Wings
A My Little Pony fanfiction by Earthrise
AN: Here's an updated version of the first chapter. It'll probably get another update soon. 2-27-13
~~~
“Applejack, ya might be a silly pony sometimes, but ya certainly are blessed.” Big Macintosh mused to himself. He shifted in place, still trying to find a position that brought relief from the pain in his sides as he watched his sister's friends busy themselves with harvesting the orchard. Finally finding a stance that wasn’t bordering on excruciating, he wondered where his sister had gotten to. A quick glance showed the stubborn pony of the week snoozing away beneath a tree.
One of the fillies, Rainbow Dash, was certainly impressive to watch. Despite being a pegasus, she was quite productive, even if she didn't necessarily have the stamina to keep bucking apple trees the whole day.
During one of her breaks, she came over rather uncomfortably close and started examining his bandages.
Feeling his personal space violated, albeit by a very fetching young mare, left Big Mac a little nervous. Especially since it seemed like she was about to prod him right in the side with one of her front hooves.
He cleared his throat, and edged slightly away from her.
“What're you doin', Miss Dash?”
Rainbow Dash ignored him in favor of asking her own question.
“How'd you do this?” She asked, pointing at (but thankfully not prodding) his side.
A slightly sour expression showed itself on the stallion’s face, but was quickly replaced by a polite neutrality.
“Ah think Ah strained some muscles when Ah was doing some applebuckin' last week. Doc wasn’t sure, but he told me to take it easy.”
“Has it gotten any better?”
Big Macintosh grimaced slightly. “Nope. In fact, Ah reckon it's actually got worse. Ah can't stay in bed all day, either 'cause that makes them cramp up somethin' fierce.”
She frowned, her lavender rose eyes looking him up and down.
“Well, I bet I can help you. I've had plenty of experience with injuries.”
Big Mac looked to his sister for help, but she was still dead to the world, snoring lightly in the shade of an apple tree.
“Ah'm okay, really-”
“Cramps kill, big guy. So lie down,” she ordered.
“But-”
“Lie. Down,” Rainbow Dash said as loomed towards him, staring at him straight in the eyes. Her wings flared outwards in a predatory manner, and her ears flattened back against her skull, “Now.”
Big Macintosh flinched and obeyed the mare’s orders. He closed his eyes.
A swift breeze buffeted down on him, and two pairs of hooves slowly rubbed both sides of his torso. The pain in his side began to recede, and he gave an involuntary sigh as all his tension began to melt away.
He heard giggling but didn't care, because by Celestia that filly had magic hooves, and he was pain free for the first time in a week.
~~~
Big Macintosh was now snoring lightly in the late afternoon sunshine, and Rainbow Dash quietly flapped back to her circle of friends who were laughing for some inexplicable reason.
“Why is everypony laughing?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“'Cramps kill', Rainbow? I'm certainly not one to begrudge a lady her excuses, but I’m not even sure where that one came from!” Rainbow Dash bristled at this, but Rarity continued on. “I certainly can't blame you though Rainbow Dash dear. He might not be royalty, but he is certainly one of the most handsome stallions in Ponyville.”
Fluttershy, who had been successfully keeping quiet until then let out a surprising loud laugh. Rainbow Dash whipped around to face her.
“Fluttershy!”
“Oh, I'm so sorry Rainbow, but, um... Well, you see...”
“Spit it out already Fluttershy, jeez!”
“BigMacisn'tapegasusandneitherarethey,” Fluttershy squeaked.
Rainbow paused, her mouth silently repeating Fluttershy’s sentence at a more normal speed. With an almost audible click of comprehension, her eyes widened and a blush blossomed on her face.
“Oh.”
Twilight opened her mouth as if to ask a question, but shut it quickly as the gears in her mind churned ruthlessly, grinding out her sought after answer. Looking around, she noticed that the other non-pegasi still possessed varying degrees of confusion. It was her duty as a friend, she decided, to explain the mistake and maybe perhaps inquire about pegasus culture, just a bit?
“The-”
“So yeah, I guess earth ponies don’t have to worry about muscle cramps interfering with flying huh?” Rainbow Dash interrupted Twilight. It may have been petty stealing the explanation from her, but it still gave her now wounded ego a small boost.
Forgetting that ponies who weren’t pegasi never had to worry about high speed crashes was pretty embarrassing after all.
“If y’all will come back to the house with me we’ve got cider of both persuasions,” Applejack said, and quickly turned to address Rainbow Dash. “Don’t look at me like that Rainbow, we’ve had way too many arguments about it already. Just ‘cause you’re a tee-totaler don’t mean everypony else has to be.”
Rainbow Dash scowled, and ruffled her wings in in an aggravated manner.
“I just remembered- I’ve got places to be and ponies to see.”
“Rainbow Miriam Dash! Get back here!” Applejack yelled ineffectually at ever shrinking rainbow colored dot in the sky. A scowl settled on her freckled face.
“What was that all about?” Twilight asked.
Applejack sighed.
“Rainbow Dash doesn’t approve of alcohol, Twilight. And as Ah’m sure you’ve guessed from my name, makin’ booze is a big part of mah special talent.”
“Umm... From your name?”
“You mean you- well shucks, sugarcube. Applejack is a special kinda hooch made from, well, apples. First ya ferment the cider into hard cider, then ya distill it even further. It’s traditionally been made by freeze distillin’, but Ah’ve always used a still- makes it easier to avoid makin’ flavored methanol.”
Twilight blushed lightly in embarrassment at being caught out for the terrible crime of not knowing a fact.
“Well, I guess I don’t really know much about alcohol, I’ve never tried any alcohol before Applejack. In unicorns, it temporarily disrupts the thaumic circuits and causes passive resonance failure for anything more than the most basic telekinesis.”
“Say what?”
“Booze makes spells go fizzle, silly Applejack!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
Rarity nodded her assent to Pinkie Pie’s explanation.
“Excellent summation, Pinkie. I’ll take some of the ‘hard stuff’ myself as it ‘twere. I haven’t felt myself lately, and perhaps a drop or two might restore my constitution.”
Applejack raised her eyebrows.
“You been feelin’ outa sorts, and still came out here ta help me, Rarity?” Applejack asked with no small amount of surprise.
“You are my friend, Applejack, are you not?” she inquired with a kind smile.
Moisture gathered at the edges of Applejack’s eyes, a bright smile coming to her face.
“That Ah am, sugarcube. That Ah am. Come on inside y’all, an’ don’t worry you worry none about Rainbow. She’ll probably join us in a bit anyway.”
Applejack turned to her brother.
“Big Mac! Wake up you lazy-bones. We’re going inside now.”
Her brother stirred, blearily opening his eyes, blinking them several times before they opened widely in surprise. He slowly arose to all four hooves, looking at his side incredulously. Taking a step forward, he winced slightly. Despite this, a pleased look formed on his face as he followed the mares inside.
The ensuing gathering could have been rather awkward, but with some of the best cider and liquor in Equestria being passed around
Twilight was nursing her second mug of hard cider when she suddenly turned to Pinkie.
“I’ve always heard about ponies spiking the punch at parties. Have you ever done that Pinkie?”
“She did. At my welcome to Ponyville party. I punched her in the face,” said a voice from the doorway.
Rainbow Dash gave a snort and turned to face Pinkie, who winced at the memory.
“She flew about fifty feet. What are you made of anyway, Pinkie Pie? Cotton candy? You weigh less than me. Heck, you weigh less than Fluttershy!”
Twilight watched the exchange, her enlightenment becoming visible on her face.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Pinkie giggled.
“Do you know yerself Pinkie? Maybe you are made of cotton candy.” Big Mac drawled from the corner.
“Oh my goodness ohmygoodness! What if I am! That would be superspecialawesometerrific!”
Pinkie bounced around the room excitedly, then aimed a hungry glare at her tail. In an instant she had seized the poofy pony appendage in her mouth and began chewing vigorously. Her expression changed from excited delight to complete disgust, and spat it out.
“Bleh! It tastes like hair!”
With that exclamation, Pinkie began spazzing about the room and singing, presumably doing some sort of strange “bad taste” musical number.
Don’t judge by the cover of the books
Even if they’re a scrumptious looking pink.
Don’t just a tail by its looks
It might not taste like what you think!
Some things that look good are bad,
And some that look bad are good...
Taking advantage of the pink distraction, Dash made her way over to the stallion’s corner and sat a few feet away from him, grabbing a mug of the non-alcoholic cider. A contented silence fell over the two of them as they watched Pinkie continue her dance.
It was Rainbow Dash who broke the silence between the two first.
“Listen Big Mac, I’m sorry I got kinda pushy with the whole massage thing. It’s kinda embarrassing, but long story short I kinda maybe forgot you weren’t a pegasus.”
Big Mac chuckled and set his cider down.
“Makes sense now. Nice ta know ya ain’t keen on me goin’ splat anyways.”
The mare flashed him an easy grin.
“Hey, you understood it faster than Twilight! I always figured that-” Rainbow Dash paused, an awkward look on her face.
“No problem, Miss Dash,” Big Mac laughed. “Ah ain’t the most talkative pony anyways, an’ it’s easy for folks to misunderstand.”
“Heh, thanks,” she said, gazing into her half empty mug. She looked up again at the still spastic Pinkie. “You think she’s gonna stop that anytime soon?”
“Enope.”
~~~
The next day Big Mac awoke to a loud groan. It took him a few moments to realize that it was his own voice, and the pain which had been mostly absent last night had returned. He rolled over, opening his eyes to see a concerned Apple Bloom looking at him.
“Are you alright big brother?” She asked, her eyes large and watery.
“No, Ah reckon Ah'm not alright little sis,” Big Mac sighed. “Ah'm gonna go back to the doc today.”
He got up and started towards the door, but after only a couple of feet he stumbled. Rather than falling to the floor, he found himself leaning up against a surprisingly sturdy Apple Bloom.
“Let me help you down the stairs Big Mac,” said his little sister.
“Thanks Sugar-cube,” Big Mac replied gratefully. If he was having issues with flat ground, he didn't think much about his ability to deal with stairs. And the potential for worsening his condition even more didn't even bear thinking about.
Big Mac felt a little better after breakfast, but Apple Bloom still insisted on walking with him to the doctor's office.
Along the way, the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders showed up.
“Hey there Apple Bloom, come on, we're gonna try for kayaking cutie-marks today!” Shouted the ever enthusiastic Scootaloo.
“Not right now, Scootaloo, Ah'm with walkin' with mah brother at the moment,” said Apple Bloom.
Big Mac cleared his throat.
“Why don't ya go on, Apple Bloom. Ah'll be just fine on mah own.”
Apple Bloom shot him a look that told him exactly what she thought of that. Big Mac shrugged, but the shifting that occurred in his sides nearly sent him to his knees for a second.
“See, he doesn't mind, back me up here Sweetie Belle!” Cried Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle did not reply- she was staring at a wonky eyed pegasus who was peering out from a bush along the path. As if by some strange hypnotic magic, Sweetie's eyes had begun to spin in lazy circles as well.
“Ah'm taking mah brother to the doctor, and-”
This statement shook Sweetie Belle out of her stupor.
Locking eyes, she and Scootaloo began to shout “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER AMBULANCE-”
“NO!!!!!” Shouted Apple Bloom, at an even louder volume. “Ah need to make sure he gets to the doctor okay, and you have ta admit when we're trying ta get our cutie-marks, stuff gets broke a lot.”
Big Mac was honestly touched. He'd never seen his sister let anything come between her and a Crusader adventure before.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked away somewhat ashamedly.
“Aw, don't be like that! Just come along with us and help me keep him company. Then we can go kayaking.”
Big Mac smiled. It was nice having family that cared about him so much.
The walk went rather quickly, with Apple Bloom and her friends keeping him entertained. Scootaloo kept trying to walk with her rear legs sticking straight up in the air. Her wings and legs flailed about, nearly jabbing him in the eye twice. After that, he moved to the other side of the path.
Quite frankly, whatever she was doing, it looked really weird and Big Macintosh didn't think that equine anatomy was supposed to work that way.
“Hey, Scootaloo. How did ya learn ta do that?” He asked, finally unable to restrain his curiosity any longer.
“Somepony named Lyra taught me,” she replied before falling on her head. “OW!”
Sensing that asking the filly if she was okay would just irritate her, he went with the other question that was bugging him.
“But... Why?” Big Macintosh inquired.
Scootaloo looked uncomfortable. Well, more uncomfortable than her odd position would suggest, anyway.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle sensed their friend's discomfort, and Big Mac saw them attempting a discrete silent inquiry as to whether a distraction was needed. He smiled, happy to see Apple Bloom learning some of the finer arts of tact, something which Applejack had honestly always had issues with.
Despite the silent offer, Scootaloo finally righted herself and began to speak, a faraway look in her eyes.
“Well... I can't really fly yet you see. My wings are a little too small and not quite strong enough. But when I am able to fly, I want to be like Rainbow Dash. You need flexibility in order to pull off the kinds of tricks that she does. And I've never seen anypony more flexible than Lyra.”
Big Mac frowned. The idea of a flightless pegasus troubled him deeply for some reason.
He shook himself out of his introspection, realizing the need for him to say something.
“Good fer you,” he said. “Yer gonna be a great flier, just like Miss Dash when you grow up.”
At that, they all fell into a relative silence that lasted the rest of the way to town.
It didn't take long at all before they reached the clinic. As he walked into the doctor's office, he turned around to wave, but the Crusaders were already kayaking away... down the main street of Ponyville. A steady deluge of water was flowing through the streets from Celestia only knew where.
Apple Bloom waved at him from her kayak, and he waved dumbly back at her. He didn't even want to think about how they had managed that.