Give and Take

by The 8-Bit Flame Princess

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Fluttershy, Slice of Life, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 3834

Fluttershy and Applejack have been dating for a year. Fluttershy thinks its time to take it to the next step: moving in with each other. But this leads Applejack to reconsidering how she feels about the whole 'exclusive relationship' thing.

My entry for the Appleshy group's first contest (link).

Fluttershy and Applejack have been in a happy relationship for over a year now. When Fluttershy asks Applejack about moving in together, the earth pony has to reconsider how she really feels and whether she's ready for her relationship to get serious.

Cover art by the amazing icingtaxation on deviantArt. Go show them some support!
Proof-read and edited by the equally amazing Lion! Many thanks!

Published 2013-12-09 17:20:03 UTC
Last updated 2013-12-09 17:20:03 UTC

I will follow you until the end ...

Applejack awoke from her slumber and rubbed a hoof slowly over her sleep-filled eyes, getting adjusted to being awake. Her mane fell across her face, and she realized it must have come undone while she was sleeping. A quick glance at the pale wooden table beside the bed confirmed her hat was still there, with the red band next to it.

Smiling like she'd spotted a familiar friend, Applejack took the hat gently in her hooves, curving them gently so she would be able to hold it. Being an earth pony took time and dedication, what with having no magic to levitate things, or no wings to balance things- but you learnt that strength is important and that you could always do something if you set your mind to it.

Applejack placed her Stetson on her head, leaving her mane loose. Fluttershy always liked it when it was loose.

At the thought of her marefriend a smile graced Applejack's face. They had been dating for just over a year now, and there had been many happy moments.

Like every relationship, they weren't perfect. They argued– over stupid things, mostly– but like any other healthy couple, they knew their love- or intense like- was enough to get them through it. Fighting just wasn't worth the stress if they were both happy.

Fluttershy was Applejack's first serious relationship. She'd had her doubts, before they got together. She wasn't sure she was ready to be in a relationship, ready to devote her time to one pony when she had work to do on the farm.

If it wasn't for Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash admitting their feelings, then Fluttershy probably wouldn't have had the courage to confess to Applejack.

She hadn't been sure at first. She said she needed time to think. But when she thought of how she'd always believed in Fluttershy, even when the mare might not have believed in herself, and how Fluttershy had saved them from the dragon, how Applejack thought she looked like the most beautiful pony in all of Equestria the night of gala, and so many more memories they shared, Applejack realized she didn't need to think things through much after all.

And so far, so good.

She glanced next to her her marefriend laying next to her in the bed they shared. Her light pink mane was spread about the pillows gracefully, and Applejack ran her hoof through it gently before kissing Fluttershy on the head.

Fluttershy opened one eye and smiled at her lover, yawning with a little squeak.

"Good morning Applejack," she said, opening both her eyes and sitting up slowly, "did you sleep well?"

"Like a foal." Applejack grinned, "There's somethin' about your bed which makes it as comfortable as if it was stuffed with clouds. It seems round the farm our beds are as hard as a bag of bricks, an' just as uncomfortable."

Fluttershy's smile seemed to slip off her face at the mention of the farm. Applejack noticed this and tensed. Fluttershy had always been quiet, but over the time they'd been dating Applejack had helped her gain her voice, so that she could always speak up if she had a problem with their relationship. Communication, Applejack believed, was the key to a healthy relationship. You and your partner had to trust each other completely, and that meant, sometimes, telling them no.

However, Fluttershy still lived up to her name, and would probably never stop being soft-spoken and shy. That was why Applejack liked her though.

"Is something wrong, butterfly?" Applejack asked. The mare shook her head and smiled, nuzzling the cowpony.

"Oh, don't worry. It's nothing important," Fluttershy said, and then got out of the bed, stretching. Applejack followed.

"Are you sure-" she started to protest, but Fluttershy cut her off swiftly with a kiss.

"Breakfast?" she asked with a smile.

Applejack sighed but smiled back.

She wasn't going to push Fluttershy into a position she wasn't comfortable in. However, if her marefriend had an issue, she wanted to know what it was.

She shook her head. It probably really was nothing. She should stop overreacting. They'd been dating for over a year. Surely Fluttershy would tell her any issues she had?

Deciding not to make a mountain out of a molehill, she followed Fluttershy down the stairs of the cottage to go help make breakfast, a usual part of their morning routine no matter whose house they were in.

Fluttershy ladled the steaming hot porridge into china bowels, glad to finally get a chance to get some food in her. Feeding all the animals took a long time, but now she had Applejack around the job could be done quickly. Applejack was used to chores.

The cottage was just about big enough for all the animals. New animals came daily, seeking her tender care after an injury, or starving and looking for food. Some animals, like Angel, stuck around. She was always willing to give any creature a home if they needed it.

Angel, currently, had taken up residence on top of Applejack's hat, while the mare calmly ate without doing anything. Fluttershy smiled joyously at this. Angel had taken a while to get used to Applejack, but once he accepted the fact that she wasn't going to steal his Fluttershy away from him, he had become a regular visitor to the top of her hat. She still had no idea how he got up there, though.

"You alright there sugarcube?" AJ asked, raising her head to stare at her marefriend. Fluttershy shook herself out of her thoughts and smiled at the mare opposite her at the table.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking," she said, eating her porridge before it cooled down.

Applejack studied her intently. "Are ya sure? 'Cause if you got something to tell me, then don't you hang around, bottlin' it all up. You tell me. Ah promise Ah won't be mad or nothin'."

Fluttershy grinned at her marefriend's short speech. "Oh, Applejack. I'm sorry I'm making you feel that way. It's nothing bad. It's just .. Oh, well, I hope it's not a bad thing-"

"Just tell me what it is." Applejack, laughing, interrupted Fluttershy kindly.

"Oh, well I was thinking, after what we did last night ..." Applejack and Fluttershy both blushed with pleasure as thoughts of their nights together came into their heads.

"Do y' not feel comfortable? Is that the problem?" a worried Applejack asked. Fluttershy blushed again and laughed nervously.

"Oh no. Not at all. It's just it got me thinking about how I feel about you, and our, um, relationship. I'd actually been thinking about it for a while, and I realized ... I want more. I want to go to the next step." Fluttershy said, letting out a deep breath after she'd finished speaking. Applejack had taught her that it was better to speak up, and she definitely felt better after she confessed. It felt as if she'd been carrying a giant rock, and that rock had been lifted off her back.

Applejack raised her eyebrow. "After last night I'm not sure we can take things much further, butterfly," she joked.

Being with Applejack had strengthened her resolve. And she knew she needed to speak her mind.

"I mean, further than, um, sex. I want us to move in together." she said, and then looked up expectantly at Applejack.

Applejack sat there, stunned. Sure, they'd been dating for over a year but she wasn't sure she was ready for this. She couldn't leave the farm, because Big Macintosh wouldn't be able to handle it all by himself. Apple Bloom was still a filly, and while she was helpful they didn't want to overwork her. What with Granny Smith needing more rest now as she got older, there was no way she could leave her brother by himself. It would kill her.

Yet, Fluttershy couldn't leave her animals. They depended on her for nursing, food, and a place to sleep. She couldn't abandon them- she wouldn't dare to.

But one of them would have to sacrifice something for their relationship.

"Is this not okay with you?" Fluttershy began to ramble anxiously, "Oh, I knew you weren't ready for this! I'm so sorry I brought it up. Please, just forget I ever said anything." she squeaked, and began to clear up the porridge bowls. Angel hopped off Applejack's hat and glared at her, willing her to say something. Anypony who made his Fluttershy unhappy wasn't OK in his book.

"Fluttershy, this is a huge commitment. We have to be absolutely sure we wanna go through with this. Ah ... Ah may need a bit of time to think about this. Y'know, just about how I feel about this. But I don't think it's a bad thing at all. Just ... Ah need t' think, alright?" Applejack said, and Angel hopped off the table, satisfied.

Fluttershy swept up her marefriend in a hug, and Applejack was temporarily suspended above the ground, legs kicking, in Fluttershy's embrace.

"Oh, thank you so much Applejack! i just know that this is the right thing for our relationship," Fluttershy said, setting her marefriend gently down on the ground again. Applejack clutched her hat, head spinning with dizziness.

"It's all right sugarcube. Now, if ya don't mind Ah have to get back to the farm. Got some chores to do, a fence to fix, the usual. But Ah'll see you later, OK?"

Fluttershy pecked her marefriend on the lips. "Goodbye. Have a nice day." She smiled.

Applejack left the cottage, shutting the door gently behind her and making her way up the path, beginning the short journey back to Sweet Apple Acres. The conversation she'd just had with Fluttershy kept on repeating itself in her mind.

Behind the closed wooden door, Fluttershy's smile slipped off her face with a sigh. Angel nestled in her mane, trying his best to comfort her.

"Oh, Angel. I ... She seemed so uncomfortable. I hope I did the right thing," Fluttershy whispered.

Applejack lifted the hammer with her mouth, concentrating on not dropping the heavy metal on her hooves. She brought it down on the nail, sending it firmly into the wood. Setting down the hammer gently, she took off her hat and wiped the sweat off her brow. She stared at her handiwork. The fence had come loose a few nights before, and while it wasn't essential to the farm, it was better to be safe than sorry. She'd nearly finished and had just a few more nails to hammer in until the broken off board was back on- as good as new.

The fence bordered the Everfree Forest, and Applejack stared into the murky woods. The trees swayed to and fro in the wind, and the sound of the leaves rustling reminded Applejack of whispers, almost as if the trees were telling secrets to each other. Since it was the Everfree Forest, Applejack wouldn't be surprised if it was true. There was some freaky stuff in there.

However, there were also hidden gems, if you knew where to look. Fluttershy had once led Applejack into a clearing filled with black, wilting flowers, and as the sun set and the moon rose they blossomed and glowed in jewel colours as the moonlight shined down on them.

Applejack placed her hat back on her head and thought of her marefriend's proposition.

Moving in. Together. In a house. That wasn't the farm.

She knew, deep down, that she could never leave Sweet Apple Acres. She loved her farm like it was her family and she had a duty to her work as a member of the Apple family that she couldn't give up.

However, Fluttershy couldn't leave all her animals. They were her family.

Applejack groaned inwardly. It seemed that she just kept going round in circles with the same pointless argument. That wasn't even one of the real reasons she was worried. Living arrangements could be negotiated.

She was an honest pony- or at least she tried to be. But one of the hardest things in life is not being honest with someone else, but being honest with yourself.

Honestly ... She was scared. Scared of committing to one person who one day might not be there. Scared of being serious, scared of her first relationship taking such a big step. Scared of love.

Applejack had always been brave, had always been there to protect her friends. Love wasn't physical, it wasn't something she could touch, something she could punch or kick or bite. It wasn't something that could beat her up. So why was she scared of it?

She could take any challenge, go the distance, save the day and protect her home- but all those things were physical. She could do all of those with a quick fight or a blast of harmony.

Love wasn't something she could dive head-first into. It was a delicate process, one that required soft-spoken words and lingering kisses under the stars. It was a completely new territory for her, and the feelings she had for Fluttershy that were so strong that she was considering waking up in a bed next to the pegasus every morning- those were her demons. Those were the nagging thoughts that crept into her mind every minute of the day.

Once she got over the fact that she had feelings for one of her best friends, and that they were returned, it was smooth sailing. But now she was getting into something complicated, something she had never done before. She wasn't sure she was ready- she wasn't sure she wanted to be ready. This was a big step. She wasn't sure how strongly she felt about Fluttershy.

"Yo, AJ!" a distant voice called. Applejack looked around for its source. She finally looked up into the sparkling blue sky to find a cloud drifting across it. Curious as to why a cloud was talking, Applejack squinted, trying to get a closer look.

She blinked, and then suddenly, in a blast of rainbow and wind Rainbow Dash was hovering beside her, smirking.

"You thought I was a cloud," she teased, zooming around the farmer and coming to a rest on the fence, which wobbled dangerously with the weight of a pony on it.

"Off mah fence, Dash," the farmer simply replied, swatting at her friend with her hooves. Rainbow Dash came to stand next to Applejack, her smile still on her face, but with a look of worry in her eyes.

"Are you OK, Applejack? You look like something's bugging you," she said. Rainbow Dash usually wasn't very good at telling what other ponies were feeling, but she'd known Applejack since they were small. She could read her well.

Applejack sighed. "Jus' some ... relationship problems. It's fine. Everything will be fine and dandy in the morning." she said gloomily.

"What happened? Did Fluttershy dump you?" Dash asked. AJ glared at her.

"What in ... No! She just ... She wants us to move in together."

Rainbow Dash flew in a somersault. "That's awesome! I'm happy for you," she stopped flying around gleefully as she noticed the troubled expression on her best friend's face.

"That is great ... Right?" asked a confused Dash. Applejack sighed.

"It should be. But ... Oh, Ah don't know, Dash. It should be, but something about it just rubs me the wrong way. Ah just feel like Ah'm not sure about our relationship yet. This is mah first real one. We've done all these things, and been friends for so long but ... Ah'm sacred, Dash. And Ah hate it. Ah shouldn't be, 'cause Ah know she lo-likes me a lot, but Ah-"

"Applejack, listen. I've been in my relationship with Twilight for about the same time you've been seeing Fluttershy, and I've learnt a thing or two about love- enough to tell when somepony loves another pony. And I can tell that Fluttershy loves you."

"How can ya tell?" Applejack asked. "Did she tell ya herself?"

Rainbow Dash looked sheepish. "Well ... No. Not exactly. But, come on! It's so obvious. She adores you. I'm sure she can tell you better than I can, though. She'll certainly be able to get it through your stubborn head. But I need you to answer me this question: do you love her back? Really and truly?" Rainbow Dash said, staring into the cowpony's emerald green eyes.

Applejack closed her eyes to think, thinking of the way Fluttershy believed the best of everyone, the way she conquered her fears to be a better pony, the way she helped others understand themselves and who they wanted to be, and ultimately, the way she looked at Applejack like she was the most important pony ever to exist- like she was worth something.

And, like everything else about their relationship, it didn't require much thought at all.

"Ah do. Well, at least, Ah think Ah do. How's it supposed to feel?" she said, and Rainbow Dash laughed.

"Well then I think you should tell her that you love her, because right now she probably doubts you do." a flicker of pain crossed Dash's face for a moment. "Hiding my feelings for Twilight and then finally telling her how I felt taught me that you shouldn't hide how you feel, because it only makes things worse. You should tell them. Because maybe they feel the same way after all. Or at least that's what Twi says. But I think I understand the concept."

Applejack smiled, a real smile. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash. Ah know just what to do now." She finished fixing the fence hurriedly and sped along the lane, not looking back.

Fluttershy scattered down feed for the chickens, hovering above them and humming tunelessly and contently. Apart from Applejack's off behavior her day had been pleasant. The sky was a beautiful blue, the birds were singing their songs happily, and everyone in Ponyville seemed to be at peace.

Suddenly, she felt a presence, as if someone was behind her, watching her every move. The pegasus spun around in the air, chicken feed escaping out her basket and showering down below her. The birds clucked and dived for the food, some of it covering her marefriend, who was standing below her, trying to shake off the feed before the chickens could start pecking at her.

"Ah'm so sorry, Fluttershy, Ah didn't mean to startle ya. Ah just ... Needed to tell ya something," Applejack said, brushing the remaining bits of chicken feed from her blonde mane.

"What is it?" Fluttershy said, flying down to stand on the ground beside the earth pony.

"Ah'm ready- for us to move in together, Ah mean. See, before Ah thought Ah wasn't ready, and mah mind was twisting and turning like a young filly with a nightmare. But then Ah talked with Rainbow Dash, and she said to tell you how I really felt. So Ah love you, sugarcube. And Ah want us to move in with each other, and take this relationship to the next step. Ah never thought Ah wanted a partner, or someone to share with. Ah never wanted anypony, but now Ah realize Ah have always wanted you.

"Ah ... Ah never knew this relationship would mean as much to me as it does now- mean enough for me to say, with all certainty, really and truly, from the bottom of mah heart and all that, that Ah love ya."

Applejack swallowed nervously after her speech had ended. She'd never done this before. What if she was no good at saying she loved Fluttershy?

Fluttershy smiled, and stared at her marefriend with a look of adoration in her eyes. She leaned forward and gave her marefriend a loving kiss, filled with security and the promise of a closer relationship.

"I love you too." she said. "When I first realized that I had feelings for you, I was so scared that you would reject me, or that you liked somepony else. Now we've come so far, and I don't have anything to be scared of anymore," she said, and kissed Applejack again.

"So, we're definitely doing this?" Fluttershy asked after their kiss broke, her mane falling in front of one aquamarine eye. Applejack nodded, and then laughed out loud.

"We're actually doing this." she laughed, shaking her head in bewilderment. "If it was gonna be anypony, Ah'm pleased as a cat that's gotten cream that it'd gonna be you."

Fluttershy smiled contently. "I'm glad that it was you too Applejack."

They laid embraced, loving the feel of each other's body against them, cherishing their relationship.

After a moment of silence, Fluttershy spoke.

"Umm, so, where are we moving to?"

Applejack thought for a moment, considering all the options. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her.

She smiled. "Ah think Ah have an idea that may make us both happy indeed."

The addition to Sweet Apple Acres fit in well- you could hardly tell it was a new building. The cottage was spacious and airy, with two floors and a chicken coop and shed behind it. The Everfree forest was directly behind it, with a clear path joining the two for animals to come and go.

A white fence bordered it, and Applejack finished putting in the nails with a satisfied grunt. She stared behind her at Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom, and they grinned back at her, pleased that their sister and her marefriend had found a way to be with each other but still keep their commitments to their work and family.

"It's finished!" called a brash voice, and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle walked out of the cottage, smiling and chatting.

"We just finished putting in the sofa, so now all the furniture is officially there. So, that wraps things up. Oh, I almost forgot!" Twilight said, and she concentrated hard to form a field of pink magic, and when it disappeared in a flash of white there were two identical silver keys, one with an apple key-ring and one with a butterfly key-ring. Twilight Sparkle levitated them towards Fluttershy and Applejack, smiling at the happy couple.

"Your keys." she said, and retreated to stand beside Rainbow Dash, who placed her wing around Twilight.

Fluttershy cuddled her marefriend with her wing and Applejack snuggled closer. The couple stared at their cottage.

"It's perfect," Fluttershy sighed.

Applejack agreed with her.

So far, so good.

Author's Note

Couldn't have been done without Lion. Thanks again.
Don't really have any more acknowledgements ~~because my friends are hopeless~~ so I hope you guys enjoy this story and give me a thumbs up, and fave, and comment and shit you young 'uns do these days.
Also, head over to the Appleshy group and vote for me when voting starts! I want to win this thing guys!
So, umm, yeah.
8-Bit out.