//------------------------------// // The Next Day // Story: Competing From the Heart // by Aramadon //------------------------------// The rooster crowed far too early for Applejack the next morning. After having been out so late, she wondered how many hours of sleep she’d actually gotten. Still, it wouldn’t be the first morning that felt like this. She’d probably take a nap later today – as long as she could keep it from getting into the newspaper this time around. Her body felt numb as she rolled out of bed. I just need to get some blood flowing through my legs. She left her room, passed through the kitchen, and went out the door in to have a short walk in the cool, fresh air to wake up. Upon exiting the house, though, she noticed that the sky was still almost completely dark. If she squinted, she could just barely make out some color on the eastern horizon. She turned her head and glared at the rooster – or at least towards the spot where his perch was. “You call THAT a sunrise?” Applejack couldn’t tell in the dim light, but she hoped that the rooster looked sufficiently ashamed. Wasn’t any point in going back to bed at the moment, though. Since she was up, she might as well make breakfast, and maybe figure out what to do for her date with Rarity. Since Applejack had gone over to ask if she would be her Special Somepony, she hadn’t actually planned out a date. As she got out bowls for breakfast, however, she got an idea – I could cook for Rarity! There’s nothing like the secret family recipe for Apple Pie! We could go on a picnic. She started a fire under the stove and started cooking some oatmeal. On the other hoof, we go out on a picnic with our friends fairly often. I probably need something special and unique for our first actual date. On the other other hoof, Rainbow’s taking her to a dance, and we dance at parties all the time. No more ideas came to her through the early morning fog over her mind, so she just kept cooking. A big red mass lumbered into the kitchen. “Mornin’.” Applejack looked her brother over. He had bags under his eyes and he was moving slower than normal. “Boy, do you look tired.” Big Mac yawned. “Well, I was waitin’ up for you to get home.” “Aww, you don’t have to do that.” “I always wait up for my little sis.” It was true. After every adventure, she came home to find Macintosh waiting for her, even if it was two in the morning. It might be because they were a close family, and had to depend on each other so much after losing their parents. It might be because she risked her life sometimes when she was out trying to help ponies with her friends. It was hard to point to a specific thing. The two stayed silent for a little bit. After the moment had passed, Big Mac leaned across the table and spoke with a half-smile on his face, “So, anything of interest happen last night?” Applejack blushed. “Wha – How…What do ya mean? You know very well that if I have something to tell you, I’d just tell you.” She wasn’t quite sure why Big Mac was acting the way he was. In fact, thinking about it, Big Mac usually waited for her in the living room, and greeted her when she came home. If he was still up, why had he kept his distance last night? Big Macintosh’s smile shifted to the other side. “Well, I was just thinking that it might be of some importance to the family in the future.” Before Applejack could respond, the youngest Apple sibling entered the room. To say she crashed her way into the room might be more accurate, as she was still sleepily stumbling over her own hooves. Apple Bloom yawned and greeted the day. “Mornin’ everypony. I can sure smell that breakfast.” Applejack and Big Macintosh’s previous conversation abruptly ended, and not a word more was spoken about it for the moment. They had their breakfast (once Granny Smith had finally joined them), Apple Bloom went off to school, and everyone else headed out to get a start on their chores for the day. But Big Macintosh didn’t stop thinking about it. In fact, he was happy for his sister, and figured that she didn’t need to be so secretive. He also figured that he could help Applejack out – but he might need some help himself if he was going to do that. He’d have to talk with Cherilee later about his sister’s late night escapades with Rainbow Dash. * * * It was just so slightly uncomfortably warm outside. At this time of the afternoon, it was warm on the farm, even in the fall – and it felt especially warm if one had trees to buck. Applejack was sweating as usual, but this kind of work would have her sweating even if she did it in the middle of winter. Also, I’d probably get sick if I did this kind of thing in the middle of winter. Her mind wandered as she followed the route she’d taken many times before. Routine physical labor might keep one physically fit, but it also left time for thinking. She kept coming up with ideas for her date with Rarity. She thought of everything from her picnic idea, to bowling, to a dinner at a fancy restaurant, to stargazing, to going to a play together. She even thought about taking Rarity to another dance, like Rainbow would be doing. Eventually, she started thinking about the “spa dates” that Fluttershy would go on with Rarity. Perhaps something like that could be turned into a date date. In any case, Fluttershy is the perfect pony to ask about this sort of thing. She probably would know what kind of date Rarity would like the most. And with that, it was decided – she had a visit to make after she was done with her chores. * * * Standing outside Fluttershy’s door, Applejack felt a little jittery. On the bright side, she was nowhere near as nervous as she had been when she was about to confess her feelings to Rarity, but she still felt a little anxious. After all, she hadn’t really told any of her friends what was going on. If things had gone well that night with Rarity, the two of them would have obviously announced their relationship as soon as possible. However, with the way things are now, I just don’t know what to say. Besides, it’s a pretty weird situation to explain to other ponies. Still, they’re going to find out sometime – and I’m here now. I may as well knock. Applejack lifted her hoof. Knock. Knock. Knock. A crashing sound came from inside. She faintly heard a voice. “Oh, I’m sorry! Just a minute!” A few moments later, her friend Fluttershy opened the door. Her head hung down a little, her mane was haggard, and a bird was perched in her hair. Applejack reached a hoof out to her friend’s shoulder in concern. “Are you okay there, sugarcube?” Fluttershy smiled wearily. “Yes, it’s just been a very busy day. There’s a cold going around and all of the birds are getting sick. What brings you around, Applejack? Would you like to come in?” “It looks like it’s probably not a good time – I just wanted to wanted to talk to ya a little about something, and maybe ask for your advice.” “Oh, I don’t mind, come in.” As Applejack walked into Fluttershy’s house, she winced at the state of disarray. She could see birds lying down with damp rags on their heads, rabbits panicking, food and water bowls placed around the floor with little rhyme or reason, different types of animal clothing strewn about the place, and nothing looked clean. Fluttershy smiled sweetly. “So, what did you need?” Applejack shook her head. “No. Let me help you out first.” Applejack picked up an empty food bowl and took it to Fluttershy’s sink, only to find a bird already occupying it, taking a bath. Fluttershy hid behind her mane. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. I know you’re very busy too.” Applejack picked up a rag to clean up some water that had been spilled on her friend’s floor. “I won’t hear another word of it, Fluttershy. You need the help, so that’s what I’m here to do.” The two of them worked for nearly two hours cleaning up – removing animal hair, picking up clothes, cleaning up food and water spills, putting all of the food and water in the same area, repeatedly calming the animals, and even disinfecting Fluttershy’s sink. With this many sick birds around, Applejack figured that Fluttershy’s entire house could use a disinfecting once this sickness had run its course. Once they were done, Applejack settled into a chair and Fluttershy collapsed onto the cushions of her freshly cleaned couch. Letting out a deep breath, Fluttershy said, “You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Applejack smiled tiredly. “You’d do it for me.” Fluttershy stretched herself out on her couch. “Well, I’m still sorry for taking so long to get around to helping you. What is it that you came here to talk to me about, anyways?” “Well, you see, a situation has come up…I mean, I was involved in everything that happened, but it was still a surprise…Well, from a certain perspective, it’s rather simple. And complicated.” Applejack mentally kicked herself. And all of a sudden, I’m fumbling over my words again. Why is all of this kind of stuff so hard to express? She took a deep breath. “Okay, let me start at the beginning. The first thing you should know is that I asked Rarity out on a date.” Fluttershy jumped off of the couch, eyes wide. “What? When? Does every pony know? I had no idea!” Applejack gave a small smile. “I didn’t mean for anypony to have an idea, sugarcube. If she had said yes, I would have announced it with her to the rest of ya’ll. Well, she did say yes, kind of. I mean…dang nabbit, I’ve gone and confused it again.” Applejack closed her eyes and rubbed her temples with her hooves. After a moment, she opened her eyes again and spoke. “Okay, so the first thing to know is that Rarity has agreed to go on one date with me. As a trial run, maybe. We’ll see how it goes.” Applejack sighed. “I don’t think she was sure about what to do when I asked her, but she wanted to give me the benefit of the doubt.” Fluttershy sat back down. “If anypony deserves the benefit of the doubt, Applejack, it’s you. But…what brings you here? What do you want me to do?” “I’ve been thinking that if I only get one date to make this work, then I need to choose very carefully what kind of date to take her on. That’s why I’m here. That’s where I want your advice. I was thinking of taking her on a picnic at Sweet Apple Acres, or maybe one of those fancy restaurants that she likes, or maybe to the spa…I just don’t know what would be best. Do you know what she would like best?” Fluttershy put her hoof under her chin. “Well, if you’re thinking about food or a spa date, why not both? Aloe, Lotus, and Vera have made a deal with a nearby restaurant to offer a special date package. That’s probably the best idea I have to give you.” Applejack’s ears perked up. “That sounds great! I’ll go check it out.” Applejack’s ears folded back down and she shuffled uncomfortably in your seat. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll do my best to make good use of it.” Fluttershy walked over and patted Applejack on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Applejack. You’ll do great. Your Ponyville’s Most Dependable Pony! And you and Rarity are such good friends – I’m sure everything will work out.” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, there’s something else – I’m not the only one who asked Rarity out. She’s going to be going to the Town Dance with Rainbow Dash. It’s a tough situation.” Fluttershy’s ears fell flat on her head and shrunk down a bit, somehow appearing smaller. “You…both?” Applejack’s concern for her friend kicked in immediately. “What’s wrong? Is something the matter?” Fluttershy hid behind her mane. “It’s just…I don’t want to take sides.” Applejack reached over to give her friend a hug. “I won’t expect you to. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that I was being so tactless. You just…you just take care of yourself, you hear? You’ve got enough problems without Rainbow and me adding to them.” Fluttershy nodded quietly. “Thanks for your time. I’ll just be heading out now.” Applejack started walking out and opened the door, but she was interrupted by a voice. “Thank you…” Applejack looked back at her friend. Fluttershy straightened up a bit and spoke again. “I mean…thank you for coming over today. You were a big help.” Applejack smiled and gave a wave of her hat as she left Fluttershy’s house. “Anytime, sugarcube.” As Applejack walked toward the spa, her head swam with new thoughts. She hadn’t really realized how this situation might affect her friendships outside of Dash and Rarity. How would she take it if one of her other friends took Dash’s side in this? She hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She would have to take care of her other friendships too, and deal with problems as they arrived. For now though, Applejack decided to look on the bright side – for the first time since this situation started, she finally had a plan.