Big Mac’s Confrontation
Chapter 3: Calm before the storm
Big Mac turned and began to trot back to his house in the large clearing that housed the farm. His crimson coat was only barely disguising the deep red colour in his face as his blood began to boil at the thought of what had just occurred.
“A coltcuddler?! My best friend is one of them freaks?” He continued to rant like this all the way back, his anger subsiding with each insult he hurled at no one in particular.
By the time he had arrived, Celestia’s sun had almost finished with its descent, painting the sky with warm colours. Red faded to orange, as orange faded to a deep purple, blessing the farm with the light of a thousand stars.
When he arrived, he bucked open the door, to be greeted by his eldest sister, Applejack.
“Howdy Big Mac! Ah baked an’ apple pie if yer hungry.” Of course she did. She always had a nice apple pie or apple strudel cooked when he got back from his chores. She cooked the best damn apple-anythings in all of Equestria! “You alright Mac? You ain’t looking so good.”
“T’aint none of yer business Applejack. Don’t go pryin’ inter things that don’t concern you.” He sighed. It wasn’t in his nature to show anything but smiles and good cheer when his family talked to him, but now? He was just too angry to care. “Ah ain’t hungry. Ah’ll be upstairs if yer need me.”
“Now wait up a minute. Ain’t ever had to bake a pie for you to just say no. Ah don’t think you’ve ever said no to anyone’s apple pie before. What’s wrong Mac?”
“Ah said t’aint none of yer business. Jus’ drop it AJ”
“Ah don’t think I rightly wanna drop it Mac! Something is wrong and ah am going to get to the bottom of it, if it’s the last thing ah do!” Being the element of honesty, she was likely to keep to her word. That is what frightened Big Mac the most. “Does this have anything to do with Caramel mopin’ ‘round outside the farm? Did you have anythin’ to do with that?!”
“He’s a coltcuddler sis! T’aint right, and that’s what ah said. Better he leaves now or ah don’ think ah’d be able to look him in the eyes again.” His voice was filled with contempt yet he felt a small twinge in his chest at the mention of Caramel’s name. It was as if someone was taking a hold on it from the inside. It was something that he couldn’t rightly explain.
“Wha- You said what?!” Applejack was fuming. Never before had she thought her brother would say something so disgusting to one of their closest friends “Ah can not believe you! So what if he likes stallions? What in the hay does that have to do with you?”
“You actually condone that…that filth?! Ma and Pa always said-“
“Ma and Pa ain’t here no more! Besides, whatever they said about this coltcuddling business is a load of horseapples! T’aint nothing wrong with it” She wasn’t about to let this go. In her books, this kind of attitude was something that didn’t belong in the Apple family.
“Load of horse- Now wait there for just one minute sis! They said it’s wrong. Their word was law! We respect that. You got it?” He planted his face right in front of hers, their muzzles almost touching and their eyes fixed on each other. They were sharing glares that could turn even a cockatrice to stone! “Ah wouldn’t expect you to understand sis. Now git. Before ah or you do something we’ll regret! Ah won’t stand for mah family trying to argue back!”
“Fine” she replied, snorting in disgust at her brother’s attitude. “Ah’ll go. Fer now. But ah want you out there apologising fer what you said, or ah won’ think twice about leavin’ yer.” The worst part? She meant it.
She walked out the door, slamming it back so that it slammed against the wall, only to rebound off, leaving a large crack that scaled the length of the wall, and back into place, almost ripping off of its hinges as it did so. It was a testament to the sheer force that comes with the storm that was AJ’s anger. Big Mac was angry, he was tired, hungry and he wasn’t willing to deal with the repercussions of this argument. He felt as if the whole world was against him!
“Buck this. Ah need some sleep” he muttered under his breath. As much as he hated using any profanity, it felt right this time. To be quite honest, he didn’t care. He walked over to the small, battered, hole-ridden couch, and lay down. As he began to rest his sleepy head, the smell of freshly cut apples, and crisp apple pie filled the air, sending him off to the land of dreams with a smile on his face, despite the circumstances.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Caramel you there?” The small colt whispered. The fear of getting caught was overwhelming him.
“Right here!” The little, caramel coloured colt shouted back, forgetting that they were supposed to be quiet in his excitement. It had been a few weeks since the incident with Granny Smith, and the two young colts were as determined as ever to be best friends. They had been meeting up in secret every day they could since then.
“Keep yer voice down Caramel! We’re gonna get caught”
“Oh yeah. Sorry” he said as a sheepish smile crossed his face. “So umm…what are we going to do today Big Mac? We could draw or play hide and seek or we could go on an adventure!” Caramel began planning out their day already, not willing to spare a minute of what little time they had together.
“Actually Caramel, ah was thinking we could jus’…you know. We could do what we did last week. Ah kinda liked it.” Big Mac replied, his voice barely able to hide the feeling of dread that he was having. What if Caramel says no? Will he think I’m weird?
“Sure! I liked it as well.” A huge smile spread from one ear to the other, as he shouted in reply once again. “So is your mum alright? She went in to the hospital yesterday and we didn’t see her come back out” Caramel lay down next to Big Mac and snuggled close, his best friend giving him the warmth that he craved on these rainy days. He did worry for Big Mac, as his mother was often seen walking in and out of the hospital every now and then. When she hadn’t left the day before, Caramel wondered if something had happened.
“Ah- ah dunno Mel” The tears began to stream down his cheeks as if the dam in his eyes had just blown, releasing the water that it was built to keep at bay. “Pa says sh-she ain’t d-d-doing so g-good. He says that she m-might be sick f-for a wh-while.” He grabbed Caramel in a loving embrace, hoping that in doing so, all his troubles would leave him. The barn was quiet and he was sure nopony could hear his sobbing. His tears soaked Caramels mane as he cried on the shoulders of the colt he had come to see as family almost, although he saw it as a different kind of family.
“I’m sure she’s fine Mac. She always gets better right? Maybe…maybe she had a sleepover!” It was a weak attempt at cheering the red colt up, but it was an attempt all the same.
“M-maybe. Ah jus’ d-dunno what t-to do anym-more.”
“I think you should go see her. Right now. Don’t worry about today. We can always play tomorrow!”
“R-really? Thanks Mel! Yer the bestest friend ever!” He gave Caramel one last hug, and to his surprise (and unexpected delight) he received a quick peck on the cheek in return. He turned, trying to hide the deep crimson that had formed where Caramel had kissed him, that he was sure would show up even through his fur, and ran out of the barn, towards the hospital. He wanted to get his mum a few things first though. A trip to the florist it was then!
After picking up some beautiful white tulips and a box full of his mother’s favourite chocolates, Big Mac rushed into the hospital. He knew exactly where to go, after being here with his mum several times before.
“Oh hey Big Mac” The nurse at the desk shouted. He always visited when his mum was here, so the staff had come to recognise him. She quickly came to her wits however and changed her tone. “No Big Mac wait!”
It was too late. The little colt had already started running down the corridors that lead to his mother’s room. He weaved through the legs of the hospital staff, ducking under trolleys and jumping over the occasional chair. With the flowers and chocolates in his mouth and the young nurse that was behind the desk giving chase, Big Mac sprinted round the last turn. He charged through the door.
“Ma, ma look what ah got. Ah came to-“ He stopped mid-sentence, noticing that something wasn’t right. “Ma? Yer here? Umm nurse, where’s mah ma?” He asked, his voice filled more with worry than confusion.
“Oh dear Big Mac. I’m…I’m so sorry. Your mother she.,,” Even the nurse couldn’t bring herself to say it. He was only a colt. He didn’t deserve this. “She’s gone. She’s gone to a faraway place and…she won’t be coming back for a long time. I’m sorry Big Mac.”
“Wha- You mean she’s…what do yer mean she’s gone?”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Big Mac jumped off of the sofa, his body covered in sweat. He had that dream at least once a week, and every time it scared him more and more. This time it was worse, with the thought of Caramel still fresh in his mind. His chest began to ache again. It was a small, stabbing pain to his heart. Agh! Ah should really get that checked.
The house erupted with the sound of hooves bashing, relentlessly on the door. Each one had more force to it than the last. Before Big Mac could even wonder who it was, the door came off of its hinges, crashing onto the floor with a heavy thud, cracking the old wooden floorboards. In the space where the door once stood was a mare not much younger than him. Her toffee coat was matted down with rain and her dark brown mane was swaying in the breeze.
“Now just who in the hay do ya’ll think-“ Big Mac began to ask, before he was interrupted by two hooves simultaneously colliding with his flank, causing him to tumble to the floor in pain. The mysterious mane stood over him, a fire in her eyes much unlike the one that filled his own only hours ago in that clearing with Caramel.
“You got some explainin’ to do mister. Now tell me. Why’d mah brother come home all upset? Why’d he say yer broke his heart hmm?” The anger in her voice was only matched by the anger that filled Big Mac’s heart at the thought of this mare, barging into his home and asking him these ridiculous questions.
“Ah don’ gotta explain nothin’! Now who are ya?!” He already knew that this was Caramel’s sister. The resemblance was too obvious for it not to be. The sight of her made his chest throb with pain once again. “Nah ferget it. Ah already know who you are. Ain’t no reason to go statin’ the obvious. Now what do ya want?!”
“Ah wanna know why ya broke my li’l brother’s heart! I wanna know why ya told him that bein’ a coltcuddler is wrong and I wanna know who in the hay ya think you are!”
“Ah broke his heart because what he IS is wrong. T’aint right! I said it’s wrong ‘cause that is exactly what it is and ah am Big Mac, the owner of this fine” he looked to the door that lay on the wooden floorboards and corrected himself “once fine establishment. Ah also don’ take kindly to strangers threatenin’ me!”
“Ah don’t care if yer the mole on Princess Luna’s hindquarters! This is mah brother you treated like…well you can guess what ah mean, and ah love him more than anythin’! So you are gonna march outta there and go find him. If you so much as step back in this town again without him, yer head’ll be so far up yer tailhole that you’ll be recycling food fer the next month!”
“What if ah say no?! Ah ain’t goin’ outta mah way to find some foolish coltcuddler!”
“If yer don’t, ah’ll knock yer about ‘till you ain’t got no fight left, then ah’ll take down this ‘Fine establishment’ until it’s nothin’ more than a pile of rubble” her face absolutely screamed ‘Try me’.
“Well ah can’t very much do that with you standing on me now can ah?”
Toffee moved out of the way, keeping an eye on Big Mac all the time. “Look ah don’ mean to be so…pushy. Ah love mah brother to death an’ ah’ll do anything to keep him safe an’ happy. Please. Ah don’ wanna see him get hurt” The anger had completely left her voice and now sounded more like pleading.
Big Mac looked into her eyes, and what he saw made his chest throb with a dull pain that he was never used to experiencing. That last time it had happened was when he realised that his mother had…passed. He saw Caramel. Looking past the fact that she was a mare, she was everything that Caramel was. What in the hay is that pain?! It’s beginnin’ to grate on me now! “Fine. Ah’ll do it. Fer mah sake not his! So where is the little frea- ah mean…where is he?”
“Hah! Last ah left him he was at his house but knowing mah brother, he’s probably already left town. Good luck pardner!”
“Well this should be fun. Just let me gather mah things. Ah won’t be long ah jus’ need-“
“OH no you don’t! You are heading out now! You don’ need anything! Go on git!”
If she hadn’t just barged in, bucked him and then threatened him, Big Mac thought that she might be somewhat attractive.
“Have you seen outside? There’s a storm comin’. Looks brutal. Ah can’t possibly-“
“You scared of a little rain? Ah thought you were a big and strong stallion. Ah thought you were mah brother’s ‘Heavenly and mighty stallion of his dreams’” She began to chuckle at the thought of it.
My god she even has the same laugh! “Where’d ya hear that? Ah don’ like that he’s been sayin’ this behind mah back”
“Aayep! Now get goin’. Don’t wanna get caught up in the storm do ya?” She was oddly cheery now. Big Mac could’ve sworn that she just winked at him!
“Ah don’ even know where it- HE is. Ah’ll be lookin’ fer days!”
“A gal can dream! You made him leave, you’ll make him come back ya hear? NOW GO!”
“Al’right Al’right!” Well…here we go. Ah swear on Celestia’s horn that this better not be a waste of mah time!
With that, Big Mac left his home in pursuit of the stallion whose life he had just ruined. The wind whipped at his mane and the rain drenched his coat. He could still feel pain where the mare had bucked him. Damn she has a good buck. Maybe ah should hire her. He couldn’t help but to chuckle at his own thoughts as he left the farm, not knowing that the events that would take place over the next day, would change how he saw him and every other pony completely.