Chapter 34: Honest Kindness

Applejack wiped her brow with the towel she kept tied to her waist. Despite how cold it was getting, working along the farm kept her warm. As she took a moment to catch her breath, she looked around at all the other workers. With how large the farm was in the human world, and since she was no longer a pony, couldn't do all the work herself. She glanced off to the side, spotting her brother carrying a large stack of boxes all by himself, without much apparent effort. She grinned. Nice to see some things didn't change.

She adjusted her hat and the bright yellow scarf she wore. It had been a spontaneous gift from her shy girlfriend when the fall and winter months had begun to set in, and she ran her hands along it lovingly. Hand stitched by Fluttershy herself, and adorned with representations of the two women's Cutie Marks. Once it had gotten cold enough, Applejack had taken to wearing it as religiously as her hat. Only thing that bothered her about it was that her brother always gave her these little smiles when he saw her wearing it. Well, not as much now, since Cheerilee had given him that silly pink wool hat. She chuckled as she thought of it. "Best be getting inside," She murmured to herself. A good time for it, too. She was starting to see her breath in the air. Rubbing her gloved hands together, she hurried back to the house.

She made it inside just as Big Mac was warming himself up by the fireplace, Applebloom hanging from his back. Their little sister looked up as Applejack came in. "Applejack! You done with yer chores already?"

"Not much for me ta do when we got so many people working for us," Applejack replied honestly. She shrugged. "Besides, it's the slow season. Not much for anyone to do."

"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed.

"Is Shy up?" Applejack asked. The quiet veterinarian didn't have to get up as early as the rest of the Apple family did, so she usually slept in on most mornings. She did, however, still have work today.

"Nope," Big Mac said simply.

"Want me to go wake her?" Applebloom asked, but Applejack shook her head.

"I'd like to do it myself, but thanks Bloom." Applejack said with a smile.

"Okay."

Applejack left her siblings and went up to her room, where she happily found a sleeping Fluttershy curled up in her bed. Her pink hair was scattered about like a halo, and the covers were only far enough up to cover her waist. Applejack smiled softly and moved over to the closest side of the bed. She gently touched Fluttershy's shoulder. "Shy… hey, Shy. Time to get up, sugar."

"Just… just a few more minutes…" Fluttershy mumbled, rolling over. Her girlfriend chuckled quietly.

"Gosh. You're like a hibernating bear. Come on sugar, time to get up!"

"I promise Angel, I'll make breakfast in a bit…"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Bit late for making me breakfast, sugar." She leaned over and gently kissed Fluttershy's cheek. Her hand gently ran down her girlfriend's side, making her shiver. As Applejack's hand reached Fluttershy's hips, the pink haired girl's eyes fluttered open, and a blush on her cheeks.

"J-Jackie! What are y-you doing?"

Applejack climbed on top of her before she could roll away, pinning the shy girl underneath her. "Punishing a sleepy girl for not wanting to get up." She grinned. Before Fluttershy could protest, Applejack had kissed her lovingly. The shy girl tried to resist, only to give in and enjoy the affection. Her delicate fingers twisted into the blonde hair of her girlfriend, inadvertently pulling it out of its normal ponytail. They broke apart moments later, both a little breathless. "…You wanna get up now?"

"Honestly?" Fluttershy asked.

"You know you can't lie to me, sugar."

"I don't." Fluttershy sighed. "But I have work."

"That you do, sugar. And I reckon it's past time you got up." Applejack indicated the nearby clock.

"Oh gosh, I'm going to be late!" Fluttershy scrambled up to a sitting position. Applejack managed to back up in time as the panicking girl got up and rushed around the room, trying to get dressed. Applejack stayed seated on the bed, a small smile on her face as she watched Fluttershy panic.

"Calm down, sugar. You won't be late."

"You don't know that!"

"Shy, I'm driving ya, remember?"

Fluttershy paused. "…Oh."

Applejack laughed. "I'm surprised you forgot."

"W-well… I've only been awake for a few minutes!"

"I know, I know. I'll go get breakfast ready for ya." She got up off the bed and went to the door. Fluttershy watched her go, eyes drawn to the scarf around her girlfriend's neck. She smiled as Applejack left. No time to dwell on her attractive girlfriend! She had to go to work!

"Did you get her up?" Applebloom asked as her older sister came downstairs.

"Yep, she's just getting herself ready." She went into the kitchen and began making a simple, small breakfast for Fluttershy. The animal lover didn't eat much, so when she said small, she meant small.

"Hey, your hair isn't in a ponytail."

"Shy do that?" Big Mac asked quietly, smirking. Applejack glared at him.

"Well, when you bring that up, seems like we both got somethin' pink messing with our heads, huh big brother?"

Big Mac blinked and blushed ever so slightly. "…Eeyup."

Fluttershy came down then, brushing out her long, pink hair. "Hello everyone," She said quietly, smiling at the other members of the Apple Family.

"Hey Fluttershy!" Applebloom called out. Big Mac nodded in greeting. After everyone in the Apple family had gotten used to the relationship between the oldest daughter and the animal lover, Fluttershy had become an almost normal sight at their home. Well, completely normal. Applebloom had joked Fluttershy had almost moved in about a month ago, and they decided to just go ahead with it. The shy girl had her own room, but slept most nights and kept most of her clothes in Applejack's room.

"Sleep well?" Big Mac asked.

"Oh, yes, I did. Quite well, in fact. Your home is so cozy."

"Come on, Shy," Applejack said, coming over with a plastic container full of food. "You'll have to eat on the way, cause you're late."

Fluttershy took the offered container, casting a fearful look at her girlfriend. "No speeding, right?"

"No promises," Applejack said with a grin.

-x-

Fluttershy let out a deep sigh as she entered the veterinarian's office. "You looks like you had a bit of a rough morning," Marilyn joked as she gave her assistant a smile.

"Jackie woke me up in a… unique way," Fluttershy offered. Marilyn chuckled.

"I understand. We don't have anything pressing today, so come sit with me for a bit."

"Oh… okay." Fluttershy took the offered seat beside her boss. Marilyn was sitting in front of the little TV she had in her office, munching on a bagel. "What are you watching?"

"Some news report. Something about some scientific breakthrough—oh look, it's Tyr's sister!"

Fluttershy frowned as Nanna came onto the screen. She was followed by something that looked like a robot, or maybe a giant metal suit? "What… what is that thing?"

"Reminds me of some anime I used to watch," Marilyn said, hand reaching out to the flower on her desk. She aimlessly began running her fingers along the colorful petals. "It's a… an exo-suit."

"What kind of suit?"

"An exoskeleton. It gives a human being extraordinary physical power using machinery."

"It looks clunky."

"Well, it's the first of its kind," Marilyn joked. They fell silent as Nanna, flanked by a pair of the exo-suit wearing men, began to speak.

"Hello everyone," Nanna said, a bright grin on her face. She took a moment to adjust her glasses before continuing. "I am happy to present the first two warriors of the Angelus Project, or as we have begun calling them, our War Angels!"

There was a low cheer as the two armored men stepped forward, raising their armored hands to wave to the gathered crowd. Nanna gave them a moment to drink in the attention before continuing. "The Angels are armed with the most high tech armaments we can give the future defenders of the human world: rapid-fire assault weapons, deployable riot-shields, micro-jet boosters for rapid redeployment, and last resort carbon coated combat knives with edges thinner than paper. And that's not even considering all the other tech we've put into these suits. They will be able to take on any opponent and vastly outmatch them." She smirked. "Even if they're Equestrian."

"That's a bold claim," Marilyn said thoughtfully.

"Those suits look scary," Fluttershy murmured. She glanced over at the flower Marilyn was gently stroking. To her surprise, the flower seemed to be reacting to her ministrations, little vines growing slowly to wrap around the gentle fingers. "…Marilyn?"

"Yes?" She looked back at her before following her gaze to the flower. She moved her hand away hurriedly. "Um… ignore that."

"What… what was that?"

Marilyn sighed. "Fluttershy… can you keep a secret?"

"I suppose I can… what is it?"

Marilyn didn't say anything at first, instead getting up and closing the office door. She locked it and turned back to Fluttershy. "It… might look a little weird, so don't get creeped out."

"I don't understand…" Fluttershy trailed off as Marilyn started to undress. Unable to hide her embarrassment, she hid her face behind her hair as the sound of clothes hitting the floor was the only sound in the room. Moment later, it stopped.

"You can look now."

Fluttershy tentatively glanced from behind her hair. What she saw made her gasp. Marilyn had almost completely changed, her skin becoming bark and her hair like long flowing vines. Her eyes were a dark, emerald color. She looked worried. Fluttershy struggled to find words for a minute. "You're a… you're a dryad," She managed finally.

"I guess I can't be surprised you know what I am," Marilyn said with a laugh. Her voice sounded a bit like wind blowing through a hollow log. "You've probably seen stuff like me before."

"I've seen some… strange beings before," Fluttershy admitted. "But I never met a dryad."

"A lot of people would say the same. You mind if I…?"

"Hm? Oh! Go ahead, please." She turned away while Marilyn changed back into her human form and got dressed. Just as the veterinarian finished, the bell on the front door rung.

"Bonjour~! Quelqu'un est-il ici?" A cheery voice called out.

"Was that another language?" Fluttershy asked as Marilyn went to the door.

"It was," Marilyn said. "But French? The only person who comes in here speaking French is—"

"Hey!" Passion said with a bright grin. "How are you, Miss Marilyn?"

The two women stared at the young girl for only a moment, before Marilyn went forward to embrace the younger girl. "Passion! It's been a while!"

Fluttershy was quite surprised. "You know Passion, Marilyn?"

"Yes, I've been taking care of her family's pets for a while."

"Although it was harder to bring them to you after you moved," A soft voice pointed out. Isabel came in then, followed by a pure white fox. "Hello, Marilyn."

"Good to see you, Isabel," Marilyn said. She knelt down as the fox walked over to her. "And hello to you too, Chroma."

"Such a pretty white coat…" Fluttershy murmured. She looked up at Isabel. "What seems to be the issue?"

Isabel frowned, her hazel eyes a little duller than normal. "Passion?"

"It was Viola, I believe," Passion said, kneeling in front of the fox. She held out her hand and spread the fingers. Almost instantly, a golden sigil appeared in the air in front of her, and the white fox separated into seven different colored foxes, each a different color of the rainbow. The violet one coughed. "See? She has a cough."

Fluttershy was frozen in shock. "What…? But how…?"

"Ah, sorry Fluttershy." Isabel smiled. "Chroma is a spirit wolf that normally inhabits the body of our father's pet-friend, January."

"Pet-friend…?"

"Like your friend Tyr and Chrysalis."

"Oh, I see. But this…"

"One for each color of the rainbow!" Passion said with a giggle, picking up Viola and carrying her into the back room. Marilyn followed, the small pack of foxes following at her heels. Fluttershy and Isabel did as well, the latter feeling her way along using the wall. Fluttershy noticed.

"Um… Isabel? Are you all right?"

"You are quite perceptive," Isabel said with a small laugh. "But don't worry about me. I'm simply suffering from after effects."

"After effects of what?"

"Well, it should be no surprise to you that my family and I aren't exactly human," Isabel said. "My particular power if overused causes me to go temporarily blind."

Fluttershy gasped quietly. "Oh my…"

"It isn't permanent, thank goodness. But it is quite the impediment."

Marilyn peeked out from one of the examination rooms. "Fluttershy, do you mind helping me?"

"Oh, sure!" Fluttershy went into the room, doing her best to not step on any of the rainbow colored foxes. Viola was on the table, and Marilyn was checking down the violet fox's throat. "What do you need me to do?"

"Seems it's just a sore throat. Can you go get a bowl of liquid medicine for me?"

"Sure." Fluttershy went and quickly retrieved the necessary medicine, putting it into a bowl with a bit of water. She set it in front of the fox. "Here you go little one. Drink up."

The violet fox began to lap at the bowl, encouraged by Marilyn's gentle hand on her back. The woman looked up at their guests. "So why didn't Jan come with you?"

"Dad needed her for something," Passion said. "So Izzy came with me!"

"Can't let our little fireball out alone," Isabel pointed out with a small laugh. "And Ana was busy."

"Is Viola going to be okay?" Passion asked Marilyn. The veterinarian smiled.

"She should be fine. The medicine we gave her should ease her throat."

"Wonderful!"

The violet fox leapt down from the table to join its brothers and sisters, only a moment passing before they all converged back into their pure white body. Marilyn gently pet the head of the fox. "Don't hesitate to come back by if you need our help, alright?"

"Of course," Isabel said with a nod. "Come on, Passion-fruit. We've got other errands to run."

"Kay!" Passion and Chroma went over to the elder Striate, Passion taking hold of her sister's hand to help her navigate out of the office. As they reached the door, Passion waved back at them. "Jusqu'a ce que nous reverrons, les amis!"

"What did she say?" Fluttershy asked as their guests left.

Marilyn smiled. "She said: 'Until we meet again, friends'."

"You know French?"

"That's my native language," Marilyn pointed out, going back into the office and straightening up. Fluttershy followed. It seemed a bit strange that she was just learning these things about her boss now.

"Marilyn… is something going on?"

"Hm? Why do you ask?"

"You didn't have to tell me about… what you were."

"Well… it gives more of an explanation for the next thing I'm going to tell you." Marilyn turned back to the shy girl. "Among my people… there's a festival held annually that all dryads and our cousins attend. I… kinda have to go."

"How… how long will you be gone?"

"…About a month."

"Oh my," Fluttershy murmured. "Do I need to watch the office?"

"I hate asking this of you…" Marilyn said. "I normally get a friend of mine to at least feed the animals, but I'll feel so much better if you're here."

Fluttershy frowned. To be perfectly honest, she didn't have any plans for the next month. Well, other than trying to spend as much time with Applejack as possible. And spending time with animals was always a joy, so her decision was easily made. "I wouldn't mind at all, Marilyn."

"Oh, thank you so much!" The blonde woman embraced Fluttershy, the smell of oak and nature wafting from her. Now that Fluttershy knew she was a dryad, the fact that the smell seemed to permeate the vet's office made complete sense. Marilyn suddenly let her go. "Oh, I still have to get ready… and I haven't packed anything for my son yet…"

"Well, you could go home early, if you like," Fluttershy offered. Marilyn had been so nice to her over the past year—why shouldn't she return the favor? "I can… I can handle things here."

"You… you can?" Marilyn looked shocked. "I… that would be so great of you… You really don't mind?"

"Not at all. Besides, Jackie will be less busy on the farm so maybe she can help me."

"Your girlfriend, right? That would be good!"

"Yes, it would."

"Well, I'm going to run. It's a long trip back home. Thank you again for this, Fluttershy. I'll have to repay you somehow."

"It's quite alright," The shy girl asserted.

After a few more thanks, Marilyn finally left. That left Fluttershy alone in the office. She sighed. She really hoped Applejack came by soon. Whenever she was alone, it reminded her of the times she wasn't with her friends or her animals, when she felt like the world was too big for her. She started to regret telling Marilyn she could leave. She let out a sigh.

"Such a heavy sigh," A voice said. "Someone must be lonely."

She jumped. "H-huh? Who was that!?" She whirled around, but she was entirely alone. Or so she thought. Before she could ask again, Fenrir hopped up onto the counter, a small smirk on her face. "F-Fenrir?"

"Hello, shy one." Fenrir stretched out her legs.

"Um… why are you here? And I don't think you can sit there…"

"I came here because I heard you are good with animals."

"What do you need from me?"

"I would like… a grooming."

"…What?"

"To be honest, I would have my Alpha do it, but… it is… difficult to ask him." She frowned, blushing slightly and looking away. "I overheard from my Alpha that you were gentle with animals."

"But you're a…" She trailed off, just as Fenrir transformed into her wolf form. "Oh. That's right. You can do that. Well… I didn't have anything else to do at the moment…"

Moments later, the pink haired woman found herself giving a wolf almost the same size as her a thorough brushing and scrubbing. To her credit, she was handling being so close to a creature this large with some ease. Not sure what else to do, she tried to start up a conversation. "So… Fenrir? You said you couldn't ask Tyr to do this…"

A voice spoke in her mind, a more ethereal version of Fenrir's speaking voice. [He has been unusually… restless.]

Fluttershy assumed that was how Fenrir communicated when she was in her wolf form. "Restless? How so?"

[He and his mistress have been stressed lately] Fenrir thought-spoke, lying down. [Alpha has been keeping up his cheerful demeanor, but Luna's approaching due date has him a bit… out of sorts]

"Have you told Chrys? She could help, right?"

[She has tried. It has alleviated some of the stress…] Fenrir huffed. [It might be because of the disappearances]

"I overheard from Dashie," Fluttershy said. "She and the knights have been working themselves ragged trying to figure out what's happening…"

[Indeed]

"I hope everything will be alright…"

[…As do I]

They stayed in a companionable silence for a little while. Fluttershy was able to devote more focus to her task, giving Fenrir's rich dark coat a lot of attention. She was even beginning to enjoy doing it. Fluttershy had finished and was putting her things back up when Fenrir spoke again. "Fluttershy."

"Yes?" She turned back from putting away the brushes. Fenrir was seated on the table in her human form, a deep frown on her face. "What's wrong?"

"What would you do for my Alpha?" She asked quietly.

Fluttershy blinked. The question was so random and out of nowhere so she had to take a moment to respond. "Um… What do you mean?"

"If he needed your help… would you help him?"

"I would like to help Tyr if he needed my help… although I don't know what I would be able to do…"

Fenrir's frown faded, and she smiled a little. "Everyone can do something. You simply have to be in the right place at the right time."

"I suppose that is true…"

"I should be going." Fenrir hopped off of the table. "You did a good job on my coat, Fluttershy. I feel quite refreshed."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. I quite enjoyed doing it." She thought for a moment. "Um… Fenrir? Can I ask a question?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"…What are you?"

Fenrir paused. "…Quite the question. Do you really want to know?"

"I just found out my boss is a dryad. Unless you're planning to kill me, or are a dragonequus, I doubt I'll be too put off."

"Fair point," Fenrir conceded with a laugh. "Well, what do you think I am?"

"A… a spirit of some sort?"

"Close. I am a Chaos Spirit. Tyr made a pact with me to share my power."

"A Chaos Spirit?"

"Do not worry too much on it. Just know that I mean you no harm, and I simply want what's best for my Alpha. Have a nice day, Fluttershy."

Fenrir left then, bushy tail trailing after her. Fluttershy watched her go, frowning. Chaos Spirit? She had never heard of something like that, specifically. Although she knew of a Spirit of Chaos… She sighed. She had a sinking feeling that wouldn't go away, even when a customer came in an hour later. She kept up a gentle demeanor and a helpful attitude the whole time, however. Although she was only excited when Applejack came in. "Jackie!"

"Hey there, sugar," Applejack said amiably, walking in. "Decent haul today?"

"Not sure if you can call it a haul, Jackie…" Fluttershy giggled. She was in the middle of giving a puppy a shot, and she was rubbing it's belly to comfort it.

"Oh, right. Makes sense. Sorry about that."

"It's alright. What are you doing here?"

"Figured you might wanna grab lunch or something together."

Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle. "I really would like that, but I don't have anyone to watch the shop."

"Oh, come on sugarcube. Ya could just toss up a 'out to lunch' sign or something."

"Well… I suppose I could…"

"Come on!" She leaned on the table. "I want to spend the day with ya, sugar."

"…When you put it that way…"

"Come on then!" She grinned. "Hurry up and finish so we can go!"

Fluttershy smiled. She had to admit, seeing Applejack as excited as Pinkie Pie was pretty cute. She finished what she was doing. "Alright. We can go."

"Perfect!" Before Fluttershy could utter another word, Applejack had dragged her out, only allowing her to lock the door behind her. And then they were off. Despite not knowing exactly what the future held, the shy girl and her habitually honest girlfriend were confident that they would get through it together.

And there we have it. This is the last of my "side chapters" and the next chapter will be back to focus on our dear Princess of the Night and her precious Knight. I appreciate the feedback on these chapters, as I do occasionally feel I'm giving all the spotlight to Tyr and Luna. Glad you all appreciate what I did.

If you were wondering, the scene I was diligently working at was the scene between Beat (read: Heart Song) and her brother Ace Guard. I really wanted to convey the bond the two of them share, and the unifying trait the both of them have to live with. At first, it came off as a bit creepy and not at all what I intended, but in the end I think I managed something both sweet and heartfelt at the same time.

Oh my. I've added quite the footnote here. ...Ahem.

As a side note, the last language I used to Danish. Before I forget. :P

Anyways, read review and return again for the next chapter, and all opinions or comments are welcome. The Library Accepts All.

Vaarwel! (This one's Dutch, just in case anyone wonders. :D)