What's It Like?

Chapters

Flying
Farming
Freedom
Magic
Recklessness
Hurt
Recovery

Flying

"What's it like?"

Rainbow Dash blinked, giving the red stallion a questioning look. He wasn't looking at her, his eyes locked ahead of him as he slowly dragged a plow through the dirt, just as he had been doing since she showed up. She had come over to hang out with Applejack, but she had to run out to pick Apple Bloom up from school after one of her most recent cutie mark activities had apparently left more than a few fillies glued to the ceiling. Instead of just returning later or waiting inside the Apple family's house, she had chosen to hover about Big Mac so she could have someone to talk to, or at least have listen to her, as Big Mac usually wasn't much for interrupting somepony.

"What was that?" Rainbow Dash asked, smoothing out the tight, dark blue tank-top with rainbow stripes down the side she had worn that day, and pretty much every other day, along with her matching athletic shorts. She wasn't sure if she had heard Big Mac right, or at all. Getting the large earth pony to say anything other than 'Eeyup' or 'Nnnope' was like winning the lottery, and she hadn't even tried to make him talk, so she was half-sure she was just imagining it. It was a rather hot day after all, which is why Big Mac had foregone any form of shirt.

Sure enough, Big Mac repeated himself without even glancing in her direction, asking "What's it like?"

Scratching one of her ears, Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side and countered "What's it like to what?"

This time, Big Mac allowed his green eyes to drift over to Rainbow Dash, focusing on her wings in particular. "To fly."

Blinking a couple more times, Rainbow Dash put on her usual smile that radiated confidence. Motioning to them with her thumb, she replied "It's super awesome! I mean, sure, it's complicated for a lot of ponies. You don't just have forward and backward". To illustrate her point, Rainbow Dash flew forward, then hovered backwards. "Left and right." Once more, she flew to her left, then to her right. "But also up and down." And yet again, Rainbow Dash flew up higher, then dropped back down to her previous position. "And that's all in combination, so you really got to know what you're doing." she concluded, finishing it off by doing a few loops and other impressive maneuvers in air.

Big Mac only watched from his peripheral, still focused on the farm work at hand, but managed an "Eeyup."

Either uncaring or ignorant of Big Mac's lackluster response to her display, Rainbow Dash continued. "It's pretty much the ultimate form of freedom too. It's like having a key that unlocks every door. It's like every moment is that exact moment you get out of school. There's nothing restraining you, nothing keeping you from doing whatever it is you want to do."

Once more, the simple earth pony mustered an "Eeyup." Rainbow Dash's nose scrunched a little, showing some slight notice of the simple reply, but she didn't press him about it. Instead, she started to slowly circle Big Mac as he came to the end of the field, unhooking the yoke around his neck from the plow, an almost microscopic smile appearing on his lips for a moment before his face returned to its usual flat expression.

As Big Mac made his way back to the barn, Rainbow Dash continued circling him, not really looking at him either, but keeping track of where he was going. "It's more than just being able to fly. I can fly above the clouds and feel the sun on an otherwise rainy day. I know I'm not the only one who can do that, but I see so many ponies who can't and I feel... proud of my wings. Ignore the fact that I'm, like, the best and fastest flyer in all of Equestria for a second. Just being able to fly makes me know I'm able to do something not everypony is capable of doing. I may not be alone up in those skies, and I'm glad I'm not, but I feel like so much more when I can be up there." the blue pegasus muttered, still explaining it to Big Mac, but finding herself sort of lost in the thought of why she loved flying so much.

"Eeyup."

Scowling, Rainbow Dash turned to look at Big Mac once more, still focused on the path before him. Snorting, she did a her name suggested and dashed before him, blocking his path with her arms folds over her chest, stopping him in his tracks. "What's your problem?" Rainbow Dash spat, glaring at him as she tapped a finger against her bicep. It was toned, but thin, lacking any sort of intimidation, if such was even possible before a stallion like Big Mac, whose muscled seemed to ripple under his red coat with every motion, but Rainbow Dash wasn't one to back down for stuff like that.

"Pardon?" he asked, lifting a brow, but making no move to get around her.

"You go ahead and ask me a vague question about flying, then when I go ahead and explain how awesome it is, all you do is say 'Eeyup'. Am I boring you? Is my description too prissy or something?" Rainbow Dash grilled, her brows furrowed as her voice rose with each passing word. She had truly taken offense to it. She wasn't a pony that was big on words... well, she liked to talk. But she wasn't a pony that liked to get detailed like that. She was truly letting her heart open up to the magic of flying that she was sharing with somepony, and they just seemed to nod their head like they were being told boring stuff.

Lazily blinking in such a manner that Rainbow Dash thought he may be ready to just lie down right in front of her and take a nap, Big Mac opened his mouth. "Ah reckon Ah ain't gotta say much else. Ya said everythin' so clearly, Ah can't really ask fer anythin' else ta paint a picture on it."

A sheepish, apologetic smile replaced the glare as Rainbow Dash looked to the dirt. "O-Oh, right. Guess I'm so used to ponies swooning over every word I say when explaining stuff like this, I wouldn't exactly take one word answers as acknowledgment of how awesome I am." she apologized, hovering to the side and averting her gaze from Big Mac's face for a moment, just until she shook off the embarrassment of having so aggressively addressed him over it.

"Eeyup." was all she got from Big Mac once more as he passed her. Unimpeded, he entered into the cool shade of the barn, muscles relaxing a bit.

Following Big Mac into the barn, Rainbow Dash counted the seconds until she thought it would be okay for her to talk again and not make a fool of herself. Given she wasn't sure what she would talk about now. She could just play everything off and go back into her usual rant about how awesome she is for one reason or another. She'd already said everything she needed to about what it was like to fly anyways.

"... why did you want to know?"

Rainbow Dash was a little surprised with herself, unsure she had even asked the question. She wasn't sure why she wanted to know really. Sure, usually when somepony asks a question, they have a reason for it, but Big Mac was so... Big Mac. It was hard to describe, but he was just the sort of pony who you didn't question their reasons. Given she had just questioned him for his simple answers, but that was more about her pride than his simplicity. It was hard to fathom why the farm pony had a sudden interest in flying. He always seemed so involved in his work that the idea he had any interest in anything but farming was practically ludicrous.

Unlike Rainbow Dash, Big Mac was certain that his companion for the afternoon had issued a question. Looking over his shoulder, Rainbow Dash caught the slightest of frowns before he turned away from her once more. Removing his yoke, he threw it aside in a rather unceremonious manner, making Rainbow Dash jump as the heavy instrument hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Ah gotta go take a shower." he muttered, spitting out the sprig of wheat that had been hanging from his lips and marched back out the barn.

Watching him head for the house faster than she was used to seeing the otherwise slow pony move, Rainbow Dash motioned to address him once more, but paused as she saw a familiar pony with orange fur heading toward the barn, dragging along a less-than-happy filly.

"Hey Rainbow Dash, sorry 'bout the wait. Ah woulda liked ta have been back here sooner, but Apple Bloom had ta go ahead and touch just 'bout everythin' on the way here., which ain't a problem unless ya got glue on ya hands" Applejack quickly apologized, giving a slight bow of her head before shooting Apple Bloom a look.

"Ah said Ah was sorry! Sweetie Bell, Scootaloo, an' mahself thought we could get our cutie marks in practical jokes an' sorta got outta hand with the glue." Apple Bloom protested, holding her hands up in defense, which gave Rainbow Dash a good view of what looked to be some sort of cloth stuck to her palms.

"Ya ain't gettin' off easy this time! Ya do a lot of foolin' around but ya were just askin' fer trouble this time!" Applejack scolded, shaking her head with a sigh before focusing on Rainbow Dash. "Let's go inside, I'll give ya some cider while I deal with Apple Bloom."

Rainbow Dash could only chuckle and follow the Apple sisters into the house, her thoughts taken away from her odd little interaction with Big Mac for the time being. It seemed so small and insignificant for the time being. Besides, her friend was finally here, so now she was free to have some fun.

"Applejack, what's glue made of?"

"I'll tell ya when ya're older."

Author's Note

A short little opening to the story, it'll be a couple of chapters before any of the truly mature stuff happens, so for those of you who are here for that, have a little patience.

Farming

"Is that all he does?"

Applejack froze, turning her head slowly to look back at her friend, confirming that the blue pegasus was sitting at her kitchen table, sipping cider from a mug. It'd been a few days since Rainbow Dash had visited when Applejack had to run out to deal with the Great Glue Incident, and despite her offer at that time, they had been out of cider, so when they restocked their supply, Applejack had invited her over to make up for it. The two were having a good time, talking and ribbing a bit, making a few comments on the events that had transpired in the past week. Applejack had gotten up to refill her mug when her friend posed the rather unusual question.

"Who does what now?" Applejack asked, lifting her stetson up so it didn't block her view of the Element of Loyalty. Instead of a verbal response though, Rainbow Dash pointed out the kitchen window. Following the extended digit, Applejack spied her big brother lifting one powerful leg, giving a tree a kick and causing the apples hanging from its branches to fall into baskets. "Apple buckin'? Well shoot, Big Mac does more than that. Heck, he does the plowin' as well. An' of course, we all go ahead an' do a variety of chores. Feedin' the hens, repairin' the fences, waterin' the-"

"That's not what I meant." Rainbow Dash interjected, drawing Applejack's attention to her once more. The Wonderbolt hopeful stared into her mug, then took a big gulp of it before setting it back down. "I meant, is farming in general the only thing he does?" Rainbow Dash reworded her question.

"Um, well, Ah reckon. Ah mean, it's sorta what both of us do, sorta a farming pony's job after all." Applejack muttered as she pulled some cool cider out of the fridge. It was rather obvious that Big Mac's job was farming, seeing as he lived on a farm.

Snorting, Rainbow Dash got up and joined Applejack in getting more cider. "Not like that. I meant it like... you know, you do the farming and stuff as well. But you do other things. You hang out with everypony and we go on adventures and stuff. Sure, most of those aren't really intended, but you'll still join us on a thought out trip to Canterlot or the Crystal Empire or something like that. You do things that don't relate to the farm."

Applejack nodded, understanding a bit more as she refilled the mugs, but found it difficult to bring it to her lips for a moment. "That's true Ah suppose. Course, Ah got a lot of friends. Big Mac's kinda keeps to himself, so he really doesn't get out all that often." Applejack admitted. It wasn't to say she or Granny hadn't tried to get him to enjoy life, but more often than not if they convinced him to go out and do something, when he returned to the farm at the end of the day he only had the usual look on his face and a single word answer to describe his evening.

But what was really confusing to her was the fact that Rainbow Dash suddenly had such a sincere interest in her older brother. They didn't really interact all that often, and whenever they did Applejack was always around, so she couldn't see any reason for the question. Unless this was an attempt for Rainbow Dash to ask more about Applejack herself by using Big Mac as a substitute, seeing as the question related to her a bit as well, but then it wouldn't seem to matter much seeing as Rainbow Dash was the one to outline that Applejack did more than just farm. Of course, there was always...

Giving a sly smile, Applejack elbowed Rainbow Dash's arm right as she was taking a drink from her mug, causing some of the cider to splash up on her face. As she gave Applejack a glare and wiped her arm across her mouth, Applejack said "Ah see what's goin' on here. Ya got a thing for mah brother."

Rainbow Dash gave her an incredulous look that seemed to almost confirm it, but it quickly disappeared as she broke into a goofy grin and laughed in an almost obnoxious manner. "Me!? With Big Mac!? That's hilarious Applejack!" Rainbow Dash roared, having to quickly put her mug on the kitchen counter as she doubled over, holding her stomach from how hard she was laughing.

Applejack, on the other hoof, did not find the humor in it. "What's so funny about it? Ya think ya're too good for mah big brother?" she inquired, her voice low, but the tone steely.

Sensing she had struck a nerve, Rainbow Dash held a hand up to symbol she needed a moment to control herself. Slowly, the laughter devolved into a chuckle, allowing her enough control to speak without bursting out in a fit of giggles. "S-Sorry Applejack, I didn't mean to insult your brother or anything, but we're totally different. I'm a high flying, speed record setting pegasus who's totally free and am the center of every conversation. Big Mac is... and I mean this in the most literal sense, but he's a slow moving earth pony whose got his roots buried in this farm and rarely says more than a single word unless provoked."

Recognizing the truth in what Rainbow Dash was saying and, more importantly, the fact that she really wasn't looking down on her brother, Applejack gave a sigh. "Ah reckon that's true." she mumbled, only to peer at Rainbow Dash with one eye. "But if that's the case, how come ya're suddenly so interested in him?"

Scrunching her face up as she seemed to ponder her own reasons, Rainbow Dash leaned against the kitchen counter and stared up at the ceiling. "I'm just curious. He asked me a weird question a couple of days ago and it's been bugging me since."

"Such as?" Applejack pressed, leaning in on Rainbow Dash to emphasize her interest in the subject, even though the pegasus quickly pushed her away, not wanting the larger mare to be putting her weight on her. Rainbow Dash may have been athletic, but that was for more aerial activities.

"He asked me what it was like to fly." she stated, reaching back for her mug, but leaving it. Something about the conversation made her less thirsty.

The answer, or rather question, surprised Applejack, who could only stare at Rainbow Dash for a good moment. "Ah-... huh... Ah ain't never known him ta be interested in somethin' like that." Applejack pondered, removing her stetson so she could run a hand through her mane. Glancing out the window once more, she watched her brother collecting the baskets of apples in a small cart and pulling it to the barn.

"Likewise. I was hoping maybe you knew if he was doing anything or something that caused the sudden interest to pop up." Rainbow Dash admitted, although she could clearly tell by Applejack's reaction to everything the entire thing was news to her.

"Maybe Ah should ask him later." Applejack considered, only to raise a brow as Rainbow Dash shook her head slowly.

"That won't work. I tried doing the same thing not long after he asked me and he just... I don't know, he reacted all weird. He gave me this little frown and just sorta marched off like I had offended him or something, excused himself to go take a shower."

Furrowing her brow, Applejack looked out the window again, giving her older brother a slight glare that he didn't notice at all as he disappeared into the barn. "That ain't very gentlecoltly of him. Ah'll go ahead an' have a talk with him later." she announced.

Waving a hand before her dismissively, Rainbow Dash said "Don't worry about it, I'm not offended. Just... really, really confused. It's why I asked you about it. I wasn't sure if he had some sort of interest in flying or maybe an aversion to it. I mean, you're my best friend and all, but there's a lot of stuff I don't know about your family, Big Mac in particular."

Still frowning a bit, Applejack chugged down the entire mug of cider, giving a pleased sigh of relief as she set the empty container aside. "It's really hard ta say. Like Ah said before, Big Mac don't get out all that often, even though Granny an' Ah have tried ta make him... but... Ah reckon it's not his fault he don't really enjoy it."

Raising a brow in intrigue, Rainbow Dash pushed her own mug away, giving Applejack her full attention. "Why's that?"

"Well... Ah don't like talkin' 'bout it very much, but ya know how mah Ma an' Pa ain't 'round no more?" Applejack asked, getting a hurried little nod from the pegasus before her. "Well they died when Ah was just a little filly an' Apple Bloom was a newborn foal. When they died, we struggled with the farm a bit. Granny was still in enough shape that she could applebuck, but she couldn't do it on her own. So Big Mac, just a young colt himself, only barely earnin' his name at the time, quit school. He spent every day helpin' Granny on the farm, but he weren't as good or strong as he is now. It'd take from dawn till dusk for him ta get the chores done, then he'd collapse in his bed and fall asleep."

"Wow, I, uh... didn't know that." Rainbow Dash mumbled, rubbing a hand against the back of her neck. She knew the Apples' parents were dead and they had some rough times, but she wasn't aware of this part of their history.

"Eeyup." Applejack replied, giggling in a somewhat sad manner as she imitated her brother's speech pattern. "Big Mac got his cutie mark that way, workin' so hard ta keep us goin'. Ah ended up doin' the same thing when Granny couldn't buck no more, but... Ah still had time ta be a filly. Made friends, went ta school for a while, all that. Big Mac gave that up a lot earlier. Ah guess part of the reason he don't do much else besides farmin' is cause he don't really know what ta do. Ain't his fault or nothin', but cause of it all, he just ain't never gotten a chance ta be like everypony else." Applejack sighed, feeling a slight burning sensation at her eyes as tears tried to slip out. It was a reminder of how much her family had been through. She was proud of her brother by all means, but what he had gone through to keep them afloat had hurt her as well.

Rainbow Dash could only stare at her friend for a moment. She just wanted to know what had made Big Mac bring up the whole flying thing. Instead, she got a deeper look into the Apple family's history than she honestly would have liked at this time. Rubbing her own arm, she looked at the floor, unsure of what to say to her friend. Sorry your parents died when you were a filly? Sorry your brother's socially inept because he's a good brother? Sorry he's... Oh.

"Horse apples." Rainbow Dash muttered, slapping a hand against her face, earning a look from Applejack once she wiped away the stinging tears she had been fighting back.

"Watch your mouth hun, Granny won't accept that sorta talk... unless she's the one doin' it." Applejack warned her.

"Sorry Applejack, but I... I think I just figured out what it was that made Big Mac ask me about flying." Rainbow Dash declared, although despite the apparent revelation, the look on her face showed she was less than pleased with whatever the answer was.

Blinking a few times, Applejack pushed off of the counter and moved to stand before Rainbow Dash. "What is it?"

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to answer, but paused. Thinking it over, she shook her head. "If you don't mind Applejack, I'd prefer if I could... talk to Big Mac about it before I talk to you about it." Rainbow Dash requested.

A slight tinge of red appeared on Applejack's face as her fingers began digging into her flannel button-up. "An' why would that be?"

"Well... you can be kinda... abrasive." Rainbow Dash pointed out, prepared for whatever reaction she was going to get from the farm pony.

"Abrasive!? Me!? Ah can't hardly believe the words that are comin' outta yar mouth!" Applejack shouted, making Rainbow Dash flinch from the sheer volume.

"Don't take this personally." Rainbow Dash swiftly requested, trying to derail her friend before she truly got started in a rant. "Look, you're the Element of Honesty, right? Well you're just that, honest. Brutally so sometimes. If I tell you what I think this is and you go talk to Big Mac about it, it'll come out as some sort of accusation or whatever, and I don't know how Big Mac will react, but considering what you just told me about your family, I think it's best to avoid any infighting." Rainbow Dash explained, standing strong in the face of her furious friend, although some part of her was ready to get dragged out the front door and tossed on her rump... if she didn't just fly up that was.

Thankfully, she saw the anger draining from Applejack's face, a sheepish regret taking its place. "Aw shucks, Ah guess that's true." she grumbled, not wanting to admit her own faults, but knowing she had them nonetheless.

"Right. Now, if I go ahead and talk to him about this, even if he gets upset with me, it won't be a huge deal. I'm just somepony to him, so it won't really matter if we get into a fight with one another." Rainbow Dash outlined the plan she had in mind, something that surprised Applejack a bit, albeit also irritated her.

"Well Ah don't exactly like the idea of mah brother an' best friend bein' on bad terms if things go sour." the earth pony countered.

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash turned away from Applejack and looked out the window, seeing no sign of Big Mac leaving the barn just yet. "Like I said, it doesn't really matter. Besides, I rarely speak with him enough that we'd probably just chill out over it after some time."

"Ah don't like it, but Ah suppose Ah can't force ya ta tell me before ya go speakin' ta him." Applejack relented, grabbing her stetson and placing it back on her head, letting the brim cover her eyes for a second before she adjusted it properly.

"Sweet. And don't worry, I'm not about to start grilling him on anything." Rainbow Dash assured her friend, watching as Big Mac finally left the barn, his yoke freshly adorned as he made his way for the plow. Pouting slightly, Rainbow Dash brought her focus on Applejack and added "Mind letting me know the next time Big Mac has some free time? I figure if he doesn't have any work to do when I talk to him, he won't have any excuses to worm his way out."

"Ah suppose so. Ah'll even put in a couple extra hours ta see if Ah can't get him a break sooner." Applejack offered, earning a smile from Rainbow Dash. She wasn't all that close to Big Mac, but she felt it was necessary to talk to him about this. After all, looking back at what was said and done, she felt kinda bad. Maybe it was just that, as the Element of Loyalty, she felt inspired to assist her friends' family members. All she knew for sure was that the next time she got the opportunity, she was going to confront Big Mac the next time she saw him.

Freedom

"Have a minute to talk?"

Big Mac would have jumped, turning around a little faster than he usually moved to find Rainbow Dash was behind him. He had just finished the rest of the plowing for the new field ahead of time, thanks to Applejack working extra hard on applebucking as of late, and he had returned to the barn to discard his yoke for the evening. He hadn't seen or heard Rainbow Dash around the farm that morning, so he could have only assumed she just flown in, although she apparently had enough time to shut the barn door behind her.

"Eeyup." Big Mac muttered, seeing no reason why he couldn't. Certainly he had left Rainbow Dash in a hurry the last time they were together, something that nagged at him for being rude to anypony, especially one of his sister's friends, but he'd had his time and was totally fine with being around her.

"Good, cause I wanted to talk to you about the flying thing."

And suddenly, he was less interested in talking to her, the corners of his mouth drooping into a slight frown. But he couldn't turn her away now. Not only would it be rude to do so after just confirming he could talk with her, but it'd raise suspicion on why he had gotten so upset. His best bet was to simply lie about his reasoning, even if it left a sour taste in his mouth.

Pushing away the thoughts for now, Big Mac threw on a white t-shirt and nodded. "Eeyup."

Rolling her eyes at the simple answer, Rainbow Dash walked up to the earth pony... wait, that was odd. She was walking. Usually she was flying, hovering, flitting, whatever. No matter how simple the situation, unless she was going to sit down or was expected to not fly, she seemed to avoid touching the ground. Seeing her truly standing on the ground gave Big Mac a sense for how small a pony she was. She was not a dwarf pony by any means, as she was still at eye level with his chest as many mares were, but the fact she wasn't making use of her wings and making herself seem taller gave him a better impression of how lithe she was. Sure, she was toned with muscle, but only that which was meant for speed, as anything else would weigh her down.

"Did you hear me Big Mac?" Rainbow Dash asked, snapping the earth pony out of his train of thought. A bad habit of his. Being the silent-type himself, he had no outlet for all the thoughts that filled his head, making it very easy for him to get lost in them, tuning out others unintentionally.

"Nnnope." he admitted wholeheartedly and apologetically.

Sighing, Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Pay attention this time. I was saying that I spoke with Applejack about the flying thing." she scolded, hands positioned at her hips as she stared him down.

Instantly, Big Mac's frown deepened, not liking the idea that his sister knew about the question. He should have known better than to ask anypony, especially Applejack's best friend. The only thing that threw him off about it was that if she knew he was asking about what it was like to fly, then why hadn't she pestered him about it yet? But to Rainbow Dash for the time being, he merely gave her another nod and an "Eeyup."

Chuckling a bit as she saw the frown, she continued "Don't worry about it, I asked her to lay off until I finish having a talk with you about it. Cause the thing is, as I was talking to her about it, I think I realized something."

At this, Big Mac lifted a brow in interest, somewhat amused at what her take on his reasoning was, giving another one word answer. "Oh?"

Nodding, Rainbow Dash started to walk around Big Mac, seemingly restless if she wasn't going to be able to fly, likely needing to burn off some level of energy that would otherwise be used flying. "Yeah, you got upset when I asked you about it before and I was wondering why. I mean, you asked me the question and I gave you an answer. It seemed to be pretty simple, so I couldn't wrap my head around it until I had a talk with Applejack."

Big Mac once more nodded, regarding the pegasus with a curious gaze. She seemed to be talking in circles as well as walking in them. Whatever the point could be, he was hoping she'd get to it soon, because this was starting to get emotionally exhausting.

Stopping at his side, Rainbow Dash suddenly leaned against the stallion, who didn't budge a bit as her light body weight proved nothing against his sturdy frame. "See, at first I thought it was just because you wanted to be able to fly. Seemed sort of like the obvious answer for anypony asking about it, and in part I still think you do want to fly, but it's not as simple as that, is it?" she asked, looking up to the big red pony for some sort of reaction. All she got was those large, green eyes staring back into her dark pink ones.

Internally though, Big Mac felt like fidgeting. It was true he wanted to fly, at least just once. But as Rainbow Dash said, it was more than just that. And the fact that she of all ponies was able to see that was starting to worry him. If she truly knew what it was that he wanted, what he saw in being able to fly, he was afraid what she'd do with that knowledge.

"So I thought about what I told you, cause I think you already knew what it was about flying that made it amazing and it drew your attention. And that is... freedom." Rainbow Dash declared, keeping her eyes locked on him as she uttered the last word. And sure enough, she could see an almost nonexistent movement at his throat. The large stallion gulping as he felt himself cornered, something she had picked up easily enough, making her grin in triumph.

"You've been stuck on this farm all your life, grounded here with nothing else but farming. Applejack told me how you quit school to keep the farm running. Since then, you've only been working on this farm, and even though you've had the opportunity to do something else now that Applejack's grown up and bucking alongside you, you don't know how to do anything else. Sure, you want to do something else, but you don't know how to." Rainbow Dash elaborated, pausing once more to look to Big Mac, wanting to know what he had to say, even if he remained silent.

Surprisingly enough, he looked away from her but spoke. "Does Applejack know?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head, her multi-colored mane swaying back and forth. "I figured there was a reason you didn't tell her about it."

"She can't ever know. Not her, not Granny, not Apple Bloom, none of them." Big Mac suddenly snapped, his eyes trained completely on Rainbow Dash, a stern look in his eye that scared her for a moment.

"O-Okay, but you mind explaining why?" the pegasus agreed, wanting to learn a little more.

Sighing, Big Mac motioned to a couple bales of hay, implying they would want to take a seat. Once they were sitting across from each other, the stallion started. "Ah ain't gonna lie, ya hit the nail straight on the head. Ah mean... don't get me wrong. Ah love workin' on the farm. It's mah home. Ah was born here, Ah grew up here, and Ah've helped make it what it is today. Ah always planned ta work here the rest of mah life and support mah kin."

Big Mac paused, looking to Rainbow Dash to make sure she understood that he didn't hate working on the farm. He earned his cutie mark doing so after all, it'd be going against who he very was to suddenly say he hated it. However, his sister's friend seemed just to be amazed at how much he was speaking, rarely getting so many words in a row out of the earth pony. He almost wanted to chuckle at her amazement, if he weren't so fearful of what fruits this discussion may bare.

"But Ah have ta admit, Ah've come ta feel... bound by it. Like ya said, Ah quit school early so Ah could start workin' on the farm. Guess ya could say Ah've skipped out on mah foalhood. And the thing is, Ah never really cared about it. Never paid it no mind or really noticed anythin' missin' from mah life fer years... but then, ya'll came along." Big Mac announced, the declaration suddenly shaking Rainbow Dash from her stupor, a somewhat angry look about her.

"What? You mean the Elements of Harmony or something? What the hay did we ever do that screwed things up for you!?" she shouted, only to get a hushing from the big red pony in front of her.

"Ah don't mean that nothin' personal. If anythin', Ah appreciate it." Big Mac quickly interjected, undercutting the potential tirade he'd receive from Rainbow Dash. "Ya see, Applejack was gonna end up an awful lot like mahself the way she was goin'. But then Miss Twilight came ta Ponyville an' ya'll became fast friends. Since then, Applejack's gone off on adventures, attended fancy parties, an' just generally had herself a good time in the company of friends. Somethin' that Apple Bloom's takin' ta with her friends, even if her antics with them can be just as worrisome as ya'll with them monster fightin' situations ya get inta."

Chuckling a bit, Rainbow Dash nodded with a somewhat embarrassed grin. "Yeah, I guess we do get into a lot of crazy things. Not like we want to get into those situations... well, sorta. Seems like anytime something happens, Twilight says we have to stop it and... yeah, that's pretty much how it goes." Rainbow Dash acknowledged, rubbing a hand against the back of her neck.

"Ah ain't complainin' 'bout that. Like Ah said, Ah'm happy for them both. But Ah recognize through watchin' them that Ah don't have any of that. Ah don't have friends like they do, Ah ain't never gone out ta any special celebrations that ain't apple farmin' related, an' Ah've never... really done anythin' outside of bein' on this farm. Like Ah said, Ah love it an' it's mah home. But after Ah came ta this realization, Ah started seein' it as... almost mah own personal prison. Stuck with it an' unable to go anywhere else."

Rainbow Dash continued nodding her head, hanging off his words and ready to hear more, but quickly realized something. "So, the reason you asked about flying was because you wanted to be able to fly away?"

"Yes... no... Ah dunno." Big Mac replied, scratching one of his ears as he was confused with his own emotions. "Ah figure'd ya've noticed by now, but Ah cannot stress enough how much Ah still love it here an' want ta support mah family. But... there are moments where Ah want ta get away from it all. Ah want ta go somewhere Ah've never been an' just forget all 'bout the farm... Ah realize Ah'm a terrible brother. Wantin' ta leave an' abandon mah family when they need me." Big Mac sighed, dropping his head into his hands.

"This is... um, wow..." Rainbow Dash mumbled, not really sure what to do. She was proud of herself for having been able to figure out all of this without the help of somepony like Twilight, but she hadn't really expected to cross over into such deep territory. This was more than she was really capable of handling on her own. "This is some pretty heavy stuff Big Mac. Maybe we should look into getting advice from somepony who knows more than I do about it. I'm thinking maybe Twi-"

"Ya can't!" Big Mac shouted, suddenly lunging forward to grab Rainbow Dash's shoulders. She jumped, but didn't move much. His strong grip and heavy hands made movement nearly impossible, yet she was surprised by how careful his grip was, preventing himself from harming her. Realizing he had startled her, Big Mac let up. "S-sorry, but Ah don't want anypony else ta know about this. The more that know, the more likely it is that this'll get back ta mah kin. Ah can't let them know this. Ah know they wouldn't call me a bad brother like Ah am, but they would blame themselves for lettin' me feel like this.

"That's... probably true." Rainbow Dash sighed, drooping her ears at the consideration. From what she had seen, it was some sort of hereditary trait for the Apples to shoulder any and all burdens they came across. It was the reason why she was sitting here, talking to Big Mac in the first place. If word ever came back to Applejack about how her big brother felt, she'd only blame herself over his feelings. Shaking off the bad feels, and Big Mac's hands, Rainbow Dash stared him straight in the eye. "Then what do we do about this?"

Big Mac gave a snort at the thought, as though trying to dismiss it, although he couldn't find the strength to pull away from Rainbow Dash's gaze. "Ain't nothin' Ah can do. Trust me, Ah've been wracking mah brain for some way of bein' able ta do somethin' without feelin' outta place an' Ah've found nothin'." Then, giving her a sad little smile, he tilted his head a bit and shrugged. "But Ah do appreciate the effort. Just talkin' 'bout it's left me feelin' a little less troubled. Just... don't tell anypony."

Rainbow Dash looked back at Big Mac, studying his face and movements. He seemed to be truly giving up on any progression. Indeed, he's probably already tried everything he could do to improve his situation, but getting out in life was a true handicap for someone his age with so little experience. On his own, he really didn't seem to have a chance...

"... no."

Big Mac's eyes widened as he heard Rainbow Dash's answer, quickly standing up, very well kicking the hay bale beneath him to the wall behind him by the force of the motion. "Ya can't! Ah already begged ya not ta tell anypony, Ah can't risk this gettin' back t-"

Before he could utter another syllable, Rainbow Dash was in the air, wings beating quickly to keep her hovering as she thrust a hand forward, covering the earth pony's mouth with her hand. "That's not what I'm talking about you big lug!" the Wonderbolt-in-training shouted, almost making the farm pony shrink back at the force of her words.

"You said that you have done everything you can to change this, to make things better for yourself so you won't feel so restricted, and I don't doubt you. But I'm not you!" Rainbow Dash bellowed, jabbing a finger into his chest, causing the digit to bend at the joints due to the firmness of his chest than cause it to sink in. "I haven't even begun trying yet, and guess what Mr. I-Can't-Be-Social-Cause-Blah-Blah-Blah? I'm not going to give up before I try! Rainbow Dash doesn't work that way! So shut up and sit back for a bit, cause I'm going to change that!" the infuriated pony concluded. With nothing else to be said, she turned tail on him and darted out the barn's loft, giving Big Mac no more room to argue.

Blinking, Big Mac moved back to sit on his hay bale, forgetting he had accidentally kicked it away, causing him to land on the ground with a grunt and a thud. He wasn't sure what to make of this. Rainbow Dash handling things would... definitely lead him to having to confront his family about his feelings, there was no doubt about that. It was a thought he had dreaded ever since these emotions started welling up inside him. His greatest fear that he never wanted to share...

... and yet, he couldn't help but smile. Despite the concern of what the pegasus might do that could screw things up for him, Big Mac couldn't be angry with her. She meant it in his best interest, and even if the results were going to be a handful, he just couldn't shake the warm feeling he got from knowing somepony cared so much to try, even if he had begged and pleaded for them not to.

"Element of Loyalty, huh? Ah reckon Ah can't argue with that... or her."

Magic

"Can you make an earth pony fly?"

Twilight Sparkle lowered the book before her eyes, spying Rainbow Dash who was staring straight at her, the look on her face quite determined as though she was here to get a hold of the latest Daring Do novel. It was this look, combined with the rather peculiar question, that told Twilight to close the book and focus on her friend.

"Not to sound conceited, but you know I can. I gave Rarity those butterfly wings before figuring out the cloud standing spell when we all went to Cloudsdale, remember?" Twilight replied, setting her hands before herself, fingers weaved together in a manner that made her look rather authoritative, which she technically was as a princess.

Punching the air in success, Rainbow Dash hissed out a triumphant "Sweet!" Focusing back on the alicorn, Rainbow Dash added "Then lets head to Sweet Apple Acres right away!"

Rainbow Dash had already spun around to head out the door when Twilight shook her head. "I'm sorta busy right now Rainbow Dash. I'm sure whatever odd plan the Cutie Mark Crusaders have to earn their cutie marks can wait until after I'm done filling out some forms Princess Celestia sent me. I swear, ever since I became a princess as well, she's been using this as an opportunity to push some of the royal workload onto me." Twilight sighed, her eyes glancing over to a pile of scrolls she had received from the sun raiser.

Pouting, Rainbow Dash looked back to her friend and quickly approached her desk, putting her hands on it. "This isn't as simple as helping the Cutie Mark Crusaders, this is about helping somepony who really needs it! They need to be able to fly!" she quickly declared, her wings splaying out in an aggressive manner to indicate the seriousness of the situation.

"Sompony who needs it..." Twilight muttered, bringing a hand to her chin, rubbing it thoughtfully. Her eyes suddenly widened as she stood up, shouting "Of course! Why didn't I realize it? We can slowly help Scootaloo fly on her own by using magic to make it easier for her to fly, then have her study what made it work for her with the assistance of magic and do what she can on her own. That'll help her out! You're a genius Rainbow Dash!"

Blinking, an uneasy look overcame Rainbow Dash as she looked away, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "Well, um... thanks, but uh... that's not who I was talking about... keep that in mind though, sounds like it'd really work out."

Once more, a confused expression overtook Twilight as she tilted her head to one side. "So, if it's not Scootaloo that you wanted to help, initially at least, then who is it?"

"Big Mac."

Twilight just stared at Rainbow Dash, who in turn stared back as though there wasn't anything odd about the request, finally resulting in Twilight giving an exasperated sigh. "And why would Big Mac need to fly?"

"Because he wants to. Isn't it, like, our jobs as his friends to go ahead and try to make him happy with something like that?" Rainbow Dash asked, the tone of her voice implying it should have been rather obvious.

Burying her face in her hands, Twilight groaned, earning a cocked brow of confusion from Rainbow Dash. Peaking at her through her fingers, Twilight inhaled deeply, then sat up once more. "Look, Rainbow Dash, I appreciate what you're trying to do for Big Mac, and in all honesty I'd love to help. The problem here is... it's not possible."

"What? But you just said it WAS possible!" Rainbow Dash shouted, pointing a finger at Twilight in an accusatory manner, nearly poking her nose with it.

Pushing the offending digit aside, Twilight looked to Rainbow Dash to make sure she was truly paying attention and not just going to hear what she wanted to. "I said it was possible for me to make a pony fly. I did not say that I can make anypony fly however."

"What are you talking about?" Rainbow Dash pressed on, crossing her arms defiantly to the answer.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Twilight inhaled deeply once more. "When I cast that flight granting spell the first time, I used it on Rarity. We all saw the results of that fairly well, it did work out. However, it worked so well because Rarity is a unicorn, she has an abundance of magic that worked in tandem with my own, making the spell a bit more effective. With Big Mac being an earth pony, it won't be quite as effective."

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash just waved it off and said "So he won't have as big, and girly, of wings as Rarity did or he won't have them for as long, who cares? Besides, aren't you an alicorn princess now? Isn't your magic, like, way more effective now?"

Shaking her head, Twilight looked down, tracing a finger along the fabric of her purple sweater, trying to formulate the words so that Rainbow Dash would understand them most easily. "Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Yes, I did get a boost in power when I became an alicorn, but I honestly still don't know how to truly use it. And it doesn't change the rules of magic."

"The rules of magic? I thought the whole point of magic was to break the rules of physics and stuff." Rainbow Dash interrupted, finding it hard to believe something so wild could be contained.

"Magic is like a science, just a much harder one to grasp, one that not everypony can manipulate." Twilight answered, looking back to her friend. "And that's part of the reason why I can't do it. Sure, I can give Big Mac wings, but it won't work the same way. Big Mac is a positively huge pony by all standards, and most of that is muscle he's built up from the farm, which weighs more than fat and all. Add in his denser bones compared to a pegasus' and he'd be lucky if he could get a hoof off the ground."

"What? But Bulk Biceps can fly and he's got puny little wings." the pegasus retorted, trying to poke holes in the argument.

Twilight simply gave her a 'Really?' look before saying "Bulk Biceps can barely fly, you know that better than I do. And he still has the lighter bones and pegasus magic that your kind have. If you want him to just hover, I can do that, but it wouldn't really be flying now, would it?"

"But... well... can't you, like, use your magic to fix that up as well? Give him wings, make him lighter, all the stuff you need to in order for him to be able to fly properly." Rainbow Dash practically pleaded, getting desperate for some sort of answer. She told Big Mac she was going to make it happen and she was damn well going to do it, she was Rainbow Dash, the epitome of awesome after all.

Yet once more, Twilight shook her head, grinding one of her feet on the ground as she had to deliver further disappointing news to her friend. "With the number of spells I'd have to place Big Mac under, it'd be absolutely unsafe. All those different magical factors changing his body might leave lasting effects that could really harm him. Like... when Pinkie Pie adds all the toppings she wants on waffles."

The metaphor truly helped Rainbow Dash understand the meaning of Twilight's concerns. Pinkie Pie could make a number of delicious things, but when you mix chocolate syrup, ghost peppers, and pickles on anything, you just can't stomach it anymore. The idea of that, but in physical form for Big Mac, left Rainbow Dash cringing at how terrible the results could be.

"Then... there's no way for us to make Big Mac fly?" Rainbow Dash asked, not wanting to throw in the towel, but unable to make the impossible happen if even an alicorn princess couldn't do it.

Shaking her head, Twilight said "I'm afraid not. I'd consider science, like with that contraption you use to make Tank fly, but I think that's pushing it as it is and once more, with Big Mac's bulk, the technology we have at this time would be insufficient, if potentially dangerous."

Groaning, Rainbow Dash quickly moved forward and practically flung herself over Twilight's desk, nearly pushing the princess to the side in the process as she griped. "This suuuucks! How am I going to tell Big Mac that I can't make him fly?"

Reaching out, Twilight rubbed Rainbow Dash's back right between her wings, making her give a slight sigh of relief, some of the tension that had been mounting. "Just tell him the truth. Big Mac's not some little colt, he's a full grown stallion. He can understand and take a bit of disappointment."

Rainbow Dash immediately sprung up, getting in Twilight's face without meaning to. "I can't! It's the fact that he's a full grown stallion that I can't disappoint him!"

Blinking a bit in surprise at the outburst, Twilight gently pushed Rainbow Dash away from herself, getting some room to breathe. "Why is it that it's so important for him to be able to fly? You still haven't told me the importance behind this all."

"It's... a secret. He doesn't want anypony to know and I'm not going to betray his trust on that, okay?" Rainbow Dash replied, defensively turning away from her friend and crossing her arms over her chest.

Twilight couldn't help but give a small smile, despite how aggressive Rainbow Dash had been. "Element of Loyalty, that's for sure." she muttered. Reaching forward, she set a hand on Rainbow Dash's shoulder, offering her a reassuring smile. "Whatever it is you're doing this for, either just as a friend to help him out or... maybe more... I just want you to know that you can do something for Big Mac that will make up for not being able to make him fly."

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight, giving her a long, drawn out stare that went over a minute long, making the alicorn feel a bit on edge. "Why is it that you and Applejack think I'm doing this because I like him or something? I mean, I like him as a friend and as my friend's brother, but not like that." she asked, her voice stern as she tried to make her point clear.

"Well when you make it a point of trying to help somepony so desperately, but don't want to tell us why, we're left with only so many conclusions." Twilight replied, not at all intimidated once she heard Rainbow Dash's reasoning.

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash grumbled out a "Whatever." Trying to push the concerns of what her friends thought of her trying to help Big Mac out, she started to scratch her head in thought. Fingers maneuvered through the wild mane of color, massaging her scalp as she tried to think of something, anything really, that could cheer Big Mac up when she revealed she had failed her task. As her face started to contort with frustration, Twilight couldn't help but watch the unusual display, ever so tempted to take notes of the mannerisms.

Finally, with an exasperated cry, Rainbow Dash forced her hands down at her sides, balled up tight into fists as she screamed "Why does this have to be so difficult!?"

"It wouldn't be if you just talked about it." Twilight stated, ignoring the look she got from Rainbow Dash for repeating herself.

"I'm just... I'm going to have to give u-" Rainbow Dash started to concede, only to freeze up, an action that did not go unnoticed by Twilight. Her eyes going wide, a grin suddenly became plastered to the pegasus' face. "I know what to do! I know how to make him fly!"

Twilight gave Rainbow Dash a bewildered look, unsure of how to take the fact that she had apparently solved the flight issue for such a large earth pony on her own. "What are you going to do?"

"No time to talk! Gotta act fast!" Rainbow Dash declared, not taking the slightest bit of time to give Twilight a proper answer. Before the alicorn could tell her friend to slow down, Rainbow Dash gave her powerful wings a couple of flaps, then shot out the door, nearly knocking it off its hinges.

Frowning not only at how she had essentially been shrugged off and had her home nearly damaged, Twilight was also concerned about the unknown plan that Rainbow Dash had. "I really hope she's not going to do something reckless..."

Recklessness

"Are ya sure 'bout all this, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash didn't even bother sparing Big Mac a glance as she continued to strapping on some rather weird looking clothing to the stallion, looking almost baggy on him, something he wasn't quite used to. "I'm positive about this. Ponies into extreme sports and stuff use this equipment all the time. It's been tested for quality, so you don't have to worry about it." Rainbow Dash assured him, giving a sharp tug on one of the straps, making Big Mac grunt as it dug into his waist a bit. Looking down, he could see it was some sort of jumpsuit with flaps on the sides, running from his ankles up to his wrists, making him look almost like one of them flying squirrels Fluttershy's spoken about.

"Why am Ah in this get up? Ah heard ya can only glide in somethin' like this, not fly." Big Mac questioned, flapping his arms a bit, only succeeding in making the flaps billow from the motion.

Standing back up, Rainbow Dash sighed as she averted her gaze from the earth pony even further. "I know, I tried asking Twilight, but she said that even with magic, it wouldn't work out. So even though it may not be the exact same thing, I figured if we did some free fall gliding, you'd get some of the experience at least." Rainbow Dash admitted. Looking at Big Mac finally, she offered a grin as she set her hands on her hips. She had switched over to the uniform she had received from the Wonderbolts Academy, prepped for the most intense flight maneuvers she could pull off. She'd need it today for sure.

Unable to deny the pegasus after putting so much effort into this just for his sake, Big Mac returned the smile. "So, how do Ah get from down here to up there?" he asked, pointing to the sky, finding it a bit difficult to imagine him getting up there without a full out pegasus chariot.

Chuckling, Rainbow Dash pointed to the farmer's barn. "I need you to climb up there. Get to the loft and by the opening. Getting on the very roof itself would be best if you can. I'm going to need every bit of assistance if I'm going to get you in the sky." she started to explain, starting to slowly lift up into the sky herself and began moving away from him.

"An' why are ya headin' away from me?" the farm pony asked, feeling a little less confident as she did so.

"Just trust me already, will ya?" she grunted, crossing her arms in disappointment at the lack of faith in her directions. She had totally thought this all out, it was foolproof. She kept her eye on the colt for a little longer, waiting until she was sure he was going to follow her instructions. And of course, as she expected, he turned his back on her and made his way to the barn. Her grin returning, she spread her wings out as wide as possible and shouted "Once you're up there, keep your hands up and ready to grab on!" With that said, she flew away from the barn as quickly as possible. She needed distance, room to build up momentum. She may not have been a scientist, but when it came to flying mechanics, she had learned everything she needed to in order to be an expert flyer.

By the time Rainbow Dash had stopped, she was at the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres. Focusing back on her target, she was just barely able to see that Big Mac was climbing onto the roof of the barn at that moment, thankful that being a pegasus meant she not only had the wings of a bird, but the eyes of one as well. It'd make it a lot easier for her to make flight decisions ahead of time instead of being a split second decider... not that she couldn't handle under duress either. She was just that good.

Pulling her goggles over her eyes, Rainbow Dash licked her lips as she started to rise higher into the sky, going above the clouds. This was a new test for her, a new extreme for her to pull off. It was going to be intense, but if she could go ahead and fulfill a friend's wish, it'd be well worth it... plus, it'd be a crazy story she could share with others later.

Beating her wings faster, Rainbow Dash built up some heat in them before dropping. Her descent started off slowly, but as gravity carried her down, her wings helped accelerate her. She could feel the wind rushing past her, her rainbow mane forced back by the sheer force of the drop. Thankful for the goggles, she felt no excess pressure on her eyes, giving an unobstructed view of the ground that she was quickly approaching. To any other pony, pegasus or otherwise, pulling up would be the first thing on one's mind at this moment, but it wasn't enough, not yet. She needed a bit more speed, a bit more momentum. She just needed a little more.

Fifty feet left.

Forty feet.

Thirty feet.

Twenty feet.

Just as she was approaching ten feet, she altered the angle of her wings, pulling her head back so she was facing the barn. The force pushing down on her body could have hurt. She could have dropped too far down to get away from it safely.

But this was Rainbow Dash. In those short ten feet, she was able to pull her body so that she was flying, just barely above the ground itself, almost swearing she could feel blades of grass brushing against her stomach. She wanted to scream out in excitement, taken by how amazing that stunt was, but it wasn't the point. She had to keep going, because even through the occasional obstructions of apple trees between her and the barn, she knew Big Mac was waiting for her.

That wasn't to say she wasn't enjoying the feeling of flying so fast. Her wings beating hard as she worked to build up even more speed, she felt a barrier pressing down on her, which only made her grin grow wider. She was challenging the speed barrier, fighting it to go beyond what other ponies could only dream of. Narrowing her eyes, she metaphorically told the sound barrier to go eat a daisy sandwich and enjoy the show.

There was a deafening boom as all sound disappeared from Rainbow Dash's world, a plethora of colors following in her wake and the trees shook seconds after she passed by. Sonic Rainboom! All that practice had proven just how great she was at creating them on command now! But this only meant she was going faster, much faster than she had initially intended for. So a little earlier than she had planned for, she started rising up, angling herself to make contact with Big Mac.

What had once been a red dot from a distance away as growing to the impressive sized pony that she knew. Almost missing her cue, Rainbow Dash lifted herself up just enough to rise above the earth pony, but let her hands dangle below her. As she was passing over him, she just barely wrapped her fingers around his large hands, a bit worried she was going to have too weak a grip. Thankfully though, Big Mac seemed to anticipate her coming in so hot and had begun curling his fingers, his large hands enveloping hers.

With a strain that nearly forced either pony's arms to pop out of their sockets, Rainbow Dash was able to pull Big Mac up with her. At this point, all she had to do was struggle on keeping a hold of him, the momentum carrying her up with ease, assisted just a little by her furiously flapping wings. For a full minute, Rainbow Dash was able to carry Big Mac up, feeling as though she wasn't going to slow down in the slightest. The Sonic Rainboom had made things so much easier! But of course, it wasn't able to stop the large pony from weighing Rainbow Dash down, with her finding that not only could she go no higher, but she couldn't bare to hold onto the earth pony any longer... so she didn't.

Letting go, Big Mac began to slowly descend, his weight causing him to build speed quickly. But before he could go too far, Rainbow Dash motioned for him to spread his limbs out, something he took to doing quickly. Still dropping fairly well, he found he wasn't falling quite as fast. Moving up beside him, Rainbow Dash gave him another smile, then angled her wings to swing to the left, then to the right, then pointed at him. Despite being a farm pony of few words, Big Mac caught on quickly, pushing his body to one side, finding he moved off to that. Slowly, but surely, a wide grin grew over his face.

He felt so... free. So liberated. Sure, he couldn't move back up or do complex maneuvers like Rainbow Dash, or even some of the simpler things like Fluttershy, he still felt like he was flying. Getting a bit more adventurous in the new terrain, he started to swing side-to-side, enjoying the rush of wind.

Rainbow Dash laughed, having to stifle herself with a hand to her mouth as she watched him awkwardly try to do a flip in the air, succeeding only after ten or so tries. Giving a smirk, Rainbow Dash began circling around the earth pony, unable to resist how maneuverable she was in comparison, something Big Mac was thankfully not offended by. In fact, he seemed rather enraptured with how she was moving, as thought it was some sort of aerial dance. It was truly a stupendous display that, while reminding him he was nowhere near as capable as she was in the air, left him incapable of feeling some admiration for her skill.

Seeing the respect she was getting from the farmer, Rainbow Dash decided to be kind and offered him a hand, as inviting him to dance with her as the lead. He blinked, considering how a stallion was supposed to be the lead, but while he was a gentlecolt, he was hardly sexist. Taking her hand, she started to lead him into a spin, their hands the center of the rotation. She bent her elbows, indicating for him to do the same, finding they were rather close to one another, but the two merely exchanged a grin as they pushed off again. Another circle around Big Mac and Rainbow Dash took his hands again. Then another rotation followed and Rainbow Dash spiced it up by spinning them so she was above him and he was below her, hands still connected.

... that's when it went wrong.

Not thinking about the minimized surface area of Big Mac's suit as she altered their position, he didn't get enough resistance, his heavy weight making him drop hard, ripping him out of Rainbow Dash's grip. Worse, from all the movement of their dance, he was sent spiraling down, his sense of direction changing every second. The ground was below him, then above him, then to his right, then above again. Without any experience or knowledge of how it worked, he had no way of adjusting himself to fix his descent, his speed increasing at an alarming rate.

Shaken at first from the sudden disconnect, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened and she darted down. Big Mac's weight may have made his descent naturally faster, Dash's experience had her catching up to earth pony in no time. But with Big Mac's wild flips and spins, one spare limb easily pushed Rainbow Dash back. It took only a moment for her to readjust her course in comparison to him, but one unfortunately low flying cloud engulfed the red pony. Not doing anything to slow his descent, it did cause Rainbow Dash to lose sight of him until she shot through it. By the time she had emerged from the white puff, she was surprised to find that Big Mac's wild drop had sent him careening to the side, further out of her immediate range than she would have liked, especially as he was fast approaching the ground.

Pushing herself even harder than she had for her initial take off, Rainbow Dash fought not to build momentum or produce a Sonic Rainboom, but to save a friend in dire need. Her will almost served to accelerate her faster than even she was used to, quickly getting to Big Mac once more. Careful in her attempt to get him now, she avoided an arm, then a leg, before wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling up... or trying to anyways.

Between either of their velocity, pulling up now would have been a near impossible task from the start. But with Rainbow Dash struggling to move the heavy bulk that was Big Mac in the complete opposite direction was like asking an ant to lift an elephant. She wouldn't give up though. She was the one who had put her best friend's brother in this situation, and she'd be damned to Tartarus before she just gave up on the idea of saving him.

Big Mac knew this very well. She wasn't the Element of Loyalty for nothing after all. Unfortunately, that blind loyalty would be the death of them both at this rate. Glancing once at the ground, knowing they would be hitting it in mere seconds, he steeled his resolve. Grasping her shoulders, he applied a surprising amount of pressure, making Rainbow Dash cry from the pain. The sudden shock had weakened her grip around Big Mac. Immediately after that, he used all his strength to fling her away from him, back into the air. The effect of it had her tumbling through it for a moment before she was able to correct herself.

But by the time she had corrected herself, she had turned back to Big Mac to both help him and question why he had done that, only to see the impact. With all the uncoordinated movement, he had ended up careening off into one of the apple trees on the property, hitting the top branches dead on. As she lost sight of him in the leaves, all she could make out was the entirety of the tree shaking from the farm pony striking it, along with the creaking and cracking of branches as he smashed through them.

Darting down, Rainbow Dash spotted Big Mac lying at the tree's trunks, more than a couple of tree branches lying about, including on top of him. "Oh no, oh Celestia no." Rainbow Dash muttered just above a whisper, quickly flying over to him. Pushing off the branches that had ended up on top of him, she looked down to get a better look of the pony. He wasn't moving. He didn't look like he was breathing. He was just... lying there.

"Oh Celestia, what have I done?"

Hurt

"What in tarnation were ya thinkin'!?"

Rainbow Dash visibly flinched, keeping her eyes glued to the floor. She wasn't usually one for letting anyone give her any sort of verbal abuse, either shrugging it off or fighting back. But this time... she screwed up. She screwed up really bad.

"Look at me when Ah'm talkin' ta ya! Ah want ta know ya're listenin' ta me!" Applejack shouted once more, grabbing Rainbow Dash's shoulders and shaking her until she looked her in the eye. Even with Applejack's usual temperament she wouldn't touch another pony usually, not wanting to accidentally harm them or relay the wrong message. But Rainbow Dash, or anypony for that matter, could see she was beyond pissed. The rage of Nightmare Moon or Pinkie Pie when someone broke a Pinkie Promise paled in comparison to the Apple, her stetson on the ground from her constant rage-filled movements.

"Applejack, why don't ya ease up on h-" Apple Bloom started to say, the young filly clutching the hem of her green flannel shirt, but stopped as her sister shot her a venomous look, immediately averting her gaze.

"Ease up? EASE UP!? It's her fault that Big Mac ended up like this!" Applejack roared, tears burning at the corners of her eyes as she spoke. Looking back to Rainbow Dash, she released her shoulders and took a couple of steps back, some small, rational part of her telling her to reel it in a little. "Ya went an' did this ta mah big brother an' ya haven't spoken a single word? Ya ain't even said ya're sorry!"

"Would sorry really change anythin' right now?" a much older, much softer voice replied. All eyes were brought to Granny Smith, sitting in a chair beside a hospital bed, her usual shawl missing from her shoulders, instead being twisted between her hands as she stared at the eldest of her grandchildren.

Lying in a hospital bed, Big Mac was dressed only in a hospital gown, his right leg encompassed in a cast and elevated. In addition to the leg cast, he also had a cast covering his left arm, left hanging to keep it from touching his chest. Beneath the gown, there were bandages wrapped around his ribs, as well as some around his head. In total, he had suffered a broken arm, a broken leg, three cracked ribs, with one of them pressing against his lungs when he had first been admitted. Thankfully the Apples grew them strong, and in addition to Big Mac's almost impossibly sturdy frame, Rainbow Dash's attempts to stop him had slowed his descent more than she had realized, making it so none of his limbs broke on the tree branches with enough force to puncture the skin. But as far as she, or Applejack for that matter, was concerned, she had merely made her mistake slightly less terrible.

Not normally one for speaking against the family's matriarch, Applejack walked over to the bed, waving an arm over the stallion. "Look at him Granny. Ah've seen Big Mac hurt before, really Ah have. But this... this is too far! He coulda died!" she snarled, not trying to shout at her grandmother, but finding it impossible not to express her anger in some way.

Glancing up to Applejack with soft, watery eyes, Granny replied "Applejack, Ah know how ya feel. Ya lost ya parents at a young age an' ya don't wanna lose yar brother now. Believe me, Ah know. Ah lost the love of mah life. Ah lost mah son an' his love before their time. Ain't no parent should ever have ta bury their child. An' by all means, Ah'm damn well not ready ta see one of my grandfoals buried before Ah go. So while Ah'm upset as well, believe me when Ah say Ah'm just happy he's still with us."

Applejack bit her bottom lip, snatching her stetson off the side table and forcing it back on her head, shielding her eyes from the room. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs so badly, but it was hard to argue with Granny, especially when she raised such a point. Because as much as she was angry at Rainbow Dash for letting her brother get into this condition, because as sad as she was to see him hurt so badly, because as incredibly frustrated as she was for being helpless to do anything for her brother, she was just happy to see her brother was alive.

On the other hand, Rainbow Dash still didn't know what to say or do. She wasn't even sure she should have been there. The Apples were fighting their own emotions over this and she... couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't reassure them that things would be better, because she was the one that had made things this way. But she couldn't just leave. It was just who she was to stay by Big Mac's side until she knew for certain he was going to be one-hundred percent. And if he never got back to one-hundred percent, then she had to figure out what she could do to make up for it, in addition to making up for getting him injured in the first place.

"Is... is it safe to come in now?" Nurse Redheart asked, her head peeking in from the door. She was usually much more active in restraining energetic or upset ponies, but considering the situation, even she had veered away from the storm that was Applejack's fury. Once she ascertained that it was safe, she walked in, clutching in a clipboard in one hand while her other smoothed out her nurse's uniform. "Well, now that everypony is calm, I'd like to have a word with you about Big Macintosh's treatment." she announced, looking to the Apples first, then glancing at Rainbow Dash. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to step out while I talk with the immediate family.

Rainbow Dash's mouth opened slightly, trying to find some form of argument for her to be there. She wanted to see it all through. She wanted to know if she could assist on the treatment. She wanted... to do something to make up for it all. But for now, all she could do was leave the room with a hung head.

Her leaving the room didn't do much to keep her from pressing an ear against the door and listening in. It was all fairly simple stuff regarding how they'd treat him. Most of it she didn't really understand because of the complex medical jargon, but she was able to piece together that, with the help of modern science and magic, especially with the occasional assistance of one alicorn princess who just so happened to be a close family friend, they would be able to get Big Mac back on his feet in no time. It'd take a little longer past that for him to be back to normal, but thankfully they had moved him out of the life threatening part due to a quick response, something they attributed to the attention garnered by the Sonic Rainboom.

"What are you doing?" asked the resident doctor of the hospital, Doctor Horse. Rainbow Dash pulled her head away from the door with a jump as she looked to the unicorn, adjusting his glasses as he peered at the eavesdropper, missing out on what Nurse Redheart was saying about Big Mac's treatment once he got home.

"M-My friend got hurt and I wanted to hear if he was going to be okay." Rainbow Dash admitted guiltily, more so over her role in his injury than the eavesdropping.

Glancing to the door, Doctor Horse nodded. "Yes, Big Macintosh. Quite a nasty fall. Any other pony and they'd certainly not have made it. Good thing the young stallion's sturdier than the tree he landed in." Doctor Horse chuckled, trying to inject some humor into the situation. However, the downcast look from the pegasus told him it wasn't working. "I can assure you that he'll be just fine, Miss Dash. I personally promise that he'll come out as good as new. Might even get the tires changed." he explained, laughing a bit at his own joke, as terrible as it was.

"I just... is there anything I can do to help?" Rainbow Dash asked, getting a curious look from the doctor that begged an explanation. "If you haven't already heard, it's... my fault that he's like this."

"Oh by all means Miss Dash, I've already heard." Doctor Horse stated, getting a wide eyed look from Rainbow Dash. "Whoever said Tartarus hath no fury like a mare scorned obviously never met Applejack when she's worried about her family. I, my staff, and the entire hospital heard Miss Applejack blaming you for her brother's condition."

Any other time and Rainbow Dash would have laughed at that, but this time she could only nod. "Y-yeah, well... you know why I want to help. Not just because it's my best friend's brother, but because it's my fault he's like this. So anything I can do to help him would be... the start of me saying I'm sorry."

Offering a sympathetic smile, Doctor Horse reached out to place a hand on the blue-coated mare's shoulder. "Miss Dash, you can do the most important thing anypony can do in this situation." he stated, Rainbow Dash getting excited from the prospect of playing an important role in Big Mac's recovery. "You can be there for him."

Instantly, the joy drained from Rainbow Dash's face, her displeasure with the doctor only outweighed by the displeasure she had with herself. "That's not enough."

"On the contrary, it's the most important thing you can do. While it's true that only certain ponies can get him back in physical condition, this is going to be far more emotional than you might imagine. Given I care for all my patients, as a doctor I have to look at all of them as just that, patients. He's going to need ponies like you to care for him, to let him know someone wants him to bounce back from this, and it's important he knows it's more than just his family." Doctor Horse explained, releasing his light grip from Rainbow Dash to readjust his glasses.

A dry laugh escaped Rainbow Dash's lips as her eyes dropped to the ground once more. "He's like this because I was trying to show somepony besides his family cared about him."

Sighing, Doctor Horse turned away from the pegasus, walking off to attend to another patient. But before he totally left Rainbow Dash's range of hearing, he said "Then make sure he knows that. Even if the result is a failure, the thought can be far more important sometimes." And with that, Rainbow Dash was left to her own thoughts on how to handle this.

That night, after visiting hours were over and the Apple family were sent home with the advice that they get themselves a good night's rest so that Big Mac could get his own, the hospital was silent with the exception of machines occasionally beeping to indicate the good health, or at least recovering health, of their patients. The patients were asleep and only the graveyard shift of nurses remained awake... except for one pony.

Slipping through the window of Big Mac's room, which was located on the third floor, giving just an idea of what sort of pony this may be, the lone pony pulled up a chair next to Big Mac's bed. Carefully, they laid down a stack of books, then looked to Big Mac's motionless face. Despite the knowledge that he was sleeping, with as much as he had been through, the pony couldn't help but think he looked like he was dead.

"I'm sorry Big Mac." Rainbow Dash whispered, careful not to alert any night shift nurses to her presence in the room. "I was trying to give you that... that little bit of freedom. The sensation of flying for a short period of time, so you wouldn't feel tied down on the farm. And now... damn, you've got to get better. Not for me, but for yourself, for the others. It's breaking their hearts to see you like this." Rainbow Dash pleaded, unwilling to admit how terribly shaken up she was about this herself.

She received no reply, but she didn't expect to get one. Instead, she just reached over to the stack of books and lifted one of them up to the moonlight flowing through the window, revealing Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone, the first of the Daring Do novels and secret autobiographies as she had discovered. "When I was in the hospital with a broken wing, I had nothing to do but read. I thought it was so stupid at first, reading being just for eggheads and stuff, you know? But these books were really something else, so I figured that you might enjoy them as well."

Still no answer. She wasn't sure why she paused... no, rather, she knew exactly why she did. Even though she expected no response, she wanted desperately for him to give one regardless, as if he wasn't injured at all. That she would say something, then he'd speak and she could feel like she hadn't potentially ruined her friendship with Applejack. To say that she hadn't nearly killed somepony doing something reckless. To say... that she hadn't potentially turned a pony from turning away from the wonders of feeling the same sort of freedom she did every day.

Opening the cover, Rainbow Dash flipped through the first few pages of the book, filled with the boring publishing information that nopony ever read. "I know you can't read right now, but I figured it'd be best to get you hooked early so you don't back out of it like I almost did. So if you don't mind, I'll go ahead and read the first couple of chapters for you." Of course, she still didn't get an answer, but she didn't need it. As small a gesture as it was, Rainbow Dash inhaled deeply, then began to read.

Author's Note

Le gasp! More than one scene (sorta) in a chapter? How innovative of me! But in reality, wanted to leave this note as a thanks for all my readers so far. Every little bit of encouragement so far has really helped makes enjoy writing this story all the more. It's not like I expect a comment on every single chapter or from every single reader, but just that occasional acknowledgement that people are still reading is really appreciated, ya know? Anyways, I hope you all keep enjoying this story as much as I enjoy making it.

Recovery

"Did you like that one, Big Mac?"

Once more, silence. Rainbow Dash had become accustomed to it. Over the past two weeks, she would sneak into the hospital after hours and sit by the behemoth of a colt and read to him from her collection of Daring Do novels. She hadn't planned for it that way at first, but some part of her felt at ease sharing with him her favorite adventure series about a pony almost as awesome as she was, so she'd just keep reading till the hospital opened up.

However, she found herself unable to stop there. After she went home and took a nap, she did her usual bit of work with the weather team, then waited until the Apples would leave the farm for the day to visit Big Mac. When the coast was clear, she did whatever she could, no matter how small, to help them out. They weren't hurting for help, as Big Mac had already plowed all the fields and done the heavy work before his accident, but Rainbow Dash felt she needed to start making up for him not being their to help in some way.

Once she heard the Apples returning to their farm, Rainbow Dash would know that visiting hours were over, which was when she'd fly back home to pick up her books and then to the hospital to read to Big Mac. It was a moot gesture, she realized, as he was always asleep by the time she arrived. She had been worried at first that he had been in a coma, but apparently the treatment just depleted his stamina, matching up perfectly with the night time to make him fast asleep.

It was better that way. While she wanted to profess how incredibly sorry she was about this, Rainbow Dash realized she still couldn't bare the idea of talking to him. Even if he, in his infinite patience and understanding, didn't yell at her for causing this, she'd know the truth of the matter and find herself unable to speak in his presence. It was only now, when she wouldn't get a response back from him that she could feel... unobstructed in talking to him.

Regardless of her feelings, she had finished the latest novel for the night and checked the time. There was still an hour before she'd have to get out or risk getting caught, but she hadn't brought another book with her tonight. Sighing, she tucked the Daring Do novel into a sack and looked to Big Mac once more. "Sorry I don't have anything else to share with you tonight. I'll make it up to you tomorrow night, but I guess for now, I should get moving." Rainbow Dash apologized as she collected her things, turning to make her escape out the window.

"Ah don't want ya ta leave just yet."

Rainbow Dash froze, unable to move in the slightest. She wasn't sure if she had just heard right, and if she did, then she was only far more concerned. Slowly turning her head back, she found Big Mac was pushing himself into a sitting position on the hospital bed, giving a couple of grunts as the casts made it difficult.

"B-but y-y-you're supposed t-to be as-s-sleep." Rainbow Dash stuttered, speaking as thought the pony was supposed to be dead.

Giving a low, rumbling chuckle that ended with a pained cough due to the pressure he put on his ribs, Big Mac gave her a smile. "Sugarcube, Ah ain't slept a single night since ya started visitin' me." he announced, making Rainbow Dash all the more bewildered at the incredulous fact.

"N-no, but I've been coming here for-"

"Two weeks, Ah know." Big Mac interrupted, holding a hand out and motioning for her to come closer. She merely shook her head, as though it was some sort of trap, even though she knew him better than that. "Come on, ya ain't never had trouble talkin' ta me when ya thought Ah was sleepin', don't tell me the 'awesomest pony in Equestria' suddenly can't handle talkin' ta me whe-"

"I almost killed you!" Rainbow Dash nearly shrieked, quickly covering her mouth with her hands to both avoid saying anything else in such a loud voice that the nurses may have heard, as well as to try and somehow stuff the words back into her mouth so she wouldn't have to hear him agree.

"Last Ah check, ya ain't the tree Ah crashed inta." Big Mac replied, almost totally shaking off any idea that she may have been guilty. "Poor thing too, Granny planted it herself when she was just a filly." he added, shocking Rainbow Dash over his concern for a tree over his own health.

Shaking her head furiously, Rainbow Dash approached Big Mac so she could make sure he heard her without potentially having to yell. "You don't understand, it's my fault! I'm the one that took you up there, I'm the one that made you lose control, I'm the one that put you in here!" she whispered as loudly as possible, her hands going to the sheets on the bed, clutching them as tight as possible.

Despite her admission of guilt, Big Mac only offered her the same sincere smile. "Sugarcube, ya ain't responsible for nothin'." he said softly, making her wince as he gave her the same little nickname he gave his sisters, people he loved so much. She didn't deserve that. Before she could protest, he raised a hand to silence her. "Yeah, ya brought me up there, it was your idea. But Ah didn't have ta go through with it. Ah'm a full grown stallion, Ah make mah own decisions. All ya were tryin' ta do is give me what Ah wanted, it just didn't go the way ya planned. If ya're guilty of anythin', it's bein' a good friend."

Rainbow Dash's jaw was clenched shut. It took all she had to fight back the tears. She hadn't cried when Big Mac first got injured, there would be enough from the Apples as they worried about their loved one. But now, she was struggling with the mixture of emotions. Part of her was so happy to hear him say he didn't blame her at all, in such a sincere manner that she couldn't help but know it was how he truly felt. But the other part of her said that, even if he didn't blame her, she knew she was still at fault.

Seeing her fighting herself, Big Mac did the only thing a colt in his position could do. Reaching out, he used his good arm to pull her against him, making her yelp slightly as his strength didn't seem to dwindle at all, keeping her tight against him, her face pressed against his chest. She could hear him hiss slightly as his still recovering ribs felt the pressure of her weight against him, but he didn't complain. She wanted to pull back, but as the same hand shifted to reach up to the top of her head, he began to gently stroke the multi-colored mane. She was powerless against him, despite how hurt he was, she just couldn't fight him AND her emotions at the same time... so she stopped fighting either of them.

Big Mac just sat their, letting the pegasus sob into his chest, not saying a word as he knew how vulnerable she was to allow herself to cry despite her immense ego and pride. It took only seconds for her tears to soak through his hospital gown, but he didn't care. He felt just as he did any time Apple Bloom came to him, crying of some small injury she had, or... when they had lost their parents and Applejack couldn't stop crying. It hurt to see them hurt, but part of him felt glad to be their support.

Eventually, Rainbow Dash seemed to run her course, either regaining control over herself in general or simply found no more tears could be shed at that time. It had taken her a few good minutes, but Big Mac didn't mind, he wasn't going anywhere. Surprisingly enough, she didn't try to leave his embrace now that she had stopped crying, even though his hold over her had slackened enough that anypony could slip out of it. That was also fine with him.

"AJ's been lookin' for ya." Big Mac suddenly declared, making Rainbow Dash tense against him. "Don't worry, she ain't mad anymore... well, that might be a mite fib there. She ain't as mad as she was before though. Ah had a good talk with her when Ah first saw her an' got her ta take it down a notch."

"It's fine... I sorta deserve it after..." Rainbow Dash trailed off, leaving Big Mac to roll his eyes.

"Ah want ya ta forget all 'bout it. Ain't no reason for ya ta feel like ya'll have ta second guess your decisions from now on." Big Mac replied, pushing her away just enough so that he could look her in the eye. Those dark pink orbs wavered under the intensity of his emerald gaze. "Ya did me a favor back there, sugarcube. For a moment, Ah really did feel free. Ah felt like Ah was flyin' an' was unchained for once in mah life. Maybe ya don't realize it cause ya live that way every day, but Ah've never felt more alive in that instant."

Between his words and the comforting smile he provided, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but give a tremulous smile of her own. She still knew what she had done to him, but at the same time, what she had done for him. It pleased her to know that he was able to come out of his shell a bit more, despite the way it concluded. Hopefully the next time they did something to get him to open up more, she would be abl-

"An' Ah'll always think ta that moment as the one time Ah was truly free, all because of ya." Big Mac said confidently, his smile growing a bit wider. Dash's, on the other hand, disappeared.

"What do you mean by that?" she inquired, pulling further out of his hold, her brow furrowing a bit.

Blinking, Big Mac replied "Well, Ah know Ah won't be able ta redo somethin' like that again, but Ah don't think Ah'd really want ta, no offense. Ah mean, Ah ain't tryin' ta dig any guilt inta ya, but Ah did end up in the hospital. Ah've been outta work for two weeks now, an' Ah'll be outta work for another once Ah get back home. Ah can't possibly risk doin' anythin' else that might get in the way of me providin' for mah family."

"N-No, you can't mean that!" Rainbow Dash nearly shouted once more, causing Big Mac to look to the room's door with fear that it might open from the outburst.

"But Sugarcube, while ya know Ah don't blame ya for this, ya gotta recognize that it just sorta shows Ah ain't cut out for anythin' but the farm." Big Mac elaborated, trying to make a point over why he shouldn't be anything but a worker.

This only made Rainbow Dash shake her head furiously, the end of her mane occasionally whipping around to hit Big Mac even. "All it shows is that I made a mistake on how to handle things. I regret doing something stupid and reckless and getting you hurt because of it, but I do not regret trying to make you feel free for once. You were... you were really happy up there, I could see it. I can't see why you'd give up another chance at feeling like that, even if we tried to handle it in a less dangerous way!" Rainbow Dash argued, tugging on Big Mac's gown. Those eyes that had once been filled with sorrow and regret over what she had done to him were immediately alive with a passionate flame.

Staring at her, Big Mac provided yet another smile, but sadness seemed to be dripping off of this one. "Dash, Ah appreciate everythin' ya've done an' want ta continue doin', Ah want ya ta know that... but... Ah'm a pony that has already got what Ah need before me. Ah got mahself a family Ah care 'bout, work ta keep me busy, an' a roof over mah head ta keep it all. Yeah, Ah've considered what ya said, that's how we got here in the first place, but it ain't gonna work. Not everypony has ta be social, or rather, they can't."

Rainbow Dash simply stared at Big Mac, who in his experience as an often silent individual, simply stared back. The unspoken exchange between the two carried on for minutes, and even Big Mac felt some level of unease that might make him crack before his adversary did. A level of emotion that went beyond determination to see him beaten at his own game or irritation at his persistence, but a righteous fury that sought to make good a grave injustice.

Thankfully, or perhaps not so much, Rainbow Dash eventually rose up and turned her back to Big Mac once more, collecting her bag and opening the window. He didn't want to see her leave, not yet. He had gotten so used to her night time visits, enjoying the sound of her voice as he laid in complete silence. The sound not of her bragging about her talents or accomplishments, but those of genuine concern for him, a selfish admission he allowed himself seeing as not many ponies outside his family gave as much care.

"You know what?" Rainbow Dash asked, still not facing the stallion who didn't reply, knowing she didn't need him to. "I never once thought you were stupid. Even when Applejack told me you quit school for the farm, I didn't think that was stupidity, that was just being a determined pony, and I can get that."

Big Mac raised a brow, not sure where she was going with this. He didn't recall saying he was a smart pony by any means. He'd be the first to say he was dim, even though he's been told by plenty of ponies otherwise. He didn't really care, he was just a farmer. He knew what he had to and that's all he cared about. So what was it she was trying to get at?

He didn't have to wait long to find out, as she continued. "But after hearing you talk like that... you've got to be the dumbest pony I've ever met. I mean, I may not be one to talk, but you're just... you're just a dumb oaf!"

Before Big Mac could question her sudden insults, she had thrown the windows open and flew out in, well, a dash. Sighing, the red earth pony leaned back into his bed. He hadn't meant to make the mare upset, but he was just speaking the truth. He was the big brother of the Element of Honesty after all, so it wasn't exactly like he was the best fibber. Still, it hurt a bit. Not the insults themselves, as he'd been called worse and shrugged it off. No, it was the raw emotion he could feel in those words. Rainbow Dash was practically timid, racked with guilt, before him moments ago and now she was furious with him. It just went to show that, as Big Mac said, he wasn't a social pony and he'd screw up these sort of things... and yet... something at the back of his mind told him this wasn't over.