Chapter 2
Trees and birds
The sun had nearly reached it's peak for the day as Fluttershy finally finished the last of her morning chores. Returning the broom she was holding in her mouth to it's place in the closet, the timid mare figured she had some time left to take a small break and made her way over to the large green couch in her living room. It might not be the most comfortable couch in Equestria, but it always managed to put her at ease, allowing her to shake off all of her fears and doubts, and simply relax. Fluttershy had come to associate it with home, feeling the rough but oddly comforting texture against her skin. She barely had the time to take all of this in, however, before being disturbed by several loud knocks on the door.
Gulping down the fears and doubts flashing in front of her, Fluttershy got up from the couch to answer the door. Opening it as slow as she could, ready to close it again at the first sign of trouble, she dared a peek outside.
"Howdy Fluttershy. Ah was wondering if maybe you could help me with something?"
Releasing a breath she didn't even knew she was holding, Fluttershy opened the door fully, inviting Applejack to come inside. She knew it was silly of her to be afraid everytime somepony knocked on the door, but somehow she couldn't help it. There was always this nagging little voice of fear in the back of her head. And her cottage being so close to the Everfree forest didn't do much to help the issue.
Applejack trotted inside, followed by an annoyed looking Angel Bunny, who had been shooed out earlier that morning so she could focus fully on her spring cleaning. She made a mental note to give him some extra carrots later, to make up for it.
She walked over to Applejack, who was standing in the center of the recently cleaned living room, a worried look embedded on her face. Angel made himself comfortable on top of the couch, deciding to ignore both ponies and simply continue his nap.
"Is there something wrong Applejack?" Fluttershy said, a hint of worry slipping into her voice.
"It's about something Ah saw this morning. Ah was just wondering if ya really are as good with foals as Rarity told me."
Taken slightly by surprise, Fluttershy hesitated somewhat before answering, raising a hoof to her chin in thought. " Uhm. Well, I think so. I mean, I did pretty well with the cutie mark crusaders. I think. Why?"
"Well, there's this little filly wandering around Ponyville all by her own. Ah think like she's lost or something, dirt in her mane and all. When ah tried talking to her, she ran away. I'm kinda worried about her. Ah mean, ah can't imagine Applebloom being lost somewhere, all on her own. So Ah was kinda hoping you could maybe talk to her or something?" Her voice was calm, but one look at Applejack's eyes revealed just how worries her friend really was.
"Ah thought she was just playing around in the park or something at first, but something just doesn't add up." Her expression turned to one of guilt.
"Oh. Okay, sure. Do you know where we can find her?" Fluttershy stretched her wings. She wasn't really that good with foals. The cutie mark crusaders had shown her that much. But after how Applejack was behaving, she couldn't really tell her that right now.
"That's the thing, Ah haven't seen her since this morning." Applejack said, the guilty expression on her face deepening somewhat.
"Maybe... Maybe she went home?"
"Maybe... Ah guess." Applejack sighed again, for the umpteenth time since she knocked on the door.
"Don't worry Applejack, I'm sure she's fine. She's probably back home now, with her parents." Fluttershy gave her the most comforting smile she could muster.
"Yeah..." Applejack hung her head dejectedly, a worried look on her muzzle.
Seeing her normally confident and strong friend like this, Fluttershy felt increasingly guilty at being unable to help her. Thus the timid mare decided to change the subject to something she knew the farmpony would enjoy. Sweet Apple Acres. Breaking the uneasy silence that had fallen over them, Fluttershy spoke up.
"So Applejack, how is the farm doing?"
"Not bad, ah suppose. We're not exactly rollin' in the bits or something, but we manage. Now that ya mention it, Fluttershy, your monthly delivery o' apples is ready for ya to pick up. Still don't quite know why you'd need so many apples..." Applejack raised her head again as she spoke, looking into Fluttershy's eyes. A hint of worry was still lingering behind in her expression, but most of it made room for a new, puzzled look.
"Well, they're mostly for the animals. They eat an awful lot you know." It worked! She nearly squeed as her plan worked.
"Heh, no kiddin'. Mind coming along to the farm to pick up those apples?"
"Sure. Angel, mommy's going to be out for a little while, be nice, okay?"
A white paw rose from her couch for barely a second before disappearing again. Assured the bunny heard her, Fluttershy turned around and opened the door for Applejack before following her outside. The gentle breeze and the warming rays of the sun melting all doubts and inhibitions away, both friends laughed heartily, sharing many jokes and stories on their way to Sweet Apple Acres.
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Faint whispers disturbing her sleep, the azure-coated filly lazily opened an eye to find the source of the noise. She didn't have to look far, though, as she spotted the two mares sitting in front of her. Towering above her, they seemed to be deeply in conversation, apparently not noticing the fact that she had woken up. The mare closest to her was a light-yellow pegasus, crowned with a long, pink mane covering one half of her face. She was visibly worried, and clearly had no idea what to do. The other mare, Nightingale realized with a start, was the same one from in the park.
The young filly instantly tensed up, doing her absolute best to look asleep while her mind raced. If this mare was following her, she couldn't have very good intentions.
'What do I do, what do I do?' Running away was very tempting, but if this mare was following her, she'd probably catch her before she was halfway through the orchard. She certainly didn't lack the muscle and besides, the apples on her flank probably meant this orchard belonged to her, and no doubt she knew exactly how to navigate it.
'Oh no. What if she thinks I'm some kind of apple-thief?' Lost in thought, Nightingale didn't notice the sudden sillence, nor that both mares were looking intently at her. The yellow mare hesitantly closed some distance between herself and the filly and spoke up.
"Uu-um hello?"
Nightingale hit her head on one of the lower hanging branches before roughly landing on the ground again. Rubbing her head with a hoof, she gazed upwards to see the yellow mare flinching back, hastily apologizing.
"I'm sorry, I didn't... I wanted... I-I."
"I-it's alright, miss. Uum." Something about the mare in front of her made her feel at ease. Maybe it was because of the kindness in her eyes. Maybe because of how she seemed to stutter in the same way she did so many times. Or maybe it was because she was yellow. Yellow was her favorite colour after all.
"Hey there sugarcube. Remember me?" Applejack stepped forward as well, but doing so almost immediately caused the filly to flinch back, averting her eyes to the ground and muttering something about apples.
Seeing the filly flinch back, the pink haired mare decided to speak up.
"Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you. We just want to help." A comforting smile accompanied her words.
Something in that mare's voice sounded so soothing, so understanding. Nightingale couldn't help but relax again, her wings wrapping themselves around her body.
"Oh. I-I'm okay, really. Don't worry about me." The biggest lie she ever told. Even she realized the smile on her muzzle was as false and cracked as an earth pony with wings.
"No your not, sugarcube! A little filly walking around town sleeping in the park? That's just dangerous! Where're your parents?" Applejack's voice was tense, laden with concern. The other mare remained quiet, patiently waiting for the filly's reply. A frown started to form on her forehead as she started looking her up and down, making her feel even more uncomfortable.
Eyes shifting between the two mares in front of her, she tensed up completely, wings fluttering so fast they became a blur. Frantically looking for a way out, she raised herself on all four hooves. As soon as she did, the orange mare blocked every path she could possibly take. Sighing in defeat, she sat down again. Her wings fell down to the ground as the tension left her body as instantly as it had come. It was obvious neither of them were just going to let her walk away. And hey, who knows? Maybe this time things would turn out differently.
'And there's always the next town...'
Taking a deep breath, the filly intently observed her own hooves before whispering, quietly, yet loud enough for them both to hear.
"I don't have parents. I'm an orphan."