Flower Crowns and Dinner Dates
⠀
Applejack had a reputation, one she could be proud of. She was honest, steadfast, down to earth, and above all dependable. A trip to Sweet Apple Acres usually meant finding her hard at work tending the farm, and she didn’t mind being predictable. Having a routine simplified things, and Applejack liked life to be simple – the occasional attack from ancient evil beings notwithstanding.
She was not the type of pony who was late for things. Especially not important things. If she had made dinner arrangements, and she was supposed to be meeting a friend there, and the outcome of the dinner could alter both of their lives forever, well, that was the type of thing Applejack was on time for. And when she showed up – on time – she wouldn’t be dressed in some sort of ridiculous get up. She wouldn’t be wearing some fancy perfume. She wouldn’t have two dozen assorted flowers awkwardly sticking out of her saddle bag. She wouldn’t do any of these things, because that just wasn’t the type of pony she was. Usually.
Applejack stared at the restaurant. She wondered if she should have picked a different place. It seemed like a good idea at the time. She had eaten there plenty of times, and knew their food was delicious, the waiters were friendly, and the atmosphere felt natural. It was almost like eating a home cooked meal. But now she wondered if maybe it was too simple. Surely she could have found somewhere more impressive.
Impressive or not, Applejack was already late enough, having greatly underestimated how long it would take to get ready. She sighed, then stepped through the door. She glanced around the room, quickly finding the table she was looking for. The table was set for two, and the owner had guaranteed Applejack it was the best seat in the restaurant. In the middle was an ice bucket with a familiar looking bottle sticking out, and there was one empty chair. In the other sat a yellow pegasus, and Applejack’s heart beat faster when she saw her. Fluttershy was smiling and saying something to a waiter, whom Applejack recognized from the many times she’d eaten here before. The waiter smiled back and nodded, then walked away. Fluttershy’s polite smile fell away once he was gone, and she occupied herself by straightening the table setting.
Applejack approached the hostess. “Hey, Applejack. That’s an… interesting outfit,” she said.
“Er, well, I’m meeting somepony actually.”
The hostess glanced at the saddle bags. “Sweet Celestia, AJ, who are you meeting, a bumble bee? Never mind, give me those. I’ll get them in water and have them brought to your table.”
“Thank ya kindly,” Applejack said, attempting to tip her hat, before remembering she wasn’t wearing it.
“Do you want me to show you to your table?” the hostess asked as she took the flowers.
“No need, I know my way around.” Applejack nodded her appreciation, then made her way to the table where Fluttershy was waiting. She forced a smile as she stepped over. “Evening, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy turned to her and smiled warmly, until she noticed what Applejack was wearing. Then she still smiled, but it was more of a awkwardly polite smile. “Hello, Applejack. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize we were supposed to dress up.”
Although Fluttershy hadn’t dressed for the occasion, Applejack couldn’t care less. She was, as always, beautiful all on her own. On the other hoof, Applejack was wearing an elegant red gown, with gold accents. Her mane braided, with a green ribbon holding it together, tied in a bow at the end.
“Aww, that’s okay.” Initially, Applejack hadn’t planned on dressing up either, but over the days while waiting for this date, she’d convinced herself it was a good idea and had Rarity help her figure out an outfit. Speaking of Rarity, what was it she had suggested Applejack say? “You look positively divine already.”
“Oh, uhm, thank you.” Fluttershy kept smiling, but fidgeted in her seat. “You, uhm… you look nice, too.”
Applejack smiled at the compliment. Maybe this was a good idea, after all. Still, the night was only beginning. What was it she was supposed to do next? Oh yeah, pull out the chair for Fluttershy. Wait, no, it was too late for that, she was already sitting. Okay, best to just take a seat.
“I, uh, hope you weren’t waitin’ too long,” Applejack said. She was pretty late, so it was a lot to hope for.
“Oh, uhm, it wasn’t too bad,” Fluttershy said, smiling.
Although Applejack doubted she was being completely honest, she just nodded along anyway. Best to leave it in the past. She opened her menu and looked through the familiar list of entrées. “So, figure out what you’d like to eat?”
“Well, yes. But I don’t mind waiting for you to decide.”
“Don’t you worry ‘bout me none.” Applejack scanned the menu quickly, already knowing what she wanted. Unfortunately, that wasn’t what she’d be getting. Her eyes darted to the salad section, and she couldn’t help but frown at what she saw.
She tried to find one that looked filling, but eventually settled for what seemed like the closest thing. ‘I can always eat a real dinner later,’ she reminded herself.
The waiter Fluttershy had been talking to earlier, Harvest Crescent, approached their table. He carried the bouquet Applejack had brought, now safely in a vase with water. “I, uhm, brought you flowers,” Applejack said.
Fluttershy definitely seemed to feel surprised about the flowers, but not quite in the way Applejack had hoped. “They’re lovely,” she managed after a moment of stunned silence. Placed in a vase, and in the middle of the table, they definitely seemed much more overwhelming than Applejack had thought when she bought them. Harvest Crescent had to set them off to the side, just so Applejack and Fluttershy could see each other mostly unobscured.
Once he finished arranging the flowers, Harvest Crescent turned to Applejack. “You know, when this lovely mare told me she was waiting for her date, I wondered who the lucky pony could be.” He grinned good-naturedly, so Applejack smiled and tried to tip her hat, remembering in the process she wasn’t wearing it. Fluttershy giggled at the attempted gesture, and Applejack blushed. “I never would have thought it was you, not when half an hour went past and nopony showed up.” He gave her a playful nudge, then gestured towards her outfit. “And what in Celestia’s name are you wearing?”
“Oh, I, uhm...” Applejack bowed her head. Unable to give Harvest Crescent a satisfactory answer, she instead turned to Fluttershy. “You were waiting half an hour? I’m really sorry, I can’t believe I was so late.”
“It’s fine. I was a little early anyway.”
The waiter chuckled. “Aww, come on AJ. You know I didn’t mean anything by it. If you of all ponies are late, it must be for a good reason. Now, what can I get for you two?”
Happy to move on to a less awkward topic, Applejack went first. “I’ll have the Bleu Cheese Wedge salad, with the uhm… raspberry walnut vinaigrette.”
The waiter wrote down her order, then waited expectantly. Applejack just smiled and passed him the menu. “Oh, okay then. One salad.” He turned to Fluttershy. “And for you, miss?”
Fluttershy smiled and gave him her menu as well. “I’d like the Cheddar Barbeque hayburger, with coleslaw, please.”
“Now that’s what I like to hear.” He looked back to Applejack, giving her one last chance to add something else, before nodding and walking back to the kitchen.
With the food ordered, Applejack turned to Fluttershy. “So, have ya ever eaten here before?”
“No, although I pass by it all the time,” she said, looking around at the room. Everywhere they looked, ponies were laughing and talking amiably. “It’s such a lovely place, though. I’m glad you suggested it.”
Applejack smiled and relaxed a bit. Maybe the restaurant hadn’t been a bad call after all. “Glad you like it. Just wait until you try the food.”
Fluttershy grinned and leaned across the table. “It must be pretty filling if all you wanted was a salad. I hope I didn’t order too much.”
“’Course ya didn’t. I just, uh, I’m not so hungry is all.” Wanting to preoccupy herself somehow, Applejack grabbed the ice bucket in the middle of the table. She pulled out the bottle wedged in it, and as she suspected it was Sweet Apple Acres sparkling cider. She poured herself a glass, then looked at Fluttershy’s. Noticing it was half empty, she walked across the table to reach it better. “Here, let me refill that for you.”
“Thank you,” Fluttershy said, taking a sip once Applejack was sitting on her side of the table again.
“So, how was your day? Hope all yer critters didn’t give ya too much of a hard time today.”
“Oh, no, they were wonderful.” Fluttershy’s eyes lit up, the way they always did when she was talking about her animals. It was a sight Applejack always loved to see. “Today the last flock of birds that flew south for the winter came back.”
“That’s great,” Applejack said. “Must be real exciting this time of year. All sorts of animals either waking up from hibernating, or coming back to Ponyville from down south.”
Fluttershy nodded. “Spring is my favorite time of year, it’s always so nice to see all my animal friends again. And having all the little birdies home was the perfect way to start to what I already knew was going to be a great day.”
Applejack smiled, and took a sip of her own cider. She wondered if Fluttershy ordered it specifically for their date, or if it was her usual beverage. “I gotta say, I was a mite surprised when you agreed to come here with me.”
Fluttershy chuckled. “Well, I was pretty surprised when you asked me to.”
Applejack raised her glass. “To surprises, then.”
“Good ones,” Fluttershy added, clinking her glass against Applejack’s. “So how’s everything on the farm?”
“Oh, same as always,” Applejack said. “With winter all wrapped up, it’s been pretty busy. Not that I’m complaining.”
“I bet. You know, if you ever needed any extra hooves, I’d be more than happy to help.” Fluttershy chuckled. “Although, I don’t think I’d be very good at apple bucking.”
Applejack couldn’t help but laugh a little at the thought of Fluttershy trying to buck apples. “Thanks, Fluttershy, but I reckon we got things taken care of. ’Sides, you’re plenty busy yourself this time of year.”
“Well, I’m sure I could spare a little time,” Fluttershy said. “It could be fun, working together.”
“Well, I thank ya kindly. I’ll keep it in mind.” Applejack didn’t really want to take advantage of Fluttershy’s good nature. She was also worried she was talking too much about herself, so she turned the conversation back to Fluttershy. “Big Mac’s been real excited ’bout a Ponytones concert coming up. You ever think about singing with them again?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Even though she wasn’t singing, the memory was enough to make Fluttershy blush a little.
“I for one would love to to see that, though of course it’s up to you,” Applejack reached to adjust her hat, but remembered at the last minute she wasn’t wearing it, and scratched her head instead. “I do always love listening to you sing.”
Fluttershy giggled and blushed more.
While they waited for their food, Applejack did her best to not dominate the conversation. She’d answer any questions Fluttershy asked about how her and her family were doing, but didn’t linger on those topics. At first Fluttershy seemed to be having a good time, laughing and smiling. But as the conversation went on, Applejack couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong. She’d pick up on cues that Fluttershy didn’t want to talk about a certain thing, but when she changed the topic it never seemed any better.
It came as a relief when their food arrived. “There you go, you two need anything else?” Harvest Crescent asked, looking at Applejack in particular, who was staring longingly at the food.
“I think we’ll do alright here,” Applejack said. “Unless you wanted something else, Fluttershy?”
“No, thank you.” Fluttershy smiled at the waiter. “It looks delicious, though.”
“Glad to hear it. You two enjoy yourselves, now. And don’t hesitate to call for me if you need anything.” Harvest Crescent gave a friendly wave, then disappeared to check on his other tables.
Fluttershy took a bite of her burger. A slight smile played on her lips as she watched Applejack awkwardly fuss with her salad. “Are you sure that’s all you want? You can have some of my food, if you want.”
“No thanks, I reckon I’ll be just fine.” Right on cue Applejack’s stomach rumbled. She laughed nervously. “I, uh, I might’ve worked up a bit more of an appetite while we were waiting. But still, you go ahead and enjoy your meal, I’ll be alright with this.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “If you say so. Could you pass the barbeque sauce?”
“Sure. Actually, let me get that for you.” Applejack began to stand up.
“Uhm... I think I can manage, thank you.” Fluttershy reached across the table and took the sauce herself.
Applejack sat back down and looked at her plate. “Right. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Fluttershy added sauce to her burger, and took a bite. “This is really good. Sure you don’t want some?”
Of course Applejack did. She was starving, and a salad just wasn’t going to cut it. But she didn’t want to admit that, so she just chuckled. “Really, I’m fine.” She took a bite of her salad. It tasted like disappointment.
Fluttershy just shrugged and kept eating. “How long have you been coming here? They seem pretty familiar with you.”
“A few years,” Applejack said. “My family does business with the owner.” She took another bite. Even if it was only by comparison to Fluttershy’s meal, her salad hardly seemed worth eating.
Fluttershy smiled and gestured towards the cider bottle. “I guessed that was probably the case. You must know every restaurant in town.”
“Most of ’em.” Applejack grinned as an idea occurred to her. “So where do you normally like to go to eat?” This was the perfect chance to find out where to go on a second date.
Fluttershy frowned a little. “Oh, I don’t know. There’s a few places by my house I like, but I also really enjoy going to new places.”
Well that wasn’t helpful. And why was she frowning? Wait, she stopped, maybe Applejack imagined it? No, she was sure there had been a frown a moment ago. They sat in silence, Applejack running out of things to talk about.
Fluttershy seemed be moving her food around as much as eating it. “Uhm, Applejack...”
Applejack could hear it in the shift in Fluttershy’s tone. She didn’t want to hear it in words too. She stood up. “Right. This isn’t working out, is it?”
“What?” Fluttershy sat up straighter. She did look surprised, but that was just because she hadn’t expected Applejack to be the one to say it. “No, Applejack–”
“It’s okay, Fluttershy.” Applejack reached into her bag and pulled out some bits, which she left on the counter. “Thanks for giving me a chance.”
“Wait, Applejack!” Fluttershy called, but she was already walking out the door.
Applejack went straight back to Sweet Apple Acres, but didn’t stay there. She stopped by the house to ditch her fancy clothes, and finally get her hat back, but then it was out the door before anypony could ask how things went. She hadn’t exactly planned on where to go but her hooves seemed to know where to take her.
When she reached the lake, she knew there wasn’t anywhere else she could have wound up. So many memories flooded through her mind. The first thing she did was wade into the water and float around. It was still cold; winter hadn’t been wrapped up for too long. But she didn’t mind. It was kind of nice, in a way, to let the cold water wash over her. Eventually, when it became too much, she walked out and just sat on the edge of the lake, staring at the moonlight reflecting on the water’s surface.
She wondered how long she’d been out for, and how long she planned on staying out. She wondered what Fluttershy was doing, and what would happen the next time they saw each other. She wondered what her family would say, and what she’d say to them. She would have wondered a lot more, but a soft voice broke through her thoughts.
“I knew I’d find you here.”
Applejack didn’t need to turn around, she recognized the voice. She’d hung on its every word for years, after all.
“Sorry I ran out on you,” she said, bowing her head.
“No, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said, walking closer. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like you had to leave. Do you mind if I sit next to you?”
“’Course not,” Applejack said. “I wouldn’t turn down a chance to sit here next to you.” She knew it was probably the wrong thing to say. It was too intimate, especially after their date had ended so horribly.
“Hmm, even after tonight?” Fluttershy asked.
Applejack turned to look at her, noticing she had one of the flowers tucked into her mane. “Never.”
Fluttershy seemed to notice where she was looking. She smiled and brushed her mane to the side. “I hope you don’t mind, but I told the restaurant they could have the rest. I don’t really know what I would do with two dozen.”
“I don’t mind at all,” Applejack said. “You look really nice with flowers in your mane.”
If she was unhappy with Applejack’s upfront affections, Fluttershy didn’t show any sign. In fact, she actually smiled more convincingly than she had all evening.
“I wore flowers in my mane a lot when we first met, didn’t I?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yeah, ya sure did.” Applejack smiled at the memory. They had been teenagers when Fluttershy first moved to Ponyville, and they spent most of their time at the lake. “You and Rarity were always making flower crowns. And I always liked watching more than I let on.”
Fluttershy giggled. “You never let us make you one though.”
“Yeah, well... it wouldn’t really suit me.”
“I don’t know. I bet you’d look really pretty with flowers in your mane, too,” Fluttershy said, causing Applejack to blush.
They stared at the lake for a while. Applejack had to remind herself that the compliment was strictly meant to be friendly. She’d had a chance for more than that, and she blew it. Eventually, Fluttershy broke the silence. “You know, we’ve been friends for a long time.”
“Yeah.” Applejack sighed. “I kinda figured we wouldn’t ever be something more than that, not after so many years.”
“Mmm.” Fluttershy turned from the lake to look at her again. “But you still asked me out.”
Finally having her hat back, Applejack was able to properly indulge her nervous habit and adjust it. “Well, I guess I couldn’t help but hope I was wrong.”
“And, you know...” Fluttershy nudged her. “I did still agree.”
Applejack smiled a bit. “I’ve been wondering ‘bout that. Why did ya accept?”
Fluttershy twirled a strand of her mane around. “Maybe... you’re not the only one who thought we could be more.”
“Really?” Applejack’s ears perked up. But, no, Fluttershy had said thought. Maybe she did actually have a chance at first, but somewhere along the way she’d messed it up.
Rather than answer directly, Fluttershy scooted closer. “You smell nice. Like wildflowers.”
Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle. “I thought all the perfume washed off in the water.”
Fluttershy laughed as well. “You, uh, you were wearing a lot, you know.”
Normally she probably would have been embarrassed about that, but Applejack just laughed more. There was sort of a liberating feeling, now that they were just friends again. She didn’t have to worry about how she looked. “I don’t reckon I really know the first thing about perfume. Rarity picked it out, and then Granny helped me put it on before heading out. Though I suppose I shoulda known better, since Granny can’t hardly smell a thing these days.”
“Oh dear,” Fluttershy said, laughing. “I’m guessing Rarity also had something to do with that dress?”
“Who else?” Applejack grinned. “Although it was more my fault I looked a fool than hers. She suggested something much simpler. I was the one who insisted it had to be fancy.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because… Well, I guess I just wanted to impress you, show you that I got a romantic side to me.”
Fluttershy sighed and shook her head, but she was smiling all the same. “Oh, Applejack. I know you do, when you’re not overdoing it. When you asked me on a date, I agreed, because when I thought about it, I decided I’d like to try dating you. But that wasn’t you, not really.”
“Heh, well, I can’t argue with that one,” Applejack said.
“Our friendship is very important to me, and I would hate for it to change,” Fluttershy said. Applejack’s heart sunk. Some part of her must have still been holding on to hope that things could still work, because she felt those hopes dying out. “Which is why I want you to promise that on our next date, you won’t try so hard, and we can just enjoy each other’s company.”
Applejack blinked. Then blinked again, because it seemed to be the only thing her brain could process doing. “Our next… what now?”
“I was thinking maybe you could just come over during the weekend, and I’ll make us dinner,” Fluttershy continued, unperturbed by Applejack’s slackjaw expression. “I promise it’ll be better than just a salad.”
“I…” Applejack shook her head and refocused her mind. “You really wanna try again?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Does Saturday sound good?”
Applejack’s mouth slowly curved into the biggest smile she’d worn since, well, since Fluttershy had agreed to their first date. “Saturday sounds great.”
“Good.” Fluttershy stood up, so Applejack followed suit. “Oh, and one more thing.”
“Sure, anything.”
Fluttershy pulled the flower out of her mane, and put it in Applejack’s. “I was right, you do look pretty like that.” Applejack blushed and reached for her hat, only to have Fluttershy take it first. She put it on and took a step back. “But I’m taking this. You can have it back on Saturday. How do I look?”
Applejack could only smile. “You know, I think it looks even better on you.”
They walked away from the lake together, talking and laughing the whole time. But all too soon, they reached the point where they had to part ways.
“This was nice,” Fluttershy said. “I hope there’s a lot more of this to come.”
Applejack chuckled. “And a lot less of me in frilly dresses?”
“Yes, less of that.” Fluttershy nodded.
“I think I can safely promise you that won’t be happenin’ again.” Applejack held back for a moment, before stepping closer to hug Fluttershy before saying goodnight.
“Well, goodnight then, Fluttershy.”
Before Applejack could pull away from their hug, Fluttershy planted a kiss on her cheek. “Goodnight, Applejack.”
Fluttershy turned and walked off, leaving Applejack smiling while holding a hoof to her cheek. Soon she turned and walked in the opposite direction. She had a lot to be grateful for. Fluttershy didn’t seem to mind too much that she’d completely messed up their first date. She even had a second one to look forward to! But, best of all, she wasn’t nervous anymore. Whatever came of this, it would be alright. After all, she had the best friend in the world, and nothing was ever going to change that.