The Apple Does Fall Hard for the Tree

Still warm and damp from the shower, Applejack trailed Fluttershy as she skimmed the floor, wings a flurry of yellow in her rush to get out the door.  AJ stepped outside into the afternoon, strong sunlight beating down making it warm for autumn.  The whisper of dry leaves skittering in the wake of a breeze conjured an easy smile onto her face.

“I love this time of year,” she sighed, turning to 'Shy.  The pegasus was already gone, circling around the cottage to a small shed full of various feeds, seeds, and whatever else her critters might snack on.  “What can ah do to help, sugarcube?”

“Um, oh, would you feed Elizabeak and the other chickens?  Then fix Angel a little salad?  And fill the bird feeders?  There are, um, twenty-eight of them spaced around the clearing here.”  She shook her head the tiniest bit, and dug a hoof in the patchy grass before the shed.  “Goodness, that actually sounds like quite a few when I say it out loud.”

Applejack chortled, and gave her lover a gentle swat on her soft pillowy rump, eliciting a squeak and a hop.  “No worries hon.  I'll be done in a jiffy.  What does that leave you to do?”

“Well, that leaves everyone else that isn't near the cottage, and the animals who are sick and need some special care.  Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, the family of snakes beneath the dead oak tree, old Mr. Badger in the riverbank, the squirrel brigade, and--” Fluttershy counted on her primaries, but was fast running out of even those.

“Whoa nelly, that's some work load!  I guess we'd better get st--”

“Applejack!”

Fluttershy and Applejack turned as one to see a tiny face tilted up at them, puckered in resentment instead of beaming with its usual cheerful grin.  Applebloom looked tired; even her trademark bow seemed to droop.  Her coat near each forehoof was bedraggled, even marred by a scratch here and there.  Foalhood injuries weren't unusual, particularly for a Cutie-Mark Crusader, but the expression, fatigue and scrapes together were unsettling.

“Applebloom?  What're you doin' here?  Is something wrong?”  Applejack trotted over to her sister, folding her legs to put her on the filly's level.

“Well yeah somethin's wrong!  You hardly did any of your chores this mornin' and you left a big mess in the kitchen before just gallopin' off, and you've been gone forever!  It's after noon now.  I had to help Granny clean the entiiiiire kitchen,” the filly balanced on two legs, spreading her forelegs to convey the sheer vastness of the job. “--then helped repair apple baskets for hoooours.”

Applejack winced.  ~This ain't just foalish whining.  She really felt abandoned.  I hate to think what Mac and Granny think of me.~

The farmpony reached over to ruffle Applebloom's mane and spoke in a low calm voice.  “Ah'm sorry sugarcube.  Ah got a lil carried away in the kitchen, and I stayed at Fluttershy's longer than I should've.”

AJ noticed Applebloom crane her neck to peer past her big sister at the pegasus, whose wings couldn't disguise her softer figure very well anymore.

“Well,” the filly muttered, eyes sliding slowly off of 'Shy before the yellow mare tried to hide in her shed, “if you come home now you'd be in time to help Big Macintosh buck the west field.”

“Ah'll come home straight away, after I say my goodbyes.  Thanks for cleanin' up after me, pumpkin.”  AJ smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.  She leaned towards the path, and Sweet Apple Acres, then fractionally back towards Fluttershy, muscles twitching beneath her coat.

Applebloom nodded with a sharp jerk, and called out, “Bye Fluttershy!” as she spun and dashed off.

AJ sighed, rising to her hooves and trudging back towards her beloved.  “Well.  Seems I forgot myself a mite, doesn't it?”

“It's fine, AJ.  I've always gotten along great on my own, and I know you'll help when you can.”  'Shy leaned in to brush noses with the other mare, wings relaxing.

~There's no one left she feels self-conscious around.  She really can just let her mane down around me.~  AJ couldn't help but let a soft sigh escape, before wrinkling her nose and focusing.

“T'ain't fine, sweetness.  I want to be here for you!  I want to do everything with you.  But...  Horseapples, as much as I must have believed it 'til Applebloom showed up, the rest of the world doesn't just stand aside for you when ya realize you're in love.”

Fluttershy nodded, then drew a hoof in an arc towards the yard around her cottage with all the hutches, pens, and perches.  “We still have our responsibilities, my kissable apple c-crumble.”  'Shy fought the urge to hide behind her mane, and only a single wisp of it slid down across her eye.

'Shy blew the wisp back into the rest of her mane. “It would be the same with any of our friends, no matter who they might, um, grow a-attached to.  Rainbow would still have her weatherpony duties, even if she did cut back on her personal training...and that's hard to imagine.  Twilight has her studying along with the more urgent assignments, plus taking care of precious Spike.  Rarity has a business to run.  And Pinkie Pie...”

Both ponies just exchanged a Look and silently, mutually agreed that it was better to avoid even speculating how Pinkie would handle dating.

~Chances are it would involve siege weaponry and fried—dang it brain, I said no!~  Applejack gave her head a vigorous shake.

AJ moved closer to her special somepony, heat and a sharp twang of regret building simultaneously as a goodbye kiss loomed.  “Anyways, I guess for now at least, this is--”

“Fluttershy!  You are home!”

Their heads whipped about, before the pair ducked as one to avoid a careening pegasus and her flopping mailbag.

Fluttershy winced as the flying pony's wing clipped the roof of her shed, sending the gray, blonde-maned mare wheeling to a crash in the chickens' yard.  By the time the lovers had reached the fence and slipped through the gate, their visitor had righted herself, and brushed most of the non-pegasus feathers off.

“Y'alright, Derpy?  That looked a bit rough.”  Applejack reached down to help her up, while Fluttershy hovered over the new arrival, checking for injuries.

Derpy grinned, one eye more or less focused on AJ.  “Oh, I'm just fine, AJ.  I'm even under-quota today!”  Her grin faltered a little.  “Though maybe knocking over that statue onto Carrot Top's cart should count as two, if I'm being honest.”

Applejack winced, while pulling the accident-prone mare to her hooves.  Derpy was a real sweetheart, which was likely the only reason she hadn't been run out of town on a rail years ago.  “Didja have a question for Fluttershy or somethin' hon?”

“Nope, not a question, just a letter.”  Derpy dug around in her bag, and produced a pink envelope that appeared to be just as much glitter as paper.  She hoofed it to Fluttershy with a renewed grin, then stretched out her wings.

“I dropped one of those off at Sweet Apple Acres too, AJ.  Pretty sure it was addressed to you.”  The mail-mare tapped her chin, then shrugged.  “Sorry.  That was too many impacts ago; I can't be sure.  Anyways, I'd better get going!  The next muffin batch is ready at three, and I have more stops!”

“Take care, Derpy.  Say hi to your girls for me.” Fluttershy smiled, watching the other pegasus flap her way up above the tree-tops before making a wobbly beeline back towards town.

Applejack reached over to tap the envelope in 'Shy's hoof, making her squeak.  “Well?  Open 'er up, sugarcube.  If ah got one too, unless ah miss my bet, Pinkie's throwing another...you know.”

Fluttershy started to smile while tearing the end off the envelope and extracting the invitation within, but the expression froze even before she finished opening it.  “A p-p-party?  I don't know if I'm ready for too many other ponies to s-see me yet.” She seemed to freeze in place, entering full-on statue mode.

Applejack sighed, drew the invitation from her paralyzed friend's grasp and read it aloud.  “'Fluttershy!  You wascally wabbit!  Hop on over to Sugar Cube Corner tonight at seven o'clock for a short-notice treat-a-riffic awesomeblossomtastic dinghummer--' it goes on like this, 'of a party!  Bring your appetite, because there's going to be a special dessert!  This is a super SECRET special dessert too, so the guest list is really short!  Just us six girls!  Be there or be square-knotted and dragged over!'”

Applejack looked up from the invitation to find Fluttershy blushing deeply.  “Heh.  Thinkin' about that special dessert hon?”

'Shy's blush spread nearly down to her neck, and she shook her head a little.  “Um, s-she...  I-I really like it when—no.  Yes!”  Fluttershy fought a short verbal battle with herself, ending with a squeak and a familiar huddle.  Her stomach squashed down onto the grass, spreading out in a buttercup-yellow pancake.

Applejack glanced over the invitation again, then cracked a grin.  “Ahh.  My little bunny likes actual pet pet names, does she?”  When she looked up from the folded card again, Fluttershy was biting her lip.

“A-any animal names, u-usually.  Oh my.  Y-you should go, or I'm going to, um...keep you.”

Applejack giggled as 'Shy actually began pushing her towards the path, her wings standing perfectly rigid atop her back.  “Okay hon.  M'sorry.  See you at the Corner tonight then?”

Fluttershy froze again.  “I...I guess I should, shouldn't I?  The longer I put this off the more awkward it will get.”

“Aww, don't think of it like a chore hon.  Pinkie already knows, and you have me to lean on.  It's a party, it'll be great.  Plus, special dessert,” AJ grinned, winking back over a foreshoulder at her lover.

Though she fidgeted and ruffled her relaxing wings, Fluttershy at last dipped her head in a resigned nod.  “I'll be there.  I don't think I'll e-eat too much though.  It would be kind of...embarrassing with everyone there.”

Applejack's eyelids drooped a bit, her smile bigger than ever.  “Of course, darlin'.  See you t'night!”