Two weeks had passed since Big Macintosh had learned that his sister was a lesbian and things in the house were awkward, bordering on uncomfortable.

He hadn’t said more than ten words to Applejack since then, not really sure what to say to her so he let her be. He didn’t even know what to say if he did try to talk to her.

After a few days of wallowing in self pity, Applejack seemed to buck up and act like her old self, to everyone but him.

If Applejack was working and Mac offered to help, she’d glare at him until he gave up and walked away. If she was in the living room watching a movie and he sat down anywhere within the vicinity, she’d get up and go to her room. If Apple Bloom wanted to play a board game with the both of them, Applejack would make up a half-hearted lie about why she couldn’t, then go sit on the porch steps until the game was over.

The only time she was around him anymore was during supper, where Granny Smith held the upper hand, making them sit around the well-worn dining room table together. She wouldn’t even look at him when he asked her to pass the gravy.

It was during one such supper that Big Mac noticed how worn out the blonde seemed. Dark circles under her eyes dulled the stunning green irises that once sparkled with honest sincerity, and a fake smile replaced what used to be a bright, radiant one.

He knew it was him who had done that to her with his harsh, hateful words. Maybe he should have been kinder about it, but then again, was there truly a nice way to tell someone that they were going to hell?

He didn’t want to hurt her, that was the last thing he wanted to do, but he needed her to understand how wrong and how wicked her ways of living were.

Granny always said that homosexuals were dirty, perverted people that tried to convert others to their ways of sin. He vaguely wondered if Rainbow Dash had done something of the sort.

He’d had his suspicions about Rainbow being gay. She had always been a flamboyant, tomboyish kind of girl, loud and brash and athletic. He knew that didn’t really mean anything, a lot of girls were the same way, but something about her attitude gave off a certain air. Perhaps he was just stereotyping.

Maybe she had gotten inside Applejack’s mind with her sneaky words, brainwashing her into thinking that she was gay? Or maybe it was a phase that Applejack was going through, trying to ‘find herself’ through a homosexual relationship.

Whatever the case, Mac was held fast in his ways of thinking, and he was going to do his best to show his sister that was she was doing was sinful and disgusting.

Applejack excused herself from the table after picking at her food for a few minutes, complaining of a stomachache.

Granny Smith and Big Mac watched her go, his grandmother shaking her head. “Poor girl is so lost, we can only hope she finds her way though this.”

Big Mac turned his head when he heard Apple Bloom snort and caught her rolling her eyes. He decided not to call her out on disrespecting their grandma, but gave her a stern look.
The rest of supper passed in relative silence, until Granny Smith asked Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh to clear the table and wash the dishes.

Their grandmother got herself a glass of water and retired upstairs for the evening, leaving the two siblings to their own devices.

Apple Bloom washed the dishes as Mac dried them and put them away.

“So, sis…” Mac started, trying to find something to cut the uneasy silence with, “y’ain’t told me much about how school’s been goin’ lately. Y’keepin’ up on your grades?”

“School’s just fine, Mac.” she answered shortly.

Big Mac was taken aback by her using his real name. Most of the time she called him Bubba, a nickname she had adopted for him when she was a little girl.

“Uh, you okay Bloom?” he asked, wiping off one of their white dinner plates.

Apple Bloom sighed. “Not really. Just a bit upset is all.”

“Oh? Y’wanna tell me what’s got y’down?”

She looked at him cautiously and handed him another plate. “Well, it’s about Appl-”

A loud knock interrupted her and they both turned their heads in the direction of the door.

Mac set the dinnerware down on the counter. “I’ll get it, but hold that thought, we’ll talk later.”

He walked out of the kitchen and through the living room to answer the front door. He could see a short figure through the frosted doorlite.

He swung it open to reveal Rainbow, still in her Wonderbolts pilot uniform, standing on the other side of the screen. Anger flared up within Mac and he growled out, “you. I thought AJ told you t’stay away.”

The athletic girl smirked. “Guess I’ve just got a knack for not listening. Or so my parents said.”

“Well then, listen t’this. You’ve got thirty seconds t’get back on your bike or I’m gettin’ the shotgun.”

Rainbow paled for a moment but continued on. “Look man, all I wanna do is talk. That’s it. I came over to have an adult conversation with you. Could you at least hear me out? I won’t even come inside, I’ll stand right here.”

Big Mac thought about it for a moment. He almost wanted to tell her to leave but he was curious as to what she had to say that was so important she ignored the threat of getting shot at.

“Fine. You’ve got five minutes so y’better talk fast.”

Rainbow took a deep breath before she started. “I know what you and your grandmother think about people like me, and that’s alright. I really don’t give two shits about what you or anybody else thinks of me. But Applejack does.

“She knew when she came out to Granny Smith that there was a huge possibility that she was going to get booted out of the house. Granny Smith was raised in a time where it was illegal to love someone of the same gender, where she was taught that homosexuals were mentally ill, that it was a disease. They weren’t even supposed to talk about it! And I know she passed a lot of that on to you guys. She’s talked down about gay people so much that you’ve started to believe everything she says.

“Did you know that Applejack has been struggling with her sexuality for years? I remember a couple years back, she came over to my apartment crying because she had thought another woman was sexually attractive. She was terrified that she was turning into, and I quote, ‘a low-down, dirty queer’. It tore her up to think that she might have been anything other that straight.

“Of course, I’d been in the closet for years, so when she told me that, I decided to spill my own secret. I thought she was gonna be mad or disgusted or something like that, but actually, she was relieved. She was glad to have someone to talk to about her issues, someone who could understand.

“It took a few months, but she finally came out to me. Applejack was a mess. She thought it was the worst thing to happen to her, and she was terrified that you all were gonna find out. That’s what really upset me. That her own family, her own flesh and blood would hate her and disown her over something as small as her orientation.”

Big Macintosh huffed a bit at that, but let her continue.

“We both knew that Granny Smith was going to be a problem, but we had no idea that you’d feel as strongly. You’re her fucking brother, Big Mac! You two have been through thick and thin together, grew up together, lost together even.

“It pisses me off that you could ignore all of that over what gender she prefers. She’s always looked up to you. You were her hero, and she wanted to be just like her big brother. Strong, kind, hard-working. So what is she supposed to think when you turn your back on her when she needs you the most?

“Applejack is distraught, Mac. She calls me crying at night because besides Apple Bloom, none of you are talking to her, or if you do, it‘s to make her feel worse than she’s already feeling. You guys act like she’s got the flu and you’ve gotta stay away or you’re gonna catch it.

“I know you were raised traditionally and there was a lot of bullshit pounded into your thick skull, but Applejack is your sister, and family should always come above some petty beliefs. Please. I’m not asking you to do a one-eighty where you magically start loving gays and march in a pride parade or some shit, I’m just asking you to be her brother again. She loves you, and I know you love her.”

Rainbow calmly ended her spiel and waited for Mac to say something. Big Mac, on his part, was seething. How dare Rainbow Dash waltz up to his house and act like she knew what was going on!

Besides, whether Rainbow and his sister were dating or not, this was a family issue and didn’t need the likes of her making matters worse.

There was an annoying nagging feeling in the back of his mind though, telling him that maybe the prismatic girl had a point, but he was too upset and too stubborn to listen to it.

“Now, you listen here Miss Dash,” he told her in a dangerously low tone, “I don’t ‘ppreciate you comin’ round here actin’ like y’know what’s goin’ on! What you and Applejack are doin’ is a sin, period! Ain’t no ifs, ands or buts!”

Rainbow snorted rudely. “Don’t know what’s going on?! Buddy, I’m in the middle of this fucked up situation! I’m part of the problem because if you don’t remember, I’m dating your sister!”

“Yeah, and there wouldn’t even have been a problem if you’d kept your nasty little fingers outta my sister’s britches! Y’probably did this on purpose! Sweet talked your way into her brain, makin’ her think and feel things she ain’t s’pposed to. I knew that when I had my suspicions ‘bout you t’first time, I shoulda kept her away, but I let it go on and now my sister’s infected, just like you.”

“I didn’t do anything to her! Were you even listening to my story? Applejack didn’t even know I was gay until she was questioning whether or not she was! I only told her so she knew she wasn’t alone! And I’ll have you know it was Applejack who made the first move, not me, so don’t you stand there and say I fucked with her mind, I’d never do anything like that! Applejack chose who she was of her own volation.

“It’s you who’s brainwashed. You’ve had so much shit recited to you by Granny Smith over the years that you’re not thinking for yourself! All I hear coming outta your mouth is your grandmother. The Big Mac I knew when I was little would never abandon his sister over anything! He would’ve stuck by her side through everything that got thrown their way.

“But this Big Mac? He’s just an overgrown asshole who repeats the dumb homophobic shit his grandma tells him and turns his back on his family because they aren’t the same as him. Celestia forbid that Apple Bloom grows up to be a doctor or something, you won’t know what to do.”

The taller man balled his hands into fists and narrowed his eyes, barely holding back his anger. “Your five minutes are up,” he told her as calmly as he could manage, “y’best get back on your bike and head on home ‘fore I do somethin’ I regret. I don’t need to take this from a scrawny, loud-mouthed, nasty queer. What I’m doin’ is best for my family and y’need to understand that. Now get outta here before I really do grab my gun.”

Rainbow shook her head and stuck her hands in her bomber jacket. “I’m going, no need to get violent. But Big Mac? I hope you know how much your hurting your sister by shutting her out... See ya on the flipside, big guy.”

Big Macintosh didn’t hesitate to slam the door shut before smashing his fist into the dark polished wood.

“Dammit!” he yelled, his anger finally getting the best of him. He hit the door once more for good measure before taking a deep breath and turning around, attempting to compose himself… only to see both Applejack and Apple Bloom standing on the stairs.

Applejack looked like she was barely keeping herself from crying and their younger sister was holding her hand, rubbing her thumb soothingly over the blonde’s.

“Infected? Is that what y’think I am, big brother? Just a dirty queer who ain’t worth nothin’?”

“Now, I didn’t say y’weren’t worth nothin’, AJ. I just wish you could understand how wrong your lifestyle is,” he tried to reason with her.

Applejack snorted and shook her head. “And beratin’ me ‘bout it and damnin’ me t’hell is gonna make me change my mind? Callin’ my girlfriend awful things is gonna turn her straight?

“This is who I am, Mac. I didn’t just wake up one day and decide to start likin’ women, it was always there… I just didn’t know it. And it was a long, tear-filled road to get here.

“But Rainbow was right ‘bout one thing. You’ve changed. This never woulda been an issue when we were younger, y’would’ve accepted me wholly. Makes me wonder if this goes deeper than what you’re makin’ it t’be…”

Big Mac stared at her curiously. “And whaddia mean by that?”

The blonde shrugged. “I dunno, ain’t never been one much for psychology but maybe your fightin’ this so hard ‘cause you’re tryin’ t’make yourself believe the words you’re sayin’ too. Maybe there‘s more to it than your lettin’ on. ”

“Are y’sayin’ what I think you’re sayin’?” he asked, “ ‘cause if y’are, I ain’t no queer and y’better watch yourself.”

She held up her hands in defense. “Hey now, I’m just callin’ it like I see it. I’m not tryin’ t’start nothin’.”

His anger flared again. “There ain’t nothin’ t’call, Applejack, and y’best drop the matter.”

Big Macintosh made his way back to the front door and grabbed his truck keys off one of the key hooks.

“I’m goin’ out. I need some air,” he told the both of them, wrenching the door open, “I’ll be back later, don‘t call.”

As he shut the door behind him, Apple Bloom turned to her sister. “Y’done it this time, sis.”

“Yeah, but I think I’m on t’somethin’,” Applejack grinned as she watched her brother’s truck lights fade away though the curtained window.