All's Fair

by Equestria Buck Yeah

Chapter 9

Fluttershy had been so lost in thought as she slowly made her way back to her cottage, it was a wonder she didn't bump into the door to alert herself of where she was. If not for Angel hopping up to her and tapping his oversize white foot as she closed the door behind her, she likely would have unconsciously wandered into the kitchen and put what she purchased away without a second thought to the bunny's angry stomach. Feeding time never seemed to end around her quaint little home.

Everything Rarity told the confused pegasus about made less and less sense as she repeated it in her head. Up and down, the posh pony insisted she was away, yet...she wasn't. She told terrible tales of Spike and Twilight betraying her in the most unexpected and unbelievable ways. Fluttershy was ready to escort Rarity back to the castle and sit down with her friends, figure out what was going on. But if what she said was true, bringing her over there could have reignited whatever fire had been lit all over again – not to mention the possibility of being screamed at herself. The last thing she wanted to do was be yelled at by her closest friends. Doing that very thing once herself left her in anguish for days over the guilt. Celestia only knows how terrible Pinkie and Rarity felt. If she could help it, she wanted to avoid such heartache at all costs.

Her friend's odd behavior had to have been over trauma. True, Fluttershy was no psychiatrist, but she dealt with enough emotional trauma as a foal to know what it could to do a pony's mind.

"Sorry I'm late, Angel. I know you're probably pretty hungry."

The tiny beast nodded. A fresh box of pellets was the first thing Fluttershy pulled from one of her saddlebags and set on her living room table, followed by some seed for her fellow flyers. In a single glide around the room, she scooped up the numerous bowls her critter friends ate from and gathered them together in a group. Her furry and feathery companions gathered as well, waiting more patiently than the pegasus' favorite pet for their inevitable feeding. She broke open the new boxes and liberally poured their contents into numerous dishes, a small but weary smile crawling across her cheeks. It always warmed her heart, even during the most stressful of days, to see the little dears happy. With her animal friends munching greedily on their dinners, she picked up both boxes and flew into the kitchen. Still had other things to put away. Angel followed his owner inside and hopped up onto the table, folding his minuscule forelegs at his chest. Would it have killed her to start making his food right away instead of sorting through the groceries and shoving them where they needed to go? The nerve!

"It's just...well, I bumped into Rarity on the way to the market – or more accurately, she bumped into me. Now, you've seen her recently around town when we'd go out, right?"

He shrugged and nodded again.

"I knew I wasn't seeing things! It was really weird! She claimed that she hadn't been around in weeks and that as soon as she came home from being away, Spike and Twilight were acting as if they wanted to wring her neck! They said she, err...did things with Spike. I-I just don't get it – any of it! Twilight wouldn't make up such outrageous stories, but I just don't believe that Rarity would do what they say she did to Spike. What am I supposed to do? I don't want to see them fighting, but how am I supposed to convince them there has to be some crossed wires or something when they're both claiming so fiercely that they're the one telling the truth?"

Angel received his delicious greens and took several large bites. Fluttershy's ears sagged as she took a seat and sighed hard enough for the bunny to pause between bites with mild concern. He hadn't seen her so unhappy in quite the while. Instead of continuing to eat, her companion chirped some supportive words and an idea or two.

"Maybe. They say time heals all wounds, but...these wounds seemed to go deep. I mean, how much time would we need before they'd just get over it on their own? A week? A year? We've fought alongside some of Equestria's worst threats and come out okay. I wouldn't want to believe some arguing would ruin our friendships."

As she tossed Angel's suggestions around in her head, the mare's stomach voiced its own painful complaints, making her wince. She wanted to get up and fix something for herself...but didn't at the same time. Even the rabbit's offer from his own bowl didn't interest her. His actions didn't go unappreciated though, receiving a loving petting.

"Thank you, Angel, but right now, if I try and eat something, I have a feeling it's not going to stay down. Been such a crazy and...upsetting day that I think it's making me a bit sick to my stomach," Fluttershy moaned.

The white rodent spoke up again, a simple suggestion that had cheered her up in the past before. It didn't take long for her to think of one particularly bright spot in her day, and half a smile formed on her face.

"Well...it was awful nice to see Big Macintosh again, even if it was only for a few minutes. Still as sweet and handsome and strong as ever," she swooned. "It's so infrequent that I get to see him at all, what with him always busy at Sweet Apple Acres and me doing my daily things."

Angel asked the question he had asked more than once, prompting another sigh from his owner.

"No. I just...I-I don't know how to tell him. It'd be so embarrassing if he said he wasn't interested, and it'd be even more embarrassing if I told him in front of Applejack. I mean, she's one of my best friends and all, but I don't think I'd ever feel comfortable telling him I liked him if she was there. I'd prefer to tell him how I feel alone with him, you know?"

Her little fuzzball facepawed and shook his head. He should have known better by now. Assertiveness has never exactly been her strong suit save for...that one time. Besides, why in the world did she think they'd do something that she probably thinks they'd do like make fun of her or laugh or something? He needed to know!

"It's not that I think they would," she replied. "I guess I'm just afraid of getting hurt...again. You remember how horribly things went with that one pegasus I tried to talk to a few years ago, right? I'd rather not have to worry about going through that again, even if it was with somepony I knew in this case. And before you say anything, yes, I know it seems silly that I'm panicking over some hypothetical situation that I don't want to get involved in even though I really like the stallion," Fluttershy muttered, sadly shifting her eyes. The mare got up from the table and put the last of her groceries away while Angel returned to eating between irritated groans and eye rolls of his own.

-----

Angel and numerous other comfortably fed critters of all sizes laid about the living room of Fluttershy's cottage as well as their own hanging houses and holes in the wall, chattering among themselves about their days or snoozing peacefully. The soft-spoken mare sat on her couch, reading a good spy novel Rarity had recommended to her a while back. Quite the page turner! The sun was heading down for the evening, the last few of its warm rays poking out from behind the horizon.

It wasn't until a knock at the door stirred her and her companions from their activities. Who would be visiting at this time?

The answer nearly made her heart stop. It did shoot her wings into the air however. She struggled to find words to greet her guest, sputtering nonsensically, but fortunately, the task was done for her – and with only a bit more grace.

"Err...evenin', Miss Fluttershy."

"B...B-B-Big M-Macintosh? I...uhh..." She quickly cleared her throat and remembered to breathe. "W-what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?"

"I just, uh, wanted to stop by, say hello. You looked a bit upset earlier today. Thought I'd come see how you were doin'."

"Oh! I'm...fine," the pegasus mumbled as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. "Oh dear, where are my manners? Please, come in. Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you. So, what have–"

Almost immediately upon closing the door and allowing Big Macintosh to sit down, Fluttershy's army began shrieking, snarling and hissing, taking the equines by complete surprise. Even Angel's fur was standing on end.

"What are–? Please, quiet down! You're all yelling–! Why are you–?" With diplomacy failing, she chose the only other option she knew...and preferred not to use. "Everypony, be quiet!" she screamed as loud as she could, silencing the crowd in an instant. "Why are you all acting like this?! We have a...very special visitor and you go ballistic? You know better than this! Heck, you didn't act like this when Discord was staying here! I mean, s-sure, you all ran off until things cooled down, but you know who Big Macintosh is!"

The animals weren't happy. One by one, they slowly vacated the area to their living quarters, growling under their breath and all glaring at the stallion. He reciprocated with just a puzzled look as Fluttershy. Eventually, the pair found themselves alone and confused.

"Wonder what that was all about?" Big Mac said.

"I have no idea. I-I've never seen them do that before. I'm so sorry if they bothered you."

"Aw, s'alright. No harm came of it."

"Yeah." The two sat there in momentary silence, only occasionally making eye contact. Fluttershy felt a burning in her cheeks whenever she tried to. "So..."

"So." Big Mac tapped his chin and sighed. "Eh, might as well play it straight." He shot her a sideways glance and a coy smirk. "I was wonderin' what was up with that look you have him earlier today. I-I mean me...gave me earlier."

Fluttershy stiffened up, her heart once more skipping a few beats. "The...uh...look? W-what look? I don't know what look you're talking about."

The farmer chuckled to himself. "If you say so. It's okay though, Fluttershy. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. But, with all the time I've spent at the stand, week in and week out, seein' other ponies goin' about their day, well...I've seen ponies give each other that look a time or two here and there." A gentle hoof rested on hers. "But you can talk to me if there's...something on your mind."

She squeaked and quivered at the delightfully amazing touch. As if she wasn't having a hard enough time trying to be honest with him as well as herself. His other hoof turned her head to face him. Her eyes shrank at seeing his soft face.

"I've...never seen you so, err...s-say so much. A-all at once, I mean," Fluttershy mumbled, failing at her small talk.

"Believe it or not, I'm fairly well versed in it...among other things," Big Mac whispered with a wink.

Her heart wouldn't have been able to stop racing by now, no matter how hard she would have tried to curtail it.

The big red stallion cleared his throat, blushed and turned aside briefly, his smile never leaving. "I'll be honest–"

"Like Applejack!" the mare blurted, only to bite her lip. "S-sorry, continue."

Her outburst startled Big Mac briefly, but he got over it quick enough. "Heh, yeah, like my sister. Anyway, I-I can't really deny that, err...I might have occasionally snuck a peek or two your way too. Just n-never really knew how to...how to say what I've felt for a while now. Been tryin' to put the words together for a while now and...heh, guess I'm still fumblin' my way through 'em a bit."

She clutched the hoof he had taken from her face. His nervousness was strangely relaxing her instead of worsening things. With all the times she had felt uncomfortable and afraid – including only a moment ago – to see someone else troubled over something they should be happy about was something she wasn't going to stand for. One way or another, she'd help him pick himself up. Plus, she found his familiar awkwardness rather charming. "I think you're doing just fine," she giggled. "A-are you saying that you'd, um...uh...y'know..."

He nodded, happy that everything seemed to finally be out on the table. "What about you? Would you ever want to...I don't know, do somethin' some time?"

"Y-yes. I'd like that very much!"

"Well, alright! How's about I stop by tomorrow and we go get some lunch, maybe spend the afternoon together?"

"Sure, I'd love that! But, um...what about your responsibilities at Sweet Apple Acres? Won't Applejack be upset?"

Big Mac waved dismissively, chortling. "Naw, we're, uh...actually a bit ahead of schedule with the harvestin' and all. Besides, it's a big farm and she can't keep an eye on me twenty-four hours a day. But, for now, what do you say we keep this between us just so we don't accidentally get on her bad side?" he suggested, nudging her gently. "Who knows? Bein' all secretive-like could be kind of fun!"

Fluttershy snickered behind a hoof. "I suppose it could be. I just hope you don't get in any kind of trouble."

"Don't you worry none about it. I'll be alright." The crimson behemoth hopped off the couch, ready to head back home. "Well, I've got a few things to do. I'm glad we had this chat."

The demure mare followed suit, seeing her wonderful visitor our. "Me too! You...y-you really have no idea how much I've been wanting to say to you what you've said to me tonight."

"I must admit I feel a little silly for takin' so long myself. I'll see you tomorrow, Fluttershy," he said, taking her hoof in his and giving it a soft kiss.

Her cheeks lit up again. "G-good night, Big Macintosh!"

Once her suitor was assumedly out of earshot, the typically quiet mare squealed with giddy excitement, hopping in place and spinning around like a school filly. Curious about the noise, Angel came out from his hiding spot and poked his head in. The atypical sight made him blink in disbelief; he had never seen his owner so boisterous.

She happened to notice him out of the corner of her eye and scooped him into the air with her, very nearly hitting their heads on the ceiling. "Oh, Angel! Can you believe he actually asked me out?! Ohh, I'm so excited! I know things are going to work out with Big Macintosh! I just know it!"

As she practically crushed her furry friend in a bear-hug, Angel worriedly glanced over at the door, thinking of who had just walked through it a moment ago.

-----

As first dates went, things were relatively smooth. The only trouble the couple seemed to have was at the very start when Fluttershy's animals threw a fit when Big Mac entered the domicile and later again when he dropped her off. Over the next two weeks, the pair saw each other more and more frequently, each time during the day when Applejack would be too busy to notice her older brother was gone, each time a simple, traditional outing consisting of relaxing in a quiet part of town by their lonesome and enjoying the sun or having a private picnic...and each time with a group of furious critters making things difficult from the get-go.

After a while, the only other thing that calmed them down besides Fluttershy scolding them was Big Mac glaring ferociously at them – except when his date may have been able to catch him doing so. Any complaints her furry friends directed her way fell on deaf ears. They usually ranged from the stallion having an unusual odor to terrifying, whispered growls rolling from his mouth. Being lovestruck and not spending quite as much time with her tiny friends as she usually did, Fluttershy dismissed it all as acts of jealousy. She wanted to spend more time with them, sure, but why couldn't they just be happy for her? For once, it was her heart that was fluttering and not simply her name. Besides, she always made sure to leave food out for them if she was going to be gone half the day. What more did they want?!

They once more went out of their way to inform her that weekend what exactly it was that they wanted – for her to listen to them that something was off about her sweetheart. More nonsense, especially considering he worked with critters of his own for years and they never had any issues with him! She knew it to be the case, too! She had been over to Sweet Apple Acres plenty of times, but it was only her fuzzy friends who had any problem with Big Mac!

Enough was enough.

Saturday, in the late afternoon, the happy couple returned to her cottage home from another magical day to an eruption of shrieks, chirps and hisses. This time, Fluttershy was the one growling, silencing their hysteria in a second. "Alright, this has got to stop!" She turned and whispered in Big Mac's ear. "Hon, could you wait outside for just a teensy minute?"

"Uh...s-sure."

Once the door was gently shut, she flew to the center of the living room and then off the handle, snarling through her teeth. "I cannot tell you all how sick and tired I am of this! Every single time Big Mac comes over, you go nuts and you can't even tell me what it is about him you don't like! Just what is the matter with you all?! He visited here before we started dating and you never said a word then! You know how sweet and kind and affectionate and important he is to me, and if you can't even pretend to be happy for me, then...then I want you to head outside until Big Mac goes home and leave us in peace! Not once has he been able to stay later after he drops me off here because of the way you're all acting! Well, I'm inviting him inside today and I'm not going to let you stop me from doing so! Understand?"

Left without a word to say, the tiny armada filed toward the back door through the kitchen with Fluttershy following in the air. She opened the door and pointed her hoof, kicking her furry friends out. As they filed out in front of her, most gave her confused or heartbroken side glances. A few tears of her own formed in her eyes, but she shook them off, choosing to remain as firm as she could.

Angel was the last one. He went to speak but didn't know what to say that could possibly make her change her mind. Instead, he kicked at the floor and stomped out. With the cottage all to herself – for the moment, at least – Fluttershy took a deep breath, gradually pushing back down the frustration she had felt. She wished there was another way to go about things, but the animals were being completely unreasonable and uncommunicative. They saw how nice he was to her and how happy she was at the end of their dates, right? How could they possibly be against that?! No, it was all in their heads.

Her dainty hooves touched down on the tile floor, and she trotted off to her front door. Her guest was still waiting patiently outside, his back to her as he quietly took in the surrounding fauna and brisk air. The door's creak gave Fluttershy away, and he spun around to look upon her face to face. She forgot any concerns she had about her critters in a second, melting at the sight of his soft emerald eyes.

"S-sorry about that," Fluttershy squeaked. "Would you like to...come in?"

"What about your little friends?"

Her ears sagged as she answered. "I asked them to leave."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I can head out if you prefer. I know it must've been hard on you."

"Yes. I-it was, but...well, I wanted to invite you in and...if they don't like that, then I'm sorry, but I think I should be allowed to spend some quality time at home with somepony I...I really care for, y'know?" She took a hoof of his in hers and led her big, muscular guest inside, locking the door behind him.

A warm smile was his reply. Fluttershy could feel her cheeks turning red and hid behind her mane, hiding her own grin. Big Mac led the timid mare by the very same hoof over to the couch. They leaned back and got comfortable together with the stallion wrapping a foreleg around her and the pegasus snuggling up against his chest. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so blissfully content.

"Wish I could help you somehow with your animals," Big Mac said. "I work with plenty of animals and I know how they can be sometimes. You introduce a newcomer and they sometimes get all defensive – like they feel as if their home is being invaded or somethin'. It sometimes takes a little while, but they always get over it in time. Maybe that's just what's goin' on here."

"I hope that's all it is. I just wish they could see in you what I do."

The farm pony shrugged. "I'm sure deep down they do. Just be patient with them like you always are. They'll come around."

Fluttershy closed her eyes and sighed into his coat. His hoof delicately caressed her shoulder as they simply enjoyed each other's quiet company for a little while. She could feel his heart beating in his chest, and for a moment she could swear it was matching hers. She looked up at Big Macintosh, and, feeling her movement, he gazed down at her. Her longing aquamarine eyes made him giggle.

"What?"

Fighting her nerves, she leaned in and softly pecked him on the cheek. They quickly found themselves staring wantonly into each other's eyes. Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, Big Mac slowly closed in on her lips, his forelimb ever so slightly pulling her into his chest. An electric wave of passion coursed through her body as they finally kissed. She wrapped her forelegs around his broad neck, not wanting for the amazing moment to end. Big Mac felt her wings slowly extending as his hooves stroked and caressed her back, their breaths becoming increasingly heavy together.

Taking charge, the big red stallion laid her on her back, breaking away from her lips and tracing a path up and down her slender neck, occasionally nibbling at a sweet spot or two. She winced but not in pain. Behind closed lids, her eyes curled as a strong, free hoof found its way down her waist, across her cutie mark and back to its starting point. Her legs clenched just a touch, feeling something in particular she knew wasn't a leg brush against her, and Big Mac's wandering hoof eventually made landfall curled up together in hers. Their lips reconnected, and she felt as if she was about to explode.

Suddenly, the stallion pulled away, noticeably short of breath. "I just wanted to be sure if this was...somethin' you wanted to do. I know we haven't exactly been seein' each other terribly long and all. Only if you're comfortable, y'know?"

She glanced down for a second, panting heavily and spotting how ready Big Mac was. A sure nod was all she needed to give him.

As he took her there on the couch, a handful of worried birds, squirrels and mice, led by Angel, were peeking in through one of the windows near the front door. Unsure what to do anymore, and not wanting to be chastised by Fluttershy again by interrupting her, they gradually dispersed with the rabbit biting his lip as he let eventually them be. It was nothing they wanted to see anyway.

Comments

[Hillbe]

Oh poop!

I what?
you heard me!

Rarity?
no Spike!
please?

[ReturnoftheMac]

"Uh...s-sure."

That's a red flag Fluttershy.

[SFaccountant]

Damn, these changelings are SMOOTH.
And meanwhile, Mac is slaving away on the farm, oblivious and lonely. *Sigh* What cruelty!