It was a calm and peaceful day down at the vast green orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. The sun was shining brightly, though not so much that it bathed the place in unbearable heat. On top of that, a cooling breeze gently flowed through the rows of the titular apple trees. All in all, it was a pleasant day, the kind of time where one merely wished to sit back, relax and do nothing except forget whatever troubles they were going through. Now, normally, on a day like today, Applejack, one of the more noted members of the Apple family, would have been hard at work in the orchards, collecting apples and such. However, given how much work she normally did out here, she decided that, on a day like this, she would instead just kick back and enjoy herself. So, rather than straining herself in the field, she was in her home, sitting at the family kitchen, downing a small glass of her family’s famous non-alcoholic cider.

The smile on her face made it clear that she was enjoying this, but, as soon as she raised the glass for a second gulp, she was interrupted by the sound of knocking at her door. Although irritated at first, she nevertheless remembered her manners, and got up from the table to make her way to the door. Making sure she was presentable, the farm girl put on a smile as she finally turned the knob and opened it. But, her smile soon turned to a look of shock when she saw that there, standing in her doorway, was none other than Flash Sentry. A silence feel between the two youths as they stared at one another, and after a while, it was Flash who finally broke the silence.

“Um…hey, AJ. Can…can I come in?”

Although she’d been shocked by this, Applejack soon shook herself out of it, returning to her former smiling expression before stepping aside.

“Sure thing, Flash. Come on in.”

Smiling in appreciation, Flash made his way inside. Closing the door, Applejack followed him, maintaining a curious look as they made their way back into the kitchen. After pacing up and down for a bit, Flash turned to her and spoke.

“Look…I know this is a bit last-minute, but…is it okay if, you know…I stick around here for a bit?”

Now, needless to say, Applejack was somewhat confused by that request. However, seeing no real reason to deny him, she shrugged her shoulders as she gave him his answer.

“Erm…ah guess so.”

Flash nodded at that, finding a nearby chair to sit in. Likewise, Applejack made her way over to the chair she’d been sitting in before Flash had arrived. Silence was the order of the day yet again, and through it all, Applejack looked to Flash, studying his face as he just stared at the wall. One thing above all else seemed to strike her as she observed him.

“No offense, Flash, but…ya look mighty tired ta me.”

Chuckling slightly, Flash nodded before speaking up.

“Yeah…guess I am.”

Turning to her, the boy’s expression was one of utter sincerity as he spoke.

“Can I be honest with you, Applejack?”

To that, the farm girl let out a laugh of her own.

“Shoot! Ya know me, Flash. Ah’d be pretty upset if ya weren't honest, remember?”

Laughing again, Flash nodded before starting to explain himself.

“Well…it’s just…things have been kinda weird for me lately. I can’t really put my finger on it, but…for the last week or so, I’ve been getting this…feeling. Like something’s off somehow.”

To that, Applejack started to look a little nervous.

“Er…off how, exactly?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Flash leaned back into his chair as he continued.

“I don’t know. People acting in surprising ways around me. The way I always find those I know in places I don’t expect them to be. It’s not that I don’t enjoy being around them. Far from it. It’s just…something about it has been eating away at the back of my mind about it all. The feeling…”

He hesitated for a few moments before finally getting his words out.

“…the feeling like I’m being watched.”

Applejack’s eyes widened upon hearing that, and for once, Flash noticed.

“I know, I know. It sounds crazy.”

But Applejack shook her head.

“It ain’t crazy, Flash. Everyone gets those feelins sometimes. Even ah do from time to time. But it ain’t somethin ta worry about.”

Flash nodded.

“Maybe not. But…I don’t know, the way everything just keeps adding up, it…it’s pretty exhausting for me. This feeling…it’s like it’s following me around. I’ve barely been able to sleep this last week. It’s almost…almost like I know something strange is gonna happen, but I don’t know what or when.”

Turning, Flash saw the farm girl looking at him with mixed emotions in her expression. Concern chief of all. Looking away from her, the boy let out a sigh.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be dumping all this on you.”

But, to his surprise, she looked to him with a smile.

“There ain’t nothing ta apologise for, Flash. In truth, ah’m pretty honoured ya feel safe around me ta share this kinda stuff. But…”

For a moment, confusion crossed her face.

“…if ya don’t mind mah askin…why me?”

Thinking on that, Flash shrugged his shoulders a little.

“Well…I guess…of all the people I know, you’ve always been the most level-headed. The most stable. Someone can come to you and they’ll know that you’ll be straight with them. I guess…I guess I just felt I could trust you about this sort of thing more than I could with some of my other friends.”

Hearing that, a slight blush crossed Applejack’s cheeks.

“Aw, shucks, sugarcube! Ah appreciate that.”

Smiling, Flash gave a nod.

“I suppose, at the end of the day, if I wanted to get away from some of the craziness that’s been following me…you seemed like the right person to come to.”

Thinking on those words, a smirk grew on Applejack’s face.

“Well, let it never be said that ah don’t help folks when they need it. If ya say ya need a place ta rest fer a bit, then yer more than welcome ta join me here!”

Flash smiled and nodded at that.

“Thank you, Applejack, I…thank you.”

Applejack tipped her Stetson hat to him for a moment, reaching forward and patting his hand slightly.

“Ya know what ya need right now, Flash? Some good old fashioned apple cider!”

Chuckling slightly, the boy gave her a nod.

“You know…that sounds like just the trick.”

Smiling back, Applejack made her way over to the side of the kitchen, ready to pour not only herself a glass of cider, but also for her guest. However, as she did this, she stopped for a moment, looking over her shoulder, seeing Flash looking just as tired as he was when he first arrived. Concern now dominated her face, and she let out a deep sigh. In the end, she spoke in a hushed voice, keeping it low enough so Flash could not hear her.

“Darn it, Twi! At this rate, yer study’ll probably destroy this boy!”