//------------------------------// // A public trip to the public hospital // Story: Earth and Sky // by Metal Pony Fan //------------------------------// I needed that. A nice nap always clears my head. I started to open my eyes and saw a blurry red shape. Mac? I may be fast at everything, but I can be slow to wake up. What's he doing here? I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, the fur under my eyes was matted and hard, was I crying? My right hoof was wrapped around Mac's neck. Oh. It all came back to me, the spa, the lake, Granny, the pie. Oh no! I yelled at him! No, I didn't yell at him. I screamed at him! I can't believe I did that! I let out all my anger, everything that was bothering me, everything I couldn't talk about. And he- And he understood. He tried to make me feel better. Why did I have to yell at him? "Mac?" Is he awake? "Rainbow," he grunted. He's awake. What should I say? How can I apologize? "Um, about what I-" "Go," he grunted again. What? No. Mac, please. "Don't say that Mac!" I hugged him close,"I love you! I'm sorry. I-" "STOP!" he yelled. No. I didn't mean to. I did it again. I messed up again. I always do. I let go of him and ran to the door. He didn't even move. Why didn't he move? "FINE! Be like that! I thought you understood! I THOUGHT YOU CARED! But I guess I'm an idiot for thinking I wasn't alone." This is too much for me. I thought he would be there, I thought that- "Help," he whimpered. Mac actually whimpered. "W-what?" "M-my back," he groaned,"Rainbow, Ah love you. Ah do understand, and Ah do care. Ah'll always be there for ya. Ya don't have to be alone ever again. Just go get help." The words were rushed, but they were exactly what I needed to hear. That's why he didn't move, he threw his back out. This was all a misunderstanding. "I'm such an idiot. I'm so sorry. What should I do?" "Don't call yerself an idiot ever again." He grunted in pain as he tried to move. "Ya either gotta bring me to the hospital, or get someone else to come here and do it." I'll do it. It's the least I can do. "Is there a cart? I can pull you into town." "Around the back of the barn," he groaned loudly as he instinctively tried to indicate the direction. "A-AJ's old cart. It's a little small, but it should be enough." I ducked out the door. As I walked around to the cart, I realized something. I told him that I love him! And he told me that he loved me! YES!!! Yesyesyesyesyesyes, yes! I looked up at the clear, early evening sky. Oh, how I wish I could fly. I would so Rainboom the ever-livin'-daylights out of that sky right now. The cart was a hoof-made, four-wheeled model with a push bar, meaning I didn't have to hitch myself to it. Truthfully, it's a beginners model. It also has smiley-faced apples painted on the sides. I'm guessing AJ was only slightly older than Applebloom last time she pulled this cart. I brought it into the barn with no problems. The wheels didn't even squeak, and come to think of it, the paint looks a little too good for it's age. Wait a minute. I think I know what Applebloom's getting for her birthday. I brought the cart right up next to the hay-bale and the immobilized Macintosh. "Uh, Mac? How are you going to get in the cart?" "There's a beam leaning against the wall behind me. Ya may be able to use that as a ramp." I went for the beam, it was huge! Probably twenty hooves long and leaning against the wall near a stack of haybales. "Rainbow?" "Yeah, Mac?" "About what happened earlier, Ah'm so-" "No. Don't." I don't want him apologizing to me. "That was my fault. I should be the one apologizing." I'm the one who did all the screaming. "So, I'm so-" "No. Don't. If yer not gonna let me apologize, then Ah don't want ya to apologize to me. If ya want, we can blame it on getting used to each other." "Deal." I knocked over the beam and started dragging it over to the cart. Let's see, to make the ramp I need to keep the cart from moving and find a way to secure the bottom of the ramp. "Say, Mac," this probably isn't the best time to ask this, "have you thought about it at all? What you want from this?" "Eeyup." Good answer. I set the beam down and pushed the cart up against the wall. "So? What do you want?" I put one end of the beam up on the end of the cart and started looking for some way to secure it. "Ah don't know, Ah've been thinking, but Ah don't have an answer. Is there somethin' you want?" "Well," I grabbed a hay-bale from the stack near the wall and started dragging it over to my ramp, "I've been thinking about the future a lot lately, and if it's ok with you, I'd like to think about what it would be like if you were part of it." There! The haybale makes a perfect endstop. "Rainbow?" "Yeah, Mac?" "It's ok with me. Do ya mind if Ah do the same?" I felt a smile spread across my face. "Of course not. Now let's get you loaded up!" Mac groaned and started scooting himself towards the ramp. After an agonizingly slow couple of minutes, Mac had finally managed to inch his way to the base of the ramp and up it into the cart. Then we were finally able to set out for the hospital. ***------------- Every bump and rattle of the cart caused pain in my back, but it still didn't hurt as much as what Rainbow said. I only said two words to her and she misunderstood, but I still hurt her enough that she thought I didn't care about her. I'm glad we got past it, but misunderstanding or not, I don't want that to happen again. The sun was starting to set as we reached Ponyville. After a few minutes of walking through town, I heard a voice yell out, "Rainbow!" From where I was laying, I couldn't see much, but I could see a pink pony bouncing towards us. It's that crazy girl from the bakery. Granny really thought me and her? I can't see it. "I'm kind of busy right now Pinky," said Rainbow, slightly out of breath from pulling the cart and its heavy load. Unfortunately, I'm not a light pony. "I know," Pinkie nodded, "I left a get-well cupcake at the Hospital for Big Mac." Wait. She what? "Anyway, I heard from Rarity that there were two new ponies in town. Which is really weird cause usually I have a pinkie sense for that, and I didn't feel anything. That usually means that there aren't any new ponies, but Rarity said there were, so I'm not sure. So I was gonna go talk to Twilight, but then I had to leave the cupcake at the hospital and then I saw you and started talking to you. Then you said you were busy and I-" Rainbow shoved a hoof into her friend's mouth, stopping her long-winded tirade. I don't see how anypony can talk so much on a single breath. "I get it," said Rainbow, removing her hoof," what's the point?" Pinkie tilted her head to the side and thought for a little bit. "I'm looking for Mr. and Mrs. Dapple, they were at the spa earlier. Have you seen them? I need to throw them a party." She tilted her head the other way while she waited for an answer. Rainbow glanced at me while a nervous chuckle escaped her throat. "You're asking me about somepony who was at a spa?" She turned back to Pinkie with an unnaturally wide smile plastered to her face. "You're right! Silly me." Anypony else would have seen through that smile. "What was I thinking? Anyway congratulations, you beat me to it. Not there was any beating to do, cause I wasn't actually trying, even though Granny wanted me to, but I've already-" Her eyes went a little wide. "Said much more than I needed to and I need to stop now." What? Pinky hopped over to the side of the cart and hopped up to face me, leaning her front hooves on the cart while her rear hooves remained planted. Just thinking about how she was standing made my back hurt. "Hey Mac! Nice view, huh?" What? "Pinkie!" yelled Rainbow. "Oh wait," said Pinkie, " I forgot, you hurt your back and can't even turn your head. Nevermind then." What was that about? Why is Rainbow blushing? And how did Pinkie know that I can't turn my head. "So," Pinkie let go of the cart and started bouncing in place, "have you two kissed yet?" "Pinkie!" Rainbow yelled again, "I am not even going to answer that!" I'm glad nopony's around. Of course, half of Ponyville could be standing behind us and I wouldn't know. "Okie-dokie-lokie," Pinkie started to bounce off, "if you change your mind, you know where to find me." "I won't!" Rainbow yelled after her. "Bye Dash! Bye Ma-" she stopped mid-bound, suspended in mid-air. Then she hopped backwards to where we were. She turned to face us with a smirk, "Rainbow," she tilted her head to one side, "Big Mac," she tilted her head the other way, "Dash and Apple, you couldn't come up with anything better?" Of course she had to be the one to figure it out. Rainbow's eyes went wide. "Please, you can't tell anyone." Don't beg. We've been caught, accept it with dignity. "Don't worry silly." Pinkie was turning cartwheels. Don't ask me why, but she was. "I won't tell." "Whew!" Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief. I did as well. "Thanks." "If," Pinkie's cartwheeling came to a stop with her standing directly in front of Rainbow, "you answer my question." Rainbow's scowl at that moment was something I hope I never find myself on the receiving end of. "For nothing, you manipulative little-" The town librarian was passing by at that moment and Pinkie noticed. "Hey Twilight!" she yelled, waving wildly, "over here!" The librarian waved and started walking over. "Fine!" Rainbow whispered, "you win, I'll tell you." Pinkie had us over a barrel. "Promise?" Pinkie batted her eyelashes innocently. Rainbow glanced over at the approaching purple unicorn. "Yes," she turned back to Pinkie, "I promise." Pinkie batted her eyelashes again. "Pinkie Promise?" "Fine!" Rainbow began the bizarre sequence of motions that every citizen of Ponyville learns at some point. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Happy?" Pinkie nodded. "Very!" Good, cause I'm sure Rainbow isn't. "Hey Pinkie, hey Rainbow," said Twilight when she reached a comfortable distance for conversation. "Big Mac!" she exclaimed when she saw me, "what happened to you?" "Ah hurt my back," I said. No need to volunteer any more information than necessary. Twilight tilted her head. "How?" "That's not important," said Pinkie suddenly, " I wanted to tell you something, but Rainbow convinced me not to." Then why did you even bring it up? "Oh, that's ok," Twilight scratched the back of her neck, "I already know." "What?!" Rainbow and I yelled at the same time. We would have exchanged surprised glances, but I couldn't move my neck. "It's kind of obvious really," said Twilight with a shrug. "That bad, huh?" asked Rainbow. "Oh,no," Twilight put a hoof up, "it's not bad at all, as long as you two are happy. It's just a little," she paused for a moment, "unexpected.Oh, I know, Fluttershy has some friends in town, the Dapples, maybe we could all get together sometime. I know you'd love to meet them. Mrs. Dapple is even writing a book on Pegasi sports, you should talk to her." Crisis. Equals. Averted. Yes! "Yeah," Rainbow chuckled nervously, " that sounds great." Twilight looked back and forth between me and Rainbow. "Um, Rainbow, you know, nopony's seen you for a few days, and now Big Mac has a back injury he'd rather not talk about. Um," she leaned towards Rainbow and whispered something to her. "What?!" Rainbow went beet red and started flailing her hooves about. "N-no, we- well, kind of, but not like that!" What did she say? "What is it with everypony? First Granny, now you, and don't get me started on Fluttershy!" "What about Fluttershy, darling?" "Rarity!" yelled Rainbow in response to the new voice that approached, "nothing! I'm helping out at the farm while Applejack is in Appleoosa. Big Mac got hurt and I'm dragging his flank to the hospital. Ok?" Poor Rainbow. I wish I could help her, but anything I say can only make things worse. "How did he get hurt?" asked Rarity. In reply, Pinkie yelled something that, while true, made me wish that was physically capable of crawling under a rock. "Granny Smith wants great-grandfoals!" "I-I see," stammered Rarity, "well, good luck with that." That does it. I'm moving to Manehattan and changing my name before AJ gets home. "What?!" yelled Rainbow, " No! I mean she does, but- Argh! Why'd I say that? No! That has nothing to do with how he got hurt!" I wonder if Rainbow would come with me. "But,"said Twilight, hoof to her chin," you did say that you-" "No!" yelled Rainbow, "I said it wasn't like that!" She's struggling, I may have to step in soon. Figuratively of course. Rarity half-covered her mouth with her hoof and, in a a hushed tone, said, "oh? Then what was it like?" Nnope. I'm staying as far away from this conversation as I can. "I fell asleep with my head on his shoulder, ok? That's it! That's all! There is no more! I have to take him to the hospital." Rainbow stomped a hoof after each sentence. "Of course," said Rarity," but you simply must join me and Fluttershy for one of our spa trips. We can talk, just us girls." She started to trot away, " I must see if Fluttershy could invite Mrs. Dapple, that would be simply marvelous." "Well," said Twilight," I guess I'll let you two be on your way." She started to walk past the cart, but stopped to whisper to me," if you ever do anything to hurt her, I'll make sure you regret it." "If yer her friend," I replied, "you'd better." But that won't be necessary, I'm going to make sure of that. She nodded walked away without another word, leaving us alone with Pinkie. She immediately started hopping up and down. "Aren't you going to answer my question?" Pinkie started to hop around the cart as Rainbow groaned. "You Pinkie promised!" "Well,um," Rainbow started,"you see, we um-" Pinkie completed her orbit of the cart and came to a stop in front of Rainbow. "And on the cheek doesn't count!" "Oh," said Rainbow, relief evident on her face,"then no." Pinkie started giggling. "So you have kissed on the cheek?" We just got played like an old record. And Rainbow doesn't look too happy about it. "You tricked me!" "I sure did! You two are so akward, it's cute. Bye!" She hopped away. Leaving us alone in the street. I'm glad that's over. "Mac, Why didn't you say anything?" "What should Ah have said?" "Good point." "What did Twilight say to you?" "Ask Granny." Oh.