Fluttershy and Big Mac go for a picnic, but it seems Mac's got a secret to tell - one that, in turn, might just change everything.
Fluttershy and Big Mac have long been friends - alike in their shyness and love of nature, they live a clean and happy friendship, where nothing is hidden from view. Right?
Fluttershy trotted down the long dirt path happily. The track was well-worn, and for that she was grateful. It wouldn't do if the apple crumble in her basket got ruined because of a few bumps in the road.
She was going to visit her friend Big Macintosh, and they were going to have a picnic. They'd been firm friends ever since Fluttershy had first moved to Ponyville - alike in both their shyness and fear of flying, the two had bonded immediately and had gradually grown closer and closer, until they were visiting each other every week and literally knew when the other sneezed.
The sky was perfectly clear, with just a few wisps of cloud on the horizon. The sun cradled the land gently. Birds flitted hither and thither, emmitting the odd tweet occasionally.
It was a perfect day. Fluttershy continued onwards.
Mac sat at the old applewood desk in his room and thought.
He needed to write a letter to Mayor Mare to ask permission for a barn to store cider in. The Apple family had recently heard that their cousins in Appleloosa had started fermenting their apple cider to add flavour, and, after sampling a barrel of the stuff, had decided that it would be a way to increase income during the winter months and use up any bruised apples that they couldn't sell. But first, they needed a new barn, and before that, he needed to write the letter.
He tried. The foe that was the blank paper lay limply before him, offering no ideas and tormenting him relentlessly. Each time he lowered his pen to the paper the words he'd pictured would vanish, and eventually, he gave up.
Mac wondered why he couldn't concentrate. There was something on his mind, something important he'd been meaning to do...that he needed to do. Right now, it couldn't wait. But what?
Oh...that.
Mac got up, turned around and stretched his muscles. He smiled.
Fluttershy trotted along a little quicker.
She'd stpped to chat with Rainbow Dash for what had seemed like a minute, but when she had checked the position of the sun in the sky, she was horrified to discover that it had actually been half an hour. 30 minutes! Almost 30 minutes late! Whatever would she say? That she'd stopped and chatted and completely forgotten about her best friend?
The farm's buildings had finally come into view. They stood large and proud, unwaveringly strong in the hot midday sun. The unmistakeable smell of wood, hay and apples drifted into range and calmed Fluttershy a bit - but not enough to be reassured completely.
Fluttershy started to trott faster.
Out of breath, she finally rested against the wall of the Apple family home. She found it weird that Mac hadn't been waiting to greet her, as he normally would have done, but instead of searching for him, she galloped inside. It had gotten so hot outside! Normally she would have wondered into the kitchen and asked Granny Smith for a drink, but she was alsleep in the living room, so she left it. After recovering from her long trek, she slowly ascended up the stairs.
*grunt*
"Wha-?" Fluttershy stopped. There were noises coming from upstairs! Listening, she discovered it to be coming from...Mac's room, in a rythmic pattern. Why were there strange noises?...
"Oh.Oh!" Fluttershy covered her mouth with a hoof, blushing profusely. Oh dear! No wonder he'd not been outside! She stood stock still, wondering whether she should...interupt him, or not. Yes, the apple crumble would go brown in such hot weather on the walk back, but she didn't want to be so rude as to, um, walk in on him. Flutterhsy blushed some more.
"No, Fluttershy, he's your friend. As...awkward as it would be, I'm sure he'd understand, right...?"
Atfer a sort-of encouraging pep talk (punctuated with, er, sounds) Fluttershy finally worked up the courage to knock on the door. If he told her to come back later, she would, and she'd forget about the whole thing.
She knocked timidly on the door.
There was a pause, and Fluttershy cringed in the silence.
"Fluttershy? That you?" His voice was slightly muffled.
"Um...yes?"
A longer silence. This time Fluttershy back away from the door, preparing to return home. "Oh, if it isn't a good time I'll, um, come back later...that is, if you wouldn't mind..."
"Nope, Ah was jus'...Ah was wonderin' if y'all could help me?"
Fluttershy's eyes widened to an almost physically impossible width. Help him with what?
"Ah, okay..."
She walked inside the door slowly, feeling like a fly wandering into a spider's lair.
Inside was the most peculiar sight that Fluttershy had ever seen.
Mac was facing away from her, leaning under his desk on the opposite side of the room. He was sweating lightly, rump raised high in the air. It was obvious that he was too big to fit under the desk completely, and his shoulders thumped against the applewood table every time he tried to squeeze into the cramped space.
Noticing that Fluttershy had entered and was staring at him with an expression tht screamed confusion and embarassment, he moved out from under his desk and scratched his head sheepishly with a hoof.
"Er...what?" Fluttershy blushed more and more ans she spoke.
"Um, eheh...y'all remember that spell Miss Sparkle cast a while ago?"
Fluttershy was completely taken aback with this. What did that have to do with the situation on hoof? The situation seemed to get stranger and stranger with everynpassing minute, but she dismissed these facts and went along with what Mac had just said, hoping that maybe he'd give some vaguely believable explanation as to his frankly quite baffling behaviour.
"Well, it was about that time that Ah'd lost an old doll o' mine that Ah'd been fond of and played with as a colt, and, uh, at the end of it all, it seemed that nopony was gonna take Miss Twilight's doll, so Ah took it...as a replacement..."
The normally bold (and slightly mischeavous) stallion was staring a hole in the floor at this point, and he was thankful for his deep red coat, because if he'd been any other colour then he was sure that he would be as red as a beetroot. He hated to think of what the situation had looked like when she'd walked in.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy's mouth had formed a small "o" as she processed this information. So...he'd just been searching for a doll all this time? He'd lost his doll and went looking for it? Not that other thing?
Her mouth stretched into a sympathetic smile and her eyes returned to their normal size. She giggled.
Big Mac raised his head in confusement at the sound. Indeed, Fluttershy was giggling lightly, her eyes soft and calm.
"Aww, of course I'll help you look." She rested a hoof gently on Mac's. "Here, I should be able to fit under the desk," she walked past Mac and lowered her head to look for the doll. "Now, what does it look like and where do you think it is?"
Big Mac was taken aback with this surprise development. He'd expected her to frown slightly and say that it was high time they went for their picnic, or else the food would be spoilt, or laugh at him and say to leave it. Something along those lines. Either way, he wasn't expecting her to start looking for it.
"Um, she's grey and has button eyes. Ah think she'd somewhere in the left-hoof corner. Ah ya sure y'all be able to move all the stuff?" He used the space to store papers and the like.
"Okay. I should be fine."
Turning around, Mac saw Fluttershy leaning fully under the desk, rump high in the air. Unlike him, the lean yellow Pegasus had only wiry flying muscles and could fit fully under the table. He tried not to look as she moved about with gentle vigour, clearing his stuff away, but couldn't help but admire her...well, it wouldn't do to think such thoughts. He turned away again, blushing. That wasn't how Granny Smith had raised him. However...that ass. Mac allowed himself another look and chuckled quietly.
"Found her!" Fluttershy reversed outwards, holding his doll gently in her teeth. She rested her gently at Mac's feet, and immediatly he swept her up, fell on back and clutched her tightly to his chest. Fluttershy giggled musically at his antics, and watched with a smiled as the huge red stallion nuzzled the doll coltishly. "Smarty Pants, ah missed you! Ah can't believe ah dropped you down the back o' ma desk..." Fluttershy's giggle escalated into a laugh, and Mac opened an eye to peek at her with a smile. He hated confusing her and making her worry.
After he'd had his fill, he got up and rested Smarty Pants gently on his bed. He turned around and picked up the picnic basket that his friend had dropped. Fluttershy seemed to be looking at his doll's much-loved appearance.
"You know, I could repair her eyes if you wanted. They don't look like they'll stand up to much more."
"...Ah'd like that. Shall we go?"
"Yes!"
And, with that, the two friends trotted out of the room and went for their picnic.
Fluttershy took Smarty Pants gently from Big Mac's teeth and placed her into her saddlebags. They hugged, she waved goodbye and with that, the day ended.
The sun was low in the sky, and during the long walk back Fluttershy watched it set. Well, she wasn't really watching - just staring in that general direction as she milled over the day's events.
Fluttershy hadn't even known her friend - Big Mac, the largest stallion in town - had haboured such a soft spot so well. Ever since that crazy day, huh? She wondered why he hadn't told her sooner - maybe he'd thought that she would laugh or something, perish the thought - but, then again, she'd never asked. Why would anypony ever suspect that such a straight-up, hard-working tough-cookie pony had a doll?
It was cute, though. She smiled at the image of Mac cuddling the doll, a happy smile on his face. He looked cute.
Wha-?!
Fluttershy's day dreams suddenly snapped in two violently, bringing her back to reality. Looking around, she realised that it was almost night-time and if she didn't get home soon, her animals would get worried and she'd be in danger from the creatures in the Everfree forest...worry crashed down on her like a ten-ton weight and she began to run home as fast as she could. She tried to shake off the thought, but try as she might she just couldn't stop thinking about him.
W-where did that come f-from? Fluttershy thought as she raced through town, her hooves hitting the cobblestones hard and fast. I-I've never thought of him like that before... She pictured his face again, but this time it seemed to be in stronger detail - that soft warm hair, that mischeavous smile, his half-lidded gaze...her pace had slowed, and Fluttershy shook her head vigorously to rid herself of such thoughts. He was her friend! She picked up the pace again, and soon she was home.
"Huh...huh..."
After she had regained her composure, Fluttershy walked inside and set about tending to her animals. Is it weird to think of a friend...like that, in a completely platonic way? She wondered while pouring animal feed into a bowl for her squirrels. It can't be that strange, surely? Maybe I'm overreacting. Fluttershy nudged the pigs back to their pen. Oh, I wish I knew something about... She blushed. Well, I've got my spa date tomorrow - Rarity'll know something, right?
Stopping in the middle of her bedroom, she yawned, stretched her wings and climbed into bed. All the adrenaline that had fueled her desperate dash home had worn off, leaving her tired and weary, and it was the only thing Fluttershy could do to not fall asleep in the middle of the floor.
Tomorrow... Sighing, the yellow Pegasus drifted off to sleep.
It was 11 o' clock. Fluttershy, after tending to her animals, set off for the spa, with some money and Smarty Pants in her saddlebags. She was nervous.
Oh so very nervous.
If it had been another of her friends, she wouldn't have told them at all. But this was Rarity - Gossip Queen and all-round romantic, though she would never admit the former. If Fluttershy didn't tell her now, she would only find out later and would assume all manner of unthinkable, very rude things. She shivered at the thought. It wouldn't be too awkward, would it?
She pushed open the door of the spa, cringing at the loud noise interupting the calm atmosphere of the reception room. As usual, Fluttershy sat down and picked up a magazine - last week's Equestria Gossip - and gave the attendant a knowing look. She nodded. As usual, Fluttershy sat and waited for Rarity, not really reading but instead skimming over the words and just looking at the pictures - some mares wearing fancy clothing, rich nobles being interviewed, adverts. However, she knew that today would be anything but normal.
She just hoped that she'd find an answer to her problems.
Rarity knew something was wrong with Fluttershy the moment she walked into the spa.
Normally, Fluttershy would put down whatever she was reading, get up and the two mares would share a brief hug. Rarity would look to the receptionist and say "The usual, please". They'd be handed their robes and would be led to the steam room - but her yellow friend seemed to be...apprehensive, perhaps?
Rarity took in Fluttershy's appearance. Her mane was slightly frazzled - reminiscent of Twilight, in a way - and her wings hadn't been preened. There were slight bags under her eyes, and even though her behaviour didn't differ from usual, the white unicorn knew that something was extremely wrong.
As they sat in the sauna, Rarity's concern for her her friend grew more and more, until she could stand it no longer.
"Ae you quite alright, Fluttershy? Nothing wrong?" She listened intently with a worried expression for the answer.
"Oh, well...you see, I, um...I went to visit Mac yesterday for our weekly picnic, and, uh..."
And that was that. Fluttershy told her everything that had happened - the noises she'd heard, the embarassed look on Mac's face when he told her about the doll, everything. Rarity's expression shifted from shocked to confused to downright baffled. However, Fluttershy hid behind her mane and looked away the whole time, embarassed for a reason Rarity could not name - until she got to last night and when she had left the farm.
"I put Smarty Pants in my saddlebags - I'd said that I'd fix it for the end of the week - and I started to walk back home. I, I sort of got lost in my thoughts, and I thought about the day and eventually, uh, Mac holding the doll, I...I..." Fluttershy lowered her head to the floor a little more. "Oh, Rarity, I thought of him as cute!"
Oh. Everything, Rarity reflected, makes perfect sense now. No wonder Fluttershy was so timid, the poor darling, she was just nervous! Though, I don't know what she seems to be so worried about...conflicting emotions, perhaps? Her expression became concerned, and she placed a hoof over her friend's. Fluttershy looked up. They stayed like that for some time.
"Darling - when you say 'cute', in which way do you mean? I mean, Pinkie could be described as cute, all blue eyes and pink mane -"
"I-I don't know...it was just a random thought and when I thought of him again I, I sort of I don't know picked out various details like his mane and his smile and his eyes..." She was rambling now, and once again Fluttershy looked away.
So it was conflicting emotions! Once again, Rarity had been right. Fluttershy wasn't sure of whether her perception on the large red stallion was that of a friend of an admirer - obviously, the sly white unicorn knew which one it was, but rather than tell her friend that she was slowly falling in love and didn't even know it, she thought it best to let Fluttershy figure it out for herself instead of interfere. She had done so before, and Rarity knew that she wasn't always the best choice for advice.
"Darling, it's nothing to be ashamed of to think of a friend as attractive. However, it is your choice if you want things to go further - not mine. I can give you advice, but you don't have to take it."
Fluttershy looked up to see Rarity leaning forward, a worried expression on her face. "Th-thank you, Rarity...it's just, um, I feel so dirty for thinking that..." the steamy atmosphere of the sauna room did nothing to conceal her obvious blush.
"It's not dirty. If anything, it should be considered a compliment, though I can't imagine such a-" Rarity stood up on her hind legs, pushed her chest out and spoke in a deep tone "-tough 'n' rough stallion-" she sat back down again "-could ever take pride in being called cute!" The pair shared a giggle.
One of the spa ponies called them to the main spa room. They departed the sauna, and with it Fluttershy left behind the weight that had been plaguing her shoulders.
Mac stood in the center of Ponyville with his apple stand. Today was market day, the sky was clear, and business was good. It seemed, for once, that Lady Luck was in his favor.
However, even though it was a perfect day and the weather was just right and business was good, Mac still couldn't shake the feeling of something annoying him.
Something about Fluttershy's visit yesterday had bothered him. Well, it wasn't Fluttershy that was annoying, it was something about Fluttershy, and it wasn't something about Fluttershy that was annoying, it was the fact that he couldn't pinpoint what was annoying him in the first place.
Phew.
He mulled over yesterday's event's.
At first, Mac had been embarrassed. Extremely so. Only Applejack and Granny Smith had known about his old doll in the first place, and neither of them knew that he'd replaced her with Twilight's. Twilight hadn't exactly come looking, so Mac had felt no need to return Smarty Pants, and it had been a win-win situation for both parties without them realizing it.
Until yesterday, the red stallion frowned. Why, oh why could he not have just concentrated on writing that Celestia-damned letter? He'd just had to try and find his doll. He had, in the process, completely forgotten that Fluttershy had been coming over and that they were going for a picnic. Sigh.
He paused to sell his neighbor Carrot Top some apples. For all the rivalry between the Apples and Carrot Top, (well, mainly Granny Smith and Applejack versus Carrot Top, who seemed so far oblivious to such tensions) she was a nice mare. She always stopped to say hello, always bought from him on market day and often they would have short but pleasant conversations about the weather and such. Often he'd wondered what would happen if she became a friend like Fluttershy.
Mac pictured his friend again, pictured her turning around to face him with a smile on her face and a flower in her mouth. She looked ever so pretty. Especially when the light caught her flank like that...
*snap*
Mac's thoughts snapped in two like a...a snappable thing, he didn't know. Again with the flank? he thought, What has gotten into me lately? I can't seem to stop thinking about Fluttershy, that damned whatever-it-is...
And then it came to him. It wasn't something about Fluttershy that was the problem, like a single aspect of her personality, but it was everything about Fluttershy. Everything about her, whether she lay dormant in his mind, on the edge of his thoughts, or he thought about her directly, it...didn't bother him, no, but...
"Ahem?"
Mac looked down to see Carrot Top still waiting patiently for her change. He rubbed the back of his head with a hoof and apologized as he gave her the correct change. Why was he in such a tizz over this? Fluttershy was his friend, end of. Nothing more, nothing less. Yeah. He didn't know why, but inwardly and without thinking he sighed.
Mac looked around, and seeing that the market was mainly empty, he began to daydream about the first time the two had met.
Mac hastily ran down the path, the apple stand following in his wake. He had woken up late this morning, for his very first day selling apples down the market, of all days, and if he didn't set up soon, he'd miss the lunchtime rush. He thought about nothing but getting to the town on time as he thundered on, the scenery passing by in a blur.
Fluttershy walked slowly through the orchard quietly, nosing along a family of ducks. She'd somehow missed them off her list before last week's storm, and Applejack had found them a week later, huddling in a hollow at the base of a tree on the south field. The yellow Pegasus had quickly found them and they were almost home.
"Alright now, we're almost home. We've just got to cross the path and carry on a little bit more."
They reached the edge of the trees and continued walking onto the path. Halfway, one of the ducklings fell over a rock and was left flailing helplessly on the ground.
"Oh my!" Fluttershy exclaimed as she quickly helped it back up with a nudge. The duck quacked and waved one of its wings about. "You've hurt your wing?...What, earlier, too? Why didn't you say! You could have traveled on my back and then you'd...never mind." Fluttershy sat down and gestured lightly for the duck to climb on her back, then got up and continued walking at a sloth-like pace. She didn't mind. The safety of her animals was paramount.
Suddenly, just as she reached the other side of the road, Fluttershy heard thundering hooves coming from her right. She looked to see a large red stallion jetting his way down the road, head down, obviously not seeing the ducklings behind her.
"Um, excuse me..."
He didn't hear her.
"Eh, pardon me but -"
He didn't notice her - and he was approaching at tremendous speed. Fluttershy took deep breath.
"STOP!"
Mac drew to a halt sharply, and the momentum from his running traveled through the apple cart and hit him on the rump. He fell over, flat on his face. He gave a low moan and his head began to throb, until he heard somepony giggling.
Raising his head from the ground, he saw a yellow Pegasus mare crouching down in front of him. She seemed to be examining him for anything that might have been hurt.
"Oh my," she said quietly in a tone that would melt even the strongest stallion's heart, "that was quite a fall! I-I'm sorry if I scared you b-but um, Applejack told me that these ducks got lost during last week's storm and I needed to bring them back home. Y-you're not hurt, are you?" Mac noticed that her voice got stronger when she talked about the animals behind her. Maybe it was her special talent?
The mare helped him back on his feet, and all of a sudden he completely forgot about the market, or the fact he was late, as he caught sight of her face for the first time. Though pink mane hid half of her face, and she tilted her head away, he could still see her large blue eyes that reflected the sun like mirrors. She seemed slightly spindly and her wings looked awkwardly large for her body. Hadn't Applejack mentioned a new mare in town just a month earlier? Wasn't it...Fluttershy?
"Um, would y'all happen to be Fluttershy?" He spoke softly, as though not to scare her.
Fluttershy looked up timidly. "Uh, yes..." She pawed the ground. When she'd been checking this strange red stallion for bruises and talking about her animals, she hadn't been shy at all - he might have been hurt - but now she realized how large he was, and how strong he looked, she was scared stiff.
"Ah'm Big Macintosh, though all mah friends call me Mac...Ah'm Applejack's brother." Again, he spoke softly. Her name certainly suited her, he thought. She had an air of innocence about her that not even Apple Bloom could live up to.
Fluttershy could recall Applejack mentioning a brother of hers a couple of times, though perhaps she had expected him to be...more colt-ish? Certainly not so polite. And he'd looked to have been in quite a rush, so she wondered that he had not apologized and run on straight away.
"Pleased to meet you..." the yellow Pegasus looked up to meet Mac's gaze.
A comfortable wave of hush flooded in then, and the birds chirped and the sun shone and all the while the two smiled timidly.
Mac lay in bed, confused and thoughtful. Normally, he'd be asleep by now, but that certain somepony could not leave his mind long enough to let him sleep. He'd seen her everywhere - her yellow coat in Applejack's mane, her blue eyes in the sky, everywhere. And, somehow, he felt different, like something inside of him had changed.
The apple pony was of simple mind and little words, choosing to carefully phrase his words instead of being impulsive. Some ponies found it irritating, Applejack being one of them, but others such as Fluttershy did not mind. He felt no obligation to say what his mind was thinking - Celestia knew he'd seen it go wrong so many times before - but, right now, there was an out-of-place surge, a huge wave of words fighting to be spoken inside of him. Mac felt stranded. Never before had he felt so pressured in the presence of nopony but his conscience, never before had he been burdened with such a confusion of emotions, never before had Mac felt so damn strange about a single pony.
About Fluttershy. That one mare that had to...to...
He sighed, rolled over and tried to sleep. Fluttershy would see him in just two days, and by then, he hoped he'd figure something out.
"Yes, Applejack?" The reply came slightly muffled as the latter pony fluttered about the former, several pins, a tape measure and a piece of blue tailor's chalk in her mouth.
"Ya didn't call me here just to use me as a mannequin, did ya?"
Rarity stopped a moment. She paused a moment before walking calmly over to her work table and dropping the contents of her mouth neatly on its surface, then walked back over.
"You're quite right. I didn't. Though I must ask, how did you know?"
"Ah had a hunch. There's a lot you can tell from jus' lookin' at a pony - an' you're eyes, they were starin' right at me like they expected me ta say somethin'."
"Very good, very good. I didn't quite expect you to be of an observant nature, Applejack."
"Well, when ya spend most o' your workin' days around somepony as quiet as Mac, ya get the hang of it."
Rarity paused again. It wasn't much of a revelation, if she were brutally honest. Applejack had a handy talent for guessing things correctly - though it wasn't quite so handy when you held bets with her. Rarity would never forget the time she'd lost 100 bits over a bet that Pinkie could drink custard with sugar sprinkles for 5 hours straight.
"So, then - can you guess as to why I called you here?"
"Dragged would be a better word. It's 8pm, Rares."
"Shush, you. Answer the question, please."
"Well...Ah really don't know, if Ah'm honest."
"Ah well. I was just interested, is all. It isn't anything to do with our friends, I can tell you that - well, it's to do with one of them, I guess, but something else, as well."
There was a pause between the two as Applejack processed the information. Rarity gave an appreciative noise and helped Applejack carefully out of her pin-laden dress.
"...One of us an' their family?"
"You are close, yes. I'll give you three guesses."
"That's like somethin' Applebloom would do. Why can't ya just tell me?"
"Let me have my fun. Now go on - guess."
"So, if it's one of us, and it's not their family, is it someone else's?"
There was a sparkle in Rarity's eye, though Applejack didn't see it. She was so close! She took time to think about her response.
"Yup!"
The orange earth pony paused a second. That last, short statement was rather out of place in the white unicorn's vocabulary. Was she hinting at-oh.
"*sigh*. One of us...an' ma brother. Ain't it." She deadpanned. That word had been a dead giveaway.
"Yes! Last guess~!" She practically sang, being unusually lively for so late at night.
"Which one, which one...not you, Rares, 'cus you'd be denyin' everythin'...possibly Twilight, though it's unlikely...not Pinks, nor Dash...oh goddesses, this is about Flutters an' ma brother, ain't it?"
"Why yes! Come, sit - would you like some tea? Or perhaps some decaffeinated coffee would be better?"
Applejack obliged and the pair walked downstairs to sit in the kitchen. It was a dark summer night, rain being thrown gently against the windows of the room. The only light in the room was from the window and a strong, scentless plain white candle that sat on a simply-decorated silver holder. It looked to be of Saddle Arabian descent. They sat down, holding chunky mugs of coffee, and after a few quiet sips, began to talk. The mood had changed completely from one of giddiness and girlish excitement (and vague annoyance), to that of two adults sitting down to coffee in a tastefully lit room, discussing something of the utmost importance.
"Yes, I did bring you here to talk about Fluttershy and your brother. You see, we are both alike, Applejack, in our observant nature - perhaps you've been seeing the same signs I have for a while now?"
"Well..." Said pony stared into the depths of her mug, as if it would give her an answer. "He's definitely more talkative around Flutters than even me, but that's nothin' new, as Ah'm sure you will know. Ah'm not really sure if anything's different about him - well, Ah've noticed some things, but Ah'm probably over-reactin'."
Rarity lent forward a little in her seat, her mug of coffee held gently between her hooves. "Such as?"
"Aw heck, Ah dunno...sometimes at the end o' the day after work he'll look tired, more tired than usual, s'if he hadn't been focusin' and spent all his energy on thinkin' instead. Don't take much thought to buck an apple tree, so Ah wonder if he's been distracted by somethin'...but Ah don't know what."
The pearl-white unicorn on the other side of the table took her time to process the information. So, her brother had been distracted lately, but she didn't know why? And she hadn't made the link between Fluttershy and Mac? Observant of nature though she was, Applejack still couldn't put two and two together?
"Well, you see Applejack - and you really must keep this between the two of us - I noticed that Fluttershy was...well, unusually shy during our last spa visit. She really seemed distracted." Rarity put emphasis on the last word, trying her hardest to drop a hint that would be big enough for the earth pony opposite her to notice.
"Oh? How so?"
Now she got a little frustrated. "Well, her behavior didn't differ any from normal, but her mane hadn't been combed and her wings hadn't been preened. We both know what pride pegasi take in their appearances."
"Well, maybe she got up late."
"There were bags under her eyes, Applejack, and she seemed to be extremely tired."
"Okay, but how does this relate to mah brother?"
"...You truly haven't guessed it yet? Okay, let's go over the facts - you said that your usually sturdy brother had spent more of his working hours thinking about something than doing. I said that Fluttershy had looked tired and distracted with something. We both know that they're close friends. Care to guess?"
A long pause. Rarity could practically hear the cogs turning in Applejack's brain.
"...Nope. Sorry."
A sigh from the former. "Then I guess I'll have to tell you. It seems to me, based on what you have told me and what I have seen, that your brother and our friend have been distracted with each other."
"Really, Rares? Ah think you're blowing this whole thing outta proportion." She emphasized her point with hoof gestures.
"No, no, think about it. Doesn't it seem too much of a coincidence to you? That, during the past few weeks, two, rather close friends - one of which who speaks to the other more often than he does to you - have become distracted, at the same time? Personally - and, yes, this may just be me blowing things out of proportion -" Again with the gestures. "-But I think that they might, oh-so-slowly, be falling in love." She giggled.
"...Naw. Yeah, it's quite the coincidence, but these things have happened before an' will happen again. Ah still think that you're makin' this up a little."
"Well, consider this. While we were at the spa, I asked Fluttershy what was wrong - she really did not look well at all, you understand - and she recounted to me the last time she had visited your brother." Rarity relayed what Fluttershy had told her. "...and then she told me that, just as she was leaving your farm, she had pictured your brother holding Twilight's doll, and had somehow stumbled across the thought that he was...well, cute. Apparently the thought lingered all the way home. She seemed quite confused about it, the poor thing."
"So, did y'all just bring me here to tell me that? That mah brother's fallin' in love with Fluttershy, an' she's doin' the same thing with him?"
"No, there's more to it than that. You see, I don't think, if we leave their current situation like this, that they'll ever make a move. They're too shy. They need, shall we say...a gentle nudge in the right direction."
"Ah think you have a point there, Rares. But how, though?"
"You know about the upcoming Summer Fireworks Festival in town, yes?"
"Oh course. We're supplyin' food for it. Ah think Mac mentioned he was gonna meet up with Flutters there."
"That's perfect!" Rarity's eyes lit up with a sparkle. "Oh yes, perfect...what time does the festival start?"
"About 7-ish."
"So, that would leave an hour before that would be perfectly filled with dinner...Get me the phone, Applejack. I have arrangements to make."
Mac didn't know why he was stood in the middle of Carousel Boutique, being stared at at various sides by three mares who were muttering and dragging various measuring instruments around his body. It was nothing if not unnerving, but, judging from the serious tones they were using to mumble to each other in that sort of incoherent speak mares use from time to time, it didn't look like he was going anywhere any time soon.
The mares in question were his sister Applejack, his sister's friend Rarity, and the town's librarian Twilight Sparkle. While Applejack was doing little more than leaning against the wall and responding to various questions, Rarity was constantly back and forth between him and the suit before him with a tape measure. Twilight was sitting on the chaise lounge that was normally kept for dramatic moments, intensely studying a book. Apparently, Rarity had no time to make the adjustments needed to the suit, and so Twilight had been called to see if she could apply a spell she'd been recently studying to make the fabric fit. Applejack's purpose was to offer advice on measurements and such, since she had grown up with him. The only noise in the room was the occasional muttering, and save for that, a blanket of deathly silence covered them all.
An unfamiliar noise threatened the silence. "Well..." Twilight began quietly, "it looks like the spell should fit okay. I mean, I know it's really meant for re-adjusting and eradicating manufacturing errors in scientific equipment, but the principle is basically the same. Re-adjusting and deleting extra material where necessary, what could go wrong?" She spoke in Applejack and Rarity's direction, but not his. To them, it seemed as if they didn't really acknowledge his presence at all, and Big Mac wondered if the purple unicorn hadn't forgiven him for licking her face when he had been discorded.
Rarity moved the suit to the main stand in front of the mirrors, to give Twilight sufficient room to cast the spell. Wondering if he was allowed to move, AJ nodded at him and he took a few steps towards the stand, his legs numb and wobbly.
Igniting her horn, Twilight cast a wave of purple-pink magic over the suit and the layer of magic began to glow and fade with increasing strength and speed as the unicorn summoned more magic to complete the spell. When she had finished summoning the magic she needed for the spell, Twilight expelled it onto the suit and, in the blink of an eye, all of the adjustments were made and the spell ended.
"Oh." Twilight said quietly. "Ah!" Rarity gasped, holding a hoof up to her mouth. "Uh..." Applejack questioned, wondering what exactly was before her. Mac said nothing, internally grinning.
Before them lay the remains of what was once the suit. It was smoldering slightly, and parts of the fabric had been warped out of shape and were larger than the rest of the suit. The seams were mostly torn, the thread spilling in all directions, and the lining looked as if it had been mauled by Opalescence. Altogether, it was ruined.
"W-wha? But..." Rarity stammered, turning towards Twilight. "I thought you said it would work!"
Twilight was ignoring Rarity's seething looks and was examining the ruined clothing. "Hm...it seems as though I've overpowered the spell...maybe I overestimated the magic I needed...maybe the spell was just un-adaptable in the first place? Yes, that would make sense, since it's used for fine-tuning and perfecting highly delicate mechanics and therefore would be unsuited to dealing with cloth, and..." She went on this way for some time, Rarity stumbling into the kitchen and pouring herself a large mug of black coffee.
"So, tell me again why Ah needed the suit?" Mac turned to AJ, having completely forgotten what occasion he was being dressed up for.
Applejack sighed. "Ya needed tha suit fer tonight, 'cus tonight's the fireworks festival an' y'all were gonna have a nice meal with Fluttershy 'fore watchin' th' fireworks with her. 'Cept now ya have nothin' ta wear because Twilight ruined the suit."
Oh yeah, he thought. The meal. He sighed, feeling embarrassed that he couldn't just take Fluttershy to watch the Fireworks Festival, minus a meal that was likely to be both over-priced and tiny, as they'd planned. A small smile graced his face as he thought of all the things that they'd planned to do - go bobbing for apples, buy sparklers, each the festival food and drink cider. It would have been just fine, if, for some reason, Rarity had insisted that he go for a fancy, expensive meal beforehoof. At least now he wouldn't be embarrassed anymore by wearing that suit.
Rarity returned from the kitchen, shakily holding a large mug of coffee with a mustache pattern on it. She sat down on the chaise lounge, and with a sigh, said "Well, Mac, it looks like you are going to have to do without the suit for now...you may go." She stared into the middle distance, and Applejack and her brother left before anything else happened.
Fluttershy wasn't sure why Rarity had picked the most expensive restaurant in town, or why she'd forced, nay, squeezed, the yellow pegasus back into her Gala dress, now two sizes too small for her, but from what she had gathered when Rarity had held an emergency spa session, for some reason she had arranged for Big Mac and Fluttershy to go for a "lovely meal", as she had put it, before going to watch the Fireworks Festival take place. She had the awful premonition that the evening would result in nothing but spectacular embarrassment on her behalf.
Opening the frosted glass door, she was greeted by the waiter who was waiting, as waiters do, at one of those fancy stands where they check your reservations. She didn't know what it was called - Fluttershy had gathered from spending all of one minute in the place that she wouldn't know what a lot of things would be called tonight. He looked at her with a tight-lipped look and began to speak.
"Good eeeevening, madam," He put such emphasis on evening with such seriousness that Fluttershy couldn't help but smile a little. "Have you got a reservaaaation?" The yellow pegasus knew that he probably didn't realize how silly he sounded, his face was so serious, that she bit the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing in his face.
"Y-yes, I, um, do." She told him she had a reservation under the name of Rarity, and at this the waiter raised an eyebrow and led her through the crowds of diners making polite conversation to a rather secluded little corner table at the back of the restaurant. It was decked with a plain, deep red tablecloth and a candle, and its seating was in the form of a tastefully upholstered seat that stretched around one corner of the table. She sat down and told the waiter that she would be expecting a companion for her meal, and waited. And waited. Waited some more, until it was almost half past six and, just as Fluttershy was wondering where in Equestria her friend was, she spotted him on the other side of the room.
Mac wasn't wearing anything particularly special - just a tie - but it was certainly something. It gave his normally rough, country stallion appearance a slightly more refined edge, and the dark, dull green of the fabric highlighted the crisp spring tones in his eyes. Fluttershy had never seen his mane look so neat or shiny. For a while, they held their gaze there, seemingly memorized by the other's presence. Then, the yellow pegasus looked away shyly, and the red stallion began to maneuver his way through the tables. Eventually, after a lot of apologies, he stumbled over the edge of the clump of diners and sat down at the table.
"Good evening, Mac."
He gave a deep bow. "Good evenin', Miss Fluttershy. May Ah say what a beautifully small and uncomfortable dress ya look like ya wearin' this evenin'." True, it didn't look too uncomfortable - in fact, the tight fit of the dress looked very good on her, he contemplated - but the way she held her wings out slightly, as if they couldn't be closed fully, told him that the dress was never designed to be so...snug. A shame, he thought, before mentally catching himself and sitting down.
She blushed and he returned to his seat, smirking slightly.
"Oh, stop. It can't be that obvious, can it? Rarity forced me into it. She knows it's too small for me - how I even got into the dress without it falling to pieces, I'll never know. At least she didn't try and do the same thing to you."
He gave a deep chuckle. "Actually, she kinda did. Ya see, she found this suit out for me, but..."
He explained how he'd spent the whole of last night under the scrutiny of three mares, how Twilight had ruined the suit and the look on Rarity's face afterwards.
"..oh, Shy, ya shoulda seen her face! If I could have taken a picture, Ah would've hung it up in the hall. She looked like she'd never seen anythin' so terrible in her life!" They shared a laugh, which was cut short slightly by the arrival of a waiter, come to take their orders.
"Oh." Fluttershy looked at her menu, trying to find something inexpensive and pronounceable. "Um...I think I'll have...the...dauphinoiuse potatoes with the hay salad. Please."
"Certainly, madam. Will you be sharing?"
They exchanged a glance. Mac nodded.
"Yes, please."
He walked off, head held high and hooves even higher. Fluttershy stifled a laugh.
"Mac, have you seen the way they talk here? It's ridiculous!" She giggled and bit the inside of her cheek.
"Ah know! When ah walked in, that waiter pony on tha door gave me tha filthiest look, like he'd never seen a working-class citizen before in his life, an' then - oh Celestia, his voice! 'Have you a reservaaation?'" Fluttershy gave a choked laugh, trying her very hardest not to collapse into a giggling heap on the tabletop. "Ah don't know what they think they sound like!"
They shared stories and small talk for a while, before they spotted the waiter returning with their meal held high on a platter and some glasses of wine. He placed it before them, lifted the shiny metal lid of the platter and wished that they enjoy their meal.
Both ponies leaned over the table, unsure of just what lay before them. It was artfully arranged, displayed in the small dip in the middle of the very large plate. There was heat rising from it and also the smell of potatoes. To one side of it, there was a tiny, artistically-glazed bowl with a little hay in it, sprinkled with a dressing of some sort. The bottom of the bowl was visible.
"Um..."
"Er..."
Mac spoke first.
"Is this meant to feed both of us?" He looked up, realizing for the first time his proximity to his...date? Heart racing a little, he moved away and pointed a hoof at the plate.
"Never mind that, I don't see how it could feed a single pony in the first place!" She giggled a bit, taking a delicate swig of wine, and then sighed. "We may as well eat it, though I doubt it'll take us very long." She picked up her fork and began to eat.
The two ponies tried their hardest to take time over the meal, spacing it out with light conversation and sips of wine, but in the end it really was no more than a snack, and a light one at that. Once the plate was empty and the bowl replenished of its hay, Fluttershy and Big Mac sat back in their seats, stomachs so grumbling. There was a period of awkward silence, until Fluttershy shuffled over to Mac's side of the table until their flanks were almost touching.
"Hey Mac," she said, looking at something on her left, "See that door there?" The yellow pegasus motioned her head towards a door at the back of the room, not too far away from them both. It was propped open with a bar stool, and seemed to lead into an alleyway.
"Uh, yeah?" Mac didn't know what she was planning, but he had the suspicion that it might involve leaving a little sooner than they had planned.
"Well...what say we, um, excuse ourselves and go to the Festival like we'd planned?" She tried a cautious smile.
Mac sat, thinking. He looked to Fluttershy, two big blue eyes in a butter-yellow face looking at him expectantly, and then to the door, and then back to Fluttershy. Damn, how could anypony resist a face like that? Drinking the last remains of his wine, he placed the glass down gently on the table and looked at his friend with a confident smirk. "Alright then."
They waited patiently for the perfect moment, and then finally when all of the waiters were occupied and no-one was looking, they got up and quickly trotted through the open door.
On they ran, into the fresh night air, running and laughing through the empty streets of Ponyville, their cheer echoing a harmonious melody. Finally, the two ponies stopped and collapsed into a laughing heap in a small alleyway, a mess of limbs and cloth. Fluttershy and Big Mac looked at each other.
His face was still a glowing red, even in the dark, his mane a mess and his eyes glittering.
Her face was a subdued yellow spread with pink blush from the cold, her eyes reflecting the moon like saucers.
They smiled widely at each other, recollected themselves and started to walk towards the sounds of the celebrations.
By the time the two reached the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres, they were out of breath, their faces were red from the cold and they looked a complete mess, not that they cared in the slightest. There were other ponies hanging around the entrance, mainly young fillies and colts waiting for their parents to come and pick them up. Mac didn't mind that they were staring.
They stopped for barely a moment, and then began to walk slowly towards the festivities. On an empty field there were stalls that had been squeezed into half of it, the rest being kept clear for the fireworks. Mac could see many ponies milling about, chatting happily, and then there was his sister, running around the backs of the stalls and checking that each Apple family member was running everything okay and they had enough stock. If she didn't look so murderous when she saw him, he would have almost laughed. Applejack stormed over to her brother, not sparing a glance at Fluttershy.
"What in tha hay d'you think yer doin' back here so early? Why, I have the mind ta buck y'all the way ta Canterlot!" She stood close to him, glaring a hole through his head.
"Uh...well, ya see..." He scratched the back of his head and tried to avoid his sister's murderous glare.
"We left early."
Both Apples looked towards Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus saved Mac's flank at the last moment.
Oh, thank Celestia for that mare...
Before AJ had the chance to pick a fight with Fluttershy, Mac elaborated on his friend's excuse.
"Uh, yeah, we had ta leave early cus' the place was full up. We musta' waited fer about half an' hour for a space, but no-pony left."
The orange mare threw a glance that said "Oh really?" in Fluttershy's direction, to which she nodded, and then turned back to Mac.
"Well, if y'all say so...hey, Ah thought that Rarity had booked ya a table?"
"A-apparently somepony else offered to pay the place more than what Rarity paid fer the table, and it looks like they accepted."
"Huh! So that's how they do it these days...well, that's just downright sneaky, if ya ask me, buncha..." She trailed off into the distance, walking away to intimidate one of the stall-holders to see that they were doing their job. After they were sure that she had gone, they immediately sighed with relief and spoke again.
"Nice save, huh," Fluttershy said "but really, somepony paid higher?" She cocked her head slightly and frowned a little.
"S-sorry, it was just...the first thing that came into mah head, Ah guess." Fluttershy resumed smiling again. It looked prettier when she smiled, he thought.
"Never mind. I've never been to the Fireworks Festival before, you know! I was, um, always too scared as a filly, so I stayed indoors once my parents and I moved to Ponyville. And then all the other times, I was either busy or it got called off, so I never really had a chance...I've always wanted to try festival food!"
Mac smiled at Fluttershy. "Then Ah think we should visit the food stalls first, huh? Ah'm gettin' a little hungry mahself."
They walked, talked and joked their way around the stalls, Fluttershy buying every other thing and digging into it with vigor, and Mac making conversation with the stall holders. It seemed like Applejack had really pulled everypony in the family in to help with the Festival this year, and he even spotted some of his Appleloosan cousins through the crowds. He had just bought a caramel apple for Fluttershy when she spotted one of her friends and dashed off to talk to them. Mac was still looking at her in the distance when the stall owner, Apple Split, leaned over the counter and whispered to him.
"New marefriend, Mac? Nice catch." Big Mac snapped out of his trance and jumped back a little from his cousin.
"N-no, she's not mah marefriend!..." Even before he'd ended to sentence he could feel a weight of disappointment sink like a stone in his heart, which only made him more confused.
"Oh really? Well, not yet, anyway..." He trailed off quietly. "Good luck, Mac. Ah'm rootin' fer yah." He patted the red stallion on the back before going back to serving another customer.
Big Mac hesitated before taking an awkward step forward and continuing towards Fluttershy. That last comment had set the poor colt's mind into a frenzied dizziness. Good luck? Why had Apple Split wished him luck? Luck with what? With her?...
With her? With Fluttershy?
"Oh!"
Mac realized that he had been so caught up in his own thoughts, he had walked straight into poor Fluttershy. "Uh-ah, sorry, Fluttershy...are ya alright?" She nodded. He noticed that she had finished her caramel apple entirely. "Do you, uh, wanna go get some more food?"
"No, I'm full now. Twilight tells me that the fireworks are about to start! Do you know a good place we could watch them?"
He looked around, and saw that the barn roof would be in perfect view of the display. "We could sit on tha top of the barn, if ya want. Might be a bit cold, though..."
"Naw, I'm sure it will be fine. We'd best get going, if we're to get there in time."
When they arrived at the barn's loft, however, they were greeted with cobwebs, a few small piles of hay, and the ladder - two rungs missing.
"...Oh! Ah'm sorry, Fluttershy, Ah didn't know it was broken! A-Ah'll try and find the missing rungs...they should be somewhere around here, right?" He began to search, but Fluttershy placed a hoof on his shoulder.
"I'm sure we can find some way up. Look - it's only two rungs, right? You should be able to climb up safely if I help you. You climb up first, and I'll fly up afterwards."
"Well, okay..." Mac walked over to the ladder and cautiously took a step onto the first rung, testing it with a hoof. It was stable. Positioning his front hooves on the rungs above him, he slowly made his way up the ladder, stopping when he reached the top. The last two rungs were missing. "Er, Fluttershy? Ya might have to help me with this last bit..." He said, looking down at her with a slight frown.
"Oh! Right." She flapped her wings and began to hover in the air, hooking her hooves under Mac's arms and lifting him up so his front half lay in the cool night air on the roof.
"Thanks - urgh!" He cried as he slipped, desperately trying to get a hoofhold on something. He fell alarmingly close to Fluttershy's face, (as the yellow pegasus had still been hovering to make sure he got up safely) providing her with a full-on view of his rather shapely hindquarters, to which she blushed furiously and jumped away from - however, the image didn't seem to leave her mind for some time...
Mac recovered his grip on the rooftop and managed to scramble up, Fluttershy flying up after him and landing gently next to him. She sighed, and shuffled up to him, lightly resting a wing on his back. It was a friendly gesture - she did it all the time - but why, then, did it send slight chills up his spine, like she'd never done it before? Maybe it was the cold. He shuffled a little closer to her.
Down on the field, they spotted Twilight trotting out into its empty half and igniting her magic, which was but a small, colorless twinkle in the dark. "It's starting," Fluttershy whispered, "look!"
Twilight shot some smaller bursts of magic at the rockets, barely visible in the night, and ran like hell, safety instincts kicking in. A few moments later, the pair heard a sharp soar, followed by a large bang and a beautiful array of green, red and gold igniting the night sky with light and beauty.
Fluttershy gasped, completely mesmerized by the sight. She looked on avidly, eager to see more. The fireworks continued to go off, a variety of shapes, colours and sounds, the yellow pegasus drinking in every single one like it was some sort of life force. Mac turned his head and smiled, happy to see that his friend was enjoying everything she saw. The look of wonderment on her face was akin to a foal's, and something in his heart twanged a little, like a string being plucked. Fluttershy turned and smiled widely at the red stallion, but there seemed to be something different about his smile. Like, it was tinged with sadness. Her smile dampened a bit, and she whispered, "What's wrong?...You seem...sad."
In that instant, Big Mac decided on something. He decided to do something, something bold, brash, maybe. He didn't care. Maybe it was the wine flowing through his veins, or the pure euphoria from watching the fireworks with a pony he cared about, a pony he cared for a lot. The pony he cared for most.
He leaned into the left side of her face, tilting his head slightly and closing his eyes softly, brushing his lips against hers oh-so-gently, heart racing a million miles a minute. He couldn't quite put a hoof on why he'd done it, but it just felt so right, like it was meant to be. However, Fluttershy pulled away.
Mac's heart sank through his body like a lead weight. She'd pulled away. A thousand thoughts came crashing down on him, before they were cut away by speech.
"Um, wait. I-I...before you...I wanted to, uh, say something...I've wanted to say it for some time."
He turned, inquisitive.
"For some time...I don't know how long, but, I...you see, my attitude to you, my thoughts about you, they, er, changed? I guess that's what happened. I started viewing you in a different light, as it were," She emphasized her point with hoof gestures, "and I guess...I started to fall...in love. I couldn't have put my hoof on it if I'd tried, 'cus I'd never really, uh, felt it before, but I guess it was only until tonight and when Rarity sent me on that *date* that I realized what she was trying to tell me what I'd been thinking all along. That...that you were more than just a friend. You were my best friend...the pony I cared for the most. I love you, Mac."
She beamed up at him, seeing the tears sparkling in his eyes and the smile on his face, and leaned in to kiss him, wiping away the tears with a hoof.
