Author's Note: Before I get started with the second chapter, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has taken the time to read chapter one. An awful lot of you have added this story to your favorites or watch lists, and I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know people are enjoying my work. And an especially big "thank you!" to Anti-Emo, Hanzo of the Salamander, TwentyPercentCooler, Agentwill63, soul punisher, Sunshine. A, HiAndromon, and StaminaRose for your reviews and your kind words of encouragement. You've all made my week. :D
Macintosh woke up to the sounds of an argument in full swing outside his bedroom door. "Let the poor boy sleep," said one voice. He recognized Granny Smith's creaky tones.
"But ah need somepony to go to the store with me, an' Applejack is busy!" That could only have been Apple Bloom's twang to the words. Macintosh sighed and rolled out of bed. His back gave a twinge, a reminder of the previous night's injury. The hot water had helped ease the pain, but he was going to have to take it easy for a few days.
Big Macintosh hated taking it easy.
"It's okay, Granny," he said, his voice still a little thick with sleep.
The door to his room creaked open and Granny entered on shaky legs, her walker gripped tight. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear, I didn't mean to wake you," she said. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Right as rain," he said. "Why do you ask?"
"You look like you barely slept a wink last night. And here it is getting on towards lunch time!"
Mac's eyes widened. He had slept much later than he had meant to. Before he could comment on the fact, Apple Bloom all but bounced into the room.
"Good, yer awake!" she said. "Will you go to town with me? I gotta pick up some things fer our next cutie mark attempt."
"Well," he drawled, "I dunno." Apple Bloom looked heartbroken. "I seem to recall somepony gettin' taught her manners, and I'd be happy to take that little pony into town."
She looked confused, and then her eyes lit up. "Ohh, please please please please please please?" Each 'please' was longer than the one that came before it.
Mac couldn't help chuckling. "Ohh, there she is. Let me get cleaned up a bit, and then we can head out. Sound good?"
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," Apple Bloom chanted. She turned and skipped out the door, still chanting.
"I'm surprised she talked you out of an afternoon in the fields," Granny Smith said. His attention had been so focused on Apple Bloom that Macintosh had almost forgotten she was there.
"Truth is, Granny, I hurt my back a bit yesterday, so I'm in no shape to be pullin' a plow at any rate," he said. "But I'll make up for lost time, don't you doubt."
Granny made a clucking noise. "You get that stubbornness from your pa," she said. "And you know where he got it from?"
"From you?"
"You're darn tootin' from me!" She laughed a dusty laugh and then turned to go, her walker squeaking all the way down the hall. Macintosh sauntered down the hall to a washroom and gave himself a once-over. The pony that stared back at him was barely recognizable. His mane was a mess and there were circles under his eyes.
"Better not let Applejack see you like that," he said to his reflection. "She won't let you hear the end of it." He filled the sink with cold water and splashed some onto his face.
He shook the water off of his face and left his room, his movements stiff but almost entirely painless. That spring Rainbow Dash had taken him to really did the trick.
Rainbow Dash. The thought of her brought the whole night back to him. The way her voice had gone soft with concern when she saw him hurt. The way she had looked at him when they had sat together in the hot spring. The way that homesick feeling had vanished the moment he laid eyes on her. He wondered if he would see her in town, and hoped that would be the case. Even just seeing her from afar would be something.
"Apple Bloom," he called out. "You about ready to get going?" He made his way to the front room and stood off to the side of the door. Sweet Apple Acres was, as always, in a state of barely-contained chaos. Ponies were coming and going, strains of half-a-dozen conversations floating by.
"Howdy, Mac," called a pony across the room. It was Red Delicious, his blue mane bobbing as he made his way over to Big Macintosh's side. "To hear Granny Smith tell it, yer gonna to be laid up fer weeks." He poked his cousin in the side. "But you don't look like you should be on yer death bed."
"Just tweaked my back," Mac replied. Word traveled fast around the Apple family house, but it didn't always get where it was going intact. "Shouldn't trouble me more than a couple days."
"Well, you take it easy, now. You get yourself laid up durin' applebuck season and there's gonna be hell to pay. What're you doin' up and about?"
"Apple Bloom's lookin' for a hand gettin' some stuff from town, so I told her I'd help her out," he said. "And come harvest time, I'll teach you the meanin' of applebuckin'."
Red smiled and opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Apple Bloom tugged on Big Macintosh's leg. He looked down at his littlest sister. "You didn't forget, did ya'?" She said. Her eyes were huge and sad, like they always were when she was afraid she wouldn't be getting her way.
"Not a chance, sugarcube," he drawled. He looked back up to Red Delicious. "Sorry, Red, but I'd hate to make this one wait."
"Sure, sure," Red replied. "You two take care." Mac nodded, then turned and walked slowly out of the house. He always had to slow his stride for Apple Bloom to keep up, her tiny legs taking four steps for each one of his own massive ones.
"You haven't called me 'sugarcube' since I was a little pony," Apple Bloom said.
"I reckon you're still a little pony," Mac teased. It always got to his sister when ponies made reference to her stature.
"You know what ah mean," she pouted. "It's just been a long while. Why'd you start again?"
"Guess I'm just in a good mood," he said. It was true, he realized. His heart was light and he didn't feel even a little guilty about not doing any work on the farm for the day.
"Why're you in a good mood?" She looked up at him as they walked along, her head cocked suspiciously to one side. "Most ponies get all sour when they're hurt."
He wanted to tell her. It was peculiar – he didn't want to tell anypony about what had happened the night before, not until he was sure he understood it himself, but he wanted to tell Apple Bloom. "Aww, shucks," he said. "I never could keep anythin' from you. Can you keep a secret?"
"Cross mah heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in mah eye!" she said, bouncing excitedly.
"What in tarnation does that mean?"
"It's a Pinkie Pie thing," Apple Bloom said by way of explanation.
Mac grunted. Now that was one odd pony. Nice enough, but darned odd. He took a deep breath. "Well, I went for a walk last night, an – are you sure I'm not borin' you?"
"Tell me tell me tell me tell me!"
He laughed. "Like I said, I was out walkin' last night, when a filly crashed right into me. Maybe she knocked somethin' loose, but when I looked up and saw her, it was like everythin' stopped. Like the whole orchard closed over us, and it was just me and her. Ah, but you don't care about this mushy stuff, do you?"
"If you don't hurry up an' tell me, Ahm gonna tell Granny Smith you were pickin' on me," Apple Bloom huffed.
Big Macintosh chuckled and got his bearings. They were making good time, and Ponyville was drawing close. "Well, she felt awful bad about crashin' into me—that's how my back got hurt—so she showed me a hot spring a little ways out into the woods and we spent a some time talkin' and soakin' in the hot water."
"Was it anypony I know?" Apple Bloom looked as if the excitement was going to make her shake right out of her skin. "Oh! Oh! Was it Fluttershy? Because me an' Sweetie Belle have a bet, an' Ah think you two would be the cutest."
"Nope, wasn't Fluttershy." He looked from side to side in exaggerated caution, then leaned down to whisper in his sister's ear. "It was Rainbow Dash."
Apple Bloom gasped. "Oh. Mah. Gosh. Really?"
"Eeyup. Sure as you and me are standin' here."
"Ah can't believe it! Are you datin' now?"
Mac scuffed a hoof on the ground as they walked. "Well, it ain't that simple," he said.
"Why not? Doesn't she like you back?"
He thought about it. "I suppose I'm not sure," he said. It had seemed like she might have liked him, but how much was he imagining? "I don't really have a lot of experience with the fillies," he said.
"A big, strappin' guy like you? I'm surprised girls weren't beatin' down our door." She said it with such confidence that it gave him pause. She had the sort of unshaking faith in him that you only saw when a little filly talked about her big brother.
"I just never put any time into lookin' for love," he said. "Sweet Apple Acres was always the most important thing in my life, and I just never felt like there was anything missin'."
"Well love's come lookin' fer you," Apple Bloom replied. "An' you'd better figure out what yer gonna do about it." It was wise advice, and Mac was surprised to hear it coming from such a little mouth.
"I reckon you're right," he said. "I'll talk to her about it soon."
"You'd better, 'cause ah don't think ah can keep this from Scootaloo for long."
"Now, you promised you weren't gonna tell anypony," he said sternly.
"Ahm not gonna," Apple Bloom said. "But she's gonna flip when Ah can tell her."
Mac steered the conversation in a more casual direction. He asked Apple Bloom how school was going, asked what their next scheme was (her lips were sealed on the matter), and offered her some brotherly advice about getting her cutie mark. She wasn't going to listen, but he figured it was his job as kin to repeat it anyways.
"First stop is the hardware store," Apple Bloom said as they walked past the first handful of buildings on the edge of town. They made their way down the road, Macintosh nodding politely at any pony he made eye contact with. The streets were busy with ponies going about their business.
The duo arrived at the hardware store and Apple Bloom turned to Macintosh. "Do you want to come in with me?" she said.
Big Macintosh stretched. The sun was warm on his back and was soothing some of the stiffness out of his muscles. "Nah, I think I'll stay out here, if it's all the same to you," he said. "This sunshine feels mighty good."
"Okie dokie," she said. "Ah might be a little bit. Want to meet up over at the café?"
"Sounds like a plan," he said.
"Who knows, maybe yer gonna run into yer girlfriend," Apple Bloom said, stretching the last word out. Then she darted inside before Mac could take any kind of retaliation.
Macintosh turned to head for the café. It was about time he got some lunch anyways. Before he had fully turned around, there was an impact. He stumbled backwards, but managed to keep his feet. The pony he had collided with hadn't been so lucky. Twilight Sparkle went down in a heap, the book she had been reading as she walked tumbling to the ground.
"Shucks, I'm real sorry, Miss Twilight," Mac said, helping her back to her feet.
"Oh no, it was entirely my fault. I was so caught up in my book I wasn't watching where I was going," she said. She used her magic to lift the book up off the ground and slip it into a saddlebag. "What brings you to town? I feel like I hardly ever see you wandering about."
"Oh, Apple Bloom wanted somepony to come with her to pick up some things for her next cutie mark attempt," he said. "I'm along for the ride."
"I hope it's something a little less dangerous than last time. Spike still jumps every time he hears a rooster crow." She winced at the memory. "Those girls are dedicated, I've got to give them that."
"Eeyup, they sure are," he replied.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Twilight shuffled in place a little. "Well," she said, "I guess I'll be going. See you around, Big Macintosh."
"So long," he said. She started walking off, but Mac called after her. "Actually…" he trailed off, not sure how to phrase the question that was on his mind. "Have you seen Rainbow Dash around?"
"Yeah, she's napping on a cloud not far from here. Why do you ask?"
"I was hopin' to talk to her while I was here in town."
"What did she do? Stirring stuff up out at Sweet Apple Acres?"
"You could certainly say that," he said, one corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile.
"Oh, well, good luck with your talk," she said.
"Thank you kindly, Miss Twilight." She turned and continued on her way, the book already floating out of her bag and back in front of her eyes. Macintosh began ambling down the road, his eyes to the sky. Apple Bloom would be a little while, and he figured he had time to track down Rainbow Dash for a little chat.
It didn't take him long to spot Rainbow's tail hanging off the side of a cloud. He didn't really understand why the Pegasus slept in the sky like that – the idea of floating along without the earth under him made him uncomfortable. He cleared his throat.
"Mmmmm," came a groan from above. "Go away," Rainbow Dash said. Her tired voice sounded full of morning for some lost dream.
"Didn't get much sleep last night?" he said, a smile in his voice.
Rainbow Dash poked her head over the edge and looked down at him. There were circles under her eyes, which were still half-closed with sleep. In the bright light of day he could see that they were closer to the rich color of a rose in full bloom than they were the lavender he had thought them the night before. They were striking either way. "Oh, hey Mac," she said. She yawned loudly. "What's up?"
"I was hopin' maybe you and me could talk," he said. Her eyes didn't show any recognition. "Y'know, about… last night?"
She blinked a couple times, visibly clearing her mind. "Sure, what did you want to talk about?" She propped her head up on her front hooves.
Big Macintosh glanced around at the ponies passing by. "You mind comin' down here?"
"No problem," she said. With a few graceful flaps of her wings, she lighted down beside him.
"I appreciate it," he said. He looked around again, unsure of how to begin. "I, uh… well, the thing is, I… last night, I sort of thought… aw, heck, I'm no good at this sort of thing," he finished lamely.
She laughed. "Spit it out, already."
He took a deep breath. "After last night I got to thinkin' and, well, I think I sorta like you. I mean, y'know, not just as a friend, but maybe somethin' more than that. And I know you might not feel the same way, but-"
She cut him off with a kiss. It wasn't a long kiss, but it more than made up for it with intensity. His eyes shot open, then fluttered closed. Electricity ran up and down his spine, tingled across his skin, and lit his mind up like the rising sun. They parted. "You're cute when you're flustered," she said, her mouth still inches from his.
"What in the name of all that is good is goin' on here?" The voice cut through the moment, breaking it like glass. Macintosh looked up to see Applejack, a basket of apples dropped and forgotten at her feet.