Norman weakly nodded towards the plastic cup on the side table next to his hospital bed. “Mind helping me with that juice, Adam?”

Adam gave him a sympathetic smile as he picked up the cup and held it to Norman’s lips.

“I’ll tell ya, this is one tough break, Norm,” Banjo sighed, looking over his friend’s body. The teenager was reduced to a full body cast; each of his arms and legs carefully elevated in the air.

His right eye was swollen shut, and it looked like someone had painted a large dark purple and blue circle around it. The corner of his mouth also bore a mean looking bruise. Norman chuckled in the back of his throat. “You're tellin’ me.”

“So dude, what happened?” Twister demanded, though his tone had a thread of excitement in it. “You look like you got hit by a bus!”

“Worse. I got hit by a Big Mac.”

Banjo covered his face with his hands while Twister and Adam looked at each other, exhaling in sympathy. Pomade, however, stared at Norman with a deadpan expression. “Well. Who saw that coming, except everyone!” He looked around at the others. “Seriously, why are you all surprised by this? Did you see the way he kissed Applejack yesterday?” He turned back to Norman. “Dude, you’ve got cold stones, but, no offense, you were asking for it!”

Norman winced when he attempted to scowl. “You dared me!”

“Well, yeah, but you didn’t have to take it.”

Banjo jabbed him in the ribs, earning an involuntary yelp from the other boy. He looked at Norman with guilt written all over his face. “I’m really sorry, Norm. I wish I had stopped you when I had the chance.”

Norman sighed. “No. Banjo’s right. I didn’t have to take the dare. No one forced me to.”

“Well, I hope it was worth it, Norman,” Adam tsked, shaking his head. “All of this, for 20 dollars.”

“I didn’t hear you objecting to it,” Pomade pointed out with a smirk. “So, what happened, Norm? Can you tell us? Or did he pound the memory out of your head?”

“No. Unfortunately, I remember everything.” He looked up, and saw his circle of friends lean in expectantly.

Might as well.

“It was after the decoration of the gym; after the kiss. Since I really didn’t do anything to help before, I assisted Trixie and her friends by putting away the tools and went out the back door to the bike rack. You can guess who was waiting for me….”

Norman neared the gate that held all of the bikes in one place, when an unforeseen force collided with the side of his face and knocked him to the concrete. Norman gasped and looked up, clutching his eye. A humongous figure towered above him, the sun behind his body making him a silhouette from Norman’s vantage point. At first, he thought he was being attacked by a random adult, and tremors coursed throughout his body, until the figure spoke.

“You’re the varmint that assaulted my little sister?”

Norman stopped short, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He knew the deep rumble of that southern voice anywhere. This filled him with dread and relief at the same time. This wasn’t some crazy adult on the street, but a protective big brother with hammers for fists. “B-B-Big Mac!” he stuttered, his voice three pitches higher than he would’ve liked.

Big Mac leaned down to his level, and Norman could see his stormy face. He never saw him like this…no one did. His green eyes blazed with fury, but glassed over at the same time. Something was wrong. “You didn’t answer my question,” Big Mac growled. “Did you or did you not kiss Applejack when she didn’t want you to Did you force yourself upon her?”

Norman swallowed hard and started inching backwards on the ground, but Big Mac promptly put his foot on Norman’s stomach, pinning him to the ground. “I’m WAITNIN’.”

Norman grunted under the intense pressure of Big Mac’s sneaker and mustered a sheepish smile. “I, uh…uh…heh, I-I think she enjoyed it for the most part…”

Norman regretted his answer as soon as it left his mouth. It was like a switch had been flicked. Big Mac grabbed him by the collar and lifted him into the air. Norman squealed. The larger boy slammed him against the wall of the building. Norman’s knee cap cracked against the pavement when he fell to the ground in a heap. He saw a flying elbow coming towards his face and attempted to dodge it; So Big Mac began to pound his neck instead.

C-r-rack!

“EEEEAAAAAHHHH!”

He tried getting his bearings and crawled away, leaving a trail of blood on the concrete. But Big Mac quickly grabbed him by the foot, swung him around three times, and knocked him into the bikes. Norman gasped in pain and yelped when he saw Big Mac approaching. He threw his hand in the air. “MAAAAAAAAC!”

“And from that point on, I received the most gruesome beating of my life.” He looked around at his awestruck friends.

Pomade wiped his brow and whistled. “Dude...you are a true martyr.”

“Do you even know what that means?” Adam asked.

“But for real, you’re, like, legend!”

Norman rolled his good eye. "Yeah. I'm history all right."

Twister smiled a little. "So...you're still going to get her number after this, right?"

"...I think that's all for today, gentlemen."

“I still don’t understand why you’re bringing him flowers,” Rarity said disapprovingly, gesturing to Applejack’s bouquet of daffodils.
Their little group took up most of the waiting room despite their staying in one place. The only other people in the room were three old men and a mother and her child.

Applejack clutched at the base of the bouquet wrapping as a doctor brushed past her. “I just feel mighty awful for everythin’ that’s happened. Despite Norman catchin’ me with my pants down...rhetorically...no one deserves a beat down from Big Mac, I don’t care where you’re from.”

Apple Bloom laced her fingers together in guilt in her chair. Pinkie Pie sat upside-down next to her with her with her back flat against the chair’s cushion and her legs crossed against the wall. She flipped the pages of a hospital magazine in pure boredom.

Sunset Shimmer, Fluttershy and Rarity stood with Applejack as they waited for Norman’s current visitors to clear out.

“Well…look at the bright side,” Sunset said, trying to sound cheerful. “It goes to show how much your brother loves you…”

Applejack nodded slowly. “I suppose. I feel sorry for ‘em both. But at least he’s not in a coma.”

Fluttershy gently chewed her lip. “I’m surprised that Big Mac would do such a thing…he’s usually so calm and quiet…”

Rainbow Dash snorted in her sleep from her seat in the corner.

“I didn’t either,” Applejack said with a shrug. “At least until I heard—"

“Yo!”

The girls broke from their conversation when Norman’s friends entered the waiting room from the left hallway. Pomade smirked a little and nodded towards Applejack and her friends. “He’s all yours, ladies. Just don't rip him apart.”

Rarity harrumphed and turned away with a hand on her hip when he winked at her. Applejack took a deep breath and nodded. “Here goes.” She turned her head towards Rainbow, who was still napping, and rolled her eyes. “Rainbow, get up! It’s our turn!”
Rainbow mumbled something and turned on her side.

Pinkie spun herself right side up and hopped out of her chair. “I’ll handle this!” She went over to the athlete and leaned in. “Dashie~…”

She put her lips against Rainbow’s ear and made loud slurping sounds, causing her eyes to snap open. “Aah!” she yelled, jumping away.
The others snickered as they headed down the hall. Pinkie giggled at Rainbow’s ticked off expression and skipped after the five other girls.

Norman’s mouth fell open at the sight of Applejack in his room with a bunch of flowers. That, and the fact that she brought her friends, who practically made themselves at home. Rainbow promptly sat in the chair and propped her feet on the railing of his bed.

Apple Bloom sat on the opposite side of him looking like she just got a million down votes on one of her music videos. Rarity and Sunset hung by the door eyeing him with slight pity. Fluttershy entered the room for two seconds and then quickly excused herself upon seeing Norman’s blood bag.

Pinkie popped in between his elevated legs and observed his body cast up close before looking to Norman. “No one’s signed your cast yet!” she reached in and pulled a hot pink marker out of her wild curly hair with a smile. “May I?”

Norman blinked. “Uh…yeah, I guess.”

Pinkie squeed and started doodling on his forearm, her tongue stuck out in concentration.

Applejack chuckled nervously and placed the flowers in a nearby vase. “I’m sorry this happened, Norman. Even though what you did was…questionable…I wouldn’t wish this upon you in any way.”

Norman smiled a little, despite the pain he was feeling. “I-It’s okay….no one could—"

“It was my fault!” Apple Bloom blurted out.

Everyone except Pinkie turned their heads to look at the redhead, much to Norman’s pain and discomfort.

“What’re you talkin’ about, Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked in concern. “‘Course it’s not your fault—"

“Yes it is!” Apple Bloom insisted. She swallowed nervously. “After…After Norman kissed you, I ran into Big Mac…and…and I just got so excited, I…I told him what happened, and…he just dropped the cider on the floor and ran off.”

Applejack brought her hand to her head and sighed. “Apple Bloom!”

The youngest Apple turned to Norman with big sad eyes. “I’m sorry, Norman! I didn’t mean for you to get beat up! It just--I don’t know, it slipped out!”

Norman would’ve hugged her if he could. “Hey, hey, hey, don’t worry about it, alright? It’s okay. It was just an accident, right?”

She nodded solemnly.

“Then there you have it.” He stole a glance at Rainbow Dash, who joined Pinkie in drawing something on his leg...he shuddered to think what. “Besides, he would’ve found out one way or the other, so it’s hardly your fault.”

Apple Bloom sighed in relief. “Well…that’s good to hear, I guess.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Now, do you suppose, Norman, that you owe someone else an apology?” With a hopeful smile, she tilted her head towards Applejack.

“Uh….Oh…uh—"

“Hold that thought, darling.” She turned to the others. “Girls, let’s give these two some…privacy, shall we?”

Sunset and Apple Bloom took the hint and quickly left the room. Applejack whirled around. “Wait, what?”

Rainbow and Pinkie slipped off Norman’s bed and admired their work. Norman looked at his arm and saw bright pink hearts and balloons on it. And his leg had numerous rainbows shaped like lightning bolts. “…Thanks. I’ve always wanted hearts and rainbows on my cast.”

Rainbow Dash flashed him a grin as she, Pinkie, and Rarity exited the room. “You’ve earned it, buddy.”

“So I have.” He looked at the one other person in the room, who was glaring red faced at the door. It was clear that she didn’t want to be in the same room with him alone, which was probably why she had brought all her friends along.

And could he blame her? Just yesterday, he had kissed her full on the mouth in front of hundreds of students…just because he wanted to see if she tasted like apples—which was true, by the way. Even though he had been dared, he secretly wanted it to happen. Kissing her was like a dream. It really was.

He didn’t even hear her muffled protests, or feel the punches she delivered to his torso. Although he felt it now. Despite the battle scars, it was the proudest moment of his young life.

But was it hers?

Guilt gripped his heart like a vice. He had been so caught up in his own feelings, he didn’t even think of what it was like for her. He bit his lips as Applejack crossed her arms and mumbled something about killing Rarity.

“A-Applejack,” he croaked. Her mouth twitched as she crossed over to his hospital bed and stood over him.

“Somethin’ you need?”

“Applejack, I’m sorry for kissing you like that in front of everyone. I know it—"

“Sorry you kissed me, or sorry 'cause you got beat up?”

“…Both.”

Norman half-expected Applejack to walk away or yell at him for his half-baked response. Surprisingly, she actually smiled and laughed. “Well,” she said, sliding her hands inside of her pockets. “At least you were honest about it.” She sat in the chair Apple Bloom had previously sat in and scooted up to his bed, making Norman feel relaxed.

That was, until she looked him square in the eye, her serious expression returning. “Although, I didn’t quite take to you shoving your nasty slimy tongue down my throat neither.”

Norman blushed.

“An’ didn’t you hear me tell you ‘no’? I know you heard me, Norman. What in the Sam Hill were you thinkin’? If it were anywhere else, you’d be sittin’ in a jail cell ‘stead of a hospital, that’s for certain.”

“I’m really sorry, A.J.—"

“You already apologized, Norman,” Applejack interrupted, her eyes ignited with fury. “Y'know, I knew this would come back at you at some point. Sun don’t shine on the same dog’s tail all the time. I just wanna to know why.”

Norman swallowed. “Why?”

“Why.”

The heart monitor connected his chest beeped faster as he tried to think of the best way to deliver his answer. “Because…because…”

Applejack crossed her arms, clearly losing her patience. “Well?”

Goodbye cruel world.

He redirected his gaze towards his rainbow-covered leg. “Because…my friends were arguing about girls who were named after fruit, and how they tasted like that fruit when they kissed them, and…well, we had a little bet—harmless really—to see if you tasted like apples, and I’m the only single guy in the group, so…”

He paused for a moment. When he didn’t get a response, he braved a look at Applejack. Her expression was almost blank; her left eye twitched and her mouth formed a straight line across her face. She inhaled sharply and pressed her palms together. “….You mean…to tell me….that it was all just a bet?”

“I—"

“Is this a game to you, Norman?” Applejack growled, leaning in dangerously close to his face. “Doesn't that take the whole darn cake. You know, you really know to make a girl feel cheap. You think I’m cheap, Norman?” She poked him in the chest. “‘Cause I’m most certainly not!”

“N-No! Of course not, A.J. That’s not all why I did it!” After three seconds of intense eye contact, Applejack finally leaned back in her chair, still looking angry.

“This had better be good, I’ll tell you what.”

Norman’s eyes darted away from her once again and blushed. “I agreed to do it because…because I like you.”

Applejack’s eye pupils shrunk as she drew back. “W-What?”

Norman summoned up his courage and redirected his gaze towards the farm girl. “I…really like you. I’ve always liked you, since middle school. You’re…you’re always so nice, and strong, and brave, and level-headed…and you’re really pretty too.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “I appreciate the sarcasm, Norman.”

“No, really! You are pretty!”

“No I’m not.”

Norman was flabbergasted. By studying Applejack’s facial expression and posture some more, he realized that she really believed it.
“Applejack, you’ve got to be one of the most beautiful girls at Canterlot High, and I mean it. I’m really surprised that you’re not dating anyone—but at the same time I’m not surprised.”

He flashed her a sly grin. “ ‘Cause your face is like the sun. One shouldn’t stare too long.” He watched as she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, a faint blush rising in her freckled cheeks. He laughed. She was extremely embarrassed about his constant flirting, and he loved it. Seeing how she awkwardly twisted her blonde ponytail in her hands, he figured that Applejack wasn’t used to those kinds of compliments. Which is a darn shame.

Applejack kept thinking to herself that Norman was just messing with her, but she saw no lie in Norman’s eyes…er, eye. That made her more uncomfortable. She quickly collected herself and cleared her throat. “Well. Flattery won’t do you any favors. What’cha did was still wrong. And I was actually fixin’ to give you a piece of my mind after the Winter Formal set up.”

Norman gulped.

“But,” Applejack added, her expression softening slightly. “After what you’ve been through, I’d say this is punishment enough.” She gestured towards the medical equipment he was hooked up to.

Norman smiled hopefully. “Does this mean you’re not mad?”

“Oh, I’m furious,” Applejack said with a grin, patting Norman on the shoulder. “But hey, at least you’re off the hook now. With me and Big Macintosh.”

Norman’s good eye widened. “You mean he’s forgiven me? Already? It’s because I’m hurt, isn’t it?”

Applejack pondered a moment and then teetered her hand from side to side. “Yes and no. Listen, I wouldn’t go too hard on poor Big Mac. Bein’ the quiet soul that he is, he’s havin’ a hard time with all this.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Norman drawled sarcastically. “Breaking nearly all my bones must’ve really worn out his iron fists.”

“It ain’t like that, Norman,” Applejack reasoned. “It’s been hard on him too, realizin’ what he did, gettin’ him to the hospital—"

“WHAT!?” Norman squealed. “Big Macintosh is in this hospital!?”

“ ‘O course he is! In fact, he’s right—oh, there you are, Big Mac!” Norman’s eyes flew to the doorway and had to gulp down the bile that rose in his throat.

“How is he, sis?” Big Mac asked, approaching Norman’s bed.

Before Applejack could answer, Norman tossed his head and screamed.“HAAAAALP! HE’S HERE! HE’S HERE! SOMEBODY HELP ME! MOMMIIIEEE!!!”

“Norman, for goodness sakes, don’t get your boxers in a bunch!” Applejack yelled. “It’s okay!”

“What do you mean, ‘It’s okay’?! My assaulter is standing right over my hospital bed and nobody cares!”

Big Mac shook his head slowly. “And I’m terribly sorry for what I done to you. All I remember is watchin’ Apple Bloom round the corner—an’ then I just blacked out. The next thing I knew, I'm lyin’ in a hospital bed.”

Norman stopped short and regarded the eldest Apple sibling like he squirted ink out of his ears. “Y…You mean… are you saying you don’t remember?”

Big Mac nodded once. “Eeyup.”

“That’s what I’ve been tryin’ to tell you,” Applejack said, gesturing to Big Mac’s head. Norman suddenly noticed that he had a large white bandage across his temple. “When we heard screamin’ from the bike racks, we rushed on over quick as a whip and found both of y’all lying on the concrete unconscious! Seems to me like you passed out from him beating you, and he passed out for the exact same reason.”

“You don’t remember anything,” Norman repeated, not believing his ears.

“Nnope.”

Just then, the lunch lady entered the room and gave Norman a once over. “Well, serves you right, forcing yerself upon my grandbaby and puttin’ the other in the hospital. You should be ashamed!” Miss Smith put her arms around her grandchildren and glared at Norman. “Ya got any allergies, son?”

“W-well, I’m allergic to peanuts…why?”

The elderly woman smiled. “Then you can expect my special Pecan pie for dessert when you return to school.”

“Grannyyy,” Applejack complained.

Granny blinked innocently. “What?” She cupped Applejack’s chin with one hand and squeezed her cheeks tenderly. “I’m just lookin’ out for my two most precious hard workin’ angels from above!” She ruffled Big Mac’s dark blonde hair before looking around. “Now where’s m’ third little angel?”

“She’s cleanin’ up the mess with the other girls,” Big Mac said. “Fluttershy accidentally threw up in the baby ward, remember?”

Granny tapped her chin absentmindedly. “She did? Oh...oh yes, I remember! We saw a patient that just came in from a crane accident—poor dear tried to run to the restroom but didn’t make it! I’d better go see if she’s alright…”

“I’ll be right there, Granny,” Applejack called as she left. She shook her head. “Well, don’t that beat all... that girl’s used to carin’ and treatin’ animals all the time, but can’t handle the sight of human injuries!” She turned to Norman with a toothy grin.

She should smile like that more often.

“Welp, I best be on my way, Norman. I hope you get better soon.”

“Yeah, I will. The doctor said I should recover in a few months.”

Applejack smiled wryly. “Y’know, Norman, The Friendship Games are also in a few months.”

Norman sighed. “Yeah, not that I’ll get to compete in it this year. I guess it’s for the best, since we lose every year anyways.”

She shrugged. “Perhaps. But I guess it’s worth a shot. Besides, you’ll still be able to sit in the stands, right?”

“Hmmm. Well yeah, I guess so. Are you competing in it?”

“Maybe.”

Norman smiled. “Then consider me your first cheerleader.”

Applejack snorted. “Well, as corny and cliché as that sounded, that’s actually real sweet of you, Norm.”

“Do you think that sweet and corny cliché deserves a kiss?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow and smirked. “I don’t see why not.”

As his grin broadened, Applejack quickly kissed her fingertip and booped him on the nose. “Heeey,” Norman whined.

Applejack chuckled and tipped her hat. “Like I said before, sugar cube. Sweet talk will get you nowhere.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked past Big Mac out the door. Norman had forgotten he was even there.

The farmer regarded Norman stoically. “So you really did kiss my sister?”

Norman nodded as much as his neck brace would allow.

“And you did so because of a bet?”

Norman chuckled lightly. “More or less, yeah.”

Big Mac nodded and turned to leave—but not before calmly pulling the plug on Norman’s morphine.

“Heh heh…uh, Big Mac? That—that’s a good one….Hey, Big Mac, that was my…Big Mac?! Buddy? Hello?! Helooooo!?”

Author's Notes:

I guess I'm taking the Season 5 route by bringing unresolved stories to full circle. It's actually a good feeling, the mlp writers should keep it up! And as you can see, I'm not on Advil PM while writing anymore! Yay me! (London clap) That shouldn't really be an accomplishment but it is

Big Mac, you poor soul, I know you're not violent, buddy. Just protective. Oh, and I apologize to Norman and Applejack as well, they've been great sports.

Oh, and one other thing, I wrote Myth Busters waaaay back in November and I neglected to look up all the names to the EQG background characters, so I made up my own names for Norman's friends, and didn't change them in this story so that I readers won't get confused. Here they are...

Curly Winds as "Twister", Ringo as "Pomade", Scandalwood as "Banjo", and Wiz Kid as "Adam".

Thanks for putting up, guys.