//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Appleshy // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// Fluttershy had a number of dreams that night, and unlike other nights, she remembered every detail of every one of them. She remembered the one where she and Applejack sat together on a hill, watching the sunrise. She recalled resting her head in AJ's lap as the two of them sat talking with their friends, who all seemed to act like nothing out of the ordinary was going on. Her favorite, though, was the final one she had before awakening. In that last dream, the two of them were in her cottage. Fluttershy vividly remembered the room being decorated with not only her possessions, but Applejack's as well. Pictures of the two together were displayed all over the room. The two were lying on the bed, in the same position they had fallen asleep together in reality. Fluttershy nuzzled the back of the orange pony's neck and gave her a gentle nibble on her ear, as AJ told her how much she loved her. Fluttershy knew that it was a dream the entire time, but at the same time it felt so real, so palpable, so right. She wished with all her heart that she had the courage to do these things in real life, but even more than that, she yearned for the ability to tell AJ how she felt about her, and for AJ to return her feelings in kind. Fluttershy awoke, expecting to feel Applejack's body pressed up against hers like it was when they fell asleep. However, she was a bit confused to find herself in bed alone. She looked at the clock, which read 8:30, and she realized that the earth pony, an avid worker, must be an early riser. As she lazily rubbed the sleep from her eyes, the pegasus noticed a sheet of paper lying on the bed where AJ had been. Fluttershy reached a hoof out and slid the paper up to eye level. Dear Fluttershy, I had a better time last night than I have in a good long while! I think I might keep my tail braided, I love the way it looks! I'm still awful sorry you got hurt trying to help me, but at least it led to a wonderful evening. I wish we'd spend more time together like this (but without the injury!). I'll be in the kitchen when you read this, I'm making us some apple pancakes for breakfast. You're welcome to stay as long as it takes for your pain to go away. If you're still in pain, I can always get Big Macintosh to work today since he didn't yesterday, so we could spend the day hanging out! We have a lot of work to do, but if you need the company to forget about the pain then that's more important. Thanks again for the great time! -Applejack Fluttershy felt her heart melt at Applejack's words. As she felt her stomach rumble, she wasn't sure what she was more excited about; the potential of staying with AJ longer, or the apple pancakes. Fluttershy smiled at the thought, and decided that she was more excited by the former after all. She yawned and stretched her wings...and then realized what she had just done. She stretched her wings again, and realized that the pain had gone away. She carefully slid her right hoof out of the bed and pressed it against the floor, and sure enough, the pain in her leg had faded as well. The yellow pegasus was relieved at first, but that relief quickly gave way to sorrow when she realized that Applejack had invited her to stay as long as she needed to get over her injury. Fluttershy had loved their evening together, and wanted to spend another day with her, but if AJ knew that her injury had healed, then she would go work in the orchard, and they wouldn't be able to spend the day together. Just as she started panicking, she heard the door open. Fluttershy quickly pulled her leg back under the covers as Applejack walked in, two heaping plates of apple pancakes balanced precariously on her back. "Mornin', sleepyhead!" Applejack said cheerfully, swishing her braided tail as she trotted up to the bed. "Hope you're hungry! Mind taking these off my back?" AJ leaned down in front of Fluttershy, who broke out of her panic long enough to reach over and pull the plates off with her teeth (and blushing a bit as she removed the one balanced on her flank). "So how are you feeling?" Applejack asked. She raised a hoof, and Fluttershy noticed it approaching her wing. She panicked again, wanting so bad to spend an entire day with the object of her desires. As AJ's hoof pressed on her wing, Fluttershy winced and let out a squeal of fake pain. "Aw, poor darlin'," Applejack said. "It breaks my heart to see a sweet pony like you in pain like this because of me." Fluttershy couldn't believe what she had just done. She lied to the pony she loved, the one who held the element of honesty. She felt terrible about it, but her worry was quickly forgotten when Applejack nuzzled her cheek. "I'll let Big Macintosh know that I'm cashing in the favor he owes me for yesterday once we finish breakfast." Fluttershy smiled and laughed through their entire breakfast, but inside, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had done something wrong by pretending to still be hurt. It was a little white lie, one that in the end most likely wouldn't cause much, if any, harm, but it still bothered her. At times during their meal, she would decide to admit the truth, but a single look from Applejack and memories of last night caused her to put it off each time. "I'm gonna make a quick run to the market," Applejack said once they'd finished their pancakes. "You just sit tight till I get back, and when I do, we're gonna have a whole day of fun!" Fluttershy smiled at the thought of it as AJ left the room, but as soon as she was gone, the worries about her lie once again came back to haunt her. After much deliberation, Fluttershy decided that once Applejack returned, she would tell her that the pain had gone away and be on her way. That way, she would be able to make things right and still look like she hadn't lied earlier. She looked around the room, and noticed that their plates from their meal had been left on the ground. She simply couldn't let them sit around on the ground, so she slid out of bed and gathered the plates up. As she was about to bring the plates out of the room, the door suddenly opened. "Forgot my hat..." Applejack said as she walked in. She stopped short, seeing Fluttershy standing perfectly fine on the leg that she thought was injured. The two ponies stood silently, staring at each other. Fluttershy's heart rate jumped through the roof, and she found herself shaking a bit. "...You...you're OK?" Applejack said, confused. Fluttershy stood frozen and silent. "...You lied to me?" Applejack continued. "...I can't..." Fluttershy was shaking even more now. "Fluttershy..." Applejack said quietly. "I offer you my horsepitality, I let you sleep in my bed, and you take advantage of me?" The yellow pegasus was taken aback by these words, partially because of what was said, but more because of the tone it was said in. Applejack didn't even sound mad...she sounded more disappointed. "N...no...it's not that..." Fluttershy stammered. "Then what is it, if it isn't that?" Applejack asked, her voice becoming a bit louder. "Because it sure looks like that..." Fluttershy couldn't help but notice that Applejack, the rough-and-tumble pony who never feared a thing, was starting to tear up a bit. The yellow pegasus's heart couldn't take seeing her like that. She knew it was now or never. Fluttershy took a deep breath. "Applejack..." she started, and then the words just came pouring out, faster than she had ever spoken, completely unstoppable. "It's just that you're always so nice to me and you're so brave and strong and those are all things I wish I could be but I have trouble being them because I'm so shy but when I'm around you I feel like I can maybe be those things too and I was so happy yesterday because I got to spend so much time with you because I really like spending time with you and I didn't mean to lie to you this morning but I did because I wanted to spend more time with you..." Fluttershy took another big breath, surprised at her outburst, but knowing there was one more thing that needed to be said. "...Because..." The last few words became a squeak. "Because?" Applejack said, looking a bit stunned. "......I love you, Applejack," Fluttershy said. The two ponies stood in silence. Fluttershy had turned redder than she ever had before, and was shaking like a leaf. She stared intently at Applejack, knowing that there was no going back from there. Applejack, meanwhile, stared at her with a completely blank expression. Fluttershy noticed her eyes start to water, and she feared that the worst had happened. The pegasus closed her eyes, feeling a single tear drip down her cheek. She was on the verge of breaking into a full-on sob, when she felt a presence directly in front of her. She opened her eyes to see Applejack close to her, looking directly into her eyes. "Sugarcube," Applejack said, her voice wavering a little bit. "Those are the words I've been hopin' to hear for a mighty long time now." "...What?" was all Fluttershy could say. "Darlin'," AJ said, feeling a tear fall down her cheek as well, "The only reason I haven't said a thing to ya is cause I was afraid of hurting your feelings. I know you're a sensitive pony, and I didn't wanna throw my feelings at you cause I thought I'd scare ya off. Why do you think I volunteered to help you up the mountain that day we went after the dragon? Why do you think I was so keen on getting you down on the ground with me yesterday when I saw you flyin' by?" "I..." Fluttershy started, not knowing what to say. "It's because you're just about the sweetest thing I've ever met," Applejack continued. "You're so caring and kind, you're downright adorable with how shy ya are, and when the time calls for it, even though ya don't think ya have it in ya, you're just as tough as I am...heck, sometimes even more so. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I love you too, Fluttershy." Fluttershy nearly passed out from the impact of those words. Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself leaning forward and kissing Applejack, a moment she had envisioned in her head a number of times but never thought would actually happen. She felt like she was living a dream, and from the passion she felt behind AJ's return kiss, she was pretty positive that she felt the same way. ~~~~~~ The two ponies spent their entire day sitting together on a hill near the orchard. Big Macintosh had come by once to try and get his sister's attention, but upon seeing the two together, decided that maybe it was best to talk to her later. He smiled as he walked away. She had told him of her feelings for the pegasus a good while ago, and seeing his sister this happy was a wonderful thing. "So what about the others?" Fluttershy asked, picking her head up from its resting place on Applejack's side. She tipped Applejack’s hat, which she was currently wearing to keep the sun out of her eyes, out of the way so she could look straight into the big green eyes of her love. "What about 'em?" Applejack responded. "What will they think?" the pegasus asked. "Don't worry yourself none about that," AJ told her. "Twilight's a very understanding girl, and Rarity's a pretty high-society type. I'm sure they won't have any problem with it." "And what about Rainbow and Pinkie?" Fluttershy continued. Applejack looked down at her, a small grin crossing her face. "Sugarcube," she said, "Trust me when I say that THOSE two will be more than happy for us." "What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, confused. Applejack smiled, then gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You're too adorable," she told her. Fluttershy closed her eyes and smiled. That was a good enough answer for her.