Big Macintosh read the note again, for the tenth time. He screwed up, that was for sure. Possible solutions raced through his head, but he dismissed each one. An image of a gun popped up in his head, but he quickly shook the idea out of his head. Big Macintosh was a peaceful pony; the fact that he even considered murder disgusted him. Paying them the bits wasn't even an option worth considering; between farm payments, bills, taxes, and necessary supplies, Big Macintosh had 100 bits for himself, if he was lucky. Even combined with Applejack, it wasn't even close to the needed amount. Big Macintosh would ask his distant cousin Braeburn for help, but then he realized that the drought probably left him in debt as well, even if it was a year ago.
Big Macintosh decided upon the only halfway decent solution he could think of: diplomacy. Maybe he could talk them into lowering the debt, or giving him more time. It was definitely worth a shot. Slightly satisfied yet still very worried, Big Macintosh decided to get some sleep. It was almost midnight, after all. Maybe the morning light would bring with it some new ideas. Big Macintosh slid under the covers and suddenly realized how tired he was after working hard all day and staying up late.
A golden ray of warm sunlight seeped in from Big Macintosh's bedroom window. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up, still really groggy from staying up the night before. Shaking himself awake, Big Macintosh got up and out of bed, then went outside to begin his chores for the day. He preferred doing the most tiresome and hardest tasks first, during the mornings, because it was still relatively cool in the summers. The easier and less back-breaking things are done when the sun starts to boil, in the late afternoons. After the labor for the day was completed, Big Macintosh tried to dwell on his situation a bit more. He tried to think of what he would say to the Scorpion representatives; after all, he was a shy stallion, and he was not really known for his skills in speech.
After thinking himself into a headache, Big Macintosh went to bed a bit earlier. Tomorrow was his meeting with the Scorpion thugs. New worries flooded Big Macintosh's mind as he thought of how he would pay up even if he worked out a deal with the Scorpions. Big Macintosh decided to not force himself into a further state of anguish and drifted into the world of unconsciousness.
"Macintosh, wake yerself up," cooed Big Macintosh's sister, Applejack. "A carriage showed up to take ya' somewheres. Exactly where, Ah'm not sure, but those ponies look like they mean business."
"Ayep," drawled Big Macintosh in response. "Ah'll only be gone fer' a couple of hours." Applejack looked confused and a tad bit curious, but she just nodded and left the room. Big Macintosh took a deep breath and went outside to greet his 'escort'. Without a word from any of the ponies, Big Macintosh climbed inside the carriage. There were two Scorpions inside with Big Macintosh, and two on the outside. Two pegasus ponies pulled the carriage into the air and made haste for Apploosa. Big Macintosh discovered that he was afraid of heights during that trip.
"Arriving in Apploosa in five minutes!" hollered the stallion riding shotgun. Big Macintosh let out a quiet sigh of relief for not having to be hundreds of feet in the air anymore. The carriage landed gracefully and Big Macintosh eagerly jumped out. Around twenty feet away was a green pony with a red and blue mane and tail. He was a pegasus, and had brown eyes. Big Macintosh trotted over to that pony; he was obviously the Scorpion representative, due to the twelve bodyguards surrounding him, all with a golden scorpion imprinted on the sleeves of their armor. They all had rifles slung on their backs (pony guns had a very large trigger guard, to allow a pony to fit a hoof through and pull the trigger) and revolvers at their sides. Big Macintosh knew that even though more modern weaponry was being developed, Equestria wasn't quite out of the 'cowpony era' just yet, and old fashioned six shooters and rifles were by far the most common. Big Macintosh wondered why a place as peaceful as Equestria needed so many weapons, but then he remembered that Equestria was surrounded by nations (Griffons, Zebras, Dragons) that could declare war any time.
"Hello. Big Macintosh, isn't it?" the green pony said, a slight grin on his face. "I'm Blade. You probably already know why you're here, so let's get down to brass tacks. You pay up, and this whole business we have against each other can be settled down peacefully."
"And what if Ah don't?" asked Big Macintosh, the slightest hint of worry edging into his voice.
"Well... let's put it into context. You don't pay us. Our President gets mad. We destroy that little farm you worked so hard to save, take all your mares, have some fun with them, then kill them too. Last but definitely not least, we find you, and off you from this world. Any more questions?" Blade had a definite edge of danger in his voice.
"Can there be an... exception?" Big Macintosh barely managed to choke out that last word.
"You don't have the bits, do ya?"
"E-nope." Blade smiled sadistically.
"Looks like it's time to pay a visit with our new marefriends!" he shouted, maniacally happy. Big Macintosh felt a lot of different emotions, primarily grief and anger. However, just when he lost hope, one of the bodyguards whispered something into Blade's ear. The smile lessened on his face, but he maintained a slight grin.
"Great news!" the green pegasus shouted. "Turns out we have an itsy-bitsy little task for you to carry out. Our organization can't get their hooves dirty with this; accusations would erupt our way. However, you look like you can handle it..."
Author's Note
I hope you all are enjoying it so far! Please leave any reasonable suggestions below, and have a wonderful day!
Main page: click here
The hot sun burned unmercifully. It was a very bad summer, as the heat caused droughts in several counties, including Apploosa and PonyVille. Farming was a tough job, but it only turns impossible when there's no water to be had. Sweet Apple Acres was experiencing one of the worst seasons they'd had in a long time. Applejack and Big Macintosh had to give up all their days off to make an attempt at saving the farm, but all the apples had just shriveled under the unwavering heat. Working outdoors was a nightmare, but it had to be done. With all the apples ruined by the heat and all their water dried up, the Apples had no money to support themselves. That's when Big Macintosh decides to give his best shot at saving the farm, by borrowing a large sum of bits from a group that calls itself the 'Scorpions'. Using that money, Big Macintosh had saved the farm. A year later, however, he still couldn't afford to pay off his huge debt.
One night, a train pulls into the PonyVille station. Three mysterious-looking ponies trotted off and left a letter on the Apple's doorstep. It read:
We're gonna give you three days and three nights to come up with the 5,000 bits you owe us. If you fail to pay up, the consequences won't be pretty. Meet us in three days at Apploosa with the bits, or this property will cease to exist.
-The Scorpions
