Chapters A stomach full of Fluttershys
Groceries
“I’m sorry Miss, but if you want a cart, you’re going to have to pay extra!” protested the street vendor, slamming his hoof on the table; his produce all shuddered at the sudden thump. An apple began to roll off the side, and Fluttershy quickly shot out a forehoof to catch it. The red shining apple landed perfectly on the yellow furred limb without so much as a bruise tainting it delicious surface.
Fluttershy replaced the apple on the table, and the vendor –whose temper had lessened at Fluttershy’s kind gesture- gave her a curt nod of thanks. “P-Please sir. I couldn’t possibly carry all this by myself all the way back home.” Pleaded the Pegasus, standing in a sea of bags filled with carrots celery and all the other ingredients she needed to feed her hungry animals. The mare’s soft teal eyes gleamed slightly in misery as she looked beseechingly at the shopkeeper, who coughed uncomfortably at the adorable sight.
“Well- I’m sorry... You... Well you should have thought about that before you bought all this stuff then!” His voice came back strong, reasserting his dominance. This was his stall! His rules! This mare wasn’t about to swindle him out of his money because of a pair of big goo-goo eyes! “Look, I suppose I could give you a discount or something, but I can’t just give you a cart, they cost too much and you’d set me back to much sweet heart.”
Fluttershy’s face fell; she had never been good at haggling or -more suitably for this case- arguing. She looked down at her hooves and kicked a small clump of dirt sadly. “But... You see, I’ve spent all my money for the day. I don’t have any more, a-and it’s getting late, I don’t think I’ll have time to take some home and then come back for the rest...”
With a sigh of defeat, the yellow Pegasus let out a soft and quiet “Ok.” Before turning around and taking up one bag with her teeth. Carrots, radishes and tomatoes, well these were the most important, as she could make a lot out of these. As the crest fallen mare gave out a sigh and lifted the bag up, her eyes met the red shins of a large stallion standing ahead of her.
Immediately Fluttershy recognised the voice. She glanced up and gazed into the big green eyes of Big Macintosh, who stood strong, with a smile on his face. His usual stem of wheat was hanging lazily between his curling lips. “Oh! Big Mac!” Fluttershy cried in surprise at how close the stallion was. With the movement of her mouth and use of her voice, the bag that she had been holding with her teeth, fell to the floor. “Oops!” The mare cried as her groceries plummeted down. With a quick blur of red, the stallion ahead of her scooped the bag out of the air, and slotted his hoof into the handle quickly, saving the precious vegetables.
“Oh, thank goodness.” gasped Fluttershy in relief, gratefully taking back the bag from Macs outstretched hoof with her own. “Thank you Big Mac!” The red stallion gave a courteous nod to the mare and smiled.Fluttershy, D’yah need a hand with those bags?” The stallion glanced at the many groceries that surrounded the small Pegasus, amazed she could need so many, but keeping his opinion to himself.
“Oh, no. Thank you... but... You see. I-I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.” mumbled Fluttershy, bending down and scooping up several bags with difficulty. One fell yet again from her grasp, and once again the stallion caught it, this time he didn’t offer to give it back, but strung it up onto one of the bolts on his Yoke and smiled to the nervous mare.
A stomach full of Fluttershys
I wanted to possibly thank you
The two walked silently, brushing past the outskirts of both Ponyville and the Ever Free forest. The twilight realm between civilisation and the wilderness was both calm and tranquil. The perfect place for such a calm and collected mare to live Mac thought, but didn’t mention. He just kept on moving, following the yellow Pegasus as she led the way to her cottage.
Every now and then the mare glanced back at the red stallion following her. Every time he would smile to her, and her head would snap back ahead of her, blushing profusely. She wasn’t used to this, Macintosh was being so helpful. What was she supposed to do in return? Offer to help him on the farm? She wasn’t that good with growing anything. Maybe she could fly around and pick the apples at the top of the trees? That would actually take longer seeing as most apples fell with one buck from Applejack, so Big Macintosh’s superior strength would easily be able to match the feet.
What should she do? Offer to pay him for his kindness? He’d never accept it; he was far too chivalrous to do something like that!
Yet again the mare blushed. She rushed to catch up and take the lead, stopping momentarily beside Big Mac to whisper a rushed “I’m sorry.” before continuing on as before.
A short time later, the two reached an area that Big Mac recognised as the side road to Fluttershy’s home. The mare stopped ahead of him, and waited until he came to a stop beside her. “Y-You know, I’ll be fine from here. I-I can just take the groceries to the house, fly back and pick up the rest if you want to head home?” She looked up to the sun, only half visible behind the trees of the forest. “It is getting late after all...” she finished.
Big Mac looked at the mare, her eyes were fixed on a spot a few inches shy of his hooves, her own hoof was nervously scratching her other foreleg as she waited for the stallion to respond. Something registered in his mind, that this pony acted an unbelievable amount like himself. She barely spoke unless it was necessary, and she hated to inconvenience anypony. The familiarity made Big Mac feel warm inside, he didn’t always feel too normal around these parts. Though he had been born in Ponyville, he had always felt a little...different.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine ma’am. A little bit of walking in the dark never did nopony any harm.” Fluttershy seemed surprised at his answer, for a moment her wide eyes glanced up and met his. Then she turned and let out a squeak of “O-Ok.” before leading the way down the winding road towards the cottage that could be seen not too far away.
As the two crossed the small bridge, heading up the small incline towards Fluttershy’s door, Big Mac heard a small buzzing. Unsure of what it was, he kept following the yellow Pegasus not wanting to cause any problems with whatever the noise belonged to. Over the dull thuds of his hooves he heard the noise grow louder, and recognized it to be several different sounds. It was a combination of the scampering of small paws, and the squeaks and chirrups of little lungs voicing their opinions.
Surely enough, a small group of woodland creatures appeared just by the door as the two approached it. They all looked overjoyed at the sight of Fluttershy, one small white bunny bounded quickly up to the mare and hopped up onto her back. “Oh hello Angel!” smiled Fluttershy as she nuzzled the grateful bunny as he gave a joyous twitch of his nose and whiskers.
The sight was heart warming for Big Mac, seeing the usually shy mare suddenly become so comfortable and happy helped give the stallion a little glimpse into who she was as a pony. Out of all his sister’s friends, Miss Fluttershy was definitely the most mysterious one, and by far the one Mac knew the least about. He must have been staring, because suddenly he noticed the little White bunny had turned around and was looking at him with a suspicious glare.
“Heheh.” Big Mac scratched the back of his neck, smiling at the bunny who turned back and seemed to communicate with the mare. Fluttershy was obviously able to understand (To Mac’s amazement) and shook her head benignly.
“Well... I do suppose he’s carrying ALL the groceries, but he did offer Angel.” The bunny gave the stallion a glowering look before hopping off his owner, and bouncing through a small hatch set in the door. The other animals followed suite and all traipsed into the house, all of them squawking and chirruping away as they entered the house. Soon, Big Mac and Fluttershy where the only ones left outside.
As Big Mac bent down and began unhooking the bags from his yoke, he dared a glimpse inside the cottage. Inside where well over twenty animal houses. Strung up on the ceiling or hanging off the walls were little huts for birds, and little houses with poles to climb for squirrels and chipmunks. The smell of fur greeted the stallion’s nostrils, that and the slight smell of hay. Maybe the Pegasus used it to keep the scent of animals... waste masked until she cleaned it up.
As Mac took off the bags, Fluttershy moved up and picked one of them up, taking it inside. As she passed, a new scent met the stallion’s nose from the Pegasus’s coat. Was it... cherries? Or was that just something in one of the bags? The smell had frozen Big Mac to the spot as he took in a deep lung full of the delightful aroma. Only when he saw the yellow hooves come back into view did he begin to move again. Not wanting to look odd.
He took off the last two bags and stood straight, stretching his neck, feeling the relief after carrying the weight of the groceries. “Oh!” cried Fluttershy, looking at the stallion stretching his muscles. “Are you ok? You didn’t hurt yourself because of me did you?” the little mare looked horrified at the prospect. Mac –not wanting to worry her- shook his head. Realising he wasn’t being very clear he quickly said. “Nnope! I’m fine!” The small mare sighed in relief, closing her eyes for a moment of appreciation. She wouldn’t want to hurt anyone who was so helpful!
When she opened them again, she found herself looking straight into Big Mac’s eyes. For a moment the two stood there, simply looking at each other. Then suddenly realising what she was doing. The mare gave a small elegant cough and looked to the ground, seeming to find great interest in a pebble a few feet from the door. Big Mac glanced the other way, looking out over the treetops of the forest, towards the setting amber orb in the sky. After a moment’s awkward silence; the stallion heard the mare speak.
He turned back, to see the mare still gazing at the pebble, mumbling so quietly that the stallion couldn’t hear her. “Uhh... pardon?” He asked quietly, leaning in slightly. Fluttershy seemed to blush at the movement by the stallion, and spoke a little louder. Something like: "... in if you... like.” The stallion hated to ask again, but couldn’t help. He couldn’t understand what she was saying.
“Well, you were so nice, that I wanted to possibly thank you, but I couldn’t figure out how, I thought about offering help on the farm, but I’m not very good at that, so I thought about paying you but I didn’t think you’d accept, so I was wondering if you’d like to come in and I can make you a ‘thank you’ sandwich if you like!” As soon as the mare finished, she took a huge breath, and her eyes shot back to the little pebble, not daring to look the stallion in the eye.
This was obviously uncomfortable for her, and Mac didn’t want to put her through any discomfort. He opened his mouth to politely decline, when his stomach gave a loud rumble. Both the mare and stallion both blushed at the sudden and unexpected noise. Fluttershy giggled slightly, her mane fell slightly over her eye as she did, and she lifted a hoof to flick it aside. Mac looked at her, seeing that the tense atmosphere had vanished with the funny moment. With yet another gurgle from his hungry stomach, the stallion took a breath and said simply. “I’d love a sandwich. Thank you kindly!” and with a happy smile from the yellow mare, the two headed in, Macintosh scooping up the last two bags and bringing them in as they went.
A stomach full of Fluttershys
Fluttershy busied herself in the kitchen, taking the bread from its bin and laying out two slices, then proceeding to create a BLT (Butter, lettuce and tomatoes) sandwich for the stallion that waited inside the living room. Though she hadn’t said it, she was really very glad that Big Mac had decided to accept her invitation, she wanted to pay some of his kindness back. Although a sandwich wasn’t much, it was a start. After all, he had gone so far out of his way to help her with the groceries.
Fluttershy’s mind began to wander as she sliced the tomato, she replayed how Big Mac had seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the market. How he had offered to help take the shopping without question, what a hero. She would have still been stood in the marketplace right now, trying to figure out which food wasn’t vital for her little precious creatures. But now it was all here. ALL OF IT! How heavy it must have been!
Fluttershy remembered the way the stallion had piled them on and stood straight without so much as a twitch of strain on his face. So strong! Thinking about it, the trip to her house had probably not even been the equivalent of a work out for the working stallion. With the amount of work he did, this must have been a breeze for him. Fluttershy snapped out of her thoughts as she felt something scraping her hoof.
Without realising she had continued to cut the tomato into more than just a single strip, but into several wafer thin slices. Fluttershy had now absent mindedly begun pushing against her own hoof with the side of the blade as she continued to try and cut what was no longer there. The scraping noise quickly made her focus again and look down at her clumsy handy work. ‘What’s the matter with me today?’ the mare thought to herself as she scraped two slices of the red fruit onto the waiting bread, already topped with the delicious green iceberg lettuce.
Pleased with the result of her labour, Fluttershy smiled happily and sliced the sandwich into two triangles. She then placed it on a plate, and brought it into the other room. She froze. Macintosh was stood on his hind legs, using his forelegs to support himself on the wall as he stretched up and investigated one of the little houses set on the wall. Fluttershy could see the red stallion’s muscles tort in his hind legs as they held his weight, he really must be strong to have legs like that! Fluttershy began to look up the body of the stallion, taking in his defined shoulders, the glimmering red sheen of his coat, the greenness of his eyes. Wait... his eyes? Fluttershy realised that Mac had turned to look at her as she entered!
Mac gave her a nervous smile and dropped back to the ground as he looked at the mare gazing at him. Fluttershy panniced, realising she had been caught staring. For what felt like the hundredth time today she blushed a bright pink colour as she crossed the room and placed the plate on the table. Not even daring to look the stallion in the eyes again.
Mac stepped over to the table, admiring the mare’s handiwork. The scent of lettuce and tomatoes reached his nostrils and he took a small intake of breath. Then came a hint of that previous smell, was it cherries? Mac realised he was still breathing in very loudly through his nose in an attempt to steal as much of the beautiful bouquet as he could. He bolted upright, trying to hide his embarrassment, but Fluttershy gave him a shaky smile.
Mac took a bite out of the sandwich. Immediately he tasted the juicy lettuce complimenting the tart tomato and let out a long satisfied “Hmmmmmm!” pleased that she had done her job well, Fluttershy set about unpacking her groceries. Mac swallowed and moved to help.
Fluttershy went about taking the groceries to their respective places, carrots to Angel’s hut by the kitchen door, berries and nuts for the chipmunk hotel on the wall by the entrance, and a few seeds for the bird houses that littered the roof. As Fluttershy reached out and sprinkled a few of the little pips onto a tray to the pleasure of a small Blue Jay, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye. Was Big Macintosh looking at her?
When she turned to investigate however, his head was facing the table and plate, but his scruffy mane was swaying heavily, suggesting it had been moved very abruptly only seconds ago. Fluttershy frowned slightly, why would he be looking her way? The mare continued as before, though more cautious to keep the Big red stallion in her sights while she tended to her little woodland friends. If Mac had looked around before he didn’t do it again.
After a reasonable span of silence in the house, Mac coughed, unsure of how to explain the situation. He was finished; the plate was bare except for the occasional crumb or drip of tomato juice, but after Fluttershy’s unwarranted kindness the stallion didn’t wish to sound pompous by pronouncing he was done. “Uhhh...” He mumbled, straightening himself up and adjusting his yoke nervously.
Fluttershy turned from Angel’s hut to look at Big Mac. Her large wide teal eyes gleamed with the reflection of the moon shining through the window as it began to rise outside. Mac had to stop himself from staring. With another awkward cough, he reached up and scratched the back of his neck, ruffling his short mane as he did so. The action pulled the scent of apple’s into the air, which Fluttershy registered almost instantly. Inside her little yellow chest, her heart seemed to stutter for a moment. The sensation was odd for the mare, though she kept her thoughts from showing on her face. She knew that smell too well, it was the scent of Applejack as well, but no matter how many times she had caught the scent, it had never...excited her like this!
“Well... I guess I should get goin’... ‘sgetting kinda late...” Mac said to a floorboard by his left hoof.
“Thank y’ kindly for the food ma’am. You didn’t have to.” He nodded politely to the Pegasus who immediately blushed then –very quietly- protested.
As he passed over the little bridge in the garden, Macintosh turned one last time and gave a nervous wave goodbye. Realising the look on her face was something she didn’t want to be seen by the stallion, Fluttershy turned and bolted inside, latching the door behind her in total humiliation. On the bridge, Macintosh’s face fell slightly at the strange action before turning and heading off towards Sweet Apple Acres.
On the other side of the door, the yellow Pegasus gasped for breath. Leaning against the pine panel, she slid down until she was slumped on the floor. She couldn’t stop thinking ‘Was he looking at me?’ ‘I hope he was looking at me!’ ‘Why do I hope he was looking at me?’ A soft thumping brought Fluttershy out of her deep thoughts. Before her stood angel, his little forelegs were crossed, and he tapped his big rabbit foot expectedly. His eyebrow was raised as he gazed at the dazed Pegasus, Fluttershy tried not to meet his eye, knowing what her little bunny friend was thinking.
“Yes?” she asked. Angel answered with a single twitch of his nose, never abandoning his piercing gaze. “He’s just a friend Angel!” The mare protested feebly against her pet’s inquisitive questions. “Just a...” Fluttershy began losing herself in thoughts of the stallion, his large toned muscular legs, his kind and generous attitude, his adorable shyness so similar to her own. “...friend.”
A stomach full of Fluttershys
She knew how to thank him! A sandwich wasn’t much to show her gratitude, so now Fluttershy headed for the leafy orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. The sun shone brightly, making the air sultry, muggy and humid. The atmosphere made the mare’s mood all the more... peculiar.
She had no clue what possessed her to do this, she’d never normally even consider such and a dangerously risky and embarrassing stunt, but the memories of the previous night had festered in her mind until she was sure it would work! Mac was so kind, so generous, so chivalrous and hadn’t asked for anything in return. If she was going to go off what Rainbow usually said, boys only do that sort of thing if they’re... interested in a mare!
That was what Fluttershy was about to find out, she was going to go straight up to the stallion, tell him she had noticed his kind attitude, and that she was open for, something. Fluttershy stopped, her usual insecurities slowly taking hold once again. She really hadn’t thought this through very well. What if Mac WAS just trying to be helpful, Fluttershy would be about to make an utter fool of herself! Mac COULD think of her in that kind of way, but may not want to act on it; he was after all as shy as the yellow Pegasus herself.
NO! Come one Fluttershy! Be confident, be assertive! A big stallion like Big Macintosh wouldn’t be used to that kind of attitude, so that was her best bet! The yellow mare reached the white picket fence of the farm sooner than she had expected. The divide between public and private property also indicated, once Fluttershy crossed it there would be no going back. She would easily be spotted once she crossed, and once somepony asked about why she was there, it didn’t matter. Mac would eventually know she had come.
The pony reached out a trembling hoof, preparing to push open the gate. It froze mid air. Fluttershy looked at it for a moment, thinking hard. Was this... the best idea? Her worried eyes narrowed, yes! Time to start taking charge Fluttershy! Time to live a little! When she moved the hoof again, it was steady and resolute. She pushed open the gate and took a determined step forward.
The muggy air of the orchards made Fluttershy’s fur stick to her sides as she moved up towards the main farmhouse. Her wonderful pink mane sagged slightly as the humidity took a hold, pulling it down to drape on either side instead of it having its usual bouncy quality. Fluttershy persisted; she reached the house and glanced in through a window cautiously. No one seemed to be home judging by the silence coming from within.
Fluttershy’s ears drooped, she had finally plucked up enough courage to do something brave...and he was nowhere to be seen.
Just as Fluttershy’s hopes seemed dashed, she heard a loud rumbling snore explode from the barn not too far away. The yellow mare’s spirit’s rose in hope. The sunshine Pegasus trotted over to the door as quickly and quietly as she could.
Fluttershy gazed into the barn, though the sun was out, the inside of the barn was dark. Cracks in the roof let small beams of sunlight pierce the gloom, highlighting the particles of dust that hung and floated in the air. One particular crack in the roof, spanned a good few feet, creating almost a curtain of light that seemed to split the large open space in to. As Fluttershy’s eyes followed the sheet of light she found the source of the snoring and her heart fluttered at the sight.
There, lying on a thin layer of hay snoozing in the warm sunlight, but avoiding the unpleasant conditions outside. Was Big Macintosh. Quickly the mare blew at her mane, trying to renew some of its bounciness but to no avail. Taking a deep breath, she plucked up one last bit of courage and entered the barn.
Inside was cool and comfortable; Fluttershy could see how the stallion could fall asleep here. As soon the temperature dropped, her body trembled with relief. She let out a small shaky breath as she approached the sleeping Macintosh. She jumped as his powerful lungs sucked in a lungful of air, creating a loud roaring snore. The stallion grumbled something in his sleep and rolled to his side. The site of the bare patch of hay beside the stallion gave Fluttershy an idea. An unbelievably brave idea!
Slowly and carefully, she lay beside the stallion revelling in the warmth of the sunlight above. Her movement must have disturbed him, as he began to move back around to his previous position. The scent of apples that radiated from him filled the mare’s nostrils making her tingle inside with nerves. This wasn’t going to work; this was never going to work!
Mac turned until he faced the other side of the barn. His forehooves moved to become more comfortable, but met Fluttershy’s soft forelegs instead. Groggily he opened a bleary green eye to investigate. “H-hello Big Mac.” smiled Fluttershy, batting her eyelids as best she could. She expected him to jump, to move in surprise, something! The work pony simply sat there however, slowly gazing into her eyes as he began to wake properly.
Finally realising he wasn’t dreaming, the stallion gave a smile. “Howdya do Fluttershy.” The two were unbelievably close; Fluttershy could actually feel his body heat pouring out towards her timid little body. The feeling was...nice. She savoured it as she lay there beside the big strong stallion, who she noticed seemed to have edged closer without her noticing. “Anythin’ I can help yah with thar ma’am?” he whispered to her. At the question, Fluttershy’s eyes half closed making her look a thousand times lovelier as she gazed at the stallion. “I think there’s something...” she left the statement hanging confidently in the air as she took the last step and moved into Big Mac. Her lips met his for a minute and nothing happened. Mac’s eyes flew open for a moment, before closing in ecstasy. The two lay there, slowly intertwining themselves with each other’s legs.
Suddenly and forcefully Mac pushed up so he lay above the mare, he leaned in again and reinitiated the kiss. Fluttershy didn’t mind his show of dominance, in fact being such a usually shy mare made meant that the confident act by the work pony made her feel more comfortable. The two continued to kiss, Fluttershy’s tongue danced across Mac’s lips teasing his to come out and play. Slowly, and nervously, much like the stallion himself, it did.
A moment later, the two were stood. Mac pushed the mare playfully against a post holding up the second tier of the barn as they continued to show their passion. The contact with the wood caused Fluttershy to open her eyes for a moment. She saw a gas lantern that hung just to the side of them bounce against the wooden beam in response to the two’s exploits. Rata-tat-tat... Fluttershy closed her eyes again, enjoying Big Mac’s hot and flailing tongue in her own mouth. Tat-tat-tat-tat Was that lamp still moving? Wow it’s distracting! Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat That can’t be the lamp! It’s sounds like a hoof...on...glass?
Fluttershy opened her eyes, and with that, the feeling of Mac against her body, the scent of his coat and the feeling of his kiss was gone completely. Fluttershy was lying in bed; the covers around her were scrunched and bunched at the foot of her mattress. Had she kicked them off? Thinking back to the dream she had been having she wasn’t surprised.
Suddenly remembering the dream, the mare’s face burned red with shame! Oh dear! Why in Equestria had she dreamt that? The idea that it had come from her own mind made her feel...dirty. She didn’t like the feeling; Big Macintosh was a kind and helpful friend nothing more!
So why had she thought of him in that way in the first place?
Before she could question herself any longer, she heard it again; that relentless tapping noise that had penetrated her dream. Fluttershy turned to the window just by her bed and wash shocked by the face of a blue furred pony staring back at her. “Eeep!” she squealed, as she tumbled backwards off of her bed and onto the floor.
When the shaking mare came back to her hooves, she saw the Pegasus outside mouth the words. “Open up!” and pointed towards the door. Fluttershy nodded and obeyed. Groggily moving over to the pine of the door, she blinked the last bits of sleep from her eyes, and opened the door. No sooner had she opened it, the other Pegasus swooped in with a torrent of questions. “Geez Fluttershy! I was knocking forever! Are honestly that much of deep sleeper? I was almost breaking down the door, how could you not hear me?” Rainbow settled to the ground, tucked her wings in and turned back to her friend, standing in the centre of the room.
“You ready?” the punk pony asked politely. When Fluttershy’s face showed nothing but confusion, Rainbow dash gave a small sigh. “You’re helping with the weather today? Remember?” Fluttershy thought for a moment, then realised.
Once in there, she began to make herself a BLT, but as she took out the ingredients she remembered when she had last used them. Macintosh’s reward. The Pegasus’s mind began to wander, lost in thought, about last night, about the dream, mostly about Macintosh though. The red of the tomato reminded her of his thick red coat. The coat that covered such a toned, masculine body.
With a small laugh, Rainbow trotted over and picked up the dropped food. “So?” she asked, as she placed the tomato back on the chopping board.
Rainbow noticed her face, and immediately she became concerned. “Hey, I was only kidding. I only meant ‘cos you were rolling around so much. I guess it wasn’t that much of a good dream then?” She asked. Fluttershy gave a shaky movement of her head, somewhere between a nod and a shake. Rainbow shrugged, “Sorry, I guess I didn’t really think then huh?” at which point she turned back into the living room. Fluttershy began to cut the tomato, thinking hard.
Was it a bad dream? In her eyes it was, she was imagining a friend in a completely inappropriate way! But at the same time, she couldn’t help a small voice in the back of her head. ‘It was a good dream! You had fun, you enjoyed it!’ It was true; the dream Fluttershy had enjoyed it, but then again, who’s to say the dream Fluttershy was anything like the real one? She had been far more confident than the real one, and far more...flirtive!
How could she make sense of it all? As she placed the second slice of bread over her now complete meal, she decided. “...R-Rainbow?” She asked as she entered the living room, the other Pegasus had taken a seat on the sofa.
“How about we give that another try huh?” Rainbow smiled. Fluttershy nodded, returning it with a nervous one of her own. She took a seat and placed her plate on the table.
Rainbow had a vague idea of what her friend was asking, but she didn’t want to make a fool of herself. “Uhhhh” She began, “You mean like Pinkie Pie or me?”
“Well...You see...yesterday I had some help with my groceries and”-
“OH MY GOSH! YOU TOTALY DID!” goaded the cyan Pegasus. “So what happened? Come on Fluttershy you gotta tell me now!” She wriggled to get more comfortable, Fluttershy had never seen her like this, so eager to hear about her usually quiet friend. Though she found it embarrassing, Fluttershy took a deep breath, and described the whole sequence she had just experienced in her mind.
A stomach full of Fluttershys
“Wow.” Dash gasped when Fluttershy had finished describing her dream. “Just...wow!” She gave a nervous little laugh. “You never struck me as that kind of girl Fluttershy!” Fluttershy blushed.
“Well... I don’t know... it’s just strange I suppose...” Fluttershy mumbled, staring at her still untouched sandwich, more out of something to do than actual hunger. “So what does it mean when you have a dream like that?” She asked quietly.
Rainbow beamed at her friend, joyous about the idea. While Fluttershy quickly turned a shade of red as she blushed and jumped to her hooves from the sofa. “Well, come on, the weather isn’t going to fix itself.” She rushed, as she trotted towards the door.
“Well, what happened when you and Big Mac came here last night?” Rainbow asked, Fluttershy looked slightly taken aback at the sudden change of subject. But she thought back and said slowly. “Well...we came back...Took in the groceries...and he had a quick sandwich I made him.”
“Well, he ate the sandwich while I fed the animals...” She glanced at the ceiling in thought. Nothing much else had happened, had it? Slowly, her mind began to play back the image of Mac’s mane flicking away from her as she had glanced at him. Still, she was sure he had looked at her, and still she was wondering why he had looked away. She didn’t want to tell Dash about that moment, it probably wasn’t important anyway! “...Then he left.” She finished.
“He just...left?” Rainbow asked, she looked confused. All signs of her laughter had seemed to have vanished as she listened. “Nothing else happened? He didn’t say anything that made you feel...funny? Or did he do anything?” Fluttershy wasn’t sure what she meant by ‘funny’ but she supposed one thing could fall under that category.
“H-He stopped and waved when he left...” She muttered, thinking she had said something silly again.
“So?” Fluttershy whimpered to her friend. “Do you know what’s wrong with me?”
“Ummm...yes” the yellow mare replied unsurely.
Rainbow arched an eyebrow at her yellow friend, who slowly thought about all she was being told, she thought about the night before, about her sudden inability to keep him out of her mind, his constant presence somewhere in her thoughts. As she thought of the stallion, she could swear she could smell his coat, thick with the scent of apples.
“I-I guess...I kind of do...” Fluttershy admitted. She looked to her cyan friend, terrified at the prospect. She had never had a crush before, she wasn’t sure she liked the constant queasiness, and the added nerves. Dear Celestia, she was jittery enough, adding a whole other set of issues couldn’t be a good thing could it?
“So...What now?” Fluttershy whispered to her friend. “What do I do now?” Rainbow frowned.
“What do you mean, you don’t like it?” Rainbow questioned, her head popping out from around the corner, her eyebrows creased in a baffled frown. “Having a crush is great; it gives a whole new outlook on somepony.” She smiled encouragingly, but Fluttershy ignored her, slowly tunnelling through the mountain of thoughts she had in her head.
“Fluttershy, is something wrong?”
“If I have a crush...shouldn’t I...tell him?” Rainbow exhaled slowly at her friend’s question. She ruffled the back of her mane slowly.
Fluttershy sat there in silence for a moment. She could keep it a secret, a warm little secret like that would be nice, it’d be something to enjoy when she felt particularly sad or nervous. The very prospect began to make her heart flutter with excitement.
Then again, what if... what if the feeling didn’t go away? She knew herself well enough to guess that after a while, the feelings would begin to upset her if she kept them secret for too long. Her initial feelings began to take over again, her mind focused on what would happen, what would be the possibilities if she chose not to keep it a secret? She could speak to the stallion about her feelings and see if he felt similarly, and he may say yes. ‘Oh dear, what if he said no?’ she thought. What if he didn’t think of her in any kind of way like that? He could even possibly hate her for saying something so silly.
Rainbow watched her friend nervously, she knew Fluttershy well and if she wasn’t careful the yellow mare would probably over think the situation and cause herself a lot of grief. The quickly forming frown on Fluttershy’s brow showed where her thoughts were taking her. So Dash intervened before it was too late. “So what’s the big guy like then? I mean really like, I’ve barely even heard him speak more than a sentence before!”
Fluttershy’s eyes seemed to focus finally; she slowly shook the strange thoughts from her mind to focus on Rainbow. Slowly as she thought back to how the stallion had acted, a dreamy smile began to spread across her lips. “Oh, he’s wonderful! He’s so generous, and kind, oh and polite too!” She glanced around at the huts, still all housing the sleeping animals hiding from the early morning. Fluttershy gave a small giggle. “He was trying to look into Mr Chipmunk’s house at one point.” She pointed to show Rainbow the small box in the top corner of the room.
Rainbow laughed, both to what Fluttershy was saying, and secretly to how she was saying it. The cyan pony could tell the yellow mare suited having a crush. She was suddenly a lot calmer when talking about him, she hadn’t hesitated once yet! Rainbow kept the little notion to herself, she didn’t want to draw attention to it and possibly make Fluttershy notice it! Rainbow liked this more talkative Fluttershy!
Time passed, and the two continued to talk. Their task of changing the weather went completely forgotten. They discussed how it felt having a crush; the nervous butterfly’s wriggling when you saw them, their sudden uproar and the thought of the other pony. As the convocation continued, Fluttershy felt herself becoming more confident. She could hear it in her voice, the way she talked about the stallion was almost... boasting! She couldn’t believe it! Was this what liking somepony did to her? If so, she was fast warming up to the idea of having a crush.
Fluttershy voiced these thoughts to Rainbow, who smiled back glad to see her friend had noticed without her mentioning it. “Well, that’s just it. You feel... like a completely different pony huh?” Fluttershy closed her eyes and nodded happily in agreement, her lips breaking into a small happy smile.
Rainbow leant back and smiled at her friend, whose face had fallen at the thought of bravery. “Oh, I don’t know about that Rainbow... I wouldn’t think it was very likely that... he’d...” Rainbow’s heart fell at the return of her friend’s hesitation. ‘Smart move birdbrain!’ She thought to herself, mentally slapping herself in the face.
“Well... why not?” Rainbow asked, trying to remedy her mistake. Fluttershy frowned at her, unsure what she meant. “Why wouldn’t Big Macintosh feel the same way about you? You’re kind, smart, funny and beautiful, what guy wouldn’t want a girl like you!” Fluttershy blushed at the praise.
“Come on!” Rainbow finally ordered after their laughter had died down, she hopped off the bed and moved towards the door, she stopped and turned back, waiting expectantly.
A stomach full of Fluttershys
“Fluttershy darling, hold still!” Rarity gasped exasperated as Fluttershy squirmed under Rarity’s mane straightener’s hot grip. “I can’t fix up your mane if you keep moving!”
“You still haven’t told me what this is about...either of you!” Rarity complained, glancing over at Rainbow who leant lazily against the wall watching Fluttershy’s pampering.
“Well whatever it is, it must be something quite special for dear Fluttershy to subject herself to this!” Rarity glanced over her hoof work; the yellow mare’s pink mane was straightened perfectly adding a perfect three years to her face, making her look as beautiful as the platinum pony had ever seen her. Even Fluttershy silently admitted to herself she looked...different, but in a good way.
“W-well...” Fluttershy began nervously, immediately Rarity stopped her creative process as all her attention shot to her timid friend. Fluttershy faltered beneath the curious gaze and looked to Dash for help. The cyan Pegasus simply smiled and gave an encouraging nod of her head, silently telling Fluttershy to continue. “Well... I...think... I might have a...crush...” Fluttershy eventually choked out.
“Uhhh...I don’t know...” Fluttershy mumbled, turning her head away from the reflection of Rarity in the mirror before her.
“It’s... Big macin...” Her voice died away shyly, Rarity’s ears perked up as she leant in.
Rainbow laughed at Rarity’s expression, her mouth had popped into an “O” as she stared in disbelief at Fluttershy. Her head swivelled to Rainbow amazed, who simply smiled and nodded, affirming Fluttershy’s words. “Well...” Rarity spluttered slowly. Fluttershy cringed with worry at her reaction, did she disapprove? “That’s wonderful darling!” The unicorn cried happily, suddenly scanning the table surface of the tables for something.
“You mean...you don’t...mind?” Fluttershy stammered.
The cyan pony looked down at a small pile of bottles and pencils neatly arranged on the table to her side. Slowly she pushed herself off the wall and stared down befuddled. Her brow furrowed as she stared at the many similar vials. “Uhhhh...” Rainbow thought aloud.
Rainbow bent down and chose the best candidate that she could see. She then slowly made her way over to her two friends. “Thiff mon?” she muffled with her mouth full of the bottle. Rairity’s eyes glanced up at her friends and smiled.
“S-so... why are we doing this?” Fluttershy asked, glancing at her changing appearance in the mirror. Rainbow leant against another wall behind the two; she looked Fluttershy’s reflection in the eyes and explained.
“Oh Fluttershy, don’t worry!” cried Rarity joyously as she picked up the bottle of eye shadow with her graceful, light blue magic. Slowly, she pulled off the cap. “Now hold still dear.”
“Now Fluttershy, we’re not saying you need to tell him you like him.” Rainbow began as Rarity worked her magic. “We just want you to see how great it feels to be noticed by the guy you like!”
“I’m not sure if I... can do this!” Fluttershy squealed, terrified to move with the point of the pencil so close to her pupil. Rarity pulled back and gave an approving smile, Fluttershy breathed with relief and continued, slowly turning around in her seat to face Dash. “What is it I’m supposed to do?” Rainbow stared at the face before her, slowly her chest twitched as a small laugh escaped her lips. Then another chuckle escaped her lungs as she smirked and said coolly. “With the way you look right now? I’d say just stand there and let him see you!” Fluttershy was confused.
A stomach full of Fluttershys
“Now we have your look sorted I say it’s time we start on your attitude!” Rainbow laughed as the three walked through Ponyville. Fluttershy wasn’t sure how she felt about all this, when she had seen her face in the mirror she had been astonished, but now she just felt self conscious.
Everypony kept looking at her, and then doing a double take, especially the stallions! She couldn’t handle so many staring eyes, it felt...to pressured. “M-m-my attitude?” Fluttershy asked shakily.
Slowly, she began to lose herself in her daydream. Her head began to play out a fantasy, where the Fluttershy that had stood there was more like the one from the dream. She would turn to Big Mac with glee in her eyes at his chivalry, and without a second’s thought; kissed him in her gratitude. “Fluttershy darling?” came a far of voice. Fluttershy shook her head to wake up.
“Oh I see.” Rarity said deflated to Fluttershy’s response, she looked at her hooves dejectedly as they walked. Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat at the thought that she had upset her friend.
“Uhh... what is she doing exactly?” the yellow mare whispered to her fellow Pegasus. Rainbow laughed and patted her lightly on the back.
“B-but I don’t want to catch a ‘guy’s’ eye, I want to catch Big ma”- She froze, already unable to undo what she had said. Rainbow arched an eyebrow at her.
Rarity had chosen her target, a dark furred stallion waiting patiently in a line for a book stall. His flank was decorated with the mark of a silver and blue comet sailing through a sky. Fluttershy had met him before, only fleetingly, but this was Comet Tail. He was a reasonably quiet pony, and Fluttershy was sure Rarity would have nothing in common with him. So how was she going to impress him?
“Oh woe is me! What could I ever do?” Rarity suddenly pleaded with an unsuspecting shopkeeper. The grey pony behind the table look panicked as the mare slowly back away from him, her face filled with sorrow. She kept backing up, until her flank bumped into that of the waiting stallion Comet Tail, who had glanced over in vague interest.
“Oh, dear my apologies!” Rarity cooed lowly as she turned to face the stallion.
“Why yes there most certainly is! This vendor is all out of thread, and I have such an important dress to finish!” She swooned slightly, falling into the stallion’s shoulders. Comet Tail quickly checked she was alright, and began to walk her away from the quickly forming crowd around them. “Well, of course he has no thread.” Tail said, glancing over at the horrified vendor stood staring after the mare. “He’s got a quill stall!” he glanced down at the face just to his right, those miserable eyes glistened up at him, and he felt his heart melt. “Come on. I’ll help you find some thread somewhere round here!” He smiled and began to walk the leaning Rarity towards the more arts orientated stalls.
As the two passed Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, the platinum fashion pony smiled and winked at the two. Quickly she glanced up to check the stallion wasn’t looking, and then mouthed to Fluttershy. “It’s as easy as that!” before the two headed off towards the stalls on the other side of the centre.
“Wow!” Rainbow laughed, giving an accepting shrug. “She’s pretty good!” Fluttershy watched the two moving away.
Rainbow smiled, looking at Fluttershy fondly, “You know...” she said thoughtfully, “You should consider looking like this every day.” Fluttershy looked down at her straightened mane, she did like the way it felt, and it did compliment her face. Though she couldn’t see it’s effect, she could just glimpse the dark of the eye shadow just on the lip of her eye lid.
“So! Down to business!” Rainbow clapped her hooves together, making Fluttershy jump. “Easy ways to start a convocation with a guy, are thing like the weather.” She looked up at the clouds above and frowned, “Hmm, gee, what a wonderful day it is out here!” She mimicked in a deep voice, smiling as she did so. Suddenly her face, lit up, “Oh, oh, ohhhhh! My favourite, it’s gotta be ‘hey, come here often?’” Fluttershy frowned.
“Oh... no thank you, I think I’d rather leave that kind of thing to you and Rarity.” Fluttershy mumbled, flicking her straightened mane with her forehoof shyly.
“Heeeyy...there mister... ummm... tough, strong...guy!” Fluttershy smiled, and batted her eyelids at Dash, who now stood rigid with awkwardness at the ridiculous nature of her friends attempts at flirting. “I can’t help but notice that...you’re a stallion, and I’m a mare...” Rainbow’s eyebrow rocketed up at the sudden comfort Fluttershy was showing. Fluttershy pushed up against rainbows shoulder, shivering slightly. “Gee... it is cold. Why don’t you be a gentlecolt and shear some of your warmth with me.” Fluttershy stopped. She looked what her shoulder was pressed against. She saw how close she was to Rainbow, glancing at her friends face, she saw her incredulous expression.
Fluttershy quickly pushed away, letting out a short cough. “Umm... something like that?” She asked bashfully trying her best not to look her friend in the eye. Rainbow didn’t respond, she simply stared into space, her face frozen in that look of surprise. “Rainbow?” the timid mare nudged her fellow Pegasus in the foreleg.
Rainbow snapped to attention, realising what was happening. “yeah!” She exclaimed, “That was amazing Fluttershy!” She tipped an invisible hat to her friend, then a smooth little smile spread across her lips. “And not a moment too soon! Look who it is?” the cyan pony nodded her head in the direction of the path to the forest. Fluttershy followed her gaze, and it didn’t take long to notice who Rainbow was talking about. Surely enough, his orange mane and tail flowing out behind him, his muscles tense as he carried two sets of saddlebags on his back brimming with apples.
Fluttershy’s stomach exploded into nervous squirms as she watched Big Macintosh approach the market filled square.
A stomach full of Fluttershys
“Go on!” Rainbow urged her friend, nudging her in the shoulder. “Go talk to him!”
Rainbow sighed, after all the confidence Fluttershy had built up, after all of Rarity’s work, her friend had broken at the very sight of her crush. The cyan mare couldn’t help smile slightly, at least it proved she really did like the guy! Taking a deep breath, Rainbow tried to reason with her cowering friend. “Fluttershy, do you remember how it felt when you were talking to him yesterday?” Fluttershy glanced at her friend, and gave a short fearful nod. “It felt good right?” another nod. “Then why don’t you just pluck up the courage and go talk to him again. Nothing’s changed since then!”
Nothing had changed? Fluttershy could tell that wasn’t true, everything had changed, somepony she had thought simply as a friend, heck, only an acquaintance really! She now thought of in a completely different light! She had barely been able to strike up a convocation with him then, now what hope did she have?
She looked at Rainbow, her eyes were filled with sad hopefulness, why was it so important to her for Fluttershy to speak to him? Was it all just because she didn’t want to see a friend miss an opportunity? If so, how could Fluttershy refuse? After all of her and Rarity’s lessons, what good would they do if Fluttershy didn’t use them? She looked ahead, and caught a glimpse of Macintosh’s muscles flexing as he passed the first vendor’s stall. They seemed very toned today, Fluttershy quivered slightly at the sight. A chill ran up her spine which sent her fur on end at the thought of speaking to him.
Slowly, and without another word, Fluttershy took a cautious step forward, towards the red stallion.
“Maccy!” Yelled one of the vendors, “Where’ve you been hiding?!” Macintosh laughed, not noticing the approaching yellow pony. He turned quickly, unintentionally presenting his back to Fluttershy.
With Macintosh stopped, Fluttershy had quickly caught up to him. Now completely terrified with how close she was to the stallion of her dreams, she glanced back at Rainbow. Who was silently punching the air with joy. Realising she had been seen, Rainbow gave a quick cough, scratched the back of her mane, returning to her usual cool composure.
Fluttershy turned back. Here goes nothing! “Ummm... Big Macintosh?” She asked, so quietly, her own ears barely picked up on the words, let alone the big stallion. Mac began to continue on his way to the apple stall waiting for him; a huge smile plastered across his face. Blissfully unaware of the quiet mare behind him.
Fluttershy tried again, quickening her pace she tried to overtake Mac on his right flank to get out in front of him. Trying her best to think of a reasonable excuse to speak to him, she decided to pretend she only just recognised him. With a voice that was barely louder than her previous attempt, she passed his side, giving a miniscule gasp of fake surprise.
“Oh Big Mac! I didn’t see”-
Fluttershy’s confidence was really suffering now! As her second attempt to speak to the handsome stallion failed, she had continued forward now completely passing the stallion without him noticing. As Mac began to move towards her again, Fluttershy took a deep breath preparing to really talk, to actually be heard. She began moving back towards Macintosh, who had closed his eyes happily, enjoying the warmth of the summer sun above.
Then a lot of things happened all at once... all of them, not good:
.Through her trying to look sleek and attractive, Fluttershy puffed out her chest slightly, centring her balance slightly off its usual spot. She flicked her mane back slightly to see. Its unusual length brought on by Rarity’s straighteners, made it drag below her hooves.
.Yet another street vendor called out for the red stallion’s attention. Mac turned his head to see a small bundle of wheat stalks flying through the air towards him from a friend. Obviously a gift, Mac craned his neck trying to catch it. When he realised the small bundle was about to fly over him, he began to increase his pace; his eyes fixed on the airborne gift.
.Fluttershy’s hoof came down onto her mane. The sudden tug as her head passed over, caused the mare to squeal in pain, her attention stolen, she looked down at the mess. As she did, her unusual balance proved the better of her, as her lack of a footing caused the yellow mare to stumble forward awkwardly.
.Mac and Fluttershy -suddenly travelling a lot quicker than before- began to rush towards each other, oblivious to the other’s advance. Rainbow looked on in horror at the chaos unfolding before her. As the two came within inches of each other, the cyan Pegasus clenched her eyes shut unable to watch this catastrophe a second longer.
The resulting crash was a spectacle for all ponies in the stalls to see, though it went unnoticed by the customers, each seller was horrified to see the entire of Mac’s saddle bags scattering across the floor and sky. “Oh! I’m sorry!” Mac cried out bashfully. Jumping up and helping the mare on the floor beside him. He didn’t recongnise the mane, but something felt peculiar about them, as though he knew her. Surely enough when he helped her up and a blushing and bashful face peaked out from behind her straightened mane, Mac recognised her. “Oh! Miss Fluttershy! I’m so sorry I”-
Mac’s gaze fell to the ground around them, already in the time it had taken to help the yellow mare up, the apples that had scattered to the winds were already in the process of being trampled by the unsuspecting shoppers. “ARRGHH!” Mac cried out in horror, his head snapped to his bags. To his dismay they were empty.
“I-I-I...” Fluttershy stuttered, her ears drooping in misery.
“I’m sorry Miss Fluttershy, but I gotta get going!” He shouted back as he ran off. Fluttershy could tell he was angry, though he wouldn’t show or say it. With tears of disappointment and shame filling her eyes, her tender lips parted and whispered what she had been trying to say. “I-I-I’m sorry!”
Fluttershy’s voice cracked as she knew the stallion couldn’t possibly hear her. The yellow Pegasus reared back, turning away and ran with all her might back towards Rainbow. Her lungs letting out quiet and pained sobs as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Rainbow rushed to meet her fellow Pegasus as she approached. “Fluttershy I’m so sorry I didn’t think that”- but she was cut off as her friend shot past her without a single sign of recognition. Rainbow’s pink eyes followed her friend as she shot out of the town centre and galloped back in the direction of her cottage.
As her friend’s pale yellow hooves whipped out of sight behind the trunk of the Library, Rainbow heard soft hoof steps behind her. She turned to see Rarity, a look of utter heartbreak in her eyes at the sight of her crying friend. A feeling that Rainbow shared. Nodding to each other silently, the two went shooting after Fluttershy; Rainbow unfurled her wings and took to the skies as Rarity carried on, on hoof. Both with the sole intent of consoling their devastated friend.
A stomach full of Fluttershys
The inside of the cottage was unnaturally quiet; the sound of the animals scampering around was completely absent. The only sound that could be heard was the bitter sobs of the yellow mare lying on her sofa. Her makeup had long since been ruined; rarity’s work now lay in streaks across the Pegasus’s elegant fur and a small dark buddle beneath her chin.
As always, her loyal pet Angel was there beside her. He stood stroking her mane consolingly, occasionally leaning in and nuzzling into her shoulder in an attempt to cheer her up, but it didn’t seem to work.
Inside, it felt as though Fluttershy’s heart had shattered into a thousand fragments. She had let down her friends, after all their work, she had upset Big Mac beyond belief there was no chance he would talk to her again now, and most of all, she had allowed herself to build her hopes up. She had allowed herself to think she could be anything like other mares in town. That vision of the dream Fluttershy, the one who was confident, secure and brave, had been dancing in the back of her mind, taunting her, suggesting there was a chance the yellow mare could even come close to being like that.
“I...I...I really tried Angel! I really did!” Fluttershy sobbed to her loyal companion. The little white creature gave a small sigh; he hopped across from her side, to stand in front of her before resuming the stroking of her mane. Fluttershy looked up at him, for a moment it seemed the tears were over. Angel gave a nervous twitch of his whiskers, but as he did, he saw his owners eyes begin to frost over with pearly tears once again. Surely enough, Fluttershy buried her face back into the cushion of the sofa, letting out muffled wails of sorrow.
Angel gave a sad heave, he wanted to help. But all he could think of was “Twitch twitch, yawn, twitch, hop.” Which Fluttershy would take as “I never liked that big one anyway!” and even though it was the truth, Angel didn’t want to bring up the large red stallion, not yet, not while the wounds were still fresh.
The lost little pet was saved soon enough however, by the sound of a hoof wrapping against the door. He looked to Fluttershy, who’s sobs were so uncharacteristically loud, she couldn’t hear them at the door. The bunny couldn’t help but think ‘He must really mean a lot, for her to be this sad.’ Leaving his owner’s side, the white bunny hopped across the room to the front door. The peep hole was too high for him to reach, even on one of his good days, so he slowly crouched and poked his head out of the flap in the door.
The site of a cyan hoof stood just ahead was what greeted him, hid small beady eyes followed the leg that was attached to it all the way up the body, where he caught a glimpse of the mare’s face. It was ‘the colourful one!’ the one who makes his owner happy! Angel was about to bolt back into the house and bring Fluttershy to the door, when suddenly he noticed another pony behind the colourful friend.
It was ‘the pretty one!’ she sometimes came down, but not as much as the others; it was as though she didn’t like the animals. He noted the way the mare was uncomfortably tiptoeing around where she stood, maybe she just doesn’t like dirt. Either way, these two could make his owner happy again! So without hesitation, Angel returned to the warmth of the inside.
“Fluttershy! Open up! Come ooon, I’m sorry I pushed you, it was all just supposed to be a little bit of fun. I didn’t think...” Rainbow bit her lip, she turned to Rarity, who gave her an encouraging nod. The rainbow mare turned back and continued. “I didn’t think that anything bad would happen, that was just...bad luck!” No answer seemed to come from the inside. Rainbow turned to Rarity again, silently pleading for help, she was never good at this heart to hear kind of stuff!
“Fluttershy dear?” the platinum pony asked lovingly. “Please come out and talk to us, we truly are dreadfully sorry, we didn’t want your feelings to get hurt. Like Rainbow said, it was only a bit of fun. We just pushed you too far too quickly!” No response came from within; Rainbow gave one more knock on the pine door, when still nothing happened. The two friends sighed, beginning to turn away. Fluttershy obviously wanted to be alone.
As the two turned, they heard a small timid voice speak. “I’m sorry girls.” They turned back, expecting to see Fluttershy standing in the door way but when they looked at the plane brown panel, they saw no sign of her.
“Oh, come now Fluttershy, you don’t need to hide from us!” Rarity exclaimed, kneeling down to the small yellow mouth protruding from within the house. The lips pouted for a minute, then slowly fell back into a miserable frown.
“Fluttershy, we really are sorry.” The yellow mouth looked confused.
“And I’m sorry too dear, I really did show a rather... shall we say... opportunistic side of myself today, and I encouraged you to do the same. I shouldn’t have encouraged such, shoddy behaviour!” The two waited, hoping that their friend would forgive them. A soft thump from behind them caught Rainbow’s ear. She turned silently to investigate, as soon as she saw the cause, she couldn’t stop her jaw from dropping.
“Thank you...” Fluttershy began. From within the room, she felt slightly silly at her ridiculous way of speaking to her friends, but she didn’t really think she was ready for an upfront convocation with them yet. “But I should be the one to apologise, if I’d not been so scared in the first place, then I could have just told Big Mac how I felt about him without you two going out of your way to help...” That felt good to get off her chest!
She smiled slightly, and then the memory of the town centre invaded her mind once again. She felt her smile falter slightly. “B-but, because of me, everything you two did means nothing! Big Macintosh probably hates me now for what happened...” She remembered the look of annoyance on his face. “He looked like he did.” She mumbled sadly. No response came from the other side of the door. Fluttershy couldn’t see outside, the flap was obscuring her vision, but she was sure she could hear breathing on the other side of the pine.
“Girls?” She asked, still nothing. So they thought the same as her, they just were too nice to admit it. “...You think he hates me too... don’t you?” Fluttershy moaned miserably. For a second there was nothing. Then from beyond the wooden door, Fluttershy heard a single word.
She shot passed the solitary bunny so fast; she actually caused him to spin like a top for a few seconds. By the time he had steadied himself and looked up, Fluttershy was gone. A few seconds of looking around revealed a few strands of pink mane and tail peeking out from around the corner of the kitchen doorway. Angel looked from the kitchen to the front door; he didn’t like the big stallion. He was new, and Angel didn’t like new, especially when he made his owner act so strange. Giving a frustrated twinge of his whiskers and nose; the rabbit hopped over the door, and begrudgingly jumped to the table beside it.
Knowing he was going against his better judgement, Angel leant over and pushed down on the door large brass handle.
The door creaked open slowly. All three of the visitors peeked in, unsure of who had opened the door. Their solution arrived with Angel hopping back to the floor, who then beckoned to Macintosh to enter the dimly lit room. Macintosh was unsure, he remembered the way the bunny had glared at him yesterday. Though he was small, he found little Angel quite terrifying.
Mac swallowed hard. ‘Don’t be stupid! It’s a bunny, you need to speak to her!’ he thought to himself. Slowly, Mac took a step over the threshold. Das went to follow the silent stallion, but was stopped by a tugging on her mane which made her fall back onto her haunches very roughly. She looked up to see Rarity spitting out her hair quietly. Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, but Rarity gave her a penetrating stare ordering her to stay quiet. Rainbow huffed, and folded her forelegs stubbornly.
Rarity’s horn glowed softly, and gently pulled to front door to a close, letting Mac and Fluttershy have their privacy. Though she did leave a little sliver of a crack open so she coughed have a nosy peak. As her lavender eyes grew accustomed to the dark. A small beady eye popped out in front of your causing her to jump in fright.
The slam made Mac jump. He turned, looking at the now closed exit. Angel looked back at him, his little front paws on his hips expectantly. That creature’s stare was... quite unnerving. Mac shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He turned back to the main room, searching for any sign of the mare he hoped was here.
“Uhhh... Miss Fluttershy?” He asked. His low voice reverberated around the silent room, sounding like the deepest cave in the tallest mountain. A little scraping noise caught Mac’s attention, it sounded like somepony sliding against a wall. He looked to the kitchen, and just caught a glimpse of a teal eye peeking out from behind the door frame. As his gaze met that of the little round orb, it shot back around the corner.
Mac took a deep breath, and began. “I’ll understand if you don’ wanna talk to me... I acted like a real mule back in the market and...” Mac’s throat seized up, refusing him to continue. He sighed, disappointed in himself for his stupid behaviour. “I didn’t mean to get so angry... I don’t know why I did.” No response came from within the small kitchen. The silence was the worst part, Mac hated knowing she was there, but refusing to talk to him, it made him feel...cold and... worthless.
Mac scuffed his hoof on the ground, trying his best to think of what to say. “You see...” he began again. “I ain’t too good with words. Never can really think of the right thin’ t’ say.” He thought he saw the slightest movement flicker across the floor of the kitchen, a shadow? “And, well... I’ve never been too good at sayin’ how ah feel either...” This time he was sure he noticed movement!
“Yah see... when I was walking yer home last night, I started to notice... well... I had this notion... more like a gut feelin’...” He couldn’t say it! Why not? She was right there, and all it took were a few simple words! Why wouldn’t they come?
Finally, Fluttershy appeared from behind the door frame. She was blushing slightly, though there were still faint tracks where her makeup had run, to Macintosh, the straightened mane and cosmetics just made her that much more beautiful. He couldn’t believe the transformation from the previous day, he hadn’t really noticed it earlier in the day, but now he absorbed every drop of the site before him.
Fluttershy slowly moved into the living room, it was odd how so much could change in under twenty-four hours. Yesterday they had stood here, and Fluttershy was only just noticing him, now she felt so much more for him. Most of all, forgiveness. “Y-you didn’t need to apologise...” she whispered timidly, sweeping a stray lock of her mane away from her face with her hoof, trying not to make too much eye contact.
“Well, I think I might disagree with yah ther.” Mac responded, his tongue loosening slightly at the site of the radiant mare. He gave a small laugh, “I was brought up to respect ladies like yerself. Not act like a complete oaf in front of them!” Fluttershy smiled at the reproachful stallion.
Suddenly, both noticed something the other had said. Both taking a sudden courageous leap, they both spoke at the same time.
Fluttershy took another few steps towards Mac, who did the same. Soon they were a few measly feet apart. Macintosh’s face grew serious as he gazed at the yellow mare’s wide piercing eyes. “Yah know I don’ ‘hate’ yah right?” Though he hadn’t yet been able to bring himself to say it, he wanted to ensure at least that the fare Pegasus didn’t believe what she had said before.
“Oh...umm... no...” Fluttershy blushed an even deeper shade of red. She stayed silent for a moment, then realising what she had said, she doubled back. “I mean, I don’t now! Maybe I did a little before, but I really don’t now... Or... at least... I hope not...” She trailed off into worried silence, to which Macintosh smiled warmly, swilling his stalk of wheat from one side of his mouth to the other.
“Good.” He said softly, “‘cos I really don’t.” For a moment, the two gazed into each other’s eyes, content to stay there for entirety. Then realising himself, Mac quickly fell back into his quiet shell, as did Fluttershy. The two quickly looked around the room, trying their best not to look at the other.
‘That’s enough!’ the little bunny knew this was going nowhere. He’d need to help! As quietly as he could her approached the hind legs of the stallion, and with all his might, kicked the crook of his knee inwards. Macintosh stumbled, he fell slightly forward, but just catching himself in time, he sucked in his chest. Stopping himself from colliding into the small yellow mare. While the big red male was fumbling, Angel made his way around to his owner’s hind legs. So by the Time Mac looked to the ground to try and understand what had happened, Angel was already kicking his owners legs inwards.
Just like Macintosh, Fluttershy fell forward, only letting out a little squeak of surprise before falling fully into Mac’s strong soft furred chest. She flung her forehooves up to stop from falling fully, and they landed softly against his red coat. The contact seemed to shatter the tension immediately, Fluttershy, slowly tilted her head up. Macintosh’s head tilted down.
The two’s eyes met for a moment, and they both smiled silently. Mac slowly reached up with his large foreleg, and slowly caressed Fluttershy’s face. His touch was surprisingly tender for a stallion so used to heavy working, his hooves were soft and warm to the touch. Slowly it travelled up from her cheek and across the bridge of her nose, until finally the tip of his hoof brushed the fur beneath her eye.
Still smiling, he slowly brushed the soft sunshine yellow fur gently, dislodging the dried makeup, leaving her face spotless once again. Once the tracks were gone, he lowered his hoof, revealing the beauty he had seen only the day before. The beauty he hadn’t been able to get out of his head all day.
Looking into her eyes now, he remembered how he had been unable to take his eyes off of her. Stealing every possible glance he could without her noticing. He was sure she had caught him at one moment, but she hadn’t mentioned it. She never mentioned anything, she was always so quiet, so beautifully silent.
Fluttershy’s hooves twitched slightly, though her lips were smiling, her insides were squirming with nerves. The butterfly’s fluttered up her stomach towards her throat, threatening to burst from her lips, but she managed to silently suppress them. She looked at Macintosh, his eyes were so kind, so inviting. Slowly, the mare began to close her own, leaning in towards the stallion. Mac saw her closing the last small gap between them, he was taken aback slightly by the usually timid mare’s confidence.
Swallowing his own nerves, Mac leant in as well. That smell was filling his nostrils once again, that sweet delectable scent of cherries. The two both let out shaking breathes just before their lips met, and in that moment it felt as though the world fell away, leaving only those two hanging in space.
Angel gave an approving twitch of his nose at the scene he had helped create. Silly ponies, they always make things so complicated! He began to hop out to the front door, when he heard something from just outside. Frowning, he sped up. He reached the flap in the door, before he left, he took a quick glance back at the two in the centre of the room, both of whom were still embracing each other. Rolling his eyes, Angel pushed open his flap and hopped through.
Outside, Rarity was wriggling with joy silently quelling girlish giggles as she squeaked with joy for her friend inside the cottage. Angel frowned, how did she know? He glanced back at the cottage, and saw the window just by the door. Cursing himself, Angel slapped himself in the face in frustration. Realising something was amiss; Angel peaked out from behind his little fingers. The colourful one was gone!
High in the sky, Rainbow was soaring in consecutive loops amongst the clouds. From down on the ground, ponies could see and hear her. The cyan Pegasus zipped across the sky screaming a single word. “YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!” Angel watched her flying, gave a little sigh, shrugged, and hopped off towards the fields to find a good ripe carrot somewhere.
Inside the cottage, Mac and Fluttershy pulled apart. The mare’s eyes fluttered open slowly, and gazed into Macintosh’s deep green eyes. Finally she gave a broad smile to him, a small laugh escaped her lips to both their surprise. As Fluttershy stood there in his arms, she felt warmth spread across her insides, she hadn’t been like her dream self. She hadn’t flirted like Rainbow and Rarity. She hadn’t won him over with her makeup. She had simply won him over by being herself.
Rainbow was right, this really did feel amazing!
