The voice of a shy pegasus could be heard ringing through the forest as the little filly galloped along the path, with various little animals running behind her, giving a playful chase.
The trees above were gently wafting in the breeze, making her giggle joyfully as fallen leaves brushed against her cheek.
The dirt road she galloped on was marked with her hoofprints, and she loved the feeling; clouds were soft and comfy for sure, but this was a whole new feeling. A whole new experience.
And the wonderful smell of nature; she loved every breath of it.
"A-all the flowers... all the creatures... all this wonderful scenery!" the timid pony cheered as she moved her head left to right, trying as hard as she could to take everything in.
"Just... just everything! I love it all!"
She giggled again as she lightly hopped in the air, then slowed to a trot as she began to regain her composure, the animals adjusting their speed to match hers.
After stopping, she turned to them, then smiled and bent down, nuzzling a few bunnies and squirrels that were close to her.
"Thank you for the lovely time little ones, but I better go now," she told them; she knew full-well that she had no chance of flying all the way back home, but she wouldn't want to burden the sweet creatures with her troubles.
The animals seemed rather saddened by her response, but accepted it nonetheless and hopped away.
Waiting until they were all out of sight, the pegasus then sighed unhappily. Truthfully, while she loved the scenery and smell of this new place, it was a complete enigma to her, and she had no idea what to do next.
"I wonder if there are any pegasi around who could take me back," she muttered as she slowly walked ahead.
...I don't want to go back though.
Freezing in place, the yellow filly was quickly taken back by her own thoughts.
This place was beautiful... serene... and no bullies as far as the eye could see. Of course she wouldn't want to go back.
But... would staying really be the right thing to do?
Mmm, I don't know...
The conflicted pegasus lowered her head as she continued on the path.
I got my cutie mark here. Does that mean that I'm where I belong?
Slowly becoming lost in her own thoughts, she began to drift away from the dirt path, completely unaware that she was even doing so.
I wonder if there are even other ponies down here. Those furry little critters are nice, but it'd be really nice to meet a pony who--
THUMP
"Umpf!"
As if the world had been listening, she suddenly found that she had walked right into something; or, more specifically, somepony.
Quickly realizing the fact, her wings shot up as she nervously backed away from him.
"U-um, I-I'm so so sorry mister, I--" She paused as she took in his full appearance.
He was a young colt, with a crimson coat and orange mane. His eyes were gentle, yet playful; unlike the bullies back in Cloudsdale.
Although, she wondered more about his lack of wings. Were there more ponies in this place, and did they all lack a pair of wings?
Getting back to his appearance though, he was roughly around her height, so he wasn't at all intimidating to the average pony.
However, she wasn't the average pony, and shyly hid her face behind her long pink mane as she continued to back away.
"I-if I intruded at all on your property, I'm terribly sorry. It's just that--"
"Don't worry about it miss."
"...E-excuse me?"
She slowly looked over to the young colt, surprised by the tone in his voice. It was one she rarely heard, being very kind and gentle; not hostile or teasing in the slightest.
"It's alright. Ain't mah property anyways," he responded. "Ah was just passin' on by."
"...o-oh!" The shy pegasus smiled softly as she heard that; good, so she wasn't doing anything bad.
"So... are ya lost?" he asked, quickly changing the topic as his expression changed to one of concern.
"L-lost?" she repeated, having almost forgotten her situation for a moment.
The colt directed a hoof to her back and nodded. "Ya got wings there. Ain't ever seen a pony with wings around here. A pony with wings... is a... a pega..." He paused, then seemed to explore his mind for the correct term. "...pegasi, right? Don't your kind live up in the clouds?" he asked.
"P-pegasus." she corrected with a small nod. "And... well... yes; I am lost." Pointing a hoof up at the sky, she looked around with great uncertainty. "I lived up in Cloudsdale, but..." She frowned, seeing no sign of her former home. "I can't even see it anymore."
The colt looked up with her, then smiled softly and placed a reassuring hoof on her back.
This startled her though, and her right wing went flying up at his face.
"Oof!"
The yellow pegasus turned and gasped as the crimson colt rubbed his snout. "O-oh my gosh. Are you alright?"
After a short pause, the colt simply giggled, removing his hoof from his face and smiling at her. "Ah'm fine. Didn't mean to scare ya," he replied.
She nodded, then couldn't help giggling along with him. A colt had never treated her this way before. She felt... safe? She didn't know how to explain it, but the butterflies in her stomach told her not to worry about it.
And speaking of stomach...
"O-oh!" The pegasus blushed in embarrassment as her stomach rumbled with hunger. "U-uh..."
The colt stared her down, then smiled again and looked around at the trees above. Walking over to one, the filly looked on curiously as he propped himself up on his front hooves.
"U-um... w-what are you-" She was quickly interrupted as the colt kicked at the tree with his hind legs, causing it to shake and rattle from the force.
A small red object then fell from it, landing right in front of the starving pegasus.
"There ya go, miss," The colt told her as he nudged the apple towards her with his snout.
"...Food?" she questioned as she picked up the foreign item, examining it with curiosity.
"You ain't got apple trees in those clouds?" he asked in reply, blinking in obliviousness.
"W-well... I've read about them before, but I've never..."
After a short pause, the yellow filly sniffed the small fruit, then bit into it, being quickly overcome by its sweet taste.
"Mmm! They're so delicious! Thank you!" she said between bites.
The colt smiled in satisfaction, happy to have pleased her, then sat down and leaned against the tree behind him. "Ah wouldn't wanna go back to a place with no apple trees if I were you," he told her. "Ah'd miss 'em too much."
The pegasus giggled a bit; a colt with a sense of humor and a kind personality? Hard to find in Cloudsdale, if not impossible.
"I can see why. They're tasty," she agreed, walking up and sitting next to him.
The colt nodded, then looked away as a cold silence suddenly followed.
The young filly took the opportunity to stare at him; it may have been a bit impolite to do so, but she was rather fascinated with him.
The way his mane and tail were made them look rather unkempt, but she couldn't imagine it being all fancied up; it wouldn't suit him.
His scent was that of the apple she had eaten, along with the smell of hard work... whatever that smelt like.
And she loved it, almost wanting to bury her little snout right into his crimson coat.
But of course, this was not the right time or place.
She swallowed sheepishly. "...F-Fluttershy."
"Hm?"
The colt looked back to her and raised a brow. THAT certainly came out of nowhere.
"...M-my name... it's Fluttershy," she replied softly, her voice suddenly going quiet.
"Ohhh," he said, nodding. "Ah'm--"
"MACINTOSH!"
The two young ponies jumped up as a loud voice suddenly rang through the forest, scaring a few birds out of the trees above.
"A-AH'M COMIN', GRANNY!" the colt called back, blushing a bit in embarrassment.
"...Macintosh?" Fluttershy asked, wanting to confirm.
"E-eeyup," he replied, looking over at her with a nervous expression.
"...Eeyup?" she repeated. After a short pause, she giggled.
That's so cute!
Looking back to the colt though, she frowned as she noticed his embarrassment at her giggle. "O-oh! I-I'm sorry! I-it's just..." She took a moment to pause, suddenly sharing his blush. "I-it's, er... cute. Y-you should say it more often," she told him.
Macintosh simply blinked at first, then smiled and got a little closer. "T-thank ya kindly, Fluttershy," he said, his voice quivering a bit from embarrassment; he never heard anyone call anything he said 'cute' before.
"MACINTOSH!"
The colt's ears sprang up as he turned towards the voice again.
"A-AH SAID AH'M C-COMIN'!"
After giving Fluttershy a small smile, he grabbed the apple core she had eaten from and galloped away.
Fluttershy simply stood there for a moment, then smiled and rested down against the tree she had been sitting against earlier. Yes, she was still facing the conflict of going home, but her meeting with the kind colt had soothed her soul quite a lot.
I-it's good to know that there's good ponies here.
Though... I... I wonder if I'll ever see him again...
And while Fluttershy hadn't forgotten it, she certainly had other things to take care of than searching for a stallion she only met for a few minutes.
"Alright, little ones. Eat up," she said softly, smiling to the squirrels below her, who happily ate at the nuts she left for them.
"Oh, and I can't forget about you two either."
"And you."
"And you as well."
"Oh, and the birds need to be fed to!"
"And then the mice have to be taken care of."
"I most certainly can't forget about the bunnies either..."
Fluttershy certainly had her hooves full, to say the least. She had dozens of animals living in and around her house.
She didn't mind though; taking care of them was her special talent, and she wouldn't have it any other way. No matter how hard it was, it was always worth it to see how happy all of the little critters were in the end.
And... well, it helped fill the void too.
Now, don't get her wrong; Fluttershy was in no way desperate for romance in her life. However, lately, she'd been feeling as though there was something... or rather, someone, missing.
That wasn't suggesting that she wanted just anypony to come along and sweep her off her hooves though.
Certainly not.
It had to be someone special. Somepony that could fill every hole in her heart.
...You're thinking about him again.
Fluttershy blushed in embarrassment as the dreaded inner voice came back to haunt her.
"I-I can't help it," she muttered, knowing full-well that she probably looked silly talking to herself.
It's just... he's the first pony I met when I first came to the ground. How could I just forget about him?
His crimson coat and orange mane...
That wonderful nature smell...
Those big green eyes...
His cute little accent...!
The yellow pegasus' face suddenly went red. Had she seriously just thought that?
S-slip of the tongue! ...E-er, mind, I suppose. I-I didn't mean it.
She smiled sheepishly and rubbed her snout, as if she were trying to wipe the denial off her face.
A voice managed to bring her out of her thoughts.
"Howdy!"
Fluttershy turned towards the voice and smiled as she saw its owner: Applejack.
"Applejack! Nice to see you!" she greeted happily, though with a bit of a nervous undertone.
Her accent sounds just like...
"Ah came to bring you your apples. Remember?" she asked, turning slightly so the yellow pegasus could view the bag of apples that was resting on the country pony's back.
"O-oh! Yes, thank you!"
Fluttershy slowly trotted over to the orange mare, then took the bag and tossed it around her own back, making sure that said-bag was secure before averting her full attention back onto her friend.
"Aw, it ain't no trouble. You're like family. Our apples are your apples," Applejack told her with a big grin.
Fluttershy nodded and smiled sheepishly, feeling overly honored for being considered 'family'.
Too overly honored actually. She had to do something in return.
"U-um... Applejack?"
"Yeah?"
"Would you... maybe... like to come in for some tea? As a thank-you?"
The orange mare scrunched up her snout for a second, as if contemplating the offer, then smiled nervously and placed her hat over her chest. "Mighty sorry, but ah can't. Big Macintosh needs help bucking all them apple trees today; he can't do it alone fer sure. 'Sides that, I'm late as it is," she explained.
"I-I see..." Fluttershy said softly, a bit disappointed that she couldn't repay her friend right away.
...Wait!
"...M-Macintosh?" she suddenly asked, her eyes widening as her wings became ruffled.
"Hmm?" Applejack questioned, tilting her head. "...Oh yeah, you know... mah big brother? Big Macintosh?"
"Big Macintosh..." Fluttershy repeated.
Applejack just blinked in response at the shy pegasus. She couldn't quite place it, but there was a sudden shift in Fluttershy's demeanor. Did she say something weird?
After a moment of silence, the yellow pegasus quickly turned and rushed to the door of her house, opening it and gently placing the bag of apples inside before closing it back up.
She then spun around and rushed past the orange mare, giving her a quick "T-thank you!" before heading into the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.
Applejack could only stare as her shy friend galloped off. That wasn't like Fluttershy at all.
Fluttershy nodded confidently as she trotted through the gate, looking around curiously as she attempted to spot the crimson stallion.
He probably looks about the same, so I don't think there's too much to worry about, but--
The pegasus suddenly halted her thoughts, stopping her trot as she wondered...
Just what was she doing?
Here she was, at her friend's farm, looking for somepony that she saw years ago, and for only a few minutes at that.
So what did she plan to say to the stallion?
How did she intend to bring up conversation?
Where did she even intend to go with it after that?
And why...
WHY
Did she want so badly to see him again that she just left Applejack, who was probably wondering why the heck her shy friend just galloped away, alone at her cottage?
"...I don't know." was all she could muster as an answer.
And it answered next to nothing about what she was questioning.
Her body pushed forward anyway though, despite her mind starting to slowly fill with doubt.
Would he remember me?
Will he recognize me?
How do I approach him?
...Is he going to be any different?
The shy pegasus stopped for a moment to giggle. "Of course not."
What a ridiculous question that was.
"He's the nicest pony I've ever met. There's no way that he could just... change."
Now filled with a little more assurance, she trotted along into the orchard of apple trees, now with a little spring in her step.
Truthfully, she knew that he probably wouldn't be very hard to find; Applejack had said that she was going to help him buck the apple trees, so all she would have to do is find the trees with no apples in them. If she followed the path of them, he'd probably be around the end of it, right?
Right...
Fluttershy then stopped as she approached the first empty tree, being impressed that every single apple had fallen from it, yet all the leaves were somehow still up there. Was there an art to this thing; giving enough force to make the apples fall, but holding back enough so that the leaves would stay on? She wasn't sure, but she knew that she didn't have time to dwell on it, so she just made a mental note to ask Applejack whenever she saw her again.
Turning her attention downwards to check for hoofprints, she then took notice of the apples on the ground. Had Macintosh... er... Big Macintosh (as Applejack called him), forgotten them?
At a closer look though, she noticed that part of the apple seemed to be rather rotten, and... was that a bite mark? It was only enough of a bite to leave an indent, but still.
There were others around too; all rotten and bitten into.
So she wondered...
Did he... take a small bite out of it to let anypony know that it was rotten, and not meant to be picked up or eaten?
I mean, sure, he could've crushed it, but that would've been so hard to clean up afterwards.
...How clever of him.
Smiling a bit to herself at the revelation, Fluttershy then went back to her 'mission': finding this kind and apparently-intelligent stallion that she had come to search for in the first place.
Though, once again, her mind began to drift as she trotted along; this time however, she was careful not to let it wander too far, like it had done years ago.
Big Macintosh.
...Big Macintosh...
She had to repeat it to herself to get it through her head. Big Macintosh? He hadn't been called that when she met him.
Was he overweight? ...No, it'd be cruel to nickname someone because of that.
Was it clever word-play somehow? Maybe an inside joke that only the family knew off? ...Possible, but not likely. What would the joke even be anyway; that the mcintosh apples on the farm were somehow bigger than all the other apples?
He was around her height when she met him, and stallions were meant to be a bit taller than mares. Maybe he never grew much and it was one of those ironic jokes? ...Perhaps.
She tried to ignore such intriguing questions, but it was hard not to. She was curious about the stallion, to put it lightly.
However, it didn't really matter to her if he was overweight or short; looks were just something that came with the package, right?
Eventually directing her focus back onto her quest, she then wondered about how long she had been walking, still not seeing the crimson earth pony anywhere.
Thirty minutes maybe? The orchard was huge, so she wouldn't put it aside as an impossibility; though, it didn't really matter that much. Her animals wouldn't be hungry for a while now, and her hooves were running on the power-of-curiosity, so they'd probably never get exhausted.
She then considered flying up into the sky to look for the crimson stallion, but put that thought aside almost instantly.
See, Fluttershy wasn't what you'd call a 'good flyer'. It wasn't because her wings weren't strong, oh no; if she was determined enough, she could fly pretty darn fast.
The problem lied with her state of mind. Flying way-up-high made her feel... big... like she towered over everything. She didn't like that.
Then again, she couldn't stand feeling too small either. Fear would always overwhelm the shy pegasus whenever she was like that.
Especially when she ran into anypony who was taller than-
THUMP
"Umpf!"
...her?
Fluttershy blinked for a moment, staring directly at the chest of the pony that she had bumped into...
...then quickly freaking out.
"U-um, I-I'm so sorry!" Backing away with great haste, she quickly glanced downwards, feeling the gaze of the crimson pony on her.
"I-I was just-"
...Wait, crimson?
The yellow pegasus eyed the earth pony's legs; tan hooves, just like...
"I-I was just..." her voice trailed off again.
"...Fluttershy?"
The yellow mare shuddered slightly at the mention of her name. That voice... it was different, yes, but still...
H-he's here... h-he remembers me!
Her heart leapt somewhat; though whether from excitement or fear, she didn't know.
"M-Macintosh?" she asked. After taking a moment though, she quickly corrected herself. "I-I mean... B-Big Macintosh?"
N-now I get why he's called that... a-and... h-he certainly lives up to his name...
A deep chuckle came from the stallion.
"Eeyup."
Fluttershy couldn't help but smile slightly at his response, despite her sudden fear of him. He certainly kept that cute accent.
...But why did he have to be so... big?
She shuddered again under his stare. They were eye-level when they were younger, but now...
"Hungry?"
"H-huh?" the yellow pegasus asked, her gaze never leaving the ground.
Big Macintosh didn't respond; instead choosing to kick the tree beside him, which caused an apple to fall from it.
"Eat up; we got plenty."
Fluttershy simply stared for a moment, then shyly went up to it.
"U-um...thank you," she said, sitting down before picking it up and biting into it.
She had meant to eat one of the apples that Applejack had given her earlier, but her stomach was left forgotten at the mention of Big Macintosh's name.
"...Guess we gotta stop meetin' up like this, huh?" he asked with a grin, though Fluttershy couldn't see, still hiding her face behind her mane; she managed a giggle though.
"G-guess so!" she replied nervously, shifting her hooves about and fiddling with the apple she held.
She began to get rather frustrated with herself at that point.
She had met this stallion before with no problems, so what was the big deal now?
...She knew the answer though. He was bigger now... much bigger, easily towering over her; that was scary.
She was calm along with nervous though; His gentle voice, though deeper now, still sends shivers up her spine and made her heart... well, flutter, appropriately.
She wished that it wasn't such a big issue, but it was something she couldn't help.
And suddenly, she was growing a deep dislike for butterflies; specifically the ones that were making a home in her stomach.
"So, what're ya doing here?" asked the source of her mixed emotions.
"O-oh, um..." Fluttershy blushed pink as she remembered her reasoning; it sounded so... desperate.
"I-I was... j-just..." Just say something Fluttershy, come on! It doesn't have to be the truth!
"..."
"...p-passing by," she lied.
At least now she knew why she wasn't the Element of Honesty.
"Yeah? Odd that ya found me then," The stallion muttered. "Rare to run into anypony in this big orchard."
"W-well... I-I..." The mare quickly lowered her voice as she continued. "...I was kinda looking for you too, s-so..."
There was a small silence, but it was quickly broken by the sound of nervous hooves shifting against the ground.
"...Yeah?" he repeated, though his voice was somewhat shakier.
"M-mmhm..." she mumbled, nodding her head.
"...A-ah see..."
"..." She felt a presence next to her and quickly assumed that the earth pony had taken a seat beside her.
"...After all this time?"
"...y-yes..." This is so embarrassing!
"...Well... good to see ya again. I was always wonderin' if you were alright."
"Y-you were?" Fluttershy was suddenly thankful that her mane hid her face; the last thing she needed was for Big Macintosh to question her red cheeks.
"A'course. Ah never saw ya again... got worried." The tone he had implied that he was rather embarrassed to say so, but she didn't seem to notice.
"...I-I see. Well, at least you know now."
"Ya made it back home?"
"...Yes... no... kinda..."
Sensing the stallion's confusion, she patted at the ground with a hoof and continued.
"This is my home now."
Big Macintosh paused to think over her words, then smirked a bit. "And what a mighty fine home it is."
Fluttershy smiled at his statement as she paused awkwardly, then went to say something when-
"THERE YA ARE!"
The crimson stallion quickly scrambled to his hooves as Applejack came into view, looking rather annoyed.
"So ah come back to help ya applebuck like always, and what do ah find? You sittin' here talkin' to-" She paused as she tilted her head to Fluttershy.
After taking in the sight of the yellow mare, she raised a brow with the look of 'oh, so this is where you went.'
"...mah friend... Fluttershy?"
Big Macintosh nervously looked between the two, rubbing the back of his head uncomfortably. "A-ah'm sorry, sis. Lost track o' time ah guess."
Applejack gave him a bit of a glare at first, then sighed and shrugged off her anger, knowing that she couldn't stay mad at him forever; they were family after all. "Alright then. Ah'll let ya off easy this time. But c'mon; we're behind schedule."
The two then took off, leaving the shy pegasus to nervously prod at the apple core in her hooves.
Fluttershy thought as she sat near the edge of the fence at Sweet Apple Acres.
She had already gone back home and fed her animals through the day; it was afternoon, so now...
She just had to wait.
As she did however, she continued to wonder about why she was doing this in the first place.
But... she had asked that question so many times before that she had downright given up trying to figure it out, accepting that she'll probably never know the answer.
"That was good work today, big bro."
Fluttershy's ears perked up as she heard her friend's voice ring through the orchard. Looking closely, she saw Applejack come out from behind the trees, followed by Big Macintosh.
"Y'know... 'cept for your little bit o' slackin'," the orange mare added with a sly smirk, making her big brother blush pink.
"A-ah told ya, sis; ah'm sorry!" he said.
Applejack just snickered, then felt eyes on her that were not her brother's and turned, taking notice of Fluttershy.
The yellow pegasus jumped a bit at being suddenly noticed, but still tried to stay calm, giving Applejack a backwards tilt of the head to signal 'come here'.
The orange mare stared over at her friend for a moment, then looked back at Big Macintosh and smiled. "You go in an' tell Granny Smith that we're all done here. Ah'll be in later," she told him.
The crimson stallion gazed at his sister in confusion for a moment, then followed her earlier gaze to see Fluttershy, who was nervously patting at the dirt road with her front hooves.
His eyes flashed a foreign emotion for a moment that Applejack failed to make out, but it vanished as he nodded to his sister and walked off.
Fluttershy then looked up at her friend as the brown-hatted earth pony trotted up to her. "Alright, sugarcube. What's the trouble?" said-friend asked, taking a seat to give her pal a feeling of assurance.
"Ah... well..." The shy pegasus looked back to the ground again, almost forgetting what she had planned to say.
"...Could you... tell me a bit about... your brother?"
Applejack blinked in response. Her brother? "Big Macintosh? Why ya wanna know?" she asked.
"U-um, I just..." Fluttershy nervously twiddled her hooves as she spoke.
"...wanna be sure of something."
"..."
Looking over at the orange mare's face, she noticed Applejack's expression; her snout was scrunched up a bit, and she was giving her a soft glare, as if she was trying to figure something out.
"...A-Applejack? You okay?"
"Huh?"
The confused earth pony blinked for a moment, then simply smiled.
"A-ah, yeah, sure. Ah guess I could tell ya what I know; ain't much to tell though."
"Oh... tell me anyway?"
Applejack shrugged, then shifted positions and leaned back against the fence.
"Anythin' specific?"
"Um... his... personality?"
The orange mare took a moment to think, then tipped her hat over her face as she relaxed.
"Well...to start off, he's a pretty easy-goin' kind of stallion; doesn't get angry much."
Fluttershy nodded swiftly to let Applejack know that she was listening, almost leaning in as she continued.
"And tho' he might not look it, he's actually pretty smart n' clever."
I could tell.
"He's also kinda shy too though, so most ponies never learn that, since he doesn't talk much."
Him? Shy...?
"Not only that, but he's a super hard-worker; determined too. He'll do anythin' for the family."
Fluttershy couldn't help but blush a bit as Applejack continued. The words were putting so much warmth into her somehow.
But... she quickly noticed how her friend was no longer talking.
"I-is..is that all?" she asked, somewhat disappointed. She could've listened to her talk about her brother for days.
"All?" Applejack asked, feeling as though she said enough. There wasn't much else to tell... except...
"...Well..." She then sat up, darting her head left to right. Afterwards, she grinned slyly and leaned over to the blushing pegasus.
"Ya didn't hear it from me, but..." The orange mare playfully jabbed Fluttershy's shoulder and giggled.
"He really likes cute things."
"Cute... things?" Fluttershy giggled as well. She certainly hadn't know that.
How wonderful!
"Now it's your turn to tell me somethin'," Applejack told her, interrupting the yellow mare's thoughts.
"O-oh... yes?" she asked, blinking a bit in obliviousness. What could her friend possibly want to know?
"Why're you so curious about mah brother all of a sudden?" the orange earth pony asked, raising a brow as she put her hat back at its original angle.
"O-oh! Um..."
Out of all the questions you could've asked...
"W-well... I-I kind of wanted to talk with him, b-but..."
Oh, just say it Fluttershy!
"...I-I'm afraid of him!"
Applejack reeled back a bit at the yellow pegasus' outburst. "B-beg your pardon?"
"I-I mean, I don't mean to, really! I met him back when I was a filly, and he wasn't scary then, but..."
She shivered slightly as she blushed red from embarrassment.
"H-he's so big now! I can't look up at other ponies' faces! It's just so..."
She paused for a moment to regain a bit of her composure.
"...f-frightening..."
There was no response; only the sound of Applejack standing up and shifting her hat.
"I-I'm sorry. I don't want to be scared of him, I-" The yellow mare paused as she felt a weight on her head.
"Applejack...?"
"Look up, sugarcube."
Doing as her friend said, Fluttershy quickly noticed that the sight of Applejack's face was blocked by the brown hat that was placed on her head.
"...Y-your hat...?"
"You won't have to worry about seein' his face by accident with that on."
"Oh? ...O-oh! T-thank you!" Now filled with a bit of confidence, she stood up and adjusted the hat to a comfortable position, then smiled at her friend. "This'll help! For sure!"
Applejack smiled back at her, then patted the ground. "Now, stay right here, alright? Ah'll go get 'im."
Not even giving Fluttershy a moment to respond, she promptly galloped off towards the barn.
"H-hey, wait!" the yellow pegasus called out, but it was too late; her friend was already gone, and she no idea what she was going to say when Big Macintosh came out.
Fluttershy jumped up as she noticed the barn door open.
I-is that him? Wait! I'm not ready!
Alas, her hopes were ignored as Big Macintosh stepped out, looking around with a curious and confused expression. When he spotted her though, he smiled and trotted over.
"Howdy again," he greeted, flashing a grin that was blocked by the brown hat.
"...H-hi," she said softly, her cheeks suddenly feeling warm.
Don't mess it up now, Fluttershy!
Despite her thinking that, there was just a dead silence at first; neither really knowing what to say.
After a moment though, Big Macintosh nervously spoke up.
"...So? Applejack said that ya wanted to see me?" he asked hesitantly.
Eep! S-she actually told him that?
"U-um... yes. I wanted to... talk?" she responded shyly. "...and... you know... walk?" she then added, hoping that he would get her meaning.
"U-uh..."
"I-I mean, it's okay if you don't want to. I just thought-"
"O-oh no, Miss Fluttershy! A-ah'd love to, really!"
The yellow pegasus blinked in response.
...Miss?
"...Y-yeah? T-that's great! So..."
She paused as she realized; where were they meant to go? She hadn't planned that out either...
"We could take a walk through the orchard if ya like. It gets real nice around sunset," Big Macintosh suggested.
Fluttershy replied with a simple nod. That was perfect.
Quiet.
Serene.
Romanti-
She froze from her thoughts once more, then blushed red as she shyly followed the crimson stallion into the orchard.
At least I didn't say that out loud...
"...speakin' of Applejack..." Big Macintosh began, referring to his earlier question. "Ah see that you're wearin' her hat."
The yellow pegasus tried her best to contain a gasp, her mind instantly racing to come up with an excuse.
Come on, Fluttershy. THINK!
"U-um... y-yes. She... let me borrow it."
The crimson stallion's confusion wasn't hard to sense; why would Applejack give Fluttershy her hat?
However, luckily for Fluttershy, he wasn't one to pry; that'd be rude.
"Ah, alright. Ah see." he told her, though the uncertainty in his tone was easy to detect.
"..."
"So, ya take care of animals?" he suddenly questioned, wanting to break the tension.
S-straight into another conversation, huh?
"Did... did Applejack tell you that?"
"Eeyup. Right before ah left to come see ya."
"O-oh. Well... yes, I do. I take care of all sorts of little critters. Bunnies, birds, squirrels; it's my special talent."
"..."
"...Y-you know..."
"?"
"You're... always welcome to come by and see them if you want."
She heard the crimson stallion let out a grunt of surprise, then quickly tried to correct herself, realizing how her sentence sounded.
"W-well, I mean... you and the rest of the Apple Family! Y-you're all related to my friend Applejack after all, s-so any relative to her is a friend of mine too! Eheh..."
It was unfortunate that the yellow pegasus feared seeing Big Macintosh's face; she would've seen it tinted pink.
"A-ah see. Thanks."
"Y-yeah, of course. So..." she paused for a moment and stared down at the ground, trying to think of a new topic.
"So...?" the crimson stallion questioned, wondering what was on her mind.
W-why is this so hard...?
"S-so... what else did Applejack tell you?"
"Mmm..." he took a second to remember the conversation, then gave her a small smile. "Nothin' that ah didn't already know."
W-what's that supposed to mean?
"Here we are."
"H-huh?" Fluttershy asked, stopping to look around, wondering exactly where 'here' was; she hadn't been paying much attention to where they were going.
"The end of the orchard," Big Macintosh explained, pointing a hoof towards a cliff in the distance. "Perfect fer watchin' the sky."
"Y-yeah, I can tell," the bewildered pegasus muttered, trotting over to the edge of the cliff and looking up at the array of colors. "It's beautiful..."
"Eeyup."
Fluttershy attempted to contain a giggle, then looked over in curiosity as the crimson stallion took a seat next to her; she shyly averted her gaze away though, blushing slightly at how close he was.
"Take a seat, Miss Fluttershy."
The yellow pegasus, though nervous, nodded in reply and sat down as well.
Then, after a long silence, she built up a little courage and looked over to the crimson stallion; not directly up at his face, however.
"U-um... Big Macintosh?"
"Hmm?"
"I-if I may be so bold to ask... why the 'miss'? Y-you can just call me 'Fluttershy' if you like." she told him, shyly batting at her pink mane with one of her front hooves.
"Ahm..." A small grumble came from the stallion's mouth, as if to say 'I was really saying that?'.
"I-it's fine if you don't want to! I-I only wondered why-"
"Can ah call you 'Shy then?"
"..."
A sudden silence followed his question.
"...w-what?" Fluttershy asked softly, her eyes widening slightly as her cheeks went pink.
"...'Shy."
"U-um... y-you mean... like a nickname?"
"Mmhm," Big Macintosh replied uneasily.
"W-well... I-I suppose you could. I... I like it." The yellow mare nervously twiddled her hooves as the conversation went on; she hoped that he wouldn't notice her uneasiness.
However, he probably did, because he quickly responded.
"You could call me somethin' too... if ya want."
"I... I could?"
"...Only fair."
Fluttershy giggled a bit at his attempt to break the awkwardness.
Which was... actually working.
"I suppose so," she told him, putting a hoof to her cheek as she pondered. "...I could... call you Mac?"
...
The yellow pegasus began to grow uneasy as she was met with the sound of Big Macintosh getting up and walking towards her.
D-did I say something wrong?
"M-Mac, I-"
Fluttershy suddenly felt her words get stuck in her throat as the stallion sat down behind her, placing his hooves around her in a gentle manner.
"...A-ah like it," he said, repeating the yellow mare's earlier words.
She didn't know how to respond at first, her heart racing as her eyes frantically darted about.
"...I..." she began to say, her mouth almost moving on her own accord.
"I... u-um..."
Gently placing one hoof over the other, she gulped nervously and shuddered under his presence.
"T-thank you?"
She wasn't quite sure why she was thanking him or what for, but she was completely speechless otherwise.
A deep chuckle then came from the stallion as he pulled her closer, his warm crimson coat meeting up with her yellow fur.
!
Fluttershy quickly felt her body heat up as her feathered wings became ruffled.
W-what's he doing!?
Why is he holding me like this!?
Why would anyone...
...
And... suddenly... a calmness set over the pegasus.
The mare looked down to the hooves that held her, then shyly placed her own hooves over them and leaned back slightly, giving her head the smallest tilt before relaxing and gazing at the sky.
She couldn't explain it.
It was wrong. So very wrong. She knew this stallion for, what... one or two days, tops? All they've done is talk a bit and eat apples together; and it wasn't even together! He just gave her an apple, and she ate it!
Not only that, but what did she know about this stallion, besides the basics and what Applejack had told her?
His past? No.
His future goals? Nu-uh.
What he likes? What he dislikes?
Nnnope.
Yet here they were, cuddling in front of a glowing sunset that only set the scene even more and told her flat-out: you're being romantic with each other.
And she liked it.
No... she loved it.
She never wanted it to end.
So even though it would be so very cliche' to say so...
It was wrong... but it felt so right.
Big Macintosh...
...Mac...
And then it occurred to her.
...I think I'm in love with you.
She had to wonder about it. How could she be so sure of such a thing?
Truthfully, she didn't know. She couldn't describe it. She just felt something around him.
...She felt cozy...
Like someone wrapped in a warm blanket at wintertime, sitting at home with a cup of hot cocoa while they watched snowflakes fall outside.
And suddenly... it didn't matter that it was wrong.
Suddenly... she didn't care.
"Mmm..."
Practically melting into the stallion's hold, Fluttershy almost felt as if she was going to fall asleep, right then and there... it was that comfy.
...
...Until her leaning caused her hat to fall off.
Immediately, the yellow mare's eyes burst open, no longer feeling the material on her head.
"A-ah... ah..." Abruptly squirming in Big Macintosh's grasp, she looked up and down, desperately trying to find the protection that Applejack had given her.
Not down there.
Not over there.
Not up-
...
Fluttershy froze as she locked eyes with the crimson stallion's face, looking up as her eyes shrunk substantially.
"Lookin' fer this?" The brown hat now placed securely on his own head, Big Macintosh gave her a small smile. "Don't worry. Ah got it. Wouldn't let mah sister's hat get lost so easily."
"..."
The stallion blinked; the yellow mare was doing anything but smiling back at him. "...'Shy?"
Her mind suddenly put into over-drive, Fluttershy quickly leapt up and snagged the hat back, gripping it tightly in her mouth as she ran off at full-speed.
She felt frightened.
Embarrassed.
Distressed.
And she had just left her date sitting alone, confused as ever.
Applejack's cries were ignored as Fluttershy galloped past the orange mare, diving into the apple cellar as a last-ditch effort to hide from Big Macintosh. She then shut the door behind her and sat on the steps, panting as she placed the hat back on her head.
I-I just had to look up...
She whimpered a bit as the scene replayed itself in her head. She had been so calm and relaxed, yet was suddenly paralyzed with fear as she locked eyes with the stallion that she had fallen so hopelessly for. If it wasn't for that dumb phobia of hers, she probably could've stayed in his hold for the rest of the day; it would've been so wonderful.
And...maybe... just maybe... she could've gotten a kiss too...
...I just had to go and mess it all up...
The yellow pegasus felt a little self-hatred build up inside her as she lightly stomped at the floor under her. What was she meant to do now? Just hide in there forever and stare at the ground? Oh yeah, sure. That'd certainly be productive...
"...Fluttershy? Somethin' wrong?"
The mare jumped a bit at the voice. There was someone else here too? She had assumed that she was alone, but was apparently wrong.
Turning her head towards the sound of the voice, she was met with the face of a red-maned yellow filly, who wore a large pink bow at the back of her head. Her eyes were full of concern and confusion, while her smile gave off a rather joyful vibe that filled Fluttershy with a bit of happiness; though not much, it still meant a lot to the yellow pegasus.
"Oh... Apple Bloom. Hello," she greeted, smiling sadly and wiping away any indication of tears. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know that anyone else was in here."
The small filly looked around for a moment, scanning the area around them, then replied with a simple, "Just me an' you."
She then trotted towards the stairs and sat across from the pink-maned mare, repeating her earlier statement. "So... somethin' wrong?"
Fluttershy blinked, unsure of how to respond. "W-well..." Could this little filly really help her? "I-it's... B-Big Macintosh..."
"Mah big brother?" Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head slightly to show her confusion.
"Y-yes. U-um... you see-"
"Oh, right! Applejack sent Big Macintosh out to see ya earlier, right?"
S-she was listening in on that?
"Y-yes... she did. You heard?"
"Mmhm! Right before comin' down here to do mah daily apple cellar check!"
"Daily... apple cellar check?"
"Ahuh!" The yellow filly smiled wide, but said-smile diminished as she blushed slightly. "Ah ain't quite fit to buck the trees yet, so ah do this instead!"
"Oh. Yes, that makes sense I suppose," Fluttershy muttered, nodding in understanding.
"So, what about mah big brother?" Apple Bloom asked, quickly getting back on topic.
"O-oh! Well... you see..."
"Do ya like him?"
"W-what!?" the yellow pegasus asked, quickly blushing. This filly was smarter than she thought.
"Haha! So ya do then?"
S-shoot. She... caught me...
"Well..." No sense in lying about it now... "...yes... I do."
"So what's the problem then?" Apple Bloom asked, blinking innocently as if it was a normal conversation.
"The problem? I... you see... I'm kind of... afraid of him."
"Afraid? Of somepony ya like?" The yellow filly raised a brow, looking skeptical. "No need to be scared of mah big brother! He's just a huge teddy bear!" Reaching her hooves out to imitate the gesture of wanting a hug, she smiled wide. "Honest!"
"I-it's not that, Apple Bloom."
"Huh?"
"I'm... afraid to look up at his face... up at anypony's face really. It's a fear I have..." Fluttershy explained, nervously rubbing at the floor with her hoof.
"Ohh! Is that why you're wearin' mah sister's hat?"
"Y...yeah..."
"Just tell him then!"
The pink-maned mare's eyes went wide as she stared at the yellow filly. Did she really just suggest that?
"T-tell him? Apple Bloom, it's not that easy..."
"Why not? Just tell him that ya really do like him, but you're just afraid! Ain't that the problem?"
"No. The problem's that-" Fluttershy paused as the words caught up with her. Rejection? Was that the problem? Was she scared that Big Macintosh would reject her if she told him that she had such a fear? It was kind of a big deal after all, wasn't it?
"...Ya know... us crusaders went campin' one time with our sisters."
"W-what? What does that have to do with-"
"Rainbow Dash came along too. Scootaloo wanted to impress her, but had a hard time 'cause she was scared of the campfire stories." The yellow filly smiled softly and stared up at Fluttershy's face. "Ya know what happened?"
The shy pegasus was completely unsure of what the filly was trying to get at; how was this meant to help her? "No, what?"
"She faced her fears. Not the nightmares she got though. Her real fear; that Rainbow Dash would think of her as a scaredy-pony." Her expression softening as she remembered the moment, she continued. "An' it all worked out. She had nothin' to be afraid of. Rainbow Dash didn't think any less of her."
Staring Fluttershy directly in the eyes, Apple Bloom then put on a sad look. "You'll never know if ya don't try, Fluttershy," she told her.
The pink-maned mare grew quiet, gazing at her own face, which was reflected off of the yellow filly's eyes.
Is it all...in my head?
Am I just...afraid of rejection?
After a moment of deep thought, Fluttershy smiled softly and nodded. "I-I see... thank you." She then giggled slightly and patted Apple Bloom's head. "You're smarter than everypony gives you credit for."
The yellow filly smiled wide at that. "Well, if ah wanna be the best pony ah can be, ah gotta know stuff, ya know?"
Fluttershy giggled in response. "Yes, I suppose so."
"Anyway, ah better go find Applejack and let her know that everything checks out." Turning away from the pegasus, the filly then began to head up the stairs.
"O-oh, wait!"
Apple Bloom paused for a moment, then turned back. "Yeah, Fluttershy?"
"Here." Removing the hat from her head, Fluttershy reached over and gently placed it on Apple Bloom's, though it was somewhat off-center. "Take that back to Applejack too, okay?"
Smiling bright, knowing that her words seemed to help, the yellow filly nodded happily and adjusted the hat.
However, she stopped right before turning to leave, gazing right into the shy mare's eyes. "Uh... that reminds me..."
"Y-yes?" Fluttershy asked, curious about the innocent gleam in the Apple Bloom's eyes.
Reaching her hooves out, just like before, the red-maned filly giggled softly and smirked.
Fluttershy looked around curiously as she trotted through the Apple Family house. It was a rather cozy place; fairly big as well, which probably suited such a large group of ponies. The floors were wooden, as were the walls, giving it a very simplistic look. Besides that, if one looked closely enough, they'd see that one wall held a cute picture frame, which contained a photo of two ponies; one male, one female. Fluttershy couldn't put a name to their faces, but they did look familiar somehow.
Turning her attention back to her task though, she raised her voice slightly and repeated herself, "Missis Smith!"
After waiting a few seconds, she finally got a response.
"Huh? Who's there?"
The yellow pegasus turned to the voice, seeing a green pony step out from one of the rooms. The old mare studied her face for a moment, then smiled warmly. "Ah, you're one of Applejack's friends, ain't cha? Fluttershy, was it?"
Fluttershy nodded firmly in reply. "Y-yes, Missis Smith, that's me."
"No need to be so timid and formal dear. A friend of an Apple is like family to all Apples. Just call me 'Granny'." The elderly earth pony then gave a smile of reassurance, letting the pegasus know that she had nothing to fear.
However, the yellow mare only blushed at her words.
F-family?
Feeling a bit overwelcomed, she just smiled softly to the older mare.
"U-um, okay. W-well then, uh... Granny Smith... do you have a cookbook by any chance?"
"Do I!" the green pony exclaimed, gesturing Fluttershy to follow as she headed towards the kitchen, to which the yellow mare couldn't help but stare in awe as saw it.
Whoever said that the Apple Family were nothing but country slobs needed to see this place.
The floors were neat and tidy, and all the plates and bowls had been organized to the greatest extent. The cupboards were filled with easy-access cookware, and the sink was completely devoid of any dirty dishes.
"Oh wow. You have a wonderful kitchen," Fluttershy muttered, almost afraid to touch anything in fear of ruining the immense amount of cleanliness.
"Why thank ya kindly child. We need to work hard to keep everythin' spick-and-span after all!" Reaching into a drawer, the elderly earth pony grabbed out an old book and set it on the floor in front of the yellow pegasus, proudly pointing a hoof at the cover.
"Here it is! The Apple Family Cookbook!" Leaning in and lowering her tone, she then winked and whispered, "By the Apple Family."
Giggling from her words at first, Fluttershy promptly looked down at frowned. "Well, thank you... but, I don't think I could accept. I mean, it belongs to you and your family only, so-"
"Nonsense!" the earth pony exclaimed, sliding the book closer to the yellow mare's hooves. "Ah'll even let ya borrow our kitchen!" she added.
"R-really? I-I mean, what an honor, but-"
"Now, how about tellin' ol' Granny Smith just what you're plannin' to do?" the elderly mare interrupted, giving Fluttershy a sly grin that made the pegasus uncomfortable.
...A-am I really that easy to read?
"Um... well..." Taking the book and placing it on the counter, the yellow pegasus nervously twiddled her hooves as she shyly stared over at the older mare. "Do you... know what... Big Macintosh likes, by any chance?"
"Mah grandson?" Granny Smith asked, her expression remaining the same as she continued to wear that sly grin.
Ohhh! You were listening in on Applejack too, weren't you!?
"Y-yes?"
"Well, he likes almost anythin' with apples, but he's got a few favorites."
Walking over and shuffling through the cookbook, the elderly mare then took a sheet of paper and wrote down a few numbers.
"Need any help?" she promptly asked.
"O-oh no, I couldn't let you do that. You've done enough, and I should be doing this myself." Fluttershy insisted, unable to hold back her smile as she stared at the page.
"..."
"...Something wrong?" the yellow mare questioned, noticing the earth pony's silence.
Granny Smith was silent for a moment, staring intently at the pegasus, then smiled warmly and shook her head.
"Nothin' at all child. Ya just remind me of someone; always wantin' to do things herself." An almost sentimental look appeared on the elderly mare's face as she trotted out, looking back at Fluttershy with another smile of reassurance.
"Good luck, m'dear!"
"T-thank you!"
Returning to her task, the yellow pegasus glanced at the sheet of numbers, then turned the cookbook's pages.
Page 12: Apple Fritter Delight...
Yaaaaaawn.
"A-alright... that should... do it." Fluttershy muttered tiredly as she piled the last of the plates into her basket, closing the hoof-woven object and placing it down on the floor.
"That looks mighty nice, Fluttershy."
Her ears perking up slightly at the voice, the yellow pegasus turned to see Applejack at the door, with Apple Bloom and Granny Smith standing right next to her.
"Now, don't ya worry about cleanin' up, dear. We'll take care of that." the elderly mare explained.
"O-oh no, I couldn't let you-"
"Ya look tired enough as it is, Fluttershy!" Apple Bloom told her. "So we'll go an' take care of things for ya!"
"W-well, thank you. But, I mean... are you sure-"
"C'mere sugarcube." Without giving Fluttershy a chance to react, Applejack led the yellow pegasus out to the living room, letting her rest on the couch. "Ya ain't got the energy to get back home, so just rest here t'night, alright?"
"B-but... my animals-"
"We insist. Ya done enough, and your animals probably won't be mindin' a late breakfast." Giving Fluttershy a reassuring wink, Applejack then took the couch's blanket and draped it over the yellow mare's body.
Opening her eyes somewhat as she awoke, Fluttershy sat up and took note of her surroundings, the blanket that had warmed her slowly sliding down her body as she did so.
"Hm? Where..."
"Mornin', sugarcube!" Applejack called from the kitchen, wheeling in a small cart to the yellow pegasus afterwards.
"Apple...jack? What's... oh, right..." Fluttershy blushed slightly as she ran a hoof through her mane, taking a moment to rub her head and yawn. The memories of the day before then steadily returned to her as she surveyed the cart that rested before her; a plate of apple turnovers laid on it, along with a bowl of apple muesli, an apple streusel bar, and a cup of tea with... you guessed it: an apple slice inside.
"Ohh... you didn't have to," she told the orange mare, feeling rather guilty that her friend went through all the trouble of making her breakfast.
"Think nothin' of it, Fluttershy." Taking a seat next to the yellow pegasus, Applejack then leaned over and grinned. "Just think of it as a thanks for makin' a sweet apple picnic for mah big brother."
Fluttershy smiled sheepishly, feeling rather overwhelmed by her friend's hospitality, then shyly picked up a turnover and began to eat. "...I can't possibly eat this all by myself though... would you maybe like some?" she asked in-between bites; that turnover was just too darn good to put down.
The orange mare simply nodded in reply, happily taking the other turnover and digging in as well.
"So, ya got any plans for afterwards?"
"...Afterwards?"
"Ya know; after the picnic. What're ya gonna do then?" Applejack asked, smiling slightly at how much her friend was enjoying the meal.
"Oh! Well... I... I guess I didn't really plan too much..." Fluttershy admitted, blushing slightly in embarrassment.
"That's alright. Too strict a schedule's no good." Swallowing the rest of her turnover with a bit of nervousness, the orange mare then looked away and smiled sheepishly. "Had to learn that one the hard way actually."
"Oh yeah?" The yellow pegasus asked as she offered the apple streusal bar to her friend, which was happily taken and bitten into. "Either way, I really don't have much planned. I was just hoping to... ur..." Pausing to finish her turnover and move onto the muesli, her blush increased as she recalled the crimson stallion. "...talk."
"Talk, eh?" Applejack asked, unable to hold back a giggle at her friend's timidness. "Gonna tell him anythin' important?"
"...Possibly." Fluttershy replied nervously, making the orange mare chuckle even further.
"Don't you worry, sugarcube. Everything's gonna be just fine."
"I sure hope so..."
As the yellow pegasus glanced back down at her empty bowl, she smiled slightly and removed the apple slice from her tea, offering it to Applejack with a smile. "You... need to make everything with apples, don't you?"
"...Eeyup."
The two then shared a laugh as they finished up the rest of their meal, with Applejack completing her end of the food first; though Fluttershy wasn't too far behind.
"Alright, now ya better be goin' on your way now. Today's the day-off for us Apples, an' Big Macintosh usually goes on some real long walks then; better go catch him 'fore he does," the orange mare warned.
"W-what!?" Frantically, the yellow pegasus scrambled off the couch and grabbed the basket handle in her mouth, rushing out the door as quickly as she could without spilling anything inside.
"G-good luck!" her friend called from behind.
SCREEEEEECH!
Fluttershy was forced to halt her gallop as an animal charged out in front of her.
Looking down at it however, she noticed that it wasn't just any animal.
It was a bunny.
...A very familiar-looking bunny.
...Uh oh...
Placing her basket down, she trotted up to her pet bunny Angel, who tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for an explanation as to where his owner had been.
"L-look Angel bunny. I... I'm terribly sorry that I couldn't get back home yesterday..."
The bunny continued to glare at her...
"...a-and I promise that I'll make you your special veggie breakfast as soon as I get back, but I really, really don't think I can at the moment."
Angel just continued to scowl at the yellow pegasus, not looking swayed at all by her plea.
"Y-you'll forgive me... r-right?"
The bunny was silent for a moment, staring at the basket at first, then gazing back at Fluttershy.
And... unfortunately, forgiveness was the last thing on Angel's mind, as the angry animal suddenly rushed forward and slammed into the basket, causing it to slowly tip over until-
"N-NO!"
The yellow pegasus acted quickly, jumping at the woven object and managing to salvage it just before it ended up upside-down.
"A-Angel, I-" Fluttershy paused for a moment as she turned her head, then sighed.
He ran off...probably to tell all the other animals how much of a 'meanie-head' I am, just like last time...
Placing the basket back in its original position, she then took a look around, trying to focus back on her earlier task.
Alright...now, before Angel came by and almost tipped the basket over, I was searching for-
Freezing in place, her thoughts suddenly caught up to her.
The basket.
It hadn't tipped over, but...
It had still been rustled to a great extent.
...No no no no no...
Turning her attention back to her hard work, she hesitantly reached for the lid and opened it up, wavering for a split-second before looking inside.
"..."
Saddening, the yellow pegasus slowly closed the lid back up and sat down, looking to the ground with a rather somber expression.
Her specially-made desserts had all been squished by the bowls and pie, and even said-pie had been deeply impaled by one of the plates.
"...All of it... all of it ruined... just like that..." she mumbled, recalling the appearance of her destroyed work with small tears in her eyes.
I just wanted it all to be perfect...
...
"...'Shy?"
Her ears shooting up immediately, Fluttershy winced as she backed away from the voice, hiding her face behind her pink mane.
"M-Mac..."
"What're you still doin' here?" After a moment, the smallest of gasps escaped the crimson stallion's mouth as he stepped closer to the yellow pegasus. "...Somethin' wrong?"
Taking one last look at the basket, Fluttershy quickly shook her head in distress.
"I... I'm sorry!"
She then turned away and galloped off, this time hoping to leave Big Macintosh behind; she didn't want him to see her cry, nor how much of a disappointment she was currently being.
Running as fast as she could down the dirt path, Fluttershy held back tears as birds and other critters began to surround her, seeming to feel her concern; they didn't help her mood in the slightest however.
To make matters worse, her fur began to get wet as the clouds above began pouring rain down to the ground below. The leaves of trees began to dip slightly from the water, and the dirt beneath the yellow mare began to become wet and muddy, coating her hooves in brown slop.
Trying not to let it get to her though, Fluttershy made a quick dash into a nearby cave for shelter, shivering and shaking herself of water before laying down against one of the walls.
And then... she finally let the tears flow.
She cried.
She bawled.
She absolutely lost it.
She was partially dry from her earlier quivering, but it did no good for the mare's sadness as she sobbed for her wasted hard work.
And even with all of the cute little creatures surrounding her...
She felt all alone... left by herself to lament her failure.
Fluttershy whimpered as she remained quiet, silently sobbing as the animals around pressed themselves against her to imitate a hug.
However, it was of no comfort to the somber pegasus.
Nor was the sound of hoofsteps in the distance.
...
Wait, hoofsteps?
And they were... coming closer?
Fluttershy tried not to move, but curiosity made her lift her head up as she heard something hit the ground.
The basket.
Wondering why it was suddenly there, the pegasus turned her head to see four tan hooves that connected to a fur coat of crimson.
!
"Ya left this... back at the barn," Big Macintosh told her, sounding as though he wasn't sure of what to say.
"...I-it's... raining. You... y-you shouldn't have gone through all that trouble..." Fluttershy muttered, turning her head away from the basket, as she didn't want to see it.
"Ah wanted to return it."
"..."
"...'Shy?"
Sniffling, the shy pegasus rubbed her eyes and glanced down at the ground, feeling rather guilty.
"I... I'm sorry Mac."
"...Beg pardon?"
"I-I..." Without thinking, she leapt forward and wrapped her hooves around the crimson stallion, wetting said-stallion's fur further as she cried.
"! 'S-Shy-"
"I-I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! It's just... I-I'm so scared to look up at your face because of my fear of seeing faces that are taller than me, so I just had to run off and avoid you! I-I mean, I don't mean to, and I don't want to, but-"
"'Shy."
"-a-and I understand if you don't like me anymore, but-"
"'Shy..."
"-b-but I-" Fluttershy paused as Big Macintosh's words caught up with her. "...w-what?"
The earth pony smiled slightly, slowly shifting himself out of the mare's grasp as he wiped her tears away. "Why didn't ya just say so?"
"H-huh?"
Chuckling a bit to himself at first, Big Macintosh then laid down on his hooves, looking up at the pegasus with a wide grin. "Ah'll just do this if it bothers ya so much."
Blushing intensely as she locked eyes with the stallion, Fluttershy quickly backed up and hid her face behind her mane, growing rather embarrassed. "U-um... t-thank you, but... it... it's really not necessary."
"It is if ah want mah friend to be nice an' comfy."
"I... but I don't deserve your friendship... b-because..." The pegasus sighed as she turned her attention back to the basket. "...I messed up the picnic. I was going to tell you about my fear then, but... everything got messed up." she explained, not wanting to put the blame on Angel.
Big Macintosh blinked for a moment, then glanced over to the basket. "...For me?" he asked, his cheeks suddenly painted pink.
"It was meant to be a picnic between us, but-" Fluttershy could only stop and stare as the crimson stallion moved over to the basket, opening the lid and reaching inside.
"M-Mac, what are you doing?" she asked.
Her question was answered without words as the pie was lifted out of the basket and onto the other lid.
She was then dumbstruck as he began to pull out plates and other desserts.
"D-don't! They're all ruined!" she told him, gazing in distress as the crushed fritters were pulled out.
"Ya made it for me, didn't ya?" the earth pony asked, turning his attention to her with a soft smile.
"W-well, yes, but-"
Chomp...
Fluttershy went wide-eyed as the stallion took a bite out of her 'ruined' apple pie.
How can he eat such a terrible looking thing?
The pegasus was even more surprised as Big Macintosh licked his lips in satisfaction... as if he was actually enjoying her cooking.
"You... actually like that?" she asked. "But it looks so... awful!"
The crimson stallion simply shook his head, swallowing another bite before speaking. "Ya made it yourself, didn't ya?" Fluttershy nodded. "Then it's special; and I ain't gonna waste somethin' so special just 'cause it looks a little bad." Smirking and lifting out the crushed apple fritters, he joked, "'Sides... it gives 'em character."
The yellow pegasus giggled cheerfully at Big Macintosh's attempt to make her smile, then walked closer and pulled out the napkins from the woven object.
"Thanks. And... it's not much, but you're all wet..."
As she began to dry him off, her blush increased in intensity.
I just don't understand him. How can somepony be so... kind?
The pegasus paused to re-check her thoughts, then giggled once more at a realization.
Kindness; her element.
How funny.
"Thanks 'Shy," the crimson stallion told her before handing over a fritter, thus breaking her out of her thoughts. "Now eat up. There's plenty.
"O-oh, um... o-of course." Setting the wet napkins aside, Fluttershy took a seat and joined Big Macintosh for the picnic.
It wasn't exactly what she had planned, but it was still more wonderful than she had imagined.
As the two finished their meals, Big Macintosh put the plates away while Fluttershy took out the unused picnic blankets.
"Hmm...now what do we do with these?" she asked herself, being careful not to let them drop to the cold cave floor; just in case.
The crimson stallion stared over at the blankets, then smiled and grabbed one, laying it out on the ground. "Get on."
The pegasus, though confused, followed orders anyway and laid down on the warm blanket; it wasn't particularly fuzzy like a normal blanket, but it was still comfy.
Laying himself on the blanket as well, Big Macintosh then pulled the other picnic blanket over himself and Fluttershy, keeping the two relatively warm.
"It's rainin' too hard. We should probably stay in here for t'night," he explained, Fluttershy nodding in agreement.
"...I just hope that you won't get bored with me..." the pegasus said with a sad tone.
"Never," the earth pony promised her, scooting closer so she could rest against him, which she happily obliged to.
"..."
"..."
"...I like you."
Fluttershy blinked. How had she just said that? Did it slip past her lips by accident or something?
She started to grow concerned about it... until she heard the crimson stallion chuckle.
"...Ah like you too." he said plainly, smiling as he rested his head under hers, allowing her to breathe in the fresh scent of apples and rainwater from his mane; it was a somehow soothing combination.
"Y-you do...? You... like like me?"
"Eeyup."
Fluttershy smiled softly, then gently cuddled against the stallion for warmth; as if there wasn't enough in her heart already.
And suddenly, it didn't matter that it was raining.
It didn't matter that they were in a dimly-lit cave, unable to leave until later.
It didn't matter that she had a phobia.
All that mattered was that she was here with Big Macintosh.
Fluttershy giggled at Big Macintosh's response as they trotted down the now-dry dirt road. The crimson stallion was carrying her basket in his mouth, rendering him unable to speak; his company was enough for her though.
The trees around them were dry again as well, wafting lightly in the breeze, as if they were glad for the newly-born couple.
The animals also sat and watched as the two passed by; such chemistry between ponies was a rare sight to behold, and they wouldn't want to miss seeing their favorite mare's lover.
"Are you really sure that you wanna carry that for me?" the pegasus asked, not wanting to burden the earth pony with her 'luggage'.
He just nodded however, giving her a reassuring smile that made her smile back.
"W-well, thank you then; truly," she told him, scooting a bit closer to be near him.
Yes, she was happy... very much so. And it was a special kind of feeling that one could only experience once in a lifetime; an opportunity that should never be passed up.
As the two arrived back at the Sweet Apple Acres orchard, Fluttershy surveyed the trees, recalling that the Apple Siblings had bucked all the apples down earlier.
Truthfully, it saddened her a bit to see the trees so bare; she had grown a certain fondness for apples in the past few days... and not just the fruit.
Big Macintosh seemed to notice, as he gave the yellow pegasus a slight nudge to get her attention before trotting ahead.
She was confused at the action, but chose to follow anyway.
...What's he doing? Did he see me frown at the trees or something? All of the apples are gone, so-
She paused as Big Macintosh reached his destination and set the basket down.
Separated from the others was a decently tall tree that still held onto a few apples; really nice-looking ones at that.
"I... I thought you already took down all the apples," Fluttershy said, tilting her head in confusion.
"Or... is this one special? It's separated from the others, so maybe-"
THUMP
The pegasus watched as the crimson stallion bucked down a single apple, which landed softly onto the grass below.
Fluttershy then walked closer and stared at it with curiosity. "Is that it? Is it a special tree?" she asked, though also wondering why the earth pony would get apples from a 'special tree' just for her.
"...Ya could say that," Big Macintosh replied plainly, promptly grinning and picking up the apple by the stem with his mouth, offering it to the yellow mare.
Fluttershy just stared at the apple, unsure of what the earth pony was getting at, then simply smiled and bit into the red fruit while it was still being held by the crimson stallion, causing him to blush a bright shade of pink.
"Ah! There ya are!"
Big Macintosh grew flustered at the voice and shyly dropped the apple, sliding it over to the giggling pegasus before turning to his sister Applejack, who trotted up to them with a concerned expression.
"Ya'll were gone a while. Granny Smith was startin' to get worried. Are ya two alright?" the orange mare asked, looking over the two for any indication of something bad.
Fluttershy was silent for a moment, then just smiled and stared up at Big Macintosh's face as the two joined together to reply:
