> Pep Talk Time > by Short Stories > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Pep Talk > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- There he is...sitting there right across from me...only inches away...come on, Marble, you can do this! It's only a stallion. You see staliions all the time at school! Why is this so difficult? What can't I say "hi" or "howdy" or "what's up"? I just don't understand! Everypony else seems to be talking pretty easily. Theres Apple Bloom talking with Maud, Pinkie with Apple jack, Granny Smith with mom and dad...if I were to walk away and join another group, I'd be talking just fine. But...I just can't seem to find my voice. Ever since the Apples showed up and I saw Big Mac, I got lost in his eyes and... No. No, Marble. Remember what dad always says: "Don't get to attachedth to a stallion who'll soon be leaving." Will the Apples stay forever? If not, could they let Big Mac stay here, then I can let myself fall in love with him? I doubt it. Such a strong stallion like him probably has all the mares falling all over him at his hometown. We should visit sometime, so I can see how the mares there act and pick up what might be his turn-on. Or his turn off. Oooh, how horrible would that be?! Trying to show a stallion I...I like him but ruining any chances by accidentally giving him a turn-off. What if I'm his turn off? What if he just wants to be friends? Am I sending the wrong messages? Or am I getting the wrong replies? Maybe I could ask him? We seemed to communicate pretty well when we were looking for the rock Limestone hid. "Mhm's" and "Eeyups" go a long way in the world of shy ponies. I'll never forget that last "Eeeeeeeeeyup". So romantic... OK, that's it. I'm going to ask him if he likes me. Now backing away now. I turn my head to look at him and see he turns his head at the exact same moment. Were in sinc! I open my mouth to try and talk to him and-- Out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie falls in between us and starts talking. "Marble Pie, you want to wish Big Mac a happy Hearth's Warming, don't you! And you too, right, Big Mac?" I smile and give a quick "Mhm" while Mac says his signature "Eeyup". But, honestly, I hate when Pinkie Pie does this type of stuff. She kind of embarrassed me when the Apples first arrived. I didn't really want to say anything, though...I don't like drawing attention to myself. When she nudged me, I got the hint that I was supposed to agree, but I was barley listening. Sometimes, I wish Pinkie would just...back off a bit and let me do my own thing. I heard Applejack say that Pinkie does the talking for me, but that wasn't true. Yet I couldn't bring myself to say anything in response. I mean, I get that she has a cutie mark that makes her happy and joyful and energetic all the time, but come on! I once saw her trying to hold back a secret about me possibly getting a pet, and it looked like she was going to explode. The pet was a baby alligator that I let Pinkie keep. Reptiles scare me. I turn my head away from Mac and try to think how to work up my courage to talk to him again. What was I thinking about before? His Eeyups? That's not helping right now; I guess I got caught off-guard when Pinkie came out of nowhere. I hope my courage comes back soon, before the Apples leave, so I could tell Mac how I feel about him. "Attention, everypony!" Apple Bloom shouts from the center of the room, "Maud wants to sing some Hearth's Warmin' carols that she wrote!" Everypony almost instantly starts cheering. Everypony turns their attention towards Maud, Big Mac and I included. I wonder how Maud can get the courage to speak or read or sing to a crowd of ponies? Or even just one pony? I need to ask her that someday. After the cheers from all nine ponies calm down, Maud starts to speak, her voice, like always, is deadpaned. "The first one is about rocks. They're all about rocks. Hearth's Warming is great. Like calcium silicate. What a wonderful day. As good as mica or clay." I roll my eyes in a kind way and look at Mac, who, at the moment, has all his attention on Maud and her tuneless song. A sigh escapes my lips as I put my attention back on my sister. I guess I'll just tell another time. I can wait.