//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Appleshy // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// "Anything for you, sugarcube." Those four words echoed through Fluttershy's head again and again. She had been resting in Applejack's bed for a good couple of hours, and she had barely stopped smiling the entire time, even though her wing and leg hurt quite a bit. Earlier today, she never would have expected something like this to happen. Today was supposed to just be a typical day for her, one spent staying at home and taking care of her animal friends, with perhaps a quick visit to Ponyville to see if anything interesting was going on with her friends. Instead, here she was, not only in the house of the pony she desired most, but in her bed, with the promise of an entire night to spend with her coming up. Fluttershy blushed at the thought of what she and Applejack might do that night, and blushed even harder when her mind started turning to thoughts that might have earned her a stern talking to from her parents if they had access to them. She quickly turned her mind to more innocent things, but the ever-present implications of those thoughts persisted, and she was embarrassed at how much joy they brought her. Fluttershy looked out the window. The sun was just starting to set. Surely Applejack would return any minute now. She began to wonder how she would go about talking to her friend about her feelings towards her, or if she even would at all. It was a very difficult subject to approach, and she often had trepidations about any kind of conversation, let alone one regarding something so touchy. She knew it was important that she told her, though. Applejack was one of the most honest ponies she knew; she didn't embody the element of honesty fraudulently, after all. Fluttershy wanted so badly to be honest to her about her feelings, but feared that she would freeze up when trying to tell her. Then a new fear invaded her mind. She had already worried about whether or not AJ would feel the same way about her, but what if her profession of her feelings was not only unrequited, but also hurt their friendship? Fluttershy suddenly got very nervous thinking about this. After a moment, though, she came to her senses a bit. Applejack had always been very nice to her. The day with the dragon was a shining example .Not only did she volunteer to bring her up the mountain, but she was also the first to offer kind, encouraging words when she had to jump that chasm. She was also one of the only ones to console her when she felt bad about causing the avalanche, and one of the only ones to show total confidence in her abilities just as they were about to enter the dragon's cave. These were all things that could have been completely innocent and based on nothing but a solid friendship, but Fluttershy hoped with all her heart that there was something more to it. Either way, even if she didn't return her feelings, it was somewhat unlikely that she would just drop their friendship over it. The yellow pegasus began to relax again, just as she heard the door open. Not knowing why she was doing it, Fluttershy closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. "I'm home!" Applejack said, entering the room. She looked over and noticed that Fluttershy was asleep (or at least looked like she was asleep). She trotted over to the bed and looked down at Fluttershy for a moment, smiling. The pegasus's eyes fluttered open, and seeing AJ caused her to break into a content smile. "You feelin' any better, darlin'?" Applejack asked, pulling the sheets off of her a bit to inspect her hurt appendages. She gently touched Fluttershy's wing with one hoof. Fluttershy tried to stay strong, but she cringed and let out a small squeak at the pain. "Guess it still hurts then," Applejack said, pulling her hoof back. "Sorry bout that." Fluttershy could only nod and smile weakly. The orange pony smiled back, then sat down next to the bed, resting her head on the mattress. "Boy howdy, am I exhausted," she said, sighing. "I thought I'd be able to finish that bunch of trees earlier, but then Apple Bloom was botherin' me about getting her cutie mark, and Big Macintosh had to help Granny Smith go to the Cakes' for a delivery so he couldn't help..." Even though Fluttershy cared very much about how Applejack's day was, she found herself almost hypnotized by her eyes. AJ's eyes were darting back and forth while she was talking, and watching those big green eyes swish back and forth was simply marvelous. Suddenly, Applejack's eyes met Fluttershy's. She quickly snapped out of her trance and nodded, hoping that her distraction went unnoticed. "So are you ready for the rootinest tootinest slumber party of all time?" Applejack asked, the excitement in her eyes betraying the exhaustion she'd displayed moments ago. Fluttershy smiled and nodded. She tried to speak, but couldn't get a word out. Suddenly, she remembered something. She was about to speak, when Applejack interrupted her. "Oh, and don't worry none about your animal friends," Applejack said, as if she had read her mind. "Lyra and Bonbon are on their way to your cottage, they've got it all under control." The mere fact that the two of them had thought of the same thing at the same time was nearly enough to make Fluttershy squeal with delight, but she restrained herself. "So what do ya wanna do first, little miss quiet?" Applejack asked, playfully nudging the pegasus with her nose. Fluttershy couldn't help but smile at the contact. "Well," Fluttershy started, "I haven't had many slumber parties...but there is one thing..." She stopped, not sure about how to continue. "And what's that?" Applejack asked, tilting her head. "Well..." Fluttershy said, "...We could braid each other's tails...I mean, if that's OK with you..." Fluttershy looked at AJ, waiting for her response. AJ's tail was always tied back in a ponytail (a fact which she found a bit ironic for a moment), and she wasn't sure if she was open to the idea of changing it. The orange pony was quiet for a moment, and she worried that she didn't like the idea. "...Well alright, sure!" Applejack answered. "Reckon I've kept this style for a good stretch of time now. I could use a bit of change." "Yay!" Fluttershy exclaimed in a tone that was a slight bit louder and more confident than her usual yays. The night seemed to go much quicker than Fluttershy could have possibly wanted it to. After admiring their new tailstyles, the two friends started telling each other stories. Due to the pegasus's usual nervousness, they stuck more to fairy tales, but there was one attempt made by Applejack to tell a ghost story. Fluttershy just barely made it through it, and even then she clutched AJ's pillow like her life depended on it. If any other pony had subjected her to such a story, she likely would have raised a fuss and cowered in fear, but just the fact that she was spending time with Applejack was enough to instill the tiniest bit of bravery in her, which was just what she needed to make it to the end of the story. "My, it's awful late," Applejack said at the conclusion of the story. "We should get some rest." Fluttershy nodded in agreement, surprised that time had passed so quickly. She began to slide out of AJ's bed, but AJ stopped her. "No no," Applejack told her, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "I don't want you to strain yourself. We can't let you hurt yourself any more." "But where are you going to sleep?" Fluttershy asked, looking around the room for somewhere she could conceivably rest. She was startled by a sudden shifting of the mattress, and turned to see AJ sliding under the covers herself. "There's enough room for the two of us," Applejack said matter-of-factly. "I shacked up with Rarity at Twilight's place and her bed was smaller than this one. Have a good sleep, sugarcube." Fluttershy was stunned into silence. Instantly, her somewhat-naughty thoughts from earlier in the day returned, and she once again turned bright red. She couldn't believe that she was sleeping in the same bed as the object of her affections. She wanted so badly to slide up close to her and hold her, maybe whisper her feelings into her ear, but she knew she couldn't do that. Even the thought of it caused her to shiver with happiness. "You cold, Fluttershy?" Applejack asked. She was lying on her side and facing away from Fluttershy, but apparently her shiver was still noticeable. The pegasus was about to say no, when Applejack spoke again. "Scoot a bit closer, darlin'," Applejack said. "I don't mind none." Fluttershy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Slowly, cautiously, she slid over in the bed until she found AJ's body against hers. She was so warm, and her newly-braided tail tickled the pegasus's belly a little. "Better?" Applejack asked. "Much," Fluttershy said. "Thank you for all you're doing for me, Applejack." "T'weren't nothin', sugarcube," AJ said. "Now you get some rest. You've had a tough day. Sweet dreams." As Fluttershy drifted off to sleep, she had a feeling that whatever dreams she would have that night couldn't hold a candle to the reality she was experiencing.