The wind whistled silently through the trees; whispering the secrets of another day away, into the light of the setting sun. Macintosh trudged slowly down the familiar dirt path, his head hung. His sore muscled stretching and screaming achingly with each step.
It had been a tough harvest this year. The elements had been harsh on their crops. First, the sun had refused to be obscured by the clouds of the weather patrol, causing almost everything on their farm to dry out and wither. Then, a dry brush fire had caught in the orchard and they had barely managed to save half of their trees. And to finish everything off, a malfunction in the weather factory had shot a storm their way, flooding out the smaller vegetable crops.
With just about everything needed to make money dead, the Apple family was holding on to their land and home by only the thinnest of threads. They had stocked some extra bits for emergency situations such as this, but between Applebloom’s schooling and the repairs to the farm even that was beginning to run out. Big Macintosh wasn’t completely convinced they would make it through the winter on what they had. He had been taking extra jobs wherever he could, even working in Appleoosa for a few weeks, in order to earn extra bits for his family, but he wasn’t sure if it would be enough.
It wasn’t just Macintosh’s physical body that was exhausted. He was mentally and spiritually fatigued as well. The worry of where his family’s next meal may come from was constantly looming over his head like a guillotine, ready to fall at a single moment. It was a lot to bear, even for a mighty plow horse like him, but he bore it readily and proudly.
Gravel crunched earthily beneath his hooves as he neared his destination. Reaching the end of the path he wearily ascended the steps onto the porch. The aged wood creaked and moaned beneath his weight. One hoof in front of the other barely seemed to be enough to help him make it across the porch to the waiting futon. When he did make it, he could do nothing but collapse on it, letting the soft cushions comfort his fall.
He pulled his bulk onto the couch fully, folding his legs beneath him and closing his eyes. The futon’s cushions were comfortably soft, like resting on a cloud. He let the weariness from the day sink out of him. His ears perked up as he heard the front door open and close behind him. Macintosh listened to the soft padding of hooves approaching until they were next to his head. Feeling a gentle nuzzling beneath his chin he lifted his head to grant access onto the couch.
A small body crawled onto the furniture with him and pulled his head onto her lap. A faint smile traced his lips, feeling the familiar shape beneath his head, and a gentle hoof brushed through his mane. He rolled onto his back and opened his eyes. His gaze was met with two beautiful pools of cerulean. In those pools were such depths of love, which he knew belonged just to him.
“Hey, sweetie.” Fluttershy said in a voice barely audible.
“Hey, Sugarcube.” He replied, leaning his head forward slightly. Fluttershy met him halfway and their lips contacted softly. There was no elaborate dancing of tongues, simply a soft kiss, filled with more passion than could be attainable by words.
Macintosh drew his head back to break the contact but Fluttershy leaned into it, holding him for just a moment longer. When she finally let go he looked back into his fiancés face and absorbed every bit of the sight; from her large caring eyes, to her soft sunset pink hair, to her petite nose. He loved every inch of this mare’s body and soul and he was going to marry her. A small touch of guilt lay upon his heart as that thought crossed his mind and he looked away from the perfect being looking down at him.
“Ah’m so sorry we can’t get married any time sooner. If ah could, Ah would take ya down to tha church right now an’…”
“Shhhh, it’s alright Mackie, it’s alright.” Fluttershy brushed over his lips to silence him. “I’m willing to wait for as long as it takes. As long as you love me.” She tickled the end of his nose with hers and smiled. He smiled back at her. She knew that this was a bad year for the Apple family, and he was glad she understood why he couldn’t rush into marrying her like he desperately wanted too. First, he had to make sure that everything would be perfect for her when she finally became his bride.
“Ah love ya. Ah’ll love ya forever, Shy. Yer tha best thing that ever happened to me.” He whispered in return. Macintosh let every problem he ever worried about drain out of him. Everything, the uncertainty, the fear, the financial problems, all of it left his body. It was all nothing compared to the warmth in his heart left by this mare. She was his pillar of strength in the constantly shifting tide of his life. Everything was always going to be alright. So long as he had her with him. And the only thing that mattered right now was her holding him, in the loving manner in which she always did, and always would.
He rolled back onto his stomach and closed his eyes again. She resumed rubbing his mane and hummed softly to him. “Ah love ya so much.” He mumbled, falling into a well deserved sleep.
Fluttershy leaned down and pecked him on the ear. “I know you do. And I love you to, my sweet stallion.” She whispered into his ear. She continued stroking his mane, laying her head on his, and looking down on him with a lover’s stare. The wind whispered away another day, onto the horizon, and into the setting sun.
