Big Mac let the die tumble from his hoof. "Yup!" It landed on the highest side.

"With a valiant strike." Barb knocked a piece over. "You put the skeleton back to rest, shattered in pieces. Nice shot."

Discord clapped politely. "Nicely done, but we have so much more before us." He waved to the field full of monstrous varmints arrayed before them. "Let's keep our head in the game, literally, in this case."

Big Mac perked an ear at that. "We goin' inside?"

"Nah." Discord waved that away. "Besides, it'd confuse poor Barb, shoving her back into her character right now."

Barb colored, eyeing her still male playing piece. "It's just pretend," she weakly noted.

"But it wouldn't be if we were in there, now would it?" Discord winked at the uncomfortable Barb. "Now, Big Mac, you have to tell us. What happened? You've been smiles tonight long before that lucky strike."

Big Mac nudged his own piece forward, ending his turn. "Well, everythin's workin' out! All the mares in mah life are... darn happy. An' that makes me happy!"

Discord extended a finger. "Sugar Belle?"

"Ayup, but not just her." Big Mac swung his hoof off towards Barb. "There's another right there."

Barb colored brightly. "T-thanks! I'm not, you know, technically... a mare. I'm a lady dragon." She puffed her chest with a grin. "Which is a term I do not know." She said that admission of ignorance with the greatest of pride. "Still, I'm not your lady dragon."

Big Mac caught on that. "Ain't mean like that!" It didn't help that Discord was laughing in an uproar. "Ain't claimin' ya or nothin'. But yer a friend, a good friend. So ya bein' happy still a nice thin', ya know?"

"Oh, right, yeah." Barb flopped back onto her stool. "Speaking of which, how are both of you?"

Big Mac turned the hoof on himself. Barb nodded, so he continued. "Actually, she's the last mare ah was thinkin' of! An' she's all happy too."

Discord poked Big Mac in the side. "Not to be a doubter, but isn't she you? Hardly counts if it's just you with a different hat."

"It ain't like that..." Big Mac tapped his hooves. "The more we got, the more ah'm sure we're not the same pony. Mighty close... More like sibs that tell each other every darn thin'. But, um..." He tapped at his figure. "Shouldn't we be playin'?"

Discord leaned in, a smile on his face. "Oh no, I'm a little curious now... Do go on."

"You don't have to." Barb waved it away with a nervous little laugh. "Not if you don't want to."

And yet... "You want to hear too... When I'm Big Mac, fer one, ah like mares. When ah'm Blossom, ah... like two specific ponies and don't even think 'bout most others. Um, that way? Ya know?"

Discord was wearing a lab outfit and puffing a large pipe. "It sounds like you--" He pointed at Big Mac. "Are heterosexual, while Orchard Blossom is a demisexual bisexual." He blew a few bubbles from his pipe. "If we want to be technical about it. But that brings up a question." He pointed with both hands at Big Mac. "You do know that Fancy Pants has the hots for you. Both of you. How does that make you--" He pointed all the harder. "--feel?"

Big Mac rubbed his warm cheeks between his hooves. "Um... Still ain't sure... Ain't even understand how two stallions... do that..."

Barb hummed, mind clearly trying to imagine the possibilities. "Well... did you figure out how two mares do it?" That only made Big Mac look more awkward. "What?! I'm one of those, kinda. I'd want to know."

Discord snickered softly. "Oh my! Barb, I didn't know you pitched for that team." At Barb's clueless expression, Discord shrugged. "To be perfectly honest, I don't know which you are. You were pretty 'het' as the foals put it. But then you flipped the script. So, go ahead and tell us if you know. Do you want a mare or a stallion?"

"Um!" Barb grabbed a monster and pushed it towards Discord's brave ranger. "You have more important things to worry about."

Discord set a tail down between the monster and his own piece. "Come on now... We're all friends here, aren't we?"

Barb sagged backwards with a suffering groan. "Not fair... Um, so... If Big Mac popped the question." That got Big Mac to perk up, confusion shown. "I'd be really confused. I don't even know how I'd... deal with that..." She worried her fingers together, enmeshing and twining. "But if Rarity changed her mind all of a sudden... Um... I'd probably be alright with that... But that isn't happening." She huffed. "Anyway, seriously! We're here to adventure!" She waved over the board. "Are we getting back to that?"

Big Mac shook his head. "You'll find somecreature else aside Rarity. Better even!"

Barb smiled at the encouragement. "Better than Rarity, huh? That's a high bar you're setting." She tapped the last monster she had moved. "But, really."

So talk of romance was put aside, and adventurous tales resumed. They had stopped trying to save Princess Schmarity, but there was plenty of other things needing doing.

Big Mac was at his stand, selling apples. It was good for the family! And he right enjoyed offering up all those tasty apples to whoever was needing them. "Here ya go." He sent off a smiling pony with their bag of goodies, and he had bits in return. A fair trade!

Berry Punch walked past, and he couldn't help but watch. Not because the mare was especially comely. Nice enough, sure, but she was walking just a little off, and it tickled at something in Big Mac's head. "Ma'am?"

Berry Punch turned her head, confusion on her expression. "Hm? What's wrong, Big Mac?"

He smiled at her. Of course they knew each other, being residents of the small town of Ponyville. "Mornin'! Sorry if ah'm... pryin'... but it looks like ya might got an ache. Can ah help?"

Berry started with confusion, but that turned to embarrassed shocked. "Big Mac! When..." She glanced around nervously, but was turning to face him entirely. "When did you...? A stallion shouldn't know a mare so well! To be honest, I wouldn't even expect a ladyfriend to notice with me just walking past. Um! But it's just some cramps." She gently rubbed at the side of her torso. "No big deal, I promise." Ponies didn't have the dramatic cycles of humans, but they did have their own cycle to deal with. "It's... real nice that you care, even if it's a bit offputting... If I didn't know you already had a marefriend, I'd be so..." She closed and grabbed an apple, dropping a bit in the same motion. "I'll take this though."

Big Mac swatted the coin down, but didn't pull it. "Don't feel like ya haveta. Ah was just worried, fer a friend."

"Aw, you're the best." She casually smooched his nose and trotted off, giggling.

Big Mac rubbed his smooched nose. He hadn't been aiming for that! Still... at least his friend was alright. That was the important thing. "Ayup... Now if we could get her to lighten up on the drinks a little." Still, he had apples to sell, and he got back to doing that.

He gladly exchanged apples for bits for half the day. "Howdy." There was Applejack, with lunch held in her teeth, dangling from a bag. "Break time!"

"Jus' in time!" He gladly accepted the package and moved to slip out of the stall, so Applejack could take his place. "Got a powerful hunger."

Applejack whistled, eyeing the collection of bits gathered. "A good day, so far! Ya right earned this break, so go on. Got yerself an hour to do whatever."

"Thanks." He leaned in and they touched nose in sibling affection. "Ah'll be back. Oh!" He pointed off where Berry had gone, not that this was much help. "Ah gotta tricky question. Ya mind?"

"Sure don't." Applejack settled herself into position to sell. "What's on yer mind?"

"Well, alright." He pointed to his torso where Berry had done to herself. "When a mare says she feels cramps here, what's that mean? Ah felt it once er twice, er, as Blossom. Ain't no fun, but it didn't kill me or nothin'."

Applejack's eyes widened. "Big Mac!" She glanced around nervously. "Sorry... Ah know yer kinda a special case there... But most mares would find talkin' 'bout that kinda... uncomfortable. A mare has cycles. It has ups, it has downs." She raised and lowered a hoof as she did that. "When we're on the downswing, we can feel down, and cramps can be a part of that. Like ya said, won't kill ya, just a bit... uncomfortable."

Big Mac inclined his head. "Never saw Sugar Belle have none of those, or you."

Applejack burst into sudden laughter. "Because neither of us are tryin' to share! Well... since my brother knows what it's like, ah suppose it is a bit silly to worry 'bout that. Ya know what it's like from both sides. Oh. Also a fine time to treat a mare extra special. Jus' sayin'."

Big Mac patted his sister on the shoulder. "Every day's a fine time to treat ya special."

"Aw! Stop that!" She batted at him with a big smile. "Ya big lug. Now, seriously, don't go rubbin' this in random mare's snouts. Likely to get them real upset."

"Gotcha..." He inclined his head slowly. "But I can be mindful, ya know? "

"That's all a mare could hope for." Applejack nodded slowly. "That sounds like the perfect response. You'd do the same for any pony that's feelin' a little under the weather, wouldn't ya?"

"'Course." He started off. "Be back after lunch!"

"Enjoy!" She waved as he left, then returned her attention to the next potential customer. "Come right on up!"

Big Mac wandered off to a table to unwrap his lunch and enjoy it, mmm, sugared slices of apples to start. He pondered the body he had been born in. It felt... simpler in a lot of ways. It didn't have any cycles, at least ones he was aware of?

"You're looking more thoughtful than usual." Lyra casually sat across from Big Mac without being invited, a big smile on her face. "Wanna share?"

Big Mac crunched on some nuts, an excuse to consider that a moment. "Um... Ya don't usually talk with me much."

"You don't usually talk much," she retorted. "But that changed, and I'm not compaining. Hi!"

"Howdy." He pushed his plate away, only half finished. "Lyra, ain't it? Ya did a right nice show at Barb's big party."

"Only doing my best." She looked pretty proud of that. "Glad it was noticed. You weren't thinking about that... or were you?" She leaned in suspiciously.

"No..." Was she safe to talk about that with? "It... was actually a mare thing."

She recoiled with surprise. "Big Mac, I hate to bring this up." She pointed at him firmly. "You are not a mare." Her hooves suddenly crashed against the sides of her face, smooshing her round cheeks. "Are you taking after Barb?! Are we going to have a new naming party!? What does Applejack think of this?"

"Uh... Nope..." He shook his head firmly. "Ah'm right happy the way ah am." He waved over his stallion form. There was no ambiguity there. "Was jus' thinkin' 'bout a mares cycles."

Lyra blinked numbly a moment. "W--why? I mean... I have a pretty good excuse, being a mare and all. I have to deal with that. You don't. Be glad! One less pain in the rump for you to think about." Something clicked. "Oh! Oh! You sweet thing! Is Sugar Belle going through it? You're worried about her! That is so adorable!" She swatted at him. "Sorry for doubting you for even a second."

Big Mac took a fresh hoof of nuts to chew on. "Thanks." That wasn't quite right, but how did he explain further? "Any tips?"

Author's Note

A day in Big Mac life. Both sides of their life are important! They're learning so much on either side.

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