//------------------------------// // They Were Wrong... // Story: Dash’s Little Big Secret // by pandaxxus //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash frowned as she sat on the steps that led to her front door. She wore a dark blue hoodie with jeans, and her rainbow hair fell past her shoulders. It was a cool spring day and there were no clouds in the sky. Rainbow would have loved this type of weather, especially since it was the first time it had been like this since the fall. However, this was what was bothering her. It wasn’t the weather that made her upset, but the fact that it was spring. Months had passed since Rainbow had talked to Applejack in her attic. It had been months since Rainbow had promised to tell Applejack her biggest secret. She was dating her older brother. Not only had she not told Applejack, but no one else knew except for her own mother, and that was only because she was caught talking to him over the phone. Rainbow was terrified of telling Applejack about her relationship. When it had come to these kinds of things, Applejack was very protective and could take things to an entirely different level! She couldn’t imagine how Applejack would react when she had told her that she and her older brother had been dating for six months without telling her. Back in October, Applejack seemed pretty understanding and eased Rainbow’s anxiety. However, at that point, the two had only been together for a couple of weeks, and Rainbow wasn’t even sure that the relationship would work out. Hint: The relationship did work out. It was working out...very well. Rainbow smiled to herself as she began to think about how the relationship began in the first place. Over that last summer, Rainbow and Applejack hung out more than usual. Rainbow would come to Sweet Apple Acres almost every other day and helped the Apple family out on the farm, as her mother had recently gotten a new job and was called off to business trips frequently. Rainbow figured that going to Applejack’s would keep her from being bored constantly while stuck inside the house. While she spent more time with Applejack, which was also a good thing, she had begun to spend more time with both of her siblings as well. There, Rainbow had learned more about Applejack’s family, and learned that there were more to them than what she had originally thought. Rainbow saw that Apple Bloom was more than just a ten year old crazy about movies, but she cared deeply about her friends. She didn’t just like them because they shared the same interests. The young girl had actually looked out for her friends and showed that she wanted the best for them. Throughout the entire month of July, she had overheard Apple Bloom and Scootaloo’s conversations. One day, Scootaloo had went to Apple Bloom to vent about problems at home, and instead of brushing her off like most ten year olds, Apple Bloom comforted Scootaloo and even assured her that there was a guest room in her house that Scootaloo could always stay in when she needed. It was heartwarming to see how close the girls were, and Rainbow gave a lot more respect to Apple Bloom ever since. Dash had also begun to see a new side to Big Macintosh throughout the summer. Before, Rainbow thought he was too quiet and awkward. She didn’t really think much of him. But as time went on, Rainbow saw that Big Macintosh was passionate about his work on the farm and his loyalty to his family. She noticed that he knew how to say more than just the same two words, and when he talked, he talked about the most interesting and charming things. Rainbow soon found herself drawn to Big Macintosh and his amazing qualities, but at the time she never would have thought that she could possibly have a crush on him! Somewhere during the month of July, the two began talking more and more, and Rainbow found herself liking her conversations with Big Mac. She felt that she could talk to him for hours on end and that he’d be there to listen to every word. He understood her, and would answer her questions honestly. Rainbow soon began to become much happier with Big Macintosh around her. Whenever she had a crappy day, she’d head over to Sweet Apple Acres and even just his smile would make her heart swell with joy. After a few weeks, Rainbow stopped herself and saw that something was wrong. She had started her summer off planning to spend more time at Sweet Apple Acres with Applejack. Now, right at the start of August, she found herself walking towards Sweet Apple Acres excited to see Big Macintosh. At first, Rainbow pushed these feelings away. She was Rainbow Dash for goodness sake! What would happen if she was caught being all hung up over a boy? People would think she changed over the summer, that she had become sappy and mushy. Besides, this is Applejack’s brother! Applejack would kill her if she had even joked about liking her brother. Even if Rainbow wanted to take things further, Applejack wouldn’t allow it. After deciding to push her feelings away, Rainbow found it harder to talk to Big Macintosh. In the beginning of August, Rainbow couldn’t even bear to look into Big Mac’s eyes. Whenever she did, she found herself lost in the emerald. Her mouth would become dry and words became harder to form. Her heart would begin to beat hard and fast as if she had just ran laps. Her face would feel hot, and she knew she looked as red as the apples on the trees. Dash couldn’t understand what was happening. She’d try to look away from his eyes, and look at his freckles, hair, anywhere else! They all made her feel worse and stutter even more. Is this what falling in love is like? Why does Rarity like it so much? Wait...I’m not falling in love am I? I can’t be! This would happen every time the two would make conversation, and they would always end with Rainbow stomping away, her face suffuse with red. She hated this. What happened to the conversations that they were having just a month prior? It was so easy to talk to him, laugh with him, and joke around with him. Now, Rainbow couldn’t even look at Mac without having a mental breakdown. Was it because she was trying to pretend she didn’t like him? If that was the case, pretending only made matters worse! Dash knew she was head over heels for Mac at this point and there was nothing she could do about it. There was too much at stake though, her reputation and her friendship with Applejack! The only way she could stop herself was to stay away from Big Macintosh. Sure, it would hurt to stop talking to him, especially after how they had bonded over the summer, but she had went her whole life without talking to him before. It couldn’t be that hard. It was halfway through August now, and Rainbow decided to tell Big Macintosh that their little “friendship” had to end, with the most reasonable explanation of course. That day, Rainbow had made her way over to Sweet Apple Acres as normal and had hung out with Applejack for about an hour or two before Big Macintosh began walking towards her with that stupid, amazing smile on his face. “Howdy Ms. Dash.” Big Macintosh waved. Rainbow tried to swallow a lump that was forming in her throat. This wasn’t as hard as she thought it was going to be last night. She had practiced what she was going to say to him the night before, where were the words?! “Hey, Mac..” Rainbow said nervously. Big Macintosh seemed to immediately sense that something was wrong. He crossed his arms and looked at her, his green eyes made contact with her magenta ones, and they were filled with a look of compassion and sympathy. “Are ya okay?” He asked softly. Rainbow felt as if her eye began twitching, and it probably was. Why was he so nice? They had only really gotten to know each other over the past month or two and he could read her mind as if he had known her for years! “What’s wrong? Do ya wanna talk? Ah’m right here.” He stepped closer to her. “I can’t talk to you anymore!” Rainbow snapped. “What?” “Us being friends isn’t going to work.” “Why not? Of course it will, Ms. Dash.” “Think about this for a second, Mac. You are a senior this year, and I am just a junior! We are barely going to see or talk to each other anyway this year. All this is going to do is drive us apart and we won’t be as close as we are now.” “Well...Ah agree about the part where we won’t see each other as much but Ms. Dash-” “See! We are totally on the same page! We weren’t that great of friends before all of this anyway. By the end of the school year, all you are going to be is my friend’s quiet brother. That’s all, nothing more.” Rainbow lied, and saw a flash of hurt in Big Mac’s green eyes. “That’s all ya think of me?” Big Macintosh asked softly. “Yes.” Rainbow answered. The two fell into an awkward silence, and a soft breeze made its way through the air. Big Macintosh’s orange hair was blown slightly towards the direction of the wind as he looked down and put his hands in his pockets. “Look, Mac. All I’m saying is...we aren’t going to have the same bond next year like we did this year. Maybe this was meant to be just a one time thing and I’m glad we had this chance to talk to each other and have fun. I just want to end things now rather than watch it get torn down later on y’know?” Rainbow lied. She hated every minute of this, but it was for the better. “Yeah...Ah guess Ah understand..” Big Macintosh said, “Ah kind of have things to finish and Ah think AJ is comin’ back anyway.” “Ok.” Rainbow muttered. It was the only thing she could say. “See ya around.” He said before walking off. Rainbow crossed her arms and leaned on a fence. She kept looking down until she felt Applejack approach her. “Sorry Ah took so long Sugarcube, those pigs sure are somethin’.” Applejack chuckled. Rainbow tried and failed to laugh along with Applejack. She felt numb and empty inside, she couldn’t care less about anything at that moment. “Woah...what happened?” Applejack stepped in front of her friend, concern written all over her face. Blinking tears away, Rainbow looked up at Applejack and gave a small smile. “Nothing. Just tired. I was thinking about going home to just take a nap anyway.” Rainbow lied again that day. “Y’know you can just nap on the couch or in the guest room right?” “Yeah...but I don’t want to scare Granny while she’s cleaning and she finds this random girl passed out on her furniture.” “Dash, you’ve been up here all summer. None of us think you’re some ‘random girl’ anymore.” “Aww,” Rainbow cooed trying to lighten the mood, “AJ doesn’t want her Dashie to leave her.” She said in a tone she’d use on a baby, and pulled Applejack close. “Aw, shut up you.” Applejack smacked Rainbow only to hear her cackling, “Go and get home! Shoo!” Rainbow forced out another laugh. “See you tomorrow, Freckles.” she said before darting home. That day was the first time she had cried in a long time. The minute she had gotten home, she had let her guard down and started sobbing. She thought that pushing Big Mac away would stop her from thinking about him, but now all she had added onto her mind was guilt. She was wrong...so very wrong. She had thought about Big Mac every day, all the way up to the final day of summer. That evening, Rainbow went out to one of her favorite places to think, a pond that was found far out in Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow would come there when she needed a break from reality or whenever she was feeling stressed. The soft blowing of the wind and the calm surface of the water always seemed to put Rainbow at ease, and that day was no exception. On that cool September evening, Rainbow sat close to the pond, her knees were held close to her chest. She closed her eyes as she listened to the sweet sound of silence, and some footsteps heading towards her. Wait, footsteps? Rainbow let go of her position and turned to see who was coming towards her. Her heart nearly stopped as she looked right into a pair of green eyes, their face covered with freckles, and short orange hair. It was Big Macintosh, standing there as if he had just stumbled upon her by accident “How’d you know I was here?” She asked as she returned to her previous position. Rainbow had to pretend as if she didn’t care that he had shown up, even though she was having difficulty keeping her heart beating at a normal rate. “Ya told me that ya liked comin’ down here at the beginnin’ of summer.” his deep voice came closer to Rainbow, and he held his hand out to help her stand up. Rainbow took Mac’s hand and stood to face him. She brushed some of her rainbow bangs out of her eyes to see him clearly. The sun was setting and the lighting was beautiful. “Oh, yeah, right. It’s awesome that you were able to remember.” Rainbow gave a small laugh. “Look, Ms. Dash, Ah need to talk to ya,” Big Macintosh stared at Rainbow. Rainbow hated to admit it, but she was scared. What was he going to say? Despite her nervousness, Rainbow kept her cool demeanor and nodded as if it was nothing. “Ah know that you don’t want to be friends anymore..and Ah respect that...Ah really do,” Big Mac began, “But, at first Ah thought the same way about you, like how you do about me. To me, you were just Applejack’s self-absorbed, egotistical, friend. Ah couldn’t understand why or how she had the patience to put up with ya, but Ah never said anythin’. This summer though...it changed the way Ah saw ya. You aren’t egotistical or self-absorbed, you’re confident. Somethin’ that I could never be. You care about your friends, and you care so much about my sister. You’d do anythin’ for em’. Talkin’ with you this summer made me realize a lot of things. You’re smart, beautiful, loyal, strong, and confident. Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever thought of someone so positive before. And Ah don’t want our friendship to end without you knowin’ this.” Rainbow could barely speak, but she managed to squeak out two words. “Knowing what?” “Ms. Dash...Ah like ya. And I don’t mean friendly. Ah like ya a lot. It’s the only thing that Ah want ya to remember about me...okay?” Big Macintosh kept his distance from Rainbow out of respect, but his eyes reflected how much he cared. Rainbow’s bottom lip quivered and tears sprang to her eyes. She wouldn’t dare let any fall though, not in front of him. Suddenly, all of her worries about her reputation and Applejack went away. All that mattered at that moment was Big Macintosh. They could have a secret relationship, just until she was ready. She’d tell him all of her worries, and he’d most likely understand. First however, she had to let him know the truth. She took a deep breath in and took a few steps closer to Macintosh. “You are such an idiot,” she huffed, looking down. “Ah’m sorry?” Big Macintosh questioned. “I like you too. Wasn’t it obvious?” Rainbow’s smile spread wide on her now rosy cheeks. “Wait, really? Ya like me too?” “Are you deaf or something? I said yes!” Out of excitement, Big Macintosh wrapped his arms around the short girl’s hips and twirled her around. Rainbow squealed out of both surprise and happiness. He put her down soon after and looked down in embarrassment. “Sorry, got a little excited.” he apologized while smiling sheepishly. Rainbow said nothing as she placed both of her hands on Big Mac’s face and stood on the tip of her toes to kiss Big Macintosh on the lips. The kiss wasn’t very long nor was it too short, but it was enough to prove the couple were finally happy. After breaking the kiss, Rainbow stared and smiled at Big Macintosh. “Mac, I have a question.” she said sweetly. “Yes, darlin?” He smiled down at her, and watched as her face turned crimson as he used the term. “Can you stop calling me Ms. Dash now?” Big Macintosh laughed deeply and replied. “Yeah...yeah I will.” The two stood there in each other’s embrace, neither of them wanting to let go. Rainbow snapped out of her thoughts. She probably was smiling like an idiot as people passed by her house. It was just hard to believe that all of that had happened seven months ago. She remembered telling Big Macintosh how she had felt after they had become a couple. It turned out that Big Macintosh was afraid of Applejack’s reaction as well, and he had agreed to wait until they were both ready. However, Rainbow told Applejack that she would let her know, and then didn’t say anything for six months! If anything, Applejack’s reaction would be even worse than what she thought. Not only was she dating her brother, but on top of that, they’d been dating secretly without her knowing for a whole seven months! Rainbow sat on her front steps fighting with herself for a good minute, before a familiar face came before her. “Everythin’ okay?” the deep voice asked, and Rainbow instantly smiled. “Yep.” she said. As the face frowned at her, Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I’m still kind of worried about Applejack, Mac. Now she’s gonna be really mad.” Rainbow pouted. “Why don’t we go and talk about this over some Chocolate Blazed Cookie Swirl ice cream?” Big Macintosh smirked and helped his girlfriend up. Rainbow smiled at her boyfriend and took his hand. “Sure.” Rainbow’s eyes widened for a moment before giving Big Macintosh an evil smirk, “Last one to make it to the ice cream parlor has to pay!” She said before taking off down the street. Big Macintosh didn’t even try to stop her, but rolled his eyes and laughed as he began to run after his girlfriend.