"So… how'd you all enjoy my super yummy delicious Valentine's Day double-decker chocolate cake?" Pinkie Pie asked her three guests with the enthusiasm of a grade school teacher speaking to her young students. As she waddled around the dining room table and began collecting all the empty plates and tea cups, Pinkie felt a humbling sense of pride seeing everyone in the room wipe away any leftover crumbs from their chubby cheeks.
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Licking the icing from her pudgy fingers before passing her plate over to her girlfriend, Fluttershy was the first to speak. "Hmm, it was so so so good, Pinkie," she gleamed, rubbing the top of her large belly as it pushed against the edge of the table. "I just couldn't get enough of it!"
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"Yeah, no kiddin'!" Applejack chuckled from the other side of the table, leaning back as her seat gave out a low creak. "You took about half the darn thing. Can't say I blame you, though. It was pretty dang tasty!"
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"Oh, did I?" Fluttershy's cheeks began to blush as she nervously looked away. "Sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking." She looked away with an anxious smile as she touched the tips of her index fingers together.
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"Nothing wrong with a bit of indulging, darling," Rarity reassured her as she leaned closer. "That cake was simply far too divine to resist after all. Oh, and the tea was quite nice, too," she added as she gave her tea cup back to Pinkie.
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Balancing her stack of dirty dishes, Pinkie turns back with a wide grin on her face. "Thank you! But the tea was Fluttershy's idea."
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Fluttershy nodded shyly. "Yeah. I thought it would help us relax a bit if we had something warm to drink."
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"Anywho," Pinkie said in a sing-songy manner as she turns back towards the kitchen. "I'll put these dishes away and bring back some heart-shaped cookies in just a sec!"
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As the sound of clattering plates and silverware echoed from the kitchen, Applejack sat up straight up, her own heavy gut pressing up against the table. "Well, ain’t that nice of her. Thanks for havin' us over,” She winked at Fluttershy before shifting her gaze over at Rarity. "So,” she started with a half-smile. “Whatcha wanna talk about now?"
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Rarity shrugged. "Whatever you wish, I suppose," she said with a slight smirk, leaning back in her seat as she took out her phone and started scrolling through it. "I mean, Pinkie was the one coming up with the icebreakers for us."
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Applejack's smile quickly faded as she sank back into her seat again, folding her arms across her chest. "Well, shoot, Rarity. If you're just gonna sit there on your phone for the rest of the night, we might as well take some time to actually talk about what happened on Sunday," she suggested in a much more flat tone.
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Nostrils flaring as she sharply inhaled, Rarity looked up from her phone with an embittered sigh. "Literally, I'm just taking a minute to check my emails, Applejack," she pointed out, trying to keep as calm a tone as she could. “So, I would appreciate it if you could temper that accusatory tone.”
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Her eyes darting back and forth between Rarity’s dismissive attitude and Applejack’s cold stubbornness, Fluttershy could already feel some tension starting to fill the room. “Umm… is anyone else excited for… springtime?” She managed to clumsily blurt out, hoping it would distract them somehow.
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"And as for what happened Sunday,” Rarity continued, seeming to ignore the question, “I don't know what there is to talk about. You didn't want to go to a nice dinner and a show with me, and that's all there is to it. As per usual."
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"That's cause you were tryin' to drag me out across town at the last minute."
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"It was not last minute," Rarity corrected, eyes narrowed with frustration. "I texted you about it the day before. And you said you were going"
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"I said I 'might' go, Rarity. I also said I'd let you know if anything changes"
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"Which you didn't. Because if you did, we wouldn't still be discussing this"
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"You could've texted me or called me too if that dinner was so important to you!" Applejack called out, leaning forward as she did so.
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“I hear it’s going to get warmer earlier this year!” Fluttershy spat out again, awkwardly trying to pick up from her last attempt to quell the situation. “You know, because of that pesky climate change and all.”
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But she was ignored once again as Applejack kept pressing on. "You can't just expect me to drop whatever I'm doin' every time"
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"You could've done the same! That way, I didn't have to waste time coming to your place and slipping on that mud puddle! Which, by the way, I still didn't appreciate you laughing at me for that. I was late to the reception because I had to hurry home and change!"
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"Oh, come on! I helped you back up, didn't I? Besides, ain't my fault you had to miss hangin' around those high-society types!"
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"Those 'high-society types' happen to be some very well-respected people who I've been hoping to work with!"
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Applejack couldn't help but scoff upon hearing that. "Yeah, right! You mean like standin' around and playin' dress up all day? Or just sittin' behind a comfy desk and scribblin' some doodles?"
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"How dare you! As if working with dirt is any better than what I do?" Rarity snapped back.
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"Uh… H-hey, Pinkie!" Fluttershy finally called out towards the kitchen, trying anything that could bring an immediate end to the fight. "You better hurry with those cookies! We're getting pretty hungry here!" Though she was worriedly yelling for her girlfriend to help, she still tried her best to muster up a cheery voice.
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"Coming, coming, coming!" Bursting out of the kitchen with a couple of cookies in hand, Pinkie began to quickly circle the table as she passed them around to the others, all with a masking smile plastered on her face. "Sorry for the wait! Had to let the cookies cool down a bit, add some icing, please stop fighting, some finishing touches. There's more in the kitchen, but I figured we can get to eating a few of them like… you know… right now?" She giggled tensely as a drawn-out silence settled in.
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The feuding couple just sat quietly in their seats as they bit into their cookies. Applejack looked away deep in thought while Rarity kept herself distracted on her phone. Fluttershy did just the same, staying quiet and munching down on her own two cookies in suspense. But Pinkie could only bear a false grin as she looked back and forth between the two of them, placing a shaky hand onto her girlfriend’s pillowy shoulder.
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A few seconds passed before someone finally spoke up. "Soooooooo," Pinkie started to say, clasping her hands together as she rocked back and forth on her heels. "Let's talk about what we have going on right now."
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The question was met with nothing more than another moment of silence. Rarity took another bite of her cookie while Applejack finished hers.
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"Well, you guys were a little more chattier earlier," Pinkie carried on, trying to keep her voice lighthearted despite the tension. "Maybe we talk about how college is going or some"
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"Alright, look Pinkie," Applejack finally said. "We get that you're tryin' to… you know, tryin' to help. But it's ain't exactly what we need right now."
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"Yes, we really do appreciate it, darling. But," Rarity began to explain as she put away her phone. "I think with this sort of thing, some people just need a little more time to keep themselves in check," she added, shooting a quick glance at Applejack.
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"Hold on. What's that supposed to mean?" The cowgirl asked in a huff, her brow furrowing down once again like a bison.
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Rarity rolled her eyes in response. "Oh, for goodness sake. I wasn't just talking about you! And even if I was, you can't swallow your pride for five minutes without feeling the need to start an argument?"
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"I wouldn't feel like arguin' if you didn't feel like condescendin' me!"
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"Oh, I'm sorry. You think I'm condescending?" The fashionista asked almost mockingly, dramatically pressing her chubby digits into her soft chest. "You're the one who thinks my dream job is nothing more than a mere hobby!"
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"Yeah? Well, that dream job of yours sure gives you plenty of time for leisure and relaxation," Applejack bemoaned. "No time for anything else, its lookin' like!"
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"Not this again," Rarity sighed. "You know I try my best to make time for you! Besides, you can't pretend you're not guilty of this. You were just complaining about coming here on the way over!"
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"That's cause I still got some yard work I'd rather be doin' over this stupid little tea party we got goin' on here!"
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"Hey, I wasn't looking forward to being here either! At least I have the common courtesy not to say it in front… of Pinkie…"
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Both realizing what they just said out loud, Rarity and Applejack turned to look at Pinkie. It was an awful sight to say the least. Though she still tried to maintain some semblance of a smile, her watery eyes and flattening hair were telling a much different story.
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"Oh, no. Pinkie…" Applejack began to say.
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"We didn't mean it…" Rarity tried to explain.
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But Pinkie quickly spoke up between her sniffles as her playful attitude slowly deflated. "No, no… It's okay… Y you're both right. It was a dumb idea after all. I just- just wanted to see if we could… you know… work things out." Turning away as she tried to keep her sobbing face hidden, Pinkie hurried off into the kitchen. "I- I'm gonna go check on the other cookies…"
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"Oh, dear. Pinkie, wait!" Without hesitating, Fluttershy had managed to scoot her weight off of her seat and rush close behind her girlfriend.
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As the two disappeared into the kitchen, Rarity and Applejack were left sitting there in silence once more. The air around them felt so thick and heavy, almost suffocating as they felt the guilt wash over them.
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"Well…" Rarity sighed. "That was definitely the worst case scenario."
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Applejack nodded as she glanced over the table. "Yeah. Maybe we should apologize."
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"Really? 'Maybe'? Oh, how noble of you," Rarity scoffed with a roll of her eyes.
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"Oh, come on. Don't start arguing. Not right now."
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"That certainly wasn't a problem for you earlier."
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"Like it's my fault there ain't no other to get you to talk to me. Seriously, Rarity. Every time I've been tryin' to have even the simplest conversation with you lately, you always have to brush me off for somethin' else!"
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"No, I don't!"
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"Yes, you do!"
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“No, I do not! You know I always try to include you in everything I do!
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As the couple started hurling words at each other once again, Fluttershy pokes her head back into the dining room to check out what was happening. "Girls…" She began to speak before being promptly interrupted.
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"What about everything I do? Huh? You're always makin' excuses every time I want somethin' from you! You're too busy! You're too tired! You got nothin' to wear!"
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"That's saying a lot considering you keep finding ways to miss out on whatever I need you around for!"
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With a tired and resenting sigh, Fluttershy walked in and tried to call them out again. "Girls, please!" Though she spoke with a louder voice and a stricter tone, neither of them were still bothering to listen.
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"I've always put in the time for you! But you never do the same for me! Remember that mountain trip you kept promisin' last year? Or how about that fishin' trip I brought up? Or did you forget about all that too?"
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"Oh, for the love of… You're still mad about the mountain trip?! Is that what this whole thing is about?!"
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"It's not just about some stupid mountain trip! It's about"
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"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!"
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Fluttershy's scream echoed throughout the house, finally putting an end to the fight. Applejack and Rarity could only blink in disbelief at their normally quiet friend.
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With her soft hands balled up into hardened fists and her eyes closed shut to stop herself from tearing up, Fluttershy took a deep breath before continuing, voice shaken but still angry. "Pinkie's locked herself in the bathroom. She's very upset right now. So, I think it's best if you both leave right now."
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After a brief moment passed, Rarity was the first to rise from her seat, then Applejack.
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"We are so sorry, Fluttershy," Rarity began to say, her own voice starting to crack.
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"If there's anything we can do to help, sugarcube…" Applejack reached out to assure her.
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Fluttershy opened her eyes, but hardly looked at either one of her friends. "Please. Just… whatever's going on between you two, figure something out. It's been going on for too long. We just don't want any of this to push anyone away." With that, Fluttershy turns back into the kitchen, leaving Rarity and Applejack alone.
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They barely looked at each other for the rest of the evening, or even spoke any words.
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“Let’s just go,” Rarity had said.
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“I’ll drop you off,” Applejack replied back.
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Hauling themselves into Applejack’s truck, they made their way back to their homes in silence. Despite feeling distant from each other at the moment, they also felt like they were both sharing the same thought…
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“What do we do now?”

-

Applejack — 603 lbs
Pinkie — 572 lbs
Fluttershy — 656 lbs
Rarity — 613 lbs