Opening Up

by Dizzy Daze

Chapter Nine

Big Mac pounded up the steps and burst into Apple Bloom's room. She lay on the floor, doodling on her science homework, but when he came in, she dropped the pencil in alarm. Fearing the worst, she asked, "What's wrong? Is Granny okay?"

Her brother sat forcefully in her doorway and glared at her, heaving to catch his breath. "You... promised..." he panted.

Her look of panic morphed into one of confusion. "What are you talkin' about?"

Big Mac ignored her question. He began again, his voice steadily rising in volume. "Ya'know, Ah'm not surprised that you dragged me into this again. Ah'm convenient, Ah s'pose. But you broke a promise, Apple Bloom. That's dishonest and it ain't how we Apples work."

Apple Bloom cut him off. "What the hay are you talkin' about, Big Mac?"

"Don't play dumb with me, filly," he yelled.

---

Rarity levitated another bucket of apples off of Fluttershy's cart, emptying it into one of the barrels lining the barn walls and setting the empty bucket back on the cart. "There you are, darling," she said. "All set."

Fluttershy turned around to Rarity. "Oh, thank you, Rarity," she said. "I should get back now. Big Mac's probably ready to fill the cart again."

Before she could take a step, however, they heard the voice of the stallion in question, raised to a pitch neither had ever heard it reach before. Rarity smiled eagerly and tilted her ear to the ceiling. "I wonder what they're talking about," she whispered.

Fluttershy looked timidly up at the ceiling of the barn. "R-rarity, I don't think we should be eavesdropping," she began.

Rarity waved at her to be quiet. "Nonsense!" she whispered. "We're not eavesdropping. We just happen to be situated right under the Apples' home, and two siblings are having an argument. It's certainly not our fault that we can hear what they're saying. Besides, you have nothing to do until Big Mac returns to the orchard, and I am in desperate need of some company, so you might as well stay here."

Fluttershy opened her mouth to protest again, but Rarity waved at her to be quiet. She couldn't hear what was going on.

"What, did ya have some left over, wanted to see if it'd still work?" Big Mac yelled.

A smaller voice answered; Rarity assumed it was Apple Bloom, but she couldn't tell for sure, and she couldn't make out what she was saying.

Twilight entered the barn, her cart piled high. Rarity quickly unloaded it, barely letting her attention stray. "What's going--" Twilight asked. Rarity cut her off with a hoof to the mouth and pointed to the ceiling.

"Ah hope your little friends didn't help," Big Mac continued. "It's bad enough you dragged Miss Fluttershy into this."

Rarity and Twilight turned to Fluttershy, whose eyes were wide. "I have no idea what they're talking about," she murmured.

Another small mumble answered him. Twilight's eyes lit up. "Hold on," she whispered. Her horn glowed, and suddenly the voices became much clearer.

"Big Mac," Apple Bloom was explaining shakily. "Ah honestly have no idea what ya think Ah did."

Big Mac ignored her. "Just tell me how to fix it!"

---

The stairs in the house creaked as someone climbed them, and Granny Smith appeared. She bit her grandson on the ear and dragged him away from his little sister, who was quivering in a scared, confused heap on the floor. The last time she had seen him this angry at her was after the Gabby Gums incident.

Big Mac yelped as he was hauled across the hallway and into his own room. Granny spat out his ear and stood in front of him, blocking his access to the door. "What in tarnation is all this yellin'?" she demanded.

Big Mac tried to calm down. "Apple Bloom's lyin' and breakin' promises and hurtin' other ponies just so she can get her cutie mark," he protested.

"Am not!" Apple Bloom called.

"Hush, you!" Granny admonished. "Ah'll get to ya in a minute. This here's your brother's turn to speak." She turned back to Big Mac. "You're gonna have to do some more explainin' than that."

Big Mac flushed. "S'not that important."

His granny snorted. "That's a bunch'a hay. If it ain't important, y'all wouldn't be yellin'."

Big Mac kicked at his bed for a few minutes. Granny sat patiently in his doorway. Downstairs in the barn, all of the girls now sat silently, waiting for him to continue.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Remember 'bout two years ago, when Apple Bloom and her friends gave me an' Miss Cheerilee that love potion?"

Granny nodded. "A'course. But what's that got to do with-- Oh."

Big Mac scowled. "Ah just know she gave me some again. Ah'm all distracted and Ah just..."

Granny chuckled. "Well, let's see what your sister has to say."

She crossed into Apple Bloom's room. "Little filly, did you feed your brother a love potion?"

Apple Bloom shook her head vehemently. "No way, Granny. You remember how it almost turned out the last time Ah tried that. And we ain't found a better recipe yet."

The old mare scrutinized her for a moment and nodded. "All right, Ah believe ya. Now git goin' on your homework. No more foolin' around."

She returned to her grandson's room. He sat on his bed, gazing out the window at the apple orchards. The hustle and bustle of harvesting was absent, and he idly began to wonder where everypony was.

His granny shut the door to give them some measure of privacy, unaware of the six eavesdropping mares below. She sat down on the floor and said, "Tell me what you're feelin'."

He turned around to face her. "Granny, Ah don't really--"

She cut him off. "Colt, Ah've been around for a few years. Ah've seen my fair share of potions 'n magic 'n all sorts'a things. So. Tell me what you're feelin'."

Big Mac continued to protest. "Ah know what magic feels like! Ah've been put under spells an' given potions against ma will, and Ah've felt like this then." His granny gave him a stern look, and he sighed. "Ah feel like Ah can't focus proper, 'cause Ah just keep thinkin' of silly things. Like, Ah'll see a butterfly, and suddenly it's not a butterfly, 'cause it's her. Or Ah'll be walking through the orchard, and Ah see a bird. Then Ah start thinking that birds got feathers, and she's got feathers. An' then Ah just keep thinkin' about feathers and how soft they are, and how nice they feel in my pillow, and how nice it'd feel to cuddle 'em..." He stopped short, and coughed, embarassed. Granny's smile grew wider than a cat's as he trailed off.

She hobbled over to her grandson's bed and laid a weathered hoof on top of his back. "Ah get your worries, Ah do. But lemme tell you, boy, what you're feelin' is one hundred percent completely natural. That filly certainly is somethin' pretty, and Ah ain't surprised that she caught your eye, but you gotta stop worryin' so much. Ain't nobody done any magic around you, 'cept Cupid."

Big Mac closed his eyes, contemplating this.

---

In the barn, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie, and AJ all looked at Fluttershy, who in turn looked nervously at Rainbow.

"What're you staring at me for?" Dash demanded.

"W-well," Fluttershy muttered. "He, uh, said something about feathers and I just thought..."

Rarity gave a very unladylike snort. "Oh, please, darling!" she laughed. "You can't honestly believe that they're referring to anypony else."

Fluttershy looked down at the ground sheepishly. "It certainly would be nice, but, um, I'm sure it's not the case."

Rarity walked up to her friend and laid one hoof on her shoulder, restraining her frustration. "Fluttershy, dear, I love you to pieces, but you must simply stop beating yourself down and listen to the obvious."

Fluttershy's mind swirled. While Big Mac definitely was a nice stallion, and an attractive one, too, she hadn't considered that he might see her as anything more than his little sister's friend. Fluttershy turned her gaze back to the ceiling, as if trying to see through it.

Twilight spoke up. "You know, speaking from a strictly objective standpoint, you two would be perfect for each other. You're both shy, quiet, and hardworking. You're surprisingly strong, physically, and you have a firm connection with nature."

A small, hesitant smile spread over Fluttershy's muzzle. "You girls really think so? You're not just in this together as some prank?"

Applejack shook her head emphatically. "We're your friends, sugarcube. We'd never to anything to hurt you on purpose." She blushed a bit. "Ah know ma brother, an' if he says that he's crazier than a pumpkin in summer for you, well, I gotta believe him."

---

Big Mac thought about what his grandmother had said. He should have been relieved that he hadn't been poisoned or cursed. In truth, he was more worried now that he knew that his feelings were genuine. It was much easier to brush them off as supernatural, as something that would go away as soon as a problem was fixed. He opened his eyes.

"Granny," he whispered, a bit fearfully. "How c'n you tell if it's magic or real feelin's? If they feel the same, how're you s'posed to know? What if you're wrong?"

Granny Smith chuckled. "You've just gotta trust your head an' your heart. They'll steer you right. Ya just gotta remember to listen to 'em both the same, or you'll get caught up in bein' too careless or too careful." She stood up and swung open the door. "Now, get back to work there, colt! You've gone an' wasted almost half the day up here. Worryin' and thinkin' is just fine, but it don't buck the apples."

Big Mac heaved himself off of the bed and slowly headed towards the stairs. He passed by his granny and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Uh, thanks," he muttered.

Granny said nothing. She carefully descended the stairs and resumed her spot on her rocking chair, picking up a newspaper and settling back down. The door to the farmhouse slammed, and Granny sighed. "Can't these foals figure out anythin' for themselves?" she complained quietly.

---

The girls in the barn had been listening to the final exchange between the two in the farmhouse, and sat in hushed silence until the slamming of the door snapped them back into the present. In a panic, Dash shot back over the treetops, landing in a random orchard, where she resumed bucking with a furious intensity. Twilight, with two flashes of her horn, attached the cart to her harness and teleported to Dash's side. AJ, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity looked frantically around the barn as a set of heavy hoofsteps approached. Pinkie slipped back into her harness, and Rarity began emptying it, as AJ self-consciously began rearranging hay bales around the barn. Fluttershy stood frozen in place.

Big Mac walked past the barn, swiveling his head around to find where his sister and her friends had gone. He caught sight of the four mares in the barn and halted, a dark blush spreading across his face as Rarity gave him a knowing wink. Mortified, he hesitantly looked away from the smiling unicorn, making accidental eye contact with Fluttershy, who still stood in the center of the barn, her harness half-undone. She stared back at him, a meek smile unfolding across her face, and she tried to push it back down. He cleared his throat and galloped away, heading back into the orchard.

Fluttershy started, then began readjusting her straps. "Oh, dear," she muttered. Turning to Rarity, she asked, "Can you help me, Rarity? I should probably get back out there, now that, um, B-big Mac's back."

Rarity used her magic to tighten and fasten the straps and shove Fluttershy out the barn door. "Of course, darling." she said sweetly. Fluttershy trotted away jerkily, speeding up in excitement before nervousness caused her hooves to tangle and slow her down.

Big Mac had already moved on another section of trees by the time Fluttershy caught up. She scooped up the baskets he had left behind and approached the stallion, who glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Fluttershy kicked her hoof shyly, then asked quietly, "Big Mac? Um, I-I just wanted to let you know, uh, if you want... I can forget that I heard anything." She winced as the words came out; it had sounded harsher than she had intended. "N-not that I'd want to!" she squealed. "Just, well, if you want..."

Big Mac paused in his bucking. Fluttershy craned her head to look at him, and he looked steadily back at her. "Eenope," he said softly.

He walked around to face her, and reached a hoof to unfasten the straps from the cart, never breaking her gaze. The cart's handles fell with a clatter, and Big Mac smiled gently. "C'mere," he said. "Ah'll show you how to buck."

Fluttershy's eyes went wide and a flaming blush spread over her cheeks. Big Mac mentally rewound his sentence and gasped. "A-apples!" he stammered. "Buck... apples."

He averted his eyes and took a position in front of a tree, motioning for Fluttershy to do the same. "First, you gotta make sure your front hooves are placed nice 'n' firm. You don't wanna slip..."

---

One hot, sweaty day of work later, seven ponies piled into the Apple's kitchen, clamoring for refreshment. Apple Bloom dished out water, cider, and pie to her siblings and their friends as they relaxed, plopping into stools or even collapsing on the floor. "Well," said AJ, "Ah reckon we're back on schedule now. And you!" she pointed an accusatory hoof at Rainbow Dash. "You let us know the next time y'all got a storm like that on the schedule. Give us time to prepare."

Dash sucked down a mug of cider. "You got it, boss," she replied, rolling her head around on her stiff neck.

Fluttershy's fork clattered to the plate as she jumped off of her stool. "Oh, goodness," she cried. "It's late. I should go home. Thanks for the pie, Apple Bloom. Good night, everypony."

She headed for the back door, and Big Mac scrambled to follow. The mares exchanged smirks and knowing looks, but he ignored them. He caught Fluttershy right outside the kitchen door, and she turned around at the sound of his hoofsteps.

"Oh, good night, Big Mac," she murmured. He nodded. Fluttershy opened her mouth again, but closed it before anything came out. She tried again. "Um, Big Mac?" He nodded again. "Would you like to, maybe, do something tomorrow? If you're not working, I can bring a lunch over?" She lowered her head, glancing up at him hopefully.

Big Mac beamed brilliantly. "Eeyup."

Fluttershy returned his smile, and the two stood there for a minute, beaming at each other. The last rays of sun disappeared over the horizon, and Fluttershy peered through the sudden darkness at the stallion in front of her. "Right. Well, um, I should get home. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Big Mac nodded again. "Eeyup."

He watched her fly away, before turning to his house. Through that door, he realized, were five mares waiting to grill him about what had just happened. Deciding to avoid this, he stretched his legs, no longer exhausted from the hard day's work, and jogged around the farm's perimeter. He sorted through the day's events internally, repeating his granny's words in his mind: You've just gotta trust your head an' your heart. His heart, he decided, was delighted, flying higher than his pegasus could ever dream of. His head, however, retained a small seed of doubt. He pushed it aside for the moment, focusing on his excitement and expelling it through his hooves. Tomorrow would be a good day, he just knew.

Author's Note:

Sorry about the huge delay between the previous chapter and this one. I promise to try my darndest to get the last chapter out soon.

Comments

[BobtheLurker]

Hooray for updates! I was starting to worry.

Buck... apples

That was so freaking adorable.

[Alex12]

4930435
I was waiting for further clarification "from trees"

[SFaccountant]

"C'mere," he said. "Ah'll show you how to buck."

Fluttershy's eyes went wide and a flaming blush spread over her cheeks. Big Mac mentally rewound his sentence and gasped. "A-apples!" he stammered. "Buck... apples."

SO close, Fluttershy! Oh well. Better luck next time.

[Big Mac Apple]

Good story, can't wait for the next chapter.