Sunset was laying on her back, staring at the ceiling and doing her best not to think about anything. She’d been wide awake for several hours now and neither a cup of warm milk with honey or counting sheep had rectified her situation. At this point she simply resided herself to do nothing and simply bore herself to sleep. Yet a slight ruffle to her left and the sudden appearance of an arm around her middle was ruining that plan as well.
She couldn’t help but giggle at how Mac seemed to know what was the kindest thing he could do for her, even when he was asleep. With a contented sigh, she snuggled into his embrace and put her hand on his.
From the corner of her eye she saw a small flash of light, prompting her eyes to zero in on it’s source, her wedding ring. The moonlight reflected of the unadorned silver band that, by now, had been on her ring finger for fifteen years. Big Mac had bought it for her as a graduation gift, the first real, outward sign that the two had a thing going on. Before that day, they had kept it a secret, if only not to potentially upset Sunset’s friends, most obviously Applejack. There was also the issue of, avoiding people asking why Big Mac dated a high school girl. Though if they were being completely honest, Sunset was probably closer in age to Mac anyway, at least in Pony years.
A few years later when he asked her to marry him she argued that neither an engagement- nor an actual wedding ring was needed. The delicate silver ring was more than enough for her.
Sunset closed her eyes and couldn’t help but remember the time everything started.
Sunset felt strange. About two hours ago she got hit by the magical equivalent of a tactical nuke. All her dark thoughts, along with several years worth of hate and resentment, were all but burned away. In a single moment, the rainbow blast had cleansed her thoughts, leaving only her regrets and the mother of all guilty consciences.
Thankfully, Sunset felt physically fine, save for a mild headache, likely a sign of a minor concussion. “They could at least have set me down instead of smashing me into the ground like a meteor,” She mumbled. However, even if she felt physically fine, she couldn’t shake this other feeling, slowly forming in the pit of stomach.
However, the strange feeling she had was definitely not physical, it was more akin to motion sickness. Everything had changed in a matter of seconds. Both her social status, and more importantly her entire view on the world, had been completely reshaped. The change was so sudden, Sunset honestly wondered if this was how someone who’d been brainwashed was supposed to feel. Being fully aware of your previous thoughts any actions, yet not viewing them as being completely alien, almost as if they were done by a different person. If she was being honest, it kind of creeped her out.
Sunset quietly shook her head, getting back to work, if only to distract herself. True, the idea of her rebuilding the entire school front by herself was ludicrous. However, she was under the direct supervision of Vice-Principal Luna, meaning it was up to her to decide when Sunset had done enough. In short, there was no way of getting out of it. . Hopefully, clearing out the worst rubble would be enough to propitiate the legendary, ‘Bad Cop of CHS.’
Three Hours Later
Watching Princess Twilight go through the portal was the straw that broke Sunset’s back. This girl had everything she ever wanted and had achieved it while walking the moral high ground. Twilight didn't need dark magic, evil schemes, or ruin other people's lives to make hers easier.
By virtue of sheer single minded stubbornness Sunset managed to keep it all in until Twilight had left. It was only afterwards that she allowed herself to finally breakdown.
Nobody seemed to notice when Sunset crept away. After she turned the first corner she sped up to a quick stride, before breaking into full sprint so she could get as far away from the other students as possible.
Eventually her sprint quickly grew to a halt as her legs now burning from the exertion, on top of everything else that had happened. By some chance, Sunset had made her way to the empty football field and with what strength she could manage, slowly hobbled over to the bleachers, before taking refuge under them.
Without a word, she quietly wrapped her arms around her knees, burying her face in shame. Tears ran down her cheeks while she cursed the world for how unfair it was. She had lost all sense of time at this point. All she could say for certain was that she had cried long enough for her tears to dry up. She wiped at her eyes and snivelled. “Damn you Twilight Sparkle. I want to hate you with everything I have, but no matter how much I want to, I can’t. What did you do to me?”
Somebody behind her cleared his throat. To say the sudden noise startled Sunset would have been quite the understatement. She jumped straight into a standing position, only to find that the stairs were not big enough for her to do so. With a loud thud, Sunset’s head crashed into the underside of the bleachers, leading to a full minute of profanity latent words that would .ld have made any sailor hang their head in shame.
When she finally crawled out from her fortress of solitude, Sunset was holding her head, with eyes burning in fury. At that moment, she was more than willing to get even with whoever startled her like that. Though, as Sunset’s eyes fell on the likely culprit, she revised her plan ever so slightly.
Next to the staircase Sunset had hidden under stood ‘Big’ Macintosh Apple, emphasis on the word Big. True, he had a reputation as a gentle giant but he was still an intimidating figure from up close. Then there was the story from his trial for the CHS football team. He had accidentally broken the quarterback’s jaw after they told him not to hold back. All in all, not the kind of person you’d feel comfortable cursing out.
Sunset swallowed her anger and looked at him with a pained expression. “Okay, first, you really shouldn’t startle people like that, second, please don’t tell anybody you found me here. I’d like to be left alone if you don’t mind.” Sunset sighed as she spoke, feeling awkward at the encounter.
Big Mac nodded with a slight smile and offered Sunset a big red plastic cup. “Y’all look like ya need a drink,” He said with the stereotypical accent of the Apple family.
Sunset looked at the cup, then at the boy in front of her. “You didn’t spit in that one didn’t you?”
For a moment Mac’s eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped. A second later however he shook his head violently and gave Sunset an insulted look. “Hell no! Why on earth would Ah’ do that?”
With a remorseful sigh Sunset reached for the cup. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest you’d do that. It’s just … let’s say most students already took the opportunity to let me know what they think of me. As did some staff members I had quarrels with. Frankly, spitting into my drink would be on the tamer side of things.” She gave her drink a curious glance before she shrugged and took a long swig.
It tasted fresh and slightly sour at first, before she was hit with very familiar sweetness laced with a hint of bitterness. She savored the taste for a moment before she smacked her lips and smiled. Sunset’s smile turned to astonishment, looking at Big Mac with surprise. “Two questions. First, this is hard cider isn’t it? Second, isn’t the cider for the Fall Formal supposed to be sparkling and non-alcoholic?”
Big Mac took a drink from his own cup and gave Sunset a sly smile. “That ain’t no cider from the Formal.” He took another drink and nodded at the cup. “Sweet Apple Acres’ finest, usually reserved for family get-togethers and special occasions.”
Sunset chuckled and emptied her cup in one go. “Hmm, I don’t know if tonight is a special occasion but this sure is your family’s finest.” She sighed with content before she gave Mac a more serious look. “Ok, compliments about cider aside this isn’t the usual place for you to hang out, even more so when you’re attending a school dance. You mind telling me what brought you here?”
Mac shrugged. “Its mah’ free evenin’ and since we supply the school with everythin’ apple, Principal Celestia told me to join the dance. Besides, Ah’ only graduated last year, Ah still fit in if’n ya’ ask me.”
Sunset blew a raspberry and rolled her eyes. “Not ‘here’ in the sense of the school, I mean ‘here’ in the sense of the bleachers at this point in time.”
Mac’s expression remained unchanged and he pointed at his ears “Well, are ya’ hearin’ anythin’?”
Sunset gave him a puzzled expression and tried to hear whatever he was referring to. Though all she could manage was the usual silence of a school at night.
It took her a second until she realized that silence was the last thing she should be hearing. It was Fall Formal, where were the music, chatting and drunken calamity such a night normally brought? “The Dance is over isn’t it?” She groaned in frustration.
Big Mac gave Sunset a serious look. “Dance ended ‘bout an hour ago ah reckon. AJ an’ her friends made their way home in that fancy limo that brought ‘em here. Ah’ was makin’ mah’ way home when ah’ heard somebody cryin’. Took me a few minutes till ah’ found ya’ but since ya’ couldn’t exactly run off from down there I decided to wait.” He pointed at their cups and gave Sunset a little smile. “And ya’all sounded like ya’ were in need of a mighty fine drink.”
“Why are you doing this?” Sunset asked with an almost cold tone in her voice.
Mac cocked his head and gave her a puzzled look. “Isn’t basic human decency enough of a reason to help ya’?”
Sunset gave him her patented death glare and an angry growl. “Stop being so damn nice!”
“Nnnope.” He replied, a smile spreading once again on his face.
Sunset threw her empty cup away and almost screamed at him. “Look you damn hillbilly. For the last three years I was not just an awful person. The only difference between me and the evil empress from a Saturday morning cartoon was my lack of dark magic. A difference I rectified a few hours ago if you recall.” Her voice lost a lot of volume as tears started to well up in her eyes. “I did horrible things to most people at CHS and I was about to do even worse things when I got the crown. Damn, I attempted to kill your sister and her friends. The only reason they’re alive is because they got lucky and triggered their harmony magic at the last second. I got spat on, kicked and insulted the whole evening, even by people to whom I never did anything to. Some girls threw rocks at me and they would have done worse if Vice-Principal Luna didn’t chase them off immediately.”
Sunset shook her head and pointed at Big Mac. “And you, despite having one of the best reasons to hate my guts, come for me and offer me a drink because you think that’s what I need?” Her voice became but a whisper and tears flowed freely. “I don’t know what’s going on. Everything I had is slipping from my grasp. My life did a complete 180 within ten minutes. The more I think about the person I was the last three years, the more I hate myself and want to puke. I don’t understand what’s going on.” Sunset’s voice cracked several times during her outburst until all she could do was hug herself, whimper and cry even more.
During the whole scene Big Mac looked at Sunset. Once she had gone back to crying he put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her towards the stairs. They both sat down next to each other and he produced two new red plastic cups from his backpack. Shortly after the cups he also pulled two more bottles of hard cider from his backpack. He filled both cups and offered one to Sunset. “Here ya’ go. Seems like ya’ could still use another drink or two.” Sunset looked at him with puffy eyes and a raised eyebrow. “Trust me, talkin’ ‘bout ones feelin’s goes mighty easy once ya’ got some liquid courage in yer’ system.”
Sunset said nothing, but shuffled a little closer towards Big Mac. She reached for the cup he offered her, took a sip and mumbled something akin to a “thanks” into said cup.
Once they sat next to each other, Mac leaned back and took a deep breath. “Ok missy, first things first. Ya’all are quite right ‘bout me havin’ all them reasons to hate yer’ guts. But ya’ also missin’ some mighty important bits ‘bout mahself.” He shook his head and cleared his throat. “Sorry, Ah’ reckon that was a bit harsh.” He did his best to suppress his accent as he continued. “Thing is, when ma’ mom and ma’ dad died, Ah’ was a bit like ya’all.”
Sunset snivelled and looked curiously at Big Mac. “I can’t imagine you were like me. I was…”
Mac waved his hand to cut Sunset off. “Ya’ don’t have to tell me what ya’ did, Ah’m aware of most things Bitchset Shimmer did.” Sunset frowned at the nickname, while Big Mac continued as if nothing happened. “What Ah’ mean is that Ah’ was angry. Ah’ was full of rage and ready to let everybody Ah’ came across have some of it. Just like ya’all did the last couple o’ years.” He took a swig from his cider and smacked his lips. “What brought me to ma’ senses was a good slappin’ and half an hour of screamin’ from Granny Smith after Ah’ beat up another boy at school. For ya’all it was that friendship death canon thing ya got hit with not an hour or so ago.”
The frown vanished from Sunset’s face and she looked at her own cup. “I’d prefer your grandmother’s slap over your sister and her friends blasting me with weaponized friendship.”
Big Mac suddenly laughed. “Ah’ would trade Granny’s lecture any day for whatever it was ya’all got.” He took another sip of his cider. “Anyway what Ah’ wanted to say is that neither of us is evil, just angry. Maybe at the world, maybe at our parents or maybe just at ourselves, doesn’t matter at all. Everythin’ is always changin,’ even people. Just like the seasons.”
Sunset took a sip from her cider and sighed. “So you say I shouldn’t think about it. I changed my ways and that’s that?”
“That’s a mighty simple version of what Ah’ said but its close enough for government works Ah’ reckon.” Mac replied.
Sunset rolled her eyes. “I don’t know if it’s that easy. I doubt most students will be as forgiving as you are.”
Big Mac made a throwing gesture and emptied his cup in one go. “In all honesty, ya’ never did anything directly to me. Granted ya’ gave AJ a dang hard time and the ‘trying to kill her’ thing is quite the pile o’ shit, but Ah’ still think ya’ aren’t an evil person Sunset.”
“Why?” Sunset asked in a tone that seemed like she was once again on the brink of bursting into tears.
“Ok, if’n ya’ need the long version here ya’ go.” Mac took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “When ya’ came to CHS ya’ were full of anger, hatred and a lot of unresolved issues. Ya’all was a cold hearted, manipulative bitch. Bear with me if’n Ah’ get bit philosophical, but it was like a harsh winter had come to CHS and ya’all were the Ice Queen.” Sunset promptly frowned at the rather unflattering comparison, but not like she was in a position to argue, thus let Mac continue.
”Believe it or not, ya’ had good days too. When everythin’ worked out for ya’ and the students admired ya’, ya’ were happy and smilin’ and sometimes actually nice. Ah’ reckon those could be seen as sunny days in the depth of winter if’n ya’ like. Anyway, then this Twilight girl showed up and, as far as Ah’ understand it, everythin’ went to hell for ya’. Now we’re sittin’ here, havin’ a talk ‘bout feelin’s and ya’all are actually a nice person. Except for when ya’ call me a hillbilly o’ course.” Mac gave Sunset a slight wink at this last part.
Sunset had drained her cup while he spoke and was now looking at him with a slight smile. “Sorry about that, I’m not sure who I am right now.” She examined her clothes and sighed. “So you mean I could have been a nice person all along?”
Big Mac nodded slowly. “Ya’ had the potential to be one. As Ah’ said the last few years were somewhat of a winter, for ya’self as much as for CHS. It was cold, harsh and mighty unpleasant. However, think of today as the first day of spring for ya’. Ya’ know like ‘the sun came out and the snow started to thaw’ an’ all that. It won’t be all sunshine and rainbows right away though. The next months will be full of mud, shitty weather and all the unpleasant things winter leaves behind. It's not much at first, but things will get better eventually.”
Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle. “So from here on out it will get a lot shittier before it gets better? Geez you know how to get someone's hopes up.”
From Mac’s backpack appeared another two cider bottles, which he opened immediately. “Ah’ didn’t come here to get ya’ hopes up.” He offered one bottle to Sunset. “Ah’ came here ‘cause ya’ sounded like ya’ could use a drink.”
Sunset laughed, took the bottle and raised it for a toast. “Then let’s drink on the shitty weather that is the spring of my life. It can only get better from here on out after all.”
The sound of glass meeting glass penetrated the previously silent air, as the two continued to chat as the night carried on.
Sunset felt Mac stirring behind her and turned her head to see if he was awake. She could see his wonderful green eyes even in the darkness of the night and smiled at him. Mac for his part took a few seconds to focus on his wife. “Did Ah’ wake ya’ honey?”
With a slight chuckle Sunset turned around completely and kissed his nose. “Nope, I couldn’t sleep anyway.”
Mac blinked slowly as she kissed him. “Then why are ya’all so chipper?”
Sunset wrapped her arms around his chest and nuzzled his neck. “I had to think about the Fall Formal. You know, the night you found me under that staircase and offered me cider with some wise words.”
It took a few moments but finally Mac smiled and kissed the top of Sunset’s head. “Ah’ remember that one. Best cider Ah’ ever had.”
Sunset stopped nuzzling him and gave him a playful glare. “I hope you remember that day for more than cider.”
Big Mac rolled on his back, pulled Sunset on top of his chest and kissed her playfully. “Ah’ doubt Ah’ll ever forget the day Ah’ decided to man up and talk to ya’.”
Sunset giggled and kissed him back a few times. “Come on, I wasn’t that intimidating. I only screamed at you once and never even threatened you.”
“Well Ah’ almost wet mah’ pants when ya’ screamed at me. But that fire o’ yours is one of the reasons why Ah’ love ya’.“ He replied with a chuckle.
Sunset raised her head and looked at him. “Mac? Have I ever thanked you properly?”
Mac let his hands wander along Sunset’s spine and smiled. “Ya’ thanked me plenty.”
“Plenty isn’t enough. Thank you for showing me the beginning of spring that day honey.” Sunset took one of Mac’s hands into hers as she twisted her body. She then put his palm on her stomach and whispered. “And thanks a million times more for Summer.”
Mac felt a slight kick against his hand and smiled the happiest smile Sunset had ever seen.
