Them

A knock on Twilight's door. She opened it and saw standing there a dark yellow stallion wearing a jacket and a stetson. His Cutie Mark was a single red apple.

"Howdy, miss!" he said with his no-so-unusual accent.

"Hey, Braeburn. Long time no see!"

"Just a few months, miss Twilight. And yer lookin' as good as always!"

She giggled. "Why, thank you! What do I give the honor of the visit?"

"It's no honor, miss Twilight. Ah'm just a humble apple farmer. Ah'm here to deliver what ya orderer: a batch of fresh infected, ready to be studied!"

"Oh, thank you very much! How many did you brought? Four? Five?"

"Twenty seven."

"T-T-Twenty seven?!"

"Ya look surprised!"

"I-I was hoping to get a maximum of ten."

"Never underestimate the Apple Family, miss Twilight; specially when the strongest stallion of the family is on it!"

"Oh, right, you're working with Big Mac!"

"Well, yes, but... Ah wasn't really talkin' 'bout him!"

Twilight laughed and nuzzled Braeburn's chest. "I know, I'm just messing with you, Braeburn!"

"Am I interrupting something?" asked a third voice, coming from behind Braeburn. The stallion and the mare looked at the source of the voice and saw a cyan pegasus stallion with dark blue mane; Soarin.

"Hello, Soarin." Twilight said, moving away from Braeburn. "Didn't saw you there!"

"I just arrived!"

"Oh, that explains everything!"

"Sooooo, was I interrupting something or not?"

"N-NO!" both stallion and mare said at the same time, blushing lightly.

"We are just..." Braeburn started.

"...Close friends!" Twilight finished.

Soarin chuckled. "Yes, of course. Just friends!"

"Jealous, Soar?" asked Fleetfoot, apparently coming out of somewhere behind Soarin. Both stallions blushed with closed eyes and furrowed brows.

"Jealous?" Twilight asked and, after a few seconds of reflection, she muffled a gasp with her hoof, blushing a little more. "A-Are you two--"

Braeburn covered her mouth with his own hoof. "Don't ya dare to finish this phrase, miss Sparkle!" he said.

"Wh-What are you even doing here, Fleetfoot?" Soarin asked.

"Teasing you! By the way, I saw the way you two were being so forward toward each other, miss Sparkle and Brae-Brae! There's something between you two, I can tell."

"Th-There's nothing between us!!" Twilight almost shouted. "We-Well, maybe half a year ago, but it didn't worked out. Turns out I'm more interested in... Well, mares!"

They heard a shriek coming from the end of the corridor, but when they looked at the source of the sound, there was nothing/nopony there. Hiding in the corner was a blue unicorn mare pressing her back against the wall.

"She... She... She is really into mares?" Trixie thought, breathing heavily. "Did... Did I really heard that? I-I need to be sure!"

Trixie suddenly dashed toward Twilight, tackled her and pinned her to the floor.

"Tr-Trixie?" she asked. "What... What are you doing?"

"Is it true?"

"What is--"

"Is it true that you are into mares?"

"Y-Y-Yes! Why?"

"Since when? Why didn't you told me? Can I ask you out on a date?"

"I don't know for sure since when, I didn't told you because I thought it was irrelevant and, about that last question..."

"Yes?"

"Can I get up now? It's getting kind of hard to breath." Trixie chuckled nervously, got up, helped Twilight up and sat on the floor, looking into her eyes. "Why are you asking me out? I mean, there are lots of wonderful mares around here."

"Because I hated you."

"Wait, what?" Soarin said, confused.

"So, ya love her 'cuz ya hate her?" Braeburn asked.

"I said 'hated', in the past. After months working alongside her, I realized how wonderful she really is! Love overcame my hate."

"That makes sense!" said Fleetfoot.

Twilight sighed. "Look, Trixie."

Trixie's ears flattened against her head and she pouted sadly.

"We're in a critical point of our research. We need to dedicate 100% of our time to study the virus and the infected. Equestria is counting on us!"

Trixie looked down. "I understand..."

Twilight planted a kiss on Trixie's horn and lifted her face, showing her the gentlest smile she could. "I'm not saying 'no', Trixie." She planted another kiss, this time on her muzzle. "I'm saying 'not now'. Do you understand?"

Pink sparkles escaped Trixie's horn as her smile grew bigger and bigger. "Yes!" she hugged her probably future marefriend. "Yes, I do!" She nuzzled Twilight's neck, who returned the gesture of affection.

"Awwww, isn't that just cute?" Fleetfoot said, hugging both Soarin and Braeburn (and at the same time trying to force them to lock lips with each other).

* * *

Applejack was washing the dishes; she had just finished baking an apple pie. Suddenly a pair of hooves covered her face.

"Guess who?" asked a deep, male voice.

Applejack smiled, turned around and hugged the stallion. "Big Mac! Ah'm so glad yer ok."

"Ah'm glad yer alright too. Ah heard about what happened to ya!"

"It's ok, Ah'm better now!"

"Hope y'all be more careful now."

"Well, Ah can't fight anymore, so no more dangerous stuff ro me! An' even if Ah could, RD would make sure Ah wouldn't set a hoof in the battlefield."

"RD? Rainbow Dash?"

"Eeyup!"

"So, ya finally got her?"

"Yes, Ah did!"

She hugged her tightly. "Congratulations, lil' sis!"

"Thanks, big bro."

"So, where is that marefriend of yours? Ah'd like to congratulate her too!"

"Oh, she isn't here. She's at the castle. Rainbow was invited to join the Royal Guard, and it was chosen by Princess Celestia herself to be her personal guard!"

"Wow, that's a very important job!"

"Yup! Now, why don't you go upstairs? Apple Bloom is there, an' she would love to see ya again!"

"I will!" the stallion then went upstairs.

* * *

Fluttershy finished bandaging a mare'ss left rear leg and gave her medical kkit to Sky, who placed it on his back, where Cloud held it in place.

"Now you need to rest." Fluttershy said. "Try not moving it very much! I'll be back next to week to see how you're doing."

"Right. Thank you, doctor!"

"It's no problem at all! Just tell your sons to be more careful about where he leaves his toys."

"You hear that, Button?" the mare asked, looking at the brown colt with the propeller hat who was standing near the bed. "Be more careful from now  on, you hear me?"

"Sorry, mom." the colt said, looking down. "I will be!"

"We gotta go now." the medic mare said. "Be careful you two and until next week!"

The pegasi left the house and took off.

"That's a nice family." Sky said.

Fluttershy nodded. "Once this nightmare is over, I want to do that!"

"What?" Cloud asked. "Break a leg?"

Fluttershy giggled. "No, silly! Settle down in a nice place, start a family, have foals... Two would be nice; a colt and a filly. And then spend the rest of my life taking care of my dear family."

"That's nice!" Sky said.

"But I'm running out of time. The nice stallions are all after the young mares, and I'm already almost 30!"

"What?!" he shouted, startling her. "S-Sorry! I'm surprised. You say you're almost 30, but I was sure you were only around 20!"

"ReallY? Maybe it's because I used to go to a spa once a week with my friend Rarity!"

"Miss Rarity is a pretty mare!" Cloud affirmed. Both Fluttershy and Bright Sky chuckled.

* * *

Applejack opened the door to Rarity's room, where Rarity was breastfeeding the Cake twins.

"Oh, Ah'm sorry!" she said, turning around. "Ah didn't knew you were--"

"It's ok, Applejack. Just close the door!"

Applejack turned around again. "If ya say, so..." she closed the door and sat on the bed, beside Rarity.

"Do you need something, darling?"

"Ah just wanted to talk. It's been months since last time we had a good chat. Not as colleagues, not as Elements Of Harmony, but as friends."

"I suppose you're right!"

"And Pinkie and Fluttershy will be here soon, so we can have a very nice and long chat!"

"Too bad Twilight and Rainbow Dash aren't available, or we could a nice sleepover, like in the good, old times!"

As if on cue, the door swung open and Pinkie Pie walked in.

"Goody good eveny iviny evening!" she said, then proceeded to pet the Cake twins. "Good evening for you two, my sweet little foals!"

"Evenin', Pinkie!" greeted Applejack.

"Good evening, cotton candy." greeted Rarity before being kissed by her marefriend.

"Good evening, marshmallow!" she then looked at Applejack. "Are we really having a sleepover?"

"Ya can say that!"

The pink Earth Pony mare bounced in glee and ran downstairs to prepare everything for the sleepover that would start once Fluttershy arrived.

* * *

Bright Sky was chasing Dark Cloud, both siblings laughing. Fluttershy just walked while watching them, giggling. When Sky finally caught Cloud, the colt fell asleep on his big brother's arms, who smiled and placed him on his back and walked side by side with Fluttershy.

"You and your brother are really close." she said.

"You bet! We lost our parents at a very young age, so we had to take care of each other."

"It's beautiful to see siblings like you, caring so much for each other!" she sighed. "I wish my relationship with my sister was likee yours."

"You have a sister?"

"Yes. Thunder Tornado! I always wanted to be like her; strong, caring, assertive and beautiful! That's it, until she started dating Iron Beak."

"Iron Beak? That's a weird name for a pony."

"He's a griffon."

"Figures!"

"After she started dating him she changed completely. She started bullying others, even me, cared for nopony else but herself and even cut her beautiful mane into a terrible mohawk. Nothing against mohawks, it's just that it didn't looked good on her!"

"That sounds terrible."

"Because it was! Things were like that until she decided to run away with him to the Griffon Kingdom. I never heard of her after that, but at least' she's safe, away from those monsters out there! That's it, assuming that the virus didn't spread to other countries..." a tear escaped Fluttershy's eye. A tear Sky wiped with his wing. She then hugged him, crying a lot. "I miss her so much! SHe turned into a horrible sister, but she is still my horrible sister and I love her! I will always love her, no matter what!"

Sky hugged her back and starting patting her back. After a few minutes of sobs, sniffs and tears, Fluttershy let go of him.

"I nedded that. Thank you for being such a dear friend, Sky."

"No problem, Flutters."

"Once this is over, I'll go after her. I need to see her one more time. Tell her everything I always wanted to tell her!"

"You do that!"

She hugged him again.