>Be Maple
>You wonder why Amber has been acting so "funny" lately
>Well, some brunch foods should help her refresh
>That and a hot shower
>She smelled like sweat when she came home
>Better not think to much about it
>It's not that big of a deal
>You walk to your room and go through a dresser
>You find a nice grey toque to put on
>You put it over your ears, feeling them being covered by the warm comfort that the wool hat provides
>You smile
>You don't understand how ponies don't wear these all the time
>They are so comfortable
>You guess it's pretty cold outside
>You only got a quick taste of the temperature while letting Amber in
>Better put on a scarf
>You grab a grey and red scarf from on top of your dresser and throw it around your neck
>You take a look in the mirror
>You look very cute
>You're not hot like your sister
>But you're cute
>And you're fine with that
>Lately you've started to care more about your appearance
>While Amber was gone, you even went to the salon
>It was relaxing and all, but it wasn't really your thing
>You take one final look in the mirror before leaving the room
>You take a seat on the couch and wait for Amber to finish up her shower
>You turn on the T.V and flip to sports center
>You watch the Top Ten count down for the week
>You see some hockey highlight
>It just reminds you that it's getting to that time of the year
>You love the winter
>You love being all wrapped up in a blanket laying on the couch with Amber
>Watching the snow fall from the fluffy white clouds
>Just a little while longer Maple
>Plus you have the camping trip to look forward to
>You hear the shower come to a stop
>A few seconds later you hear her talking from the bathroom
>"Maple? Can you get me a towel please?"
"Sure"
>You get up from the couch and fetch your sister a towel
"Got it"
>She opens the door wide
>Revealing herself
>Her long blond mane, wet with water from the shower
>Her glistening coat, covered with water droplets
>Her smiling face turning concerned as you stare just a few seconds too long
>"Maple? You good?"
>You snap out of your daydream
"Yeah. Here's your towel"
>She leans forward and grabs the towel with her mouth
>You hear her muffle out a thank you before she closes the door
>Jeez...You gotta stop staring Maple
>You go into Amber's room and pull out a hoodie for her
>You figure since it's cold out, she'd like to wear one
>She doesn't really like to wear her jacket out in public
>You grab a plain grey hoodie with the letters ERM, Equestrian Royal Military, printed on it in block letters
>Running your hoof across the inside, you feel it's softness
>You throw it over your back and walk out of her room
>You place the hoodie onto the couch and head towards the kitchen to feed Ike
>You grab a few pellets from his food container and sprinkle it into the water
>Watching him eat, you get bad for him
'He's got such a simple life...Maybe I'll get him a playmate!'
>You decide that after brunch you shall buy him a friend to play with
>You hear Amber come out of the bathroom once again
"I put your hoodie on the couch"
>"Thanks!"
>You walk out of the kitchen and see Amber struggling to put her hoodie on
>Like a good sister, you walk towards her and help her out
>Together, you manage to put her hoodie on
>Once she can see you extend a hoof into the air
"Teamwork!"
>She extends her hoof and taps it against yours
>"You're such a joke Maple"
>You put a hoof around her neck
"That's not nice Amber...Don't be mean to your wittle sister"
>You mock the way your mom used to talk
>You both share a laugh
"So where do you wanna go?"
>She puts a hoof up to her face
>"Hmm...We went to the diner last week. How about we go that restaurant by the boutique"
"Have we eaten there before?"
>"Yeah, but they changed it's name and style. I heard it's really good"
"Sounds like a plan then"
>"Oh, before we go, can you take out my stitches?"
>Did she just ask you to take out her stitches?
"What?"
>"C'mon, I don't want to have to lug all the way back to the hospital if you could just use your celestial magic to cut them off yourself"
>On paper it makes sense
>In reality, not so much
"I'm not gonna take your stitches out Amber"
>"Here look"
>She runs into the kitchen and comes back out with a kitchen knife
>"How hard could it be? Your magic is pretty steady"
>You shake your head
"I'm not gonna do it Amber"
>"Pleaaaasseeee"
>You roll your eyes
"I'm sorry Amber"
>"PWETTY PWEASE"
>Why does she always have to be so fucking cute
"Fine...I'll try to take the out"
 
>Amber is propped up on the couch, with her bad side facing up
>You wearing a pair of glasses are levitating the scissors towards her leg
"Remember what I said. If I can't do it, we go to the hospital"
>"Okay, fine. Just try"
>She looks back down
>You get close to her
>Close enough where you feel the heat radiating off of her flank
>God, what you would do to lick her flank
>MAPLE! Focus on the task here!
>You shake your head and get back to position
>The scissor slowly slowly getting close to her stitches
>You need to get a better angle
>You place a hoof on Amber's flank for leverage
>You hear her let out a deep breath once you get on her
>You feel her firm flank under your hoof
>God, those workouts really do pay off
>Lost in the moment once again
>You start to massage her flank
>You completely forget what you were doing
>Amber lets out a moan
>"Hey Maple? The massage can wait till after I get the stitches out"
>Oh shit
>You did it again
>Remember what Twilight said
>Maintain control
"Yeah, sure"
>You readjust your hoof and get back into it
>The scissor slowly moving closer towards Amber's wound
"Here we go"
>The cold, blunt end of the scissor make contact with Amber's hip
>She shivers
"Stay still Amber"
>She doesn't say a word
>You bring the scissor up and try to catch it on the stitch
>She has 5 in total
>You can't seem to get one
>You put a hoof onto Amber's hip, trying to gain separation
>It doesn't seem to work
>But you try to snag a stitch
 
>After 5 minutes of doing this, you finally give up
"I can't do this Amber"
>She gets up from the couch
>"Well, thank for trying at least. I'd have to go back anyway, to get some tests done"
"Then why did you tell me to do it?"
>You say annoyed
>"It would've saved me a trip"
>You roll your eyes
"Well, let's get some food"
>You and her walk to the front door
>You leave and lock the door behind you
>You and Amber are walking towards the restaurant when Twilight approaches you
>"Oh hey Twi"
>"Hey Amber. Hey Maple"
>You nod your head
"Hey Twilight. What's up?"
>She looks around
>"I was just wondering how you two were doing. And when I saw you two I wanted to say hi"
>"Yeah, were doing alright. But we were actually on our way to brunch so mayb"
"Twilight! You should have brunch with us!"
>Amber shoots you a look
>You guess she wanted some alone time
>But Twilights a friend
>She'll only bring fun
>"Well, I'm not really doing anything. I suppose I can eat with you for a little while"
"Cool. We can talk while we eat too!"
>Amber shoots you another look
>This one like
>'C'mon Maple...Give me a break'
>Well, if she took the time out of her day to talk to you
>It's the least you can do
>"So where are we going?"
"Were going to that restaurant by the boutique"
>"Oh! Maybe Rarity could join us!"
"Ye-"
>"I don't think so Twilight. Were bonn be talking about..."
>She moves closer to Twilight's ear
>"Personal stuff"
>Twilight nods her head
>"Yeah, your right"
"Lets get going before they get filled up. Wouldn't want to wait"
>>20135911
>The two of you manage to get a seat in the middle of the rush
>The line was out the door, but they gave you three a seat because of "Royalty"
>Twilight was reluctant but Amber "convinced" her it was fine
>So now you three are sitting by a window, while half of Ponyville waits to get in
>"So Maple, what are you getting?"
>Twilight asks you
"I was looking at the tomato omelet"
>Amber speaks up
>"No pancakes?"
>You look through the menu
"Nope, they don't have any here"
>"Oh...Sorry. We should've went somewhere with pancakes"
>You put the menu down
"No, it's fine. I need some more protein anyway"
>She nods her head
>"So, do you girls have any plans for the day?"
>Amber looks up from her menu
>"Yeah. I need to go to the hospital to get some stitches removed. Then I'm going to the school to see if they have any openings for a part time job. Then I'm gonna buy a tent"
>Twilight looks confused
>"A part time job?"
>"Yeah. I'm taking a temporary break from the Military. You know, to clear my head and stuff"
>She nods
>"And, I'm getting the tent for when me and Maple go camping together"
>Twilight leans over to your ear and whispers
>"Are you sure that's a good idea Maple?"
>You nod your head and whisper back
"I'll be fine. It's gonna be fun anyway"
>Amber looks annoyed again
>"What did you say?"
"She just asked if it would be a good idea. Because of the...you know"
>"Oh... We'll be fine by then Twilight"
>Twilight nods her head as the waiter comes over
>"Ah, Princess Twilight! What would you like to eat today this morning?
>She looks up from the menu at the Colt in front of her
>"I'll order the cheese, tomato and pepper omelet. And can I have a glass of sparkling water to drink"
>The waiter writes it all down
>"Of course. And for you?"
>He looks to you
"I'll just have the tomato omelet with a glass of milk"
>He finishes writing your order then asks Amber
>"I'll have the hay burger. What beers do you have on tap?"
>Twilight cuts in
>"Amber...It's only 11 o'clock...Remember what we said?"
>She rolls her eyes
>"I'll just have a glass of water then...You don't happen to have bacon, do you?"
>"I'm sorry miss, but we do not support the slaughter of animals for consumption"
>She rolls her eyes again
>"A simple "No" would have sufficed"
>The waiter turns away from her
>"I'll be back in a minute with your drinks"
>He walks away
>"Dick"
"Hey! Don't say that Amber, We're in public"
>She shakes her head
>You look at Twilight, who seems pretty uncomfortable with the whole situation
"So Twilight, any word on the next hockey skills book?"
>"Yes, I think it should be in within the week. Probably in two days"
>That's awesome
"Nice. Can you reserve that for me?"
>She laughs
>"Of course...So Amber, hows it going with Dash?"
>Amber's head pops straight up
>"Wh-what do you mean?"
>She says with a nervous laugh
>First she comes home hung over
>And now she's acting so weird
>What's going on with her?
>You should cut her some slack
>She's been going through a lot of shit lately
>You just hope that you aren't a big factor in her behavior
>That would make you feel even worse
>"I was just wondering if you were still sleeping at her house?"
>She still looks...worried
>Panicky almost
>"Oh, just for another night. Hey Twilight? Can I talk to you for a second?"
>Twilight looks startled
>"Uh, sure"
>The two leave the table together
>Leaving you by yourself
>Now you know somethings going on
>Probably more of that therapy stuff