Growth through the Thorn: Chapter 2

“Fluttershy, will y’all marry me?”

Fluttershy stood there staring at Big Macintosh, her purple eyes staring into his green eyes. She opened up her mouth wide, but nothing came out of it. Big Macintosh could hear her steady breathing but it didn’t indicate anything besides surprise.

“Listen Fluttershy, Ah’m askin this now, but if ya ain’t ready yet Ah can understand,” Big Macintosh backpedaled just in case. “Ah don’t want you ta do anythin you’re not ready for. But if ya are ready than Ah want ta know if ya are.”

“I…I…eep!” Fluttershy managed to squeal before she fainted on to the ground.

Everybody gasped in surprise surrounded Fluttershy quickly out of worry and surprise as she fell to the ground in a faint, with her eyes closed and her mouth still opened. Rainbow Dash took the initiative and put her ear to Fluttershy’s chest to see if she still had a pulse. After a few seconds of listening Rainbow Dash heard the quick beat of Fluttershy’s heart.

“Alright she’s still alive,” Rainbow Dash said as she lifted her head up. “She just fainted. Come on everypony, let’s get her inside!”

Everybody, except for Caramel who was still more focused on raking the leaves and hadn’t noticed yet that Fluttershy fainted, worked together to lift up Fluttershy and  carry her. They all carefully carried her across the field to the red farmhouse. As soon as they reached near the door Applejack turned around.

“Caramel!” Applejack called out to get the farmhoof’s attention. “Get over here and get this door open!”

“What the…?” Caramel asked as he looked from what he was doing. He saw everybody holding up an immobile Fluttershy and guessed exactly what was happening. While he wasn’t sure why one of them couldn’t just stop carrying Fluttershy to open the door since they had more than enough ponies to carry her he didn’t question it and instead ran over to the door.

“Thanks Caramel,” Applejack said as he opened up the door.

“No problem Applejack,” Caramel said as they all walked Fluttershy into the house.

After making sure they all went in Caramel looked over back at his rake, to see that it feel on the pile of leaves causing the leaves to scatter once again. As Caramel looked at the leaves in disbelief he facehoofed. “Just…Fluttershy fainted so you should go check on her Caramel,” Caramel said as an excuse not to rake up those leaves for a fifth time. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s a good enough excuse for Applejack. I…hope.”

Caramel turned around and walked into the farmhouse.

~

Everypony placed Fluttershy on the long side of the couch when they reached the living room. By now Fluttershy’s mouth was closed so when they placed her down she looked like she was almost sleeping. Afterwards everypony else sprawled out around the living room and found a spot to sit down while they waited for Fluttershy to wake up.

“Well…that went well,” Applejack said as she looked over at her friend.

“Uhh…I haven’t read any of those sappy romance novels like Twilight or Rarity, so can somepony tell me if a mare fainting at a proposal is supposed to be romantic?” Rainbow Dash asked. She of course looked at Soarin’ while asking that.

“I don’t really know,” Soarin’ said. “I haven’t read anymore then you have.”

“I’m gonna doubt that’s normally romantic,” Braeburn said. “But hey, I’m not exactly positive on everything.”

“Well Ah guess we just gotta wait for Fluttershy ta wake up,” Applejack said. “Then we’ll hear her answer.”

But as they sat there and waited for Fluttershy to wake up she didn’t for a long time. They all sat there just waiting for a while, a few hours was surprising considering a pregnant Rainbow Dash was there, though she was pacing around all that time. Finally Rainbow Dash lost all patience and spoke out.

“Would you guys call me when Fluttershy wakes up?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I’m going to do some flying instead of waiting.”

“Rainbow Dash, do you remember what the doctors said?” Soarin’ asked.

“Yeah yeah I know,” Rainbow Dash said as she went for the door to the living room. “Keep the tricks at a minimal intensity and don’t overexert yourself yada yada yada.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Soarin’ said in a warning voice.

“I know Soarin’,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’m just going to make it some loose flying. It’s just something to do so I don’t lose my mind while waiting for Fluttershy.”

Rainbow Dash turned around and gave Soarin a look. “You know exactly what happens when I lose my mind Soarin’.”

After saying that Rainbow Dash walked out leaving Soarin’ gulping with a reminder her many mood swings. Mood swings that she seems to only have around Soarin’ and never seems to have around their adopted daughter Scootaloo. Whether that was intentional by Rainbow Dash, or Soarin’ just always happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time Soarin’ did not figure out.

“I think I’ll go out and make sure she’s not doing anything she shouldn’t,” Soarin’ said. “As Rainbow Dash said, call me when Fluttershy wakes up.”

“Alright you two,” Braeburn said.

“Just try not to ruin the leave piles we made,” Caramel continued. “We worked hard all morning to rake them all up.”

“Whatever!” Rainbow Dash called back.

The two of them left the building and they both took off. Rainbow Dash signaled with her wing to tell Soarin’ she was just going to go around the orchard just in case he wanted to follow her. They both flew over the barren trees of the apple orchard, Rainbow Dash right in front with Soarin’ a few feet behind.

“You know you didn’t have to follow me,” Rainbow Dash said back to him without turning back.

“Yeah I know,” Soarin’ replied. “I guess I just wanted to do a little flying as well. Get a few things off my mind.”

“Worried about Fluttershy and Big Mac?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yeah...kinda,” Soarin’ said. “Do you have an idea of why Fluttershy fainted?”

“She’s Fluttershy Soarin’,” Rainbow Dash answered. “There could be a number of reasons why she fainted. I don’t really know why.”

Well I hope everything turns out alright, Soarin’ thought. Braeburn was right; it’s about time the Apple Family got some new members. Those two…always hoped that their kids would find love and somepony to be happy with. Sort of like…how happy there were right before the end.

“Soarin’.”

Soarin’ was too far in his thoughts and didn’t notice the voice calling out for him. He had his head facing down towards the orange and red ground as he flew over, not even paying attention to his wife.

“Soarin!”

This time Soarin’ actually looked up to see the purple eyes of his wife right in front of him, not caring about his personal space. As soon he saw that he flew back in surprise, his wings flapping franticly behind him. He eventually righted himself up and looked over at an annoyed looking Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah Dash?” Soarin’ asked.

“Come on, we’re heading back inside,” Rainbow Dash said.

“But we’ve only been out here for a few minutes,” Soarin’ said. “Are you really that…?”

“NOW!” Rainbow Dash commanded before flying back towards the farmhouse.

“Yes Dashie,” Soarin groaned. As they were flying back he mumbled “mood swings.”

They both flew back across the orchard and to the farmhouse. After landing right in front of the farmhouse Rainbow Dash quickly let herself in without bothering to knock. Soarin’ followed close behind her.

“Hey is Fluttershy still asleep?” Rainbow Dash asked as she walked in.

“Yeah, she still is,” Applejack answered.

“It’s…it’s mah fault,” Big Macintosh said.

“No it’s not your fault,” Caramel said in order to comfort Big Macintosh.

“Yes it is,” Big Macintosh said strongly. “Applejack, you were right. Ah…pushed Fluttershy ta do something that she wasn’t ready for. Ah should have waited longer before proposing to her. She wasn’t ready and Ah shouldn’t have pushed her too soon.”

“Big Mac…while Ah like ta be right ya don’t know that yet,” Applejack told him. “Fluttershy hasn’t said anything yet. All she did was faint. She mighta fainted out of excitement.”

“You and Ah both know that isn’t true,” Big Macintosh said. “Fluttershy fainted cause she didn’t know what ta say to me, and when she wakes up she’s gonna agree to the wedding even though she doesn’t want ta. Ah…know Ah’m really intimidating and can’t act forceful and Fluttershy thought Ah would hurt her if she didn’t agree.”

“Big Macintosh will you stop doing that?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I’m the only one here that’s allowed to come to wild conclusions around here. You don’t know nothing right now!”

“But Ah…” Big Macintosh started.

“But nothing!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. She walked up to Big Macintosh and ignored all personal space as she went directly in front of him. “Listen you, you don’t know anything until Fluttershy tells you, you got that?! So she might have fainted. This is Fluttershy were talking about! I’d be amazed if she didn’t faint during your first kiss together! The excitement could have just gotten to her and that’s why she fainted. Or she fainted from surprise. But I don’t want to hear a thing about ‘oh, she fainted because she doesn’t want to marry me.’”

“Fainting means nothing! Until you hear it from Fluttershy you don’t know how she feels about it! I went through the same thing with Soarin’. When I learned I was pregnant with this foal,” Rainbow Dash pointed her right forehoof towards her stomach, “I thought Soarin’ wouldn’t like it because he was really grumpy that day…”

“To be fair I was just out of a really hard practice so it wasn’t my fault that I wasn’t in the best of moods,” Soarin’ said. Rainbow Dash shut him up with a quick angry look that said “Don’t interrupt me!”

“Anyways…I thought Soarin’ wouldn’t like the fact I was pregnant because he was grumpy that day, but as soon as I told him it made his day. It was a complete misunderstanding between us that we could have stopped if I had just told him in the first place. So since you don’t want to go through the same thing I did, as soon as Fluttershy wakes up I want you to hear what she has to say! And don’t think she won’t tell you like it is! I have known Fluttershy since we were just fillies! She knows that she can deny you if she isn’t ready and you won’t hurt her. Hey, if you try then Applejack and I will kick your flank into next week.”

Big Macintosh was silent for a few seconds taking Rainbow Dash’s words, but of course those few seconds were beyond Rainbow Dash’s patience. “Well are you going to run away or what?!” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Eenope,” Big Macintosh said.

“It’ll be ok Big Mac,” Soarin’ said. “Remember when you were talking about Clementine you said Fluttershy is as kind as her. I’m sure as soon as she wakes up she’ll accept your marriage proposal.”

Soarin’ wasn’t really thinking of what he was saying before he said it, so those words came out of his mouth before he realized he said their mother’s name out loud. Luckily while it did get him a glance from Braeburn, nobody else particularly paid attention to Soarin’s slip of tongue. They were more focused on Big Macintosh’s problem than Soarin’.

“Eep!” said Fluttershy as she woke up.

“Fluttershy you’re awake!” Rainbow Dash said as Fluttershy sat up.

“W-where am I?” Fluttershy asked softly as she looked around the wooden room of the Apple Family living room.

“You fainted outside so we brought ya into the farmhouse,” Applejack asked.

“Oh I…did?” Fluttershy asked.

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh said. He walked up to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy Ah’m sorry.”

“Big Mac didn’t mean to scare you,” Applejack continued for him. “If it was too early then we’re sorry.”

“No, that’s not it,” Fluttershy said. She smiled. “I…was so happy when hearing that, that I just couldn’t contain my excitement. And I…guess I just fainted out of happiness.”

Fluttershy got up and walked right in front of Big Macintosh. “Mackie, do you really want to marry me.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said. “If ya want to.”

“Eeyup,” Fluttershy answered in an imitation of how Big Macintosh would say it, minus the accent “I will.”

There were hooves clapping and congratulations sounding as soon as Fluttershy finally said that. Both the stallion and the mare wrapped around in each other’s hooves in a tight embrace. After a few seconds of the two hugging they broke apart allowing everybody else to talk.

“See what did I tell you?” Rainbow Dash asked. “And you were worried.”

“Your right,” Big Macintosh said as he turned to face Rainbow Dash. “Thanks.

“No problem,” Rainbow Dash said. “I knew you would need some help. You stallions tend to always blame yourselves when things go wrong. You two have fun now.”

Rainbow Dash walked to the back of the room to let everybody else congratulate them and Soarin joined her. “Rainbow Dash, did you seriously know he needed you to tell him that?” Soarin asked her. “Is that why you went back in so early?”

“Maybe,” Rainbow Dash answered. “I just…sort of felt that I needed to be here at that time. I don’t know why I just did.”

“Well ok then but…” Soarin’ started but then he decided not to argue it. He let his wife have her random reason as to why she figured it out even if it didn’t make sense to him. His attention turned instead to the conversation up front.

“Well then guess we’ve got a party ta plan,” Braeburn said. “I better get Pinkie here right away so we can get started. Y’all probably also should go to Miss Rarity soon and see if she can help ya.”

“Ah don’t need her ta make me a tux,” Big Macintosh said. “Ah plan on wearin Papa’s old tux to the weddin.”

“I guess that sounds good,” Braeburn said. “Even if Uncle Earligold can’t be there ta see you married, at least he can be with ya there in spirit.”

“You’ve been hangin around the buffalo tribes a lot haven’t you?” Applejack but by then Soarin’ stopped listening.

Eraligold…Clementine, Soarin’ thought. I really wish you could have seen this. I really wish you could have seen your son get married. And I wish it wasn’t my fault you can't.