It was 10 AM. Applejack was due in for her morning break any moment now, and Fluttershy was planning a big surprise for her. Of course, it wasn't so big a surprise that it would startle the farmer. Fluttershy was quite knowledgeable about what kind of surprise was too startling by this point, and had made sure to keep the level of surprise to an acceptable point. An unexpected pancake breakfast was definitely appropriate for the level of surprise she was aiming for.
The pegasus set up a nice stack of pancakes for her sweet Apple, topping it all with a pat of butter. She watched as the pancakes' warmth began to melt the butter. She knew Applejack would greatly appreciate this. All that was needed now was the syrup. She checked her saddlebags, and then promptly freaked out. She was positive she'd packed a bottle of apple-flavored syrup this morning before she left the cottage, but she must have grabbed the maple syrup by accident.
"Oh my...this is terrible..." Fluttershy whimpered. This breakfast was supposed to be perfect for her love, but without the perfect syrup, it wasn't perfect at all. It was sub-par at best, and Applejack deserved perfection. If she came in from a long morning of work to see a sub-par breakfast, she would certainly equate that to Fluttershy's love for her. If she thought Fluttershy's love for her was sub-par, she would be sad, and it would be all Fluttershy's fault. The poor pegasus panicked profusely as she perused the pony's pantry for the proper pancake preparation paraphernalia, so as to provide her partner's palate with piquant perfection. Unfortunately for her, such searching proved to be fruitless.
"I-it's no problem..." Fluttershy tried to reassure herself. "I-I'll just run out to the grocery store before she comes inside..."
Fluttershy froze up as she heard the front door open, Applejack's hoofsteps falling on the wooden floor and heading straight towards the kitchen. There was no getting out of this now. Fluttershy sighed and poured the unworthy syrup over the pancakes, preparing herself for Applejack's disappointment.
"Oh! Hay, hon!" Applejack said cheerfully as she entered the kitchen. Her eyes drifted to the table. "A pancake breakfast! What a nice surprise!"
Fluttershy tensed up as she watched AJ pick her fork up and cut into the stack, counting the seconds until the inevitable disappointment.
"Mmm!" AJ said, her mouth still full of the fluffy goodness. "Delicious!"
"D-delicious? Really?" Fluttershy asked. Now she was the surprised one. "B-but I didn't use apple-flavored syrup..." Applejack raised a brow, then laughed.
"Oh, c'mon, Shy," the farmer said with a smile. "Just cause I work with apples don't mean that's all I eat!" Fluttershy took a moment to process this.
"Oh...right," she responded with a smile. AJ then gave her a syrupy smooch.
"Thanks fer the surprise, sugarcube," she said. Fluttershy sighed happily and joined her love for breakfast.
Fluttershy hovered nervously over Twilight’s shoulder as the latter pored over her spellbook. The spell wasn’t supposed to work on ponies, but she was exceptionally gifted with magic, and it had worked on that frog.
“Any luck?” Fluttershy’s voice came out as a higher than usual squeak. She’d been asking this question once every half hour since the accident had happened and always getting the same answer so far.
“No, not yet,” Twilight sighed. “I’m trying, I really am, Fluttershy. This spell wasn’t designed for ponies after all.”
Just like the last ten times, Twilight’s answer did nothing to calm Fluttershy down. She still flitted around behind Twilight’s shoulder, nervous as a hen raising ducklings.
Twilight set the book aside and turned around, lighting her horn and pulling Fluttershy down to hug her reassuringly. “I know you’re worried, but I need to concentrate to find the answer. I promise you’ll get your marefriend back as soon as possible.”
Both of them looked over toward the corner where Curaçao, née Applejack, was busy redecorating the library and prattling on with a Manehattan accent. Fluttershy let out a whimper and the expression on her face pleaded with Twilight to hurry. She had, after all, fallen in love with an Apple, not an Orange.
Applejack had come a long way with Fluttershy since that stammering confession by the bridge. She had gotten the timid pegasus to open up to her, had steadily won her trust through patience and little gestures. These days, Fluttershy treated Sweet Apple Acres as a second home, and Applejack was the only pony she would let enter her cottage without first knocking. After a great deal of hesitation on Fluttershy's part, Applejack had even managed to introduce herself to her parents, who seemed like decent folks.
All in all, the future looked bright for the couple. There was just one little problem that needed to be dealt with.
That varmint.
Applejack didn't call him that aloud, of course. To do so was to invite a painful, shocked look on her marefriend's face that Applejack didn't dare risk seeing again. That had been a long week.
But a varmint was what the little white rabbit was. He acted sweet enough in front of Fluttershy and her friends, but once Applejack had started spending more time with his caretaker, the claws had come out. He had waged an all-out campaign against her attempts at courtship. He was a devious little rodent, deftly sabotaging her efforts to get close to Fluttershy. He was an expert at manipulating situations to make Applejack look like a villain, and it was only due to Fluttershy's sweet, forgiving nature that Applejack ever had any success at all in convincing her otherwise.
It was time for this to stop. With that in mind, Applejack found Angel taking a midday nap in the middle of the couch. One eye slid lazily open as her shadow passed over him.
“You and me need to have a talk,” she said.
Angel scowled, but sat up nonetheless, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. He peered up at her expectantly.
Applejack crossed her forelegs across her chest. “I'll start with what needs sayin' the most. I ain't leavin'. I aim to stick by Fluttershy for as long as she'll have me, an' if I got anything to say about it, that's gonna be a good long while. Ain't nothin' you can do about that.”
Angel Bunny stuck his lip out at Applejack, then rummaged between the couch cushions, finding a few peanut shells to pelt her with.
The farmer patiently weathered the rain of detritus. “Yeah, you can keep on doin' what you been doin'. It won't drive me away, but I reckon you could make a pretty good go at makin' me miserable.” A peanut shell smacked her in the middle of the forehead. A small smirk formed on her lips. “But...”
The rabbit paused, a paperclip raised and ready to throw. He raised an eyebrow.
“But if ya do that,” Applejack continued, “I'll have to take these fresh garden greens to sell at the market.” She pulled a bag out of her pack, revealing a juicy head of lettuce. From their fresh scent, it was mere minutes from the ground, only a rinse and a short walk separating it from the garden.
Angel's stomach growled as he stared up at the delectable offering.
“See, that's one of the great things about comin' from a farm,” said Applejack, taking a leaf from the bag. “I got access to the freshest, tastiest food. Carrots, chard, the juiciest apples you've ever tasted... mm, I'm gettin' hungry jus' talkin' about it.”
Angel reached a paw towards the lettuce leaf.
Applejack grinned, holding it just out of his reach. “And I'd be willin' to make sure your meals get made with these high-quality ingredients, if you're willin' to show me some consideration.”
Angel frowned, rubbing his chin with a paw. After a while, he stood up, extending his paw out to her.
Applejack shook it with her hoof. “Old earth pony way of business,” she said, tossing the leaf of lettuce to the hungry bunny. “If there's a problem, throw food at it.”
It had been a slow day at Applejack's stand in the marketplace. In some ways, that was nice, since Fluttershy had taken to joining her at the stand. Less customers meant less money, but also more time to talk with her love. As AJ looked at the time, though, she knew business was about to pick up.
Sure enough, right at 3:24, AJ's best customer landed in front of her stand. She gave him a warm smile, gently nudging some apple fritters out of the way to ease the main event up to the front.
"Howdy there, Soarin," AJ said, settling a fresh apple pie into the front and center position. "Reckon this is what you're here for?"
"You know it, Applejack!" Soarin laughed, reaching into his saddlebags for payment. Fluttershy, meanwhile, gave him a look from behind the stand, a look which went unnoticed by the Wonderbolt.
"That'll be five bits," the farmer said with a smile. She held her hoof out, and Soarin placed the bits gingerly in it.
"Here's an extra bit," Soarin said with a smirk. "One for that pretty smile you gave me."
Fluttershy's wings flared out. She felt a burning feeling in her chest, something she couldn't remember ever feeling before. At least not this strongly. It often came up in a much gentler form when she saw Soarin talking to Applejack. The farmer turned to put the bits in her bag, when she saw Fluttershy at attention. She was staring daggers at him. Probably soft, fuzzy daggers, considering her usual demeanor, but daggers nonetheless. AJ recognized it instantly, and let a tiny smirk cross her face.
"Is that a lil' bit of jealousy I see, hon?" AJ whispered playfully. Fluttershy blushed heavily and shook her head. By this point in their relationship, Applejack knew her sweet honeycrisp well enough to know when she had wiggle room to be playful. This was one of those times. She turned back to Soarin, her smirk growing.
"Don't reckon I could earn a couple more bits with another smile, could I?" the farmer asked, batting her eyelashes and tilting her head just enough so Shy could see from her position. A blush crossed Soarin's cheeks.
"How could I say no to that face?" he said, passing a couple more bits over. "But I'd pay even more for a little ki-"
"The stand is closed!" Fluttershy suddenly cried. AJ and Soarin blinked and looked to her. Shy shrunk back, her face red. They both knew that it had gone too far, and Soarin bid AJ a quick goodbye before leaving with his pie.
"I'm sorry, honeycrisp," AJ told Shy, looking sheepish. "Just thought it'd be fun to play around. Makes me feel good that you want me all for yourself." Shy's face turned even redder, and she kicked a hoof idly in the dirt.
"...M-maybe it would be a nice sight..." she said, just above a whisper.
"What would be-" AJ began. Then a knowing smirk crossed her face. "Oh, you bad girl."
(Editor's Note: While this story technically doesn't fall under the qualifications for a mature rating on Fimfiction, some might find it a little racy. Proceed with caution, I suppose!)
"Anything?"
"Anythin' ya like."
This was it.
After months of trying to get Fluttershy to open up more in the terms of 'what she wanted' she was finally about to spill it. Affirming this was a sensitive subject, she knew it was never going to be easy to begin with (especially with somepony as shy as her) but it had to be done. They'd been dating for almost a year now and it had been nothing but, 'Anything is fine' or 'As long as you're happy' whenever they got down it.
Fluttershy had a light blush across her face as she stared innocently into her marefriend's eye, trying to find some reason as to why shouldn't continued this conversation, but alas there was nothing but sincere trust in Applejack's face.
"What...what if it involves another pony?" Fluttershy whispered, finally letting the cat out of the bag.
The gentle smile faded for a brief second but was quickly forced back onto Applejack's face to avoid causing any discouragement.
"And who would that be?" Applejack gently said, ignoring the shock in determination not to let this moment slip away from her.
"Well, I was thinking, maybe, if you don't mind that is, um..." Fluttershy began, but eventually trailed off.
"Who?"
"Um...Rarity?" Fluttershy finally peeped, with some insecurity.
Applejack's eye twitched at the name. It was obvious it was going to be Rarity. Aside from her, Rarity was the only pony she spent time with on almost a daily basis. Though Applejack shared no grudge with the unicorn, she was certain she didn't want to share Fluttershy with her either.
"Uh, well, sugarcube, I uh—"
"She'd be perfect.." Fluttershy continued, "I've always dreamed of this scenario that involves you, me and her."
"Alright, but—"
"It's really romantic! ♥ You see, it's starts off with you and me being home alone at my cottage. We have just had a romantic candlelight dinner and was now moving on to the desert."—followed by a coy smile Fluttershy moved in to demonstrate exactly what she meant, by placing her tongue in Applejack's mouth, briefly enjoying a french kiss before continuing on—"And as we're enjoying each others tongues..." Fluttershy seductively whispered. "BOOM!
"The door slams open!
"We both stare at the phantom in the doorway before we finally realize, it's Rarity! Walking sternly towards us! I try to get up and greet her, but before I even have time to react she just slams me into the floor, placing her white flank on my face!
"She looks at you with a devious smile, knowing she's using your marefriend's face as a chair, she begins kissing you passionately, ignoring my struggles and cries for air. I try to scream for help! But you do nothing but giving in to Rarity's seduction and ignores that fact that I'm suffocating and might be minutes from death—"
"What?!" Applejack cried out in shock, not believing what she was hearing, "Fluttershy—"
"I'm not finished‼" Fluttershy hastily interrupted and continued.
"Finally as I think I'm about to faint, Rarity ultimately let's up and let's me breathe. I choke after air and the both you look at me with disgust, as tears and a runny nose overwhelms my face. Rarity comments on how pathetic I look and ask you 'how you could ever love somepony like me'. You look sternly at Rarity and tells her that you don't love me, and when Rarity asks you prove it you immediately spit in my face and tells me that 'you hate me'—"
"WHAT?!?!"
"I'M NOT FINISHED‼‼" Fluttershy cried, quickly to drown out Applejack's sudden outburst of distress.
"You tell me that you hate me—" Fluttershy continued, "—and I become heartbroken and starts to cry! You and Rarity suddenly realizes how annoying it is when I cry and both decides to punish me. You heave my poor flank up into the air and begins to spank me! I cry out that 'I don't want to be spanked' and 'that it hurts' but you ignore my cries and continues.
"It hurts so bad, but I am completely powerless to stop it and can only hope for mercy, but instead you spank and you spank and you spank and finally, when the pain becomes too much!"—the pegasus rises up on her hindhooves—"I faint..." she finished, falling gently like a cut down tree into the arms of her marefriend.
Fluttershy put her arms around Applejack's neck as she rested in her embrace, looking innocently up towards her marefriend. But Applejack did not share an eye contact, instead she just stared at the wall behind where Fluttershy had been sitting, in a petrified state.
"Applejack?" Fluttershy gently called out, waving a hoof in front of her face.
Slowly... Applejack turned her face towards her marefriend, who did nothing but smile gently under a deep blush.
"Ya want me to SPIT on you?! And tell ya that Ah I HATE you?!?" Applejack suddenly burst out in complete hysteria, "a-and spank you until ya FAINT?!?!"
"Yes!" Fluttershy exclaimed, hugging her marefriend lovingly. "And don't be afraid to put some muscle into it. I can take it! I really don't mind if I walk funny in the morning either."
"Wha— but— Fluttershy!?!"
"Oh, and thank you so much for agreeing to this, Applejack! ♥ You're the greatest marefriend a filly could ever wish for!" Fluttershy squeed, placing a kiss on the traumatized earth pony's lips before dancing away towards the door.
"I'll go visit Rarity right away to see if she's free tonight. See you at dinner, okay? Bye! ♥"
With those words the door closed behind her and Applejack was left alone in her marefriend's cottage with only her open-mouth to keep her company. This had been a bad idea... and now...she was in for a weird night.
Fluttershy hummed a tune as she trotted down the well-worn path to Sweet Apple Acres. Just thinking of the mare she was going to see when she got there gave her a warm feeling in her tummy. They’d not been together long, but already she felt so comfortable with her strong marefriend to provide her support when she needed it. The pegasus blushed at how wonderful it felt to be loved and constantly told how beautiful she was.
Realizing she’d passed the fence marking the border of the farm, she stopped. Her ears swiveled intently to figure out which direction would bring her to the pony she sought.
THU-CRACK
Fluttershy frowned. Years of hearing the sounds of applebucking told her something was not quite right. It sounded like somepony was bucking the very bark off the trees!
She upped the pace of what had been a leisurely stroll through the orchard, following the unnerving sounds of poorly executed applebucking.
“Consarn it!”
Fluttershy stopped cantering when she heard her friend’s curse. She walked slowly around the tree that had been blocking her view and gasped.
“Applejack?” she breathed in what was barely more than a whisper.
Her marefriend was not only out of sorts in the way of cursing at the tree, but she was uncharacteristically clothed! Finally, Fluttershy saw the source of her applebucking difficulties.
Boots.
Applejack was wearing what were, truthfully, very well made and fashionable boots. All of her hooves were clad in leather, decorated with red and green leafy accents to match her cutie mark.
“Um… Applejack?” Fluttershy crept closer to catch her attention. “What are you wearing?”
A red blush spread across the farmpony’s freckled cheeks at the question.
“Hey there, sugarcube!” Her eyes darted back and forth in what might have been fear, if it were something Applejack were capable of feeling. “Ah, uh… didn’t see ya there.”
“Why are you wearing clothes?” Aqua eyes inspected the fine leather vest they’d never seen before. “And where did you get those boots? Even I can tell you’re not using proper technique…”
Applejack hung her head. She knew better than to try to lie, especially to Fluttershy. She cleared her throat awkwardly. “They’re, uh… kinky boots,” she mumbled.
“I-I… don’t understand.”
Applejack sighed. “Apparently everypony’s goin’ for these kinky boots. They say that nopony can resist ‘em, an’ the pony sellin’ ‘em asked a fair price….”
“Um… I still don’t see why you… got them.” Fluttershy looked up apologetically.
“Ah jus’ wanted t’ look nice for you,” she confessed, her emerald eyes wavering with emotion. “Everypony knows you’re beautiful an’ graceful an’ kind an’ basically th’ best pony in Equestria. Everypony loves you!” She smiled, only a tiny twitch in the corner of her mouth betraying her thoughts.
“But… nopony has ever loved plain ol’ Applejack afore. Leastways, nopony that ain’t family. Ah ain’t beautiful or graceful or anythin’ like that but… Ah wanted t’ help you see me that way at least once.”
She lowered her head again, her hat partially blocking her face.
Fluttershy rushed forward to embrace her, cursing herself for playing a part in making her marefriend so unhappy.
“Applejack,” she cooed. “You are beautiful. Maybe not in the same way ponies think I am, but… you don’t need any special clothing or boots to make me see that. I, um… I’ve always known.” She nuzzled the soft place between her friend’s jaw and neck, forcing her to make eye contact.
“Thanks, sugarcube,” this time her smile was full of nothing but happiness. “Ah guess Ah’ll be takin’ these back tomorrow.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say you have to do that,” Fluttershy whispered. “After all, they are… kinky…”
Applejack’s eyes went wide, then she chuckled. “Well, then, Ah guess Ah see how we’re spendin’ our date night tonight.” She winked at her companion.
Applejack halted in the doorjamb, halfway out the door already. “Applebuckin’s my job, ‘Shy. I ain’t about ta let a little rain stop me.
She heard a soft, exhausted sigh and a mumbled ‘okay’, which made her hesitate. With Dash on a holiday the entire weather team had dissolved into chaos. As a result, it had been sunny for much longer than it should have been, and for a while she’d been worried that the crops weren’t going to make it.
Then, out of nowhere, today had seen a cloud bank hanging over the entire farm to sprinkle it with life giving water. Aside from that the soft tinkling on the roof tiles made for a very relaxing atmosphere in the Apple family farmhouse.
At first, Applejack had thought that the bumbling morons of the weather team had finally gotten their act together. Now? Now she knew better.
She took a step back and closed the door, before turning around to her marefriend. Fluttershy had collapsed on the couch. Only now that she was looking for it, did Applejack notice the sluggishness of Fluttershy’s movements, which indicated exhaustion.
She walked over to the couch and climbed up next to her marefriend.
“Thank ya, sugar,” she said simply. She had tried telling the pegasus that she would sort it out herself, but Fluttershy never listened when she could help in some small way.
Fluttershy cooed and gave her a languid nuzzle before curling up against her. Applebuckin’ could wait, this was more important.
Applejack wiped sweat from her brow with the back of her hoof and exhaled slowly as apples showered down from the crown of the tree into the strategically placed baskets around the trunk. The summer sun had long since gone from pleasantly warm to mercilessly scorching, or so it seemed. That’s what hours of hard physical work with little shade for shelter did, though Applejack chided herself lightly for being this bothered by it; she should be used to it by now. She certainly wasn’t going to complain about it out loud, least of all in the present company.
She smiled as she looked over at the pink-maned pegasus doing her best to buck the apples off another tree. Although Fluttershy was putting up a valiant effort, she just didn’t have the experience yet, and each kick only dislodged two or three apple at a time. It wasn’t that her technique was completely wrong; Applejack had given instructions on the optimal stance and where on the tree to aim for maximum yield, and she continued to make minute adjustments as she saw them. However, the pegasus simply still was not using enough force yet, even though Applejack had assured her a dozen times that she wasn’t actually hurting the tree. She certainly had strong legs—strong, shapely legs—and was a quick enough learner that Applejack could tell she would eventually be good at applebucking. She just needed time.
Of course, it was the damnedest time Big Mac had chosen to come down with a flu, right as Applebuck Season really kicked off. Apple Bloom had gone to Manehatten to visit Cousin Babs about a week earlier and wouldn’t be back home for another week still, and with Granny Smith being who she was, that left Applejack to take care of the season’s harvest. It brought a wry little smirk to her lips to know that an Applejack a couple of years younger would have insisted on doing it all on her own with a stubbornness that would have made a donkey proud. This time—thanks in no small amount to Twilight—the first thing she had done was reach out to Fluttershy and ask for a helping hoof.
Fluttershy had given that along with an army of helping paws, claws and beaks.
The trees around them buzzed with activity as Applejack sauntered over to Fluttershy. Here, a group of rabbits, Angel being one of them, delivered rapid-fire kicks to a tree trunk so that the whole tree vibrated, sending apples falling down like rain. There, a pack of squirrels darted up and down another tree, their tiny arms only just managing to grasp the fat, ripe apples. On their right, Harry the Bear vigorously shook his tree, dislodging apples by the dozen. On their left, a flock of birds picked the apples from the crown by the stem, the smaller birds teaming up for the task.
As grateful as Applejack was for the immense help the critters provided, right now all her attention was focused on the mare in front of her. Fluttershy raised her head and smiled as Applejack approached, wearing her own brown Stetson that the farmpony had lent her for the occasion. Her coat had a faint sheen to it from all the hard work, and a couple of leaves had caught in her voluminous pink mane and tail. She looked so beautiful.
Applejack doffed her hat back as she leaned close and Fluttershy repeated the gesture, eyes glinting in anticipation. Their lips locked together, and for a moment, Applejack allowed herself to ignore the work that remained to be done and instead lose herself in the sensation. She closed her eyes and slipped a foreleg around her marefriend’s neck, breathing in deeply through her nose. Fluttershy smelled of grass and flowers, of sweat and hard work. To Applejack, that scent was divine.
Applejack couldn’t find words with which to express her gratitude at that moment, for the assistance and for everything else, but the alternative suited both mares just fine.
Rarity and I got into a shouting match the other day. It was about you. She says I’m ‘head over hooves’ for you and that she should go on dates so that she can make us wear matching dresses.
You know how much I dislike wearing dresses.
But I’m not in love with you. I’m not. I know because I read one of the books Rarity leant me. Well... a little bit; don’t tell Dash. I only read a little bit of the part where it says that love means getting weak in the knees every time your ‘special somepony’ is in the room, and being unable to think about anything else when they’re not.
That’s not me. I focus on my work when I need to and have fun with Dash or relax at one of Pinkie’s parties when I can.
Whenever you come around though... There is something... but no, I’m not in love with you. I can’t be.
But when you look at me with those wonderfully deep eyes, it feels...
I gulped, staring over the edge of the cloud. I'd seen things from this perspective plenty of times before, but this time just felt more...terrifying. And I knew it was ridiculous. I knew it full well, so having her next to me and reminding me of this fact wasn't helping.
"I'm sorry, sugarcube, but it is a bit silly. I'm just being honest."
She was being honest. She was honest to a fault, really, but it definitely wasn't helping right now. I gave her a nervous smile, one with many reasons behind it. Partially to pretend I was okay, partially to see her pretty face, and partially to take my eyes off of the view of the ground. The dizzying, nauseating height that had a way of spinning every once in a while.
"You know I'm happy to be patient with you, sugarcube," she said. "But you've got to get over it eventually, you know? And I want to be by your side for it. We can't always be asking Twilight for these cloudwalking spells..."
She always worried. Twilight didn't mind helping us with the spell at all, and she should have known that. She probably did know that. She was always one to worry about me, though, and I appreciated it, even when it could be a little overbearing.
I stared again over the side of the cloud. A pony like me shouldn't be afraid of heights, and I really didn't want to be. I looked back into her eyes, and something about her warm smile just did it for me. She was always modest so would never admit it herself, but she was possibly the bravest pony I knew. There was nopony in Equestria more brave and caring for her. I had to get over this fear; if not for me, then for her. I took a deep breath, whispered a few hopeful words, then jumped.
The wine blew through my mane as I plummeted, sending it in all directions. It took some effort, but I finally managed to open my eyes. The ground was still far off, but was rapidly approaching. This should have been as terrifying as I'd expected it to be, but I just kept imagining her proud smile, and I felt at peace. Now, it was time to go back up.
I felt the cord around my midsection go taut, and then I was ascending once more. I felt her soft, warm forelegs embrace me as I landed back on the cloud.
"That was amazing, Applejack!" she swooned, her warm affections helping to soothe the residual shaking. "How was it?"
"Terrifying, Shy," I told her as the rush of adrenaline began to fade. "But with you by my side, I reckon I'm capable of anything."
“There are three types of muscle, skeletal, cardiac, and smooth,” Twilight said, setting off into her third hour of explanations about muscles and movement of ponies thereby. “Muscle action can be classified as being either voluntary or involuntary. Cardiac and smooth muscles contract without conscious thought and are termed involuntary, while the skeletal muscles contract upon command.”
“Uhm...”
Twilight liked nothing better than having an audience as attentive as Fluttershy had been and turned around with a smile when she caught the pegasus’ soft query. “Yes?”
“How do I make the involuntary ones go away?”
The question stopped Twilight dead in her tracks while she mentally skimmed through her biology book. “You can’t. Involuntary muscle movement makes sure that you continue breathing while you sleep, and without it your heart would stop pumping.”
It seemed as though Fluttershy’s last hope died with her words, and the pegasus slumped on the pillow she sat on. “Oh...”
The alicorn scratched her head before walking over and sitting down next to her distraught friend. “Okay, Fluttershy, I know you didn’t come here to listen to me lecture you about muscles,” She began, following it up with a pre-emptive, “Which I don’t mind.” When Fluttershy raised her head to apologise. “But something is bothering you, and if you want me to help you, you need to tell me what’s going on.”
Fluttershy fidgeted, her lips trembled and her eyes became foggy until Twilight wrapped a wing around her in a show of support. Then the silent tears started.
“I... I...” She sniffed, burying her muzzle in Twilight’s side. “I keep feeling butterflies in my stomach when...when I...”
The entire thing felt very awkward for Twilight. If she had known from the start it would be about romance, she would probably have told her friend that Rarity was a better choice for this sort of thing. A much better choice. She groused internally. All she could do for Fluttershy however, was give her friend a pat on the back, a compassionate smile, and all the patience she could. “When you what?”
“When I look at Applejack.”
Twilight didn’t know how to respond to something so soft she couldn’t even understand what was being said in the first place. With Fluttershy that usually meant another hour or two of being used as a comforting tool by her distraught friend. After only a minute, however, Fluttershy sat up and dried her tears. Her eyes were still a little puffy and her mane was still a mess of knots and tangles, but she smiled a wavery smile. “I think I’m in love with Applejack,” she said, making no effort to keep the quaver out of her voice. “But I can’t find the right way to tell her."
“So you mean it’s impossible?” Twilight asked her, one eyebrow arched in disbelief.
A silent nod.
“Just as impossible as six young mares defeating an evil goddess? Or would you rather we use the example where you stand up to a dragon?”
Fluttershy was about to nod again when she realised what Twilight had said. “Uhm... nnn— yes?”
Twilight, despite her harsh tone, was smiling again. “Come on. All you need is somepony to help you out.”
Going to Twilight had been the right choice. Rarity would have nagged her incessantly, Rainbow would have marched her right up to the farm, and Pinkie Pie? Fluttershy didn’t even dare contemplate what Pinkie Pie would have done. True to her bookish nature however, Twilight pulled out several rolls of parchment and a quill or two; immediately starting the planning phase of operation ‘Appleshy’ while she promised she’d be there at the confession, but only if Fluttershy wanted her to.
In spite of the sinking sun, the noise of ponies chattering to one another in the grounds of Sweet Apple Acres was still going strong. Instead of being in the thick of it, Big Mac shuffled nervously from hoof to hoof as he waited behind the barn. His normally steady demeanor was slowly dissolving under a layer of cold sweat as the minutes ticked by and left him still alone.
He was almost certain she’d seen the note he’d surreptitiously left for her before the show. All night her mane had been dotted with the daisies from the bouquet he’d attached it to, and he’d had trouble keeping his eyes off her because of it. Of course, just because Fluttershy had seen the note didn’t mean the shy filly would actually come; something Big Mac could relate to all too well in situations like this.
He was just about ready to throw in the towel and go polish off the barrel of cider he’d barely started into when he finally heard soft hoofsteps coming around the corner.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said in her soft, musical voice. “Rarity was just so excited that I finally agreed to sing in public and she just wouldn’t—” Fluttershy broke off and stared at the pony waiting for her. “Big Mac! W-what are you doing here?”
“Ah… Ah…” Big Mac sputtered a bit and swallowed the lump in his throat. It had been growing steadily while he waited alone, but unfortunately Fluttershy’s arrival had only made it worse. “Ah wanted ta talk with ya, Miss Fluttershy. Ah left ya the flowers.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened and her legs and ears twitched. “Oh… Okay.”
Big Mac was silent for a moment, the conversation he’d practiced the night before slipping from his mind. “Well, first Ah wanted ta thank ya fer singin’ with us this year,” he began slowly. “Ah know you were still workin’ up yer courage during the Zap Apple Jam last year.”
Fluttershy’s ears perked a bit and she smiled at the praise, seeming to forget her nervousness for the moment.
“Ah was also wonderin’ if you’d like ta go celebrate yer first time singing with the Ponytones in public?”
At Big Mac’s question, Fluttershy’s smile quivered. “Celebrate?.. I guess that would be okay. Did Rarity already get reservations somewhere?”
Big Mac shook his head. “Ah thought Ah’d treat ya myself.”
“Y-you mean like a date?!” Fluttershy’s voice quailed.
Big Mac nodded. “Ah’ve been wantin’ ta ask ya out fer a while now. Seemed like a good night fer it.”
Fluttershy’s smile died and her ears folded tight against her head. “I d-don’t think that’s a good idea. Y-you wouldn’t want to date me. You d-deserve somepony m-much better.”
Big Mac’s lips curled into a slight frown, but he rallied immediately. “Now, Miss Fluttershy, that ain’t fair. You’ve been singin’ with us fer months now and you’re a wonderful pony ta have around. Ya helped Toe-Tapper out with his new song, an’ Torch Song when her puppy got sick, an’ Rarity with the new costumes. An’ Ah can’t ferget when ya filled in fer me after the turkey call last year.”
“T-that’s all true, but that doesn’t mean I’d b-be a very good girlfriend.” Fluttershy bowed her head and kicked a hoof against the ground, unable to meet Big Mac’s eyes.
Big Mac opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by another voice.
“Now, ya know that ain’t true, sugarcube.”
Both ponies turned to face Applejack as she strode toward them in the darkness.
“Applejack, I… I…” Fluttershy stammered, tears welling up in her eyes.
“I heard, sugarcube. I think ya oughta tell Big Mac the truth. He’s gotta find out some time, an’ it wouldn’t be fair ta lie ta him right now.”
Big Mac looked back and forth between the two mares as his sister walked up beside Fluttershy and put a steadying hoof on her shoulder.
“I-I’m sorry, Big Mac,” Fluttershy’s muzzle still pointed at the ground, but her eyes flicked up toward the stallion. “The truth is, I’m already taken. A-Applejack and I have been d-dating for a several months now.”
Big Mac stared impassively as his sister planted a soft kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek and stepped forward to put a consoling hoof on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry too, big bro. I didn’t want ya ta find out like this.” Applejack shook her head. “If I’d known you were sweet on Fluttershy, I’d’ve told ya months ago.”
“‘Sokay,” Big Mac said. His steady baritone masking the hurt he felt.
“I know it might be a bit soon, but I came lookin’ fer ya because Cheerilee’s been searching high and low fer ya since ya left the stage.” Applejack winked, turning back to stand by Fluttershy. “She ain’t already datin’ yer little sister, an’ even better, she ain’t been hit by any kinda love potion this time, neither.”
Fluttershy clung to the strong orange hoof of the pony next to her as she heard herself ask timidly, “Is there any way, Twilight?”
She and Applejack sat with said Princess at her dining room table, waiting for the answer that would change everything.
For her part, Twilight was frowning, still immersed in a tome that Fluttershy wasn’t entirely sure would be helpful. It was entitled “Magic and Pony Anatomy” and boasted a large, detailed image of a muscled pony skeleton.
“You sure that’s the right book t’ be lookin’ in, sugarcube?” Applejack cocked her head slightly as she tried to glimpse the words on the page Twilight was concentrating so hard on. “Ah don’ see anythin’ about how two mares c’n have foals in that section.”
“Oh, that’s not possible.” The princess finally glanced up at her words, a look of wry amusement on her face. “The idea I have is completely different.” Her small smirk widened into a slightly menacing grin. “I’ve been dying to try a spell like this for a long time, too!”
Applejack and Fluttershy exchanged worried looks as the alicorn’s horn lit up.
“Um, Twilight, are you sure this is a good….” The pegasus meeped and hid behind her mane as a bolt of magic shot toward them.
Fluttershy blinked her eyes rapidly to clear them from the glare of Twilight’s magic. She wondered if she’d ever get used to how it blinded her.
“So, did it work?” Twilight asked excitedly. She clapped her hooves and looked expectantly at Applejack.
Applejack frowned briefly in confusion, then shrugged and nonchalantly inspected herself for any changes. Her eyes widened and her face paled when she found her answer.
“Eeyup,” she breathed in reply.
Twilight let out a delighted squeal and jumped up from the table. “I have to write to Princess Celestia to let her know it worked!” She bounded into the next room to find Spike, leaving the dazed couple on their own.
Fluttershy was trembling slightly as she asked the question begging to be answered. “Applejack, what…?” She followed her beloved’s gaze and promptly blushed harder than she ever believed possible. “Oh…” she squeaked.
Applejack seemed to have already come to terms with her new anatomy, however, and grinned devilishly at the flustered mare beside her. “Ah reckon we’re gonna have a bit o’ fun with this, sugarcube.”
The pegasus gave her lover a small pout as the initial shock of the situation receded. “How come you’re the one who gets the stallion parts?”
Applejack reacted with a hearty guffaw, and kissed her on the cheek. “Well, sugarcube, we’ll jus’ tell Twilight we’d like t’ switch off. We’ve talked ‘bout wantin’ a sizable family, after all.”
Fluttershy smiled warmly and nuzzled the farmpony. “Deal!”
“Hey, Fluttershy,” Applejack slurred, before she sat down in the middle of the road suddenly. Again. For the fifth time since Fluttershy had volunteered to walk her home. With the patience reserved for schoolteachers, foalsitters, and animal caretakers, Fluttershy sat down beside Applejack, as she had done every time.
“Yes, Applejack? What’s on your mind?”
“Th’ moon,” Applejack blurted out, as if it were some grand revelation. Perhaps it was, with the ungodly amount of cider Applejack had poured into herself this evening to celebrate a successful harvest. “Y’all ever jes’ … jes’ look at the moon an’ see how gall-durn beautiful it is? I mean…” Applejack blinked heavily and let her hazy eyes drift over to Fluttershy. “Y’all ever jes’ … see somethin’ that gorgeous an’ think, ‘how’d I ev’r think it were somethin’ all com… commonplace?”
“Um, not that I can think of,” Fluttershy answered, more than a bit befuddled.
“Really?” Applejack was well on her way to shouting, as she staggered to her hooves, bristling. “Y’all don’ ev’rr look in the mirror an’ see how Luna-damned gorgeous y’are?!” Suddenly, Applejack’s snout was pushed up right against hers, Applejack’s bright green eyes glaring at her with some kind of near-demented fervor. “Y’don’t look at th’ way yerr animal friends look at ya, how much they love ya? Y’don’t think tha’ss special? Y’don’ think yer special?”
Applejack’s hot breaths misted over Fluttershy’s nose, reeking of bitter apples and yeast. Fluttershy slowly got up and nudged Applejack into walking down the road again with the back of a wing. Applejack leaned heavily onto Fluttershy’s side and let out a happy, adorable little whinny. It’s just the cider talking, Fluttershy reminded herself. It’s just the cider
“‘Cause, ‘cause ‘cause,” Applejack mumbled, nuzzling slightly into Fluttershy’s mane, “‘Cause yer prob’bly the specialest pony that I know, Fluttershy. Ev’rpony forgets as you’re the strongest pony I know, Fluttershy. Th’ whole world’s a scary place for ya, but yer out an’ about despite all that. I have…” Applejack stopped suddenly and shook herself down like Winona. When she looked at Fluttershy again, her eyes seemed sharper in the bright moonlight. Applejack seemed more focused, more alert. More sober. “I have so much respect for you, Fluttershy,” she said, and then the moment passed. Applejack began her drunken shamble again, and Fluttershy walked alongside as she had done this entire walk.
Soon enough, the porchlight of Sweet Apple Acres shone out across the distance.”Hey, Fluttershy?” Applejack said, right before she sat down in the middle of the road. “In the moonlight, yer mane looks like a waterfall. A real pretty waterfall.”
Fluttershy smiled warmly, and she could feel the slight tingle of a blush in her cheeks. “Alright, Applejack,” she coaxed, nudging her friend with a wing again. “Let’s get you home.”
