Through the transparent drapes peered Celestia's broken dawn, the sun's rays of light traveling from the window, across the old wooden floorboards that have been there since Granny Smith's days as a filly, and directly in Fluttershy's eyes. She blinked them open softly, her body just beginning to wake. Her muscles ached like she flew sixty miles and her brain felt foggy. When she came to, however, all of that was forgotten and replaced with a terrifying mix of horror and bafflement. This was not her bed. This was not her room. Hell, this wasn't even her hometown. Fluttershy rushed into a full-blown anxiety attack, her hooves shaking independently and gallons of sweat dripping down her forehead. Where was she? How did she get here? And… and when did she get her cutie mark? Then she remembered. The fall. The animals. The storm. The kind mare that took her in. Fluttershy, though, still was puzzled as to how she had gotten into the bed. Did she carry me up here, she wondered mortified. She felt so bad about it. The mare didn't have to do that, or any of it, for that matter. The mare didn't even know her name, yet she was compassionate enough to do so anyways. Fluttershy decided the first moment she saw her, she would thank her, apologize, and leave. It was, of course, rude to overstay your welcome. This brought Fluttershy to another enigma; should she stay here on the ground? Fluttershy had never felt like she belonged anywhere. She was always the outcast among the other foals and she definitely did not have the knack for flight. There on the ground, though, she felt free. It felt like all the mismatched puzzle pieces all the sudden fit together perfectly. That must be why she had gotten her cutie mark. How ever could she leave?
Then, of course, there was the issue of flight school. Her parents paid good money to get her into it so that she would improve as a flier. Dropping out… would just be cruel and would disappoint her parents. Fluttershy's head felt like a drawer of mismatched socks, vexed and fretful. I can't deal with this now, she told herself, we can deal with this once we leave. She rose out of bed and stretched her legs, reveling in the extension of her muscles. She flipped her head back around and noticed the mess she made of the sheets. I suppose I should fix that, she thought.
Applejack woke up early. Way earlier than usual. In the Apple house, Applejack fixed all the meals for everyone. It used to be her grandmother's responsibility, but after she had that great fall a few years back, she hasn't been able to do much. She also used to do the house and business work, such as washing the dishes and selling the apples on the market, but she can't do that anymore, so its Applejack's responsibility. Now, however, she has a fourth person to feed. And she's a guest. So Applejack has to work twice as hard to show her Ponyville hospitality. Their small town already has quite a bad reputation. All it takes is one rude citizen and suddenly all of Equestria thinks her town is just full of hicks. That's how the oranges described them, anyways. She had to show there was more to them than meets the eye; that the ponies who live in Ponyville are honest, kind folks who help those who need it.
Applejack moved around the kitchen in a flurry. She had so many things to do. On the stove were some potato apple cheddar pancakes, apple jack flapjacks (her personal favorite), and apple cornmeal fritters. In the oven was a loaf of carrot zucchini apple bread, apple French toast, and whole-wheat apple crumb muffins. In the blender was a smooth mix of four apples, three cups of apple juice, one cup of strawberries, and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Applejack cut away on the cutting board, attempting to make a fruit salad. She didn't know how or what this pony ate, so she just decided to make all the breakfast things she could think of. Granny Smith hobbles in, her silver, wiry hair sticking out in all directions and her wrinkled eyes drooped sheepishly.
"Allo, Apple. You're back already." She mumbled, "What'cha makin'?"
Apple jack held a fuji apple still with her hoof on the cutting board and sliced away at it, making sure not to graze herself with the knife. "Well, I'm fixin' some breads in the oven, as well as some muffins, and on the stove I'm cookin' fritters, apple jack flapjacks, and, uh, pancakes with cheddar an potato an apples."
A baffled expression crossed the old mare's face as she asked, "An that in the blender?"
Applejack whipped her head around to see what she was talking about, then replied, "Oh, that's just a smoothie."
"Dear," Granny Smith questioned gently, "Why you makin' so much stuff? Is it to celebrate your day back? 'Cause Big Mac an I can't eat all that."
"Eeup." Big Mac entered the kitchen, his eyes wide as saucers staring at the banquet of food laid out before him. He looked from the food to Applejack, and again back at the food.
"Well, Granny… an Macintosh," Applejack paused from chopping the fruit, "I… I… As I was comin' back home, I ran into this poor pegasus in the forest. It was rainin' and all, so I took her in and let her stay the night."
"Are you sure that was a good idea?" asked Granny Smith.
Applejack nodded. "She was just a filly. My age, I think." She sighed and confessed, "I wanted to show a foreigner what Ponyvillagers were really like. That's why I made all this food."
Granny Smith approached the tangerine foal and asked with concern, "What happened in Manehatten, sweetie?"
"Well, I-"
The sound of gentle footsteps interrupted Applejack. A cream colored pony walked into the kitchen, an uneasy look on her face. Her cheeks burned a bright crimson, as if she were deeply ashamed. "Uh… uh… hello…" she squeaked.
If there was a serious discussion going on a moment ago, Granny Smith acted as if it never happened and she padded over to the little pegasus and smiled. "Why, you must be the stranger Applejack found. How are you feelin'?"
"O-oh, uh, I'm… okay…" She murmured. She stood awkwardly and scuffled her hooves over the floor.
Granny Smith smirked. "I didn't catch your name, dear."
"Um… I'm Flutter…. shy." She was barely audible, even in such a small room where there was very little room for the sound to travel too far. Granny Smith laughed at this and patted the timid filly on the back. Applejack turned off the stove and pulled out the goodies in the oven. She laid out a variety of ceramic plates and bowls on the kitchen's island, which she now used to hold all the food she had made.
Applejack announced to the other ponies, "Y'all can serve yourselves!" Granny Smith and Big Mac exchanged a troubled glance, but did not say anything. Instead, they picked up a plate and got a couple of things from each serving dish. Meanwhile, Fluttershy stood at the corner of the room staring uneasily at her cream hooves. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. She didn't know if "y'all" included her. She felt like an outsider in this house, not to mention this land. She was so very far away from her home, her family, and her friend, Rainbowdash. Even so, she felt in much better spirits here than she ever did in Cloudsdale. Applejack noticed Fluttershy, who was not getting herself breakfast, standing in the corner staring off into space. She padded over to her and waved a hoof in front of her face.
"You okay, darlin'? I made breakfast for you. I sure would appreciate it if you'd try some, even the smallest bit." Applejack leered at her and teased, "Little thing like gotta put some meat on your bones." Fluttershy blushed and nodded. She went over to the island, grabbed a plate, and served herself a muffin and a glass of the smoothie. The other Apples already sat at the table and were devouring their feasts. The meek filly shrinked over as she brought her food to the table and sat down. She took a nibble of her muffin and, as she did, her eyes opened wide.
She turned to Applejack, who was now serving herself the food she made,
and said in awe, "This may be the best muffin I've ever had." The tangerine pony smiled wide and thanked her. She sat at the table and began to eat, as well.
She turned to Fluttershy and asked, "So what brought you to Ponyville?"
"Well… I… um," the pegasus felt her cheeks start to burn and she mumbled, "I kinda fell…"
All of the Apples looked to Fluttershy with great concern. Granny Smith, a confounded expression on her face, asked her, "How'd you do that? You can fly, can't you?"
She nibbled some more of her muffin and spoke, "Not very well." She gulped it down and finished, "But I'm very happy I was able to come here."
"Why is that?" questioned Applejack.
"Well," Fluttershy began, "I never really fit in where I lived and… ever since I came her, it just has felt right."
Applejack grinned. "Happy to hear it." Fluttershy smiled back. She felt like she could trust these ponies. They had a presence about them that made her want to tell them more.
The cerulean-eyed pony continued, "I… actually have been thinking about staying here… on the ground. I just can't bring myself to leave." The earth pony's smile softened. She looked over at her grandmother, who smiled back and nodded, and then looked back at Fluttershy.
"If you want, " Applejack felt her face flush a bit, but continued anyway. "You can stay here with us."
A concerned look crossed Fluttershy's face and she replied, "Oh, no. I couldn't impose on you like that. I don't want to be a bother."
Applejack shook her head. "No, no. It's fine. We would be pleased to have you."
"But… but…" Fluttershy looked over to Granny Smith worry and asked, "Is this alright with you?"
She shrugged. "It isn't my decision to make. I'm not the head of this household."
"That's right. I'm the one who keeps everypony in line. Isn't that right, Big Macintosh?" Applejack turned towards her older brother, attempting to get a response out of the quiet colt.
Unfortunately, he only uttered, "Eeup."
"If I do stay here, how could I ever pay you back for your kindness?" Fluttershy inquired.
"Work on the orchird, of course!" the filly beamed, causing the freckles on her face to dance. "We're in the season where it's quite tough to grow much and we need all the help we can get. Really, you'd be doing more of a service to us."
Fluttershy glanced at each of the ponies at the table and sighed, "Well… i-if you insist…" All the Apples cheered in triumph and toasted to Fluttershy. She was so embarrassed she thought she might burst.
