//------------------------------// // A Slip of the Tongue // Story: AppleShy: The Series // by solsticebrony888 //------------------------------// Applejack was in the center of town and had already asked a few ponies if there was any sign of her marefriend. None had seen her. She sat on a bench, deep in thought as if she’d be able to sense where Fluttershy went and then apologize to her. The evening was slowly winding down and the orange pony started to doubt that she would even see her marefriend that night; however, she was going to try. When she opened her eyes, she was startled by a pink blob right front of her face. “Uh, hello?” Applejack questioned. “Applejack! Hi!” the pink pony said with a smile. “What’s wrong? You’re sad too? Why is everypony sad this evening? It’s a perfect evening!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Wait, have ya seen Fluttershy?” “Yeah... She was sad too. She was crying,” the pink pony said with a frown. Applejack chastised herself in her mind after being reminded that she had made the Pegasus cry. “Do you know where she is? Ah reckon ah need to see her awfully bad, sugarcube,” the farmer said. “Ah messed up badly…” “She went to Twilight’s house, but what happened?” Pinkie Pie perched herself on the bench. “Tell Auntie Pinkie Pie what happened.” “Well, ah…ah guess ah just let that confrontation earlier get to me. Ah got all gung ho ‘bout it at Fluttershy and ah said some things ah didn’t mean and she flew away.” “Aw! I think you should go talk to her, sometimes when I’m mad I just eat some cake and then I’m happy again. *GASP* You should talk to Fluttershy then come back and we could have some late-night cake!” The orange pony got up from the bench. “Okay, Pinkie. Ah’ll see what ah can do.” “Yay! I hope everything works out, AJ.” “Me too…” Applejack responded half-heartedly. She herself didn’t expect it to work out, because she didn’t think she deserved it. If anything was keeping Applejack calm, it was the cool evening air as it washed over the darkening town. She trotted quickly through the town, inspecting the skies for any sign of her dear Pegasus. For once, she let her thoughts get to her. She had never been the aggressor in any argument in previous relationships. Applejack didn’t know how bad her situation really was and that scared her. “Ah’m sorry, ‘Shy…ah never wan- No…I’m sorry Fluttershy, ah really wish ah would’a thought ‘bout my…no. That’s not good enough,” she said to herself on her walk, contemplating what she’d say to her mare when she arrived at the unicorn’s home. “Ah haven’t been this nervous since…since the day ah admitted my feelings to her…” Applejack spotted the unicorn’s house only one block away, and stopped to ponder what she will say to her beloved marefriend. Applejack galloped to the front door of Twilight’s home. She didn’t know what she was going to say, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to see Fluttershy and say whatever she felt needed to be said. She knocked on the door and waited. The silence seemed so loud during those few seconds… “Who is it?” a tiny dragon’s voice called from behind the door. “Spike, it’s AJ,” she said. The little dragon opened the door. “Oh, then come on in!” He turned around and called for the unicorn upstairs. “Twilight! Applejack’s here!” “Oh? Um, I’ll be right down Applejack.” “Where’s Fluttershy?” Applejack asked quickly, heart sinking. Twilight quickly trotted down the stairs to meet her friend. “AJ, she went to stay the night at Rainbow’s,” the unicorn said with a saddened tone to her voice. “She just wants a night to think, is all. I’m sorry…” “Ah just wanted to apologize…ah feel like the worst marefriend on earth ah reckon… Ah-ah…ah probably shouldn’t meet her there, huh?” “She just wants a night to think by herself, AJ...I’m sure she’ll be back tomorrow,” Twilight said, trying to empathize with her friend. “Ah’m sorry fer wastin’ yer time, Twi. Ah’m going to go home and sleep. Ah guess ah need to do some thinkin’ mahself, ah s’pose.” “Applejack, your relationship is too strong for this to just be the end. Fluttershy just needs her time, don’t worry too much about it,” Twilight said, levitating a book to herself that she had been reading. “Well, ah guess so, but it’s about time ah go to sleep. Today hasn’t been my best...” <><><><><><><> “Goodnight, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said, curled up in the cloud-bed that her friend said she could sleep in for the night. “G’ Night Fluttershy,” the Pegasus replied with a hearty yawn, “Ya know, I don’t think anything’s going to go wrong with you and Applejack, you two are too close, at least from what I see. Hay, me and Vinyl have been in more arguments than you and AJ and we’ve gone out for like 2 months now!” “Thank you, Rainbow…that means a lot,” the shy Pegasus said, though her feelings about her situation remained unchanged. “No prob!” she replied. Within a few minutes, she was in a deep sleep. Besides Rainbow Dash’s light snoring, the night quickly ended up being stunningly quiet for the Pegasus. She gazed around the cloud home realizing she somewhat missed the days when she lived in Cloudsdale as a filly. However, in the room, it was just her and her thoughts, because she quickly realized that she wasn’t able to sleep. The time before she was able to get some sleep became a time of reminiscing on her and Applejack’s relationship and even before they got together. She could remember times when everypony was annoyed with her for being so timid and it was always Applejack to stick up for her. Whenever her own fears got the best of her, it was Applejack that supported her when everypony else was frustrated by her. Even before their relationships started, Applejack was the one that always supported her. It was one of the reasons she always felt so attracted to the tom-colt mare. When they needed to save Ponyville from the dragon in its cave, Applejack had dragged her all the way up the mountain when she was unable to use her own wings. When she wasn’t able to go in to the cave due to her own fear of dragons, Applejack was still supportive of her when the other ponies had lost it. Throughout their relationship, the orange mare was always the one to help Fluttershy. Even when the Pegasus saved her life, Applejack helped Fluttershy through the nightmares she had afterwards. After all of the things that Applejack had done for her, the one time Applejack needed somepony to calm her down, somepony to sympathize with her, Fluttershy took the orange pony’s words to heart, and instead just flew away. Applejack was upset, and she just flew away. This thought bothered Fluttershy more than any before it. Maybe Applejack deserves a break…She’s gone through so much just for me…She deserves to not have to deal with me being so nervous and timid and holding her back… This wasn’t what Fluttershy wanted for herself, but it did seem like something that would be good for the earth pony. It always seemed from Fluttershy’s view, that when a couple took a short break that they would reunite and be much happier. However, it wasn’t like they weren’t happy together, Applejack just wasn’t happy with the public reactions to their love, and that was why she felt Applejack needed time alone. As her thoughts started drifting off into random creations of her own mind, she realized she was getting tired, though the night was barely upon them. It felt weird for Fluttershy to even be laying on a cloud, but it felt worse for her to be lying in it alone. <><><><><><><><><> The slow walk back to her and Fluttershy’s cottage left Applejack with building questions and uncertainty that she’s never felt before. Sometimes she would try and reason with it, as if she’d overreacting, but she couldn’t just assume she was overreacting. What could Fluttershy be thinkin’ about…? She walked into her darkened home, the moon shining through a window showing one of Fluttershy’s mice, clearly hungry. “Aw, horsefeathers. What do mice eat again?” Applejack said with a sigh. She searched through the cabinets in their kitchen and found a box labeled ‘mice food for the young mouse’. “That was easy enough,” She said, pouring some of the mixed food into a tiny bowl and handing it to the tiny animal with a half-hearted smile. Applejack slowly walked upstairs, taking her time to make sure she wouldn’t wake up any animals that the shy Pegasus keeps in almost every nook and cranny of the home. She sighed when she saw the empty bed that she was going to sleep in. Maybe she was overreacting to the situation, but knowing she wasn’t going to be able to sleep next to the love of her life that night was heart-wrenching considering her situation. “Ah’m done with the self-pity…” Applejack declared. “If ah’m going to do anything to help mah situation, all this stinkin’-thinkin’ ain’t doin’ me no favors...ah gotta show Fluttershy how much I’m sorry tomorrow…” Though still sad, the orange pony hopped into her bed, determined to work on something that could prove to the shy Pegasus that she was sorry. Maybe ah should write out a poem er’ somethin’ Applejack quickly dismissed that idea since she knew that it would turn out terrible. “Words definitely aren’t my…aren’t my…” Applejack rubbed her chin in contemplation, “What’s that word again? Word’s definitely aren’t my…word’s ain’t my…CONSARNIT, AH’M NOT GOOD WITH WORDS.” Her sudden outburst surprised even herself, and shut herself up with her own hoof. Silence then returned as she returned to her thoughts. Maybe ah should take her on a date? Now being proactive about her situation, Applejack started feeling better. The date idea stuck, because it’s something she wanted to do with her a while. A nice, romantic date. Maybe we should go to a restaurant in Canterlot? That’ll prove that ah do not care what nopony thinks about me an’ her anymore Even though she had a plan and was thinking of other ways to come out of this situation as better pony, she couldn’t help but sigh when she rested her front-legs in front of her, where they would usually be wrapped around her partner’s side. <><><><><><><><><> It was very early in the morning when the light shining through the clouds woke the shy Pegasus up. Rainbow Dash’s loud snoring made it clear that she wasn’t going to be waking up anytime soon. Though the cloud bed was very comfortable, being woken up so suddenly, instead of by Applejack, only reminded her that she hadn’t come to a decision as to what she should do. The sun was just creeping above the distant mountains and it casted radiant colors throughout the morning sky. Princess Celestia was very good with majestic mornings and evenings. Fluttershy rolled over onto her side with a sigh. She didn’t know what she was going to do. She didn’t want to do anything. The pastel-yellow Pegasus just wanted her partner to be happy, whether the cost was her own happiness or not. Reliving the events of the day before in her mind, she knew she overreacted and could have prevented everything. The shy pony sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes. The constant snoring of Rainbow Dash was starting to bother her now that she was awake. “Rainbow, you need to stop partying to so much,” Fluttershy whispered as if the sleeping pony could hear her. Fluttershy knew Applejack must have been awake. Imagining what she put her through only bothered her more. The shy Pegasus exited her friend’s home, making sure that she didn’t make any loud noises that could wake the other Pegasus up. Fluttershy didn’t know whether Applejack had been looking for her and if she even knew that she had stayed at Rainbow Dash’s overnight. Flying back towards town, she kept an eye out for her marefriend, just in case she was looking for her. Just the thought of the earth pony searching for her without being able to find her added to the shy Pegasus’ worries. It was too early for anypony else to be awake. Rarity was probably getting ready to board a train back to Ponyville from Canterlot and, it being the weekend, made it nearly impossible to find anypony else awake this early. This was good, because Fluttershy only wanted to see one pony. She flew faster and higher up so she could reach her home faster. She was ready for everything to be okay again. She also really needed to see her animals, because a lot probably needed their morning feeding and that was a lot of work for Applejack to do by herself. The moment quickly arrived. She was walking across the bridge towards her cottage home. The lights were on inside, so she knew that her marefriend was in there. At the front door, she released a tiny squeak of anticipation and nervousness. Then the door opened, before she could even put her hoof on it. <><><><><><><><><> Applejack woke up with a grimace. It was really early, yet there was no way she would go back to sleep with the headache she had. She rubbed her eyes furiously trying to wake herself up. She then looked to the empty spot beside her and memory hit her like a tidal wave. She sighed, and immediately noticed her hunger. The dim light that shone through the paneled window revealed a sun that had barely risen yet. Fluttershy’s birds were sitting on the edge of the window, having whatever bird conversation that may be having. Only Fluttershy knew what they were saying. The home seemed much quieter without somepony else to accompany Applejack. It wasn’t even really a home when she didn’t have somepony there. Horsefeathers…if this is how ah feel after one night without her, ah can’t imagine us breakin’ up… The prospect of them breaking up was something she had never worried about before, but now it became all too real. She got out of her bed with another sigh, and tried to focus on what she would do to truly apologize to the Pegasus. She trotted down the stairs, though was still deep in thought. Maybe ah’m bein’ too harsh on myself? Once she reached the bottom, she entered the living room and picked up a brush.The orange pony considered her last thought as she brushed her mane lazily, so it would look presentable once she reached her marefriend. She was hoping that Fluttershy would still be there and would be willing to accept her apology. Applejack knew not to use “this was our first argument” as an excuse to be forgiven. She had promised the Pegasus many times that she would never hurt her. She started making some toast, which only reminded her of the day Granny Smith and Big Macintosh had told her she was allowed to work at the farm again. She had been staying with her marefriend because two elder family members disagreed with her choice to be with a mare and had subsequently banned her from working at the farm. That day, Fluttershy had made some toast for them. It was an odd thing to remember, surely, but it stuck with her to that day. She sat down on her couch, and starting eating the sub-par toast she had made. Maybe ah should beg her for forgiveness? Maybe ah should tell her how sorry ah really am, then ask her on that date to Canterlot? Applejack liked the idea of going on a date to the place where she encountered the most hatred. It could really show her marefriend that she didn’t care anymore. She assumed that Fluttershy wasn’t awake yet, so when she finished her toast, she continued contemplating her options. However, she felt uneasy about waiting. She got up and brushed her mane again, made sure her tail wasn’t entangled or anything. “Ah can’t even remember that last time ah even tried ta’ make my mane and tail look nice…” she remarked. She took a breath of confidence, then trotted towards the door. However, upon pushing the door open, a very familiar squeak quickly notified her that her search for the Pegasus was already over. The sight astounded Applejack. Instantly her nervousness rose, her heart fluttered and her face reddened. Nopony other than the shy Pegasus before her could make her feel that way. “…S-Shy?” Applejack sputtered. “Ah-ah was just ‘bout to go look for you…” Her heartbeat escalated each second as her mind caught up with what she saw. Fluttershy squeaked again. “I-I’m sorry…” Dumbfounded, the orange pony raised an eyebrow. “Ya shouldn’t be apologizing for nothin’ sugarcube…ah’m the one that’s sorry…ah swear on Celestia ah didn’t mean what ah said yesterday.” “I shouldn’t have left…y-you needed somepony to help you, and I just flew away,” the Pegasus said shrinking into herself. She never thought that just seeing the earth pony could make her so nervous since they’d been together. “I talked with Twilight and Rainbow Dash…they gave me some good advice.” AJ looked at her mare with a grateful smile. Fluttershy continued in her usual soft voice. “Rainbow said that…maybe it’d be best for you if we, um…” Her voice trailed off into a squeak. “Um…she said it’d be best if we took a break from each other...” The orange mare didn’t know how to react to what her marefriend just suggested. “I-I…” The orange pony quickly gathered her thoughts together. “Fluttershy…ah barely made it through one night without ya…ah couldn’t handle going back ta mah old life, because ah have a better life…with you.” A single tear dripped down the shy pony’s cheek as she listened to Applejack speak. “My dear Fluttershy, ah’m glad ya flew away, because that helped me realize how much of a mistake that was for me to be so gung ho ‘bout nothin’. Seeing ya sad made me feel worse than anypony in Canterlot could ever make me feel, especially since it was mah fault. Fluttershy, not havin’ ya by my side last night was…ah…ah really missed you Shy...” There was a short moment of silence, where all that could be heard was Fluttershy’s sniffles. Applejack gazed into her marefriend’s eyes and gave her a loving embrace each wrapping a hoof around each other. it was something they needed more than anything else, besides each other. They knew that that they both overreacted, but it was that fact that they cared enough to worry so much about their relationship that made their short-lived hardship worth it in the end. “All ah ask is that ya forgive me, Sugarcube…” Fluttershy smiled, and wiped a tear off of her cheek, “I do…but maybe under one condition.” AJ cocked an eyebrow, “What ‘Shy? Ah’ll do anythin’!” Fluttershy looked towards the hair-bands on Applejack’s mane with a devious smile on her face. Applejack turned to look at what her marefriend was looking at, then sighed in defeat. “Aw, horsefeathers.”