Characters in this work are property of their respective owners, I do not own any of them, and do not intend to make any sort of profit off of this work.
If you are made uncomfortable by ANY form of romance between ANY two intelligent beings, this fanfiction may not be to your liking. Continue only with caution.
And now, on with the show:
Spike opened the door to the library and stopped dead. When he'd left, the library had been as clean as he'd ever seen it; a spotless floor, the books in their place, Twilight had even convinced him to dust the shelves. She had said that she had important research to do, though she hadn't shared the details with Spike.
"Oh, there you are Spike," Twilight called to him, using her magic to slowly clean up what appeared to be the aftermath of a small tornado's passage through the room, "Please take a letter. Princess Celestia should know about the results of my research at once."
Spike grumbled to himself as he pulled out his writing supplies, "Welcome home Spike. I missed you, Spike. How was Canterlot, Spike? This letter had better be important." He dipped his quill in an inkwell and announced aloud, "Ready to go Twilight."
Twilight turned from her task and cleared her throat, "Dear Princess Celestia, recently I performed some research into divination spells. I didn't learn as much about magic as I'd hoped, but I did learn a very important lesson about friendship. Before I tell you what I learned, let me tell you what happened, since today I believe that the story will make you at least as happy as the lesson. It all started..."
***
Rarity didn't know why Twilight would need her help on any project having to do with magic. She was proud of her ability, but could never have done anything requiring as much power as getting rid of that Ursa Minor had; Twilight was simply much more magically inclined, even if she wasn't quite as elegant while using her power as one could hope. Still, Rarity was never one to ignore a friend in need, so when Twilight had come to her shop the week before and asked her to help with magic research, there had been no hesitation. Twilight had named the day and asked Rarity to come early, and she had agreed.
Rarity arrived the morning in question without unnecessary delay, having taken less than an hour to get her appearance and hair just right. When she knocked on the door to Twilight's home, she heard a muffled, "Just a moment!" from within the tree. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal Twilight standing among an array of strangely placed objects and miscellaneous debris. "There, see, I just finished placing the last of the components. I'm so glad you could come and help me with this spell Rarity, come on in. And please don't disturb any of it." With that, she turned back to her book, set on a stand near the middle of the room.
To Rarity's eyes, 'it' seemed to include bits of trash, torn paper, various plant parts, an upended table with a lamp balanced on one leg, a marble statue of a pony with two legs missing, and a circle in the middle of the floor marked with what she hoped was red paint. "I… see. All of these, er, items? They're the components for the spell?" Rarity looked about the room, twitching with unease at the mess.
"Exactly," Twilight flipped the pages of her book, paying little attention to what she was saying, "It took forever to find all this stuff, and to lay it all out. But now, everything is exactly in its place. Perfectly right."
Rarity forced a smile and suppressed the urge to start cleaning, "Perfectly right, of course, dear. Say, what sort of spell needs these... components? And why do I have to be here for it?"
Twilight looked up from her reading, "I must have forgotten to tell you. It's a divination spell. This one is supposed to grant a vision that gives insight into some aspect of the future. I think. The text is vague on exactly what you're supposed to see and what it means. In any case, I need you because the spell calls for two unicorns, and at least one of them has to have skill in illusion or aesthetics," Twilight smiled at Rarity, "And you're my go-to pony when the issue is aesthetics, Rarity."
"See the future?" Rarity asked in wonderment, taking note, of course, of the compliment.
Twilight tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, "Well, that's not quite wha-"
"I could see if I'll end up with Celestia's Nephew! Can we have the spell show us that Twilight?" Rarity, fixated on the potential of the spell, had forgotten about her clutter-related misgivings.
Twilight nodded, "The spell doesn't work well with specific questions, but I guess you can be the one to decide what we ask. You are the one helping me out, so I'm glad to help you too. You just have to make sure to tell me whether it was right, however long that takes. Can you phrase what you want the spell to show in a less specific way?"
Rarity considered this for a moment, and then replied, "I want to know what the future of my love life is."
Twilight beamed, "That's a good one, Rarity. Okay, now, let me explain how we'll cast it. It's a tough one, so pay attention."
* * *
The explanation took a long time, and the casting took longer. The two stood in the red circle in the center of the room, arcs of light cascading among the strange array of items Twilight had gathered. Neither Rarity nor Twilight had ever cast a spell so demanding, but eventually a flash lit the room, and the two felt something intangible click into place. The room became quiet and still.
Twilight cheered, "Alright! I think it worked. We should see the vision in just a few..." her voice faded as she trailed off.
The sudden silence confused Rarity for a moment, but then she felt it too. The midday sunlight streaming in through the windows became glaring and oppressive, overwhelming Rarity's senses. Sweat began to bead on her brow. The world became glassy and unfocused, and Rarity felt as though something had grasped the fabric of creation and was pulling it, stretching it up and to the left. The warping of her sense of space unbalanced Rarity, and she fell to her knees, and then rolled over onto her side. Her hooves kicked sluggishly, pushing at empty air as her body fought to make sense of the perceptual shift, and her eyes could no longer maintain even a semblance of focus; the world became fuzzy in her vision, entities lost their edges and blended together into a sea of color. Rarity shut her eyes, unable to withstand the glare of sunlight any longer.
In the darkness behind Rarity's eyelids, shapes moved. At first she could discern nothing in their subtle movements, but then a scene sprung forth from the chaos. A huge eye with a bright green iris filled Rarity's field of vision. She felt herself moving forward quickly, and the eye's size began to increase as she was drawn toward the green expanse of the iris. Soon, the details of the iris became clearer, and resolved themselves into hills, rolling green hills covered in trees, and Rarity was falling right toward them. As she dropped closer, more details became clear to her eyes.
The trees were apple trees, endless expanses of apple trees filled with bright red apples. The tree Rarity was falling toward loomed suddenly in her vision; an apple was headed straight for her, or she for it, and she felt as though a collision with the shiny red orb was inevitable. Instead, the apple loomed in her vision, as its surface expanded toward the horizons. What had seemed to be the unmarred skin of the apple was revealed to be an ocean of apples, stretching as far as Rarity could see. Then, she hit it. Rarity landed lightly, for all of her speed, seeming to go from barreling toward the expanse to standing serenely on a field of apples in an instant.
Her movement at an end, Rarity felt a calm come over her. She lay down on the apples, the fruit feeling softer than her bed at home, and a wave of apples rolled over her, covering her like a blanket. Rarity had never felt so at home, so at peace, so loved. Words seemed to appear in her head, placed there by no means at all.
Rarity, the future of your love life is apples.
And then Rarity was an apple.
* * *
The two ponies stood up cautiously, still not quite trusting the world around them. There was silence for a time, as each considered what they had seen. Rarity spoke first, "Did you see...?"
Twilight nodded, "Apples. I saw it from your perspective. I was you. Sort of. I think. I mean, I knew I was me, but I knew you were you and I was you."
Rarity coughed.
"Apples," added Twilight, ever insightful.
"What did that all mean, Twilight? Did the spell work right?" Rarity asked, filled with concern.
"I think it means that your future love life will involve apples. Somehow. Hmm. Maybe the Apple family?" Twilight looked down, eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"Could it be Big Mac? Was that what the vision was trying to tell me? Should I give up on the prince and try to love Big Mac?" Rarity thought the idea was a strange one. She hadn't talked to Applejack's brother much before; it had just never occurred to her to try.
"Well," Said Twilight, considering, "It would be much more useful for research if we could find out if the visions are true. Or even useful. You should ask him about it."
Rarity looked at the other pony in shock, "Oh Twilight, dear, that's just not how it's done. One can't simply ask about that sort of thing. It's much more complicated than that. I need to know whether he's right for me. Please help me with this."
Twilight looked dubious, "I guess you know more about this sort of thing than me, and it will help my research. What do you need me to do?"
As Rarity explained phases of her plan and complex contingencies, Twilight grew more and more distraught. Why couldn't this sort of thing be as simple as magic?
As she walked toward Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight's thoughts lingered on Rarity's briefing. Rarity had described many qualities that she wanted in her ideal stallion, and seemed to want to know whether Big Macintosh qualified on every count. "I want a stallion that's strong and athletic, but not a show-off. I'd like him to be well-read and intelligent with good business sense. And of course he absolutely must be neat and organized. Oh, and good fashion sense is essential," Rarity had told her.
Twilight had raised an eyebrow, "So basically you want him to be the opposite of his sister?"
Rarity had paused, considering, "Well I hadn't really thought of it in those terms, but I suppose you could put it that way. It's not that I don't like Applejack, darling, she's a good friend, but her... ah... unique charms aren't really what I want in a stallion to spend the rest of my life with. You see what I mean, don't you, Twilight dear?"
Twilight, of course, had seen. Rarity and Applejack could rarely go as much as a week without getting into some major fight or another, though they were able to make up every time. Even with her admittedly incomplete knowledge of romance, she could understand that it would most likely be impossible to go out with someone you got into fights with constantly. Who could put up with something like that, and why would they?
Twilight arrived in due time at the farm that Big Mac ran with his sister. Rolling hills covered in apple trees spread into the distance, and Twilight was reminded uncomfortably of the vision she had shared with Rarity. Still, she had a job to do, so she pushed the distraction to the back of her mind and looked around for her target; it was fortunate, considering the size of the farm, that he was nearby and easy to spot.
Big Mac was in the act of placing barrels under apple trees in anticipation of the bucking season when Twilight approached. She called out, "Hello Big Mac! How's it going?"
The large red stallion turned from his work with a smile, "Why howdy Twilight. What brings you 'round ta Sweet Apple Acres? Lookin' fer Applejack?"
"Actually, Big Mac, I was looking for you," Twilight replied, giving the cover story Rarity had made her practice repeatedly as an excuse to try and determine whether Big Mac's intelligence was up to Rarity's standards, "You see, I was going over the library catalog when I found a book on historical developments in agriculture in Equestria. It mentions the Apple Family as owners of Sweet Apple Acres over a hundred years ago. I thought you might be interested in reading about your ancestors." Twilight used magic to float the book in question out of her saddlebag and showed Big Mac. In truth, she had found it ages ago, but hadn't expected Applejack to appreciate any book, even one about apple farming, and never even thought about Big Mac.
Inspecting the book, Big Mac smiled, "Why, thank yeh kindly Twilight, but ah already have this one."
The simple statement took Twilight completely by surprise; she had anticipated several possible reactions Big Mac might have had when presented with the dry, obscure historical tome, but him being familiar with it had certainly not been one of them. "You own a copy?"
"A-yep. It's some-where on one o' tha shelves back at tha house. Been months since ah've cracked that par-tic-u-lar tome," the huge stallion drawled.
Twilight raised an eyebrow, "I hadn't pegged you for the bookish type Big Mac. No offense. I know Applejack doesn't read much."
"Don't ah know it," Big Mac sighed, "Applejack ain't never had much use fer book learnin'. She's more 'bout kickin' and luggin', which leaves all the plannin' and figurin' to yours truly. Along with a good share ah the kickin' and luggin, o'course. When yeh run a farm, yeh need some-pony with book smarts around."
Twilight was genuinely interested in the turn of the conversation. "What specific sorts of things do you need to know to run a farm, Big Mac? I've never researched it much," Twilight asked, enthusiasm evident in her voice.
"Well..." the larger pony replied, evidently gathering his thoughts, "Yeh gotta know everythin' there is tah know 'bout apples and apple trees, how to re-cog-nize blights an' mold an' pests, an' how tah deal with those, o'course. Fertilizin's real important, so knowin' who's sellin' tha stuff an' what it costs an' if the seller's cuttin' it with sawdust or somethin' ta try an' pull a fast one on ya. Gotta talk to tha weather ponies tah know when tha' storms are comin' and when yeh can work fine, an' know which weather ponies can find a few mis-placed coins or apples and con-ven-ient-ly farget ta leave any clouds o'er Sweet Apple Acres or send more rain our way, dependin' on what we need. Say hi ta yer friend Rainbow Dash fer me, by the way, will ya? An' a farm's like any business; yeh gotta keep tha accountin' right or yeh won' know where yer money went at tha' end a tha' month. Gotta know the prices and suppliers fer any number ah things, barrels, carts, chemicals, an' buildin materials, jus' off the top ah ma head, an' how ta get 'em shipped cheap an' on time. An' o'course yeh gotta know tha price 'a apples all 'round Equestria, so yeh know how much ta ship out an' how much ta sell local. An speakin' a local, yeh gotta go ta city council meetins', ta make dern sure they ain't gonna hoof ya over on zonin', turnin' ag-ri-cul-tur-al inta re-si-den-tial o' some such foolishness. An that's jus' tha basics."
Twilight's eyes had grown wider and wider over the course of the speech, and when it ended, she looked on in stunned silence, her eyes wide as Big Mac smiled down at her.
"And of course," Big Mac added in an accent that would not be a hair out of place in the court at Canterlot, "You have to speak with a certain accent and diction, or the other farmers won't respect you, and the farm supply vendors will. As a shrewd businessman, I know that I want neither of those things to happen. I'm sorry I don't come by the library, Twilight. I'd like to, but I get all my books delivered in unmarked boxes. I've got a reputation to maintain."
Twilight's jaw dropped.
"A-yep. Ah trust yeh not ta spread that 'round all that much, on account of Applejack tellin' me yer a good friend. Now ahv got work ta get back ta. So long Twilight, thanks for bringin' that book 'round."
With that, Big Macintosh pulled his cart to the next line of apple trees, leaving Twilight to slowly make sense of what she'd just heard.
Rarity was glad that Twilight had agreed to see about Big Macintosh's intelligence. Her asking would be so much more subtle than it would have been if Rarity had been forced to do it herself and, at this stage at least, subtlety was a necessity. Of course, that was only one part of the picture. When Twilight left for Sweet Apple Acres, Rarity could not simply wait; she had other threads to tend to, and a plan to stitch together, and so she left the library when Twilight did, though in the opposite direction. All the evaluation in Equestria would matter little if Big Mac weren't single. Rarity did not want to play dirty, but she knew that if there were competition for Big Mac, she might have to; all's fair in love and war, after all.
"The things one considers for the sake of romance," Rarity sighed to herself. Despite her misgivings, she knew she would not give up on her destiny easily, now that she'd caught sight of a worthwhile goal. On some level, Rarity had always known that her dream of marrying Princess Celestia's nephew had been just that: a dream; Big Mac seemed to be a much more realistic, if unfortunately far less glamorous, goal. Still, she had her vision, and who was she to argue with destiny?
Rarity soon arrived at her destination: Pinkie Pie's house. To Rarity's eyes, the building was far too small to make a good home. It was simple wooden house with a large brick chimney, and it appeared to contain only one room, though Rarity had never been inside. The strangest thing about the place was the complete lack of windows; unless you counted the occupant, of course, in which case the lack of windows was a distant second in terms of strangeness.
Rarity knocked on the door, and in just a moment Pinkie Pie opened the door a crack and stuck her head out to look around. "Oh hi Rarity. What brings you out here? Do you need candy? Cause they have candy at the store, all the candy here is mine and you can't have it! Unless you really want it. Do you?"
"No thank you, Pinkie Pie, dear," Rarity replied, as smoke began to billow out of the slightly open door, "I've got a favor to ask of you is this a good time to talk? Is there something burning in there, darling?"
Pinkie Pie giggled, "I've always got time to talk to a good friend about candy." She walked outside and closed the door without giving Rarity a chance to see into the house. "What do you need," Pinkie Pie added, smiling.
"Uh, darling, what about the smoke?" Rarity asked, concerned.
"Don't worry about that. It'll be fine till I can get back to it," Pinkie Pie replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof.
Rarity was not convinced, but decided to drop it. Pinkie Pie would be Pinkie Pie, and if she were going to burn down her own house, she probably would have done so before now. "Well you see, it's a bit of a long story, but to put it in the simplest terms, Twilight and I used magic to see something about the future, and we had a vision that told me that I am destined to fall in love... or is it marry? The vision wasn't specific, but that's not the point, dear. The point is that I'm supposed to end up with an Apple, and I believe that the Apple in question is Big Macintosh. So that's why I need to talk to you: you know everypony who's anypony in Ponyville. Do you know if Big Mac is seeing anyone, dear?"
Pinkie Pie's head tilted in thought, "Well I don't think so, but I'm not sure. Big Mac's not into the party scene, which is just too sad. Did you say you saw the future? Was I in it? Was I still pink? I suppose I could ask Applejack for you, she'd probably know. It's her brother, after all. And I know you can't ask her cause you'd just get in a fight and nopony wants that. Is there candy in the future?"
Rarity put on a tolerant smile, "Yes, Pinkie Pie, there is candy in the future. And I'd really appreciate you asking Applejack about Big Mac. And darling, please do have some subtlety when you ask about this."
"Subtlety is my middle name," Pinkie Pie replied, turning to walk toward Sweet Apple Acres, "I'm all about subtlety. I'll go ask her right now. Thanks for the alibi, Rarity. Bye"
Rarity called out after her, "What about the smoke?"
Pinkie Pie turned her head to smile at Rarity, "Don't you worry your silly mane about that. It's all under control."
Rarity gave the door a mistrustful glance before calling again to the rapidly departing pink pony, "If you say so Pinkie Pie. Thanks again. Au revior, dear." She turned to head back to the library; Twilight might be back by this time, and she was quite interested in hearing the results of her little reconnaissance.
"Oh Rarity, you're quite good at this. It look like it all might come together with no fuss at all," Rarity reassured herself, smiling as she thought of what needle she needed to thread next.
***
Pinkie Pie hopped swiftly toward Sweet Apple Acres, passing Twilight Sparkle on the road not far out of town; the unicorn was headed toward Ponyville. Pinkie had called out to her purple friend, but Twilight hadn't seemed to notice her, probably lost in thought over another book or magic or something. Twilight always seemed to have her head in the clouds. Why couldn't she be more down to Earth, like Pinkie Pie? Come to think of it, Rainbow Dash had her head in the clouds all day, and she was still down to Earth. Maybe Dash was just really tall, metaphorically speaking. Pinkie considered this for a time.
Her loosely linked chain of thought kept Pinkie Pie thoroughly entertained until she reached Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack did not appear to be at work among the apple trees, so Pinkie Pie headed for the farm house, thinking that the Earth pony might be taking a rare moment of rest at home. Pinkie was pleased when her knock at the door got a quick response. "Come on in, the door's unlocked, y'all."
Pinkie Pie let herself in, and found Applejack in the kitchen, stirring something in a mixing bowl. "Whatcha doin' Applejack, ya cookin' somethin' sweet? Huh huh huh?" Pinkie Pie had to address the issue of food before she could get around to less important subjects.
Applejack looked at Pinkie Pie sternly, "Well, ahm helpin' Granny Smith with preparin' fer bakin' her famous apple pies while she gets in a nap. They won't be ready fer hours yet, but yer welcome to a piece then. One piece, Pinkie Pie, an' not a whole hootin' pie like las' time." Her countenance softened, "Now what brings you 'round to Sweet Apple Acres? Ah know you can't smell pie makin' all the way from town. Somethin' twitchin' tell you?"
Pinkie Pie considered how to ask her question, "Well, I didn't come out here for pie, even though I'm really happy you're offering now, since I do like pie a whole lot, especially Granny Smith's apple pie, but the reason I came was to ask a question: do you know if Big Mac is seeing anyone? Like, not with his eyes, but with the dating?"
Applejack paused her stirring as she processed what Pinkie Pie had asked, then turned toward her slowly with a gigantic grin on her face, "Oh? Has our Pinkie Pie taken a shine to Big Macintosh? Don't be shy now, it's jus' us fillies here."
Pinkie Pie shook her head, "I'm kind of asking cause another pony wants to know cause she wants a shot at him. I think he's nice and all and no offense but your bother isn't my type."
Applejack's interest only seemed to grow, "So then who is it? This is some grade A gossip, yeh've got here Pinkie, an' that's a great way ta pass time on the farm."
"Rarity," Pinkie Pie replied without thinking, and immediately got the feeling that she may have made a mistake. Applejack's playful grin had disappeared.
"Rarity." Applejack echoed, voice utterly flat.
Pinkie Pie put on what she hoped was a reassuring smile, "Uh, yes?"
"Rarity told you she wanted to date Big Mac? Fussy, obsessive-compulsive, vain, full of herself Rarity?" Applejack asked, tension entering her voice.
"Er, yes, that Rarity, though it's not nice to-"
Applejack interrupted, anger dripping from every word, "You tell Rarity to stay away from Big Mac. D'ya hear me? Go tell her that." Applejack turned back to stirring the mix for the pie crust, the wooden spoon clenched hard enough in her teeth to begin to visibly dent.
Pinkie Pie was shocked by her friend's sudden change of mood. "I gue-"
Applejack had dropped the spoon just long enough to interrupt with a shout, "Go! NOW!"
Pinkie Pie left. It hurt her to see one of her friends so upset. She hoped that Applejack would get over it soon. Maybe the pie would make her feel better, since a little twitch told Pinkie Pie that the apple pie would be just perfect this time. That was good; the last batch's crust had needed a bit more salt.
***
Rainbow Dash reclined on a makeshift bed in the branches of an old oak. It was good to rule the skies; she could make her own perfect day for napping. The sun was warm, the sky was clear, and Dash had not a care in the world. Later, she might practice some of her tricks, or work on a new one, but the decision was all hers. Yep, life was good.
Dash's self-congratulations were disturbed by the sound of a pony passing under the oak. Curious, Dash leaned over to see who the passerby was, and then grinned in recognition. "Hey Pinkie Pie, how's it going?"
Pinkie Pie looked up, and Dash noticed that her face had an uncharacteristic look of concern. Her voice was tinged with uncertainty when she replied, words coming out in a rush, "Dash I think I screwed up you see I just came from Applejack's house cause Rarity had told me to go ask Applejack if Big Mac is dating anypony and I asked Applejack and she wanted to know who wanted to know and I told her it was Rarity and she got real mad and told me to leave and she was really mad and I don't know what to do." Pinkie Pie paused, out of breath.
Dash's mood had darkened considerably. She didn't know why somepony always had to ruin her perfect days. "So let me get this straight. You told Applejack that Rarity wants to date Big Mac?"
"Right," Pinkie Pie nodded emphatically.
"And you don't understand why Applejack is upset?"
"Right," Pinkie pie replied, continuing her nod.
"So basically you're blind?"
"Right," the nodding continued for a few seconds, then Pinkie Pie stopped and frowned. "Wait a second. I'm not blind! What are you talking about?"
Rainbow Dash pointedly ignored the question, "Why does Rarity want to date Big Mac, anyway? She's never mentioned him before. She was always set on that prince in Canterlot."
"Well, she said Twilight used some magic to show her future stuff," Pinkie replied, trying to remember details, "And she said the vision told her that she'd love an Apple. So she thought it must be Big Mac."
Rainbow Dash facehoof'd. She'd thought that her friends were supposed to be smart. "Look, I'm going to go find Applejack and try to fix this. You just try not to screw anything else up today, okay Pinkie?"
A streak of rainbow light shot off toward Sweet Apple Acres as Rainbow Dash flew, grumbling about the waste of good nap time.
***
Rarity smiled. Twilight had seemed a bit distracted when she gave her report, but she was satisfied by Twilight's assurance that Big Macintosh was, indeed, intelligent enough to suit her. Nopony in Ponyville was more qualified to judge a stallion's smarts than the town librarian, after all. Still, she knew that she could not rest yet; while Pinkie Pie obtained information from Applejack, Rarity set off in search of Rainbow Dash. Dash's competitive streak would be essential in the next phase of Rarity's plan. She hummed to herself as she scanned each tree in her path for napping pegasi.
***
Despite her speed, Rainbow Dash was able to spot Applejack from the air as she approached Sweet Apple Acres. The mare was standing outside, just staring at the ground; it looked as bad as Dash had expected. She landed just in front of the other mare, and said the first thing that came to mind, the best advice she knew how to give.
Nopony had ever looked at Big Macintosh and thought of subtlety. The massive Earth pony towered over most residents of Ponyville, speaking slowly, moving slowly and, most ponies expected, thinking slowly. At times, Big Macintosh was disappointed by the fact that just about every pony in Ponyville assumed that he was on the intellectual level of Derpy Hooves at best; other times, he liked that nopony considered him capable of guile, stealth, or deception. After all, wasn't deception most effective where was least expected?
Big Mac knew that something was odd about Twilight Sparkle's visit; as much as it had been a pleasure to see her, he expected that she hadn't come without reason. So, when another of Applejack's friends came to Sweet Apple Acres, he stayed out of sight and followed the pink pony, stationing himself outside the kitchen window after he heard Applejack calling from inside. From there, he just stayed quiet and still and listened as the two ponies discussed the issue stirring up so much activity; to Big Mac's surprise, he learned that the issue was him.
He was not any stranger to the attentions of mares by any means, but most of the ones that were interested in him just wanted a stallion that was big, strong, and dumb, and Big Mac didn't want to disappoint the poor fillies on that last count, which would have been necessary in any serious relationship. Still, Rarity had never seemed the sort that would be into him, quite the opposite, in fact; he had doubted that she would ever want to be associated with a farmer in that way. But though he was surprised by the news of Rarity's interest in him, he was even more surprised by his sister's reaction to it. The outburst that caused Pinkie Pie to leave seemed far out of proportion to Applejack's normal feelings of over-protectiveness toward her big brother; it didn't make any sense to Big Mac until he heard his sister start to cry, just after Pinkie Pie had left.
From there, everything fell into place in Big Mac's mind. It explained why she always talked about Rarity more than her other friends, and why she had been so unbelievably devastated when her dress order had made Rarity look bad in front of Hoity-Toity. It also explained why she never seemed to be much interested the stallions that often took a shine to her. In retrospect, it made a lot of sense, and Big Mac practically kicked himself for not realizing sooner. He saw immediately what he had to do, and ran quickly toward Ponyville, hoping to catch up with Pinkie Pie.
He caught sight of the pink mare before too long. She had stopped, and appeared to be talking to an oak tree. Big Mac kept his distance, watching her, only slightly surprised by this behavior; he'd seen Pinkie Pie enough around town and at the few parties he had attended to know that talking to trees would not be out of character for her. He was surprised, however, when a rainbow blur streaked out of the tree's branches, headed off toward Sweet Apple Acres. Big Mac wondered what Pinkie had told Rainbow Dash as he followed the bouncing pink pony toward Ponyville.
***
Rarity couldn't seem to find Rainbow Dash anywhere. The mare was lazy, but at least she was reliably lazy; Rarity knew that at this time of day, Dash would be napping somewhere. Unfortunately, all the trees in Ponyville were pegasus-free, and Dash hadn't been at her floating home when Rarity had yelled up to it. She was just about to give up the search when she spotted the other pony she wanted to see; Pinkie Pie was bouncing into town. Rarity trotted toward her pink friend, hoping for good news, but when she saw the look on Pinkie's face, she nearly despaired. Pinkie Pie was almost never seen without a smile, grin, or some other expression of joy; with such a serious look on her face now, the news Pinkie Pie brought could not be good.
"Pinkie Pie! What happened? Is something wrong?"
Pinkie Pie nodded, "Applejack is reeeeeal mad. When I asked her if her brother is seeing anybody, she wanted to know who was interested in him, so I told her it was you and she practically exploded! She told me to leave real angry like. I've never seen her so mad!"
"Oh dear oh dear oh dear, you told her it was me? I know we don't always get along too well, but I didn't think she'd react that badly. Still, I'd hoped to wait till later to tell her about it. And on my own terms. Oh, I hope this hasn't ruined everything."
Pinkie Pie looked crestfallen, "Oh no. So we're disappointed?"
Rarity was already distracted, thinking of ways to salvage her plans, but she responded offhand, "I don't blame you, Pinkie dear, but I am disappointed."
"Oh no. That's bad. How do we express disappointment? I know," Pinkie Pie yelled to herself, clapping her front hooves, "A party! No! Bad Pinkie Pie! Parties are only for good things. This is a Bad Thing. How do ponies express bad things? I know! Cursing!" The pink pony bounced with glee.
Rarity had ignored Pinkie Pie's soliloquy, lost in her plans, before that last bit caught her attention, "Darling, wha-?"
Pinkie Pie interrupted Rarity's question with a prodigious shout, "FUCK A MAILBOX. SHIT DAMN. ASS." Ponies all over town stuck their heads out of windows and opened doors to see what the commotion was. Rarity was overcome by a combination of shock, embarrassment, confusion, and amusement.
"Pinkie Pie, dear, don't be vulgar! ...Especially when you're so bad at it..." She frowned at the other pony, who looked quite pleased with herself, "Did you at least find out whether or not Big Mac is single?"
"Nope," Pinkie Pie replied, "Applejack told me to leave before she told me. About Big Mac, I mean, I didn't mean she told me to leave before she told me to leave, 'cause that would be silly."
Rarity smiled, trying to make the best of a bad situation, "Well, thanks for trying darling. I have some thinking to do. You should probably go deal with whatever was smoking in your house."
"No way!" Pinkie Pie grinned, "I'm going to go get me some cupcakes. I told you the smoke was all in hand, so don't you worry about it at all. Bye Rarity!" She bounced off toward the shop, humming quietly to herself.
Rarity sighed to herself, "Now what am I going to do?"
***
"Applejack, you've got to tell her."
Rainbow Dash hadn't thought before speaking; she rarely did. Now, though, as she caught her breath and grew more and more uncomfortable while Applejack continued to stare at the ground, Rainbow Dash thought. It wasn't going to be that easy; Applejack's feelings for Rarity had been obvious to Dash for months, and if Applejack hadn't had the courage to tell Rarity yet, it would be hard to convince her to do so now. Still, Dash knew she had to try, and so she waited for a response as the silence dragged on.
Finally, Applejack murmured her reply, kicking at the dust with a hoof, "Ah can't."
Rainbow Dash was not pleased, "What do you mean you can't?"
"Ah jus' can't, okay?" Applejack shouted. "Jus' leave me alone, okay Rainbow Dash? I don't want to talk about it."
"So you're just going to give up?" Rainbow Dash asked, appalled. "The second bravest pony in Ponyville, and you can't gather the courage to tell one pony how you feel about her? I thought my favorite competitor was better than that."
"It's nawt as simple as all that, Dash," the orange mare snapped back, "Ya wouldn't understand!"
Fury washed over Rainbow Dash, fury and regret. She shouted, "Don't you tell me that Applejack! I do understand! I know exactly what it's like to fall for a friend, and not know if you'll ever have a chance to be with her, to fear that she would hate you if she found out!" Applejack's eyes widened in shock as Rainbow Dash continued to shout, words pouring forth in a torrent, "I understand what it's like to treasure every bit of bickering, every argument and competition and fight, because it's time spent with her! Don't tell me I don't understand! I do. I understand too well." Rainbow's tone softened, and the rasp in her voice became a bit deeper as she struggled to maintain her composure, "I also understand what it's like to see the object of your affection fall for someone else. When you started looking at Rarity the way I knew I looked at you, well... it hurt. It hurt so much that I didn't know what to do."
Applejack gasped, "Oh, Dash. Ah never knew..."
Rainbow Dash cut her off before she could say anything more, "It doesn't matter now. I got over it. Still, I wouldn't wish it on anyone; you shouldn't make the same mistakes I made. Whether or not I had a chance, I should have told you. But you have to tell Rarity; you do have a chance. Take it."
"Ya might've had a chance with me Dash, but ah ain't got no chance with Rarity. She's taken a shine ta Big Mac, an' he's a stallion; she wouldn't be int'rested in mares like me," Applejack sighed, her gaze returning to the dirt.
Rainbow Dash waved a dismissive hoof, "A pony can go for both stallions and mares. Trust me. But really, you do have a chance! Did Pinkie Pie tell you why Rarity was asking about Big Mac?"
"Well... no Ah suppose."
Rainbow Dash grinned, "Well she did tell me. Rarity and Twilight used some of that unicorn magic to learn something about the future. They learned that Rarity is going to love an Apple. I think they just assumed that it would be Big Mac, and started from there."
Applejack perked up, "D'ya reckon...?"
Rainbow Dash nodded, smiling, "I think they have the wrong Apple. That's why you need to tell Rarity about how you feel. Like, right now."
Applejack grinned, "Alright, Ah'll tell 'er. Ah'll go find 'er right now."
Dash shook her head, "No, you wait here. I'll go find her and tell her you have something to say to her. She might already be coming here; Pinkie was pretty upset when I saw her, and she probably told Rarity how you reacted."
"Thanks a might, Dash," Applejack replied as Rainbow Dash started beating her wings, taking off and gaining altitude. Then, Dash paused and hovered a few meters in the air.
"It's no problem Applejack. Just remember, if things don't work out with Rarity... Well, I'll still be around."
Big Macintosh waited until Pinkie Pie was nearly out of sight before he stepped out from his hiding place behind the corner of a nearby house. Rarity hadn't moved in the interim; she stood, looking far off into the distance, seemingly lost in thought. Big Mac made no effort to mask his approach; his heavy footfalls thudded on the packed dirt of Ponyville's main street, but Rarity didn't turn to look at the new arrival until he addressed her directly, "Why howdy, Rarity. Ah ain't seen yew in a while. Why d'ya look so sad awn such a nice day?"
Rarity turned, and when she saw Big Mac she tried to put on a smile, but it just made her look more worried to Big Mac, and her voice sounded uneven when she spoke, "Oh, why hello there Big Macintosh. What do you mean? I'm not sad."
Big Mac sighed at her, "Now Ah may nawt be tha mos' per-cep-tive of ponies, but Ah dew know a sad mare when Ah see one, an' there's one in front'a me right now. This got somethin' ta do with that stallion ya took a shine ta?"
Rarity's eyes widened, "How did yo-"
"Word gets 'round quick on tha farm. Now, Ah don't know who this stallion yew got yer eye awn is, but Ah ain't heard no rumors before taday, so it seems awful sudden-like. What's got ya so int'rested in this stallion anyhow?"
Rarity seemed to debate with herself for a moment before answering, "Well Big Mac, the reason is fate. You see, Twilight and I used magic to see a vision revealing the future, and it told me that I was destined to be with an... with a certain pony."
Big Macintosh raised an eyebrow, "An what's some vis-un got ta do with matters ahv tha heart?"
"Well don't you see?" Rarity asked, "That's exactly the kind of romance I'd want. A vision of love, a whirlwind romance, a bond blessed by magic and fate itself!"
"Ah could see how ya'd want that kinda romance," the red stallion replied before pretending to think to himself for a few seconds, "But this here stallion, did ya spend much time with 'im afore tha vis-un?"
"Well, no, bu-"
Big Mac interrupted Rarity's protest, "An' does he like tha same things yew like?"
"I don't see wha-"
The Earth pony cut in again, "An has he shown int'rest in yew in tha' past?"
Rarity was beginning to look discouraged as she answered hesitantly, "No, not really..."
Big Mac nodded, "Ah see. So yer sad on account 'a him re-jec-tin yew. Well, Ah'm right sorry to hear 'bout that, but if'n Ah were that stallion an' you told me yew wanted ta date me cause 'a some vis-on yew had without even knowin' bout me, Ah'd 'a rejected ya too. In tha Apple fam'ly, we know love's got ta do with what ya feel in yer heart, not about what anypony, even fate itself, tells ya ta do. 'Least, that's tha way Ah see it."
He knew that he had done his job when he saw the despair in Rarity's eyes. She wouldn't pursue him anymore, not after being rejected that way, at least, that's what Big Mac counted on. Now, he only had to point her in the right direction. After a pause, he spoke again, "Anyways, Ah came ta town cause Ah was lookin' fer yew. Somethin' ya done made Applejack upset, an' she's in a right state, so I came ta see if yew could go ta Sweet Apple Acres an' work out wha'cha'll need ta work out, an' make up."
If anything, that made Rarity look even sadder, "Oh dear. Did she tell you anything about why she's mad at me?"
"Nope. But Ah do know this. Y'all've been close friends fer a while, y'all're close friends now, an' y'all're gonna be close friends fer a long time yet, one way or another, so y'all're gonna have ta work it out sometime. Might as well be now. It's best not ta let these things fester. She's back at Sweet Apple Acres; go now, afore it gets toward sundown."
Rarity was silent for a few moments, just staring at the larger Earth pony, but then she replied, "You're right, Big Mac. Applejack is more important than this." And with that, she turned and started walking toward Sweet Apple Acres. Big Macintosh turned to watch as she left Ponyville behind.
The red stallion sighed to himself. He hated to see her leave, but he did love watching her go; he almost kicked himself over letting such a grand opportunity to get in good with a great looking mare go. She sent Twilight to see if he had any intelligence, so she obviously cared about that and might even have been a good match for him. Still, his sister had first claim, and he never would have heard the end of it if he'd made a play for Rarity before she had a chance.
He figured he'd need to give the two of them some time, so he decided he might as well stay in Ponyville for a bit. A thought occurred to him, and he decided to throw caution to the wind. He'd given up his chance with Rarity, but there were other options. Great options. He hummed to himself as he trotted toward the library, idly wondering why he had such a thing for unicorns.
***
Applejack was restless. She'd waited inside, but had come out when she'd started worrying about whether she'd see Rarity approaching. She'd stood outside, until she'd started worrying about looking desperate. She'd started pacing, but had stopped when she'd started kicking up dust; Rarity wouldn't have liked that. Eventually, all her worries just sort of balled up inside her until she couldn't tell one from another, and she just felt sick. Still, she twitched with nervous energy, and decided to kick a dead apple tree, to relieve her stress. That sort of thing always made her feel better. There was a dead tree not far from the farm house, so she went over and just started kicking, as hard as she could.
After a time, she wound up another kick, and it missed. She turned around in confusion, then laughed nervously to herself, "Ah guess Ah overdid it...." The splintered tree's roots had been torn out of the ground, and her kicking had caused it to fall over. She needed to get it out of sight before Rarity arrived. Grabbing a branch in her teeth, she started to drag the mangled log toward the woodpile behind the barn.
"Hello there Applejack, darling, what are you doing?"
As soon as she heard Rarity's voice, Applejack felt like the pit of her stomach had simply fallen out, opening into a vast chasm of fear. She cursed her own timing, and Rarity's, as she dropped the branch she'd been using to move the tree she'd downed. "Uh... well... Ah was jus' clearin' some dead wood. What brings you 'round? Rainbow Dash talk ta ya?" Applejack didn't know whether it was the right thing to say; her mind seemed to be filled with nothing but panic, and words seemed to drop out of her mouth without her consent. She hoped that she'd at least said the words in English.
Rarity replied in a puzzled tone, "Well, I did see Rainbow Dash, but I was already on my way over. She just landed and asked whether or not I was coming here. When I told her I was already on my way, she just called me a lucky.... Well, she called me lucky and something rude, and then flew off. Isn't that odd?"
Applejack was able to manage a weak laugh, "Heh, yeah, odd."
The silence stretched between them as though it were tangible. Applejack heard herself break it, "So if Dash didn't tell ya ta come, why are ya here?"
Rarity replied, "It was your brother, actually. After Pinkie Pie told me how angry you were at me, He said some things that made me realize that our friendship is more important than some strange vision, even if I want it to be true. I'm sorry I tried to go out with your brother without talking to you first. I understand why you're angry at me, and I'm sorry."
"What," Applejack stated flatly, dumbfounded. "Rarity, Ah wasn't angry at ya. Ah was angry at mahself, and Ah was jealous ahv mah brother."
"What," Rarity replied, in the same flat tone. "Why would you be...?"
The silence stretched again, and Applejack felt herself near the precipice of decision. Once the words were out of her mouth, she wouldn't be able to take them back. Rarity might hate her. They might never speak again. Rarity might just turn around in disgust, and walk away. Applejack felt like she'd never be able to speak, but she knew that she had to anyway.
The words poured forth from her in a rush, "Ah love you Rarity. Ah've loved ya fer a while now. An' Ah know Ah ain't no pure white stallion with a gleamin' horn. Ah've heard ya describe your perfect weddin' a thousand times by now, and Ah know ya ain't never mentioned no mare at the altar with ya. Ah know ya want a storybook romance that wouldn't cause no scandal nowhere, an foals someday. Ah know ya want all that, an Ah know that Ah can't give ya any of it. If that's really what ya want, well, Ah'll get outa yer hair. But do ya want all that 'cause'a what ya feel, or 'cause that's what everypony told ya to want? Do ya think it'll make ya happy? Is that tha point? Cause, Rarity, Ah know this if Ah know anythin': Ya make me a happy pony, an' if ya can give me a chance ta win yer heart, Ah'll do mah best ta make ya the happiest pony in all 'a Equestria." Applejack couldn't believe that she'd said all that, but it was her voice speaking, and Rarity had heard.
Rarity smiled as tears streamed down her face, and for the first time in a long time, Applejack felt hope.
***
"...And so a lot of ponies learned lessons that day. Applejack learned that sometimes, it can take a lot of courage to tell someone how you feel about them, but you'll never get anywhere by keeping your feelings to yourself. Pinkie Pie learned that you should always be careful with fire, and never leave it unattended. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that lesson has sunk in all the way; we all laughed when she took out so many different insurance policies on that little shack when she bought it last season, but now she's got five times as many bits as she paid for it, and she moved right back into the appartment above the sweet shop the night it burned down. I'm sure she'll be more careful in the future, though," Twilight dictated.
"As for me, well, I learned that just because you don't seem to have much in common with someone at first glance, doesn't mean that they're not the kind of person you were looking for," She continued, looking over at a dark blue unicorn that was reading a large meteorological reference on one of the library's book stands. Spike had never seen him before, and on further examination, the unicorn cast a shadow much larger than his average sized frame gave him a right to. It would fool any pony, but Spike's draconic eyes detected the telltale shimmer of an illusion. After a brief pause, Spike's quill began to move again as Twilight continued to dictate her letter to Celestia, "Whether you knew you were looking or not."
"And Rarity... Rarity learned that when it comes to love, you can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you might find... you get what you need." Twilight walked over to one of the library's windows and opened it, breathing in the fresh air and watching two ponies argue as they sat at a park bench in the clearing nearby. Twilight remained silent as they shouted at each other for a bit, but soon Rarity said something quietly enough that Twilight couldn't hear, and Applejack blushed. The two ponies smiled at each other, and Twilight smiled down at them before motioning Spike over to the window.
"From your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Go ahead and send it, Spike."
Spike gathered up the pages he'd covered in writing, rolled them up as well as he could, raised them toward the window, and blew. Green fire consumed the pages, and a cloud of ash, dust, fire, and magic blew swiftly toward Canterlot over the park bench where two very happy ponies sat, each content, for now, to simply enjoy each other's company.