//------------------------------//
// 01 : That Fall Feeling 
// Story: Seasons: Falling Leaves 
// by Wodahseht 
//------------------------------//

It was one of those perfect, early-Autumn days. Sunny and warm with barely a cloud in the sky and only a gentle breeze. The air was filled with those hard-to-define scents and sounds of fall. No perfume of flowers, rather a subtle smell of beginning decay from the falling leaves. Not the wet taste of spring or the dry taste of summer on the breeze, but an earthy richness. Not the boisterous symphony of animals in spring, but the mellower grunts and chirps of wildlife setting in before winter.

As much as she loved spring because her animal friends were crawling out of all their nooks and crannies to chase away the loneliness of winter, this was actually one of Fluttershy's favorite times of year. She herself felt so much more a part of nature in this soft and quiet time of the year. The warm breezes and low hum of fall seemed to wrap her in a blanket of calm, welcoming her with no demands of service or action in return.

It was hard to really get to enjoy the peace in town, so she was very glad of that she had access to the back sections of Sweet Apple Acres: the areas set aside for the critters to enjoy so that they'd leave the orchards alone. No one came back here, not even the Apple family usually, so it made the perfect escape for her from the rest of the world.

It was also perhaps the only place where Fluttershy would even consider going nude like she currently was. Being able to take off her clothes and let the breeze wrap around her entire body, to slip into a stream or pond and feel the water caress her with no interference, or (on the days it rained) to feel each falling drop touch her skin like a kiss from the sky itself...it was the most therapeutic thing she had ever experienced or could possibly imagine.

She'd wander around her home sometimes with no clothes, but it wasn't the same as opening herself up to the elements. And there was always the worry that someone might knock at the door, or that she may have left a window uncovered by accident and someone could see her...

She'd thought about finding a nudist beach or resort. Very briefly thought about it. But she couldn't possibly see uncovering and opening up herself to so many people like that when she didn't know anything about them. Besides, she'd heard stories of the people that will go to those places just to ogle the others there. Just the thought of that was enough to make her want to hide away in her house for a week...or more.

But here where nobody could be expected to come was the perfect place to indulge in this tranquil pastime.

One of her favorite spots to sit and enjoy the scenery was at a small natural pond. There was a smooth, stone outcrop right at the water's edge with an overgrown bush beside which provided the area with shade for most of the day. The view from this spot included the nearer mountains, which were clearly visible over the tree-line opposite the outcrop. And if she got too warm, she could float in the pond for a bit.

Today she'd chosen to simply take a nap on the outcrop; the bag with her clothes substituting as a pillow.

She awoke suddenly to the sound of guitar strumming coming from the other side of the bush. It took a few seconds for her to wake up enough to identify what the sound was, but the moment she did her heart began to race. Someone else was here! It was only luck that they hadn't found her before she woke, but they still could find her if she just stayed here and they chose to get closer to the pond...

It is perhaps necessary to point out that when people are naked in an environment they consider safe it is very common to completely forget that anything might be out of the ordinary about their state of undress. This was the case with Fluttershy in these moments. Her concerns had nothing to do with her nudity, as she wasn't even thinking about the fact she was nude, but rather she was worried about the presence of some unknown individual where no one should be.

She rolled carefully to her feet, remaining crouched low, and stared intently at the bush trying to tell whether she could see whoever it was through it...or if they could possibly see her. She had decided that her first priority was to figure out who was there. All she knew was that the guitar wasn't Applejack's Bass, and was too slow-paced for what Rainbow was likely to play.

Intent on trying to sneak a peek at the unknown intruder, she crept toward the edge of the bush. She was so intent on trying to see around the bush that she completely forgot about her bag until one of her feet came down on it at an awkward angle. This caused a chain reaction to occur: First, she completely lost her balance and started to fall. Second, her leg kicked out involuntarily in an attempt to find purchase, but launched her bag away instead. And third, she recalled suddenly that her clothes were in said bag and that she wasn't wearing anything.

The guitar playing ended with a discordant twang as she measured her length on the grass in clear view of whoever was on the other side of the bush.

A gasp of surprise, followed by a shocked, "F-Fluttershy!?" in a voice she didn't immediately recognize, made it all too clear that she was indeed well-exposed to the other person present. 

Fear and embarrassment chilled her to the core as she turned her head to see who she had inadvertently revealed herself to, and found herself staring at...

"Sunset!?"

Despite the curiosity as to why in the world Sunset Shimmer would be here now, she was also relieved that it was just one of her friends and not some stranger...or Big Macintosh. She started to blush at that thought, then registered something else: Sunset was completely naked, standing with only her guitar held in front of her to provide at least a little cover.

The blush continued forming as she stammered out, "Wh-why are you naked?"

Sunset simply raised one eyebrow and calmly countered with, "I was actually wondering the same about you..."

Fluttershy, who had momentarily forgotten her own nudity again during the moment of shock, looked back at herself and mumbled a nearly-inaudible, "Oh. Right..."