An Unnamed Love Story

by OCisbestpony

Chapter Nine: A Cherished Yellow

Chapter 9:
A Cherished Yellow

Her thoughts slowly drifted back to the present. That whole scene had taken place about two days ago. But even that time couldn't delude the feelings that still came to her when she thought about it. Granted, they were not nearly as potent, nor did they have the impact on the world around her as they did then, but she still felt warm when she thought of them. She never would have guessed that sort of event could have happened, but yet, it had. Most fortuitous, if not blessed was she for having had felt it. Though she didn't quite think of it in that way, rather, she was simply happy and grateful that it did happen. She felt happy about it, and that was enough.

With her mind now firmly in the now, she glanced about the room. It was a simple affair, barring the endless get well cards (most of them penned by Pinkie Pie or at least picked out by her), the numberless balloons (again, Pinkie was the main culprit), the countless flowers (most of which were actually Rarity's doing, though they were flowers she liked vs what Fluttershy preferred, but she was grateful to have them none-the-less), the volumes upon volumes of books (Twilight insisted that they all came out her own personal library, but Fluttershy suspected that the word 'personal' included 'public'), and the various miscellaneous and sundry gifts and items that were strewn about. There wasn't much from Rainbow, but her gift was of a different kind. She was the only person who came by every single day without fail. In fact, she was the one who had to deliver most of this stuff. But Rainbow, ever loyal, always made time to visit them. Her visits were almost never long, nor were they exactly short. And she never let on whenever she was in a hurry or not. In fact, the only way Fluttershy knew that Rainbow's devotion got her in trouble from time to time was because other people told her about how RD was late for this or that because of her visits. She always brushed off any comments or questions about it though, preferring instead to talk about the coolest thing she did lately or what teams were doing well in sports (and always taking great pains to explain EXACTLY why they were doing so well). To her credit though, her time was not the only thing she gave, there were a few get-wells that she wrote. She never was one for affection, so Applejack and Fluttershy cherished these cards greatly.

The curtains too were a gift. They had been hand-made by Rarity. They actually came as something of a surprise. Not the fact that she was making them (for she was not one to be shy about that), but what they ended up looking like. It also came as a surprise that she managed to convince the hospital to allow her to replace them. She never had any doubt she would succeed, but most everyone else was sure that they wouldn't let it happen. But then again, persuasion has always been one of her strong points, as well as her surprising sensitivity to the desires of others. When she had heard about the project, Fluttershy was expecting them to be flashy, fashionable, and very, very Rarity. So when Rarity hung them, Fluttershy was shocked to see delicate, yet simple, pale yellow sheets embroidered with a mixture of butterflies and apples. It would blow gently in the breeze, in such a way so as to calm the onlooker. Yet, if the light caught it right, it would seem almost a light orange peppered with red apples. It would suddenly fill one with a sense of energy and vigor. Almost a desire to go and conquer the day.

She smiled. She was surrounded by love. Each expression as true to its giver as could be. Even Twilight's books were titles that she knew that both Applejack and Fluttershy would enjoy. Everything from technical manuals about farm equipment to professional veterinary journals she had gathered for her friends. She would bring to them the latest issues of their favorite magazines, and even discuss their contents (for she had already read them twice over by the time she had gotten there). She had even brought a small pile of books for Rainbow, but Rainbow denied that they were for her, at least when anyone that wasn't one of 'the six' (or 'the collective', as some put it) was around. Twilight thought it silly to keep it a secret, but wanting to keep her friend's wishes, she would often hide the collection amongst the other books when she came (as RD often forgot to put them back when she was done, though she did take good care of them otherwise).

Needless to say, this helped ease the pain and loneliness of being in the hospital, though the constant company sometimes made the night hard to deal with. That, and the bedding was quite stiff. She often tossed and turned, and from time to time would wake up from Applejack's snoring, or Rainbow's if she was staying the night. There were times when she would lie there, listing to the two of them, almost wondering how the two of them could snore in unison. To a truth, it was almost musical at times. Then there were those nights when she would suddenly realize just how far away from home she was. Those nights were hard, but eased by the knowledge that she had something of her home right here. Or, in other words, she had friends she could call family.

Somedays the six of them would all gather in the room and simply sit and chat, or play some games, or whatever else came to their minds. Fluttershy giggled. She remembered the day when they all decided that it would be nice to see Rainbow and Pinkie dressed in formal attire. Needless to say, they were none too thrilled by the idea. It didn't happen however. Rainbow managed to escape and Pinkie convinced Rarity that her in a delicate dress was not the best idea (in all actuality, Pinkie eventually became all for the idea, but her excitement convinced Rarity that perhaps it would be best to avoid it for now). Though it was not the first time this happened. In fact, this was a sort of common thing for them to do. They would pick two of them and dress them up in nice outfits that Rarity made. She did it as a means of showing off her work, and also to get feedback. And for some reason, Rainbow was always one of the two picked. She hated it, but she couldn't escape. Applejack would always wrestle her to the ground, and hold her down until she gave up. The only two times this didn't work was when both Applejack and Rainbow were picked. Before then, Fluttershy never realized just how fast they could run. The other time was just this last time. Applejack, being bed ridden, couldn't keep Rainbow from running, and so she escaped unfancified.

Her thoughts continued to drift. She thought of Applejack's family that had come down to visit. Her big Brother, whom she had only ever known as 'Big Macintosh' (his real name was Macintosh Apple, but seeing as how he was almost as big as his uncle, everyone just called him Big Mac for short), was such a quiet man. He had the most reliable work ethic that a man could have. There were times when Fluttershy was convinced that working was his joy in life. He always had this small simple smile on his face, almost as if he was simply happy. Not for any specific reason either, just happy. She blushed a little when her mind drifted to the time when they had almost started dating. One of their horses got sick, a large stallion, and she had started coming to the farm to see it on an almost daily basis. At the time, she was just starting her schooling, so she went with a vet that was a teacher of hers. As they saw more and more of each other, she felt more and more happy to know that he was simply around. At first he would hang near by because he was concerned with his horse, who he had named 'Big Red'. But eventually she could tell it was because he was growing fond of her. They didn't talk much. Neither of them were big talkers. She because she was shy, he because he only liked to say what needed to be said (though perhaps he too was a little shy). He was kinda cute, in a tall, farm-boy kinda way. He didn't really do anything to make himself attractive. He just came across as a humble, gentle giant. And that's what attracted Fluttershy. Nothing came of it however. The day when the both of them had built up enough courage to finally say something to each other, Applejack suddenly popped in. The both of them froze on the spot, and things got worse when that knowing grin of Applejack's showed up. She even called over Applebloom, who began singing about her and her brother sitting in a tree. Big Mac turned redder than his horse and ran off faster than a cat escaping the rain. Fluttershy too fled the scene, in the opposite direction. They never spoke to each other after that. Or at least, not for a long time. She had tried twice to see him after that, but when he would learn she was on the farm, he would suddenly vanish until she left. Later, he tried to come by to see her, but she too pulled the disappearing act. Applejack, realizing the damage she had done, tried to make amends, but apparently Big Mac refused to talk about it, and Fluttershy couldn't talk about it. Thankfully, that was a long time ago, and now when he visits, they are more like old friends.

Applebloom was always a lively visitor. She would talk all about the various adventures her and her new friends got into. She had known of Sweetiebell before they all moved down here. She, being Rairty's little sister, had met Fluttershy a few times before they all moved down here. That was mostly because Rarity's family actually lived in the outskirts of town. Now that they all lived near each other, she got to see her more often. Applebloom and Sweetiebell (that was the baby-name Rarity had given her, of which she has never been able to shake off no matter how hard she tried) had never really met prior to the move. Now it sounded like they spent time together all the time. What was new was their friend Scootaloo. She was a young girl, about their age, that they had met in school. What amazed Fluttershy the most about it was the fact that she was disabled. Sometimes she would come into the room in a wheelchair, other times with one or two crutches. She didn't talk about it much, but apparently she had something in her legs that would sometimes make it so she couldn't move them, and other times she could, but not a ton. Scootaloo of course was not her real name, but a nick-name that the other two gave her. She liked it so she insisted that others call her that. But the thought of those three girls warmed her heart. Despite everything, they got along so well. There would be times when they would even finish each others sentences. And the fact that their friend had a disability seemed to make no difference at all to the girls.

Fluttershy felt simply wonderful. Her mind sometimes drifted to unpleasant places, but today it seemed that it wanted to think about the things that made her happy. Like the time when her and Twilight stayed up all night to help Fluttershy study for a big test. Or the time when she and Rainbow went to watch race cars. It was loud, noisy, and Fluttershy hated it, but Rainbow couldn't have been happier. She later had made it up to her by taking her to a petting zoo that recently opened up. Or the time when the six of them were invited to a formal dinner and ball by Twilight's mentor, Celestia. Rarity and her worked for months making the perfect gowns for all of them. It was such a rewarding time, though she had to admit that she liked her animals more. Once again she remembered the time when she failed to save a young horse's life. She remembered how Pinkie was right there beside her, giving her reasons to smile and to laugh. And how she never, ever, once forgot Fluttershy's birthday (or any of theirs for that matter). She remembered Applejack and her offering to let Fluttershy work with their animals. She remembered how thrilled she was that her friend trusted her that much with them. And even when she got it wrong, she never got mad at her. Indeed, she was suddenly convinced that she truly had the best friends in the world.

But there was something missing. There was something that she knew she wanted more than anything. She loved her friends, but she longed to love someone more than that. She wanted someone to share with her her most joyous laughs, to help her carry her deepest sorrows. She wanted someone who she could open herself to and know that they would do the same. She longed for someone who she knew she could trust, in the deepest sense that one could trust another. She wanted to be in love. She had come close once, but ... now, she felt as though it was happening again. But it was different. Big Mac was strong, mighty. He was like the very trees that dotted the farm he lived on. But Taylor was different. He was small, talkative. He was in many ways the opposite of Big Mac. She knew Big Mac was strong. She knew that if she needed someone to lean on, he could bear the weight that all the world could throw at him. But Taylor was the opposite. She could tell that he was falling apart. She could see in his eyes the eyes of a hurt animal. She knew that he needed someone strong, that he would need a pillar to lean on. And he made her want to be that pillar. Never before had she felt like someone needed her like that. Never before had she felt that she could be so vital to someone else. Perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps he was stronger than he seemed, but for some reason, his presence made her want to be a stronger person. She wasn't sure if she loved him or not, but she knew something had happened those two days ago. It was too real for her to say that she had imagined it. And it was too strong for her to deny it.

Then the moment came. The moment for her to find out what it all meant. She was no more prepared for it than anyone could have been. No, she was not ready. She knew what Applejack had said. She hoped that she was right, that it was meant to be. And she hoped that Applejack was right when she told her to follow her heart. She thought that she would be blushing, but once again, she felt calm and at peace. She liked him, she knew that much. She knew she wanted to be more than simply friends. But beyond that? She didn't know, but she knew it was right. And unbeknownst to her, had I known these were her thoughts when I walked in, I would have fled...

Author's Note:

This chapter makes me sad, because Applejack broke my favorite ship.