Applejack pulled her cart up the road, taking a deep whiff of the spring around her. The air had a distinct smell to it, something she could never quite place right. Like apple trees in the breeze. It made her walk with an easy going stride, simple enough to enjoy the ride, but fast enough to eat up the short distance between Sweet Apple and Fluttershy’s home quickly.
Nopony was on the road here. Nopony ever was. Since Fluttershy lived so close to the Everfree, her home was generally avoided – Unless somepony had a critter they needed looked after. Then, they made the long walk to the home. Applejack knew why Fluttershy lived all the way out here, despite being so afraid of the forest. Here, she was isolated from everypony. She didn’t have to deal with everypony else, and could just spend all day with her animals.
Applejack crossed over the rickety bridge that led up to her friend’s cottage. “She really needs t'fix this ol’ thing,” Applejack said to herself as the wheel of her cart nearly got caught in the wood. She made a mental note to mention it to her. Maybe she could help her fix it up a tad.
Applejack trotted up to the door with the cart, pulling it along easily. She knocked on the door, and it quickly opened. She smiled at the shy pegasus. “Howdy, Shy. Got those apples you wanted.”
“O-Oh,” Fluttershy stuttered out, smiling softly. “T-thank you, Applejack. I hope you didn’t have too long of a walk…”
Applejack bucked off the holster of the cart, grinning. “Shy, Sweet Apple Acres is right next to the Everfree too. S’not a long walk at all.” Shy smiled at that. “Now, where'd you want these here apples?”
“O-Oh, I sort of need them in the backyard, i-if that’s not too much trouble…”
“No trouble t’all, Sugarcube.” Applejack reached into the cart and pulled out one of the baskets of apples, sliding it onto her back. She walked to the backyard to find a picnic blanket set out, and a spot where the apples quite clearly needed to go, just nearby. Applejack shrugged, albeit a bit awkwardly with the basket on her back. She slid the basket off and went out front to get more.
Out front, Shy was struggling to lift a basket. “Don’ worry bout’ that, Shy. Ah can get it for you.” Applejack quick swiftly took it from the weak pegasus mare, sliding it on her back as she had the other one.
“O-Oh… t-thank you, Applejack.”
“Don’t mention it,” Applejack said, smiling.
In short time, Applejack had moved all the apples to the backyard, putting them in the space meant for them. She looked at the picnic set up, a bit confused. “Mind tellin’ me why y’need all these apples, Fluttershy? Ah’m a might bit curious.”
“Well, I-I was sort of about to ask…” Applejack looked at her, confused. “W-would you like to stay for a picnic, Applejack?”
Applejack looked at her curiously. “Well, sure, ah wouldn’t mind a good ol’ picnic. But, why’d you wait till now to ask me? Ah would’a said yes.”
“W-well, I thought you might find it weird for me to ask you all alone,” Shy said, hiding her now steadily flushing face behind her mane. “I really wanted to thank you for all the work you’ve been doing, by bringing all this food up to my cottage, so I decided to make a little picnic for us, but I knew you would want some apples, and I didn’t have any…”
Applejack laughed, smiling at the over shy pegasus. “Aw, shucks Shy. Y’know ah don’ need thanks for everythin’ ah do for you. Why, ah’d go all the way t’Canterlot to deliver these apples if my friends asked.”
Shy blushed more. “O-Oh, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you didn’t want thanks…”
Applejack sighed, smiling still. “Look, ah’d be glad to have a nice picnic with you. It’s a beautiful day, an ah could use a break from bucking apples.”
Shy smiled brightly. “Oh, t-thank you Applejack.”
“Don’ thank me fer something ah already enjoy, Sugarcube. Now, why don’ we dig into these here apples? Ah picked only the best ones.”
The two friends sat on the picnic blanket, both eating their fair share of apples. Every so often, one of Fluttershy’s animals came and pilfered one, but neither of the ponies minded. They had plenty of apples.
Time went by and the sun began to set. Applejack lay back on the blanket, smiling as she rubbed her full belly. She hadn’t been expecting the impromptu picnic, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.
Shy was lying back too, and Applejack heard her sigh softly. “We don’t spend much time together, do we Applejack?”
Applejack glanced at her, a bit surprised by how outspoken she was suddenly. However, Applejack realized she was right. Despite Sweet Apple being fairly close to Fluttershy’s cottage, they never really spent much time together. Even when they met in town, Fluttershy tended to spend more time with Pinkie and Rarity, and Applejack usually spent more time with Rainbow Dash. Their paths never crossed much. “That’s a shame,” Applejack said finally, remembering their conversations as they had eaten. Fluttershy and her had laughed about a lot, Applejack mainly telling the jokes, and Fluttershy giggling and tittering at them, almost like a bird.
“M-maybe… Maybe I could help out on the farm a bit? Maybe we can get to know each other a little bit more?” Applejack realized Shy wasn’t asking for anything special the instant she heard her friend’s voice. If anypony else had asked her like that, stuttering and blushing, she’d have assumed that they were trying to pick her up as a special somepony. But, after spending the entire day with her, Applejack realized Shy just wanted to see her friend more. She didn’t want them to grow apart.
Applejack smiled. “Sure thing, Sugarcube.” They both smiled, and together, two friends watched the sun set on a spring evening.
Author's Note
The story. Bleh.
Also, NO I DO NOT SHIP THEM
THIS IS COMPLETELY FOR THE CHALLENGE
(I ship, if I had to, TwiPie, Rarijack, and Rainbow Dash and Shy have their own separate ships)
