Golden Love

by enigmaMystere

It's a choice! Can we ever be alone?

Early the next morning, Flick arrives outside Applejack’s window, floating on a cloud. As his head clears the edge, he finds himself looking up at the farmer, who stares down at him in turn.

“H-hey there. Did you sleep well?” The griffon flashes a nervous grin, wings twitching by his sides.

"Not tryin' ta sneak into mah bed were ya?" She says evenly.

He quietly swallows. “No... I was... hoping we could cuddle while you got ready.”

"I feel like those can't really be done at once." She crosses her front legs as she leans against the wall.

He chuckles softly, resting his chin on the windowsill. “Yeah, I figured that was asking a bit much. Didn’t hurt to try, though.”

"Have you been trying a lot lately?" She asks.

He shakes his head. “Only with you and Twilight, but she still doesn’t understand.” He’s quiet for a moment before continuing. “It’s sort of mutual with Silk... but that’s still mostly teasing. I don’t want to lie to you.”

"Lotta baskets to split yer apples between." She says simply.

He just quietly nods, unsure how to respond.

"Any idea which ones ya'll wanna keep goin' with?"

“...can I keep Rainbow as a friend?”

"Long as you let her know. Dunno if she'll give up though."

He chuckles quietly. “I don’t think anyone could convince her out of anything.”

"Yeah... so she's the only one yer not sure about?"

He frowns, standing up and gently gripping her forehoof. “Miss Applejack, if you’re worried I’m losing interest in you, know that my adoration and respect for you has only ever grown since we met.”

She blushes a bit. "And then ya go and say things like that..."

He smiles softly. “I’ll only ever say what I mean.” He gently touches his beak to her hoof. “You are dazzling as you are, and I’d be lucky to even be considered to stay by your side.”

She looks at him a moment before sighing. "Alright, come join us at breakfast."

She is quickly pulled into a hug which knocks off her hat, the griffon smiling and pecking her cheek gratefully.

She playfully tries to push him off. "Alright alright, get off me until I clean up."

He nods and pulls away, blushing softly. “Sorry about that. Emotions overwhelmed me for a second...”

"They seem to do that a lot." She pats his head.

Try as he might, he can’t help but lean into her touch, eyes closing for a bit.

Chuckling, she pats more. "Hard to stay mad at ya."

His eyes open and he looks up at her with a smile. “I wish I heard that more often.” He rubs a spot by his left eye. “Probably wouldn’t have a mark, here.”

She winces. "What happened?"

He grimaces. “...let’s say that I shouldn’t tease a mare when she has a cigarette...”

She winces. "Ow."

“Yep.” He’s quiet for a moment, then takes her hoof to give it one more kiss before he drops through the cloud.

"...hmph." She says with a small smile.

---

After a short, teasing-laden breakfast, Flick headed out to the barn. When Applejack followed, she found him fastening the wagon to the yoke around his neck, determination clear on his face.

She raises an eyebrow at him. "Sure you can do that in yer state?"

He jumps at the sound of her voice, turning to look at her the best he can from a side-on position. “Oh, hey Jackie.” He grins cheekily. “I’m sure I can handle it. It’s my wing that’s hurt, not my legs.”

"If yer sure..." She comes over and tightens a few things.

As she moves to pull away, he sneaks a kiss onto her cheek.

"Just don't hurt yerself more," she says with a slightly bigger smile.

“I cant promise that, Jackie.” He flinches. “I mean, I’ll do my best, Miss Applejack, Boss, Ma’am.”

"Don't have to go that far, but I appreciate it." She gives him a nuzzle before heading out.

As he moves to follow her, she sees a sliver of blue vanish from the crack in the barn door.

“So is there anything you wanted me to call you, then? I don’t know if you ever told me,” Flick speaks up, having apparently not noticed.

"Just mah name works, sugar cube." She replies, rolling her shoulders.

“Can I give you a cute nickname?” He pulls her back by the tail when the door opens, making a bucket miss her. “You didn’t seem mad about me calling you Jackie. Or how about Jacquelyn?”

"Where are you pulling all these from?" She talks to him even as she pokes the bucket and peers up and around in the sky.

“The Jack part of your name. I’d call you that, but I had someone in Griffonstone by that name who’s mad at me.” He thinks a bit. “They spelled it differently, but still.” He waves his good wing at the bucket, knocking it over and revealing paint, which starts to ooze out upon being revealed.

"Ah see... Jackie works." She nods. "Careful today, I think Dash is in a pranking mood."

He perks up, hugging her and giving a warm smile. “Shall I make sure she doesn’t get you, Jackie?”

"Ah can manage," she lets him have the hug for a moment before freeing herself. "Besides, I'm worried you'd try to fly to get her and that wouldn't go well."

“I could stop her without flying,” he protests, going back to following her once more.

"Tell ya what, if she gets too bad, I'll unleash ya on her."

“I’ll take it.” There’s a brief moment of silence before he asks, “so how far along are you, anyways? It’s been at least two days since you started this big harvest.”

"We're... gettin there." She says with a glance over the fields. "Maybe a few more days."

He looks at her, then over to the fields. If there were such a thing as a tree ocean, this would be it, organized as it is. He eyes the gold, green, and red glinting like dewdrops on the grass in the early morning, and makes a mental count of those he can see. “...it seems like you have five times what I did the other day left... at least.”

"Eeyup." She says simply, trotting along.

“...that settles it. I’m helping you for the rest of this so you have some more free time.”

"Don't you need to rest?"

“Only my wing.”

"Hmm... well, if you think you can handle it."

He nods and gently places his claw on her hips, holding her in place as he steps up beside her. With his eyes focused on her, he misses the small, dead branch that lands on the trail five feet ahead. “Can I stay up here? Your swaying hips are extremely hypnotic.”

"Boy, I gotta get you to focus on work." She snorts.

“I’m trying. You’re just really stunning.” He gently hugs her before continuing ahead. “How much further?”

"Almost there, we're going to the east field."

“...forgive me if I can’t tell these apart at a glance.” He blushes softly in embarrassment.

"It's fine, we don't mark em with lines or anythin'." She laughs.

“Let me guess, your earth pony magic lets you know when they’re ready to harvest?” He smiles and nudges her teasingly.

"Actually yeah." She smiles proudly at him. "Good eye."

“Call it intuition and knowing you well.” He chuckles softly as a bow appears in the cart behind them, and he leans over and suggestively says, “Maybe one day I’ll get to know you even better.”

Apple Bloom looks over the edge of the cart at him, visibly confused, to her sister.

She seems to debate who to address for a moment. "Decided to hang around today, Bloom?"

“Ah’m just happy he chose ya,” she replies, smiling warmly at her sister. “That might mean he’ll become a part o’ the fam’ly!”

"Let's not rush things, bloom." She rubs her head fondly.

She nods, then points to Flick. “No doin’ stuff with other mares.”

He blinks a couple times. “But I work at the spa... I promised reading times with Twilight... and I promised to model for Silk!”

"Ah think he knows what you meant, Bloom."

“Granny said all mares, though.” She scratches her head.

"For certain things, but mares do too much for him to avoid them for everything."

She thinks a bit more. “But Twilight and Silk are yer rivals, too.”

"True..." she ponders this. "He'll either have to watch himself or come up with something to make everypony happy."

“But you should be first, Applejack!” She nods, then points to the right. “Ain’t ya supposed to start there?”

Applejack looks. "Huh, yep, here we are."

Flick looks as well, then flaps his wing, causing branches to sway and two ponies to fall out of the tree, the pink one landing on the blue’s head and driving her face into the dirt. “Morning, you two.”

"Good morning!" Pinkie bounces up and down as she waves.

“Good morning.” He glances down, then back up at her. “I think Rainbow needs to breathe.”

"Oopsie!" She bounces slightly to the left.

The prismatic mare lifts her head up, breathing deep as her face is covered in mud.

Flick frowns, walking over and cleaning it off with a claw. “You okay, there?”

She grumbles as he works. “I only hurt my dignity... why do you even care?”

“Because I worry about my friends.” He says nothing else as he finishes, trying to shake the mud off his claw.

"Daww..." Pinkie hugs Rainbow.

She gives her a half-hug, blushing a bit. “...thanks for caring, Flick.”

He gives her a lopsided smile. “Hey, you’d do the same for me. Did, in fact.”

“No more kissin’ Rainbow, though!” Apple Bloom pipes up, poking his rump with a stick.

"Bloom..." Applejack says warningly.

“What?”

Flick rubs his beak as he thinks. “I think she’s the one who starts them, not me...”

Rainbow flinches, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone else.

"Let the adults handle their business," Applejack speaks.

As the filly pouts, Rainbow takes her pink friend and flies away.

"We'll probably see them again before the days over."

“...does this mean Ah’m not gettin’ a matchmakin’ cutie mark?” She turns her head to look, accidentally smacking Flick’s slinged wing with the branch. He flinches as a result, voice strangled in his throat.

"That'd mean you helped ponies who wanted help and weren't trying to handle it themselves." Applejack says as she rubs his head, trying to soothe him.

“Fiddlesticks.” She pouts, watching as he leans into her touch and blushes.

"What, is she visitin' again?" Applejack jokes.

“Nah, but Ah hear she found somepony.” She pokes her sister’s rump with the stick. “Ain’t it time t’ work? Ya can pet him later, an’ I know ya don’t like bein’ behind.”

"Watch where yer pokin that stick." She says simply, cracking her neck as she stops petting him.

Apple Bloom tosses the stick, but Applejack feels something rub around her left thigh. She gives the griffon a look.

“What? You’re tempting.” He taps her nose before working to get the wagon off, for now. “Where did you need those baskets?”

"Set em up under the first two dozen trees." She motions to a row.

He nods and pats her gently on the back. “Sure thing, Jackie.”

As he heads off, Apple Bloom tilts her head to the side, considering him and wondering why her sister likes him.

"Ya gonna hang out and work or go play?"

“...what’s yer fav’rite part about ‘im?” She looks to her sister, bow bouncing from the motion.

"Hmm... his attitude."

She tilts her head. “His attitude?”

"The boy seems to be happy no matter what happens, just doin his darndest and takin what life gives him."

She thinks a bit. “Maybe he’s happy ‘cause he’s around ya?”

"Well, that ain't a bad thing."

“It seems t’ make ya happy, at least.” She points at her sister’s face.

She quickly shakes her head. "Alright, enough about that. Time to work!"

The filly pouts as her sister walks out of earshot. “...she needs to admit her feelin’s before someone takes him...”

Comments

[Pegajen]

"Lotta baskets to split yer apples between." She says simply.

Oh, but Applejack! He's just trying to sow his apple seeds in multiple fields!

“...can I keep Rainbow as a friend?”

Don't you dare!

two ponies to fall out of the tree, the pink one landing on the blue’s head and driving her face into the dirt.

At least one can say she has the grit!