Chapter 6
Slow Show
Big Mac entered the kitchen, where Applejack was preparing dinner. “Hey, AJ,” he said. “What ya got going there?”
“Some potato stew,” she answered.
He nodded. “Where’s Granny?”
“Helpin’ Apple Bloom with some schoolwork,” AJ said. “So Ah saw ya take the girls out to practice their applebuckin’. How’d they do?”
“Well,” he said, “Ah don’t think Ah’ll ever see a pegasus or a unicorn who’re any good at farmin’.”
They both laughed.
“Don’t let RD hear ya say that,” AJ joked. She turned back to the pot and added some more herbs to the stew.
Big Mac watched her silently for a moment. “Hey, Applejack?”
“Yeah?”
“Ah jus’ wanted to say, Ah’m sorry for how acted all them years ago. When Ma an’ Pa died.”
AJ turned away from the stew and looked at him.
He continued, “It’s jus’… Ah realized Ah never apologized before.”
“Ya ain’t got nothing to be sorry about,” Applejack said softly.
Big Mac shook his head. “That ain’t true. All that time, ‘fore ya left for Manehatten, Ah treated y’all so bad. Ah was supposed to be looking out for ya, and for Apple Bloom and Granny Smith, and Ah didn’t. Ah even drove ya away from home.” There were tears in his eyes.
Applejack came over and rested her head against his neck. “Yer also why Ah came back.”
“Ya were always so strong, AJ. The strongest one in the family. Ma and Pa would be so proud of ya.” He sighed and pulled away from her. “Ah wish Ah could be as strong as you. Ah can’t even hold mah family together. Rarity won’t even speak to me. She ain’t even come back yet tonight. Ah guess she don’t want to see me.” He looked down. “Ah guess Ma and Pa wouldn’t be as proud of me.”
“Hogwash!” Applejack said. “Ya always looked after me an’ Apple Bloom. And any trouble yer having ya’ll fix. Ah know ya will ’cause yer mah brother. An’ don’t ya dare say Ma and Pa wouldn’t be proud of ya, ‘cause they are.”
“Ya think so?” he asked.
“Ah know so,” she answered, “’cause Ah’m proud of ya.”
Big Mac looked up at her and smiled. “Thank you, AJ. Ah can always count on ya to kick some sense into me.”
“Listen, Big Mac,” she said. “Ah didn’t say anything, ‘cause Ah didn’t want to stick my snout in where it don’t belong. But Ah think Ah might have some idea as to why Rarity’s been so distant lately.” She took a deep breath and continued. “A little while back, she saw me givin’ Ace some free apples and got curious. Ah told her it wasn’t my place to say, but Ah guess she must have done some askin’ around, because a little bit ago she came to me again, an’ asked me to tell her what happened.”
“And ya did?” Big Mac asked.
AJ looked uncomfortable. “Ah wouldn’t have, it’s jus’… she wasn’t jus’ asking. She was upset. Real upset, ’fore Ah had even told her anything. Ah didn’t even say that much, only what Ah had been there for. But Ah guess that was too much.”
Big Mac asked, “When she came to ya the second time, was it before or after Fancypants’s party?”
“After,” AJ replied.
Big Mac was silent. Then he said quietly, “It was mah fault. Mah sins catchin’ up to me.”
Before Applejack could respond, there came a loud knocking on the door.
“Come in,” AJ called
The door front door opened to reveal Spike.
“Hey there, Spike,” Applejack called. “Come on in.”
Spike joined the two ponies in the kitchen.
“Hi, AJ,” he said, “Big Mac.”
Big Mac nodded politely.
“What brings ya around?” AJ asked.
“Rarity sent me,” he replied.
“Why?” Big Mac asked.
Spike answered, “She wanted me to tell you guys that she has another doctor’s appointment and she’ll be late getting back.”
“Another appointment?” Big Mac said. He stepped closer. “How come?”
“Uh, I don’t know,” Spike replied looking up at the workhorse towering above him. “She just said to tell you not to worry and not to wait up.”
“That’s all?” Big Mac asked. “She didn’t say why she had another appointment?”
Spike shrugged.
Big Mac stepped away. He looked out the window, a pensive expression on his face.
“Spike,” Applejack said, “would ya like to stay for supper? We’re havin’ potato stew.”
Spike sniffed the air and licked his lips. “That sounds great!” he said. “I’m starving.”
“Hey, AJ,” Big Mac said slowly, still looking out the window, “Ah think Ah’m gonna go meet Rare in town, walk her home.”
“Okay,” AJ said. “We’ll save some food for y’all.”
Big Mac exited the farmhouse and started walking towards Ponyville. As he walked, his pace slowly increased. First to a trot. Then to a canter. By the time he reached the edge of Sweet Apple Acres he was at a full-on gallop.
*****
The door to the doctor’s office slammed open. Big Mac barged inside to see a startled Twilight and Nurse Redheart.
“Twi,” he panted. He was winded and sweating from his run to the clinic. “Rarity, where… what…”
“Big Mac, it’s okay,” Twilight said. “Rarity’s fine.”
“And the…” he started.
“The baby’s fine too,” she answered.
Big Mac took a deep breath. “Why was she here?” he asked.
Nurse Redheart answered, “There were some signs that she possibly had a dangerous condition called preeclampsia, but I took her blood pressure, and it’s back to normal. We just finished testing her urine sample, and the protein level is back down as well. We were just on our way to tell her.”
“So there’s no problem?” Big Mac asked. “Yer sure?”
“We’re sure,” Twilight assured him. “Rarity and the baby are perfectly fine.”
Big Mac sat down on the floor and tried to slow his heartbeat. “Okay,” he said. “Okay.”
Twilight asked, “Do you want to go see her?”
“Ah…” He looked down at the floor. “Ah don’t know if she wants to see me. Why don’t ya jus’… tell her Ah’m here. When ya go in to let her know it’s all fine, jus’ tell her Ah’m here.”
Twilight nodded. “All right.”
She disappeared into the room where Rarity was waiting.
Big Mac waited silently.
After a moment Twilight reentered the waiting room.
“She wants to see you,” she said.
In her room, Rarity watched as the door opposite where she sat opened.
Big Mac came in. “Hey Rare,” he said tentatively. He moved slightly to let the door swing close.
“Hello, Mac,” she answered from across the room. Her eyes looked bloodshot.
“So, yer okay?” he asked. “Ah mean, Twi and Nurse Redheart said yer okay. Ya feel fine?”
“Yes,” she replied. “It was just a false alarm.”
They were silent for a moment. Rarity opened her mouth to speak.
“Rarity,” Big Mac interrupted. “Ah got to say somethin’.” He started pacing back and forth. “An’ ya can say whatever ya want after Ah finish. Ya can even tell me to go, but first, jus’ let me say something. Please?” He stopped and looked at her.
She nodded.
“When Ah first…” He paused to collect his thoughts and started pacing again. “Before we got married, before Ah knew ya, Ah jus’ spent all day working the fields an’ looking after the farm. Ah mean Ah still do, but that’s all there was for me. All Ah cared about was Granny and AJ and Apple Bloom. And Ah was happy, ya know? Ah never wanted anything more.
“And then Ah met ya. Ah’ve heard folks say that fallin’ in love is like filling a hole ya never knew ya had. But it ain’t. Ah wasn’t missin’ nothing before. What Ah’m trying to say is that it wasn’t like Ah had a Rarity-shaped hole in mah heart before Ah knew ya. It was like after Ah knew ya, after ya became mah wife, Ah grew. Like ya became a part of me. Ah wasn’t missin’ anything before, but Ah was still less than Ah am with ya. And these last couple weeks it’s like we’ve been strangers. And then today, Spike came over, and he told me ya were at the doctor’s, and he didn’t know why. And Ah got this fear, ‘cause Ah couldn’t stop thinking ‘bout what’d be like if you were… were...” He couldn’t finish.
“I was going to say that I’m sorry.”
He looked up at her. Silent tears were falling from her eyes.
“That night at the party,” she continued, “I should have gotten angry. I should have yelled at you. I’d heard all these stories about you, from when you were younger. I was afraid, afraid I didn’t know who you were. Afraid of what I’d find if I looked too
close. And I didn’t share my fear with you. I needed you, and instead I ran away. And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”
Big Mac crossed the room and laid his head across her neck.
Rarity could feel his tears against her neck.
“Thank you,” she said. “For coming here. Even when I didn’t ask you to.”
“Ah’m scared Ah’m gonna lose ya,” he replied. “Ah can’t lose ya.”
“You never will.” She rested her head against the side of his neck. “I promise you never will.”
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Author's notes:
The chapter title is taken from a song by The National.