Aunt Lilith
Author's note: Sorry for the hiatus, I've finally returned to continue adding to this series. Hopefully my writing isn't rusty from months of inactivity. I hope you enjoy this installment!
Applejack grimaced as she lay on the wooden floor, tending to an injury she received when her older brother had accidentally fallen into her. Unfortunately, this was while she was in the middle of bucking a tree, and it caused her significant pain. The stallion landed right on a the leg she had in a cast about 6 months before, and it triggered pain reminiscent of when she had first injured it. It was back during the Appleloosa acres’ fire, which only felt like the day before for her. She stood up awkwardly, trying to put pressure on it, but sharp pain caused her to wince and consciously lift the leg away from hitting the ground. She sighed as she realized this would hinder her efforts to work once again.
“Are you okay, AJ?” Big Macintosh asked, legitimately concerned, though the emotionless expression didn’t exactly make that obvious.
“Ah’m fine, a-ah just gotta let off of it so it can heal,” the orange pony said, “and besides, ah’ve gone through much worse than this, that’s sure.” Her grimace turned to a semi-confident smile. She was too tough to let an injury prevent her from doing things on her own again, “I’ll have to explain to ‘Shy why I’m gettin’ home a little late tonight. Tonight was ‘sposed to be a dinner night for us.”
“Ah know, ya told me already. Ah could just carry ya back so yer in time for the dinner,”
Applejack chuckled, “Big Mac, ah ain’t a filly any more, ah’d break yer back!”
The red stallion thought for a second as he sat at the kitchen table waiting for Granny Smith’s dinner, “AJ, you’re not as big as ya’d like ta think, ah’m sure ah could carry ya to the cottage with no problem, plus Granny Smith is still sleepin’; she won’t be makin’ dinner for a while.”
“Nope, ya look tired now even from buckin’ apples, ah ain’t going to force ya to do more work just cause ah went and got ma’self hurt again. Ah can make it back, ah still have three workin’ legs.”
“Ya sure ‘bout that AJ?”
“Surer than Granny Smith after a freshly baked apple pie, sugar cube.”
After one last attempt to put pressure on her injured leg, AJ walked towards the door on her three legs, though strength she had built up over the years of bucking made it not as awkward was to walk as one might assume, “Ah’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Don’t come if yer still hurt, Caramel can still fill in for ya, no reason to make yerself even more hurt.” The stallion said in a matter-of-fact way. He didn’t need many words to get his point across to his younger sister, an unchanging characteristic of their relationship.
“Ah won’t hurt mahself, you’re just bein’ a protective older brother, ah’ll be fine,” Applejack said, opening the door, “See ya tomorrow Big Macintosh.” Applejack stressed, using a hoof to put on her Stetson.
“Mhmm,”
Applejack sighed, knowing that her injury turned out to be such bad timing. No matter how she looks at things, she always imagines that she could have prevented a mistake; even if it wasn’t her fault or unavoidable. That wasn’t the only thing that was on the orange pony’s mind as she made her way back to her home; she knew that she wasn’t the most romantic mare out there. It took a lot just for her agree to dress up nicely to have a nice romantic dinner with her marefriend, she didn’t want Fluttershy to think that she was avoiding the dinner.
“Consarnit,” She breathed, walking towards the lowering sun.
-----
It was nearly dark outside when Applejack finally found herself near her cottage; there were no lights on so she assumed Fluttershy had fallen asleep early or was outside with her animals as she almost always was.
She opened the door, immediately felling her body readying itself for a nice night of relaxing. With a sigh of relief, Applejack landed in her couch and almost fell asleep right then and there, though after a tiny rabbit that was underneath forced her to move over, she decided to get up to get a glass of water, thirst overpowering her need for some relaxation. Angel shook his paw as Applejack, the orange apologizing with a chuckle. It wasn’t the first time that had happened to the little bunny.
“’Shy? Ya awake?” She said at a medium tone, careful to not wake up one of the many other animals in the nooks and crannies of the home.
Shortly, Fluttershy responded from upstairs, “Oh yes! You’re home!”
Applejack could hear the Pegasus walking down the steps of the home, “Sorry ah just got back, ah hurt myself pretty badly today. Darn Big Macintosh ran straight into my leg. He may deny it, but he’s the clumsiest stallion this family of our’s,” She said, semi-serious about her older brother.
Fluttershy greeted Applejack with a kiss on her nose, after wiping away some dirt that remained on the orange pony’s cheek, “Oh my, which leg,”” she asked in her signature soft voice, then responding after the orange pony showed her the leg, “Oh my… do you need to rest? I can make sure you’re comfortable! You can’t be on your leg after you hurt it! My oh my Applejack, you need to be careful!”
“Thank ya kindly Fluttershy, but I wouldn’t want to hassle ya. My leg will be fine, sugarcube. No need to worry,” Applejack said; stubbornly as always.
“Well I always worry when you hurt yourself,” the yellow Pegasus said in a matter-of-fact way, “Plus I like taking care of you,”
Applejack gave her a firmer kiss on the lips, “Ah’ll be fine, darlin’. Just need some rest. Ah’m plum tuckered,”
“Angel is sleeping in the bed. He’s sick, and he wouldn’t sleep in his regular bed. I tried to convince him otherwise, but a sick bunny needs his rest,” Fluttershy said, “do you want anything to eat before you go to sleep? I was preparing our dinner.” The yellow Pegasus said, walking into their kitchen, “But when it starting getting late, I decided not to finish it, so we could have it tomorrow,”
“Thank ya kindly, ‘Shy. Ah’m sorry ah missed our dinner night. In fact, ah’ll make it up to ya when ma darn leg’s healed up in a day or two-“
“Don’t tell me you’re not going to see nurse Redheart!” Fluttershy said, legitimately surprised at her own partner’s stubbornness, despite having known her for so long, “I know you don’t like to get help, b-but I really wouldn’t want you to injure yourself more because you didn’t get help. I really dislike seeing you hurt.”
“Fluttershy, Ah just pulled a muscle when he fell on me” the orange pony lied, “It’ll be fine, and ah’ll be back to the farm tomorrow - and in time for dinner night.”
“Applejack, your leg was fractured, I can’t let you just heal it yourself this time... and I won’t. I’ll set up a meeting with nurse Redheart.” Fluttershy stated, showing off her assertiveness, “If…that’s okay with you.”
“Ah don’t really have a choice, huh?” Applejack admitted with a slight shake of her front right hoof. Before she could continue, there was a knock at their door, “Odd time for anypony to be round these parts,” The orange pony commented as Fluttershy walked up the door and opened it.
“MAIL!” A grey mare said oddly loud, Fluttershy taken aback before she gathered herself and accepted the sloppy pile of assorted mail from Derpy.
“O-Oh thanks, Derpy, but I have to ask why you’re here so late?”
“Dinky broke the bathtub, ripped my socks and disassembled the oven again, so I couldn’t do my rout earlier today,” the mailmare said nonchalantly, “Fillies, am I right?”
The yellow Pegasus responded with a look of a combined confusion and surprise, “Dinky…yeah, she must be one um… mischievous filly, huh?”
“I buy thingsall the time so Dinky can break them,” Derpy said, adding to the shy Pegasus’ confusion, “Want a muffin? I have an extra.”
“How’d you cook them without the oven?” Fluttershy asked quickly, garnering a laugh from Applejack who had headed upstairs, but was still listening to their conversation.
“She broke the oven I bought for her break,” Derpy said, stabilizing her own flight after being distracted, “Dinky knows not to break my good oven.”
Fluttershy smiled, “Well thanks Derpy for coming by tonight. Hopefully Dinky learns to not break stuff…” She then accepted the muffin with a smile as she held the mail between her body and closed right wing.
Fluttershy sat down on their couch and tossed the mail she had received right next to her. Despite not having done any strenuous work that day, the Pegasus found herself more tired than she usually was at the time. The sun still shone through the windows in her home, though it was dimming slowly.
“Angel bunny are you awake?” She asked quietly, receiving no response. The Pegasus opened up a letter; though it was pretty awkward considering she had no magic to open it herself. She held the letter between her hooves and used her teeth to open it.
“Equestrian Animal Fashion Show….Rarity might like that,” She said to herself, setting the mail aside. She sifted through the small pile of letters with her hooves until one caught her eye; a light pink envelope that was oddly fancy for anything she and Applejack expected to receive. It was addressed in a fancy cursive that even Fluttershy had to examine to figure out.
Lilith
Las Pegasus
Fluttershy
Ponyville
“Aunt Lilith? What a nice surprise!” She said softly, though excitedly; instantly reminiscing on the days of her fillyhood, a lot of which was spent with her aunt, since her parents were off at work.
Every day, despite Fluttershy’s inability when it came to flying, her aunt would come over and provide her company while her parents were out. She was the one that kept encouraging the filly to keep trying and always stressed that hard work would get her places in life. Lilith was quite strict sometimes when it came to sticking to a plan of sorts. Fluttershy as a filly didn’t have the confidence to continue trying something once she had failed it; aunt Lilith was the one pressuring her to continue, despite many times when Fluttershy may had been over her head. This was a good and bad thing, considering many times it was against Fluttershy’s wishes to do something yet she’d have to do it anyway to prove to her aunt that she could do it.
It definitely made Fluttershy happy to see that her aunt had written to her; she hadn’t actually spoken to her in quite some time, mainly due to her aunt being quite a recluse.
Fluttershy continued reading the letter out loud, “It’s been a long time. . . we haven’t spoken in ages... I am going to be in Ponyville Wednesday and I would really like to see you.”
The Pegasus pondered this for a moment, “Oh my, Wednesday is tomorrow!” She said, in a surprised yet soft voice. She looked around her cottage; despite there being many animals living within the nooks and crevices, it didn’t seem like she would need to do any drastic cleaning in preparation for her aunt.
“Applejack, um, are you awake?” The yellow pony asked, though receiving no response, “She must be really tired, I just can’t wake her up.”
The idea of her aunt coming to visit her brought up conflicting feelings for the Pegasus. She hadn’t seen or talked to her in person for such a long time, she didn’t want anything to go wrong. Fluttershy didn’t like the idea of having to go through everything she’s done since she last saw aunt Lilith in her adolescent years.
Then it hit her, quite forcefully. What if her aunt felt different about her because of her relationship with Applejack?
It was one of the first things Applejack and Fluttershy had to go through as a couple; Applejack’s family members had different opinions on the farmer pony’s choice to start a relationship with a mare. Applejack already has gone through family rejecting her for doing what she wanted to do.
Fluttershy however, despite their seven months of being together, has not told her family beyond her parents; it wasn’t exactly something she wanted to bring up awkwardly the next day when her aunt arrived, either.
The yellow Pegasus needed to come up with something, and fast.