Appledashery Vol. Two

by Just Essay

Wallflowering

"Excuse me. Yes. Pardon. Whoops—sorry. Did I step on your tail? Pardon me. Just... trottin' on through. Ouch! So sorry. Yes... yes the apple treats are for free. Help yerselves, I just gotta... gotta... mrmmmmfff... guh!"

Like a sweaty hiker through a dense jungle, Applejack finally... finally made her way through the oceanic basin of fuzz, muzzles, and twitching ears. She reached the only part of the barn that was relatively "uncrowded"... which turned out to be the far north wall of the place. There—beyond the penumbra of the lanternlight—she stood against a wooden post, catching her breath.

"Whew-wee... good... good work, Applejack..." She gulped. "Yer nice and unassumin' and unseen right about here."

She smiled to herself.

A blink.

Just then, Applejack's ears drooped.

"Oh shucks..." Her smile morphed into a grimace.

In threading her way to the far end of the barn, the mare had cornered herself against the longest wall of the barn without a door. It was now an insane, monumental trot in all directions to reach the closest exit.

"Shucks shucks shucks..." She danced in place, hooves clopping loudly against the hay-strewn floorboard. "Yer a real dumb varmint, AJ, y'know that—?"

A random stallion passed by, saw Applejack's limbs moving, and bowed to invite her to a square dance—

"Oh no! I-I was just... just givin' 'em a little stretch!" Applejack chuckled into a fresh curtain of sweat. "Eheheh... y'all go on without me, though!"

As the shadows of ponies receded from her general area, she slinked back slightly, trying to calm her breaths.

"Just... just settle down..." She murmured. She squeaked. "...ain't like she came here just for you." Her eyes crossed. "Even though she totally suggested that she would visit just to see you." She shook her head, then fanned herself with her hat. "Besides... mares... I-I mean ponies say silly things every day! She's not really into you, AJ. Not really. I mean, who in Equestria would be? Yer just... yer just..." She plopped her hat back on and gulped. "No. Just..." She shook her head. "No."

She breathed some more. Squeaked some more.

At last, she leaned against the wooden post behind her and calmed... slightly.

"Mrmmmff... you've been hangin' around with Big Mac too much. Yer ego is one size too big. Heh... heheh..." An eye-roll. "Like anypony visitin' from out of town would strike a fancy for ya. And even if they did... pffft... ain't no point to it! Yer a family pony. A work mare. Nothin' more! They'd understand. Honesty's the best policy. Just... just gotta tell her. If she shows up... you just tell her that yer not... that yer not..." She gulped, then slapped her hoof down. "That yer just not. There. Simple. Good." An exhale. "Good." A nod. "Good."

At last, Applejack stopped panting.

However... the squeaking remained.

"... ... ...?" Applejack shifted. "Hmmm?" She looked to her right... then to her left.

There was another pony there. Pressed against the wall. Slinking towards the floor until she was veritably a yellow puddle of shivering limbs.

"Uhhhh..." Applejack cleared her throat, then tipped her hat politely. "Why... uh... h-howdy there!"

"Eeep!" the figure flinched away from her.

Applejack grimaced. "S-sorry! Didn't mean to startle you! I just... I didn't know there was another pony when I fled—er... m-mosey'd on over to this spot!" She set her hat back on squarely. "I didn't mean to crowd you. My apologies."

"Mmmmm..." The mare trembled. Applejack could scarcely make out her face through a lock of pink mane hair. "Mrmmf-mmfllf..."

"My name's Applejack... heh... from Sweet Apple Acres? Just a few fields over yonder. Full of apples. Can't miss it." Applejack craned her neck with a friendly smile. "What's yer name?"

"Mmmm... it's... it's Fff-ffffuly..."

"Huh?"

"My... my name is Fffffff..."

"Did... did you say Firefly—"

"No." She lifted her head. A flash of turquoise eyes. "It's Flutter—"

The shadows of ponies crossed over. The mare gasped—yellow wings feathering out then coiling back in. She shrank back down.

"—fly!"

Applejack tongued the inside of her muzzle. "Flutter... shy..." She looked up at the rustic ceiling beams of the barn. "... ... ...can't... say that I know it. Just what brings you to a hootenanny like this, Fluttershy? You dun seem to be enjoyin' yerself much—"

"Uhm... uh... th-th-the birds..." A trembling hoof pointed across the barn.

"Birds?" Applejack looked across the barn. "Ohhhh!" She beamed. "You mean them sweet-singing' songbirds?! Boy, howdy! What a treat! You mean to say that that's yer doin'—?"

Applejack's eyes caught a flash of Silver Shadow's sweeping eyes.

"Tarnation!" She sank like an orange rock, squatting behind the wooden post.

A trembling Fluttershy looked at her.

A trembling Applejack looked back.

They shared a blink between them.

"Reckon... uh... hootenanny's ain't my kind of rodeo neither," Applejack said with a nervous titter.

"Hmmmm..." Fluttershy's lips did something weird. They curved into a smile. "Hmmm-hee-hee-hee..."

"Heh heh heh..."

Comments

[Phoenix Kitten]

It's really starting to hit that Pinkie is the only true extrovert in the mane 6.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

And AJ meets Flutters.
VERY nice.

Also a nice way for me to wind up my night, getting a new chapter of my fave AppleDashery story before I go to bed.

Thanks, JE!

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

8261002 Pretty much, yeah.

[zaponator]

Hootenanny is a fun word.

[Lamplighter]

Hootenanny hootenanny, golly what a day.

[DrEggnog]

I think it'd be neat if the show did an episode about how the non-Twilight mane six met each other.

[Cotton Fluff]

8261244
Would be interesting to see what they could come up with. They have been willing to give us more backstory for the mane six (showing us their parents), so this could be a possibility too. Could be done as another Slice-of-life style episode where they just throw caution to the wind and have fun with it or a more usual style episode, perhaps with Starlight Glimmer doing some more time shenanigans.

"Tarnation!" She sank like an orange rock, squatting behind the wooden post.
A trembling Fluttershy looked at her.
A trembling Applejack looked back.

Got a good chuckle at the mental picture the end of this chapter conjured up. Like something right out of the show.

Neat that we get to see Applejack meet Fluttershy, though I wonder how Flutters will play into Applejack attempting to avoid Silver Shadow. I doubt their meeting was just a passing coincidence for the sake of the timeline.

[Booster Spice]

Looks like AJ is realising this is a real good place for a Fire Exit.

Which the way things are going, the Harvests might just be getting one Pro Bono and Gratis very soon.

With all that squeaking, theres a Pinkie on the lookout for some lubrication, if she is already in Ponyville. And if she isnt, its a very good reason for her to be.

[Leftover of Saikano]

8261021
I personally wait until the morning to read new chapters, just after sitting at the office.

8261542
I'm surprised we haven't seen Pinkie at the hooooooooooeeeedoooooown yet, considering it's open for everybody and she's aware of it (as if there could be a party that Pinkie didn't know about).

[BabySkittleMonster]

Ah, how wonderful to see social awkwardness at my scale. That was... precisely what I'd do. Get trapped with no conceivable escape in view, and then panic. Excellent as always.

[arancaytar]

In threading her way to the far end of the barn, the mare had cornered herself against the longest wall of the barn without a door. It was now an insane, monumental trot in all directions to reach the closest exit.

It's only one of four walls, AJ. Just break it; it's nothing this story hasn't done before.

There was another pony there. Pressed against the wall. Slinking towards the floor until she was veritably a yellow puddle of shivering limbs.

SQUEEEE

[bronyheat]

I'm really enjoying socially awkward Apple pone, and this is my new headcannon on how the honest apple met the kindly butterfly.

[SnowOriole]

This is honestly one of my favourite scenes.