"Mac?"

"Eeyup?"

"Tell me one thing, and be honest about it."

"Alright, Ah'll bite."

Rainbow slowly lifted her head from the red fur pillow underneath it, letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. As she opened her eyes longingly, she gazed out over the landscape, giving a soft smile as she felt the hoof around her shoulder slightly tighten. Looking back at the red stallion sitting next to her, she sighed.

"Mac?"

"Yes Rainbow?"

She paused, not knowing how to approach this. Lowering her head, she bit her lip so hard she thought she would pull blood. Looking back up again, she was greeted to her coltfriend staring back at her, a smile on his lips and a hay stalk in his mouth.

"Mac, I...if anything ever happens...to me-"

"Now where did this come from so suddenly?"

Rainbow wasn't expecting this response. She stuttered, "I've...I don't know, something about this-"

"The wedding- whose is it again?"

"Twilight's brother's, and yes."

"What's got ya so worked up over it?"

Rainbow reclined herself against Mac's chest, resting for a brief moment as she composed herself, "Something about it that I can't quite place my hoof on. The wife-to-be's been acting funny, like she's corrupt or something. Twilight's brother doesn't even seem to notice, and neither do the rest of the girls. Twilight got pissed at us and called the Princess and us out on our strange behavior tonight, and then she just stormed off."

"What about you?"

"She's being a real bitch, and she was calling me out on my form when I showed her what I was planning to do. Like she even knows about aerodynamics! I could be ripped to shreds if I didn't use that 'poor showmanship of acceptance and phalluses', whatever that means!"

As she raised her forelegs in disbelief, she heard a chuckle emanate from behind and to the left of her. Looking at Mac, she saw him completely still and staring back at her nonchalantly. Pouting out her bottom lip and crossing her forelegs, she barely sputtered out a defeated, "I still can't believe a pink princess told me off like that," she waved her right hoof, "she even told off Applejack's cooking without her noticing!"

"Whaddyou mean by that?"

"She told Applejack how good her cooking was, and then, when she wasn't looking, she threw away the bag Applejack gave her-"

"Full of her food?"

"Yes! I was watching the whole thing from the window!"

She regretted saying that.

"So, Ah assume my sis told you to stay out so you wouldn't eat anything then?"

"Mostly Pinkie Pie. She was worried I'd find a way to smuggle her in, as if I could somehow."

Big Macintosh gave a laugh, pulling his marefriend in closer and lowering his nose to her mane. Lightly smelling, he caught a whiff of what smelt like rain drops, most likely a benefit of hers for having a shower that utilized the very same thing. She probably didn't even have to use shampoo-

"Mac?"

He suddenly looked down to Rainbow, pretending he hadn't just had an episode with smelling her mane, "Y-yes Rainbow?"

She looked up at him quickly, as if she had something important to tell him that required his absolute attention, "Mac...did you just...stutter?"

Holding a hoof up to his mouth, he cleared his throat thoroughly before speaking up, "What of it? You stutter all the time-"

A cyan hoof was suddenly thrust over his open mouth, "Hey, that is only because you are a very good stallion when it comes to keeping a mare interested in-"

"Ah get it, Rainbow. Now, finish your thought, sun'll be coming up soon."

Blowing an orange lock out of her eyesight, the mare sighed heavily.

"Mac, if something bad happens at the wedding...promise me-"

"Rainbow, it'll be fine-"

"Promise me."

"Rainbow, don't-"

"Promise. Me."

"What for?"

"Promise me, no matter what, that you'll be safe."

"Rainbow, you're overthinkin' this. Nothin' bad'll happen at the wedding, it'll all go without a hitch-"

"Mac."

The stallion looked toward his marefriend, who was currently standing up from her previous position next to him, her head on his shoulder. Right now, he really wished she was doing that instead.

Rainbow glared at him, legs straight as arrows and her brow furrowed in frustration. Mac sat there silently, his mouth half open and his stalk of hay barely hanging on to it. She knew this would get him, so she kept at it furiously.

"Rainbow-"

"Now Mac," she interrupted, beginning to feel a wave of tears trickle into her eyes, "promise me."

Big Macintosh had done and seen many things in his life. He had been there when his father was hospitalized after an accident in the fields, he had been there for his mother when she fell ill the next month. And when his mother had died, he had been there for his father when he grieved, and he had been there when his father left the farm one fateful morning months after that. He was there when his father entrusted him and him alone with providing for the farm and keeping it alive and thriving for when he returned, and he was there when Applebloom, Applejack, and Granny Smith needed him to sustain them. He was there when Applejack left for Manehattan, and he was there for Applebloom's first day of school. He was there, always there, whenever something troubling happened to his family and his friends, anytime, anywhere. Now, he was here, sitting before the most beautiful mare he had ever laid eyes on, the very same mare he was currently staring at in shock-induced silence, the very same mare who now stared back at him with intent, asking him to do something harder than anything he had ever done before.

"Ah promise, Rainbow."

"Say it."

"Rainbow-"

"Say it Big Macintosh, or so help me Celestia...." the mare could barely finish her sentence, suddenly succumbing to the torrent of tears that had threatened to destroy her image for years at end. She lowered her head, her cheeks stinging and her breath hitched. She bit her lip tightly; she may have broken to crying, but she wouldn't dare fall to bawling loudly. Not for as long as she lived.

She felt a hoof lay itself on her shoulder.

She looked up slowly, letting out a weak sputter and flipping her mane out of her face nonchalantly, hoping Mac wouldn't realize she was crying, red eyes and wet trails running constantly down her face aside.

"Ah promise you, Rainbow. No matter what, Ah'll keep myself safe. For you."

Sniffling, the mare replied, "I..probably sound really lame right now overreacting and crying in front of you..."

Mac wiped her cheek, "You're not, and don't ever think you are."

The Pegasus smiled, and she reached for her coltfriend, who pulled her close to him as she felt the warm rays of Celestia's sun reach her face and blind her from underneath her clenched eyelids.

"Alright now Rainbow, we've gotta get goin'. Ah've got some work to do, and you've got one hell of a weddin' to attend...."

The memory flew through her, filling her with the same feeling she received when she experienced it on that hilltop overlooking Ponyville. Her vision slowly came back to her, and what met her gaze was truly not something she'd expected.

She didn't understand when, how, or even why she chose to do so.

It didn't occur to her what she had done.

Not until she noticed the worn hunting rifle grasped within her hooves, aiming steadily at the mysterious figures currently standing idly by in the Atrium. Even as she noticed this, she couldn't lower her weapon, no matter how much the little voice in her head told her that whoever they were were obviously better trained and far more deadlier than a band of chaotic raiders.

She further disobeyed her conscience as her right hoof released the grip, moved forward along the rifle's frame, and cocked the bolt-action on the side, hearing the familiar clicking sound that signified her enemy's rapidly approaching death. She paid no mind to the iron sights running along the barrel of her weapon, the business end aimed directly between the eyes of a fox-helmeted commander, who stared back at her with his weapon aimed in kind, a slightly curved machete that had seen better days. Not even the dry blood coating the blade was enough to cause her to falter.

"Back. Off. Asshole," she growled.

Author's Note

No Legion conflict just yet. Be patient my Lovelies.