“Darnit, Fluttershy! Why can’t ya see sense? If we don’t get this ‘ere snow off the ground, we won’t be able ta plant no seeds!” Applejack yelled, irritated that almost no progress was being made. Twilight was of course coordinating everything as she had done during the previous year’s winter wrap-up, but with so many village-ponies struck with a cold, the pressure on everypony reached record levels.

“I-I, well... uh-m...” Fluttershy attempted to respond before being abruptly cut off.

“And without those seeds, we got no apples! And without those apples, we starve, along with tha rest of Ponyville!”

“B-But, the animals --”

“Buck the animals! Ah’m sure they got the good sense to wake up when water’s a-comin’ their way!”

“Oh, my...” Fluttershy whispered to herself as she cringed. She always held a distaste for swearing as it brought back dark memories of her foalhood. Bullies at flight school took great care in building their insults -- weaving together her notable flaws with vulgar language. The more she attempted to convince them she was unaffected, the more they would deride the poor pegasus.

“Why don’t ya just use a nice blowhorn? That’ll wake’m up good!” Applejack chuckled quietly at the thought of the 'vermin' sprinting out of their holes in the ground at the rude awakening.

Fluttershy gasped at the thought of her poor friends being awoken in such a frightening way. The animals were so sweet and harmless -- surely not fit to be victims of such maltreatment. It surprised Fluttershy that Applejack could even consider such an iniquity; the pegasus had always thought of AJ as a considerate pony. In many ways, she was beginning to remind Fluttershy more of the colts who harassed her years ago.

“H-How would y-you like it if I-I woke you up that way?” she managed to stutter. ‘I really wish I could be more assertive right now,’ Fluttershy thought to herself.

“Hehe... well nopony who lives on Sweet Apple Acres needs ta be woken up like that, ‘cus we wake up when we should!” Applejack paused as she saw a light brown pony making his way towards them from the farmhouse. “Most of us do, anyways,” she muttered.

Applejack continued her rant about how the snow needed immediate melting until she saw Caramel’s face as he trotted towards her -- a frightened look plastered across it.

“Oh Celestia, Caramel! You didn’t... not again!” Caramel slowly nodded his head while only holding it about one hoof off the ground, his eyes showing remorse and fear. “You lost tha bucking seeds, didn’t ya bird brain?! This is tha third year in a row! There were over a thousan’ seeds in that ther’ bag! How in Equestria did you manage to lose them?! You haff to be tha dimmest, most careless--”

“Now wait just one second!” Fluttershy yelled. “That is no way to speak to anypony! Can’t you see he’s sorry?” She pointed a hoof at the light brown pony who was now wearing a sheepish grimace. Applejack was too distracted to continue, jaw agape, staring at the raging pegasus.

“And another thing! How DARE you not care about those poor, helpless creatures, let alone say to ‘b-buck them’ and wake them up with a blow horn!” Fluttershy had difficulty using such profane vernacular, but overcame it in her frustration. ‘What’s happening to me?’ Fluttershy thought to herself.

Applejack decided to take the offensive, however. “Oh, so now ya’ve gone and taken a fancy to Caramel, huh?” Applejack taunted, causing Fluttershy to blush furiously. “Yea, ah see it! Never figgurred you’d like a workhorse!” Applejack didn’t see that Caramel had also suddenly acquired a rosy complexion, much to his relief. The pink-maned pegasus, even in her rage, looked incredibly fair.

Fluttershy’s courage dissipated as quickly as it came. She glanced over to the shamed earth pony, only to confirm Applejack’s accusations; the stallion’s rugged composure most definitely caught her eye.

“No, I-I, well... um, not that I w-wouldn’t... uh,” Fluttershy babbled, her face growing so hot it was almost melting the snow around her. She glanced up to see Rainbow Dash, whose curiosity had been stirred by the yelling, flying towards them.

It was at this moment that Caramel slipped off his hooves, landing hard on the ice with his flanks. A barely audible crack escaped his back, causing him to yelp and Fluttershy to cringe. Applejack and the recently-arrived Rainbow Dash began chuckling, and soon broke into hysterics.

“Nice going, Clutzermel!” Applejack derided the clumsy pony. “I reckon’ you’re falling head over hooves for her too!” she said before seizing her own sides to control her laughing.

“Yeah, what trick was that? The flank slam?” Rainbow managed to get out between bursts of laughter.

Fluttershy again felt a surge of anger and began yelling. “How can you two be so inconsiderate?! He’s hurt himself! He might have a broken bone!” It was true. The earth pony was squinting his eyes shut in agony. “Oh my,” Fluttershy gasped, beginning to panic. ‘The hospital is closed today! What do I do? Oh, I simply MUST do something! Wait, I might have enough supplies to help him,’ she reasoned out.

“Oh, you poor dear! I have a medical aid kit at my cottage! Rainbow, you help me carry him there; I don’t think he can walk!” As Rainbow opened her mouth to object to this as an overreaction, she was faced with the famous ‘stare’ from Fluttershy. All thoughts of refusing were immediately chucked into the back of Dash’s skull. ‘What has gotten into me?! I’ve never used the stare on anypony before...’

“Sorry, Fluttershy. Ah didn’t think he’d gone ‘n’ broken something,” Applejack apologized, ashamed she had shown so little sympathy. She directed her attention to the writhing earth pony. “And ah’m real sorry ‘bout gettin’ so peeved with ya, Mel. Ya’re on full-paid vacation ‘til you’re one-hundred percent better, y’hear?” Caramel merely nodded in response as AJ carefully lifted him onto the backs of the two pegasi.

“It’s okay, AJ,” Fluttershy said, having returned to a softer tone. “I know you didn’t mean to be... well... mean. I think this wrap-up is getting the best of us.” With that, she and Rainbow executed a delicate vertical takeoff, rising barely above the ground before moving forward. As they hovered carefully towards Fluttershy’s cottage, she heard Caramel groan softly. His pain, like that of any creature, saddened her greatly.

“It’ll be okay,” she whispered in his ear. “I promise.”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew with care towards the yellow mare’s cottage. They were only floating a few hooves off the ground as Fluttershy had instructed Dash for fear of dropping the injured stallion.

“Ugh!” Dash grunted, uncomfortable with having to maintain such a low altitude and speed. “Can’t we go any faster?”

“Dashie!” Fluttershy began to scold her, arousing a blush small enough to go unnoticed by the pink-maned mare. Rainbow liked it when Fluttershy used her nickname, even though she said otherwise for her pride’s sake. “We have to make sure Caramel doesn’t get hurt more than he already is.”

Fluttershy could see the solemn look on Rainbow Dash as they began to approach the small thatch-roofed house outside the town. Rainbow had always wanted to be accepted over all else, but particularly by Fluttershy. She was the only pony who had offered any understanding and sympathy at flight school, so Dash always held a soft spot for her as a result.

“I-I’m sorry, Dash. I didn’t mean to yell at you... It wasn’t nice.” Fluttershy sent Rainbow a small, yet sincere smile. Rainbow beamed one back, if only to use her shining white teeth as a distraction from her reddening cheeks. Fluttershy, keeping Caramel balanced on her back, unlocked and opened the front door. Rainbow and Fluttershy both realized a small problem with the situation in front of them. There was not enough room for the coffee-colored stallion to pass through laterally.

“I’ll grab his rear hooves, and you grab-” Dash began before being interrupted.

“This is a pony, Dash! He is not a couch,” came the reprimand. Rainbow winced at her scolding, ears drooping low. Fluttershy immediately realized her mistake and her eyes went wide in horror at how she was speaking to Dash. ‘I’m the Element of Kindness,’ Fluttershy thought to herself, ‘and I’m being horrible to my best friend.’ The thought caused water to glaze the yellow mare’s eyes before she regained composure. “I’m really sorry, Dashie,” Fluttershy said in her usual soft voice, arousing a small wing extension from the other pegasus before she controlled herself. “I really have no idea what’s gotten into me...”

‘I know what’s gotten into you...’ The cyan pegasus thought, shooting a short glare at Caramel, who was fortunate enough to have his eyes closed. ‘Little mule thinks he can just come in and steal her! That no-good, two-faced--’ Her thoughts were cut short by Fluttershy’s next request.

“Okay, help get him onto my back.”

“W-What?!” Rainbow interjected, eyes wide and wings flaring in what would appear to be surprise.

Caramel felt the same astonishment as Dash. The stallion had enjoyed the feel of Fluttershy’s back -- her bright yellow coat felt as plush as wool, yet smoother than silk -- and her alluring scent -- her light pink mane emanated the aroma of fresh lilies. The thought of being on top of her, however... It almost made him choke on air.

“Please,” Fluttershy added, remembering to be polite. Rainbow gave a reluctant grunt and proceeded to slowly lift the earth pony just out of Fluttershy’s hearing range.

“Don’t you dare try anything! Understand?” Rainbow growled through clenched teeth. The wide-eyed stallion merely gulped and nodded quickly. “Good.” Dash slowly lowered Caramel onto Fluttershy’s back.

The weight of the stallion on her back astounded the fragile pegasus. ‘Well he is very muscular... It’s probably from working the farm all day... he must get so sweaty.’ Fluttershy continued to imagine Caramel pushing the snow plow, sweat causing his coat to glisten like the snow around him while his mane became dampened. Fluttershy’s wings shot out during the fantasy.

“Fluttershy, are you okay?! Is he too heavy?” Rainbow panicked.

“Hey!--” Caramel began to object to the insult, before Fluttershy intervened.

“No, I-I’m fine...” Fluttershy assured her. ‘More than fine...’ she thought to herself. The stallion’s body, despite being fairly muscular, was quite cool. As they touched, a spark of frost transferred to Fluttershy's back; goosebumps coated her skin. While Fluttershy felt her back cool down with his contact, heat discreetly rose to her face.

Caramel was experiencing similar thoughts. ‘She’s so warm and soft.’ He could feel the heat from her back seeping into his chest, causing his spine to shiver slightly from the relative cold. He involuntarily tightened his forehooves around her collar and sighed lightly. Caramel was melting away...

“Umm...” Rainbow said, cautious not to upset Fluttershy who snapped out of her trance, blushing a bit. “Aren’t you going to take him inside?” Dash questioned, smirking. Fluttershy felt her face growing hotter.

“Y-yes, of course...” she said as she entered the house. Fluttershy made her way over to the couch, slowly letting the stallion slide off her back and onto the sofa. Caramel landed muzzle-up, looking her directly in the eyes. ‘His eyes...’ she thought to herself. ‘Such a dark blue.’ Fluttershy’s curious eyes caused her to glance all over the light brown pony. She admired his dusky brown mane and tail, calm and simple, yet perfectly complementary to the rest of his appearance. Her eyes scrolled over to his cutie mark: three horseshoes. ‘I wonder what those could mean...’ she pondered, wading in deep thought for a short while.

It then became apparent to Fluttershy that Caramel had been timidly watching her stare at his body -- especially his flanks -- for over a minute. She immediately felt her wings snap to her sides in complete embarrassment. “I-I, um...” Fluttershy squeaked out. She could feel the hot blood racing towards her face, when suddenly Caramel smiled at her. Her reaction subsided as she felt her nervousness being to dissipate. Something in his touch calmed her as she shot him a small smile from behind her pink mane.

“Uh-uhm,” Rainbow coughed, feeling incredibly awkward and... a little bit angry. ‘Why am I angry?...’ She brushed the thought off. “Doesn’t he need medical attention?” Dash sneered. Fluttershy turned her head and scowled with red cheeks at the rainbow-maned mare. ‘She’s so cute when she’s angry.’ Rainbow Dash sighed.

“Oh-okay, roll over, please... well... if you wouldn’t mind, that is,” Fluttershy asked softly, her gentle demeanor now pouring through each syllable.

“S-sure, Miss Shy” Caramel stammered while turning over, his voice letting slip a slight southern drawl. It wasn’t as thick as Applejack, but it added a gentlecoltly flavor to his speech. ‘He’s so polite,’ she thought sighing. ‘I better make sure he recovers nicely.’

“Oh, you can call me Fluttershy,” she said, giggling lightly. “All of my friends do.”

“Yeah,” said Dash raising her voice a bit too much, “especially her best friends, like me!” She almost yelled the last part, staring Caramel straight in the eyes. ‘I don’t trust this obsequious colt for two bits!’ Rainbow thought, mistaking her anger’s source as concern for her friend.

The cottage became uncomfortably silent as Fluttershy gave Rainbow Dash a disappointed frown. “I think you should leave,” Fluttershy suggested calmly. Rainbow’s expression turned from anger to sadness in an instant as she opened her mouth to object. “Now.” Fluttershy insisted, adamant in her request. Rainbow turned her head as she left only to be met with a door slamming at her flanks.

“I-I’m terribly sorry about that,” Fluttershy apologized, her muzzle and eyes pointed at the floor, mane covering most of her face. “I-I just--”

Caramel interrupted her. “You don’t need to be apologizin’ for your friend.” Fluttershy nodded, but still wore a somber expression. She wasn’t only disappointed in Dash, although her actions were completely out of line. Fluttershy was at the same time disappointed with her own actions. The way she had scolded Rainbow was... mean. ‘I’ve never been mean to Rainbow before,’ Fluttershy thought, a tear beginning to form in her eye. ‘She’s been my best friend since we were fillies, and I... just kicked her out my house...’ The realization was enough to allow the tear to break free. Caramel saw this and sat up.

“It’s okay,” he whispered softly, extending his hoof to her chin and gazing with concern into her eyes. Fluttershy let escape a small smile and lifted her head, her face emerging from behind her flowing pink mane. Caramel found himself grinning uncontrollably, overjoyed that the pegasus had cast aside her gloominess, if only for a moment. Fluttershy’s smile widened, and his followed suit. They stared -- eyes locked -- for a few minutes until the silence broke.

“I do still need you to roll over for me,” Fluttershy said, recalling why they were there in the first place.

“Oh, right...” Caramel responded, beginning to turn over. He had forgotten all about his pain by just looking at Fluttershy smile, but now it was flooding back to him. As he rolled over on the sofa, Caramel felt a searing sting erupt from his tail, causing his rear legs to buck out, propelling him off the couch and onto the hard, wooden floor.

“Unnngh,” Caramel moaned, his back now throbbing in addition to his tail.

“Oh, my goodness! Are you hurt? Oh, please be alright! You have to be alright! Can you move? How many hooves am I holding up? Oh, this is all my fault! I should have put you on a bed! Oh, no, no, no...” Fluttershy was sobbing incessantly, lying on the ground with her head shaking side to side in her hooves.

Caramel reached a hoof to her cheek, nudging Fluttershy to turn her tear-streamed face towards him.

“It’ll be okay,” he whispered in her ear. “I promise.”

A/N: Tell me what you think!

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