Hey there, HiddenBrony here. If this prologue seems familiar to you, than if you're familiar with my work, you'll recognize this as the AppleShy short: Fourth Month, found as an added extra to my Hop, Skip, and a Jump. However, it's important to this story as it directly precedes this fic, so for those of you who haven't read Hop, Skip, and a Jump as well as Big Mac's Strange Day, now would be a good time.
For those of you who have read Fourth Month, feel free to read and refresh yourself on what's going down, or go on to the new meat of the story: A Rumble in Appleoosa.
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Applejack tasted the dry, arid atmosphere, her tongue lazing out absentmindedly. The constant clatter of metal against metal was dulled through the wooden cabin of the train car, the last vestiges of the day hanging just over the horizon. The mare yawned, her sun dried tongue hastening its retreat back into her mouth. The feeling of it in her mouth was not unlike sandpaper, and Applejack made as if to move to get a drink of water, but an ebb of warm softness kept her from moving. Eyes trailing against the obstruction, Applejack’s gaze fell upon the sleeping form of Fluttershy, nuzzled up against her in a peaceful embrace.
Oh yeah, that. Applejack inwardly commented, feeling a bit silly. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed her friend’s drift into slumber. The two had spent much of the early morning and afternoon playing whatever entertainment they could find, exploring the train they hadn’t a chance to see the last time they had taken the express to Appleoosa. It was no wonder the poor pegasus had tuckered herself out.
The trapped pony’s ear twitched as she heard the tell-tale clang of glass against metal as the refreshment trolley came through their car. As the stallion made past the girls, the farm pony hissed so as not to wake her sleeping friend, causing the green unicorn to pause his cart. Applejack was pleased with the result, quickly reaching up for her hat with a free hoof. “How much can Ah trouble you fer somethin’ to wet this poor mare’s whistle?” she whispered.
The stallion looked over his remaining choices on the cart before his phoenix-red aura took hold of a number of different drinks. His eyes never once fell upon the buttercream colored pegasus, merely dealing with his customer. “I got water, sarsaparilla, and a bit of applejack left. You’re not gonna get better outside of Appleoosa, that’s for certain,” the stallion returned with equal volume, knowing not to wake sleepy passengers. Tempting as it was, Applejack herself had to forego her namesake, her eyes trailing across the smooth pink mane in front of her.
“Ah’ll take water. ‘Tain't much longer to Appleoosa, Ah reckon. Ah’ve not made the trip all awake, but Braeburn said the car makes it out just ‘fore ten, and he’s meeting us at the station. No good bein’ silly ‘fore bed.” Applejack’s explanation was without active audience, the stallion having been focused on pouring the water expertly, sliding the wide open cup in front of the mare, who greeted the sight with a grateful smile. Pulling her hat down, the orange pony was about to pull out some bits before the auburn maned pony shook his head. “That’ll be alright, miss. I know these tracks like my front hooves; we ain’t got much further to go - we’ll restock on beverages when we hit Appleoosa.”
Before Applejack could cut in with a proper retort, the unicorn quickly retreated out the back car, taking full advantage of the mare’s position as pegasi pillow to get away with going against Applejack’s honest nature. Eliciting a small chuckle at the unicorn’s tactile perception, the mare took a long hard drink from her cup, nestled neatly between her hooves. “Appleoosa. It’s gonna be good to see Braeburn and the others again.”
“Mmmph...” was all that squeaked from the shuffling form of the pegasus beside her. She nuzzled even closer to Applejack’s rough body, heat rushing toward the conscious mare’s cheeks as Fluttershy’s wing reflexively landed across Applejack’s back, pulling her in as the mares touched muzzles. Planting a feathery light kiss on Fluttershy’s lips, the blushing Earth pony couldn’t help but feel the butterflies in her stomach. In her mind, it was only right for this pegasus to be the pony to make her feel this way, and she had long since forgotten that they were two mares in love. To her, and to most of the folks at home, she was a pony in love with another pony.
But out here, that old thought was coming back to her, nipping at her subconscious. The ponies of Appleoosa were a far more conservative bunch. As memory served, Big MacIntosh had come out here following a small problem when their sheriff, Silverstar, had run off to be with a buffalo. Ever since, Braeburn hadn’t written of any trouble, but her cousin was never much for writing home to Sweet Apple Acres to begin with. Still, he had invited Applejack out to Appleoosa for a visit, and seeing that it was off-season at the orchard, by golly, she was gonna go see her favorite cousin. Applejack smirked as her eyes fell on the sweet, slumbering pony beside her.
Not to mention it was time that could be spent alone with her marefriend. However again, as soon as the thought entered her mind, that freeze of unease filtered through her body. Her tail twitched against her will, brushing uneasily against Fluttershy’s own, causing the fragile form to fidget. Calming herself, the honest mare took another drink of water, finishing off a third of the generous cup as she laid her head down next to it.
Opting to stare out the window, the mare could see some track for a turn up ahead, and beyond it, Celestia’s sun was fighting a losing battle against the horizon to the west. Applejack’s mind diverted at the thought of the Princess. It was gratifying to learn that Celestia herself condoned the relationships between similarly gendered ponies. What she hadn’t been too keen on was Twilight’s revelation that that knowledge had come when she had sent a letter regarding something she had learned about friendship during Applejack and Fluttershy’s ‘coming out’ party Pinkie Pie threw. While there was no harm done, the pony felt the cold shiver of ‘what if’ Celestia hadn’t been in support of it. It took a male and female to make a newborn. ‘Twas only natural that way. At least, that’s what she had been brought up to know by Mayor Mare’s old classes in Sex Ed.
Applejack shivered at the memory.
“Applejack...?” The sound of Fluttershy’s voice, however quiet, startled the pony, causing the farm filly to jump. The sudden movement prompted Fluttershy to lock her wings, which only caused Applejack to nuzzle closer to the pegasus, much to the blushing of both ponies, Applejack’s tail twitching abruptly. After a moment where they moved feet and wings to get into a separate yet comfortable position, Applejack gave a pained smile to her marefriend.
“Sorry fer wakin’ ya, sugarcube. Didn’t mean to upset ya like that,” she apologized, the pegasus shaking her head as Applejack spoke.
“No, I’m sorry. I said I was going to stay up with you until we got there, and then I went and fell asleep.” Averting her gaze, the pony could only give a sad smile as penance for her mistake. “I’m sorry.”
Applejack smiled, sweetly moving closer to her best friend. “Now don’t worry about it none, ‘Shy. It’s a long, hard trip out to Appleoosa and it’s been a long day full a’ games and what-have-you on this train. Ah don’t blame ya one bit fer bein’ plumb tuckered out by sundown.” Looking out the window, the rumbling of the train saw fit to steal away the window view she had before, opening up the landscape before them. Apple orchards could be seen, stretched out like a spider’s web, with large, bulky shapes barrelling through the trees below. Applejack’s tail twitched about as it swung left a moment. “Well, look’n like we’re nearin’ our destination.”
“Applejack...” Fluttershy called, the orange pony turning towards the large sapphire eyes. She was surprised at the look of concern that hung on the graceful features, and more so when she kept eye contact. “You’re bothered...”
“I’m sorry?” Applejack gaped, her eyebrows askew at the accusation. “Bothered ‘bout what?” The steely cold wind from her heart brushed the tips of her hooves as Applejack’s face slowly began to fall, her heart not letting her hold out much longer.
Fluttershy looked back at Applejack’s twitching tail. Slight as it was, the twitches and random directions it flew were not swapping any flies. “Your tail always fidgets when something is bothering you,” she said innocently, her eyes matching against Applejack’s own emerald orbs. “Is something wrong?”
Applejack opened her mouth as if to speak, but only a strangled breath managed to escape her mouth. She hadn’t imagined herself in any sort of bother, but the cold that crawled up her leg and took hold of her heart was present, and Fluttershy’s kindness would not ignore it. Sighing, the pony took a large draft of water, feeling the cool drink pass down her throat and cool her nerves. “Ah should know better than to try and keep somethin’ from you, sugarcube.”
“I didn’t think you wanted to, but if it’s that important, than maybe you shouldn’t, if it makes you uncomfortable, I mean,” Fluttershy backpedaled, not wishing for Applejack to feel forced. “I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“Nah, Fluttershy, you have every right to get me ta come clean, and if ever you ‘spect Ah ain’t being proper with you, you let me know straightaway. Uncomfortable has everything to do with it, ‘Shy,” Applejack confessed, her eyes narrowing at her own weakness. “Ah’ve been sittin’ here, idlin’ with mah thoughts about Appleoosa. Ah don’t know much about the ponies out there, but they’re mighty old fashioned.” Fluttershy merely nodded, not letting go of her marefriend’s eyes for an instant. She inwardly recalled the town from their last visit, the southern rustic feel of the shanty town was very thorough.
“Ah remember Big Mac tellin’ me about some scuffle out here on account of somepony runnin’ and fallin’ in love with a buffalo, and they were just... plumb run outta town. They didn’t see it as proper, I ‘spect.”
“And you’re worried about us?” Fluttershy finished, having arrived at the point moments before Applejack could voice it. The orange Earth pony closed her eyes and averted her gaze, the cold grip of shame tightening around her heart.
“A-Ah’m sorry sugarcube. Ah thought Ah was over this silly thing when... when Pinkie threw us that party.” Hurt crawled from her voice as she looked through faded tears, watching the trees of the orchard blow by. “Ah guess it just got everythin’ out in the open for everypony, Ah didn’t have ta really think about how ponies reacted to us. But this is a different thing altogether, Ah don’t want Braebu-”
She felt a light peck on her cheek, her ponytail lightly pushed aside as Fluttershy cuddled closer. “Sugarcube?”
“I love you, Applejack.” Another peck on the cheek.
Tears started to drop from Applejack’s chin as she her pain screamed away.
Another kiss, this time on the lips. “I love you.”
A smile, wide as can be, accompanied the tears that rolled down the honest mare’s face.
“Love you,” another kiss, this time fully returned, as Celestia’s sun gave way into night.
“Ah love you two, Sugarcube. And don’t let me ever forget it.”