Once a Week

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2 part 1

Prologue

It was a bright and sunny day in Ponyville, the small cheerful town having completed the winter wrap up of that year the day prior. Now more than happy to finally welcome the spring in, it seemed like a rather peaceful day, one that everypony would want to have, however, days like those were starting to become a daily occurrence in Twilight's life, who had been living in the castle of friendship for about a year now.

While certainly glad Equestria wasn't endangered by some evil force this time around, her life as the princess of friendship had begun to stagnate, having little to do was starting to get on her nerves. She needed something to do and unfortunately for her, the planned schedule for the month wasn't as full as she would have wished for, and the next month wasn't looking any brighter either for her.

It came to no surprise when she was ecstatic later on that afternoon after having received a letter from her mentor, Princess Celestia, wishing to give her a visit to inform her of a mission, a test, you could say.
Twilight, the hard studying girl she had grown up to be since a filly, was looking forward to that test that could bring back a spark in her life, and while she wasn't expecting anything extreme, a test was a test, and she was going to get it right no matter what.

When Celestia finally arrived, she and Twilight began to discuss their newly found peace in Equestria, even if she didn't outright say it, Celestia knew Twilight was going to get bored of it after a while, there just needed to be something for her to do during the two free months she had garnered.

Twilight paid close attention to the words that Celestia spoke, in the calmed, motherly nature she had grown so used to.

“Twilight, as you may know by now, these months ahead of us are a perfect time for you and your friends to relax and enjoy some peace, however I am well aware you aren't quite compelled by such an idea.”

“I wished to pay a visit for a reason, Twilight Sparkle, I would be pleased if you were to accept this-” Twilight couldn't help it, but she inevitably interrupted the princess.

“Test! You're giving me a test, princess?” she said, her eyes almost glowing in joy, waiting desperately for her question to be answered.

“Correct, Twilight, let me explain,” Celestia paused for a moment, “we would be more than thankful for your help in our mission to bring to light our beautiful and rich history, as an effort to educate young ponies in the ways of the old Equestria, I have come to you in order to ask for your help in researching the story of Equestria, and any artifact the old ponies of the land may have left behind.”

Twilight accepted without a doubt in her mind, she knew she was capable of this test, that is until she thought more of it, she would of course need to cover a lot of ground, and quickly too, else there was the fear of losing her chance to prove herself capable to the princess.

The rest of the meeting went without a hitch, Twilight remaining rather thoughtful at her newly acquired mission, but as soon as Celestia had left her castle, she got right to work.

She began to think on who to bring for such a big investigation job, while wishing she was able to research all on her own, she herself knew her own limits, having had a long time to think it through, there was only another pony interested in this as much as her that would be willing to give her a hoof on the quest.

Sunburst found himself looking around the big library that the castle of the Crystal Empire had for him, spring was a great season for the empire, bringing in a calm ambient to the place as well as a new flood of tourists that began to fill the streets, it was a great time for everypony, that is except the prince and princess in charge, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor had gotten very busy with the new influx on tourists arriving at the empire, now trying their best at managing the place for everypony to feel comfortable and happy in, a task that was definitely exhausting the both of them.

Sunburst on the other hand wasn't as bad as them, his only job at the moment being to take care of the couple's baby, Flurry Heart. It was complicated at times, but this day she decided to spare him, having fallen asleep early, Sunburst found himself free for the afternoon, and he quickly took the chance to explore some of the new books he had gotten. His mane messy as always, his cape, easily the part he put more effort into, making sure it was clean and more than a little scented with perfume.

He had finally found some peace, sitting down in one of the desks at the library, he placed his column of books and to the other side, his now cold cup of tea. It was his little paradise.

The moment, while nice, didn't last for very long in his eyes, as he heard a knock on the big entrance door of the castle. He sighed, dropping his cup on the table and closing his book, he quickly directed himself towards that door, his hooves having to get used to standing up once again after a while of sitting.

He slowly opened the door once he arrived, he was not expecting much, maybe it was the mail, perhaps Shining had forgotten his bag again. With those expectations in mind, it was a surprise when, as he kept opening the door more and more, he had, without noticing, found himself in front of princess Twilight.

He jumped a bit at this surprising visit, but decided to calm himself before letting her in, while expecting her to ask for her brother, another surprise struck him as Twilight began to speak. “I'm really sorry for this surprise visit, Sunburst, but I need your help.”

“M-My help? But of what help would I even be to the princess of friendship?” Sunburst asked, still confused at Twilight's sudden appearance.

“Let's sit down, I'll tell you everything you need to know.”

Twilight and Sunburst spent a while talking, Twilight having explained the test Celestia had given her, she was more than happy while talking about it, Sunburst just decided to listen quietly for the most part.

“Oh I see, so you need my help for…?” Sunburst asked, while already suspecting the answer Twilight would give, he decided it was best to ask than to make up conclusions for the time being.

“Well I, of course, can't take on Equestria on my own, that's why I came here. I wished to ask you to help me cover more ground faster, since you live here, you could really extend me a hoof by researching the empire and its surroundings.”

“Are you sure? I love the idea of finding these artifacts and all, but I doubt It'll be any easy with Sombra having obscured a lot of the old archives of the city.” he replied.

“I bet you can find anything of importance, no matter how hidden it may be, I just wish Sombra didn't make it impossible…” Twilight sighed, and Sunburst began to think about it to himself. Certainly curious by the idea of uncovering the story of the empire, after it had been lost for some many years due to its curse, he nodded, agreeing to Twilight's request.

“I knew you would be the one for the job! Now let's get organized on this…”

And so, they began to form a plan, one that would lead to a series of events, unknown to them at the time.

Sunburst was in for a ride.

Chapter 1

It was finally the day, that day in which Sunburst would set his hoof in Ponyville. He was rather nervous, the castle’s library became a mess as he quickly tried to pack as many books and quills as possible. He kept talking to himself while reciting the list of objects he needed to pack, trying to make sure all of them were ready.

“Let’s see: quills, notes, books, extra glasses…”' Sunburst looked around his desk, neatly putting every item into its place, hearing hooves approaching as he did so, and when he turned his head to look at the library’s entrance, he was there.

“So what’s up with all the packing, Sunburst?” said Shining Armor, the stallion that was now standing right there in the entrance. Looking at Sunny, whose rush for getting the saddlebags ready was rather noticeable, even if his plans were to just stay for the afternoon.

“Oh! Shining, don’t you remember? I’m going on a mission today, and the train is just a few minutes from coming.”

“The quest with my sister?” Shining asked, Sunburst only responded with a nod for a few seconds, before speaking up again.

“Yeah, that’s the one, I’m very nervous right now, if you couldn’t tell.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine, besides, it’s just an afternoon, isn’t it?” Shining continued, walking closer to Sunburst, “Twilight asked for your help after all, I think you got this.”

“Right, yeah, maybe I don’t really have to worry as much…” Sunburst continued to pack, slightly calmer this time around, however.

“Oh, by the way,” Shining spoke once again, “say hi to Twily for me, it’d be nice if she stopped by more often.”

Sunburst nodded, before saying goodbye to Shining, and galloping towards his destiny.

While a little nervous, Sunburst couldn't help but feel relieved after what Shining said. He didn't want to admit it, but the responsibility of such a task, brought to him by none other than the princess of friendship herself, made him afraid of failing at his job.

He sighed, after which he found himself in front of the train station. He quickly went inside the train and searched around for a seat, and when he finally found it, it felt like the trip would be a breeze from there on.

Still as nervous as before he boarded the train, the comfort of the seat did wonders to make him feel better. Watching over the landscape while the train moved towards Ponyville made him realize just how little he traveled, the closest to it being his daily walk towards the castle library.

“It'll be fine, there's nothing to worry about,” he told himself, his eyes still looking over the mountains, the clouds and the animals that passed through the window.

“It's just an afternoon, yeah…”

He spent the rest of the trip reading the findings he had made prior to taking the train, wanting to make sure they were all ready for when he had to hand it to Twilight. Unfortunately, the poor sleep he had the day before ended up causing him to fall asleep on his seat, the journal he had with him being left open as a result.

He arrived at Ponyville shortly after, or at least it felt like he did, the nap he took helping to make it seem shorter than it actually was.

Setting all his things ready, he took a long breath before deciding to leave the train.

“There you are!” he heard, turning his head towards where the voice was coming from, he found Twilight Sparkle, who had been waiting for him in anticipation.

“For how long have you been here?” Sunburst asked, walking over to Twilight.

“Oh you know, just…an hour or so.”

“An hour?!”

“Yeah, don't worry about it, we should get going by now, this is going to be a long afternoon for us”

“Right, still though, an hour…?”

Brushing their conversation aside, the two ponies made their way towards the friendship castle. Sunburst looked all around while they did so. Ponyville was certainly a pretty town, he thought, his eyes almost sparkling while his gaze was lost on the buildings and ponies around them.

“You have a nice town…” Sunburst commented vocally, Twilight giving him a smile in response.

“You think so?” Twilight said, turning to look at Sunburst, “We try our best to make Ponyville great; all of us do, really.” she added, before continuing to look forward as the two got to their destination.

“And here we are!” Twilight couldn't hold a bit of that excitement she had, quickly opening the door, the two entering the tall castle upon them.

“You have a beautiful castle, Twilight…” Sunburst said, his eyes looking at the crystal columns that filled the walls, decorated with flower pots and other plants, alongside laces around them.

“Oh thank you, it wouldn't be as pretty if it weren't for my friends, I'll tell you that!” Twilight replied, chuckling at the thought.

Her friends truly made her life in the castle one she could enjoy, once empty and dull, it had been filled with decorations from all of them trying to make her feel at home, and reminding her of the beloved memories that connected all of them.

“Where are they, by the way?” Sunburst asked, while Twilight opened the door to one of the rooms, a long table and a couple of chairs filling the space, laces wrapped around the columns, with pots on top of said columns. The Crystal Empire's castle could use some renovations. He thought.

“Oh, Pinkie Pie is hosting a party today, she thought it might cheer us up for the spring. I told them I'd be heading there after I'm done organizing what information we had so far, so let's be quick!” she said with a bright smile, her tone confident and upbeat as she guided Sunburst towards the table. As the two proceeded to look over all of the research they had garnered together.

On Sunburst's side of the search, he had stumbled upon newspapers that narrated a couple of discoveries at Canterlot, brought to light by a certain inventor. While the important details were lost to time—some parts of the papers having been eaten by mice—there were still things he could gather from them, like their resident town being Ponyville. While looking through the rest of the notes Sunburst took from the newspaper, Twilight realized something, and she began to speak while holding a map.

“It seems a lot of this information loops back to a certain place in Ponyville…” Twilight looked around the map, setting her hoof on a spot, “...here!”

Sunburst looked over the map, the spot Twilight had marked being the area of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Sweet Apple Acres? Do you think that's the next place we should research?”

“I'd say so. Thinking about it, it makes a lot of sense, the Apple family has a long running legacy, maybe Granny Smith knows something we may want to hear.”

“It's settled then; let's take a visit and see what we find.” Sunburst said, as the two went to their next clue on the map.

On their walk towards the place, Twilight briefly described the location to Sunburst, who was following behind her.

“It's really pretty, trust me, all the apple trees you can think of!” said Twilight, smiling as she did.

Twilight, the princess of friendship, walked with such serenity and joy, finally being able to leave the castle, which while certainly pretty in its own way, started to feel big and lonely on days like those. It was her and the silence of the empty halls and rooms, Spike having left a while ago to accompany the rest of her friends to Sugarcube Corner.

“I never expected our search to get us here, y'know? It's a farm you said? I'm not so sure if we'll get something out of it…” Sunburst said, snapping Twilight out of her own thoughts.

“Oh trust me, I'm sure we're on the right track! We'll just see what we can find, piece of cake!” she replied, confident in her plan, until they finally saw it, they had both arrived at their destination.

Sweet Apple Acres was more colorful than Sunburst could have imagined, all the landscape filled with trees of various apples, just like Twilight had described to him. While Sunburst wasn't expecting them to go to a place like this, he certainly couldn't deny the beauty right before his eyes.

“Told you it was pretty.” Twilight chuckled, and Sunburst did so as well shortly after, as the two walked towards the red barn in front of them.

Sunburst then found himself with a group of 3 ponies, those of whom Twilight seemed to already be familiar with, she said hi to them, before shortly looking towards Sunburst.

“Everypony, I'd like to introduce you all to Sunburst, he's the unicorn that will be helping me out on my mission.” Twilight said, as Sunburst then quickly waved at the others, remaining behind Twilight for the moment, his eyes moving around the place.

“These here are the Apple family, Sunburst,” Twilight pointed her hoof at the ponies as she talked, “This is Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and finally, Big—” Twilight's speech got interrupted by another pony.

“What in tarnation is going on?” said the mysterious pony, walking out of the barn as they did so.

“Applejack? I thought you were at Pinkie's party!” Twilight said, surprised to see her friend.

“Well, Ah was going to, but things came up in the farm, ya know? And why are ya here?”

“Oh, well that's a long story, let me explain everything to you…” Twilight replied, and as she walked towards Applejack, the two went inside the barn, and shortly after, Apple Bloom and granny Smith did the same.

Sunburst didn't realize, but soon enough he ended up alone with the red-coated stallion, whose name he didn't get to know before Twilight had left his sight.

He stayed still in front of the male, a little worried about how to begin talking with him, rubbing one of his hooves out of embarrassment in the current situation.

It was an awkward silence between the two stallions for a while, that is until the other began to speak.

“Seems Ah'll have to introduce myself, mah name is Big Macintosh, it's really nice to meet ya, Sunburst.” He said with a slight chuckle, his voice deep, with a prominent accent. His long mane of a dark blonde, even if he gave the idea of a hard-working earth pony, Sunburst thought his mane still looked bright and soft.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too!” Sunburst hoped his anxiety wasn't so obvious, the whole thing reminding him of why meeting new people could be so stressful for him.

“Hope ya like the view, Sweet Apple Acres is a really nice place, Ah'd say.” Big Mac said, Sunburst nodding at him while he continued to spark conversation. Thank Celestia Sunburst didn't have to be the one to do that.

Sunburst listened, although he quickly lost track of the conversation as Big Mac continued to speak, giving Sunburst a moment to lose himself in his own thoughts. Bad idea.

He seems like a good stallion, wish I didn't have such a hard time understanding his accent sometimes. I wonder if he combs his mane often, it looks a bit messy, but I think it's… charming? Sunburst thought more and more, the noise of the real world slipping out of Sunburst's mind, Big Mac didn't seem to notice, however, as he continued to speak.

“Ya know, Granny Smith was here when they founded this place! She knows a lot of tales 'bout Ponyville, let me tell ya. One time-”

“Wow, he's really big…” Sunburst let out, before realizing he had just said his thoughts out loud, his anxiety spiked up as he did. He remained silent for a second right after.

“…Eeyup?” Big Mac replied, he was a little confused as to what Sunburst even meant by that. It was in his name after all wasn't it, right?

“Oh Celestia, I-I didn't mean to say that I-”

Sunburst began to struggle finding the words, his heart felt like it was going to jump out, and his hooves trembled all over the place, his cheeks red. He had just embarrassed himself in front of somepony, and on his first time even interacting with him. His speech quickly became nothing but a half-finished mess, until he gave up and stopped talking at all.

Why do you have to be like this, Sunburst? He must think you're weird now and it's all your fault, good job. Sunburst thought to himself, Big Mac became worried at the sight, starting to think he had just done something wrong.

“Are ya okay? It was nothin', really…” Big Mac said, looking at the smaller male

“Y-Yeah, I'm… fine.” replied Sunburst, trying to pull off a smile that just exposed his true feelings even more.

“Ya sure? Ya look more red than Ah do.” Big Mac pushed, visibly worried about Sunny, locking his eyes on him.

He looked back at Big Mac, both of their eyes now stared at one another,and he gulped. Big Mac's eyes, a shade of green that resembled that of an emerald, made Sunburst begin to panic even more.

“I-I'm fine! I promise…” He replied yet again, his face looking somewhere else, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

“If ya say so…” Big Mac let it slide, while still very much worried for Sunburst, the interaction had just shown him that he felt uncomfortable and anxious at the interrogation.

Sunburst sighed, he just needed some time to forget about his massive slip up, he thought. Trying to make an excuse to leave the scene, rushing, he went inside with the others, as Big Mac let him be.

Phew, now you just have to avoid him for the rest of the day! Sunburst thought, already knowing how hard that'd have truly been.

"Seems like that's it for today! We'll have to check the Ponyville library next time you're here, Sunburst," said Twilight, her voice once more full of energy.

The trip to Sweet Apple Acres had brought them new clues to search for, the bright inventor they had heard of now had a name they could search for, Apple Tea, and she was in the long running family tree of the Apples. Sunburst was excited, however that feeling went to the back of his head as he kept thinking of the interaction he had with Big Mac a few moments prior.

"Now that we're done here, I think I'll be going to Sugarcube Corner to see what they're up to. Are you coming, Applejack?"

"Ah sure am!" Applejack replied, the two finally heading off for the day, leaving Sunburst behind, outside of the barn.

They had done a good job for the day, Sunburst thought, while galloping towards the dirt path back to Ponyville, he found himself changing direction back towards the farm, as he approached Big Mac, who was bucking apple trees. He didn't know why he suddenly felt the need to do so, or maybe he just didn't want to admit why he did. All he knew is he couldn't let himself just outright ignore the stallion, especially after his trip to the farm had resulted in new information for Twilight and him to research.

"H-Hey there…I'm still sorry for what happened before, I didn't mean to sour the whole thing, y'know?" Sunburst heard himself say, trying to be sincere for once.

"Eeyup." Big Mac replied, his focus still on the trees he had in front.

"Is it hard bucking all those trees? I'd assume you're used to it by now, but still." Would you look at that, Sunburst was trying to start the conversations for once.

"Nope!" Big Mac said, his focus briefly changing from the trees to Sunburst himself, who remained behind him.

"You are doing a great job taking care of these, or well, I think so, I honestly don't know anything about farming, I'm too weak to even dare try my hoof at a job like yours."

Big Mac chuckled, his head turning to look at Sunburst for a moment, while he held a slight smile on his face.

"Wait," Sunburst approached Big Mac while talking, "you have a wood stick in your mane, let me—uhm…" Sunburst reached towards Big Mac's mane, his hooves moving through it slowly, while Big Mac remained still, looking at Sunburst's face.

"I think that should be good now!" Sunburst said, as he finally got the stick out of the stallion's long mane. He looked at Big Mac when he did, their eyes meeting once more, it was a warm feeling, the anxiety Sunburst held for so long finally taking a back seat as he just talked with him.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac said, his smile getting more prominent as he did, Sunburst himself smiling in response.

"Man, this sun is getting on my nerves, y’know?" Sunburst said while the thought passed through his head.

"Well, maybe if ya weren't wearing that big cape, It'd be less annoying." Big Mac chuckled at the sight, Sunburst's forehead starting to sweat noticeably.

"Are you telling me to stop wearing it? Never!" Sunburst exclaimed in a slightly playful tone towards Big Mac.

"Ya can always hide under the trees, ya know?" He pointed Sunburst towards one of the nearby trees.

"Oh, right." Sunburst trotted towards a nearby tree, and as soon as Big Mac was done apple bucking, he approached Sunburst and sat down next to him.

"I could get used to a place like Ponyville. I like the Crystal Empire, don't get me wrong, but there's quite a charm to how free it feels around here." Sunburst looked at the grass as he did, then looked at the trees, the sky and the mountains, the view causing him to remain calm.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac let out, as he stretched his forelegs.

"I think I could stay like this for a while." Sunburst said, his eyes slowly moving through his surroundings, Big Mac included.
His head turned towards the stallion, who looked pleased to have a small break from the farm job, his back against the tree, as his front hooves were on the back of his head.

"You sure needed that break." Sunburst said as he continued to look at Big Mac.

"Eeyup." Big Mac sighed, "Say, would ya like an apple, Sunny?" He asked, his eyes now looking towards Sunburst's direction.

"Oh, sure, yeah." Sunburst replied, then saw Big Mac get up briefly, grabbing an apple from the basket near the tree he was bucking earlier.

He quickly handed Sunburst the fresh apple, and waiting no more, Sunburst bit onto it, and as soon as he did, his cheeks reddened in a burst of joy. It was sweet, soft, like nothing he had ever tried before, he released a sound that reflected obvious pleasure, making Big Mac smile.

"Ah'll assume it was good." Big Mac said cheekily, Sunburst nodded, as he saw Big Mac lay down against the tree once again.

"Hey, Ah never asked, why the cape?" Big Mac said, his voice flustering Sunburst as soon as it reached his ears.

"O-Oh? This thing, well it was actually a gift from back when I was a little colt."

"And it still fits ya?" Big Mac asked with both curiosity and shock.

"Oh, that, it was way too big for me at that age, didn't stop me from wearing it all the time, though." He couldn't help but chuckle while saying it out loud, and Big Mac joined him afterwards. The two slowly lost track of time while talking, laughing and smiling all the way through.

Their chat came to an end, however, when Granny Smith called Big Mac to bring the apples he was meant to buck.

"Seems like Ah'm needed," Big Mac reached closer to Sunburst, "but ya ain't leaving for a while, right? Would ya want to come with me to Hay Burger? To talk a bit more."

"Oh? Like a date?" Sunburst said, unable to hold a chuckle as he did so, but even if he tried to portray it as a joke, the question he brought was in part genuine.

Sunburst thought the idea was dumb, Of course it wasn't one, you two just met. He thought, but even so, he couldn't help himself but think about it.

"Ya could say so." Big Mac said with a smirk, quickly brushing it off with a laugh of his own. Now Sunburst really was confused.

Oh, h-he was just kidding…I think. Sunburst told himself, becoming nervous once again, but it was too late by then.

He really wasn't ready, he already knew that, but he accepted nonetheless. He couldn't just back out of it now, so he needed to do it right, for him, for Big Mac.

Sunburst walked back towards Twilight's castle, all the way back thinking about how he was meant to plan his dine out with Big Mac, surely he needed a plan, else he'll make a mess of himself once more.

"C'mon now Sunburst, you just need an overly complex and foalproof plan for a successful date, piece of cake!" Said a now anxious Sunburst, trying to cheer himself up wasn't gonna work at this pace.

He opened the door to Twilight's castle, as he saw her quickly departing towards Sugarcube Corner, he faked up a smile as he waved her goodbye.

"Ok, you're alone now, time to panic." Sunburst galloped towards one of the rooms, that one Twilight and him had previously been that day. The papers and documents all remained where he left them, and without hesitation, he dropped his head against the table.

"Ouch! What was I even thinking about doing that…" Sunburst rubbed his eyes with his hoof, as he stared down at the papers in front of him, he grabbed a notebook and a quill, as he tried to write down a plan.

"Why did I have to accept? Celestia, I'm barely capable of having a conversation. I'm doomed… " Sunburst took a deep breath, his face still against the table wood, that is until he thought of an idea.

"Maybe I could try to research Twilight's library! She probably has some socializing books, I'll write down every detail, yeah! I'm sure it'll be-" Sunburst's monologue got interrupted by a knock at the entrance of the castle. He got up and went towards the noise that was coming, wondering who it could be, he sighed, and when he opened that door.

Hey Twilight, do you have that potion making book? I was thinking I could-" The mare in front of him stopped talking, as she realized who was just in front of her.

"S-Sunny? What are you doing here! and why didn't you tell me you were visiting Ponyville." said Starlight Glimmer, that being the mare who had knocked the door, Sunburst smiled as quickly as he saw her, ecstatic to see his friend after so long.

"Starlight! I would've never expected to find you like this." Sunburst smiled at the presence of his friend.

"I should be the one saying that, why are you here?"

"Twilight didn't tell you? We're on a research quest." Sunburst said, as he let Starlight inside the building.

"Oh, right, I entirely forgot about it, really. I've been busy trying to research potions like Twilight asked. She uh, though it could help me stay busy for the spring." Starlight said while she looked at Sunburst, definitely still as messy as last time she saw him.

"You're getting into potions? Do you have one to get rid of my anxiety?" he asked, half serious, half joking, something like that really would help him out that day.

"Uh, no, I… don't think that's how it works? But I know a breathing technique Twilight taught me." Starlight replied, slightly confused at Sunburst's sudden question.

"Oh, right…" Sunburst's stare slowly moved to look towards the castle floor in obvious disappointment.

"So why are you so anxious?" Starlight asked, as she moved towards Sunburst, the question causing Sunburst's demeanor to shift entirely.

"Me? What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine!" Sunburst beamed a big, shining smile towards Starlight, one that was so obviously fake, it just hurt to watch.

"Yeah, likely story," Starlight rolled her eyes in response, "c'mon now Sunny, I know you since you were a colt, you can't lie to me."

"Dammit… " Sunburst sighed, fixing his glasses afterwards.

"Look, if you need to talk, today's the day." Starlight said to her friend, with a small, sincere smile.

"You wouldn't by chance… want to go to Hay Burger? To uh, catch up?" Sunburst asked, thinking of a new plan while doing so.

"Hay Burger? How do you know about that place?" Starlight questioned.

"Well, I just heard of it, yeah, and I'm really hungry right now…" Sunburst lied, he definitely wasn't hungry, how could he be with the rising fear that drowned his thoughts at that moment. He just knew he needed to try out his plan, even if it may end up in failure.

"I mean, sure! I needed a break from all these potions anyways." Starlight said, smiling towards Sunny.

"Yeap! Let's go-" Sunburst stopped dead on his track, while stepping out of the castle, he quickly realized he simply didn't know where to go.

"Do you want me to take you there?" Starlight asked, smirking at Sunburst.

"Uhm, yeah…" Sunburst replied in embarrassment.

The afternoon felt young, yet Sunburst very well knew he had been wandering around town for more time than he had anticipated. "It's just an afternoon, isn't it?" The words resonated in Sunburst's head, "yeah sure, Shining, if only you knew what I've gotten into." Sunburst thought.

Oh, if only he knew.

Sunburst gently opened the door to the restaurant, Starlight and him both deciding to sit down on one of the tables near the windows.

"Shining must've tried his hardest at stopping you from eating fast food by how rushed you seem to be." Starlight said with a slight smirk.

"Well, he does worry about how often I eat junk, just, don't tell him I secretly order it anyways." Sunburst replied, causing Starlight to chuckle in response, while he pulled out a small notebook.

"You're taking notes? Of what exactly? Starlight questioned.

"What? Oh- well of course, I wouldn't want to forget anything. What has living with Twilight been like?" Sunburst decided to start by asking that, definitely will keep her occupied.

"Oh well, you see…" Starlight quickly drifted on, commenting on her life at the friendship castle, hoping Sunburst was listening; it was only a matter of time before she questioned his attention on the matter.

"Are you sure you're listening?" Starlight found herself saying after a couple of minutes of uninterrupted rambling.

"Me? O-Oh don't be silly, of course I am!" Sunburst said, obviously lying, Starlight frowned a little. Seeing him stare back and forth around the whole place, from the empty and dirty tables to the cashier desk.

"...Really?" Starlight questioned once more, she wasn't really mad at her friend not listening, but it felt like there was another reason for her being invited by him.

"Starlie, I promise I want to hear you."

"You want to, but I don't think you really are doing so."

"What? What would even make you think I'm not listening!" Starlight rolled her eyes at the response, and Sunburst knew very well she could see through his poor lies.

He sighed, setting aside his notebook while placing his front hooves on the table.

"Eugh, fine, maybe I didn't invite you because of that…" Sunburst let out.

"Why was it then?"

Sunburst inhaled deeply, before letting out his words,
"Ok so I may have just accidentally screwed up my introduction to somepony and I felt bad about it so I went and talked with them to try and fix it but then they asked if I wanted to go out with them and I said yes but I actually have no idea what to do and I'm TERRIFIED."

"HUH?" Starlight shouted while she kept processing Sunburst's words, "Let me get this straight, you invited me because…?"

"Because I thought if I came here before, I could get to know the place and then I wouldn't accidentally screw things up again." Sunburst sucked in air after finishing.

"Well now I feel dumb for not figuring it out a while ago." Starlight said, as she continued, "You know, I too was scared of things like these. I thought I needed to be perfect, else others would think I wasn't good enough to be around, but I learned that really didn't matter."

Starlight held Sunburst's hooves while she let out a breath, before resuming her speech.

"You just have to be yourself, Sunburst, ponies would rather have a sincere connection to one another than to be shown an Ideal version of yourself," Starlight sighed, "I would know… " She added.

"Right… Be myself, yeah, I guess I can do that." Sunburst replied, as he too left out a breath, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"So what pony are you talking about?"

"Oh no no no, you aren't getting that from me Starlight, not in a hundred moons" Sunburst said, chuckling towards the end.

"We'll see about that, but for now, want to finally order something?"

"Wow, the food is actually really good here." Sunburst exclaimed to Starlight, his focus remaining on the burger that was in front of him, feasting on it as if he hadn't eaten in months.

"Yeah, maybe if someone wasn't so stubborn we could've eaten way sooner." Starlight replied, causing Sunburst to release a growl in slight annoyance, causing her to laugh.

"Yeah yeah, I get it, I'm way too conscious for my own good sometimes." Sunburst replied, rolling his eyes while he did.

"Sometimes? Now that's an understatement." Starlight teased her friend further.

"Okay, fine, I'm like that all the time, you already know that." He admitted.

"And that's exactly why I know you don't need to worry, Sunny," Starlight paused for a moment, "listen, if somepony asked you out, they probably already like you, you don't have to make yourself seem perfect for them."

"Well, yeah I know that, but what if I still somehow ruin everything for myself." Sunburst asked.

"Both of us know that's just your paranoia getting the best of you, Sunny, you'll be fine." Starlight reaffirmed, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, I swear it'll be alright."

"Fine, you got me… " Sunburst sighed, finally giving up on his never ending questioning.

"Phew, I thought you'd never stop." Said Starlight with a smirk.

"Oh shut up." Sunburst huffed, to which Starlight couldn't help but laugh, followed by Sunburst himself.

The two continued eating their meal, while Sunburst remained thoughtful of the situation.

Starlight was, to his dismay, right about this. He's being way too paranoid, inevitably sabotaging himself in the act. She has known him since they were fillies, she knew what to say to make him reconsider his train of thought. You'll be fine, everything will be fine. he repeated himself internally.

"Hey, are you finishing that burger?" Starlight said, causing Sunburst's thought bubble to pop.

"Oh, don't even think about it!" And so he quickly shoved the rest of the burger inside his mouth, causing Starlight to burst out laughing.

"So, do you want me to repeat it a third time?" Starlight said, as the two ponies were sitting down outside the restaurant, having been there for a few minutes by then.

"No no, I think I'm fine." Sunburst looked around the dirt path, then the bushes, then the sky, the knowledge of how much time had truly passed did nothing but make him wonder.

Did the day really go by that fast? It certainly didn't feel like much time had passed for him, but the view did little to affirm that idea, the orange sky his eyes were witnessing, alongside the sun, starting to go down. The afternoon was coming to an end, no, it wasn't, not for him at least, he still needed to face that date of his, or "Dine out" as he was determined to call it. Oh well, if it works for him.

"I'll be heading off then, good luck, Sunny." Starlight said before getting up, as she trotted towards Twilight's castle, Sunburst left alone, momentarily, at least.

When Sunburst decided to stand up as well, he quickly found himself sitting back again, when his eyes noticed a blonde mane in the horizon, one he instantly recognized. His thoughts got nothing but confirmed when he was able to see the stallion under said mane, and the red coat that covered his body, it was none other than Big Mac.

He sat there as the stallion galloped closer, until he was only a few meters away from Sunburst.

"Sorry for being late, hope Ah didn't leave ya waitin' for so long." Big Mac said, looking down at Sunburst, as he attempted to clean off the sweat drops from his forehead.

"You don't have to worry, I… Arrived here just a few minutes ago." Sunburst let out a lie on his end, but explaining his shenanigans to Big Mac wasn't something he was planning to do anytime soon.

He stood up, as Big Mac decided to open the door with his hoof, letting the both of them enter, for what seemingly was the first time that day.

"Why don't we sit there?" Sunburst pointed his hoof towards a table near the cashier.

"Eyup." Big Mac responded, which was enough to make Sunburst quickly walk towards the table, letting Big Mac sit first before he sat as well.

"Ah think this is fine by me" Big Mac said, Sunburst looked over his menu, seeing he was pointing at one of the bigger burger choices the restaurant had to offer.

"I think I'm just alright with a salad." Sunburst said. It was out of his plans to take in another burger, not after he had just eaten with Starlight.

"Ya on a diet or something?" Big Mac asked, making Sunburst nervous at the question.

"Oh pfft, I don't think I'd even be able to, I'm just, not really hungry, y'know?" Sunburst replied, leaving out the context as to why he wasn't hungry in the process.

"Eyup, Ah get ya." Big Mac let out, and the two decided to order.

After a moment of silence, both needed to bring some conversation.
Just as Sunburst raised his hoof and opened his mouth, so did Big Mac, both ending in an awkward stalemate.

"So uhm..-"

Those were their last words before both of them fell silent again, staring at each other, waiting for someone to make the first move.

Sunburst sat there, still, looking at the wood of the table, while his mind began to fill again with anxiety, If this goes wrong, I'm never forgiving Starlight. He thought, but quickly tried to brush them off. It was gonna be fine.

"Hey, Uhm… " He heard Big Mac say again, all his thoughts getting put on the back of his mind, as his eyes moved to look at the stallion.

"What is the crystal empire like?" Big Mac asked, Sunburst felt as if his own eyes were glowing when he heard that question.

"Oh! W-Well, It's very pretty, different from Ponyville, but pretty in its own way," Sunburst kept talking as if out of instinct, "there's a lot of tourists recently coming, actually. It's pretty busy for princess Cadance and Shining Armor, but I think they manage, somehow."

"And what about ya?" Big Mac added, and Sunburst took a second before responding.

"M-Me? It's not that interesting, really, I have been staying at the castle these past few days, while I'm foalsitting Flurry Heart." He replied, with a slight smile on his face as he did so.

Big Mac only nodded in response, with a smile of his own.

"You should go one day, bet it'd be fun, if you get free time at least."

"Eyup!" Big Mac chuckled, making Sunburst's smile even brighter.

The silence between the two continued afterwards, but the small talk they had alleviated the tension between the two, Sunburst tried to think of something to say, however.

"Maybe if I say this it'd be okay, but what if that makes things just awkward, I should think of something else," Sunburst had yet again spiraled inside his own mind, thinking of what to say just wasn't something he was able to do at that point, that is until something hit him.

"So… May be a dumb thing to ask but," It's out there now, can't back out, "Is there anything embarrassing you have ever done?" Sunburst let out, causing Big Mac to break into laughter, it seemed he already thought of something.

"Ah think Ah have a good story for ya," Big Mac said, causing Sunburst's ears to go up, as he placed his hooves on the table, and listened.

"A turkey call?" Sunburst asked with surprise in his eyes.

"Eyup! Ya had to be there, Ah lost mah voice because of that." Big Mac replied with a big smile, as the two continued to chuckle at the story, he then continued.

"Ah didn't even win! But I ain't letting Pinkie take first place this year." He said with bright determination.

"Now that's something I wouldn't want to miss, but are you really that good?" Sunburst questioned half teasingly towards him.

"Wanna find out?" Big Mac asked with a cheeky smile.

"Well, maybe." Sunburst's smirk grew larger as he said that, causing Big Mac to chuckle

Sunburst then watched in anticipation, as he heard Big Mac prepare his voice, before letting out the best impression of a turkey call he could have made, making everypony around them turn around to look, and simultaneously making the two of them burst out laughing once more.

"Told ya." Big Mac said with slight pride in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm never underestimating you again." Sunburst said, unable to hold back his laughter while doing so.

"Maybe now I want to participate in the turkey call contest." Sunburst said jokingly, he would've never found himself interested in such a concept, but the way Big Mac seemed so happy to share it with him, made him, if only a little, interested in it.

Sunburst let out a turkey call of his own, not as good as Big Mac himself, but good enough to cause them to laugh out loud once more.

"Ya did good! but ya better not be plannin' on competing against me this year, cuz ah' would not go easy on ya." As soon as Big Mac said those words, Sunburst's inner world came crumbling down

"Not go easy on ya" the words reverberated inside Sunburst's mind, his forelegs shaking and his face turning red, he didn't want to think about it like that, but his mind was too fast for him to prevent it, no matter in what context those words were said to him, he didn't mind them in the slightest, when it was Big Mac the one saying them.

Celestia, give him strength.

Calm your horses down, Sunburst, why are you acting like this to begin with? Sunburst judged himself on the matter, the answer was so obvious, those words, but they weren't the only reason, it was Big Macintosh himself.

Sunburst's cheeks reddened even further after the realization truly hit him, he was going red over the stallion sitting in front of him, but he just couldn't help himself. "Celestia, he's just really cute not to!" Sunburst admitted to his inner self.

"Do Ah have something in mah face?" Big Mac asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Oh, no no no!" Sunburst replied, unable to completely hide his flustered expression, he attempted to look somewhere else, the window to the side of him. Sweet Celestia, he really is so obvious.

Big Mac sighed, both of the stallions trying to brush off the awkward scene that was beginning to form around the two once again.

"So, what about ya?" Sunburst's face immediately turned to look at Big Mac when he heard his voice.

"Huh? W-What do you mean?"

"Ya know, anything embarrassing ya have experienced?" Big Mac asked further, Sunburst's eyes widened as he did.

"Oh, well I… " Sunburst sighed, he let the feeling sink in before looking for the right words. Still unsure as to what to respond with exactly, he spoke.

"I, well it's complicated…"

Silence surrounded the two stallions at that moment, the other ponies at the restaurant having left by that point, leaving them alone, while Sunburst kept talking. Talking about his experience back at Celestia's school for gifted unicorns, it wasn't appropriate for him to do so, but he couldn't stop now, so he kept going.

His eyes stuck looking down at the table, while he described the pain and anger he felt towards himself those years, it really wasn't the moment to do so, but he kept going.

He kept going, as Big Mac remained silent throughout, he kept going as his eyes felt ready to let out tears, he kept going as his hooves shaked, and he kept going until a tear finally dropped down his face.

"I-It was, awful, I was so… dumb to even think I'd do well, I just couldn't keep up, I-"

Sunburst stopped, feeling a weight on his shoulder. Looking towards it, he found Big Mac had set a hoof on it, Sunburst's eyes finally moved to look at Big Mac, he sobbed, the emotions he had were sinking in at that moment.

"Sorry, I-I really shouldn't have brought that up… "

Sunburst shrunk on his seat as Big Mac stood up, he reached towards Sunburst's chair. Eyes staring at each other, he hugged him, causing shock in Sunburst as he did, but even so, he returned the hug, crying even more.

"Ah didn't know ya went through such things, Ah'm sorry ya had to." Big Mac tightened his hug slightly, causing Sunburst to sob a little more, his eyes becoming sore.

The two remained hugged for a moment, as Sunburst calmed, Big Mac's embrace causing his cheeks to blush once more, he felt safe in his arms, even if he was still touched emotionally at that moment, he breathed heavily on Big Mac's back, and he closed his eyes as the two kept still.

It took both of them time to finally release the hug, the two were still silent, but they smiled at each other, those being the sign that they were ready to leave that moment in the past.

It was done, Sunburst, it was done.

The two left the restaurant behind, Big Mac's hoof wrapped around Sunburst, they were still close to one another, asserting Sunburst that he didn't need to worry about what the other stallion thought of him.

"Do you, uhm, want to accompany me to the station?" Sunburst heard himself saying, in hindsight, it was a dumb thing to ask in his opinion, but he did nonetheless.

Big Mac nodded in response, and Sunburst found comfort in the warmth of his coat as the two walked towards their destination.

Their walk to the train station wasn't filled with any dialogue between them, in fact it was rather quiet, the two preferring to remain that way, it was a comforting type of silence, one Sunburst knew very well. He watched as the Sun was setting down, the sky orange In color, breeze getting on his fur as they kept walking down Ponyville, smiling.

"I think you can leave me here now, I'm sure you have work at the farm to do anyways."

"Ya don't have to worry 'bout me, Ah'll be fine."

"If you say so, but really, thanks for taking me here."

"Eyup, no need to say so."

Sunburst waved goodbye to Big Mac, whose smile persisted while Sunburst boarded the train.

Sitting down at his seat, Sunburst looked through the window, finding Big Mac still in the station, and as the train began to move, the two waved goodbye once more.

Sunburst breathed deeply again once the train was on its way to the Crystal Empire, his thoughts were a mess, his heart was racing, he felt as if he was sweating, but above all else, he felt unable to stop thinking about Big Mac.

The stallion just couldn't leave his head, stuck there as Sunburst hid his face on his hooves while the thoughts kept flooding him. Next week was gonna be a long one, but he would count the days until he saw him again.

"I forgot my things at Twilight's castle… '' Sunburst suddenly realized as he looked around his seat, he groaned.

It was really gonna be a long week.

Chapter 2 part 1

Sunburst sighed when he woke up, he groaned at the pain his back felt. The sleep he had hadn't been the best of his life, and how could it have been anyways. He barely slept, only getting to close his eyes after Celestia had begun raising the sun.

He had a lot in his head, distress that forced him into being wide awake when he initially laid on bed, only able to sleep once the sun was preparing to rise that morning. Now he remained bothered, with the added flavor of tiredness as he couldn't get himself up.

Moving hastily around the bed, he remained there, changing position to rest sideways, and then changing again to face the mattress, moving once more a couple of seconds later.

Giving up, a long sigh left his mouth as he looked at the ceiling, the sheets now a mess after the struggling he had pulled up with.

"Maybe I should just face it." He let out, finally sitting up on the bed, before leaving it a few seconds later, back pain and all.

It was still morning when Sunburst got up, the sun shining bright through the window, casting light onto his coat and mane, and the sky was clear with few clouds to be seen.

He walked downstairs to collect himself, preparing coffee while his cape dragged behind his back. Walking back to his room, now with the levitating cup behind, he placed the cup down on his desk, next to a couple books that already rested there.

Morning reading, it was something he had gotten used to for a long time since then, he took a sip of his coffee, before dropping one of the books onto the center of the desk, staring at the pages as he opened it.

He quickly sidetracked, the words starting to fade away on his own mind. Not focusing, he started thinking to himself for a moment, his cup was about half empty by that moment.

Last week was unusual for Sunburst, an understatement at the very least, he felt his heart speed up from even thinking about how much had happened.

That day had excited him, it allowed him to escape that routine he had become accustomed to in the empire, leaving town for just an afternoon had made it clear to him how much he was missing out on stuff. It wasn't that he didn't want to, far from it. But he had his own work to worry about in the Crystal empire, he had to take care of the young Flurry Heart for most of the week, he had his own set of hobbies, those that not many around him seemed interested in, so he stayed alone.
That rush of adrenaline he felt that day, it left an aftertaste that only made him wish for another hit even more. Unfortunately for Sunburst, he couldn't fool himself, he wasn't that excited because of the research, no. He was excited because of everything else that happened.

Looking at the wood desk, he drew circles with his hooves as he spoke out loud.

"Maybe I should've asked him out for another time that day."

He, inevitably, was the only pony Sunburst could think about.

"Sunburst, you had a date with a dude you met that same day, maybe that should've gone slower. Or maybe he didn't even see it as anything more than just friends getting together. Celestia, I may as well be the one overthinking it now…" Sunburst, really now? It took you that long to realize?

"He wrapped his arm around me though, but that was just him trying to be nice. After all, I was the one who rambled to him in tears!" Sunburst kept talking, finding comfort in his own words.

Unlike his books –most of which he had read multiple times already– he didn't know the ending, he didn't know how things would turn out, and that scared him. The question of whether or not his feelings would be reciprocated.

And it was in that moment, surrounded by his own doubts and uncertainty, that he fell asleep on the desk.

“Ah already told ya, Ah don’t know!” Applejack let out in distress. At the apple barn, Big Mac and her had been moving around hay and cleaning up to prepare for their harvest of the day. Admittedly, her brother was the cause of her annoyance, Big Mac had been asking her one singular question since they woke up. Is he coming today?

He sighed at Applejack’s response, having been told the same thing multiple times since, the repetition of those words not making them any easier to swallow.

You don’t know, the uncertainty in that statement left a sour taste in Big Mac’s mouth.

Of course, he would have to come back, right? But Big Mac didn’t know for certain, for all he knows something may have changed in their plans without him being aware of that. Something that would frustrate his thoughts, the idea of asking him out once more, to get to know him further. The mere idea of that was enough to make Big Mac’s chest feel warm, so he instead grabbed onto that warmth for as long as he could. For as long as he had to before seeing Sunburst again.

“Big Mac, ya helping or what?” Applejack raised her eyebrow, leaning against hay. Big Mac's eyes widened and he soon remembered the situation he was in before he decided to overthink.

“Eh… Eyup.” He replied. He thought to himself while he got to work, time would eventually give him an answer.

“E-Excuse me!” Sunburst said as he ran through the streets of the Crystal empire, trying his best to not bump into anypony, Books swinging in the air as he tried to keep them floating under his magic. The accidental nap he had taken left him awake in the beginning of the afternoon, still somewhat tired, the idea of missing the train was enough to cause Sunburst to jump out of his house and towards the castle.

He came rushing through the door, unsurprisingly exhausted as he plummeted onto the floor.

“Tough day?” asked Shining Armor with a smirk, as he walked towards Sunburst, looking down at the mess that barely held together in one piece.

“You could say so.” Sunburst huffed, as he tried to recover his breath.

"Let me guess, Ponyville trip?" Shining added with a hint of smugness in his grin, bringing saddlebags towards Sunburst, while he looked down at him.

Sunburst nodded, finally building the strength to set himself back up, walking towards the library as he continued to talk with Shining.

"Try not to forget your things this time, Sunny."

"Yeah yeah, I'll make sure of that, Shining." Sunburst huffed, slight sarcasm emanating in his tone. He placed the books he had brought with him inside the saddlebags, soon putting them on his back.

And so like that, Sunburst was back on track to what would soon become a routine, as he prepared to go back to Ponyville once more, a lot more nervous than excited.

Of course, he was still kind of excited, no doubt. Helping Twilight in her research had broken up part of his monotonous daily life, but after last week, things were a bit different.

His thrill for script reading was interrupted from that day on, while his head played the events of that day on loop, the words and laughs he had shared with Big Mac filling his heart with joy. It felt good, and he wanted more, he needed more, yet that idea scared him.

Because he wouldn't be able to predict the outcome of his actions, unlike in his mind fortress and –regrettably– his own fantasies, he couldn't be certain, and uncertainty was his greatest enemy.

"What if", two words that would drive Sunburst near insanity, the amount of outcomes one interaction could bring, it was too much to handle, having to step back and out of it to remind himself.

If he was going to see him that day, he needed to let himself enjoy that. Share those moments with Big Mac, embrace that time. Care for it as much as he could, because he didn't know when it would end, and he wasn't going to let the crawling fear weigh him down on the opportunity to be happy.

He had walked past Shining Armor, past the royal guards in the castle's entry, and he did so with a slight smile, because everything would've been worth it.

Yeah, it would've been worth it when he saw those pretty green eyes of his again.

Walking out of the train, he stretched his forelegs in relief, back hurting from sitting in the train. It's not like it was anything new to him, he did sit like a shrimp when reading.

He saw Twilight sitting on a bench at the train stop. She smiled once her eyes lifted from the book she was reading.

"You've been here an hour ago, I'll presume."
Sunburst chuckled to himself as he gave Twilight a grin, before all that cockiness in his eyes went away when they widened at the view of who else was also awaiting his arrival.

"Well, no, actually. I was gonna, but a certain pony pushed me to be here two hours ago."
Twilight pointed at the stallion next to her with her gaze, all the while Sunburst was trying to pick himself up from the shock that such revelation had caused him. He waited for him? And he waited two hours?

"O-Oh! Hi there." Sunburst let out a nervous yet bright smile formed on his face, the warmth he had felt before once again showing up in his cheeks, as Big Mac nodded in return with a smile

"Now that you're here, can we finally go to the castle?" Twilight witted, causing both stallions to chuckle, soon departing towards their new destination.

"So, how was your day? Both of your days?" Sunburst asked while the trio galloped.

"Oh, it's been alright, I'm so excited to show you my discoveries!" Twilight's voice gave emphasis to that last part, squealing excitedly. Sunburst's own gaze tried to make eye contact with her, before quickly falling right back onto Big Mac.

“Was yours good too, Big Mac?”

"E-Eyup." He replied with a low chuckle, making Sunburst's smile grow wider with his reaction.

"Are you sure?” Twilight interrupted, making the two ponies behind her raise their ears, “Applejack told me how you wouldn't stop asking her when Sunburst was coming!" She turned to look at the stallions as she said this, chuckling to herself before looking up front once again, leaving the stallions burning red behind her.

"R-Really?" Sunburst whispered in disbelief. The desire of seeing the other was mutual for both stallions, and that hint caused Sunburst to feel somewhat validated, making his cheeks turn an even warmer tint.

"Eeyup…" Big Mac replied, looking down while clearly being embarrassed at how Twilight had outed him so easily like that.

Sunburst exhaled, looking at his hooves when he walked besides Big Mac, he nodded to himself before getting his sight up again, and he broke the silence with a small but needed reminder.

“Let's… let's make today count, then.” He let out. His eyes met Big Mac’s with caution, his look now reflected surprise, his eyes wide and his cheeks just as red as Sunburst.

“Eyup… “ He replied, his voice trembling when he did.

The usual confidence was absent from his tone, and it was instead replaced with uncertainty, the kind Sunburst was very familiar with. He seemed unsure, Sunburst observed, like he was still processing those words. Did he want to say something?

Sunburst didn't know, once more he was hindered by questions he didn't have answers to. It was almost as if the world made fun of him for even stopping to think so carefully about what was going on around him, but he couldn't stop. Analyzing such feelings was complicated, and it felt like it just kept getting harder, but he hoped eventually, time would bring him answers.

But, at that moment, he had a task in mind, when they arrived at the castle.

Papers, they filled the center table of their study room at the castle, Sunburst’s cheeks reddened at the sight, such hefty research, he had barely anything up to that scale! Now defeated, he stretched his hooves and sat down at the now titled ‘exposition table’ (working name), sighing, he soon saw Twilight sat beside him, Big Mac doing much the same.

From Twilight's perspective, it must've been a weird sight —Sunburst imagined— having this dorky stallion wish to join you in your nerd cave probably wasn't something she experienced often, if ever. Not like Sunburst would know what it's like, the only stallion he ever invited to his home was in his junior years, and all he did was beg him to open a portal to another realm, something Sunburst had already tried, and failed miserably the year prior.

Nevertheless, now that their group was ready, Twilight cheered before setting her hooves down.

"Alright, let's get this finally started!" She shouted with a little too much excitement, grabbing a few of the scripts, Sunburst following behind.

They got their hooves to work, pushing through high and low. Referencing, backtracking, discarding, narrowing their searches as the piles of paper soon lowered in size. Big Mac could only watch in deep concern at Twilight and Sunburst exhausting themselves at such speed, he could've sworn he saw sweat coming from their foreheads, and their horns sparked bright while they read through documents at unimaginable speed.

There was nothing, like, at all.

They both groaned at the minimal clues they could gather from all that, it felt like they had just wasted their time trying to get new information. While both of them knew they had to search around Ponyville's cozy library, they found nothing that could facilitate that task. What part of the library should they start looking through? How were the books even organized? Rainbow Dash had crashed there at least 3 times in the winter.

"I know it’s looking pretty dull right now, b-but that just means we need to work harder!” Twilight’s distress showed, “We'll look around the entire library if needed.” she added, before getting up from her chair.

"Y-You think we can do that?" Sunburst stuttered in disbelief.

"I'm sure of it! Are you coming as well, Big Mac?” Twilight asked.

"Eyup!" Big Mac replied near instantly, even before fully taking the words, he knew he wanted to help, he needed to help, he had the chance and he was gonna make something of it.

"Let's get going then, I'll just go tell Spike before we go." Twilight said as she walked out of the room.

She was gone, leaving the two, now puzzled stallions alone in the room, their eyes wandered around, but never once they rested on each other's face. Unable to make eye contact between the two, Sunburst gritted his teeth in annoyance.

Sunburst was, to his dismay, wordless. He simply didn't know what to say, but the voice inside him kept begging for him to do so. Say something, ANYTHING to him for Celestia's sake.

That silence, it was asphyxiating him, it felt infuriating, he needed to push himself to do something. It's your chance.

Sunburst breathed, that's it. It's now or never.

"Hey… so uhm…"

"Okay! I'm back, let's get going now!" Twilight said as she walked through the door.

Are you kidding me? Sunburst thought, his face wrinkled in unfiltered annoyance, he turned red as it looked like he was about to steam. Keep calm, Sunburst, you'll get the chance eventually.

Big Mac couldn't help but notice the failed attempt Sunburst made at that moment. His eyes moved to look directly at Sunburst's face, smiling at him. The brightness of his emerald eyes shone through with his soft smile providing comfort and warmth to the heart, it was enough to make Sunburst melt on the spot. Behave, control yourself Sunburst.

You'll get the chance.

The three ponies left the castle, their goal was to research Ponyville's library, if there was any information about Apple Tea, it had to be kept there. Their research was scarce, but from what they had gathered: Apple Tea was an old time inventor, she was responsible for multiple tools used in the daily lives of the old ponies of Equestria, alongside working on other various artifacts lost to history. She lived in Ponyville, having written a journey of her own research while working on her projects.

They knew the journey had to be left at the library, but not exactly where it would be, or if it would even be intact once they found it, but they had to try that day.

Another long afternoon awaited Sunburst, and he was not ready for it.

They trotted down the dirt path, Twilight took the lead, being the one at the front. Sunburst and Big Mac more than comfortable to follow behind her hoofsteps, the two looking at one another with a smile.

"Are you sure this won't be boring to you?" Sunburst asked somewhat teasingly towards the stallion, he chuckled.

"Eeyup." Big Mac replied with a smirk, showing much of the same attitude as Sunburst. He was more than happy to get the chance to help Sunburst that day, both of them knew so.

"If you say so. Happy to get a day off of the farm?” Sunburst asked, getting closer to Big Mac's side while he did, causing his heart to jump slightly in surprise.

"E-Eyup!" Big Mac replied nervously. He couldn't help but hum at just how close they were, his chest vibrated peacefully, and that warmth tinted his face without him realizing.

"When did you two get so close, did I miss a chapter?" Twilight asked, turning her face to look at the stallions behind.

"Nope." Both let out at the same time, their blush growing stronger as a reaction. Sunburst moved away slightly, causing Big Mac to frown audibly, making Sunburst laugh under his breath. He really wanted to get closer, but maybe he should've done that while no other pony was with them, it would make things a lot less awkward.

Walking towards the library wasn't a long way, but it certainly felt longer to Sunburst, the small town being the scenery to his daydreaming, as he lost himself in Big Mac's eyes. They had been staring at each other in silence for a while, both easily seeing through each other's facade. Big Mac knew Sunburst wanted to say something, Sunburst knew Big Mac wanted to say something, yet neither of them could gather the courage or words to speak out loud to the other.

The desire, the need Sunburst felt to bring up the past week, to acknowledge the closeness both of them had experienced, to test the waters and see if Big Mac thought as fondly of him as Sunburst did of him. The idea of building new memories like those with him, it was gut wrenching to be so close yet so far, to be in front of the one he needed to talk the most to, yet feel so distant as the two walked together. He felt limited to the context of their situation, going to the library while Twilight led their way, it would be awkward to bring something like that in front of her, for now at least. He desperately needed to talk, let those feelings out, free himself from the weight of his own thoughts upon him, he was spiraling.

"Did ya eat anything on yer way here?" Big Mac asked.

Sunburst jumped, snapping out of his own head while he turned to look at him, "W-Well, not really I-"

"I think we're here boys!" Twilight smiled at the stallions.

I'm going insane. He thought, gritting his teeth in an attempt to stop himself from screaming his rage out, nevertheless, he breathed. You have this under your hoof, it's alright.

You'll get the chance.

Twilight trotted into the library, opening the large wooden door with her magic, she jumped and squealed at the sight, at the smell of books that soon surrounded them.

She had only visited the local Ponyville library a handful of times, admittedly. She never had the need to, her own personal library was far bigger than that of the small town, but staying at her castle for so long had made her forget how comfortable the environment of a cozy library could be.

The smell of paper from the large bookshelves around the place, the sounds of the oak floor creaking and the light of the sun casting through the windows. Lamps illuminating the inside and velvet laces decorating the walls around them. Sunburst looked all over the place with a sense of curiosity, he was so used to the clean cut look of the Crystal Empire that he too had forgotten how comfortable rustic could be.

"I'll go ask the librarian if she knows anything about the diary." Twilight replied, causing Sunburst to refrain from getting too distracted by the architecture.

“G-Good idea! I would like to take a peek myself, check if there's anything interesting to see.” He replied back, before moving his eyes towards Big Mac's direction, “Would you uh, want to go with me, Big Mac?” he stuttered. It seemed like a good opportunity in his head, it was a small gap, but it was enough time for him to keep himself sane for a little longer.

"Eyup!" Big Mac replied glistening with a bright smile that only made Sunburst's heart flutter. Soon the two stallions went towards the back of the library, Sunburst using his magic to scrounge the shelf up and down.

"You… really waited two hours there?" Sunburst let out with a hint of a sigh, keeping his focus mostly on the books in front of him to avoid eye contact.

"E-Eyup." He admitted, his cheeks turning red once more, as he too looked around the shelf with his hoof.

“I… wanted to see you too, actually…” He made an admission of his own.

Big Mac's eyes went wide, his eyes looking all around while he made sense of his new found thoughts.

"I just hope you don't get bored while we're here.” Sunburst added, another sigh escaping his lips.

"Nope!" Big Mac replied near instantly, with a security in his voice and an honest smile that caused relief in Sunburst, as he too smiled.

"Say, have you… ever read any farming books or something?” Sunburst asked lightheartedly.

"Nope!" Big Mac replied, looking around the books while doing so.

“Family knowledge then?”

“Eyup, practice too.” He chuckled, having recalled a couple experiences of his own working at the farm, memories that brought some comfort to him.

“I would like to hear more of that… when we get the chance that is!” He giggled back, returning the book to the shelf and turning to look at the stallion.

Big Mac blushed at the comment, but he nodded in response, both excited at the prospect of meeting together again.

"Are you two having fun?" Twilight asked while she approached them, catching Sunburst off guard.

“Y-Yeah! I'd say so.” He replied back with a laugh.

"That’s good to hear, I'll need your help here, both of you.” She said back, before continuing, “This diary has to be somewhere in here, but I don't know where, nopony does.” She rolls her eyes in a bit of frustration.

“Guess we’ll have to search all this place afterall, let’s divide then?” Sunburst asked.

“I’ll stay here, could you search the second floor?” Twilight asked, the two stallions rushing to agree, both walking up the stairs together.

The steps led both stallions into the second floor of the library, it was packed with a lot more shelves than the first one, a large rug resting on the floor of the place, covering most of it. Flower pots adorned the window stools, the sun rays making themself clear once more. There were fewer tables, whoever.

"Would ya… mind havin’ to read on the ground?" Big Mac asked, placing his foreleg on the back of his neck

"Nope! Not at all, really." Sunburst said, Big Mac was unable to hold back a smile as he heard that.

Sitting down on the library floor, both of the stallions picked up their own set of books to gaze upon, dividing the workflow would've been the fastest method of research, it seemed like a great idea on paper. But a word came out, then another. Suddenly, their pace haltered when they began talking, and they lost in each other's words.

"Would you teach me how to bake, I uh… promise I'll try not to burn anything." Sunburst said while passing the pages of a book.

Big Mac let out a chuckle, "Eeyup, Ah'm sure Applejack would give you a hoof on that."

"I can't wait then." Sunburst let out with a sigh, his own cheeks turning red once he did. He felt content, both stallions enjoying each other's company, it was a feeling Sunburst needed to have again, and more of. His anxiety dissipated as he took a breath, and kept looking at Big Mac's eyes.

It didn't matter he was at the library, sitting on the floor with a pile of books next to him, Big Mac smiled, he read through the pages, and eventually he would look at Sunburst's face again, wanting to reassure himself that he wasn't imagining the whole thing. He would look at his messy mane, his blue eyes and his orange coat, seeing him there made his chest burn. Warm and nervous, he would look at the book again, before failing to remain focused, his eyes moving to look at Sunburst yet again.

They had been on the second floor for more than an hour by that point, just reading books while trying to find the journal they came for in the first place. It was a calming time between the two stallions, Sunburst didn't want to admit it, but he wished they didn't find the journal that day. If it would mean more time with Big Mac, the same way they were just now, then maybe it was worth it.

“Ya look darn cute when reading’.” Big Mac spoke out loud, the weight of those words quickly falling on his shoulders. He scratched his back as he hastily tried to hide his now flustered expression, fueled even more by Sunburst's own blushing at his words.

“Y-You think so?” Sunburst said in disbelief, playing with his mane while doing so, “I mean, y-you look great too! When reading, I mean. N-NOT TO SAY YOU DON'T WHEN YOU AREN'T-" he hid himself behind his own book once he said that, his face red and his body shivering in embarrassment. And then he froze, when he heard Big Mac's calming chuckle.

Calm down your horses, both of you.

He stood there for a moment, hidden behind the book -and still red as a tomato- he took another breath before changing topic.

“Do you think Twilight is doing better than us?” Sunburst asked, his eyes briefly looking at Mac before going back to his book.

“Doubt it, she’d probably have come runnin’ up here if she had.” He replied, Sunburst nodded in response.

“You're right, yeah. She wouldn’t be able to hold back her excitement, she did want something to do for the spring, after all.”

“Hmm?” Big Mac asked, Sunburst stopping his reading to look at him.

“Well, she felt really bored, so when Celestia asked her to do this she immediately jumped at the opportunity.” Sunburst paused for a moment, Big Mac only showing an expression of surprise in his face.

Sunburst continued, “I don’t think anyone knows, really, so it’d be best if we keep this between us.” Sunburst said, a slight smile on his face as he did.

“Eeyup, mouth shut." Big Mac agreed.

Sunburst’s smile grew a little as he went back to his book. He looked up after a moment, his gaze sat in Big Mac's figure, robust but not intimidating, not now that he knows how soft he truly is. He blushed without realizing, before glancing at his book again.

“Did… anything interesting happen last week, while I was gone?” Sunburst felt like asking, the two losing each other in their continuous chatter once more.

Starlight groaned, laying in bed with an aching back, she had overslept. She had been with Trixie the previous night, spending time watching her practice new tricks for her show, and having to help her out more than once.

It took a lot of willpower, but eventually, Starlight stood up and out of the bed. She walked down the halls of the friendship castle towards the kitchen, it was mostly quiet, which surprised her. The castle usually had at least some noise, if it wasn’t Twilight herself, it’d be her friends. But at that moment, it was all quiet for the exception of her own hoofsteps.

Once she arrived in the room, the silence got interrupted by Spike, who was baking at that moment.

“Spike? What are you doing?”

“Since Twilight isn't here, I decided to bake some muffins! Want one?” He held out a pantry, before setting it down on the counter.

“Maybe later… Where is she?”

“She said she was leaving with Sunburst to visit the library. Big Mac was there too, I think.” He answered, going back to his baking routine.

Starlight wondered to herself, before she was interrupted by something, it was a sound. A loud, grotesque and horrifying noise, the roaring of an Ursa minor paled in comparison to it.

It was her stomach.

"Maybe I do want that muffin."

After eating with Spike, she directed towards the library, she thought of paying Twilight a visit, the day not as young anymore, as she walked down the dirt path.

After eating with Spike, she directed towards the library, walking down the path while the sun casted light onto her. The sky seemed to be getting darker, an orange and purple gradient in the horizon. It was clear to her that night was soon approaching, and she had to speed up her pace if she wished for a chance to catch up to them.

I wonder how they're doing. She thought to herself.

Twilight's groan could be heard in the first floor of the ponyville library, her neck hurt from the posture she had now been in for two three, stuck reading books over and over, with no results in sight.

It felt like she was going in circles, like the end was on the tip of her hoof, yet she couldn't reach it. She was hoping for a mission, but this was getting on her nerves. You’re the princess of friendship and you can’t find a book? She was being too harsh on herself, reaching her limit as she sighed at the sight of all the books lying around her.

“I just need to try harder! You can do this Twilight!” she told herself out loud, causing ponies to take their attention towards her direction. Embarrassed, she continued to read.

Open, read, close. It was as monotonous as it could get, but she pushed herself to it, even if it would cost her her sanity.

She was hoping Sunburst and Big Mac were having better luck at finding the journal, because she certainly wasn’t having it, and she needed to get that journal, for the sake of the mission.

Sunburst and Big Mac were laughing in the upper floor of the library, books were surrounding them, going through them was slow, and it was obvious to both of them why that was.

The comfortable ambient of the wood tones, the lamps emitting a soft light, the breeze coming from the windows, it was calming to Sunburst. Chatting with Big Mac, sitting on the floor. Just the two of them, no pony else mattered in that moment.

“This is fun, but maybe we should start reading through these quicker, I don’t think there’s much afternoon left.” Sunburst said, his eyes looking at the bookshelves that were in front. Big Mac nodded, moving his hoof towards one pile of books Sunburst had next to him. He pulled them closer to his own side, causing Sunburst’s view to move towards him.

“Are you sure you can take those?”

"Eyup." Big Mac replied, moving the books slightly more to his side.

"Y-You're really sure? I can take them, really."

"Eeyup!" Big Mac held the books firmly, slightly upset at the questioning.

Sunburst noticed it easily, he reached towards the books, attempting to move them to his own side.

"I will just take them for a second." Sunburst said teasingly, a small grin forming on his face.

"Nope!" Big Mac shouted, now both of his hooves on the pile of books.

They fought for the pile of books at that moment, each of them trying to take them over to their side. Big Mac was too stubborn to let Sunburst have them, while Sunburst enjoyed seeing him like that.

He struggled to keep up with Big Mac's own strength, the conflict ending with the pile collapsing, as it fell on top of Sunburst.

He burst out laughing, and was now lying on the floor, the books all scattered around the floor. Big Mac laughing out loud shortly after.

"You know what? maybe you can have them." Sunburst said between laughs.

The two shared a couple of chuckles afterwards, but silence came in soon when they once again continued to search around the books, glancing at each other with a smile every now and then. Sunburst's own heart pumped faster than before after that.

Starlight's horn lit up while she opened the door to the library, she felt the touch of the wooden planks on her hooves when she quickly noticed Twilight in the crowd of ponies, she walked over her, Twilight hadn't reacted at all when she opened the door, focused in reading when Starlight touched her shoulder, causing her to jump and finally notice her presence.

"Starlight! I wasn't expecting to see you here." Twilight said with surprise, yet a smile showed on her face.

"Me neither, really. I just felt like giving a visit to you guys." Starlight responded.

"Are you sure you don't want help?" Starlight asked, Twilight strongly opposed to the idea.

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I have this under my hoof." She lied, trying to shove her stress under the rug.

"Yeah, surely." Starlight smirked at her, looking at the multitude of books Twilight was surrounded in.

"Buuut, you could help Sunburst and Big Mac! They're on the second floor." Twilight moved the focus out of her shoulders.

Starlight nodded, “Yeah I can do that.” She left Twilight's side and trotted towards the wooden stairs towards the second floor.

Twilight sighed after she saw Starlight leave, she opened up another book from the ones that were piled up around her, before falling asleep from exhaustion.

The calm breeze that passed through the windows gave a nice feeling to both ponies, the oak wood creaking gently everytime one of them moved. Sunburst read through pages of yet another book from the shelves. Big Mac doing just about the same, the ambient comfortable to both of them.

Sunburst moved his head up, his ears perked up as soon as he heard a voice, one he very easily recognized.

"Hey guys!" Starlight said as her eyes fell on the stallions.

"S-Starlight? Why didn't you tell me you were coming!" Sunburst replied in excitement.

"Well, I wasn't exactly going to, but I still wanted to see how your mission was doing." Starlight said, as she walked closer towards them.

"You're trying to find a journal, right?" Starlight asked, recalling what Twilight had told her about their research the week prior.

"Eyup." Big Mac replied.

"Did you have any luck yet?" She asked with a slight smile.

"Nope." He huffed back.

"You know, it sounded easier to do when Twilight said it…" Sunburst added while he stretched his body.

"Hey, I could help!” Starlight's smile grew once she said that.

"You think so? Twilight probably needs more help than us." Sunburst replied, Big Mac nodded to reaffirm him.

"She'll be fine, besides, we have something to our advantage…" Starlight said, walking closer to the bookshelves in front of the three, her horn lit up as she stood looking directly at the books, "Magic!"

"W-Wait! Are you sure about this?" Sunburst asked worryingly, afraid when he saw Starlight readying up.

"Oh I'm so sure. You remember that spell I talked about to you last time I visited the empire?" Starlight asked, her horn's light became stronger with the effort she was putting.

"The Lost and Found Gleam?"

"Exactly, I've been trying to find an excuse to try it out for a while." Starlight sighed, closing her eyes and focusing her strength on her own magic, the entire room's light shifting to a turquoise tone, that being her magic’s color. Sunburst watched in fear as Big Mac stood beside him in uncertainty.

"Starlight!" Sunburst ran towards her side as he tried to warn her, but it was too late.

Starlight's magic wrapped around all the books kept in the shelves, they moved towards her direction and floated in front. She opened her eyes to find the books were getting out of her control. Their movements unbalanced, their speed adding up as they soon rotated around, forming a tornado of books upon Starlight’s eyes, causing her to back away.

"That wasn't supposed to happen!" Starlight moved towards the two other ponies, her own magic turning against her.

"You forgot a small detail, the spell only works if you have previously seen the object you're looking for!" Sunburst explained with fear, the tornado upon the three of them taking in other objects into it, tables and lamps now moving as well.

"I-I can fix this. Hold tight everypony!" Starlight warned, as she tried a counterspell on the uncontrollable mess.

Sunburst was about to protect himself with his hooves, before Big Mac jumped towards him, covering him with his own hooves instead, shielding Sunburst with his body.

Starlight struggled to keep strong, she gritted her teeth as she pushed herself even more, and her horn lit up again.

A bright shimmer soon covered the room, and when it cleared, the tornado was now gone, but the mess that it had caused remained.

Big Mac released his grasp on Sunburst, both of them opening their eyes to see the storm they had witnessed had vanished, Starlight's exhausted self on the library floor.

"Starlight! Are you okay?!" Sunburst ran to assist Starlight while she tried to stand up again.

Big Mac remained on the floor, stunted by the previous chaos, he scratched his head as he looked at the floor, but when his vision cleared up, he gasped.

"S-See, I told you I could fix it." Starlight laughed towards Sunburst, who stood next to her. He let out a sigh of relief once she got up on her hooves again.

"You should've let me warn you!" Sunburst shouted.

"I'm sorry, I got a bit too excited…" Starlight replied, trying to recover her breath.

"Uh, guys…"

"Never do that spell again." Sunburst demanded, fixing his glasses while doing so.

"Guys…"

"Why? I'm sure it would be helpful in any other instance!" Starlight complained while rolling her eyes.

"I don't–" Sunburst stopped his dialogue when he felt a hoof on his shoulder. He turned around to see Big Mac standing behind, he tilted his head, his eyes directing Sunburst to look somewhere else in specific

The two walked a few steps, and Big Mac pointed his hoof at a book on the floor, one that he found around the mess caused by the spell.

"I-Is that…" Sunburst asked in disbelief.

"Eyup!" Big Mac nodded with a wide smile on his face.

The book had a green cover, it was slim in weight, but even then, Sunburst gasped at the sigh.

It was Apple Tea's journal.

"YOU FOUND IT!" Sunburst shouted, unable to hold back his excitement as he quickly jumped to hug Big Mac. Big Mac wrapped his hooves around him while trying to stay balanced while standing. He laughed at the warm hug and his face reddened, Sunburst's face blushing as well.

"Guess my spell helped afterwards." Starlight chuckled to herself. She picked the book up with her magic, and levitated it while she walked towards the stallions.

Sunburst let go of the hug, he blushed even more when he was able to see Big Mac's face again, his own body shaking.

"How about we tell Twilight about the book now?" Starlight asked, Big Mac and Sunburst agreed, preparing to go downstairs.

Starlight turned to see the room, the mess they left immediately obvious to anypony with eyes.

"If anyone asks, Rainbow Dash crashed here again." Starlight said.

"Definitely." Sunburst nodded.

"Eeyup." Big Mac replied.

"I wasn't asleep! I was just… reading very close to the paper." Twilight said in embarrassment.

"As you say, at least we got the book!" Starlight chuckled while holding the book up in the air.

"I'm proud of all three of you. This is a big resource for our research!" Twilight said with a joyful grin, unable to hide her massive excitement.

"It only took us all afternoon… '' Starlight sighed, groaning while stretching her back.

Starlight's words made Sunburst stop for a moment, he gasped and his eyes widened, and he began to run through the dirt path, Big Mac followed him as soon as he noticed.

"Where are they going?" Twilight asked in confusion.

"I'm not sure either, come on." Starlight said and the two of them soon enough also ran behind them.

Sunburst trotted as fast as he could, he was exhausted but that didn't stop him, the worry was more than clear in his face while he ran through Ponyville, and then he reached the train station.

He stopped walking, and he stood there to find the train had already left without him, it was the last one scheduled to the crystal empire on that day.

Sunburst turned around to see Big Mac reaching him, stopping to breathe.

"Oh Celestia! Are you okay?" Sunburst walked towards the now tired Big Mac, who was breathing heavily, soon composing himself.

"Eyup… W-What about ya? Why’d ya run off like that?" Big Mac asked in confusion.

"I was worried I wouldn't get here in time, and I didn't. The train is gone.”

Big Mac's eyes widened and he moved closer to Sunburst, his worry made clear.

"Is there really no other train?" He asked.

"Not until tomorrow morning," Sunburst replied back with a sigh, grunting in frustration.

"Guys!" Twilight shouted from behind, her and Starlight rushing closer to them.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked with concern in her voice.

"I lost the last train of the day." Sunburst explained again, his voice only getting more tired once he did.

"Hey, don't worry, you can stay at the castl–"

“Ya can stay at my house.” Big Mac shouted, causing Sunburst's eyes to widen, his gaze moving up to look at him.”

"W-What?!” He said in disbelief, his cheeks turning a pink tone at the idea. “A-Are you sure? I wouldn't want to be a bother to you or your family.”

"Eeyup. Ah'm sure of it." Big Mac wrapped his hoof around Sunburst again, causing him to burn red once more.

"O-Okay then…" Sunburst obliged, and Big Mac smiled back at him.

"I guess it's settled then, good luck to you two." Twilight said, Starlight and her saw Big Mac and Sunburst go, and they both wondered the same thing.

"Do you know when they got this close?" Twilight asked once the two walked out of hearing range.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Starlight replied with a slight smirk.

Author's Note

...I really shouldn't have said this was going to be done by december now, did I? Apologies for that. I've learned my lesson (to never say anything regarding dates).

Moving away from my horrible predictions, I hope the wait shows in the quality of this chapter, I'd regard it as an improvement overall in comparison to chapter 1. Part 2's draft is half-way through for the most part, but knowing me, my procrastination will probably delay it for some more time. Hopefully not nearly as bad as with this chapter, whoever.

As closing thoughts, I just want to say thanks for the support, seeing the reception to chapter 1 was really heartwarming for me, and it has made me more confident in my own skills, I wish I can meet the expectations.

Thanks for reading.