The Prequel
Under a Luminous Sky Prequel
“Okay Mac, ya can do this. Just breathe in and… dagnabit!” Mac stopped pacing across the barn his hooves digging into the ground. For the last half hour, he had been pacing and muttering to himself trying to build up some courage to go into town and ask her out. The mare that had left years ago and whom he thought would forever be out of his reach, she was back and still single!
It was like his secret prayers had been answered, that he would have another chance to go out with her. In all those years she was gone, he was still as shy and nervous as ever. How could he, a simple farmer, ask her out? Rainbow Dash was a super star! Famous across Equestria for being one of the best fliers ever, and a former Element of Harmony. She could have any stallion she wanted; why would she settle for an apple farmer? He had nothing to offer her that she couldn't already get.
Mac gave a deep sigh as he hung his head. To ask her out would just result in a no. She would probably even laugh at him, thinking it was a joke. Thinking that he had a chance with her was laughable. It would be a waste of time, and a blow to his ego. Why would he even put himself in such a harsh spotlight?
Because he liked her.
There was something about her that drew him like a moth to a flame. During the Iron Pony competition he could not help but notice a certain grace to every movement she made; grace thatonly a trained athlete could have. What had really drawn him in, however, was her spirit. She had a fire, a passion, a drive to be the best in all she did. No matter what the activity, she threw herself at it, all the while wearing that smug grin that made his heart flutter. That, plus the fact that she was at times cuter than a button, just made the large stallion fall for her, head over hooves.
He had to ask her out; he had to at least try. A mare like Rainbow Dash only comes once in a lifetime, and Mac had already let her get away once, a mistake he was not going to make again.
Why was he so scared of asking her out? He was ‘Big’ Macintosh Apple, the strongest pony in all of Ponyville! He could drag a house, plow fields all by himself, and if he really wanted to buck a tree out of the ground! Asking a mare out should not be a problem. He was strong, he could take on any challenge. Giving his head a light shake, he began to push the barn door open, ready to ask Rainbow Dash out there and then!
“Oh, there ya are Mac! Ah was hopin’ you were around somewhere. Can ya go grab that barrel of cider from the back? Rainbow Dash is here and wanted ta pick it up,” Applejack said. She was standing a few yards away from him, and standing right next to her was Rainbow Dash.
Mac’s eyes went wide like a deer in the headlights when he saw the mare he had just been thinking about standing there with his sister, staring at him. Sweat started to run down his muzzle and forehead as he looked at her. All of that courage he had just a second ago disappeared at once, and he could feel his knees already starting to shake.
“You alright there, Mac?” AJ asked after a few long and awkward seconds as Mac just stood there silently. She glanced over to Rainbow Dash, who was tilting her head. “If it’s too much trouble, we can just—”
“Nope!” Mac shouted, making both mares jump at how loud he was. “Ah got it,” he said, his eyes still wide as he started to make his way over to the cellar where the cider was held to be chilled. As he walked, his steps were noticeably more stiff and awkward like, like he was trying to keep himself from running off.
“You sure, Mac? And are you wearing a bowtie?” Applejack asked. She took a few steps forward, squinting her eyes, trying to get a better look at her brother. However, Mac did not respond as he disappeared from view into the cellar. The two mares stood there, looking at where Mac had disappeared.
“Your brother acting okay?” Dash finally asked, looking over at AJ as she began to scratch her chin. “Something seems kinda off with him,”
“Ah’m sure he’s fine, might have caught him durin’ his singin’ practice,” Applejack chuckled as she nudged Rainbow. “Ah think the only reason he gone done joined The Pony Tones was ta get a bit closer ta Rarity,” Applejack gave a wink to Dash, who just shook her head with a girn.
“Kinda hard to believe he’s still single. Totally thought he would have gotten married by now,” Dash said. Applejack raised an eyebrow as she looked at Dash, who just sat there smiling.
“Really now? Sound a bit happy he isn’t. Somepony got a crush?” Applejack laughed as Rainbow Dash gave a slight laufh before hitting her in the shoulder.
“Please! Like I have a crush on anypony! I’m way too awesome for that,” she declared, dusting off some invisible dirt from her shoulder while Applejack rubbed her own.
“Sure you are,” Applejack grumbled as Mac appeared from the cellar, carrying a large barrel of cider on his back. “Thank ya Mac! Bring that over here so Rainbow can inspect it. First time she ever bought a full barrel of cider,”
“E- Eeyup,” Mac said quietly, making his way over to the two mares with his eyes focused on the ground. He was still sweating due to his nerves. He wanted to ask her out, but the questions of how and when were still pressing on his mind. He just knew he had to do it soon. He was not going to get a chance like this again. Rainbow Dash was a sought after mare, and if he didn’t try his luck, another stallion might come along and ask her out instead.
“Gotta admit, never thought Ah’d be sellin’ such high grade cider to you, Dash,” Applejack said, as she looked over the barrel. “We only sold ta Filthy Rich mostly. A thousand bits a barrel.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I have a ton of cash from being a Wonderbolt,” Rainbow said, handing a sack of bits to Applejack as she licked her lips. “This is going to be so good!” she shouted, rubbing her hooves together and eyeing the barrel. “I can’t wait to get this thing home and—”
“How are ya gettin’ it home?” Rainbow looked up from her cider to Applejack who had her head cocked to the side. “Ah mean, Ah know yer a strong filly, but how are ya goin’ ta get that thing into the air and into yer house without it fallin through?” Rainbow stared at her, her eyes wide with one eyebrow raised above the other, and her mouth slightly open as if she was about to say something.
“Buck!” Rainbow finally shouted, pulling Mac out of his thoughts as Rainbow stomped around, kicking up dirt. “I totally forgot about that! Ugh! I wonder if Twilight is home to hook me up with a spell?” she asked as she took to the air.
“No so fast, sugar,” Applejack said, putting her hoof in the air. “Twilight’s place is in the middle of town, and yer place is beyond that. No sense for ya ta fly back and forth fer a spell and lugging that barrel all over. How about Mac carries it fer ya?”
Mac’s head whipped over to Applejack as the two mares talked. This was both the ideal and worst situation for Mac to be in. He could be alone with Rainbow Dash, and this time he could actually ask her out. This was also a problem because he still had no idea what to say, or even how to go about it. What would Applejack think of him asking out one of her best friends? Should he ask her about it first? Why, out of all the mares in town, did he have to have a crush on his sister’s best friend?
“Sure, how about it, Mac? I’ll even let you have some cider as a reward!” Rainbow’s voice broke through Mac’s thoughts. Looking around, he saw that Rainbow Dash was now hovering in front of him, their faces a few inches away as she smiled at him. That smile sent a flutter through Mac’s heart like no other, making his legs go wobbly and a goofy grin to break out across his face.
“E-eeyup.”
“Cool!” Dash laughed, as she did a small backflip and landed on the barrel of cider. “The sooner we get this done the sooner we can have some of the best cider in the world!” Dash laughed as she licked her lips in anticipation.
Mac simply nodded as he made his way over to the barn, already taking off his bowtie to put on his yoke. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for, and he could not afford to blow it. Pulling on his yoke, Mac grabbed a few strands of ropes and made his way back outside, where Rainbow Dash was still perched on top of barrel of cider talking to Applejack.
He could not help but to admire her like that, the way the sun was hitting her made her almost seem angelic. Her vibrant mane, magenta eyes, and sky blue coat made her the prettiest thing he had ever seen. How he wished he had the courage to ask her out all those years ago, before she went out into the world and saw stallions that had much more to offer than him. Once again, the stallion was struck by doubt as he made his way to her.
“Oh man! I just can’t wait to break this thing open!” Rainbow said happily as Mac made his way over. “About time, big guy! I have a barrel of cider here that needs to drained!” Rainbow laughed, jumping off the barrel and giving it a light tap with her hooves.
“Eeyup,” was all Mac was able to say as he put the ropes around the barrel and started to hoist it onto his back. As he did so, he noticed that Applejack was nowhere to be seen. “Uh… Miss Dash, where did ma sister go?”
“Whoa, Mac! Take it easy there!” Rainbow said, holding up her hooves at the question. “If you say more that ‘Eeyup’ and ‘Nnope’ I might start thinking you're a normal pony,” Rainbow laughed, making Mac’s face heat up. Thankfully his already red fur hid the blush as he looked around. “She had to go finish making supper or whatever. What up?”
“Well. Ah need somepony ta tighten the ropes around me so Ah can carry this,” Mac said, balancing the barrel on his broad shoulders. “Can you go—”
“No can do! We can’t waste anymore time. I have been waiting for this day for too long,” Rainbow said, making her way over to Mac and taking a mouth full of rope right under Mac’s chest and yanking on it. “Yef juf gonha suhk it up!” Rainbow muffled through the rope. As she yanked on the ropes, she unintentionally rubbed herself against Mac’s large frame, causing the stallion’s face to grow even warmer as he felt her soft fur against his own.
Her mane was rubbing against his chest as she bent under him to pull on another length of rope, tightening the barrel to his back. Her tail would occasionally trace against his side as she looked at her work, pulling at certain ropes to make them tighter. Mac kept completely still as she moved around him, tightening the ropes, blissfully unaware of what kind of torment she was putting the stallion through.
“Looks good to me!” Rainbow finally declared as she stepped back to admire her work, oblivious to Mac’s inner torment. “Now let’s get moving! The sooner we get a spell on that thing, the sooner I can start drinking!” Rainbow declared before she took to the air, hovering a foot off the ground.
“Eeyup,” was all Mac could possibly say, as he tried to avoid thinking about the prolonged contact he had with Rainbow. Instead, he tried to focus as much thought on the pressing question of how to ask the daredevil flyer out.
--
“Of all the times for her to be gone!” Rainbow shouted, kicking up dirt as she and Mac walked up the path to Sweet Apple Acres. “I finally have a entire barrel of Apple Cider to myself, and I can’t even bring it into my house because it will fall through the floor!” Rainbow growled as she continued beating her hooves against the road. “Do you know how long I’ve waited to finally get my hooves on this?” she asked. She gave her wings a mighty flap and vaulted into the air before landing on top of the barrel of cider.
Rainbow started to caress the side of the barrel as she released a deep sigh. “Why did Shining Armor have to go and break his leg? This is more important!” Rainbow said as she continued to caress the barrel. Her added weight didn’t seem to slow down the work pony’s stride at all as Big Mac carried her and the cider down the path.
“W-Well if it means so much ta ya, Ah could tab it and h-have a drink,” Mac was able to stutter out, his face growing hotter at just uttering the words. The entire trip he had been silent, letting her do all the talking. He liked it, he liked hearing her stories as a Wonderbolt, the times she helped saved Equestria, and everything in between. Something about her voice he liked. He could not put his hoof on it, but somehow, it sounded right.
“I guess we can do that,” Rainbow said with a groan, slipping over the barrel so she was looking at Mac upside down with the tip of her mane barely tickling his muzzle. “But you're going to have to reimburse me for every drop! This stuff is not cheap,” she laughed, rolling off the side of the barrel and gliding next to him.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac replied as the two drew closer to the Apple household. Maybe a bit of cider in his blood was what he needed; having a bit of that liquid courage circulating through him could give him that extra boost he so desperately needed.
Mac gave a snort at the thought. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting in such a way, stuttering over every other word, having second thoughts about his drive to ask her out? It was not like he was some outcast, an undesirable pony in anyway. He was Big Macintosh Apple, the heartthrob of most of the single - and some married - mares in all of Ponyville. He was strong, handsome, he had a good job, and he had even been a rodeo champion a few times. Mac had been on plenty of dates before, and he never had this much trouble talking to a mare. Usually they were the ones stuttering and tripping over themselves. Why was this so different?
He had to muster up the courage and ask her out like any other mare and hope for the best. Stopping a few feet away from the cellar, Mac cleared his throat.
“Miss Dash, would you—”
Before Mac could utter another word, Rainbow threw her foreleg around his neck and pulled him tightly against her, their cheeks slamming together. The feeling of her face so close to his just brought everything in his head to a screeching halt.
"This is still going to be great! At times, I wasn't sure if my dream was to be a Wonderbolt or buy an entire barrel of cider for myself!" Dash shouted, letting go of Mac and doing a barrel roll. Turning back to Mac, she let out a dreamlike sigh. “So awesome... what were ya saying? Kinda cut ya off."
"N- nope..." Mac sighed, lowering his head in defeat. Rainbow didn't seem to take notice of his disposition as she raced ahead to the cellar.
What power did she have over him? Sure, he wasn’t a talkative stallion by nature, but if there was a time for words, he could always come up with something. But it seemed like every time he tried to open his mouth, she would do or say something that would put him off his game. It was like trying to catch the wind, an impossible task.
Looking up, he saw her sitting by the cellar entrance, rocking back and forth with a big smile on her face like a filly five minutes till summer started. Though he could never say it out loud for the fear of what she might do, he could not help but think how cute she was. As if she heard his thoughts, Dash turned her head and glared at the work pony.
“Well?! I’ve waited long enough! Tap that thing!” she barked, causing a shiver to run down Mac’s spine. He could not remember a time Dash was so bossy, but she might have picked that up from training new recruits. Not wanting to keep the mare waiting any longer, Mac began to unstrap the barrel of cider from himself and bent over to let it roll off his back.
As the barrel rolled off of him, the contents inside swishing around, Mac stretched out his back allowing it to pop and crack, relieved of its weight. Slowly, he started to make his way past Rainbow Dash and into the cellar of the Apple farm. It did not take long for Mac to find a tap and mallet to open up the barrel that tempted Rainbow Dash ever so much.
Bringing the tools up, including two mugs, Mac made his way towards the barrel of cider with Rainbow Dash following close behind him like a lost puppy. She continously licked her lips as Mac placed the tab on the barrel, holding it in place as he held the mallet in his mouth. Closing one eye to concentrate, Mac lowered the mallet slowly to the tap, before giving a swift whack to the top of it, driving the tap home.
The barrel of cider gave a slight hiss as the pressurized air tried to escape, but the tap kept any of the golden liquid from seeping out. As Mac dropped the mallet, he could see from the corner of his eye Rainbow still licking her lips. Her eyes fixated on the tap as if her glorious cider would disappear if she looked away. Once again he couldn’t help but notice how cute she looked whenever she wasn’t being competitive, showboating, or being her awesome self. However, Mac didn’t mind the wilder side of her, as it was her drive that originally attracted him to her and he wouldn’t trade that for all the apples in the world.
Before Dash could complain that he was taking too long again, Mac lifted the barrel onto his back and carried it over to a bale of hay nearby. As he moved, Rainbow Dash followed close behind, almost acting like mother hovering over their foal whenever they let another pony hold it. Letting the barrel roll onto the hay, Mac placed the first of the two mugs under the tap and pushed the lever up. The golden liquid started to fill the mug up, as the scent of apples began to fill the air. As Mac filled the mug, he could hear Rainbow Dash inhaling deeply before letting out a loud sigh.
“Oh… not even the morning air can beat that…” She mused as her eyes fluttered. Once again, Mac had to keep himself from staring at the rare sight for too long as Rainbow let her defenses down, showing that cute filly that was so rare to see.
With a bit of foam resting on top of the cider, Mac passed it over to Dash who took it with both hooves excitedly. Mac just shook his head slightly as he picked up his own mug, intending to enjoy some of the cider himself. Before he could even place the mug under the tab, he felt something push against his broad shoulder and a loud belch breaking the silence of the farm.
“Now that was worth every five A.M. training session!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she pressed the empty mug into Mac’s shoulder. “Come on! Reload!” Dash shouted as she licked her lips, savoring the taste of apple that was left on her tongue.
Mac just looked at her and then to the empty mug, his face almost unreadable as a plethora of emotions passed by. “Eeyup,” was all the large work pony was able to say as he placed his cider mug to the side and began to fill up her’s again. This cycle played out five more times as Rainbow Dash drained mug after mug of cider, seeming to put off breathing for as long as possible. It was not until the sixth cup that she slowed down enough that Mac was able to fill up his own mug.
“How do you Apples do it?” Rainbow asked before she took a large gulp of her sixth mug. “I tried cider all over Equestria, and nothing is better than this!” she proclaimed as she hugged her mug, still licking her lips and treasuring each taste.
“Eeyup,” Mac replied, his voice low before he took a long drink of his own mug. The fresh apple taste, washed over his tongue before leaving a slight burning sensation in his throat as he swallowed it. The recipe was passed down from Apple to Apple as far as any pony could remember, from father to son, mother to daughter. Generations of Apples learned the secrets of that drink, entrusted with it above all else.
If he could be entrusted with such a secret, and able to make a barrel of the fine cider himself, why could he not ask this simple filly out? Taking another long sip of cider, Mac could feel his courage rise one more time, and he knew this might be the last time he could possibly do it.
“Uh… Miss Dash, mind if Ah ask ya somethin’?” Rainbow Dash opened one eye and looked over at Mac. Lowering the mug from her hug she flipped her mane back and grinned at him.
“Sure, Big Mac, shoot.”
“A-Ah was wo-wonderin’ if you would… m-maybe want ta… ta go and have lu-lunch sometime… with me.” Mac’s heart felt like it was just about to beat right out of his chest. Sweat was rolling down his face as he continued to shake. He felt like he was a colt again, his voice shaky and unsure, stumbling over his own words.
Rainbow Dash just stared at him, one eyebrow raised above the other as Mac continued to shake. Every second she did not answer, the silence around them become more deafening to him. There was no going back now.
“You mean, like a date?”
“E-Eeyup,” Mac was able to stutter out, his legs were shaking worse than a leaf in a storm. Rainbow Dash just pressed her lips together as she scrunched up her face. She was looking up into the sky as she played with her mug.
“One o’clock tomorrow. The Haybale,” Rainbow Dash said, as she spread her wings out to their fullest. “Don’t be late,” she added before giving a mighty flap of her wings and taking off into the sky.
Mac watched in awe as she flew off, disappearing into the distance above the orchard. His mouth was slightly ajar as he stared after her. For the last few hours, he had thought of what he believed to be every possible way she might reject him and how it would ruin everything. Not once did he actually consider the possibility of her saying yes.
With a smile starting to move across his face, Mac reached down for his own mug of cider and brought it up to his lips.
He had a date with Rainbow Dash.
Author's Note
Sorry this took so long Jake! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Under A Luminous Sky!
