The day’s work had been finished, Salad hadn’t come to call, and he didn’t need, or feel like, going into town.

So it was that Big Mac had himself settled under the oldest tree in the orchard, reading.

“Interesting title.”

Mac recognized the accent, and got to his hooves, nodding politely. “Interesting read too, ma’am.”

Riposte eyed him up and down in a way that made him wonder if he’d have to deal with a hurricane in seven seconds if her husband happened upon them.

…though she did it in a more analyzing way, than the ‘well hello there’ way he’d seen on occasion. Like sizing up a slice of meat.

…He decided not to wonder if that was better or worse.

“I like ze strong ones.” Riposte said, after a moment. “Does Sally?”

“Ah wouldn’t know.” Mac replied.

“Non, I suppose you would not. She is tight lipped about such things.”

“All sorts o’ things, really.” He replied with a shrug. “Are ya here to threaten me?”

“Oh, how funny.” The mare tittered. “If you did somehow find a way to prey on my daughter, why would I presume to take ze satisfaction from her? I am not so inconsiderate.”

“Yer husband is. Seven seconds he said.”

“You must understand.” The mare answered, eyes dancing with mirth. “He has been waiting years for ze chance to threaten a hopeful paramour. Also he exaggerates. His fastest time is eleven seconds flat.”

“Good to know.” Mac said.

“Why do you read zat book?” She asked, tilting her head. “I have, myself, and I do think every pony should at some point. Still, I am curious.”

“Ah found out a while back Ah’m missin’ out on things that’re common knowledge. That, an’ Salad’s other friend has a pair and is her total opposite. Hopin’ this’ll keep me from steppin’ in somethin’ Ah shouldn’t. Among other things.”

“Other things?” Riposte asked, a mocking hoof over her mouth. Mac figured he should’ve phrased that better.

“Salad’s tough to read at the best o’ times, and her other friend is more skittish than a deer in a timberwolf pack. Granny always said an ounce o’ prevention is worth a pound o’ cure.”

“Wise mare.”

“Eeyup.”

“I would like to meet zis other friend. Would you tell me where she lives?”

“Next to the library, that’ll be the house that’s also a tree, there’s a road that leads outta the town proper. Follow that and ya should see a cottage on the edge o’ the forest. Careful ya don’t go into the forest though. Dangerous place.”

“You would tell me a place is dangerous after what you saw yesterday?”

“Mah granny also says fate’s easy to tempt.” Big Mac shrugged. “Ivan treads careful, an’ you know how tough he is.”

“Ahh, my big strong boy…” the mare giggled to herself. “…very well. I will take your advice.”

“Ya think ya can find the place alright?”

“I think so. Ponyville is small.” She wrinkled her nose. “And poorly named. Unoriginal.”

“Eeyup.”

“Good day.”

“An’ you.”

The mare saw herself off of the property, and Big Mac got back to his book, wondering if it was wise to send somepony as bloodthirsty as Memry to see Fluttershy.

…

Well, Ah done goofed. Mac decided, slipping a bookmark into his originally relaxing afternoon and starting back to the house.

It’d probably be a good idea if he found Salad, and maybe mentioned it casually in conversation while running an errand. Just an ounce of prevention.

All that was left was to ask Granny Smith if there was anything that needed doing in town. Might as well be productive about it.

--

Fluttershy thought for a moment that Ivan had come by, as she spied the green unicorn in the distance. Then she noticed smaller details, like how the color of the pony’s coat and mane were a shade or two lighter, and how she could actually tell they was lighter since they weren’t covered in a coat and hat.

A strange pony was approaching her home.

Alright, don’t panic. Maybe she has a question about animal care. Then again, I don’t think I’ve seen her before. So would she even have a pet here?

…so it probably isn’t about animals. She’s probably here for you.

…alright, maybe just a little panic.

“Ah, ‘allo!” The mare greeted joyfully.

“H-hello.” Fluttershy replied, setting down the empty basket she was carrying. “C-can I help you?”

“Would you be the friend my little Sally has befriended?”

“S-Sally?”

“My daughter. Salad Shooter.”

“O-oh, you’re her-“

'They attacked eachother.'

'The aftermath left a crater in the park.'

'Just so happens his mother’s even crazier then he is.'

“-oh my Celestia.” Fluttershy had herself behind a locked front door before the mystery mare even had time to blink.

…now all she had to do was wait for Rainbow Dash. Somehow, Rainbow Dash always seemed to know when something terrifying was around.

Either that, or Angel always got her attention somehow.

“Are we hiding from something?”

“Y-yes, there’s a-heeeeeeah-”

“…I am afraid I do not know what that is.” Said the mare, frowning. “And here I thought I was fluent in Equestrian…”

Fluttershy responded by leaping out the nearby window.

“Ah! Come back!”

--

Riposte was confused. She had concluded that there was nothing scary about, which meant that the butter coloured mare was running from her.

…But Riposte had done absolutely nothing before the mare had decided that she was terrifying. In fact, she had only been mildly rattled before she suddenly lost it out of nowhere.

On retrospect, perhaps teleporting into the house after the mare was a bad idea.

On the other hoof, this made for a wonderful game! The mare was quick when she was scared, and she wouldn’t be not scared unless Riposte managed to catch her and explain her anxieties away.

It also helped that her prey looked absolutely adorably scrumptious. She wouldn’t dare involve herself with another pony (without her husband present), but the motivation still drew a smile.

…perhaps nopony would mind if she took just a tiny nibble before returning her?

“Ah, come back my butter mare! We have so much to talk about!” Riposte laughed, prancing down the road after the fleeing pegasus.

Honestly, if she wanted so desperately not to be caught, she would simply fly! Fun for everypony!

--

“Howdy Salad.” Big Mac said when she opened the door.

“Oh, ‘sup Red?”

“We might have a problem.”

Salad’s eyes narrowed as she took in his no doubt guilty expression. “…what kind of problem?”

“The kind of problem where Ah gave yer mom directions to Fluttershy’s cottage.”

“…you… you…” The way Salad gaped at him, it might’ve been a bigger problem then Mac had anticipated.

“…Ah bucked up?”

“You have bucked up. Dad! Get over here!”

“Need something Sally?” Gale approached the doorway. Big Mac wondered if he interrupted anything.

“Mom’s probably out ‘hunting’ again.”

“Oh boy. Alright, stallion or mare?”

“Mare.”

“Scale of one to ten?”

“Eleven.”

Gale whistled appreciatively. “…so why is this a problem? She’ll probably bring Miss Eleven back to share with me.”

“’Miss Eleven’ is pure as snow, more timid than a mouse in a house made out of cats, snakes, and hawks, and will probably be forever scarred by whatever happens. If she isn’t already.”

“This just keeps getting better and better.” Gale paused. “That wasn’t sarcasm.”

“…I hate my family.” Salad muttered as she slipped on her bags. “Red, let’s go.”

“Eeyup.”

--

“Oh my sweet little butterfly, I am looking somewhere to find you!”

Fluttershy started shaking harder, hoping that the leaves she was rustling weren’t altogether that noticeable.

She hoped Ivan wouldn’t mind her borrowing the tree to escape his mother. She’d return it in just the condition she found it, even if she had to stay up here until winter, she’d glue the leaves back into the tree herself if she had to-!

“You are not very good at this game, are you?” the terrifying mare said, looking up at the quivering tree. “I have found you again! Do I win yet?”

“EEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…”

“Ah, you run again! Round seventeen it is!”

--

Angel saw a yellow blur speed into the house from where he was sitting out front, and facepaw’d. Then he heard the singing.

It was in that weird language mother spoke sometimes, so he couldn’t understand it. And around the bend came a green unicorn mare bouncing on her hooves.

…so his mother was being chased by a pony that was treating her fear like a game.

Salad Shooter was now number two on his list. And this mare was stepping into his territory.

“Ah! ‘Allo little bunny! Which way did the pretty pegas-“ Angel cut her off by doing what he did whenever a green unicorn ticked him off, and threw his carrot at her open mouth.

Whip-CRACK went a violet blur, and the projectile fell some distance behind her in two halves.

“Ooooh, now what was zat for? How many friends have you made zis way?” Well, that failed. Though he was surprised it worked the first time, so he supposed it was all good.

Angel swept his paw in a way that plainly told the mare to clear out.

“Oh, non. I have business with zat mare. I cannot leave until I am finished with her.”

Angel’s eyes narrowed. Then he pulled out a tiny trumpet.

“…what is zi-“

Angel didn’t know how to play. He had however made sure every animal in the area knew what to do when they heard the blaring note.

Birds, racoons, squirrels, and a monkey poked their heads out of trees, deer, bunnies, and wild boars walked out from behind bushes, turtles and frogs crawled out from the pond in the back…

There was a low rumble of a bear from somewhere unseen.

Within moments, a hundred or so pairs of eyes were trained on the encroaching threat.

“…I see you have made many friends.” The mare said, truly surprised.

Angel bit off half of a new carrot, and chewed as he waited for the mare to go crawling back to Ponyville.

“I only want to talk with her, little rabbit. You do not need to protect her from me.”

Angel’s ears lay back as he jabbed the carrot in the direction of the cottage.

“…I admit I may have surprised her. I did not think it was such a serious matter.” Riposte shook her head. “I only want to meet my daughter’s friend. If you are concerned, you could introduce me?”

Angel pointed a paw at the sky, in the general direction of the sun.

“…tomorrow?”

Angel nodded. Though the mare was unaware, by tomorrow he could have the entire area trapped, barricaded, and locked down easily by then.

“Hm…” The mare thought something to herself. “What if my daughter were here? Surely she could help the pretty pegasus calm down.”

Angel raised a furry eyebrow.

“She will probably be here soon.” Riposte said. And as soon as she said that, Angel’s sensitive ears picked up a whistling noise.

“Ah, zat will be her now.”

--

Salad hit the ground nearby, and wondered what she trotted in on.

…probably what might’ve happened if Fluttershy didn’t stop the bunny after Mr. Grizzles went down.

“Can’t go anywhere without causing some kind of incident, can you, mom?”

“It was impossible to prevent.”

“Really? Red didn’t tell you how jittery Fluttershy is?”

“Is zat her name?” Riposte wondered. “…perhaps he might have.” she conceded after a moment.

“And you didn’t do anything potentially startling or frightening?”

“Sally, are you lecturi-“

“Answer the question, mom.”

“…I did.” Riposte murmured, scuffing the ground a little with her hoof.

“...Celestia's plot, I can't take you anywhere. Why are you even here?”

“I wanted to meet your friends.” The unicorn said. “Ivan is not the only reason your father and I are here.”

“Of course he is.” Salad said, frustrated. “Why else would you be here?”

“It has been two years since we last saw you.” Riposte replied. “And I want to know what ponies are a part of your life now that you have friends. Your father and I must trust zem to love you while we are gone.”

“…Is that so?” Salad replied, unsure of how else to respond.

“We’ve got two kids.” Said Gale, walking up beside Red. “Ivan’s kind of a big deal, what with being one of those long lost cases you see in movies and stuff, but we worry about you too.”

“…wait here.” The scarred mare said, trotting past the gate and toward the house.

The animals, deciding the situation was in hand, went back to their homes.

Salad trotted up the stairs, and into Fluttershy’s room.

…the room was as cosy looking as the rest of the house. Somewhat spacious, but Salad imagined she entertained animal guests from time to time. The bed was large, and the sheets and quilt looked warm.

The desk was tidy enough, and there was a bookshelf next to it. Salad wondered what titles the mare liked.

…and she slowly became aware of how little she really knew about her two friends. Granted, she did know a major secret of Fluttershy’s, but she wouldn’t if the circumstances hadn’t demanded it.

Fluttershy seemed to have several sides to her, and Salad was unsure how many more lay under the surface.

And… while she did have a feel for Red’s personality, his personal life was still a mystery.

…she could probably learn more as her parents talked to them. But she supposed there wasn’t much of a rush. She wasn’t about to move on, so there was plenty of time.

…the few minutes of contemplative silence were enough to alert Salad to the quivering breathing coming from underneath the bed.

“Hey. Shy.” Salad was barely aware of the coaxing tone she used, possibly for the first time in her entire life. “It’s me. You’re safe.”

“I-is she gone?”

“…no, she’s outside.”

The bed whimpered. Salad sighed.

“Look. She just wants to meet you. Mom and dad heard you were my friend and wanted to talk to you about stuff.”

“B-but-“

“Just because she said hello to Ivan with a brawl in the park doesn’t mean she’d do that to just anypony. Dad’s out there too. So’s Red. And that bunny of yours can apparently rally up an army in seconds.”

“A-Angel can do what?” Salad chuckled.

“I’m as surprised as you are. I got here and Angel was standing between the cottage and my mom, and there were animals everywhere giving her the evil eye. What do you do to make them like you that much?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“Come to think of it, Dash was pretty protective too.”

“Um…”

Salad settled onto her stomach, peering under the bed at the slowly relaxing Fluttershy.

“I guess you do kind of have that damsel thing going on. Maybe a little.”

“R-really?” Salad shrugged, as she tried to think of ways to get the mare out from under the bed.

“Are ya alright up here?” Big Mac asked from the doorway to the room.

“We’re alright. Shy’s just…” Salad glanced back at the yellow mare. “…well she’s Shy.”

“Ah can see that. Can Ah come in?”

“Y-yes…” Fluttershy answered just loud enough for him to hear.

“What’s ailin’ ya?” the draft pony asked, standing near the prone Salad.

“S-she… chased me, for…”

“…A while?” Salad guessed, pressing a hoof to her face.

“And she wouldn’t stop… singing… about how she was going to hold me until I burst… or… or something like that, I’m not sure… I didn’t listen that well… Was I rude?”

“I’m going to have to have a talk with her later about harassment.” Salad muttered. “It’s fine. I’ll make sure she keeps her hooves to herself.”

“B-but why­-“

“Alright, just…” She tried her best to come up with a way to explain everything that wouldn’t make it all worse. “You’re like a bunny.”

“…but I’m a pegasus.”

“No, like a bunny. You know how a lot of ponies see a little bunny and they’re like ‘oh my Celestia it’s so fuzzy I could die’ and they just want to snuggle it?”

“…yes?”

“Yeah, you’re kind of like that for my mom. She’s… a little out there.”

“…does that mean that you-“ Oh wow she sounded almost hopeful.

“I’m not a lot of ponies.” Salad said quickly, shaking her head. “Look, the point is, that’s what it’s like. I’ll make sure she doesn’t pounce on you or anything. And, and…” Salad’s word probably wouldn’t be enough insurance.

What else…?

“Red’s here.”

“…Eeyup?” The stallion half asked, wondering why that even mattered.

“Red’s here, and you trust him, right?”

“Well yes-“

“So it’ll be fine! Red, tell her it’ll be fine.

“Nnnope.”

“Yeah, so you can oh what the buck Red?!” Salad jumped to her hooves and whirled around, looking Red with an accusatory glare.

“Ya should tell her yerself.” Red said, lazily stretching his neck to either side.

“I just did, and then you went ‘Ah’m a hayseed an’ Ah’m gonna buck it all in the-‘”

“Salad.” Red said, and Salad couldn’t protest after that. “Ah’m sayin’ ya don’t need me to tell her everythin’s gonna be alright.”

“What, should I call Rainbow Dash?”

“…Ya know, if Ah didn’t know any better, Ah’d say ya thought we didn’t trust you.”

“Well why the buck would you? Quit being a jackass about this and ju-“

“I trust you.” Said Fluttershy, now out from under the bed. Salad slowly turned her head to find that the look on the other pegasus’ face was as serious as could be.

“Don’t… don’t joke with me like that.”

“I’m serious.”

“You don’t-“

“Ah do too.” Big Mac said, smiling, and Salad felt aimless emotion welling up against her will. She felt her feathers flex and her heart start racing and she grit her teeth as she tried to fight the situation back under control.

How did it turn into this?

“You… because, yesterday, I-“

“It ain’t nothin’ to do with what ya said yesterday.” Red clarified. “If Ah didn’t, Ah wouldn’t have let ya near Fluttershy. Let alone trust ya with her life.”

Don’t hope.

“I, um…” Fluttershy started, smiling sheepishly. “If I didn’t… I don’t… think I would be a very good friend. So…”

It’ll hurt more if you do.

“You… I…”

“Can’t be that big a shock.” Big Mac said, and Salad was trying to separate her urges to slap that smile off his face, or just leap out the window or, or something! “Ya trust both of us too, don’t ya?”

Just say no. Then you can go back to…

“I… I do…” She said, realizing it for herself as she found herself unable to refuse.

“…still don’t want that hug?”

“Don’t make fun of me you-!” A foreleg wrapped itself around her throat and panic welled up in the back of her mind before she was gently pulled back into a warm body. Another foreleg around her chest, and a set of yellow feathers encompassed her and her mind went blank as she tried desperately to make sense of what was happening.

Before she could get together the presence of mind to do anything about it, she noticed Red getting closer, and both her and Fluttershy were pulled into the large pony’s embrace.

And as her breathing started to calm, she noticed that little paranoid voice in the back of her head had fallen silent.

Just…

Tension seemed to be pulled out of her as she tentatively leaned into the other two ponies. Fluttershy hummed to herself and nuzzled her a little as Red’s body shook them both a bit with a quiet chuckle.

Just this once…

--

“…Do you think they forgot we’re here?”

“Perhaps zey are negotiating.” Riposte answered, looking up at the house.

“…So Sally said something about an eleven out of ten.”

“Oh oui.”

“Huh. No wonder she’s trying to keep her all to herself.”

“She never was good with sharing…”

The front door opened, and Salad poked her head out.

“Hey. You want to meet my friends or not?”

“You were in there for twenty minutes. What took so long?” Gale asked, cocking his head to the side.

“…negotiations?” Salad tried. Gale sighed while Riposte grinned her triumph.

“So what, are we coming in?”

“Fluttershy and me are gonna make dinner. If you don’t mind waiting a bit, we’ll talk over food.”

“Sounds like a plan. I never say no to your cooking anyhow. We could get to know that other one while we’re at it.”

“Well, come on in.” Salad said, opening the door as she turned around and moved back into the cottage.

When Gale walked in, he first noticed Big Mac sitting on the sofa, making himself at home. The white rabbit sat nearby, trying to set his wife on fire with its eyes.

They made small talk for a time before a yellow pegasus timidly made her way into the room.

Gale discretely eyed her. Nice legs, ample flanks, very plush looking wings…

Twelve.

…and now he was more the a little jealous that his daughter had first dibs. On her and on the fine specimen opposite them.

The mare sat herself down next to Big Mac, and fidgeted while she tried to come up with something to say.

…hold the phone…

“I think I recognize you.” Gale said. The mare made a surprised sound, looking up with mild shock. It was adorable. Gale totally understood why Riposte chased this one around.

“O-oh?”

“Fluttershy, right? I’ve seen you in a couple magazines.” And now she was looking ready to bolt.

“Ooh!” Riposte said. “Ze model!”

Big Mac looked like he hadn’t heard about any of it, and he glanced to his side with an ‘is that so?’ look on his face.

“Um… y-yes… F-former.”

“Any particular reason you gave it up?” Gale asked, trying to appear relaxed. While the look of an awkwardly nervous Fluttershy was precious, Sally’d probably try to gut him again if he kept it up.

“I… didn’t like it.”

“…no, I guess you wouldn’t. You don’t really seem the type.”

“Ah guess it’d take time away from yer animals too.” The earth stallion noted, smiling a bit at the mare.

“There are so many! Do you keep them all?” Riposte asked, cheerfully. Fluttershy’s guard fell a little as she embraced a topic she obviously liked to talk about.

“N-not really. Most of them just live closeby. They spend most of their time around here, and s-sometimes help me look for herbs. It’s… it’s almost like another smaller Ponyville, really. And my house is town square. I feed them sometimes, and they help me in return.”

“Sounds delightful.” Riposte said. “I imagine you like animals quite a bit!”

“Understanding them is my special talent.” Fluttershy said. “A-and they’re… um… easier to deal with than a lot of ponies…”

“Considering one of those ponies is in your kitchen, I’d have to agree.” Gale said with a smirk.

“You hurt my feelings dad. I might accidentally burn your share, I’m crying so hard.” Salad called from somewhere unseen.

“See? Threats and bristles. I could have sworn I taught her to take a joke somewhere along the line…”

“You taught me that threats are the only way to make you stop. Especially when I taught you that I’ll follow through.”

“I’m willing to learn from my children. Father of the year!” Gale leaned back, stretching out his forelegs and wings as he tried to look as smug as possible.

Salad cursed in Prench. For some reason, hearing her do that was more satisfying to him then in a language he understood.

Riposte did understand though, and the way she quietly laughed to herself told him everything he needed to know.

He also noticed that Fluttershy blushed hotly at whatever Salad had said. Well that was interesting.

He decided not to tell his daughter that one of her friends knew Prench, on the off chance she wasn't aware. It would probably add up to something hilarious later, even if he wasn’t around to see it.

“And what about you, ‘Red’? I can see why she calls you that, but I don’t know much else about you. Aside from that hurricane thing.”

“Ah pretty much run the farm ya’ll met me at.” The draft pony said. “Ma an’ Pa died in an accident a while back, so Ah ended up takin’ over when Ah was able. We ship our produce all over the place.”

“Oh yeah? Sweet Apple Acres, right? I’ll keep a lookout for the brand.”

“Best apples ya’ve ever had.”

“Here’s hoping.”

And after that, Salad came trotting back into the room.

“Alright, we’ll have a casserole in a little while.” She said as she approached. She took a moment to note the free space on either couch.

She sat herself in the space between Big Mac and Fluttershy, and was plainly hoping neither him or Riposte said anything about it.

Well in that case…

“Picking your new friends over your loving parents?”

“They won’t pinch my cheeks.” She muttered.

“I’m guessing the fact that they’re a former model and a stallion who could bench-press a barn have nothing to do with it? Oh Riposte!” He faked tears like he owed them all money and buried his face in his wife’s mane. “Family love outdone by pure sex appeal! What is this world coming to?!”

“I am this close to throwing you out of a house that isn’t even mine!” Salad growled, feathers ruffling. Unseen, Gale grinned.

His special talent was manipulation in general, as illustrated by the tornado on his flank. If he wanted something to happen, chances were pretty good it would happen in short order.

And right now, he wanted his daughter as flustered as possible. He’d gone far too long without that kind of fun. Also it didn’t work on Ivan so now she had to provide for two.

And his wife, Celestia bless her, was going along for the ride, patting and rubbing his back to ‘comfort’ him. Every day he loved her just a little more.

“She’s not even making a case for herself!”

“Shut up dad!”

Oh this was going to be delicious.

“I thought we raised you better than this!”

“You raised me to be a buckmothering murdertrain. Wanna find out just how well that worked out?”

“She is threatening us!” Riposte sobbed.

“Trying to make herself the alpha mare in front of a pair of ponies she lusts for…” Gale said grimly. “I’ve seen it all before.”

“I don’t-“

“Don’t pretend! I’ve seen the way you eye his flank and her wings!” And that flush on her face wasn’t anger. He’d gone fishing and caught a whopper.

And the best part was, the other two on either side of her knew it.

“Dad why do you always-?!”

“It’s so terrible… we’ll grow old and lonely and all Sally’s going to care about is getti-“

“I’m going to-“

“Ah!” Gale interrupted. “Watch what you say in front of sensitive ears!” He was plainly talking about Fluttershy. And she was so worked up, she wasn’t even thinking about why he would say that.

Here it comes…!

Salad took a ragged breath, opened her mouth, and out came a stream of foreign curses, swears, threats, and oaths that he was quite sure would’ve scared off one of the sisters.

It was all moonspeak to him. Riposte on the other hand was looking more and more impressed by the second, he’d have to remember to ask for a play-by-play later.

It went on for a good three minutes, and she finished, breathing heavily as she tried to collect her now vented mind into something that didn’t demand her father's blood.

Then her daughter turned to the side, possibly worried about how their very shy and quiet host would react to such an outburst, and found her trembling, eyes wide, face red as a beat.

Salad had a split second of dawning horror to realise that Fluttershy was bilingual.

Then the yellow mare fainted.

“Oh buck, Shy, what’s wrong, oh Celestia, Red, help me out here!”

Big Mac sighed, hoof over his eyes as Gale rolled around on the floor, howling laughter.

“Angel? Help?”

The bunny held up a little case of smelling salts.

“Much obliged.”

--

Dinner afterward was… awkward, to say the least.

Gale and Riposte didn’t try anything else, instead swinging around to being the perfect guests, asking other questions about their lives, doing a spectacular job of pretending the whole ordeal hadn’t happened.

Big Mac himself didn’t feel too sore about it. He’d seen worse pranks after all. And it was interesting to find out that Salad spoke another language.

…course, it also lead to him learning that Fluttershy spoke it too. The pegasus still trembled slightly on his left, probably not happy about how she had reacted, speaking only a few words in response to questions. And on her other side, Salad silently seethed, burning in her own embarrassment.

“I didn’t know.” Salad offered after the two parents had left. And Fluttershy looked at her and replied with;

“It’s f-fine…”

“My dad has to be like, the biggest jerk in the history of Equestria.”

“D-Discord.” Fluttershy whispered.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Look, are you really alright?” Salad said, looking more and more frustrated with the situation by the second.

Big Mac supposed it was natural. Given the… well the moment they kind of had just a little while beforehand, where they hugged it out for a good few or so minutes before she almost shyly backed off and made an excuse that they needed to deal with her parents. Granted it had been a legitimate excuse, but…

He could tell how… he wouldn’t say happy, but… the moment had satisfied her. And it was something incredibly rewarding to see. He could tell Fluttershy thought so too, the way she had smiled as they went down the stairs.

Salad probably felt she had ruined something there with the outburst, unknowing or not.

“I’m fin-“

“Should I hug you?” Salad blurted out, and both Fluttershy and Big Mac’s eyes widened a bit. Given how adverse she was to contact before…

Oh no, the mare’s desperate.

“Look, if that’s not enough- my dad, just… he screws around a lot with me, if, if you’re actually- I’ll make him apologise- what do you want, I'll-”

“I think you might need the hug more than me.” Fluttershy said, now notably calmer.

“But-“

“Ah don’t think Fluttershy’d lie to ya if she was really upset.” Big Mac explained. The butter mare agreed with a nod.

“I’m, um… surprised… Very surprised.” The vet said, turning her head a little, but maintaining eye contact.

“Ah am, an’ Ah don’t even speak the gol-durn language.” Mac chuckled. “Ya sounded like ya had a lot to say.”

“I… kinda did.” Salad said. Her eyes were still narrowed, and her feathers were still ruffled from earlier. Anger and frustration seemed to be the only emotions she couldn’t hide. Possibly because she never felt she had to.

“S-so…” The scarred mare looked completely lost. Big Mac smiled, and opened his mouth, but Fluttershy beat her to the punch.

“I, um… wouldn’t say no. If you wanted to hug me.” Salad didn’t react much aside from the slight ‘oh buck what do I do’ in her eyes. Though her feathers bushed out just a bit more.

Given that Fluttershy actually was a pegasus, she probably noticed too.

“O-oh… yeah, uh…”

Big Mac was reminded that ponies were technically animals too. So Fluttershy’s talent, a connection to living things, might’ve been the reason why she felt she could just reach out and pull Salad into another hug like before.

Granted, the movement was still slow and searching. Like trying to persuade a scared mouse into not running away. Whatever it was though, it was successful, and while Salad did tense up at the contact, she made no movement to escape.

It was a good half minute before Salad raised her forelegs and hugged the other mare back. Mac couldn’t help but wonder what was going through the pony’s mind.

“Don’t suppose ya’d mind if Ah got in on that again?”

“Um… n-not really, no...”

“Uh, I, I…” And Salad trailed off at that, but it wasn’t a no.

An idea came to mind. A selfish one, but a life without any liberties taken was a boring one. And it’d possibly help with Salad, given that it’d make the hug last just that much longer.

“Ah’m getting’ a little tired o’ just standin’ and sittin’, though. Hope ya don’t mind…”

Both mares were light as feathers, as he scooped them both up in his forelegs and smirked at the surprised squeals and gasps they made as he lay back on the couch and made himself comfortable, both mares nestled against each other on his chest.

Fluttershy probably might’ve fainted again, but given that her attention was mostly on another pony that was somehow even more nervous then her, she was more inclined to give the current situation less thought.

And Salad was still short circuiting from all the affection being lavished on her. She wouldn’t be putting up any fight.

He chuckled to himself, wondering if it was sly of him to get away with cuddling two pretty mares all to himself.

Just playin’ the game. An’ winnin’.

They weren’t just any two mares though. Given how fond he was of them, it wasn’t all that bad.

He held them a little tighter, hoping the message got across. Maybe he’d get lucky, and one of them would hug him sometime.

Minutes passed quickly, and Salad had no excuse to get away this time. If she even wanted to, that is.