Pick an Apple in a Thorn Bush

Chapters

Chapter One: Green Eyes and a Warm Smile
Chapter Two: A Kind Gesture
Chapter Three: Just Friends
Chapter Four: A Date or a Friend
Chapter Five: Together
Chapter Six: Bruised
Prologue

Chapter One: Green Eyes and a Warm Smile

"Angel, I'll be back. I'm going to the market. We're running out on a few things." I said as I grabbed my saddle and threw it on my back. It jingled with my bits that were inside. Angel hopped over to me, carrying a list. He opened the scroll, to reveal a long arrangement of items he wanted. It must've had about thirty things on it! "Uh, Angel. I'm sorry, but I only have enough bits for the food we need. Maybe next time?" I tried to say gently. But that stubborn, little, white, bunny just demanded and pointed at it again. I sighed. "I'll see what I can do." Angel smiled as he stuffed the scroll into my bag. I opened my door to leave, but was pushed back in by a gust of winter air.

Snowflakes were falling down the meadows of Equestria. It looked like a white blanket had fallen on the hills. "Oh dear," I muttered. There was about two feet of snow. I don't think I could get through all of that, without catching a cold. I shut the door and went back inside. I have to get my coat, I thought. Where did I put it? I flew over to my room. If it's snowing like this, the market should be closing any minute. I hurried to the corner of my room. It's a bit messy in here. Oh there it is! I came closer to my blue coat, which sat on a few boxes I meant to put in the attic. As I pulled it away, an envelope slipped out of one of the boxes. It looked like a creamy white. The envelope was opened and old. I remembered that envelope. It was given to me by Miss Cheerilee, in her first year of teaching. She still teaches to this day, I hear. I grabbed the envelope and sat down on the floor in front of the boxes. My eyes started to tear up as the envelope evoked horrible memories.

"Fluttershy, I have to tell you something very serious.", Miss Cheerilee said.

"What is it, Miss Cheerilee?" I asked, a bit confused. I was playing with Rainbow Dash when she pulled me over and away from everypony else.

"It's your parents," she admitted with a small frown stuck on her face. She looked around to find something to say. "Your parents..." she trailed off. "Fluttershy, before I give you this envelope," she reached behind her and took out a brand new, white, envelope, out of her pocket. "I want you to remember that your parents were marvelous people. Remember everything. Never forget." Were?, I thought. What does she mean were?

She handed me the envelope. Then, she walked away. I was left standing by the wall, with it in my hoof. I was so confused and curious. Miss Cheerilee wasn't making much sense. I looked over to my classmates. They were all playing. It was recess, which meant that we only had a few minutes to go before they dismissed us from school for the day. Rainbow Dash found another Pegasus filly to play with. I looked back down at the white envelope. My shaky hoof opened up the envelope and found a folded, white, letter. It read:

"To Fluttershy,

We give our deepest apologies for the misfortune that has come across. On the day of December 27, approximately 1:35 P.M., your parents Mr and Mrs Shy, were on the list for missing."

I felt like the letter wasn't for me but for some other poor pony.

"Although, they might not be here at this very moment, you mustn't give up hope. The police and special investigators are on the case. In the meanwhile, here are a few changes that will happen..."

I had to read it over and over. It became harder to, every time. It felt so surreal. I looked over at Miss Cheerilee, who was staring right back at me with sad eyes. The rest of the letter had information about a temporary foster home I would be going to.

I didn't want a foster home, I wanted my parents back.

I heard a foot tapping heavily on the wooden floor behind me. I turned to see Angel, who was angry to see me sitting and not at the market.

"Angel... I'm sorry. I guess I got distracted." I said under my breathe, wiping my eyes. I looked back down at the letter in my left hoof. I slipped it back in the dirty, old, envelope and tucked it under some things in an unmarked box. I got up and walked to the door, putting on my coat.

When I got to the market, I noticed how empty it was. There were barely any stands open. The only ones that stood were a few vegetable carts, an apple, candy, and a small refreshment stand. I took my list out of my brown bag. I needed one lettuce head, five celery sticks, a bag of green apples, a bag of walnuts, four cherries, and a few carrots. I think I can get at least half of these here, I started to think. Then I remembered Angel's list. I read over his and saw that only a few of these things are available. I don't want to disappoint Angel. But where can I get his things? Maybe I could come back tomorrow when the snow calms down a bit.

I flew over to different carts to get my items. After about fifteen minutes of shopping, I almost finish. All that was needed were apples. I looked around and found the apple cart. As I approached I noticed something different. Usually Applejack would be attending the cart, but today it was her big brother. I never really talked to him before. I drew closer, getting nervous for some reason. What was his name? I tried to remember, but nothing came to mind. I finally made it in front of him. He was putting in new apples.

"Excuse me," I started to say. He didn't seem to hear me.I guess he didn't see me either. He turned to the other side of the cart. "Um, sir," I said a bit louder, flying over to the other side. He pushed a few apples with his red snout. Then he looked up. His green eyes were the first thing I noticed. My mind went blank as I tried to avert my attention back to the apples. "Uh, w-where's Applejack?" I asked.

"What?" he asked. His voice was very deep. It rumbled through the silent marketplace.

"Uh, Applejack?" I repeated. He leaned his head in a little to hear me better. At first he didn't understand what I said, by the look of his confused face.

"Oh, Applejack." he said. "She went home. It got too cold fo' her."

"Oh." I replied. "Uh, how much for a bag of green apples?"

"Three bits." I grabbed the last of my bits from my bag. There were only two.

"Oh, dear." The red stallion seemed to notice my dilemma.

"Applejack talks a lot about ya'. I'm guessin' you're a good friend of her's. Ya' don't have to pay for 'em today." he added with a smile.

"Oh, no. I can't let you do that."

"It'd be mah pleasure-- Fluttershy, right?" I felt my cheeks turn red with embarrassment. He knows my name but I don't know his. I'm pretty sure Applejack talked about him when she tells us one of her apple family stories. How can I forget one name?

"Uh, well thank you." he handed me the bag of apples. I grabbed them with my mouth and slipped them into my near-too-full bag. I looked back at him. "W-what's your name? If you don't mind me asking."

"Its Big Macintosh, but call mah Big Mac. Everypony does."

"Okay. Thanks again Big Mac. Um, tell Applejack I said hi?" I opened my wings so that I could leave.

"Eeyup." he said. I smiled, flying away.

The whole time I flew home, I couldn't stop thinking about our conversation. I was kind of confused. How could our conversation-- about apples-- be so important? Why couldn't it get off of my mind? Was it his southern accent, or his eyes, that made me not want to leave the small chat? I noticed that I was at my doorstep already. I was just standing there. That's weird., I thought opening the door. Angel was sitting in one of the green couches, waiting for me. As soon as he saw me, he looked a bit angry. I know I wasn't shopping for long. How could time pass by so quickly?

"Sorry, Angel." I said as I headed to the kitchen. "There weren't many ponies there selling today, so I'm going to get the rest tomorrow." He eyed me a little suspicous. Then he pointed to his mouth, indicating that he was hungry. "Lunch will be ready in a minute, let me just put everything away, okay?" He nodded as he turned to go talk to a tree-squirrel that came into my cottage. I don't mind when the animals come into my home. I actually like it. I guess I'll make lunch for three. I dropped my bag onto the kitchen counter. As I started to put away the food, an apple managed to find find it's way out of the bag. It rolled out, and stopped on the edge of the counter. I stared at it.

The thing is, I didn't see a green apple. I saw green eyes and a warm smile.

Author's Note

Fluttershy's first encounter with Big Mac. It seemed to have gone well. What do you think? Did she develop feelings too quickly? Is this going to fast? Let me know in the comments please. If you want, you can let me know what you'd like to see happen next? The plot is still developing.
Thanks for reading!

Chapter Two: A Kind Gesture

The morning sun shone through my bedroom window. It was early, judging by the color of the sky. Pink and purple, I shook the thought out of my head. I stretched my hooves out in front of me and yawned. One of the sun's ray's lit up Angel's list on my bedside table. I still need to get his things at the market. I jumped out of my messy bed, and lazily flew to the bathroom. What do I need to do today...?, I thought, grabbing my green toothbrush and laying the toothpaste layer on it's softened bristles. I need to make breakfast, water the plants, feed the chickens, and go to the marketplace, I planned in my head as I brushed my teeth. Maybe Angel can come with me and pick out what he needs himself. He's very picky., I peered over to his room. He was snoring. If he's awake by then, of course. He sure likes to sleep through noon. I rinsed my mouth with water and brushed my mane so that it didn't look so out of control. The floor creaked as I headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. I'll make some breakfast sandwiches, I thought getting the bread, eggs, lettuce and tomatoes. Something easy and quick.

I was flipping the eggs in a pan when the bag of apples returned into my head. That was very kind of Big Mac to give them to me without charging anything, I slipped the eggs onto two pieces of bread, topping them with the slices of tomato, lettuce, and another bread slice. I should probably do something to show him my appreciation for it. He did lose some money from it. I put aside Angel's sandwich on the counter, and bit into mine. Maybe I could make him something. But what? The bag of apples were sitting in the middle of my dining table. What about using some of those apples for an apple pie?

I smiled, that's a great idea!

A while later, I was out watering the plants that hung on one of my windows. Some of them were starting to bloom. "Don't worry little ones, winter will be over soon." I reassured them. When the sound of my voice died down, I realized that there were no other noises outside. All the critters were either hibernating, or have left for the season. Winter can be so beautiful, but it's always one of the loneliest time of the year.

When the watering can has run out of water, I head to the chicken coop to see if they need any food. I looked inside, and they were all sleeping, huddled on a pink blanket I brought out for them yesterday. The trough that sat in front of them was full. I always keep it there when it snows, so that they don't have to get out into the cold snow to eat. I try to remember what was next on my list of to do things. The market place.

I went back inside, and into my room. My saddle, that sat next to my bed frame, was empty. I pushed my mattress, and grabbed a bag of bits to put in my bag. My father used to keep his money under his mattress too. He told me that he didn't trust banks. I took the list and put it in as well. I reached for my blue coat that I've wore the day before and threw on my saddle bag. As I started to walk to the door, I looked into Angel's room. He was sound asleep. I kind of expected him not too be up.

My door quietly creaked, when I opened it. The snow was more calm today. Instead of a thick blanket, the hills were covered in a light layer. On my way to the market, I noticed random snowmen. Each had a different face. One of them, resembled Rainbow Dash. That was the one that made me laugh a little. Last night, I overheard the Cutie Mark Crusaders, talking about getting their cutie marks by becoming "snow sculptors".

When I arrived at the marketplace, I was greeted by warm signs and colorful festivities. I almost forgot that today was Hearth's Warming Eve. There were signs everywhere, saying "Happy Hearth's Warming", there were bright streamers and decorated trees. More stands were open today. I could finally get Angel's list done.

I quickly went from stand to stand, getting done more quick than I predicted I would. One stand was right next to the apple cart. Maybe I should go see if Big Mac is there... My wings opened to fly over there. The stand's owner interrupted my thoughts. "I'm sorry?" I said.

"I said, are you going to buy that?" He pointed to the sack of flour I held in my hoof.

"Oh yes, I apologize." I replied, throwing him two bits from my bag. I put away the flour into my near-too-full bag, when he said:

"Have a good day. Next," He then attended to the green mare behind me. I slowly flew over to the apple stand. Might as well say a quick hello, now that I'm here. I expected to see the red stallion, but instead found an orange mare.

"Applejack?" I said surprised.

"Howdy, Fluttershy. What can I do ya' for?" she happily told me.

"Um, where's Big Mac?" I didn't want to ask, but curiosity got the best of me.

"He's at home, shovelin' snow. Since today wasn't as cold as yesterday, I told 'em that I could takeover for today. Did ya' need him for somethin'?"

"Oh, no. I was just wondering."

"Well, now that I've got ya' here, I just want to remind ya' about comin' to the train station today. Twi wants to make sure everypony comes to the Hearth's Warming Eve play." added Applejack.

"Of course. Thank you for reminding me, I've been forgetting a lot of things lately." Oh, gosh. The play. If this wasn't so important to Twilight, I don't think I would have agreed to being in it.

"I'll see 'ya there, then!" She said to me as I started to fly away.

"Okay, bye Applejack." I replied. The Hearth's Warming Eve play. Why did I have to be in it? I have stage fright, I'll just crack underneath all that pressure. I hope I don't embarrass myself. And if I do, I hope Big Mac isn't there to see it.

" I can't believe that Princess Celestia chose us to put on the most important play of the season! Do you guys know what an honor this is? For all of us?" shouted Twilight in her excitement as Rarity patted her cheeks with a powder. Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, AppleJack, Rainbow Dash, and I were all preparing ourselves for the play backstage. I was standing in front one of the brightly, lit, mirror, trying to brave-up myself.

"Oh, I wish she hadn't honored me quite so much... I can't go onstage! I don't want everypony looking at me!" It slipped out of my mouth. And when it did, there was no turning back. I hid in the closest thing to me, a box of decorations. I shook with fear as my face buried more into it.

"Fluttershy, darling, there's nothing to feel nervous about." Rarity's voice cooed as she walked close to the box. Her purple cape followed her.

"No?" I peeked my head above the box. She grabbed me and pushed me with her front hooves, back to my mirror.

"Of course not. All across Equestria, ponies are preparing their own pageants for Hearth's Warming Eve, in their own towns. It's tradition." she added, combing my mane, and harshly added black mascara. Phew, I thought.

"So you're saying they'll be too busy to come to our play?" I smiled. That meant there won't be that big of a crowd in the audience!

"Well no. We're in the Canterlot pageant, the biggest, most important production in all of Equestria. A lot of ponies will come to watch us." She patted some of the powder she put on Twilight, on my face now.

"A lot?" I don't think Rarity is helping. I look into the mirror. Why do I have to be apart of this?

"Hundreds."

"Hundred?"

"Maybe even thousands!" She gasped in glee. That's it, I'm heading back to the box. I stayed in that box for a few minutes. I really didn't want to get out there. Rarity just made it worse. There is possibly thousands of ponies out there. I don't want to be humiliated in front of that many! A cold gust of wind hit my flank, and I guessed that somepony opened the window. I was startled when my tail started to be pulled by somepony.

"Fluttershy, you've got to come out of there!" said Twilight, whom I assumed was the pony that was pulling my tail. I grabbed onto anything that was in the box.

"Curtain in two minutes!" shouted a male. Eep! I tried to dig myself even further into the small cardboard box. I heard pinkie mumble something. My tail was pulled even harder.

"PINKIE!!" Twilight yelled. Another gust of wind passed by. I had no idea what was going on since my head was buried underneath all of the decorations. For some reason,Twilight jumped into the box with me.

"Hello, Twilight." I quietly said. She gave me a stern look.

"Fluttershy, you need to be out there with us. We need this to go well for Princess Celestia! Ugh, I can't think in this cold!"

"SHUT THE WINDOW!!" Pinkie, Twilight, Rarity and I shouted in unison. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were too busy arguing about something to close it. Everypony continued to yell at each other, as Spike slipped in and out of the curtain. The lights dimmed, the curtains were pulled, and the music began, as Spike began to narrate.

"Okay, everypony calm down!" Twilight said. "It's time for the play, and I'd hate for all the hard work to go to waste just because of one silly window." She faced Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "Fluttershy, I know you're scared. It's okay to be scared. There are a lot of ponies out there. I myself, am nervous. Just relax. You'll be great out there." she looked at me.

"R-Relax?" I looked at her, and was reminded of my mother.

"A very important thing to know, is to always relax. Even in the scariest situation, you must be brave. I could hear her say.

"Relax" I muttered to myself. It's just a play. All I need to do is saw a few words and everything will be good.

"Is everypony ready?" Twilight asked looking at all of us.

Various "Yes", "Yeah", and "Yup" followed. I nodded. Everything is going to be fine. I just need to relax and be brave.

The play went smoother than I thought it would. At the end, I actually had a lot of fun. After we sung The Fire of Friendship, we all took a bow. Backstage, we all couldn't stop talking about the play.

"We should be so honored that Princess Celestia chose us! She must really think we exemplify what good friends are!" said Twilight. Pinkie Pie came close to Rarity and gave her a hug, but then was blown away by a gush of wind. Someone forgot to close the window before we went on.

"Applejack, I thought you closed all the windows." Rarity said a little annoyed.

"Don't blame me. Rainbow Dash should've flown up there and shut it. After all, she's got wings." Applejack added, pointing a hoof at Dash.

"Why do I always have to do all the high up chores? Why can't Twilight use her magic for a change!" She replied. The bitter fight started again. Everypony's anger grew by the second. Before anything else could happen, a Windigo-like roar echoed from far mountains. We all stopped and stared at each other, in shock. That can't be the real Windigo. Could it?

"Y'know what? I got it." said Rainbow Dash after a moment. We all laughed as she closed the door. The room instantly felt warmer.

"Thanks, Dash." said Applejack.

"That was amazing!" shouted a filly's voice from behind the curtain. We all turned our attention to the Cutie Mark Crusaders who appeared from the other side of it. Scootaloo was the one who said it. She immediately went up to Rainbow Dash. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom followed her. I couldn't breathe when I saw a red stallion come behind the three.

"Good evening, ladies." greeted Big Mac. His rich southern accent made me blush. Applejack has the same accent. Why do I go all red when I hear his?, I thought trying to calm myself down.

"What are ya' doin' here big brother?" Applejack asked. He nodded towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders who were getting a tour of backstage from Rainbow Dash. "Oh, they wanted to come to the play?"

"Eeyup," he said. "Congrats, Sis." Then he glanced at us. "Congrats to everypony." he corrected himself. When he looked over at me he smiled. I wanted to smile back but I was frozen. I couldn't even say 'thanks'. For some reason, the green in his eyes wiped my mind clean. I quickly stared down at my hooves. Why is it so hard to just give a small grin? He's a friend. I smile at my friend's all the time. There was something different about him, but what? Sometimes these questions give me a headache.

"Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo!" he called them. "Your parents are waiting for y'all!"

"Aww!" The three said in unison.

"But we just came here!" piped up Sweetie Belle.

"Maybe next time, kiddos." Rainbow Dash told them, ruffling Scootaloo's mane. They headed towards Big Mac.

"We best be on our way. Goodnight, Ladies." he told us nodding.

"Goodnight," everypony replied. A small squeak came from me in an attempt to say 'goodnight'.

"Bless you," said Rarity. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were the first to go through the curtain. They were saying something about acting being their calling. Big Mac followed them. Before he disappeared through the curtain he looked back at us. Most specifically at me. That's when our eyes met, and everything went silent. Then, he was gone.

"Fluttershy?" asked Twilight.

"Hmm?" I replied not moving my eyes from the spot Big Mac had been standing only a few seconds before.

"Are you okay?"

"M hmm," I glanced back over to her. All my friends were looking at me like I was crazy. "What? Did I say something?"

"No. Ya' just been standin' there quiet for a while." said Applejack.

"Oh, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." I lightly said. Oh my, he has wonderful eyes. I thought. It's okay to like your friends eyes right? Speaking of green... "Applejack?"

"Yes, sugar cube?"

"Do you think I can come by your house tomorrow? I was wondering if you could help me bake something."

"Bake? I can help bake!" Pinkie excitedly said.

"What were ya' plannin' to bake?" asked Applejack

"I wanted to bake an apple pie, for Big Mac. Just a kind gesture of gratitude.."

"Can I help? Can I, can I, can I?" Pinkie repeated. "Oh, pretty please?"

"It's up to Fluttershy, she's the one that want's to bake." replied AJ.

"Sure, Pinkie."

"Yipee!" she ran to me and squeezed me tight in a hug. "I'll bring the apples! Ooh, and we're going to need flour, eggs, some sprinkles--"

"Sprinkles? On a pie?" Applejack said surprised.

"Why not?" she giggled, letting me go.

"Look at the time!" Rarity exclaimed. "It's almost midnight, and our train leaves in half an hour!"

"We better hurry or we'll miss the train than." said Twilight. Everypony started to collect their things and pack up. I didn't bring much so I helped Rarity. She brought so much luggage to Canterlot, I thought we were going to miss it!

But we didn't, we were actually right on time.

"Wow. The play took longer than I thought." Rainbow Dash said once we got on the train.

"I agree. Although the time was a bit odd, it was fun. We should ask Princess Celestia to help with next year's. Don't you think, Fluttershy?" Rarity admitted. I was over by the window, watching the plains and meadows pass as we drew nearer to Ponyville.

"Oh, yes." I quietly said. "It was wonderful." It was silent in the cabin for a while, I felt their eyes on me.

"You've been awfully quiet, Fluttershy. Is everything alright?" Rarity asked.

"Everything's fine, Rarity." I didn't notice I was so quiet. I thought. "Trust me." I said looking straight at her.

"Did you guys see? The crowd loved me!" Rainbow Dash boasted as she got off her seat and did a small pose in the air. The conversation changed and the cabin filled back with excitement as the girls started to argue with Rainbow Dash playfully. "What do you mean? I totally was the star of the show!" She loudly replied to a comment of Applejack's. I stayed staring out the window. It was so dark outside, I mostly saw my reflection rather than outside. I could see behind me, my friends playing around. Everypony looked happy, but the yellow mare that stared back at me looked confused. What is it? Why am I so quiet? Is it because of Big Mac?, I asked myself in my head. Is it because of how nervous I was when I saw him today? Or how I blushed when he spoke? Is it because my heart kind of skipped a beat when our eyes met?

Why am I acting like this? Am I catching a cold?

"Stop it," I mumbled to myself. "You're going to drive yourself crazy, Fluttershy."

"Are ya'll hungry?" asked Applejack as she reached into one of her bags sitting beneath her hooves. I walked over to my friends. Stop thinking and start talking. You're acting strange., I commanded myself. Everypony started asking Applejack what she had in her bag. "It's like ya'll don't even know me. What else would I have?"

She pulled out one, shining, green, apple.

Oh, brother.

Author's Note

This chapter would have been submitted earlier if I hadn't accidentally erased it. Please comment, if you've found something wrong! I feel as though the end was a bit rushed. Or Fluttershy was out of character at some times.
Thanks!

Chapter Three: Just Friends

It was the day after Hearth's Warming, when I made my way to Sweet Apple Acres in the afternoon. I knocked on the door on the side of the barn, a couple of times, before an excited Pink mare opened it.

"Applejack! She's here!" Pinkie Pie yelled behind her. "You finally made it! I've been waiting for hours." she directed to me. "I thought you weren't gonna come!" Pinkie hopped back inside the home, and into her kitchen. I didn't wait any longer. It was freezing outside. I wiped my hooves on a mat that sat before the door. It read "Welcome". I shut the door behind me when I came in. It was so warm in AJ's home, I dropped my coat next to the door. It smelled of burning wood. I trotted past the living room, following Pinkie. She stopped when she reached the kitchen island. On top were many cooking utensils, and beside that were a bag of flour, sugar, a carton of eggs, a gallon of milk, a tin pan, and many more items. It looked like there wasn't even enough room to actually bake the pie. I heard hooves stomp down the stairs. I'm guessing that's Applejack, I thought.

"Howdy, Fluttershy!" she greeted me as she walked towards Pinkie and I.

"Why, hello Applejack." I replied.

"Ready to bake that pie?"

"Oh, yes."

"I was born ready!" Pinkie shouted. She came over with a chef hat and an apron in her hooves. She put them both on and stared at us, anxious to start.

"Uh, Applejack. I \want to make a simple pie, if that's alright." I said looking over at the mountain of ingredients.

"Don't worry your pretty little head, Fluttershy." She said, grabbing most of the things and putting them by the sink behind us. "Most of this, is just to make sure the pie taste just right. Plus, we're all making our own, since some of us want sprinkles." She looked over at Pinkie with a raised brow. Pinkie was eating sugar from the sole of her hoof. She stopped eating it when she saw us glance at her. She sheepishly smiled. "Anyways," Applejack muttered looking back over. All that was left in front of us were flour, salt, three bowls, and three cups of water. "before we start, we need to start heatin' the oven, so that by the time we're finished makin' the pies, we can just put 'em in." She walked over to the oven, which looked very modern. "I finally raised enough bits for a new one," she said, moving a few dials on it. It was sleek black, and actually stood out in the red, green, apple, theme of the kitchen.

"It's very nice." I said watching her.

"Ya'll should wash your hooves while I figure out the temperature. I'm still gettin' used to it." Applejack told us. She was having difficulty. There were so many shiny knobs. I went to the sink and washed my hooves. Pinkie did the same next to me (she finished the sugar in her hoof before doing so).

When Applejack finally found the right temperature she walked next to us in front of the kitchen island.

"First," said Applejack, grabbing one of the wide bowls. "we make the dough. Pour the flour, salt and butter in there." She poured each one into a measuring cup, and put the ingredients in her bowl. "Then, you mix it all up. While you're mixin' it, make sure ya put in water, to soften it." She was mixing it rather aggressively. After a few moments, Applejack looked at Pinkie and I, who were just standing there watching her. "Well, the dough ain't gonna make itself." She told us.

"Right, sorry." I muttered getting the bowl and it's ingredients. I followed her instructions, measuring and pouring. I could hear Pinkie giggle in delight next to me. I started to mix the dough. It was so hard, my hooves started to feel sore after a while of trying to stir with the wooden spoon I used to mix it. When everything seemed right, Applejack gave more instructions.

"Now, we're gonna knead it." Applejack moved the bowl, sprinkled some flour on a space of the island, and slammed the big ball of dough onto it. It sent a small fog of flour. She started to roll it around.

"Wee!" yelled Pinkie Pie as she copied Applejack. She rolled it around the same way. I hesitated.

"Uh, Applejack? Do we have to slam it so hard?" I asked, showering the flour on.

"It's better to, but I guess not. That's how my grannie taught me. That's how I do it." Applejack responded. I nodded, and started to knead it. "But ya' do need to knead it harder." Compared to Pinkie and Applejack, I wasn't kneading the dough. It was more like pushing it around.

"Now," she stopped kneading, and walked to the sink. She came back to us with three tin pans and three rolling pins. "We're gonna roll the dough out, to make the crust." She dropped one pan and pin in front of all of us. "Cut half of the dough, and put it aside. That'll be the top crust." She cut her's roughly with her hoof and set it father before her. She sprinkled some more flour on and put the half ball of dough on it. We did the same. We all started to roll it out as she explained the next step. "Put the flat dough on the tin pan." She put the dough on the pan and started to pat the sides to it. "Ya' see this?" She pointed to the extra dough, that hanged off the side of the pan. "Ya' just trim it. Don't worry if ya' have it." she grabbed some scissors behind her and started to cut. When she finished it she passed it down to Pinkie and I. While we were cutting the edges, she trotted over to her red fridge. She took out a plastic-wrapped, big, white, bowl. I couldn't see what was in it until she put it down. It was the filling for the pie. She took off the wrapping and put it in front of us. "This is what we'll fill the pie with. I hope ya'll don't mind but I made this, this morning. I had to, since it was made with the secret Apple family recipe."

"I understand." said Pinkie Pie.

"It's fine, Applejack." I added with a smile. She brought out three spoons for us to scoop it with. She told us to put as much as we felt like. How much would Big Mac want, since this is for him and not me? I thought. I'm guessing he'll like a lot of it. He's kind of big. Until then I didn't realize how fit he actually was. I guess it's from all that plowing in the apple fields. Applejack is always saying how much of a hard worker he is. He must be very strong then, always hauling a filled wagon, or bucking trees.

"Uh, Fluttershy?" asked Applejack.

"Yes?" I looked down at my pie and shrieked. I had a big pile of the filling, almost overflowing out of the pan. "Oh, I'm so sorry." I said ashamed, quickly scooping most of the mountain back into the bowl. Pinkie and Applejack laughed. I bashfully laughed along.

"Is something bothering ya'?" she asked.

"No, I just-- I almost forgot to go to Twilight's house. I need to go there today."

"Oh, really? Anything special happenin'?" Applejack started to roll the other half of the dough we left alone.

"Not really. I'm just going to check out some books." She nodded.

"We're almost finished with the pie. All that's left, is to put on the top crust." She grabbed her rolled piece and set it on top of the filling, sealing the pie. Pinkie and I rolled our dough again, and did the same. Applejack grabbed her pie, opened her black oven, and slid it inside. I gave her mine, to put in. Pinkie Pie took out a bag of sprinkles from her pocket and dumped it on her pie. She giggled as she gave it to Applejack.

"Applejack, do you think you can give my pie to Big Mac for me?" I asked. "I'm going to Twilight's right now, before it get's any darker."

"Oh, sure. No problem. Is there anythin' you want me to tell him, when I give it to him?"

"Tell him I said 'thank you for being so kind'." I made my way to the door, grabbing my coat from the ground. "Thank you for helping me, Applejack." I said, throwing my coat on.

"Anytime." she replied.

"See ya' later, Fluttershy!" Pinkie added.

"Bye!" I shouted to both of them, opening the painted door. The cold blew my hair off my face, as I stepped back into the snow. I shut the door. The sun was starting to lower, close to the horizon. I could see a few stars above Cloudsdale. I started to walk to the library. There was nopony outside. Must be the winter. The snow crunched beneath my hooves. One thing I enjoy about snow is it's sound. It's so ironic how something so soft can make such a loud noise.

"You need a book on what?" asked Twilight. She was sitting by a stack of books labeled "Medieval Magic" and "Magic's History".

"I just want to know if you have any books on--on love." I mumbled.

"On lust?" she had a confused look on her face.

"No, love." I said quieter. "Or fairy-tales," I added.

"Well, I must have some here somewhere..." she turned to look at her walls of books. "Let's see..." she said under her breathe as she came closer to a section. I stayed where I was. I shouldn't have come here. I could've figured out what I'm feeling on my own. Now I have to face embarrassment.

"Spike!" Twilight yelled.

"Yes, Twilight?" He screamed from upstairs.

"I need your help!"

"I'm coming!" he replied, stepping down the stairs. "Hi, Fluttershy." he said when he saw me.

"Hello, Spike."

"Spike, do you know if we have any books on love?" asked Twilight. The baby dragon's cheeks turned into a light shade of pink.

"Uh, yeah. We do." he quietly said.

"Do you know where they are? I can only find 'Levitating' books." she looked harder, digging her hooves through the books.

"Give me a sec." he said. Spike dashed to the stairs, stomping up to his room. I heard footsteps walk to my right above me, a few seconds of silence followed, then back to the stairs. Spike's face was now red. He handed over three, thick, books to Twilight.

"Where'd you find these?" she asked, taking them with her purple pink magic. The books separated, revealing the titles: "The Love Bug", "Science of Love", and "Love for Beginners".

"They-- uh -- they were in my room." he shyly said. Twilight looked at him for a moment, then at the books. She looked like she didn't want to question him any further in front of me.

"Do you want to borrow all three?" she asked me.

"Yes, please." I answered. She walked over to a desk in the library, the books following her. Spike stayed at his spot, still blushing. I wonder why he had those in his room, I glanced over at Twilight who was putting the books in an old saddle bag. She walked back to me, with the bag. She put the saddle bag on me. "Feel free to have them as long as you need. Just remember, that when you give them back, to bring the bag too." Twilight told me with a smile.

"Thank you, Twilight." I said. I started to walk to the door when I was interrupted.

"Oh, Fluttershy!" Twilight yelled.

"Yes?" I looked back at her.

"I hope you don't mind me asking but, what do you need those books for?" I really hoped she wasn't going to ask me that when I came. Think, Fluttershy.

"Uh, mating season for the creatures. They're a little shy." I quickly said. I really didn't want to explain to Twilight about the weird feelings I've been having lately. I gave her a small smile.

"Oh, okay. Well, goodnight Fluttershy." She said turning to Spike.

"Goodnight," I replied. I didn't think Twilight heard me, but I didn't want to say anything else. It was already awkward as it was.

The sun had officially set, when I was halfway home. The stars were shining very bright in the very dark sky. It was so beautiful. I could see patterns that I knew were constellations. I always forgot their names. I had my head held high to admire the stars, which I realized was a very bad idea when I bumped into something very heavy.

"Oof." I grunted, clutching the side of my neck. I looked to see a wooden wagon being pulled. There were many books, stacked in the wagon. They were all the same color and width. They must be school books.

"Hello?" a voice rumbled from the front. Is it...? "Fluttershy?" Big Mac asked as I flew over to the side.

"H-hi Big Mac." I mumbled.

"Are ya' okay?" he looked at my neck.

"Oh, yes. Just a little scratch, that's all." I smiled, taking my hoof off. He smiled back. When he did, I looked away. Why can't I face him when he smiles? I wanted to hit myself for not acting normal. I stopped flying, and started to walk instead. I looked back at him. He was staring ahead. I found myself observing the side of him. He had a very strong jaw line that moved every time the sprig of wheat was chewed on, and lots of freckles. I wondered why I've never noticed them before.

"So, uh Big Mac, are those books?" I glanced back.

"Eeyup," he stayed staring straight. "For Miss Cheerilee." I stopped walking when he mentioned her name. He looked back at me, stopping. I haven't talked to Miss Cheerilee since... "Fluttershy?"

"Sorry," I flashed back to the present. I flew over to him. I went back to flying again. "So, how's Miss Cheerilee? I haven't seen her in a while." I asked him.

"She's fine. She told me she wanted me to keep her books over the small break they're on."

"She must trust you, then. After all those books must have cost a fortune. There's hundreds of them."

"Eeyup," he repeated.

"I guess you guys are good friends."

"Eeyup"

"Or more than friends?" I immediately regretted saying that. It just slipped. I didn't mean too. I was just curious. I felt my face heat up.

"Nope. We're just friends." he quietly said, almost to a whisper. I've embarrassed him! It was so quiet after that. All that could be heard were the chirping of the grasshoppers, the crunching of the snow, and my wings flapping. I looked down at the ground, which I wasn't that far above. I had to open my mouth.

We were getting close to my cottage. I live right next to Sweet Apple Acres. The field is closest to me. "Have you talked to Applejack today?" I asked, looking at him. I was surprised to see that he was staring at me. My cheeks heated up. I knew I was blushing. But why? It might be because nopony has ever looked at me like he just did.

"I haven't since this mornin'. Why?" Big Mac replied.

"I asked her to give you something for me." I said. We were now in front of my home. "Goodnight, Big Mac." I flew over to my door.

"Goodnight." he said. I went into my home, to see Angel asleep on the couch. The window next to me, let in a shadow walking across my wall. It was Big Mac's. It slowly went from one end to the other. He left.

After hours of intensive reading of Twilight's books, I've kept coming to the same question. I've probably read about twenty chapters that night. Even after the lights went out, and I lay in my bed to sleep, my mind kept me awake. The question kept coming back to me. A question that I haven't encountered in such a long time.

Is this love?

Author's Note

I've been very busy this weekend (and still might be). School starts next Wednesday for me, and I've procrastinated my packet of homework for far too long. In each chapter there is something I always want to change. In this chapter, I wish I would have came up with a better ending. :/

Chapter Four: A Date or a Friend

For the first time today, I let out my breath. I have been busy since morning, wrapping up winter. It's now close to ten in the afternoon. I was in the Animal team, along with Rarity and a bunch of other unicorns.

Our team had tan-colored vest. I was in charge of waking up the animals, cleaning their dens, and making sure they had enough food. I was very happy to find my critter friends wake from their hibernation.

Rarity made beautiful nests for the birds coming back from the south. When they came back, I noticed that the birds had doubled. Some of the animals I woke up were very stubborn. They reminded me a lot of Angel.

I looked from where I sat on my green couch, towards the small white rabbit. He was catching up with a few birds and a group of deer in the backyard. I grinned at the sight. I'm glad Angel can make friends. I remember how lonely and troubled he used to be.

"I have one! I have a cutie mark!" I yelled in joy, glancing over at my flank. Three pink butterflies were spread across it in a mid-flight pose. This is one of the happiest days of my life! The creatures surrounding me, smiled and nudged me in a "congrats" motion. I wish mom and dad were here to see this.

I pet each of the animals, and observed my new surroundings. All these green trees, and bright soft grass, calmed me from the fall I had just taken from Rainbow's race in Cloudsdale.

I felt the ground and animals with my hooves, in delight of my discovery. When I looked over a few feet away from me, I spotted a white puff sitting far away from the group I sat near. Its face was looking slightly up at me.

The puffball looked so isolated. With my nerves still shaken, I got up and started to fly over to him. As I drew closer, he recoiled to a nearby rock, and hid behind it. I could see by his speed and ears that he was a baby rabbit.

"Hey, are you okay over here?" I ask him, craning my neck around it.

He was cowered into a ball, making him look like a forgotten, white pillow. His face was buried in his soft fur. Oh no, I thought, I scared him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. You just looked so lonely here. I wanted to see if you were okay."

He stayed, staring down. It seemed like he was completely ignoring me. I reached out and started petting him. At first, he winced. He was shaking too, probably from being so scared and nervous. After a while, he finally looked up at me calmly, revealing two black, button-like, eyes and a pink nose. "Are you okay, now?" He smiled slightly as a response. I smiled back.

"I guess I have to go back." I mumbled looking up at the sky to where I fell from. Most of the clouds had cleared.

It felt like I'd been there for a few minutes, when really it had been hours. The orange sun started to set, leaving parts of the sky an icy blue. If I didn’t get home soon, Tate's would punish me again, I thought, I felt the side of my hoof. It was still bruised from the last time I've been punished.

Tate was at the time, my foster parent. I ran away from home one time, to get away from Tate, but that's another story for another day.

I felt a fuzzy touch to my yellow, left wing. It was the bunny.

He stared up at me with his pleading black eyes. He didn't want me to go. I didn't want to go, but I had to. "I'll be back tomorrow." I told him. "I promise."

I opened my wings, hoping I'd be able to fly up there. And I did.

I left him and went back to my foster home in the sky. That day I did get punished, but not as severely as the other times. I could endure the punishments because of what I found down below.

Another world; a world different from the overrated, cloud, life, I lived in. It was a world I never wanted to leave behind. And I didn't. Day after day, I would fly down and meet the ground creatures.

I stood up from my spot on the couch, and flew over to my fridge where I had a list pinned up with a round magnet. The list read:

FIRST NIGHT OF SPRING BONFIRE PREPARATIONS

Call friends for their side of work
Collect lots of wood
Clean cottage
Clean backyard

First on the list, "Call friends...", I thought grabbing a nearby green telephone. I dialed first, Twilight's number. After a few seconds of ringing, someone picked up.

"Hello?" she answered with a tired tone.

"Hi Twilight, it's Fluttershy."

"Oh, hey 'Shy." In the background, I could hear an avalanche of thumps and bumps. It sounded like books falling from one of her high shelves. "Spike! Stop fooling around. I need to send those to Princess Celestia." She said away from the mouth piece. "I'm sorry." Twilight returned to our conversation. "Did you need something?"

"Yes, actually. Well, tonight I'll be having my annual bonfire--"

"Bonfire?" she interrupted. Right, I forgot. This is still Twilight's first year here.

"Um, it's this thing I do every first night of spring. Usually it's the night after the wrap-up. It's kind of like a party and sleep-over thing. It’s a bit like camping, but in my backyard near the Everfree Forest. It's really fun." I explained, playing with my mane.

"It does sound fun. You said tonight?"

"Yes."

"I'll be there, then. What time should I come?" she added happily.

"I actually wanted to ask you something, now that you mention time. At the bonfire, usually everyone contributes something to the party. I was thinking maybe you could help with entertainment? I'm going to ask Rainbow if she can help with it too." I added quietly.

I hate asking for things and bothering my friends, but sometimes I need help. The line went quiet. "Uh, Twi? Are you there? It's okay if you can't help. I'm sure Rainbow could come up with something by herself."

"Oh, no. Of course I want to help! What are friends for? I was just thinking for a moment. Yes I will help. What time, again?"

"The bonfire starts at sunset but you could come earlier to do any set up you need."

"Okay! Well, thank you for inviting me. I'm looking forward to it." she said. I heard Spike's voice faintly say:

"Who is it? Are we going somewhere?"

"Um, Twilight, before I go I need to tell you that everyone brings a date." I nervously said.

"I guess it doesn't have to be a real 'date'. You could just bring a friend, like Spike. It's just to make the night more fun. Not that just the six of us wouldn’t be fun."

"Haha," Twilight laughed. "I get it, Fluttershy. I'll bring Spike."

"Me? Where am I going? Where are you bringing me?" Spike asked a bit worried.

"I'll see you there, Twilight." I said.

"Good-bye." said Twilight ending the call.

Okay, so I should probably call Rainbow to make sure she'll help with the entertainment. After that then, I can cross entertainment off the list.

I pushed the numbers to Rainbows phone and waited for an answer. While it was ringing, I moved to my living room to sit back on the couch, carrying with me the list. I'd memorized what I needed to do by now.

Rainbow never picked up. I was sent straight to her voice mail.

"Hey, there! It's Rainbowdash. I couldn't come to the phone right now because I'm too busy being awesome! Leave a message after the beep. Later." BEEP.

"Oh, hi Rainbow. It's Fluttershy. I wanted to remind you about my bonfire tonight. Just in case, you forgot. You don't have to come. Although, I'd really appreciate it if you did. I'd appreciate it more if you could help Twilight with the entertainment tonight. Thank you for listening, I know you've been busy lately... Uh, that's all. Bye." I pressed 'End'.

Of course, she didn't answer. Rainbow's either sleeping, or flying. She never brings her phone with her.

"I guess I could cross out the entertainment now." I muttered to myself, dialing again. This time, I was calling Applejack.

"Howdy!" She almost yelled. "I have ya' on speaker. My hooves are a bit busy at the moment." She chuckled. I could hear pounding and cracking.

Maybe she's making pie. Speaking of pie, I wonder if Big Mac got the one I made for him...

"Uh, sugarcube? Are ya' there?"

"Oh, yes. So AJ. What are you busy with, if you don't mind me asking?" I asked.

"I'm makin' apple fritters, apple sauce, apple pie, and a lot more." Applejack's baking is so delicious, I could've sworn I could smell the warm, baked, goods, just by her call.

"Sounds like you are busy. Is this a bad time to call?"

"No, it's fine. I'm glad ya' called actually. I wanted to ask ya'-- actually tell ya' that I'm gonna be in charge of the food at your party tonight. I remember last year, it was Pinkie's job and all she brought was cupcakes. To be honest, they tasted a bit funny."

"I thought that was just me. I didn't want to be mean and tell her that there was something wrong with them. She worked too hard on them. Anyways, thank you for making the food. That's actually what I wanted to call you for." I added.

"No problem! I wanted to do it. I've been workin' on some new recipes, and I've been itchin' to try them out."

"I can't wait to try them. Your baking is so tasty."

"Why, thank ya'. I'm not the only good baker then."

"What do you mean?" Applejack pounded on what I'm guessing was dough, for a while.

"I gave Big Mac your pie." She said a little quiet. I felt my face heat up a little.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. He didn't put his fork down 'till the whole darn thing was done!" She laughed.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm really a baker. All I did was make the dough." I said smiling. Did he really like it?

"Don't be so modest, 'Shy. Ya' did great. Actually, he wanted me to tell ya', that--" she stopped mid-sentence. In the background, I heard her wooden door squeak open. "Big Mac! We were just talking about ya'!" I heard her say. I held my breath.

"I'm talkin' to Fluttershy. Why don't ya' say 'hi'?" Then I heard heavy hoofsteps walking towards the phone.

"IhavetogoApplejack.Seeyouatthebonfirebye!" I said hastily, my voice gaining a higher tone as I came closer to the end.

I didn't even give Applejack a chance to respond. I stood still, trying to calm down. That was rude, Fluttershy! Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Hanging up without an answer is like shutting a door in somepony's face. I scolded myself, staring down at my wood floor.

You didn't have to hangup.

Was I embarrassed to talk to Big Mac? Is that why I hung up? Or was it something else? It might be that I'm not ready to talk to him yet after embarrassing myself with that misunderstanding of his relationship with Ms. Cheerilee.

Yeah, that's it. Call her right back and apologize! My mind continued.That 'misunderstanding' thing wasn't that bad. There's nothing to feel embarrassed about. Now, call Applejack. With a sigh, I redialed. This time no one picked up, and I was sent to voice mail.

"Howdy, none of the Apple's can answer the phone right now! Please call back later! Thanks!" said the small, filly, voice of Applebloom.

"Sorry about that, Applejack. Uh, something happened and I couldn't talk for a while. I want to say sorry for ending it so quickly. Especially to Big M-Mac. Um, at the bonfire this year, I wanted everypony to bring a date. Or a friend. I'm inviting Big Mac, too. So he should also bring a d-date. I'll see you later, Applejack." I ended the call, with the ability to breathe again and my conscience clear.

That was a bit hard to say, but why? I took a moment in the silence of my cottage, and thought. Big Mac's bringing a date. If he's coming. I wonder who it's going to be.

He might have a mare-friend to bring.

A mare-friend... I felt a slight pang in my chest with the thought of Big Mac bringing another mare to the bonfire.

Somepony he might love. Big Mac, has a mare-friend...? I never asked. Maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions. He could be bringing one of his stallion friends. What if he's not even interested in mares...? Eep!

The sudden sound of birds chirping caught my attention and took me out of my thoughts. I glanced over to the side of the room, where I had a clock hung up. I'm running out of time. The bonfire is starting in two and a half hours. I need to focus, and hurry up! I don't even have any wood collected!

"Hiya, Fluttershy! I haven't heard from you since, well, since this morning! Hehe!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "What's up mi amiga?" She greeted me brightly.

"Hello, Pinkie. You sound so happy today." I laughed.

"Of course I am! It's not everyday I get a call from one of my friends!"

She then added, "You know, you should call more often. Business at Sugarcube Corner can be so bo-o-o-o-o-ring!"

"I'm sorry. I'll try to call more. Um, Pinkie, can I ask you something?"

"Sure! Anything you want!" On her side of the line, I could hear her crunching on her afternoon snack.

"Can you decorate for the bonfire this year?"

"Yes! I'll decorate! That's my specialty. I lo-o-o-o-o-o-ve parties! Call me Pinkie 'Party' Pie! Ooh, that's a really cool name. You should call me Pinkie 'Party' Pie! But that might be a mouthful to say. How about Pinkie Party? Or Party Pie! Or Parkie. No, that doesn't make sense. You know what? Just stick to Pinkie." She giggled.

'Pinkie' always had more energy and excitement than any pony in Ponyville. Maybe even in all of Equestria.

"That's great Pinkie. I'm so glad you can help! Can you come over now? Decoration--"

"Yes! I'll be over as soon as possible!" Pinkie didn't even let me finish my sentence.

"Before you come, you should invite somepony to come with you to the bonfire. A 'date' or a friend." I said.

"Okey dokey lokey! I know the perfect stallion!" Then Pinkie hung up.

I wonder if Pinkie has a stallion-friend. Wouldn't she tell me? We're friends. Maybe she's hiding it from us. Or it could just be a friend that's just a stallion.

"One last pony..." I dialed again. Rarity was the last one to call, because she didn't really need to do anything. By now, after four calls, my phone had gone warm. Its cold metal was now warm and sticky. My hooves were clammy. They're only clammy when I'm nervous or worried.

"Hello?" Rarity, yawned.

"Hi, Rarity. Did I wake you?" I asked. I forgot she sometimes takes naps whenever she finishes a dress she's been working on for weeks.

"Oh, Fluttershy, darling! You did wake me up, but that's alright. I'm glad you did. I was meant to wake up anyways. I need to prepare myself for your bonfire, tonight. I need to pack my inflatable tent. You never know what things lurk in the night."

"Wouldn't that take out the point of the bonfire sleepover? To sleep under the new spring stars?"

"My safety matters more to me. I could be mugged! Or a Diamond Dog could take me again! Oh, no! I don't think Spike would help me again! That would be horrible! No rescue. Stuck with hooligans for the rest of my life! Oh! They can't have my diamonds. No!" Rarity started to get lost in her memory of her devastating kidnap she had a few months ago. Spike ended up saving her. Well, helping us save her.

"Rarity, calm down. I'm pretty sure Diamond Dogs don't live in my backyard. But I guess, whatever makes you comfortable. As long as you come. Oh and Rarity?"

"Yes?"

"Make sure you bring someone. This year everypony is bringing a friend or date. You know, to make it more fun."

"Oh. But of course. Let's see, I should have someone who'd be willing to be my plus one..." she trailed off, possibly looking through a contact book. I could hear "hmm.." and "Oh, no. Not them...".

"I'll leave you to it then. Bye, Rarity."

"Oh, Darling! Who are you bringing?" She suddenly asked.

"M-me?"

"Who else?"

"Uh, I haven't actually thought about it..." My mind searched for names. Nothing appeared. I wish I had a contact book like Rarity. It would be easier. "But I know I'll have to bring somepony."

"Alright, dear. Ta-ta" Then, Rarity hung up.

Everypony that's going needs to bring somepony. Who am I taking?

"This is enough to fuel the night." I said to myself, looking over the mountain of sticks, branches, and wood I have collected. I got them from the outskirts of the Everfree forest, too afraid to actually go in.

"Pinkie should have been here by now." I muttered, looking at the sun. It was near to setting. The guests would be arriving soon and no decorations have been put up. This might start off in the wrong direction.

"Dunna" whispered a voice. I ignored it thinking it was the wind. It was blowing pretty hard today. I wonder if the fire will go out from it?

"Dunna" it repeated. I turned to look behind me, but found nothing. I shrugged it off once more.

"Dunna, Dunna, Dunna, Dunna, Dunna! Roar!" A pink mare jumped from behind the door and closer to me.

"Eep!" I squealed, falling back on my tail. Pinkie giggled at her success in scaring me.

"Sorry about that. I've just been in a 'pranky' mood lately!" She smiled, and lent me a hoof. She pulled me off of the dirty ground. I patted off the dirt balls and leaves that stuck to my flank.

"It's alright, Pinkie. I'm so glad you came. I was starting to think you weren't going to." She smiled.

"Why wouldn't I? I always keep my word." I smiled back.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She yelled running around my cottage in a flash.

For a moment, it was quiet. I stared into the empty space where she disappeared off to. A second later, she wheeled in a rusty, squeaky, red, wagon, filled with blue and silver, colored streamers (probably symbolizing the stars), party hats, and various entertaining items.

"Oh, Pinkie. You brought a lot!" I said in excitement, rummaging through her things. She came prepared.

"Well, there's a lot of ponies coming over! We doubled the fun!" She squealed.

"Pinkie? Where are you?" A voice yelled in front of my home.

"Ooh! Speaking of doubling the fun! Pokey! Over here!" She yelled back. Pinkie turned back to me. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited my date over early to help! His name is Pokey Pierce. He's sharper than all the other stallions. Hehe." She laughed at her own pun.

The stallion, Pokey, came through my back door, and made his way towards us. His coat was blue and a calmer tone than Pinkie's dazzling pink. He was a unicorn too, while Pinkie was an earth pony.

"Is this Buttercry?" he asked.

"No, silly. Her name is Fluttershy!" She replied, playfully slapping the side of his hoof. He laughed.

"Forgive me, Fluttershy. Pinkie talks fast sometimes." he directed to me.

"It's okay." I quietly said.

"We should get started with the decoratin' before everypony comes!" Pinkie said bouncing away from us, grabbing a hold of the streamers with her mouth. She pulled away the blue streamer with attached silver and gold stars from the wagon, dragging them toward her spot by a tree. "Vere fould I puff thesh?" Pinkie indistinctly said.

"Uh, the bonfire is over here in the center of the trees. I think it would look very nice if you hung the streamers in the branches so it looks like the trees caught the stars."

Pinkie stared at the trees, trying to imagine it.

"Yeah. I see it." She mumbled. "Pokey, do you think you can help me? These are w-a-a-a-a-y too high for me!"

"Of course." He said trotting over to her. He used the white magic from his horn to hang it up.

"To the left. Now to the right a little. A little more. Just a little more. No! That's too much! Now hang that piece over... Perfect!" she instructed.

"I'll be over here." I mumbled, fixing the logs to sit on. They were a little heavy, but easy to move in the squishy dirt. I moved them around the unlit bonfire (or should I say the pile of sticks).

Six logs. Great. Everypony can sit with their dates. Or friends. Speaking of dates, maybe I should call mine... It's getting pretty late. Maybe he won't even be able to make it.

"Um, is this Milky way?" I almost whispered through my phone.

"No, this is his sister." A filly answered in a cute, dainty, voice.

"Oh, i-is he there?"

"Yeah! Lemme go get him! Hey Milky!" She shouted. I pulled the phone a little away from my ear, in pain.

I looked out into the backyard, nervous. Pinkie and Pokey were chatting happily with Applejack and Twilight who had just arrived. Applejack brought twice as many wagons of food than Pinkie Pie.

"Fluttershy!" Somepony brightly greeted me. I recognized the voice to be Milky's. He's the only stallion I know to have a Scottish-like accent.

"Oh hey Milky Way." I replied.

"What's up?"

"I called because I wanted to see if you were free tonight. I know it's short notice but--"

"Yeah, I'm not doing anything. Have anything planned?" He interrupted.

"Well, I'm having a bonfire in half an hour and everypony's bringing somepony. I was wondering i-if maybe you want to come?" I caught myself twirling my hair.

"You mean like a date?" he asked after a moment.

"N-no! I mean yes. Uh, you see, it doesn't-- it's not like--" I stammered. Am I making this harder on myself?

"Yes. Fluttershy, I'll go on a date with you." W-what? Not an actually date, right?!

"Wait, Mil--" Before I could finish my sentence, he hung up.

I think I just set myself up. What just happened?

My brain tried to process how this could've happened. One of my friends is going on a date with me?

I intentionally wanted him to come just as my friend, my pal, my amigo, my comrade. But now, this has turned to an actual date?

I paced back and forth across my wooden floor. It's fine, Fluttershy. Nothing serious. Maybe he meant he'll just be coming. Yeah. That's it.

"Fluttershy, honey. You look--and I say this with kindness in my heart-- a mess!" Rarity screamed in horror approaching me from the front door.

She brought with her a suitcase. Wait no, it was two, or maybe three? She tried to pat down my mane, which I just noticed was out of hoof. I've been worrying about today that I didn't even take a chance to actually look at myself!

"This is not going to work. We need to get you fixed up."

"But Rarity, this is a casual thing. Nothing special." I protested. She began to push me with her white hooves towards my bathroom.

"No matter! A mare shouldn't be galloping around with this kind of appearance!" She gently shoved me inside. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but it is the truth!" She grabbed a comb from one of her suitcases that she brought with her, and harshly combed my pink bird's nest. I closed my eyes in pain.

"Ow," I'd mutter.

"Beauty hurts, darling." She would say back. And after what felt like hours of torture, she finally finished. I looked into the mirror and was surprised to see how much of a difference a manestyle would do somepony. It was a messy up-do, but it was gorgeous.

"Thank you, Rarity." I told her.

"It was my pleasure." She replied.

"Now, I hear that Applejack made the food?" She excitedly said moving out of the bathroom and towards the bonfire.

I followed behind, but stopped when I heard a knock on my wooden door. Who could it be?

It might be Rainbowdash. She's late as usual., I thought coming closer to the door. I lost my breath at the sight of a stallion waiting on my doorstep.

He smiled, big and bright, as soon as I opened the door, with a fresh, red, rose, hanging by his mouth.

He took this serious. The date. I remember worrying and not wanting it to be an "actual" date, but now all that went away with the pounding of my heart.

“Oh... My...”

Author's Note

This is overdue! I've been so busy. I don't know what's wrong with me! Please comment, what you think, predictions?, maybe something you want to happen? Anything would be interesting to read! Also, I'd like to thank macaulays so much, for editing!

Chapter Five: Together

I can't move, I thought to myself. I didn't know how to respond to this. It happened too quick. I tried to rewind in my head how this happened. He misheard me?
It was no use trying to search for an answer in my jumbled-up mind. I couldn't come up with anything. I just stood there, by my door with a slightly shocked expression. Oh, Milky...

"What's the hold up?" Shouted a voice from behind him. Milky stepped aside, not taking his eyes off of me. I glanced where he stood before. Rainbow dash glided in, followed by the little, orange, filly, Scootaloo in her recognizable scooter. She carried a woven basket in her mouth, covered with a plaid patterned, cloth.

"Oh, hello, Rainbow dash. Hello, Scootaloo." I greeted them. "Please, come in." By the time I finished saying this, they were already on their way to my backyard door. Behind it, I could see Pinkie playing with Pokey, Rarity making small talk with some handsome stallion, Applejack showed up with a mare I've never seen before, and Twilight, who was sitting peacefully on a log observing the whole scene with Spike.

"Fluttershy?" Milky's voice brought my attention back to the living room of my home.

"Yes?" I answered lightly, looking back at him. He took a step towards me, and extended his neck.

"This is for you." He smiled, bringing the rose closer to me.

"Thank you." I hesitated. I stretched my own neck, and opened my mouth to receive the flower. The stem was long, so I grabbed the part furthest away from his mouth. I hated picking roses with my mouth, I always get scratched with one of its thorn's.

Luckily, there were none on this one. He let go of it after a second I grabbed onto the end. I heard a muffled voice come from outside my front door. No, wait.. There were two voices. One was higher toned than the other one. Their voices became more distinct when they came closer.

Then Big Mac came into my view as soon as I stepped back from Milky, holding his rose in my mouth. Our eyes met for a second. He looked surprised, but he remained quiet. I looked over to his right to his date and I felt my heart drop out of my chest.
The pink mare, Ms. Cheerilee, stood happily next to him. "Hello, Fluttershy! It's been a while." She said through a warming smile. My mouth couldn't function right. I tried to say something but all I saw were my parents, my childhood, my foster home, the teasing, and all the thorns in my life. Immediate sadness washed over me, but I didn't let it show. Not in front of Big Mac. I can't let him see me like this. I swallowed back all the memories and greeted her.

"It has, hasn't it? A really long time." I hope they understood me. I realized I still had the rose in my mouth. I walked over to my kitchen counter and placed it down by my sink. "Um, come in. Everypony's outside. We're ready to start the fire." I nodded at the opened door on the far side of the room.

"Great!" She said, walking out with her warming smile. Big Mac followed her, glancing back at me and giving a polite smile.

"Should we go too, 'Shy?" Milky asked me. I nodded, starting to walk. He slowly trotted closely by me, starting up some small talk. "So how've you been?" He asked with a smile.

"A little busy," I replied stepping through the framed door. The outside weather finally hit me. It was still a bit chilly, but not as much as last year. Last spring bonfire was almost cancelled because of the cold. "with all the critters waking up, my plate's full trying to keep up with them. In the end, it's all worth it, seeing their furry faces again."

Milky chuckled. "That's nice to hear. I'm glad they're awake. I know how lonely you get down here in the winter." He nudged me, "I wanted to come visit you but I didn't have the time, you know? I've been busy lately trying to get a job at our old school. The one we used to go to together, remember?" I looked back at him with a smile.

"Yes, I remember. We had fun, didn't we?"

"Indeed," He replied. We reached the six logs, which most were already occupied by the guests, chatting away loudly. Milky sat down in his seat next to mine.

"Would you excuse me for just a moment?" I asked him, staying standing up. He nodded with a smile. I faced the whole group of mares and stallions. Everypony was here, scattered around the small, dark, scene. "Uh, hello!" I attempted to yell out. My yellow wings opened and hovered me above where I stood before, to attract some attention on myself. It seemed like no one heard me but Milky. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Welcome! Please, have a seat." I rubbed my hooves together when I realized that nopony heard me. What else did you expect, Shy? Nopony ever listens. "Er.. We can.. get started if.." I trailed off, as I slowly sit back down to my seat. "Or not," I muttered, sadly admitting defeat. They weren't going to hear me over the noise.

"Hey!" A deep voice yelled from the side of the crowd. All the other ones quickly silenced to a mumble. I looked over their heads, along with everypony else, to find that Big Mac was the one to outburst. The green apples he calls eyes, stared back at me. "Go 'head, Fluttershy." He added, nodding towards me. He sat down on the log waiting for what I had to say next. Ms. Cheerilee sat down as well, looking over at me.

"T-Thank you, Big Mac." I said standing back up. He smiled slightly at me. "Thank you all for showing up," I directed towards the crowd. "Um, we're going to go ahead and start with the bonfire already." I glanced over at Twilight writing down notes. This year's bonfire needs to be amazing, since this is her first. It needs to be something memorable.

"Twilight? Can you please start the fire for me?" I asked her. She looked up from her scroll, confused for a second.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, handing Spike her note and quill. "It would be my pleasure." She smiled as she came closer to the mountain of sticks placed in the center in front of the guests. She told me earlier when she arrived to my cottage, about a fire spell she practiced a while before. I don't really remember what it was called, but it's name was ancient.

Twilight stepped back and took a breath. Her horn glowed purple and a few seconds later, a fire blazed from the wood. It's heat and light radiated around us. Soon after, everypony lightly gasped in awe at the towering fire. It sounded like they were enjoying it so far.

"Thank you very much, Twilight." I said looking back over to her.

"You're welcome." She replied satisfied with herself. She sat back down, to watch with the others what was coming next.

"Shall we move on?" I asked the group. Everypony nodded along with: "Mhmm!" and "Yeah!". I was so glad to hear the enthusiasm in their voices. So far so good..., I thought, smiling to myself.

"Uh, Rainbow?" I softly called to her. She was laying on the log on her back, taking up all the space and forcing Scootaloo to sit on the grass before her. It didn't look like she mind that Rainbow was hogging the log. Her smile said everything. I could tell she enjoyed just being there in her company. It reminded me of how Milky was when he was a little colt.

Tap, Tap, Tap. I nervously looked out my cracked window of my foster home. It was the end of the first day of a new grade at school. It was terrifying. I had to meet so many new ponies, not to mention talk to them! I was so horrible with socializing as a filly. I couldn't even say my name without hiding my face behind my hooves.

I moved the curtains from the window, to reveal one of my peers from that day. He was squinting his golden eyes to try to look through my window. It took him a few moments to see me through his black, curly, mane, shielding his eyes. When he did, he flashed a big smile at me. A few of his foal teeth were missing.

"You're Muttershy, right?", his muffled voice rang. I gently opened my window a little, to hear him better. Giving him a confused look, I cocked my head to the side. "You're Muttershy.. right?" He repeated.

"Uh... I-It's Flutters-shy." I mumbled, looking down at my hooves.

"Huh?"

"F-Fluttershy.." I tried to squeeze out. Instead of saying my name, a small squeak managed to slip out.

"Ah.. I'll just call you 'Shy." He said with a small grin after a few moments of silence. He probably gave up in what I was trying to say. The colt then added, "I'm Milky Way! Nice meeting you!" He came closer to my window, peering into my room. I stepped back a few feet, startled. Why was he there? What did he want? I tried to say something close to "Please, go.", but my lips were sewn shut. His on the other hand, were wide open.

"Your rooms so neat! Do you clean it by yourself or does your mom do it? My room's always dirty. I like it that way though! It's easier to see what's where. My mom doesn't think so," He rambled on. "Ooh!" He barged into my room after he spotted my small, silver, box, laying on my bed. "What's this?" He asked me, poking the lid. It softly "dinged". "What's in it?" He picked it up with his hooves, and started to shake it around. Little noises came from inside the box.

"No! Stop!" I squealed, trotting over and snatching the box from him. "You'll break it!" His carelessness set me free from my speechless-spell. I knelt down and gently slid the decorative, silver, box, under my bed.

"What is it?" He quietly repeated, peeking into the hiding place. I didn't answer him right away. I was too busy praying that whatever inside of it, was okay.

"Well..?" He pushed on, as I stood back up.

"I-It was my parents." I said barely above a whisper.

"What's in it?"

"I don't know." I admitted.

"What do you mean you don't know? Haven't you opened it?" He asked me confused.

"No. Not yet." This silver box was found in the weather place where my parents worked. The police had given it to me the day after I found out my parents were missing. I never opened it because I didn't feel like it was my time to. It was a crazy gut feeling that would have probably sounded insane if I tried to explain it to him.

I heard heavy hoof steps come down the stairs from outside my room. I recognized it as Tate's.

"Milky, you have to go." I whispered to him.

"What? Why?" he loudly said.

"Shh!" I covered his mouth. Tate's steps stops for a second, as if he was listening for something. "You can't be here. I'm sorry. You have to go." I sighed. I tried to push him over to my window, but he wouldn't budge. He was strong for such a little colt.

"Fluttershy?" Tate's voice rumbled from the hallway. "Who are you talking to?" His tone of voice wasn't very pleasing. He sounded very angry and tired. Knowing what would come next, I stared at Milky with wide eyes.

"Go," I mouthed.

He stubbornly shook his head, and whispered, "I'm not leaving yet. I still wanted to ask you something."

"Fluttershy... Answer me!" Tate practically yelled. He had a really bad temper. His hoof steps stomped louder as he made his way to my room.

"Please," I begged him. He looked into my eyes and I could tell in his, that he was convinced.

"Okay. I'll tell you tomorrow in class." He opened his white wings and looked back at me. "Bye 'Shy." He whispered, flying through the window. I immediately pulled the drapes back over as if nothing happened. I remember thinking how weird it was that, first of all, he knew where I lived, and second of all, he had to come over to say something he could've said during school.

Tate came into my room soon after I thought this. Long story short, I was accused of trying to run from home after he found my window unlocked and open. My punishment? A small "lesson" was taught.

The next morning I arrived to school with the "lesson" still imprinted on my left cheek. Milky was the first to greet me at my desk in the far corner of the classroom. Our teacher was just arriving, so everypony was just hanging around the classroom until the bell rang.

"'Morning 'Shy!" He smiled at me. "What happened yesterday? Who was that?" Milky immediately began to question me. I wasn't even seated yet!

"Milky, what did you need to ask me?" I softly asked, completely ignoring him. I was a little rude, but I was so confused. Why did he have to come to my home to tell me? He couldn't have waited?
"Is there something wrong with your wings?" He frankly asked.

"W-What?" He moved over to my side and began to touch my wings. He gently tried to open them.

"You never fly, why? Your mom never taught you? Or are you one of those ponies that can't use them?" I clenched my wings close to my body, and tensed up a little. "I see you at recess sitting by yourself when Rainbow Dash isn't with you. You're always just on the cloud, while everypony else if playing in the air. Why?"

"I'm.. I'm scared to fly." I admitted, looking at my hooves in shame. After mom and dad went missing, I gave up on flying. Even though I was making good progress, I didn't have anypony there anymore to catch me if I fell.

"Really? I thought it was because of something else. It's not that hard, really! I can even teach you. That's how easy it is. It's just like walking." He shined a toothy smile. "Wait..." Milky's smile erased and formed into a frown instead. “What happened to you?" He craned his neck around to see the side of my marked face. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, I'm fine." I moved my head away so he doesn't see the mark Tate had left. That day, I checked in the mirror before I went to school. I didn't think it looked that noticeable. It was just a small red streak, nothing big.

"You sure? What happened?" I didn't want him to worry about me. Why did he care? He just met me.

Before I could answer anything, the school bell rang and the teacher stood from her desk. For this grade, we had a different teacher than Ms. Cheerilee. I couldn't remember her name, but I do remember that she was very old and sweet, not to mention patient.

"Come to your seats little fillies! It's time for class!" She shouted. Everypony scattered around quickly, dodging each other to get to their desks. Except Milky.

"Whoever did this, Fluttershy," He started. "I'll protect you from them." I was surprised he knew my name. It was not long ago that he called me 'Muttershy'.

"But--"

"No buts! It's a promise!" Milky grinned at me before he hurried on to his desk in front of the classroom and sat down.

After that day, we were inseparable. Every time I looked past my shoulder, he was close by, which I didn't mind at all. Even though Rainbow Dash is a good friend of mine, she didn't understand me as well as he did at the time. We've become great friends ever since.

"Who start's?" Rainbow asked the competitors. The first hour of the bonfire, we played games. It was hide-and-seek (which most of the ponies complained were for little fillies), then a three-legged race, and finally an interesting game of truth-or-dare-hat-edition (which was all Rainbow's idea). I held her responsible over the game part of the bonfire. It seemed like everypony was enjoying them.

"I'll spin first!" Pinkie volunteered. She reached out to the glass bottle that laid on top of a rock on the grass, and spun it heavily. "We-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e!!" She gleefully shouted watching it go around and around. After a moment, it landed on Rarity.

"Moi?" The white mare anxiously asked.

"Yes! You gotta pick a paper from the hat!" Pinkie grinned at her.

"Oh, alright." Rarity reached into the black top hat that Pinkie Pie had passed to her, filled with pre-written dares and truths that everypony wrote earlier. After a moment of rustling, she pulled out a small, folded, piece of paper. "Do 'Chubby Bunny'." She read out loud.

"Ooh!" The guests moaned.

"I will do no such thing!" she whined.

"You have to! It's the dare. The penalty of skippin' out on us, is a walk through the Everfree Forest!" Rainbow chimed in. Various gasps came from the mention of the forest.

"Here you go, Rare!" Pinkie squealed, handing over one of the marshmallow bags by the fire. She grabbed the bag hesitantly with a worried look plastered on her face.

"I can't pick another?" No pony answered her so she opened the bag slowly. Rarity looked to her side where her stallion friend was and sighed under her breath. She grabbed the first white, squishy, square, and squeezed it. "Here it goes.." Everypony watched intently, especially Rainbow. As Rarity ate the first one, the crowd started to count.

"Chubby bunny," she said clearly.

"One," They all chanted. She squeezed in another one.

"Chubby bunny," Rarity repeated.

"Two," She grabbed a third and pushed it in.

"Chubby bunny," her voice started to muffle a little more.

"Three," they continued in unison. It wasn't long until Rarity reached twelve.

"Come on, you can do it!" Rainbow shouted.

"Mm mmm mm!" No one could understand Rarity with all the gooey marshmallows in her mouth. The most recent one, slightly stood out. She shook her head as Rainbow flew closer with another marshmallow. "Mmm mm!" Rarity started to kick her hooves to move her back from her.

"I wouldn' push it if I were ya'. She don't look like she candle handle another one." said Applejack.
"Please. If she can have thousands of clothes pins in her mouth, I think she can take--" Rainbow was interrupted mid-sentence by Rarity's sudden escape. She quickly ran over to the trash bag I had left out earlier, and started to spit out everything from her mouth.

"I guess not." muttered Rainbow after Rarity walked back over to the group.

"Ugh, I do not want to eat another one of those disgusting candy things ever again in my life!" She muttered. We all lightly laughed.

"Okay, Rarity, it's your turn to spin." Twilight said.

"Can somepony do it for me, please? I need to go freshen up. I will be right back." replied Rarity trotting over to my cottage.

"Ooh! I call it!" Rainbow shouted, nose diving to the bottle. She spun it with all her strength. It went around for almost a minute until it finally slowed down and landed on poor, little, Scootaloo. "Alright, squirt, looks like its all you now."

Scootaloo jumped from her spot on the grass and towards the top hat by Pinkie.

"What's the dumbest thing you've ever done?" She read. Scootaloo looked into the sky trying to remember something.

"I think it was when I went over to help Pinkie make a cake, and I put a lot of baking soda thinking it'll make the cake bigger. The cake ended up exploding." She confessed.

"Hee hee! I remember that!" giggled pinkie and the rest of the crowd.

The game was going great, and everypony was having a great time.. until it was my turn.

"What's it say, Fluttershy?" asked Applejack after I didn't read my dare out loud.

"I-I-It says to..." I tried to read it, but I was too embarrassed to. Pokey, to my right, leaned over and read it for me.

"Kiss whoever the bottle lands on." He loudly announced.

"O-o-o-o-o-o-o-h!" The guests gasped.

"You're gonna have to spin!" Spike said.

"Either that, or the Everfree!" added Rainbow.

"B-B-But, can't I bend the rules.. just a little?" I asked, hoping for a way out of this. I wondered who put that in the hat as a dare. It could have been Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash, to keep things interesting, but then again, it could have been anypony really.

"I guess so. You are hosting the party after all, darling." Rarity said.

"A peck on the cheek will do!" Pinkie added. I finally reached over, and spun the glass bottle, accepting my dare. It was less pressure now that my task was modified a bit, but it still wasn't a walk in the park. Watching it go around and around, I braced myself for who it'll land on.

Please don't land on Big Mac.. I silently prayed. This is just too embarrassing. Why did I have to get this dare? The bottle slowed down. It's mouth pointed on Pokey for a second, but was moved slightly to my left by the wind that just happened to pass by.

"Looks like Milky's the lucky stallion!" Applejack laughed. I started to cough out of surprise. The bright side was that it didn't land on Big Mac after all. Speaking of Big Mac.. where is he? He wasn't in his seat by Ms. Cheerilee (who looked a little bored of the game to be honest). She only had two turns and didn't really get dares.

I turned to look at Milky, sheepishly smiling at me. It's just a little kiss. It doesn't mean anything, 'Shy! I tried to persuade myself. Just do it.

I could feel everypony's eyes staring down at us, waiting.

"We're waiting..!" teased Spike with a mischievous smile. Milky tilted his head a little to his left, exposing his white cheek. I felt my face begin to heat up a little as I moved closer to him. I guessed the reason that everypony was so eager for this to happen was because of the fact that I'm the only pony left of the six to not have dated or kissed anypony. The first was Rainbow Dash, second was Applejack, third was Pinkie Pie, fourth was Rarity, and last was Twilight.

My lips were inches away from Milky's cheek, when a collaboration of the clinking of plates, glasses, and a thud, scared us all into looking to the side of my home. Everypony laughed at the sight of Big Mac laying on the table that looked to have been thrown on the ground.

"Oops," he said, trying to get up from the spilled punch and cupcakes. He had frosting smeared across his face, some of Applejack's fritters in his mane, and punch dripping off the sides of him.

"Oh, are you okay?" I asked him, quickly flying over to the scene.

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied with a grin.

"I'll get you something to clean yourself up with." I dashed into the house, leaving behind me the group chatting to themselves.

"--And the young mare was never found. Rumour has it that she still roams around these very woods, looking for her next victim.." Pokey said with an evil smile. "The end."

The captive audience didn't move after his final words. I was a little spooked. I could tell the others were too, by the way they looked over at each other.

"Doesn't he tell the best stories?" Yelled Pinkie, jumping out of her seat and startling everypony.

"It wasn't as scary as Dash's." He replied looking over at Rainbow, who held onto Scootaloo, with wide, bulging, eyes.

"Oh, Rarity dear," exclaimed Rarity's date, standing up. "it is getting late. I must leave." He looked over to us saying, "Thank you very much for tonight. Please excuse me." He made his way from us, and towards my cottage to leave.

"Please, wait. I will walk you out." Rarity trotted over to him. "Good-bye!" She shouted to us halfway across the yard.

"I think we've gotta go too, Applejack. Granny Smith's gonna have a cow if we show up too late." Applejack's cousin told her.

"Thanks for remindin' me, Red!" Applejack called after her. She introduced us earlier to Red Gala, one of Applejack's cousins that came to visit. "I'll see ya'll later!" She hollered.

"Bye! Thank you for coming!" I yelled back. Rainbow stretched her hooves on her log.

"When are we gonna hit the hay, 'Shy?" She asked mid-yawn. "It's about to be one in the morning." She looked down at Scootaloo, who was fast asleep on the grass by her hooves.

"Oh, my! It's getting late. I'll go get the blankets." I quickly counted the ponies left: Rainbow, Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, Scootaloo, Pokey, Ms. Cheerilee, Big Mac, and Milky. Oh, and one dragon. I went inside to fetch eleven blankets and pillows, sitting in my hallway closet.

When I came back, I handed each guest a blanket. "You can choose wherever you'd like to sleep." I announced as they laid it down. Rainbow couldn't decide where to put hers. She'd lay it down, pick it back up, walk ten feet away, and repeat. Each time she did, Scootaloo-- who had woken up-- followed her with her own blanket.

When everypony was finally settled down, Twilight took out the fire for me.

"Goodnight, everypony!" Rarity yelled from the top window of her inflatable, purple, tent. She snapped on her purple sleeping mask, and turned back in her tent.

"Goodnight!" We all called back. Everypony slept close to each other in fear of Pokey's and Dash's scary tale coming true.

For half an hour, there were whispers and little voices snickering at each other. It was only after Milky talked about all the constellations in the sky, when everypony finally fall asleep. Well.. everypony except me. I stayed up, laying on my back to watch the stars shine some more.

"I wonder if you've made it Mom and Dad." I said under my breath. "Do you miss me? Because I miss you both very much." The two biggest stars, twinkled and spun around a little, spreading around their pearly-white glow. I know it's useless to talk to balls of gas, but it's comforting to think that my parents are safe somewhere up there and not close to death in the middle of nowhere. "I love you, don't ever forget that."

"'Shy?" I gasped, quickly sitting up. Was that...? I glanced to a shadowy figure close by to my left.

"Hello?" I whispered to it.

"Sorry. Did I wake ya'?" The low voice asked. I could tell this was Big Mac by his southern accent.

"Oh, no. Not at all." He came over to my side, carefully stepping around sleeping Spike and Scootaloo.

"May I?" He asked as soon as he got to my blanket.

"Sure," I whispered to him. He sat down close next to me. A little too close for comfort, if you ask me. "You couldn't sleep?"

"Nope," He replied, looking up at the starry sky.

"I couldn't either." I looked at him. There was just enough moonlight to show most of his face, and all of his emerald-colored eyes.

"Fluttershy?" He looked back down at me, so suddenly.

"Oh," I quickly stared back down at my hooves. "Uh, yes?"

"Are you and Milky Way... together?"

"By together, do you mean dating?" I peeked back up at him. He was still staring down at me.

"Eeyup."

"No, w-we're just really good friends." I said smiling at him. "Why would you think we're 'together'?"

"I dunno. I just thought so with him givin ya' the rose and googly eyes all night."
"Oh, really? I didn't notice." I lied a little. He was a bit out of character tonight, handing over that rose. Milky can be very friendly but this was a new level.

"Ya know, if ya pulled your mane back more ya'd be able to notice more. You've got beautiful eyes." I sensed my cheeks heat up soon after his remark. Beautiful eyes? He thinks I have beautiful eyes? There isn't anything so 'beautiful' about them. They're just a regular, old, pair, of cyan eyes. That's so kind of him to think that, though.

"T-Thank you," I said barely above a whisper. How else would I respond to such a surprising compliment?

Other than the sound of crickets chirping and toads croaking into the night sky, we sat in silence, staring into each others eyes and grasping the moment we had with just the two of us. My stomach was filled instantly with swarms of butterflies, like it always does whenever I'm around him.

"Big Mac," I whispered. "I'd, uh, like to go to bed, if you don't mind." I managed to pull away from his intense stare. For some reason, I was too afraid to look any longer.

"Of course," He softly said, standing up from his spot on my green blanket. "'Night, Fluttershy."

"Goodnight, Big Mac." I replied. He smiled at me once more, before heading back silently to his own place.

I lay myself down on my side and closed my eyes. Even though he was gone, I could still hear his deep, easing, southern, voice, ringing gently in my ear.

Sweet dreams, my apple-green eyed stallion.

Author's Note

After a couple of months, I've managed to get back on track. Thank you for waiting so patiently. Hopefully it won't take as long to post updates anymore!
Edited by macaulays.

Chapter Six: Bruised

The first few days after the bonfire were very relaxing, despite the fact that I was left with cleaning duty. It didn't take long, so I shouldn't be complaining. All it took was to pick up a few, crushed, plastic cups, bring in the pillows and blankets, and take down the decoration Pinkie brought. Half an hour and I was finished with it all.

The only problem was how to spend the rest of my days. It was only noon and I had already done my chores. I cleaned the cottage, fed the chickens, cleaned their coop, massaged the bear, groomed Angel, did the laundry, taught the newborns a thing or two on survival, and sung a lullaby to the sleeping owls.

It's usually the first day of Spring that the animals need help. Afterwards, they can handle it on their own. I've done all I can this week, leaving me with a very restful day.

I could do what I want, now that it looks like the creatures don't need my help, I thought to myself, sprawled across my small, green, couch. What could I do? I looked over to my left to find my white, bunny, eating his special-made salad. He caught my glance, and gave me a small smile. Maybe my friends won't mind in hanging out. On that thought, I stood up from my soft place on the couch, and grabbed my telephone from the kitchen.

"This is Twilight Sparkle speaking, how may I help you?" answered a voice in distress.

"Oh, Twilight, it's Fluttershy. How are you?" I started.

"A little busy. Sorry to be rude, but did you need anything? I'm performing a dangerous experiment at the moment and can't really talk on the phone." I could hear soft clinking of what I assumed to be test tubes and beakers filled with one of her new solutions, on her side of the line.

"I'm very sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to ask if--" I was quickly cut off by an earth shattering boom and ear piercing static.

"Spike!" An angry Twilight yelled soon after. Something must have happened to her telephone because the quality was affected, causing her to sound a little muffled. "What part of 'do not touch' did you not understand?"

"Gee, sorry Twi'. I didn't mean for that to happen." answered the poor, little, dragon. "I just wanted to help."

"Fluttershy, are you still there?" Twilight grunted.

"Yes. Is everything alright? Are you okay?" I leaned in on the green arm of the couch, squeezing the telephone closer to my ear in hopes of being able to hear over the sharp static ringing on the call.

"Of course. We're doing fine, just a little burn and... uh... a hole on my wooden floor. I'll have to call you later, 'Shy. I need to clean this up and hope to Celestia Spike doesn't blow up the library."

"Oh, alright. Goodbye Twi'--" Before I could end my sentence, the phone was hung up, leaving me with a ringing ear.

Of course Twilight was going to be busy, I thought dialing Pinkie Pie's cell-phone number.

At least one of them have to be free, right?

I was wrong. All five of them were busy. Twilight was cleaning up her broken, wooden, floors, Pinkie was out on a date with Pokey, Applejack was catching up with the apple-bucking she missed for coming to the bonfire, Rarity was trying to make a new clothing line for stallions (she actually invited me over to give an opinion. I gently declined her offer in fear of her making me try on the clothes and model for her), and Rainbow didn't answer at all.

Maybe a little time to myself wouldn't be that bad? I could always just walk around Ponyville, maybe pass by the lake to see how the newly hatched ducks are. After a moment of silence, I decided on making my way through the small town to just clear my mind and relax a little.

I flew over to my restroom to clean myself up a bit and make sure I look okay to be out. In the mirror, I saw the normal, yellow, mare, I see everyday.

"Ya know, if ya pulled your mane back more ya'd be able to notice more. You've got beautiful eyes.", a voice rung in my head as I looked at my plain, pink, mane.

I guess I could always go for a change.., I thought to myself, grabbing the only hair tie in my whole home. I gathered all my mane and tied it neatly together in one, curly, ponytail. After the while it took me to do that, I stood there to look at the new style. It wasn't bad, but it felt so unnatural. Having most of my neck exposed, sent chills down my spine every second I felt a small wind blow.

I brought with me a bag of bits just in case I wanted to treat myself with something from Sugarcube Corner. Around this time, the Cakes make a Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness cake to celebrate a successful winter. Unfortunately, they only last for about two days since it's a yearly slice of heaven. I'll make sure to stop by there today too, I thought opening my wooden door.

The scene was so different compared to a few weeks ago. Back then, the cold blast of winter's wind would keep me from flying at a normal speed. Thank goodness the weather's changed. I was starting to get tired over the amount of melted snow in my living room I had to clean up.

I took in a refreshing breath of the sweet, spring, air, as I fluttered through the sun's warming, golden, rays.. I could smell the comforting scent of clean laundry hanging on a line, and the sound of the school's bell, alerting the foals the beginning of their recess, as I drew near to Ponyville. The beautiful day made me sort of glad that my friends were too busy for me. I could go about the day just to myself and my thoughts. Giving my wings a break, I set myself down and trotted along the towns gravel road, absorbing the pleasant crunch that sounded from beneath my hooves every step I took.

The soothing sound, unfortunately, started to become quieter as I walked closer to the noisy town. There was an oddly high amount of ponies walking around that day, talking, and pulling creaky, old, carts. I could barely see the road in front of me as I was strolling around. It was a good thing that I remembered the town so well or else I would've never found my way through the crowd. If I just head straight I can make it to the lake. It was hard to listen to my own thoughts through all the booming chatter.

"Excuse me," I said trying to get through a brightly, colored, group of mares, standing in the middle of all the chaos.

"--I won't be able to make it today. I've gotta see somepony. Maybe tomorrow?" One of them yelled at the other.

"What about next week? Tomorrow I--"

"Pardon me," I tried again, this time tapping one of them.

"Excuse me, but we're talking here." The first one snapped at me, giving me a nasty stare.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to--" I started to explain but was then pushed by somepony behind me. The strong force caused me to fall down right beside the mares, landing on my left wing. I felt a sudden, sharp, pain, on my left side. As I tried to move, I could hear shouts somewhere near me.

"Hey, watch out!" I looked up to see an overflowing cart of apples, rolling quickly towards me, through an opening the crowd of ponies were creating as they were trying to get away from the scene. I was paralyzed at how fast the cart was uncontrollably moving. In a few seconds it had moved from the top of a hill to a couple of feet away from me.

At the last minute, the giant cart pulled back, missing my muzzle by a few inches. For a split second, I thought I was safe. The sudden halt of the cart, sent the fruit it carried, flying to me, proving me wrong.

A few moments had passed and I was buried in ruby-red, apples, from head to hoof. The fruit muffled all the voices surrounding me to silent whispers.

The surprisingly heavy pressure of the apples, kept me down, and prevented me from moving. I tried to yell for help but that didn't help either. I began to hyperventilate after trying numerous times.

I felt as if I was in there forever, and that I'd never get out. I began to feel light headed and claustrophobic. It was starting to get harder to breathe when I felt the apple pile settling down on my chest.

Help me please! Somepony! I can't-- I can't move! Please!

Just when I felt myself slipping away, I saw a thin beam of light stretch wider and wider from a hole somewhere above me. The sudden flash of light blinded me as the apples were pushed away. I couldn't see the face of my rescuer too clearly. The only thing I could make out was the fact that it was a stallion.

Right before I fainted, I felt somepony pick my bruised body up from the pile.

I muttered something inaudible using my last bit of energy to squint my eyes and focus on my rescuer.

"Fluttershy..." their voice trailed off as my vision dimmed and my body strength weakened. All the small noises silenced and the sun's once warming glow, turned into a dark curtain.

Then, I blacked out.

"Ya' sure she's fine? She's been sleepin' for a while now." asked a mare voice.

"'Course! Can't ya see her breathin'?" replied an older mare. "Look here! She's wakin'."

I rubbed my eyes with my bruised hooves, and opened my eyes to a happy, green, wrinkly, face. At first she startled me, but then I figured out who it was.

"Mornin', sleepy head!" Granny Smith greeted me with a toothy smile.

"Oh, hello Granny Smith." I tiredly said. "Hello Applejack." I quickly sat up, and regretted it right after. I forgot about my injuries, but was quickly reminded by the shots of pain that ran through my whole body. "Ow," I grunted with closed eyes.

I glanced beneath me and around to find myself in one of the rooms I've never been in before, in the Apple's home. The wooden room we were in was very clean and had a giant, green, bed, big enough to fit a whole family of bears in. It had a few dressers in and a few drawings hung up on one of the walls, clearly drawn by a foal. There were some of what I assumed was Applebloom, Applejack, and Big Mac. Then there was one with an unfamiliar mare and stallion with hearts around them.

"Don't worry 'bout yer' bag, 'Shy. It's over here if ya' need it." Applejack nodded her head to the corner by the drawings, where my bag sat. "How're ya' feelin'?" She asked.

"I'm doing fine, thank you." I lied. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Well, ya' were knocked out when we got to ya'. I don't really know what happened, but maybe if ya' asked Big Mac, he'll tell ya'."

"Big Mac?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's the one that brought ya' here, sugarcube." answered Granny Smith.

"Oh. Where is he now?"

"He's makin' supper in the kitchen. It's a good thang ya' woke up, he just finished!" Applejack stood from a chair beside the bed and looked at me.

"Ya' hungry, 'Shy? We always have an extra plate at the table!" she smiled.

"Oh, no thank you, Applejack. I'll just go home. You all have done so much for me already, I wouldn't want to ask for anything else."

"Fluttershy, I insist. Ya' look a li'l sick, maybe some food in ya stomach will help. Come on." She grabbed my hoof tightly. "Ooh, sorry 'Shy!" She quickly apologized after seeing the pain in my face. Applejack took off my blanket with her other hoof so she could help me up. Before I could move, i was able to see how injured I really was.

I had a lot of blue and purple bruises around my chest and hooves and a few, small, scratches, here and there. I tried to extend my wings to see if they had some too, but immediately shut them as I felt a wall of pain fall on me. I clenched my teeth, to hold back a scream, and instead grunted.

I glanced back at them, to see that they were improperly wrapped with a big, white, band, tied onto my body instead of itself. The band was so wide, that it covered about two thirds of my body.

"Oh, my," I mumbled. Going up the stairs, was the sound of tiny hooves stomping down on the wooden steps. Soon, a yellow, Applebloom, popped into the room.

"Hey! Big Mac said to-- Woah! What happened to ya', Fluttershy?!" She yelled, trotting over to me. "Yer all blue!"

"Hi, Apple Bloom." I smiled at her the best I could through the pain I was getting from her gently touching the spots.

"Apple Bloom! Will ya' get yer hooves off her?! She's hurtin' right now. Ya' just can't go 'round touchin' ponies." protested Applejack. "What'dya need?"

"Oh," she said after a moment of staring at my bruises. "Uh, Big Mac said to go downstairs to eat."

"Okay, we'll be down in a minute." AJ replied. She turned to me and asked, "Will ya' be stayin' after all, 'Shy?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to." I smiled. She smiled back at me and guided me down. Granny Smith walked behind us, while we slowly descended to the first floor. After what felt like days, we finally made it down.

Apple Bloom was the first to sit at the table, in front of an empty plate. Big Mac came from the kitchen carrying a big bowl of apple salad, and a full plate of celery and carrots. When we arrived at the table, Granny Smith and Applejack sat down.

"Thank you," I said to them both. I raised my hoof slowly to pull my chair back as painless as possible, but stopped when I saw Big Mac pull it for me. I looked at him in the eye and smiled. He smiled back at me, then walked to his seat.

I noticed something different. I didn't have my pink hair dangling in front of me, to block my view. I felt different and not like myself at all. I felt somewhat confident.

"Whad'ya think o' the food, Fluttershy?" Granny Smith asked me after we had all finished with supper. Apple Bloom stood up quickly and collected the plates and cups. She threw them all on her head in one single tower, ready to collapse. She slowly walked to the kitchen, balancing the wobbly, kitchenware, tower.

"Oh, it was delicious," I said watching a wide-eyed Apple Bloom. "But, I'm kind of surprised, there wasn't as much apple in the dishes as usual."

"Oh, that! Well--" Granny was cut short by the sudden crash of breaking plates and cups in the kitchen floor. After a moment of silence, a tiny "oops" slipped out from Apple Bloom. Big Mac sighed in her direction and got up.

"I got it," he said, excusing himself from the table and walking to the kitchen.

"What was I sayin'?" Granny Smith asked with a confused look bringing us back to our conversation.

"About the food?" I answered.

"Oh! Well, Big Mac said somethin' 'bout dedicatin' this dinner for ya'. That's why he made foods he thought ya' liked."

"Really?" I looked over at the kitchen door, where I can see Big Mac and Apple Bloom cleaning the mess together.

"Yep! He felt so bad 'bout what happened to ya'." Applejack added. "He wanted to make it up to ya'."

"That's so sweet." I commented.

"Speakin' of sweet, I should probably make mah night tea before I go to bed." Granny Smith said, getting up from her seat and walking slowly to the kitchen.

Did she say bed? "Oh, no! What time is it?" I asked. I forgot all about poor Angel. He's probably starving, waiting for me. How long have I been gone?

"It's close to bein' eleven." Applejack answered, looking at the the apple-shaped clock they had above their heads on one of the walls. I gently pushed myself from the table and tried to get up.

"It's late. If you don't mind, I'll be going now." I told them. "Thank you for everything."

"Ya' sure, ya' wanna go home? Ya' can sleep in mah room tonight. It's kinda too late to be walkin' around." She offered me.

"No, thank you. I don't want to be a bother. Plus, I have Angel waiting for me at home." I smiled at her.

"Okay, well lemme get yer bag for ya'." The orange mare said, climbing up the stairs, soon after. I slowly limped over to the door, and waited anxiously for Applejack to return. I need to get home. Oh, Angel, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting.

"Fluttershy?" Big Mac walked over to me from the kitchen. "Do ya' mind if I come?" he asked me.

"Oh, you don't have to Big Mac. I'll be fine." He stared at me with a worried look as if he didn't believe me. It hurts to walk, but I can eventually make it home. I just have to brave it out for today.

"Here it is!" Applejack silently made her way to us with my bag moments later. "Be safe!" She said, outstretching my bag to me. Before I could even raise my own hoof to grab it, Big Mac swooped it out of her hoof and threw it on his back.

"I'll take it," he said opening their wooden door. "See ya in a few, sis." He looked at Applejack, then back at me, signaling me to go through first.

"Thanks again, Applejack." I told her before I walked out.

"No problem, sugar cube."

The sky was a peaceful shade of dark blue, and covered in white, twinkling, specks, softly lighting up the town. One thing I loved about Ponyville, were the nights. Every night was unbelievably beautiful. Night time in Cloudsdale was great too, but all the lights from some of the factories, and some races that dragged into the night would scare it away. On the rare occasions where the sky was clear, Milky would come over to my home, and we'd just lay close by outside to watch for hours.

"Fluttershy," Big Mac's voice gently rumbled, bringing my attention back to the present. "Why doncha climb on?"

"I'm sorry?" I asked confused. I glanced at him to see Big Mac kneeling down and looking up at me.

"Yer too hurt to walk anymore. It'll be much better for ya if I carry ya."

"No, it's fine. I'm feeling better." I smiled through gritted teeth.

"Please, 'Shy." He's right. I thought, hesitantly grabbing his back to climb on. I don't know how much longer I could've gone walking like this. I pushed myself up, until I was seated with both my back hooves dangling off one side of him.

"Thank you, Big Mac." I told him.

"Eeyup." He said, slowly standing back up.

Oh, this is embarrassing, being carried like this. What if I'm too heavy for him?, I thought feeling a small blush creep. I look down at his back. He looks pretty strong. I shouldn't be too heavy. With every step he took, his muscles would move rhythmically down his back.

"Big Mac?" He hummed to note that he was listening. "How long have you been bucking apples?" I curiously asked.

"Most of mah life."

"Oh." That's probably why he's so fit. Bucking apples for so many years, must have gotten easy for him.

"What about ya and yer critters? How long did ya have with 'em?" He asked looking back at me craning his neck.

"Uh, I guess since I was a filly."

"Ya must love 'em."

"Oh, very much." I smiled, just thinking about them. They've given me so much joy and things to look forward to in life. For a while, I could only be myself around them. They showed me who I really was, and I'm very thankful.

Big Mac walked around a small pond close to my home, filled with croaking frogs sitting on their lily pads. It was close to silent, compared to the town. The only other noises there were, were the chirps of the grasshoppers and 'hoo's' from the owls waking up. I could see my cottage from the hill we were standing on. A three minute walk, and I'd soon be back home.

"It's so quiet." Big Mac mumbled.

"It always is." I said just above a whisper.

"Ya live alone?" he quietly asked.

"I have Angel, he's my rabbit."

"Do ya have anypony living with ya?"

"No, it's just us two."

"Hmm." Then, we walked in silence. I felt him tense up a little before he asked gently, "What about yer parents?"

"My parents? My parents are..." Should I tell him? I don't really want to talk about it. The only other pony that knows about my situation with my parents other than Miss Cheerilee and Rainbow Dash, is Milky. They've been kind enough to steer conversations away from parents whenever we're together, because they know it still hurts me. After all these years, it still does. Having them taken away from my life so quickly and without warning, has left me so fragile.

"'Shy, I'm sorry. Forget what I said." He said facing straight ahead after a moment of silence.

"It's okay. My parents are... gone." I explained everything to him, slowly, piece by piece. I didn't want to tell him too much, but I couldn't help it. Once I started, I couldn't stop. That was the only time I ever spoke to anyone about them like that. I kept in all those horrible years of mourning and sadness until that night. In the beginning, I didn't think I could go through with telling him, but by the end of it, I was smiling, telling him all about the goofy things my dad did to cheer me up. Sometimes he'd tell me an embarrassing story when he was a colt, or make silly faces. I told Big Mac about my mother too. He was so easy to talk to.

"Thank you," I grunted, climbing off of him, and standing on my doorstep.

"Don't thank me. If it weren't for me, ya wouldn't be like this." He said looking over my injuries.

"What do you mean?" He sheepishly looked down, and rubbed one of his hooves.

"The cart that ran ya over, was mine." He stared back at me. "It just ran from me, I didn't mean to--"

"It's okay," I smiled at him. His face was pink from embarrassment. I have to admit, it's adorable to see him with a blush. He smiled back at me.

"Goodnight, Big Mac." I told him, limping into my home.

"'Night, 'Shy." He quietly said, still pink. I closed my door and glanced over at my couch where Angel sat impatiently.

"Oh, Angel! I'm so sorry. You must be starving." He hopped over quickly to me. For a second, I thought he would punch me in anger, but instead he hugged my hoof and looked up at me with a worried look. He must have saw my injuries.

"I"m fine, Angel." I grinned and gently petted the top of his white head. "I'll get you something, okay?" He smiled at me and followed me into the kitchen, where I made him a small salad.

After I set his plate down, I went straight to bed. My eyes were so heavy, I almost fell asleep on my way to my room.

I woke up to a furry paw tapping my face. Angel had woken me up, which was a surprise to me. It was too early for him to be wide awake. He squeaked at me to get up. He said something about an 'emergency'. Angel squeaked so fast I could barely understand him.

"Okay, I'm coming." I tiredly said. I moved my hoof one inch, and I groaned from feeling so sore. My whole body felt so heavy, it was a trouble to even sit up. Angel was hopping around my room, running in and out of my doorway in a hurry. He was pointing down the hallway and squeaking 'emergency'.

"Yes, yes, Angel. I'll be there." I set a hoof down on my wood floor, then slowly, another one, until I was standing up properly. "Okay, what is it?" I tried to catch up to Angel, who was zooming down the hallway, but it was so hard to when it took so much energy to move one hoof. "Angel, slow down please." I calmly told him, as he turned into the living room.

When I finally made it to the living room I found a big, red, stallion, waiting on the rug in the middle of the room with two bags.

Author's Note

This is VERY late, and I'm so sorry. :( I'll hopefully have next one by mid-July.

Prologue

"Don't fret, Fluttershy. You'll learn how to fly." my mother told me.

"When?" I asked. "Everyone at Cloudsdale can fly but me." I looked down. I felt so ashamed and embarrassed. I'm a Pegasus and I don't know how to fly. What a waste of a pair of wings.

"You have to remember patience. Not everyone is the same. You're just a late bloomer. You'll learn how soon." She reassured me. "Practice makes perfect. So, come on. Stand up and let's practice." She pushed my head up with her orange snout. I slowly stood up on my legs. She followed me. "Open your wings," I did so. She trotted over to my side and pointed with her hoof a place on my left wing. "A very important thing to know, is to always relax. Even in the scariest situation, you must be brave. If you relax, you keep your wings more light and easier to move."

I nodded. "Relax," I muttered to myself.

"Before I head to work, I want to see you try to fly." she added more quietly.My wings immediately shut closed, as I turned to look at her.

"Do I ha-have too?"

"Just try, for me?" I took a moment to think about it, and sighed.

"Okay." My mother smiled and took a step back. I slowly opened my wings.They felt like they were glued to my sides. They felt heavy. When I finally managed to open them, I closed my eyes. "Relax," I repeated. I started to flap my wings. With each wave, it felt lighter and lighter. I kept my eyes shut. I heard my mother exclaim in joy, the same time I no longer felt the soft cloud beneath my hooves. I opened my eyes to see my mother a few feet beneath me. I was flying! Well, I should say hovering. "I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" I shouted. "Dad!" My father rushed out of our small house in his white uniform.

"Fluttershy," he said shocked. He looked at my mother with a big grin on his face. "She finally did it!" Before I could fly any higher, a gust of wind blew from the south. My right side was unbalanced. I started to tip to one side. I kept twisting and turning to make myself even. I started to panic. My wings gave out, and I fell down.

"Are you okay?" My mother and father asked as they quickly got close to me.

"I'm fine. I wasn't that high up." I mumbled as I started to rub my head. "Good thing the clouds are so soft." I added, when I saw the look of fear in my parent's faces. I tried to laugh to show them I really was fine, but they didn't look convinced. "Mom, Dad, you're going to be late."

"Are you sure you're okay? If you're not we can stay home." said my father.

"I'm okay. See?" I stood up and opened my small, yellow, wings. "Nothing to worry about." I smiled at them.

"Alright, if you say so." he said. "You know where to find us, if you need us."

"Okay."

"Bye, Fluttershy. We love you." my mother said.

"I love you too." I smiled.

I had no clue how quickly my life was going to change, at the time. And how bad it would soon be.

"Are you ready to take a bath, Angel?" I asked him. He had just woken up from a nap on a wooden log outside.He crossed his arms and shook his head. "Oh, that's fine. Uh, we can take you a bath later." He laid back down and closed his eyes. It felt nice outside. I sat down next to the log. Why not a little rest? I have been working hard today, helping the bears fall asleep for hibernation.

It's cold outside, but a nice cold. Not the I'm-going-to-become-a-popsicle-any-second type of cold, but a cold that makes you want to snuggle in a blanket with a hot cup of cocoa. I've always liked winter. The snow is always so beautiful.

I looked up at the sky. It looked like it would be snowing soon. A smile came up. Then, it disappeared. I remembered something about winter that made me wish that it doesn't exist.

One wintery morning, I bothered my mother again about not being able to fly as well as the other fillies. She and father were about to fly off to work.

"Fluttershy, good things happen to good ponies. And those good ponies are patient." she said, grabbing her uniform. "Have you been patient?"

"...no"

"Well then, see? Patience is key. Patience and a good heart." She smiled at me. I smiled back. "Okay, 'Shy. It's time for us to leave." My parents walked out of the house. I followed them out.

"I love you." I said to them. "Oh, and dad?"

"Yes, 'Shy?" he asked, opening his white wings.

"Good luck, into being weather manager today." He smiled and walked over to me. He was going to ask for a promotion that day. He told me that he wanted to actually be in the skies, and actually do some weather changing. He and my mother used to have secretary types of work, where all they did was research how much rain or sun should be released.

"Thank you." He kissed my head. My mother came over and did the same.

"We love you, Fluttershy." she said. "Don't ever forget that." I smiled at them. "Okay, honey. Ready?" My mother opened her wings and hovered over her spot on the cloud. My father flew up to her.

"Ready," He replied. They flew away and started to make their way to their work. Before they became out of view, the white and orange dots, that were my parents, looked back at me. I never knew that would be my last encounter with them.

I went back inside the house to get ready for school. It was just seven in the morning, when the sun was rising. I took a moment to look at it through my window frame, as it made the sky pink and purple. I stayed there until the sun was in level with my eye. Then, I went to my room to get my things.

I was playing with Rainbow Dash at school, when my teacher pulled me over.

What she told me, made it the worst day of my life.

Author's Note

When you read this (or have read it), remember that this is my first fan-fic! So if you have comments, or questions, or want to tell me if there is something you think should be fixed, please feel free to ask.
Thank you!