Based off of MLP (owned by Hasbro) and the music video to Blake Shelton's "Honey Bee". I do not own anything relating to either of these.
Fluttershy smiled at her finished work. Sure the sign was a little crooked, but it would work. She flew around her stand as she double checked that everything was in order. This was her first year selling the honey that the bees near her home had made. She was so proud of all the hard work they'd done that she promised them that all the money she raised with their honey would go to her building a new hive for them. Their current one was in quite a state of disrepair and they were all very sad about it.
"I hope my friends will come buy some of the honey." Fluttershy mumbled to herself as she began to set out her wares.
"Hey, Big Macintosh!" Applejack's voice called from the house.
Big Macintosh, who was in the barn near to the house, perked up as he heard his sister call his name, "Eeyup?" he replied.
The door to the barn creaked open just enough for Applejack to trot in, "Wanna come with my friends and I? We're goin' to see Fluttershy and get some of her honey."
Big Macintosh pondered that for a moment, staring out over the orchard fields. There was still a lot of work to be done, but it would go quick once he got on a roll. He turned back to his sister and gave her a small smile and a nod.
Applejack grinned, "Alrighty then! We're headin' out in a few minutes, so wrap up whatever it is that your doin' and come on." She turned and left.
Macintosh was familiar with most of his sisters friends, but Fluttershy had always been, well, shy. He felt a bit more of a connection to her though out of all of AJ's friends. It was that unspoken bond of two shy souls. That and out of all of her friends, Fluttershy was…well, pretty cute. He knew it was weird to think anything of the like about his little sister's friends, but it wasn't too strange. His sister was just two years his junior and Fluttershy was actually the oldest out of them all, thus being just a year younger than himself...
As soon as Macintosh finished his work he chased after his sister to catch up to her friends and her.
Fluttershy sighed as she put the bits away that she had earned. Quite a few ponies had come by and made a good dent in her inventory already, but her friends had yet to show.
"They'll be here any minute now." Fluttershy quietly assured herself.
Just as she finished saying that she heard Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Applejack all coming up the hill towards her stand. They were all chattering away about how excited they were to try the honey. Fluttershy smiled as she saw her friends, all carrying empty saddlebags waiting to be filled. It looked like even Big Macintosh had come to help too.
"Hey there Fluttershy! Hope you have enough left for all of us!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew to the front of the line.
"Oh, I do. And it's all very delicious." Fluttershy said, smiling at her friends.
Each of her friends bought multiple items, Rarity even buying some of the powdered honey to attempt to create a new dye for her latest clothing line. As Fluttershy put up the last of the money her friends gave her she moved her head up only to be met by a pair of dark forest green eyes.
"Oh, Macintosh, would you like to buy something?" Fluttershy smiled.
Big Macintosh had watched Fluttershy from the line as he waited behind the girls, noticing just how sweet and kind Fluttershy was. But this close to her, he could see just how the light shone in her mane and played in her deep aqua eyes. Her sincerity flowed from her, creating a calm aura around her. Nopony could be upset around this particular filly. And was that the slightest hint of honeysuckle he could smell? Was it her?
"Um, Macintosh?" Fluttershy asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Uh, umm…" Macintosh said, snapping back into reality. He looked down at all the different kinds of honey products Fluttershy had. Was that apple-flavored honey?
"What are you interested in getting, if I may ask?" Fluttershy inquired as she walked around from to the front of her stand to be right next to Big Macintosh. From this perspective it seemed like if Macintosh wasn't careful around Fluttershy he could squash her like a bug. She was so delicate and small compared to him. He had never felt so gigantic before, but he had never come across such a dainty pony.
"Ah…Ah'm not sure what I want."
"Well, there's the apple-flavored honey, but I bet you get enough of apples with working at Sweet Apple Acres and all." Fluttershy said, indicating the honey that Big Macintosh first noticed, "And then, uh, um…" Fluttershy's eyes darted past Macintosh then she looked up at him. He moved back so she could move past him to what she wanted to show him. As she moved past him, she lightly bumped into him. Her coat and the feathers of her wings were so smooth it nearly made Big Mac shudder. And the whiff he got of honeysuckle made his eyes close for half a second.
"We have this bee pollen. It helps with so many things." Fluttershy added, nodding toward a jar of what looked like yellow crumbs. She turned to look up at Big Macintosh. My! Was he a tall, muscular pony. She had seen him quite a few times, but had never been this close to him to appreciate just how tall and strong he was. She could see his leg muscles ripple as he moved a little uneasily so as to give her plenty of space.
"Ah…Ah think I'll take some regular honey." He finally said.
"That's great! That'll be three bits." Fluttershy replied, trotting back behind her stand. Big Macintosh paid her and as she put the money in her cash box she stopped.
"Yay! I have enough for the new hive!" Fluttershy exclaimed, floating up into the air. She couldn't help but give Big Macintosh a hug, "Thank you, Big Macintosh!"
If Macintosh wasn't such a dark red pony his blush could have probably been seen from space. Seeing Fluttershy so happy and excited made it feel like he had butterflies in his stomach. And to have that soft coat pressed so tight against him was enough to make him feel dizzy.
Fluttershy pulled back enough to look at Macintosh, "Oh the bees will be so happy! They'll get a new home and it's all thanks to you, Big Macintosh!"
"Ah shucks, Fluttershy." Macintosh replied, not able to look the excited pony in the eyes.
Fluttershy floated away from Macintosh and toward her cashbox, looking down at the money with the happiest gleam in her eyes, "I can't wait to get started on their new home!"
An idea struck Macintosh, "Uh, F-Fluttershy. Would you, Ah mean…uh would ya' want some help with that there bee hive?"
Fluttershy turned to Macintosh and had the sweetest, most genuine smile Macintosh had ever seen grace anyponies face. And the idea of Fluttershy looking at him in that way made his stomach knot and caused a fluttering feeling in his chest.
"Really, Macintosh? You'd do that for me?" she asked, taking a few steps toward him.
A smile broke across Big Macintosh's face as he looked down at the sweet little filly, "Ee-eeyup."
Fluttershy danced around a little and actually squeeled, "Thank you so much, Big Macintosh!" She threw her forlegs around Macintosh's neck again, this time though she nuzzled into his neck. Macintosh's foreleg instinctively wrapped around the small pegasus
The feeling of Macintosh's strong foreleg around Fluttershy made her feel so small and delicate and so protected. And nuzzling into his big strong neck gave her the shivers.
I've been hugging him a little too long thought Fluttershy. She quickly pulled away, bending her head down in hopes of hiding her blush. "I, well, um, I-I think I'll get a hold of you tomorrow about building the hive."
Macintosh felt a chill from Fluttershy leaving the hug they shared so quickly. He responded with a 'eeyup' as he scuttled back away from the equally shy pony.
Fluttershy nodded, "Well then I'll see you tomorrow."
Macintosh nodded again and headed back Sweet Apple Acres, relishing in Fluttershy's honeysuckle scent that clung to him from their elongated hug. He hoped that smell would stay with him for the rest of his work day.
As Fluttershy turned back to her stand she noticed the cashbox and remembered, "Macintosh forgot his honey."
That next day Macintosh woke up an hour early to get his chores done in time to so he could get to Fluttershy's on time. He quietly slipped downstairs, ate a quick breakfast, and made his way out to the barn to get the plow.
On his way to the barn he heard a bird sounding quite distressed. He stopped and looked to find the source of the upset chirping he heard. His eyes finally focused on a large blue jay in a nearby tree carrying a jar of honey that had a note on it. The bird flew down, chattering quite angrily at Macintosh, and dropped his load off. He quickly flew away, as if he was too upset with Macintosh not noticing him to stick around.
Macintosh looked down at the jar, remembering that he had forgotten his honey he bought from Fluttershy the day before. A smile crept over his face as he realized that Fluttershy had sent him his forgotten purchase. But what was with the note? He unfolded it and read:
Dear Big Macintosh,
Thank you for offering to help me with the bee hive! I was a little worried about creating it myself, since I am not as good with tools as you are.
I will be busy until about 4, so if you could please come by sometime then. Don't worry about dinner, I will have it covered. And thank you again so much for helping me with this. The bees will enjoy a nicely crafted new hive.
~ Fluttershy
P.S. You forgot your honey yesterday, so I've sent it with Henry. I hope it gets to you safely. And sorry for Henry's bad attitude, his friend and him were in a terrible fight earlier.
Macintosh felt a warmth seep through him after reading the letter. He tucked it away and took it and his honey back to the house before running off to speed through his work to be ready in time.
Henry fluttered back toward his perch near Fluttershy's window. He tapped on the glass, signaling to her that he had successfully dropped off the package he had.
The window creaked open so Fluttershy could see Henry, "Thank you so much, Henry. I will pay you back."
He chattered at her and flew off in search of some food.
Fluttershy closed the window and turned back to her room. It looked as if her closet had exploded. She wanted to find the right work clothes for this evening, but it had turned into a longer process than she thought. What happened to her work hat? It was there just a few days ago, she swore she saw it.
Her mind wandered toward Macintosh and she imagined watching him work on the hive with her. He might even work up a sweat, hammering away at the wood. How shiny would his coat look with a sheen of sweat on it?
Fluttershy shook her head to shake the thoughts out of her mind. "C'mon Fluttershy, this is your friend's older brother you're thinking about! That's not how you should think about him." She busied herself with cleaning up her room, making sure to grab and hold onto a hoofkerchief just in case either of them became too hot while working.
Big Macintosh finished his chores just in the nick of time and was preparing to head over to Fluttershy's. He stopped at the barn and grabbed a few extra planks of wood, some nails, and a hammer he could use for himself, just in case they would need some extra supplies. He packed these all into a saddlebag and headed off for Fluttershy's, a bit of a skip in his step despite the achiness that came from his daily work.
Macintosh's thoughts went back to yesterday and seeing that smile that Fluttershy gave him. If only he could see that again today, he'd be the happiest stallion in all of Ponyville. Just imagining her smiling made him pick up his pace as he now jogged over to Fluttershy's.
If only I could see that smile again…She's so cute, no she's- He paused mentally, realizing just what he was about to think of his little sister's friend. It wasn't right, but…Dear Celestia, he couldn't help it. Fluttershy was a gorgeous pony!
But she wouldn't want somepony like me…I'm not the best looking pony in Ponyville by far…Ah try to be a good gentlecolt, but most fillies around here don't mind or care Macintosh thought to himself. He sighed, I wish I could have a special somepony like Fluttershy. She deserves a better gentlecolt than me…
He finally reached Fluttershy's just in time to see her walk out of her front door with a small pink hammer clenched in her teeth and struggling to carry several wooden boards. Macintosh ran over to her to help.
Fluttershy tried to smile past the hammer she was carrying as she saw Big Macintosh coming over to her to help. He was so kind, and the way the wind played with his mane as he ran toward her…she could watch that all day.
"You need some help there, Fluttershy?" Macintosh asked as he stopped in front of her, a look of concern on his face.
Fluttershy tried to ignore the chill that went through her as he said her name; she nodded to her right, indicating the pile of wood she was carrying there. Macintosh gently took the wood from her and set it on his back, balancing it there. She reached up and took the hammer from her mouth with her now free hoof, "Oh, thank you so much, Big Macintosh."
He smiled back at her, "So, where do you want to work on the hive?"
"Follow me, there's a clearing nearby that will work." She replied, walking past Macintosh.
As Macintosh followed her, he couldn't help but notice the little wiggle she had in her walk. He tried to avoid watching her, but kept being drawn to it, especially when she started talking to him.
"I have a plan I found for the hive and I think it'll work really well. It's a little complicated but I think that together we can get it figured out." The little pegasus said, only turning her head slightly to see behind her.
"Eeyup." He replied, biting his lip as he tried to keep his eyes from wandering.
"Here we are." Fluttershy said, dropping the wood on the ground and setting her hammer next to it. She pulled out the plans as Macintosh dropped his load. He came to stand next to her and look at the plans over her shoulder. Fluttershy bit her lip as Big Macintosh's masculine scent entered her nose. She could feel him breathing deeply and the idea of watching his strong chest pulsing made her feel tingly. She blinked a few times and focused on the plans in front of her.
"It looks simple enough." Macintosh said, bringing his hoof forward to turn it a little. Fluttershy had to hold back from snuggling into that strong foreleg as it came so close to her. But she snapped back to attention quickly, she had to get this done for the bees.
"Yes, it is. So, we should get star-" Fluttershy began, but looked back at the boards and stomped her hoof, "Shoot, I forgot the nails!"
Macintosh gave a short snort and went over to his saddlebag and pulled out the hammer and nails he brought, "I can start on some of it at least."
"Oh, Macintosh, thank you. I'll go find those nails lickity-split! I'll be right back." Fluttershy said, embarrassed she would forget something so crucial to the project. She flew off for her tool shed.
Big Macintosh was left by himself with the plans and tools. This hive would take just a few minutes, but he wanted to spend more time with the little yellow filly. He took his sweet time, but started to work. When Macintosh would get into his work, everything else kind of melted away. His thoughts relaxed and he would just get into the motions of his work. Another thing he did was sing while he worked. It was usually quiet and soft, but something in him today had him singing a little louder.
Fluttershy couldn't believe how long it took her to find her nails, but she finally found them and started back to where she had left Big Macintosh. She heard something coming from where Macintosh was and froze, trying to figure out what it was. She tiptoed to peek around a bush at where Macintosh was and was stunned.
He was singing, and he had the most handsome, deep singing voice she had ever heard.
Girl, I've been thinkin' 'bout us
And you know I ain't good at this stuff
These feelings pilin' up won't give me no rest
This might come out a little crazy
A little sideways, yeah maybe
I don't know how long it'll take me but I'll do my best
If you'll be my soft and sweet
I'll be your strong and steady
You'll be my glass of wine
I'll be your shot of whiskey
You'll be my sunny day
I'll be your shady tree
You'll be honeysuckle
I'll be your honey bee
Fluttershy smiled and took a step toward Macintosh, breaking a twig. He froze and looked up, a startled look on his face.
Macintosh saw Fluttershy with her nails and froze. He realized he was singing…and she heard him! He bent his head down and looked away from Fluttershy in embarrassment.
"Oh, Macintosh! I didn't know you could sing so well." Fluttershy said as she trotted over to him, setting the nails down. He had already finished the base of the hive.
"Th-thank ya'." Macintosh mumbled, still too embarrassed to look at Fluttershy.
"And you've done such a good job on the base. Thank you." She said, coming closer to him. She leaned down, trying to look at Macintosh's face, but he moved, obviously embarrassed. "There's no need to be so embarrassed, Big Macintosh. You have an amazing singing voice."
Macintosh perked up a little, "Y-You really think so?" He chanced a peek at the adorable filly next to him.
She smiled at him, "Why yes I do. I just wish I knew what song it was that you were singing, could you please sing more? That is, if you want to."
Macintosh raised his head to see the sweet, innocent look of 'please' on Fluttershy's face and couldn't help but smile, how could he say no to that? He leaned down and cleared his throat, then continued gathering the tools and wood they would need to continue the hive as he sang more.
Yeah, that came out a little country
But every word was right on the money
And I got you smilin' honey right back at me
Here Big Macintosh had no idea where his boldness came from, but he turned toward Fluttershy, who was blushing in the sweetest way, and started to sing directly to her.
Now hold on 'cause I ain't done
There's more where that came from
Well you know I'm just havin' fun, but seriously
He took a few steps toward her and leaned down to almost whisper the next lines to her.
If you'll be my Louisiana
I'll be your Mississippi
You'll be my little Loretta
I'll be your Conway Twitty
You'll be my sugar, baby
I'll be your sweet iced tea
You'll be my honeysuckle
I'll be your honey bee
Fluttershy couldn't believe how romantic this song was, and how Macintosh was singing it to her. She could feel her knees get weak as he lightly nuzzled her neck before pulling away.
Reality came all too soon to Fluttershy as Macintosh pulled away. "Wow, that was…wow." Was all she could think to say.
Macintosh's braveness dissipated and he realized just what he had done. Oh Celestia! I hope I didn't freak her out! He thought. He quickly grabbed his hammer and went back to work with one side of the hive.
Fluttershy noticed how suddenly Macintosh went back to work, "Y-You're right, we need to get back to work." She picked up her hammer and started working on the hive.
The heat of the day was getting to them both. They only had the roof left and then they were ready to move the hive to its permanent home. They both silently agreed to a break after setting the last wall in place.
Fluttershy sighed, "We're making some good progress, Macintosh." She turned to see him and almost wish she didn't. He looked so relaxed despite the sheen of sweat over his dark red coat. The strain from the hammering had made his muscles seem more pronounced in the light. She could see though that deep down he was tired too.
Macintosh looked over at Fluttershy. She was too delicate of a filly to be out in this heat and working so hard. She must really care about those bees he thought. As he watched Fluttershy, he noticed how hot she seemed and grew worried about her.
"Would you like to head in and get a drink? We can cool off there too." Fluttershy asked.
Macintosh nodded and followed her to her house. As they neared it, Macintosh studied her home. He had seen it from afar, had never been in it, and had never noticed how beautiful it really was up close. All the little critters she cared for were all around the tree, making it look like the tree was alive. As they stepped into her house, Macintosh had to duck to get through the front door, but found the living room area quite roomy.
"What would you like to drink, Macintosh?" Fluttershy asked as she floated over to her kitchen.
"What do ya' have?" He asked, following after her and trying to be as delicate as he could as he walked through her home. It was built for her, obviously, with everything being small and delicate, just like her. He turned the corner and peeked into her kitchen, seeing her bent over looking into her fridge. He bit his lip and tried to look away as she wiggled, looking around her fridge.
"I have some milk, some orange juice, and some-" Fluttershy paused, remembering the song that Macintosh sang earlier, "sweet tea."
"Ah'll have some tea." He replied, taking a few steps back from the kitchen so as not to be tempted by the unaware filly any more.
"Ok, coming right up." She said, starting to poor glasses for them. She flew toward Macintosh and offered him a glass. He took it and drank, surprised by how amazing the tea really was.
"This is delicious." Macintosh said, taking another drink.
Fluttershy landed and sipped on her glass, "I sweetened it with the honey from the bees. They make the best honey I've ever had."
"They sure do." He agreed as he finished off his glass. Fluttershy watched as he took a drink, his neck muscles working as he swallowed. Goodness he had such strong muscles. He looked so out of place in her house. He belonged on the rolling fields of Sweet Apple Acres. The wind through his mane as he went about applebucking or plowing a field…and now Fluttershy was the only one who knew he sang while he did all this, that masculine, deep bass. Just thinking of him singing gave her the chills down to her bones.
Macintosh looked at the dreamy look on Fluttershy's face and wondered what she was thinking, "Fluttershy? You ok?" He asked.
"Oh, um, y-yes. I'm fine. How about we get back to work?" She said, setting her glass down after finishing off the last of her tea.
Macintosh nodded and they headed back out to finish the hive.
"Finished!" Fluttershy said as they set the hive down near to the old beehive. Nearly instantly the bees were dancing around their new home. Both ponies backed away to admire their work and the bees enjoyment.
"It looks like they love it!" Fluttershy smiled.
"Eeyup." Macintosh replied, giving a small smile to the hive. He looked down at Fluttershy who looked up at him. The sun was setting now and the light from it lit Fluttershy up like a firework, the reds and oranges heightening her yellow color and bringing her pink hair into a glowing, almost surreal light. Celestia she's beautiful Macintosh thought.
"Now we head back. I have dinner already made." Fluttershy giggled with joy as she trotted off toward her house. Macintosh followed; glad he was able to help make Fluttershy so happy.
By the time he made it to her house she came out with a basket. He stopped and curiously looked at her. She came up to him, flashing him a worried smile, "Does a picnic dinner not sound good?"
"Eenope, sounds fine to me." He smiled back at her. They walked over to a neighboring tree and settled down to eat. She laid out a blanket for them and began to pull out the sandwiches she had made for them. "This looks delicious, Fluttershy." Macintosh said, realizing just how hungry he was.
"I made us some peanut butter and honey sandwiches. I have some corn salad too if you'd like." She said, pulling out the salad last.
Macintosh grabbed his sandwich and dug in. He had never had a sandwich like this, but he doubt he would have any near as good as this was. He couldn't hold back devouring the rest of the sandwich.
"Glad to see you enjoy it." Fluttershy giggled as she lightly munched on hers.
Macintosh was a little embarrassed, "Well, it was amazing."
"Th-thank you." The filly replied. She set her sandwich down and scooted closer to Macintosh's side. She watched him as he eyed her, wondering what she was doing, "And thank you again for all the hard work you've done today. I really, really appreciate it, Big Mac." She leaned forward and, gathering all her courage, gave him a light kiss.
Big Macintosh's mind went blank, except for the joy he felt ringing its way through his body. His hair stood on end and electricity seemed to fly through his body as Fluttershy so gently kissed him. His eyes fell closed as she kissed him and he leaned in a little to the kiss, careful not to overpower it.
Fluttershy could have melted at how warm and comforting this kiss felt. She couldn't believe how tender such a large, strong pony could be. It made her feel so dainty to be handled so carefully by Macintosh.
Macintosh was the one to pull away, confusing Fluttershy for only a moment, before she realized what he was doing. He quietly sang to her,
Your kiss just said it all
I'm glad we had this talk
Nothing left to do but fall in each other's arms
I coulda said a "I love you"
Coulda wrote you a line or two
Baby, all I know to do is speak right from the heart
He nuzzled into her neck, cuddling her closer to him as he continued to sing.
If you'll be my soft and sweet
I'll be your strong and steady
You'll be my glass of wine
I'll be your shot of whiskey
You'll be my sunny day
I'll be your shady tree
You'll be honeysuckle
I'll be your honey bee
You'll be my Louisiana
I'll be your Mississippi
You'll be my little Loretta
I'll be your Conway Twitty
You'll be my sugar, baby
I'll be your sweet iced tea
You'll be my honeysuckle
And I'll be your honey bee
I'll be your honey bee
Fluttershy smiled, and laughed quietly, pressing herself tighter against him. "I love hearing you sing, Big Mac."
He squeezed Fluttershy against him, enjoying her smooth coat against his rougher one, "I love singing to you, Flutter."
The two cuddled late into the night, watching the stars and singing to them.
