Author's Note: Sorry it was so late! Next Chapter will be up much sooner! Got drowned in homework at the last moment, you know how it is. Please review, even- no, especially- if you hate it!

Chapter 2- The Chapter of "Uh" and "Um"

As a long standing tradition, The Apple family always took a few days off after apple-buck season, which had ended, the day before. Mac chose to spend his time walking about the town, hoping for a chance to see FlutterShy. His first stop was Rarity's shop.

He stepped into the pink, frilly shop, and felt out-of-place. He was never too fond of Rarity's shop, but he thought it was best chance to find Flutter without running straight up to her cottage.

The bell over the door signaled his arrival.

"Cooooooming!" Rarity's voice sang from an unseen source.

'Least she's in a good mood, Mac told himself, Even if she thinks it's weird that I want to see Flutter, she won't let it bother her too much.

Sure enough, Rarity emerged from the second floor beaming and humming softly. When she saw Mac, her smile widened.

"My, my! We certainly did make a good show last night!"

Mac tilted his to the side, confused. Rarity rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, the fox? Of course, you must remember!"

Mac gave a stiff nod, then looked down at the purple carpet.

"Well, dear, don't get too excited!" Rarity said sarcastically. "But, honestly, I wish I'd thought of that! But, I suppose I don't really need any extra points with FlutterShy" Rarity winked mischievously at him.

Mac's head snapped back up. His eyes were wide, his throat dry. He knew his blush would be noticeable if his coat were even a shade lighter.

Oh thank Celestia for my coat! He thought, in the midst of his panic.

She knew. She knew! Oh, God! SHE KNEW!

Who else knows! He wondered.

"I-uh..." He stuttered trying to find an excuse, a subject change, anything! "I er..."

Rarity rolled her eyes again "Darling! It's like you don't even trust me! I won't tell!"

Mac looked into her eyes, it seemed like she was telling the truth, but he wasn't that good at reading people, his youngest sister, Apple Bloom, was excellent at it, she could always tell when he was just making excuses not to help her, or play with her. It didn't really matter, though, Rarity already knew, so if she was going to tell, she was going to tell, there was nothing he could do but hope she wouldn't.

"Promise you won't tell?" Mac asked trying to read her again.

Rarity sat back on her hind legs, place her right hoof over her heart, and raised her left one. "You have my word."

Mac nodded again, as Rarity stood and tossed mane, regaining her composure.

"Alright, you must have come for a reason. So, what do you need?"

Mac kicked at the ground, he had totally forgotten the point until just then. He felt his blush growing deeper as he choked out "I, erm, wanna know where FlutterShy is..."

Rarity smirked at him.

"What?" he asked nervously

"You're blushing!" Rarity squealed excitedly.

Mac look in the mirror on the outside of the changing room to his left. His cheeks were a shade darker than his coat. It wasn't very noticeable, but it was embarrassing.

"Where is she?" he asked again, trying to stay calm.

"I would check Twilight's, loverboy!" Rarity answered, still smirking at him.

He turned and quickly trotted out of the shop, mumbling a rushed "Thanks".

By the time he reached Twilight's, he was sure his blush was unnoticeable. He arrived at the library and knocked twice on the wooden door.

"Enter."Twilight answered, sounding a bit annoyed.

He could see why she would be, when he stepped into the library. The floor was littered with haphazard stacks of books. The shelves were almost empty. Spike was sticking a few books into the bottom shelves, and Twilight was levitatating some to their rightful places, but it was clear they had a day full of work ahead of them..

"Realphabetizing." Twilight informed impatiently. "Someone, and I'm not saying who, put the Fs before the Es-"

"They look alike!" Spike argued. "I was tired!"

"And the Gs in the place of the Qs."

"It was an accident!"

"So now we're just staring over completely, in case-"

"We didn't have to! I'm sure those were the only ones I messed up!"

Twilight rolled her eyes before turning to Mac.

"Not to be rude, but we're a little busy." She said as she levitated a few more books into place. "Do you need something?"

"Uh, yeah..." Mac replied, ignoring the heat in his cheeks and deciding to cut to the chase. "Have you seen FlutterShy?"

"FlutterShy, FlutterShy..." Twilight mumbled thoughtfully as she levitated a few more books into place. "Nope, not today. Have you checked her cottage?"

"Erm.." Mac mumbled, embarrassed. He kicked the ground, his reasons for not being straightforward enough to go to her house in the first place seemed stupid now. "I-"

"Never mind" Twilight interrupted. She levitated a saddle bag over to Mac and rested it on the ground. "She left a few things at her party. I was going to run it over there later. Mind taking this if you're heading there now?"

"Eeyup." Mac assured, securing the bag on his back. "Thanks, anyway." he added as he left the library.

When Mac arrived, laughter was coming from FlutterShy's cottage. He assumed that Pinkie Pie must have been in there.

"Come in.." FlutterShy called in a voice most would consider too quiet to hear through a door.

Mac pushed the wooden door open and found that he was wrong about the cause of the giggling. A tan earth pony, with a dark brown mane worn in a single braid that hung over her left shoulder, tied loosely enough so that shorter strands had fallen out and were now framing her face perfectly, stood next FlutterShy. Her cutie mark was an extravagant purple an gold quill lying next to an equally ornate bottle of ink. He had never seen her before, but by the looks of her, she hadn't been doing or causing any giggling lately. She was shivering and practically cowering. Her orange eyes were fixed on the ground, determined not to make contact with Mac's eyes.

She mumbled something Mac didn't quite catch, but it ended with "leave", and walked quickly to the door, mumbling a quiet "'bye".

"That's Quiver." FlutterShy informed as soon as the earth pony was out of sight. "She's very shy. She just moved here from Manehattan. She's even louder and funnier than Pinkie Pie, once you get to know her. It just takes a while to get her that way."

Mac nodded, kicking the ground.

There was an awkward bit of silence before Mac remembered the bag on his back.

"You left a few things at your party." He said, unstrapping the bag.

"Oh, thank you!" FlutterShy answered, a bit too enthusiastically. She apparently realized this, as her cheeks began to glow a soft red.

Mac did his best not to smirk at her.

After all her things were put away Mac and FlutterShy stood silently in her den. After several minutes of the awkward urge to speak or leave that seems to arise in these situations, Mac began to do the latter.

"Well," he began, reluctantly. "I guess I should be-"

"Tea?" FlutterShy whispered.

"Huh?"

"Tea?" She said again, more clearly this time. "I mean, would you like some?"

Mac smiled, watching her gaze go from him, to the floor, back to him. "I'd love some."

Mac and FlutterShy sat sipping their tea, a purple concoction that tasted more like blueberry punch than tea, chatting idly.

"You know, she writes." FlutterShy brought up spontaneously.

"Huh?" Mac asked, looking up from his second cup of tea.

"Quiver," FlutterShy explained. "She writes. That's what her cutie mark means. She's gotten a work or two published..."

Mac nodded thoughtfully. "You wouldn't think so. I mean, she's so shy, you wouldn't think she'd let her thoughts go out to every pony."

FlutterShy nodded. "Maybe that's why she uses a pen name..."

Mac's ears perked. "Pen name? What is it?"

FlutterShy chewed her lower lip, thinking. "Something 'Airy'. Or, was it 'Berry'? I can't remember..."

Mac nodded stiffly. In a desperate attempt to save the conversation, he asked. "So, how's Serendipity?"

FlutterShy grinned. "Wonderful. Come see!" she led him the sofa and lifted a blanket that was obscuring the space beneath. Serendipity was curled up behind it, asleep.

"She's a very sweet little fox." FlutterShy informed. "Angel doesn't seem too fond of her, though" she nodded her head towards a pink recliner, which featured Angel, her pet rabbit, standing guard atop all his worldly possessions. There were dark circles under his eyes, indicating a lack of sleep. Every once in a while his head would snap upwards, and he would stand at attention, but he always slipped back into his slouched, drowsy position.

Mac and FlutterShy stood like that for a while, watching the fox sleep and the bunny try to stay awake. It felt rather awkward and Mac felt the urge to leave or talk arise again, with a reluctance to do either. He was just about to ask FlutterShy if she had any of Quiver's books on hand, when FlutterShy spoke.

"Some of my friends have been saying some weird things" Her eyes were fixed on the floor, and her voice seemed to be laced with both reluctance and determination. "They said that- that you... like me" her cheeks began to glow a deep red. "And I- I just wanted to..." Her voice trailed off, reluctance had won over the determination, but she had gotten enough out to get the point across.

You're being rejected. His thoughts echoed. You shouldn't have gotten in this deep. You should've just gone to the party and kept quiet.

He attempted to imagine what would happen if he never found Serendipity. He would've come, just like every year, and kept to himself. He would've admired her from afar, just like always. He would've smiled as he watched her react to the most exciting gift, and wished he had given it. No, he corrected himself. This was a step that had to be taken. I couldn't have bared to keep quiet forever. And, if it had to happen, I'm glad it happened like this. I'm glad I made her happy, I'm glad we got to talk. I'm ready to move on.

Mac kicked the ground and nodded slowly "It's true." he murmured

FlutterShy's head snapped up. "I- I thought they were just agging me on." She stuttered as her blush grew a more violent shade of red "I thought they were just trying to get me to admit what they already knew."

Mac's heart skipped a beat. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

"I-I never would've guessed..." FlutterShy stepped closer and layed anothe soft kiss on his cheek. She pulled her head away quickly and looked at the ground, as though she were afraid of the possible repercussion.

"I guess what I'm trying to say..." She said after a moment of hesitation, but she never got further. Determination had gotten her this far, but her shyness had pulled her back.

Mac stepped forward and nuzzled her softly. "I know exactly what you're trying to say"