"Come on Fluttershy! Time's a' wastin'!" Apple Bloom stood dancing anxiously in the entrance to Fluttershy's cottage as the pegasus flew about, tossing supplies into the saddlebag that sat in the middle of her living room as she went.
"Oh my goodness! I hope I'm not forgetting anything...What if he needs-?"
"Fluttershy!"
"Okay okay!" Fluttershy quickly donned her bag and flew to join Apple Bloom at the door. "Lead the way, quickly!" Slamming the door, Fluttershy followed after the young earth pony, hoping that everything was okay.
When the two arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom led them straight to the barn. Inside, Big Macintosh was sitting next to a hay bale, looking worried. Laying on the bale was a trembling raccoon, licking it's front left paw, which was considerably swollen. Fluttershy's eyes grew large as she took in the injured creature and soared over to get a better look. "Oh! What exactly happened?" All she had been told was that an animal was hurt and needed her help quickly; she needed to know exactly how the raccoon hurt itself if she hoped to treat him properly. She glanced at Big Mac, who looked at the barn walls, an ashamed look on his face. She didn't really expect an answer from the normally quiet stallion, but he seemed especially determined to not give one. His youngest sister quickly pipped up.
"We were applebuckin' and somehow this little guy got 'imself into one of the trees we were buckin'. He fell an' landed on his leg! Apple Jack and Granny Smith are over in Appleloosa, an' we didn't know who else to call!" Apple Bloom blurted out in one breath, resulting in her panting fervently afterwards. Fluttershy focused back on the scared, injured creature before her face tensed with determination.
"Apple Bloom: get me some ice and a blanket. Quickly!"
"Yes ma'am!" In a flash, the filly was gone.
"Big Mac, get me some water in a small bowl." The stallion spared the raccoon another concerned glance before taking off as well. Using her left wing to open the flap of her saddlebag, Fluttershy used her nose to nudge her patient gently.
"It's okay little friend. Don't be afraid, we're going to help you," she said, her tone gentle and low. The raccoon flinched slightly, but was somewhat consoled by the pony's soothing voice. He looked up at Fluttershy with wide, fearful eyes. "There there, show me where it hurts." The patient hesitated, then showed her, using his uninjured paw to cradle the swollen one. Gently, the pegasus used her hoof to slowly maneuver the appendage. The raccoon flinched only slightly. "I'm sorry. See if you can make a grasping motion with it," the pony encouraged. He obeyed once more; the action seemed to cause him little to no pain. Fluttershy sighed in relief and offered him a calming smile. When the apple siblings returned with their supplies, she had good news to report.
"He's going to be just fine. It looks like it's only a minor sprain. He should stay off of it for a while, but he should be able to move around a little bit in a few days." Apple Bloom and Big Mac let out simultaneous sighs of relief. Once the news was delivered, however, Big Mac placed the small bowl of water he had between his teeth next to the racoon and turned, heading for the exit to the barn. "Wait, Big Mac! Where are you going?" Fluttershy called after him. He didn't respond, only leaving the barn and kicking the door shut behind him. Still confused, the pegasus focused back on the task at hand.
Turning her head, she used her teeth to pull a roll of bandages from her bag, and began to gently wrap the raccoon's sprained leg. Once it was secured, she took the ice pack from Apple Bloom and placed it on the injured limb. After the two pulled the blanket over the patient, Apple Bloom spoke up.
"I think Big Mac feels bad about what happened," the filly said, thinking out loud.
"Bad about what? This was just an accident," Fluttershy replied, watching as the raccoon took a couple sips from the bowl the stallion had left beside him.
"We know that, but he feels responsible since he was the one who kicked the raccoon out the tree. He's kinda sensitive like that. It was his idea to got fetch ya when he realized what happened, but he sent me so he could watch over the little guy." The older pony nodded slowly in understanding. She was glad Big Mac was so concerned, but she hated that he was beating himself over it. Fluttershy glanced back at her patient, who was now slowly drifting off to sleep.
"Hmm, he should be fine now. Do you think you could check in on him every now and then?" she asked the filly.
"Uh-huh. But where are you goin'?" Apple Bloom wondered.
"I'm going to see if I can talk to your brother."
"I know I said that but..." Fluttershy was muttering to herself as she walked down row after row of the orchard, looking for a particular pony. While she did want to talk to Big Mac and help, she wasn't exactly a motivational speaker. In fact, she was normally the one being encouraged by other ponies. Even so, she continued to wind her way through the many apple trees, wondering what she'd even say when she found her target.
The tree tops were beautiful shades and tints of brown, yellow, orange, and red. Autumn was making itself known. Soon enough these trees would be empty; it was already almost cider season. The pegasus was already wondering how early Rainbow Dash would wake her up this year, just to be at the head of the line when-
Thump
"Eeek!" Startled by the foreign noise, Fluttershy's wings came to life and propelled her upwards where she clung to a tree branch for dear life, with all four legs. Opening one eye timidly, looking around to try and locate the cause of the sound. Being up high, she realized she could now see a lot more of the farm. I probably should've thought of that first... she realized, feeling pretty foolish. Releasing the branch and using her wings to hover in place, Fluttershy let her blue eyes scan her surroundings. She quickly saw a distinctive lump of red and orange on the ground. He almost camouflaged with the fiery-looking pile of leaves he'd plopped on, except for his large, green, half-apple cutie mark. Big Mac lay, resting his head on his front legs, a forlorn look on his face. Well... here goes nothing.
With a flap of her wings, Fluttershy headed towards the stallion, landing a few paces away. If Big Mac saw her, he didn't show it, his gaze extending beyond the crimson treetops. The mare took a couple steps forward before pausing. She tried to find some words to say, something beyond, "It's not your fault." Nervously, she pawed at the ground. "Um...hi..." she murmured. Smooth, she thought inwardly. In response, Big Mac let a breath out of his nostrils. "Um, the raccoon is going to be okay." You already said that, idiot. Mentally, Fluttershy facehoofed. Big Mac finally said his first word since she'd arrived at the farm:
"Eeeyup."
Well, it's progress. "You know, the fact that you thought to get a hold of me made a difference. Your quick thinking will help him heal faster, and I know he was in good hooves when you sent your sister to fetch me," she offered a small but sincere smile. At first it seemed wasted, since he wasn't even looking her direction, but Big Mac's green eyes suddenly shifted to her. Oh my... I can't tell if this is going well or not. Fluttershy felt a nervous sweat beading on her brow as she smiled a little wider in what she was sure was a creepy fashion. Come on Fluttershy, think!
"You know what you remind me of?" She blurted suddenly. Big Mac blinked at her, halfway interested. "A big teddy bear!" What in Equestria was that?!! Another blink from the earth pony. "You know, you're a bit big and maybe a little rough around the edges..." Dear Celestia, please stop talking! Two more blinks. "But it's so you can protect others and be there for them. You're really just a big softie." Rainbow Dash, if you have a spare thunderbolt, please strike me down. "So you're not capable of purposely causing harm to others..." Finally her voice trailed out, and the pegasus figured she'd dug herself a deep enough hole. She hung her head, hiding her face in her pink hair. "Me and my big mouth," she mumbled. This was why she usually didn't speak.
"Hmmm hmp hmmm hmp." Fluttershy peeked through her hair and was only somewhat surprised at what she saw. Big Macintosh was chuckling, which added to her mortification.
Great, now he's laughing at me. Still, it was better than him moping, so she figured she should be thankful for that. Raising her head a bit to let her hair reveal her blush-tinted face, Fluttershy asked, "I probably sounded ridiculous, didn't I?" Big Mac looked upwards for a moment, as if debating the question before answering,
"Eeeyup."
Note to self: never speak again ever.The mare let out an embarrassed squeak as she turned her head away and her ears flopped downwards. "Of course I did. I'll just go and leave you alone now." She'd already turned and prepared to head back the way she'd come.
"But.......thanks." The sound of his voice made Fluttershy's ears perk up and she looked over her shoulder in awe. The earth pony had stood up from his leaf-pile cushion and had the smallest of smiles on his face. He walked the same direction she was heading, pausing when he was beside her to motion with his head for her to follow. She could still see traces of guilt on his face as he passed... but he'd felt better.
Fluttershy stood there for a moment more, her eyes still wide and her jaw slack. Coming to her senses, she shook her head and quickly galloped to catch up with Big Mac's longer legs. Once she'd caught up, they walked side by side through the orchard in comfortable silence. She knew he probably still felt responsible and guilty for what happened. But with each step they took and the occasional small smile he'd give her every couple dozen steps, she could see the negative feelings wear away and the gentle giant look more and more like himself.
Well, I guess I must've done something right.