//------------------------------// // Boys don't Talk // Story: Remnants of a Dream // by Scout Charger //------------------------------// To many people Big Macintosh was a silent and simple minded farmer. In fact even his family didn’t know the full extent of what was going on behind his big red forehead. Over the next three weeks after he had overheard Applejack and Sunset Shimmer talking, he spent most of his free time listening. At first he listened to AJ making phone calls to Sunset and talking about what they were planning to do. After one week he listened to rumors about Sunset and Applejack being up to something. In the second week he listened to his sister’s impatient mumblings about Scout Charger and boys in general. In the third week he listened to Sunset Shimmer and Applejack talking once again, this time both visibly insecure and even more impatient. Mac knew very well what this all was about. So, almost four weeks after he had listened in on the girls’ conversation at the pond he finally decided to act. He also knew that he had to keep a low profile so his sister wouldn’t realize he was involved. It was Friday. Applejack had taken Apple Bloom home while Big Mac pretended to have business with Vice-principal Luna in regards to the school’s supply with fresh apple-based products. Of course he had no business to sort out and there was nothing to discuss about the contract between Sweet Apple Acres and Canterlot High. Instead Mac headed directly for the gym. In the corner of the gym was a small section dedicated to martial arts, established by Vice-principal Luna. It was a not really well-kept secret that she had a soft spot for things like these. Scout was there, slowly working over a punching bag. Every few seconds, three to five resounding thumps filled the room as his fists smashed against the target. In-between the individual series of punches powerful kicks slammed against the bag, the sound not unlike that of a massive whip. Mac slowly walked in and came to a halt next to Scout. The smaller boy looked up to the big red one and paused. “Mac?” He took a few deep breaths to steady his pulse. “What are you doing here?” Instead of a verbal answer Big Mac smiled and lifted two fingerless gloves. Scout knew these very well. Those were special gloves, made for a fighting style that included grappling as well as punching. On Mac’s shins were two padded guards made to lessen the effects of heavy kicks, for the user as well as the target. Scout looked from the gloves to the other boy and back. “You haven’t been here for almost half a year.” He stepped back from the punching bag, twisted his neck until two resounding cracks could be heard. “Are you sure you want to do this?” A deep chuckle escaped Mac’s throat and he nodded slowly. “Eeeyup” It took the two boys not even five minutes until they had built an improvised ring from some of the mats that were lying around. After a scrutinizing gaze both of them nodded in unison. They walked into the middle of the ring and looked at each other. Macintosh slowly raised his fists, took a little broader stance and held his position. Scout all the while held his hands open, the left arm outstretched while the right one covered his head. It felt like a few years ago, when they had regular sparring matches. Scout and Mac were the only heavy weight fighters in Luna’s martial arts course and yet they both were vastly different. Scout was half a head smaller than Mac, but had broader shoulders and an overall sturdier build. He was the tenacious kind of fighter. He could take heavy hits and still get back up. He often took a few hits on purpose, just to get a heavy punch or kick in himself. Of course this kind of strategy largely depended on the fact that the hits he dealt were more effective than those he received. But if Scout did hit he normally made it count. Though his limited reach and the fact that he wasn’t all that fast sometimes made it quite complicated to land a decisive blow. Big Mac on the other hand was the perfect image of a heavy weight boxer. He was tall, had long arms and a biceps that put the upper legs of other people to shame. He was also rather fast for a guy of his weight. He preferred to destroy his targets at longer range, were he could hit them but they could not hit back. Also, he was easily able to land high kicks to the heads of most people. One such kick was easily enough to send even the toughest of opponents straight into dreamland. But what these two originally learned from their Vice-principal wasn’t mere kick-boxing. Luna had taught them her very own style, a combination from various different martial arts. Aside from various kicks and punches they had learned a wide variety of throws, grapples, joint locks and chokes. Over the past few years, Luna had turned both boys into well rounded and very adaptable fighters. Still, Luna herself could kick both their asses simultaneously without breaking a sweat. They stood across from each other in the middle of their impromptu ring and Scout looked at Macintosh. “Limited or full contact?” He asked without taking his eyes of Mac, a slight grin in his lips. The big red farm boy shook his head and smiled. He clenched his fists tight, a few small cracks resounding from his fingers. Scout understood and nodded. “You asked for it big guy.” The two focused on each other, Mac still wearing his slight smile, while Scout looked at him with an ice cold glare. Mac slowly made a step forward, shortening the distance and testing how his opponent would react. Scout didn’t flinch, his eyes firmly on Big Mac, waiting for his chance. With a second step, this one way quicker than the first, Mac closed the distance between him and Scout. Without any warning he suddenly dropped his arms and twisted his shoulders. Mac used his arms and upper body to gain as much momentum as he could, he then lifted his right leg, turned on his left foot and delivered a devastating high kick. Scout’s body recognized the attack before his mind did and he reflexively ducked. Mac’s leg passed over Scout’s head, but before he could regain his footing and deliver a counter, Mac had completed his kick and backed off. Scout nodded towards his friend and smiled. “Oh boy, that would have blown my head clean off. You still got it in you.” He took his hands back up and went back to his initial position. This time it was Scout who attacked. He slowly closed in on Big Mac, his feet constantly sliding across the ground. When they were but two meters apart he suddenly jerked forward, closing the remaining distance rapidly. Macintosh took the bait and threw as heavy uppercut. Scout had hoped for this and shoved Mac’s punch aside before with his left arm before it could hit home. At the same time he stomped his right foot, twisted his body and slammed his punch directly into Mac’s side. To Scout’s more than slight surprise his hit didn’t seem to have any effect. Mac grunted slightly, drew back his left and delivered the good news fist first to Scout’s jaw. He hit the ground with a dull thud merely half a second later. Big Mac backed up a few steps while Scout rolled backwards, got back up to his feet and rubbed his jaw. “Holy shit Mac, nice shot.” He smiled as he got back into position. “Now that we have exchanged a few pleasantries let’s be honest. You’re here for a reason?” Mac slowly walked closer and started to throw a few small jabs towards his friend. “Eeeyup” He grunted before he threw a particularly powerful right punch that forced Scout to jump back and get some distance. Scout snorted and rolled his eyes when he tried to go around Big Mac to avoid the sledgehammer that was his right. “Let me guess…” He grunted as he dodged a light left punch from Mac. “It’s about AJ, right?” With a small jump Scout came up to Big Mac’s height and delivered a savage hit directly to the red boy’s head. Mac stumbled a few steps back but regained his footing before Scout could capitalize on his hit. “Eeeyup” sounded Mac’s voice from behind his defense. While the two boys were a few steps apart Scout shook his head and sighed. “Did she and Sunset talk to you about what happened?” Mac used the slight moment of abstraction to get close. Scout instinctively raised his hand to protect his head. But instead of a heavy blow to the head, Big Mac aimed lower. He went down to a knee and threw a straight right punch directly into Scout’s solar plexus. While Scout tumbled back a few steps, Mac rose up and shook his head. “Nnope” Scout breathed heavily, clutching his stomach with both arms. “Shit … that one hurt.” He slowly stood straight and blinked away the pain. “I assume you know what’s going on despite nobody telling you?” His gaze rested on his friend the entire time to avoid another surprise hit. Big Mac slowly nodded as he raised his fists. “Eeeyup” Another deep breath got rid of the worst pain while Scout took up his stance once again. “So? What are you planning to do? Beat me up for what Applejack and I did?” Before his word’s had faded Scout shot forward and threw another punch against Mac’s block. Mac grunted slightly as he felt the hit. “Nnope” He returned the favor immediately with a quick punch towards Scout’s ribs. Scout knew that he would take some heavy hits if he tried to back away from Mac at this moment and therefore opted for the only other option. He grabbed one of Mac’s wrists and immediately reached around his neck. “Then I don’t understand what you hope to achieve.” With a sudden and rather hefty pull Scout tried to unbalance Mac. Big McIntosh however had already foreseen this when Scout grabbed his wrist and leaned back. Like this Scout simply couldn’t muster enough force to throw him down, instead Macintosh reached around Scout’s waist, lifted him up and slammed him sideways to the ground. Both boys panted heavily, the effects of their little bout showing clearly on their faces and bodies. Mac rose first, took a few heavy breaths and then offered his hand to Scout, helping him up. Thankfully taking the offered hand Scout pulled himself up. He stretched, cracked his neck and nodded towards Mac. “You still got it in you.” His smile faltered lightly. “Still, I don’t know what you want here.” Big Mac sighed. “AJ n Sunset wait that ya talk to ‘em.” Scout cursed under his breath and looked at his big friend. “It’s not that easy. They essentially wait for me to make a decision. I have to decide if I want to stay friends with them and if I want to date one of the two.” Mac nodded, smiling his usual gentle smile. “Eeeyup” “I mean I can’t just decide that all this shit we went through is null and void.” Scout looked into Big Mac’s eyes for a moment before he snorted. “Ok, when you think about it we are kind of even. I didn’t feel good about this and they didn’t either. But can I really just go ‘it’s all sunshine and rainbows now, let’s kiss and make up’?” Scout started to pace and gesture wildly. All the while Mac’s smile widened almost unnoticeably. “Eeeyup” Scout pointed at the big red farm boy. “Sure, to you it seems easy. You don’t have to decide between two gorgeous girls.” “Nnope” Big Mac chuckled. “Argh, I simply don’t know what’s the right thing to do. Even if we all ‘kiss and make up’ … ok not really kissing but you catch my meaning. Anyway, if we just make up then I still would have to decide if I want to date Sunset or Applejack or neither of the two.” Scout’s voice was almost doubling over and he seemed to talk himself into a panic attack. Big Mac put a hand on his friends shoulder and made him stop in his tracks. “Would any of ‘em make for a bad girlfrien’?” Scout looked confused and didn’t even have to think about that for a second. “Are you shitting me? Or course not! I mean, you know AJ she can be rather bossy and somewhat tomboyish. But she is caring, especially to those close to her. She’s always honest, works hard and has an incredibly strong will. Though, she can be a bit stubborn at times. And then there are the facts that she is good with her hands, a great cook and …” Scout cleared his throat and lowered his voice just a bit. “… let’s be honest here, she is definitely one of the hottest girls CHS has. Her emerald eyes and that golden hair are gorgeous, though I’d prefer it if she’d let it down more often.” Macintosh chuckled and gestured his friend to continue. “But Sunset is definitely number one at CHS when it comes to looks. If you have ever seen Sunset at … well, sunset you’d knew what I mean. Her golden and red locks look almost as if they caught fire. Even more so when a slight wind is blowing, it’s breath taking. And the rest of her … let’s just say her hair isn’t even the most beautiful on her. She’s also intelligent, determined and has a fiery temper. Ok, she can be somewhat bossy too. And from time to time she gets a bit overconfident if not to say arrogant. But she is brilliant, sexy and has her heart in the right place.” After Scout had finished his rant he looked at Mac. When his friend didn’t say anything right away he reviewed the conversation and finally caught what Mac made him do. “You’re kind of an evil genius you know that?” Scout said scrunching his face as he gave Mac an irritated look. After a few seconds his expression morphed into a smile and he shook his head. Mac slapped Scout on the back and nodded. “Since ya did realize’ tha’ there is no wrong decision in this all. Did ya make one?” Scout laughed and gave his friend a fist bump. “Not yet, but it feels much easier now.”