//------------------------------//
// A hard lesson learned 
// Story: Silver Lining 
// by Shumiry 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 3


The funeral was a massive affair. Granny Smith had been one of the original settlers of Ponyville, and her zapapple jam had become the stuff of legends. Apple Bloom had struggled not to sob, her face hidden by the black veil she wore, but the loss was too sudden, and too severe. Big Macintosh had stood beside the podium, where Applejack had given her speech, tears streaming down his face in the light rain.
It seemed appropriate to have rain, Applejack had explained, it was a sad day, and even the skies should weep for the loss. AJ stood before the grave, the casket long ago having been lowered, and then entombed, within. The other ponies drifted away, offering their condolences before returning to their largely unaltered lives. She struggled to fight down the bitter anger.
Easy for them! 'So sorry for your loss, gonna have those zap apples on time this year?' Her mouth turned from a frown to a snarl as she thought of how little they understood.
Don't you know what this means?! Everything is different now! Nothing will be the same! But she knew it would. Everything would keep moving. The trees would keep growing, and the chores would need to be done. She'd already been spending too much time moping and planning the funeral. Big Macintosh had been shouldering both his and her portions of the chores without complaint, and it galled her that she'd let him do it.
Ah'm so... ah'm so sorry Granny... ah should've been there. Ah should'nta left your side. Ah know ya wouldn'ta wanted me just hangin around ya... but... but time is precious. There's so much ah never got to ask... She sank to her knees, and cried once more, shoulders heaving as the sobs rocked through her. How long she spent there she'd never know, but, at long last, her sorrow and rage were expended. Feeling hollow, she rose to her hooves, and turned away from the tombstone.
And found herself looking straight into Fluttershy's eyes. The two stared for a long time, then, without a word, they headed back to her cottage. As the ponies sat in Fluttershy's living room, sipping their tea, Applejack thought about all the things she'd never gotten to learn about her grandmother.
All that time... Ah thought ah'd have more time to find out. Ah just kept puttin it off, figurin ah could always do it tomorrow... She took another sip of the spiced apple tea, Fluttershy finally having found a flavor the earth pony enjoyed. With a forehoof, she rubbed her eyes.
“Ah'm such a foal,” she muttered, causing the other mare to look up from her own cup of tea, “ah kept puttin it off, talkin to Granny Smith. Jus kept waiting, tellin mahself ah'd do it tomorrow...” She gave a solemn shake of her head.
“An now it's too late.” She almost felt tears rise again, but she seemed to have run out. The hollowness inside her remained, and any sorrow that might have welled within her, was ousted by its unfathomable depths. Fluttershy reached over, and pulled the mare's head onto her shoulder.
“It might make her happy if you learned something from that though...” she said quietly, “about not putting things off that you mean to do.” For a time, the two sat in silence, Fluttershy's foreleg wrapped around Applejack's shoulders. Suddenly, the orange mare stiffened, then sat upright. Foreleg still resting on AJ's back, Shy turned and regarded her with surprise.
“You're right...” Applejack said, seemingly to nopony, eyes straight ahead, “Ah may not need to do everything all at once,” her voice had risen, but now dropped back down to just more than a whisper.
“but ah ain't gonna sit here while mah life passes me by.” She turned to face the startled pegasus, a fire dancing in her eyes.
“Listen Fluttershy, ah been thinkin. Ah don't know how y'all...” she paused, struggling for words, “feel bout these sortsa things, but ah gotta get somethin off mah chest.” For a time, she sat, trying to pull her courage together, while Fluttershy waited, honestly not knowing what to expect. With a heavy sigh, the earth pony plowed ahead,
“Ah ain't like other mares.” She rubbed her mane with a forehoof, dissatisfied with her choice of words,
“Ah mean, ah don't... ah'm not really into...” This was turning out to be much harder than she'd expected. She rubbed her eyes again, trying to figure out the words she wanted to say.
“Remember when Dash an I were competin' in the runnin of the leaves?” Shy nodded, still unsure where all this was headed.
“Well, that weren't just some, willy-nilly competition. It was more like... Well like, when birds dance and sing in the spring time...” She trailed off expectantly, eyes pleading that Fluttershy would catch her meaning. The cream-colored pegasus' eyes widened as she grasped what AJ was saying.
“Like a mating ritual?” Applejack flushed scarlet, but gave a firm nod, too embarrassed for words.
“Did... did it work?” Applejack rubbed her mane with a hoof again, face still burning.
“Well, to be honest, Dash ain't exactly... stable material. She don't really have that knack for keepin a clean house, or takin care of her own problems...” Applejack's heart was pounding in her chest. Fear clawed at her mind, screaming at her not to continue, to just turn back now and try to minimize the damage.
“You can do this another day,” it seemed to say.
No. Ah'm not puttin things off anymore. Ah lost one o the most important ponies in mah life to learn that lesson, now ah'm gonna use it!
She forced herself to look straight into Fluttershy's eyes. With a gulp, she said,
“Not like you do.” Fluttershy was shocked. For a long moment, neither spoke, both staring into the other's eyes. Applejack's chest grew cold with apprehension, then fear.
Oh Celestia what have ah done!? Now ah've gone an lost one o the best friends ah had! Me an my big stupid mouth! Ah shoulda known... As she berated herself in her mind, she got up off the couch, and started to walk towards the door. She reached for the handle, intent on getting out of there as quickly as possible. She just wanted to go home, go to bed, and cry herself to sleep.
Fluttershy stepped in front of her, causing her hoof to brush against the yellow mare's face. Applejack was too surprised to react, as the pegasus leaned in, and planted a soft, impossibly light kiss on her lips. When those teal eyes opened, after she'd pulled back a fraction of an inch, AJ's faculties kicked back into action.
“Buh?” Fluttershy giggled, placing a forehoof over her mouth, causing both ponies to blush furiously. Applejack wrestled with her mind for a moment before she could finally put together a coherent sentence.
“Does that mean... Well ah guess it would mean y'all'd be willin to give this a try?” In response, Fluttershy kissed her again, more forcefully this time, pressing her mouth against the other mare's. Applejack wasn't quite as off-guard as before, and returned the kiss, placing her forehoof on the back of Shy's neck, caressing her soft mane.
When they broke apart, both were panting slightly, not used to holding their breath for so long. With a smile, Fluttershy took a step closer, and nuzzled up against AJ's neck.
“Yes,” she said softly, her breath tickling the earth pony's ear. With a goofy grin plastered on her face, Applejack hugged her new marefriend goodbye, promising to come by when she finished her chores tomorrow. Fluttershy returned the enthusiastic embrace with a little giggle, then watched as the orange mare made her way down the path from the cottage.
When AJ turned to wave one last time, Fluttershy raised her hoof and blew a kiss, which caused the other pony to make an exaggerated pantomime of catching it. Giggling once more, Fluttershy shut the door to her cottage, heart soaring as she went about preparing for bed. She couldn't help but sing a little.
As Applejack trotted back to Sweet Apple Acres, she reflected on all that had happened. It had only been two weeks ago that everything had been following the same routine it always had. In that time, everything had been turned upside down. She looked up at the sky, the last vestiges of sunlight disappearing beneath the horizon. In the clouds, she imagined Granny Smith, smiling down at her.
Dear Princess Celestia,
ah guess this time ah did learn an important lesson. Maybe not about friendship, but definitely about life. Ah learned you never know when something you have is gonna be taken away from you. That you need to get out there and make your life into what you want it to be, and not sit around waiting for the things you want to come to you. Puttin stuff off just makes it more likely that y'all'll never do it, and that the chance will pass you by before ya realize what you've lost.
Losing Granny Smith may have been one of the most painful experiences of my life. But it was the push that made me realize that, if ah want my life to be filled with joy and laughter and good memories, then ah need to be makin sure ah'm havin joy and laughter, and makin good memories.
Satisfied, Applejack put the parchment down on the night table beside her bed, and stoppered the ink well. She wiped the quill off, and put it away, as well as the ink pot and letter to the Princess. She'd have Spike send it in the morning.
“Hmmm, you finished with your letter?” Fluttershy mumbled, her head nestled on AJ's lap. She looked down at the pink-maned pegasus, as she lovingly brushed an errant strand of hair off her face. Fluttershy smiled at her touch, and gently nuzzled against her tummy.
“Yeah, ah reckon it's time to go to sleep,” she said, leaning over and blowing out the lantern. As she slid down beneath the covers, Fluttershy moved to a more comfortable sleeping position...
“Woah nelly!” Applejack exclaimed, her face flushing.
“Oooh, maybe, ah, maybe it's not, quite time to go to sleep.”

The End