Love and Other Awkward Emotions (Ended)

[Mojo]

"Take your time, Miss Carrot Top!" Hayseed neighed as his very special somepony climbed up the spiral staircase.

"I wonder what she's gonna bring us ta see, big brother?" Haywire asked excitedly.

"I'm sure whatever it is will be wonderful, jist like this here house!"

"Maybe it'll be a scrapbook fulla photos! Er maybe an antique piece of jewelry!"

"Now settle down, Haywire. Don't let yur imagination run away with ya!"

"Could be a magical charm, er the world's biggest carrot!"

"Sounds like yur imagination already racin' out the door!" Hayseed laughed.

[Lux]

The sound of hooves announced Carrot Top's return from the second floor as she descended back down to where Haywire and Hayseed stood. For a moment she caught a glimpse of what the two were talking about, mentioning all the possible things the mare could show them. Some were practical but then Haywire mentioned strange things like the world's biggest carrot.

"Well if you consider my house then you've already seen the world's biggest carrot," Carrot Top said with a giggle, "I don't know if I've ever grown the world's biggest carrot, but I sure have won some nice awards for my crops at fairs. Maybe I'll show you those after this. Actually, I have two things to show you."

She carefully took the two items off her back, one looking like a large book and the other a small wooden box painted a pale pink.

"So you probably want to know what's in the box right? Well here it is!"

Lifting the hinged lid revealed the a wooden pony carved to the likeness of Carrot Top as a filly frozen in a happily galloping position. The mare carefully turned a crank in the back and soon the pony began to spin as a happy music played.

"This was something my father made for me. He found the music box parts in a store and fashioned the box and the pony image with his own hooves. This is something that he's great in making things like these. I guess it was for me to remember that there will always be important ponies in my life no matter who I meet good or bad."

[Mojo]

Both Haywire and Hayseed were in awe of the perfectly carved pony Carrot Top had brought down for them to see.

"WOW!" the rust colored filly shouted, "looks jist like ya!"

"This is amazin' craftponyship!" added Hayseed, "even I couldn't whittle a likeness of you with this much skill!"

"Yur dad must be real handy with woodwork! Say, what's in that thar book?"

"Is it some kinda photo album, Miss Carrot Top?" Hayseed asked.

[Lux]

"Awww thanks you two, it really means so much that you like such a precious thing of mine. And yes this is a scrapbook of my memories in Ponyville. Actually it is one of many, but I figured I'd show you one now and if you're interested I'd bring down the rest."

She set the book down on the coffee table and sat on the couch, beckoning the others to sit by her. Blowing off the dust she carefully opened the cover revealing that this was the first album she owned. The first picture on it was one of her standing before her new home. There was a For Sale sign she posed by with a smaller sign reading "Sold" attached to it. The house didn't look like the one the three ponies were in now and looked like it needed repairs but it retained the same shape.

"This was the fist photo taken after I left my family's farm. My dad took it to commemorate me finding a house, this house in fact."

[Mojo]

Haywire and Hayseed gazed upon the photo and smiled.

"Yur jist as perty now as ya was back then, Miss Carrot Top," Hayseed said softly with a big, toothy grin as he looked lovingly into the eyes of his very special somepony.

"Er, I think I best have a look out the winder now," Haywire said nervously, not wanting to spoil the semi-romantic moment for her brother. Although she thought all this 'lovey-dovey' stuff was iky, the blank flank filly knew that his brother's relationship with Carrot Top was special, and she really didn't want to ruin it for him.

"So, ya left home at a really young age," Hayseed said softly, "ya sure did real good fer yurself over the years."

[Lux]

"Thank you Hayseed," Carrot Top said lovingly nuzzling her special somepony. She couldn't help but giggle at the way Haywire reacted to their romantic ways. Carrot still remembered the time when she was a filly and thought colts were yucky.

"Awww don't go Haywire. I know you aren't into the mushy stuff now but trust me you will in a couple of years. Or maybe there's a special pony in your clas that you like right now, hm?"

She then drew her attention back to the book and to Hayseed's comment.

"Well I really wasn't that young. I still spent a few years home after getting my cutie mark. When I became a mare that was when I decided to sow my own seeds and see if I could make it. Sometimes I did and other times I didn't."

With that she flipped the page showing her house now partly fixed up and a plowed garden but with no carrots.

"This happened just after moving in. There was a bad flood that destroyed a whole crop of carrots that I was in the process of planting, but thankfully things dried out so I could quickly plant another bunch of seeds. I'm sure that weather must have played havoc to your farm too."

[Mojo]

"Well," Haywire said with a slightly blushing face, "reckon thar is ONE guy in mah class I'd like ta go to a dance with.."

"That's the start of it, little sister," Hayseed said with a grin, "Miss Carrot Top's right, jist give it a couple years."

"If y'all say so." the blank flank filly said as Carrot Top flipped the page of her scrapbook. Haywire trotted back over to see and listen to their host's explanation.

"Yep! Weather kin affect crops, that's fer sure," Hayseed said, "them Pegasi usually keep the weather fairly nice, but thar's times they miss things. We've had a few bad storms at our farm too. Lucky fer us, our main crop, hay, is fairly weather resistant. But that ain't true fer most crops. Glad ta hear ya got another carrot crop up after the storm took yur first one that year. Reckon it goes ta show we farm ponies gotta be ready fer anythin'. ain't that right?"

"That's right! I kin remember one bad storm a few years ago. Wiped out all our corn an' wheat. Had ta work real hard ta git more of'm planted quick so we'd have them crops fer food. Lucky fer us, bad weather don't happen too often 'round here."

[Lux]

Carrot Top wasn't one to pry, but the prospects of a possible budding romance with the filly intrigued her. She could tell that Haywire was confused as to how to proceed or if this was a relationship among friends or a true crush.

"Well Haywire, do you talk to this pony? If not then maybe you should, even asking if he wants to dance with you. That way you'll know if he wants to be your friend or something more."

It was nice to talk about farm things with a pony that knew such matters. Although what they grew was different and even the sizes of their farms, there were still the trials of weather, drought, critters, and other issues that both had to attend to.

"Yeah carrots are fairly hardy too and unlike things like apples they won't get blown away too easily. But the way the ground is that they're planted in is the big thing. Too much water and they end up growing small or dry up and too much water and they may get rotted. You know, I've been planning on something but I haven't yet got it started. Maybe I should make a greenhouse. That way even if the weather is bad I can keep some carrots safe. What do you think you two?"

[Mojo]

Haywire looked very shy after Carrot Top's question sank into her little filly mind.

"Reckon I'm too shy ta ask him," the blank flank filly said in a low voice.

"YOU? SHY?" Hayseed interjected. "Yur about as shy as a politician and as backward and reserved as Flim and Flam!"

"HAY! Don't ya dare compare me to those two meanies!" the blonde filly shouted. "I ain't nutin' like them at all!"

"Take it easy, sis. I'm surry I said that, but ya gotta admit, most of the time, you ain't shy towards other ponies."

[Lux]

"I'm not trying to upset you Haywire," Carrot Top said seeing that the filly looked very embarrassed, "But I agree with Hayseed that you aren't a very shy pony, and believe my I've seen shy ponies. But I can understand that if you're shy towards this colt especially if you like him. Do you care to tell me who this colt is? You can whisper it to me if you want."

[Mojo]

"Well," Haywire began to confess, "I know this here may sound goofy, but the colt I kinda like is.. Snails."

"SNAILS???" Hayseed asked in shock.

"Hay! You said you wasn't gonna make fun of me!"

"I ain't, sis, I ain't. I'm jist sort a, surprised. Yeah, that's it, surprised."

"I know he doesn't seem all that bright, an' he does act a bit weird, but I still sort of, like'm." the blank flank filly said with a sigh. "But I'm really scared ta tell'm how I feel an' git inta all that there romance stuff."

[Lux]

Snails... the name that Haywire reluctantly announced to her and Hayseed. For a moment Carrot Top tried to figure out who this colt was. True she did saw younger ponies in town either with each other or their parents. Yet knowing them personally was something she haven't really done until now while meeting Haywire. Then her memory suddenly jogged to putting a name to a face. From what she could recall Snails was a unicorn who wasn't the brightest unicorn in the bunch but was nice.

"Well it doesn't matter who they are. What matters is if you like him. But I have to ask though, how did you find out he was more than just a friend?"

[Mojo]

"Yeah Haywire, tell us about it," Hayseed said in an encouraging way. "I think I kin speak fer Carrot Top an' mahself, we wanna help ya, ain't that right, sweetie?"

Haywire swallowed hard. She wasn't used to discussing a subject like having a crush on a classmate. However, feeling that she could fully trust the pony couple, the blank flank filly began to explain.

"Well, I always felt that Snails was deep down, a good guy. Not so bright sometimes, but in a cute way! I saw this a while back when he went with me and some of mah other classmates fer some cave explorin'. We all had quite an adventure that day! I've kinda been watchin' him from a distance, even though I think that Snips is a bad influence on him. A few weeks Snails, Bebop an' I worked on a science project together. Snails was a big help, an' I do admire his spirit and loyalty. Does all this here make sense?"

[Lux]

Carrot could tell that Haywire was nervous bearing her heart to her brother and a pony that she only recently met. But because the filly had an interest in Carrot's romantic life it was only fitting for her to know the earth pony more. Her story sounded like a typical school crush where the two got to know each other and were interested in the same things. A group project was all that was needed to get them together. She mentioned that the colt was different from others in the way he acted, but then again so was she with her hyperactive personality.

"Well I'm very happy that you found a pony you like. Did you ever try and invite him over to your house, maybe even your neat clubhouse? I'm sure he'd like it."

[Mojo]

Suddenly, 'fearless' Haywire began frightened Haywire.

"Well.. I.. ya see.. well.." the blonde filly nervously stuttered.

"Sis, are ya scared ta ask him?" Hayseed asked softly.

"I git all nervouscited when I'm around Snails," Haywire confessed, "like mah mouth gits filled with cotton an' I can't talk. I'd like ta invite him over, I even tried several times but I jist couldn't do it!"

Haywire's eyes filled with tears, she was genuinely sad that she had such trouble talking to Snails.

[Lux]

In an instant the normally confident and excited filly became sad and nervous. As Carrot listened, Haywire told of how she wanted to get to know him more and yet always seemed to have issues. It was such a bad experience that it brought the filly to tears!

"Awww there there," Carrot said instinctively hugging the filly, "You really like him but you're afraid that you'll say something silly to him which is why you have trouble speaking. Let's try something, if you didn't know me, if I was just a random pony from town, maybe even a filly like you, how would you invite me to your farm and clubhouse?"

[Mojo]

Haywire wiped the tears from her eyes, pondered the question a bit and then gave a calm, confident answer.

"Howdy thar, friend! I see yur new round here, wanna come over ta mah place after school? I live on a big ol' farm with a huge treehouse that's gots lots of cool stuff in it!"

"That's great, sis!" Hayseed neighed, clapping his front hooves together. "That was such a good invite, ya got me wantin' ta visit the farm mahself!"

"Thanks big brother," the blank flank filly said before turning towards Carrot Top, "How was that?"

[Lux]

Carrot Top wondered if this Haywire would really go for this role playing. She may think that it was silly to try and imagine something like speaking to a classmate. But sure enough the filly did agree and as she spoke her shyness melted away.

"Yes you did really great Haywire. Why if I was your age and in your class I'd want to go to your home. See, if you say that the same way to Snails he'd be crazy not to come over! Now let's try something else. I want you to imagine your brother Hayseed is Snails. I know it sounds weird, but I want you to just imagine that he is your classmate and tell him that you like him. So why not give it a try?"

[Mojo]

"Well," Haywire said nervously, "it's one thing to say all them things in fronta y'all, but it's another thing ta say it in fronta Snails, What if he rejects me, er tells me he's got other things ta do, er what if he.."

"Sis, ya ain't never gonna know till ya ask, are ya?" Hayseed asked with a smile. "Ain't that right, Miss Carrot Top?"

"Reckon ya gotta point thar, but I still don't know if I kin do it," the rust colored filly sighed.

[Lux]

Carrot Top knew that what she asked was not the simplest of things. To act out one's deepest feelings towards another, especially about somepony she loved, took great courage. It was no surprise that the filly felt uneasy. This was especially true confessing such things to Carrot who had just recently entered into her family's life, which was why the cream colored mare asked her to say what needed to be said in front of her brother.

"That's right Hayseed. Haywire, I know you're scared that you'll say something that he won't like or worse that he might reject you, but if you think this is going to happen even before you ask then you're just defeating yourself. As for whether he really likes you or not, I don't see any reason why he would not like you. If for some reason though he doesn't then you can still be friends with him and at least you'll know the truth. So will you give this a try? If you still need help thinking about what you are going to sayI can help. The main thing is to be honest with yourself. If you do that, you'll be honest to him."

[Mojo]

Little Haywire listened to her brother and his very special somepony and pondered their words. Moments later, a smile came upon her face.

"Y'all's right! I KIN to this!" the rust colored filly neighed confidently. "Snails is a good guy so I orta be able ta talk ta him like I do durin' any class period! T'aint any different from any other time!"

"Now ya got the spirit!" Hayseed neighed happily. "With that kinda attitude, you'll be able ta ask him over in no time! Believe me little sister, the rewards of reachin' out to yur very special somepony is worth the risk!"

Now the brown pelted Earth stallion looked over at Carrot Top lovingly. He looked deeply into her eyes and smiled even wider than before.

[Lux]

"That's the spirit!" Carrot Top neighed at the filly, "See, all you need is a little confidence that's all. And if he really is your special somepony it won't matter how you act or look towards him. He will still love you, right Hayseed?"

At that moment she turned to see Hayseed with that same lost expression in his eyes. Those big dreamy eyes looking at the present but staring off into the future. She knew that when he looked at her like that he was looking towards a bright future with her!

"Speaking of love, there's another photo I want to show you. Now don't get jealous Hayseed as this happened many years ago."

Flipping through the photo album Carrot searched for a certain picture until she turned and showed it towards the two. The photo was of her as an older filly with a colt dressed in an athletic jacket holding a hoofball in his one hoof.

"you probably want to know about my first love, eh Haywire? Well his name was Game Winner and he was very good at playing hoofball. We dated for a few month but we sort of drifted apart I guess but we remained friends during school. He went to live in Canterlot where he now coaches hoofball players. The thing is something the colt you meet may not be the perfect one for you on the first try, and sometimes it is. One thing's for certain, I know who is my special somepony for sure!"

[Mojo]

Both Hayseed and Haywire gazed in fascination at the photo Carrot Top showed them.

"Interestin,' I don't remember ever seein' that feller 'round here," Hayseed said with a smile. "Game Winner was a fool ta ever let ya git away from him."

"Wow! If ya don't mind mah askin', how did you two git together? Did he ask ya, or did ya ask him first?" the rust colored filly asked.

[Lux]

Carrot Top was relieved that Hayseed didn't take her past love with a jealous streak. It was silly to think so, but the mare knew how some ponies clung to the past and reflected on it, even those who wanted to get to know another. This was another thing that made Hayseed a wonderful special somepony, to see her as she was now rather than what she was.

"Well if i could remember correctly he asked me to be his special somepony. I was kind of shy and liked him too but lacked the courage to tell him. I guess he did too until one day he was able to tell me the truth. I think though he liked me just because I was cute and after sometime I guess that novelty wore off and we went back to being friends. So that's another thing for you Haywire, you don't need a pony to complete you like you're missing a part of you. You just need to find someponi that loves you completely."

[Mojo]

Both Hayseed and Haywire looked genuinely impressed with Carrot Top's words.

"I really like what ya said thar, Miss Carrot Top!" Haywire neighed, "find a feller that loves me completely! I need ta write that down! Hay big brother, gotta pencil?"

"Sure do sis," Hayseed said, reaching into his saddlebag to produce a pencil for the rust colored filly. "Thar ya go!"

"Thanks!"

"I really like the way ya said that, Miss Carrot Top," the brown pelted stallion said as Haywire continued to write in her notebook, "because I DO love you completely."

Once again, Hayseed had that dreamy look in his eyes as he spoke to his very special somepony.