Butterflies In Her Tummy

by Hivemind

Part 14

It didn’t make any sense. Receiving a letter from your supposed secret admirer only a short time after the wanting realization that is the hunt for love? Unless Lady Luck was content enough to smile down upon you, the odds are as astronomical as Luna’s night sky: big, dark, and impossible to reach.

The sky above Big Mac’s head had begun to shift through varying shades of orange and yellow, with the remaining blue ahead of him yielding to the daily cycles, and the furthest skies behind him transitioning into the early night. Tiny, very dim stars started to appear upon the face of the heavens as well.

The big red stallion didn’t know what to think at the moment. The sense of nervousness that befell him was more than evident, but it came in all sorts of flavors, and distinguishing one from the others by feel alone was impractical, as if he ever knew how to react to each one of them in the first place. Most common emotions were a bit of a puzzle to him. Besides being nervous, however, Big Mac was teeming with excitement, but meeting his secret admirer for the first time in his life required a calmer approach. Whoever she was, she may probably expect her date to act with at least some good manners. In respect to this, he put a cork on his easily-expressed enthusiasm.

The hilltop he was on gave way to a nice, expansive view over all of Ponyville. The view of the sun setting added on to it, though why his secret admirer couldn’t have just chosen the park or the town hall to meet up at was beyond him. Perhaps it was for the romantic setting, but if there was anything in the world Big Mac was more clueless about the concept and inner workings of love and ardor took the first place position on the champion’s stand.

However, he wasn’t completely clueless about love. It was a concept everypony learned when they were young. He remembers Granny Smith telling him about all of her wild coltfriend stories when he was only a few years old. He remembers each of them fondly, only because she would never, ever stop talking about them, no matter how silly or over-exaggerated they were. It was only when she got older did the stories finally cease to be told.

Celestia’s sun had nearly set over the distant horizon. He had been sitting up here for nearly an hour with a single daisy between his teeth and a heartbeat as speedy as an avid Wonderbolt. Where in Equestria could his secret admirer--?

“O-Oh my goodness!” The stallion suddenly heard a voice whisper behind him. “This…this can’t possibly be right! Can it?”

Astonished by what he had just heard, Big Mac quickly looked over his shoulder, his jaw nearly dropping like a dark matter rock when he noticed Equestria’s own Twilight Sparkle, standing on the edge of the hill reading from a rather dirty-looking scroll.

Twilight looked up from her note, causing Big Mac to gasp and look away. The startled and confused mare returned to her note, checking and rechecking every last detail with every symptom in the nervous category on her face as apparent as the stars above her. Several tense minutes went by, and after gathering her mind she took in a deep breath with her eyes closed and released it in a calming manner, sweeping one hoof out in front of her to provide her thoughts with a yoga-like gesture.

“It’s ok…it’s ok,” the unicorn whispered to herself as she softly stepped up to the top of hill. “Just do as the letter asked you to. No immediate reactions, no books. Just calm and collected…”

Big Mac looked as if he were on the verge on a nervous meltdown, though the exact same thing could be said for the mare approaching him.

Twilight Sparkle?

His secret admirer?

Impossible, he thought. Impossible to every end.

Never once had he nor anypony in Ponyville ever considered Twilight Sparkle, a bookworm with the brains of Equestria’s brightest, the romantic type, if ever one to even begin to study up on the concept of love. Granted, he didn’t know much about love to begin with, but if anything he knew more about it than her. He could feel the discomfort in the air. Neither he nor she had even the slightest idea as how to pull this off.

Twilight finally made it up the hill and sat down on the grass right beside him, their bodies only a mere foot apart from each other. The mare appeared tranquil and poised, staring off into the distance and watching as the immense star of life began its slow descent over the low peak. Big Mac on the other hoof could barely keep himself together on the inside, but he did find solace in a few…rather surprising details. He could faintly smell the trace scents of a sweet perfume in Twilight’s mane, like the kind Granny Smith puts on her coat by the gallons for special events. He grew to loathe the profane odor over time, but the mare beside him seemed to have gotten it just right. She had been preparing this meet up, which undoubtedly made him even more nervous.

The mind of the red stallion begged his lips to open and strike up a conversation, just to ease the highly uncomfortable tension in the air, but he ignored his inner self and turned to look ahead at the fading horizon alongside Twilight. It seemed that the questions in both of their minds were innumerable. This was more than apparent on their faces alone. Neither pony dared move a muscle as the last glimpse of the sun gave way to the coming night. The cicadas and awakening night owls brought with them ambience, which helped ease the stallion’s nerves a little. It was right there and then, after a drawn-out, peaceful sigh that Twilight suddenly produced a bouquet of assorted flowers, shoving them in front of Big Mac’s face with her magic without even so much as a glance at his face.

“H-Here…” murmured Twilight, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead. “These are for you.”

“Oh…” Big Mac spoke plainly, surprised by the commonplace romantic gift. He figured it was the other way around, where the stallion gifted the mare in order to gain her favor, but he supposed the principle could work if it was switched. “Thanks.”

He took the bouquet in his mouth and set on the ground at his hooves, returning his attention to the now blackened horizon. He decided to leave the daisy he had amongst them, feeling that it would confuse the mare and send her into a panic.

“So…” Twilight spoke up again with a forced, cheery tone in her voice. “How are you?”

“Ah’m…well,” Big Mac replied, remembering to use his one-tone-only voice. “How ‘bout you?”

“I’m…faring.”

“That’s… mighty nice.”

“Yeah…nice. Hehe…”

~~~~~

“Oh, what a lovely home you two have!” Tenderheart complimented after her winged daughter reappeared upstairs in the guest bedroom.

“Sorry. I had to feed Angel before he got cranky,” Fluttershy apologized from the doorway.

“Oh, it’s alright, dear. You have many animals here, all of them in need of your love and care.”

You arrive upstairs and move into the guest bedroom after having stopped to check the mail a few minutes ago. You weren’t in the best of moods, especially not after eyeing the ever-malicious bills that came in this morning. Still, you put on a smile and step up next to your wife, who smiled back at you upon hearing your hoofsteps beside her.

“I hope the place suits you,” you say as Tenderheart places her single piece of luggage onto the bed, which took up a sizable portion of the floor space.

“Sorry that it’s a bit…small,” Fluttershy continued. “It’s going to be the baby’s room, and we haven’t moved any of the furniture out yet.”

“Even better!” exclaimed Tenderheart with a smile. “It feels so cozy and comfortable. Just like home. I will most certainly enjoy my stay here.”

Suddenly, the three of you hear a triplet of knocks at the front door downstairs. Fluttershy perked up, what with it being in her nature to be easily startled.

“Oh? Who could that be?” asked Tenderheart, raising an eyebrow.

“I-I don’t know…” Fluttershy replied. “I wasn’t expecting anypony else today. It’s probably just one of my friends.”

“I’ll go see who it is,” you offer with a smile, trotting out of the door with haste in your step, making your way downstairs after passing by a familiar, lounging white bunny with a bulging stomach and a half-eaten carrot in one paw.

Upon opening the door, you were immediately shoved to the ground by an unknown force. Dazed, you could hear the frantic, nervous passing grunts and moans of a troubled pony nearby.

“Fluttershy? Fluttershy!”

You immediately recognize the intruder by their voice as none other than your pink-maned boss, Nurse Redheart. Curious why she was here, you rise from the floor and scan for her whereabouts after rubbing away the pain you felt on the back of your head. Moments later, the frantic nurse speeds out of the kitchen, none of her features differing from the norm save an immensely nervous expression on her face.

“Redheart?” You say, catching the attention of the nurse across the room. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the hospital?”

“No!” Redheart harshly replied, sneering at you only for a moment. “W-Where’s Fluttershy? I need to talk to her. It’s important!”

You suddenly hear the cottage stairs creak under the light weight of a certain descending pony. Both you and Redheart turn towards the stairs and find Fluttershy, along with Tenderheart, conversing as they descended, their eyes focused on each other’s smiling faces.

“Finally…” Redheart sighed. “Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy gasped softly, turning to face the newcomer upon reaching the bottom.

“Redheart?” said Fluttershy, mildly surprised.

“Y-Yeah!” replied the nurse, putting on an inviting smile as she stepped towards her sister. “I just came to tell—“

“Redheart?” cooed Tenderheart from behind Fluttershy. The older mare stepped out from behind her daughter with her curious eyes wide. “Is that you, dear?”

Redheart stopped dead in her tracks, astonished by what she had just heard. Her gaze transitioned to Tenderheart’s face, her mouth now slightly agape.

“M…mother?” murmured Redheart.

Tenderheart smiled.

“Oh, dearie, it is you!” Tenderheart replied excitedly, rushing to her other daughter and enveloping her in a hug. “Oh, I’m so glad to see you!”

“I-I…I am too.” Redheart waited a few seconds before returning the hug, replacing her smile when her mother broke away.

“Oh my. You’ve grown since I last saw you!” Tenderheart exclaimed, looking over her daughter’s figure. Redheart chuckled lightheartedly.

“Yeah…” The nurse’s smile grew to appear more nervous and awkward as the happenings of her mother’s secret appearance continued to slowly sink in. She did her best to shake off her anxiety before continuing. “A-Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“Oh?” Tenderheart giggled playfully. “Can’t a mother pay an occasional visit to her grown-up sweethearts?”

Redheart looked away, embarrassed.

“I’m just messing around, dear. I’m actually moving into a new house, though unexpected events have kept me in a hotel for more than a week!”

Fluttershy stepped forward, smiling.

“I…umm, offered her to let her stay here until she gets moved in,” said Fluttershy. “We have a spare bedroom upstairs, so it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“Oh…alright,” said Redheart, striving to maintain a believable smile.

“W-Weren’t you about to tell me something earlier?”

“Oh…it was nothing,” Redheart sighed. “It was nothing…”

“I’ve been meaning to visit you during my stay here in Ponyville,” implied Tenderheart. “Though Fluttershy insisted that we wait because you seemed to be acting a little…strange lately.”

“Strange?” said Redheart, raising an eyebrow, her inner self frantic with worry. “I’m not…acting strange. Really!”

“A-Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it?” Tenderheart frowned worryingly. “You know you can tell me anything.”

Fluttershy looked at you with a worried frown of her own.

“Didn’t you tell me earlier that she was upset about something?” asked Fluttershy. “Like really upset?”

“Everypony, I’m fine,” Redheart sighed. “Yes, it’s true, I’ve been having some…troubles lately, but they’re all work-related, just the usual grind at the hospital. Nothing more.”

Both you and Fluttershy looked to Tenderheart, who questionably rubbed her chin with a hoof whilst pensively staring at her daughter. It seemed as if she shared the same traits with Fluttershy too, delivering not just her strikingly beautiful looks, but her intelligent, scrutinous concern for others that caused her to examine the ones she cared for from every angle to be absolutely certain that they were alright.

“Hmm…well, alright. I’ll take your word for it, dear. We’ll leave it at that.”

“Thank you,” Redheart sighed.

“You’re welcome, dear.”

Tenderheart then turned to Fluttershy with a smile, in turn replacing her daughter’s frown with its inversion.

“I don’t suppose you have any tea, dearie?” asked Tenderheart.

“Oh, of course! All kinds!” replied Fluttershy. She turned tail and started off towards the kitchen. “Have a seat on the couch if you want. I’ll go get some started for the four of us and then--”

Just then, a loud, rumbling burp rose up from the furnishing’s general direction. Caught off guard by the strangely thunderous belch, the four of you turn and stare at the sight of Angel Bunny, his beady eyes wide and his belly rumbling while his cheeks turned red with embarrassment. You join the relative triplet in a fit of good-mannered laughter, completely oblivious to the sound of the front door creaking shut.

~~~~~

And such were the ways of being a ferret. Clever, but powerless to all but the smallest of creatures. After viewing the arrival of his caretaker’s mother-in-law, he felt relieved knowing that the presence of a buffer to Angel’s plan would aid both of his caretakers, but she won’t be here for long, and not even he knows when the plans of that fierce, white rabbit will be set in motion.

Remi’s blood had been at a boil for days, and the fires of anger inside of him only continued to burn away as he stomped heatedly away from the cottage front door, traversing over the small wooden bridge and turning a blind, disrespectful eye to any creature or crawler that so much as looks at him funny.

That pompous, fat rabbit, he thought. Just sitting there on the couch without a single smidgen of caring sense for what is to soon befall his own caretaker. That poor mare…

Fluttershy is the sweetest, most caring pony he had ever known, and they both knew it. Her heart was like solid gold, and the care she put into each and every animal she met had no equivalent to come by. She was the pinnacle of all things nice. Only a tragedy could bring her down…sadly, Angel is just that.

A little, white bunny hell-bent on remaining the unrivaled king of the animals. Such a fruitless task of little reasonable purpose paved with emotional suffering on a titanic scale.

One could only turn to guessing as to what lay behind that face of white. What sort of dreams could sustain such visions of cruelty?

Comments

[n00bkilla192]

Amazing work as usual! I love this story! I can't wait to see how Angel's plan bring's pain to the baby idea.

[MaximumBurn117]

The rabbit will die.

[Awesomedude17]

Wait, was that last line a Meet the Pyro reference?

[Sky Blazer]

I actually am feeling aggravated by how long this thing is taking to conclude, which isn't helped by Redheart not saying what's even eating her.

And why, oh WHY, must she be Fluttershy's 'sister' anyway? Could you offer a genuine explanation, please, if it isn't too much to ask?

[Sasha Red]

2241845 Looks like we both misunderstood each other... I thought this one was finished and that the sequel to this fic which happened to be a sequel would be coming, but this one is still in development, so I was mistaken.

Keep up the good job though. c:

[Hivemind]

2242843

Writing even this story, even though it is only a few thousands words, takes much, much longer than you think it does. I put to mind over a dozen different reader-based/writing-based factors into my writing as to try and produce as pleasant of a reading experience as possible without creating any sort of dangerous risk that could potentially send the majority of the story's readers away in disappointment and ultimately kill the story and ruin everything I had both planned and worked for.

TL;DR I get as close as I can to respectable quality. It's tough work trying to balance EVERYTHING out, but it's work that's 99.9% guaranteed to bring in more positive reactions than negative ones. I have IRL work to do outside of writing. On top of that, I have other stories to write for, on top of new stories I want to write that I need to both plan and draft out.

I say no part of this out of hate towards you or your comment. I'm deeply grateful that you're reading the story and thus keeps me happy enough to continue writing for it.

I only ask you to be patient. The best of the story is soon to come!

-Hivemind

[Sky Blazer]

2244226 I guess I did overreact before, being someone who doesn't always agree with stories needing 'development' or 'believability' and all that jazz. I do humbly apologise, though, and pray we can move on from this.

But I do want an answer to my question: Why are Fluttershy and Nurse Redheart siblings in this?

[Boss_Hoss1]

Angel, you dirty so-and-so! Flutters is not gonna be happy with you!
derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTMvMDMvMDMvMThfNTFfMTBfNTZfMjYxNDg5X19VTk9QVF9fc2FmZV9mbHV0dGVyc2h5X3NudWdnbGVzLmpwZWcuanBlZyJdXQ

[nothing to see here]

Wait, is that last sentence a reference to Team Fortress?

[Vpirate25]

I spot a Meet the Pyro reference!

[Multiversity]

Okay, putting aside the sense of dull fury towards Angel for the moment, what exactly does he intend to do?

He did something that made Redheart a wreck. Okay, she's the guy's boss and Fluttershy's sister, so I can see the logic there. But it seems to have backfired, because she's trying to keep them together instead of driving them apart.

And as for playing matchmaker with Big Mac and Twilight? Sorry, but I don't see the connection. Is... All I can think is that their date is supposed to go wrong, and Twilight tries to do something to get them apart so Fluttershy doesn't have to go through that...?

We all know that even if Angel succeeds, he won't get the attention he wants because Fluttershy'll be all torn up and what have you. I know he's doomed to failure one way or the other. But this whole plan just doesn't seem to have any logic to it whatsoever.

[KibaWR]

2242187 wait... you're on the BUNNYS side?!

[Hivemind]

2274349

Do you mean logic as in "there is no good ending to this?"

Well of course not! It's as clear as day here!

BUT!

You forgot suspense

There are a few (maybe even fewer) more elements I have yet to add onto this long-overdue tale of mine, and that's the best part of reading these fanfics! You, the reader, are eager to see what happens next! It may be predictable in some places, but then again, you could be wrong.

[GrouchoMarxDisciple]

The suspense is killing me!

I hope it lasts.