AppleShy: The Series

by solsticebrony888

A Slip of the Tongue

“And now for our next fabulous fashionista, a pony just arriving in the fashion scene with own DAZZLING designs, Rarity of Ponyville! Here we have five of her most praised designs and that’s coming from Sapphire Shores, Photo Finish and Hoity Toity! Look out ladies and Gentlecolts, here they come!” A voice rang throughout the auditorium, as everypony lightly clopped their hooves on the ground at the sight of Rarity’s luxurious designs.

“She did more of the French Haute Couture like I said she should!” Fluttershy said with a smile.

“Ah reckon she did a mighty fine job, even if ah wouldn’t wear none of them dresses, ah wish we could see the look on her face right now! Th’ whole crowd likes her designs!”

Modeled on the most slender and posh ponies Applejack had ever seen, Rarity’s dresses had the most positive reaction from the crowd thus far in the Divine Equine Fashion Show. Through the light clopping of hooves on the ground, Applejack and Fluttershy could hear Pinkie Pie cheering loudly a few rows in front of them.

Each pony stood at the foot of the walkway for the photographers to take their pictures, showing off the many different designs Rarity had made. The mare couple could hear the ponies around them compliment the designs and it excited them to tell Rarity about it.

Each pony displayed her designs for a good minute, getting the white unicorn much deserved publicity. Fluttershy couldn’t help but display her pride in having Rarity as a friend, considering that Rarity would now be one of the more known ponies in all of Equestria. Even Applejack looked forward to telling random Rarity fans that she knew her personally.

“Ah reckon this might jus’ be the first time everythin’ went accordin’ ta’ plan! Ah mean, usually there’s some sorta mishap or somethin’ comes undone at the last second, but ah reckon’ things went perfectly tonight!”

“I’m just glad she’s doing so well! Everypony seems to love her designs…She’s talked about this day in so many of our spa dates, that’s why I was kind of nervous for her! I couldn’t imagine how she’d react if she didn’t do this well!”

Applejack rested her head atop Fluttershy’s as they sat and watched the rest of Rarity’s part in the fashion show. They could hear Pinkie Pie cheering and constantly getting told to be quiet by Twilight because Pinkie was bothering the posh ponies around them. It made them both laugh, considering it was just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.

There were two more designers to be showcased after Rarity, both only Fluttershy had heard of before. Applejack found herself immensely bored once Rarity’s spot was over but she had Fluttershy there to complain of her boredom too.

The designers after Rarity had less dresses to showcase and so their parts in the show went slightly quicker than they expected. When the final pony’s spot was up, and everypony on the lower deck left the room, they heard the announcer’s voice.

“Ladies and Gentlecolts, this concludes our presentations for the evening. I would like to thank all of our celebrity guests for attending, along with the fashion designers themselves. Feel free to stay here after for top of the line drinks and food and maybe a chance to meet Sapphire Shores!”

Applejack hopped up instantly, “Let’s go, time to go find Rarity,”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said, standing beside Applejack. They waited for the ponies to their sides to finally move so they could find their friends and find their way out of the building.

“So, when this is all done, whataya wanna do today, ‘Shy? Ah reckon since we’re here in Canterlot, we could find a shop or two and ah could buy ya something,”

“Oh, that sounds nice but Angel needs me to get back and fix him up some, um, dessert. Thursdays are his dessert days instead of just carrots, remember?”

“Oh yeah, ah forgot it was Thursday,” Applejack said then noticed Rarity in the crowd, “Ah think ah see Rarity!”

They both followed a group a ponies out into the room next to the stairs. The white pony quickly spotted them and trotted over with a surprisingly neutral expression on her face.

“You did so great Rarity, I’m so proud of you!” The yellow Pegasus said in her usual soft voice.

“I know darling! I know!” Rarity exclaimed, giving Fluttershy and Applejack each a hug, “The hardest thing for me right now is certainly keeping myself calm, I can’t celebrate or the ponies here may change their minds about me on a whim! They’re so judgmental! I have to go! Some fancy ponies have requested to speak with me! Oh, thank you so much for coming!”

With two quick hugs, the white-colored unicorn trotted gracefully away towards what could most likely be the biggest break in her whole fashion career.

“Ah’m plum proud of Rarity, If anypony deserved such recognition, it’s her,” Applejack said with a smile, as the couple starting edging through the crowd.

“Oh her designs are terrific; it was only a matter of time she’d get noticed by somepony!” The shy Pegasus added, “She’s so critical of herself on, um, our spa dates. She never expected to be featured in this show,”

While walking, Applejack had kept her attention on Fluttershy. So, when she turned her head to reply, she unfortunately bumped straight into the chest of large Canterlot socialite, causing a group of ponies to stare right at her and Fluttershy. The shy pony’s squeak didn’t help the matter.

“Oh uh, sorry ah was bein’ a bit clumsy ah reckon!”

“I say, what kind of accent is that?” The tall stallion replied with a clear distaste for the orange pony’s accent. He had a coat of a light red and a mane of grey, and was clearly a high class pony.

“What? What do you care?” Applejack retorted with an agitated look her face. Fluttershy stood closely by her side, though she didn’t like that some ponies were now viewing their situation as if it was an act put on for them.

“What a ruffian! She can’t even pay attention to where she’s going!” The stallion was clearly playing the crowd who only seemed to agree with his rudeness.

“Ah said ah was sorry, there ain’t nothin’ more to it,” Applejack said, resisting the urge to turn around and buck him in the face.

“C-come on, let’s just go Applejack,” Fluttershy said in a whisper in Applejack’s ear.

“Alright, I can see that I may have been brash about this,” The stallion said, though clearly not finished, “However, I must ask at the risk of insulting you, you seem awfully close to that mare with you, it almost seems as if you’re together!” He chortled, with posh laughs emanating from within the small crowd who had watched the whole situation unfold.

Fluttershy only had a second to say “oh dear” as Applejack’s fuse went off.

“And what does that mean, huh?” The orange pony started, causing the stallion to back off as she approached him, “Why would ah be insulted by that? Why would that be a bad thing huh? Why are the ponies here so rude, huh? Ah can’t believe you’d insult me and my marefriend in such a way, sugar, yer lucky ah don’t just show all y’all how dumb ya really are fer bein’ so judgmental!”

“So, you’re saying you are with this mare? How unnatural! You can’t even naturally bare offspring, it doesn’t even make sense!” The stallion chided, with a loud guffaw, which his socialite friends were only too glad to join in with.

Applejack stood for a second, eying the stallion down as the crowd continued to pester the two mares. She just stared, unable to respond with anything. Instead, before her inner rage let itself out, she quickly shoved herself through the crowd, Fluttershy having to fly after her to catch up. The taunts that she heard after almost tempted her into a full blown rage, but Applejack was steadfast at getting to the train to return to Ponyville. She was too mad to even speak and ignored the ponies that were in her way. She just walked through them, receiving jeers but none that she even noticed.

The rest of the Elements of Harmony bearers were at the train already, besides Rarity, who would stay in Canterlot for a little longer.

“Hey Applejack-hey what’s wrong?” Rainbow Dash questioned once she saw the red-faced earth pony’s glare. Applejack didn’t answer, so Rainbow Dash turned her attention to Fluttershy.

“S-she…there was a…a stallion insulted us a-and…” Fluttershy voiced, though she got choked up in mid-sentence.

“Wait, somepony insulted Applejack?” Rainbow Dash questioned, while Pinkie Pie tried to get the inflamed pony’s attention to no avail.

Fluttershy lowered to the ground, “Well, s-she bumped into a pony on accident a-and he started insulting h-her in f-front of some ponies…then he insulted us…”

“Where is he?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in response, “I’m gonna get this foal!” She made a few jabs in the air as if she was in a hoof to hoof combat.

“No,” Applejack said firmly, still facing away from her friends. The Pegasus sighed, but obeyed.

“Applejack, I’m so sorry to hear this…” Twilight Sparkle finally pitched in, “The ponies here, in Canterlot can be awfully crass,”

“Ah jus’ wanna be left along ah reckon,” The orange pony said in a low voice.

“I-I’m sorry I didn’t do anything…” Fluttershy said.

“Not yer fault, ‘Shy” Applejack responded, right as the line to enter the train started moving forward.

Applejack quickly found her spot and sat facing the window. Though her friends were reaching out to console her, Applejack only wanted to time to think, by herself. She felt a tiny amount of regret for not defending her’s and Fluttershy’s relationship longer, even though it wasn’t the smart thing to do.

Fluttershy sat next to her and snuggled into her a little as a sign to show that she was phased by the ignorance of stallion they had just encountered, “It’s okay, Applejack, don’t let him, um, get to you, I don’t care what other ponies think of us,” She spoke softly, though received no immediate response from the orange pony. Applejack was staring out the window, but clearly was lost in her own thoughts.

Fluttershy decided to just rest her head on the earth pony and relax, giving Applejack her time to think during the ride home. She didn’t say a word the entire ride back.

For Applejack, every time in the past five months where a passing glance, or stare, or remark about her and Fluttershy’s relation was noticed by her, she would ignore it. However, ignoring didn’t mean forgetting, it didn’t mean that she wasn’t bothered by it. She pretended not to be bothered for Fluttershy’s sake, however, she reached a breaking point by being insulted for no reason over something as trivial as what pony she chose to fall in love with. It confused her why somepony would go out of their way to mock her relationship, even her own accent. Granted, she knew about the rudeness that came along with somepony being a Canterlot socialite, but it wasn’t an excuse on their part and this bothered Applejack. It also brought up questions she was less than eager to ask her partner.

The group said their good byes, though they would most likely being going back to Canterlot the next day to meet Rarity and what would most likely be the famous ponies she has reacquainted herself with since.

Applejack and Fluttershy walked to their home in silence, though the earth pony seemed more distracted by thought, than anything else if you judged by her facial expressions. She seemed completely spaced out, almost as if she forgot that Fluttershy was even beside her. Applejack was reliving the earlier events in her mind, as if she could find something that she did wrong besides just accidentally bumping into the stallion.

So, you’re saying you are with this mare? How unnatural!

The words repeated in her head, as if she’d understand them more. She didn’t comprehend his hatred for them being together but there was one thing she did understand, which bothered her much more.

Fluttershy politely opened the door for Applejack once they reached their cottage. As The orange pony sat on their couch, resting after a frustrating day, the Pegasus quickly grabbed a special dessert for Angel to feed him with. The bunny quickly hopped over and snagged his treat from the Pegasus, ready to fill his belly.

“Why do you think he said them things, ‘Shy?” The orange pony finally said, “Why do you think he was so against me bein’ with ya?”

“I don’t know…” Fluttershy said as she flew over to comfort her partner on the couch, “Why does it bother you so much? I-I mean, you never let this stuff get to you…”

Applejack was almost waiting for a question like that.

“Maybe yer wrong ‘Shy. Them things have been gettin’ to me lately,” The orange pony confessed, “Today at Canterlot was much worse than usual, ah mean, Everypony was staring at us, making their remarks, and saying things as if we couldn’t hear them!”

“I-I’m sorry…” Fluttershy said, shrinking into herself.

“Why do you always apologize for thing’s that ain’t yer fault?” The orange pony asked suddenly, surprising the Pegasus and herself.

“I’m s-sorry…”

“It’s not even yer fault, sugarcube! But hay, maybe ah should just say it,”

Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat at Applejack’s statement. Applejack could mean anything by that, “S-say what?”

It was a fight between Applejack’s conscious and her need to vent out thoughts she had held in for as long as she could remember. On one hoof, she’s had this question in her mind for so long that it causes to her feel bad when just thinking about it and needs to tell somepony. On the other hoof, Fluttershy was the last pony she should ever think about asking such a question to. It didn’t matter though. Applejack’s need to vent her feelings had won once she was confronted by the stallion.

“Fluttershy, ya know how he said us bein’ together was unnatural?”

“Y-yes,” Fluttershy said, threatened by the serious tone to Applejack’s voice.

“Maybe he was right, maybe mares shouldn’t be together, ah mean, we need magic just to bare a foal together! Ah reckon that ain’t natural!”

“Don’t say that Applejack…” The shy Pegasus said, tears building up, “I-I thought that didn’t matter to you…”

“Well…” Applejack had just a few seconds to change her decisions, a few seconds to change the tone of the conversation, to take back what she had said. However her mind was set, “Maybe it’s wrong for us to even be together!”

Fluttershy then stepped off their couch and backed up a little bit, “Applejack I-I…”

“Just think about it, Fluttershy! Maybe ah…maybe this whole thing is wrong! Look at all we’ve had to go through just because we’re both mares! Maybe we were wrong all along!” The orange pony was standing, and couldn’t stop herself from releasing her own anger. It was bottled up for so long and now she couldn’t stop herself from admitting everything, “Maybe we’re wrong no matter what? Maybe what we’re doin’ is juss nonsense to everypony else because it ain’t natural?”

The yellow Pegasus opened her mouth, but no words came out. Instead, tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I-I’m sorry!” She exclaimed, as she ran out of their cottage trying to hold back her tears.

It didn't take long for Applejack to realize she may have just made the biggest mistake of her life.

Comments

[Nira Lightshine]

Gah nothing ever goes right for thest two in ther relationship. Poor AJ and FS. I hope both of them can get through this now.

[Fillyfooler]

Oh shit son, you've done wrong.

[OminousBrony]

...I humbly request you put in one of my OC's to attack every last piece of trash noble in Canterlot they can get their hands on.

[Starfall]

Applejack, you derp.

[RLYoshi]

(pulls out butcher's knife) I have to make a trip to Canterlot. I'll be back when the population has been cut in half.

[Midnight Flare]

>>OminousBrony Can I help?

[TwilitLightning]

you! what... what have you done! I'm so sad now..

[paper bag wizard]

172913
with cupcakes

[Appleshy and Flutterjack]