//------------------------------// // Late Night // Story: So Buckin' Shy // by FlutterJack //------------------------------// After a while, Big Macintosh finally came upon the tree cottage that his love resided in. He pushed open the door and let himself in. To his surprise, Fluttershy was in the kitchen, her hooves working busily at the sink. The yellow pegasus heard the door open behind her and turned her head. "Hello." She called out in her quiet voice. Big Macintosh nodded towards her and noticed her bandaged wing as she turned her head back to the sink. Then the red earth pony came up beside his love and looked at the bowl that Fluttershy was washing. He watched as her hooves worked at a piece of dryed up lettuce. Mac looked up at Fluttershy's face and planted a little kiss on her cheek and returned to the living room where he sat on the little red couch. In the kitchen, the yellow pegasus's face was a light shade of pink. A few moments passed before the mare left the kitchen and took a spot on the couch, an awkward distance from Big Mac. The earth pony looked at her as she sat, he noticed her big eyes buising themselves with some corner of the room. Eventually, the silence became too much and Big Mac spoke. "Fluttershy?" Her yellow heard turned. "Yes?" "What do you say we go out somewhere. Ummm..." Mac scratched the back of his head with one hoof. "How about the new place that just opened?" "The salad place?" "Um... if you want to, I mean we could stay here...or...something." The silence returned but this time Fluttershy's voice chased it away. "Big Mac?" The red pony looked over and to his surprise, Fluttershy's lips landed on his. The stallion didn't move, his limbs paralyzed with shock. Fluttershy felt this and quickly withdrew her face. "Oh! I'm sorry! Big Mac! I was ju-" Her panicky voice was interrupted by Mac's red lips upon hers. The stallion stopped and uttered. "Don't be." Big Macintosh lifted himself from the couch and extended a hoof to Fluttershy, who accepted it and still wincing from her injured wing, left the couch and walked with Mac out the door. Eventually, the two arrived at the little restaurant and each ordered their drinks, a glass of water for each. Not to be frugal but because Fluttershy didn't want to be a bother and Big Macintosh enjoyed the simpler things. When the light blue unicorn serving them had brought the beverages, each pony took a sip, almost simultaneously. A little paper menu was set before them and only a few seconds later, Big Mac and Fluttershy had ordered and were waiting the dinner's arrival. "So....are you having a good time?" Big Macintosh spoke, trying to start a conversation. "Oh, yes. I am." Fluttershy nodded and smiled. "Thank you, for bringing me to dinner." "It's alright." "Any thing for you." "No, really, thank you." Fluttershy put one yellow hoff on the table and Macintosh brought his own to hers. "Dinner's ready!" The waitress brought the plates to rest upon the table with her magic and the two ponies said their 'thank-yous'. As the unicorn left, the two began eating. Fluttershy started with the oranges that rested atop lettuce greens and little carrots mixed in. Big Mac preferred to begin with the tomatoes and croutons that lay scattered across his own salad. The pegasus pony looked up from her dinner. "Big Mac?" "Yup?" The earth pony asked not looking up from his dinner. "Um..I...is this our first date?" Big Mac looked up from his dinner, swallowed and blushed. "I...guess. Yep, kinda...." "Oh.....okay." Fluttershy resumed eating normally, but Big Macintosh didn't. "Fluttershy?" "Hm?" She looked up at her date. "I know that you're shy. And....I am too..." The stallion thought for a moment, reading Fluttershy's face which looked cute with a bit of lettuce dangling from her full mouth. Big Mac smiled and brushed the lettuce away with his hoof. "Fluttershy, we've known each other for a while, even if it wasn't as a couple. Even when we were....friends.....I've liked you. I need to know before I ask you this next question." He paused again as Fluttershy's eyes dropped. "Did you like me before this?" Fluttershy looked away, trembling. "Fluttershy?" Big Macintosh asked the mare's name and she whipped her head around, tears streaming down her face. "Yes, Big Macintosh! Yes, I did!" Fluttershy was yelling only in the way that Fluttershy can, which isn't very loud but the words reached Mac's ears easily. "I liked you ever since we were young and I saw you working at Sweet Apple Acres! I loved you then, and now you know that Fluttershy is a coward!" She excused herself from the table and ran from the restaurant, her pink hair in front of her face. Macintosh's jaw was hung open as he looked after Fluttershy. Only the voice of the waitress and the pressing stares of the other customers brought him back to reality. "What did you do to her?" The waitress's eyes were big and she looked shocked. "I-I need to go." Mac threw a few bits on the table and left the restaurant in a hurry. He ran as fast as he could, looking around every corner in Ponyville. "Fluttershy! Fluttershy, please!" His voice strained with worry. He was just about out of places to look when he heard a whimpering sound near a tree. "Fluttershy?" Macintosh approached the tree and looked to the other side, where Fluttershy lay with her head under her hooves. Tears wet the grass below. The yellow mare looked up at Big Macintosh and lifted herself to her hooves. She muttered something that was inaudible to Big Macintosh. "Fluttershy, I-" Big Mac was interrupted by Fluttershy hugging him and he put his own hooves around her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Big Mac." The mare cried as she said this. "I-I guess my nerves...just....." She hiccuped and Mac hugged her closer. "It's alright, Fluttershy." He kissed the top of her head. "Come on, let's go back to your house. It's late." The pegasus sniffed and nodded, she dried her eyes and the two walked home, heads pressed together.