On The Wings of Love

"Rarity, are you... uhm... sure that this is a good idea?" Fluttershy quietly asked her friend as they trotted towards Sweet Apple Acres. The air around them was still crisp and cool despite the rising sun.

"Absolutely darling! Oh I know AJ can be rather brash at times, but she needs to know because, well lets face it dear, Applejack can see straight through ANY lie!"

"Well, I... uh... you're right of course, but..."

And she was. As the Element of Honesty, Applejack had proven time and again that she could indeed tell when her friends, or most anypony for that matter, was lying.

Could she have been able to lie herself, she probably would have been Equestria's greatest Poker player!

However... she couldn't do that either. So whatever her opinion was on Fluttershy being a Fillyfooler, on her having a crush on Rainbow Dash, on everything. She would say it. Which absolutely terrified Fluttershy.

"But what darling?" Rarity inquired

"What if she doesn't approve? What if she doesn't trust me anymore? What if-"

Rarity had placed a hoof over Fluttershy's mouth.

"You keep imagining these nightmare scenario's Fluttershy. You have to remember that the ponies that you're going to tell are your closest circle of friends. We're here for you." She said with a comforting smile.

Fluttershy smiled a small and unsure smile back to her friend. She wanted to believe what Rarity was saying, she just knew though that something was going to go wrong at Sweet Apple Acres though.

With that, the two friends trotted through the gate of the orchard. The apples above them ripe and ready to be bucked.

Looking up at the beautiful sight around her, Fluttershy was startled when the pony to their left spoke up.

"Well, ah'll be. How are ya today Miss Rarity? Miss Fluttershy?"

"Eep!" Fluttershy froze up and fell to the ground, not unlike a startled goat.

Looking a bit startled himself, Big Macintosh walked over.

"Ah didn't mean to startle ya Miss Fluttershy. Y'all ok?"

Regaining her composure, Fluttershy stood up and said "Yes, I'm sorry if I worried you Big Mac."

"S'no problem Miss Fluttershy. Just wanted t' make sure you're ok." He said, a relieved look relaxing across the red stallion's features.

"So what bring's y'all to the acres today?"

"Well, actually we where looking for Applejack. There's something of great importance we have to speak with her about." Rarity stated, matter-of-factly.

At this Big Mac looked from Rarity to Fluttershy a few times, cocking an eyebrow as he did so.

"She's down in the southern end of the orchard. Bucking the golden delicious apples today." He said with slight hesitance, his gaze settling on Fluttershy.

If she didn't know better, when she looked up at Big Mac, she could have sworn she saw him crack a bit of a smile... almost as if he knew something funny.

Shrugging his shoulders, he pointed them towards the direction Applejack was working and trotted towards the barn, a wagon full of apples behind him. Turning to call after them, "Oh, and when ya find AJ, tell her the bet is still on!" before pulling the wagon into the barn.

Walking to the south end of the orchard took a while. Neither pony minded though, the weather was perfect for long strolls. Once they saw the golden delicious trees up ahead, they knew they where in the area. It only took a solid THWACK to confirm they where in the right area. Upon finding their first baskets full of apples, they followed the trail of them that led them to Applejack.

The orange earth pony was glistening in sweat despite the cool weather. She had started working just as Celestia's sun was starting to color the horizon. It was now mid-day.

Looking up, she saw her friends trotting towards her. She smiled as she greeted them.

"Howdy Rarity, Fluttershy. What're y'all doin' here? Not that Ah don't enjoy the company mind ya."

"Nor the break I'd imagine dear." Rarity said, looking over AJ's slightly disheveled appearance.

"Heh, yea. Don't tell Big Macintosh that though, I'd never hear the end of it!" she chuckled.

"Oh, speaking of which... Big Mac said to tell you 'The bet is still on'? Whatever that means."

Applejack cocked an eyebrow before her eyes widened a little bit as she remembered the bet in question. Looking back and forth from Rarity to Fluttershy, much the way Big Macintosh had earlier.

"Oh, Ok then. So what are y'all out an' about doin' today?" She said as nonchalantly as she could.

"Well, we actually came to talk to you darling. A bit of a... political survey... as it where." Rarity said, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

Apparently, both of them where too busy to notice the other's nervous fidgeting.

"Oh? What about?" Applejack said, visibly calming down. This apparently wasn't the subject she was worried about being questioned over.

"Well... oh, how to put this delicately? What are your thoughts on Colt-Cuddlers an Fillyfoolers?" Rarity asked, taking on a diplomatic tone of voice.

Applejack visibly blanched at the question, making Rarity think she had asked the wrong question. Suddenly, and much to both Rarity's and Fluttershy's shock, Applejack started laughing.

"AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!! Whoo-doggy!! I thought y'all was gonna get into real pony politics, not that ol' argument!"

"So what is you're opinion on them then dear?" Rarity said, her voice showing a bit of frustration at Applejack's laughter.

"Well, while it ain't mah cup of tea. Ah don't see anything wrong with it sugarcube. Love is Love and as long as it's true, Ah don't see no harm in it." Applejack said, shaking the leaves out of her blonde mane an tail as she got up.

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief as Fluttershy's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

"So, what in tarnation brought that up?" Applejack asked, looking back and forth between Rarity and Fluttershy again.

"Well... um... I actually..." Fluttershy whispered, barely audible.

"Sugarcube, could ya say that again... Ah couldn't right hear ya."

Fluttershy sighed.

"I'm a Fillyfooler Applejack."

At this, Applejack's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped.

"Sugarcube are you pullin' mah leg? Did Big Macintosh put you up to this?"

"Uh... no... why would he put me up to this?" Fluttershy said, shrinking into a ball.

"AW... PONYFEATHERS!!!"

Applejack's voice carried all the way to the barn, where Big Macintosh looked towards the doorway then just nodded to himself.

"Eeyup. I told her that Miss Fluttershy was a Fillyfooler. Ah knew it from the minute ah clapped eyes on her that day."

Meanwhile, down at the southern end of the orchard. Applejack realized the immediate repercussions of that shout.

Fluttershy had broken down into tears, Rarity had come to comfort her and was staring at Applejack with a look that could likely have scared a Manticore.

"What the buck is the matter with you Applejack?!" Rarity screamed, cursing in a rare moment of rage.

"Oh Celestia forgive me! Ah'm awful sorry about that me hollerin' Fluttershy. Ah can explain myself if'n ya let me."

Sniffing and fighting to hold back her tears, Fluttershy choked out:

"Ok *hic* Applejack."

"You had better have a damn good explanation you insensitive BRUTE!" Rarity said, still shielding Fluttershy from Applejack.

"Ah have an explanation, Ah know it's not going to excuse what Ah just did though." Applejack said, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof and taking off her Stetson as she looked down at the ground.

"Ya see, Big Macintosh's had this bet going on with me since the day we got back from Cloudsdale. He said he could see it in Fluttershy's eyes that she was a Fillyfooler. Normally ah don't question Mac on stuff like this. He could tell when my cousin Braeburn went to the other side of the street as it where. I swear it's like he's got some sorta gay-dar, he can just sense 'em somehow. Anywho, Brae actually came out with that a few months before we all went to Appaloosa. Ah owed Mac a case of mah special Sister's Crown Whiskey after that. Ah normally don't bet against him anymore but when he said Fluttershy was a fillyfooler... I thought he was just pullin' mah leg. He bet me a case of Mares Mark Bourbon that he was right. Now, Sugarcube, that got me fightin' mad for some reason. Ah thought he was jus' jokin' at your expense."

Applejack's head hung low "Some friend Ah am, making bets on my friends. Shouting like that when Ah lost, not even thinkin' about how it'd make ya feel. Sugarcube, Ah'm sorry."

Fluttershy had gotten quiet and now walked over to Applejack and gave her a hug.

"I'm not mad Applejack. I was just worried about what you would think."

"Well sugarcube, I think its great." Applejack said, throwing her hooves around Fluttershy's neck in a hug.

"Now, who's the lucky mare?

Letting go of her friend, Fluttershy looked Applejack in the eyes and said

"It's Rainbow Dash... I'm in love with Rainbow Dash."

Applejack's eyes went wide and her jaw hung on its hinges.

Shaking herself out of it, she said. "Y'all want to talk about this in the barn? I'll get Big Mac to come down here and cover for me."

"Oh, if you... um... wouldn't mind... yes?" Fluttershy said, returning to her timid demeanor.

And with that they trotted off towards the barn.