That Rainbow Mane

by Dragomena

III: Your Best Laid Plan

The afternoon up in summer flight camp was almost always sunny; clouds were rarely taken far above the Pegasi's domain. Being that high up, though, meant the air was always much cooler than the surface. The idea of a hot summer day was practically alien to the fillies and colts. At least, to those who'd never ventured down below.

Most pegasi would journey down to the surface one day. Many would frequent it or choose to live there of their own accord.

Fluttershy was not such a pegasus. Just looking down at the ground made her legs quake. Every moment she didn't have a cloud under her was a moment she could fall, and it was a long, long way down...

And that wasn’t her only problem. If she wasn't tripping over her own hooves, her wings were locking up mid flight or her hair was getting in the way. And with all the ponies who laughed and jeered at her mistakes, it was a wonder to her how she ever worked up the courage to keep trying.

Like today, for instance. 'Klutzershy' wasn't a new name, but it stung all the same when her peers called her that. It wasn't her fault she'd tripped on that cloud ring, or that she flew into the camp's flag.

The day's saving grace came in the form of her friend, Rainbow Dash. The squeaky-voiced filly was even younger than she was, but was already one of the best fliers in camp. She was so brave and selfless, too; it was no surprise to her when Dash stood up for her in front of Hoops and Reps.

Everything between then and now was a bit of a blur to her. The three ponies agreed to a race. Fluttershy was given a flag to hold and was to wave it so they'd know when to begin. She'd done so and watched them fly right past her.

She was falling.

Her tiny wings and long skinny legs flailed about rapidly, but she wasn't slowing down.

She was going to hit the ground.

She knew it was coming up. It was only a matter of when. Tears began to form on the corners of her eyes as she continued her flailing, managing to right herself. Still, it wasn't enough to make any difference.

A strange pink cloud near the ground was coming up quickly. This was it. Fluttershy closed her eyes tightly, bracing for impact.

Just as she hit the cloud, her descent slowed significantly. She opened her eyes, trying to see just what the cloud could possibly be made of to stop her fall so easily.

She'd landed in a swarm of the most beautiful butterflies she'd ever seen. More so than any pictures or displays in Cloudsdale's museum. Beyond them stood many towering trees, their long and leaf-covered branches casting thick shadows on the ground below.

She smiled as a warm summer breeze brushed past her cheek. She couldn’t imagine wanting to leave this place ever again.

~~~

Fluttershy glanced out her bedroom window at the little garden she'd made below. Her carrots weren't growing anywhere near as fast as the ones she'd seen earth ponies in town caring for, despite how well she'd been taking care of them. She'd have to ask Rainbow Dash to buy some from the market; the bunnies she'd taken in couldn't eat carrots that weren't there.

Her stomach rumbled and she let out a long sigh, leaning her head on the empty window frame. She was always relying on Rainbow Dash to help her. 'It isn't safe to go down there alone,' she'd told herself, so she wanted Dash to come with her. 'Everypony must think I can't do anything,' she believed, and so Dash had offered to pay her expenses. 'I have no food for myself or for these animals,' she cried, and so she had Dash spend her own money on food for them. Everything came back to depending on Rainbow Dash to live for her, and so she'd become a burden. Things weren't nearly this bad back in Cloudsdale; she wasn't happy but at least there she wasn't completely helpless.

Just as she was about to pull back in, she saw something moving on the horizon. It was small, but as it got closer she could make out an odd looking hat and the orange earth pony wearing it.

She immediately ducked back into the cottage and raced downstairs to lock her front door. In her panic she completely forgot that the lock had been broken when she moved in and, thanks to her panic attacks, Rainbow Dash had never been able to hire somepony to fix it.

Her gaze flicked back and forth over her sparsely decorated front room. There was nothing she could use to barricade the door. No tables, no chairs, not even the odd ladder.

A chill ran down her spine as the knocking began. She'd just have to hold the door shut herself, and-.

"Howdy, neighbor! A common friend a' ours told me you hadn't eaten breakfast this mornin', so ah figured ah'd come on over with somethin' and get ta know ya!"

Fluttershy poked her head out a nearby window, trying not to catch the earth pony's attention. A fresh apple pie sat on her back.

"Neighbor? Are ya home?"

Her mouth moved on its own, and in her effort to stop any sound from escaping, she gave her position away. She couldn't duck back into her home quick enough; the earth pony had already leaned through the open window to look for her.

"There ya are! Yer Fluttershy, right? My name's Applejack. It's a pleasure ta meet ya!"

She looked up in terror at the smiling face of this "Applejack". Her little muzzle, big green eyes, and long blonde mane coming down in a ponytail behind her neck were—at the moment—the most horrifying things Fluttershy could think of. They were also the only things she could think of as she stared upwards.

Applejack cocked an eyelid. "Um... are ya okay, sugarcube? Sorry, am ah comin' on too strong here?"

Fluttershy barely managed to nod, and with a sigh the earth pony slid down from the window sill. "Whew", Fluttershy said, wiping the sweat from her brow. In all likelihood her unexpected visitor would leave now.

The front door swung open and the earth pony trotted in, sending Fluttershy scurrying across the room, hiding behind her wing.

As Applejack looked about the room she said, "Sorry 'bout that, let me try... oh no." Her gaze rested squarely on Fluttershy. "This is gonna be a long mornin', ain't it..."

~~~

“And remember, she’s kinda shy. You need to be careful when approaching her, okay?”

Applejack nodded, tilting her hat down with a hoof. “Ah gotcha, sugarcube. Shouldn’t be too hard ta get her outta hidin’, though. This apple pie Granny Smith an’ I baked ought ta be enough ta convince her.”

Dash had to admit, that pie did smell pretty tasty. She was kicking herself for not thinking about asking for a second pie to be made while they were still on the farm; she had to eat too, after all. “Alright, you head off to the cottage and get Fluttershy out of there. We should be there in about... does thirty minutes sound good?”

“Sounds fine ta me,” Applejack said, smiling as she did, “ah’m sure ah can get her away before then. Y’all have fun with remodelin’ the place while we’re gone, okay?” With that, the young farm pony trotted off, leaving Rainbow Dash, Pinkamena, and her brother behind.

Dash turned her head towards her companions, glowering at them. “Do you really think she can pull this off, Pinkie?”

“Of course!” Pinkamena cheered, her cheerfulness practically radiating off of her. “If anypony can get your Fluttershy out of that cottage, it’s Applejack! Right, Big Mac?”

The large, broadly built Big Macintosh looked back and forth between the two of them, then simply nodded without saying a word.

Pinkamena let out a light giggle, seemingly causing the stallion to blush. “See? We know she’ll have it all taken care of! Now let’s go do some shopping! We’ll need paint, lots of wood, and maybe some-.”

“Actually,” Rainbow Dash began, “I... I need to pick something up! For Fluttershy, I mean. From...” She turned her head this way and that, before finally settling on the bizarre carousel-esque building they’d come up on. “This place! Yeah, this place. I’ll catch up to you two in a bit!”

“Wait!” Pinkamena shouted, causing Dash to stop in her tracks. As she turned back towards the two of them, she noted their scrunched up faces. “Should we wait here for you to get finished? I mean, that’s a clothing store. I was in there yesterday and met the shop owner and she was a real gem of a pony. But anyways, if you’re just going in there to pick something up it shouldn’t take too long and-.”

“It... well... um...” Dash said, trying her best to work up a convincing lie. “It’s a... special order! Yeah, a special order. I, uh, need to... haggle... and stuff. I’ll be awhile. A long while. Thirty minutes or more a while! You two should just head over to the cottage without me. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up later.”

With that, she dashed off, leaving the two earth ponies behind. As she was about to ram against the front door of the odd looking shop, it opened up. She collided into an unseen white unicorn and the two tumbled into a clothes rack on the other side of the room.

The unicorn groaned and pushed Rainbow Dash away. She shouted, “What in Celestia’s name are you doing?!”, but her assailant had already fled to the front of the store.

Rainbow Dash slammed the front door shut, then slipped over to the window next to it, peeking out over the sill just in time to see Pinkie and Big Macintosh walking away from the store.

“Excuse me, I asked you a question!” The unicorn shouted as she began her march towards to the front of the store. “And what do you think you’re doing with that dress?!”

Rainbow Dash turned her head and let out an annoyed sigh. “I’m trying to hide from these two ponies I met so I can-.” She cut herself short, shaking her head in frustration. “What does it matter to you? I’ll be leaving any second now!”

“First you break into my store,” the unicorn began, her voice much calmer now, “then you assault me, and now you’re wearing my merchandise and saying you’re going to be leaving? I think not!”

“I’m not wearing-.” Rainbow Dash began, pointing an outstretched hoof at the belligerent store owner, then stopped as her gaze turned towards her leg. A sky blue sleeve led up her shoulder, connecting to a fairly breezy summer dress. “How did... I... I mean...” She turned her head away in embarrassment.

“I have to say,” the unicorn started to say, walking up alongside her assailant, “it’s not quite your style, I believe. If you want to, I could design something that would go well with your eyes. Or maybe something a little more... fiery, would you like that?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Th-thanks, but I really do have to go.” As she began slipping out of the dress, she noted the store owner’s disappointment. “Sorry about all this. Maybe I’ll stop by later when I don’t have things I need to do. What’s your name?”

“Rarity, darling. And you’re welcome in Carousel Boutique anytime. So long as you try not to break anything, I mean.”

Dash smiled and nodded, then turned back to the window sill. When she finally felt that her companions were out of sight long enough, she headed back out the front door and took to the air, cutting low over the rooftops of the town’s buildings. If she was quick enough, she’d make it to the cottage before even Applejack got there.

As she soared past the edges of Ponyville, the cottage and the massive forest beyond it came into sight. Just looking at that place gave her chills—more so the forest than the rickety old cottage—but this was where Fluttershy resolved to live. There was no budging her from it.

Dash spied Applejack, taking her sweet time as she trotted along. It didn't occur to Dash that she might be doing it to keep her pie from falling; all that mattered was that she wasn't paying attention to the sky. She certainly wouldn't be able to go ahead of her, but tailing her the rest of the way would be easy. Easy, and very slow.

~~~

Rainbow Dash yawned, leaning over the edge of the cottage's roof. The trip here felt like it took ages, what with how slowly she had to fly in order to keep Applejack unaware. Five minutes ago she had gone inside, trying to coax her friend Fluttershy out. There was no way she'd be able to succeed—Dash knew her better than anyone and it took her two months to get Fluttershy to come out of her shell—so it was only a matter of time before she'd get her turn.

She'd already planned out their entire day together. They'd fly around together for a while to loosen her up, then spend the day in town. There was this nice little spa there, and while that wasn't really her thing, she'd do anything if it meant getting Fluttershy to open up...

'Well,' she thought, looking down at her front hooves, 'almost anything.'

Meanwhile, somepony could finally get to work on remodeling the cottage. Almost everything needed to be fixed. The front door was nearly off its hinges, the lock had broken, and every window was missing. The floors creaked, the roof leaked, and she knew the walls would fall out any day now.

As she kicked her hooves back and forth, she couldn't help but notice Applejack leaving the cottage. "Must've given up already", she whispered to herself. “Bet she couldn't even get Fluttershy out of her room.” It was only a matter of time before she’d get to have her turn. As annoying as her friend could be at times, she was the only pony other than her workmates she could stand to be around for more than a little while.

She looked back down at Applejack, and her jaw nearly hit the roof beneath her. Her old friend was fluttering after her, chowing down on an apple pie given to her. "Wha... but how?!" She cried, trying to wrap her head around the imagery.

Rainbow Dash stood up, glaring at the two as they left down the road. She had to know what happened in there, had to make sure Fluttershy was alright. She crouched down, wings unfurled, and prepared to leap off the roof.

"You're here early, Rainbow Dash!"

She nearly leapt out of her coat as she spun around. "Pinkie Pie! Don't sneak up on me like that! I mean-." She stopped, looking about the roof. "How did you even get up here?"

Pinkie merely grinned as she sidled up next to her. “We’re not that high up, y’know. It’s just two stories! I bet it won’t take more than an afternoon to fix this place up. So,” She began, her grin not leaving her face, “how’d things so with Rarity?”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side. “Rarity? Oh!” She nearly hit herself in the face with one of her front hooves. She should’ve at least bought something, she realized. “I... well, what I was looking for... wasn't in stock! Yeah... she didn't have it in yet.”

“Well that’s okay,” Pinkie said, putting a hoof over Dash’s shoulders, “I’m sure she’ll have it in soon! So after you left, you decided to come all the way here ahead of us, huh?”

Rainbow Dash nodded, more than a little thankful that her companion filled in the rest of her lie for her. She couldn’t help but feel like she was being distracted, though. “Anyways,” she began, trying to focus her thoughts. She was going to... do something a moment ago, she remembered. “We need... we need more workers. How are the two of us going to manage all this ourselves?”

“You’re forgetting Big Macintosh,” Pinkie said, motioning back towards Ponyville, “and I’m pretty sure the three of us can handle this!”

Dash sighed. “Right, that overgrown earth pony. He’s pretty strong... hm.” She began pacing about the rooftop; what she was going to do was starting to come back to her. “How long is it gonna take him to get here?”

“Well,” Pinkie began, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof, “he’s still on his way here. We picked up a lot of supplies in town, and he offered to carry it all for me so I could go on ahead and make sure the coast is clear.”

“So maybe I should go and speed him along! Y’know, so we can get started faster.” Dash tilted her head away, trying not to make eye contact with her oddball companion. The last thing she wanted to do was shirk her duty after they’d gone and planned this out, but...

Pinkie beamed a brilliant smile. “Oki doki! You hurry over to Ponyville and bring him here right away! Oh, and if you see any other ponies who want to help, we could use the extra hooves!”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Right, I’ll be back in a bit!” With that, she lifted off from the roof of the ratty cottage, flying off towards Sweet Apple Acres. She could scarcely hear Pinkie shouting “Wait, Ponyville’s the other way, Dashie!” from behind her as she sped away.

~~~

“An’ here’s the carrot farm run by my neighbor, Golden Harvest. She’s a mite fussy, but that mare’s got a heart a’ gold, ah tell ya.”

Fluttershy nodded with interest as she followed alongside Applejack. She’d finished off the apple pie a while ago, and honestly felt as if she’d run away back to her cottage once she did so. But by the time she was done, she found herself... comfortable around her newfound friend. She even called her friend, at least in her own mind. The only pony she really considered close enough to her for that was Rainbow Dash...

“We’re comin’ up on Sweet Apple Acres now, Fluttershy. You’re gonna love it, ah just know it!”

She nodded again, smiling weakly. She wasn’t terribly interested in growing apples and, as far as she knew, that was all this particular earth pony did. She didn’t know if bunnies would eat apples, she’d never heard of them doing it before. But it couldn’t hurt to see what Applejack had to show her. She could always adapt the knowledge to growing her carrots. Or she could ask Applejack to try and introduce her to Golden Harvest.

“Well,” Applejack said, turning around and smiling at her, “Whatta ya think, sugarcube?”

Fluttershy peered over the earth pony’s shoulder, gazing at the massive apple orchard behind her. Her mouth dropped open as she did.

“Heheheh, yer not the first ta react like that. The Apple Family’s one a’ the oldest in Ponyville, an’ we’ve got a lotta land ta’ show fer it.” Applejack’s smile beamed with pride. “‘Course it’s no big deal, really. The Apple Family’s just another part a’ the community. Would ya like somethin’ ta drink?”

“Oh,” Fluttershy began, regaining her composure. “Sure, I’d like a glass of water if you don’t mind.”

Applejack chuckled. “Sure thing. Ah could juice ya some apples real quick if ya want, too.” As she began her trek towards the farmhouse on the other side of the orchard, she motioned for Fluttershy to follow. “So tell me, Fluttershy, what brings ya here to Ponyille?”

Fluttershy smiled, looking up at the apple-filled boughs of the trees they’d been passing by. “I can’t remember the last time I told anypony. To be honest, I was never all that happy up in Cloudsdale. I’m not the best flier... not by any stretch. So when Rainbow Dash offered to take me down to the ground, how could I say no?” After a moment of silence, she let out a heavy sigh. “But life down here is much harder than I thought it would be. I don’t have my family to take care of me anymore, and I haven’t had much luck with settling in here...”

Applejack stopped in her tracks, giving Fluttershy ample time to catch up to her. “Well, all that oughta change today! Ah’m gonna show ya a few gardenin’ tricks, if ya don’t mind.”

As the two came up on the Apple family home, a small red-maned filly with a big pink bow barreled out the front door, leaping onto Applejack. “Yer home, sis! Where were ya, an’ where’s Big Macintosh?”

Applejack chuckled and helped her sister get onto her back. “Big Macintosh is... busy right now, Apple Bloom. He’s in town shoppin’ fer things an’ won’t be back until later. As fer me, ah was off gettin’ our new neighbor, this sweet young pegasus right over here.” She motioned with her hoof to where she knew Fluttershy had been standing.

Apple Bloom cocked her head to the side. “Um, sis?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s nopony there, sis.”

Applejack spun her head, only to find that Fluttershy had seemingly vanished on her. “Aw horseapples, Apple Bloom! Did ya see where she got off to?”

In a tree not too far from the two earth ponies, Fluttershy found herself struggling to contain her fear. ‘It’s just a filly,’ she thought, ‘just a harmless little filly. I don’t need to be scared. I don’t need Rainbow Dash or Applejack to protect me. I can do this...’

As she crept forward to the edge of her perch in the tree, she heard a slight rustling not far behind her. She screamed and leapt down, dashing towards the Apple sisters in a panic.

~~~

Big Macintosh had been silent his entire time in Ponyville, save for when he needed to speak. Most ponies left him well enough alone, which suited the stoic stallion just fine. Not that he would’ve minded the company, but when there’s work to be done the best thing to do is stick to the task at hand, he figured.

He calmly trudged down the road out of Ponyville, towards the rundown cottage by the Everfree Forest. A small part of him longed for the company of another pony. Just somepony to talk to him while he kept pace with them. A second set of eyes would mean he could afford not paying full attention to the road, though with one as plain as this he didn’t see that being too big a problem. He reckoned even without a friend to guide him along, he’d get there pretty quickly.

His thoughts turned back towards that odd pegasus they were supposed to be working with. Lingering doubts about her behavior had been silently building up in the back of his head, and while he wasn’t one to back away from an ugly truth, he felt he ought to have a little faith in Dash.

As he came within a stone’s throw of the cottage, he felt the weight on his back shift. Above him came a voice full of pep and cheer, shouting “Hello Big Macintosh!” as loud as it seemed it could. He thought back to his thoughts earlier on the trip here, and almost regretted the minor bout of loneliness. “Hello”, he said back as he carefully lowering his load onto the ground next to him. “Rainbow Dash is still busy in town, I guess. We should get started without her.”

Pinkie lept off the stack and back onto the stallion’s back and shouted, “Woohoo! We’ll have this cottage all cleaned up before she gets back!” She paused, then added “Except-.”

Big Macintosh’s ears perked up. His head turned to look back at his new load. “Except what?” He knew he wasn’t going to like what she had to say. Nopony ever liked any news coming after an “except”, and somehow he doubted this would be any different.

“Except Rainbow must have had something else to do in town.” Pinkie slid off his back and began pacing beside him. “She got here before you, and said she finished what she had to do in town, so she wanted to get here quickly to help us out, but I told her you were still in town so she said she’d go off to help you along but obviously you aren’t with her so she must have met you on her way into town, right?”

'No', he thought, 'it wasn’t any different.' With a knowing sigh, he decided there was no avoiding where this conversation was going. Better to drive it forward himself before his crazy new friend took it someplace dangerous. “Which direction did she go off in, Pinkamena?”

Pinkie stopped her pacing and half-climbed onto his back, pointing off in the direction he suspected she would. “That way, I remember! I tried to tell her she was going the wrong way, but she was going too fast and I don’t think she heard me! She might’ve gotten lost, or maybe she-.”

“She abandoned working with us to go keep an eye on her pegasus friend,” he guessed. He felt he was giving that pony far too much credit after she’d skipped out on helping them twice now, but it made sense to him from what little he knew of her. And besides, even if it wasn’t the truth, a gentle falsehood like that would still keep Pinkie from worrying her mane off.

Pinkie’s body sagged down into a sitting position and her head hung low. “Oh... I guess that’s okay...”

He cleared his throat and patted her on the back. He knew was going to regret this, but the last thing he’d ever want to see again was that adorable little face as downtrodden as it seemed right now. “Chin up, Pinkamena. Go into town and fetch some other ponies to help with the work. Tell ‘em Big Macintosh asked for help if you have any trouble with it.” He was well liked enough in Ponyville, he reckoned, and there probably wasn’t any shortage of ponies who’d lend him a helping hoof if he asked for it.

~~~

“Now, just like ah showed ya, sugarcube.”

Fluttershy nodded, looking down at the little watering can Apple Bloom had left for her before she disappeared into the orchard to play. The little redheaded filly had turned out to be not so much scary as very uncouth, if the spittle floating on the surface of the water inside was any proof. She fluttered over to a small pot resting by the side of the Apple family’s front door, tipping the can and slowly pouring water onto the soil and mulch within. Her nose crinkled at the smell; it was more powerful than she’d expected, though hardly disgusting by any means. It reminded her of the smell of freshly cut timber, in fact.

As she finished, she turned her head towards the nearly identical pot next to it. It had a flower growing out of the soil, courtesy of Applejack. It had sprouted up even before she stopped giving it water. Her own pot did no such thing.

“I don’t get it,” she cried, turning her head back and forth between the two pots, “why doesn’t mine do that?”

Applejack dug at the ground with one of her forehooves, silently going over what had happened. Her friend here hadn’t done anything wrong, at least as far as she could tell, but she couldn’t argue with the results.

“Well, ah wasn’t sure this’d be a problem, but...”, she began, trying her best to figure out how to word what she needed to say. “Maybe it’s just, ah’m just guessin’, ‘cause yer not an Earth Pony?” She lowered her hat to cover her eyes, trying not to make eye contact in case she offended the pegasus.

Fluttershy merely nodded. “Oh, that makes sense.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, lifting her hat again as she spoke. “Beg pardon?”

“Back in Cloudsdale, we were taught the differences between the three kinds of ponies.” Fluttershy closed her eyes and smiled as she began recounting what she’d learned. “Pegasi are gifted with the power of flight and a natural control over the weather. Unicorns have their magic, letting them do many amazing things related to their special talent. And earth ponies all have a natural connection to the fauna and flora of the land.” She then lowered her head and sighed. “I guess that means I just can’t cut it when it comes to growing my own plants.”

Applejack held back a sigh of relief, thankful that she hadn’t hurt the poor dear’s feelings. “Well, nothin’ to be done about that, ah guess. Ah wouldn’t mind waterin’ yer plants fer ya every now an’ then.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I’m sure if I keep trying, my plants will grow eventually.” She then sighed again, dropping down next to Applejack’s potted flower. “Eventually...”

Applejack walked over to Fluttershy, nudging her with her muzzle. “Don’t just turn me down ta be nice. Ah’d love ta be yer gardener, at least until ya settle in. Why’re ya so insistent on havin’ yer own garden, though?”

“Oh, um,” Fluttershy began, turning her head to look up at her new friend, “it’s not for me, really. I started it because I need something to feed the nearby animals. The ones I’d been talking to just don’t eat all that well, and I couldn’t just let them starve.”

Once again Applejack’s eyebrow flared up. “Beg pardon? You talk to ‘em? Like, listenin’ to what they say an’ such?”

Fluttershy nodded. “That’s my special talent. I discovered it when I was a filly, and ever since then it’s all I’ve really wanted out of life. Living down here with the animals I’d take care of is my dream.”

Applejack cocked her head to the side. “Yer sure about all that? Can ya show me? Here, follow me ta the chicken coop.”

As Applejack walked away, Fluttershy could have sworn she heard rustling from behind her, up in one of the many nearby trees. She turned, watching them carefully for any sign of movement, then hurried along behind her friend. She found her sticking out of the coop, her head hidden from sight. “Why would you have a chicken coop on an apple farm?”

“Well,” the farmpony said as she pulled her head out of the coop, “nopony else was willin’ ta take care of ‘em, so Big Macintosh an’ I built this here coop an’ let ‘em stay. They’re nice an’ the eggs they lay help bring in a little extra income, but we’ve always felt they deserved a better home.” She stopped, turning her head away for a moment, before turning back and smiling. “If you can really talk to ‘em, then ah reckon that better home’s finally come.”

Fluttershy nodded, smiling confidently. “Thank you, Applejack! I promise I won’t let you down!” With that she lowered her head, sticking it into the dark confines of the wooden coop. “Hello little chickens,” she began, trying her best to keep her tone gentle, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Fluttershy and-.”

She could swear she heard the faint sound of leaves rustling behind her, followed by a heavy thud. A familiar voice shouted, “What’d you tell her to do?! What’s in that big wooden box?! Answer me!”

Fluttershy reflexively tried to turn, bopping her head on the side of the chicken coop’s entrance. The chickens inside squawked and flailed about, pushing her out as they fled. As she stood up, shaking her head, she gasped and turned to chase after them, only to stop when she saw the newest arrival to Sweet Apple Acres.

Rainbow Dash seemed poised to attack Applejack at any moment.