Fluttershy panted as she caught up to her lover by wing, her already weak flight further hindered by her large dress and growing abdomen. Though she landed shortly in front of him, the bulky stallion continued to somberly amble toward his family's farm without acknowledging his fiancée.
"MacIntosh?" she addressed him with a wavering voice. "I-I've never heard you yell like that. What happened?"
Without looking at her, he muttered, "I don't wanna talk about it."
Fluttershy's lip popped out into a stern pout as she trotted ahead of him to look him in the eye. "MacIntosh, I am your marefriend -- no, fiancée now," she huffed indignantly. "I love you, and I'm here for you, but I can't help you if you don't talk to me," she finished with pain in her voice.
Mac remained silent for a moment, drawing deep breaths as he continued walking with his eyes locked on the orchard at the edge of town as if in a trance. At length, he sighed heavily, still avoiding Shy's eye as he replied, "Not out here."
Fluttershy bit her lip and nodded in agreement, her chest tightening as her mind raced with possible scenarios that the logical part of her knew weren't likely. "U-um, MacIntosh, honey," she squeaked shakily, "why don't we go to my house? I-I feel like you could maybe use some time away from Applejack, um, i-if you want, I mean..." She found herself once more cursing her pigtails for not obscuring her face.
Finally, Mac looked down at his bride-to-be, his brow softening. "Ya might be right on that one," he admitted, coming to a halt and glancing around in no particular direction. "Lead the way."
"Hmm?" Fluttershy blinked twice, glancing up at the stallion briefly before blushing. "Oh my goodness, I've never even shown you my home before, have I?"
"Nnnope," he answered with a labored chuckle, still visibly tense.
Giggling bashfully, she trotted ahead a few paces, redirecting Mac towards the opposite side of Ponyville. "It's this way, right on the edge of the Everfree Forest." Looking back at her lover to see his expression gradually warm up, she felt her heart retreat from her throat a bit as she led the way.
MOONLIGHT HARVEST
by [insert brony here]
Chapter Nine
Fluttershy shook her head with a chuckle upon entering the hollow tree she called home with her fiancée in tow. "I still can't believe we've been together for months and I've never invited you here."
Mac waved a hoof dismissively as he glanced around for a good place to sit. "Ah been busy, you been busy, it's nopony's fault. Nice little place, by the way."
"Oh, thank you," she said with a soft blush as she sat on the couch, patting the space beside her. "Rainbow Dash helped me restore it. The tree was dying, rotting from inside, but it sprang right back to life once we cleaned it up," she explained, beaming proudly.
The farmer's eyes widened a bit as he climbed onto the couch with her. "I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't impressed, Shy."
"Oh, thank you," she replied, fidgeting with her left pigtail a bit, "but it was really the tree's will to live that saved it."
"Say what ya will, baby, you're still an excellent caretaker."
The pegasus blushed softly, cutely failing to mask the prideful grin his praise brought her. After a moment, she leaned into his chest and looked up at him, a worried grimace replacing her smile. "So what happened at the castle, honey?"
MacIntosh's expression went blank as he drew a deep breath. He wasn't ready for this, but it was one of those things one has to face whether they like it or not. Exhaling heavily, his large chest receding until Fluttershy's nose rested against his chin, he nodded.
"Applejack... well, when our parents passed away, she took it a lot harder than me," he explained quietly, his eyes looking straight ahead at nothing in particular. "She was Pa's baby, especially. Put that stallion on a pedestal. His word was law, his deeds were ponykind's finest, and when you told him something, ya better mean it."
Fluttershy nodded at this, nuzzling under his chin in the same motion, and he wrapped his arms around her. After another great sigh, he continued.
"When Ah was a colt, Pa gave me the whole birds 'n bees schpiel and made me promise I'd save mahself for marriage. 'If ya ain't put a ring on it, don't put a foal in it,' he said. 'N Ah can see where he was comin' from, 'n o' course Ah was young 'n didn't really think for mahself back then, so Ah told him Ah would. Even after he died, Ah kept to that, but... that was for him, y'know? Me personally, I don't see any harm in havin' a little fun if you're responsible about it. Just wasn't anything I ever felt like goin' out o' mah way for." He paused to sigh once more, running his nose through Fluttershy's hair for a moment. She cooed at his affections, a soft whimper escaping her when he stopped to speak again.
"This, though... what we've got on our hooves... well, frankly, it's complicated, stranger'n fiction, 'n Ah'm handlin' it the best Ah can."
"You're doing wonderfully," Shy interjected warmly, kissing his neck for emphasis.
Mac smiled and gave her a peck on the nose. "Thank ya, Shy. But all Applejack sees," he continued, his eyes once again looking ahead, "is that Ah broke a promise to a stallion she so revered..." He shook his head with a sigh. "Plus Ah lied to her, told her we'd never done anything when Rarity put the thought in her head, back when we were tellin' ponies you'd been trainin' with me after hours. You know how she is about honesty..."
"Mhmm," Fluttershy agreed. "I can see why that upset her, but how did she get such a rise out of you? I've never seen you so angry," she murmured softly, tilting her head and furrowing her brow. "Or angry at all, really."
Mac's following snort warmed his fiancée's forehead briefly. "She tried to use Pa against me," he growled. "I'm over mah parents passin' away just fine, but nopony's gonna drop their names to control me. I loved mah folks more'n words can say, but ya can't tell me they'd be disappointed in me when they ain't fuckin' here to back it up!" he finished, chest heaving. He quickly regained his composure when he noticed his mate shrunken and shivering with fearful eyes against his chest, and he held her close and rested his head upon hers while he tried to regulate his breathing.
"MacIntosh," Shy whispered, "I-I never knew your parents or anything, but, um, I-I'm sure if they were anything like the rest of the Apple family, as much as they care for their kin... I-I think they'd be very proud of you for how well you take care of me, and our baby. You've been so strong, and you stepped up to take care of us even though we never meant for any of this to happen... You're a good stallion, MacIntosh."
Mac sighed heavily, nuzzling his lover's ear. "I'd like to think so... Guess it's just hard when somepony ya grew up with tells ya otherwise. She's always been there, she knows me better'n anypony except Granny."
Fluttershy cleared her throat pointedly, wiggling in his embrace. "Then maybe I don't know you well enough yet," she mused with a warm smile.
Mac chuckled and held her a little tighter, giving her a brief kiss on the lips before looking into her eyes. "I ain't much the talkin' type, but for you, I'll be an open book."
Shy simply smiled back, herself lost in his large green eyes that seemed to carry a light all their own. Before long, however, her own eyes widened incredulously, focusing somewhere above his.
"Somethin' wrong, babe?" Mac asked quietly, cocking an eyebrow.
She shook her head, a tiny grin forming as she realized the weight of what she was looking at. "My bunny, Angel, found himself a place to nap," she whispered, stifling a giggle.
The stallion's ears perked up, and sure enough, one of them brushed against a small paw, which twitched a little at the contact. "That's cute," he murmured with a low chuckle. "Y'know, when Applebloom was real little, she used to love playin' with 'Big Bubby's big fuzzy head'."
"Aww, she's a sweetie," Fluttershy whispered with a grin. "But... you don't understand."
"Hmm?" Mac looked back down at his mate. "What's not to get?"
"Honey... Angel doesn't like anypony," she explained. "That fact that he's so comfortable with you, and it's only the first time you've met..." she trailed off, looking up at her lover in awe. The fact that MacIntosh put off such a soothing aura that even Angel welcomed him warmed her heart... as well as other areas. Shy found herself involuntarily crossing her hind legs with a shiver.
"Ya all right, sugarcube?" Mac inquired, stroking her back with a forehoof.
Shuddering again at the gentle touch, she blushed and fidgeted with one of her pigtails. "I-I'm fine, just... um..."
"Oh," Mac said, clearing his throat. "Right. Could we, uh, talk about... that?"
Shy bit her lip, crunching her thighs tighter together as she nodded assent. Glancing back up at her fiancée, or more specifically the top of his head, she cringed. "Um, we should probably have this conversation somewhere other than the, um, living room," she suggested with a bashful look at the bunny atop her lover. Holding up a hoof in a 'hold on' gesture, she hovered up to MacIntosh's side and gently cradled Angel in her arms, causing little more than an unconscious kick as she relocated him. Her eyes darted around the room for a moment, making sure none of her other animal friends were around, and then she returned to her hooves and waved with a wing for Mac to follow.
After a quiet trek upstairs to her bedroom, Fluttershy led her stallion inside and locked the door behind them. Before he had a chance to take in his surroundings, she was in front of him, looking as though she might burst into tears. "MacIntosh, I'm so sorry!" she whispered frantically. "I'm so embarrassed! I know you took a vow of chastity, and I'm trying so hard not to let this get the best of me, but I've just got all these crazy hormones, and you're such a good stallion, and you smell so good, it just makes me so--"
"Whoa, babe, slow down," he interjected softly, sitting on his haunches and cupping her face between his forehooves. "Ya can't help what your body does. It's just nature. Dealin' with animals, you oughta know that better than anypony."
Her ears folded down abashedly. "I-I know, it's just that most ponies think we're supposed to be... better than that, or something."
"Well, I guess I ain't most ponies, am I?" he asked, leaving one hoof under her chin while the other caressed her shoulder. He chuckled as she shivered at his touch once more. "Furthermore, that vow o' chastity... Like Ah said, that was more for my Pa than for me. I know ya got needs, Fluttershy, and I'd be lyin' if Ah said Ah didn't think about it more'n most 'decent' ponies wanna admit." He shook his head with a sigh. "Honestly, I've spent a lot o' time out at the pond on this, and before Applejack ever tried to get in mah head, today was gonna be the day Ah brought it up, so Ah can assure you, this has nothin' to do with rebellion..."
Shy blinked up at him, puzzled. "What? What are you talking about?"
"Fluttershy, I..." He hesitated for a moment, trying to make his thoughts form a reasonable stream of words. "This is... one hell of a situation we're in, an' yeah, if we'd just courted under normal circumstances, Ah'd probably still wait 'til we were married, but as it is... it just don't sit right with me that you're to bear mah foal, and I've never properly made love to you."
"Oh, MacIntosh," she said uncertainly, "just because I'm really worked up all the time doesn't mean--"
"Mm-mm," he interrupted with a shake of his head. "I ain't talkin' about just sex, baby, Ah wanna make love to you," he emphasized, gently pressing his snout to hers and gazing into her eyes. "Ah wanna make you feel good. Ah wanna show you how much Ah love you and appreciate what you've suffered, and what you're gonna suffer, in the name o' child-rearin'. It ain't fair that a male can just get his rocks off 'n' be done with it while the female has to be sick and impaired and eventually push the baby out..." He shook his head vigorously. "Nnnope, for every ounce o' pain you gotta go through, I'm gonna make you feel good, 'cause Ah love you, Fluttershy."
The mare simply stared at her lover, breathing hard as her chest somehow managed to tighten and swell at the same time. No matter how long she looked into his eyes, she could find no trace of insincerity. After a tense moment that seemed like it was never going to end, she bit her lip and shrugged off her right sleeve just past the hoof, holding it up towards the incredible stallion before her. "Then I think you should help me get my dress off."
MacIntosh nodded, kissing her on the forehead, then took the cuff of the proffered sleeve in his teeth and gently tugged it down, freeing her shoulder so she could pull her arm out while never breaking eye contact. He then took hold of the other sleeve, carefully avoiding snaring the cloth on the engagement ring beneath as he bared his lover's left arm. Once she had both hooves back on the ground, he nuzzled her neck and bit down on the collar of the dress, tugging it back to slide over her wings. He then released the gown, opting to guide it the rest of the way down her lithe form with a hoof lightly dragging down her spine, which drew a shiver of anticipation from his bride-to-be.
Gravity quickly finished disrobing her before he made it past her hips, her gown sliding off her flanks to land in a heap around her hooves as she fought the deeply ingrained instinct to modestly tuck her tail: She was safe here. Mac's hoof paused upon reaching the base of her spine, resting lightly upon her dock, which only made Shy's heart race faster.
"Now, Fluttershy," he said softly, looking her in the eye, "if anything Ah do makes ya uncomfortable, you just let me know, okay?"
Her face formed an expression unlike any she could ever remember making as she met her lover's gaze: a smile filled with confidence. "Honestly? I've never been more comfortable in my life."
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MacIntosh awoke to the curious sensation of something wriggling beneath him. As the fog cleared from his mind, he realized Fluttershy was attempting to get out from under him. With a chuckle, he rolled onto his side, freeing the small pegasus, who looked back at him with a grimace of disappointment.
"Aww, I was hoping I could surprise you with dinner when you woke up," she said softly, ears adroop.
Mac glanced out the window, shaking his head when he spotted the sun nearing the horizon. "I appreciate the gesture, but Ah've already stayed too long," he replied with a sigh. "Got a lot to do at the farm, an' Applejack's out to market tomorrow, so I'm already gonna be workin' mah flank off in the mornin'."
Shy's shoulders wilted, but she conceded with a nod. "Okay... I can't keep you from your work," she admitted sadly. "Maybe I can bring you lunch?" she offered with a hopeful smile.
Mac chuckled and nuzzled her neck. "Ah'd like that."
Fluttershy wiggled giddily. "Oh, this will be wonderful! I've never really seen you work before -- I mean, you've been working while I talked to Applejack and such, but I've never really watched."
The farmer rolled his eyes, shaking his head with a grin. "What is it with mares an' watchin' bucks work?"
Shy smirked, her eyes scanning her lover's physique. "All that muscle pushed to its limits? Rrrowl~" She bit her lip and gave him a playful look, drawing a hearty chortle from the stallion.
"If ya say so, Shy."
Her sultry grin turned bashful when she saw the ruffled mess his fur and mane had become. Stepping down from the bed, she grabbed one of his forehooves and tugged gently. "Come on, we should probably get cleaned up before sending you home."
"Hmm?" Mac cocked an eyebrow and glanced down himself, straightening up and looking nonchalantly at nothing in particular. He definitely couldn't go home in this shape.
Giggling at his embarrassment, Fluttershy led him to the shower.
MacIntosh stepped onto the Sweet Apple Acres property reluctantly, keeping his head down as he made his way to the barn to retrieve his equipment. It was bad enough he and his sister had argued this morning; she would surely be livid about him being gone most of the day.
When he entered the barn, however, a new form of anxiety overtook him: his tiller was gone. Frantically, he trotted around the building, checking every aisle in case he had perhaps misplaced it. If Applebloom and her friends took off with it on some ridiculous cutie mark quest, or somepony stole it... that was an expensive piece of equipment, not to mention he'd be unable to work the northeast field tomorrow without it.
Steadying his breath, Mac stepped outside the barn, eyes scanning the farm for any sign of his equipment. What he saw when his eyes moved northeast was the very last thing he'd expected: Applejack was pulling along the massive machine herself. As he trotted toward her, his usually unreadable face betraying his dumbfoundedness, he was surprised to see that she had almost finished the entire field.
"What're ya doin', AJ?" he asked loudly, making the mare jump as she had not noticed his arrival.
"Wha-- Mac!" she gasped, rolling her eyes. "Criminy. Don't sneak up on me like that." She shook her head before shrugging off the yoke that held the tiller to her shoulders. "Ah was gettin' ahead on your work for ya. Figured you was gonna stay at Fluttershy's tonight."
"Nope," he replied, furrowing his brow. "Thought you were gonna leave extra work for me outta spite."
Applejack sighed, frowning apologetically at her older brother. "I ain't mad at ya, Mac. Ya said it wasn't anything you two planned for, and I can put two and two together.... Y'all got into Pappy's Cider one night to celebrate, Ah'm guessin'? Inventory's a bottle short."
"Eeyup," the stallion answered simply, his trademark poker face in place. Truthfully, he had hidden a bottle in his room the night Fluttershy told him she was pregnant, nursing it nightly for a couple weeks after to take the edge off as he came to terms with it, but the story was plausible nonetheless.
Applejack nodded, her lips pursed thoughtfully for a moment. "Then all Ah can say is, good on ya both for makin' it work. Ah can't even hold it against ya; it ain't mah place to tell ya what Pa would think, an' in the end, ya did ask her to marry ya."
MacIntosh nodded, and the two stood in silence for a moment. Eventually, the stallion spoke up. "If it makes any difference to ya, Shy made the first move every time."
Applejack flinched, raising a brow. "Really? Fluttershy put the moves to you?"
"Eeyup. That filly's pretty adventurous when she's comfortable."
His sister snorted. "Fluttershy? Comfort? What's that?" The two Apples shared a good laugh, MacIntosh sitting down to watch the sunset and Applejack leaning against his side with a sigh. "Granny an' Applebloom are pretty excited about y'all gettin' married.... Ah wanna be excited too, but," she turned to look him in the eye, "is it for the baby?"
Mac didn't hesitate. "Nope. Datin' was for the baby," he clarified, cocking an eyebrow. "Marriage is 'cause I love that mare, and she loves me."
The corner of Applejack's mouth turned up just a little. "Good." She sat beside him, facing the setting sun with him for a few minutes before speaking again.
"Mac?"
"Eeyup?"
"You've done wonders for Fluttershy's self-esteem. If... heh... if premarital sex or whatever else y'all are up to makes her that happy... whatever it is, you just keep bein' good to her."
"Eeyup."