//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Where Earth Meets Sky // by Cloudy Skies //------------------------------// Where Earth Meets Sky Chapter 1 Fluttershy spat the soup out with a grimace and sighed dejectedly. It was not the first sigh of the morning, and it probably wouldn't be the last one either. Everything was going wrong today. Feeding carrots to the birds and giving hay to the turtles were among the smallest of her blunders. The poor bunnies still wouldn't even look at her.         It had been like this all week, and was only getting worse. She used her mouth to fish out the ladle she'd been using to stir her now-ruined soup and put it in the kitchen sink. The nearby salt bowl was conspicuously empty, explaining the horrid taste. Why and when she'd added it to the soup was a mystery even to her.         Moving the pot off the stove, she gave another sigh just for good measure. Normally she wouldn’t be so loud, but it wasn't like there was anypony around to scold her for it. No longer feeling hungry, she drug herself over to her living room and flopped on to the couch, burying her muzzle in the pillows. She was done with this morning's chores anyway.         Not that there wasn't anything left to do, though; there was always work to do for a pony who loved her garden. Failing that, her sneezeweed stock was getting dangerously low. If a flock of bluejays came down with a cold, she'd need far more than the little jar in her store room. The fickle herb refused to grow in her garden, meaning she would have to go foraging.         It was an inspiring thought. Sure enough, the bluejays were unlikely to catch a cold in the middle of the warmest summer months, but she had to be prepared. Maybe this was the push she needed to head out of her cottage and do something. She was needed, and it would not do for the poor little bluejays to suffer for her failure to act.         Except it wouldn't work. If the day so far was any indication, she'd probably come back with rawroot instead of sneezeweed. Fluttershy burrowed her snout deeper in the mound of pillows until it looked like the sofa had swallowed the lethargic pony. Only her hindquarters and mane poked out and betrayed her presence.         Her mind would not stop wandering off. She summoned up a frown and peered out from under her velvet fortress, staring at the messy little den of pillows and blankets that occupied a corner of the room. Up until recently, it had been the home of a poor little fox cub that had been brought to her in a terrible state. He was all better now, but she hadn’t had the heart to clean up the makeshift den, already missing the little vulpine. Maybe that’s all there’s to it. Taking care of the kit had eaten up what little free time she had this month. She hadn’t even had time to go watch Rainbow Dash practice in the afternoon. She didn’t dare think what she would have done if Pinkie Pie hadn’t come by with food every now and then. Even something as simple as finding time to head into Ponyville proper for supplies had been hard. But that’s no excuse for neglecting your friends. Fluttershy, you have been a terrible pony.         Since she had put so much time and effort into helping the little kit, it was only natural that she’d be out of sorts now that the fox was safely back home with his mother, right? That was probably it. That, and she was just tired still. Nothing more.         "Stop lying, Fluttershy," she scolded. Her voice was muffled, but she heard herself well enough. She didn't want to be thought a liar, not even by herself. Truth was, Fluttershy knew exactly where her thoughts wanted to go. The wounded cub had been a great distraction, but with the patient treated and gone, it was yet again impossible to focus. Her head surfaced from the sea of velvety cushions to glance out one of the windows of her home. Seized by routine she’d observed every morning for weeks now, she was drawn over the wooden floorboards to stand before that particular window, and she really didn't feel like she had a choice in the matter.         The yellow pegasus pony rested her head on the windowsill, absent-mindedly scratching the underside of her muzzle against the woodwork. She had spent so much time exactly like this, she imagined she was beginning to make a small groove. Fluttershy did not dare check to see if this was the case for fear that she might be right.  It smelled like summer outside. The scents of the innumerable herbs and vegetables she grew in her little garden were so intimately familiar to her that she could pick them out and name them one by one if she so desired. Windwort and merryroot made for the most wonderful combination, but as delightful a treat the day was to her nose, there was a different reason she frequented this window.         Her eyes came to rest on the evenly spaced treetops of Sweet Apple Acres, barely visible over a nearby copse of smaller trees. She imagined she could smell the apples that were the farm's namesake. Far off in the distance, the iconic apple-adorned weather-vane of the central barn could be seen, a reminder of what Fluttershy was certain was the cause of her problems. Fluttershy would never blame Applejack, but she was the cause. Applejack was why Fluttershy had crashed into her bedroom door this morning. Applejack was why Angel's breakfast wasn’t ready on time. Applejack was why she had this unbearable tightness in her chest, a heavy knot that simply would not come loose. It already felt like it had been there forever, and it was just getting worse again now that she had nothing with which to distract herself. Ever since the whole debacle with the dragon earlier in spring, Fluttershy had learned to appreciate the staunch farmpony's support. She'd thanked her, of course. She had thanked Applejack for helping her and for being there for her. She had thanked her for her patience and her kindness and for always believing in her, too. Every time Fluttershy and Applejack found themselves alone, something that happened far too seldom, she'd quietly say as much. "Thank you."         In the end, it seemed that even Applejack couldn’t help but feel it was getting a little silly. "That's just what friends do--right sugarcube? Please stop worrying about it," she'd said, and Fluttershy had instantly felt terrible. She hadn’t meant to imply that she didn’t think Applejack was a good friend, or worse, didn’t think her a friend at all. Fluttershy had the best friends anypony could ever ask for, and she was lucky to have them all. She had tried so very hard to obey Applejack's wishes after that, but sometimes, the words still slipped out. They always lurked, ever ready to leap out of her mouth, or wherever they came from.         For all her efforts, it still felt like she was just bottling it up. The knot didn't go away no matter how many times she thanked her, apologized to her, apologized for thanking her or thanked her for accepting her apology. She had tried to think of something nice to do for Applejack, but what could she possibly do for a strong and independent pony like her? What could Fluttershy do to help an outgoing mare who didn’t feel the need to hide from strangers, and kept giving and helping everypony, uninhibited by fear?  She had long ago resolved to insist that she be allowed to help next applebuck season, if only to carry apples - if Applejack didn’t mind, that was. Applebuck season was still so very far away, though, and it seemed a very meager hope.         No matter what she told her, there was still something left unsaid. She just didn't know what it was she couldn’t tell her. The last time she'd tried talking to Applejack, she swore the earth pony looked almost a little disappointed. Applejack would never lose her temper with her, and her patience seemed infinite, but there was something in her eyes that made Fluttershy apologize right away, though she didn't know what for. Of course, that had been exactly the wrong thing to say at the time. She hadn’t dared go back after that embarrassing little episode. The sullen pegasus sat down and let her wings sag listlessly to the floor. Applejack was the only pony who lived close by, and as such, was the only one of her friends Fluttershy had the time to visit while she took care of the little fox cub. She didn’t have any such excuses left, now, yet she’d spent the last few days completely alone without quite knowing why. Sometimes she wished that Rainbow Dash would come visit, but Fluttershy had no business even thinking that. It was a selfish thought, and she was fine. It wasn't a lie. Not really. She could hardly think of anything less important than her own little problems.         “Oh, get a hold of yourself,” Fluttershy said as she picked herself up from the floor, snorting derisively. “You’re being very silly, and very stupid.”         She cringed at the harsh words and flattened her ears. “Sorry. And stop talking to yourself, please.”         Fluttershy took a small step towards her cottage door, a plan suddenly forming in her mind. She pretended she was just going to head outside and check up on the turtles who lived under the little bridge that crossed her brook. Shellby had been looking a little sick, hadn’t he? She simply had to check up on the poor little turtle at once.         She nudged the door open and slipped outside. A budding resolve had sprung forth from nowhere, and she intended to make the most of it. Before she could ask herself what she was doing, she had trotted over the bridge. Shellby was fine. She had told herself a white little lie. Even Applejack would agree that sometimes you had to do such things. Probably. Hopefully.         Fluttershy broke into a full gallop, unable to keep a smile from her face as she outraced the inevitable doubts. The sound of her own hooves gave chase down the dirt road as she kicked up dust, happy to be free of her cottage. The smile quickly faded as soon as she had completed the thought, and she replaced it with a more demure expression. She didn’t dislike her cottage. Not even a little bit. She was simply glad to have managed to sneak out.         Her determination only grew stronger as her home disappeared from view behind her. Moments later, she stood at the neck-high fence that marked the edge of Sweet Apple Acres’ orchards. Her first instinct was always to go around, but when Applejack had first seen her come trotting alone down the path that led to the farmhouse, she’d asked why the pegasus had not simply flown over in a more direct route. Fluttershy didn’t want Applejack to think she was stupid, so she usually crossed the orchard these days. The pegasus pony spread her wings and flapped them a few times, soaring over the fence with ease only to land as soon as she was clear. It was something of a compromise. Fluttershy picked her way between the apple trees with all four hooves securely on the ground. While she had her wings unfurled just to enjoy the feel of the air against the delicate feathers, she wouldn’t give up the grass under her hooves for anything.         The yellow pegasus allowed herself to feel a little hopeful as she wandered under the apple farm’s canopy. Perhaps she should just tell Applejack everything? Well, what little she knew, anyway. “Hi, Applejack,” she’d say. “Um, I know you said I should stop saying apologizing so much, and I’m sorry about that, but I want to tell you something. I just don’t know what. I, um, you’re a very good friend.”         That would be a start. Normally, she’d ask Rarity about how to deal with these kinds of problems. Rarity knew all sorts of things about how ponies worked, just like Fluttershy knew the animals, but it felt wrong. She had no idea why it felt wrong; it wasn’t like this was a secret, but she’d talk to Applejack first, just in case. Applejack was smarter and stronger than Fluttershy in so many ways, and she usually saw the truth of matters right away.         It made so much sense. She should - and would - talk to Applejack. No going back now. She briefly entertained the notion of simply stopping by the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ little clubhouse and pretending she was just intending to visit them. It would make for a terribly convenient excuse to turn around considering the rambunctious little fillies were at school now, but no. She was going to be strong and brave this time, and nopony was going to stop her, especially not herself.         Her legs carried her past the empty clubhouse, stride unfaltering. She was taking matters into her own hooves, and it felt good. Well, strictly speaking, she was trying to get Applejack to help her, but that was almost the same. It was all about finding cause to celebrate the small victories. Pinkie had said as much once, though she used other words. Very different words, in fact, but Twilight had said that was what she had meant.  Fluttershy gleefully flapped her wings a few times before re-folding them, trying to get this odd giddiness out of her system before she crested the next hill. When she finally cleared the northwestern orchards and approached the farmyard proper, she got a lot of help in that department. Fluttershy froze, and something dropped in her stomach. She had never before quite figured out where in the body “bravery” resided, but she was pretty sure hers was now a lump of ice dissolving in her belly. Applejack was not alone.         In fact, Applejack was as not-alone as anypony could ever hope to be on a weekday morning. Sure, she had expected Big Macintosh to be around somewhere, but what were Twilight and Rainbow Dash doing here? The four ponies were crowded around a pile of oddly shaped wooden objects: petite works of fine carpentry and a mess of papers upon which Twilight was furiously scribbling with a quill. Fluttershy couldn’t make out much more from this distance, and began to back off, hoping nopony had seen her. Her courage was rapidly waning, and she wondered if perhaps she shouldn’t go gather those herbs instead. She’d turned around and taken all of two steps before Rainbow Dash’s voice rang across the yard.         “Hey, Fluttershy!”         Fluttershy winced, but took care to put a smile on her face before she turned around again. Rainbow Dash had already crossed the farmyard and was hovering in front of her, head tilted.         “What’ve you been up to, huh? Did Applejack ask if you could help, too?” she asked, the energetic pony seeming a bit confused.         “Hi. Uh, I don’t think so? I’ve been, um, busy. I was just coming to visit, but I should probably head back home,” Fluttershy muttered, but it was too late. The others had of course seen where Rainbow Dash had gone off to. Big Macintosh nodded in greeting and Applejack waved. Twilight was apparently so absorbed in whatever she was doing that she hadn’t noticed.         Inexorably drawn to follow Rainbow Dash so as to not offend, Fluttershy soon found herself standing in the half-circle with the other present ponies. She nodded politely to the two Apple family members and tried to see what Twilight was doing. The purple mare was drawing complicated graphs and figures that went straight over Fluttershy’s head.         “How nice of you to come visit!” Applejack declared, smiling at Fluttershy. “Ah was starting to get right worried you’d forgotten about us other ponies, seeing as how you haven’t come by for a while.”         Fluttershy hung her head dejectedly. She’d been a terrible friend lately, it was true. “I’m sorry, but, um, maybe I can help you with, um...” she trailed off, having no idea what was actually going on. Surrounding the paperwork that had snared Twilight lay vast quantities of finely shaped models of tubes, half-tubes, supports and other things besides. It looked like a model set. Some of them were placed in a line on a map of Sweet Apple Acres that somepony had unrolled on the ground.         “Oh this here?” Applejack asked, arching a brow. “Well, since somepony’s stingy with the rain-”         “I can’t make rain if there are no clouds to begin with. I told you!” Rainbow Dash growled, flushing.         “Well, point is, we ain’t had a proper rainfall for a good while,” the farmpony soldiered on, her eyes never leaving Fluttershy as she spoke. “The apple trees’re fine for now, but Ah worry about our smaller crops. The corn and the like, it’s all too much to water by hoof, so we’re setting up some irrigation for it.”                 “At least, that’s the ‘theory’”, Big Mac drawled.         “Yes, well, it should be easy enough. We got the engineering down, pure pony power present aplenty and the plans are perfected,” Twilight hummed. “Oh, hi Fluttershy.”         Fluttershy smiled at Twilight by way of greeting, letting the bookish unicorn carry on.         “The problem is with the materials. Logging is heavily regulated in Whitetail Woods, so we’re very short on lumber, and we won’t get any help from Mayor Mare, either. Crosscut, who operates the sawmill, is in Clopenhagen on a vacation.” Twilight scrunched her face up, staring at the sketches and numbers she had scrawled as if they would spontaneously solve the problem.         “You know, I think we would’ve had enough to build a waterslide thingy from the brook to the corn place if you hadn’t wasted all the wood in Applejack’s barn by making all these toys,” Rainbow Dash said with an oddly contemplative look on her face.         “It’s called an aqueduct, and they are models, Rainbow, not toys,” Twilight muttered, blushing a little. “And that volume I found on magical woodworking was really good.”         “And that helps us how much now, again?” Applejack asked, frowning.         “Um, not a lot,” Twilight admitted, her horn glimmering as she levitated a dozen of the little models. She had even sanded them to perfection. “Sorry about that. The guide suggested that you use only the core of each log as the base for each piece. It had diagrams and everything.”         Fluttershy’s eyes darted back and forth as she watched her friends not-quite-quarrelling. Applejack’s face darkened, but it passed quickly as she drew breath and exhaled slowly.         “Don’t you fret none, Twi’. You tried, right? We’ll find a solution lickety split, just you watch,” the apple farmer said with a shrug. She had put on a smile, but Fluttershy saw that it was tainted by concern, and she caught Applejack stealing a quick glance in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres’ corn crop.         Fluttershy wanted to offer her hoof, say that she could help, but she had no idea what she could possibly do that her friends couldn’t. She made a small noise and opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t think of what to say. Applejack was looking at her with an arched brow. Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Big Macintosh followed Applejack’s eyes, and soon all attention was on her.         It took all her strength to not curl into a ball and hide under her tail, but she managed. Instead, she merely shrank back a little and eep-ed. Her mother would have been so very proud to see the strides Fluttershy had made with regards to social situations. That was a small comfort, though. She needed words, and she needed them now. She was looking very silly in front of Applejack. Again.          “O-kay?” Rainbow Dash hummed, scratching her head with a forehoof.         An excuse. That was what she needed. Excuses weren’t quite lies. Not always. If she could make herself believe she needed to do something, then that meant she could make it be true.         “You okay there, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, voice full of concern.         She’d already decided she needed to go pick more sneezeweed, and Shellby might actually have had a limp the last time she saw him. Granted, he was swimming at the time, so it was hard to tell, but that just meant she couldn’t be sure, right? Oh, and she hadn’t seen Angel since the fiasco with the bunnies. He could be hurt.         “This again? I thought she was done doing this,” Twilight commented, though Fluttershy barely heard her. “Perhaps we’ve reached critical mass? Four ponies is one too many? Rainbow Dash, could you try moving out of sight-”         “I’m sorry, I, um, have to go feed Angel turtle, um, sneeze... bye!”  Fluttershy squeaked and ran off as fast as her legs could carry her. She raced across the yard and into the orchard. She didn’t trust herself to fly right now, and the boughs of the apple trees were quick to hide her from view. She didn’t really think that any of her friends would pursue her. They’d probably chalk it up to Fluttershy being herself. They’d be right.         A quick glance around told Fluttershy that she’d made a minor mistake when she darted off. The farmhouse and the other buildings were between the pegasus and her home. She’d run in the wrong direction, and she’d have to take the long way around to get home. That was okay, though. And she was okay. It’s not like she had any problems beyond a slightly longer walk home, right?         Rainbow Dash watched as her foalhood friend disappeared amidst the trees. If she was going to worry every time Fluttershy was being such a- well, Fluttershy, she’d never get anything done. She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her other friends. Apparently, they were less willing to instantly dismiss it.         “What is up with her?” Twilight asked, eyes still on the horizon - as far as one could look to the horizon when surrounded by hills crowded with apple trees.         “You know how she is. Look at her a little too hard and she panics,” Rainbow Dash suggested, shrugging and beginning to move the wooden models around. Her face lit up as she was suddenly seized by an awesome idea. “Hey, give me those,” she commanded, scooping up all the little tubes and shafts Big Macintosh had placed on the map.         “Ah don’t know. It’s not like this is new, really,” Applejack said at length, every word measured.                  “How do you mean? I haven’t really seen her lately,” Twilight admitted, frowning at herself. “I guess I’ve been a little too busy with my studies.”         Rainbow Dash glanced over at her own flank, then back at the assorted wooden pieces she had to work with. She needed smaller pieces. Everypony else seemed caught up in talking, and that suited her just fine. Nopony noticed it when she subtly broke apart two of the tubes with her hooves. Her project was taking shape.         “Naw, it ain’t you, Twi’. It’s Fluttershy. She’s been holed up in her cottage lately except to come by the farm. Last market Ah asked Rarity, and she said she’s not seen Fluttershy this week either.” Applejack shook her head slowly.         “I thought it was my fault. I’ve got some new volumes on metamagical theory that I’ve been studying. She’s been coming here, though?” Twilight asked, not even trying to mask her surprise.         “Yup. Except for the last week, she’s been comin’ by almost daily,” the orange earth pony said with a shrug. “That ain’t what Ah mean though. She’s just been acting weird, you know? It’s not just that she’s been busy-”         That made Rainbow Dash perk up. “She’s been talking to you? Why?” It came out a little louder and angrier than she had intended to, but she fixed Applejack with a stare as she waited for an answer.         “That’s what Ah said ain’t it?” Applejack retorted, furring her brow as she turned to face her. The farmpony looked a little conflicted. “Ah’d love to know why myself, you know, but Ah ain’t exactly a mind reader. She’s probably just-”         “Uh-huh,” Rainbow Dash muttered dismissively, going back to her project while Applejack’s voice faded to a distant droning, but her heart wasn’t really in it any more. She nudged the models around with a hoof, thinking. When Fluttershy stopped showing up for Dash’s daily practice sessions, she’d always assumed there was a reason. Hearing that she was suddenly best pals with Applejack was a blow.         It was unfair, she decided. Yeah, they were all friends, and it wasn’t like she had monopoly on Fluttershy’s time, but it hurt a little. The annoying kind of hurt in her chest. A sprained wing hurt like a motherbucker, but she could survive that. Go have a rest, good in the morning. Somehow she doubted this was going to go away. Besides, she was losing to Applejack.         “Rainbow Dash?” Applejack’s voice startled the pegasus, and she snapped to attention, wings flared. What had she missed? The orange mare was giving her an odd look.         “Ah was saying that if making new clouds is right out, can’t you just go get clouds from elsewhere?”         “I could.” Dash sighed in annoyance, wrenching her mind back to the problem at hoof. “But it would take days to find anything. Do you see any clouds anywhere that aren’t my house?”         “There’s some right over there, ain’t there?” the apple farmer asked, pointing a hoof over to the west.         The blue pegasus frowned at her friend and shook her head. “I am not chasing clouds over the Everfree, AJ. No way.”         “Ah ain’t gonna ask you to do something you reckon is a bad idea,” Applejack said, raising a hoof in a placating gesture. “You’re the weather expert here, but why not? Flier fast as you could grab’em lickety split.”         “It’s called the Everfree effect,” Twilight interjected. “It’s not just limited to the animals, but also the expressions in the weather itself. It’s fascinating really. Some scholars have put forth theories that with old, controlled cloud matter, you could actually stabilize-”         “It’s probably really easy for anypony as awesome as me, sure,” Dash said, stopping Twilight before she could bore anypony to death. “Except, you know, we don’t have any clouds in the first place? That’s the problem!”         “Uh huh, right,” Applejack muttered with another mournful glance in the direction of her poor crop. “So, what other options do we got?”         Applejack waved companionably to Twilight and Rainbow Dash as the two set off back towards Ponyville. Big Macintosh had already gone back to the farmhouse with the intent of checking up on Granny Smith. There was precious little they could do now except wait. The four ponies had spent the entire morning and a portion of the afternoon trying to devise alternatives to Twilight’s aqueduct. “Asking Celestia really nicely” and “finding like, a lot of buckets” had been the best suggestions so far.         The orange mare looked down at the useless little model pieces. Somepony had begun to arrange them in the shape of Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark, though the effort had apparently been abandoned halfway through. She nudged them with a hoof and sighed. The farm would of course persevere somehow. If the corn crop failed, they had only lost a small portion of Sweet Apple Acres’ revenue.  She’d need to sit down with the ledgers to figure out exactly how to recoup that loss all the same. Applejack hated the ledgers with a passion. Rows upon rows of necessary but mind-numbingly boring numbers. It was every bit as vital to running the farm as applebucking itself, but it felt so far removed from honest work that it was all she could do not to buck the books themselves sometimes. It was her turn this year, though, Big Macintosh having dealt with it last year. She really should head inside and get started before dinner.         She didn’t, though. She remained rooted to the spot, and let her gaze drift over to the north, past the barn. A familiar frown crept up on her face and settled comfortably as she contemplated Fluttershy’s departure.         It wasn’t like it was terribly odd for the skittish pegasus to run off like that. Or, it didn’t use to be, but Twilight’s earlier words rang true. They were really past that, weren’t they? All the same, neither Twilight nor Rainbow Dash had elected to find out what was up with their friend. If they suspected something was truly wrong, or if Fluttershy was in danger, they would of course all be there faster than a mule could eat an apple, so it was probably nothing big.         There was probably no reason for Fluttershy running off, and Applejack was probably just imagining that Rainbow Dash was giving her angry looks throughout the morning. Overreacting was not on the farmpony’s agenda, particularly when there was work to be done.         “Probably” was simply not good enough for her to leave it alone. “Probably” belonged with “maybe” and “possibly”. They were vague, indecisive and dishonest words, shiftier than a sapling in a storm. Applejack shook her head as she started towards Fluttershy’s cottage under the baking sun. She’d be back in time for dinner, and then she’d take a double shift with the ledgers before bed. Fluttershy had been behaving so strangely lately, and she’d never gotten a proper answer as to why. Trying to get answers out of that pony was frustratingly hard sometimes, but perhaps going to her home would help? Tree trunks whisked past her as she broke into a gallop out of habit more than anything else. Her strong hoofbeats kicked up bits of grass and earth as she ran. She always thought better on the move: the faster the better. The more she considered it, the more likely she thought it was that going to Fluttershy’s cottage would help. She and Fluttershy were different in many ways, but she was certain that the other mare was more comfortable in her own home, surrounded by the animals she loved. Applejack herself always felt more at ease here at Sweet Apple Acres. Sometimes it felt like the fence was twice as tall when she was leaving as it was coming back, but the purpose that guided her was absolute.         Fluttershy’s cottage bustled with life as always. Myriads of animals, some of which Applejack didn’t even know the names of, swarmed around the cottage playing, eating and whatever else it was that they did. Normally, Applejack didn’t really give animals much thought if they weren’t Winona, a threat, or varmints trying to steal her apples. Even so, she slowed down as she crossed the little bridge that led to Fluttershy’s house. She might not fully understand Fluttershy’s fascination with all the little birds and beasts, but it wouldn’t do to be disrespectful. The tranquility of the area surrounding the unassuming little cottage, the gentle chuckle of the nearby brook - it was hard not to appreciate it. Without hesitation, the orange mare walked straight up to the door and knocked, twice. The noise felt harsh, angry and out of place. Silence. Or rather, an unbroken susurrus of birdsong, bunnies and all other manner of creatures. Still no reply. Applejack knocked again, gentler this time. She knocked both a third and a fourth time, and had even tried calling Fluttershy’s name before she was about ready to give up. As she turned around to leave, she noticed a white bunny standing at the corner of the house. She’d not think twice about this except for the fact that the bunny was looking very angry and stood with his forepaws crossed. Very few bunnies ever looked angry, and the air of frustration and annoyance was fairly unique. “Angel?” Applejack asked. She’d never really conversed with the bunny himself, but he seemed more clever than any bunny had a right to be, at times. Apparently, he could understand her just fine, given the way he looked at her expectantly. “So, uh. You seen Fluttershy ‘round here lately? Is she out?” she asked. The bunny turned away from her, glaring hard down the other side of the house from the corner he stood at. It looked like the furry little creature was trying to re-enact the Stare, but it was hard for Applejack to take him seriously. She chuckled at the little critter only to have her mirth cut short by a crash from inside the cottage. Angel rolled his eyes and bounced off, leaving Applejack very confused. “Fluttershy? You in there?” she called, growing more and more concerned by the minute. Yet again, no reply. She shrugged and squared her shoulders. This had gone on for long enough. “Ah’m coming in.” “No! Wait! Um, I mean-” came the reply from inside. Applejack could hear Fluttershy sigh, even through the door. “Okay.”         Applejack carefully nudged the door open. The room was stifling hot, but otherwise looked as it always did: a cozy little living room with assorted comfortable furniture, spattered with dens and birdhouses. The only creature present right now, however, was a decidedly shamefaced Fluttershy half-hiding behind a sofa. Again, the report of Applejack’s hooves felt loud and she thought she must look clumsy as she admitted herself, feeling almost like an intruder in Fluttershy’s sanctuary. Trying not to spook her friend, she stopped a respectful distance away, in the middle of the room. “Fluttershy, sugar, mind tellin’ me what in the hay is going on? Have Ah said something wrong? Have Ah done wrong by you?” she asked. Fluttershy’s eyes went wide with panic, and she shook her head violently. “Oh, no, no, never!” Applejack nodded, almost a little disappointed by her friend. She never pretended to understand how Fluttershy worked. She’d always assumed that they were simply very different, and left it at that, but this stung. Fluttershy had always been straight with her. “Then Ah don’t rightly understand why you’re avoiding me, and Ah won’t lie that it smarts a little,” she said, rolling her jaw. “What’s the deal? Why’re you hiding?” Something broke in Fluttershy. She cast her eyes down and disappeared behind the sofa until only the top of her pink mane could be seen. It seemed that the very light in the room dimmed, and Applejack felt a little stab of pain even though she knew she hadn’t said anything unreasonable. She began to walk around the furniture that separated them. “Listen, sugarcube,” she began, stifling a sigh only to pause when she heard a quiet sniffle. Oh now you’ve gone and done it, AJ. Good going. Now somepony’s gonna yell at you for being insensitive again, and they’re gonna be right as usual. Applejack crossed the remaining distance in a few short strides and sat down, planting her rump next to Fluttershy without looking at her. She was terrible at this sort of stuff, and she knew it. “Wanna talk about it?” she asked, feeling very awkward. It was so much easier when ponies needed help hauling stuff, or when things needed a good bucking. She could clear an acre of apple trees before breakfast, but she had no idea what to say to console a sad pony when she didn’t know what the problem was. Fluttershy gave a delicate sniff before nodding. “I’m sorry, I really am, I just, I don’t know what to do.” “You don’t have to do anything. You tell me what’s up, and if somepony’s hurt you, Ah’ll buck’m from here to Canterlot,” Applejack huffed, hazarding a glance over at Fluttershy. The pegasus was still hiding behind her mane, but Applejack imagined she could both hear and feel her smile at that. “You’re always so nice, but you can’t always carry me. It’s like Rainbow Dash says. I have to stand on my own four hooves sometime,” Fluttershy said, glancing up at her. “You girls can’t carry me all the time.” Fluttershy seemed unable to stop mentioning that whole trek up the mountain at every turn. That, or this was some sort of metaphor. Applejack didn’t know or care, and simply smiled back. “You see if Ah don’t, sugarcube. Ah got a strong back and Ah ain’t going nowhere. Now tell me what’s up, please? What’s the real problem?”         Fluttershy muttered something unintelligible, more of a squeak than actual words. Applejack leaned in closer, straining to hear.         “Mind repeating that, sugarcube?”         “You.”         Applejack licked her lips and nodded, reaching up to adjust her hat with a hoof. So she had done something. Had she been a little too forceful when told her to stop being so silly with all her apologetic nonsense last week? “Right. Well. What’ve Ah done now then? Let me have it.” “No!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “You haven’t done anything! I mean, it’s me! I- I tried telling you. I’ve tried so many times. I just...” Applejack leaned back, resting her head against the sofa and smiling bemusedly. “‘Thank you for helping me with everything up on that awful mountain?’ Except you saved all our hindquarters in the end?” Fluttershy shrank a little, retreating once more back under the curtain of pink that was her mane. Applejack’s eyes were on the wooden ceiling. She idly noted that it could do with some maintenance. “‘Thank you for bein’ a good friend’, except last time Ah went and checked, friendship was kind of a give-and-take deal?” Yep. The support beams would hold, of course, and Applejack was no carpenter, but she was pretty sure that she could shore up the ceiling better than this. Fluttershy hung her head, but Applejack wasn’t done. “‘Thank you for the apples for my little animal friends every week?’ Forgettin’ how many times you’ve taken care of Applebloom or Winona?” “Please stop, Applejack,” Fluttershy said, defeated, but Applejack refused to relent, getting up to stand before the other mare. “Ah would like to. And Ah would like for you to stop, too,” she tried, fixing the yellow pegasus with the kindest of looks she could manage. “If something’s wrong between us, you need to help me understand, ‘cause Ah’m just plain confused.”         It was impossible to try to decipher whatever Fluttershy’s face displayed. Applejack extended a hoof to help Fluttershy up, which her friend gratefully accepted.         “It doesn’t go away, the feeling,” Fluttershy said, obviously trying to compose herself. Applejack just stood there and watched as the pegasus began to wander around the living room, cleaning up little odds and ends. “I’m sorry if I’m just, um, saying the same thing over and over, but I just don’t know what else to say. I really just...” she lowered her voice, turning over to look back at Applejack as she moved to put a book back in her bookshelf. “Thank you?”         Applejack scratched the back of her head. Of all the problems she’d had in her years, this must be the oddest one yet. She tilted her head and crossed her forelegs. “Could try giving me a hug, Ah s’pose?”         Fluttershy gave a start, dropping the book with a squeak. She had stopped moving entirely.         “Ah mean, Ah just figured maybe it might help? If you’re happy, perhaps you just need a hug to let it all out? Plenty of times when Ah’m happy, well, then a hug’s just the nicest thing, right?” Applejack said, chuckling nervously. She had no idea why Fluttershy was being so, well, shy about it. They’d shared plenty of hugs in the past. Did she smell? She’d bathed not two days ago. She gave her mane a subtle sniff, but found nothing amiss. When she looked up again, Fluttershy was in front of her, eyes on the ground.         “Okay,” was all Fluttershy said. She looked about ready to bolt, fidgeting with her forehooves.         Seeing her like this, Applejack doubted that a hug alone would fix whatever was going on, but she wasn’t going to over-think it. She leaned forward to cross necks with Fluttershy, hugging her close with a foreleg. The poor pegasus quavered, and Applejack could feel her heartbeat as their coats brushed against each other. She quickly drew back, eliciting a whimper from Fluttershy.         “Heavens to betsy, sugar, are you feeling alright? If you’re sick, why didn’t you just say so? Let’s get you to bed,” Applejack commanded, nudging her lightly in the side with her head. The pegasus barely moved.         “I really like you, Applejack,” Fluttershy said, extending her wings and furling them again. It was an odd sort of gesture that the farmpony had no idea how to interpret.         “And Ah like you too, sugar, which is why we’re gonna get you to bed,” Applejack insisted, getting behind her and prodding her gently on the flank with a forehoof. The pegasus hopped forward a little bit, but turned around to face her. Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but Fluttershy’s gaze was urgent and fearful.         Applejack herself had a healthy relationship with fear. She’d been taught long ago that fear was natural. Fear was healthy and good, and kept you from doing stupid stuff. Sure, she could be a little bull-headed at times, but she also knew that fear was nothing to be feared in and by itself. Granny Smith was a veritable wellspring of wisdom on the subject.         Right now, all the tell-tale signs of fear made themselves known to Applejack. She could hear the rush of blood in hear ears, and a shiver ran down her spine. When she spoke, her voice sounded tinny, and she wasn’t really quite sure if it was she who had spoken. The words came from somewhere far away.         “You mean you like me.”         Fluttershy nodded, but whatever source of courage she had been drawing from to stand up to Applejack and admit this seemed to be rapidly running dry. Her eyes slipped to the ground, and she began to lower her head. “I’m sorry for being such a bother. Please, this is my problem, and if you don’t want to see me any more, I understand, I- I probably shouldn’t even have said it, I really shouldn’t, it was stupid and selfish, oh Fluttershy, why do you say these things, I didn’t mean to-”         Before she could even consider what she was doing, Applejack had torn herself free from the invisible shackles that held her in place. She stepped right up to Fluttershy and put a hoof under her chin, raising her head back up. Applejack looked her right in the eye. The pegasus shook.         “This why you’ve been feelin’ out of sorts, sugar?” she asked.         Fluttershy said nothing, and Applejack got the feeling that the only reason she was looking back at her was because she was too afraid to even run away. It made the orange farmpony feel wretched, but she could not make herself let go if she thought she could help.         “You’re hurting ‘cause you’re sweet on me? Honest?” Applejack pressed. Fluttershy took a step backwards, eyes wide and wings spread. All this served to do was upend a small table behind her, sending a wooden bowl of fruit clattering to the floor. Applejack followed, not letting her off her hoof. She felt like a bully.         Having nowhere to run, Fluttershy shook her head ever so slightly. “No, I mean, I can’t know for sure. I just, I think about you a lot. And I can’t stop. But I’m probably wrong, I usually am, and I should really go back to, um, what I was doing. Which is, um. You know, I was probably just having bad day. Week. Month.”         Applejack leaned in a little closer. It was almost a little uncomfortable, the tips of their snouts touching, but she really needed to drive the point home. “For all the hooey Rainbow Dash spouts, she’s sure got one thing down right. You need to be more assertive. No matter how many friends you have, some things you just won’t never get unless you reach out and take it.”         Fluttershy nodded vigorously, biting her lower lip. “I promise I will, so, um, thank you. Uh, so we’re okay. I’ll just...” she looked around, obviously looking for a way out. Considering they were in her living room, options were rather limited.         “Ah’ll leave you well enough alone if you can answer my darn question, Fluttershy,” Applejack said with a huff. “You sweet on me?”         The poor pegasus mare’s bright blue eyes found Applejack’s, again. She sounded downright pained, lowering her voice. “Yes. I think so. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”         “Okay, let’s give it a shot then,” Applejack said with a shrug, letting go of Fluttershy’s muzzle. The pegasus awkwardly collapsed to the ground as if Applejack’s hoof was all that had been holding her up. Fluttershy looked almost indignant.         “That’s not how it works, you can’t just say that,” she protested as she stood back up. “Please don’t joke about this, I really am sor-”         “Sugarcube,” Applejack cut her off. “You say that word one more time, and Ah swear Ah’m gonna, well. Ah’ve no idea idea what Ah’ll do, but just please let that poor lil’ word have a rest fer once.”         “You can’t just say that,” Fluttershy repeated. She made a noise that Applejack was certain was intended as a snort, but it came off as something between a squeak and a wheeze instead. “You’re not in-, you don’t...”         Applejack was content to wait in silence. She hid nothing as Fluttershy stared at her with her mouth hanging open. She had no idea what her friend was looking for, but she simply smiled politely as the flustered pegasus scrabbled for words.         “Why would you do this?” Fluttershy managed, at length. “I mean, oh my goodness, you’re a really good friend, I didn’t mean to say you’re not, but, um. This isn’t... this isn’t how it’s supposed to work.”         “And just how is it supposed to work, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. “Have you been listening to Rarity’s fancy tales again?”         Fluttershy’s silence at this spoke louder than any words possibly could have. Applejack sat down on the hard wooden floorboards and puffed out her cheeks. “Ah’m your friend, Fluttershy. No matter what happens between us, nothing going to be changing that, ever. You’re not going to be losing me.”         “We’re both grown mares, consarn it. Ah ain’t promising you my hoof in marriage,” she sighed, though she not could quite hold back a smile at Fluttershy’s blush. “Ah care about you. Can you for once try to just say yes? Not for me, but for yourself, and don’t over-think it, okay? We’ll go out, see what happens.”         Applejack blew a stray stand of hair away from her own eyes. Fluttershy looked reluctant still, but said nothing, and the silence stretched on. Applejack would have paid good bits to know exactly what was going on inside the head of her pegasus friend. It felt like she sat there for hours waiting, though she rationally knew it couldn’t have been more than a minute or two. The sun told the tale well and simple; it was still afternoon. “A date? O-okay.” Fluttershy finally said, her voice shaking ever so slightly. “I mean, yes. Please. If- if you really want to and if it’s not too much trouble?” Applejack raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “Date? Ah guess you could think of it like that. Ah’ll just come by tomorrow afternoon after Ah’m done at the farm. We’ll have us a picnic,” she suggested, making for the door as she looked over her shoulder. “Ah gotta get back to work, but you shut your brain off for once now you hear? Stop worrying!”         Fluttershy silently stared back at her, and it was all too tempting to just skip dinner and stay when faced with those big eyes. Applejack knew Fluttershy would love nothing more than to ask her to stay, but duty called. The pegasus nodded bravely, and Applejack slipped out the door with a parting nod of her own.         Only when she had crossed the bridge and was hidden from view by a copse of trees did Applejack let herself breathe again. She sat down heavily and leaned back against the trunk of a large tree by the side of the road. Her head made a satisfying thunk as it impacted, and she closed her eyes tightly.         “What in the hay are you doing, Applejack?” she muttered to herself before letting out a shuddering sigh. She knocked her stupid head against the tree a few more times just for good measure. It hurt, but she had no doubt the tree would crack long before her thick skull. She could be such an idiot sometimes.         She wasn’t in love with Fluttershy. Fluttershy knew this. It was obvious, but if neither of them expected this to go anywhere, why was she doing this? Fluttershy had protested, and she was right to do so, but seeing her friend in pain triggered every protective instinct in the farmpony’s body. She wanted to make Fluttershy okay, and she had just set herself up to do the exact opposite.         Had Fluttershy only agreed because she trusted Applejack? It sounded all too likely. The pegasus mare did trust her, and Applejack was mocking that trust. Love didn’t just spring forth from nowhere just like that, did it? What would happen when it turned out that Applejack didn’t feel the same for Fluttershy? What was Applejack hoping would happen? She briefly entertained the notion of running back to explain to Fluttershy how it was all a mistake, but that would only hurt her more. Fluttershy was a grown and clever mare, and Applejack had told no lies. No, Applejack, you’ve gone and managed to set her up for heartbreak without lying even a little bit. Good going. The realization stung something fierce deep in her heart.  Another thud. That one was going to leave a bump on her head for sure, and her hat fell halfway over her face. Shortly thereafter there was a rustle of leaves and a noise that was most certainly not her doing. Applejack cracked an eye open, expecting to see leaves and twigs falling or some such. Rainbow Dash may have been a slim pony, but she was not a twig in the literal sense of the word. The rainbow-maned mare stood in the middle of the dirt road right in front of her. Applejack didn’t even have the energy left to be surprised, and closed her eyes again. Dash wore a suspicious frown, and Applejack did not want to have to deal with this right now. Whatever “this” was. “Been to see Fluttershy, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked. Judging by the sounds of light hoof-falls, she was pacing back and forth, and Applejack hated the tone of her voice. It sounded like a challenge, and she was plenty busy being annoyed with herself without having Dash adding to it. “Don’t rightly see how that’s any of yer business, but that’s right. You spying on me now?” she murmured tiredly.         “I don’t know, is it none of my business?” Rainbow asked innocently, her voice saccharine.         Rainbow Dash couldn’t know what Fluttershy and Applejack had just discussed, of course. At least, that’s what Applejack told herself. Regardless, it raised the uncomfortable issue of having to tell their friends. Sure, they didn’t have to, but skulking about in the shadows didn’t sit right with her. How would they take it? She’d love to say buck ’em if they didn’t like it, but they were friends. It couldn’t stay a secret forever.         Rainbow Dash was probably still waiting for an answer, but Applejack had no real answer to give. She had no idea what Rainbow Dash was getting at, either. “Ah don’t have time for this, R.D.,” she sighed.         “No, I see you’re very busy sitting here doing nothing when you’re not hanging out with Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash grumped. “But hey, you give me a poke when you need some rain, because that’s all I’m good for, right?”         Thud. That was a good one. Applejack’s hat fell off, and she opened her eyes. Rainbow Dash was staring at her with intensity that made no sense to the apple farmer. When Applejack spoke, she didn’t have to work very hard to sound weary. The pegasus was starting to get on her nerves. “That’s mighty rich coming from Equestria’s best napper. Aren’t you supposed to be asleep or something?”         “Oh, buck yourself, then,” Dash hissed, taking off with a blast of air that sent Applejack’s head thudding against the poor battered tree one final time. A rainbow contrail pointed straight up into the sky, partially obscured by all the dust kicked up from Dash’s takeoff. Applejack’s head refused to stop ringing. She accepted the pain and spat on the ground. If Rainbow Dash was going to be an idiot, whatever the reason, then she’d let her. She grabbed her stetson, put it back atop her head, and set off towards home. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have enough on her plate as it was. Tonight, her ledgers needed her. Tomorrow, Fluttershy. She wasn’t quite sure which of the two she dreaded more, nor was she entirely convinced about the word “date”, but she had a picnic to plan nevertheless.