Big Mac returned from his mission to gather the ice to lessen Sweetie Belle’s swelling. He walked into the barn slowly, looking around for Sweetie. “Hmm. Must be asleep. I’ll look around some more.” He began to walk short laps around the inside of the barn, making sure not to miss any areas she may be sleeping. “Weird…maybe she went home?”

He began walking up the path towards town, where The Carousel Boutique was located, with the ice still in his mouth. Still questioning where Sweetie could be. “Come to think of it, I ain’t seen AJ ‘round either. Maybe she stayed at the hospital overnight.”

He kept looking towards the Apple home, as if expecting Applejack to come running out calling for Big Mac to come in and drink some cider with her and Apple Bloom. That, however, was impossible. AJ wasn't there, and unfortunately, Apple Bloom was. Big Mac still felt the tension he had felt earlier that night, when it took all of his strength to not stomp her face in like she attempted to do to Sweetie Belle.

“HOWDY BIG MAC!” called a familiar sounding voice from down the path. It had the Apple Family accent, and it was a voice that he had known all his life. But, it wasn't AJ. “Cousin Mac! Ain’t seen ya in years! AJ been writin’ to me ‘bout all these crazy things you do, and I just had to come down and see the three of ya! Where ya headed with that ice?”

Big Mac dropped the ice on the ground as his jaw dropped in awe. He had obviously not informed AJ of his visit, as she would have told Big Mac. She knew how much he hated surprises. Braeburn did as well, but he didn’t care. His annoyance knew no bounds, and it shocked Big Mac more that this wasn’t a shock to him. “Uh…nowhere cuz. Just nowhere. Listen, I’m kinda busy at the moment. Why don’t you go explore Ponyville, eh?” If he told Braeburn about Sweetie Belle, his loud mouth would inform all of Ponyville, and now was NOT the time for that!

“Aww. I just got here! Can I help ya out? Can I at least go inside and say hello to Apple Bloom?”

“Nope! Bloom’s outta town on a field trip with her college class. They all went to Canterlot for the week to study finer art in carpeting. Mighty buildings they got up there!”

“Ya got some talkin’ goin’ in ya Mac! What’s happened to ya? I’m just messing with ya! I like it! Anyway, can I help round the farm?”

He stared at Braeburn, making it obvious what the answer was. “I got important stuff to do, and you need to hang out around Ponyville and see all the new changes since you visited about, what, five years ago?”

“Guess ya got a point Mac. But first, lemme tell you a quick something between you n’ me. I”

“There you are! I know you’re excited, but you can’t just go runnin’ off like that! Ponyville’s changed, last thing we need is you gettin’ lost. Knowin’ you, you’ll tear the town down!” AJ scolded as she ran up behind Braeburn. “Oh, howdy Big Mac. Brae, why dontcha just run on down to the chickens. They need food.”

“Yes ma’am!” He called with glee. It was nice to see something else other than Buffalo, and he loved chickens.

“Big Mac, we need to talk.” AJ began walking towards the barn, showing that the conversation was important. Big Mac managed to nonchalantly get into the barn before her, allowing him to cover the pillow and blanket he had laid out for Sweetie with the hay remnants of the makeshift bed. She walked in, but turned to her left, walking around the area that the pillow and blanket were located.

“OK. Where to begin. First, Twilight isn’t…feelin’ well. If you run into her in Ponyville, be tender. Even if she looks perfect, don’t talk to her unless essential. Even then, keep it to a minimum, k? Second, Dash is in the mental ward. Don’t ask how; just know that it was for her own safety. Third, be careful around Braeburn. He seems to have something on his mind. Rarity found him at the station, and I saw the way he kept looking at her our whole conversation. See if you can milk it outta him.

“Eeyup. I noticed that too. Seems pretty…preoccupied in his brain. As if that’s sayin’ something!” He giggled, causing AJ to laugh.

AJ stopped laughing bluntly. This one though, is no laughing matter. She looked down and Big Mac thought he could see a tear fall onto the hay below their feet. “Scootaloo…is dead.”

“Oh my Celestia! What in Equestria happened AJ? TELL ME!” He grabbed both sides of her face and directed them towards his own, forcing her to release information about Scootaloo.

“She was practicing for the show last night, and she crashed.”

“Heard that it was closed ‘cause of something. Did she die on impact?”

“No, but she was close. I can’t believe you guys never heard her screaming! Kids must’ve been loud. Anyway, she died in the hospital when they started doing surgery on her.”

Big Mac was never very close with Scootaloo, but he felt the pain the Sweetie should have been feeling. He had shared enough with her that he knew how she would feel and react to happenings of this magnitude, and now he was beginning to feel the same way. “And…and Dash?”

“Like I said, mental ward. That’s all I can say.” She looked around the corner of the outside of the barn. Braeburn was still busy trying to find the food container for the chickens. “He’ll be busy for a minute. I reckon you’ve got a right to know ‘bout Dash.” She began walking towards the middle of the barn, as if she was in a play, and the barn was her stage. “Dash kept thinking that she was the reason that Scoot died which she kinda was, and then started destroyin’ everything around her. Doctors got her and tackled her” She stepped on something soft under the hay. She brushed the hay off of the object and discovered a pillow.

“Big Mac, what’s this doin’ here?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Uhh…”

“Who was in here last night? I know it wasn't you; you never sleep when you’re out here. And Apple Bloom said that the cows were doing great. A sickness doesn’t just pop up out of nowhere like that Big Mac!” She became hostile, yelling at Big Mac trying to get an answer out of him.

“Well…it was Sweetie Belle.” He decided it was time to tell AJ as well as Apple Bloom. They would find out soon enough.

“Oh, she n’ Bloom were staying out here for the night, eh?” AJ laughed as she spoke. She hoped the answer was yes, but something about Big Mac’s face said no.

“Well AJ, it’s a…funny story”

---

Sweetie Belle ran up the stairs to her bedroom, sobbing as she ran. Rarity was not home, but that would not have stopped Sweetie from acting the way she was. “He hates me! Big Mac hates me, Apple Bloom tried to kill me, and now I look like this! No wonder he never wanted to tell everypony about us. He was ashamed of me. He really hates me!”

Sweetie jumped onto her bed and sobbed into her pillow. She looked over at the mirror on the wall and scowled at her swollen eye. She used her magic to grab a music box and play it. The song always calmed her down. She began to sing along under her breath.
“Hush now, quiet now,
it’s time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now, quiet now,
it’s time to go to bed…”

She began to sob. The song only brought back memories of the Cutie Mark Crusaders; of her, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo lying in the bed at Fluttershy’s cottage. They were all so happy then: Sweetie without a care in the world, trying to become a designer like her big sister Rarity, Apple Bloom smiling from ear to ear, dreaming of being a great apple bucker like AJ, and Scootaloo, who always put on a fake smile and pretended like they didn’t notice. So did them. They all knew about her life. Homeless, no family, and barely living day to day. Dash never showed concern. She never had concern.

Sweetie levitated the music box with her powers, and slammed it into the mirror. She was hideous, and so was that song. Nothing god ever came out of either of them. Sweetie laid there crying, praying to Celestia that it was all a dream. That she would either wake up before everything happened and she would go buy the tickets to Scoot’s show, then be happy, or that she would wake up in Big Mac’s arms like before, but it would be different. He’d actually love her.

Anger rose inside of her. Pink wisps of colored wind blew across the room, and a faint sound of thunder was audible. It wasn't raining outside, and it was mid-day. Why would it be raining? The confusion added to her current state of anger, and she was becoming tense. All of her muscles tightened up, and she was as straight as a board, and it hurt her. She could not stop though. Soon, she forgot about it, and could only think of her reflection in the mirror and how ugly it was. Soon she remembered the song and all of the painful memories. She became tighter and tighter, and she believed she could hear music playing through the air:
“Hush now, quiet now…”

She screamed out of confusion as well as pain. She had no idea what was going on, how to stop it, and if she should be scared or exited. It was painful, but it felt great. In an attempt to stop the music from playing and ringing inside her ears, as well as destroy her own reflection, she smashed the music box into the mirror
“It’s time to lay your sleepy head…”

Failure. Sweetie quickly glanced around the room. A picture of Applebloom, AJ, and Big Mac flew across, as well as a picture of Scootaloo. Soft wisps of pink wind gently flew through the air of her room. She began to panic, making the blood pulse even faster through her body.
“Hush now, quiet now…”

Suddenly, bolts of purple/pink lightning shot from the purple clouds floating on top of her room. Fear fueled her adrenaline, as well as the pure enjoyment from the new experience that felt so great! She curled into a ball, and began to levitate a few centimeters above her bed, then jerked outwards, screaming in pain and terror at the sudden surge of electricity through her veins and horn.
“It’s time to go to bed…”

Sweetie fell to her bed, and saw the picture of the Apple Family floating in mid air. It ripped, seemingly on its own, in three pieces; one piece for each family member. Apple Bloom’s piece flew into the fireplace across the room, AJ’s landed on the ground, and Big Mac’s landed on her chest, with him smiling at her.

Next, Scootaloo’s picture floated above her head. It did not rip, but flew around in crazy patterns. Suddenly, it did a back flip strait into the fire.

“What? What was…?” She was interrupted by another surge of energy, this time it went straight to the end. Pink and purple swirled around her, and lightning crashed in her ears. No music, however, which made the situation that much scarier. A gigantic burst of energy, and Sweetie was back on her bed. This was different though. The bed was stripped of all sheets, pillows, and blankets. The entire room was empty except for three things: the fire, the picture of Applejack on the floor, and the picture of Big Mac on the bed. “But...what the…”

Suddenly, the picture of AJ flew into the air, and busted into pink flames.

“That was…interesting…”

---

Twilight Sparkle awoke from her unconsciousness feeling numbness in her face and a slight ringing of the ears. “What the hay did I do last night?”

“Spike?” The lavender unicorn called out, her eyes still shut. “Spike! Where are you!” She yelled for her assistant, not aware of her own surroundings.

“Under you.” He mumbled. “Your laying on top of my stomach, you got knocked out.”

“Oh, dear! I must have done something wild last night, eh?” She said, nudging him to enforce that it was a joke.

“I don’t know, but Dash had to bring you home. She was in a hurry to… As if she had somewhere to be.

Then, the library door swung open, slinging back and knocking a picture of Fluttershy on the floor. Skylite, Twilight’s adopted son, quickly ran across the library, looking back as if he was waiting for somepony.

“What’s up Sky? I just woke up, so sorry if I’m a little tired…”

“Mom…look at your face…if you can…” he nervously dribbled out of his mouth.

Twilight slowly walked over to the mirror across the lobby of the library and peered into its reflection. She was unable to see, however, as the swelling of her face had rendered her nearly blind. “SKYLITE! WHAT IS THIS? SPIKE?!”

Spike quickly laid his head back down on the ground, attempting to impersonate sleep. Skylite, however, was rendered defenseless. He was forced to face his enraged mother alone, and that was a rare feat. Usually, he had his father Caramel nearby to help him. He had been forced to defend himself many times before, and didn’t want to leave his only son in the same position.

“Mom, I can explain! Rainbow Dash, she”

“Don’t blame Dash! What has gotten into you?! Not only are you lying to me, but you’re pinning it on your idol!”

“Mom, I’m not lying. Dash said you went a little crazy, and wouldn’t come home, so she had to buck you and knock you out to get you home. Spike! Stop pretending and help me! You were here!”

Spike slowly rose from the floor, giving Skylite an evil look, promising vengeance. “Ugh…” He grunted as he lifted his neck up. “It’s true. Dash did it. I suppose. She ran in here and threw you on top of me and then ran off. Didn’t say a word, so I suppose she was in a hurry. NOW can I go back to sleep?”

“Go upstairs Spike. Skylite, you too, go in the kitchen.”

Spike slowly lifted himself on all four feel and began to slowly dredging his way up to the stairs to his enormous bed by Twilight’s. Skylite began up the stairs as well, but was stopped by Twilight. “He won’t notice you didn’t go up there. He’s just so darn childish sometimes! Anyway, apparently you’re telling the truth, but I’d still like to talk to Dash about this.”

“Ya…about that”

---

“Big Mac…you mean to tell me, that you have been…spending time…with Sweetie Belle?” AJ yelled. She was furious at the fact that a mature stallion such as himself would take the chance of ruining a young mare’s reputation and life. He had always projected a mature, smart look upon the rest of them, but this was something completely different! Not only was it a young mare, but his sister’s best friend!

“AJ, lemme explain! Sweetie, she said she’s been having feelings for me since she was a lil filly, but was scared to say! For some reason, she decided to tell me yesterday morning, and…well…I thought ‘bout it for a minute and decided I feel the same way about her. WE didn’t do nothin’ last night! WE got close, but stopped before we did somethin’ we regret…” He looked at the hay beneath his feet, and AJ could faintly see a blush through his thick red coat. “We were so close. And so fast. I didn’t want to screw up, so I told her that we should wait. I don’t know what happened after that though. I went inside to get some ice for her bruise and she was gone when I got back.”

“Wait, wait…bruise? What’s all this ‘bout a bruise?” Her voice rose again, though not with as much force as before. Now, she understood the situation. Now she realized that Big Mac didn’t start it, and he wasn't just there for personal reasons. He loved her. At least, AJ hoped he did.

“Oh yea…hmm…” Big Mac looked back down at the ground, attempting to find an explanation. “Apple Bloom had some kind of moment. And she tried to kill Sweetie.” He tried to appear as calm and nonchalant as possible, calming the situation. “I don’t know why, but I don’t think I want to find out. She seemed happy with Sweetie’s screams of pain…so I don’t know what was going on.”

“Apple Bloom…tried to hurt Sweetie Belle?”

“Eeyup.”

“What tha hay is going on with this town! Everypony is going crazy! Big Mac, please tell me you didn’t hurt her!”

“Nnope.” He had regained his old speech patter back. Without Sweetie, he seemed to become a different person.

“I’m gonna inside and see if I can talk to her. The kids are probably worried sick! You go talk to Braeburn. Keep him busy for me.”

“OK.”

AJ ran off towards the house, worried more about Golden Delicious and Applebuck than her own sister Apple Bloom. Big Mac, meanwhile, walked over to speak with his long lost cousin from Appleloosa. It had been five years since he was last seen anywhere near Ponyville, and another five years since they all visited Appleloosa. Even then, Big Mac had not gone with them, and before that, nopony in the Apple Family had not seen them since he was a small filly. Big Mac only wished it could have been under better circumstances that he was able to speak with his cousin.

“Uhh...Hi Brae.” Big Mac started, hoping to stall him long enough from his stumbling to gain an actual conversation. “What brings you to Ponyville?”

“Howdy Big Mac!” He replied, sporting his loud, obnoxious voice as usual. “I just thought I’d visit after all these years. Heh…you ain’t changed a bit! Me? I’ve changed a ton. On the inside AND out!”

“There had to have been something to make you change your mind! Something to make you think of us?” He began to walk down the hill to the barn, where they could go around the back and loot Big Mac’s stash of cider. Braeburn followed, not knowing where they were going, but following nonetheless.

“Well…there is one thing…” He agreed as he walked behind Big Mac with his head hung low.

“Oh really? What’s that?” Big Mac questioned as he sat down to grab a bottle of cider and hand another to Braeburn. He took a swig, reared back, and shook his head, as if it would heal the pain from the sudden tartness of the cider.

“Well, I had become…a bit of an outcast in Appleloosa…” He took a swig of the cider as well, and repeated Big Mac’s actions. Surprised at the bitterness of the cider. “I didn’t really fit in. And wasn't very accepted in town. So, I thought I’d come to Ponyville for a change of scenery, and to see my favorite cousins!”

Big Mac was surprised. This was the most calm and collected he had ever seen Braeburn. Usually Brae would go in with guns blazing. Now, though, it seemed like there was something on his mind, possibly something bad, but perhaps it was good. He looked as if he himself had mixed emotions about the situation, and Big Mac wished he could help somehow.

“I wish I could go back soon, but I just don’t know…I was thinking about settlin’ down here?
Maybe you guys have a place I could stay til I get my house set up?” He had a look on his face that Big Mac was unfamiliar with. It wasn't excitement, or even hopefulness, but it was pure begging. He was in need.

“Hmm…that’s…a pretty big question Brae. There’s a lot going on, and were kinda packed. It’s really up to AJ. I’m just a farm horse. She’s head of the house. How ‘bout you just hang out around town for a while. We’ll get you set up for a couple nights. If ya don’t mind my asking, what made you such an “outcast” in Appleloosa anyway?”

“I don’t know if I want to talk about it…” He looked down at the ground and took another sip of cider, this time unaffected, as he was used to the bitter taste. “I…I don’t what the same thing to happen to me in Ponyville that happened in Appleloosa. There’s no way I could live in Fillydelphia or Canterlot. I ain’t fancy enough. After Ponyville…I don’t know what’s next…”

“Aww, come on Brae…you know me, I can keep a secret. Heck, my own sister’s the element of honesty.” He took another gulp of his drink, also unaffected. “Just tell me cuz. Come on…”