//------------------------------// // Prompt #557-Paragons Of Their Kind // Story: Ponywatching // by ThunderTempest //------------------------------// It was a lazy summer’s evening, the exact kind that Big Macintosh liked. The air was warm, but not sweltering, and there was a cool breeze flowing over the orchard and a few scattered clouds, remnants of the day’s weather, floated listlessly overhead. He could hear the birds singing their evening songs as the sky moved from blue into a shade of orange, and he moved from tree to tree, bucking in a ceaseless rhythm, the apples falling neatly into the pre-placed baskets. Gathering up the filled baskets, he stacked them in the waiting cart, and moved to the next tree, and gave it a firm buck with one of his hind legs. “Whoa! Oof!” Big Mac turned. Apples didn’t yell, and he discovered a blue pegasus mare had landed in one of the baskets, her mane and tail striped with all colours. “You here for Applejack, Rainbow?” asked Big Mac, as Rainbow levered herself out from the basket. “Nah,” said Rainbow, “I was just...nevermind. I’ll leave now.” Big Mac just stared at Rainbow Dash, waiting until either the pegasus left or said what was on her mind. “Alright, I was just thinking,” Rainbow finally relented, “It’s not sometime I do a lot. I’m not an egghead like Twilight, but all this stuff with the Equestria Games it’s...it’s got me thinking about stuff I don’t normally think about.” Big Macintosh blinked, a silent command for Rainbow to keep talking, as he picked up the apples that had missed the baskets due to Rainbow falling in them first. “It’s like this,” began Rainbow, “I’ve never really questioned why I’m like I am. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love flying, and pulling tricks in the air, and pushing for that little bit more, but what I don’t get is why I’m just so much better than everypony else. Sure, I train everyday, but I know ponies who train way, way harder than me, and still aren’t as fast.” Rainbow picked up an apple that had rolled by her foot, and offered it to Big Mac, who simply shook his head, telling Rainbow that it was hers, before stacking the baskets onto the cart, and moving to another tree. “It’s hard to explain,” said Rainbow Dash, taking a bite from the apple, “But when I’m in the air...it’s like the air is talking to me, telling me how to be fast. It always has, ever since I can remember. ‘s why I signed up for the Air Relay team with Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps, not the individual sprint. I know I can win the sprint, so there’s no challenge in it for me.” Rainbow sighed, and sat down. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you about this.” Big Mac was silent for a while, as Rainbow Dash munched on her apple, then he jerked his head, motioning for Rainbow Dash to follow, and the two moved through the rows of trees until they came to a large, open field, Sweet Apple Acres’ newest plot of land. In the centre of the field was a giant boulder, taller than two ponies standing on top of each other, and wider than three standing side by side. Big Mac walked up to the monolithic peice of rock, planted his front hooves on the ground, and kicked both of his hind legs backwards. Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped as the stone shattered underneath the blow. One minute, the rock was there. The next, it was fit only to be gravel. “We ain’t that Different, Rainbow,” said Big Mac, turning to face the shell shocked pegasus, “You got the wind talkin’ to you. I got the earth whisperin’ to me. Ever since I c’n remember, I’ve always been strong. Broke more’n a few doors in my time. And sometimes, more than just furniture.” Big Mac left the implications of that hanging in the air for a while. [Time] “Took me a while to figure out how to control mah strength. Granny Smith helped. But I know what that’s like, bein’ always better than everypony else, no matter how hard everypony else tries. Applejack, bless her, used to be obsessed with beatin’ me at any contest of strength, but she don’t understand what it’s like when ya got the earth itself tellin’ ya where to hit, just like most other ponies don’t get how you can be so fast cause you got the air tellin’ ya where to go.” “Hey, Big Mac? Do you ever, you know, wish you didn’t have your strength?” “Eeyup. Once,” said Big Mac, “You ever wish you weren’t so fast?” “Once.” Big Macintosh nodded, and let his thoughts stew for a while. “Mah father once told me this, Rainbow: ‘Everypony has their talents, but sometimes Equestria decides that one pony needs more than the rest’. T’aint yer fault yer fast, and t’aint mah fault I’m strong. Ain’t nothing we can do about it ‘cept live with it and put our talents to use so everypony benefits. We just gotta learn how to be weak, or how to be slow if we need to.” “I guess,” muttered Rainbow Dash, taking wing, “Thanks for listening, Big Mac.” “Eeyup,” nodded Big Macintosh, beginning his slow trot back to the orchard, and Rainbow Dash flew off.