//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: Yellow // Story: Violet Hill // by TorontoFCBrony //------------------------------// The first week since Soarin departed for Saddle Arabia went by quite well for Rainbow, who spent most of it catching up with old friends and looking for a job, to no avail. She spent a day with Scootaloo, giving the young orange pegasus some flying tips, which had a great impact on the young filly. Training from a former Wonderbolt, who also happened to be her hero- what could be better for a filly? But something struck Rainbow on this seventh day since Soarin's departure: she hadn't spent any quality time with Fluttershy, her oldest friend. With this day being a Saturday, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to go visit the shy yellow pegasus from Cloudsdale. Even though she had a slight headache, Rainbow decided to pay Fluttershy a visit. Rainbow was gladly invited in, sat down on the couch, and was served tea by the mare who lived there. "Hey, I'm really sorry that I haven't spent much time with you lately. I feel like we've just grown apart since I became a Wonderbolt," Rainbow said to Fluttershy, who was sitting in a chair across from her and drinking her tea. "Oh, that's okay Rainbow, I totally understand. I was so happy for you to follow your dreams. I'm also so happy that you got your very own coltfriend too," Fluttershy replied. "Yeah, that's kinda why I came here today actually. I want to know the story of what happened between you and Big Macintosh. When are you two getting married?" Rainbow asked. Fluttershy, while looking at her diamond ring on her hoof, which was much smaller than Rainbow's but she still loved it, answered, "We actually were going to get married next month." "That's awesome!" Rainbow interrupted. "But we decided to hold off for a little but," Fluttershy finished. "Oh really? Why? Did you guys have a fight?" Rainbow asked. Fluttershy closed her eyes and smiled politely. "Oh no, things are going great between us! We decided to wait because we want Soarin to be here for the wedding." "Really? Fluttershy, that's so sweet of you! Thanks so much," Rainbow said with genuine gratitude. "I also wanted to know one more thing," Fluttershy continued. "Oh yeah? What?" "I wanted to know if you would be my best mare." Rainbow grinned at that proposition. "I would be honoured!" she replied while getting up to give Fluttershy a hug. She sat back down, and asked, "But there is one thing I need to know: how did things get so close between you two? It seems like it happened overnight." Fluttershy took a sip of her tea and said, "Well, it went like this..." -------------------------------------- A week after Rainbow left for Cloudsdale in December, Fluttershy began to feel lonely. Her oldest friend was now gone, living her dream, but Fluttershy was just stuck living the same quiet life that she loved for many years. She continued to live in her cottage, taking care of the woodland creatures. Doing such a thing became a routine, and she began to feel down. When life gets into a routine, one often starts to get depressing thoughts in their head; Fluttershy was no exception. She began to feel like she was going nowhere in her life. Applejack needed help one day shovelling snow in front of the ban, so she asked Fluttershy to help her, along with Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom. Fluttershy gladly accepted, because it was a good change in routine. She put on her winter clothing, which involved light blue boots, hat, and scarf. The light blue really made the beautiful pegasus stand out. As she went and helped the Apple family shovel the snow, she glanced over at Big Macintosh, who was lifting large amounts of snow with his shovel. Fluttershy remembered the time that she came over to talk to Applejack the summer previous, and she glanced over to see how hard Big Mac worked. He pulled a large tractor behind him, he lifted whole barrels full of cider, he could kick trees down with one kick, and he could probably even pull a whole house if he tried! That was something that she appreciated; not his power, but his willingness to work hard. That was something that she always looked for in a stallion. Unfortunately, with both ponies being very shy, she never had a real conversation with him. However, even though she had butterflies in her stomach, she decided to slowly move over towards him as she shovelled. "He- um... hey Big Macintosh," she squeaked out. "Hey," he replied while he continued to shovel large amounts of snow over his shoulder in order to clear a path. "I... um... I really like how hard you work. So, have you always worked this hard?" she asked him. "Eeyup." "That's cool. Have... have you always lived in Ponyville?" she asked as she shovelled much smaller amounts of snow in comparison. "Eeyup." "Nice." That's all the conversation they really had at first, but it was a start. Applejack had a small smile as she glanced over at Fluttershy trying to talk to her brother. About a week later, Fluttershy and Applejack were talking casually about things that happened that week, when Fluttershy out of the blue asked, "Hey, do you need any help around the farm?" Applejack scratched her chin with her hoof, "Can't think of anything right now actually. Why?" Fluttershy blushed. "Um... n-no reason. Just wanted to know if you needed any help." A few more days passed, and the pegasus asked Applejack another question upon seeing her in the streets of Ponyville. "How's your sister doing?" "They're doing fine, Fluttershy. School is going really well for Apple Bloom," Applejack replied. "And, um... what about Big Macintosh?" "He's also fine, Fluttershy. Why'd you ask?" "I just wanted to know how your family was doing, of course," Fluttershy responded, but it was not convincing. A few more days passed, and Applejack asked her other four friends if they would like to come over for dinner that night. Fluttershy asked, "Will Big Macintosh be there?" "Fluttershy, do you have a crush on my brother?" Applejack responded while grinning slyly at the shy pegasus. Fluttershy blushed and turned a bright shade of pink. The other mares let out little sounds both of cuteness and tease. "Darling, you shouldn't be embarrassed to have a crush," Rarity informed Fluttershy. "Yeah, and Big Macintosh is actually a great worker. I'm happy for you," Twilight said while putting an arm around her. "To answer your question, Fluttershy, yes. My brother will be there. And if you want, you could sit right beside him," Applejack suggested. "Oh no, I wouldn't want to come between your family," Fluttershy responded. "It's no problem at all. I always hoped that one day one of my friends would take a liking to my brother. He has been quite lonely lately too," Applejack answered. "Come by at six." "You simply must come over to my place. I'll get you ready," Rarity said while taking Fluttershy by the hoof and leading her over to the unicorn's boutique. "Hmm... Too flashy... Too old... Too modern... Too trampy," Rarity continued to say as she helped Fluttershy try on different outfits and manestyles. "Does it really matter what I wear?" Fluttershy asked as Rarity began to tighten a dress on the pegasus, who ended up becoming short of breath. "Oops, sorry, that was a little too tight. And yes, it does matter. You want to make a good first impression, don't you?" Rarity asked. "Of course." "Good. This look works for you," Rarity said while admiring her work. Fluttershy's mane was now curlier than usual, and she wore a red dress. Rarity prepared her by saying, "Now, you want to make a good impression, but you also have to be as 'you' as possible. You want him to like you, but you also want him to like the real you, not a fake version of yourself." "I agree with that. Thank you so much," Fluttershy replied. The time came for Fluttershy to make her good first impression. She and the other ponies went over to Applejack's house. Applejack sat them down at her table, which was nicely set up with a tablecloth and candles. Fluttershy sat down beside Big Mac. "Hello. It's nice to see you again," Fluttershy said while sitting down and looking at the stallion. "Eeyup." He never did seem to say much. He appeared just as shy as her, which could have made things go very well, or very awkward; time would tell. Everypony at the table began to eat the feast of apples, apple dumplings, applesauce, apple fritter, salad with apples cut up, and apples. They also had apples. Fluttershy ate her food very politely, but she looked beside her to see Mac stuffing his whole face into his plate to eat the food. He lifted his face to see Fluttershy looking back at him with a cheerful grin. He looked back at her with miscellaneous apple product on his face, and they two shared a laugh. Fluttershy stayed over afterwards to play a few games with the Apple family. She had a very pleasant night and was able to spend some time with her crush, and it actually was not too awkward. Later on, after Fluttershy had left, Applejack asked her brother, "So, what do you think of Fluttershy?" "She's mighty beautiful and very nice," he replied truthfully. "Do you like her?" she asked. Big Macintosh paused for a few seconds. "Eeyup. I think so." "Well then, ask her out! She likes you too, you know," she told him. Big Macintosh had to think about this one quite deeply. He had never dated anypony before, so this was definitely a big step to take. The next day Fluttershy was at home taking care of Angel. "Here you go Angel, a nice, healthy salad," Fluttershy said politely as she leaned down to hand the bunny the bowl. Angel 'thanked' the mare by throwing the bowl across the room and hopping into the kitchen. Fluttershy was upset about that, but she didn't let it bother her too much. Suddenly she heard a knock at the door, so she went over to answer it. To her surprise, it was Big Macintosh who knocked. He was bundled up due to the cold winter day, even though it was sunny and the winds were calm. "Oh my... Hi there, Big Mac," she said with a little bit of embarrassment on her face, since she was not expecting company. "Uh, hi Fluttershy. I know you weren't expecting me, but..." He swallowed due to nerves. "Um... I was wondering if you would like to join me tonight to get a drink at the new fancy karaoke bar that just opened here. It's called The Hub." Just asking her out was enough to make him blush, but he managed to maintain eye contact with her. Fluttershy looked back at him and smiled. She was definitely not expecting to be asked out. She didn't have the best self-esteem, and today she wasn't even looking her best, but Big Mac still asked her out regardless. She gladly accepted his offer. Fluttershy dressed in a classy white dress and prepared her mane in a move waiver style than usual. She took a quick look in the mirror once again to make sure everything was good. When she was satisfied, she looked to Angel and asked, "First date; how do I look?" Angel gave her the thumbs down, but she really didn't deserve it. Angel was really just a jerk most of the time. Fluttershy was saddened at the bunny's answer, but she had no time to change again. Big Macintosh knocked on the door. As she opened it, she saw his pupils dilate at her beauty. He was only dressed in a black shirt and a pleather jacket for this special occasion, but his mane was more formal than usual. "Are you ready?" he asked her. "Eeyup," was Fluttershy's reply in her best Big Mac impersonation. The imitation made the stallion smile. Fluttershy got on a light blue winter coat and the two went outside into the cold. Side by side they walked across the bridge and into the main area of Ponyville where the new bar was located. Upon seeing it for the first time, they marveled at the old style stone walls that it was made of. As they entered in, the waitress greeted them and asked if they had a reservation, to which Mac answered, "Eeyup, table for two under Macintosh Apple." "Right this way, Mister and Misses Apple," the waitress said while leading them to their table for two in the corner of the bar. Fluttershy and Mac smiled to each other due to the waitress' honest mistake . They didn't bother to correct her. Even though it was their first date they looked like a cute couple already. They sat down at their table and were given their menus. Fluttershy ordered an appletini and Macintosh ordered cider with vodka. They watched together as different ponies from the town went up and sang different songs. Most of them seemed quite embarrassed, and the few that looked confident probably had a little too much to drink. The mare and stallion tried their best to converse, putting aside any butterflies in their stomachs. "So... how is it working on the apple farm?" the yellow pegasus asked. "In the winter there really isn't much to do. In the summer there is a lot to do, so it balances out," he replied. That was the type of conversation they had for a while. It was very basic, but first dates are not always great dates. As the night went on, however, things started to get a little more fun. Fluttershy had a few more appletinis, as well as a tequila. She began to seem more and more flirtatious and open, and it made the night a little more fun. She began to laugh at everything and her face became more flushed. In time, she decided to get up and take the microphone for herself. Mac just watched her and smiled, eagerly waiting to see what was about to happen. She requested an older song from a stallion who was a jazz musician in Canterlot many decades ago. As the music began, she started to quietly sing the first few lines. She looked around to see all the ponies eagerly watching her sing. Her date was eagerly gazing at her. She continued to sing the next few lines with her majestic voice. Her confidence grew as the ponies in the room continued to watch her. She came over and continued singing right in front of her date, eventually leaning on the table over him. She momentarily paused to take a swig of Big Mac's drink and then finished the song, swinging her mane and screaming out "Woooo!" The yellow and usually shy pegasus giggled as she made her way back to her seat beside her date. "How'd I do, sweetie?" she asked the red stallion. For a shy pegasus, she really seemed to open up after a few drinks. "Great," he replied. The two of them had a few more drinks each. Everything seemed more and more funny between the two of them. "Hey... *Hiccup* Hey... Hey Big Mac... Wa-wanna see my cutie mark?" Fluttershy flirtatiously asked. "Eeyup," he responded with a laugh. That was when the manager of the bar, a stallion earth pony, came up to them and kindly said, "Hey, I think you two have had enough to drink for tonight. Do you need me to help you leave?" He asked them to leave in the kindest way possible, because he knew they weren't a threat to others. The couple left without a fuss, and they stumbled their way back to Fluttershy's cottage. The birds that stayed for the winter started to chirp in the morning, and their sound woke up Big Macintosh. He slowly opened his eyes, realising that he was not in his own bedroom. He looked to his left to see the yellow mare with pink bed head with her eyes closed beside him. She slowly opened her eyes with a smile. "Hey," she said to him. Her smile and her bedroom eyes quickly became a look of shock and a straight mouth. "Um... Mac... did we..?" she tried to ask him. Macintosh lifted the blanket and looked in, and then looked over to see their clothes on the floor. "Eeyup." They both stared at the ceiling while they thought about what they did the night before. "Um… Oh goodness. I'm sorry, Mac. I'm not really like that usually. I guess I had a little too much to drink," Fluttershy apologized. "Don't be sorry, Fluttershy. I had a good time. I can't wait for our second date," he replied. The next few months went by a little slower. They went on dates three or four times a week, but they made the commitment to stay away from alcohol. The two of them became closer and closer as a couple, and being together made them more outgoing towards other ponies. On one clear and warm mid-spring evening, a few months after they started dating, Big Mac asked Fluttershy out on a quiet date at Sweet Apple Acres. What they were going to do was not known to Fluttershy. They didn't have any 'accidents' since that first night they spent together, so it probably wasn't anything like that. Fluttershy and Big Macintosh did not even wear any clothing this time, setting the tone for what seemed to be just a normal night. Fluttershy met Big Macintosh under the largest tree at the farm. The night sky was beautiful and full of many stars. The couple leaned up and cuddled against each other while lying on their backs in order to look at the stars. The two of them casually talked about many different things. They spoke about current world events and what the future held for the two of them. Things were going very well for them, and they seemed like a natural fit for each other. But as the night went on, Fluttershy went quiet as she looked at the beautiful night sky. Big Macintosh leaned up for a second, and bent around the tree. Fluttershy didn't even notice that he had gotten up because of the beauty of the night sky. However, something caught her eye and she looked over to see Big Macintosh holding a light brown acoustic guitar in his hooves. "Now, Fluttershy, remember something," he told her. "I've never sang in public before, but I'm willing to give it a try for you." She started at him with open eyes. The light from the full moon and the stars made everything very visible around then. Big Macintosh started to play the acoustic guitar. The chords he played sounded very familiar to Fluttershy. After he opened his mouth and began to sing, Fluttershy recognized the song to be an older song by Coltplay. Yellow, to be exact. The female pegasus couldn't help but smile as she instantly thought of the lyrics of the song. They represented all the things that the big red stallion felt for the mare. However, to Fluttershy's surprise, Big Mac actually began to sing the lyrics to the song. His singing voice was a little higher than his normal speaking voice. It wasn't really fitting to the song he was singing, but it was sweet. It was coming from a stallion who rarely showed any emotion, and rarely said anything other than a "eeyup" or a "nope." Fluttershy remembered listening a while ago to this rock love song, and she loved it. Having her coltfriend play it for her was extra special. He was able to put away his shyness for her, as she was able to do for him. As he played the acoustic song, Fluttershy began to have a few tears of happiness. As he finished singing and playing, he let out a final strum of a chord to finish the song that he had practiced at home for a while. Fluttershy blushed in response, but then lifted up her head and smiled from ear to ear. Between the starry night, and having the colt of her dreams play guitar and sing for her, she had streaming tears of joy. 'How could this night get any better?' she thought to herself. "Mac, that was beautiful. I can't believe you learned that song for me. I love you," she said to him. The stallion put down the guitar beside him, and reached behind him to pull out a ring box. Fluttershy made the most shockingly happy face she had ever made since they started dating. "I love you too, Fluttershy," Big Mac said while opening the box, revealing a small diamond ring. It was all he could afford, but it still was enough to make the mare clop her hooves in excitement. "And that is why I ask you: will you marry me?" She let out a few staggered breaths and grabbed the ring, putting it around her hoof. "Yes, yes!" she yelled out excitedly. She leaned in and wrapped her forelegs around him, and gave him a peck on the lips. -------------------------------------- "..So that was the story of how Big Mac and I got engaged. It's not fantastic, but that's how it worked out," Fluttershy concluded as Rainbow took another sip of her tea. "Fluttershy, that was beautiful. It was actually a touching story. I can't believe he sang for you! I'm so jealous," Rainbow said truthfully. "Oh, it was definitely beautiful," Fluttershy said while smiling and closing her eyes, which was a certain mannerism of hers. "It was the best moment of my whole life." "Hey," Rainbow said while changing the subject. "I'm kinda craving some pasta with cheese. Do you have any?" "Um, no, I don't think so," Fluttershy responded. "No worries, I'll see if I can stop by somewhere to eat on the way home."