Hey guys. Not too sure about how well this one is turning out, any constructive criticism is great! It's a bit of a short one, but I'm not too good at writing an accurate Rainbow Dash. So again, constructive criticism is more than welcome!
CRASH!
The shrill noise woke Big Mac with a start. He quickly glanced around the room. To his surprise, he was still in Fluttershy's cottage, in the corner, and Angel bunny was sitting next to him, sleeping soundly. He must have fallen asleep as well, at some point. How long had he been there? He sighed, groggily. Why was he here, again? He was waiting for... someone. One of AJ's friends, probably.
He looked to the source of the noise, only to see that the door to the cottage had been entirely removed from its frame, and it was halfway across the room, lying under a very shaken cyan pegasus mare, with a rainbow mane and tail. She was very eye catching, as most ponies only had one or two colors in their mane and tail. The prismatic colors that this pegasus had were... Cool. He couldn't really think of another word for it, as the pegasus shook herself off and got up, looking around. She noticed him, sitting in the corner, and trotted over, with complete disregard for the door she had just destroyed. Big Mac just stared at her, surprised. Most pegasi wouldn't even be able to get up after an impact like that, and this one just shook it off. He was just contemplating this when he recognized her. This was the same pegasus that had made the Sonic Rainboom, and who constantly practiced over Sweet Apple Acres. As hard as he tried, though, he couldn't think of her name.
"Hey, Big Mac, what's up?" she talked with a very upbeat voice, very confident. Big Macintosh looked at her, still slightly dumbfounded. How did they all already know him? He hadn't met any of them, yet they all greeted him as though he was an old friend. Well, not Fluttershy, but she didn't seem to be the type for a jovial greeting. He noticed that he was spacing out, still staring at her awkwardly, so he spoke up.
"Um... hey there, miss... uh..." He thought for a moment. What was her name again? he looked quickly at the slip of paper that he had set down, to refresh his memory. He was still kind of drowsy, from being awakened so suddenly. "Miss Rainbow Dash?" She looked at him for a moment, seemingly confused.
"What, did you forget my name or something? I'm only the fastest flyer in all of Equestria." She looked slightly annoyed, but it seemed as though there was a trace of sadness in her eyes. Big Mac nodded.
"Well, sorta. I mean... uh..." His mind was still wandering. He was trying to think of something to say, but the rainbow mane reminded him of the first time he'd seen this pegasus.
He was working on the farm, but he had to stop and look up when he saw a rainbow colored blur zip above him. He followed the blur to focus, and he saw that it was a cyan pegasus, flipping and spinning dangerously through the air. She looped up, turned downward and spiraled down into a barrel roll, nearly crashing into the barn into the process. He had originally thought she was crazy, but after watching this occur a few times, he learned to enjoy her high-flying antics. He'd always wondered what it was like to fly.
His mind snapped back into reality, and he wondered how long he had been awkwardly staring at her, remembering the moment. He felt a strange warmth in his chest again, this time as though his heart was comfortably close to a warm fireplace. What was that feeling? He didn't understand it. He should probably check in with a doctor later.
Rainbow Dash didn't look angry now, she simply seemed dissapointed that he didn't know her. He realized he must have damaged her pride. He quickly spoke up, hoping it wasn't too late to make her feel better.
"I'm sorry, I just never got your name before. I know you're the one that's always flyin' around the Acres though. You've got some dangerous moves under your belt, Miss Dash." Her face brightened as she was acknowledged, and she blushed slightly at the compliment. "Recommend you don't go breakin' down doors, though. You could hurt yourself pretty bad. Ain't pegasi supposed to be more, uh... fragile than other ponies? No offense." She seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"Thanks, I think. I work really hard to keep up on all the good moves. Almost everypony knows I want to join the Wonderbolts! And... well, yeah. Pegasi have thin, hollow bones, but that just make us faster. Pegasi have to be light, right? If we were heavy, I wouldn't be half as cool and awesome as I am now! I may be a lightweight, but that doesn't matter. I can take more hits than most earth ponies." It seemed that this pegasus had more than a little bit of pride, if she wasn't downright cocky. He grinned at her.
"I can see that. I thought that hit with the door should've knocked you out cold, considering you launched it halfway across the room. Now, why in the hay did you have to go crashing through the door in the first place?" She looked at him sheepishly, grinned, and then looked away.
"Well... to be honest, I kinda, uh... crashed, a little. It's all right, I'll just fix it and nopony will know!" She didn't face him, but she instead turned to face the door, which was in the middle of the room, flat on the floor.
She said nothing, but she moved over to the door, and tried to pick it back up. For such a resilient pegasus, she didn't have much back strength. Big Mac headed over, tapped her on the shoulder, and once she was out of the way, he easily hefted the door back up, using his head get under the door, and then his neck to lift it onto his back. It was actually pretty heavy. He then proceeded to balance it on his back, as he carried it back across the room to the frame it rightfully belonged in. He shifted the door back onto its hinges and then let it rest. He had always been good at manual labor.
He looked over at Rainbow Dash, to see her blushing, much like Fluttershy had done. Her wings, too, were extended outward, as if she was about to take off. Upon seeing that he was looking at her, her blush dissipated almost immediately, and she looked away, but her wings stayed upright. He could see her strain as she forced them back down to her sides. He wondered just why their wings did that, And why it made them blush. Or maybe the blush had something to do with the wings?
After a minute's deliberation and awkward staring, he determined that he was still terrible at anatomy. He quickly left this train of thought, as he remembered why he needed to see Rainbow Dash in the first place.
"Oh, that's right. Sorry for not mentionin' it before, but I'm kinda on forced leave. I've been sufferin' from exhaustion as of late, and I guess AJ thought I needed a day off. So I decided to head around, and thank the group that helped her with Applebuck Season last year. So, many thanks for your help." Rainbow looked at him for a moment, and then broke into a wide smile, almost laughing.
"Oh, yeah! I remember that. That work was tiring, but it was pretty fun! How did you hurt yourself, anyway? AJ wouldn't stop talking about how you were hurt. She seemed really worried about you." A look of concern crossed her face. "You didn't seriously hurt yourself, did you?" Big Mac looked at her, feeling slightly guilty for being so clumsy in the past.
"Eeyup, I hurt myself pretty bad. I was out Applebuckin', as usual, and I went to kick a tree. Now, I kicked a bit too hard, and the tree started to fall. The unfortunate part was that it fell toward me, Celestia only knows how. I'm lucky I ain't dead. It nearly crushed me, but I managed to get a strong enough kick off to crack the whole thing in half. Mind you, it still hurts when half a tree falls on you." Rainbow looked horrified.
"Jeez, Big Mac..." Big Mac quickly attempted to calm her down, not wanting her to worry.
"Now don't you worry, Miss Dash, I'm fine. I'm still here, and I can still work. Well, the work bit might be a bit more important to my sis, but still." Rainbow Dash grinned.
"Nah, not worried about you. I'm pretty sure you could take more hits than I could, you're pretty strong. But seriously, you kicked a tree so hard you knocked it over, and then you kicked it hard enough to crack it in half? That's crazy! When we were helping AJ out there, I had to fly into the trees to knock anything down at all." She had an abnormal glimmer of competition in her eyes. Or maybe it was admiration? Regardless, Big Macintosh's red coloration proved, once again, to be a benefit in hiding a blush.
Suddenly, Big Mac remembered that Fluttershy was the one who had gone to get Rainbow Dash in the first place, and he accidentally cut her off before she could say anything else. "By the way, where'd Fluttershy get off t-" He was cut off by the door opening, and Fluttershy quietly slinking into the room. She spoke, in that same, timid voice.
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry it took me so long to get here! There was poor little baby manticore, and he'd gotten lost, so I picked him up and flew him back into the Everfree." She looked excruciatingly apologetic. Rainbow Dash jumped up and gave her a hug.
"Fluttershy, you have to TELL ME when you're randomly gonna disappear! If I hadn't accidentally your door, and then gotten distracted talking to Big Mac, I would've had Angel bunny and been out looking for you!" Big Mac looked at her for a moment, in a state of minor shock. Rainbow released her friend from the hug, just as Big Mac came to terms with the situation.
"Hold on now, you just, uh... did what to her door now? And not only that, but Fluttershy was missin', and you just talked to me? It's mighty kind of you to keep me company, Miss Dash, but you could've asked me to go look for her with you. I wouldn't have minded at all! You're both real nice, and I'd hate to have anything happen to either of ya, seein' as you've both been so nice to me and all." Rainbow Dash blushed furiously, obviously quite embarrassed.
"Well... as it turns out, hitting your head on a door at speeds that can almost break the sound barrier can affect your memory. I had totally forgotten about the flight over, I just kinda started talking to you. Not too sure why..." She blushed again, but it quickly faded. "Seeing Fluttershy just kinda... jogged my memory, or rather, reminded me completely why I had rushed over here so quickly in the first place." Big Mac smiled amusedly, but Fluttershy looked extrememly worried.
"Ohmygoodnessohmygoodnessohmygoodness, you're not hurt, are you, Rainbow? We can get you to the hospital, if you need to-" Rainbow cut her off, giggling, as she hugged her again.
"Calm down, Fluttershy, I'm fine. Just a little headache is all."
Big Mac had to admit, they were both cute. Just like with Twilight, he found himself awkwardly staring for a moment, as they continued to banter, Rainbow insisting that she was fine, and Fluttershy insisting that a checkup at the hospital would be for the best. He quickly shook his head and forced his mind away from that thought. What was that? He'd never thought about any mare like that before, let alone three of them. He needed to clear his head of any distracting thoughts. He had two more ponies to meet, and daylight was beginning to fade. He looked at his list, and moved to the door. He had to hurry.
" 'Scuse me, but I got to go. I still gotta meet the other two of AJ's friends. Rarity and Pinkie Pie, I think they were. I'll need to be leaving now, thank you for letting me stay." He said as he moved to leave. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy only stopped arguing long enough to say "Bye," before immediately returning to their respective relaxed and worried states. Rarity and Pinkie Pie. What would these two be like? He hoped he could make it through the day without any more major distractions. He did have to get back to work tomorrow.
Big Mac looked up at the building with a sense of foreboding. He didn't know why, but Carousel Boutique filled him with an internal dread. It was like he was looking into the gates of a new land, something completely foreign to him. A clothing store. Dear Celestia, he had hoped it would never come to this. He gathered what was left of his resolve, and walked quietly through the door. Supposedly, Applejack's friend Rarity lived and worked here, making and selling all sorts of clothes. He looked around the room, taking in the surroundings. They were different from anything he'd ever seen. He assumed this is what a "high class" establishment would look like, if it were a different color. The walls and floor were all pink, in slightly different shades. The curtains on what could be described as a stage were a dark pink, whereas the floor was a vivid bright pink. He didn't know why, but he wanted to leave, immediately. He had to force himself to say something, as the quiet in the room was unnerving. He set down the bag of books he'd had around his neck, and walked forward, addressing the seemingly empty room.
"Hello? Miss Rarity, are you here?" He said, in a strong, yet delicate voice. He almost didn't want a reply. He didn't know why he disliked this place so much. It just conflicted with something deep within his character. Unfortunately, his hopes for silence were in vain, as an almost excessively polite voice came from somewhere up a set of stairs he couldn't see. He heard hoofsteps, and he followed the sound to find himself staring at a pure white unicorn mare, with a very styled purple mane. Just in her looks, Big Macintosh could tell she was very refined. He could only hope she wouldn't be too high class to accept a hello. Thankfully, she trotted over daintily, and looked at him, somewhat analytically.
"Ah, hello, Big Macintosh. What brings you to town? Not a normal sight to see a working stallion like yourself in the best clothing store in Ponyville, unless..." A look of excitement came onto her face. "Could you be here to... clean yourself up a bit? I don't mean to offend, but you always look so... drab, while you're out working the field! I've had designs drawn up and stitched together for more muscular stallions for a while now, but I've never had a model for them! You've definitely got the muscle for it." Big Mac was extremely glad his coat was as vibrantly red as it was, because this was the deepest blush he'd ever experienced. Rarity was VERY forward with her compliments. Big Mac, not sure what to say, stammered out a reply.
"Well, I-I, uh, I just kinda came to talk, but if you need some help, I guess I could-" He didn't get to finish his sentence. Rarity had jumped up and was rapidly pulling him toward the back of the store, where the stage-like platform was set up. She pulled back the dark pink curtains, to reveal three mirrors. She ushered him up onto the platform, and signaled him to wait. She ran over in the direction of the desk, and she disappeared behind a corner. Big Macintosh, for the first time in his life, had no idea what was going on. Suddenly, he knew why he didn't like this place. Normally, he could assess a situation easily, but now? He had no idea what was going to happen to him, and it made him slightly worried, though he didn't show it.
Click!
Big Mac, upon hearing the noise, began to worry more. He really didn't intend to stay any longer than he had to, and it seemed he'd roped himself into something he wasn't getting out of. Rarity came back around the corner, practically vibrating with excitement. She had a cart dragging behind her, full of clothes. Big Mac sighed, resigned to the fate he had given himself.
"So, Miss Rarity, what do I do to help? I don't exactly know what I'm doing." Rarity beamed at him, obviously extremely happy that he was helping her.
"Well, darling, all you need to do is put on the clothes I give you, and then stand still while I fit them, to see how they look!" Big Mac sighed in relief. He was worried that she was going to cover him in makeup or something. It was a seemingly irrational fear, but it was a possibility in his mind. "Oh, come now! No need to be nervous. Oh, yes! before we start, you should probably wash up, I still have some things to set up. There's a bathroom right over there. "She gestured towards a blue door, which seemed to contrast to the rest of the pink interior. He simply muttered an "Eeyup." and walked through the door. Once the door was closed and locked, he fell onto his haunches. What had he gotten himself into?
He walked out of the bathroom some time later, breathing deeply. He hadn't had a good bath in a long time, so it was extremely refreshing to relax in the hot water for a little while. He hoped he hadn't taken too long. He let out his stored breath, and inhaled deeply again. The bathroom that was used by customers to wash up was kept in immaculate condition, and Rarity had an excessive selection of soap and shampoo. He eventually just settled on Apple scented and washed with those. He'd always liked the smell of apples. He started to zone out, but snapped back into reality. He was supposed to help Rarity.
Upon returning to the platform, he saw that Rarity was asleep by the cart of clothing. She seemed extremely peaceful, and Big Mac didn't want to disturb her, but he had a schedule to uphold, and he wouldn't just walk out on someone he'd promised to help. He moved over carefully and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Uh... Miss Rarity? I washed up for ya. You get all of the preparations done?" Rarity woke up quickly, and stared at Big Mac for a moment, incredulously.
"Big Mac? What are you... Was I asleep? Surely, I'm not still dre-" The realization hit her, and she cut herself off. "Oh, dear, I'm so sorry! I finished the preparations, and I just leaned onto the cart to take a moment's rest. I guess I've been working more than I thought today." She immediately resumed her previous train of thought. "So, all I need you to do is try on the clothes I give you, and then stand still. Fair enough?" Big Mac nodded, and so began the work. Rarity gave him a piece of clothing, usually a suit, and he would put it on, and stand still while she would temporarily fit it to him, using magic.
He addressed the topic of last year's Applebuck season while she worked, but Rarity simply waved it off, muttering something along the lines of "Oh, it was nothing, darling." They didn't really talk much other than that, as Rarity was intently focused on her work. After several hours of trying on different styles of clothing, Rarity happily called from the cart.
"Last one, Big Macintosh! After this, you can be on your way. He actually liked this one a lot, a black suit and red tie that, though completely not what he would normally wear, he thought looked extremely good on him. He felt like it made him look more... civilized. He asked Rarity about it.
"Hey, uh, Miss Rarity?" He asked. she turned from the cart for a moment. "What d'you think about this one in particular? I ain't one for fancy dress, but I like it." Rarity looked him over analytically, and nodded, grinning.
"Well, for somepony who doesn't like fancy dress, you certainly have good taste. That's my personal favorite of all of these designs! It really shows of your physique, darling! Would you like it?" Big Mac pondered for a moment. He didn't know when he would wear it, and he didn't want to think about the cost, but that was something he would have had to address anyway.
"Uh, that depends. How much is it? I don't have that many bits on me at the moment, and well-" She stopped him, smiling.
"Don't worry dear, you can have it. Consider it payment for your work. You've been extremely helpful! I was worried I'd never find a model for these designs, as most of the stallions that focus on their physique live in Canterlot." Big Mac raised his eyebrows at her.
"You sure, Miss Rarity? I don't mean to be taking something off of your hooves without payin' ya for it." She stared at him for a moment, and then grinned coyly.
"Are you absolutely sure you insist on paying?" Big Mac nodded. "Well, if you insist, consider this payment for the suit." And with that, she walked over and kissed him on the cheek. Big Mac was stunned. He couldn't move, he couldn't think, he couldn't blink. He just stared straight ahead, as if he had seen a monster. In his mind, a whirlwind of different thoughts and emotions exploded. Rarity simply left the suit on him and trotted up the same stairs she had come down, with a "Goodbye, darling!"
Big Mac wasn't sure how long he stood there. He wasn't sure what time it was, or what day it was. He had that same, strange, warm feeling he felt around Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy. Was this... love? He couldn't seriously be falling for four mares at the same time, could he? He shook his head, hoping to dispel these thoughts for as long as he could. He had one more mare to meet, and very little time to do it. It was now getting dark, and he had to hurry.
Big Macintosh stumbled through the streets of Ponyville, with the bag on his back slightly heavier, as he had taken off the suit Rarity had given him and put it in with the books Twilight gave him. It was getting dark, and it was starting to rain, but he didn't care. He felt as though he was half asleep, though he knew he was wide awake. It was as if his consciousness wanted to be somewhere else. What was happening to him? All of these feelings running through his head couldn't help him. He had to find this Pinkie Pie, give her the same thanks he gave the others, and go home. He needed to sort this out before he could get to sleep. His mind still reeled, thinking of that one moment. It was raining heavily now, puddles forming all over the streets.
"S-She kissed me..." He said it aloud. He stopped, and looked in a puddle. His face reflected his feelings, his mouth, normally straight, was scrunched into a frown, his expression much more somber than usual. The sleep he'd previously lost was really showing, though he didn't notice it before. The bags under his eyes were beginning to become more prominent, increasing the sadness and confusion in his face. He didn't know what was going on in his own mind. It worried him beyond all belief that he didn't even understand himself anymore.
SLAM!
The noise made Big Macintosh look up, startled. He didn't think anypony would be out this late. He looked at the mare who had walked out of the building ahead of him. Upon looking at her more closely, he realized that she closely resembled what Applejack had told him that Pinkie Pie looked like, but something was off. Applejack said that Pinkie Pie was the only bright pink mare in Ponyville, with a cotton candy shaped mane and tail. This mare, however, had a very straight mane, looking somewhat like a popped balloon, sad and limp as it lay over her face. Her tail had the same qualities. He watched as she slowly started to walk down the street, away from him. He could only assume that this was the Pinkie Pie that Applejack had mentioned, as the coloration matched, but...
She wasn't energetic, or happy. She looked down dejectedly as she slowly began to pace down the street, taking one step after another, without any of the bounce or happiness that Applejack had told him about. Big Macintosh only truly took action when she stopped and began to tremble. He started cautiously towards her, but he began to hurry when she collapsed, sobbing. He couldn't just let somepony cry right in front of him. He tapped her on the shoulder, desperately hoping he could make her feel better. He could practically feel the sadness emanating from her, as she sobbed. She attempted to collect herself, but as she turned to face Big Macintosh, tears continued to roll down her cheeks.
"Oh, hello... W-what do you want? Y-you're not here come to the party I made, are you? Nopony hung around at all... I tried as hard as I could to make a fun party, I was supposed to meet my friend's brother Big Mac today, and I wanted to have some fun... but it got late, and not even one pony came to spend time with me..." She broke down again, sobbing. Big Mac didn't want to make her feel any worse, so he introduced himself gently, smiling sadly.
"Are you Miss Pinkie Pie?" He asked. She nodded, shaking between sobs. "Well... I'm real, real sorry I couldn't make it earlier. I'm Big Macintosh, AJ's brother. It's nice to meet you, for what it's worth." She stopped sobbing, and looked up at him again. "I... I wouldn't mind havin' a party, if you haven't taken everything down yet." She looked up at him, the beginnings of a smile forming on her face, and her tone of voice became slightly brighter. He could've sworn he saw the pink in her coat and mane brighten slightly.
"R-really? You're Big Macintosh? I thought I knew everypony in Ponyville. Why don't I recognize you?" Big Mac chuckled and grinned at her. He felt a lot better himself now that she seemed to be happier.
"I don't come to town much. I'm usually just workin' at the farm. So, you still got that party set up, Miss Pinkie?" She stood up, giggled, and proceeded to scare the daylights out of Big Mac as her mane and tail practically exploded outwards, inflating like balloons. Looking at her now, she definitely looked like Applejack had told him, her mane and coat a much brighter pink, with the mane twisted and curled at every possible point, much like cotton candy.
"Uh... yeah. I kinda left everything up and just left. I get really weird and forgetful when I'm sad. You should hear about the time I forgot about my own birthday! You sure you wouldn't mind a party, even though nopony else will be there to party with you? Because I know it feels really bad to be alone, and I always try to be around other ponies! Except when I'm trying to sleep. Don't you think it would be weird if I tried to fall asleep next to random ponies in public?" She asked. He nodded happily, and chuckled. She certainly WAS as strange as AJ had said she was, speaking very rapidly, and vibrating with energy at each word. She was a lot perkier now, and he looked at her. She should have been soaked with rain, but her mane remained sternly outwards, as though it defied all laws of physics. His mane was soaked, plastered to his face with all of the water it had absorbed.
"Now, I don't mean to be a bother, but could you lead the way to where the party's at, Miss Pinkie? We should probably get inside before we catch a cold in this rain." She nodded rapidly, somewhere around five times, before hopping off towards the building she'd left. Big Mac watched this, slightly confused. How could she go from so sad to so happy, so suddenly?
She opened the door and let Big Mac into the building. This must be Sugarcube Corner. It was a bit hard to see from the outside, but it looked vaguely like a gingerbread house. As soon as he walked in, he was attacked by an army of aromas so sweet, they could probably knock weaker ponies into a diabetic coma. The air smelled so strongly of sugar that he could almost taste it. The room was still dark, but with a click! from somewhere in the room, The lights all turned on, and confetti sprayed all over the place from seemingly everywhere. She smiled at him, and, much to his surprise, she ran up and gave him a very powerful hug. She was extremely warm, and he could distinctly smell cotton candy in her mane. What surprised him the most was that she was completely dry. That made no sense, no matter how you looked at it.
"Thank you so so so much for coming! I was worried that nopony would show up, and nopony showed up at all, well... some of my friends showed up to drop off some presents, but they couldn't stay... so I was really sad, so I kinda became a little Pinkamena-y for a while there. I'm really super sorry you had to see that..." Big Mac gently pulled out of the hug. Her coloration faded a little as she frowned, but as soon as Big Mac smiled at her, it came back immediately, her face breaking into a smile.
"Uh, pardon me for askin', but what do you mean by... 'Pinkamena-y'?" She looked at him somewhat guiltily, though she didn't lose her smile.
"Oh... that's just what I call myself when I get really sad or really angry, or both... But that doesn't matter, there's a party to have!" She rapidly charged out of the room, coming back a few minutes later with a table that had two boxes and a card on it, each wrapped a different color.
"You set all of this up just for me, Miss Pinkie?" She nodded.
"I always want everypony to be happy, so I always set up super duper fun parties! You can just call me 'Pinkie', by the way, I hate formal parties they're no fun! Speaking of fun, I have a bunch of super fun games, but they all require more than four ponies. I usually have a lot of guests. Oh well! More cake for us!" Big Mac stared in bewilderment as Pinkie brought out an enormous bright red cake, in the shape of an apple. She cut him a slice, and then she cut three more. Big Mac was starving. He hadn't eaten all day, considering all of the things that had happened.
He dug into his cake happily, to find it delicious. Extremely sweet, as any cake should be, but it was light, fluffy, and it tasted slightly like an apple. He finished his slice, and looked over to Pinkie. His jaw dropped. She had eaten half of the cake, and was cutting herself another slice, when she suddenly exploded into the most rapid sentence he'd ever heard.. "MMMM! This cake is really good don't you think so I think so I just can't stop eating it it's so tasty it tastes like apples and I LOVE apples but who doesn't lo-" He cut her off, practically laughing out loud as he chuckled.
"Uh, not to be depressin', but you should probably calm down a little. You should really, uh, save your energy. Never know when you're gonna need it." He frowned inwardly, thinking of how stupid that sounded. That wouldn't make her calm down. He hoped it wouldn't make her angry, he just wished she would... slow down a little. Well, sort of. He wanted some more of that cake, before she ate all of it.
Much to his surprise, however, he could see her slowly begin to calm, and eventually, she was just standing there, not vibrating, not bouncing, just standing. He looked at her, completely stunned, as she began to speak in a somewhat slower voice.
"Hmm... save energy? I guess I never thought about it like that before. Well... it is just me and Big Mac, so there really isn't any reason to be too hyper, but..." She was talking like any other mare now, but... she was talking to herself. Big Mac had no idea what in the name of Celestia was wrong with this mare, but it seemed pretty funny to him. He chuckled again.
"Hey, Pinkie. Not to interrupt your thinkin', but could I have another slice of cake before you finish it off?" She nodded happily, and gave him the slice she had just cut. He thanked her, and she began to cut another slice.
He finished his second piece of cake, now quite content. He looked over, and he wasn't too surprised to see that Pinkie had finished the cake. Thankfully though, she maintained her levelheadedness that she had so suddenly acquired. He knew he would need to head home soon, it was really, genuinely late now. He decided to address the reason he was here.
"Well, Pinkie, I guess I never really explained why I was comin' over in the first place. Now, I suppose you remember last year's Applebuck Season, when I was out on injury?" She nodded. "Well, I decided that, since I was on forced leave today, I should introduce myself to her friends, and give em' thanks for helpin' out the family. So, thank you, Pinkie. I don't know what could've happened if AJ had kept tryin' to do that on her own." She giggled happily, her energy level rising slightly.
"Oh, it was fun! You don't need to thank me, I got to eat apples! And drink applejuice, and make an apple pie with Applejack, and then I made an apple cake, just like the one we just ate! Hey, you should open your presents!" She gestured toward the table, with the two boxes and card on it. Big Mac got up slowly, and walked over. "Ooh, open mine first! It's the card."
Big Macintosh walked over, and opened up the pink card. On the inside, it read like a letter, written in rapidly scrawled mouthwriting that was in recently used ink. Had she written this while getting the presents? It read:
Dear Big Macintosh,
Thanks again for showing up. I don't know what I would've done with all of the party stuff if you hadn't! I mean, I could've saved it, but then the food would go bad, and that's not very tasty. Regardless, if my Pinkie Sense is right, It's my lucky day, because my back's been itchin' up a storm! By the way, you should turn around.
-Pinkie
Big Mac read the letter, not sure what to make of it. What was Pinkie Sense? An itchy back? Her lucky day? He read the last line, and turned to where Pinkie had been. She was now less than five feet away, staring directly into his eyes. He wanted to say something, but he found his mouth dry. Time seemed to be slowing to a crawl. Upon looking into her eyes as she started to hop towards him in this awkward stasis, Big Mac felt a familiar, uncomfortable warmth in his chest for the fifth time today. He'd felt it when he was with Twilight, he felt it when Fluttershy hugged him. He felt it when he thought about the first time he'd seen Rainbow Dash flying, and he felt it when Rarity had kissed him on the cheek.
Oh no. Not again. Not with Pinkie, too... Time seemed to get slower, and slower, with each little hop she took towards him. She took one final bound, and time came back. Pinkie Pie landed right in front of Big Mac, who just stared, stunned, as she embraced him again, this time pulling him into a deep kiss. Big Mac didn't resist, he didn't return the kiss, he didn't know what to do. He had so much running through his mind it was excruciating. Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and now Pinkie Pie? He wanted to kick himself in the face. He's only had intentions to go and give thanks to AJ's friends, and he'd somehow... something had happened between them. Whatever it was, there was definitely a conection with each and every one of them. What would he tell Applejack?
The thought of his sister's reaction hit him like a freight train, as well as his collective lack of sleep, and when Pinkie pulled away from the kiss, and let him go, Big Mac made a split second decision that he'd had enough of this mental torment to last a lifetime, and galloped out of the room at high speed, leaving a very confused Pinkie Pie in his wake.