Past Tartarus and Back

"Gotta be honest with you two, I think 'war' ought to be a curse word. You know what they say; it's Tartarus."

Applejack shook her head. "No, I gotta disagree there. War's war; Tartarus is Tartarus. War's worse."

Rainbow Dash raised a red eyebrow. "Yeah? How d'ya figure?"

"Good creatures don't go to Tartarus."

In a time that never existed, two unlikely ponies find solace in each other.

Written for the M/M Shipping Contest. Takes place in Sombra's Bad Future. Big Macintosh x Soarin, with hinted Applejack x Rainbow Dash near the end.

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daOtterGuy

daOtterGuy #1 · Oct 27th, 2021 · 1 · 1 ·

Howdy, hi!

You have been successfully entered into the MxM contest! Thank you for your participation and we look forward to reading your entry!

Grainne Ni Bhroin

Grainne Ni Bhroin #2 · Oct 27th, 2021 · 1 · 1 ·

Always enjoy a good MASH reference, and a damn good story.

Bicyclette

Bicyclette #3 · Dec 3rd, 2021 · 1 · 1 ·

Big Macintosh did as he was told. As the barn door closed behind him, he couldn't help but smile. It was rare moments like this that almost made him feel like things were back to normal.
Almost.

oof, already darker than it even seemed in the canon timeline, with Granny Smith being gone

"Bwuh...?" A groggy head lifted from the pillow, a bit of drool gathered at the corner of his mouth, green eyes heavy lidded and confused in the dim light coming from the hallway.

that is a good bwuh!

Soarin had once told him that he was busier now than he'd ever been as a Wonderbolt; just last night, Applejack had insisted that he stop for the night, pointing out that even Wonderbolts couldn't perform without a good night of sleep.

if Applejack is saying that, it really means something!

Thank Sweet Celestia they had the beans; the cattle ranch just up the road didn't just generously give them extra milk when they had it, they also grew the precious luxury crop and gave them extras. Moorabelle kept promising to teach them how to grow it themselves, but that first promise had been months ago.

i find it very fun that "cattle ranch" is apparently used as the term for a farmstead run by cows, because what other meaning would that word have here?

"Salt?" Now that was a luxury he hadn't seen in a long while.

fascinating situation, to have access to coffee but not salt! the only geographical region i've ever heard of in that situation historically is the highlands of Ethiopia

"One of the soldiers on the front lines there knows a lot about rocks. I guess she found some extra halite; I did her a favor, so she gave me a little extra. Thought you might appreciate it."

very important to mention Maud, thank you very much

Big Macintosh nodded, managing a weak smile. It was a small thing, but then again, in his experience, if was the small things that mattered. The small things were what built up over time and truly got you close to somepony. Paying attention to how a pony liked their grits and their coffee; offering to let a guest sleep in your bed while you took the floor, only for them to turn right around and insist there was more than enough room. A sneaked glance here, a secret grin there.
A stolen kiss during the sunset because you've always been a pony of actions, not words, hoping for Princess Celestia's sake that you haven't misread any signals, heartbeat raising as he kisses you back as though he'll die if the two of you don't stop.

ah, loved this bit! this is how you tell and background effectively

Big Macintosh did what he could to dedicate the scene to memory; as a colt, he'd wanted an adventure like the Wonderbolts and Daring Do had, but as he grew older, he was learning slowly but surely to appreciate every slow, gentle moment that came his way.

really feel this

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes as she trotted up to the stove. "Uh-huh. Did Big Mac tell ya to say that?"
"Who, this big lug?" Soarin nudged one of Big Macintosh's forelegs with a blue hoof. "Nah; he'd never do anything that manipulative!"

love how lived-in this banter is

He understood; losing their parents to that timberwolf attack had been hard on all of them. He understood Applejack wanting to get to know other members of her family.

and since that was before the Rainboom, it's also how it happened in the main timeline. and Applejack of course did not mention that part in retelling that story to the CMCs. very nice full circle, there.

There had been Applejack, out of breath, out of shape, looking every bit the sharp-accented, fast-talking, polished, cultured Manehattanite, but there. Tearful apologies had tumbled out of her mouth, one right after the other.

oof, so the lack of Rainboom meant Granny Smith literally had to die in order to get Applejack back to the family farm, if years later and with more distance between her and Apple Bloom. darkest timeline, indeed!

They stayed that way for a long time, nuzzling and kissing and just holding each other, trying to memorize each and every bit of each other.

and with the injuries and scars in the previous paragraph, it's clear why

Big Macintosh was familiar with promises. His father, mother, and grandmother had all promised that they would never leave them. Applejack had once promised that she would always be there for him. Princess Celestia had once promised that she would keep all of her subjects safe, no matter what.
It didn't matter how badly a pony wanted to keep their promise; sometimes they simply couldn't. That wasn't how life worked.

ah, fantastic! really sums up the feeling of this timeline well. the promise of the canon episode focused on the promise of the Mane Six's destinies denied to them, but it extends to so much more.

The pegasus who'd delivered the newspaper to their front step was, yet again, not Soarin. Her light grey coat was dappled with white and her gold eyes pointed in different directions. She gave a brief salute with her right hoof before flying away.

and of course! it's nice to see she at least is where she belongs, even in this timeline

He saw why the pegasus now on his couch must have had so much trouble flying; two metallic prosthetics were in place of wings. He suspected one of them must have been new; it looked shinier and more intact than the other.

oof, time has not been kind to Rainbow Dash

The words 'To Big Macintosh' were on the front, written in Soarin's hoof-writing.

damn it, i was afraid this was going to happen

All he could manage was a shrug. His eyes filled with tears yet again as he saw apple pancakes stacked on top of each other on a plate next to the stove.
He'd always meant to make a batch for Soarin, and now he'd never get the chance.

damn it, my heart! i am tearing up here

"That was when he gave me that note, yeah. He was one of the ponies that tested out Sunburst's prototype magic bomb. It made those mind control helmets stop working if they were far enough away. But the ones who were super close to it..." Big Macintosh heard the stranger sigh. "I'm sorry, but there's just no way. Would it...make it any better, knowing he was one of the ponies that basically sacrificed himself to end this thing?"

echoes of the atom bombs that ended the Second World War

It didn't help that Rainbow Dash reminded him of another pale blue-furred pegasus that had once crash-landed on his farm and wound up injured...

my heart again!

And then the pony turned to him and opened his bright green eyes. A tired, fond smile crawled up either side of his muzzle, like this was the first time in a long time he had a reason to smile. "Heya, Big Guy. Long time no see, huh?"

my heart again, a third time! it didn't matter at all that the narrative structure made me expect this to happen, i love it. i can just picture Soarin' here, his happy self shining through despite all his grievous injuries. ugh!

Things weren't perfect, not by a long shot. But time had meaning again; every day, every minute, every second, was more time he got to spend with his family. They were alive and together, and come Tartarus or high water, Big Macintosh was going to do whatever he could to keep it that way.

i was half-afraid that with the extent of his injuries (who knows if the atom bomb analogue came with a radiation analogue?), the story would end with Soarin' alive and well just long enough to get married to Big Mac and then die in his forelegs, which i would have loved with the same part of my brain that loves making myself and those around me very sad. but this is even better. it's not all sunshine and rainbows, after all the collective trauma and scarring the characters have been through. but for now there is love and peace and precious things worth defending and appreciating every moment of, and a time for comfort after the hurt. and the casual mention of that silver engagement ring just made me grin like a goofball. it's so nice and warm.

The M/M Shipping Contest is the first one I've managed to come up with an idea for, and then actually FINISH before the deadline. This is the first time I've entered one of these competitions. I'm proud of myself, and no one can take that from me.

and i am very glad you did. thank you so much for it!

daOtterGuy

daOtterGuy #4 · Jan 3rd, 2022 · 3 · 1 ·

Howdy, hi!

This was an absolutely solid Big Mac x Soarin romance. The characterization of the main two was amazing and had an easy chemistry about them that really showed through how they interacted with each other. I am all for a domestic romance and this delivered it well. The backdrop of the crystal war was fantastic. It complimented the romance and didn't overtake the focus on the superbly written characters. It's a war story done right: a story about characters *not* the war itself.

I loved the bittersweetness of the fic. The small moments between each of the characters paint a picture of a family just trying their best despite the circumstances. I actually cheered when Soarin appeared at the end since I had genuinely thought this would end in tragedy. I'm a sucker for a happy ending and, despite the wounds accrued over the course of the story, I love seeing Big Mac and Soarin able to be together (and the Appledash was a nice bonus).

Riveting story from beginning to end and a delight to read. An absolute banger read. Thank you so much for this!

Vivid Syntax

Vivid Syntax #5 · Nov 23rd, 2022 · 4 · 1 ·

This was great! As others have said, the characterization and chemistry between these two felt very natural, and it stayed consistent throughout the entire story. Great use of time jumps, too. Each scene lasted as long as it needed to without dragging.

The whole breakfast scene was my favorite. It had this feeling of shelter and choosing to focus on the happiness in front of you rather than the horror outside, which gave the whole experience a lot of weight.

Great work!

P.S.