The filly lay curled up inside the cramped chicken coop, the scarf around her neck snagging on a splintering block of wood as she tried to make herself comfortable, causing her to choke and cough slightly. Though the cold darkness inside alone was enough to make her shiver, the thought of being caught was even more unpleasant- that was enough to ensure she remained absolutely silent. But she quietly told herself to remain calm. While she lay in the one place where no-one would ever think to look, she was invisible.

Stretching her front leg out just a few inches in front of her, she flinched as one of the hens shrieked as she touched it. It flapped its wings about furiously before waddling to a more secluded corner. The pony cursed her luck, because she knew what was to come next.

"Is everything all right in there, Mrs Feathers?" a soft voice called from outside. The filly began to sweat as she backed away further into the corner. But it was no use. A grating roar echoed throughtout the coop, light flooding in through the entryway to the outside. The occupants sprang to life, creating a cacaphonous symphony of cackles and squawks as they rushed to escape from their housing. The one who opened the way looked inside and jumped at what she saw.

"Apple Bloom?!" she gasped. The filly slowly turned towards the door, her eyes shifting from side to side as she tried to force a smile.

"Uh... um... hey there, Fluttershy! What brings ya to the coop today?"

"Oh, well... I... what are you doing in there?" The pegasus pushed her head inside and looked around.

"Who, me?" Apple Bloom gulped. "Ah'm jus'... ya know... playin' hide an' seek!"

Fluttershy offered a hoof to the filly. She grabbed it and pulled herself up, her eyes aching as they adjusted to the sunlight. A warm air washed over her as she stepped from the coop, and she felt relief on her hooves as they tasted soft ground for the first time in hours.

"You know, it's not nice for a mother hen to be woken up when she's expecting." The pegasus shook her head. "Who are you hiding from?"

"Oh, ah'm jus' havin' a nice lil' game with-"

Fluttershy tilted her head up, looking past Apple Bloom. "Applejack?"

The filly's heart froze. She turned slowly on the spot, her eyes screwed shut. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. She thought that maybe it was just a false alarm. Maybe she was just mistaking somepony for the one she did not want to find her. Maybe-

"Apple Bloom."

The voice caused total silence to envelop the scene. The chickens who had fled from the coop were motionless like statues. The warm breeze had completely died, leaving an eeri chill. The heart of the filly twisted as she opened her eyes, her lips quivering as she recognised who was standing before her.

"Applejack... ah-"

"Not a word. Home, now!"

Apple Bloom hung her head, walking slowly from Fluttershy's garden. When she reached the dirt path, her cape became loose and fell from her neck. She didn't look back to where it landed, nor did she turn back to get it. Fluttershy floated over to the garment, picking it up. It was torn in several places, and covered in mud and feathers.

"Applejack, what's the matter?" she asked. The orange mare walked over to her, snatching away the scarf with her mouth. Without reply, she marched away from her and down the path, staring furiously at her sister all the way back to the farm, leaving the pegasus bewildered.

I wonder what that was all about...

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"What?! Wha' d'ya mean ah can't go?! Why?!"

Apple Bloom stood in the doorframe, her face exploding into shock.

"'Cause we need to start workin' extra hard today, that's why!" Applejack explained, loosening the red scarf which hung around her sister's neck with her teeth and placing it on a chair next to where she stood.

"B-b-b-b-but why?! I wanna go crusadin'! Sweetie Belle says she has a plan to get our cutie marks, an' it's foolproof! We jus' need to-"

"Will ya quit harpin' on 'bout crusadin' for jus' a while?" Applejack interrupted. "This is more important! This is could change the face of Sweet Apple Acres forever!"

"But what could be more important than-"

"Listen, sugarcube. These stallions are the bigwigs at the Golden Brown Apple Products