Everyone makes mistakes.

And when you do make them, they can be little or small ones.

Thing is, when you do make mistakes, they can and sometimes are like a snowball rolling down a hill. They may start off as small and insignificant things but, once they get going down that hill, other mistakes begin to pile on top. And pretty soon, before you know it, you end up with some poor cartoon cat, duck, coyote, or off-season hunter running for their dear life right before being steamrolled by a house sized ball of oh buck.

It was an interesting way to put things into perspective, given the season and all. And, as far as you could tell though, you were pretty sure if you got steamrolled by such a thing, you wouldn’t be able to inflate yourself back up. So that only helped to put your current predicament in a more surreal light.

Odds were good you weren’t going to walk away uninjured from this ever growing snowball of yours. Aside from the ever growing headache you were now enjoying, that is.

You couldn’t really explain what had happened back there. One minute you were being swung around like a baseball bat, the next you were having a very salacious dream, and before you knew it… you were kissing Lyra. A pony that you counted among your best friends, right there in front of everypony, your lips against her lips, seconds from introducing your tongue into her mouth.

And the oddest part of it all… was that she had been overjoyed by it.

Big Macintosh at that moment had told you to follow him out of the cave. And you’d be lying if you denied feeling a bit of panic reverberate through you.

You had followed the giant workhorse without a sound, stopping only to pick up your jacket, pants, and sweater that had been used as a makeshift pillow for your thumping head. Your side had been bandaged up with what you could only assume was once the t-shirt you had worn underneath. And, as you looked at your injury, and then turned to look at the ponies in the cave, it did not fair well for you.

The looks you got from everypony, including Lyra, as you rounded a corner towards the cave exit made it seem like they were watching somepony being led to the gallows.

And it might as well have been the case, if not for what you saw when you rounded the corner. You were pretty sure death marches didn’t usually involve leading the captive through a gorgeous cavern.

The cave, or better yet, cavern, was bigger than you realized at first. The area where you woke up seemed to only be a small section that opened up into a much bigger area. Everywhere you looked, the cavern was adorned with spirals and columns of rock that shot up from the ground and down from the ceiling. Some, even formed giant columns that glittered with the faint light of the fire you left behind. And everywhere you looked, you could see the faint glimmer of crystals and minerals that had formed into outcrops that attempted to fill every empty space.

All in all, it was beautiful, to say the least.

And, as you walked further into it, following Big Macintosh away from the warmth of the fire, you felt your mind beginning to race a bit as you tried to take account of everything that had happened. You felt you had enough time to allow as much as you followed a few feet behind Big Macintosh along a small trail hugging the wall that lead to a light at the end, to the outside.

Your metaphorical snowball was rather large. And your headache felt like it just kept growing to match it the more you thought about it.

To start off, the initial mistake had been your brilliant gift idea for Applejack to celebrate your first Hearths Warming Eve together as an official couple.

In your determination to make it a reality, you had distanced yourself from her a bit, constantly working and spending less time with her. It was not intentional, of course, but as far as you knew, she didn’t know that. And you desperately wanted a chance to explain what you had been doing, and set things straight. But instead, you had been kidnapped.

That there brought you to the next issue your mind felt it needed to attack.

You and your friends had been captured by Changelings, which in and by itself was perhaps the most unlikely thing you could have ever imagined happening to you. Let alone how quick, brutal, and utterly unprovoked the attack itself had been. Who seriously knocks out a person with a jar of apple jam?

The answer was simple.

The wannabe Changeling Queen had a plan in mind. And that plan was, without a doubt, the biggest issue on your mind capable of shoving everything else out.

The Changeling wanted to gain the crown by any means necessary. And that meant replacing you in order to get close to Applejack. After which, she would replace her to get close enough to Princess Celestia.

But Applejack…

You had to pause your thought process for a slight moment to try to reign in your emotions. You could feel your fist clench as that thought ran through you aching mind. So much so, that you didn’t even notice as you began moving up a slightly steeper slope while you continued to follow Big Macintosh.

Your head was now thumping something fierce.

That Changeling was going to harm Applejack to get what she wanted, and who knew how many others.

Applejack…

You had to force yourself to take a deep breath and unclench your hands. You could feel the indentation your nails had left on the inside of your palm. You were not an angry person, no more than any other individual. Some would even say less. But, this was something intimately personal to you.

She was threatening the one you loved, and she was going to use you to do it.

How could you not be enraged by it!?

Again, you forced yourself to take another deep breath as a pang of pain from your head made you clench your eyes shut in discomfort. Getting worked up was not helping your headache, at all. You needed to take one thing at a time. No matter how much you wanted to solve everything immediately and at once so that you could go back home and just pretend like today had never happened.

But you couldn’t. Not yet at least.

You felt yourself let out a sigh as some clarity finally came to you and your headache seemed to diminish a bit. It gave way to a question that, for obvious yet odd reasons, was the one you needed to focus on first.

That is, if you wanted to survive what came next.

“Why was Lyra so happy back there with the kiss? It was an accident. I-I don’t get it, but it was so strange. It felt no different than when Applejack kisses me. I mean, she was eager, and Applejack’s always so happy and eager too when we kiss, and... I mean it’s not like Lyra likes m-“ Your thoughts came to an abrupt end as you reached the most obvious conclusion there was. A lump had quickly formed in your throat and you could feel yourself sweating underneath your jacket as your eyes grew bigger and bigger, and your mouth worked to force out the only words it could.

“OH SON OF A BITCH!”

“Eeyup.”

You nearly jumped out of your skin as the last voice you wanted to hear came from right next to you. Your heart was pounding in your chest but, as you took a few deep breaths to try and calm yourself, you realized something was off. The air you were breathing had gotten colder, and there was a howling in your ears.

You had reached the exit to the cave, and you now easily stood in five inches of snow. You hadn’t even realized it since you had been too lost in your thoughts. Which now, thanks to the sudden spike in your probability to have a heart attack, had all but been scattered about while your mind raced to make sense of what was going on.

In front of you, the snow storm outside was fierce, and you were rather surprised you had been able to hear Big Macintosh at all over the howling wind. You could barely see about 20 feet out of the cave entrance, barely being able to make out the trees among the windswept snow flurries that hid the world beyond.

No pony in their right mind would be venturing through that without risking getting lost and freezing into a popsicle. Nopony was going anywhere until it died down. And, by the looks of the dimming light, the storm would last well until it was night time.

“Ah reckon we ain’t moving anywhere in this…” You heard Big Macintosh comment while he stood right outside the cave entrance, next to you, looking out into the snow storm as the wind swept through his mane and coat. He was covered with a bit of snow, but beyond that, he looked like he always did.

Calm and stoic.

For whatever reason, that made you unwillingly drop your defenses a bit, and you stood next to him without thinking of moving away. You drew your jacked tighter around you, and your mind continued to work faster and faster. Both of you remained silent for what felt like an eternity, until finally, Big Macintosh felt it was the right time to speak again.

“Eeyup, nopony is going anywhere in this here storm.” He let out this reaffirmation in a puff of steam that quickly vanished in the wind, right before he turned to look at you. You could see him out of the corner of your eye, but you barely allowed it to register and you did not turn to look at him.

“So, why don’t you n'ah talk about what happened back there…”

Your thoughts seemed to throw on the brakes, again, and you found your head drooping forward as if from the momentum. You tried to put what you were feeling and thinking into words. You had kissed Lyra, plain and simple. In front of three eyewitnesses, you had kissed your friend, and she had enjoyed it immensely whether it had been intentional or not. And the explanation for that was now as clear as daylight.

Lyra wanted to be more than friends with you.

What she had said while you were all prisoners suddenly made so much more sense.

“Big Mac, I-I really don’t know what happened back there. But believe me when I say that Applejack is-”

You found your words cut short as the giant work horse waved a dismissive hoof at you, before looking straight into your eyes…

And smiled at you.

You blinked, confused.

“Ah ain’t angry at yah…”

“I…w-what? But, I kissed Lyra! How can you not be angry about it?”

“That’s Applejack’s right t’be when she finds out. So, it ain’t mah place to be angry with yah, nor deny mah sister the, um, pleasure to resolve it if n'how she sees fit.” He finished saying with a chuckle and a shake of his head at the ground. “Was nice knowing yah though…”

Again, you blinked. Still rather confused but taking it in strides. You supposed that made some odd, sort of sense. Applejack was a grown, mature mare, after all. And form the stories she told you, she could handle almost anything that came up. She didn’t need her brother to fight her fights for her. She’d murder you herself for this when she found out. And she would. Once you told her, that is…

“Oh horseapples…” You mumbled to yourself as images of a very pissed off Applejack danced across your imagination. More specifically, as she danced atop what little bits remained of you. You didn’t need a mirror to know the blood was draining from your face.

“Eeyup… That’s the look of sum’pony who knows that he’s in ah heap of trouble.” His straw moved from one side of his mouth to the other, as his expression suddenly became unreadable to you. “So… guess maybe yah gonna keep this quiet from her, huh?”

“What? Of course not! What kind of suggestion is that?!”

Your sudden outburst left you with little time to react, right before you found yourself pulled and wrapped in a tight hug against the giant red horse. And another hoof immediately descended upon your head, ruffling you hair.

“That’s what ah was hoping to hear from yah. Nuh’thing but honest, and nuh’thing less from what ah’ve come to expect from you.

“Uh… Whu?”

“Yah know yah could have been kissing Thunderlane if yah had woken up a minute earlier, right? He and Miss Lyra had just switched watching over yah! Ha! Must admit, would have been mighty hilarious if yah had!”

“…”

You didn’t say anything, confusion quickly giving away to eye twitching anger as you turned to look at Big Macintosh. A subtle realization suddenly hitting you like a truck, which in retrospect, it wasn’t so subtle of a realization.

“Ar-are you insane?! You were testing me just now?! NOW of all times?!”

Big Macintosh suddenly began to laugh, hard, loud enough even to be heard over the howling snowstorm. You could see him trying his best to get it under control, which you realized he was horrible at… right before he let go and fell onto the snow, laughing and kicking his hooves in the air.

“You’re a horrible, horrible pony! You know this right?!"

“A-ah know yah -haha- didn’t do it on purpose. So don’t worry –oh Celestia– ah’ll back yah up with Applejack –hehe– as long as ah'm –haha– out of harm’s way.”

“AH!”

In retrospect, tackling a prone horse on the snow covered ground fit in rather nicely along with all your other ill though out actions for the day. Big Macintosh, with his hooves already kicking merrily in the air, was able to quickly react and hold you back.

“HARM?! Applejack’s the only one in harm’s way and you’re out here testing my loyalty to her?!”

“Now yah hold on ah’n apple picking minute and let me expl-”

“Explain wha-OWW!”

The pain you felt shoot through your side was enough to double you over and cause you to roll off of Big Macintosh. With a calculated motion, he had moved one of his hoofs towards your injured side, where the Changeling had clawed you, and simply allowed you to trash against it, effectively and painfully pocking yourself against it.

You were down, and before you could recover, a tremendous weight fell on you and buried your face down into the snow, not allowing you to so much as lift an inch to escape. Big Macintosh was now lying on top of you, using his weight not to crush you, but to simply hold you down.

“Yah need to cool your head a bit and calm down so we can talk.”

You were pretty sure he couldn’t make out the string of obscenities you let out through a mouthful of snow, but if he did, he didn’t react. For that matter, he didn’t say anything else, and the world around you slowly grew quieter as all sound vanished into the howling wind. You too became silent after only a few seconds. And, after a minute or so of heavy breathing and the cold from the snow digging into your face, you slightly turned your head to the side, and managed to peer up at Big Macintosh through the snow that kept falling.

You were not expecting what you saw.

Big Macintosh was looking down at you with a clear sadness dominating his features.

“Big Mac?”

No immediate reply came as his green eyes bore into yours, and a cloud of steam left his nostrils as he let out a defeated sounding sigh.

You kept looking up at him, ready to ask again. But, before you could say anything, you were mentally halted as he lowered his head, and laid it next to yours as he continued to lay on top of you. His eyes were now staring off into the distance as he let out another puff of steam in a sigh, and furrowed his brows. Your own brows furrowed, and your mouth opened. Trying to speak…

“Dag’nabit… Fluttershy’s a whole lot better at this than ah’am... Yah know yah injured, right?”

Only for it to close again as he spoke to you.

“Ah can’t let...Yah can’t just run off with ah, ‘all Tartarus be damned’ attitude to save Applejack. Them Changelings mean business, and they ain’t looking to pull their bucks to get what they want. Yah need t’go into this with a clear head and… ah though maybe make ya laugh about something as trivial as kiss would of helped ah bit but ah went and bucked that up, and... and dag'nabit, its gonna happen again…”

You simply kept looking at him, waiting for him to continue for almost a minute, only to see and hear his expression and voice become sad and grim.

“Yah know, ah didn’t believe at first what Fluttershy told me yah went through to make things right with Applejack back then. Heck, no stallion had evah been dumb enough to do what yah did. And ah thought yah got a few bruises and bums simply cause that was you being you. But… da’gum, yah pulled it off and damn near blew up the whole town doing it.”

“Well, technically, that was Rainbow Dash…” You meant it to be a joke, to try and lighten the mood but, no sooner did these words leave your mouth, that you saw a sad smile splay across Big Macintosh’s muzzle, right before he let out yet another sigh.

“Eeyup, that she did… But you, yah caused that, yah know? Yah pushed n’pushed and no matter how hard them mares pushed back, yah didn’t stop even though your body wanted to, and you got through to Applejack. And then…”

Another sigh left the giant work horse as a deeper sadness showed itself and replaced that small sad smile from a second ago. Truth be told, it was a side of him you had never seen before.

“Horse apples… ah escaped Fluttershy ah second time, yah know? Made mah way to the house through the orchard at night and thought ah’d hide in Applejack’s room. Last place Fluttershy would check, or so ah thought… W-wasn’t expecting to see what ah saw. Y-yah didn’t look right. Bandages all over yah as mah poor sister Applejack slept in her bed with you, hugging yah so tight ah doubted even Celestia could have pulled yah away from her.” He had to pause for a second, closing his eyes before he continued, and hopefully before you could see a tear form and roll down his cheek.

You didn’t say anything, and only listened.

“Ah was so dumbstruck ah didn’t even react when Fluttershy came up from behind me and placed her hoof on mah back. Heck, didn’t even notice Nurse Redheart sleeping in the chair in the room. Fluttershy, she had found out about what happened to yah in the morning after, just as the sun came up. Applejack had dragged yah from the orchard to the house, and once she made sure yah were still breathing, she shot off to get her cause we were closest…”

This time around, Big Macintosh didn’t even make the effort to hide the new tears that shone on his eyes.

“Fluttershy volunteered t’spend the first night there, keep Applejack company while she watched over yah. Th-that’s why she wasn’t at our cottage when ah let mahself out… she didn’t tell me cause she didn’t want me to worry. Cause she new ah’d blame mahself cause ah ran out on yah when Miss Pinkie Pie jumped out at us.”

“Big Mac…” You found yourself saying before he continued. “You weren’t at fault. At that moment, against Pinkie Pie, a part of me honestly viewed it as survival of the fittest… at least until Fluttershy tackled you. Then she became the fittest.”

That caused him to chuckle a bit. But it didn’t last as he closed his eyes again and shook his head, his sad expression and voice refusing to leave him.

“That… that ain’t an excuse though. Not at that moment and not now. Ah told yah back then ah thought of yah as family, and that ain’t changed since then. And family not only cause of yah being with Applejack, but… Thing is, ah’ve come to think of yah as mah own brother, and ah hope yah will be someday. Though, yah a mighty weird looking thing. And… and ah abandoned yah when yah could of needed me. Family don’t do that. And cause ah did that… mah sister had to suffer as she watched over yah.”

Things became quite as you both continued to look at one another. You had known him for a long time. He had been a constant friend since your earlier days in Equestria, after you began living at Sweet Apple Acres. And if there was thing you understood without a doubt about him, it was that he loved his family and would do anything to keep them out of harm.

And truth be told, you too had come to consider them as family yourself. But hearing it from somepony else, beside Applejack who loved you unconditionally, made you realize how fortunate you were to have met them, and just how much they all meant to you.

The thought of you ending up like before, and Applejack having to go through that again, was not something he was going to allow.

“You’re an idiot Big Mac. Get off me.”

Which was perhaps one of the couple of reasons why Big Macintosh’s expression changed and turned to one of offense and annoyance. He however did as you asked, and he removed himself from on top of you, and sat down a bit away from you. That look on him though, didn’t last long as you wasted little time in standing up and walked over to him before throwing your arms around him to pull him in for a hug.

For the first time, ever, since you had known him, he flinched.

“A simple, ‘sorry for ditching you back there’ would have sufficed. And honestly, you’re an idiot for thinking any of that was remotely your fault, and an idiot for thinking I can just brush off that kiss with Lyra as ‘trivial’. I know it’s going to come back to bite me in the plot later. But... your idiocy aside...thank you, Big Macintosh.” You said with a smile as you pulled away and moved your hand to his shoulder before giving it a heartfelt pat.

“Thank you for trying to help me clear my head... brother.”

There was nothing but sincerity in your voice as you told him this, and you felt him give you a similar pat on your shoulder with his hoof.

“So, ah take it yah ain’t gonna stop at nuh’thing to keep Applejack safe in all of this.”

“Well, wouldn’t you pull out all the stops, or go that far, no matter what, for Fluttershy?”

“Eeyup.”

“Heh, then I guess we’re both idiots, true and true.”

“Heck, ah think ah caught mah idjet from you.”

“Nah, you don’t catch my degree of idject. You have to earn it.”

“Well, then ah suppose we’re all gonna earn our idject titles after this.”

Big Macintosh’s expression was finally back to its stoic self as he spoke and you nodded in agreement.

A comfortable silence had quickly settled around the two of you, and it was now darker than before, making it rather clear that this conversation had gone on for a while. And honestly, the sudden realization that you weren’t alone in all this. That at least one other pony was going to be doing everything to help you save Applejack, made this conversation well worth every second.

Even if nothing had honestly been resolved.

“I guess though, I should at least try and solve one problem, and set things straight with Lyra before we go stop a crazy Changeling.”

Strangely enough, at that moment and with everything that had just happened, you honestly expected more support from Big Macintosh instead of him just shrugging his shoulders before turning around to look out into the snowstorm and around the cave entrance.

“Well, maybe it won’t be so bad for yah. Equestria is ah might different from where yah came from.”

“Yeah? How so? Are females more forgiving?”

“Well, ah can't say for sure. But for starters, ah doubt yah’d see ah Changeling heading towards yah through ah snowstorm.”

“Oh yeah, you definitely don’t see-wait, what?! Oh sh-”

Some of the lights from Ponyville were still visible through the trees as the train made its way up the mountain towards Canterlot. It was still a ways away. And, although the falling snow gave the scenery a new face through the dark of night, the pony staring out the window of one of the passenger cars found little interest in it as she absently pet the mane of the pony that slept next to her.

She had been silently staring at the fog on the window she created each time she breathed. And each time it fogged up, it revealed an odd looking stick figure with two legs that had been crudely drawn not too long ago. As she breathed on it again though, and the window fogged up, she redrew the figure with her hoof and added another figure with four legs next to it.

A small smile formed across her lips as she looked at the window, and on her next breath, she added a few more figures to the window.

“Applejack? Dear?”

“Hm-huh?” Applejack barely reacted as she heard her name called and turned to see Rarity sitting on the seat across from her. She hadn’t even noticed when she sat down, let alone for how long she had been there.

“Howdy Rares…” She gave Rarity a small smile. “What’s on yah mind?”

“Well, not so much my mind, but rather, what is on your mind, darling?”

“Huh?”

Applejack followed Rarity’s gaze towards the window and felt a tad bit silly for having drawn such foalish things.

“Heh, sorry, guess ah made a mess on the window. Ah’ll clean it before-”

“Don’t darling, it’s… unique.”

Applejack could only stare at the white unicorn while one of her eyebrows climbed up further and further till it almost disappeared under her hat. It was rather hard for Rarity not to quickly notice this, and she cleared her throat in the most lady-like fashion she could muster before she spoke again.

“Your family, is unique, Applejack.” She said with a genuine smile as she turned to look back at the fading picture on the window. What she now caught a glimpse of, was a figure with two legs, one with four legs and a hat that stood next to it, a big figure with a smaller figure with wings on its back, and a small filly like figure that stood next to one with crooked legs.

Rarity couldn’t help but let out a giggle as she turned back to look at Applejack.

“Though I guess your art skills are a bit rudimentary, dear Applejack. Perhaps it would be best if you all got a picture taken together once we resolve all of… this.” She finished with a twirl of her hoof to emphasize what she meant. It had its desired effect though, and that suggestion got a smile out of Applejack.

Applejack’s hoof had come to a stop as she felt Fluttershy fidget a bit while she still slept on the sit. Her family had grown indeed, and it was still growing. And she’d be damned to Tartarus if she allowed anything to get in the way of that.

“I’m certain they are fine, Applejack.” Rarity commented as if reading her friend's thoughts.

“Ah know, Rarity, n’ah hope that we are all correct on thinking that. But, ah just…” She stopped and shook her head as she rubbed her temples underneath her hat. “Ah just wish ah knew why he was so hard set on going to the shop today, or for that matter, these past few weeks. This all ain’t of happened if he stayed home. But, it were almost like he were up to sum’thing and-”

The strangled noise that emanated from Rarity was loud enough to cause Applejack to pause and turn to look at the white unicorn sitting across from her. Rarity was looking off to the side, her face scrunched up as she apparently now found the ceiling of the passenger car the most interesting thing in Equestria.

“Rarity? What was tha-”

“You know darling, I think we could use some snacks to help carry this lovely conversation forward.”

The scrunchiness on Rarity’s face only intensified as she finished speaking. And Applejack’s eyes narrowed dangerously underneath her hat as she focused on the sweating unicorn.

“Um, yes, quite… And now I am rather parched, so I think I’ll go see if I can find that snack trolley for us and-”

Rarity’s valiant attempt to vacate her seat and walk towards the aisle was halted by a much faster moving Applejack dead set on keeping the unicorn from going anywhere. It was like watching a deer freeze in the lamp lights of an oncoming carriage.

“Rarity, yah ain’t leaving till yah tell me-HEY!”

The sudden blue hue that coalesced over Rarity’s horn was quickly, and quite literally, slapped away as Applejack’s tail shot out in a swipe to flick at it. The sudden interruption broke Rarity’s spell and she suddenly found herself pressed against the window as Applejack drew closer to her, her green eyes portraying nothing but focus and determination to get what she wanted out of her. Panicking, the unicorn tried again, and was met with the same results.

“Quit it! Don’t ya think for a second I don’t recognize ah teleportation spell when ah see one, Rares. Besides, this here’s ah train. Not many places to hide, so unless ya want to flee into the forest, yah best start talking”

Rarity pondered this for a second as she turned to look behind her, out into the passing forest and mountain scenery, and then back to look at Applejack’s determined expression. She paused for another second or two before she turned back to look out at the scenery again, and then took her time to turn back and focus on Applejack’s now deadpan and unamused expression.

“Really, Rarity?”

“What? I’ll have you know that I am quite capable of, ‘roughing it’ in the woods.”

“Uh huh…” There went that eyebrow again. And, with a sigh of defeat, Rarity had no other choice but to succumb to it and sat down hard on the floor.

“Fine, but…” She looked around, scanning to see if anypony else was listening in on then. Only after she felt certain, she motioned for Applejack to get closer. “You have to promise you will still act surprised when the time comes.”

“What in Equestria are yah going on about Rarity?”

“Well, it’s just…it’s supposed to be a secret. And, even if I didn’t Pinkie promise, I-” Rarity stopped when she notice Applejack take her hooves into her own, and gave her a pleading look. “I… he-he was at my shop a few weeks ago for measurements and, well, while conversing he mentioned that he wanted to do something special for Hearth’s Warming Eve and mentioned something about dinners being a custom or such back where he’s from… and I may have, sort of, slightly suggested this one rather expensive restaurant in Canterlot.”

“A-A restaurant?”

“Oh yes! But I doubt this has anything to do with this. The one I suggested is perhaps the most expensive restaurant in Canterlot. Quite luxurious and the food is simply divine. He seemed rather taken with the suggestion and nearly left right there and then to go make the reservations. Though, I do believe the price was rather shocking to him once I mentioned it and-Applejack, darling? Are you okay?”

Applejack hardly reacted when Rarity spoke to her again. She was too busy trying to prevent a small tear from making its way down her cheek, only to fail and having to bring a hoof up to wipe it away.

“Oh dear, Applejack, I had no intention of upsetting you. Like I said, it is very unlikely this has anything to do with what happened to his shop, or to him and your brother. I simply thought-”

A set of strong hooves prevented her from finishing that sentence and Rarity suddenly found herself in a tight hug with Applejack. It took her a second or two to process what was going on and, once her well manicured hamster began to spin its wheel, she wrapped her own hooves around the farmer pony to return the hug.

“Thank you, Rarity.”

“Whatever for, Applejack?”

“For making me realize ah’m being an idjet. Heh, ah guess trying t’make sense of all this has made me ah bit silly.”

“Oh Applejack, don’t be, well, silly. I think you are well entitled to such, uh, silliness given the situation.”

“Heh, ah guess so. Though, ah’m a might angry at him now…”

Rarity pushed away from Applejack, her expression being nothing short of confusion and uncertainty of whether or not she had heard her right. However, as she looked at Applejack, she couldn’t help but feel that her smile was rather, contrary to the sentiment she had just conveyed.

“I- I am afraid I don’t quite understand, darling…”

“Well, cause now that ah know this, after we find’em… Ah’m gonna have t’ask yah to make me ah fru-fru dress for that fancy dinner that idjet planned.”

No mare should be allowed to squee in such delight as Rarity did at that exact moment.

Which oddly enough worked rather well for Applejack since the fashionista wasn’t able to hear her mumble to herself, how she was going to use that dress to strangle a certain human with it for having made her go through all this.

A cold vibe suddenly shot down your spine, and you nearly lost your footing as your head was forced to look behind you, into the snowstorm. You slowly scanned the area around you to make sure nothing was watching you, waiting for you to drop your guard. Something primal, as primal as self-preservation could get, told you that if you did, it would not end well for you.

“Yah okay over there?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, sorry. It’s just…” You paused as you readjusted your position and gave one last glance behind you. “You ever get the feeling you’re in trouble, but don’t know why yet?”

“Yah kidding, right?” Big Macintosh spoke while he gave you a deadpan look, which in itself was rather impressive seeing how none reactive his face always looked. “With the day you n’the rest of us are having, ah’m surprised it took yah this long to realize we’re in a heap of trouble.”

“Heh, funny, funny… been kind of a weird day for me, okay? So I get a pass. How’s your day going?”

Big Macintosh didn’t reply, stopping only to look at you and readjust his position.

“Okay, fine. Quiet time. Let’s get her inside before we both turn into popsicles.”

“Eeyup.”

“One, two, and… *hurk*”

You didn’t realize how much your side was beginning to hurt. But, with a bit of effort, you were able to lift the unconscious Changeling onto Big Macintosh’s back, and adjust her until you were sure she would not slide off. Once you were certain of that, both you and the red stallion began to make your way back into the cavern, and down into the cave.

“Yup… strange day indeed.” You mumbled to yourself as you pondered how smart it was to bring in a maybe enemy, maybe ally, into the place where you and your friends were hiding.

“Eeyup…”

Good thing you had a brother that agreed with you.

Author's Note

Drama, drama, drama, drama-llama~

Ah bit of drama and feelings never hurt anyp-OH CELESTIA! MY HANDS! WHY?!"

Disclaimer - All characters presented in this work of fiction are owned by their respective creators and owners. In short, all the wubs go to Hasbro.