//------------------------------// // Part 9 // Story: Butterflies In Her Tummy // by Hivemind //------------------------------// “Wake up, sleepyhead!” Fluttershy cooed into your ear only moments after the first rays of the morning sunshine beamed through the bedroom window, striking your eyes harshly and forcing to rise from your pillow. The air around you felt uncomfortably humid, and your skin underneath your disheveled coat felt like pasty rubber. Your mane was tossed all over the place atop your head, matted into a finely messy bedhead, but you were much too groggy to care. You just wanted to fall asleep again, just slam your face into the pillows again and rest for days upon end, but Fluttershy was giving you that special look again; a look so alluring that you just couldn’t keep your eyes off of it. “Hey, Fluttershy,” you mumble, putting on a little smile when you looked upon Fluttershy’s adorable countenance. “Good morning,” Fluttershy giggled. “How did you sleep?” “Well, I guess.” You shrug. “At least you were by my side the whole time.” Fluttershy blushed, the cute smile on her face seemingly growing wider at your kind words. “I…need to get ready for work, don’t I?” You ask nervously. “Aww! Can’t you just stay at home for a little while?” Fluttershy asked, leaning her head on your shoulder. “It can get awfully lonely here all by myself sometimes.” “I would if I could, but your sister would kill me I were late again.” You chuckle, rolling your eyes playfully. “Redheart would never do such a thing!” Fluttershy gasped, rearing back in shock. “Relax, Fluttershy. It’s just an expression.” “Oh, sorry…” Fluttershy whispered, looking away nervously. “It’s alright,” you reply, throwing the bed covers off your body and slowly sliding down onto the floor. “Listen, I’m gonna grab a quick shower before I head to the hospital. Sorry to ask this, but is there any way you could—“ “I’ll have a quick breakfast waiting for you downstairs when you get out.” Fluttershy smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna let you go hungry, working hard at the hospital and all.” “Thanks Fluttershy. I can always count on you!” “And with good reason,” cooed Fluttershy, putting a hoof over her heart, blushing. You felt a strange, but relaxing warmness rise up deep inside you. Of course, being married to the most gentle pegasus in Ponyville, you were certainly no stranger to the feeling of pure, loving bliss. You smiled back at Fluttershy before climbing back onto the bed and planting a quick, but heartfelt kiss on her cheek. She returned with a kiss of her own, on the lips this time, doing whatever she could to stretch it out for as long as possible. The feeling you get each time your lips met with hers was indescribable, a true joy to behold. You wanted the intimate moment to last, but there would be plenty of time for that later. Deeply reluctant, you pull out of the kiss first. Fluttershy appeared to be a little upset, but she seemed to understand. “…soon, right?” cooed Fluttershy, giving you a hopeful look in the eyes. “Soon,” you reply, smiling back at her. “And it will be the best time of our lives.” You give a quick hug to Fluttershy before dashing off to the bathroom with a fresh towel between your teeth. Fluttershy sighed happily before sliding off the bed herself and gracefully trotting out of the bedroom. ~~~~~ Angel Bunny was on the verge of tearing on his own ears off. He couldn’t take it anymore. He had been in this stressful situation since the crack of dawn, and it was far from getting better. No matter how much he begged, pleaded, or demanded, Remi would simply refuse to budge. The ferret’s opinion seemed to be set, leaving him little he could do about it. Several hours ago, long before any of the house animals were awake, Angel Bunny awoke bright and early, and had planned on beginning the next phase of his attention scheme, but, in order to pull it off, he needed an extra set of paws to help him with some of the more complex tasks involved, but, with his skepticism already at a major high, Remi outright refused to support him, turning the blind eye and completely ignoring his rants to follow. Up until now, he had done nothing but argue with the stubborn length of fur. The two made furious gestures and shouted nasty swears at each other, neither side refusing to give up until the other gave up first. Suddenly, the bunny and ferret pair halted their fiery quarrelling when they heard a soft voice coo from the top of the stairs nearby. “Angel? Remi? Are you two awake down there?” asked the voice of Fluttershy. Angel and Remi exchanged a surprised look at each other, trying their best to remain as silent as possible. “Oh, you two must be hungry…Don’t worry! I’ll be down there in just a second!” Extremely alarmed, Angel and Remi tore away from each other and frantically searched for a place to hide, but the ruckus they had caused had awoken most of the living room’s now-angry house guests, who only sneered at the indifferent two and retreated into their shadowy dens. Taking a desperate move, Remi scurried to Angel’s side and gestured at him hastily, as if to say “Quick! Act natural!” ~~~~~ You toss your used, damp towel into a whicker basket beside the bathroom sink and brush your mane neat and proper with a slick comb. You check and recheck your handsome appearance, smiling at your well-groomed figure and fresh, shiny coat. When you were finished gawking at yourself, you quickly brushed and flossed your teeth before rushing out of the bathroom. As you walk down the stairs, you could smell a heavenly aroma drifting up from near the bottom and straight up into your nostrils. You quiver with delight and hasten your walking until you reach the bottom steps and step into the living room. All around you, business in the sanctuary that was the cottage living room went on as usual. Birds were chirping, squirrels and chipmunks were chasing each other back and forth across the floor, and little butterflies nestled on the sunny windowsills, their bright and colorful wings reflecting in the gleaming sunlight. The sight of animals at play was always a joy to watch, but you were on a tiring schedule, and the only reason you haven’t dashed out the front door already was the delightful smell of your wife’s home cooking nearby. You follow your nose to the dining table, where a small, steaming bowl of hot soup and a plate of bread slices awaited you. Upon taking a seat in front of the delicious gift from heaven, you take notice of a small piece of parchment sitting beside it. Hesitant to waste another few precious seconds, you quickly pick up the note and read from its finely printed text. Heading down to the beaver creek. Have a good day at work! -Fluttershy You smile brightly after reading the note once more, knowing that you get to come home to such a delightful mare at the end of each stressful work day. You lay the note face down on the table before diving into your breakfast, hastily gulping it down but taking just a few moments to savor the enchanting flavors of homegrown vegetables, herbs, and spices as they ran across your awaiting tongue. After finishing off the last of the soup, you quickly set the bowl in the kitchen sink before dashing out the front door, rushing to get to the hospital before your relative boss can chew you out like a wad of old gum again for being late. ~~~~~ You arrive at the hospital in just a few minutes time and quietly enter through the glass front door, making as little noise as possible so you don’t alert Redheart to your late arrival. Carefully closing the door behind you, you tiphoof to the front desk and are surprised to find that is in a complete state of disarray. Patient records and other various papers were piled high on the wooden countertop, unsorted and unfiled like an accountant’s worst nightmare. It was unlike Nurse Redheart to just leave her front desk in a complete mess like this, but as you thought about helping her out a little bit, mostly because you figured your help would make up for your tardiness, you started to wonder as to where she was. Curious, you look around the desk and check underneath it, but found that she was nowhere to be seen. Yet like the speak of the devil, you suddenly hear Redheart’s voice key up nearby. “Oh, it’s you…” murmured Nurse Redheart as you turned your head towards her, slightly alarmed for your boss’s sudden appearance. “Oh! S-sorry that I was late, Redheart,” you apologize with a nervous look on your face. “It’s alright…” Redheart whispered. “Just…just get to work. I need to be alone for a few minutes.” As you look upon Redheart’s face, you take notice of thin, grey streaks running down from her eyes to her chin. Has she been crying lately, and if so, what for? “Are you ok, Redheart?” you ask, concerned for one of your relations. “Because it looks like—“ “No I was not crying!” Redheart snapped, making you rear back in shock. You could see sadness in the emotional mare’s eyes as they, along with her lips, began to quiver. Redheart took a step back and shielded her eyes from view with one hoof. “Just…go.” “But, Redheart—“ “I said go!” Redheart yelled, keeping her eyes shielded. Getting the message that Redheart wanted a few minutes of peace, you nod and start walking down the nearest hallway. Behind you, you could hear Redheart sniffle and sob to herself. You desperately wanted to go back and ask her about what was troubling her, but she was your boss after all, not to mention that you yourself have seen other mares and their need for private moments. You chose to respect Redheart’s wishes and continue onwards towards the medical lab. ~~~~~ He didn’t need Remi. He didn’t need anypony anyway for what he has in store! Angel Bunny stormed furiously away from the cottage, fuming with red hot anger and a newborn hate for the stubborn, frustrating ferret he couldn’t even bare to call a friend anymore. Hours upon hours of heated arguing in the cottage got them nowhere, so Angel just upped and left mid-quarrel, and all he had asked for was just a little bit of help, but no! Not even the most agile animal in the whole house could spare just a few moments for a poor, small rabbit. What a lovely friendship this had turned out to be… But no matter! Even though he lacked sufficient aid, Angel still had a plan to accomplish. From what he could guess, Nurse Redheart was probably soaked in a barrel of her own sadness by now that will probably last for weeks on end, and as with the natural way with his caretaker’s family, emotional moments like these affected both Redheart and his caretaker heavily, and even if Nurse Redheart manages to calm down, he could just sneak into the hospital again and plant another disturbing note in the front desk drawer to kick start the water works once again. So far, everything was going according to plan. Redheart was an emotional wreck, and Fluttershy has yet to find out, but that only left him with the rest of the day to execute the next stage in his elaborate plan. He looked off in the distance towards the tiny town of Ponyville. Somewhere beyond the humble parish of ponies lay its esteemed apple orchard, the site of his next target. If all goes well, Angel Bunny would be one step closer to the lifestyle of his fantasies. Oh how he dreamed of the day when he could wake up feeling truly relaxed for once. Yes, it was true. Some ponies would have to suffer, but just for a little while! One less infant nuisance in the world wouldn’t hurt anybody, right? From what he’s heard, mostly from gossip from a few back alley rats, this kind of stuff happens in big cities like Manehatten all the time. Ponyville may be a tad smaller, but it was certainly no exception. His heart and stomach had brewed up a fresh batch of determination, fueling him mentally as he suddenly took off down the dirt path, charging on his paws as he speed his way towards the tiny township in the distance.