Chap 8

“Rarity wait..” Tiger was interrupted by Pinkie Pie who pounce hugged him. “YAY! It’s party time!~” she giggled. “Wait Pinkie Pie was the party for Tiger Dusk here?” Rarity asked a little surprised. “Yeah silly, I told you, you remember?” Pinkie Pie jumped on the spot, practically floating. “All I remember, Pinkie Pie, is that you told me that you were setting a party up for an old friend who had come to visit!” Rarity said in a huffy manner. “He IS an old friend,” Pinkie Pie grinned as she nodded. “Well, then… I suppose we should wait till we finish decorating and sending out the invitations!” Rarity suggested. “Aww… “ Pinkie Pie looked disappointed. “I’m sure it won’t be long now Pinkie” Tiger smiled, almost sighing in relief that the subject matter had changed, “YEAH! We should invite all of our friends!” Pinkie Pie smiled excitedly. “INCLUDING Apple Jack?” Rarity patted Tiger on the shoulder who had suddenly frozen up. “Yeah! Of course we gotta invite Apple Jack!” Pinkie Pie agreed. “…” Tiger slumped in defeat. “Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Fluttershy too!” Pinkie Pie ran across the shop and grabbed some invitation cards. “Great! While you do that Pinkie Pie, Tiger and I shall head on over and check on our friends,” Rarity pulled Tiger who with pleading eyes followed.

---PonyVille---

“Miss Rarity..” Tiger was interrupted again as they stopped in front of Apple Jack’s apple stand which was bustling with business. “Thank ya kindly,” she smiled at a few customers who had bought the last few apples. “Whew, that takes care of sales fer today!” Apple Jack said as she started to pack up and noticed Rarity and Tiger standing there. “Oh hey Rarity… TIGER? Watcha doin all the way up here? What about the chores?” Apple Jack lifted an eyebrow in suspicion. “I.. I finished them Apple Jack” Tiger answered. “Oh whew good… Ah thought you were slackin off like that lazy filly Rainbow..” “HAY who’s the lazy filly here?” Rainbow Dash yelled from a single cloud from the sky. She flew down and glared at Apple Jack. “Ah’m only tellin what Ah see,” Apple Jack returned with a smug look. “Grr…” Rainbow Dash was face to face with Apple Jack now. “Fillies…” Tiger stood in between them and pushed them apart. “Common.. your both friends right? You shouldn’t be fighting like that!” Tiger shook his head, his eyes were rather narrow. “Sorry Rainbow Dash,” Apple Jack saw the look from Tiger and backed down. “Yeah… wow Tiger, I haven’t seen you with that kind of expression..” Rainbow Dash backed off as well. “Friendship is very important.. without it you’ll be alone,” Tiger turned around and started walking back towards Apple Acres. “Tiger wait!” Apple Jack called out. “I’ll see you back at the farm Apple Jack,” he replied. “Ah wonder what got him all flared up like that?” Apple Jack asked herself. “He seemed pretty passionate about ‘friendship’” Rarity broke the silence. “But he didn’t have to get all angry about it…” Rainbow Dash muttered. “By the way..how do ya know Tiger, Rainbow?” Apple Jack asked. “Oh well we raced each other this morning, he was really fast… I haven’t seen a pony move that fast on land before,” Rainbow Dash remembered the race. “Ah see..” Apple Jack stopped for a moment, “hay.. you innerupted his work for a silly race?” “hahaha, he has some cute secrets too!” Rainbow Dash flew up into the air. “Come back down here Rainbow!” Apple Jack shook her hoof at Rainbow Dash as she watched her take off into the distance. “Indeed, he does have a cute secret,” Rarity giggled. “Wah? What’s all these secrets popping outta no where now?” Apple Jack turned to Rarity with a frown. “Come no Apple Jack! It’s nothing to be frowning about! I’m sure you’ll find out one way or another,” Rarity smiled as she tossed her hair and started walking, “now if you’ll excuse me… I need to go see Fluttershy about a party”. “What in the hay could Tiger’s secret be?” Apple Jack wondered as she packed up her shop cart. “We’ll maybe Ah’ll ask him when Ah get back,” she told herself as she started to pull the cart down the winding road back down to the farm. “And then after we can go an pick up Apple Bloom,” Apple Jack nodded at the plan.

---Sweet Apple Acres---

“I shouldn’t have gotten so heated about that..” Tiger muttered to himself as he took a seat again on the steps, “but… friends are precious, and you never know when they’ll leave you” he looked at his hooves and realized tears were falling to them. “Stupid..” he gritted his teeth, “I should have had his back, I should have waited. Instead … instead” Tiger felt his throat tighten up, he hadn’t thought about that incident in a while, not ever since that day, he had tried to bury his past and leave it behind and now it was leaking out. “Tiger?” Apple Jack’s voice came from the door way softly. “A.. Apple Jack?” Tiger wiped his eyes, “uh.. sorry about earlier,” “nah…friends really are precious, it’s jus sometimes Rainbow and Ah don’t always see eye to eye ya know? Were you jus cryin?” Apple Jack walked over quickly to Tiger who shook his head. “Ya can’t lie to me, Tiger” Apple Jack sat down next to him. “It’s … just I was there Apple Jack.. and I could have waited till all the Shadows were gone…” Tiger shivered a little. Apple Jack took her hat off and leaned her head against his shoulder. “Ah.. don’t know what to say Tiger.. but Ah do know.. Ah’m here for ya..” Apple Jack said with sincerity in her voice. “Thanks Apple Jack,” Tiger’s voice came out softly. “Ya faced it all alone after.. it must have been tough huh..?” Apple Jack asked. “Yeah… but one thing kept me going I think,” Tiger looked up at the ceiling. “What’s that hun?” Apple Jack asked. Tiger then realized what he had unintentionally boxed himself into. “Uh…” he turned a bright bright orange. “Common Tig.. don’t be like that,” Apple Jack turned to look him in the eyes, “ya’ve been always gettin like this ever since you came back… and your keepin, yer distance…” Apple Jack turned away, her ears drooping a little, “it’s like.. we ain’t close friends anymore or anything…” “No no.. Apple Jack that’s not the reason,” Tiger almost let it slip. “Then tell me already… Tiger, tell me what’s goin on?” “Well the truth is.. I..” Tiger was about to tell her his greatest secret when the barn door burst open. “SOMETHING BIG’S GOING DOWN IN PONYVILLE!” Rainbow Dash was panting as if she flew there in a hurry, “oh… I didn’t mean to interrupt anything… but… now wouldn’t be the time! HURRY!” Rainbow Dash flew out. “…” Tiger got up. “Ah wonder what’s up..?” Apple Jack stood up beside him. “Let’s go,” Tiger had a bad feeling about the urgency in Rainbow’s voice.