“H-harder...” Applejack said with a soft groan, before letting out a loud yelp. “T-too hard, too hard!”

Aloe rolled his eyes. “You know, just because you're... far stronger than me, doesn't mean you can take whatever I can give.” He smiled and gently pushed a hoof against her back, swirling it into a gentle circle. “I may lack strength, but I more than make up for it with finesse...”

“Mmmmm, an' yah certainly know how tah use those hooves of yours, don'tcha?” the earth pony asked with a seductive grin.

“Of course...” He leaned in closer. “I know how to use my hooves for all sorts of things. As well as the rest of my body...”

“That does sound-- COCK-A-DOODLE DOO!”

Aloe let out a shriek as he sat up in bed, looking around frantically. Outside, the crow let out its loud cry, signaling the rising sun. He groaned and shook his head. “S-stupid Aloe. She'd never think of EEEEE!” He started clapping his hooves together as the previous night flooded back to him.

“Sleep well, brother?” Lotus asked, laying on the bed besides his, eyes cocked at his amusing, cheerful display.

Crimson flooded the stallion's cheeks and he looked away. “I... I wasn't... I just... I mean, I-I was excited because, she, it... shush!”

“I'm guessing this bout of excitement means the fair Lady Applejack has... hinted at acceptance of your desires?”

“She said she'd give me a chance! She said she'd give me a chance!” he said in delight, bouncing in the bed as he clapped his hooves together again.

“I see.” Lotus slid from the bed, chuckling softly. “I'll go and get breakfast, rest here. Remember, stay off that hoof.”

He sighed and nodded. “Of course. Don't worry, I won't climb out of bed without help.” He glanced down at his hoof. It still ached, but he was far too excited to focus on it. The moment his sister left the room, he started bouncing up and down again.

Lotus chuckled and walked down the stairs, softly shaking her head. The Apples were sitting at the table, eating their breakfast. She cleared her throat.

“Yah all up already?” Applejack asked before standing. “After all the excitement last night, ah figured yah two would be out until noon. Here, want meh tah make yah up a plate?”

“No. Well, yes. One for Aloe too, please. But before that, may I speak with you? Privately?”

“Awwwww,” Applebloom whined, though her sister ignored her and trotted over.

“So, what's on your mind?” the mare asked once they left the kitchen.

“My brother is excited, quite excited. I take it you have decided to take him up on his desires, no?”

“Err, ah agreed tah try datin' him, if that's what yah mean. Ah didn't really try anythin' naughty though, if that's what your wonderin'.”

“No, I am not. Frankly, that would not be my business. I'd just like to... please, be gentle with him. Do not break his heart, or lead him on.”

Applejack sighed. “Ah ain't tryin' to! Ah'm jus' tryin' tah work all this out, too. Ah jus' thought, well, what could it hurt tah give 'im a shot? Yah tellin' me ah shouldn't 'ave?”

“No. I'm just asking... I don't know. Please don't hurt him. He is dear to me and he has suffered enough.” Lotus paused for a moment. “Out of curiosity, have you ever dated before?”

“Noooope.”

“Would you like some pointers? I know a number of traditional dating procedures.”

“Datin' procedures?” Applejack asked with a snicker. “We're not goin' on some royal get tagether, jus' bein' tagether. Ah figured ah'd just follow some'a the things Rarity always talked about.”

“Rarity talked about? How do you mean?”

“Well, she always talked about gettin' flowers an' candies an' those kinda things. It's in all the movies an' stuff too, an' ah figure Aloe probably likes some'a the same things as Rarity, so ah'll just do that stuff.”

Lotus opened her mouth to object, but then froze. She hummed for a moment, and nodded. “Actually, that would probably work well. I imagine my brother would adore being treated like Rarity.”

“See? Nothin' to it. Ah got this whole datin' thing in the bag,” Applejack said confidently, waving a hoof to the side. “Don't yah worry your lil pink mane. Ah ain't plannin' tah hurt your brother. Worse comes tah worse, he's still a friend an' ah plan tah treat 'im as such.”

Lotus nodded with a smile. “Thank you. I'll take that breakfast now.”

------

Aloe nestled up in bed. His plate, still half full from the bountiful feast that Applejack had made, was on the bedside table. He glanced out the window and let out a sigh. It would still be a few hours before noon and, he was hoping, the return of his crush. He closed his eyes and tried to be patient, but it was hard.

“Psst!”

“Huh?” Aloe looked up at the sudden sound. He didn't see anypony though. “Is somepony there? Hello?”

“It's me. Are yah alone?” Applebloom's voice came from outside the door.

“Yes, I am. Though if I wasn't, you're talking loud enough they'd know you were there,” Aloe said with a soft snort. “Come in.”

The little filly trotted inside, a wide grin on her face. “So, ah hear yah gonna be mah new brother in law!”

Aloe's face turned red and he quickly shook his head. “What? No no no no! We're just, me and Applejack are dating, we're not, we haven't decided to--”

“Why not? What's wrong with mah big sister? Yah don't think she's good enough tah be married tah one'a yah spa ponies?” The filly trotted to the bed and glared up at him. Even though she was about a third of his size, he had a worrisome feeling that she could kick his flank, so he quickly huddled under his blankets.

“N-no! Not at all! Your sister is an amazing, talented mare. But I don't know if we're going to get married. We're just dating, sorta. I mean, we haven't even gone on a date yet. I-I do like your sister a lot though, and I hope she'll come to like me a lot.” He nervously poked his hooves together. “I guess it really depends on how our first date goes. If it goes well, who knows? We might fall in--”

“First date?” Applebloom's eyes went wide as saucers, practically sparkling in the light. “Don't you worry your lil head, ah'll take care ah everything! Eeee!” She darted out of the room before he could make an objection.

“What... what just happened?” he asked, staring at the now empty doorway.

------

After the confusing encounter, Aloe laid back and took another small nap. He was woken up by something tickling his nose. “Huh... huh... choo!” He sneezed, shooting back a few inches and nearly toppling out of the bed with a shriek, hooves flailing as he tried to grab onto something. A hoof grabbed his own, pulling him back firmly onto the mattress.

“Yah okay?” Applejack asked, smiling down at him. A small bouquet of daisies was lain on the bed besides him.

“I'm fine. What are these?” Aloe asked, nudging the flowers.

Applejack blushed and took a small step back. Before she had felt quite confident, but now that the flowers were in front of him, she couldn't help but feel nervous. What if they were the wrong kind? Rarity was always going on about flowers, but she mentioned roses the most often, so what if those were the most important ones? There were a few plots of daisies in the right field, what if it was considered lazy just grabbing what she already had? “Err, they're flowers.” She mentally kicked herself, of course he knew they were flowers.

He giggled. “I meant, why? Did, errr, did you pick them, for me?”

“Err, well, yeah. Ah mean, ah figured yah might like 'em, what with yah bein' stuck up here all day. Some nice wildlife tah cheer yah up.”

He stared at them, confusion on his face. She felt panic rise within her, until a large smile spread across his face. “Eeeeeee! They're beautiful! I've never gotten flowers before.” He paused. “Well, not from somepony I've been dating. I used to get them all the time at...” He trailed off and shook his head. “Thank you, Applejack. I love them!” He gave them a little hug, nibbling on one of the heads.

“Well, ah'm happy. Want a hoof gettin' downstairs? We finished the days chores an' were gonna have a nice meal inside.”

“Oh, I ummm, I'd love to.” He held out a hoof and she easily pulled him out of bed, practically picking him up as if he was a colt. “You're really quite strong,” he said with a blush.

“Applebuckin' an' workin' on the farm all day will do that.”

“It's a really attractive quality in a mare,” he said gently, grinning as the blush creeped into her cheeks. He then gasped. “Oh, that reminds me. Your sister, did she talk to you after we chatted?”

“Huh? Nah. Ah didn't even know she talked tah yah. Ah let her run off tah go play with her friends a couple'a hours ago. Ah don't know where she is now. Why, whatcha chat about?”

“Huh? Oh, umm, nothing important. We just talked.” He lied, not wanting to freak her out with talk of marriage or brother in lawness. It was hard enough getting her to agree to give him a shot without such things.

Applejack led him downstairs, glancing over at him. He still held the flowers to his chest, as if afraid they'd disappear if he put them down. She didn't know why, but she liked that. It gave her a soft, warm feeling knowing he found them so valuable. Maybe dating wouldn't be so bad, after all.

The pair were soon downstairs and she had him propped up in a chair. “Yah need anything? How's your hoof feelin'?”

“A lot better, actually,” Aloe said before looking around the table. Everypony was staring at them. “Err, yes?”

They quickly looked away, causing Applejack to roll her eyes. “Don't mind them, they're jus' nosy.”

“Okay,” he said softly, still holding his flowers to his chest. Everypony kept glancing at him and even his sister kept nudging him under the table with her hoof. He grinned and nodded. “So, Applejack, I think they're all curious when we're going to have our first date.”

“Cutie mark crusader date planners!” three fillies yelled as they toppled out from one of the cabinets.

“What in tarnation?” Applejack yelled and took a few steps back.

“Ow, ow, my wings fell asleep,” the little orange pegasus filly with a purple mane, Scootaloo, said with a groan as she tried stretch out.

“Get off!” a little white unicorn filly with a pink and purple mane, Sweetie Belle, said from under Applebloom.

“Sorry. It's hard tah see where ah landed,” Applebloom said before hopping off and crashing into the ground. “Ow, mah leg fell asleep.”

“What were you three doin' under there?” Applejack asked, glaring down at them. “How long were yah down there?”

“Over an hour, ow,” Scootaloo said with a groan. “It was Sweetie's idea.”

“Hey, we might have gotten our dramatic entrance cutie marks! Awwww...” Sweetie whined when she looked at her flank, still bare.

“What's all this about?” Applejack asked again.

“We're going to prepare your date!” Applebloom said before shakily getting to her hooves. “It's gonna be the best date ever and we're going to get our cutie marks an' ah'm gonna get a new brother in--”

“Nnnnnope,” Big Mac said before standing up, slamming a hoof down and glaring down at the three. He remembered all too well what happened when these three got involved, especially in romantics.

“Awww, come on, we jus' wanna help!”

“Nnnnnope.”

“Pleaaaase?” Sweetie asked, staring up with wide, sad eyes.

“Nnnnope.”

“We learned our lesson, no love potions or love poisons!” Applebloom said quickly, staring up at well.

“Oh, why don't we let them?” Aloe asked, getting startled stares from everypony.

“What?” Applejack asked.

“What can it hurt? She's your little sister, so I'm sure she'd work her heart out. And it would be a one of a kind experience. Not to mention, a surprise. Surprises are good on dates, yes?”

“Ah'm not sure yah know what you're agreein' to,” Applejack said nervously and glanced down at the three beaming fillies, doing their best to look innocent and adorable.

“I'm certain it will be fine. What's the worst that could happen?”

“The date goes horrible and Applejack dumps you on the spot?” Lotus said quickly.

“Oh... err... well...”

“We promise it won't happen!” Applebloom said quickly.

“We'll make it the most romantic date ever!” Sweetie said.

“And it'll be totally awesome!” Scootaloo added.

“Well, ah'll let Aloe decide,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “Since he gone an' got your hopes up.”

The three mares turned their gazes on him, smiling up at him.

Aloe nervously gulped, then nodded. “I see n-no reason to say no.”

“Cutie mark crusader date planners!” the three yelled as they ran out from the kitchen.

“Yah all get back here for lunch!” Applejack ordered.

Aloe took a seat and glanced to the mare of his dreams. Well, with her sister planning it, surely they wouldn't mess it up. Right?