APPLEJACK: THE FLUTTER EXPERIMENT

CHAPTER 3 THE HERD

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride or My a Little Pony

AJ watched in amusement as the heavy lidded mare slumped face first onto the table. Rolling her green eyes at the dramatics AJ turned to rub the cyan mare's back comfortingly.

"Just think Rainbow, another few hours and you can go back to sleep!" The orange mare laughed as Rainbowdash groaned again. The mare lifted her sagging head off the table, her magenta eyes displaying a mix between sleep deprived annoyance and hunger.

"So AJ what's for breakfast?" The mare fluttered her wings in a sign of eagerness and AJ smiled.

"Dunno, guess we'll just have to see" the orange mare turned away from her sleepy friend and strided towards the fridge.

"I can pour some juice!" The cyan coloured mare stood and followed, her rainbow mane messy from sleep, a few locks dangling in front of her face.

"Thank you" AJ replied, Rainbowdash may be a bit arrogant and self assured sometimes but she was loyal till the end, even if the task only including pouring some juice.

Soon another occupant joined them in the kitchen, the form had a horn spiralling out of her head and a purple mane that was slung over her shoulder in perfect curls. Eyes closed the mare slouched into the kitchen and fell backwards onto their beaten up couch. Rarity usually wasn't this bad mannered but was obviously tired and decided to use the short cut over the couch, if mentioned by one of us she would use the excuse of being blind. The only trouble Rarity ever had while being blind is if we forget and move a piece of furniture.

"Mornin' Rare!" AJ enthusiastically teased the elegant mare who was sleepily mumbling into a pillow on the couch.

"I was woken from my beauty sleep by a silly little bird outside my window chatting away, I'm thinking we really should install some sound proof glass instead!" Rarity mumbled away, Both AJ and Rainbow tuning out her words. The orange mare turned back to the fridge, hoping naively that by glancing inside some kind of food would be granted to them by some mysterious entity that would practically be a god to them. The mare snorted as she felt the back of her neck prickle.

"Ah' know you're there Twi." She stated and felt breath on the back of her neck.

"Sorry, I don't mean to sneak up on ponies." The voice rang out from behind AJ and she turn to face the other mare. Twilight had a calming lavender coat with a straight cut mane that while made her look smart, also made her look nerdy.

"Trust me we know." Rainbowdash finished pouring six glasses while she called out to the lavender mare.

With a grunt Rarity lifted herself off the couch and headed for the kitchen.

"I'll make some toast dearies." Her horn lit up and she starting shifting around ingredients. With a content smile AJ excused herself to wake up the remaining two mares in the 'E'.

The orange pony entered the room, it was large enough to fit two beds side by side, in which the remaining two mares slept, some curtains fluttered with the chilly air on the opposite side of the room and AJ shivered.

"Time to get up Pink's." The equine nudged the pink mass as the pony opened her blue eyes lazily.

"Frosting?" The snoozy mare mumbled and AJ rolled her eyes.

"Another night we survived, get up and we can add another one." She remarked and turned to the other bed in the room. Behind her Pinkie rolled out of bed, sitting up she giggled before bouncing off to the kitchen.

"Good morning Flutters" AJ smiled at the already awake mare who sat still on her bed.

"Good morning AJ." Fluttershy answered, her teal eyes shimmering with an innocence that automatically made anypony around her smile. While Applejack was the mother hen of the herd, she also was particularly protective of Fluttershy, maybe it was because of the sweet and innocent nature that made the mare seem like a young foal, maybe it was because unlike the others she was more lean and fragile looking. AJ wasn't sure what it was but Fluttershy was just her baby, end of story.

"Um AJ, if you don't mind, I'm not exactly a baby." The butter coloured mare smiled sheepishly, half of her face hidden behind her fairy floss pink mane.

Oh yeah that's just another minor factor She hadn't mentioned yet. Fluttershy can read minds.