It was a bright, shining day in Ponyville.
The birds were chirping, the bees were buzzing, and everypony was going about their business. The market place was full of ponies, bartering and trading goods and supplies for bits and other goods and supplies. Nopony seemed to have a care in the world; they were all in the here and now, only concerning themselves with getting the best deals possible on whatever errands they were running.
It was so unfair.
Big Mac sat at the apple cart, selling his own supplies - stocked with apples, apple fritters, apple pies, and other such apple paraphernalia. He had black circles under his eyes, a sure sign that he did not get much sleep, if any, the night before, and occasionally he would nod off, but wake up when he would either hear a sound, get approached by a customer, or on one or two occasions, fall over and bump his chin.
"Y'all look like yer ready ta keel over..."
Big Mac jumped and turned to face his sister as she approached the apple cart. She smiled gently at Big Mac as she stepped up beside him. He cleared his throat and tried to ask the question that was eating him alive.
"Is she...?"
Applejack sighed and looked away a bit, putting a hoof on the back of her neck. Big Mac gulped. "H... how bad is it...?"
"Doc says they got ta work in time ta stop that bite from doin' any irreversible damage... but it's still perdy bad..." Applejack grimaced. "Apparently, she's suffered some minor muscular degeneration in th' leg that was bit... she did wake up, but the doc says she slides in and out of consciousness at random cause her body's so weak from fightin' the poison an' whatever sickness it's left 'er with..."
Big Mac sighed. "So... she's gonna get better?"
Applejack nodded. "Eventually, tho it might be a bit before she's healthy or strong enough ta even move about..." Big Mac nodded - he supposed it was good enough news. After all, she was going to be alright eventually. He turned his head back to face the crowds, feeling some of the gravity shift nearly pull him over. "Big Mac? Y'alright? Ya look like you lost a fight with... well... yerself..."
Big Mac sighed. "Ah s'pose Ah didn't get much sleep last night..." There's no reason for her to know that he had a nightmare about attending Twilight's funeral and being asked by friends and family why he didn't do something about it.
"Well, y'all look awful..." Applejack sighed and stepped next to him. "You go on home an' get some shut-eye. Ah'll take over th' stand fer the day."
Big Mac wanted to argue. Really he did. But he was honestly much too tired to do so. Without much more than a little hesitation, he turned and began to make the trot back home. Still, he felt a bit of weight come off his withers at the news that Twilight was going to be okay. That was one more thing that wouldn't be eating at his conscious quite as bad. However, he still felt he owed it to the mare to do her a favor. He'd take himself a nice nap first, however, then he would think about how to make amends.
***
Bored.
Rainbow Dash was bored.
She was bored out of her mind.
Rainbow Dash never liked hospitals. The restraint, the caution, the security; she was a free spirit by nature, and the small, closed-in walls and tiny windows she could barely fit through did nothing to ease the tension in her muscles. Broken as she was, she still yearned for the thrill of action, the power of competition.
"Guess who!"
Rainbow almost flew out of her bed at the sudden start caused by her friend. Pinkie Pie bounced into the room, grinning ear-to-ear. "Hiya Dashie! I know I said guess who, but I got too excited and I had to spoil the surprise that it was, in fact, me! Pinkie Pie! I was the mystery pony all along! Anyway, I had a talk with Fluttershy yesterday, and she gave me some really neat advice about your predicament! She said that if you really care for somepony, and that if they were a real friend, then they wouldn't let your expression of feelings effect that friendship; that is assuming they didn't like you back as well! So I see no reason why you shouldn't ask you-know-who out on a you-know-what!"
Rainbow Dash blinked a few times, trying to process what her friend said. She sighed a bit; it was good advice, but it wasn't the kind that really made her feel better. "So... you're saying I should just... ask? Just throw caution to the wind?"
Pinkie nodded. "I think it's a superdy duper idea, Dashie! I mean, the worst that can happen is you'll get rejected and then go into a horribly depressive state of depression where you become a recluse and adopt a bunch of kitty cats and grow into an old lonely mare with a house full of cute adorable kitties, am I right?"
Dash stared somewhat horrified at her friend's description. Pinkie giggled. "But I doubt that'll happen, because you're Rainbow Dash! You love being outside! Plus I don't think you and kitties would get along!"
Rainbow gave a shrug; true, she wasn't a real big fan of felines. The closest she ever got to that was having a griffon friend; and even then, only her hind legs were feline. "Well... I guess as soon as I can get out of here, I might just go for it then... all or nothing, right?"
Pinkie giggled. "That's the spirit! Ooo! And if it works out, I can throw a super amazing party! It'll have streamers and cake and ponies kissing and--"
"Pinkie?"
"Yeah-huh?"
"Worry about that AFTER it works out. IF it works out."
***
A brisk trot through Ponyville seemed like a good idea at the moment.
Fluttershy had just recently heard news from Applejack that Twilight was okay, and had decided to visit her friend later on. For the time being, however, she had some belated business to attend to.
The butter yellow pegasus trotted towards a familiar cottage and cleared her throat, readying herself for the intimidation to come. She gently knocked on the door and waited. After several seconds passed, she held up a hoof to knock again, just as the door swung open.
"YEEEEEEEEEAH?"
She reeled back into herself. The large, muscular white stallion looked down upon her and blinked. "Er... I mean... Yeah?"
Fluttershy, a bit startled by the outburst, gulped. "U-uhm... I-I-I'm here to pick up Angel Bunny? And my friend's tortoise?"
Snowflake nodded and walked back into the house. "You can come in if you like."
Fluttershy gingerly and cautiously stepped into the house. The living room was rather bachelor in it's set-up; it had a couch and a chair, with a simple table. There was a single pizza box, most of the pizza having been eaten (save for one slice of pizza with carrot slices on it), a bowl of water (half full), an apple-juice box of unknown fullness, and a protein shake. Eventually, the stallion returned with the tortoise floating beside him and Angel riding on his head - and it was just at this time she realized Snowflake had something written on his forehead.
"... Oh... oh my..." she blushed.
"What?" The stallion blinked, the little rabbit on his head, arms cross, grinning mischeiviously and waving a marker around. Quickly, the stallion grabbed a nearby mirror (a full-body sized one) and looked into it.
"... hctib? What is-- huh?" He blinked and pulled sat down, pulling the little rabbit off his head. "You... YOU wrote that on my head didn't you?"
Fluttershy tensed up, watching as the stallion stared down the little rabbit, whose only response was to give him the Bras d'honneur. After a second of silence, the stallion broke out into laughing. "HA HA HA... IS... IS THAT PERMANENT MARKER!?" The rabbit blinked and looked at the marker for a bit, before whistling and looking around as if innocent. Snowflake continued to laugh a hearty laugh, shaking his head and handing the bunny to Fluttershy.
"Th... that rabbit... he's got a lot of spirit! He was pretty scared when he got here, but he immediately got into pr... pranking me! He put a whoopie cushion in my weight bench, he flushed the toilet while I was taking a shower, and he... he even replaced my protein shake with a laxative!"
Fluttershy seemed horribly confused as the stallion wiped a tear from his eye, the laughter subsiding. "Ah... reminds me of my foalhood days, before I got so into the PUMP!" He grinned. "I respect tough, and let me tell ya, that there rabbit of yours is a whole different kind of tough!"
Fluttershy blinked and smiled a bit, placing Angel on her back. "Well thanks... I guess he can be a bit of a hooffull sometimes..."
"Oh, it's alright! That little guy was fun to have over! Never thought lil' animals like him could be so darn fun t' have around! Might have to get myself a pet sometime!"
Fluttershy nodded. "Alright... well, I think I'll be going now..."
The stallion nodded. "Uhh, yeah. Sure. I'll just... uhh... get back to the PUMP!"
With that, Fluttershy turned and trotted out. After a few seconds, she heard the door gently close behind her and smile to the little bunny on her head and the tortoise flying beside her on his propeller. "I guess that stallion isn't so bad after all. A little enthusiastic, but he's a sweet colt."
***
"She's right in here. She might not be fully conscious... if she is at all... "
Big Mac nodded to the nurse as he stepped into the hospital room. Sure enough, there Twilight was, as hooked up to various machines as she was the previous night. Her eyes were open just a bit, but she looked dazed and tired. "She's got a bit of a fever... while we did stop serious damage from occuring, the venom taxed her immune system so she's a bit sick. Try not to stress her too much, will you?" Big Mac gave another nod and stepped towards Twilight.
"Howdy."
She smiled weakly. "Hi... wasn't expecting to see you here."
Big Mac shrugged. "Ah was gonna show up earlier, but somepony had t' run th' apple stand. Plus Ah didn't get much sleep last night."
Twilight nodded. It suddenly became quiet.
"BIg Mac... about what happened in the woods--"
"Ah already told ya, I forgive ya."
Twilight blinked. "You did...?"
Big Mac stared at her confused. "Doncha remember? Ya was sad an' cryin' an'..."
Twilight sighed, shaking her head. "No... After I took some of that herbal stuff Zecora gave you, it became a blur. Half of it from the medicine, and I think the other half because the venom might have been making me delirious..."
Big Mac sighed a bit. "Well... Ah already told ya... that Ah forgave ya... an' that Ah don't hate ya, an' that Ah understood how ya felt."
Twilight nodded. "Still... I feel like I should apologize, do something to make amends..."
The red stallion smirked. "Ah was gonna say th' same thing..." He huffed. "Ah wouldn'ta liked it, but had Ah let ya build yer shelter, you'd prolly not be in this mess..."
Twilight shrugged. "Realistically? The chances would have been low, but not impossible, especially if other Blue Sages or similarly dangerous creatures lived in any of the trees I would have used..."
The two ponies sat in silence as suddenly, another pony stepped into the room. Big Mac turned to see it was none other than Rarity, who smiled and waved her hoof. "Oh, hi Big Mac... hi Twilight..."
"Miss Rarity" said Big Mac with a nod of his head.
"Oh, hi Rarity..." said Twilight. "How are you?"
Rarity trotted beside Big Mac. "I'm swell, dear. I just got back from talking to Rainbow Dash. Seems the doctors will be letting her leave the hospital early, though she won't be able to fly for a week or so, so she might have to stay with somepony until then. She and Pinkie Pie seem to be sorting the details on that one out... I offered to let her stay in my guest room, but she made a... rather good argument on why that might not be the most wise of ideas..."
Twilight shrugged. "She can always stay in the Library. The doctor said I might be bedridden for the next week, so I could always use the extra hoof..."
Rarity shook her head. "Rainbow's not really in the position to do much herself dear... she broke a wing and a hoof..."
Twilight grimaced. "Oh... I thought it was just her wing... I must have been even more sleepy than I realized this morning..."
Rarity hummed and looked over at the doll on the night stand. "Oh! I see you found Miss Smartypants?" Big Mac seemed to tense up and he made eye contact with Twilight, who simply smiled.
"Oh, yes!" she said. "Big Mac found her for me..."
Rarity smiled and turned to Big Mac. "Why, what a gentlecolt you are!"
Big Mac waved a hoof. "T'weren't nothin', Miss Rarity..."
It was then they both noticed Rarity looking over the doll, analyzing it. "Hm... you know, no offense Twilight, but this poor thing's stitching is rather shoddy at best... it looks like whatever repairs were made to it might come undone at any second!" She did not see Big Mac frown a bit at her unknowing criticism of his repair work - he thought it was pretty good. "You simply MUST let me fix her up!"
Twilight blinked, looking at Rarity for a few seconds, then turning to Big Mac, giving him an apologetic glance. He simply shrugged. "Uh... that won't be necessary."
Rarity sighed. "Well, if you say so... at the very least, let me clean her up? Maybe sew a few of the gaps closed?"
Twilight shrugged a bit. "I... guess I see no harm in that..."
Rarity smiled. "Splendid! I'll return her to you as soon as possible!" With that, the mare levitated the small doll from the nightstand and placed it in her saddlebag. "Well, I think I'm going to take off... Twilight, dear, you get better soon, alright?"
Twilight smirked. "I'll try my best Rarity."
Rarity nodded and turned to Big Mac. "You take care as well, Mister McIntosh."
With that, she trotted out, and Big Mac sighed. "Ah s'pose Ah should get on mahself then..."
"Before you go, Big Mac..."
He stopped and turned to look at the alicorn mare, who smiled to him. "I think you're a great friend."
Big Mac let a small smile onto his face, and he gave a thankful nod before stepping out.