Fluttershy trotted down the long dirt path happily. The track was well-worn, and for that she was grateful. It wouldn't do if the apple crumble in her basket got ruined because of a few bumps in the road.
She was going to visit her friend Big Macintosh, and they were going to have a picnic. They'd been firm friends ever since Fluttershy had first moved to Ponyville - alike in both their shyness and fear of flying, the two had bonded immediately and had gradually grown closer and closer, until they were visiting each other every week and literally knew when the other sneezed.
The sky was perfectly clear, with just a few wisps of cloud on the horizon. The sun cradled the land gently. Birds flitted hither and thither, emmitting the odd tweet occasionally.
It was a perfect day. Fluttershy continued onwards.
Mac sat at the old applewood desk in his room and thought.
He needed to write a letter to Mayor Mare to ask permission for a barn to store cider in. The Apple family had recently heard that their cousins in Appleloosa had started fermenting their apple cider to add flavour, and, after sampling a barrel of the stuff, had decided that it would be a way to increase income during the winter months and use up any bruised apples that they couldn't sell. But first, they needed a new barn, and before that, he needed to write the letter.
He tried. The foe that was the blank paper lay limply before him, offering no ideas and tormenting him relentlessly. Each time he lowered his pen to the paper the words he'd pictured would vanish, and eventually, he gave up.
Mac wondered why he couldn't concentrate. There was something on his mind, something important he'd been meaning to do...that he needed to do. Right now, it couldn't wait. But what?
Oh...that.
Mac got up, turned around and stretched his muscles. He smiled.
Fluttershy trotted along a little quicker.
She'd stpped to chat with Rainbow Dash for what had seemed like a minute, but when she had checked the position of the sun in the sky, she was horrified to discover that it had actually been half an hour. 30 minutes! Almost 30 minutes late! Whatever would she say? That she'd stopped and chatted and completely forgotten about her best friend?
The farm's buildings had finally come into view. They stood large and proud, unwaveringly strong in the hot midday sun. The unmistakeable smell of wood, hay and apples drifted into range and calmed Fluttershy a bit - but not enough to be reassured completely.
Fluttershy started to trott faster.
Out of breath, she finally rested against the wall of the Apple family home. She found it weird that Mac hadn't been waiting to greet her, as he normally would have done, but instead of searching for him, she galloped inside. It had gotten so hot outside! Normally she would have wondered into the kitchen and asked Granny Smith for a drink, but she was alsleep in the living room, so she left it. After recovering from her long trek, she slowly ascended up the stairs.
*grunt*
"Wha-?" Fluttershy stopped. There were noises coming from upstairs! Listening, she discovered it to be coming from...Mac's room, in a rythmic pattern. Why were there strange noises?...
"Oh.Oh!" Fluttershy covered her mouth with a hoof, blushing profusely. Oh dear! No wonder he'd not been outside! She stood stock still, wondering whether she should...interupt him, or not. Yes, the apple crumble would go brown in such hot weather on the walk back, but she didn't want to be so rude as to, um, walk in on him. Flutterhsy blushed some more.
"No, Fluttershy, he's your friend. As...awkward as it would be, I'm sure he'd understand, right...?"
Atfer a sort-of encouraging pep talk (punctuated with, er, sounds) Fluttershy finally worked up the courage to knock on the door. If he told her to come back later, she would, and she'd forget about the whole thing.
She knocked timidly on the door.
There was a pause, and Fluttershy cringed in the silence.
"Fluttershy? That you?" His voice was slightly muffled.
"Um...yes?"
A longer silence. This time Fluttershy back away from the door, preparing to return home. "Oh, if it isn't a good time I'll, um, come back later...that is, if you wouldn't mind..."
"Nope, Ah was jus'...Ah was wonderin' if y'all could help me?"
Fluttershy's eyes widened to an almost physically impossible width. Help him with what?
"Ah, okay..."
She walked inside the door slowly, feeling like a fly wandering into a spider's lair.
Inside was the most peculiar sight that Fluttershy had ever seen.
Mac was facing away from her, leaning under his desk on the opposite side of the room. He was sweating lightly, rump raised high in the air. It was obvious that he was too big to fit under the desk completely, and his shoulders thumped against the applewood table every time he tried to squeeze into the cramped space.
Noticing that Fluttershy had entered and was staring at him with an expression tht screamed confusion and embarassment, he moved out from under his desk and scratched his head sheepishly with a hoof.
"Er...what?" Fluttershy blushed more and more ans she spoke.
"Um, eheh...y'all remember that spell Miss Sparkle cast a while ago?"
Fluttershy was completely taken aback with this. What did that have to do with the situation on hoof? The situation seemed to get stranger and stranger with everynpassing minute, but she dismissed these facts and went along with what Mac had just said, hoping that maybe he'd give some vaguely believable explanation as to his frankly quite baffling behaviour.
"Well, it was about that time that Ah'd lost an old doll o' mine that Ah'd been fond of and played with as a colt, and, uh, at the end of it all, it seemed that nopony was gonna take Miss Twilight's doll, so Ah took it...as a replacement..."
The normally bold (and slightly mischeavous) stallion was staring a hole in the floor at this point, and he was thankful for his deep red coat, because if he'd been any other colour then he was sure that he would be as red as a beetroot. He hated to think of what the situation had looked like when she'd walked in.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy's mouth had formed a small "o" as she processed this information. So...he'd just been searching for a doll all this time? He'd lost his doll and went looking for it? Not that other thing?
Her mouth stretched into a sympathetic smile and her eyes returned to their normal size. She giggled.
Big Mac raised his head in confusement at the sound. Indeed, Fluttershy was giggling lightly, her eyes soft and calm.
"Aww, of course I'll help you look." She rested a hoof gently on Mac's. "Here, I should be able to fit under the desk," she walked past Mac and lowered her head to look for the doll. "Now, what does it look like and where do you think it is?"
Big Mac was taken aback with this surprise development. He'd expected her to frown slightly and say that it was high time they went for their picnic, or else the food would be spoilt, or laugh at him and say to leave it. Something along those lines. Either way, he wasn't expecting her to start looking for it.
"Um, she's grey and has button eyes. Ah think she'd somewhere in the left-hoof corner. Ah ya sure y'all be able to move all the stuff?" He used the space to store papers and the like.
"Okay. I should be fine."
Turning around, Mac saw Fluttershy leaning fully under the desk, rump high in the air. Unlike him, the lean yellow Pegasus had only wiry flying muscles and could fit fully under the table. He tried not to look as she moved about with gentle vigour, clearing his stuff away, but couldn't help but admire her...well, it wouldn't do to think such thoughts. He turned away again, blushing. That wasn't how Granny Smith had raised him. However...that ass. Mac allowed himself another look and chuckled quietly.
"Found her!" Fluttershy reversed outwards, holding his doll gently in her teeth. She rested her gently at Mac's feet, and immediatly he swept her up, fell on back and clutched her tightly to his chest. Fluttershy giggled musically at his antics, and watched with a smiled as the huge red stallion nuzzled the doll coltishly. "Smarty Pants, ah missed you! Ah can't believe ah dropped you down the back o' ma desk..." Fluttershy's giggle escalated into a laugh, and Mac opened an eye to peek at her with a smile. He hated confusing her and making her worry.
After he'd had his fill, he got up and rested Smarty Pants gently on his bed. He turned around and picked up the picnic basket that his friend had dropped. Fluttershy seemed to be looking at his doll's much-loved appearance.
"You know, I could repair her eyes if you wanted. They don't look like they'll stand up to much more."
"...Ah'd like that. Shall we go?"
"Yes!"
And, with that, the two friends trotted out of the room and went for their picnic.
It was a beautiful day. They continued onwards.