The sun was high up in the sky, shining gloriously upon the lands of Equestria. Its light was glaring, and the warmth it brought was just incredible. There hasn't been such a warm summer in Equestria for years. Many ponies took their days off and went to the parks to have a pleasant picnic with their family and friends.

There were no clouds whatsoever, and nothing could prevent a perfect sunbathing for you, if you wanted one. Rarity has probably already grabbed her hammock, found herself a nice spot and is resting right now, with her sunglasses on. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash wanted to have a picnic for so long - and it seems they've got their chance at last. Twilight is probably at the lake, reading a book or writing a letter, while periodically swimming from shore to shore.

Only one pony didn't appreciate this gift from Princess Celestia. Breathing heavily, Applejack sat down under the apple tree and swiped the sweat away from her forehead, putting her wide-brimmed hat on the ground. A weak breeze from the east refreshed her and played with her light grayish olive mane. The refreshment was short lived, however, as the scorching heat of the sun struck again, even despite her lying in the shadow.

It's just isn't fair. Life isn't fair in general - but today, it felt like causing Applejack the most trouble. She slowly looked onto the basket that was full of huge, ripe apples. On usual days, she would carry around ten of these. But the heat and blinding light of the sun drained her faster than Applebloom drinks Sunday Special. She sighed heavily, looking up into the tree where another thousand of apples were hanging, waiting to be harvested.

She could have asked Big Mac for help, but he left along with Applebloom to Manehattan for a few days. Asking friends for help when they already put their plans for this hot day seemed like a rude move, so Applejack decided to do it all herself. Which she is regretting right now.

She would love to sit under this tree for the whole day, until the burning sun goes away, but she had to continue her work. Leaving the job for tomorrow was no option for her, so she got up and kicked the apple tree as hard as she could. The tree trembled for a few seconds and the big red fruits fell down on the ground. Applejack was too tired to wave the basket around and catching the apples before they reach the ground, so she simply picked them up. The basket became even more heavy, slowing her down a lot. Breathing heavily, with her tongue sticking out, Applejack made her way to the next tree.

She put the basket nearby, and was about to turn around and kick the tree, when she suddenly felt strange weakness in her limbs and her vision started to blur, and the world around got darker all of a sudden. Applejack tried to take another step, but fainted and fell on the ground.

She woke up five seconds later. The ground seemed just as hot as the air, and the grass was rough and cutting. Applejack rubbed her eyes, trying to drive away the dizziness and blur in the eyes.

"Applejack!" - she suddenly heard a soothing, but a worried voice behind her. The blur was making her sick - the world was spinning around, and her ears were ringing like crazy. She could barely make out who it was.

"Applejack, are you okay?" - Fluttershy asked, slowly leading her into the shade.

"Uh..oh... who? Oh... yes, I'm all right, hun" - Applejack said, blinking, trying to grasp what was going on with her.

"You don't look that alright to me" - Fluttershy said quietly, clearing the dirt off Applejack's face. "You just buried your face into the grass"

"I was.... err... taking a nap. Just a quick nap, that's all...." - Applejack replied.

"Oh, Applejack, there's just no changing you. Bearing the Element of Honesty, and yet you still drop a lie here and there" - Fluttershy said. After she made sure Applejack could stand without her help, she took a few steps back.

"Why are you working on such a beautiful day anyway? You could have gone to the lake with Twilight, or go for some cupcakes and pies with Rainbow and Pinkie" - she said, looking at Applejack with her big shining eyes.

"I've got a lot of work to do, Fluttershy. And when I say a lot, I do mean a lot. I've got to clear this whole garden" - Applejack said, sighing and putting her hat back on. Then she noticed all the apples scattered on the ground.

"Oh, just bucking great!" - she said in an annoyed voice. Fluttershy looked at her once again.

"Let me help you. Together, we'll clean this garden in no time!" - she offered and Applejack nod. It was certainly a good idea, as she realized that she is in a horrible condition. This heat was doing horrible things to her.

Together, the work started going much faster. Fluttershy flew up into the trees and quickly plucked as many apples as she could hold in her tender hooves. Applejack was standing below, waiting for her pegasus friend to bring the apples to her. She was more than capable to carry this weight, without having to kick trees. Her head was still aching a bit, but she was able to see clearly now.

"Fluttershy... thanks for the help" - she said, looking up as Fluttershy brought another pile of apples to her.

"You're welcome! You should have asked for help in the start, dear. Or, even better, not work at all" - she said, smiling and coming closer.

"I know, but I just can't put away the job for the next day. Only when all things done, I can breathe freely" - Applejack replied, slowly blinking.

"Applejack... are you okay? You look really bad" - Fluttershy said, taking a closer look at Applejack. She only smiled weakly in response.

"No, no, hun, I'm alright now, I feel much.... oh...." - she said, suddenly reeling from side to side. The blur has returned to cloud her eyes and play with her vestibular apparatus yet again. She felt really sick and walked away into a shade, trying to fight back this disgusting feeling.

"No, you're not alright" - Fluttershy said firmly and approached her friend, turned Applejack towards herself and kissed her on the forehead. The earth pony was frozen in place - what's this all about?

Fluttershy's lips were quite cold and refreshing, and her curls got a little bit in Applejack's eyes. She also smelled like a blooming rose, which brought relaxation and comfort. It reminded her of those pretty red roses she keeps on her windowsill - sometimes, when you pass near them, you just can't help but sniff them, sniff them so hard so that smell would stay in your memory for the whole day.

"Celestia be my witness, you have a fever! Your forehead is like a burning charcoal!" - Fluttershy exclaimed. So that's what she was doing - checking her temperature.

"Really? Oh, no, hun, I feel better already... oh, buck..." - Applejack said, as the world started spinning like a merry-go-round. She rolled her eyes and almost fell down, but Fluttershy was there to catch her.

"No, that's enough work for you today, dear. You're overstraining yourself too much" - she said in a soothing voice.

"Yeah... I think I do need a break.... Sweet Luna, my head hurts like crazy, ugh" - Applejack responded. "Thank you for your help, hun. Really appreciate it. How'd ya even end up here? You don't usually fly over the Acres, if I remember correctly".

"Oh, sorry! I even forgot to say why I came here. I wanted to visit you, Jack. It's just that today is a very nice, beautiful day, and I thought that we should hang out together" - she said and smiling, as her cheeks turned ripe red.

"Oh... how about we go look for Twilight? Or Pinkie and Dash? They would surely love to hang out as well".

"I wanted to hang out just with you... You know, I figured we don't spend that much time together... and we are friends, so we should stay in touch, right?" - Fluttershy said, as her cheeks continued to bloom with red color and she smiled shyly. "So, I figured, you wouldn't mind coming over to my place and eating some delicious watermelon I bought recently"

"A watermelon? Sounds delicious already. I'm totally in, hun" - Applejack said. She loved watermelons - under the sturdy and solid surface, a red world of delight and freshness was hiding. Applejack imagined sinking her teeth into its delicious, cold meat.

"Oh, great. Let's go right now - I'll also look for some medicine for you. Let's hope you're just overstrained yourself on such a hot day, and it will pass soon" - Fluttershy said, continuing to smile. Though it was definitely because of the fever, but Applejack was almost blinded by her smile - it seemed so bright.

"Let's go, just stay close to me. I don't want you to pass out on our way"

"Yes, yes, hun, whatever you say" - Applejack said and smiled. This little scene awoke those fuzzy feeling in your chest when someone cares about you.

She and Fluttershy really didn't hang out that much. Although they were good friends, whenever they met, it was always with other ponies, like when they all decided to go for a picnic, or when Twilight went cuckoo, or when a major danger arises. So she and Fluttershy had little to no time tet-a-tet, face to face, as they say. Though she really wasn't a pony every community would kill for, as she usually preferred to stay in the shadows, quietly sitting in the corner. In fact, it seemed quite odd for her to make a move first, to invite Applejack first, instead of being invited.

Applejack wanted to ask Fluttershy about this, but decided to keep quiet. It seemed very rude - just bluntly asking 'Why did you invite me?'. A friend can invite a friend at any time he wants - what's wrong with that? Besides, she was really looking forward to spending some fun time with Fluttershy, and, of course, eat that watermelon. It seemed like a gift from Celestia - to eat such a perfect and huge ball of refreshment that ponies call a berry. Ah, she was ready to kiss Fluttershy from tail to nose for such an invitation.

The sun was high up in the sky, heating up the world even stronger, but Applejack felt now much better, as she and Fluttershy were walking through Ponyville. The ponies were either full of energy and excitement, or looked docile and peaceful, as they were slowly lying in their hammocks or chaise-longue, resting and drinking soda. Applejack and Fluttershy were slowly making their way to the big tree, where Fluttershy lived, talking and giggling along the way. They kept very quiet, as Fluttershy didn't want Applejack to suddenly faint right on the street or feel bad again. Applejack herself wasn't very active, as she started to act more like a vegetable - her movement was slow, twitchy and her eyes started to turn muddy, which Fluttershy didn't like at all. But there was no better medicine than a bite of cold, fresh, juicy watermelon that was waiting for them in Fluttershy's house.

Author's Note

I am new to this genre, so I don't expect this to be insanely good. But still, I hope you'll like the style in which I will do stuff and enjoy the story I will bring you in this fic! Good luck and have fun!