A Web of Secrets

by Kec

Rating: everyone
Tags: Zecora, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Romance, Cheerilee, Big Macintosh, Slice of Life
Length: 11480

Big Macintosh's past leaves a string of lies and misinterpretations in its wake, changing the relationships of friends and family forever. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie has plans of her own.

Big Macintosh is depressed over his past, Rainbow Dash has a crush on an unknown stallion, Fluttershy misinterprets a hug as romance, Rarity is stressed by her friends' issues, Pinkie Pie has stolen a mind reading device from Twilight for her own schemes, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders are trying to resolve a relationship that was never broken. Can the town of Ponyville take the stress of so many secrets?

Published 2013-05-01 21:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-05-01 21:30:02 UTC

1 - Weaving the Web

A Web of Secrets
by Kec

Chapter 1: Weaving the Web

It was a fine fall day in Ponyville, with a gentle breeze and warm sunlight sweeping the land, and ponies were busy attending to their daily jobs. Rarity was sewing at her boutique, hoping to fill a large order for one of her newest designs. Twilight was organizing the library with Spike for the hundredth time. Rainbow Dash was on weather duty. Fluttershy was tending to her animals. And Pinkie Pie was hard at work helping the Cakes. Ponyville was a shining example of the strong work ethic that enabled productivity and prosperity.

And nowhere was this work ethic more obvious than on the Apple family farm, where Applejack and her siblings were busy clearing out the apple harvest. Applejack went from tree to tree, placing buckets in just the right spots to catch most of the apples and then bucking them down. Apple Bloom was trailing behind her older sister, grabbing all the apples that didn’t land in her buckets and tossing them into the cart. And Big Macintosh was pulling the apple cart from place to place.

Or at least, he was supposed to be.

Applejack wondered where her brother had gone. “Big Mac?” she called nervously, looking around to see where he had run off to. Eventually she saw a tree with a large red figure leaning against it, and the sight filled her with frustration. How dare he lay down and rest in the shade while she and Apple Bloom were hard at work?! She broke out into a gallop towards the sitting figure of her brother.

Big Mac adjusted his yoke nervously and quickly stood up as the hoofsteps behind him grew steadily closer. He was halfway through pulling all the apples from the East field when he stopped for a rest, to prepare to finally have some time alone. Was anypony around? He felt like he was alone, and had nearly removed his yoke, but his peace was cut short when he saw his little sister running towards him. He swiftly pulled down the orange cloth and adjusted the prongs.

"Big Mac!" yelled Applejack, approaching the large red stallion with fury in her eyes. "Ah don't know why yer slackin', but there's work left to be doin'! Ain't like ya to try'n doze off during chores." Big Mac thought he heard her mumble something about Apple Bloom’s work ethic, but he let it go.

"Alright, alright. Ah was just...restin' mah back,” he quickly lied. “Lemme get up and ah'll get back to pullin'," he said, exasperated, adjusting his yoke again.

"Good," said Applejack triumphantly. "How about Ah do half the buckin' today, and you hitch up to yer cart an' bring half the apples back to the barn, an’ we do the rest tomorrah. Might be a little easier on yer back. Sound good?" she inquired.

Big Mac responded with his trademark "Eeeeeyup."

But to him the prospect didn't sound as good as Applejack had meant it to. As strong as Big Mac was, working on the farm wasn't as easy for him as it was for Applejack or anypony else in his extended family. Apple farming was the ambition of every Apple...every Apple but him. He wasn't exactly about to complain, of course, since Applejack might inquire about him slacking. And while he dearly loved his sister, there were some things he felt were better left hidden.

As the day dragged on, he couldn’t help but return his thoughts to one echoing word. Family. Big Macintosh thought for a while as he walked. Was a pony really defined by how well they lived up to their families’ expectations? Everyone respected him and Applejack as strong workers and proud Apples who kept their farm running and all of Equestria supplied with apples. But who said he needed to work with apples, just because it was expected of his family?

Big Mac hung his head low and pulled the cart slowly, letting the wind whistle softly around him. It was best not to think about those things while he worked. But he knew that since he was suppressing it, he would be up all night thinking again.

Rainbow Dash was flying around, practicing her awesome stunts and tricks in preparation for...something. She honestly didn't know what she was preparing for, only that she enjoyed the feeling of flying, so it didn't really matter anyway. She decided that she would attempt a triple spin with a lead in to a banking zig-zag and then a rolling swoop up into her signature Sonic Rainboom! But for now, she would just practice the triple spin. No sense wasting her energy this early into her practice session. Well, that, and she had also been banned from performing a Sonic Rainboom within city limits by the Mayor after the shockwave last time.

As she swirled through the air, she had both an overhead view of Ponyville to see what was going on in the town and the opportunity to pass other Pegasi to listen in on gossip, and she did both. Just today she had witnessed the Mayor talking to several construction ponies, and had heard from Ditzy and Cloudchaser that they were planning on building a new playground for the younger ponies. Maybe she'd be able to convince the Mayor to add in some stunt flying loops.

The sun was setting, and she was headed home when she noticed a flash that caught her eye. A small, red rocket was streaking upwards rapidly, and she flew over to it, curious. When it began to hiss, it occurred to Rainbow Dash that it was indeed what she thought it was: a firework, and she ought to fly away from it before her rainbow mane was charred black and her wing feathers burnt to a crisp in the ensuing detonation.

As she sped away, a large, glowing sphere erupted behind her, with streams of all colors floating down. She thought it looked like a flower of sorts, with her own rainbow trail as the stem. If she had bothered to care more for prettiness than awesomeness, that firework would be a perfect ten. But she was all about awesomeness, and coolness, and especially radicalness. And endangering her safety was none of those things.

Rainbow Dash flew down to the source of the firework, looking to knock some sense into the reckless pony that would dare endanger her. She came down on a grove of trees not far from the Everfree Forest proper, yet a fair distance from the main town, and saw the one pony standing in the center that Rainbow had assumed to be the culprit from the start.

"Pinkie Pie! Why'd ya set off fireworks when you knew I was flying around? I could have been hurt!" she scolded.

"Sorry Rainbow Dash, but I didn’t set off those fireworks!” said Pinkie. “A friend of mine makes them in secret by hoof so that he keeps the recipe a super-duper trade secret and he always shows up in a mask and sets them all off at the same time each week! Well, he isn't my friend yet, but I'd like him to be! It's like a mystery but with fireworks which are so much fun that no one wonders who he is at all! Though I’m the only pony who ever comes to see him, so I guess I don’t wonder who he is at all. Not at all...” she spookily intoned.

Pinkie Pie was a very quick, dynamic thinker, and she had ambitions. She truly did want to know the identity of this pony, even if it was only to be his friend better. But she would do anything to learn who he was under the mask, and began to ponder a plan.

“But I know it’s a he because his costume had Rarity’s tag still on it, and it was from the stallion’s section! And he does have wings so he must be a Pegasus, or maybe an Alicorn, or a Griffin, or a fully grown dragon that had wings and was very tiny and had on a pony costume! He didn’t really move his wings much, though, but they were there! Actually, he never moved them!" Pinkie was lost in her ramblings, which Rainbow Dash had learned to ignore. She was a good friend, but a little too energetic at times.

"Pinkie," interrupted Dash, "where did this firework-artist Pegasus go? I'm going to go give him a piece of my mind! Nopony should be so reckless!"

Though she hated to admit it, Rainbow Dash had other ideas. She was secretly enthralled by the display of colors, and now that Pinkie Pie had revealed that it was a stallion who created the fireworks, Dash began to think. Her parents had expressed a desire for her to get married, and she was beginning to consider the idea herself. After all, she was beginning to feel like she would never join the Wonderbolts, and if she never achieved her dream, she would at least like to have a colt or filly that would. The fact that this stallion was a Pegasus further raised her hopes. Maybe then she would have something to be proud of...

"I dunno!" said Pinkie, snapping Dash out of her thinking. "He ran off after the show, right after a big KA-BOOM! Little glowy bits went everywhere across the sky and glowed with glowy goodness! It was like my party cannon, but glowier! Maybe I should ask Twilight to make my party cannon glowy too! And then the glowiness should start glowing once the confetti explodes; and maybe I can make it explode again to make MORE glowiness, like we thought Fluttershy almost did! Although Fluttershy isn't really glowy, but maybe we could put a costume with lights on her! But I don't want her to explode, of course, just be more glowy!"

Pinkie Pie had plans, and set them in motion. She had placed a monitoring chip from Twilight’s house onto Rainbow Dash in order to follow her everywhere and creep her out, and Rainbow had never caught on. But right now, she needed Rainbow to know. “But anyway, it was like a flower, with your rainbow trail as the stem! You thought so yourself!"

"How did you know exactly what I was thinking about that firework?" inquired a puzzled Rainbow Dash.

"Easy!" replied Pinkie Pie. "I got a monitoring chip from Twilight’s basement and attached it to you! Anything you say, do, or think about gets transmitted to me! Anything...”

“Gah!” yelled Rainbow Dash, thoroughly scared at this point and worried now since she had no idea what else Pinkie could uncover! She said a shaky “Goodbye” to Pinkie Pie. Not that she'd heard Dash: she was already on another tangent about Goatglielmo Marponi and wireless telegraphy. Rainbow Dash left the clearing and went off to search for this reckless fireworks artist, to teach him a lesson...and maybe get her first coltfriend.

Oh, and she made a note to have Twilight remove that chip. As soon as possible.

Big Mac turned over in bed to keep the Sun out of his eyes. He was still sore from all of the cart pulling that he had done yesterday. Applejack had loaded nearly twenty cartfuls of apples for him, and she had called little Apple Bloom to help them too, tossing whatever Applejack dropped on the ground up into the cart. He imagined what kind of cutie mark she'd get, and whether or not she'd hate it.

Like he hated his. But he forced that story out of his mind.

Looking out onto the full South field, he could tell it would be another day of drudgery and toil with harvesting their apples. But he didn't really mind, since he got to spend it with his family. Big Mac felt that his family was the best thing he could ever have, since a family was what he really always wanted out of anything else in the world.

More memories welled up within him. He imagined several ponies from his childhood, and all the hateful words they had said about him and his family.

"Earth Ponies? Why would you ever associate with those filthy, lazy Earth Ponies?!"

“Haha! An apple? Come back when you get a real cutie mark, kid!”

"Get out! You’re a disgrace to the family, you hornless oaf! Out"

Now Big Mac was crying again. As restrained and calm as he was, there were some things that brought even him to tears, and his past was one of them. He was silent and still, though, as even in sadness he wasn't very vocal. Looking at the sun, he could see it was nearly nine o’clock, much later than his intended hour of awakening. He knew that Applejack would be looking for him.

As if on cue, Applejack entered the room and, in her usual chipper tone, shouted, "Rise an' shine, Big Mac! We got the rest of the East field to do today. You'n Apple Bloom are gonna get all the big trees, an'..." She stopped, noticing Big Mac's uncharacteristic lack of movement. "...Big Mac? You okay?"

Big Mac blinked his eyes shut twice to rid them of tears. Please don't notice, he thought silently.

"Eeeeeyup," he quietly choked out.

"Big Mac?" said Applejack, gingerly putting a hoof on him. "Yah look like yah been, uh...cryin'."

"Ah said ah'm okay." replied an irritated Big Mac. "Let's get to buckin'."

Applejack assured herself that Big Mac was alright, but she couldn't help but worry. He'd been acting oddly for weeks now, and she felt like there may be something wrong with him. She would have to go ask her friends about anything she could do to help, as therapy really wasn't her specialty. She made a mental note to bring it up today at their lunch meeting as she headed off to tend to her apples, her heart heavy with concern.

"...an' he's been slackin' on his chores! Ah just don't know what to do 'bout him, y'all," complained Applejack to her friends.

"Why are you so obsessed with his personal life anyway, dahling?" inquired Rarity, in a formal, somewhat bossy tone. "A pony's own reasons are just that - their own. It's improper to demand an explanation out of anypony for their personal behavior."

"But it ain't okay to be restin' on the job! And don't let on to him that Ah told ya this, but...Ah think he was cryin' this mornin'."

"Did you try talking to him, Applejack?" asked Twilight, easing into the situation more delicately than Rarity.

"He just up an' brushed me off! It was right rude of him, but Ah let it slide. Ah'm just worried about him..." said Applejack softly.

"I'm sure he's fine, Applejack," said Rarity, with a noticeable edge to her voice.

"Um...maybe he just doesn't, um...maybe..." whispered Fluttershy, her opinion going unheard due to her reluctance for speech.

"Maybe he just wants to save his energy to do more fun things later!" chimed in Pinkie Pie, cutting Fluttershy off. "Cranky told me that one day when I was bouncing in a circle around his cottage for about two hours. He told me that I should go away because he was saving his energy for more fun later! So I went down to swim with Rainbow Dash!"

"Yeah, and you pushed me into the lake with all your ‘energy’..." said Dash.

"But Ah'm worried about him! He was talkin' in his sleep, sayin' things about Earth Ponies and somepony gettin’ kicked out an'--"

"Applejack, just let it go!" said Rarity unusually forcefully, slamming her hoof down on the table.

Five faces turned to look at her.

"Erm...hehe, what I meant to say was, may we choose another topic of discussion, if you please? I apologize for that little...outburst there."

The word outburst caused Rainbow Dash to remember the firework she saw last night. "Oh yeah, did anyone else see that firework last night? Pinkie Pie and I were there. It almost hit me!"

"Rainbow Dash, what do you mean 'that firework'? There were lots, you just weren't able to see them since most of them didn't fly above the trees, and you couldn't hear them because the trees block all the echoing booms and bangs and KABLAMS!" said Pinkie Pie. "Some of them were even glowier than that one!"

“Well, I wish I could have seen more. That last one was pretty cool. It kind of reminded me of...” Dash stopped herself before Pinkie Pie could interject with her mind reading bit.

"Um, I saw it...it scared all the animals. I had to stay up all night comforting them!" said Fluttershy, who obviously didn't like the firework to the extent the others did.

"Shore was purty, but a bit loud for my tastes," commented Applejack.

"I saw it as well, from my balcony. The maker of that firework must have been a Pegasus! I was reading somewhere that Pegasi are the only ponies able to make fireworks of that quality, since they can use rainbows and clouds in their designs without them breaking," said Twilight, an enthralled look on her face. “Well, I guess any type of pony could make it, but it would take a Unicorn years to perfect that degree of magical control, and it would be almost impossible for an Earth Pony.

"I just wish I could meet the stallion who made them..." said Rainbow Dash dreamily.

"Look at that, Rainbow Dash has finally fallen in love," teased Applejack.

"What? No! I just thought it might be an...um, friend of mine from...flight school? Pinkie, did you see his cutie mark?" she said, changing the subject due to her unwillingness to discuss her personal infatuation.

"Nope! He covered it up with his costume! Though I guess it would be a firework, I don’t know! I just wish I knew who he was so he could be my friend! I would know his cutie mark but I've never seen him without the costume on so I always assumed it was a firework since he does that so well! And most of us would never bump into him by chance since Rainbow Dash is always practicing flying and Fluttershy takes care of her animals all the time and Twilight works at the library with Spike and Applejack is always working on her apples! But Rarity is so generous that she must be friends with everypony in town! And he was wearing a costume with Rarity's tag on it! So who is the mystery pony, Rarity?" chattered Pinkie Pie, who looked over at Rarity.

But the pink pony noticed Rarity seething in anger. "...Rarity? You okay?"

"Why must you all continue on this path of conversation?! Stop prying into other ponies' personal lives! Stop it!" screamed an extremely irate Rarity, who promptly stormed off.

The same five faces turned to look, but found themselves staring at an empty seat.

“Wow, what’s with her?” asked an incredulous Rainbow Dash.

“I’d better go talk to her,” said Fluttershy. “She might be stressed, or sick, or hiding something. You never know with a pony like Rarity.” The butter-colored Pegasus walked in the direction that her friend had ran off in. Her quiet, submissive demeanor was gone: one of her friends was hurting, and it was her personal responsibility to see to it that they were okay.

“Okay, I guess...lunch is over,” said a shocked and disappointed Twilight.

“Okey dokey lokey!” chirped an unfazed Pinkie Pie, who bounced off into Sugarcube Corner.

As soon as she exited, Rainbow Dash tapped Twilight and whispered, ”Meet me in the library.” The two ponies walked off towards the large tree in the center of town.

Applejack sat alone at the table. She took Rarity’s outburst the hardest. First her brother was acting all depressed, and now her friend is, too. She had no idea what to do anymore, seeing as the connections she had built up were now breaking down around her.

She was nothing without relationships. That was the truth. And as the Element of Honesty, she knew the truth hurt sometimes.

What would she do? She needed counsel, but her primary source of it, her friends, simply added a new layer to the problem. She really didn’t know anyone besides them too well, and those that she did would give horrible advice. Cheerilee worked with foals, she would probably tell her to give Big Mac a hug and encouragement. Granny Smith would go on a long tangent about the pioneers, or worse, try home remedies on Big Macintosh. Ditzy Doo, the mailmare, would suggest muffins. She chuckled to herself as she imagined Big Mac eating a blueberry muffin and instantly perking up to complete ecstasy. She wished there were something that could really inspire such a change in her brother. Some sort of magical mix, or--

That was it.

She slowly got up and wandered away in the opposite direction of town, towards the Everfree Forest. She knew exactly the pony to talk to. Or rather, exactly the zebra to talk to.

Apple Bloom watched from the window of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse as Big Macintosh sat against a tree and sighed. He had been there ever since Applejack left for lunch, crying to himself. Several times Apple Bloom wanted to approach him, but she had the feeling in the back of her mind that he would be angry with her, and that was the last thing she wanted.

Seeing Big Mac in such a sorry state was heartbreaking to Apple Bloom. He was the strong link that held the Apple family farm together, and acted as her role model. Applejack was another role model, of course, but her rigid tradition and constant treating of Apple Bloom like a child made her into more of an annoying big sister than an adult role model. Big Mac was older, gentler, and a good worker, which embodied everything she respected into one pony. Though she didn’t say it out loud, she respected him greatly, and truly thought him to be the perfect pony.

As Apple Bloom lamented the loss of her idol, she noticed another pony approaching her brother. It was Sweetie Belle’s older sister, Rarity, who she considered bossy and uptight. She wondered what Rarity would be doing here with her brother, and whether or not she would witness this with gossip to share with the other Crusaders.

“Macintosh?” said Rarity?

“Eeeeeyup?” replied Big Mac.

“Applejack is worried about you, and I believe she’s trying to find out the nature of your...depression. She brought up the topic at lunch, and I acted out and left the meal. Are you truly okay?”

“Eeeeeyup,” repeated Big Mac.

“It’s not...that, is it?” said Rarity, quieting her voice down considerably.

Big Macintosh remained silent for a few moments before finally opening his mouth.

“...Eeeeeyup.”

Rarity walked over to Big Macintosh and gave him a hug, just as he began crying harder.

“I’m sorry, Macintosh. I was too young to stop them. You know how they can be sometimes. The important thing is that you have a family that loves you...”

“One...”

“Remember, you are defined by your character, not by your outward appearance.”

The two hugged for some time. The clubhouse door opening brought the incredulous Apple Bloom back to reality. How could Big Macintosh and Rarity know each other from before? She turned to face the sudden intruder, expecting her friends, but seeing a very different pony.

“Hi, Sweetie Belle! Hi, Scoot -- oh. Hi Fluttershy. What are ya doin’ here?”

“Oh, I’m sorry Apple Bloom! I didn’t mean to disturb you. I was just here to see what Rarity was doing. Don’t tell her, but I followed her. She ran away very angry from our lunch together and I’m worried she may be hiding something. The clubhouse seemed like a good vantage point to watch her.”

“Watch ‘er? Ya mean spy on ‘er? She’s right down there.”

Apple Bloom let Fluttershy watch out the window, and the yellow Pegasus’ mouth dropped open in surprise as she watched the two ponies hugging.

“Oh my goodness! Big Mac...and Rarity...are...in love? So that’s why...oh my! I need to tell Applejack!”

Rarity loosened her grip on the large red pony and walked backwards a few feet.

“I’ll be at the boutique if you need to talk to me. See you later, Macintosh.”

“Eeeeeyup.” said a slightly happier Big Mac.

Apple Bloom and Fluttershy both dashed out of the clubhouse, each intending to report a different version of the events to their circles of friends.

“What did you want to talk to me about, Rainbow?” said Twilight.

“What’s a monitoring chip?!” demanded Rainbow Dash.

“Monitoring chip?! Oh no! This is bad! This is very very bad!” exclaimed a suddenly worried Twilight. “The monitoring chip is a sophisticated piece of machinery I made that taps into a pony’s natural neural oscillation patterns and measures the tendencies of alteration to produce an accurate mental image! It reads minds! If somepony bad has it, it could be dangerous!”

“But Pinkie said she planted it on me, and all she’s been using it for is to learn how I feel about fireworks and where I go to relax.”

“Pinkie?! Ergh, I need to have a talk with that mare about privacy. She stole that from me, and she has no right to read your mind, or anyone’s. Now turn around,” ordered Twilight.

“Okay, for wh--AH!” shouted Rainbow as she felt something being pulled from her mane.

“It’s out now,” said Twilight, placing the chip on the stump in the center of the tree. “Now let’s get the console from Pinkie Pie. She should know better than to do such an irresponsible thing.”

The two ponies walked out of the tree, failing to notice a pink, frizzy blur sneak in the top window. Pinkie Pie walked down into the main room of the library and snatched up the chip from the table.

“Perfect, Dash got the chip taken off just like I predicted. Now to go find that fireworks Pegasus,” she said, chuckling to herself at the success of her plan.

2 - The Tangled Web

A Web of Secrets
by Kec

Chapter 2: The Tangled Web

Applejack walked up the blocky wooden stairs in the dark patch of the forest. Though she knew the way to Zecora’s house well, it always creeped her out a little bit going there. She never knew when something was going to leap out at her from the shadows of the woods.

She knocked twice on the door and entered when the zebra opened it. Applejack stepped inside the hollow tree and looked around. Zecora had quite the collection of masks and knick-knacks from... wherever she was from.

“Ah, hello, young Applejack. I assume you are here to help Big Mac?” said Zecora in her spooky rhyming dialect.

“How’d ya know that Ah was here fer Big Mac?” questioned Applejack.

“By looking into my crystal sphere, the intentions of ponies who come are clear,” replied Zecora, motioning to a crystal orb. “Your large amount of sorrow appalls, yet your brother’s sorrow is what made you call.”

“Well, okay,” said Applejack, dismissing Zecora’s explanation. “So d’ya have anything that can make him happy again? It ain’t right to have him so gol-darn sad all the time.”

“I sense that you wish your brother to feel good, but this wish is not one that you should. Emotions are a sacred thing, and if disturbed, then it is sadness they bring,” warned Zecora.

“Well, if Ah can’t use magic to make him feel better, then what can Ah do?”

“Perhaps you could speak to him to find his sorrow’s root. But I have one last option, should he remain mute,” offered the zebra.

“And what would that be?” asked Applejack.

“My crystal sees not only your tears. It would also work to expose Mac’s fears. But I feel this is not a wise thing to do, as such spying would only incriminate you. If you wish to help your brother not feel sad, you should do so in a way that will not make him mad,” suggested Zecora.

“Fine,” agreed Applejack, turning to leave. “Ah’ll talk to him. But if he won’t answer me, then Ah’m comin’ straight on back to look in that fancy crystal ‘a yers. ‘Kay?”

“Though rash, that is an acceptable plan. Come back if you need to see me again,” said Zecora, closing the door behind Applejack as she left.

Applejack walked through the forest, looking in all directions as she went to avoid any pursuers that would be following her. She thought about what Zecora said to her, and vowed to try and get a decent conversation out of Big Mac. She couldn’t bear to think what he might be sad over. The stoic, hard-working, perpetually calm Big Mac, her older brother and friend, was slipping deeper into sadness.

Her brother was sad, and she had no idea why.

Her worries not at all as calmed as she had anticipated, she walked into the sunlight of Ponyville’s surrounding meadows, and went to the home of the pony most likely to calm her down after that revelation: Fluttershy.

Behind her, Pinkie Pie pranced into the forest, waiting to see Zecora for a scheme of her own.

“Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! Guess what Ah just saw!” said an excited Apple Bloom.

“What?” the other two Crusaders said in unison.

“Ah saw Big Mac, an’ he was all sad ‘bout somethin’, so he was cryin’ over there under that tree,” said Applebloom, pointing out the window at the tree. “An’ then Rarity comes over to him, an’ they talk about why Big Mac was sad. Ah think she said somethin’ ‘bout his family not lovin’ him fer who he is!”

“Rarity was there? Oh my gosh!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle.

“But now Ah’m worried!” confessed Apple Bloom. “Ah know Ah love him fer who he is, so who don’t? Ah mean, Ah got a big family, but on the farm it’s only me, Applejack, Granny Smith, Big Mac and Winona! And Ah don’t think Big Mac’d git that upset ‘bout Winona.”

“So he’s upset with either Granny Smith or Applejack,” deduced Scootaloo.

“And Granny Smith is one of the nicest ponies ever!” said Sweetie Belle. “She’s a little bit... old, but she’s real nice!”

“So Big Mac must be angry with Applejack! What do we do?” asked Scootaloo.

“Ah’ve got an idea,” said Apple Bloom. “We wait fer school to end tomorrah. Then, we go talk to Cheerilee.”

“Cheerilee? Are you crazy, Apple Bloom?!” screeched Sweetie Belle. “After that whole Hearts and Hooves Day mishap, Cheerilee would never ever do something with Big Mac that we set up for her!”

“Shush, Sweetie Belle. We’re gonna tell Cheerilee that it ain’t gonna try to git Big Mac to be her coltfriend this time. Cheerilee always works with foals who’re fightin’, to solve their problems, right? So we get Applejack, Big Mac an’ Cheerilee in the same place, so that she can fix the problem!” said Apple Bloom.

“That’s a great plan!” said Scootaloo, while Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement.

“So it’s settled. We’re gonna have Miss Cheerilee help mah brother and mah sister stop fightin’! Maybe we’ll even get our cutie marks fer this!” said Apple Bloom.

“What kind of cutie marks do you get for leading three ponies to the same place to fix their problems?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Uh... Cutie Mark Crusaders... uh... group therapist office secretaries?” offered Scootaloo.

“Now Ah hope Ah don’t git mah Cutie Mark for this,” joked Apple Bloom.

The three fillies shared a laugh and scampered off to crusade and play, their plan to save Apple Bloom’s family prepared to be set in motion the next day.

Zecora had just finished polishing the mud that Applejack tracked into her home when another knock came on her door, this one more erratic and powerful. She opened the door to find Pinkie Pie, who darted into Zecora’s house, tracking more mud onto her floor. With a sigh, she put down her cloth and turned to Pinkie.

“Hi Zecora! I was wondering if you can make a quick copying potion for me? I brought water from the Mirror Pond and everything!” said Pinkie Pie.

Zecora was shocked. “I do not know where you got such a thing, but why bring you water from that magical spring? A copying potion is powerful magic, and its misuse can be truly tragic. I witnessed you use the pond, Pinkie Pie, and since you know of its dangers, then why?”

“Oh, silly Zecora! I’m not going to copy myself! I just need to copy these two objects, here!” said Pinkie, holding out the console and monitoring chip.

Zecora looked over the machinery. “I suppose that one draught could not hurt. But since you are smart, I shall be curt. When a copy is made, the function is lost. This cannot be avoided, as such is the cost. The original maintains its original state, but the copy shall be as a clean piece of slate.”

Pinkie Pie didn’t care. “That’s exactly what I need, one working and one that doesn’t! Will you do it?”

Zecora sighed and opened her book, taking the Mirror Water from Pinkie and preparing the Draught of Duplication for the hyperactive mare.

“Whaddya mean, ‘in love’? Rarity has such high standards, an’ Ah don’t mean him any offense, but Big Mac... ain’t exactly the most refined pony,” said Applejack.

“But it’s true! I saw her and Big Mac hugging in the woods, and so did Apple Bloom! We were in her clubhouse,” explained Fluttershy.

“Why in the name of Celestia were ya in mah lil’ sister’s clubhouse spyin’ on mah big brother?! That’s downright double rude an’ nosy of ya! Ah mean, both of mah siblings!” scolded Applejack.

“Well, after Rarity left so angrily at lunch, I wanted to make sure she was okay. But I didn’t want to disturb her, because that might make her angrier because she was followed. So she went into the woods and I hid in Apple Bloom’s clubhouse. Apple Bloom was in there, but she let me spy. She had been watching the whole time. Please don’t be mad,” said Fluttershy quietly.

“Ah ain’t. But it still wasn’t very nice of ya ta go spyin’ like that. Ah’ll have to have a talk later with Apple Bloom,” said Applejack aloud.

Still, she couldn’t help but wonder. Big Macintosh was in love? It certainly explained a lot of things. The reaction of Rarity to her inquisitiveness about Big Mac now had fair cause, but why did she also react so harshly to the fireworks Pegasus? Big Mac’s depression could be from hiding his feelings from everypony, but why would he want to do that? It’s not like he would want to hide the fact that he was in such a positive relationship from anypony. Applejack couldn’t think of any ponies that would be jealous of him...

Then it hit her.

Cheerilee.

Big Mac and Cheerilee were originally brought together through her sister’s Crusader group’s stupid love poison ordeal. After the poison wore off, the two had been seen together throughout Ponyville, and were considered quite the item. Applejack realized that Big Mac was hiding his relationship with Rarity so as not to upset Cheerilee.

Applejack thought for a moment about the magnitude of doing so. Cheerilee taught every foal in town, and would undoubtedly pass on her ire at Big Macintosh to the children. They would express that to their parents, and when news gets out to some of the more social mares in Ponyville, it undoubtedly gets around very quickly. The implications of such a double life would shame both Rarity’s and Big Mac’s reputations, rendering them both social outcasts forever.

“Okay, then,” said Applejack. “Fluttershy, we tell the other three, but that’s it. We can’t let rumors go gettin’ ‘round ‘bout mah brother an’ Rarity. Cheerilee would be furious.”

“Cheerilee?” questioned Fluttershy. “Oh... oh my! I forgot that Big Macintosh and Cheerilee were dating! Do you realize what this means, Applejack? Your brother is having an affair!”

“Ah know full well what it means, Fluttershy, an’ Ah ain’t gonna soil mah brother’s reputation,” replied Applejack.

“Well, we need to go and tell them right away! Just in case they’re going to try and help Rarity,” explained Fluttershy.

The two mares raced out of Fluttershy’s tree home to try and meet Twilight and Rainbow at the library. With luck, they could get word out before anything drastic happened to Big Macintosh.

Rarity organized her dresses for the twelfth time, levitating the wooden mannequins to place their clothing in order from warmest main color to coolest. Whenever she was stressed, she organized and reorganized. A sense of order helped her to remain calm about things.

“No, no, no, this is wrong. Let’s try... collar size,” she said, deciding on a new pattern of organization.

She levitated Opalescence off of the train of one of the dresses and set him into his crate. She needed no distractions whatsoever, only the arbitrary shuffling of dresses to help her maintain focus and keep her mind from wandering onto her past.

As she began to organize them by the order she’d purchased the materials in, the door to the boutique opened with the jingle of a bell. Big Mac walked into the store and over to where Rarity was senselessly organizing.

Rarity snapped out of her mindless shuffling once Big Mac walked into the room. She approached the big pony and began crying.

“I’ve thought about it too, Macintosh. It was simply wrong to treat you that way. Just because Whinnysota thinks that Unicorns are any better than Earth Ponies was no reason for you to have to leave,” said Rarity.

“Look, Rarity,” said Big Mac. “Bein’ the only Earth Pony in a family a’ Unicorns is bad enough. Ah mean, even ‘round here, look at all them Pegasi in their fancy cloud houses an’ them Unicorns with their magic. What’s an Earth Pony got? Strength? Ah don’t need strength, Rarity. Ah need skills.”

“But you have to tell Applejack sometime. Being an Earth Pony is genetic, you know, but your cutie mark determines your talent,” said Rarity.

“But that ain’t what Ah wanted mah talent to be!” exclaimed Big Mac. “Ah worked so hard, an’ all Ah get is this stupid apple mark. Ah wish Ah had never gone into that arboretum with them apple trees. Ah had dreams, Rarity. But Ah’m destined ta be an apple farmer. More like doomed ta be an apple farmer.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you haven’t told Applejack,” demanded Rarity.

“Look, Rarity, Ah grew up with her. Ah lived in St. Palomino for what, ‘bout three years?” questioned Big Mac. “Applejack was a newborn filly when Ah ran off here. Ah had the apple mark, Ah was an Earth Pony. The family had no place fer me.”

“Macintosh,” said Rarity forcefully. “I don’t care if you’re a Unicorn or an Earth Pony, or what kind of cutie mark you have. But I will not stand by while you beat up upon yourself for something that was not your fault. Your cutie mark dictates your talent, but that doesn’t force it to be your only talent.”
“But no matter what Ah do, Ah’m always pulled towards workin’ with the apples,” lamented Big Mac. “If Ah stop, it’s like some invisible force is pullin’ me to go back an’ farm the apples. Ah hate it!”

“I’m sorry, Macintosh. I don’t know what else to do,” admitted Rarity.

Big Mac wandered slowly out of her shop. “Thanks anyway,” he said sadly, closing the door.

Rarity wondered why life was so cruel to Big Mac. Ponies were supposed to be proud of their talents, and here was one who was ashamed of his and forced to perform it. The three tribes each had their own virtues, and here was a pony who was alienated from his own family and his personality because of his race. And here she sat idly by, recognizing the problem, yet unable to do anything about it.

Twilight Sparkle ran with Rainbow Dash towards the entrance of the Everfree Forest. The Cakes had said that Pinkie was planning on visiting Zecora, and that she had taken the “odd machinery” with her.

Just as the two mares approached the forest, they intercepted Pinkie Pie walking out of it. As the pink pony realized who was there, she quickly dodged aside and ran out into the open town.

Rainbow Dash called out to her. “Pinkie Pie! Get back here now!”

Rainbow took off into a fast, rocketing flight, chasing after the surprisingly speedy pink mare. She knew that as fast as Pinkie Pie was, she was faster, and she would eventually outpace and restrain her. So she continued on, following the pink blur that whisked on ahead of her.

Pinkie Pie was clever, though. She had anticipated the chase from the beginning, and absolutely did not want to confront Twilight and Rainbow just yet, as she still had both monitoring chips and consoles on her. True to her word, the potion Zecora had made indeed duplicated the machinery, but one set did not work at all, as it had no wiring. Apparently the potion only duplicated what it touched, and the interior of the device was sealed.

It was no matter to her, though. The fake was just going to be used to get Twilight and Rainbow off her trail for a while. She had orchestrated the chase for an opportunity to stash the working machinery. As she passed by Fluttershy’s hen coop, she hurriedly stuffed one set of monitoring chips into the slats beneath the ramp, and quickly ran back into town.

Play it cool, Pinkamena. Act like you’ve learned your lesson, she thought to herself.

Rainbow Dash eventually gave up chasing her and flew high up above Ponyville, watching for her characteristic pink blur. She pinpointed her target, aimed, and dashed down onto Pinkie Pie like a missile, grabbing hold of her with the correct timing.

“Twilight and I need a word with you, Miss Pie,” spat Rainbow Dash. “Spying on ponies’ minds? Not cool.”

Pinkie Pie shrugged and waited for Rainbow to land. They were at the same table as yesterday, their usual hangout spot for important conversations.

“Pinkie, what in the name of Celestia were you thinking?! You stole sensitive magical equipment and invaded Rainbow Dash’s privacy. You can’t just take things like that and run wild with them!” yelled Twilight.

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” said Pinkie Pie, feigning remorse. “I was irresponsible, and I did some dangerous things. But I promise not to touch your stuff anymore -- anypony’s stuff.”

Pinkie took care not to make it a Pinkie Promise. Those were unbreakable bonds between ponies. A regular promise was as easily broken as... something that broke easily. And she definitely planned to break it. She would stop at nothing to achieve that one last bit of friendship.

Her plot finally came together in her head. Twilight had said it herself, many times. Friendship is magic. And Pinkie Pie needed to amass as many friends as she could, for the kind of magic she planned to do. She was going to finally ascend to princesshood, not Twilight. The magic of friendship was the way to achieve her lifelong dreams.

Celestia had thought so herself.

Nopony ever said Rainbow Dash was the only pony who she had used the monitoring chip on. And with Celestia’s constant mane-grooming habits, it was only a matter of time before she accidentally knocked the chip loose for Pinkie Pie to reclaim.

“Pinkie, may I have my device back?” asked Twilight menacingly.

“Of course, Twilight,” said Pinkie, handing her the fake console and chip.

“Thanks. Now Rainbow and I have some business to take care of, so--”

Twilight was cut off by Applejack’s worried cries coming from the corner of the square.

“Everypony, Ah have terrible news. Y’all know how Rarity ‘n Big Mac have been all... moody lately?” asked Applejack, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Well, they’ve been havin’ an affair!”

A chorus of gasps echoed across the table as the three unenlightened ponies realized the implications of such a transgression.

“Now girls, don’t bring this up to anypony else, especially not Rarity, Big Macintosh or Cheerilee,” warned Fluttershy.

The ponies nodded in agreement, except for Applejack.

“Wait a minute, there. Ah’m gonna ask Big Mac ‘bout this when Ah next see him. Ah need ta have a conversation with him before Ah use Zecora’s crystal, else Ah’ll just make him mad. It’s better ta risk it after Ah try to talk to him.”

Just then, Scootaloo came up to the table. “Hi, Rainbow Dash!” she said, in awe of her idol’s presence. “Applejack, you’re needed at the barn at Sweet Apple Acres. It’s important that you don’t bring anypony else,” she quoted from memory.

“That’s a lil’ bit odd, but fine. Ah’ll see what’s up,” agreed Applejack. “Buh-bye, girls,” said Applejack.

As the ponies all went their separate ways, Twilight was hit by a flash of inspiration. She threw the chip onto Pinkie Pie’s mane.

“Now we can see why she wanted to use my monitoring chip,” explained Twilight to a watching Rainbow Dash.

However, the console wouldn’t turn on. No matter what Twilight did, the screen remained blank. Opening the inside of the machine, she discovered that it was hollow.

“A fake!” exclaimed an irate Rainbow Dash. “She had the nerve to give you a fake!”

“Pinkie...” growled Twilight.

Sweetie Belle had waited outside the schoolhouse for nearly half an hour. Cheerilee was talking with Twist’s mom about her recent performance and about how she ought to consider skipping a grade. When Twist’s mom finally left, Sweetie Belle seized the opportunity and ran into the classroom.

“Miss Cheerilee! Miss Cheerilee!” she shouted impatiently.

“What is it, Sweetie Belle? What’s wrong?” asked a worried Cheerilee.

“There’s a disagreement at Sweet Apple Acres, at the big barn, and they need you there to solve it, since you’re so good at helping ponies who are arguing,” said Sweetie Belle.

Cheerilee thought for a moment. “Who is arguing?”

“Applejack and Big Mac!” said Sweetie Belle.

This brought worry into Cheerilee’s mind. If those two argued, it could jeopardize the production of the farm. That, and Big Mac was a close friend, and Applejack a... more distant friend. She certainly didn’t want to see any friends arguing.

“Alright, then. Thank you for telling me, Sweetie Belle,” said Cheerilee, leaving the schoolhouse for the barn.

Sweetie Belle smiled, happy that she had pulled off her section of the plan properly.

Apple Bloom approached her big brother’s side at the bottom of the tree where he sat. “Big Mac?”

“Eeeeeyup?”

“Can ya come ‘n help out at the big barn? Yer prob’ly the best pony fer the job,” she complimented.

“Eeeeeyup,” replied Big Mac sorrowfully.

“It’ll be ok, big brother. Ah promise,” she assured him.

Big Mac smiled. At least this family cared about him, regardless of whether or not he belonged. He headed off to see what was wrong at the barn.

3 - Caught in the Web

A Web of Secrets
by Kec

Chapter 3: Caught in the Web

Big Macintosh slowly walked towards the barn. Whatever problem awaited him surely wouldn’t be as depressing as sitting alone under an apple tree, so he decided to do some work, put his mind off his past. After all, manual labor wasn’t exactly difficult for a pony of his stature, even if the prospect of such disappointed him to no end.

It was evening now, and dark clouds idly rested overhead, dotting the glowing sky with grey blotches. The wind had picked up, and Big Mac’s cropped tail stuck out behind him while he walked. He predicted that he only had a few fleeting minutes of sunlight left before the solemn yet serene moon reigned the sky for another night.

It was much prettier than the constant gray sky of St. Palomino.

Entering the barn, he found one of the windows neatly slid off of its pane and placed on the floor, with his toolbox on the ground beside it.

That’s odd, he thought. Almost looks like somepony took that off on purpose.

As he fitted the pane into place, he heard the barn door creak open behind him. Instinctively turning his head to look at the visitor, he was surprised when he realized who it was.

“Oh, uh... hello, Cheerilee. Ah wasn’t expectin’ ya,” he said nervously.

“Hello, Big Macintosh. Sweetie Belle told me there was a fight here at the barn, and I came to see that it was resolved. But it looks like everything has been resolved here, so I suppose I’ll be on my way,” said Cheerilee, suspicious about whether or not it was another Cutie Mark Crusaders plot to play Cupid with her and Big Macintosh. The two of them were very good friends, and considered themselves a couple, but neither of them expressed any desire to take their relationship further.

Just then, another pony burst into the room. Big Mac and Cheerilee both turned to look at the door, now occupied by a frowning Applejack.

“So what’s all this hoopla ‘bout there bein’ trouble at the barn? Ah don’t see nothin’ wrong here,” said Applejack.

However, something about the sight caught Applejack’s eye. Big Mac was here, with Cheerilee, his fillyfriend, and Fluttershy had witnessed him together with Rarity in the woods earlier that day. Obviously, Cheerilee was blind to the transgressions committed by Big Macintosh, and he was playing her for the fool. The revelation brought Applejack’s temper to a peak, and she returned to her original plan from lunch, tossing aside her secretive notions: she would expose Big Macintosh’s double life, right here, in front of Cheerilee, and demand answers. She couldn’t allow the lies to continue, for Cheerilee’s sake.

“...never mind, Ah do see somethin’ wrong here! Yer here with Cheerilee, ain’t ya, Mac? So how’d ya explain all that huggin’ with Rarity in the woods today? Fluttershy an’ Apple Bloom done saw ya both!” spat a suddenly angry Applejack.

Big Mac and Cheerilee both stood shocked from the sudden revelation.

“Rarity?” whispered Cheerilee, looking over to Big Mac with tears in her eyes, desperately trying to believe the accusation wasn’t true.

Big Mac wasn’t as shocked as Applejack expected, though. In fact, he seemed incredibly angry, with his brow creased and a tight jaw. He walked up to Applejack and pointed his head down toward her.

“Applejack, just what are ya insinuatin’ by that?” he said, calmly but forcefully.

“Ah ain’t insinuatin’ nothin!” replied Applejack. “Ah’m outright tellin’ ya! Yer affair ain’t a secret no more, Big Mac. Yer a liar an’ a cheat, an’ it’s finally caught up to yah!”

Big Macintosh was angrier than either Cheerilee or Applejack had ever seen him before in their lives. He poked his muzzle at an immediate angle to Applejack’s and looked her straight in the eye.

“Ya wanna know why Ah was in the woods with Rarity? Ah’ll tell ya! In fact, Rarity told me to tell ya! It’s cause ah ain’t yer real brother! Are yah happy? Ah was just plannin’ on keepin’ it a secret, to hold onto the one family that done accepted me, but no! Ya just had to pry into it!” screamed Big Macintosh.

Now it was Applejack’s turn to be shocked. “Ya ain’t... mah real brother?”

“Big Macintosh...” whispered Cheerilee, huddled in the corner.

Big Macintosh stepped away from his sister and sat in the corner opposite Cheerilee. All three were crying, and the silence persisted for several tense minutes. Eventually, Applejack spoke up.

“Well, Ah’m gonna go talk to Zecora. She said that Ah could use her crystal thingy ta see yer past.”

Big Macintosh thought for a moment in silence, then called to Applejack with a decision.

“Wait, Applejack.”

Applejack turned to look at him.

“If that crystal can show mah past... Ah have a request for ya. Get Zecora ta come here to Ponyville first. Round up yer friends, an’ Apple Bloom, at Miss Twilight’s library. Ah’ll go get Rarity, ya just need ta get the others. Make sure Apple Bloom brings her friends too, one of ‘em may wanna hear this. The unicorn one. Once ya got everypony, call me an’ Ah’ll explain everything. As long as Ah’m gonna show y’all what happened, Ah’m gonna show everypony what happened,” he instructed.

Applejack nodded and dashed out of the barn.

“Cheerilee, ya may wanna come too. Ah promise ya Ah ain’t havin’ an affair or nothin’,” said Big Mac. “Now Ah’ve got some business to attend to before everypony meets up, so Ah’ll see ya at the meetin’.”

Cheerilee, obviously hurt by the accusations made towards her coltfriend, nodded in agreement.

The two ponies both got up and walked out of the barn, into the darkness of night. At the crossroads, they went their separate ways, tears rolling down both their faces.

The three Cutie Mark Crusaders hopped out of the bushes behind the barn, crying.

“Every time we try and do something nice, it always turns out real bad,” noted Scootaloo.

“I wonder why Big Mac said he wanted me specifically to hear?” wondered Sweetie Belle. “What was all that they were saying about my sister? She wouldn’t do anything like that...”

“This is all mah fault!” cried Apple Bloom. “If Ah hadn’t spied on Big Mac an’ told y’all ‘bout it, this meetin’ woulda never happened!” She threw herself onto the dirt and sobbed. “An’ now Ah may not have a big brother anymore!”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had no words to console her, and only watched as she continued to shudder on the ground.

“He’s gonna be so mad at me...” wailed Apple Bloom.

Just then, a butter colored Pegasus emerged from behind the other side of the barn.

“I’m so sorry, Apple Bloom,” offered Fluttershy. “I was the one who told Applejack that Big Mac was having an affair. I wanted her to feel better about her brother, to give her a reason why he would possibly be sad, but in the end, I only made things worse.” Fluttershy began crying.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo turned to look at the visitor.

“Why are you here, Fluttershy?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“I followed Applejack here. I guess I got so caught up in ensuring my friends were okay, I just had to poke into their personal lives a bit too much,” she said.

The comment caused Apple Bloom’s sobbing to stop. She began to take in the events of the previous day: Her brother had been revealed to not be her real brother, Applejack was now upset with him, Miss Cheerilee was sad, and it was all because somepony happened to stumble across a secret and misinterpret it as something very different.

And that somepony hadn’t learned her lesson. She just now admitted to following Applejack here.

She was still capable of hurting ponies with her secrets.

Apple Bloom’s anger spiked. “Ya most certainly did poke in too much!” she spat. “Ya spy on mah brother. Ya spread rumors about him an’ mah friend’s big sister. Ya cause mah whole family to just up an’ break down, an’ ya still have the nerve to spy on mah sister the whole way here?! Ah hate ya! Git off mah family’s farm, ya big yella gossip!”

Fluttershy backed away from the furious Apple Bloom before burying her face in her bubblegum pink mane, turning, and running away, sobbing and shouting apologies the whole time.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were shocked once more.

“What the hay was all that for, Apple Bloom?!” yelled Scootaloo. “She apologized. You were really harsh on Fluttershy. I think you should go and apologize to her.”

“Yeah, Fluttershy is one of the nicest ponies I know!” said Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom just sighed. “C’mon, girls, ya heard Big Mac. Let’s get to Twilight’s library. Ah’ll apologize later.”

Once my family’s back together, thought Apple Bloom.

“But what do I do, Twilight? How do I know if he’s the right choice for me?”

“Well, Rainbow, the book ‘Dating Advice for Pegasi’ says to ‘try and initiate a friendly conversation, then see if his interests match up with yours. Ask him to fly with you: if he accepts, it’s a yes,’” quoted Twilight.

“I hope you’re right,” replied Rainbow Dash hopefully. “Why do you have a book about dating advice for Pegasi, anyway? That’s a little odd for a Unicorn to have.”

“Rainbow, I’m a librarian,” reminded Twilight flatly.

“Oh, yeah.”

Rainbow Dash had been asking Twilight many questions about dating advice. She had decided to go through with her plan to court this mystery fireworks Pegasus. Twilight was enthusiastic of the idea, since it would give her the opportunity to spy on Pinkie Pie again to reclaim her chip. She planned to use an invisibility spell to hide near Pinkie Pie and watch as the Pegasus performed, then hopefully grab Pinkie after the show.

Rainbow Dash approached the clearing nervously. She had been instructed by Twilight not to approach the Pegasus until after the show, and to stay hidden so as not to alert Pinkie Pie. To her surprise, the pink pony wasn’t there at all. Perhaps she was hidden as well.

The Pegasus donned a blue mask and suit that completely covered his body, which was highly reminiscent of Mare-Do-Well’s uniform minus the hat and cape, to Rainbow’s chagrin. He was very large, and his wings folded back over his torso. The costume obscured his cutie mark and colors.

Rather than perform an extravagantly loud and flashy show like Rainbow Dash expected, this pony simply sat in the center of the grove, lighting the fireworks one by one, and each one produced a stunning burst of color, despite the small size of the explosions. The towering trees protected against prying eyes and ears very well, and it was obvious why nopony knew about these demonstrations.

Rainbow Dash was in awe. The vibrant, spectacular display was incredible, yet this pony wanted no one to see it. Was he ashamed of his talent? A multitude of possibilities flashed through her mind as firework after firework exploded in the sky. She imagined what sorts of fireworks he would make at a wedding and sighed dreamily at the thought.

Wait, Dash. You don’t even know him at all, yet, she thought. Don’t go making wedding plans just yet.

She thought for a moment, though. Why was she getting married at all to begin with? To satisfy her own desires for greatness through her children. She admitted it to herself: she only wanted to have something to be proud of. Her dreams of Wonderbolts glory had been lost with time.

She felt worthless, and needed her children to provide her own fame.

But she didn’t care. Her recognition would come, and this stallion was the key to her hopes and dreams. The display was over, as the pile of fireworks by the costumed Pegasus had dwindled to nothing, and he walked out of the clearing.

Rainbow Dash remained hidden, just as Twilight instructed. She was to wait for Twilight to remove the spell before approaching the stallion so as not to scare the quarry.

Sure enough, Pinkie Pie popped out of the bushes opposite Rainbow Dash. She had revealed earlier that she came to see this pony at the same times each week, and Rainbow had intercepted her at one of those times. For such a hyper pony, Pinkie Pie was very punctual.

Twilight Sparkle followed Pinkie Pie invisibly, waiting to see what she would do. Rainbow had reported her apparent interest in this fireworks pony, so Twilight seized the opportunity to determine exactly what Pinkie’s intentions were.
Pinkie Pie snuck up behind the costumed Pegasus, who was slowly walking away. With the chip in her hoof, she edged closer and closer, preparing the toss. She would be one friend closer to princesshood, one step towards the recognition and fame she deserved. She curved her foreleg back, and flung the chip at the back of the costumed pony.

Only to have it fall straight down in midair. Twilight undid her invisibility spell, appearing right in front of Pinkie, and grabbed the chip off the ground.

“Pinkie,” boomed Twilight in a serious tone, “we need to talk. We’re going to my house.”

Pinkie smiled a coy grin at Twilight.

“Uh-oh...” she said worriedly.

Immediately behind the two ponies, Rainbow Dash approached the costumed Pegasus and attempted to initiate a conversation.

“Hey there! My name’s Rainbow Dash! What’s yours?” she asked.

The large stallion turned to look at her, then turned back to look at the path, saying nothing. Rainbow Dash wondered what she had done wrong. She was simply trying to “initiate a friendly conversation”. Maybe a compliment would help ease into the conversation?

“So what’s a big, strong Pegasus like you doing in a place like this? C’mon, we can maybe fly around a bit, have a nice, friendly chat,” Rainbow offered.

Again the large stallion looked over at her, and this time shook his head no before turning back. Rainbow Dash had her heart set on this encounter, and grabbed the Pegasus’ wings, attempting to fold them into a flying position.

“Come on... mister... and fly... with me...” she said, straining to try and pull the wings out from their folded position. But regardless of how hard she tried, the wings wouldn’t budge. The stallion strained to resist the pull, and the two were locked into an intense tug of war, until Rainbow Dash was suddenly torn backwards and fell on the dirt.

With two fake cloth wings in her hooves.

“Holy Celestia!” she yelled. “They’re fake wings! Twilight! That wasn’t a Pegasus at all!”

“It wasn’t?” said Twilight and Pinkie in unison. Rainbow looked over: Twilight had restrained Pinkie’s hooves using magical bonds and was now levitating her by her legs.

“Uh, that’s a little excessive, isn’t it, Twilight?” commented Rainbow.

“Not at all. After the fake she gave us last time, I’m taking no chances,” said Twilight.

By now, the costumed pony had run off into the night. The three mares were standing alone in the dark, pondering the events that had just occurred.

“So what kind of pony would sew fake wings like that?” wondered Rainbow Dash.

Twilight removed the torn outer cloth, exposing plush toy wings. “Rainbow, these are toys. You can buy them at the joke shop, didn’t you know that?”

“Twilight, I have real wings. I wouldn’t have any interest in fake ones,” reminded Rainbow.

They heard a fourth set of hoofbeats approaching them on the road, and turned to see Applejack rushing towards them, her Stetson hat nearly flying off her head in the breeze.

“Y’all better git on over to Twilight’s house!” she yelled. “Big Mac’s got an announcement. Ah’l meet ya there, Ah gotta go see Zecora right quick. Can ya pick up Apple Bloom an’ her friends for meh? Thanks.”

“Sure, Applejack. That’s where Pinkie and I were headed anyway,” answered Twilight.

“Alrighty,” replied Applejack. “Now, any reason ya got Pinkie Pie strung up like a hog?”

Twilight chuckled at the imagery. “I’ll explain later. See you at my house!” she said cheerfully, walking away with Pinkie Pie floating and Rainbow hovering behind her.

Applejack just muttered to herself. “Crazy town lately,” she commented, dashing off into the Everfree Forest once more.

Big Macintosh entered Rarity’s boutique and closed the door behind himself, proceeding into the sitting room like always.

“Hello again, Macintosh,” sang Rarity. “Oh my, whatever happened to that? It’s simply ruined!” she said, referring to the torn cloth draped over Big Macintosh’s back.

“It’s fine, Rarity. Look, Ah just wanted you ta know that Ah took yer advice. Ah’m gonna tell Applejack tonight,” he said. “Ah already told her a lil’ bit, but Ah’m gonna give her the full story.”

“Wonderful, dahling, simply wonderful,” she commented. “It’s good to get these kinds of things off your chest. Secrets do cause much unwarranted stress, you know.”

“Ah know that full well. That’s why Ah’m gonna tell her, an’ her friends, an’ Cheerilee, an’ Apple Bloom an’ her friends the truth, with the help a’ Miss Zecora’s crystal ball.”

“Wait, what?” responded Rarity, incredulous. “Why the sudden change of heart? This was your biggest secret, the one you promised to put behind you and shut away for the rest of your life. Why on earth bring it up now?”

“Rarity, have ya seen any of yer friends today?” asked Big Mac, apparently ignoring the question.

“Why, no, I can’t say that I have. In fact, my only other outside contact today was Ditzy Doo for some... muffin print clothing she ordered,” said Rarity, obviously still slightly disturbed over Ditzy’s request.

“Well, there’s a rumor goin’ ‘round ‘bout you’n me. Ah don’t know how much ya heard, but a few ponies saw us in the woods, ‘n word done got out that Ah was cheatin’ on Cheerilee or the like. Fluttershy an’ Apple Bloom, but Ah think it was just Fluttershy that said we were havin’ an affair,” said Big Mac.

Rarity began to seethe with anger. “An affair?! Ooh, that gossip is going to get it! How dare she add such a stain on my reputation?!”

“Ya really ought ta come ‘n be there at the meetin’. Ah’ll try’n get everythin’ sorted out,” assured Big Macintosh.

Rarity was grateful that Big Macintosh was there for her, but the way that Fluttershy acted was simply horrifying. How could she have been so brash as to state that Big Mac was having an affair with her? Did she not realize the consequences of her actions?

Her own friend had exposed her secret and twisted it.

“Fine,” agreed Rarity. “I’ll come.”

The two ponies left Rarity’s shop, turning out the lights, to head to the meeting that would hopefully end the twisted path of lies that Ponyville was heading down.

“Oh, hi you three!” said Twilight to Apple Bloom and her friends. “I was going to come look for you, but I see you’re already here.”

“Oh, hi Twilight,” said Apple Bloom somberly. “Ah take it yer here for Big Mac’s meetin’?”

“Well, I actually live here,” said Twilight. “But yes, Applejack just told me to come here for whatever Big Macintosh wanted.”

The door opened, and Applejack entered with Zecora following behind, a large spherical bulge in her pouch.

“Hi Applejack, hi Zecora,” said a cheerful Twilight.

“Hello there Miss Sparkle, my friend. So nice it is to see you again,” rhymed Zecora. “Though our conversation must wait, for now your friends’ fears we shall abate. Big Macintosh’s presence plays a vital part, so without him here we cannot start.”

“Fluttershy, git in here!” yelled Applejack out the door.

Fluttershy poked her head in the doorjamb. “But... but she’s in there!”

“Fluttershy, Ah promise ya she won’t yell atcha again. Ain’t that right, Apple Bloom?” said Applejack pointedly.

Apple Bloom nodded, weakly smiling at Fluttershy, who walked into the room slowly, trembling with each step. Behind her entered Rarity, her head held high with a worried expression, and behind her was Big Macintosh, with a piece of torn blue cloth draped over his back. He set it on the table, right next to where Zecora was preparing her crystal orb.

“Hey, that’s...” said Rainbow, noticing the cloth.

“Ah’ll explain later, Miss Dash,” whispered Big Macintosh. “Okay then, everypony, Ah’ve gathered y’all here fer a story. Mah story. Y’all were gettin’ a bit tense over some ponies behaviors lately, an’ Ah think this’ll answer a lot. Fer starters, Rarity an’ Ah ain’t havin’ an affair.”

“Macintosh!” scolded Rarity. “Whatever happened to gently easing into the topic?”

“Ah wanted it ta be crystal clear. Also, Ah ain’t from here. Ah ain’t Applejack’s or Apple Bloom’s real brother. And mah name ain’t Big Macintosh.”

A series of shocked gasps elicited from most of the crowd.

“Mah name,” he said, “is Red Rocket. An’ this is how Ah grew up. Miss Zecora, can ya start the magic ball thingy?”
“I will indeed do as you ask. Prepare to see the events of the past. Mpira kioo, yatangaza zamani” shouted Zecora.

And the crystal ball began to glow.