Fun Fact Contest: The Apple behind Operation RedHeart

by FandomAnvil

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Original Character
Length: 6297

Operation RedHeart. Its seven 'hired' operatives include one covert pervent, one sharp tongued lady-mare, one pranking OCD, one mini package of intimidation, one green gentle giant, one smart muscled chef and one obnoxiously egoistic ace.

Operation RedHeart had more to it than meets the eye. Was it merely coincidence that all its operatives banded together for a common casue? True they were all friends, probably looking for some juicy ship tease. If so, did you ever notice someone missing? Perhaps a certain rainbowed mane pegasus?

Here is the account of the true mastermind behind Operation RedHeart. The Admiral of all ships known in the universe. The de facto leader of the next generation of crusaders. The apple that had an uncanny ability to fall out of the tree into dirt at very awkward times. The spawn of two adventurers, Api Apple "Spunky Adventurer".

Published 2015-03-11 01:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-03-31 16:36:46 UTC

Now Kiss

It all felt like a dream. There he was in his alicorn self, walking up to her before standing right in front of her and looking down with his electric blue eyes. Red June saw a tiny smile cracked at the corners of his lips and felt a heated blush redden her mulberry cheeks, the shade of red brought out both her white freckles and green eyes.

The distance between her and Valiant Heart had grown short enough for them personal space to intertwine. Not daring to make any sudden moves, her four hoofs remained frozen where they stood. His muzzles slowly leaned in closer to hers until she could feel his warm breath brush along her cheeks. It made her heart race with anxiety and caused her to look away in embarrassment.

She tried to back away, her right foreleg lifting itself in retreat but his sky blue hoof came up to gently hold her by the chin, melting away any intention she had of running away. He lifted her head delicately back up to face him. His loving smile now clearly evident as she was reminded just how close they were.

“Now kiss!” squeaked a certain little white coated filly that popped out from behind Red June.

“H-huh? What?” Red June stammered as the sky blue stallion disappeared in a bright flash called reality.

Red June found herself back in her room, seated at her desk. The surface of the wooden furniture was barely visible, hidden under a cover of letters, letters from her correspondence with the prince she was daydreaming about. She then noticed in her hoofs the most recent letter she had gotten from him.

“I said, Uncle Mac is looking for the plow disc,” Api repeated herself to her older cousin.

“Oh sorry, Api. I was thinking about something else,” the older mare offered an apologetic smile. “Del was using it yesterday. I reckon you better ask him”

“Where is Del anyway? I didn’t see him bucking in the orchard.”

“He isn’t?” Red June tilted her head in deep thought. “Oh, I remember now. He was helping me make a delivery to Sugarcube Corner.”

“Why? What are you busy with?” Api tried to climb up the desk to look at the letters holding her cousin’s attention.

“Nothing!” Red June threw her forelegs over the letters. “I mean… nothing interesting, just boring old letters from an old friend.”

“Valy…Valiant Heart,” Api read the name from the letter she managed to get her hoofs on. “Isn’t that the name of the prince from the crystal empire?”

“Api!” Red June reached out to snatch back the letter.

“Hey! I was reading that,”

“You can’t read them. These are personal.”

“The prince writes personal letters to you? Wow. I didn’t know you two knew each other.”

“I have to thank Claire for that. It was way back when you weren’t even born yet. She and her family had moved to Ponyville for quite some time. He came to visit and she introduced me.”

“Pixel never introduced me to any prince other than the ones in her video games,” Api grumbled as her eyes fixed on the letters being kept away into a little wooden chest. “So how come I’ve never seen him visit?” Api’s question was immediately answered with a disappointed sigh.

“He used to be able to visit more often. That was when he was still a unicorn and before he had any royal duties,” Red June explained while her eyes lingered on the closed chest. “Still, even now, he manages to find time to write every now and then to keep in touch.” A small content smile poked out at the corners of her lips.

“Aww…I was hoping he was visiting soon. A prince must have been on lots on adventures right? Definitely not as much as my pa but still, any adventure is always a good story,” Api jumped around the room, swinging her hoofs around and pretending be on an epic journey like the ones her father would tell her.

“Funny you should mention that. He’s actually coming to visit in a few days. I just got his letter informing me about it,” Red June giggled at the little filly’s shenanigans. She then turned her head towards the window, recalling the times when they met and whispered with a reminiscent tone, “I can’t wait to see him again.”

Api paused her make believe display of a quest, eyeing the dazed mare with interest. Then a thought hit her. “What is he like?” Api asked in an all so innocent fashion.

“He is everything you would expect a prince to be, a real gentlecolt; kind and caring. He has a really big ego about his looks sometimes, but by Celestia, is he a looker. That’s even before he became an alicorn! His mane is steel blue with mustard strips and his coat sky blue. But his eyes. Those electric blue, deep, round, perfect eyes…”

“You like him don’t you?”

Red June instantly straightened up at the little adventurer’s comment. Her face felt like it was burning as she snap a look over to Api who was wearing the most devilish smirk she had ever seen. The little filly had her eyes narrowed into very thin lines, mocking Red June of her attraction towards Valiant Heart whom she had just described so dreamily. Api then puckered her lips and made kissing sounds, her hoofs held together beside her head.

“I-I…I…” Red June’s voice was caught in her throat, unable to find the proper words to respond with.

“Admit it. You like the prince. Have you written to him about you liking him?”

“Api! Enough!” Red June’s cheeks were as red as the apples her family harvested at Sweet Apple Acres.

“Since you like him so much, you should tell him when he comes to visit,” Api concluded as she dodged an attempted grab from Red June before bolting for the door. “Sorry June, gotta find Del to ask about that plow disc.” With those last words said, Api left a very mortified Red June to drown in her embarrassment.

Author's Note

This story was written for kilala's fun fact contest.
Fun Fact: Api always manages to find her older friends in awkward situations with one another. Because of this, she is the master of blackmail
Art work that inspired this chapter: Now Kiss
Hope you guys liked it. It's been a while since I tried my hand at writing and this is my second mlp fic.

Dust Bath

Api was still giggling at her cousin’s flustered reaction even as she galloped pass the front arch gate of Sweet Apple Acres. She even looked back at the barn to check if Red June had decided to chase after her. Seeing no sign of the older mare, Api burst into laughter while falling on her back and rolling on the ground.

After calming down a little, Api caught her breath and continued on to Sugarcube Corner to find Golden Delicious, better known as just Golden or Del to his friends and family. According to Red June, Del had been the last one to use the family’s plow disc cooker that they recently bought to cater the growing numbers of attendees during their Apple family reunions. It provided a much more efficient and convenient method of cooking their apple fritters than the old black giant cauldrons.

“Del must have been using it to try out his new recipes,” Api licked her lips, thinking about her cousin’s savoury creations. Del’s cooking usually had apples as the core ingredient but lately he has started to be more adventurous, trying other styles and ingredients. The memories of all the yummy treats Del had let her taste were enough to distract Api from the somewhat dull journey between the farm and Ponyville’s number one confectionery shop.

“ACHOO!” a sneeze caught Api off guard and made the imaginary floating foodstuff fall to the ground and disappear.

“Aww…” Api whined disappointedly at her loss. “Who made me drop my sweets?” she pouted before investigating further, determined to find the culprit. The sound had come from behind some bushes and trees where large piles of sand and dirt were left waiting to be used by Ponyville’s construction crew. Doing a quick scan around the area, Api could not see the pony who had sneezed.

“Ah, don't look at it!” a new voice suddenly blurt out from above.

“N-no, it looks cool. Your scar I mean,” the voice which sneezed earlier replied.

I know that voice. Starburst! Api thought to herself, trying harder to pinpoint the location of the pegasus pony whose voice she heard. She sounded like she was nearby but Api still couldn’t see any pony other than piles of sand. Perhaps she and who ever she is talking to is behind one of these piles. The little investigator pressed on.

“Uuuuuhhh, thanks,” the other voice replied.

“Wish I had a cool scar. I get injured all the time but have nothing to show for it.”

“Meh, it's alright. You don't need to look anymore intimidating than you already do.”

Api groaned mentally when she finally realized who the arrogant and cocky voice belonged to; Prism Bolt, Ponyville’s laziest pegasus pony and maybe in all of Equestria. They sounded like they were right in front of her but only a huge mountain of sand stood before her.

“I'll take that as a compliment.”

Of course. They are both pegasus ponies who can fly. Api smacked a hoof on her forehead before looking up. True enough, two pegasus ponies were seated at the peak, one was orange while the other was dark blue. The orange one was Starburst, her mane striped with two shades of blue and one purple in between. She had her enormous wings opened, making her easily look twice as big. The other dark blue, rainbow maned was Prism Bolt. He was much larger than Starburst being two years older than her; but where a bandage usually covered his muzzle, a deep wide scar was showing.

“Hey Starburst! What are you doing up there with Prism Bolt?” Api called out, not wanting to risk climbing. There was instantly the sound of two pairs of wings snapping open in surprise. Then two shadows loomed over Api as the other two landed in front of her.

“Hello Api. We were just talking.” Starburst said in her usual cool demeanor.

“On a pile of dirt?” Api asked curiously while looking between the two ponies.

“I was just showing Star how to take a dust bath. She hasn’t had one before even though every pegasi in Cloudsdale and Ponyville knows it’s the best…” Prism could not finish his sentence as a dagger like glare from Starburst shut his mouth up.

“So you’re saying the two of you were bathing together. Out here in the open. In a pile of dirt. Just the two of you.” Api’s tone was deadpan, her eyes switching between the two suddenly red-faced pegasi.

“W-what? No. We weren’t bathing together! I was just showing her how!” Prism retorted while Starburst was too frozen for any reaction.

“But that’s what you said!” Api pointed a hoof at the denying colt. “And I’m pretty sure doing it on the same pile is considered as doing it together.”

“Yeah, but we weren’t doing it together. We were just doing it in the same place.” Prism Bolt paused as he got ‘are you serious’ looks from both Api and Starburst. “That didn’t make any sense, did it?” Both mare and filly did not even dignify his question with an answer or look.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Starburst asked.

“I was just on my way to Sugarcube corner when I heard some pony sneeze.” Api shrugged and played with her hoof. “Thought I’d find an adventure, instead all I found were two lovebirds in their love nest.”

Both Starburst and Prism Bolt exchanged a quick glance at each other, their eyes wide opened with disbelief and shock. After a brief moment of being stunned, they pulled away and distanced themselves from each other.

“Api!” Starburst flashed opened her wings while glaring at the filly with a red serious face. “That’s not what happened! Nothing happened and I don’t want to hear another word about this” Without any warning, she shot up into the air and flew away towards the farm.

“Yeah Api. What she said. We’re just friends, even though I know no mare can resist my looks,” Prism struck a pose and his signature smile.

“Bleh.” Api stuck out her tongue. “I know I can.”

Author's Note

This story was written for kilala's fun fact contest.
Fun Fact: Api always manages to find her older friends in awkward situations with one another. Because of this, she is the master of blackmail
Art that inspired this chapter: Dust Bath
I got to work on my dialog writing. Oh well, practise, practise, practise.
Thanks to dracone for proofreading.

Sugarcube Corner

Ponyville was a little town with many simple thatched-roof cottages. It was well kept, clean and had a warm fuzzy feeling to it, welcoming any newcomers and putting a smile on their faces. The only known exceptions to that are cranky donkeys who retire in the one place they did not include in their Equestria wild search for the love of their life and rampaging centaur lords that blast away the first most eco-friendly structure in sight. The village even had a gentle river running through the centre with small bridges overlapping the parts adjacent to the roads.

Api was walking on one of those bridges towards the town square. Set in the centre of the public space was Ponyville’s enormous town hall, one of the better landmarks for ponies to find their way around town. There were vertical flags of different colours hanging from posts located around the open area, a small fountain with a pony statue also helped with the aesthetics. Among the crowd of pastel-coloured ponies, Api spotted one of her fellow cutie mark crusaders, a silver pegasus pony with a violet mane.

“Echo! Wait up!” Api broke into a gallop that made her mane and tail fly like flags. She quickly caught up with her friend and was greeted with a warm smile and nod. “Where are you off to this morning?”

“Sugarcube Corner,” Echo replied politely.

“I’m on my way there too. We can go find Pixel after. That way we have more time to spend crusading and adventuring today!” Api exclaimed in delight.

Echo nodded in agreement. “Pixel told me yesterday after school that she and her family will be visiting Claire and T’s family at Carousel Boutique. Her mom is back to Ponyville for the weekend,” Echo informed their group’s de facto leader. Although Api was two years younger than both Pixel Bit and Echo, she was still the most adventurous. The fact that Pixel had a go with the flow kind of attitude while Echo was a follower only contributed to the Apple’s self-proclaimed position.

“Great. We’ll head there once I’ve talked with my cousin.” Api continued walking towards Sugarcube Corner with Echo beside her.

“What’s he doing there? Isn’t he usually bucking apples on the farm during this hour?”

“He’s helping June make her delivery today because she wanted time to dream about her prince.”

“Huh?” Echo cocked her head to the side in confusion.

“Prince Valiant Heart. Apparently Claire introduced them to each other before I was born and they kept in touch by writing letters. Can you believe it? Here am I trying to find adventure and she doesn’t even tell me of her connections with the Crystal Empire’s prince. Can you imagine how many adventures are just waiting for me at the CrystaI Empire and beyond?

“I mean sure we have the Everfree forest right next to Ponyville but it isn’t really exciting or dangerous like it used to be. Just last week, we managed to sneak out of the farm to the Castle of the Two Sisters and nothing interesting happened along the way.

“Unless you count Nighty being a wuss as interesting.” Api grumbled softly to herself. Unfortunate for her, Echo managed to pick up on her whining.

“I still think you two should have made out,” Echo commented nonchalantly.

“I hate you.”

“Just be glad I haven’t told Pixel about it.” Echo flashed a grin at her brooding friend.

“Don’t you dare!” Api loudly warned her friend “I’ll never hear the end of it. She’ll probably make it into one of her game achievements thing.”

“I know.” A gleeful smile was pasted across the pegasus pony’s muzzle.

A bell rang as Api pushed open the front door of Sugarcube Corner. The two fillies entered the shop to find that they were the first customers today. The counter only had a table top sign reading: ‘back in five.’ Then, a bright blue aura surrounded the sign and float behind the table before an orange maned yellow unicorn pony with bright blue eyes popped out.

“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner where everything is delicious and sweet. What can I get you?” The unicorn recited with a slight jingle.

“Hello Miss Pumpkin Cake,” both Api and Echo greeted in unison.

“I’ll have an eggless vegan carrot cake cupcake please,” Echo chimed.

Api shook her head slightly at Echo’s choice of food. She was always eating weird healthy stuff, which apparently included weird healthy cupcakes. “Is my cousin Del still here? He was supposed to make a delivery here.”

“Yep, he’s still here. He’s in the kitchen sorting the things out with Candy. Why don’t you go on in and check on them. Those two should have come out by now.” Pumpkin looked over her shoulder at the door that led into the back kitchen.

Api tried to jump up the counter in order to get to the door but only reached half of the furniture’s height. Echo attempted to help by pushing Api up from behind during her second try but gravity was still proving to be the greater force. Pumpkin Cake finally noticed what the two fillies were striving to accomplish and held back a humorous giggle at their shenanigans.

A bright blue aura then covered Api and made her magically float over the counter to the other side. With the door in sight, Api offered the unicorn a “thank you” before continuing on behind to where all the baking magic happened. Pumpkin cake smiled and turned back to Echo, levitating the eggless vegan carrot cake cupcake into the filly’s hoofs.

Inside the kitchen, Api had again found herself stumbling upon a very awkward moment to say the least. Beside the kitchen counter where a puddle of water soaked the floor, her cousin Golden Delicious was laying on the floor with his front elbows keeping his back up. It looked like a perfectly normal position to be in, like one would be in if he or she were to fall over.

However, the thing - or rather the mare - that made the situation so awkward was the mare straddling him with her hoofs on his chest and their lips locked in a kiss. As both the blue and golden eyes of Golden Delicious and Cotton Candy respectively stared saucer wide into each other in shock, they failed to notice the new pair of brown eyes.

“Is it Hearts and Hooves Day already? Why is every pony getting all lovey dovey?” Api groaned in frustration, bringing a hoof to her shaking head.

Author's Note

This story was written for kilala's fun fact contest.
Fun Fact: Api always manages to find her older friends in awkward situations with one another. Because of this, she is the master of blackmail
Art that inspired this chapter: Accidental Kiss and Tension
Was really worried if I could pull off a 1k word chapter on just Accidental kiss but Tension managed to slip in and I thought it made for some fun banter between Api and Echo. Also is it just me or does Api seem like the ranting kind when she doesn't get the things she wants? Eh, maybe it's just my take on 'spunky' personalities. Hope you guys enjoy this read.

The 'Stache Family

As Sugarcube Corner shrank away into the distance behind them, Echo turned to Api and the neatly wrapped box on her back. The younger filly had come out from the kitchen with it just as Echo was finishing her cupcake and motioned for Echo to follow her.

“Mind telling me what the box is for?” Echo bobbed her head at the container.

“It’s cookies for Miss Rarity’s family at the Carousel Boutique,” Api replied, sounding the opposite of amused.

“Okay…”

“I swear that Candy inherited some of her mother’s Pinkie Sense. I mean, how on earth did she know we were going to the Carousel Boutique afterwards. I just walk in she getting down on my cousin and she just ups to wrap this box while I gave Del a good talk. It’s like she doesn’t even care if she just stole Del’s first kiss!”

“Uhmm…”

“She could have asked Cloudy and Sugar. They could have sent it on their usual delivery runs for the Cake twins but no. She had to push the task to me and rescue Del from my hoofs. I was just about to give him a piece of my mind. What happened all the times Star spend working with him on the farm?”

“Api…”

“Didn’t that mean anything? She works her plot off every time she’s over there, fainting even most of the times. Then just one time. He makes one delivery, for June and that blue mare swoops in to steal his first kiss. If anyone deserves my cousin’s first kiss, it’s Starburst!”

“I was just asking about the box.” Echo sighed, knowing Api was probably too busy ranting to hear her.

“Although… Candy does come by the farm to help out from time to time. And she does know how to have fun. But she probably be a disaster for Del’s cooking career. I don’t know. Starburst seems to be the better choice for adventures…I mean Del. Ouch!”

“We’re here.” Echo had given Api a gentle but firm nudge to snap her back into reality.

They had arrived at the purple front door of the Carousel Boutique. The clothes store had gone through many changes over the years since Rarity was still a bachelorette. Some of the changes were expansions necessary to accommodate a fully grown dragon and two smaller half-pony, half-dragon hybrids. There was also a small extension to the side, a jewellery shop called Hearthfire Jewellery but it was closed for the day.

After giving the boutique’s door a few polite knocks, they were greeted by a huge green being with turquoise eyes. It stood three times taller than the pair of fillies, having claws instead of hoofs and also sporting a massive pair of dragon wings on it back that matched its size.

“Hi, T!” Api and Echo chimed delightfully in unison. The wide grins on their muzzles were met by a gentle smile on Turquoise Blitz’s own as he recognized the young ponies and returned their greeting.

“Are you two here for Pixel?” T ushered his two guests into the building.

“Mhm. And I brought a box of cookies for you—” A green blur flashed past Api’s head and grabbed the package on her back. A ripping sound was heard before Api and Echo realized the crunchy destruction unfolding right in front of them. The sight would have put even the most ferucious pack of Timberwolves to shame.

“—and your family,” Api sighed, shaking her head slightly. It was amazing how fast T could be when he wanted to, even with his behemoth size. T’s mellow demeanour often made his friends forget what he was capable of. T’s cookie crumble covered muzzle slowly lifted out from the box, his face ridden with guilt.

“T, darling, who was at the door? I am expecting a delivery to celebrate Sweetie Belle’s visit.” Rarity’s voice mused from upstairs.

“Gosh, sis, you didn’t have to,” a younger sweeter voice could be heard replying.

“Nonsense! I will not stand being a bad hostess by not providing decent refreshments, especially when my guest is my own sister!” Rarity’s tone carried its infamous dramatic melodies.

“Uhm…Api and Echo are here to see Pixel.” T managed to reply. His eyes were darting frantically between the two fillies, asking for help. The empty torn box had already been thrown out the door into a nearby bush.

“Yay!” Light hoofs came down the staircase running. A cream coloured filly with a moustache on her muzzle appeared. She looked at the scene before her, instantly noticing the distressed cookie culprit with his crumble covered muzzle. Numerous sets of hoofs and claws could be heard descending down the same flight of steps, making T panicked even more. Pixel turned to her two friends who only shrugged, indicating they had no idea how to help the hybrid from being busted.

The growing hoofsteps told them it was time to face the music but Pixel had not given up hope just yet. Not wanting her favourite cousin to get in trouble while she was around, Pixel ripped her moustache from her muzzle and slapped it on T’s, effectively covering the evidence of his crime. She nodded at her work and turned to meet the group of three ponies, one dragon and another hybrid.

“Hey dad, don’t you think T has what it takes to rock a moustache?” Pixel pointed a hoof at T’s new moustache. A brown stallion narrowed his eyes, processing the level of macho appearance T had achieved.

A few minutes later...

“Now look Bit, you gotta put your hoof on your chin like so.” Button Mash instructed as he struck a sideway pose of his good side.

“Like this?” Pixel did as her father said with another hoof on her haunch.

“Yeah! Then you gotta raise one eyebrow ever so slightly...” The stallion added, the filly quickly complying. “That's it! Oh you got it down too, Sweetie!”

“I learned from the best!” replied a light purple and pink maned mare on Pixel’s right. Further down the line was none other than the cookie culprit, hiding silently in plain sight. He was even right in the centre of the photoshoot line up.

“Think I can pull off this moustache now, Rarity?” A bigger purple dragon played with his own fake hair as he asked the flustered pony draped under his right wing.

“I don't care if you can pull it off! I just can't believe you got me to wear this silly thing! I'm a lady! Ladies don't wear staches!” Rarity was covering her face with both her forehoofs.

“Well, you look great in it to me!” Spike offered some comfort to the embarrassed pony under his wing.

“This is stupid,” declared the clearly unamused lavender hybrid on the far right.

“I think Prince Illusion would disagree if he somehow got a copy,” mused Api as she and Echo made some final adjustments to the camera. A bright light then flashed, capturing the moment of seven moustaches being worn, forever.

Author's Note

This story was written for kilala's fun fact contest.
Fun Fact: Api always manages to find her older friends in awkward situations with one another. Because of this, she is the master of blackmail
Art that inspired this chapter: The 'Stache (Family Edition)
Kilala posted a lot of artwork recently which were so blackmail worthy but I especially loved Sooo..., now that would make for a nice epilogue. Hmm....
Thanks to dracone for proofreading.

Operation RedHeart

It was a bright afternoon with clear blue skies. There were a few clouds hovering lazily over Sweet Apple Acres, casting their shadows on the apple trees below and providing some shade for the group of ponies and hybrids gathering apples into their saddle-baskets. However, there was one cloud looming suspiciously low to the ground, its movements unnatural only to a trained pegasus’s eye.

“Prism, get us closer,” the cloud whispered. “I can’t hear a darn thing this high up.”

“We are already the lowest cloud. Any lower and we’d risk getting snagged in a tree.”

“I know my family’s trees. Just park it over there and don’t move.”

“Ouch! Watch where you’re stepping!”

“Quit yelping,” Api hushed Prism indefinitely. Her head then popped out of the edge of cloud, scanning the movements and trying to pick up on the chatter of the herd below them. Echo’s own head slowly revealed itself from cloud, wearing her usual quiet observing stare. Pixel’s head then popped out above Api’s, her blissful face clearly showing her enjoyment of being airborne.

“You make a good sky fort Prism,” Pixel told the pegasus whose head she was also stepping on.

“Don’t get too used to it,” grunted the rainbow maned colt.

Pixel ignored the pegasus colt’s protest and shifted her attention to their commander in chief, “I get how you got Prism to fly us, catching him and Star bathing and all, but how did Annie and Candy get pulled into this operation?”

“Annie came with T, you know how inseparable those two are. Candy just like playing match-making.” Api explained briefly, not wanting to be too distracted from monitoring the situation below.

“Looks like Claire’s moving in with Candy,” Echo commented. All three pairs of eyes instantly locked onto the lavender hybrid closing in on the sky blue alicorn like a stalking predator, a blue pony with pink mane flanking in from the other side.

“Hey, Lance,” Claire greeted her old friend fondly.

“Hey, Claire.” Lance’s tone did not have the same enthusiasm as apples surrounded in his magic aura levitated into his basket.

“Hi Prince Valiant!” Candy’s sudden exuberant greeting startled the work-focused prince.

“Woah, um hi..... Candy.”

“So what're you up to?” Claire continued the conversation innocently.

“Ahhh, just getting apples like you guys,” replied Lance. He had an eyebrow raised suspiciously at her for asking the obvious. Claire would never ask something so…mundane.

“Cool, cool.... So you have a special someone yet?” Claire was certainly not wasting any time getting to the point.

“Ugh. No. Still looking.” More apples began floating into the basket.

“Really? Interesting. You know, I have a friend who might be interested in a handsome prince such as yourself.” Claire lifted her right claw and looked at it nonchalantly while Candy gasped and squeaked lightly.

“Hah, who wouldn't be? Who's this friend of yours?” A matter-of-fact tone heavily present in the prince’s reply.

“Oh, just a friend. She's a friend of yours, too. She's around your age, and she's close by……” Claire trailed off while looking at him from the corners of her eyes.

“Ooooh, um Claire, don't get me wrong, you're really pretty but I'm just not into girls like you. I mean—“

“What? NO! I'm not talking about me, smart one! I've got a prince of my own,” Claire interrupted unladylike. “And what's wrong with me?” interrogated the hybrid, a threatening claw popping at the sky blue chest.

“She's talking about Red June,” Candy interjected to keep things on track.

“Red June?” Lance’s head turned over shoulder to look at the mulberry mare. He barely got a glance before a pair of blue hoofs turned his head back to face the front.

“Wait, don't look!” insisted Candy.

“Um, okay?” agreed the prince.

“Yes. Red June.” Claire regained her position in the conversation.

“I think we're just friends though,” reasoned Lance.

“You're obviously not "just friends". You guys send heart felt letters to each other all the time talking about your feelings and all that junk. I certainly don't get letters like that from you and we're pretty good friends.” Claire countered easily with her wit.

“ Well…ummmmm…” stammered Lance. “Wait, how do you even know about that?”

“Hey. Stop trying to change the subject.” She was not going to relent until she got her answers.

“You love her don't 'cha? Right? You should ask her out!” Candy chipped in with her own insight.

“Way to be subtle, Candy,” groaned the hybrid.

“Well, yeah I guess I love her but as a good friend, y'know? Besides, I don't think me being a prince and her being a farmer will work.”

“Please don't tell me you're that shallow.” Claire shot Lance a questioning look. Above them, both Pixel and Echo had to hold back Api from dive bombing onto the prince’s head. Royalty or not, the little apple would not have her cousin insulted like that.

“No, of course not! I meant that we're just too different,” defended Lance as he grinned sheepishly at the hybrid’s gaze. “We're like from two different worlds. I think she's better off with a really nice guy here in Ponyville and I'm better off with a girl used to high society and all that.”

“Oh yeah, because that's worked out so”—Claire rolled her eyes—“well for you before.”

“Hey. Don't go there,” snarled Lance with his grin turned upside down.

“I'm just kidding, Lance. But seriously it hasn't worked for you yet,” stressed the apologetic hybrid. “At all,” she added.

“Just give it a shot! Go ask June out on a date!” encouraged Candy.

“ Hmmmm......” Lance glanced back thoughtfully.

Pixel and Echo felt that it was finally safe to release their friend. Api for the most part had cooled down after hearing the prince’s later explanation. If he indeed turned out to be a selfish jerk that thought nothing of her cousin, Api had the alternative plan of grabbing Prism’s ear’s and steering him into a crash-landing on top of the prince.

“Hey, I think Annie’s gonna talk to June now,” Pixel noted as she pointed a hoof at the others gather under a nearby tree. The cloud they were on manoeuvred over above the other set of ponies. True enough, a cream unicorn with green light mane spoke up just as they got within earshot.

“So. June. Claire tells me your man's in town.”

“What?”

“Prince Valiant, over there.” Annie lifted a hoof in the general direction of the other three further down the orchard, with some help from the green hybrid behind her. “Assuming he's over there.”

“Oh, he's just an old friend of mine,” giggled June. “Claire introduced us a long time ago.”

“Just friends? I hear you guys send love letters to each other all the time,” teased Annie.

“They're just letters,” shrugged June. “And who'd you hear that from?

“Claire,” replied the unicorn as she continued to stare blankly into the space in front of her.

“How does she know about that?” June’s cheeks were beginning to show a darker shade of red.

“So, do you love him?” Annie dragged the word love to emphasize on it.

“Oh, no. He's very sweet but—”

“Do you find him attractive?” Annie interjected again, not letting June have an inch of control over where the conversation was going.

“W-wha?” June was at a lost for words. “I-I dunno.”

“Hm, seems it wasn't even a question. It's so obvious you do! Who wouldn't? Just look at him.” Annie paused for a moment, thinking about something. “Are you looking at him?”

“Yeah, I—”

“Look at him, so nice and tall, flowy blue hair, his—”

“Um, Annie? Aren't you bli—” June was silenced when a hoof pressed down on her nose.

“Shh, don't speak..." There was an awkward pause as Annie's hoof felt around what it was touching. "My hoof is on your nose isn't it?”

“Mmhm.”

“Just pretend I put it on your lips,” requested Annie.

“Okay,” giggled June.

“Where was I? Oh yeah. His flowy blue mane, his gorgeous brown eyes....”

“He has blue eyes, Annie”

“Hey, I'm blind. Don't have much to go off of. His gorgeous blue eyes, his well-toned muscles hidden under his armour......”

“He's not wearing any armour,” smiled June.

“What? Even better! Check out those big, big muscles and firm pl—”

“Okay, Anthea! I think that's enough about my cousin,” blurted Starburst who was seated on the tree’s branch.

“My bad,” apologized Annie.

“Anyways, June, if you like the guy, you should just go talk to him," Golden Delicious finally found an opening in the conversation he was comfortable to butt in at. "You two have barely talked since he came by. Go ahead and take some time off. You've been workin' hard lately” he continued.

“I know. I'm just used to writing stuff in letters. Not sure how I'd do talking to him face to face....” admitted June.

“You can do it!” cheered Annie. “He seems like a nice guy”

“Hmmm.....” June mused thoughtfully as she looked over at the sky blue alicorn gathering apples into his saddle-basket.

The low hanging cloud raised slowly higher into the air. There was the sound of three hoofs slapping together and a small victory cheer erupted from inside the cloud. “I’d say operation RedHeart was a success!” Api declared.

“Great. Now can I drop you fillies off? You’re really heavy,” whined Prism.

Author's Note

This story was written for kilala's fun fact contest.
Fun Fact: Api always manages to find her older friends in awkward situations with one another. Because of this, she is the master of blackmail
Art work that inspired this chapter: Operation: RedHeart
And that's a wrap for now guys. I had an epilogue planned, based off So... or Tutoring but I don't have much to go on them for now. Maybe as more things are posted. Cheers for now.