//------------------------------// // Chapter 6, Part 2 // Story: A Scratched Orchard // by BaronVonStallion //------------------------------// Chapter 6, Part 2 A long week had passed for Vinyl. The storm Mac and her had driven through lasted for a few days, so she was stuck at home most of the time. Her mother wasn’t so lucky; rain, sleet or snow, mail still had to be delivered. Vinyl had grown accustomed to not sitting around, which made this natural entrapment unbearable. She paced around her room, grumbling and periodically checking her phone. “What the hell...” she moaned, flopping onto her bed. Mac hadn’t talked to her since the party, and it was starting to worry her. Vinyl had sent a few texts his way, asking to hang out. Macintosh hadn’t answered back. She compulsively checked her phone again, and still had no new calls. This can’t be good, she thought. [iI should go check on him. Vinyl felt a vibration in her hand. She brought it to her face and realized it was ringing. The contact read “Apple (home)”. Finally, Vinyl grinned. “Hey Mac” she answered. “It’s about time you called.” “...Um, hi.” A young woman’s voice came out of the speaker. “Ah wanted to talk to ya.” “Sure, AJ” Vinyl responded. She’d talked with Mac’s sister enough to like her, though they didn’t share many interests. It was strange that she was called her personally, though. “What’s going on?” “It’s about mah brother. Ah’m worried about him.” “Oh?” Vinyl’s heart sank. Here I am moping around, and Mac’s... “Ah think it happened at that party.” “Yea, he was kinda quiet after. Well, more quiet than usual.” Applejack sighed. “Yup, he’s gotten pretty quiet the last couple days. Since the families comin’ down, he’s been workin‘ himself stiff to get ready. Ya’ll don’t know what when on, then?” “I wish I did” Vinyl admitted, “but, no, I have no idea what happened.” “Well...” AJ started, “Ah wanted to ask ya, if ya don’t mind, would ya be able to come over tomorrow? We’re havin‘ our Hearth Warming’s dinner in a few days, and Ah’d like to see Mac happy ‘fore all the relatives show up. Maybe ya’ll can get him outta his funk.” Vinyl smiled softly. “I’ll be there.” Vinyl drove up to the front of Sweet Apple Acres with her mother the next day. “Make sure to call me if you decide to stay over” her mom said. Uungh. “Stop, mom!” Vinyl laughed. “Yeah, yeah. Just call me when you need a ride, okay?” “Of course” said Vinyl. She gave her mother a quick peck on the cheek and scuttled to the front of Macintosh’s house. She swiftly knocked on the door, waiting to be let in. Geez, it’s frigid out here she thought, her body involuntarily twitching to keep warm. She knocked again. C’mon. Suddenly, the door swung open to a rather strange sight. It was Macintosh, but... something was off. “Mac, why are you wearing a frilly pink apron?” Mac looked back her her, surprised to see his friend. “Vinyl? What’re you doing here?” He ushered her in, sealing the cold outside fast. He took her coat and placed it in a small closet near the door. “Lemme take yer boots.” She nodded, gladly shedding the heavy snow boots. “So, what are ya doing here?” Mac asked incredulously. “What? You ain’t happy to see me?” Vinyl smiled. “I’m hurt.” “No, it’s not that at all!” Mac backpedaled. “Ah’m just surprised.” “I thought I’d come cheer you up!” Vinyl exclaimed gleefully. She approached her friend and wrapped him in a tight hug, surprising Mac yet again. He slowly returned the hug, and the two broke apart after a few seconds. “Now, you have to answer one of my questions. What up wit dat apron?” Macintosh looked down, then back up bashfully. “Ah was doin’ some cookin’... forgot it was on.” He blushed, the lacy, pink apron mismatching Mac hilariously. Vinyl chuckled, holding a hand over her mouth. “Fits you pretty well” she commented. Inhaling deeply, she detected the strong scent of apples, paired with cinnamon and a few subtler spices. “What’re ya making in there? Smells good.” Mac walking into the kitchen as Vinyl followed behind. He stopped in front of a large metal pot that had steam billowing out the top. Vinyl peered over the edge of the pot, eyeing the brownish-yellow mixture inside. “Apple cider” Mac remarked. “Tryin’ to get this brew right, but it’s givin’ me a spot o’ trouble.” “Don’t you have all those barrels in the barn?” Mac chuckled. “Yeah, but this is a special winter mix. A couple different spices an’ such.” He grabbed a wooden spoon and began to stir the pot, making sure nothing was sticking to the bottom. “It’s just about ready to boil” he said, fixing the lid on tight. “Now, who said Ah needed cheering up?” Mac asked, wearing a frown. “We girls just know this stuff.” Vinyl smiled, sitting down at the table. She patted the seat next to her, which Macintosh took graciously. “It was mah sister, wasn’t it?” Vinyl kept smiling. “It doesn’t matter. But, I’m here to make you feel better. And that’s what I’m gonna do.” “Ah feel fine” Mac lied. “Sure you do. Anyways...” She looked around the room, thinking of what to do. “I think I have an idea.” “Vinyl?” Mac called through his balaclava. The wind was making vision a bit difficult, blowing snow up into his face. He was huddled behind a snowbank, a heavy winter coat wrapped around his shoulders that tapered off just before his knees. Mac’s dark brown boots stuck out against his white backdrop, reminding him to keep his head down. Gotta move, he told himself. Ah don’t have much time... He bobbed and weaved through a grouping of trees quickly, spotting the main barn just over the next hill. Ah can make it. Mac sprinted up the hill while quickly checking over his shoulder periodically. Just as he ran over the crest of the hill, his face was met with a frozen water-ball of death. “Agrh!” Mac cried, tumbling down the hill. He fell head over hell, gathering speed on his descent until the bottom met him. He slammed into another snow bank, his legs jutting out from the top. “Victory!” Applebloom raised her hands over her head confidently. “Good shot, Red 2!” said Vinyl from under her. He lifted Applebloom off her shoulders and set her on the ground. “I told you the height advantage would help.” “Yeah, yeah” Applebloom groaned. Let’s go get ‘em before he gets up.” Vinyl chuckled. “You are heartless, AB.” She followed Mac’s sister down the hill, setting up to attack Mac with another flurry of snowballs. They bunker down behind a nearby snowbank at the foot of the hill. The two girls laughed to themselves as Mac tried to pry himself out of the snow. Vinyl sighed happily to herself. This is exactly what we need, Vinyl thought. Just a fun day together, without any distractions. I hope this cheers Mac up at least a little. “Are ya’ll in love with mah brother?” Vinyl coughed, covering her mouth quickly. “W-Wha?” “Ya’ll were staring at him” Applebloom shrugged. “An’ yer face is all red.” “I-It’s cold out, and I wasn’t staring!” Vinyl sputtered, trying to keep her composure. She knew Applebloom was known to check her curiosity, but Vinyl wasn’t expecting such a blunt, and admittedly true, statement. “Just... focus of nailing him” Vinyl said, tossing the young Apple a snowball. Applebloom smirked. “Ah could ask the same of you.” “Hey!” Vinyl growled. “Don’t talk like that. You’re too young.” “Ah suppose so” Applebloom sighed. “But Ah am right.” Vinyl rubbed her eyes, turning away to watch Mac continue to struggle in the snow pile. “Just... pay attention.” “Sure, sure” Mac’s sister smiled. “Ah’m totally ri-ight,” she sang to herself. As Mac finnaly lifted his head up, Applebloom drew a bead on him. Gotcha! “Whew” Mac breathed, sitting in front of the fireplace. It was starting to swelter him, but Mac didn’t mind too much. The living room was quaint; a cosy green couch and matching love seat. An old throw rug sat in the middle of the floor, a coffee table lying before it. Vinyl sat next to him, holding her hands out towards the flames. After the snowball war, the weather started to pick up intensely, so they decided to retreat inside. Vinyl called her mother, only to her static. Vinyl figured the phone lines must’ve went down. She was a bit nervous; Vinyl hoped her mom hadn’t drove out anywhere tonight. When inside, AJ and Applebloom had made dinner (with the help of Granny Smith), and Vinyl enjoyed one hell of a meal. It still amazed her how many things could be made with apples. After the dinner, the rest of the family went their separate ways, where Mac and Vinyl decided to sit in the living room. By now, they were the only to people awake. “Ah never knew Applebloom was such a good shot” Mac said, shifting in his seat. Vinyl chuckled. “Yeah, she’s full of surprises.” She scooted a little closer to Mac. Mac looked over to her, but didn’t say anything. “So, ya gonna finally tell me what’s been on your mind?” Mac looked away nervously. “...Ah’d rather not talk about it.” “Mac” Vinyl said sternly, “You can’t bottle up all this... stuff!” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You can trust me.” She looked at Mac sincerely, hoping he would give in, if only a little bit. Her friend sighed, inhaling a deep breath. He looked over to Vinyl, his eyes locking on her glasses. “Ah broke up with Flitter.” Vinyl frowned, puffing her bottom lip out. In actuality, she was elated that Mac had finally left Flitter. Finally! It sucks to see Mac look so sad, but surely he can she how bad for him she was? “I’m sorry, dude. That’s must’ve been really hard.” She watched his eyes sag deep with sadness. “It that why you’ve been keeping yourself so busy?” “...Yeah” Mac croaked. “What happened, if you don’t mind my asking?” Vinyl slid closer, pressing into Mac’s side. The fire in front of them roared fiercely, embers dancing across the now golden-red logs. The crackle and hiss of the wood echoed around Macintosh and Vinyl while the fire washed heat over them. Mac sighed, inhaling deeply through his nose a few times. He opened his mouth to speak but his voice caught in his throat as he relived that now infamous moment. His stomach hurt thinking about it, how Flitter could just throw away something he’d thought was special. Mac knew the relationship hadn’t been that long, but he couldn’t reason with the sharp pain in his chest. “Ah...Ah caught her” Mac finally managed to spit out. He slumped forward, dragging his knees up to his chest. Mac didn’t know why he did it, but it made him feel a bit better. “...With someone else.” Vinyl gasped quietly. No! God damn it, I hadn’t wanted it to happen this way! She wrapped her left arm around Mac, dragging her hand up and down the small of his back. She didn’t care how intimate it might have seemed; she was a hunch about this motion. That hunch was proved right as she felt Mac sigh, easing up slightly under her touch. “I’m so, so sorry Mac” Vinyl near whispered, continuing to rub Mac’s back. Mac didn’t say anything, worrying Vinyl. She didn’t like it when he didn’t say anything. He certainly wasn’t a chatterbox, but his silence on this subject was unnerving to her. She tried to think of something to say, to get her friend to cheer up a just a bit. “Do ya want me to beat her up?” Vinyl smiled as her response got a chuckle out of her friend. He shook his head “no”. “Ah don’t think that’d be the best idea.” He surprised Vinyl by laying his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes. I’ve never seen him act like this, she thought. “It just... sucks. All of it.” He rubbed his head lightly on Vinyl’s shoulder. “Ah shoulda known it wouldn’ta worked out.” Vinyl patted his head with her other hand, leaning back against the coffee table behind her. “And what is that supposed to mean?” she asked softly. Mac breathed heavily, his voice staggering. “Ah’m just a dumb farm hand; a simplton. Ah ain’t made fer all that complicated datin’ stuff. What was Ah thinking?” “Hey!” Vinyl said sharply. Mac raised his head up off her shoulders, recoiling at her sudden outburst. Vinyl pulled her glasses off, folded them together, and set them on the table. She turned back to Mac, a stern but sad expression on her face. “I don’t ever wanna hear you say something like that again, you got me?” Mac looked back at her, a little baffled. He looked into the fireplace, sighing with general malaise. “Vinyl, Ah know what Ah am. Ya don’t gotta-” “Stop” she said, holding her hand up. “I do gotta, cause I’m pretty sure you don’t realize how awesome you really are.” Vinyl moved her hand away from his face and put it back around his shoulders. “You talked to me when no one else would. You became a friend to someone who needed it badly.” She tightened her grip on Mac a little when she spoke. “You’re funny, nice, smart... you are the best friend I’ve ever had.” She turned to look Mac in the eyes. “Any girl would be lucky to be with you, so I don’t wanna here any crap like ‘I’m not being good enough’, because that’s a lie.” Vinyl took Mac’s jaw in her hand softly, turning his gaze back to hers. She locked her ruby eyes on his, smiling lightly at the blush on his face. He’s so cute when he’s embarrassed, she thought to herself. “You got that?” “...Eeyup.” Macintosh felt like he staring into Vinyl, really seeing her for the first time. The dim light from the fire brightened her face, making her eyes seem to glow. He always knew she was beautiful, but the way she looked right now was more than that. “Vinyl... Thanks.” He slowly put his head back in place on her shoulder. “To be honest, I didn’t think I had to tell you that” Vinyl chuckled. “Why would you think that way, anyhow?” Mac shrugged, leaning against Vinyl for support. “Ah just... Ah know how people think o‘ me, and... well, Ah guess Ah started to let it get to me. Ah not particularly interestin’, and truthfully, Ah ain’t all that talented. So...” “Shush” Vinyl cooed, now stroking Macintosh’s head. “I don’t know where you got those notions, but they’re dead wrong.” Vinyl heard the slow chime of a grandfather clock ring somewhere in the back of the room. “It’s late. We should probably hit the hay.” “Yeah” Mac said, though he made no motion to get up. The ringing stopped and echoed through the house, indicating that a new day had technically started. “Where did ya’ll wanna sleep tonight?” “The couch is fine” Vinyl replied. Mac scoffed, pushing himself up off the ground. “Bull...” he grunted after helping Vinyl to her feet. “There’s a cot in my closet Ah kin grab ya. Come on.” He brought her upstairs, being careful not to wake any members of the household. They tip-toed into Mac’s room, slowly closing the door behind them. “It’s in here” Mac said under his breath. He slid open the door and reached into the back of the closet. Quietly dragging it out, Mac set the bed on the floor perpendicular to his own. It was an old thing, a bit ragged on the edges but fine enough for a night. Vinyl sat on the cot, it squeaking a little under her weight. “Nice” she whispered, running her hand across the green canvas. It felt like an old army uniform, or what she imagined one would feel like. Macintosh handed her a blanket and pillow from his bed, and they both laid down for the night. Vinyl could hear the house crow from the wind outside, its walls moaning in displeasure. Nights like these reminded Vinyl Scratch of Canterlot. That city was like a wind tunnel. The sound used to lull her to sleep, but now it just kept her up. Fidgeting in place, Vinyl tried to find a comfortable spot. She rolled onto her left side, but a small metal bar was wedged in her back. She flipped onto her right, only to find another metal bar. Vinyl settled for lying flat on her back. At least here, the bars balanced each other out. “You still up?” said a deep voice from the far side of the room. “Yeah. Can’t find a good spot.” “Sorry. If you want, Ah could...” “Nah. Don’t worry about it.” The two lay silent, allowing the wind outside to echo through their room. After a minute or so, Vinyl spoke up again. “Hey Mac? I, I gotta ask you something.” “Shoot.” Vinyl took a deep breath. What am I doing?! This is a terrible idea, she told herself. “I... It’s about Flitter.” Macintosh took a deep sigh, his throat rumbling. “Can we not talk about her any more? Please?” “Sure, Mac. Whatever you want.” Vinyl heard Mac turn over. She assumed his back was turned to her now. “Goodnight, Mac. Didn’t mean to upset you.” “Ya couldn’t upset me if you tried.” Mac reassurance made her feel a little better, and before long Vinyl fell asleep. Vinyl’s eyes shot open to be greeted by darkness. She sat up from the floor and tried to climb back into her cot. She felt around for it, but when she looked over, it was gone. Vinyl turned back and realized she wasn’t in Mac’s room. She wasn’t anywhere. A black, endless void surrounded her. With no light, Vinyl held her hands out in front of her and started to walk forward. She could hear her breath rattle inside her head. Just calm down, girl. You got this. Regardless of her words of encouragement, Vinyl stumbled forward on shaky feet. The echo of her heartbeat reverberated around her, and she could hear footsteps coming from somewhere. “There you are.” A voice echoed around her. “I’ve been waiting.” The voice was raspy and deep, this time coming from behind her. “Where are you!?” Vinyl called, swinging her head around in frustration. “Why, I’m here; right beside you. I think you know why I’m here, too.” “I’ve got not clue where ‘here‘ is!” Vinyl slumped over as she argued with the disembodied voice. She was glad that the voice didn’t sound menacing, but since a completely random voice was talking to her in a black void, that didn’t reassure her much. “What do you want from me?” The voice tsked. “I don’t want anything from you. I just think you really should tell him.” “Tell who what? I’m getting a little sick of these games” Vinyl groaned. “He deserves to know.” Vinyl winced. “...I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “You totally know what I’m talking about. You saw what she did in Manetreal. You could have stopped it. You could have saved Mac all that pain. What held you back?” Vinyl shook her head, backing away from the direction of the voice. “No... I wanted to. You know I did!” “But you didn’t.” “I-I couldn’t tell him. Flitter-” The voice laughed. “And you listened to her, why, exactly?” Vinyl felt herself starting to tear up. All of this... it’s all because of me. Even if Mac hadn’t believed me, it might have helped him somehow. “I should’ve said something... I know. I... I just... Vinyl tripped over her backpedal, felling the floor give out. Her arms and legs fell after her, into the dark which was swirling around her. She wanted to clutch at the pit in her stomach. “You didn’t tell him” the voice echoed. “Ahh!” Vinyl woke with a start painfully, propping herself up with her left arm, her right arm on her stomach. The pit was still there, but it was slowly fading. Vinyl’s breath was heavy, and she had developed a small bead of sweat across her brow. “What!? Wha-ooh!” Mac quickly sat up too, and had he been centered in his bed, he would’ve been fine. Unfortunately, he was too near to the far edge, and promptly fell to the floor. “Ow!” Mac slowly climbed back onto his bed and slinked across it to the other side. “What? What is it?” he asked sleepily. “I... nothing. It’s nothing” Vinyl said through her trembling. “It don’t sound like nothin’.” He placed a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down. “Vinyl, yer shakin’.” That was when the flood gates broke. Vinyl grabbed onto Mac’s arm and buried her face into it. She tried as hard as she could not to cry, but still felt a few tears trickle out. “I’m sorry, Mac. I’m so sorry.” Her voice broke into a quiet sob as she leaned on him. Mac was dumbstruck. He was used to seeing Vinyl so strong and lively. He wasn’t quite sure how to deal with her, but he knew he had to do something. “Vinyl, what are ya talkin’ about? Come ‘ere.” He helped her up and sat her next to him on his bed, draping his left arm around her for support. “What’s got you so upset?” “Mac, ...I did something awful.” Vinyl kept her eyes on the ground, away from Macintosh. “Vinyl, Ah’m sure whatever ya did, ya didn’t mean to.” Mac rubbed her shoulder, doing his best to comfort her. Unfortunately, it only made her turn away more. “It doesn’t matter” she moaned. “It matters ta me.” Vinyl’s tears subsided, and she turned a bit back towards her friend. “That’s exactly the problem.” Mac tensed up a little. What does she mean by that? “What’re ya talkin‘ about, Vinyl? Please, talk to me.” He tried to get her to talk, but she just shook her head “no”. “Vinyl, not a few hours ago, Ah had to trust you with something really painful.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Vinyl turn to him more. “It was real hard fer me, even if it didn’t seem like it.” Macintosh smirked on the inside when Vinyl finally faced him. “Think you can trust me, Vinyl? Ah kinda thought we already went over this.” “Of course I trust you,” Vinyl said matter-of-factly, “but, I’m... *sigh, I’m scared.” “Of what?” Vinyl fell into Mac’s side. “Of losing you.” “That doesn’t make any sense” chuckled Mac. “Vinyl, whatever you do, it ain’t gonna stop me from being yer friend.” “Mac...” Vinyl pushed herself off Macintosh to look him in the eyes. She inhaled deeply, breathing out her nose. “I caught Flitter making out with someone that night in Manetreal.” She felt Mac’s arm slide off her shoulders, and she shuddered from the loss of heat. “Please understand, I only-” Mac’s gaze cut her off. It was a look of confusion, as well as pain. “You... you knew? You knew she was cheatin’ on me!?” He moved away from Vinyl, taking his hands off her. “W-Why wouldn’t you tell me? Ah thought we were friends!?” “Mac, please!” Vinyl pleaded. “I wanted to! I just thought...” “What? That Ah was too stupid to understand?” Mac’s tone somehow wasn’t angry; it was worse than angry. The hurt in Mac’s voice echoed in his eyes, and was more than Vinyl could bear. She felt her throat begin to swell up again. “No! I thought I should tell you and then Flitter said you’d think I was trying to break you two up and you’d stop being my friend and she somehow convinced me she was right and my conscious just gave me a crazy dream and has been killing me ever since!” Vinyl’s voice was so high and so squeaky by the end of her rant that one might think she was a mouse. She flopped face-first into the bed, shielding her self from Mac’s gaze with his covers. Vinyl didn’t cry; she thought she would have, but the tears didn’t come. At least I can take victory in that. Mac blinked and furrowed his brow. “What’re ya talking about?” Vinyl rose her head up just high enough to see her eyes. “W-When I confronted Flitter in the club, she... said you wouldn’t believe me” Vinyl muttered. Mac gave his friend an incredulous look. At first, he was furious with Vinyl for keeping this from him. But something she said had intrigued him. “Why would Ah stop being yer friend? Telling me somethin’ like this is what friends do.” Vinyl mumbled something into the covers, her legs curling up into her body as she spoke. “What was that?” Mac asked. Vinyl said nothing, opting to keep her head under the top bed sheet. Mac grumbled, taking the cloth in his hand and lifting it off Vinyl. “Hey, listen ta me. Ah ain’t that mad.” “Your, your not mad?” Vinyl sat up a little, scootching closer to Mac. “Nah, not really” Mac sighed. “Ah mean, ya shoulda came straight to me. Woulda saved me a hell of a surprise.” He scratched his head, slouching in posture when he rested his hands on his knees. “Ah just don’t git why you keep all this stuff from me. An’ why would you believe Flitter anyway?” “Well, I...” Vinyl fumbled with her hands, looking anyway except in the direction of Mac. “She’s been saying some things that might have been true. She just knew how to manipulate me perfectly.” She shifted awkwardly in place, sneaking a peek at Mac every so often. “Things like?” Mac slide closer to Vinyl, curious as to what she might be meaning. By now, the moon was at its zenith, casting a powerful blue light across the snowbound acres. This light reflected up into Mac’s room, illuminating the room softly. “Ehhh, eh-ha, well” Vinyl blushed, stammering and stumbling over her words. “It, ummm, has to do with... stuff.” She flinched a bit when Mac placed one of his hands over hers. “Vinyl, stop worryin‘ and just tell me what’s goin‘ through yer head.” She looked up, gaining some confidence from Mac’s smile. Thank god he’s not mad, she thought. But that still doesn’t guarantee he won’t be after... “Mac, I can’t” Scratch said, pulling away from Mac slowly. “I just can’t.” “Okay, I understand” Mac sighed, putting his head down. He took his hand off Vinyl’s and began to reassemble her cot. Her pillow and blanket had been launched across the room, so he went to retrieve them. Downtrodden, he slumped around the room to pick up the pieces of Vinyl’s makeshift bed. After grabbing it all, he laid them down next to his bed. “If ya need to talk, just... let me know, okay.” “Mac” Vinyl whispered, catching his attention. He sat down next to her, staring into her ruby red eyes. Vinyl shakily put a hand on Mac’s neck, slowly moving closer`to him. “I can’t tell you. I, I gotta show you.” Her lips quivered as she drew near her friend. “Vinyl?” Mac asked quietly. Vinyl drew closer, soon only inches from his face, and her eyes were slowly closing. It was quite obvious she was nervous; her whole body was close to shivering. “D-Don’t” Vinyl replied, stopping just short of Mac’s lips. For a few agonizingly slow seconds, she was sure she wouldn’t be able to go through with it. I can’t do it! I’m just too cowardly... Her moment of weakness was interrupted, and Vinyl suddenly gasped. Is that what I think it it? Mac had put his hand on her hip, and was gently dragging it up and down as she realized it. “Ah think it’s time to stop dancin‘ around this” Mac said, grinning like a school boy. This in turn made Vinyl grow a similar grin, though much more goofy than Mac’s. “You’re right” she smirked, watching Mac glow with excitement. She could tell he was just as anxious about this as she was, but he looked more happy than nervous. That was all the motivation she needed. Vinyl leaned forward, letting gravity do the rest as she kissed Macintosh for the first time.