The older pony stared blankly at the newly wed couple before her. Sitting on the couch of Apple family's living family room was the mare's son, Bright McIntosh, and his newly wedded wife, Pear Butter.
Pear Butter was crying into Bright McIntosh's chest as he stroked her curly mane. He slowly rocked back and fourth, murmuring words of comfort in her ear. This caused the mare to gag on her sobs as she strengthen her grip on her husband and bury her muzzle into his chest.
"Shh... Let it all out, Buttercup. It's alright. It'll all be alright," cooed Bright McIntosh.
"B-b-but, but Mac! Ah told you that-"
"Shh." Mac put his hoof to the mare's mouth, silencing her. Tears flowed from Pear Butter's eyes as she pulled Mac into a hug. "Ah toldya, just put it all behind you-"
"But I ca-an't..!" wailed Pear Butter. "P-pa just left me! He, he, he…" More tears swelled in her eyes as she fell back into her husband, hanging her head in dismay. "Ya'll were there, Mac. Even yer ma. Don't deny it, he left me." Mac took his hoof and wiped away a the tears from the mare's face. "He, he didn't even care," she somberly stated. "And you know it, Mac. It all ain't goin' ta be okay like you say."
A sympathetic expression found it's way to onlooker's face. However, her eyes narrowed as Mac gave a crying Pear Butter a peck on her cheek.
"Aww, c'mon now, Buttercup! Where's tuh pretty lil' smile of yers Ah love gone?" Mac teased in a whiny tone fit for a filly. Pear Butter giggled and gave him a light shove. "Aha! There it is! Now, if only it could last a lil' longer, mah day'd be a lot brighter."
"Mac!" yelled Pear Butter as she reached for a pillow and threw it at the stallion's face. A wide grin overtook the grumpy frown that once donned her muzzle.
"Aaannnndd... There's that Buttercup smile that brightens up mah day!" Mac pulled a giggling Pear Butter into a a strong hug and began to lightly tug on her mane.
Pear Butter giggled as she weakly punched Mac in his front right leg, overwhelmed with laughter. "Oh, you! H-hey! Stop that!"
"See? Ah can always turn that frown upside down from yer face!" Mac chanted victoriously.
And he was right, for Bright Macintosh had cheered up his Buttercup quickly in a devastating situation with such ease and skill that would put Pinkie Pie (who he most likely never will grow to know about) to shame!
The spectator smiled at the young couple as they horsed around like the foals they were. With a regretful sigh, she remembered the one thing she simply had to do.
The older mare coughed in an attempt to get the attention of the two 'foals', but to no avail. The two were giggling and throwing pillows at each other, not one acknowledging the mare's presence since they started acting all lovely-dovey. With a happy roll of her eyes, the older mare coughed with more force, and had finally caught the attention of the the two ponies.
With a nod of satisfaction, the mare decided it was time to find out how to settle this whole ordeal. "Mac, wouldya kindly leave Pear Butter an' Ah alone?"
"Sure, ma."
Pear Butter shot a worried glance to her husband who gave her a reassuring wink as he pulled a small buttercup from under his hat.
"Don'cha worry," he whispered as he gently placed the delicate flower in his wife's mane. Pear Butter gave a small smile to herself as Mac exited the room.
The gesture didn't go unnoticed by the older mare as she slowly made her way to the couch and seated herself next to her daughter-in-law. This had once again caused a panicked expression to find it's way onto Pear Butter's face.
After a few seconds of silence, Pear Butter accepted what she had to face. "Ma'am-"
"Pipe down, youngin'," the pony said, hushing Pear Butter. She perked up her ears and stared at the door. "Ah know yer there, Mac." Silence followed. "Mac, Ah said that Ah wanted to talk tuh Pear Butter alone."
Slowly, Mac's head poked out from the side of the doorway. "But ma, ya'll 're alone in tuh room."
"Don't get tricky with me. Yer know that Ah wanta have a one-on-one talk with Pear Butter here. Git!" the pony playfully ordered her son the same way she has done multiple times in the past 16 years.
"Heh, alright ma," chuckled Mac as he went into the room across the hall.
"Close this door and go upstairs, Mac! Ah know all yer tricks!"
"But, ma!" whined Mac.
"Bright McIntosh!"
"Aww, alright ma." Mac gave a playful pout and he closed the door. "Ah've gotta find some kinda loop tuh get back down here," he mumbled as he trudged up the stairs.
"So, ma'am-"
"Shh…"
Pear Butter blankly gazed at the mare. "Excuse me miss, but wha're ya looking for?"
A small chuckle escape the elder's muzzle. "Ya see, Pear Butter-"
"D-don't call me that, please," she said bitterly.
"What?" the mare gasped in surprise as she stared at her daughter-in-law in utter disbelief. "Youngin', it's yer name!"
"M-ma'am," Pear Butter started, her voice trembling. "Yer were there to see it. M-mah, mah pa, he just left. He left… Without me." A few tears rolled down the crying mare's face. "He didn't take mah feelings into account!" Pear Butter loudly said, forgetting the mare before her. She wiped a few tears away. "Ah know that he didn't want me bein' 'round, or even talkin' ta no Apple, but Ah just couldn't help it! We lived right next to each other. What'd he expect? That Ah wouldn't talk?! That Ah wouldn't make a friend?! For Celestia's sake, Mac and Ah went to the same school! We were in the same class! It was so obvious that Ah'd be friends with an Apple, maybe even love one! But what in Equestria did he care about? NOT ME!" Pear Butter swung her right hoof into the armrest of the couch and began to sob into the corner.
The older pony's mouth was left ajar at the mare's sudden outburst. Pear Butter still hadn't acknowledged the presence of her in-law, and had only continued to cry in the corner of the couch.
The spectator's shocked expression turned into one of disgust as she took in what the mare said. Not wanting to be called the name her own parents gave her? What kinda fertilizer has this mare had her nose stuck up in? Sure, the poor thing was disowned, but she's gottaa reputation! Why, she's got tuh keep pride from her origin, her family. Not to mention those good ol' traditions! Why, Ah always knew these Pears were trouble! Why, Ah've got half a mind tuh ship her all the way to Vanhoover! That way, she'd be with them other troublin' Pears! "Lookie here, youngin'. Ah'm mighty sorry, but you've got-"
THUD!
Upstairs
"Mac! Ah toldya to watch 'em! Not let 'em wreak the room! Ah was only gone for 2 minutes!" somepony yelled.
"A-Ah'm s-sorry… HAHAHA! Ah can't believe it! Whooowe!" a voice, unmistakably Mac's, laughed.
"It wasn't funny Mac!"
"Gotta admit, it sure was!"
"No it ain't!"
"It sure was!"
"AUNT SMITH!!"
That Was What Happened Upstairs
"Wha-what was that?" Pear Butter asked, wiping away a few stray tears.
"Mac musta taken his eyes off the twins, again," the older pony said with a chuckle.
At the mention of Bright McIntosh, Pear Butter's eyes lit up. "Who was the other pony?"
The mare noticed Pear Butter's sudden change of mood. "That was Fritter. Them two argue a whole lot. Just another bad cousin relationship."
"Fritter? Why, Ah sat next to her at school! Haven't talked to her though. Mac told me about her. Heh, he said they tend to argue over everythin'." Pear Butter's lips curved into a thoughtful smile. "Ah use yo do the same with Orange."
"Who's that?"
"She's mah sister. We're 8 years apart, and would always fight. She'd always save her allowance and buy beautiful clips, 'n Ah'd 'borrow' 'em, heh. Orange would get mad at me for takin' 'em. Ah never use to save mah bits. Always used to spend 'em on treats 'n nicknacks."
"Her name was Orange? Ah thought ya'll were Pears!" said the curious mare in disbelief. Why woulda pony name their youngin' somethin' outtah the family name? Unless… "Was she adopted?"
This question again? Never stops comin', does it? Pear Butter giggled. "Nnope, she's mah biological sister. Her name was Packham Pear, but she changed it when she got married."
"Mind tellin' me the story?" the older mare kindly asked, hoping to find out why a Pear would want to become and Orange.
With a happy nod, Pear Butter looked out the window and stared at the pear farm next door. "Orange had a crush on a colt called Mosely Orange. He belonged to a rich family that lived in Manehattan. There was this program between both school districts in Ponyville 'n Manehatttan where 10 students from each class could go to a certain school for the year. Mosely was in that program. He ended up in Orange's school 'n class. He sat right in front of her on his first day. He never really noticed her since he had some friends in his class that were a part of the program that he spent all his time with. It wasn't until the school's bullies picked on Mosely when he was alone. Orange saw what was happenin' came and to his rescue. Them two became friends after that. Mosely was scared ta tell the teacher about what happened, so Orange told her for him."
"That was sweet o' her."
"Mhmm," said Pear Butter with a nod as she gave a thoughtful smile. "Orange was always a nice pony, willin' to help all those she could. She'd always be the one to stick by yer side. But she was a whole lotta bossy and pushy, that's fer sure. But when it comes to helpin' out, others come first."
"That's how she got her cutiemark; three orange slices. It happened when she went to Mosely's uncle's orange farm for the weekend durin' summer break. A problem happened on the farm, 'n she fixed it. Ya know how oranges can be sour to someponies, but sweet to others? Oranges 're just like her personality: sweet and sour! The oranges on her mark 're even slightly cut into little pieces which represents her willingness to sacrifice anythin' fer other ponies."
"She did get a lil' more bland since she lives in Manehattan now, but she's still ta same ol' carin' sis Ah've know fer a long time. 'N with the money her business makes with Mosely, she supplies mah family's pear farm as we keep expandin'. Heh, Ah sure do miss her…"
"Ya know Pear-"
"M-ma'am," said Pear Butter, her left eye twitching. " Ah don't mean to be rude, but please. Ju-just don't call me mah real name."
Pear Butter's attempts to try and keep her posture so that she doesn't break down in front of the mare like she did before were showing, a lot. However, this didn't cause the older mare to show any remorse for the young pony as before as her muzzle donned an expression of disgust once again. Doing the naturally smart thing, Pear Butter nervously gulped and accidentally looked into the dagger-like stare of her mother-in-law.
Ah can't believe she still doesn't wanta be called by her given name! "Listen here, youngin'! 'Pear Butter' is yer name. Now, Ah know how much ya mean ta Mac, and Ah'm more than willin' tuh give ya a chance, but ya can't disown yer family an' honor!"
"D-d-disown mah family 'n honor? Ma'am, it was mah family who disowned me! Ah was hopin' that pa could've accepted Mac, finally accept Apples! But, he, he didn't! He runs the farm and makes the rules 'round home. Ah don't wanta disown 'family 'n honor' at all, but it's just too painful to be called somethin' Ah no longer am, or wanta be! 'N as much as mah family will hate havin' me gone, their hate for all Apples and willingness to listen to mah pa will make 'em stick to his side," stated Pear Butter in a shaky yet calm tone.
The responser was nothing but daggers. "Now looky here. Ah don't want no disgrace bringin' filly in mah house!"
Both mare's stared at each other for a few minutes, each seeing clear through one another. A few tears swelled in Pear Butter's eyes. The older mare knew that Pear Butter was going to stick with her opinion no matter what, and the disgust on there muzzle wasn't hiding itself one bit. Pear Butter knew how upset she was at her, but she also knew that she had to keep her ground.
"M-ma'am, Ah don't think you've ever been disowned. Ah don't think you've ever been let down by the ones you love, or ever brought disappointment. Ah've done just that. You saw how mah pa didn't want me." Pear Butter gave a shaky sigh as she wiped her tears away.
"That gives ya no excuse ta leave yer family! Sure, they left ya. But give 'em some respect!"
Why can't she just understand? Ah don't wanna be reminded of the pain. "Ah know that yer passionate about yer family and tradition. Ah see ya'll every year doin' the same thing every year. Everypony is lookin' forward to the same thing every year. They love what ya do. Ya even enjoy everythin'!" said Pear Butter, remembering the smiling faces of the Apples all year around because of their beloved traditions. Her gaze slowly fell as a sad smile donned her face.
"Mah life is just like that. Well, was just like that. Ah only broke tradition once. An' what was that? Fallin' fer an Apple. Ah wasn't supposed to just 'cause of a rivalry, and now, now mah pa don't want me just 'cause Ah love, 'n even married one. Ah hardly think Ah've got any 'respect' for him with what happened." Pear Butter looked up to her in-law with a pleading look in her eyes. "Please ma'am, just think about how heartbroken you'd be if yer family left you with no form of hesitation. It ain't the best feelin', Ah can tell ya that much."
The older mare looked at her hooves. It was no secret she was thinking about what do to. Ah guess it's a hard time tuh go through, but it's her family. Isn't there still love for 'em in her heart? No, she, she's right. Ah've never gone through any of this. I-it must be painful, feelin' like yer family don't want ya. She was so upset when her pa walked away, an' she is special to Mac. He won't be happy if Ah make her leave, an' Ah want the best fer mah lil' apple sampling. The mare stared at her daughter-in-law who was trying desperately to get rid of her tears. A sympathetic smile found it's way to her mouth. She's an Apple now. If Ah really do care about mah family, Ah'd welcome her with open hooves. An' it ain't just fer her, but fer Mac's sake, too. "Youngin'."
Pear Butter held her breath. Ah can only hope this goes well... "Ye… Ye-yes?"
"What'll ya like me tuh call ya?"
Pear Butter's eyes widened, for she hadn't expected the pony to say what she had. "W-what?"
"Ah wouldn't want tuh make mah daughter-in-law upset every time Ah say her name!"
"Ya, ya mean it?!" yelled Pear Butter in both happiness and disbelief.
"Ah sure as sugar do!" the elder mare said with a chuckle.
Tears of joy fell from Pear Butter's eyes. The pony next to her wrapped their hooves around her in a comforting embrace. Pear Butter stared at her. "Wh-why? Just before yer were mad at me…"
"Yer important to Mac. He loves ya! Ah saw ya both on the couch. It takes no genius tuh see that ya both make each other happy. An' what am Ah tuh make mah son feel upset? 'Sides, yer an Apple now, and a pleasant one tuh talk to."
Pear Butter blushed a little at the reminder of how she and Mac acted in front of the older mare, but dismissed the embarrassing thought. "Th-thank you…" she said, pulling her mother-in-law into a tightening hug. More tears flowed from her eyes, a joyous smile plastered on her muzzle. "Call me Buttercup."
"Andya can call me Smith. There's no point fer ya tuh call me 'ma'am' every time ya want tuh talk," Smith joked.
Buttercup grinned from ear to ear. "Eeyup!"
"Now, didn't Mac call ya Buttercup earlier?" said a sly-looking Smith, letting her eyes linger on the sweet-sented flower in the mare's hair. Seeing the lovestruck expression on Buttercup's face as she gazed at it, Smith chuckled and walked to the door. "Mac! Come on down here! Ah'm done talkin' to yer Buttercup."
"Yer ain't going ta let that go, are you?" said a giggling Buttercup, her muzzle becoming redder by the second.
Smith smiled and winked at Buttercup. "Heh, yup! Just be happy that Ah made sure Mac wouldn't listen in on our lil' talk."
Buttercup giggled and rolled her eyes. "He does that a lot."
"That's why Ah wanted it tuh be quiet when he left. Ah wanted tuh make sure he went upstairs. An' judgin' by the noises we heard, he actually listened."
"S-Smith. Thank you, for all of this. Ah was real scared to talk to you at first. Ah didn't want to know what you'd do with me," thanked a grateful Buttercup.
Smith's eyes softened as she looked at the mare before her. "Buttercup, Ah can't tell ya how tuh deal with yer problems, but Ah'll support ya all the way. When Ah saw ya tell yer pa that you'd stay with Mac, yer were strong. But when he left, ya couldn't do a thing but cry. It was all too much fer a pony yer age tuh take in." Buttercup's face fell as she looked at the ground, but Smith used he hoof to lift her chin up. "Try an' keep in touch with yer family, will ya? Ah'm sure Orange would love tuh talk with ya."
Buttercup gave Smith a sincere smile. "Ah, Ah will, Smith. Ah just can't thank ya enough fer what ya've said to me today."
"There's no need tuh thank me, Buttercup, but promise me one thing. Watch Mac fer me. That reckless little colt gets into trouble all the time, some pony needs tuh keep him in check. I'd do it mahself, but them grey hairs need some fixin' up tuh do."
"Heh, Ah sure will Smith."
"Feel free tuh walk into the room now, Mac."
Buttercup stared at Smith in confusion, but gasped when Mac slowly opened the door and walked to the room. She grinned and threw a pillow at the stallion. "Mac! Yer were supposed to stay upstairs!"
"Naw-aw! Ma called out tuh me sayin' tuh come down!" he said, sticking his tongue out before addressing his ma. "An' Ah ain't reckless, ma!"
A playful smirk crept onto Smith's face. "Sure ya ain't. It wasn't you who knocked down the Pear's water tower 4 years ago 'cause he got distracted."
A small blush of embarrassment crept onto Mac's muzzle. "Ma!"
Smith shook her head at her son's behavior and turned to Buttercup. "Try yer best with this one," she said with a roll of her eyes, causing Buttercup to giggle. "And Ah'd like tuh talk ta ya again soon. Ah have a pony like yer Orange in mah life. Her name's Apple Rose. Ah'd like tuh tell ya 'bout her.
"Sure!" beamed Buttercup, happy that she had established a relationship with her mother-in-law. "Ah can't wait!"
"Ah'll leave ya two alone fer a bit," said Smith with a wink as she exited the current room and made her way upstairs where an irritated Fritter was waiting.
Buttercup turned to Mac and playfully punched him on his leg. "When'll ya stop bein' a foal?"
"Ya only live once, am Ah right?" he replied with a dorky smile.
Buttercup rolled her eyes as she made her way to couch and sat down. "Yer ma's really nice." She began to toy with the buttercup in her hair. "Ah was worried at first, but everythin' somehow ended just fine."
Mac slipped beside her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Ah knew yer were irresistible! Even mah own ma just couldn't resist ya!"
"Mhmm, not sure if Ah can say ta same 'bout you though."
"Don'cha go 'round putting' words in mah mouth!"
"Yer words there, not mine."
"Huh?"
"You said Ah'm irresistible, didn't ya?"
"Oh, stop it!" Mac yelped, his cheeks tinted pink.
Buttercup giggled at the confusion she caused to her husband. A small yawn soon escaped her mouth as she checked the clock.
"Aww, ya look so cute when ya yawn like that!"
"Quiet, you! It's 11:57, Ah should be headin' off to bed now."
"How do Ah do?" Mac teased as he faked a yawn.
Unfortunately for him, Buttercup caught on. "An' Mac, only Ah can pull off a yawn the right way. Ya know, the way that gets yer heart to go all pitter-pat?" she smirked as she exited the room to find Smith.
A dumbfounded expression flashed on Mac's face, but he chuckled as a lovestruck smile replaced it. "Oh, Ah love that mare," he mumbled to himself.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" the Apple family's rooster sang as Celestia's sun slowly fluttered up into the sky at dawn, waking the family up.
Everypony knew what to do as soon as they awoke. Some began to clean up the barn, buck apple trees, make breakfast, take care of the babies of the family; everypony had a place and job to do. Everypony but Buttercup.
She woke up to the sound of the rooster, for she was used to waking to one of her own at the farm next door. But the sound was far too high for what she was used to.
What the hey?! Ah've never heard a rooster like that before! Ah guess Ah've never really payed much attention to everythin' 'round me. Ah've only ever heard the rooster back home. Home. The word hit her right in the heart. Buttercup quickly ran past all the ponies in the big farmhouse and took off towards the entrance of her home. Or, her old home. Will they still be there? What would they say if they are? Or what if they left as soon as possible, just so they'd never see me again? There was an opening in the fence they allowed ponies to walk in and out of the farm, but to Buttercup's surprise, it was fenced off. "What?" she gasped in surprise.
"They sold it to us," a voice said from behind.
"Smith? What'd you mean?" After seeing the dismayed look on her mother-in-law's face, the truth hit Buttercup. "Th-they... sold it to you?"
Smith solemnly nodded in reply. "The Pears sold it off to us. Can't ya see? The tree's have been moved, an' the barn's been knocked down."
Buttercup finally noticed that all the pear trees that she had been so proud of were no longer standing tall on the earth. Only deep holes were left in their place. As for the farmhouse, it was all over the earth. Ponies were stacking the debris of wood and leftover nails, probably to reuse. Tears began to form in the ex-Pear's eyes.
"By marrying mahself to an' Apple, did Ah divorce mahself from mah family?"
Smith wrapped her hooves around Buttercup, and pulled her into a loving embrace. She was rocking the mare back and forth while she sobbed into her shoulder. They stayed like that for a long time, but it didn't feel long enough for them.
The pair somehow found their way home. They don't know how, it just happened. The other ponies were confused when they saw Smith blankly walk into the house with a crying Buttercup. Most of the family knew what happened, and were concerned about Buttercup's state.
Smith found that she walked Buttercup to her room. Well, whad'ya know, it's high noon, but it only feels like five minutes.
Coinkydinkaly, Mac was walking down that very hallway, and went to see what the sobs coming from the guest room were. He was taken aback when he saw the love of his life holding on to a pillow and crying her eyes out, his ma looking confused. But it was Mac's turn to look confused when Smith walked out the room, a lost expression all over her.
"M-ma?" he asked in confusion. "Ma, what's goin' on?"
Smith honestly had no clue to what was going on for the past hour; her mind was blank. She didn't notice Mac walk in, and she could only hear the sobs of a heartbroken Buttercup getting louder. Heartbroken, heartbroken, heartbroken... kept repeating in the mare's mind. She didn't even feel herself as she walked out of the room. But at the back of her mind, she felt like it was the right thing to do, even if she didn't realize it. Unknowingly, she walked to her room and passed out, her blank mind hard at work. Heartbroken, heartbroken, heartbroken...
Heartbroken.
Mac turned to the mare and slowly approached her. "Buttercup?" But she couldn't hear him, and the sobs continued. "Buttercup?!" he yelled a little louder. The mare in question lifted her face, revealing her puffy eyes and tear-stained face. She looked miserable.
"Th-they left, Mac! They left and they, they..." Pear Butter began to choke on her sobs, but no tears came out. She used them all that morning.
Mac quickly joined her on the bed and pulled her into a hug. "Shh..." Mac took his hoof and lifted her chin so that she could face him. "Come on, take those tears away." Buttercup began to wipe her eyes, her sobs slowly clearing away. "Now, tell me what happened."
Buttercup began to breath heavily. "They ain't comin' back." A few more tears slowly trailed down her face, but Mac wiped them away and pulled her into a hug. "They... They ain't ever comin' back."
"Ah know ya miss 'em, and Ah know that ya feel lost, but Ah'm here for ya. Don'cha worry. You'll always have me."
Buttercup had once again began to heavily breath, and Mac held onto her tighter.
Unknowingly to the two, three ponies walked in. A small yet slightly chubby cyan mare with a frosting-like pink mane, a slim brown stallion with a gray mohawk-like mane, and a beige mare with a puffy pink mane.
The three stared at the scene before them, not sure on how to approach the couple.
The cyan mare glanced at her beige companion. "Uh, Mare? What do we do?" she whispered.
The beige mare, Mare, stared at her. "Whyever are you asking me?"
"You're the one who's studying law, aren't you? You know, that leadership thing? Can't you find a way to get their attention? This is a really hard time for Pear, you saw what happened last night!"
Mare shook her head. "Keep your mane on, Chiffon."
Chiffon gave a grunt and turned to the brown stallion. "Oak, you've got this, right? Find a way to call them."
"If you're so keen on it, why don't you do it yourself?" he hissed, lost on what to do. "I'm just as worried as you are!"
Chiffon slowly made her way to the bed and cleared her throat. Mac heard the sound and looked up the see her sympathetic smile. Behind her he could see his best friend, Burnt Oak, and another one of his friends, Mare. He gave Buttercup a light tap and guided her head to her the mare in front of them. Her best friend: Chiffon Swirl.
Buttercup threw herself at Chiffon, latching herself to her. Chiffon returned the gesture and held onto her tightly.
"What happened last night? Mare asked, walking up to the small group, Oak trailing behind.
"Yeah, your parents looked pretty mad." At the mention of 'parents', Buttercup's lip began to quiver, and the three ponies threw him a 'SHUT UP!' look. Oak nervously chuckled. "Soooo, what happened last night?" he began, repeating Mare's question.
Buttercup's face seemed to brighten up. "Oh, me and Smith had a little talk," she said, a small smile on her hair-covered face. She began to move her hair out of her muzzle while Chiffon went to get a tissue box for Buttercup.
"Whatever happened?" Chiffon asked and Buttercup began to pat her eyes and softly blow her nose. "I mean, she did come over and smile at you when you dad, um, left..."
Buttercup sadly shook her head. "Naw, but she was mad at first when Ah said that Ah no longer wanted to be called Pear Butter, but she was happy to have me stay at the end. Speakin' of not callin' me Pear Butter, ya'll wouldn't mind callin' me Buttercup from now on, will you?" The three ponies immediately nodded, and Buttercup smiled. "Ya know, Ah'm not breakin' down and bawlin' mah eyes out while Ah'm with ya'll right now. Ah guess sometimes bein' with friends can help."
Chiffon sat by Buttercup and pulled her into an embrace. "I'm right here."
"You can always count on me to be there for you, too," Mare said, joining in.
"What they said!" Oak stuttered as he scattered to the bed with the rest, causing everyone else to laugh.
"Ah love you, and don'cha ever ferget that, ever," Mac whispered in her ear, causing the mare to smile.
"Thanks, ya'll," she said, tears of happiness forming in her eyes. "Never will Ah ever forget ya'll."
Mac swiftly pulled a buttercup out from his hat placed in in his wife's mane. Buttercup flashed him a thoughtful smile and held on tighter to her friends.
"Buck up, Buttercup," Chiffon whispered. "There's nothing to worry over when you have us."
"Hey, isn't that similar to that saying, 'Suck it up, Buttercup'?" Mare asked.
"Well then, this entire things just gotta be sucked up now, huh?" Oak joked, but then stopped when three deathly glares met his gaze.
"C'mon, ya'll. Cut the boy some slack," Buttercup laughed, patting Oak's head.
Laughter filled the room, and it went on for quite sometime. It wasn't until Chiffon grasped Buttercup once more and held on tighter than ever.
"But really, I'm serious," she whispered. "I'll always be here."
Gradually, the remaining ponies joined in the friendship hug.
The five of them were sat like that for Celestia know's how long. Just knowing that knowing that they'd all have each other's backs whenever they're in trouble, that they'd each lend a shoulder to cry on, give pat on the back for support, and a hug of comfort that made them all feel safe. It was as if at that moment, like nothing could harm them.
A moment like that was a lifetime of beauty.
