//------------------------------// // Number 1 // Story: Heartaches By The Number // by ADRNEL //------------------------------// Another beautiful spring day in Ponyville, and at Sweet Apple Acres, a large red stallion puts away his Smarty Pants dolls under the bed, leaves the bed and walks to the bathroom to take his once daily shower. He opens the bathroom door only to find Applejack inside drying herself off. “GOSH DARN IT MAC! HAVEN’T YA HEARD OF KNOCKIN’!?” yelled his annoyed younger sister. “Whut’s th’ point?” grinned Big Mac, rolling his eyes. “Ah see ya’ naked every day!” he playfully states. “Still, ah deserve some privacy if ya’ don’t mind!” snapped the mare as she pushes Big Mac out of the bathroom before slamming the door shut on his snout. “GOOD MORNING, PONYVILLE!” yelled Cheerilee to her bedroom after waking up. She quickly takes her usual morning shower, gets her mane and face ready for the upcoming busy school day, and has her usual breakfast of a bagel and coffee. “Let’s see what I have planned for my students today.” The purple mare happily states, while flipping through her lesson plan. While flipping through the pages, a small photo falls out, Cheerilee notices it and gets down on the floor to pick it up, only to see that the photo is of her and Big Mac together at the Ponyville fair, with Big Mac kissing her cheek. A single tear forms in her eye and slowly rolls down the mare’s cheek from the flood of both happy and sad memories the photo created. She and Big Mac used to date last summer, to was the best 50 days of her life, her days and nights were spent with him. Unfortunately, the spark they had faded as Big Mac’s work load on the farm increased, until they just drifted apart and agreed to put a hold on the relationship and remain friends, much to their sadness, although she would later find out that night, that post break-up sex was better than the ‘regular’ kind. They never been together since then. “Oh Mackie,” mumbles and saddened Cheerilee. “Why did we have to break up?” “Oh Angel...please eat your food!” begged Fluttershy to her pet bunny, who is refusing to eat his breakfast. “I know it’s not your favorite, but it’s good for you!” Angel continues to resist, crossing his arms and giving her a dirty look. Fluttershy wanted to use ‘the stare’ at him, but she wasn’t in the mood, lately, she’s been depressed from how routine her life has become. Sure, she has her animals and friends, but that’s not enough, she wants...no...needs somepony to provide her for more than just that. A somepony who can comfort her, cheer her up when her friends are unable to. A somepony who is very kind, very honest and always puts loved ones and family first, like her cousin. But who can fill that role? Fluttershy just leaves Angel alone as she lays down on the living room couch to think. “I wonder what my friends are doing today?” she asks to herself, staring at the ceiling. “GOSH DARN IT MAC! YER GONNA PAY!” yelled an angry Applejack chasing after Big Mac around the farm, Granny Smith hobbles out from inside the farmhouse, sits down on her chair in the porch and sees her two grandkids chasing each other. “Looks like she caught Mac readin’ her diary again.” mused the old mare. She then takes a deep breath to prepare her lungs for what she’s going to do next. “APPLEJACK! MACINTOSH! STOP!” Granny Smith sternly yells. Both siblings stop in the tracks and assemble in front of the old mare. “Mac! Stop readin’ yer sister’s diary, ah knows it’s a... rather interestin’ read, but it’s fo’ her eyes only!”, yelled Granny to her grandson Big Mac. “AJ! Find a better hidin’ place fo’ that thin’ then yer jewelry box!” Applejack’s face gained a light crimson at the demand. “Ya’ know how craf’y an’ intellygant yer brother can be!” Both Big Mac and Applejack just give her guilty looks, before walking back to the fields to complete their chores. But then, they hear a set of hooves softly land on the ground, the siblings turn around to see Fluttershy standing before them. “Fluttershy?” exclaimed Applejack, not expecting her to be here. “What are ya’ doin’ here?” “Oh...sorry to bother you...it’s just that I’m running low on animal feed, and I was hoping you would let me borrow some...if you don’t mind of course.” nervously explained the pegasus to her best friend. “Of course ah don’t mind, sugarcube,” happily states the orange mare. “Big Mac, do ya mind takin’ Fluttershy t’th’ barn t’give her some feed?” she asks to her older brother. “Nnope.” nodded Big Mac, he then leads the pegasus to the barn while Applejack trots off to do her chores, and to find a better hiding place for her diary. As Fluttershy follows the stallion, she couldn’t help but stare at his flank. “So muscular”, thought the pegasus. She always had a crush on the red stallion, but was too afraid to tell him, especially since he was her best friend’s brother, she didn’t want to upset Applejack. But it wasn’t just his body that attracts the shy pegasus, but his personality, so kind, so honest, so devoted to his loved ones and family...he’s perfect. Big Mac and Fluttershy enter the barn where they see bags of animal feed neatly stacked up against the wall. “So...how many bags do ya need?” politely asked the stallion to Fluttershy. He always found the yellow pegasus kind of cute, and her shyness endearing, but usually stayed away from her and Applejack’s friends out of respect for his sister. Fluttershy was too nervous to answer, her eyes wide, she was starting to break out in cold sweats. “Come on Fluttershy! Say something! Stop proving your name right!” she yells in her head. “Fluttershy?” Her heart is racing, she can hear it getting louder and louder, she can’t take it anymore. “BIG MAC I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!” she quickly and impulsively shouts. She immediately realizes what she said and shuts her mouth with her hooves. “EEP!” “Whut?” was all Big Mac could say, trying to make sense of what he just heard. Without saying anything, Fluttershy grabs a bag of feed in her wing and rockets out of the barn. Leaving a stunned Big Mac alone. “Oh Fluttershy...why do you have to be such a loudmouth?” stated a disappointed Fluttershy to herself as she flies back to her home. “Now Big Mac will never love me.” At the farm, Big Mac has left the barn and is walking to the fields to do his chores, but he can’t help but think about Fluttershy’s outburst. Did she really mean it? How would Applejack handle the news that one of her close friends is in love with him? Will Applejack approve of him starting a relationship with the pegasus? He highly doubts that one. After Applejack made friends with Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, his sister specifically warned him to stay away, all other mares are fair game, but not them. She doesn’t want things to get awkward between her and her friends, plus she’s worried about their well being and doesn’t want to see them heartbroken. He continues to think long and hard about this, until he accidentally bumps into somepony, shaking him from his thoughts. “Oh...I’m so sorry Mackie.” exclaimed a concerned voice. Big Mac immediately knows who that voice belongs to; Cheerilee. “Cheerilee?” asked a confused Big Mac. “Whut is ya doin’ here?” “I just wanted to check up on you, it’s been awhile since we last talked.” nervously explained Cheerilee. “Well,” started the stallion. “not much has changed, but it’s nice t’talk t’ya again.” he states. “Look,” proposed the purple mare. “I was thinking that maybe you would like to come over to my place for dinner this weekend, to catch up on old times, if you want.” she offers. “I'll hafta convince mah sister t'do some of mah chores on that day, but ah reckon ah can come on over.” stated Big Mac. “Great!” the mare exclaims. “It would be great to talk to you again after so long.” the mare couldn’t help but check the stallion out. “My goodness, I miss that body so much.” her mind begins to wander to the many times she has explored his fit and muscular body. She quickly refocuses herself. “Eeyup.” happily nodded the stallion. He still has some lingering feelings for the purple mare, but now sees her as a close friend. “Well, I have to get going home... I’ll see this weekend then, bye!” Cheerilee cheerfully exclaimed as she walks off, sashaying her hips. Big Mac immediately notices, and begins to remember all those times he kissed those three flowers that make up her cutie mark. He quickly shakes his head of those thoughts. “Take it easy there Mac...that ship has long sailed away. It was good while it lasted, but it’s best that we remain friends.” The stallion then goes off to complete his chores, not thinking about all the craziness he’ll encounter over the next few days. TO BE CONTINUED...