A Red and Yellow Affair

by Horsegirl123

Chapter 5

Perspective: Fluttershy

The mare's eyes fluttered open, breaking through the after-sleep cloudiness that plagued them at the moment. She looked around the room, dazed, and still felt sleepy. Fluttershy stretched her back left, then back right leg, and stretched her two front legs in unison in front of her, while simultaneously cracking her back. She spread her wings over her shoulders, but her right wing couldn't stretch as far possible. Something was blocking it, bending her feathers at a slight angle. Not enough to hurt, but enough to bring slight discomfort. The yellow pegasus rolled her neck gently to loosen the muscles so she could turn it to see the obstruction.

Her eyes rested upon a deep breathing stallion of whom she was nestled perfectly into. His crimson barrel (stomach) slowly rose up and down, as a light snore occasionally escaped his lips. Her wing covered part of his flank in its outstretched position. A blanket laid next to the two ponies, obviously having been tossed during the night from one pony becoming too hot in one of their dreams.

Seeing this scene, Fluttershy's eyes shot out of their post-sleep trance and scoured the room for clues of the previous night. She was in the Apple family's living room; she remembered having hot chocolate with Applejack on the couch in front of the fire. It had been a winter day, the wind nipping, and they had gone inside after a training session with Winona. Fluttershy remembered looking around, admiring the impressive (yet tacky) collection of old time knick-knacks Granny Smith had accumulated over the years in Ponyville and throughout her life. A portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Apple hung above the hearth. They closely resembled Applejack and Big Macintosh, though Fluttershy never brought up where they were, not wanting to bring painful memories to the family.

The kitchen light buzzed on a low setting as a dim light leaked into the room, filling some corners that the fire from the hearth did not fill. The stallion beside her still pleasantly snored, oblivious to her anxiety. "Had they done anything? No, right?" Fluttershy couldn't organize her thoughts. Whenever she gets scared, her mind goes blank and she acts appropriately to the situation to keep herself from getting more scared. She closed her eyes, trying to remember back to the night.

"There was a storm. She was awfully scared of all the thunder and lightning." Fluttershy remembered thinking to herself about why she never helped the pegasus ponies make storms, no matter how much Rainbow Dash begged her for her wing power. She wouldn't get near that type of noise and scariness. Fluttershy continued to think. "Big Macintosh showed her into his room, where she would spend the night after they had dinner. There was apple wallpaper, and some books and a doll? Had she seen that? Doesn't matter. She remembers the lightning striking particularly brightly as she attempted to get comfortable in the bed. She twisted and turned with each boom of the thunder as it rattled the house." The yellow pegasus nodded to herself at the accuracy of the memory. "Fluttershy couldn't take it anymore. The thunder got louder and the lightning got brighter with every ticking minute. She didn't have Angel to soothe her or anyone to cuddle with. She remembers slipping silently out of the heavy quilt that she was hiding under on Big Mac's bed. She remembers feeling guilty about leaving it in a messy heap. She turned to fold it, when a strike of lightning illuminated the room. She spun on her hind legs and raced to the living room, knowing she could find a pony there. The glow of the fireplace shined over his muscled red body. His stomach slowly moved up and down, indicating to Fluttershy that he was sleeping. His cutie mark was hidden in the darkness of the shadows cast by the sofa, but his mane glowed brighter than in the daylight with the soft light complementing its fire-like sheen. Another clap of thunder rattled the farm house, and Fluttershy decided it was now or never. She delicately poked the sleeping heap of a work pony. He stirred a little, and looked up at her sleepily. 'Oh, I'm so, so sorry to wake you Big Mac, it's just that, I, uh..' her voice trailed off and she started to retreat. As if her read her mind, Big Mac pulled the blanket that was on top of him out across the floor. Fluttershy was going to take the far end, but an especially bright shock of lightning set alight the room once again, chasing the frightened mare into the crescent body of Big Macintosh…

Fluttershy relaxed at the realization that the two had not done anything inappropriate. But that relaxation was immediately turned to stress as she realized she was curled up into the body of a stallion! 'How could she let herself do that? It wasn't on purpose! She was just scared! It didn't mean anything!' Thoughts zipped in her mind, and she realized the best place to start would to probably detach herself from Big Mac's form. She stood a bit too abruptly as hoped, waking the dozing work horse. His eyes blinked heavily, and he smiled a gentle smile at Fluttershy, making her blush and feel awkward at the same time.

"Some storm last night, huh?" he said with a chuckle.

"Oh, yes, it was." Fluttershy pretended to be intrigued with the living room carpet as to avoid eye contact with the pony before her. Suddenly, she heard something she wasn't expecting.

"Fluttershy," quietly said the crimson pony, giving her a friendly and genuine smile, "It's okay. Don't be embarrassed. And don't let it eat you up." Fluttershy looked at Big Macintosh. His green eyes looked like emerald, unlike her clouded blue ones. She smiled him an embarrassed yet extremely grateful smile, before having her eyes resume their position on the floor. She so happy that he hadn't made her feel awkward about what she had done. She was so happy that he understood. She was happy it was him, and no other pony. The sun colored mare let out a sigh of relief and inner truth as she realized she was developing feelings for the large farm pony.

Before she could get caught up in her thoughts, Big Macintosh's footsteps made loud clops as they exited the room. She heard a drawer open in the kitchen, and the clanking of bits in a sack. "Let meh treat yah to a breakfast mam. Have you recova' from that there storm." Fluttershy graciously agreed, she sure was hungry, and she wouldn't mind spending time with this sweet pony.

The two walked into town, talking the entire way, something neither of them rarely did.

"So, do ya'll spend all yur time takin' care of critters" asked the flaming red pony whole-heartedly.

'Wow,' Fluttershy thought to herself, 'Someone cares.'

"Yes, I do. Ever since I was young, I've loved animals. How about you? Have you worked on the farm all your life?" asked Fluttershy.

"Eeyup" replied Big Macintosh with a grin. The two continued to chat until they reached Haystacks Diner.

The couple walked in quietly, but ponies stared anyway. Fluttershy kept her eyes cast down. 'Fluttershy and Big Mac? She doesn't deserve him!' they'd probably be thinking. Everypony was thinking it. It was known that Big Macintosh attracted all the mares, though he never actually paid much attention to their attempts to woo him. They would throw themselves at him, buy him watches and blankets and gifts galore on Hearth's Warming Eve, and do whatever it took to be near him. Some mares even got purposely drunk so he would escort them home, hoping they could get him inside alone. But he never had a "special pony", because none suited him. So why was he taking her, Fluttershy, out to breakfast where everypony could see?

A waitress with pancakes as her cutie mark zipped over quick as can be for an earth pony. "Howdy!" she called happily, "May I take your orders?" Big Macintosh studied the menu previously placed on the table, ordering a stack of maple butter waffles, while Fluttershy requested a fruit salad in a barely audible tone. She knew she really didn't have reason not to spoil herself for breakfast, she was skinny enough. But for some reason, she didn't want to eat much in front of Big Macintosh. Was it because she liked him? Or did something about being ladylike that Rarity said get into her brain? Either way, she was glad tat the waitress' cutie mark was cooking, because their food arrived faster than lickety-split. Fluttershy admired the way the earth pony balanced so many plates on her back and rump, trotting along and not dropping a crumb.

Big Macintosh broke the silence with an out-of-the-blue question. "So, Miss Fluttershy, should Ah have been calling ya Mrs. Fluttershy?" He blushed a deeper red then his fur already was. Fluttershy blushed too as she responded with a quiet "No."

"Oh, well, that's good. I mean! Im sorry you haven't found your special some pony, buT Ah could be yur, um sorry." Big Mac stumbled haphazardly through the words, causing Fluttershy to giggle a little about how such a strong pony could get so nervous. Was he… asking her out?

Big Macintosh and Fluttershy quietly munched on their food. Well, Fluttershy ate quietly, and Big Macintosh munched. The two finished their meals without words, neither wanting to make a bad impression by talking with their mouths' full. When the waitress returned with the bill, Big Macintosh plopped the bits on the counter. The two walked outside and took in the day around them. A pony went into Rarity's boutique, and a pink hoof turned the sign from Closed to Open in Sugarcube Corner. Fluttershy looked to her right at the handsome stallion standing next to her. 'Come on, Fluttershy. Before somepony else does.' she thought to herself.

"Big Macintosh," she said mustering up all of her courage as the striking horse slowly looked her way, a beautiful smile on his face, "I really had a great time with you this morning and I hope we can do this again really soon." Fluttershy rushed through the sentence as the words fell from her mouth like water from a spigot.

She fluttered her wings quickly until she was eye level with him, pecked him on the cheek, and flew away. Behind her, she could hear a delayed and star-struck "Eeyup" as she disappeared into the clouds above Ponyville.