Hooves Cubed

Chapter 1: Discovery

[Twilight]

I noticed Fluttershy smiling at us as Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, and I trotted back down the trail, away from her house.

"Thanks for visiting, everyone! It really means a lot," Fluttershy said, her quiet voice almost out of earshot.

"Thanks for having us over!" I replied.

"See ya later," Applejack said. Rainbow gave a nod to Fluttershy as her goodbye gesture. I then noticed some of the animals Fluttershy took care of waving at us.

"Daw, ain't that cute?" Applejack asked, grinning.

A few minutes later, we were back in Ponyville, and I got an idea. "Hey girls," I said. I noticed Rainbow had found a cloud to rest on, and she was leaning over it lazily.

"What is it?" She asked, sounding half-asleep. Applejack gave me a curious look.

"Well, Fluttershy has been so nice to us lately, and I feel like we need to do something special for her, right?" I suggested. Applejack nodded.

"But what?" Rainbow asked.

"I know!" Applejack said, enthusiasm filling her voice. "Apples!"

"Apples? Why?" Rainbow asked, but Applejack seemed to ignore her question.

"No, wait, I got it! Apple trees!" Applejack went on.

"Really?" I asked, wondering what she was planning.

"Yes, yes! For the little critters. She's just so nice to them, an' she should have an apple tree for them. Then they could enjoy some snacks," Applejack said. Her eyes were shining with inspiration. "It should even be a surprise!"

"Yeah, but it's a tree, AJ. It's not like they're super small," Rainbow tried to point out.

"Here's the plan: We get Pinkie to get Fluttershy out for the afternoon, maybe bake a pie, so we can surprise her with the tree, already planted and all! How does it sound?" Applejack said enthusiastically.

"What was that about me?" Pinkie asked.

"Oh, we need you to-" Applejack started, but was interrupted by Pinkie.

"I'm already on it! Operation: Flutterpie is underway!" Pinkie said, giving a salute to us. Then, she bounced off, towards Fluttershy's house.

"When'd she get here?" Rainbow asked, not aiming the question at anypony specifically. Applejack and I shrugged.

"Well, let's go get a tree, then. Oh, let's get Rarity in on it, too!" Applejack said. Applejack and I galloped over to her shop, while Rainbow floated on her cloud. We arrived at the shop's door in a short amount of time.

"Rarity!" Applejack called, head-butting open the door. Rarity was in front of a mirror, trying on a sapphire-blue dress. It had rhinestones on the collar, cuffs, and at the bottom. She turned to us. "What?" she asked, putting down the brush she had in her light cornflower-coloured magic.

"We need you," Applejack said. Rarity tilted her head in question.

"We're giving a surprise to Fluttershy," Applejack quickly explained.

"What is it? Jewelery?" Rarity asked, walking over to the big chest in which she kept her jems.

"No, we're planting an apple tree," Applejack said. Rarity nodded. "I won't get dirty, will I?" she asked.

"'Course not! All we need is your magic," Applejack happily said.

"Then, let's go!" Rarity said, using her light blue magic to take off her dress and place it on a ponyquin. We then made our ways to Applejack's farm.