The diagnosis was magical whiplash. Ivan and Riposte both would be forced to take it easy on magic for perhaps the rest of the day.

Then Nurse Redheart found out that Riposte was Ivan’s mother and they had done that to each other.

“You have your work cut out for you.” Redheart said when she stopped banging her head on the wall. “That one’s got a hereditary death wish that somehow beats Rainbow Dash.”

“Believe me. If you saw what actually happened…” Cheerilee shook her head as she just decided to leave it at that.

The company walked out of the hospital.

“So, Ivan, know an-“

“I do.” Riposte said. “I found a hotel on the way to our son.”

“Oh, well then, how abo-“

“Non.” Riposte interrupted, a gleam in her eye similar to the one she had during the battle. “We go. Now.”

Gale Force found himself slung over his wife’s back and moving toward parts unknown.

“Huh. I guess we’ll talk later. Bye kids!” Gale looked totally alright with getting kidnapped. Their daughter groaned.

“Careful Dad, you might approach subtlety one of these days!” Salad yelled after them. “Honestly, bro, do you-“

She stopped talking immediately after she noticed Ivan wasn’t listening. He was far too busy exploring the back of Cheerilee’s throat.

The teacher, probably taken by surprise, was unable to resist.

And so it was that she found herself slung over Ivan’s back in very much a similar manner then his father was.

“Bye.” He said, turning and strutting his way back to his marefriend’s bed, Cheerilee’s dazed protests trailing off into the distance.

“…I hate my family.” Salad said. “How did he turn out like that? He was gone for ten bucking years. They didn’t even really raise him. This defies explanation.”

“Does it bother ya?” Big Mac asked, somewhat amused by the whole thing.

“It doesn’t really bother me at all. It’s just…” They started walking in no particular direction. “It’s like, they’re throwing it in our faces. You don’t care?”

“Means they’ll be in a good mood when we see ‘em next.” Mac said with a shrug.

“Well yeah, I guess… Ugh, it’s just going to be a long string of ‘that fish was this big’ stories next time they’re together. Mom and Dad get into fights all the time, and so does he.”

“Well, ya could always open up with yer fights with Dash an’ that bear.”

“That’d make it worse. Then I’d be like, one of them.” Salad shuddered. “I kind of want to be defined by more then the things I beat the hay out of.”

“So far yer defined by death threats an’ cookin’ like nopony’s business.”

“How would you know?”

“Welp,” He said, leaning his head back, “death threats seem to be a part of who ya are.”

“Flattering.”

“An’ Ah got a slice o’ that pie ya made Fluttershy.”

“…when?”

“She brought a slice over when she asked me to go with her to the windfish. Ya got a lot o’ skill there.”

“I, um…” He couldn’t fathom why the compliment made her prickle up the way she did. “I only did that becau-“

“She told me.” He said. “And Ah wouldn’t expect ya to just up an’ make her a pie before the trip mellowed ya both out.”

“Y-yeah.”

“What’s got ya so worried now?” He asked. Salad huffed to herself.

“In my experience, anypony who heard about something like that’d immediately think I was after her plot.”

“In mah experience,” Mac echoed, “there’s a lotta ponies who see what just ain’t there for the hay of it.”

“…True that, Red.” Salad said.

“…while we’re on the subject, ya’re really alright?”

“Yeah.” Salad nodded, tension leaving. “We’ve… kind of got an understanding now.”

“An ‘understanding’?”

“Whatever it is, I can look her in the eye now. I’m, well…” She sighed.

“Mm?”

“I’m… I don’t know if I’m really friends with her. She says she’s friends with me, but… am I making sense here?”

“Ah got ya.” He said. “What are ya gonna do about it?”

“…She’s…” Her eyes fell to the ground. “…she’s worth it.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re worth it. It’s why I hang around you. And she’s worth it too. She’s really…”

“Careful now.” The stallion chuckled. “Anypony else’d get the wrong idea, the way ya trail off like that.”

“…is it weird I don’t even know what the idea is in the first place?”

“Could be.” He said. “Mah feelin’s have always bin cut and dry. Never really had much trouble with ‘em.”

“You saying I’m weird?”

“The world ain’t a very normal place.” Mac countered. “Ah got mah comfort zone. Mah farm, the fields, mah own little world with it’s own ways and direction it turns… everythin’ outside it is different.”

“Different how?”

“Jus’ different. Like red an’ blue. Hard to explain, ya just look at it an' it’s different.”

“…your point?”

“Fluttershy’s world might not be somethin’ ya’ve ever seen before.” He said. “Somethin’ so different ya don’t know what to make of it. But ya look at it, and the mare it revolves around and think ya might want to get to know it a little better.

“It don’t mean yer sweet on her, not really. It means ya jus’ wanna see ‘bout makin’ sense of what yer seein’. It’s what got ya started talkin’ to me, right?”

“I… well, yeah, I guess. Something like that…”

“Then it’ll get ya started talkin’ to her. She spends most of her time at home, and ya know where it is now. Pop in for a visit sometime.”

“…I don’t know if she’d like me at all.” Salad said. “She kind of… she did something for me, the whole trip. Gave up a lot of sleep doing it. And I didn’t know she was doing it until the very end. And the whole time I was… well you know how I was.”

“Ah do.”

“…Do you know what it’s like for everypony to lie to you?”

“…huh?”

“You know it’s not true. But they’re lying to you anyway, and they believe they’re telling the truth when they do it. And every time you hear the same old lies they start sounding a bit more…”

Mac said nothing, changing direction toward the farm. The quiet road there would be a better place for whatever Salad was trying to get off her chest.

“I sort of… grew up. With all that. And when I got out in the world and started looking for Ivan, it didn’t change. That’s my world. My world is just a bunch of ponies treating me like either a charity case, or some unfortunate victim. A few more look at me, and I know. I know they think I’m better off dead.

“You’ll never know what it’s like. You can’t lose a wing or a horn. And I’m so glad you don’t need to know what it’s like. You don’t deserve that. And…

“…that’s what my world is. And I don’t think I want her to be a part of that.”

“But it’s good enough for me?” the stallion asked.

“You’re harder then she is.” she replied. Big Mac hummed his agreement.

“…Ya grew up with all that?” he asked after a few seconds. She laughed bitterly to herself.

“…it’s all I really knew.” She said. “…might be my fault. After a little while I kind of decided I was done trying for better. Ivan was all I really had left. For the longest time I thought he was the last chance I had at having a pony in my life who I knew didn’t have to care. I didn’t even know if he would. I didn’t hope. The journey wasn’t just for him. I wanted… closure, I guess.”

“…ya forgave him.”

“I did. Ivan’s the reason I had to deal with all of that. But he’s never lied to me. Not once.

“We met up and… we talked about a lot of stuff when we finally sat down together. And he still trusted me, when I could’ve been a crazy broken mare out for his blood for some twisted revenge. He trusted me with his back. Up there on that bucking robot with Fusion, I told him I could take care of myself, and he believed me. And he trusted me with his back. And… I don’t think he’ll ever really know how heavy that was.

“Forgiving him was… easy. I couldn’t believe how easy it was. Ivan didn’t tell a bunch of ponies that a one winged pegasus was a travesty. Ivan didn’t lie to me. That was every pony I talked to for more then a few sentences, most of which he never even came into contact with. He took my wing, but… he wasn’t any of the ponies who ruined my life. And I’m glad I didn’t have to stop loving him.”

“…Ya alright?”

“I’m fine.” She said. “I don’t… I don’t even really know why I told you all that. Kind of went off on a tangent.”

“Maybe a little.” He said. “It’s yer world though.”

“But yeah. I think that might be a bit much for Shy.” Big Mac shrugged.

“Might not be an issue of yer world bein’ a bad place. Might be an issue of makin’ it better.”

“And how the hay would I do that?”

“Friends tend to be a big help.”

“…So, that stuff about worlds and stuff? Did you come up with that yourself?” Mac gave a short laugh.

“Ah just got a wise granny. Come on, Ah’m free now. We’ll go together.”

“Uh, I did kind of just see her. Trip and all that.”

“Maybe, but Ah feel like visitin’. Hearin’ the story. An’ the only place ya got left to go is Cheerilee’s.”

“…Good point, let’s go.”

--

“Good evening Macintosh. And hello again Salad. What brings you by?”

“Everypony else I know is having-“

“Ahem.” coughed Big Mac.

“-a hard time with how busy they are, so I got out of their way.” Salad finished, rolling her eyes.

Fluttershy looked back and forth between the two, unable to shake the feeling she was missing something.

“…would you like to come in for tea?”

“Much obliged.” Mac said, slipping off his yoke and leaning it near the door.

Salad stepped in after him, looking over the inside of the cottage.

…Hearths Warming Eve’s cards look less homey and cozy than this.

“How has your day been?”

“Uneventful, for the most part.” Mac said, settling himself into a chair.

“The most part, yeah.” Salad deadpanned. “Then I came back and it all went to Tartarus in a tea trolley.”

“Did you… um…” Poor Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to voice the concern, probably wanting to ask if Salad stirred up some kind of trouble.

The other pegasus took pity on her.

“Nah, I didn’t fight anypony.”

“Oh thank goodness.”

“My brother did though. Oh did he ever.” Salad wondered if it made her a bad pony that she thought it was so hilarious Fluttershy’s pupils contracted the way they did when she gasped in horror.

“Oh heavens! Nopony was hurt, were they?”

“Ivan and mom both got magical whiplash, or something. Easy magic for a day and they’ll be better in no time. Though it really isn’t stopping them from getting-“

“Ahem.”

“-all the essentials done for today.”

“I-I’m sorry to hear that.” The vet said. “Um… did somepony attack them?”

“They attacked eachother.”

“W-why would they do that?!”

“Ivan was a bad pony.” Salad shrugged. “Ask Cheerilee. She probably knows all about how low he can go by now.”

The pink pony glanced at Big Mac, whom looked satisfied enough. Innuendo seemed to be just fine.

“The aftermath left a crater in the park.” Big Mac informed. “So ya ain’t shocked if ya see it before it gets fixed up.”

“You could say they’re making the earth move.”

“What, um… actually happened?” Fluttershy asked, eyeing Salad oddly.

“Something that’s going to take a lot of time in bed to get over.” Salad said, thinking that she might have been having entirely too much fun with it. Big Mac shook his head.

“Ivan did somethin’ crazy, ya’ve probably heard it all before. Just so happens his mom’s even crazier than him.”

“Don’t even worry about it Shy.” Salad said, waving a hoof in indifference. “For them that was kind of like saying hello. Everything they’re doing today is just getting it out of their systems.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy didn’t seem to understand really. Which was a good thing, it meant she was sane.

Here in this cozy house with the only two sane ponies she knew she could recover from the train wreck that was her family.

…a cup of tea sounded really good about now, actually.

“Oh, please excuse me.” Their host said when, right on cue, the kettle started to go off.

“…yer gonna be doin’ that the entire time we’re here, aren’t ya?” Mac asked, eyebrow raised.

“It’s the little things that keep me going.” She smirked. “Making you uncomfortable?”

“Ah just ain’t much for jokes just for one pony.”

“Not just a joke for me.” Salad said as the smirk turned just the slightest touch evil. “It’s a set up.”

“For what?”

“Possibly finding out just how priceless this mares reactions can be.”

“Fluttershy is not a toy.” He paused. “…Ah can not believe Ah just had to say that.”

“Was it good for you?”

“Stop that.” Fluttershy chose that point to walk back into the room, a tea tray on her wing.

“I, um… I hope you like this. I don’t have any other tea, so…”

“Won’t kill me.” Salad said, pouring the water. “So, how good’s that bunny you left the place with?”

“Oh, he’s very resourceful.” Fluttershy said, stirring her cup with a fond smile. “The animals all listen, and he knows what needs to be done. The place runs itself if I ever have to go anywhere.”

“How often do ya have to leave?” Big Mac asked, curious. “Ya get any more jobs like the special one?”

“Oh no.” She said with a shake of her head. “But I do sometimes have to make house calls. And sometimes the animals have friends they ask me to look after.”

“How do you have time for it all?” Salad asked, taking a sip of her unexpectedly delicious tea.

“Most of what I have to do is just… um, go take a look?” she said with a hoof on her chin. “Sometimes there’s a scratch, or something like that. It doesn’t take long to take care of.”

“…I’ll buy that.” Salad said. “You didn’t take long to deal with me after that bear of yours and I had it out.”

“Ah, I’ve had practice.” Fluttershy said. “Rainbow Dash used to get hurt all the time before she got so good at flying. I learned to help her, and then… well…

“…I started wanting to help Angel one day when he hurt one of his paws, so I learned how to do that, and then I found out there were courses I could take at home, and before I knew it I was a qualified vet.

“My job got easier though when I started talking to Zecora. She knew all sorts of herbal remedies, and ointments…”

“Ones that work?” Salad asked. “I hear about herbal stuff all the time and most of the time they’re just more expensive sugar tablets.”

“They don’t have the best reputation, but Zecora knows which ones work best. She was the one that made the cure for the trip.”

“Come to think of it…” Big Mac mused. “Doesn’t she live in the forest? Ain’t that dangerous?”

“Um… I asked her about that one day.” Fluttershy said, frowning. “She knows which plants and things are harmful. And she told me that, um… Everything else ‘knows better’?”

“…sounds like a pony with the right idea.” Salad said. Fluttershy shook her head no.

“Zebra, actually.”

“What’s she doing this far from home?” Mac asked. “To be honest, Ah ain’t heard much about her, aside from her causin’ a scare when she rolled into town.”

“Like, the whole town?” Salad asked. Big Mac nodded. “Oh wow, tell me what she did. I want to know if it’s still too late for me to do it.”

“Um… she… sort of… just walked into town.” Fluttershy said, fidgeting with her hooves.

“…just like that?”

“She was wearing a cloak. It was… very mysterious.”

“…I didn’t hear about anything like that happening when Ivan came into town.” She said. “And he looked like a mysterious stranger too. He still does.”

“We learned after the first time. We love and tolerate.”

“Don’t be sad now.” Said Mac. “Just fight another bear an’ ya’ll have everypony scared good an’ proper.”

“Oh no, please don’t-“

“Relax Shy, I was joking. Geeze.” Salad sighed, finished her cup, and reached for the teapot. “This isn’t bad by the way.”

“Oh, thank you. It’s my favorite.”

--

Big Mac detected a slight flutter in the demure mare’s wings at the praise. Curiosity piqued, he started discretely paying attention.

Salad said a pegasus’ wings were personal, but they were on display all the time. Possibly a thing of ‘look but don’t touch’. Though staring might be rude. He wasn’t sure.

“When in doubt, don’t.” his pa said one day a long time ago. “Or don’t get caught.” He had added with a wink.

Words to live by… the farmpony mused.

Fluttershy didn’t seem to be too nervous, odd for a pony like her. Especially around a loud and blunt personality like Salad. It might’ve had something to do with the unique circumstances around the way they had got to know each other. The flutter meant she was pleased then.

“Oh yeah? Where’d you get it?” Salad asked.

“I’m not actually sure… I get some every year for my birthday from my grandmother.” Fluttershy said.

“You wasted birthday tea on me?” Salad’s single wing didn’t move at all. Big Mac himself could tell the admission probably made Salad a little uncomfortable though. There were other signs.

She tapped her hoof on the table, seeming impatient. Mac decided it meant she had been worked up a little.

She was apprehensive and overanalysing, he thought, given her admissions earlier about Fluttershy. Probably wondering if the tea meant something, and what it might be.

...wouldn’t the wing have moved then?

…do you know what it’s like for everypony to lie to you?

She wasn’t good at opening up. Part of the reason he was here was because he didn’t think she’d go talk to Fluttershy on her own.

He wondered if one of the things she did was learn to restrict body language. To partial success, he decided, as now that he thought about it, the only times he ever saw the wing move was when she was about to jump, or if she was angry.

Pegasi might pay attention to wings for body language. In turn, pegasi would probably be most aggressive toward her, given her state. So she would’ve made herself more difficult for pegasi to read.

…what else had she done?

“I'll get more later.” Fluttershy said. “The less often I have it, the more special it is.”

“Still, you just gave up magical grandma birthday tea to a pony you barely know.”

“O-oh…” Fluttershy’s wings, normally loosely folded at rest, tightened up to her back as she brought in her forehooves. That was nervousness. She was probably second guessing herself now.

“Could’ve saved it, just sayin’.”

“Well… aren’t we friends?” The way her head was bowed and she looked up at Salad through pink tresses probably would’ve killed the scarred mare if she had a softer heart.

“I…” And Salad looked pretty lost. Big Mac raised an eyebrow when her wing finally moved, little minute taps against the back of her chair. She was backed into a corner of sorts, and was trying to find the best way out.

“I, uh… guess so…?”

“Y-you don’t have to, um… if you don’t want to be…”

“I, I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.” Big Mac fought back a chuckle.

Now that Salad actually cared about the other mare’s feelings, it was fun to watch them trip over eachother.

…he wondered if the pink mare was rubbing off on him.

“Oh, good.” Fluttershy said, sighing her relief as her wings relaxed. “Then you can have as much tea as you like.”

“Don’t just offer that to anypony.” Salad muttered.

“But we’re friends. You’re not just anypony.”

“That’s not the point, it’s like, special to you. So you could totally hoard it and it’d be fine.”

“But I want to share.”

“But you only get this stuff like, once a year, right? And you’re like ‘oh, grams gave it to me and I love it so’, how do you think that makes me feel, taking something like that?” Fluttershy’s pupils seemed to vanish, they shrank so much, and Salad looked like she experienced a feeling not unlike missing the last stair.

Oh boy, here we go. Big Mac thought.

“oh my Celestia, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“No, stop, that’s not what-“

“-make you feel bad I just really like it and so-

“-I meant, just, wait-“

“S-should I take it back?!”

“No, just, you’re not listening-“

“I’m so sorry-“

“Would you stop!? I’m trying-“

“you’re yelling at me oh sun please-”

Big Mac wasn’t normally one for tea, but the cup he was currently trying wasn’t half bad. Not something he’d get again, he was a coffee stallion for life, but not too bad at all.

“-I’ll do anything please don’t be mad-“

“I’m not, sun, you’re such a-“

“-at me I promise I’ll make it up to yo-“

“Angel.” Big Mac called. “Could Ah get a hoof here?” The rabbit soon appeared, carrying a brown paper bag.

Much obliged, critter.

--

A minute or so of breathing into the bag later, a calmer Fluttershy once again tried to apologise. Big Mac coughed, and both mares looked to him.

“Fluttershy.”

“Y-yes?”

“Salad was afraid that ya offered us that tea outta some sense o’ obligation. She don’t think, since ya both’ve only been friends a few days, that her visit needs that kinda hospitality.”

“T-that’s not-“

“Oh what the bu-“

“Salad.” He cut off, turning to the other mare.

“What.”

“Fluttershy wants to treat her friends well so that they treat her well in return. While she does have friends more near and dear, she still values ya, and likes tryin’ to share herself with ya. Like lettin’ ya taste her favorite tea. She’s doin’ it ‘cause she likes ya.”

“Wait, what?”

“M-Macintosh, I-“

“An’ just now, Ah was invasive, and had no real business just up and tellin’ ya both how ya tick like that, but if Ah didn’t, ya would’ve probably spent a good hour doin’ what ya just got through doin’, one o’ ya woulda left, an’ ya’d probably spend like, a week pussyhoofin’ around eachother. An’ since Ah’m the only common friend between the two o’ ya, Ah’d probably have to do somethin’ anyway. This way is easier.”

“…O-oh… thank you?”

“You’re still a jackass.”

“Yer both welcome.” Big Mac said. “Now hug.”

“No.” Said Salad. Fluttershy actually looked a little hurt, but Big Mac supposed he couldn’t ask for much better in the way of outcomes.

“Fair. Now drink yer tea.” Salad appeared to mutter something, Big Mac couldn’t catch it, but the scarred mare didn’t argue.

Fluttershy hesitated, before picking up her cup and taking a dainty sip.

Mac waited a bit until her wings relaxed.

“Now. What’s this Ah heard ‘bout timberwolves?”

--

They left the cottage around five, given that Mac would probably have dinner on the way, and Salad was quite convinced that the house would be quiet by the time she arrived.

He walked her home and smiled when she hesitated, before politely nodding and shutting the door.

On his way back to Sweet Apple Acres, he glanced at the tree near Ponyville Square, and something occurred to him at the back of his mind.

He approached and gave the door a firm knock.

“…Oh, Big Macintosh? I was just about to close up…”

“Sorry Miss Twilight. Don’t suppose there’s enough time for me to take a look around?”

“Of course! Please, come in!”

A few minutes of exchanged pleasantries, a few questions about what he was after, and soon Big Mac found himself holding a book he was already looking forward to perusing.

“You read this one?”

“Oh yes. Quite enlightening, actually. Helped out with a few of my friends, I’m sure you can imagine.”

“Might help with a couple o’ mine. Much obliged Miss Twilight.”

The unicorn smiled amiably, and made her way to the checkout log.

Big Mac looked again over the book he had been given.

“Hm… Mood Wings…” It certainly sounded promising…