"Just last month, he came to my cottage and brought by an adorable collie—Winona, I believe was her name. Poor little Winona had injured her paw by stepping into a gopher hole while herding sheep at a nearby farm. Such a brave, beautiful dog. She patiently waited and wagged her tail as I bandaged her leg. Didn't even flinch. But... Big Macintosh! Heeeee... what a handsome name. Poor stallion was so worried. You should have seen him... dancing in places... gnawing at his fetlocks. I could tell he was scared sick for Winona. I tried to tell him that it was alright and Winona had merely bruised her paw. But I tould tell with a pony like him that actions speak louder than words. So I calmly finished my task at hoof and... ohhhhh... the look on his face when he got to hold Winona again was so precious. A soul like that can harbor much love... reinforced by sincerity and a general spirit of good will for all things big and small. I mean... uhm... I-I guess I can't pretend to say that's entirely true of him for sure. I'm always told that I have a hard time reading other ponies. And it's true. I'm much better with animals... little birds and bunnies and the like. But there was just... something so little and 'adorable' about him... even if his name is far from little. Or his... er... g-girth. Ahem. B-But I felt that there was a simplicity about him... a peace-of-mind-and-heart that was... enviable in a way. Ever since he visited with Winona, I couldn't stop thinking about him. And then I started seeing him in the marketplace... at the park... in... er... in the p-post office. Uhm... it's n-not that I was following him around or anything... but it just so happened that we both only went into town to do the most basic of necessities and so I couldn't help but run into him. Well... I didn't run into him... but you know what I mean. We crossed paths a lot without crossing paths and... heeeeee... he's just so quiet and deliberate about everything he does. Whenever ponies speak to him, he has a smile on his face. I can't ever hear what he says... but it's okay. I'm sure his voice is just as soft and loving as his demeanor, and I think the country of Equestria would be far better off if it had more stallions like him. But then again... well... I-I guess that would make him less special in the grand scheme of things. But not for me of course. Heeeheeeheee... er... uhm..." Fluttershy blushed and rubbed one hoof against the other. "I-I'm sorry. I just started talking and talking. Please forgive me, Applejack."
Applejack stared and stared. One ear twitched. She sputtered sideways: "Yer fancyin' Big Mac????"
Fluttershy blinked. She shifted nervously under the lanternlight of the barn. "Uhm..."
"But he's just so... so..." Applejack turned and grimaced towards the far end of the barn. "... ... ...so Big and Macky!"
"Heeheehee..." Fluttershy sighed happily, gazing across the party towards the large red sight. "I knowwwwwwww..."
"I..." Applejack tilted her hat back and rubbed her head. "I just dun get it."
"Well... I-I mean I know that he and I would never... uhm... n-never actually talk to one another." Fluttershy melancholically pawed at the floor. "But life is short and precious and I guess a pony like me can't help but have a crush every now and then."
"A crush?" Applejack asked.
"Erm... yes." Fluttershy looked up. "Y'know... when you really really admire another pony even though you know that there's no realistic chance of the two of you ever being together."
"... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..." Applejack blinked. "... ... ... ... ... ... ...Oh!" She threw on a plastic smile. "Oh, sure! Heh heh!" She tossed a hoof, blushing. "It's... j-just the... uh... knee-slappingest feelin' in the world! Heh heh heh!"
"Heeheehee..." Fluttershy covered her giggling muzzle with a dainty hoof. "Well, I've never heard it put that way!"
"Heheheh... ehhhhh..." Applejack gulped, then leaned towards Fluttershy with a quiet breath. "How do you reckon a crush feels like?"
"Oh..." Fluttershy's feathertips quivered as she positively lifted off the ground. "It's like waking up to a warm toasty sunrise every minute of every day! You feel this abundance of joy and hope welling up from deep inside you! You want to smile and wave at everypony and just... be glad that you're alive for another second so that you can think about the pony who makes your world turn round..."
"Wow..." Applejack's eyes fell to the wayside. "That... sounds pretty nice, actually."
"But..." Fluttershy touched back down, her ears drooping. "It can sometimes have the opposite effect." She gulped and stared into the hay strewn into the corners of the place. "Sometimes that feeling of adoration can weigh you down... make you more aware of how lonesome you feel... of how something's missing about your life all the time and you're always hoping... waiting... yearning to have it filled..."
"That..." Applejack's eyes fell even more. "...sounds not so nice."
"Still..." Fluttershy put on a gentle smile, standing upright with liquid grace. "...I wouldn't be without either feeling."
"Why not?"
"Because it's all part of being alive," Fluttershy said. "And—in a way—thinking about the ponies I care about inspires me to do more in life than I already do. And I could use all the coaching that I can get."
"Heh... I know that feeling quite a bit!" Applejack said with a smile.
"Oh?"
"My family means everythang to me..." Applejack looked over her shoulder towards the plow. "Reckon if they get to share the love with others then... then..." A warm breath. "...that's just fine and dandy in my book."
"And what about your special somepony?"
Applejack's eyes crossed. She shook her head clean and glanced at Fluttershy again. "Come again?"
"Oh..." Fluttershy winced, leaning back. "I... I-I assumed... I'm sorry..."
"It's... nothin' to be sorry about..." Applejack smiled. "Honest! Most ponies my age fetch themselves a partner of some kind."
"It's just that you're so kind and thoughtful and... well..." Fluttershy giggled inwardly, brushing a lock of hair over her ear with a coy smile. "It's hard to imagine a pony like you getting through secondary school without making countless classmates trip over themselves."
"... ... ... ... ... ...Huh?"
"Er... forgive me. I guess I'm not good with analogies—"
"Why would I make my fellow classmates trip over themselves? Reckon that ain't nice."
Fluttershy's muzzle hung agape. "You've... never had a special somepony, have you?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Applejack gulped, pressing herself against the wall again. She sported a nervous, sweaty smile. "Ya reckon that's... a bad thang?"