouldn’t return in another three hours, giving Applejack enough time to make up for her work and advance a bit. By the time Mac arrived, AJ had already picked the corn and rounded the sheep as scheduled. Mac approached his sister with a stern pace and a calm look on his eyes. The kind of look one gives to someone they don’t want to look at in the eyes.

—“Howdy, AJ.”

—“Hey Mac.”

—“Listen, AJ. Ah need you to do me a favor.”

—“A favor?”

—“Well, not really a favor, but more in accordance with out little deal.”

Applejack slightly winced at the mention of the word “deal”. She started to regret herself for putting her into this mess.

—“What is it, bro?”

—“We’ve just ran out of mango seeds. Ah usually go to get them mahself, but the dealer’s on vacation an’ there won’t be any seeds ‘round Ponyville for another month or so.”

—“Lemme guess. Ah’m the one who’s gonna get those seeds.”

—“Eeyup.”

—“So where am ah supposed ta find them?”

—“Cape Howl.”

—“Cape Howl?! That’s too far!”

—“Well, if ya there’s where the best ones come from. Unless you wanna plant bad mangos.”

—“Alright, alright. When am ah parting? An’ how long am ah stayin’?”

—“Next Friday.”

—“Next Friday?!”

—“An’ you stay fer three days an’ two nights.”

—“But Mac. That’s when the Summer Sun Celebration starts!”

—“Well too bad AJ, but ya agreed ta do this.”

—“Alright, ah’ll go.”

With nothing more to say and the weather team piling up the clouds, AJ went to her room thinking about what she was going to do. She had only three days left before she set out for Cape Howl so she needed to think fast and organize herself so there could still be time to work, pack and talk to her friends.

Comments

[SuperPinkBrony12]

So it's back hm? Well still not much of any development and still no tags so I can't see where this is going.