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// PawPaw Smith 
// Story: Caring For A Certain Stallion 
// by runeplay2 
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Make sure each is center on top of the other, no leaning—leaning takes up space—we can’t afford leaning. We can’t afford wasted space. 
It wasn’t very easy, with nopony up top to help him put the barrel up, but he would manage. Fluttershy may have volunteered, but he wasn’t about to take rude advantage of that fact. Her just being there was all the help he…
Wait, where the hay was she?
Big Macintosh made a quick turnabout, trying to locate the mare, and found she was nowhere within the cellar. After choking on the stirred up dust, he realized that she could have very easily just flown out of the musty room for some cleaner air, or something like that. 
He set the last of the barrels from the cart onto the stack, and tied off the corner, making sure they wouldn’t just roll off. As he moved towards the cart, he could hear something off in the distance. A small grunt, or something? No, now it was constant. It sounded almost like… 
A shrill cry pierced Big Macintosh’s thoughts, as he immediately saw what was causing the noise: Fluttershy had been pulling the cart. Now it was pushing her.
No time to think. Just act.
Within moments, Big Macintosh found himself jammed in between the heavily loaded cart, and the even heavier wall, with both leaning on his sides, squeezing the breath out of him. If it had been Fluttershy…

Oh Celestia—she’s bleeding.

Big Macintosh attempted to form some words in his mouth, but none left it. When he saw the pony walking down the ramp, he panicked. It was too soon. For him, for her. PawPaw Smith wasn’t about to take either of them away. 

Not now. 

As Big Macintosh began to struggle desperately to free himself from the rubble, PawPaw looked between the two injured ponies before him.
“Such a shame,” he remarked, shaking his head, “too early fer’ her.”
He slowly strolled over to her, and leaned down to whisper something in her ear.

No! Not her, not today! 

The more he thought about PawPaw taking Fluttershy away, the more Big Macintosh could feel the wreckage shift. He soon shifted it enough to crawl towards Fluttershy’s unconscious body, ready to stop PawPaw by whatever means necessary.
After crawling to her side, Big Macintosh sat on his flanks to look PawPaw Smith in the eye. Instead of finding the flinty, truth-gleaming stare Big Macintosh had been expecting from PawPaw, instead he was met with an amiable gaze.
“Rest, son. Ya deserve it.”
He soon saw the ground rushing up to greet him with the restful embrace of sleep.
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“By the time they got me outa that jar, PawPaw was redder than Big Macintosh!” Applejack concluded her foalhood story of getting her head stuck in an applesauce jar.
“Granted, Ah don’ remember it, so it’s not as funny the way Ah tell it like how Big Macintosh tells it.” Applejack chuckled uneasily, becoming all the more uncomfortably aware that her attempts to cheer up Fluttershy were falling completely flat.
“Oh no, I thought it was quite… funny.” Fluttershy shook her head, laughing weakly.
“Yeah… Ah guess it ain’t helpin’ you anymore than it is me.”
As if cued by Fluttershy’s yawn, Nurse Redheart stepped in to announce that visiting hours were over. 
“Well, sugarcube, Ah guess that means ta get goin’ for me. Tomorrow Ah’ll be cleaning up the cellar, so Ah won’t get here ‘til 3. That all right with you?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“All right,” Applejack hopped down from her stool and headed towards the door, “then Ah’ll see you tomorrow. Make sure to get plenty of sleep, all right?”
*Nod*
As Fluttershy lay her head back down to sleep, she turned to look at her roommate.
He looked like he always did: with a solemn, ever-thinking flat face. That always mysterious face. How Applejack could stand looking at that face every day, and not want to become entranced by him was beyond her. But, now, she didn’t deserve it. She just didn’t. Applejack tried to make it sound like nopony blamed her, but… she did. 
And he would.