The Apple and his jewel

Chapter 1: Big Mac really talks!?

It was a nice sunny day in Ponyville. With Applejack out of town, Apple Bloom now working at the local ice cream shop that had opened up and Granny Smith having moved to a retirement village, Big Macintosh had to work at the farm down Sweet Apple Acres on his own.

The sun had lowered a bit after some time, and finally, Apple Bloom returned from her work. Seeing how time had passed, she wasn’t the little filly from the show any longer. She almost was about AJ’s size, and her comically-sized ribbon had been replaced with a hat similar to that of AJ’s, which she got from a friend. Yes, this was a young filly blossoming to a beautiful mare.

She waved at her brother, who didn’t seem to notice as he was stacking barrels on a cart. Apple Bloom walked up closer, softly nudging him with her hoof.“Hahdy, Big Mac, ah’m back!”, she exclaimed, and gave him a bright smile. Big Mac simply smiled back and nodded. Apple Bloom glanced at the dozen of barrels he had been stacking, then back to her brother.

“Pinkie made a big order ‘gain?”, she asked him, with a look on her face that gave away it was a rhetorical question. Big Mac looked back at Apple Bloom as he began ‘strapping’ the cart around his back, nodded, and answered with his all-known “Eeyup”.

Yes, Pinkie Pie, who had taken over the Sugar Cube Corner business, had changed it into an inn as well. Now SCC was known as an inn where destined lovers would find each other. Big Mac began pulling the cart, and Apple Bloom jumped on, slightly giggling as she did so. Even as a filly did she enjoy cart rides with Big Mac. As Big Mac arrived at SCC, she jumped off, and Mac ‘unstrapped’ the cart from his back, knocking on the door.

Pinkie opened the door. She wasn’t the same party pony Pinkie Pie they all knew. She hadn’t been for a long time. She had finally matured a bit, but still had that nice, bright smile on her face. “Heya Mac.”, Pinkie said, a lot calmer than usual, but Mac had delivered at SCC before. This wasn’t odd to him anymore. Big Mac nodded, and made a ‘ta-dah’ gesture at the barrels. Pinkie slightly laughed, and responded right away. “Did I really order that much cider? Huh. Well, you know where to put them, Big Mac.”

Apple Bloom sat down on one of the couches in the lobby, waiting for Mac to have moved all the barrels off the cart.

As Mac came back from Pinkie’s basement, where he would re-stack the barrels, he glanced at one of the couches. A mare was sitting on the one across Apple Bloom. She kind of had traits of Rainbow Dash, yet different. Her mane had mint green colors, and her tail the same pattern as it. Her coat was a darker tone of green, making her mane and tail colors stand out a little. Her eyes were a deep green, deeper than Big Mac’s. Her cutie mark was a piece of mint, the same kind as she was eating.

Big Mac couldn’t help but being drawn to her. Pinkie Pie, glancing at Mac walking to this mare, began showing a slight smirk. Pinkie Pie was known as THE matchmaker in the SCC inn. The mare glanced up. A short moment of silence followed, and Big Mac reached out one of those big hooves of his.

He smiled, and surprisingly, began with the words “Hahdy there. Ah’m Big Mac’ntosh. Wut’s yer name?”

Pinkie Pie gasped, her eyes going wide. Big Mac had really spoken up? To a mare he didn’t know, no less. And the mare hadn’t talked since she registered herself at the inn.

Shy and nervously, the mare lightly shook his hoof. “U-uhm, my name is Emerald… Nice meeting you.” Big Mac nodded again. An awkward silence followed. Apple Bloom hopped off her couch, and lightly tugged at Mac’s hoof. “C’mon, big bro, it’s gettin’ late.” Once more, Big Mac did his familiar nod, and the two of them walked out.

Emerald quickly said “Hope to see you again” before they walked out, freezing Mac in place momentarily, leaving that stupid smile on his face.

Apple Bloom and Pinkie shared a grin at one another, and the Apple siblings carried on. As they went back to the farm, Apple Bloom didn’t jump on the cart as usual, but began walking beside him. Her grin was telling him that teasing would follow…