I'd like to take a moment to point out that Big Macintosh is a very odd farmer. Have you ever met a farmer that carries his gardening tools around with him at all times? And yet Big Mac still wears that harness. That's a little weird. That's what he uses when he works, and yet he's never seen without it. We even saw him with a smaller version when he was a little colt! He didn't even look old enough to work. What, did they have him plowing his sandbox or something? Is it just a really comfortable harness? I'm pretty sure my uncle leaves the tractor in the shed when he's done with it. Big Macintosh wears his to the dinner table.

This is STILL getting polished up for EQD. I don't think I've ever spent this long working on a story. I'm sort of proud of myself for sticking with it.

Microsoft Word doesn't like the phrase "This is all my fault". It insists that it should be "this is my entire fault". That makes sense, except that what are you talking about Microsoft Word!

Big Macintosh adjusted his reading glasses and looked over the page he'd nearly completed. Most of it, he decided, was utter garbage. With a defeated sigh he yanked it out of the typewriter and crumpled it up before tossing it into the trashcan.

For as long as he could remember Big Macintosh had been working on his family's farm. His special talent was obviously farming, and he usually enjoyed it. There were unpleasant jobs that had to be done from time to time, but for the most part he was content.

And yet, every now and then, he felt bored. As a result he'd taken to a pastime that few would have expected; reading about Equestrian politics and religion. He'd always been interested in Celestia's godhood, and now that Luna was back he had even more to study. The royal sisters had always been rather tightlipped regarding the extent of their abilities, however, and it was making his current project difficult.

For all of the books that he'd read (and, on occasion, merely skimmed) Big Macintosh had never tried to write anything himself. Now that he was he'd discovered that writing was much more difficult than it looked.

Big Mac finally gave up and decided to turn in for the night. He was looking forward to tomorrow; Fluttershy needed another load of apples to help feed her animals, and there was only one pony on Sweet Apple Acres that could pull a fully-loaded wagon all the way to her cottage.

He'd been delivering her apples for weeks now, but hadn't had a real conversation yet. Big Macintosh never knew what to say and worried that he'd make a foal of himself. Worrying so much was completely out of character for him; he wasn't used to feeling so unsure of himself and it only made him more nervous.

At least he was getting to see her once in a while. Feeling self-conscious while he was around her was a small price to pay. Maybe tomorrow he'd think of something clever to say, or invite her to dinner. For now, though, it was time to get some rest. Big Macintosh flopped into bed and was asleep almost immediately.

The next day found Big Macintosh in a rather uncomfortable position. He was bracing a heavy log against an oak tree, using his exceptionally strong legs to keep it off the ground.

"Okay," Fluttershy said, "I've got him. You can drop it now." She jumped backwards with a startled squeal as Big Macintosh released his hold on the fallen tree. It hit the ground with a mighty crash that could probably be heard all the way back in Ponyville. "Goodness!"

Big Mac flexed his shoulders and winced. "Sorry 'bout that," he said, "Been a while since I had to lift anything so big. Buckin' season ain't for a while yet and I'm a might out of shape."

Fluttershy gently placed the baby hedgehog on her back, where it immediately curled up and went to sleep. "Well, um, thank you for your help. I'm glad you came along when you did." Big Mac shrugged and pulled his harness from the branch he'd hung it from, slipping it on without a word. "Thank you again for the apples," she added quietly, hardly daring to speak.

The empty apple cart squealed as Big Mac made a careful u-turn on the narrow path. "My pleasure," he said, and Fluttershy tried to meet his smile with her own. She thought that he looked ready to say something, but seemed to think better of it at the last moment. Fluttershy held back an unhappy sigh as he turned away; it had probably just been wishful thinking on her part.

The cart rolled off down the path and Fluttershy went back inside to tend to the hedgehog and fix dinner. She wished Big Mac had stayed for a while longer, but she wasn't nearly brave enough to tell him so. It had taken weeks for her to work up the nerve to speak to him at all. Well, maybe next time. There was always next time.

Later that night Big Macintosh stepped out of the river and shook himself dry, then stretched his neck forward and groaned. "Eeyup. Reckon I went and pulled somethin'."

He hobbled into the farmhouse and nearly made it to the stairs before Applejack called for him. She was in the kitchen enjoying a late night snack. "You don't look so good," she said when he walked by. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"Uh-huh. If that's true, then why are you drooping?"

"Just got out of the creek."

Applejack chuckled and sipped her cider. "That ain't what I meant. Somethin's bothering you, and that's a rare enough thing that it has to be something important. What is it, Macintosh? "

"It's nothing. I guess I'm just tired."

"Big Macintosh, you act like you can't trust me! Whatever it is, it can't be that bad. Come on, sit down and talk with your sister." Against his better judgment Big Mac did as he was asked. "Good. Now, what's got you so preoccupied?"

"There's…a mare."

Applejack's eyes widened almost as much as her smile. "But that's great!" she said. "Shoot, I was startin' to think you'd never find somepony. Who is it? How long have you had your eye on her?"

Big Macintosh felt a knot in his throat, as though he'd swallowed an apple whole. "Uh, maybe I shouldn't say who it is. I'm not sure if it'll work out; she probably wouldn't be interested."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "If she ain't interested, then she's living somewhere besides Ponyville. I've lost count of how many times a mare's asked to be set up with you." She grinned teasingly. "There've been a few colts too, actually."

"Real funny."

"Wasn't kidding." Applejack chuckled and moved her chair closer so that she could nudge his hoof with her own. "Come on, Macintosh! You need to relax or you'll explode. You can tell me anything you want, and I won't let it leave this table. I promise."

For all that he wanted to keep things to himself, Big Mac knew that he could trust his sister. She wouldn't laugh at him or tell anypony if he asked her not to, even if she enjoyed teasing him a little. "It's Fluttershy," he said quietly. "I'm at a bit of a loss, sis. I feel like I'd do alright if I could just talk to her, but I don't have anything interestin' to say."

Applejack stared at him for a while as his words slowly sank in. "Well that's a surprise," she finally admitted. "'Course, it might work out; you'd complement each other well enough."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Nobody's ever sure about this stuff. There's always uncertainty, but you won't know until you take a leap."

Big Macintosh smiled a little, but he still wasn't satisfied. "How do I know what to say?"

"No idea," Applejack said with a shrug. "You're bound to have some common ground somewhere, but you ain't getting' any closer to it sitting here and worrying. You'll never figure it out if you don't take that first step." She looked at the clock and sighed. "I'm going to bed. You do whatever you feel is best, but don't go thinkin' that you don't have a chance. You're a good pony, Macintosh Apple. She'll see that."

"Hey, sis?" Big Mac asked as she was leaving. "Thanks. I mean it."

Applejack grinned. "It's nice to be giving you advice for a change. Usually things are the other way around."

The next morning Big Macintosh got ready for his visit. He wanted to arrive at a convenient time, so he spent half the day trying to help Applebloom and her friends with their latest attempt at crusading. After proving definitively that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were not meant to be bakers (and annoying Granny Smith to no end) he decided that now was as good a time as any and, after packing his saddlebags, set off for Fluttershy's cottage.

The walk to the cottage was not quite as long as the one to Ponyville, but it still took over an hour. Big Mac used the time to go over what he would say, wishing he'd thought to write some of it down. That way he could have practiced.

Fluttershy was feeding her animals when he arrived. "Hello Big Macintosh! I didn't realize there was another cart of apples coming today. I'm sorry, I must have forgotten."

"Nah, just came by to visit if that's alright." She seemed happy to see him, which was a good sign. Big Mac smiled and waited for her to finish with her animals before following her inside.

Fluttershy opened the door for her friend and tried to look relaxed. She hadn't expected Big Macintosh to show up for another three days, so this was quite a surprise. She had to calm down or she would make a foal of herself, and she badly wanted to avoid looking foalish in front of him. "Would you like some tea?" she asked pleasantly.

"That'd be nice, yeah." Big Mac hung his saddlebags by the door and sat down on her couch –which, she realized, was actually more of a love seat. How fitting.

Fluttershy shook that thought from her head and put the kettle on. "I have some wonderful herbal tea that Zecora gave me," she called. "It's very soothing."

"Zecora bein' the zebra my sister told me about?" Big Mac asked. "Haven't heard much about her. She the one that talks in rhyme?"

Fluttershy walked back into the living room and at down next to Big Mac. She wanted to sit close, but not too close. How close was too close? Fluttershy suppressed an anxious sigh. "Oh, yes. Zecora turned out to be such a nice zebra; we visit her whenever we can."

"Good to hear that worked out well for everypony." Big Mac shifted awkwardly and the silence that followed was almost suffocating. Fluttershy wanted to think of something –anything! -to say, but she choked up and began to panic. This was her chance to get closer to him, and she was about to blow it!

A shuffling noise distracted both of them. "Oh Angel, no! Leave Big Macintosh's things alone!"

Big Macintosh just chuckled and gently pulled the rabbit out of his saddlebag. "No big deal," he said, "He probably just thought he smelled apples or somethin'." Angel leapt out of Big Mac's hooves and ran behind Fluttershy, giving the draft horse a suspicious glare.

"I'm very sorry," Fluttershy said quickly. "Angel just doesn't like new people very much. He's really a sweet little bunny, but he can be a little…um, what's this?" She lifted Angel up, who was examining something he'd taken from the saddlebag. "Is that a typewriter ribbon?"

"Hey, I was wonderin' where that went!" Big Mac took the ribbon and happily put it back in his bag. "I was all set to just buy another, but this one oughta work fine." He looked at the inside of his saddlebag and grimaced. "Well, that's a bit of a mess. Good thing I found it before anythin' else went in there."

Angel tapped on Fluttershy's hoof to get her attention. When that didn't work he pushed on it, then resorted to kicking her leg. "Yes?" she asked quietly while Big Mac was distracted. Angel held up two paws as if to ask what she was thinking, then made a big throwing motion at her visitor. "Oh!"

Fluttershy took a moment to clear her throat and worked up the courage to ask "Why did you need a typewriter ribbon?"

Big Mac smiled as he sat back down. "Well," he said, "A unicorn might be able to write with a quill and ink, but that's just a little hard for anypony else to manage. A typewriter's easier. My last ribbon went missing a few days ago, but I ain't got the slightest idea how it got into my bags."

"What you were writing? I mean, if you don't mind my asking."

Big Mac didn't often look flustered, but Fluttershy found it cute when he did. "It's a book I've been workin' on."

"You're writing a book?" Fluttershy asked before she could stop herself. "Oh, I…I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound so surprised. I just never realized you were the scholarly type."

"Well, it ain't such a big deal. I'm still just an apple farmer, but there's a pretty big part of the year where there's nothin' much to do."

"Oh, I see. What are you writing about?"

"Socio-religious sciences. The important part is over potential theological disparities between this generation and the next due to Luna's return." He saw Fluttershy's blank look and smiled bashfully. "Yeah, it ain't the most interestin' subject. Maybe it sounds a little boring to most ponies."

Fluttershy smiled and hopped off the couch. "Oh, not at all!" she said happily. "I've been studying literature for years. Most ponies don't realize how important Luna's return was. Some of my favorite authors have been debating her policy changes."

"But isn't Celestia is still in charge?"

Fluttershy giggled and began looking through a bookshelf on the other side of the room. "Yes, but Luna has a hoof in the government as well. Personally I don't much like her views on the monarchy; she's terribly old fashioned. I suppose being exiled for a thousand years may have had something to do with that." She selected a book and carried it over. "William Maize has done some fascinating work." She drew back for a moment, thinking that she must sound very dry. "I mean, that is, fascinating if you're interested in this sort of thing."

"I…yeah." Big Mac stared at her, looking very thoughtful. "Never had you pegged for the scholarly type." He offered an amused smile, which she returned without the slightest bit of hesitation.

The rest of their visit went smoother than she could have dreamed. Talking with Big Macintosh became much easier when it was centered around something she was more familiar with; she knew that she was far less likely to say something embarrassing when talking about politics or philosophy. When it was finally time for him to go she asked if he wanted to talk again sometime soon.

He did. Fluttershy waited until he was gone before collapsing on the couch with a dreamy sigh. "He's just…amazing, isn't he?" she asked Angel. The rabbit didn't seem terribly impressed, but Fluttershy was beyond noticing. She had a good feeling about today's meeting, and the next one was sure to be even better.

Big Macintosh visited Fluttershy often over the next few weeks. Applejack teased him, but only a bit and he didn't mind. She obviously knew how much he was enjoying himself and didn't want to impose on her brother's happiness. Macintosh suspected that she was just happy to see him getting out of the house more often.

Fluttershy was quiet and soft-spoken, but once she came out of her (impossibly thick) shell she was a joy to be around. She listened well and spoke gently, not unlike most ponies on the farm. He liked her more every time they met and spent much of his free time thinking about his next visit.

Then, one day, he couldn't find Fluttershy at her cottage. He might have assumed that she was out feeding her animals, but something had clearly broken in and taken her. The door was hanging by a single hinge, the frame around it splintered and marred by what looked like claw marks. He quickly looked around inside and saw Angel cowering beneath the sofa. "Where is she?" he asked. "What happened?"

Angel pointed a shaking paw toward the Everfree Forest. "Alright," Big Mac said, "You stay here. Let's hope I can catch up with them."

Fluttershy wanted to cry, but her captors had stuffed a foul-smelling ball of rags into her mouth. Her legs and wings were bound with ropes that were rubbing her skin raw and she had been carried for almost an hour slung over a malodorous canine's back.

All of this wasn't so bad. The bad part was that she'd heard him mention having pony for dinner if she gave him trouble. Fluttershy had seen Diamond Dogs before and, while they had been a little frightening, they hadn't seemed like killers. Any animal that could be frightened away by high-pitched whining was nothing to be afraid of.

This was clearly a Diamond Dog, but she didn't recognize him. When she tried to speak he yanked the gag out of her mouth and asked "What?"

"Wh-who are you?" she stammered.

The Diamond Dog growled and shoved the gag back in. "I am Diamond Dog. What, you think I was an ugly pony?" He laughed at his own feeble joke. "I am Rex, and you are now working pony. You pull gem cart for us now. You much quieter than whin-…um, than complaining pony our friends find."

Fluttershy pulled at the ropes binding her legs and winced as they dug into her skin. She wanted so badly to go home and pretend that this had never happened. Rarity had been saved because Spike had known where to look for her, but Fluttershy had been alone when she was taken. Her friends might never find her! Who would take care of her animals? Would she ever see Big Macintosh again?

Thinking of Big Macintosh made her want to cry even more. She wished she'd been brave enough to talk to him sooner. She wished she hadn't been so timid and shy. Most of all she wished he could be there with her, but that was a horrible thing to wish because it would mean he had been taken prisoner too.

"Over here!" Rex called, and dropped Fluttershy unceremoniously onto the ground. She couldn't stand with her legs tied together and had to crane her neck to see who he was talking to.

Another Diamond Dog, this one larger than Rex, stepped onto the path. He stomped over to Fluttershy and looked her over, then snorted in disbelief. "What is this?" He asked. "You supposed to bring back working pony! This one is too small. Look, she has wings! We need strong ponies for pulling carts, not gangly winged ponies!"

"This one can work well enough," Rex argued. "She was the easiest to take. Other ponies live in groups, but this one was alone."

"But she is useless!" the second dog repeated. "Useless, weak pony! We need strong ponies, not weak!"

Rex's ears lay back along his head and his eyes widened. "B-Big…"he stammered, then swallowed and tried again. "Big pony!"

"No!" The second dog shouted, "Not big! Look, she's small and scrawny! We need bigger!" He noticed Rex pointing a shaky finger and asked "What? What is it?"

"B-Big pony!" The unnamed Diamond Dog took a step back and bumped into a very big, very angry draft horse. Big Macintosh reared back and clubbed the unfortunate canine over the head with his powerful legs. The Diamond Dog collapsed in a heap and Rex began backpedalling as fast as he could.

Big Macintosh took a menacing step forward and growled. Fluttershy had never heard a pony growl before. "Nice pony!" Rex said quickly, "Good pony! G-Go away now!" He let out a frankly embarrassing scream when Big Macintosh charged him and was nearly trampled under his pounding hooves. By some mix of luck and divine providence Rex leapt out of the way and caught the harness collar around Big Mac's neck. He swung onto the stallion's back with commendable agility and grabbed two pawfuls of mane.

"Big mistake!" Big Mac shouted, raising his voice for the first time Fluttershy could remember. He twisted and writhed, bucking the dog off with no more effort than it would have taken to slip out of his harness. Rex tumbled along the ground and struggled to stand, but he was far too slow. When he finally managed to right himself Big Mac kicked with his rear legs, bucking him square in the face. Rex flipped end over end before falling gracelessly to the ground.

The silence of the forest that followed was dreadfully oppressive. Big Macintosh ambled over to Fluttershy and examined the ropes Rex had tied around her. "You alright?" he asked.

Fluttershy nodded and let him remove the gag. He snapped her bindings with his teeth and stepped back to let her work the feeling back into her legs and wings. Fluttershy brushed against him and sighed quietly. "Thank you," she whispered, afraid to say anything too loud. She didn't trust her voice not to crack.

For a moment Big Mac didn't react at all and Fluttershy began to think that she'd made a mistake, but then he nuzzled her and smiled. "Wish I'd been here sooner. I'm glad you're okay." Fluttershy leaned into him and felt her heart soar with happiness…until Big Mac leapt away and began urging her along the path. "I just remembered," he whispered, "Diamond Dogs travel in groups of three! Hurry, we gotta go!"

They began running as, from behind them, Rex groaned and cleared his throat. "Sluggo!" He shouted, "Sluggo, get them! Hurry, our ponies are getting away!"

They broke into a run as something crashed through the trees behind them.

Big Mac knew that he could get away if he tried, but that would leave Fluttershy behind. Her wings were still in no shape to carry her. The Diamond Dog was gaining on them with heavy footfalls that sounded impossibly far apart. He wished Fluttershy could run faster because he was positive that he couldn't take down a monster like this one.

"Sluggo" was more like a beast from the Everfree Forest than a Diamond Dog. He was taller than Big Macintosh and boasted even more muscle. He looked like he could lift a draft horse (and whatever apple cart said horse happened to be pulling at the time) with very little effort.

"Keep going!" Big Mac ordered as he skidded to a halt. "Go tell everypony in Ponyville what's happened; they stand a decent chance of findin' me."

"I'm not leaving you!" Fluttershy insisted. She shivered and cowered in fear, but did so while standing her ground. Big Mac was torn between feeling proud of her and wondering why she couldn't have found a better time and place to be brave.

Sluggo crashed through the trees and froze when he saw the two ponies staring him down. "Why you stop?" he rumbled, looking around for signs of trickery. "Aren't ponies afraid?"

Big Mac answered with an angry shout and charged forward. Sluggo met him head-on and knocked him over like a big red bowling pin. Sharp claws raked at his flank and he gritted his teeth…which gave him an idea. When Sluggo tried to strike him Big Mac caught an arm in his mouth and bit down, drawing blood and a pained howl.

Big Mac wondered how long he could hold on and decided that he wouldn't last more than another minute. Sluggo smashed him against a thick oak tree in an attempt to free his hand, but it only made him bite harder. Big Mac felt a thickly muscled arm wrap around his neck and realized too late that Sluggo was going to strangle him.

As it turned out, the collar that Big Macintosh wore was good for more than pulling wagons. The thick wood, braced with iron for added strength, made it impossible for Sluggo to squeeze the life from him. That was all well and good, but it also provided a convenient handhold. Sluggo grunted and strained with the effort, but Big Mac felt his hooves leave the ground and braced for an impact.

Sluggo threw him into the oak tree and his grip on the Diamond Dog's arm finally broke. He tried to stand but got kicked in the ribs for it. He knew he was going to be kicked again, but he couldn't move fast enough to get out of the way in time.

"Stop it!" Sluggo paused and looked back at the relatively small pony that was now looking far less timid than she had before. "Please don't hurt him! I-I'll go with you if you want, just leave Big Macintosh alone!"

Sluggo started towards her but howled again when Big Mac bit his leg. "Wun!" he slurred as Sluggo tried to pull free. Fists that were almost comically oversized battered him until he felt like one giant mass of bruised flesh, but desperation gave him such strength that nothing in Equestria could make him let go. The giant Diamond Dog grew more and more desperate and his efforts became even more violent.

"Hey! I said stop it!" Both dog and draft horse stopped and stared at the enraged little Pegasus that was slowly walking towards them. "Just who do you think you are, picking on ponies just because they're smaller than you? You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"But-"

"Be quiet!" Fluttershy yelled. Her eyes were so intense that it almost hurt to meet her gaze, but Big Mac found he couldn't look away. "We're going to play a game called "Shhh", and that means you let me finish!"

By now Fluttershy was getting too close for comfort. Sluggo began backing away, holding his arms out in a gesture of surrender, but Fluttershy wasn't finished. "You're nothing but a big, mean bully! You get out of here and leave us ponies alone! Don't ever let me catch you back here again! You're taking your friends back to those awful mines and setting any ponies you've captured free, and you're doing it right now! Have I made myself clear?"

Sluggo fled as fast as he could with two injured limbs. Big Mac noted with some satisfaction that he couldn't put any weight at all on his injured rear leg, and his front paw could hardly support him.

Fluttershy's terrifying stare broke down and she hurried over to where her friend was sprawled on the ground. "Are you alright? Oh! Wh-what a foolish question, of course you aren't! Can you stand? I don't think I could carry you anywhere but…oh, I'm so sorry about this!"

"I'm alright," Big Mac assured her. He leaned against the oak and slowly pushed himself onto his hooves. "Well, I guess I've been better, but I don't think anything's too busted up." He slowly began trudging down the path, Fluttershy anxiously keeping watch over him. He rolled one shoulder experimentally and sighed. "Eeyup. Reckon I've gone and pulled somethin' again."

Fluttershy had Big Macintosh so bundled up with bandages that he was starting to resemble a mummy. She still wasn't satisfied; she felt so awful that he'd been hurt, but there was only so much that she could do for him. At least he didn't look like he was in very much pain.

"I'm so sorry about all of this." Fluttershy wasn't sure how many times she'd said so. One more couldn't hurt. "This is all my fault. That Diamond Dog came to my door and said he was hurt, and I let him in. I knew they were dangerous, but I opened the door anyway. That was a stupid mistake to make."

"Wouldn't worry about it if I was you," Big Mac reassured her. Fluttershy was sitting next to him in a rocking chair while he rested on her couch and waited for Applejack to arrive with the wagon; there was no way anypony could carry him home, and he couldn't walk the distance himself. "You're a kind soul, and they knew how to take advantage of that. Just thinkin' about what they were planning gets me riled!"

Fluttershy found herself smiling. She sipped her tea quietly and listened to her cuckoo clock count the seconds as they passed. "Can I ask why?" she said in a near-whisper.

"Why what?" Big Mac asked. "Why I went after you?" He chuckled and winced when it hurt. "Seemed like the decent thing to do. Couldn't just let 'em take you, could I?"

Fluttershy smiled. "That isn't what I meant. I-I mean, it's a wonderful thing to say, but I wasn't talking about today specifically. I just meant, um, why me?"

Big Mac didn't answer right away and Fluttershy worried that she'd offended him. Just as she was about to apologize for asking he cleared his throat and finished collecting his thoughts. "Might ask you much the same thing," he answered. "You're the nicest, gentlest pony I ever met." He smiled at her, but then looked away as though ashamed. "I'm just a plow horse. I'm nothin' special."

"You're writing a book," Fluttershy said –but very quietly.

"So I'm a plow horse that learned to work a typewriter," Big Mac admitted. "Yeah, so?"

Fluttershy set her tea aside and trotted over to where Big Mac was resting. She curled up next to him in what was perhaps the boldest move of her life. It was frightening, but she forced herself to do it anyway. When she spoke her voice was as quiet as ever no matter how much she tried to sound sure of herself. "You shouldn't think of yourself that way. I know I certainly don't. You're gentle and kind and…." Fluttershy's voice died in her throat. She sighed and leaned against him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wish I could keep going. I wish I wasn't so…."

"That's okay." Big Mac shut his eyes and smiled peacefully. "You've said enough." Fluttershy felt his heartbeat slow as he relaxed. She worried that she would bump one of his injured ribs and thought about moving away.

Then she realized Big Macintosh had fallen asleep with her next to him, and she started to relax as well. It was nice, lying here and not having to worry about what others would think; it was just the two of them. Fluttershy yawned as the full impact of the day's activities finally caught up with her; she'd been through a lot, and she was very tired.

Fluttershy fell asleep lying against Big Mac, their breathing mostly in time with one another. When Applejack arrived with the wagon she could only roll her eyes, smile, and head back to the farm alone.

Fluttershy collected her thoughts for a while and finally said "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Big Macintosh asked. "C'mon, do earth ponies get represented or not? We ain't capable of magic and we can't control the weather. Why give us a say in magical theory?"

Fluttershy yawned softly –which, Big Mac reflected, was how she did almost everything. They were relaxing in the loft of the Apple family's barn, the warm sunshine and fragrant air making them both drowsy. "We don't know that," she argued. "Our understanding of magic as a whole is very crude. I think magic is in all living creatures in one way or another; we just have to look a little deeper. What else would make earth ponies so strong?"

"So even if we can't use magic, we might still be magical." Big Mac mulled that over for a while. "Sounds good, I guess. Still doesn't mean we can study with unicorns."

"Maybe it does." Fluttershy leaned against him and closed her eyes. "Earth ponies can make…good scientists." She yawned again, rapidly falling from consciousness. "That isn't so different from studying magical theory."

Big Mac nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe so," he admitted. "That ain't a bad thought. What about entrance exams? They'd have to be adjusted."

"Mmhmm."

Big Mac looked down at the pale yellow pegasus and saw that she was already asleep. He smiled and lay down next to her, deciding that a nap sounded like a very good idea.

"Big Macintosh?"

"Yeah?"

Fluttershy moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you." She wasn't awake for long enough to hear his reply, but that was okay. He'd already told her in more ways than one.