Epiphany A short story, by, Thunder Buck, NOW known as Canon Fodder
Fluttershy opened the door to her cottage and forced it shut as soon as she was in. The winds were strong and she could feel it shake her home. The frost and billowing snow made it near impossible for her to see out the windows and the howl of the gales could be heard for miles.
Although the timid one could care less. She didn't mind the wintery forces of nature as long as there was a fire going. Fluttershy was glad to be home and sighed of relief after she had removed her boots and hanged her pink scarf on the coat rack. Then sleepily, she trotted over to her couch and laid down in front of her crackling fireplace. She closed her eyes and thought to herself, "Ah, I just love these quiet winter nights. The wind is so peaceful to listen to."
For minutes, the exhausted Pegasus lay in the warmth of the orange flames, watching them dance and curve with the cracking embers of the wood. She didn't want to get up from something so enticing and magical. It was poetic how the flames seemed to take all of her care and stress away from the world. Despite the icy atmosphere outside, Fluttershy was relieved to know that there was always something warmer and deeper to life on the inside.
But her attention to the fire was soon broken as she heard the chime of her grandfather clock. Fluttershy sat up from her comfortable position and gazed at the short hand over the eight, "Angel, it's time for your last feeding."
Fluttershy lifted herself up and walked over to open one of her pantry doors, retrieving a carrot for her pet. She carried the carrot in her mouth and walked back into her living room to find the bunny fast asleep in his bed. She laid the carrot beside him and smiled sweetly, "Goodnight, Angel."
As she went to close her pantry door, she couldn't help notice something outside the window. Curious of what it was, Fluttershy wiped the condensation from the pane and peered through. Beyond the thick wall of blowing snow and dark of the night, Fluttershy discovered Big Macintosh trudging across the snowy wasteland towing a heavy sleigh of supplies. She gasped, knowing the heavy toll the storm could have on her friend.
Swiftly, Fluttershy threw on her winter get-up once more and took one of her oil lamps out into the cold. She hooked the lamp in her hoof and started shaking it in the air, trying to get the red stallion's attention. Slowly, he looked back at the light and raised his hoof to his forehead, but couldn't make out of who it was. Fluttershy tried calling out over the blizzard, "Big Macintosh? Come in here this instant! You're going to catch a cold!"
Then the slow moving pony nodded in the distance and turned his sleigh towards the cottage. Fluttershy ran up to help him with his belongings.
Shortly after being pierced by the coldness of winter yet again, Fluttershy re-entered her cottage helping carry some of Big Mac's possessions. She laid them down beside the coat rack and held the door open for her unanticipated guest. The big pony trotted in cold and shivering. He dropped his items next to the rest as Fluttershy shut the door against the forceful winds that made the flames in the fireplace angry. Macintosh looked at her and snuffed as he took off his parka and heavy boots, "I appreciate yer hospitality, Miss Fluttershy, but there's no need in goin' to all this trouble."
"Oh Don't be silly," Fluttershy giggled, "it's a disaster out there, and it's the least I could do for a friend."
He chuckled, "Well I'll be sure to pay ya back for it."
Fluttershy walked him to the sofa and sat him in front of the fire to warm up, "Now you sit right there and I'll make you a hot cup of cocoa."
"Eeyup!" he replied, grinning.
As quick as she could to warm Big Mac up, Fluttershy loaded the wood stove and set it a blaze, then filled the kettle with water to boil. All while she waited, the kind Pegasus went to sit by her friend, "So what were you doing walking in a storm like this?"
Big Macintosh pointed over at the bags, "Some tools and insulation came in fer the farm at the train station. AJ was too sick to make the trip so I had go into town to get em. Looks like I overestimated myself when this here storm blew through."
"Well what's important now is that your inside where it's warm." Fluttershy said delightfully.
"Eeyup! So how do you manage here with all these animals? Must be pretty hard for jus one pony." Macintosh laughed.
She giggled back, "Oh It's not so bad, especially this time of the year. All of my outdoor critters are hibernating so the most I have to take care of in here is Angel and a few of my birds and mice."
The Apple gave an understanding nod and looked around the room, falling silent. Then Fluttershy began doing the same thing, shifting her eyes. Eventually the awkward incident brought them to stare into their eyes. Big Mac smiled and Fluttershy smiled back but quickly blushed away from him as she shot up to tend to the boiling water. Macintosh looked into the fire and thought to himself, "Well that was weird..."
Fluttershy lifted the kettle with her mouth and began to ponder as well as she poured the water into a mug, "Oh My goodness, I hope he doesn't think I'm strange for looking at him like that. Why did I have to blush? Why am I caring?"
Trying to erase what had just occured, Fluttershy broke the silence and made more conversation while she fixed his cocoa with milk and the cocoa grinds themselves, "Now drink this up and I'll make up my bed up for you. I'll sleep down here on the couch."
"Don't be ridiculous, Miss Fluttershy," he acknowledged hastily, "I wouldn't want to burden you like that. Especially on a night like this. No I'll jus warm myself up fer a little bit and get outta yer mane."
Fluttershy stirred the mug and carried it in on a tray. She laid it on a table next to the couch and shook her head, "Oh No I insist. Rainbow Dash told me today that this is supposed to be the biggest and longest snow storm of the season. You really are better off staying here the night."
The stallion sighed, "You really think so?"
She nodded, "Of course."
"Then why not. Thank you again, Miss Fluttershy." Big Mac grinned admiringly.
"You can just call me Fluttershy." She giggled sweetly.
The mellow steed chuckled as well. "Eeyup. Thank you, Fluttershy."
It was nearly ten o' clock and the ominous moan of the wind never changed pitch once. The blizzard was getting worse. Although the two ponies inside seemed to be fine as they sat in front of the fire playing a hand of cards. Big Mac drew while Fluttershy asked, "Hmm Do you have any sevens?"
Big Macintosh studied his hand, "Nnope! Ya have any aces?"
With a surprised look on her face, the Pegasus slapped down three aces and laughed, "Looks like you beat me this time."
"Eeyup! You want to deal up another game?" He asked, yawning.
"Oh That's okay." Fluttershy tittered softly, "You look a little tired."
Macintosh smiled, "Don't mind me. It's jus been a hassle lugging that big ol' sleigh through the snow."
Fluttershy got up from the sofa and walked over to examine the heavy materials, "I can just imagine. It must have taken you a while just to get here from the train station."
"Eeyup! It's quite heavy...Ya know this here storm reminds me of when I was jus a colt."
"Really?" She looked back, intrigued.
Fluttershy walked back over and stoked the crisping fire. Followed by a very shyly asked question, "Do you mind telling me about it? Oh You don't have to of course. I'm just wondering that's all. There's no need to..."
Macintosh could notice her voice get quieter and quieter as she went on. But he just chuckled, "Eeyup. I don't mind tellin' a friend."
With a gleeful smile, Fluttershy giggled and blushed again. This time not turning away. Big Macintosh pondered momentarily then began, "Well I guess this was around the time when Applebloom was jus a lil foal. Mama had come down with somethin awful. So she couldn't make the usual apple deliveries with Pop. That's when he decided that I had to stay home to look after her, AJ, and Applebloom while Granny Smith and Pa made the apple runs...It went on fer a while. A few weeks at that."
The timid one shifted her eyes to the ground, "Oh My. What was wrong with your mom?"
Macintosh shrugged, "That's jus it. We didn't know. But it didn't seem threatening or none. It only looked like a really bad cold. Doctor said it had somethin to do with some sorta problem she started havin after Applebloom was born. It scared the livin daylights outta Pa. But as long as she took her medicine, Ma seemed fine. So one day, Ma was feelin pretty better and decided to go with Pa to make one of the runs up to Canterlot..."
"What's the matter, Big Mac?" Fluttershy asked, seeing the big pony inhale deeply.
He looked back at her and continued, "The mornin after they left, we gotta telegram from them in Canterlot sayin Ma was checked into the hospital. She had a heart attack...They came back the next day, and Pa looked like he had seen a ghost. Because he had never had to go through somethin' like that. Although after a day or two, he seemed back to normal and went back to doin the 24 hour runs with Granny...Then one evenin, Pa didn't come home from a trip up from Manehatten."
Big Macintosh took a moment to sip his cocoa. Even though it had run cold, he didn't want to seem rude to a pony which he noticed he had never been so open to, "Anyway all of us except Ma was waitin up fer Pop and Granny...and it was one of them nights when Mama wasn't feelin' so good. Me and Applejack had to stay by her side the whole night. Then later, one of the neighbors stopped by and said they had gotten word from a Pegasus that there was a scheduled snow storm Pa didn't know about. At this point Ma was in a state I had never seen before and I was terrified. But I had to stay strong. Not jus fer Ma. But fer Pa and the girls too."
Fluttershy nodded slowly and her emerald eyes twinkled with the ever-dancing flames, "It must've been very hard on you."
Big Mac stared into the fire and looked back up at Fluttershy with a discouraged frown, "The storm reached Sweet Apple Acres not long after we heard of it, and the winds were jus as forceful as the ones tonight. After I had brought Mama somethin to help her sleep, I noticed somethin about her that seemed outta the ordinary. She was shivering...We had her bed next to a wood stove like the one ya got over there and she was shaking. I didn't know what to think or even do. So as quick as I could, I told AJ to look after Mama and Applebloom fer about twenty minutes. Then through the icy gales and inches of snow, I pushed myself into the howling town of Ponyville and fetched a doctor from a nearby clinic. Rushing for time, I took that pony on my back and trudged through a foot and a half of snow to get back home."
The red stallion stood up and placed one of his hooves on the mantle above the fireplace, "We made it back to the farm but the Doctor knew it was all over."
"Over?" Fluttershy muttered, worriedly.
Macintosh nodded, "Mmmhmm, Eeyup. The Doc said this'd be the last time we get to speak to her. It nearly killed him to say that..."
Fluttershy was hesitated to question it, "So...so what did you do?"
He continued to arch his head over the mantle and stare at the fire, "I did the obvious and talked to Ma. She told me that she was proud of me and AJ fer lookin after her and Applebloom...I can't bring myself to mention the weakness in her voice. But it was still strong as a proud Apple was. My mama was never a weak mare through her life. But seein' how feeble she was then made me realize that we all have weaknesses...The last thing I remember Ma sayin to me before she went to sleep was always love yer father after I'm gone, and take care of the family...Then she was gone."
She noticed herself bringing up a lot of questions but couldn't help but ask, "What ever happened to your Dad?"
He looked up at her, "Pop? He never got home till the next mornin. I can't really describe how he took Mama's death. It was almost monotone...Until one night. One night he broke down and was gone the next mornin'."
"Wow, I never heard such a sad story...I'm sorry." Fluttershy said, placing her hoof on Big Mac's shoulder.
The large pony slid her hoof away and sat back down on the couch. He listened to the eerie winds that he was so familiar with as he chuckled, "I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I never meant to spoil yer evenin with a story like that."
Laughing with him, Fluttershy sat down as well and placed her hoof over his, "Oh It's fine, Big Mac. In fact it kinda reminds me of when I was a filly."
"Really?" He said, curiously.
She nodded her head in agreement, "You see back home in Cloudsdale, I never really had to deal with big snow storms. But I never knew who my real parents were."
Big Macintosh looked back at her now interested in hearing her side. Fluttershy thankfully smiled at him for wanting to listen, "At the orphanage in Cloudsdale, I was never told of how I got there. But I'm still left wondering to this day who my parents were. Although that doesn't mean I won't always love my caregivers at the orphanage. They were great supporters...I guess that's why I'm so good with animals. I learned from experience. But I never was very good at making friends with other ponies."
Fluttershy blushed again and Big Macintosh continued to give his attention, "For years I was always being picked on and laughed at. But above everything, I knew I had one friend who would stand up for me. She's kind of like a sister to me. Rainbow Dash. Without her, I would've never made it through school. But that was nothing compared to what I felt outside of school. Dreaming about who I am and where I came from...It was quite nerve racking."
"Eeyup...Tell me about it." Macintosh said, saddened, "After Pa left, I lost my foalhood. I had to buckle down and support the farm. Never did get a chance to make any friends...Until I set my eyes on you..."
The mare began to laugh nervously, "Oh What do you mean by that?"
Macintosh continued to stare into her shining eyes and Fluttershy stared right back. Then suddenly she didn't feel shaky anymore. With Big Macintosh she felt secure. He glanced back into the enticing flames, "I don't know what it is. But when I'm around you, I feel more open. Ya know that story I told you? That's really the first time I ever told anypony of how me and my sister's lost our parents."
"Really?" Fluttershy replied with astonishment, "Well Big Macintosh, I've got to say I do feel less shy when your around. I mean I get these weird feelings when you're around...It's just...It's just...just...Oh."
Unable to finish her sentence, Fluttershy leaped from the couch and ran from the conversation to the front of a window. Big Mac stood to see her quivering in the dark shade of the room. With a depressing sigh, the red pony moved towards the door to collect his belongings. As he did this, Macintosh continued to hear the winds blow and the windows shutter. Serving as an everlasting reminder of his past. It distracted him and forced him back over on the sofa, staring once more into the orange warmth of the enchanted flames, "...The night before Pa left, I peeped my head in through his bedroom door and found him sayin somethin as he held one of Ma's old slippers in his hooves..."
"It wasn't supposed to be like this you know...I was supposed to be the first one to go...Not you...And that mornin I seen you laying there. I was shaking and yellin' at ya to...fix my breakfast...I didn't want to accept it......"
*Sniffling*
"You had no right leave me that way, Amelia...Without givin me...just one more chance...
*Crying*
"To say I love you........"
The heart-torn Apple lowered his head and shed one tear, "Without my parents...looks like I'll be alone..."
Fluttershy heard his father's tragic ending from the window and she looked back him, watching the frustrated pony tremble in fear and hopelessness.
Big Macintosh felt somepony sit down next to him and have a hoof wrapped around his. He opened his eyes and found Fluttershy with an embracing feeling between them ignite, "...At least we can be alone together..."
Then...their eyes melted into one another's and the roar of the wind seemed to die away as they became lost in their feelings from the astounding epiphany in their hearts. The both of them knew that this storm may have brought out the worst in nature, but it also brought out the best of their emotions, and inner turmoil that linked their lives together. Slowly, they came to each other and kissed a long anticipated kiss that finally sealed the destiny between both of their hearts.
Then they pulled away to looked at one another again. Nothing needed to be said. With a crying smile, Fluttershy hugged Big Macintosh and cuddled into him as the red stallion embraced her back, passionately.
As for the rest of the night, the two ponies slept soundly in front of the warm fireplace, leaning into one another for their warmth, their love, and happiness brought out by their tragedies.
