Caring For A Certain Stallion

by runeplay2

Chapter 5

An hour ago, Fluttershy thought she would be several miles away by now.
A day ago, she was lying in the bed adjacent to Big Macintosh’s, unable to take her eyes off of him.
Four days ago, they didn’t even share ten words at a time.
Four days ago, she would have given anything to spend more time with him.

Now, here she was, a fully grown mare, bawling her eyes out over a stallion she hadn’t spent more than an hour with, and yet somehow managed to put him in a coma. She wasn’t really sure what would make her feel much better- but right now, crying felt pretty damn good.

“Listen…” Rainbow Dash began when her friend’s sobs—and her own—began to slow down.

“I know what it’s like—to blame yourself, to know that it’s your fault—and have everypony around you tell you it isn’t.”

“But,” Fluttershy choked out, “If- If I hadn’t been pulling that cart—“

“If he hadn’t saved you,” Rainbow interrupted, “You’d be dead.”

As that realization was brought to Fluttershy’s attention, she felt another wave of tears coming up.

“How... how do you deal with it?”

“The pain of feeling it’s your fault?” Rainbow shook her head, knowing that the answer wasn’t an easy one to hear.

“That pain doesn’t go away. It’ll get better, but it won’t go away. The best thing you can do is be there for them.”

Fluttershy blinked her confusion, unsure of who Rainbow could have been talking about—as far as she knew, Rainbow hadn’t ever hurt anypony.

“It’ll make you both feel better, trust me.”

Fluttershy began scuffing the floor with her hoof, pondering who it was Rainbow was referring to.

“What?” Rainbow prompted with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Who was it, that you…” Fluttershy trailed off, unsure of how to word the question before it began in her mouth.
“You.” Rainbow answered as though it was as plain as her prismatic mane.
“But-“ Fluttershy stuttered, taken aback by Rainbow’s response.
“After you disappeared from flight camp, I freaked out. I looked all over the place, trying to find you, and when I heard you singing, you sounded like you couldn’t be happier that you weren’t around me anymore.”
“Rainbow, you know I would never say that about you!”
“Yeah,” She nervously chuckled, suddenly deciding that now was a good time to inspect the floor again.
“But, I guess that sorta makes my point—even if you think the other person is mad at you, they could be really missing you.”
“I guess you’re right…”
“Then what are you waiting for?” Rainbow prompted by Fluttershy towards the door.
“What about Applejack? I can’t just trot back in there and expect her to not be mad at me for the note…”
“I’ll deal with her.”
“But I—“
“You can talk to her later, but right now I think you need to tell ‘Mac what you’re thinking.”
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“Of all the--” Applejack cut herself off, and began rushing out the door to chase after Fluttershy...
Only to crash into her on the way out of the room.
“Listen, Ah’m terribly sorry, but Ah need ta go find my friend ‘fore she—“
It took more than a few seconds for Applejack’s mind to fully catch up to the situation.
“Ya came back…?”
With her words catching in her throat, Fluttershy managed only a small nod.
“Ah don’ know what you were thinkin’,” Applejack shook her head, and gave her friend a quick embrace, “but it’s just good you’re back.”
She returned the hug, honestly unsure of what she could really say.
“Listen, Ah was really only goin’ ta be here for a few minutes anyway, and now the Apple Stand is callin’. You okay with that, sugarcube?”
“Yes, I’d like to be with him—alone—if that’s okay with you.”
“Like ya need ta ask?”
Nodding her thanks, Fluttershy slipped into Big Macintosh’s room, greeted by the heart monitor again.
“Hey…” She knew he wouldn’t hear her, but it felt good just to give some form of a greeting. She trot over to the seat next to his bed, never taking her eyes off of him.
As she sat twiddling her hooves, attempting to come up with something to say, she noticed how much larger his hoof was than hers. It was so large, she tentatively placed her hoof into his sole to see if it would fit…
As she slid her hoof in, she could almost feel his close in around hers.
“Big Macintosh, I’m so sorry. I thought I could run away from my problems, that nopony would forgive me…”
His face remained as flat as ever, with only a slight twitch in his eye.
“Rainbow helped me realize that I really couldn’t—and that it can hurt the other pony even more.”
She thought she heard his heart monitor speed up, but brushed it off as her imagination.
“If there’s anything I can do to help you, when you wake up, I’ll do it.”
She tried pulling her hoof away to walk off, to find that it had migrated to his chest with his hoof, and was joined by his other.
“How ‘bout you start by smilin’ a bit more?”

Comments

[BobtheLurker]

So glad you updated this! but that cliffhanger!!!

[OmniFox]

If she kiss him then thte heart monitor would bebebebebebebebebebebe!!!!!

[runeplay2]

1384084
Sorry about that; I am addicted to them. Once the story moves into their dates and such, their will be alot fewer. (That, and this chapter has been driving me insane.)

[runeplay2]

Woooooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooooo! NOTHER DOWN VOTE WITH ABSOLUTELY NO COMMENT AS PER WHY! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Starfall]

One typo I noticed - 'She trot over to the seat' instead of 'trotted'. Otherwise, pretty good.