//------------------------------// // Chapter Three // Story: A Helping Hoof // by kbooms //------------------------------// Applejack felt like she must have entered a sauna with all the difficulty she was having breathing inside the restaurant. She sat herself as inconspicuously as possible at the elegantly furnished table. The linens themselves must’ve cost at least as much as the plow at the farm, and the china? She didn’t want to think about it. She smiled nervously over at Fluttershy, who briefly made eye contact over the menu she was holding. The farmpony looked down at her own menu. It may as well have been written in gibberish – she couldn’t understand any of it. She cursed Rarity for bringing her here. Her brow knit into a small frown. That mare had definitely been up to something, even if she couldn’t put her hoof on it. At least she was here with Fluttershy…. Just thinking the name of the pegasus across from her made her stomach do flips. This whole thing couldn’t be because of that chat with Pinkie Pie at market this morning, could it? The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She shook her head in consternation. There was no way Fluttershy could ever return her feelings. As she was also out of her realm of expertise – consarned fancy dining – she resolved to stay silent on the matter and just survive through dinner. Maybe her openness to trying new things would be endearing to her dinner partner. “Sure is a nice sunset t’night,” she offered in an effort to leave her troubling thoughts behind. “Oh, isn’t it lovely?” Fluttershy was glowing, and not just from the sun. She seemed to thrive in this environment, Applejack’s dejection deepening with the realization. “I’ve never eaten here, but it’s just so… nice.” “That it is.” Applejack laughed nervously, her eyes scanning the page for some words that made sense – anything in Modern Equestrian instead of Prench. “Are you ladies ready to order?” Applejack jumped at the sound of the waiter’s voice. “I am,” Fluttershy said quietly, looking expectantly at her friend. “Shoot, sugarcube.” The pegasus cleared her throat delicately. “I’ll have the Niçoise Salad to start, and then the Parsnip Remoulade, s’il vous plait.” “Your Prench is impeccable, mademoiselle,” the waiter said reverently. “And for you?” He glanced at Applejack, barely concealing his sneer. “Ah, uh… Ah’ll have what she’s havin’,” she said weakly, wondering why she’d ever thought dining out would be a reasonable idea. “Very well.” He sniffed. “Is there anything else I can get for you while you wait?” “Non, merci,” Fluttershy said demurely. The waiter nodded to the pegasus and left the table, eyeing Applejack once more. The farmpony heaved a sigh of relief once he’d left. So far, so good. After all, there was a very slim chance of this dinner being anything like that one time with Pa…. She shook her head slightly to rid herself of the unhappy thought and quash her skittishness, then focused her attention on the beautiful mare looking at her inquisitively. Fluttershy was watching Applejack while they’d ordered and continued to do so as they waited for their food. The silence was not awkward – not for two ponies who enjoyed its solitude as much as they. She was disquieted, however, by the nervousness displayed by her friend. She had never seen the strong, confident earth pony so out of sorts. The orange mare was looking around frantically, as if there was an escape route just out of sight, and her hooves were constantly moving – to adjust her hat, then tap the table, then rearrange her plate, and so on. Fluttershy hadn’t meant to make her uncomfortable by speaking Prench. The pegasus wracked her brain for ways to help Applejack feel more at ease. Perhaps conversation was warranted, especially considering the circumstances. Pinkie had been acting rather odd…. “So, um, Applejack?” “Yeah, sugarcube?” Fluttershy barely contained a happy sigh as she felt warmth spread through her at the endearment, even though she knew the farmpony used it all the time for everypony. She just liked to imagine that she was… special. “Um,” she began, trying to hide the beginnings of a blush. “Did it seem odd to you – the way Pinkie and Rarity were acting?” Applejack snorted, not noticing the glares from other patrons of the restaurant. “’Course it did.” “I wonder why they brought us here,” Fluttershy mused. “It’s like they planned it so we’d have to have dinner here together.” She looked up to see a small flush on the farmpony’s cheeks at her comment, but didn’t dare ask about the cause. “Well mah best guess it that it had t’ do with a conversation Ah had with Pinkie at market t’day.” Her cheeks became a deeper shade of pink. “Oh?” Fluttershy inquired. “Come to think of it, Pinkie talked to me this morning, too.” She frowned slightly. “She was just asking about whether I’d had sudden feelings of love….” “Was she now?” Applejack looked thoughtful. “She told me her tail’d been a-twitchin’ and a couple o’ ponies were gonna fall in love with each other. Then she got all mad at me for not tellin’ her who Ah’d fallen for.” She shook her head in amusement, finally smiling fully. Fluttershy’s interest was piqued. She could finally find out whether Applejack might possibly even consider…. The pegasus took a deep breath to prepare herself. “And did you? F-fall in love with anypony today, I mean.” she managed to squeak out. The farmpony blushed. “Honestly? No.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Ah jus’ realized Ah keep fallin’ deeper an’ harder for a pony Ah’ve been sweet on for quite some time. Happens every single time Ah talk t’ her.” Her heart soared to hear the pronoun at the end of Applejack’s confession. And she’d talked with her earlier today, too! “Excuse me, ladies,” a sophisticated looking stallion interrupted them. “I’m from table four, and I came over to ask you to kindly cease this uncouth behaviour.” “Um, ‘uncouth behaviour?’” Fluttershy asked. “Oh, not you, madam,” he simpered. His eyes turned to bore into Applejack. “Talk of falling in love with other mares? Snorting so loudly that everypony can hear you? That appalling accent? Were you raised in a barn?” His steely grey eyes darted up to her cowpony hat and trailed down the braid Fluttershy had seen her wear only once before. “Ah. Apparently so,” he sniffed. The farmpony had sunk so low in her seat that her chin nearly rested upon the table. Her entire face had become as red as the apples on her flank, and tears stood out in her beautiful green eyes. “Um, sir?” Fluttershy felt a sort of rage building up inside of her at the sight of her friend’s distress. “If you have a problem with any of that, I’m afraid you’ll have to take it up with me, too. This pony happens to be a very dear friend of mine and what kind of ponies she does or does not like does not concern you. The farm she works on provides nearly all of the produce for that dinner you’re eating, as well! If you don’t like the way she acts, you’re free to leave this establishment and I will not stand by and watch you demean her!” The pegasus suddenly noticed her voice had gotten louder and louder, and that she was now breathing heavily. She stood belligerently, her hooves spread in a wide stance and a fierce glare upon her face. In addition, everypony in the restaurant was now looking at her. She calmed herself with a couple deep breaths. “Now, please leave our table and go ruin your own dinner.” The stallion, now speechless and taken quite aback, nodded dumbly and trotted back to his seat with eyes wide as the goodly-sized torte waiting next to a mare who must’ve been his wife. Fluttershy smiled to herself in satisfaction and sat back down in her chair, keeping an eye on the rude stallion to make sure he kept his distance. “So, what were you just saying, Applejack?” Her ear twitched when the expected response did not come. “Applejack?” She turned to look at her friend, then gasped quietly. The chair across the table was empty.