Wonderful Lies, Fruitful Truths

Zephyr hated today. He hated the heat, he hated fresh air, and he absolutely hated the dirt in his sandals. He wandered through Celestia-knows-where. Apple trees towered over him, and the scent of apple fritters flowed through the air.

It was far too early to be awake. It was too early to even think! Zephyr was sure that the sun wasn’t even above the horizon.
“Why did we have to go out today?” Zephyr whined, trudging behind Fluttershy. Fluttershy didn’t spare him a glance, her ear twitching.

“You needed to be outside. It’s good for you.” Fluttershy replied. Zephyr groaned, throwing his head back. He didn’t want to be outside! He wanted to be safe under a warm blanket on Fluttershy’s comfortable couch.

He didn’t know what was lurking around these trees. What if Soarin was out here?! He hated how Fluttershy made him leave his comfy pajamas and dragged him into this dangerous world.

His thoughts broke when a wave of heat washed over him. Zephyr tugged at his collar, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“It’s hooot!” Zephyr cried, dragging his feet across the dirt. He could’ve sworn he heard Fluttershy snicker under her breath.

“It’s your own fault for wearing a turtleneck.” She responded with a light chuckle. Zephyr huffed, crossing his arms. He didn’t appreciate her sass.

Zephyr looked around, gazing at the trees. He didn’t even know where they were. Sure, Fluttershy told him what they were doing, but he was too busy wallowing to remember.

“Where are we, exactly?” He asked.

“We’re at Sweet Apple Acres for a cookout.” She briefly explained. Zephyr sighed in relief. That didn’t sound like too much work. Lazing in the shade and eating food all day. That sounded like the perfect laid-back day he needed.

“But first, we’ll help set it up,” Fluttershy added. Zephyr let out another long-drawn sigh, rubbing his hand against his face. He had to work? Zephyr would rather perish than work.

Zephyr followed Fluttershy into a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a group of people. Zephyr recognized one of them as Fluttershy’s friend, Applejack. Under one arm, she held a bulky cooler.

An old lady sat in a rocking chair, basking in the sun. Zephyr grumbled. That should’ve been him relaxing. Next to the old lady was a teenage girl. She sat on the arm of the rocking chair, dozing off.

“Howdy!” Applejack greeted the pair with a big wave. Zephyr scrunched his face at the much too-eager greeting. In his humble opinion; it was far too early for all this energy.

Applejack clasped her hand against his, putting him a painstakingly long handshake.

“I’m Applejack! It’s great to finally meet you! Fluttershy told me all about you!” Applejack beamed. Zephyr yanked away his now aching hand. Man, did she have a tight grip!

“You’ll be helping Big Mac with the wood chopping. Think you can handle it?” Applejack asked. Zephyr gave a soft mumble and a shrug, keeping his head low. Applejack let out a loud laugh, slapping him on the back.

“Of course, you can handle it! Mac is gonna be over there, past those trees.” She explained, pointing past a bushel of trees.

Zephyr grumbled to himself, making his way to the trees. Why did he have to work? He was grieving!

As he walked through the trees, he peeked at his phone. No new calls or texts from Soarin. Zephyr frowned. He didn’t know why it bothered him so much. He was the one who broke Soarin, not the other way around.

Zephyr huffed, shaking his head. It wasn’t that big of a deal; this was his choice, after all. Zephyr shoved his phone into his pocket. He continued to walk through the trees, trying to clear his head.

What was wrong with him? Soarin treated him terribly! Zephyr pressed his hand against his forehead. He needed to get over this.

He came from between the trees, now standing in an open field. The air smelled like freshly mowed grass. In the middle of the field stood a man. He wore a white tank top that was much too tight. His mane was a beautiful shade of orange.

Zephyr let out a shaky exhale. By Celestia above, was he attractive. He chopped wood, grunting with every strike.

Zephyr ran his hand through his hair. He regretted not doing his hair this morning. How could he introduce himself looking like this? He looked like a mess! Zephyr quickly adjusted his clothes in a poor attempt to look presentable.

He exhaled, taking an anxious stride through the field.

“Um, hi! I’m here to help you.” Zephyr greeted, giving an awkward wave. Big Mac looked up and tilted his head forward as if to say hello.

Now that he was close to Big Mac, he noticed how truly muscular the man was. If he flexed, his shirt would come flying off. He swallowed harshly.

Zephyr’s eyes flickered to the pile of chopped wood. He had nearly forgotten that he was here to help. He puffed out his chest in an attempt to look bigger.

“I can chop some wood too. As you can see, I’m pretty buff myself.” Zephyr flexed, slapping his scrawny bicep. Big Mac eyed Zephyr, giving him a sweet smile.

“Go on ahead.” Big Mac said, placing the axe in Zephyr’s hands. His breath hitched. Big Mac’s voice was deep. Zephyr twisted the axe in his hand. It was much heavier than he had anticipated.

Zephyr shakily lifted the axe above his head, feeling his legs tremble under the weight. How could Big Mac lift this thing?

He flapped his wings in an attempt to stabilize himself. Unfortunately, Zephyr slipped back, landing flat on his back. The axe flew from his hands, sliding across the grass.

Great, he embarrassed himself in front of a cute guy. To Zephyr’s surprise, Big Mac let out a playful chuckle.

“I’ll handle the chopping. You put the wood in the wagon.” Big Mac instructed, picking up the axe. Zephyr could only respond with a bashful nod.

He quickly stood up, picking up a few chopped logs. He tossed them into the wagon, listening to them hit the bottom. Zephyr turned on his heels, reaching for another pile of logs. He slowed down, staring at Big Mac. He felt his heart speed up.

Big Mac was one of the most attractive men he’s ever laid eyes on. His muscles and aloof personality enamored Zephyr, though he wasn’t sure why.

Zephyr didn’t know why, but he felt the inexplicable urge to get to know Big Mac. But just as friends, of course! Nothing more, nothing less.

“Soooo…do you work here?” Zephyr asked.

“Eeyup.” Big Mac responded, not looking up from his task. Zephyr nodded to himself, tossing wood into the wagon. “You?”

It took Zephyr a moment to realize what Big Mac was asking.

“Oh! I’m between jobs right now. Working through other stuff.” Zephyr briefly explained. Big Mac hummed in response.

“Must be nice to have some time off.” He chimed up. Zephyr shrugged.

“It’s alright, I guess.”
Big Mac let out a soft chuckle.

For the first time in weeks, Zephyr felt at ease. Maybe it was the fresh air or the change of scenery. Zephyr’s gaze wandered to Big Mac.

Maybe it was him. Zephyr felt his face heating up. He let out a dreamy sigh, leaning onto the wagon.

He closed his eyes, feeling a cool breeze brush across his face. Zephyr would never admit this, but Fluttershy was right to bring him out.

“Choppin’s done.” Big Mac broke the silence. Zephyr’s eyes fluttered open. Sure enough, all of the logs had been chopped. They laid in a neat.

“Sorry, I should’ve been picking those up!” Zephyr quickly apologized, rushing over to the logs. Big Mac shrugged.

“It’s alright, You looked like you were enjoying yourself.”

Zephyr’s face heated up. He didn’t know why, but Big Mac noticing him made his heart race. He quickly tossed the remaining logs into the wagon.

Zephyr couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed that his work was done. As much as he was complaining earlier, he wouldn’t mind staying in this field a little longer.

“We should head back to the barn. AJ’s probably ready to start cooking.” Big Mac instructed. Zephyr mindlessly nodded his head. Big Mac's voice was so soothing.

Big Mac grabbed the wagon, hoisting the handles on his shoulders. Zephyr stared in awe. That thing looked like it weighed a ton. He began his trek back to the barn, and Zephyr followed.

He trailed behind Big Mac, sighing dreamily. His heart fluttered and danced in a familiar way that he hadn’t felt in months. A feeling he hadn’t felt since he was with Soarin.

Zephyr froze. Oh Celestia, was he falling for him? Oh no. Oh no, no, no! He couldn’t fall in love with Big Mac; He barely knew the guy!

What if Big Mac was as bad as Soarin? What if he was worse!? Zephyr had barely had a conversation, and now he was in love? A guy is kind to him, and now he was head over heels? How pathetic could he be?

His once loving heartbeat now felt like torture, as if someone were wringing out his heart. He let out a shuddery breath, the world spinning around him. Zephyr couldn’t deal with this right now. He was barely over Soarin!

Zephyr quickly looked over his shoulder. Was he being followed? He felt like he was. He could’ve sworn he saw a blur of something through the trees. Zephyr began to feel eyes prickling at the back of his head.
Was it Soarin? Or was it something much worse? The trees rustled as if something was climbing through them.

Zephyr squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, quickening his pace. Nothing was there; he was just seeing things. He had to be.

He could hear leaves crunching into the ground. It sounded like he was being chased. The wind blew, almost sounding like someone whispering his name.

He couldn’t hear Big Mac in front of him anymore. Did he go on without him?

Zephyr wearily opened his eyes, his vision assaulted by the bright sun. He stood before the barn. It felt as if it were towering over him.

His eyes veered over to his sister. Fluttershy was here! In his panic, he had nearly forgotten. Zephyr needed her support. He needed to be told that he was being crazy or irrational. Just something to calm down his fears.

“Hey, Shy!” Zephyr shouted a little too loudly for his liking. “Can I talk to you for a second?” He asked, anxiously tugging at his sleeve.

“Oh, uh, sure!” Fluttershy responded, clearly taken aback by his loud demeanor. He wrapped his arm around Fluttershy’s shoulder, leading her to the other side of the barn.

Zephyr peaked around the corner, making sure they weren’t followed. Of course, they weren’t. His paranoia was getting the best of him.

“I think I have a thing for Big Mac.” Zephyr shakily whispered. Fluttershy broke into a wide smile.

“That’s great!”

Zephyr’s eyes practically bulged from his head. How could she be so supportive of this? Zephyr was practically crazy for moving on so quickly!

“No, it’s not great. I can’t fall for him!” Zephyr quickly looked around to see if anyone was listening. He leaned down to meet his sister's eyeline. “What if he’s worse than Soarin?”

Fluttershy let out a small huff, a small smile creeping on her face. She put her hand on Zephyr’s shoulder.

“I know you’re scared, but sometimes you need to work out of your comfort zone. Big Mac is an absolute sweetheart, I promise.” Fluttershy reassured.

“Now, what do you want?” Fluttershy asked. Zephyr exhaled, closing his eyes. What did he want? Such a question seemed simple enough.

“I think…I think I want to get to know Big Mac.”

Fluttershy smiled, patting Zephyr’s arm.

“Then go for it!”

Zephyr peaked around the barn, gazing at Big Mac. He sighed for the thousandth time that day.

“...Okay, I’ll go for it.”

He took an anxious stride towards the tables in front of the barn. He could do this. Fluttershy said he could, so that meant that he could. He just needed to put on the charm.

Zephyr sat next to Big Mac, nervously drumming his fingers against the table. He leaned into his hand, attempting to look suave.

“Hey, can I get your phone number?” Zephyr asked with a wink. Big Mac looked at Zephyr with his gorgeous green eyes. They looked like the most beautiful emeralds.

Zephyr’s felt his ‘cool guy’ demeanor slip past his fingers. How was he meant to be cool when Big Mac looked so handsome? It was distracting!

“I want to talk to you more often. You seem pretty nice.” Zephyr admitted. Big Mac blinked in surprise. Zephyr could’ve sworn his cheeks turned red. He leaned into his hand, giving Zephyr a sweet smile.

“Alright.” Big Mac responded, standing from the table. “Lemme get my phone.”

Zephyr watched Big Mac walk away, sighing dreamily. Maybe Big Mac wouldn’t be all bad.