"Huh." Applejack was coming up, studying Big Mac as she closed in. "Yer... Bro, yer lookin' awful distracted. Ya got Sugar Belle on the mind?"

Big Mac jerked upright, bonking his head on the top part of their stall's sign. "Oof, what? Oh, hey sis." He reached out a hoof and met with hers in a firm clop. "Is it break time already?"

"Reckon it's break time fer you a little longer." She moved around to the back of the stall and casually pushed him out with her hooves. "What's got yer head all in a fog?"

"Twilight."

Applejack blinked at that. "Ah... Now, gonna stop myself right there. What about Twilight?"

"She helped me sort some thin's out, and now ah'm stuck thinkin' 'bout them. Um..." He pointed up at Canterlot. "Ya remember Orchard Blossom, right?"

Applejack peered up at the city in the sky, er, mountain. "Hard to forget. Mah brother's better at bein' pretty than me." She swatted at him, but didn't actually touch him. "Ain't even a little fair."

"Now, that ain't true." Big Mac sat on the customer side of the stall, facing Applejack. "We got pictures. When ya want to be pretty, yer dang good at it."

That brought a fierce blush to her cheeks. "Aw... Yer jus' sayin' that, not that ah'm complainin' none. So, what about her?" She kicked a hind hoof back at Canterlot. "She upta somethin'?"

"Every day, er, night." He turned a hoof on himself. "Mind if ah admit somethin'?"

"Sure?" Applejack inclined her head, adjusting an apple idly. "This somethin' ah should keep quiet?"

"If ya could..." Big Mac cleared his throat. "After a lot a thinkin', worked out somethin'. Blossom's what ah wanted to be. She's a livin' dream. Mah dream."

Applejack was quiet a moment, just cycling a hoof in the air before words found her again. "Ya know she's a mare, right?"

"Ferget that part." He pantomimed shoving that topic out of view. "The part that's loud. The part that speaks her mind. The part that wants to lock eyes with ponies and do stuff with 'em. The part that's cheered for at least half the time... She's a hero..."

Applejack was ready to insist Big Mac was a hero, but it failed. She realized she was... literally that. Her words would come out hollow at best. "Big Mac... Ah know it don't feel like it sometimes, but yer my hero. Yer Apple Bloom's hero."

He raised a brow at that. "Yer Apple Bloom's hero. If she had to pick one pony, we both know that. Don't get me wrong, she loves me, as a brother, but in a hero contest, it's barely a start." He coughed into a hoof. "This, um... ya can tell me to hush up... But even in private, she... What she wants, she reaches fer. That ain't a skill ah got."

"So get it." Applejack crossed her arms. "If she's showin' you things you like, decide if you really do like it or not, then get to it. A pony ain't no statue. If ya wanna grow, then grow! Ya think ah ain't changed?" She pointed up at Twilight's castle. "Been through a lot since she came like a tornado in alla our lives. Bein' alive means that can happen. Best part, if ya think about it. So don't be scared of it."

Big Mac chuckled softly. "Well, who's gonna--"

"--You cut that short." She popped a hoof in his mouth, leaning over the counter to reach it. "Ah've taken plenty of time out 'cause somethin' called me away. Sure, there were important, but ah still did it. Now, if ya got somethin' important, well, then it falls on me to return the favor." She sat back with a huff. "So get to it. We both got friends to help out."

"Um." He didn't have words, so he didn't offer any. Several ponies came and went to get their produce, with Applejack serving them up with a smile. "Um... So."

"So?" Applejack propped an elbow on the counter. "Whatcha got in mind?"

Big Mac lifted his shoulders slowly. "Is it alright if ah ain't sure?"

"Sure it is." She pushed an apple towards a pony, chatting with them a moment before sending them off with an apple, and a bit less. "Look... Ya been real good. Rock solid... Ya... used to be a real loudmouth, then ya went quiet, fer years." She leaned forward on her elbows. "An' part of that was mah fault, for not sayin' nothin'."

Big Mac sighed, a slow release of a noise. "Ah caused a lot of trouble, back then..."

"But goin' silent weren't the best answer. It was an answer, sure. An easy one, and ah took it... But ah shouldn't have." She waved Big Mac closer. "Ah like that ya started talkin' 'gain. Ah missed yer voice. Ah missed yer thoughts... Mac, yer my brother. Even when ya drive me crazy, ah still love ya."

Big Mac was still a moment. "But... Ah almost lost everythin'..."

"Almost." Applejack shrugged. "Ah almost lost the whole dang world, the things ah been doin'... We both learned from our mistakes, ah hope, but the answer ain't to shut that mouth a yers." She swatted gently at his shoulder. "And ah gotta keep up with that crazy unicorn we know."

"Good luck wit' that." Big Mac offered a heavy hoof, clopping it against Applejack's smaller one. "Ah... think ah need some time."

"And I thought that'd be the case." She shooed Big Mac Gently. "Already called up a couple ah couses. They'll be by to help keep things in one piece. So don't even worry 'bout it. Go find yerself."

Big Mac patted himself down. "Found it."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "As if it were that easy. Ya know what I mean!"

"But... they ain't here." Surely he would have seen them around the house earlier. "Ah gotta take my turn after lunch."

"Ya gotta go take care of yerself." She made more vigorous shooing motion. "Go on, get. Yer on leave."

Big Mac shrank back, ears flopping. "Shoot... That makes two ah me done been sent home..."

"Nuh uh." Applejack pointed off into town. "Ah don't think yer gonna do any findin' there. Get out there."

"Yes, mom." He huffed and walked away from her, though she was watching with a smarmy smile.

Big Mac had a whole day to himself, and a night, he knew was coming, where he'd have as much to do... Even if he set aside 'her' time as her own, it still held no promises of excitement ahead of either of them. "Shoot..."

"Hey." A mare waved at Big Mac, an easy smile on her face. "If it isn't the biggest mac I know!" she took a sip from her mug of potent-smelling libation. "What're you up to?"

Big Mac turned to her. "How ya doin'?" He nodded at Berry Punch. "A bit early fer that, ain't it?" He inclined his head at the mug cradled around her hoof.

"This? Nah." She took another little pull. "Always time for that. Looking at you, you could use one too." She stood up on three of her hooves. "Wanna go to my favorite spot? I know some good ones! You look like you could use a..." She paused suddenly, as if forgotting what she was saying. "I know some spots."

Big Mac considered Berry Punch. "Tryin' to find myself, not forget nothin'."

"Oh, silly colt!" She thwapped him with the mug, splashing some of it on him. "You drink to forget, sometimes, yeah, sometimes... Sometimes... But also! You drink to remember things." She tapped at her head. "Works both ways, either way, all the time. Been there, I know..."

"Silly question."

She perked at that, though the perked ears sagged as if that just too much effort. "Hit me. Not literally... I can't take a swing very well." She rocked backwards, almost falling over. "Now this!" She pointed at her mug with her free hoof. "This I can take. I'm really even pretty good at it."

"You're Berry Punch," started Big Mac, though he couldn't finish the question.

"--Sure am!" She threw an arm over his withers, holding him close. Her breath smelled of alcohol and deep berry hints. Not as bad as some drunk humans, but still quite potent. "How'd you know?"

"We're friends?" tried Big Mac, unsure.

"Oh right! Well. We can't be friends. If we were friends, we'd be goin' someplace fun to get a drink." She tugged at him with her wrapped arm, pulling him onwards. "I know the best place!"

And so Big Mac got drawn along by the sloshed mare, unsure how to escape her grasp until they were well inside a bar. The moment she stepped inside, cheers erupted. "Berry!" was the communal cry, with mugs and glasses raised high to greet her.

The bartender plunked down a bottle with a strawberry and some grapes. "Your favorite."

"You are the best." Berry waved a hoof at the tender before grabbing the bottle by the lip in her mouth. With some motions, she got the cork off with just her tongue and lips, spitting out the cork and twisting the whole bottle to refill her mug with it. "Just in time. A dry Berry is a sad... sad berry. We don't want that." Cries went up in agreement.

Big Mac turned for the door, ready to make his escape. "Ah really--" But then the bottle was shoved against him, half full after refilling Berry's mug. She was pushing it against him with a big smile.

The tender tipped his hat. "I've seen that look. A little sip at least, or you'll go and break her heart."

"Don't do that," she wailed as if he entire family of puppies were slain in front of her. "That's just the worst. You're a friend, you said so... Try it."

"Just a sip." Big Mac closed his hooves around the bottle, holding it from both sides. "But then ah should go." Berry wasn't arguing, just watching him intently. "Here goes." He upended the bottle to get a drink. Bottles were not mugs. He was used to mugs, not so much drinking from bottles. What should have been a sip was a mouthful that he half swallowed and half spat out, sputtering.

"Tastes good, right?" She was already swatting his back, helping him get his breath back. "So good..."

"It ain't bad." He wasn't drunk, far from it, but the edges were being worn down with each moment he took to regain his composure. What was the hurry? He could handle himself just fine! The crowd was cheering him on, smiles and lifted drinks. They were a lot of friendly ponies, and... maybe he wanted some company right then.

Berry thrust a hoof up. "This stallion just popped his first berry!" The bar exploded in cheers and stomps as more libations vanished down throats. "But it won't be the last," she assured, snuggling in against his side. "Let's drink until we remember, or forget, or forget what we wanna remember! Or maybe remember what, no, that'd be bad..." Ignoring the fact that this was a thing that happened sometimes, Berry lifted her mug for a fresh swig. "To living!"

"To living!" roared the crowd. A mug came in, tapping against the bottle Big Mac still held. The pony that did it was grinning and cheering, turning back their mug for a fresh drink.

Big Mac could handle cider. The bottle had no fear from him. He took a second big swig, joining the cheering.

It was a pity that the stuff Berry Punch used was a fair bit more potent than apple cider was made to be. But that was a problem for later.

Later problems were a thing Big Mac was rapidly losing space for. Only the current mattered, and the current had cheering crowds and a good friend that had brought him there.

Author's Note

Big Mac decides they are two ponies. This has a lot of implications, some of which are gone over straight away. VOTE: https://forms.gle/nZ1hzVrE8W8JazC18 I want some viewer participation.

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